AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE
January 2013
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Our Biggest Print Run Yet - Now over 13,000 copies
Breaking a Tradition I’ve worked at various local newspapers over the last decade. Obviously I wasn’t very good, so I had to go out and start a magazine of my own. But one thing that gave me annual frustration was how everything slowed down at Christmas. Collectively as reporters, we used to use the lack of press releases from the police, health services, local authorities, public relations firms, clubs and associations, as an excuse to produce generally worthless editions over Christmas and New Year. It’s mystifying, as we all love reading national newspapers and magazines at the end of a year for the annual ‘best of’ lists. Even if this year it made me realise how old I’m getting - I hadn’t heard of any of what the critics judged the ‘best albums’ and I was unaware that all of the best television shows are made in Scandinavia. Anyway, I wanted to put together a really good New Year’s edition, with our own round-up of 2012 highlights in the district. We’ve done something a little different, combining the year’s big stories with a feature on what was happening in Horsham a century ago. If you’ve had a bad year, it might make you feel a bit better, as last year’s headlines
Cover Story
were certainly more positive than they were in 1912. So I hope you enjoy that. We also talk to the cast of Snow White at the Capitol, a former powerboat racer looks back on his life, Steve Gubbins chats about his new artistic direction, and we highlight the great work of the YMCA in Horsham. We’re printing 13,000 copies now, which is good news for us, but better news for our printer! Those who do not receive AAH through their door in Billingshurst and Southwater can now pick it up at our new stands at the CoCo’s salons in those villages. In Horsham we already have stands at Sakakini jewellers in the Carfax and Artisan Patisserie in Market Square. Finally, I’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year. It might come across as a token gesture, but the emails and letters we received made us feel that the effort we have put in is worthwhile! So here’s to a great 2013 (I’m raising an imaginary glass whilst listening to Last Christmas by Wham! for the third time today)
Ben, Editor
To be honest, we had some problems with the front page shot. It was an unorthodox photo shoot. Toby had wanted to set up his studio lights in the town centre, but it was freezing on the night we met dancers Katie and Amelia, so that idea was shelved. Instead, after I had interviewed the dancers at the Capitol, everybody made their way to Toby’s house, squeezing into his front room where studio equipment stretched to every corner of the room. The girls were photographed in front of a plain grey sheet. Toby then set about
Toby Phillips (All AAH Photography) and Ben Morris (All AAH Editorial & Advertising)
finding a nice backdrop. He went to a barn he has used before for pictures and took images of the building and the entrance. We wanted to steer clear of dance halls and floors in case it looked too similar to the baton twirling cover a few months ago. The only decision we still had to make was whether to put Katie or Amelia on the cover. The fact that Katie was stood sideways on in her best picture, allowing room for the AAH logo, meant she got the nod. Toby made up this alternative front cover of us for a laugh!
Visit our website at www.aahorsham.co.uk To discuss advertising in AAH call Ben on 01403 878026. View our advertising rates on Page 24...
CONTENTS 6 News Round-Up What’s making headlines, including a superb exhibition by John Jochimsen
9 Saddle Up Julia Felton went from being a city high-flyer to working with horses
12 My Story So Far Jackie Wilson, from baker to powerboat racer and beyond...
20 One to Watch Katie Duffin and Amelia Knight are promising Irish dancers
22 Meal Review We find the Black Horse in Nuthurst is doing the simple things well
30 Art Portrait photographer Steve Gubbins is developing new artistic styles
AAH Editor: Ben Morris editor@aahorsham.co.uk 01403 878026 / 01903 892899 Advertising: Kelly Morris advertising@aahorsham.co.uk 01403 878026 / 01903 892899 Photography: Toby Phillips tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk info@tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk 07968 795625 Contributors Jeremy Knight (Historic images and text for article on Horsham 100 years ago and the Davis Estate article)
34 Horsham YMCA We meet the young people changing their lives at the Y Centre in Horsham
43 History We look back at the tannery fire and the Suffrage movement in 1912...
51 Review of 2012 ...Then come right up to date with the big headlines of 2012
56 Group Discussion The cast of the Capitol’s panto, Snow White, talk about their experience
61 CoCos We look back at a big year for the incredible CoCo’s Foundation in Africa
66 How Interesting The price of a new home in Horsham back in the 1930s...
This month we introduce a new delivery round in North Parade, Horsham, and place new stands in Southwater and Billingshurst
Additional thanks to... Chris Connors at CoCo’s for photographs and the pint of Sussex; Wildwood PR, Tracey Wilkes at YMCA, Michael Gattrell and Spofforth’s for letting us to use their Christmas tree for the Page 3 shot! Door-to-Door Delivery team The Paterson family, Geoff Valentine, Andrew Price, Trish Fuller, Sarah Guile, Amy Rogers, Laura Harding, Alex Bland and Cara Cocoracchio (all Horsham rounds), Anna Laker and Alex Besson (Billingshurst), Jamie Towes, Shaun Bacon and Eddie Robinson (Southwater), Jack Barnett (Monks Gate/Mannings Heath), Karen Parnell (Warnham), Will Smith (Ashington), Roger Clark (Partridge Green and Cowfold), Reece Elvin (Slinfold), Ben Morris (Tower Hill, Rookwood, Dial Post, Crabtree), Toby Phillips (Town Centre),
AAH ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE
January 2013
Herbie Whitmore (West Grinstead), Ben’s Grandma (Wisborough Green) AAH is available to pick up for free in stands at Sakakini (Carfax ), Artisan Patisserie (Market Square), CoCo’s salons (Lintot Square in Southwater and High Street, Billingshurst) and Horsham Museum. Website Run by Mi-Store of Brighton. Read all of our editions at www.aahorsham.co.uk AAH Magazine is an independent publication owned by B. Morris and is based in Ashington Copies of past editions of AAH are available for £3 each (this includes postage). Many are sold out, so please email Ben for availability.
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9 1: Photographs taken by John Jochimsen will form a new display at Horsham Museum. The 20 images on display include pictures of African warriors, The Queen and President Reagan. John, a former Fleet Street photographer, was featured in the February 2012 edition on AAH. ‘Adventures in Photography – Images from the Archive of John Jochimsen’ opens at Horsham Museum & Art Gallery on Thursday 3rd January and closes on 2nd March. 2: Jolyon Palmer has signed to drive for Carlin in the 2013 GP2 Series. The 21-year-old Southwater racer, who is already a race winner in the series, will compete alongside Brazilian Felipe Nasr at the British team. Palmer is aiming for the title after a good 2012 campaign which included victory at the Monaco Grand Prix as well as podiums at Silverstone and Monza. Carlin joined the GP2 Series in 2011 but is already established as one of the leading teams with Britain’s latest Formula One driver Max Chilton finishing fourth in the drivers’ standings in 2012. For more visit www.jolyonpalmer.com
Fran Southgate/SWT
3: The finalists for the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2012/13 have been announced and poducers from the Horsham District feature in seven of the eight categories. The Sussex Food and Drink Awards are the only awards that highlight, recognise and support Sussex farmers and producers and the businesses which sell and promote their produce. Nominees across the various categories include Dark Star in Partridge Green, The Sussex Produce Company in Steyning, and Wabi in Horsham. Charlie Tayler from The Pass at South Lodge is nominated as Sussex Young Chef of the Year. Visit the Sussex Food Awards website at www.sussexfoodawards.biz 4: The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy host a quiz night on Friday 1st February at 7.30pm at Billingshurst Community and Conference Centre. It costs £10 to enter, with the price including fish and chips, or £6 if you bring your own supper. For tickets contact Rosie Wyer, Regional Fundraiser, on 01403 780444 or rosie.wyer@dvltrust.org.uk
10 5: Cancer Research UK will bring its popular Race for Life to Horsham Park on Sunday, 2nd June. The charity has decided to abandon its annual event at Ardingly in favour of Horsham, which already hosts the Midnight Walk and Santa Run for St Catherine’s Hospice. 6: The 2011 Census provides an interesting snapshot of the Horsham population on 27th March 2011. The Census reveals that the number of people owning their own homes is dropping and more are renting privately. In 2011, three quarters of Horsham District residents owned their own home, slightly fewer than in 2001. Car ownership is high at one and a half cars per household, whilst we are more likely to get married too. Just over a quarter of residents are single; nationally this figure is 35%. The number of Christians in the district decreased to 64% from 76% in 2001. The Census suggests that people are becoming better educated, with more getting degrees or similarly high levels of education. 7: Paul Messis, one of our favourite local musicians at AAH, has started his own record
AAH News Round-up 4
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13 label. The first 7" release on Market Square Records is a record by 'The Market Squares' which is a collaboration between Paul and Nashville psychedelic group The Sufis. It will be released on February 4th and strictly limited to 300 copies. Paul’s second solo album 'Case Closed' will be out in May on State Records and will also be on vinyl. Visit www.paulmessis.bandcamp.com for more on Paul’s music. 8: Horsham District Council has been looking at different ways to close the council’s budget gap. The good news is that Council Tax will be frozen again this year as the council instead looks at a ‘user pays philosophy’ where those who use services pay for them. The green waste collection is now optional, with the council charging £29 a year for the service. In some car parks evening charges are to be introduced, and the tarrifs at some town centre car parks are set to increase by a small amount. 9: An insight into life at Christ’s Hospital and its long history will be revealed in an
exhibition at Horsham Museum & Art Gallery, opening on 8th January. The exhibition will be in two galleries, with one displaying engravings and pictures from the school’s collection in oil, watercolour and pencil. Of particular interest are cartoons by the artist Frank Brangwyn for the wall paintings in the Chapel, paintings of pupils from the early 19th Century and a watercolour portrait by the Second World War poet and artist Keith Douglas, which has not been previously displayed in public. The exhibition is free to enter and is open from 8th January to 23rd February. 10: Woods Mill Nature Reserve was inundated with flood water on 20th December. The Mill is headquarters to the Sussex Wildlife Trust and this was the most flooding seen on the reserve in over a decade, with the Mill pond water level rising ten centimetres in an hour. Fran Southgate, Sussex Wildlife Trust Wetland Landscapes Officer said: ‘We have done our best to help limit the flood damage by opening up our land so that it can absorb as much flood water as possible, rather than sending it
flowing down the Adur. No matter how bad the flood is now, it would have been a lot worse if the Trust and other landowners had not provided thousands of acres of land to temporarily store water, rather than letting it hit our houses and roads.’ 11: It was a miserable month for most, but Max Morris of Ashington enjoyed himself in an enermous puddle on the playing fields. No, it’s not really news, but it fills a gap! 12: It finally happened, Bill’s has opened at the Old Town Hall building in Market Square, Horsham. Another Bill’s restaurant opened in Guildford during December. Bill Collison, who founded Bill’s in 2001, first attempted to come to the town in 2009, but there was strong opposition to the building being used as a restaurant. It led to the unusual sight of a ‘For Sale’ notice on the historic listed building. 13: Horsham Piazza Italia 7 will be held on Friday 29th March, Saturday 30th March and Monday 1st April 2013. The festival will once again see Ferrari drivers visit the town.
Digit enhancement Nail technician’s home-based business success When experienced nail technician Kim Sawyers became a mother, she decided to set up her own business from home. Along with a colleague, Kim had previously established one of the leading nail salons in Horsham town centre. Now she is able to continue her passion for nail care from a beautiful and spacious studio at her home in the village of Ashington. Kim set up Salon 13 in 2006, and has been steadily building the business. With over 20 years of nailcare experience Kim offers a quality service but with greater flexibility to her clients. Kim said: “It's a lovely environment here in the studio. When I started working from home I used a small study inside the house, but always had dreams of creating a studio which clients would look forward to coming to. “The studio was completed four years ago and I haven't looked back. I love working from home, offering my clients a service which works around their busy schedules and unlike the nail technicians based in the town centre I'm easy to get to and the parking is free. “Many of my clients comment on the studio and how much they enjoy their visits. I am able to offer a stress free, relaxing, comfortable and friendly experience. I always have hot chocolate at the ready, which also helps during the cold spells!" Before co-owning a salon in Horsham, Kim successfully completed a leading Hair and Beauty Training course, but soon realised she had a love and skill for nails. Kim
continued her training, focusing on nails, and graduated from the Creative Nail Academy in London with the title of Master Nail Technician. Now as well as possessing the qualifications and experience, Kim is able to offer leading nailcare products to clients. Salon 13 uses Creative Nail Design (CND) products, providing strong, natural looking nails, tailored to suit every individual. Kim covers all aspects of nail care including nail enhancements, enhancement maintenance and removal. For those with natural nails Kim provides a range of manicures with luxury solar silk and awardwinning Solar Oil products which will leave
your hands glowing. Kim also offers gift vouchers so you can treat your loved ones to a slice of hand heaven. At the 2012 Nails Readers’ Choice Awards 2012 CND products proved a favourite amongst nail professionals, surpassing all other brands. CND scooped 11 Awards including favourite new produce for CND Additives, favourite polish for CND Shellac and favourite cuticle treatment for CND Solar Oil. If you would like to know more about Salon 13, book an appointment or enquire about our gift vouchers, call or email Kim on the details below to discuss your nail requirements
13 Mill Mead, Ashington, West Sussex, RH20 3BE 07799 881810 | kim@salon13.co.uk
salon13.co.uk
A Kingdom for a Horse Julia Felton gave up a successful career in the city to pursue her childhood passion of working with horses. She now runs training courses in Dragons Green, claiming that businesses can learn about the leadership, teamwork and communication skills of employees by spending time with horses...
Julia Felton was a city high-flyer… “I was in the corporate world with a highflying job in the city but I realised I was completely burnt out so took a sabbatical when I was made redundant in 2006. I worked in luxury hotels around the world before running a specialist research division for an accountancy firm. I monitored hotel performance around the world, and this grew that into a multi-million pound business and the global market leader.” During her sabbatical, Julia spent time with horses…. “The first thing I did was train to be a riding instructor. I was 40-years-old but it felt like I was rebelling against my parents! Horses were always my passion, but I realised that I gave away my personal power and lived my parents’ dream by getting ‘a
proper job’. I think that happens to a lot of people. Whilst working with horses, I came across Horse Assisted Coaching - the ability to work with horses to teach people about business and life lessons.” It led to two new businesses… “I trained and became what is known as a licensed Horse Dream Partner. I set up Connect Thru Horses, which helps horse owners develop a better relationship with their horse. The second business is Connect 2 Success, which helps individuals and teams achieve success through better understanding of themselves and how they can add real value. Companies don’t ever think about taking people out to spend time with horses in order to get to know their teams and the individuals within them.”
It’s team bonding with a difference… “There’s a general lack of investment as these are difficult times. Companies are not doing training days (like they used to) as there is a perception that it’s a bit of a jolly. I think that is true for some outdoor activities as they are more like bonding events and have no educational value. Team bonding is important but it’s a luxury rather than a necessity. People who have been on the Connect 2 Success training are blown away by it. It is a cost effective way of developing skills within teams, because it is actionbased learning.” Julia believes horses can tell us a lot about ourselves… “The great thing is that the horse doesn’t know whether the person they are working with is the CEO or the janitor. The horse
responds energetically to who shows up. They reflect back what is going on, and that feedback is non-judgmental. The horses want us to be authentic. If you are afraid and pretend you are not, the horses know. A lot of people in the business world act in this incongruent state, but the horses call people on that.” Exercises can be interpreted to give business insight... “We set up a range of exercises with the horses which will give each client feedback on their leadership and communication skills. In one exercise, people lead a horse around obstacles. If they are not clear on what they want to achieve then the horse typically will not go. Like people, horses want you to be a leader and be clear about what you want. If you are indecisive, then
the horse is not going to move.”
horses and we evaluate what happened.”
The results can be revealing… “I’ m quite a creator – I like developing things and that was where I added my most value in business. When we became the market leader and I had to manmanage, I hated it. I wasn’t very good at it. I wasn’t delivering as much value to the company and there were others who would have done that job better and loved it too. So I think it’s important to get people in the right roles. Sometimes, it might be that these exercises show that somebody is not in a role that gives the maximum value. But a smart employer might move them to a role where they will add value. We have the most success when we do some internal coaching first, and then they come out and spend some time with the
Julia has written a book… One of the motivations for writing ‘Unbridled Success’ is it’s really difficult to explain this stuff to people. If I go to a networking event and try to describe how powerful connecting through horses can be, they simply do not get it. But bring them out to the space where the horses are and they understand. There is something about being out with nature and with horses that puts a different perspective on things. There is a lot written about therapeutic benefits, and healing people with post-traumatic stress disorder, but not about business lessons.” It’s more honest than Facebook… “We feel like we are more connected than
Jamie Thorne and Rebecca Mason took on the Look Fantastic salon in Horsham two years ago and have revitalised its fortunes. “We both worked as experienced stylists at the salon in Piries Place. It’s future was in doubt, and so were our jobs, so we decided to take over the franchise and give it a fresh look and a new direction. We called on friends and family to redecorate the salon and steadily grew through excellent word-of-mouth. Now, Look Fantastic in Horsham is renowned for its sharp, contemporary styles, and our experienced team offers unique cutting and colouring skills. We also provide Balmain 100% human hair additions and extensions. We are located in the scenic area of Piries Place close to Waitrose. Pop in soon for a free consultation!”
ever before because we have 1,500 friends on Facebook but the relationships are so transient compared to my parent’s generation when you built close relationships with friends and family. For me, a lot of this work is helping people connected to others and to themselves. We are trying to get people back to their natural instincts. I think that is why this work is really powerful – people are connecting, and if you connect well with people you can actually be more successful in business.”
Unbridled Success is available to buy through Ecademy Press (www.ecademy-press.com) and you can read more about Julia’s book at www.unbridledsuccess.co.uk
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‘In one season, seven people I knew were killed
in powerboats’ Jackie Wilson, 80
I was born in Shipley near Bradford on 30th January 1932. At that time I think my dad was a lorry driver and mum was a busybody. We moved to Lightcliffe in 1938. I lived at 16 Ivy Terrace and I could tell you the name of everyone in the street. I remember on the railway bank we found a truck that was full of peanuts. We cut a hole in the side of it and a shower of peanuts came out. I had to go to court when I was aged eight years old! My dad was a flight engineer in the RAF during the Second World War and was on 36 operations. His last flight was one of the Thousand Bomber Raids over Germany in 1945. The war was great fun for me. I would sit with my brother, watching the bombers fly over followed by the fighters shooting a trail of bullets.
I left school aged 15, working as an apprentice draftsman, but all my boss made me do was sweep floors. One day, I just erupted. I said ‘I’m not sweeping floors anymore’ and he smacked me round the head and knocked me to the floor. There was a huge spanner next to me as I landed. I picked it up and whacked him as hard as I could. He just went down. I ran home, crying like a baby. I said ‘Mom, I’ve killed the boss! I’ve killed the boss! I hit him with a spanner and he’s dead’. She rushed down there and he was sat down with a towel around his head. I walked in and he shouted ‘you’re fired!’ My grandparents were bakers, and in time I learned how to ice cakes. I worked for my dad, who opened his own shop, and he
used to fill the windows with wedding cakes that I had made. It came to the day when my grandfather wanted to give me his bakery, but for reasons I’ve never understood my mum refused to allow it. So I thought, that’s it, I’m off. I came down to Sussex to work for Frank O’ Clee at a bakers in Southwater. It is 60 years this month since I arrived from Bradford. When I arrived I remember seeing an old chap called Yorkie who used to sell newspapers in the Carfax. I thought I knew everything back then, and I thought I was the greatest baker on the planet! So after two years on the same pay I asked for a rise as Brenda and I had by then had our first child, Sandra. Frank said he couldn’t afford to so that was
My Story So Far the end of my days in baking. Eddie Jegla, my next door neighbour in Oak Road in Southwater, gave me a job as a labourer for three shillings an hour. That was the biggest pay rise I ever had! One day, I was reading the West Sussex County Times with my good friend Johnny Maidment and saw an advert for the Olympia Boat Show at Earls Court. We went up and parked right outside the front door. That advert changed my life. Between us, we bought a 14 foot Jack Broom boat. We started to go boating at the weekend. I started buying boat magazines, and saw that the London Motor Boat Club was starting to hold races with boats like mine taking part. Back then, the big race was a six hour race held every October in the heart of Paris. Bob May had taken his boat, Yellow Peril, and was winning until it broke down. The boat was up for sale, and he sold it to me on the condition that I joined the Racing Club at Iver. So I did. It turned out I was good at it. I bought a new boat, The Derry Devil, and was winning a lot of races. It was all for fun - there would be inboards and outboards racing together and there would be 30 drivers in each class. It was a sport that was going places. We started racing other Motoring Clubs all over the country. The best drivers from all over the world went to the Paris Six Hour Race. I went there for the first time in 1964. The guy whose boat
Jackie with his son Mark
Jackie in Southwater with a boat during the 1960s
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we were racing was killed on the Seine two weeks before. If I had known that, there is no way I would have got in it! But at that time it was the most exhilarating thing I had ever done in a boat. The boat speeds went up dramatically. We were doing 45mph when I started, and by 1964 the speeds were up to 70mph. When they started developing the hulls they went to 80mph, and that was too fast for the shape of the boat.
The death rate escalated. In one season, seven people I knew personally were killed powerboat racing. I did a deal to take on the garage at Southwater. I paid £20,000 for the garage. The bank wouldn’t lend me the money and I had a row with the manager, but Eddie Jegla walked in there and guaranteed the money for me. I had many a row with him, as I do with most people, but Eddie
did that for me and never asked for anything in return. I ran the garage and a marine dealership there and we had a good life. Powerboat racing kept growing and it really took off when the engine manufacturers went head to head. Mercury and OMC both set up a ‘works’ team and I was part of the Mercury team. As a factory driver, suddenly I wasn’t paying for boats, engines, travel, every-
My Story So Far thing. It was tremendous fun, but it led to a decline in the number of drivers. A lot of my old friends were left behind. The works drivers went off all over Europe and America to chase big pots and the others were still paying for everything. It wasn’t a level playing field. The Mercury team was me, Renato Molinari and Don Pruett, who was an American Indian. The OMC team was made up of Jimbo McConnell, Cees Van Der Velden and Cesare Scotti. Later there was Bob Spalding and Tom Percival, whilst the Americans like Billy Seebold would come over sometimes. Billy and Renato were the greats, but the best driver I ever raced against was an American called Billy Sirois. The boats then were running 125mph, and today the F1 boats are running at the same speed. The boats have changed, but the speeds have not.
Jackie drove a powerboat in the 1981 Disney film Condorman
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At one point, F1 powerboat racing was on the verge of being something big. It was almost there, but it fell apart when OMC and Mercury pulled the plug on it. It had everything going for it to be a spectacle. It seems difficult to imagine now, but there was not a lot between rallying, motorbike racing and F1 cars back then, and power boating was not far behind. We used to get a 250,000 people at the Brish Grand Prix at Bristol. I should not be here. I had a big shunt in Lake Havasu in America in 1970. The boat flipped and just kept climbing. I came out when the boat was in the air, and I fell headfirst into the water and it tore my nose off. I needed about 140 stitches. Another time on Lake Windermere another driver cut my boat in half at 100mph. I remember in Havasu, Billy Seebold once raced Johnny Cashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boat. Cashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drummer W.S Holland was a hydroplane racer too, and I was asked if I could bring some bits back for his boat whilst I was picking up my own parts from a factory in Holland. I had to take them up to the Albert Hall where Cash was performing. I asked for some tickets in exchange, and we had a box. Afterwards Johnny Cash took us for dinner! Perhaps my career highlight was turning up at Bristol in 1978 with the new Cosworth engine. We went straight out and got the lap record. I later won the Duke of York trophy in that boat, beating the factory teams.
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16 I won the Paris Six Hour Race in my last ever race in 1979, racing with my son Mark. We had a long stop due to a fuel leak, which put us a few laps down, but Mark refused to give up and put tape around the petrol tank. He was adamant that we should rejoin the race.
Top: Jackie with his grandson Craig, winning the P1 Powerboat race at Cowes in 2007, and son Mark. Below left, Jackie chats to Princess Margaret during a race weekend, and below right, Jackie plays it cool at a race in America
We kept getting fastest times and in the end the boat wasn’t touching the water. We reached ridiculous speeds, and we were leaking fuel as my balls were on fire! It looked like the boat would take off at any time, but it didn’t and we won the race on the last lap. I gave up after that. My head was telling me to slow down but I wanted to go as fast as Mark. After the race, Brenda said ‘one of you is stopping racing’. Mark went on to be a very successful F1 Grand Prix driver. I did still drive boats from time to time, including working on the Disney film, Condorman. We moved to Brooklands Farm in Shipley. We had more fun there than any time of my life really. I had all five of my kids - Sandra, Mark, Boo, Kim and Sammy - round me and all the grandchildren too. It really was Wilsonville! Barry Sheene had a boat, and used to come into the Southwater garage in his Rolls Royce. One day, I had just flown a helicopter into the garden. Barry insisted that I take him up, but I said ‘no’ as I had only started pilot training. He jumped in and wouldn’t get out until I took him up over the village of Southwater. Seven days later, he dropped in at the farm in a brand new helicopter! The garage closed in 1982. We were constantly in dispute with Total as they gave us very little on the petrol, but it was the bypass opening that was the killer. My takings went from 1000
gallons a day down to 100 gallons a day. I moved to France in 2000 with my second wife, Jill. We lived there for twelve years, and I’m pleased we did it. We met some wonderful people, even some French people! But they’re a cranky lot and I’m glad to be home!
Craig, Mark’s son and my grandson, has done wonderful things in boat racing, and has won the P1 Powerboat World Championship. I am proud that the Wilson name still lives on in powerboat racing.
Jackie ‘s striking Cosworth boat caused a sensation at the British Grand Prix at Bristol in 1978
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Lunges - Take a stride forwards onto one leg and, in the same motion, dip down keeping your back straight so the back knee almost touches the floor. It is important to keep the pelvis level, if you place your hands on your hips this will help. Then return back to upright on one smooth motion. Perform 10 lunges for each side.
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Wall Sit - Stand leaning with your back against a wall and your feet about 3 feet from the wall. Slowly slide down the wall, holding the position where your knees are at about 60 degrees. Hold for 30 seconds, progressing up to 1 minute.
Bridging - Contract lower abdominal and buttock muscles, keeping the spine in neutral. Slowly lift the pelvis just clear of the floor and hold this position for 10 seconds. Keep breathing. Repeat up to 10 times. For those of you who fall into the “I injured myself last year and still have that niggle, but am skiing again in 2 weeks” category – give us a ring at Cranfold Physical Therapy Centre - we can still help!
Preparation is of course the best way to ensure you get the most of your holiday. It will increase the chances of you springing along to the bar for your après ski, rather than hobbling! As we hurtle downhill to the ski season, here are some simple exercises and stretches to ensure that you get the most out of your well-deserved holiday in the snow. Start 6-8 weeks before your planned trip and try to perform daily. They will only take a few
minutes. Small Knee Bend - Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Slowly bend your knees so you dip down a few inches, keeping your heels down on the ground. Keep your bottom tucked in and think about tightening the muscles just above the knee. Hold for 5 seconds then slowly straighten. To progress, perform this exercise singly as you balance on one leg. Repeat up to 10 times.
Cranfold Physical Therapy Centre is a BUPA Approved Practice, which offers a wide range of therapies across our sites, including Chartered Physiotherapy, Sports Physician, Sports Therapy, Reflexology, Aromatherapy and Acupuncture.
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20
Flatley, My Dear,
I Don’t Riverdance Ones to Watch Katie Duffin & Amelia Knight For most of us, Irish dancing conjures up a single image; Michael Flatley wearing a blouse and tight trousers stretching up to his nipples, with his feet rotating faster than a wind-up plastic frog. Through astonishingly successful shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance he has entralled and inspired millions of people around the world. One of these people is 15-year-old Katie Duffin, who started Irish Dancing having watched one of his shows on DVD. Katie, a pupil at Millais School, is now one of the top ranked Irish dancers in the world for her age group and she recently won the British Open Championships. Katie said: “I have been dancing since I was four-years-old. I started off with tap and ballet but I was getting bored of it. Then I watched Riverdance on DVD and it inspired me. “I eventually went to the Ace Academy in Crawley and I’ve been there for four years. For me, Irish dancing came naturally, and I could pick it up very quickly. But still, I think it’s a hard discipline. In tap and ballet you can use your arms for balance but with Irish dancing your arms have to stay by your side and you need to maintain a straight body at all times.” Having won The British Open title, Katie went to the Celtic Nationals and triumphed once again. Whilst the competition came from far and wide, it was her close friends from Ace Academy who proved to be her main rivals. “Last year, I won in the Under-15 category, but I was one of the oldest in that age
Katie and Amelia both won British Open Championship titles group at that time. This year I was at Under16 level, so I was dancing with people a year older than me. “I was also up against Becky Rham, who is one of my friends at Ace, and she won the World Irish Dance Association Championships for our age group earlier this year. “There are some very good dancers at the Academy, and we push each other on and learn from one another, so that when it comes to competition we all have a chance of winning. “I don’t do much group dancing like you see
on Riverdance. I do mainly solo routines.” Also lighting up the dance floor was eightyear-old Amelia Knight of Horsham. Amelia, known as ‘Nugget’ to her dancing friends, is thought to be one of the most promising young Irish dancers in the country, and she too won the British Open Championship title for her age group. Amelia first encountered Irish dancing through a tiny clip on CBeebies and decided to try it out. She has progressed at a rapid rate, learning from Katie and the other more experienced dancers and always aiming to be
‘In tap and ballet you can use your arms for balance but with Irish dancing your arms have to stay by your side’ Katie
‘We have to wear dresses and they are usually brightly coloured and covered in diamante’ Amelia able to do what they can do. But Amelia, a pupil at St Mary’s School in Horsham, explained that it isn’t just how you dance that is important – it’s how you look too. “We mainly do solo dances rather than team dances, and there are lots of different kinds of dance. “There are is the reel, a slip jig, a light jig, a hop jig (single jig), a heavy jig, a hornpipe and lots of set dances at the big events. “There are four different categories. You have beginner, primary, intermediate and open, and everyone starts off in the beginner class. Every time you win you move up a category, so if you are in primary and you win the slip jig, you move up to intermediate, but stay at primary level for the other dances until you win those. “On your feet, you have soft or heavy shoes, depending on the dance. The heavy shoe is like a tap shoe, but it is faster, and the soft shoe is more like a ballet shoe. “We have to wear dresses and they are usually brightly coloured and covered in diamante. You can buy the costumes, make them yourself or buy them second-hand. My mum and dad have sold some of my old dresses to pay for a new dress, as they are very expensive. “You also have wigs, and we use either bun wigs, or you can curl your hair.” In the future, Katie would like to do some touring productions and learn team dancing techniques, whilst Amelia would like to teach Irish dancing one day. For now though, both are set to continue developing their talent at Ace Academy, where they train every Tuesday and Saturday. To find out more about Ace Academy and how to become a member visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/ The-Ace-Academy-Of-IrishDance/100447236713624
22
Black Horse Inn banks on playing it
SAFE Review Black Horse Inn, Nuthurst “It’s lovely from the outside, and you walk in and there’s an inglenook fireplace right in front of you. It’s a quintessentially British pub.” Those are the words of Brian Denton, who runs the Black Horse Inn in Nuthurst. Not a great deal happens in Nuthurst, although Architectural Plants is based there and the beautiful church has been the centre of the village for a thousand years. But it is a close-knit community and having a good pub at its heart is important. Brian took over the pub in the spring of 2011. Living just a couple of miles away in Monks Gate, he was a regular at the Black Horse and after taking over he quickly set about establishing a reputation for good food and drink. When he arrived, the Black Horse served Sussex Best Bitter and London Pride. Now, there are four beers with one national beer and any three others. Usually, there are at least two local beers on tap. All five of the local breweries (Dark Star, Hepworths, Westons, W.J King and Kissingate) have had their beers for
sale at some point in the last year. Brian said: “It makes us popular with the real ale drinkers and we’ve been voted into the 2012 Good Beer Guide, which is the beer drinker’s Bible. “People like to drink local ales and in a place like this, which is a destination pub, they want to known what’s on offer locally. We have a lot of visitors from further afield. They turn up and want to know the Horsham ales and it’s a good selling point for us. “It also supports the local economy, but we’re happy to do that as the breweries are very good. For me, Dark Star is one of the best around.” Next, Brian set about changing the food, bringing in two chefs, Damon Paul and Viki Marki. He realised that it was important for the food to be right if the Black Horse was going to build on its reputation as a destination pub. “The food was not great,” said Brian. “(The previous owners) had lots of good ideas and were trying to do the right things, but perhaps in the wrong way. When I came to the pub it didn’t need a complete overhaul.
Review: Black Horse Inn
“We just started playing around with the menu, saw what worked and what didn’t and put in a menu that would work. Pubs are not just drinking holes anymore. It is about the food as much as the drink. “We try to serve good, honest food. We don’t oversell the menu as we don’t want to sound pretentious. We make it simple, but when it comes out it looks impressive. “It might be a shepherd’s pie, but it might be the best shepherd’s pie you’ve ever had. You order a steak and that’s what you get – good steak from a local butcher that is
cooked well, presented well. We use New Street Butchers and the meat we get from there is just fantastic.” Chef Damon said: “We want to put different touches on the food so people go ‘wow’. It’s not too fancy – there is no pork terrine with shaved truffle, pea shoot and parsnip puree. Not yet anyway. It’s simple and not over the top, and it’s well priced. People just want good food in a nice atmosphere. “I like adding flavours that work. Maybe it’s not quirky, as that would suggest that we are taking it away from being traditional.
But we’ll have lamb with buttered carrots, with dauphinoise potato that is compressed and properly flavoured. It’s going the extra mile on making something simple. “But we are working with a fantastic butcher, and when I’m working with ingredients as good as this it really is difficult to mess it up. There is no need to dress it up as anything else. “So the menu doesn’t tell you all of the ingredients, there are a few little surprises. “ We visited the Black Horse on a busy Wednesday evening. The pub runs an
24
AAH
ALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINE
Call Ben Morris on 01403 878026 advertising@aahorsham.co.uk www.aahorsham.co.uk
ABOUT US AAH Magazine is an independently-owned monthly magazine for the Horsham district. AAH has become renowned for its interesting features and beautiful photography by Toby Phillips. AAH is an A4 publication, printed on high quality, 90gsm gloss paper with a 150gsm gloss cover. We promote the best of the district’s music and arts, review the finest restaurants, bring to life historic tales from Horsham’s past, and highlight the most interesting and unusual businesses. AAH has brought you great features on groups such as Kingdom Faith Church in Horsham
DISTRIBUTION AAH Magazine is delivered directly to homes free of charge on a monthly basis. Our print run is currently 13,000 and our year-on-year circulation has increased by 25%. A team of about 30 people deliver AAH each and every month to 11,149 homes in the district. These include 5,437 homes in Horsham, 2,003 in Southwater, 1,114 in Billingshurst, and 865 in Partridge Green and Cowfold.
AAH provides features for young readers too, including skatejams and rock bands
We also deliver to the surrounding villages including Ashington (600), Warnham (275), Slinfold (284), Mannings Heath (326) as well as the smaller villages of Monks Gate, Dial Post, West Grinstead and Tower Hill. Businesses in Horsham, Billingshurst and Southwater receive the magazine whilst our spring-loaded, stylish stands with lids are extremely popular in Horsham town, Southwater and Billingshurst.
ADVERTISING Eighth Page (93mm x 63mm)
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Six Editions £275 plus VAT (one free)
AAH has featured charities including The Ark, CoCo’s Foundation and Dame Vera Lynn Trust
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enjoyable quiz night every Wednesday, raising money for St Catherine’s Hospice. Confident of my own general knowledge, we took an answer sheet and settled down with a pint of Dark Star’s Hophead. At about the time that the quiz master declared that round one was about ‘opera’, we realised we might be set for an embarrassingly low score. As Toby declared he was far too busy taking photos and did not wish to be associated with the last placed team, our starter arrived. There are only four starters on the menu: Sussex Smokie baked with cheese topping served with bread (£6.75), Portobello Mushroom topped with balsamic onion marmalade and baked with creamy goats cheese (£5.95), Soup of the day (£4.75) and Ardennes Pate with an onion marmalade, pickled baby vegetables and toast (£6.50). But you can also choose from one of two platters to share. There’s a £13.95 Meat Platter with prosciutto, Milano salami, chorizo, Ardennes pate, sundried tomatoes, marinated olives, salad garnish, crusty bread and butter. We opted for the Seafood Platter at the same price, comprising peppered mackerel, crab pate, prawns, smoked salmon, capers, salad garnish, marie rose sauce, lemon mayonnaise and wholemeal bread and butter. It was very nicely presented on slate. The strong, intense flavour of the peppered mackerel ensured it was tasty as well as being nutritionally dense brain food. The delicious salmon was thick in texture, and deep and oaky in taste. It’s always nice to see a decent amount of crusty bread on the side of the plate too, as oppose to thin slices of wholemeal that pate tends to rip right through. As I sat trying to think of a reasonably educated guess for a question relating to Munch’s famous painting ‘The Scream’ in the vain hope of finishing second to
Review: Black Horse Inn
We want to put different touches on the food so people go ‘wow’ last in the quiz, the main course arrived. Mains include Rack of Lamb marinated with Dijon mustard, mint and honey served with dauphinoise potatoes (£16.95), Chicken Supreme served with crushed new potatoes (£13.75), Beef Bourguignon served with creamy mash and buttered carrots (£13.75), Fish Pie with a cheese and herb topping (£13.75) and Beer Battered Cod (£11.95). The Black Horse also has a selection of steaks.
You can choose between Fillet (£20.50), Sirloin (£17.50) and Rump (£15.50) with baked rarebit Portobello mushroom, roasted vine tomatoes, mixed leaf salad and hand-cut chips. You can opt for peppercorn or blue cheese sauce for an extra £2.50. As it transpired though, Brian had noted that steak seems to come up frequently in our food reviews! Toby, who does like a good steak, felt the pressure to pick something else
so went for the Baked Salmon with a cheese and herb topping, mashed potato and flash fried green beans (£14.75) The salmon was moist, fresh and flavoursome and once again beautifully presented with moreish mashed potato and a little log pile of green beans. I went for the Rack of lamb, which was again a neatly presented and vibrantly colourful dish. The meat was conservatively cooked
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26
but was very well flavoured and the lightly seared compressed squares of potato were wonderful. There was no fuss with the service; it was friendly and informal with few of the formalities of a restaurant, which suits us just fine. We were, however, given a brief description of the wine list, which includes Surrey Gold from Denbies. A glass of Pinot Noir washed away the shame of finishing last in the pub quiz before the desserts arrived. There is chocolate brownie, apple crumble, banoffee pie, lemon meringue pie and home-made ice cream on the desserts menu, all costing £5.50. Toby chose the brownie, served warm with a delicious home-made vanilla ice cream. I sampled the
10%
off your table bill with this voucher Valid at Sanmae until 28th February 2013
Sanmae serves a delicious fusion of flavours from Eastern Asia. Like all Asian families, Sanmae serves food in the middle of the table for an enjoyable dining out experience for all
cheese board (which carries a £2 supplement) with goat’s cheese, cheddar, brie, dolcelatte and parmesan shavings, apple chutney, red onion confit and celery. It came with a huge selection of crackers, so if you are going to try these cheeses there is plenty to share between two or three people. We really enjoyed our visit to the Black Horse Inn. It is a beautiful little pub, and it has a nice garden which is being prepared for the summer. The fact that the pub continues to attract people from the surrounding villages and further afield speaks for itself. It is a charming place with good food, good ales, and it is no great surprise that this appeals to a good number of people.
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Mark Antony Windows www.markantonywindows.co.uk
Windows
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At Mark Antony Windows, our aim is to provide the best service supplying and installing PVC-U and aluminium products in the South East and all at competitive prices. Company Directors Mark Edwards and Antony Deakin have more than 30 years of experience in the industry. We cater to all needs with every aspect covered from complete conservatories - including design, project oversight and planning regulation - to minor repairs, locks and condensed units. Our windows are manufactured using the WHS Halo Profile, using a unique technology of a five chamber thermal system to give extra protection against the outside elements. They undergo extensive testing to ensure maximum
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insulation. All of our frames are calcium organic and recycled. All products come with our 10 year guarantee. Mark Antony Windows has also been recognised by the Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS).
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Repairs
We’ve all heard stories about aggressive sales tactics, poor standards of workmanship, problems never being rectified, and installers going out of business, leaving worthless guarantees. “The DGCOS is trying to clean up the industry. There are a lot of trade bodies in the double glazing industry but however impressive they sound most offer little protection to consumers. We’re trying to change that and get real consumer protections. When buying double-glazing or a conservatory I strongly recommend you use a DGCOS member.” Mark Antony Windows is also a Checkatrade supported business, and is backed by FENSA. For more details contact Mark or Antony on 01403 732800 or emarkantonywindows@fsmail.net
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Caring about the Community We specialise in the management of apartment blocks and private estates. This service is not an addition to an estate agency or letting operation - it is our core business. For a competitive fixed fee we efficiently undertake the complex tasks surrounding property management. We have developed our business on the principle of being committed to our clients and the communities in which we operate. Wherever possible we use local suppliers and contractors for services we organise on behalf of our clients. We believe our team-based approach to the management of our clients’ properties provides an excellent service at extremely competitive rates. We are currently involved in the management of over 100 developments comprising in excess of 1,800 individual properties. Wherever possible we work with Residents Associations and encourage all residents to
disease and in supporting their participate in the day to day ‘We have families, friends and carers. running of their development. As part of our commitment entered into a to the community, we have Find out more partnership with St entered into a partnership We are members of the Catherine’s Hospice with St Catherine’s Hospice Association of Managing and St Barnabas and St Barnabas House Agents (ARMA) and registered Hospice to help to fund with the Financial Services House Hospice to their activities. To date we Authority and the Property fund activities’ have raised£16,600. Services Ombudsman. For more We have chosen these information on our services visit organisations as we know that many of the www.lmltd.co.uk or call 01403 251570 or residents in the properties we manage will email leaseman@lmltd.co.uk have had some experience of the good work they do in providing the highest quality of care to people living with an incurable
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30
KEEPING AN EYE ON Steve Gubbins knows he is getting some strange looks. He is lying down on the rain-soaked ground, in the middle of the night in Piccadilly Circus, taking photographs of the pavement. It’s an unusual method, but one that does have interesting results. After a few touches with various software programmes, Steve’s images of neon lights reflected off a wet pavement make striking viewing. Steve is first and foremost a portrait photographer. He has enjoyed a successful career spanning thirty years, running a studio in the heart of Warnham village. But in recent years, the dawn of the digital age has seen demand for portrait photography wane. This has given Steve the opportunity to head into a more artistic direction. In an artistic sense, he has become best known for his close-up images of pavement
reflections and yew tree roots, but Steve is also developing his skills as a ceramic artist. But he’s come a long way... Steve said: “I had an Instamatic camera and I didn’t like the pictures I was getting. A friend of mine, who was a member of a camera club, said ‘you want to get yourself a Nikon’. “So I shot up to Capital Cameras in Crawley and I bought one, not knowing what I was buying. I went to France, took three rolls of film and had them processed. “The pictures were not brilliant, but I fell in love with photography. It hit me right between the eyes. “I’ve always been a frustrated artist as I could not draw or paint, but with photography I found my niche and it took over my life. “I joined the camera club, and won the novice prize in my first year. The next year I won the intermediate prize and in my third
year I won the advanced prize. I took ten thousand shots in my first year of photography, so it cost me a fortune. I used to get up at dawn each day and head out. “When you start out, you take photos of everything. I was lying in wet grass taking pictures of mushrooms, climbing trees to get a better viewpoint and all sorts. But I ended up taking pictures of people. “People turn up and they are nervous, especially women as they all think that they do not photograph well, and I have to make them like me, trust me and relax for me in ten minutes. That is what people pay me for, as not a lot of people can do that. “It comes from life experience. I can’t teach students when to take a picture or how to get people into the right mood to take a photo. Every photographer has their own way of doing this and you have to find your
Art: Steve Gubbins Steveโ s own take on a classic...
Your life, your way, our care. Horsham Home Care. After 9 months of careful planning and reparation, Horsham Home Care starts delivering care services on March 5th. Theyโ ve spent a lot of time creating and developing their bespoke service โ getting the business registered with the Care Quality Commission and recruiting the very best care staff.
N YEW own way.โ Now Steve is finding his own way with his art. The dazzling array of colours featured in many of his photography artwork is actually the roots of yew trees. Steve inverts the colours to create the effect, which works best on canvas. Most of the original images were taken at Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve near Chichester. Steve has returned to the site several times and always finds a fresh blend of patterns and colours. He once needed rescuing by a passerby after managing to become stuck up in a tree. The ceramics began when Steve started attending an evening class and enjoyed the fresh challenge. Some of his ceramic pieces are on display in an
Horsham Home Care understands the importance of LQGHSHQGHQFH ,W OLHV DW WKH KHDUW RI D PRUH IXOรทOOLQJ OLIHVW\OH 7KDWร V ZK\ WKHLU FDUH VHUYLFH IRFXVHV RQ SURYLGLQJ WKH VXSSRUW \RX QHHG WR PDLQWDLQ \RXU LQGHSHQGHQFH DQG FRQWLQXH WKH DFWLYLWLHV \RX HQMR\ 7KH\ FDQ DVVLVW ZLWK D ZLGH UDQJH RI SHUVRQDO WDVNV LQ D ZD\ WKDW VXLWV \RX DQG \RXU FLUFXPVWDQFHV <RX PD\ UHTXLUH RQJRLQJ FDUH WR DVVLVW \RX ZLWK ORQJ WHUP FRQGLWLRQV 2U \RX PLJKW QHHG UHVSLWH RU VKRUW WHUP FDUH DIWHU DQ DFFLGHQW RU LOOQHVV :KDWHYHU \RX QHHG WKH\ FDQ KHOS 7KH\ WDNH WKH WLPH WR JHW WR NQRZ \RX SHUVRQDOO\ ร WR XQGHUVWDQG \RXU LQWHUHVWV OLIHVW\OH DQG QHHGV 7KH\ FROODERUDWH ZLWK \RX DQG \RXU IDPLO\ IULHQGV RU RWKHU DGYRFDWHV WR FUHDWH D VXSSRUW SODQ WKDW FRQWLQXHV WR SURPRWH \RXU LQGHSHQGHQFH DQG HQKDQFH \RXU OLIHVW\OH 7KH\ DOVR OLDLVH ZLWK RWKHU VWDNHKROGHUV DQG FDUH SURIHVVLRQDOV WR PDNH VXUH WKHLU VHUYLFH LV LQWHJUDWHG
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โ Weโ re very excited to be providing care to new clients, to ensure that they enjoy an independent lifestyle and are able to maintain strong links with the wider community.โ Zane Sturt, Co-founder and Registered Manager
,I \RXร G OLNH WR GLVFXVV \RXU FDUH QHHGV RU UHTXLUH PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ SOHDVH FDOO XV RQ RU YLVLW RXU ZHEVLWH www.horshamhomecare.co.uk
32
‘If I don’t do something about it now I’ll wake up dead one morning and be really cross about it!’
Above: In Gods Hands is Steve’s favourite piece of ceramic art, but he is better known for this striking yew tree images and pavement photographs
exhibition of his artwork now on at Horsham Museum and Art Gallery. “I’ve always fancied the idea of sculpture and ceramics but put it on the backburner. Then I woke up one morning and thought ‘if I don’t do something about it now I’ll wake up dead one morning and be really cross about it!’ “I wouldn’t say I’m particularly good at making ceramic pieces and I don’t know if it will go anywhere, but you have to try these things. “My favourite piece so far is called ‘In God’s Hands’. A friend of mine lost her husband, tragically, and it left her alone with a very young child. I was thinking about the poor child, so I made a sphere, representing the little girl, and the next level represents the mother looking after her and the wings around it represent the father’s spirit looking over them.” Steve has also recently started experimenting with photography inspired by pre-Raphaelite paintings. It’s an exhaustive method, but the results are rewarding and it could be an approach that Steve adopts again in the
C.A. Woolgar
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Established in 1979 City & Guilds Qualified Non-smoker Free estimates Friendly service
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01403 257011
future. He said: “It’s a style inspired obviously by Lady of Shalott by John Waterhouse. I liked the style, as it’s quite romantic and I thought ‘how could I shoot that?’ “So I set about creating my own version of Lady of Shalott. The model was shot in a studio, and I photographed the boat on a visit to friends out in Lithuania, as there are a lot of those flat boats still out there. I had to remember the angle of the picture as that’s so important when piecing different images together. “You would have thought that I would have taken many shots from different angles, but stupid Gubbins, I only took the one shot! Luckily it was just about right. “The background too is from several different lakes and gardens. The front part is from a client’s house near Ashurst, another section was taken at Sedgwick Park and the rest is from a lake in Rusper. I borrowed a lantern from a friend and painted in the stone steps and some of the boat’s decorations, and had to piece it all together. “It was a huge effort and this is my first try
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at it, but I’m very pleased with it. I don’t know what will come of it, as this is just for my own enjoyment and love of photography.” On Steve’s website, there is also a small mention of Steve’s art nude photography. It is not an area of work he likes to advertise, but it is work he is proud of. He said: “I love the beauty of the female form. I get as excited about the female form as I do with a rusty old boat or anything else that interests me and I’ll put as much passion into getting the shot as always. “Some equate nakedness with sex, but it’s not the case. This is not page three or glamour
shots, but some cannot differentiate – they class anything with a naked female as the same thing. “People are so judgmental and ignorant. If I spoke to an artist they would understand, but the general public perception would be different. “Where I go from now, I don’t know. The perceived value of portrait photography has dropped through the floor because of easily downloadable software. Photography is so accessible now, and some people think ‘I can do almost as well as Steve Gubbins so why pay him thousands when I can do it myself?
“They can’t do it as well, nowhere near, and they will print it out on cheap paper and the image will disappear within a few months. “But a lot of people don’t want to spend the money. They love the pictures, cry through the slideshow and it comes to the price. They think ‘the paper costs this much, the frame costs that much, the ink costs a little bit too, so why does it cost this for the photographs?’ “They can’t understand that they are paying for all the work that goes into creating the most beautiful photos they will ever have.” For more visit www.stevegubbins.co.uk
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Ashley, Jordanne and Alice outside the Y Centre
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Feel Down How the YMCA is helping Horsham’s young people
We tend not to think of Horsham as a town that has an issue with homelessness. Lacking any major problems in society, we collectively make a big fuss about minor issues, like parking charges rising by 20p or whether we should spend money on fixing a town centre fountain. But it may well be that, if not for the YMCA Centre on the corner of Albion Way, the sight of a young person sleeping rough on the streets of Horsham could be a more common occurrence. Andy Ide, Project Manager for Sussex Central YMCA, said: “We are always full. You wouldn’t think Horsham would have a need for such a place but the demand is high. There are 50 young people here and we have 12 on our waiting list who are either staying with a family member or are put up in a Bed and Breakfast. “The demand normally peaks around July to September when they leave school or college and are not doing anything with their day. The parents get fed up with them doing nothing, staying in all day, playing on the X-Box and say ‘you have to go’.”
For Alice Smith, the first night at the Y Centre was the worst. Alice is 20-years-old, and has been at the Y Centre for six months, after problems at home led to her seeking alternative accommodation. Like the rest of the residents, Alice is from Horsham, as the Y Centre does not bring people from out of the area. She pays £8 a week rent for her room. There are 32 self-contained units at the Horsham YMCA with their own cooking facilities and bathroom, as well as eight shared units, where they have their own bedrooms but
share a kitchen and a bathroom. There are another two emergency beds, so if somebody goes along to the council or social services and has nowhere to go, they can be put up there for a three week period. But Alice hopes that she will not be at the centre for the maximum two-year-period. “I was a little bit hesitant about living here as the Y Centre doesn’t always have the best reputation. But when you haven’t got anywhere else to go, you come here and realise it’s not so bad. “The first night felt really weird. There was nothing in my room; it was just empty. Luckily, my family helped me to settle in. “I’m working in retail in the town centre. I’ve not been there long but it’s going okay. I would like to move out and get my own place, but if that doesn’t happen I’m happy to stay here. “You have to keep your head down and stay focused because at the end of the day you are here for yourself. “Some think the Y Centre is unfair, but we’re all here for a reason and that’s to improve our own situations. “If ever you need a chat, the staff are always there. They look after you and treat you well.” The YMCA was founded in 1844 by George Williams – a worker in the drapery trade in London. Concerned about the welfare of his fellow workers, he started a prayer and bible study group. Gradually, the YMCA grew around the world, with the American organisation even creating the game of basketball. But over time, the emphasis changed, and in the 1970s the YMCA began to focus on young people, dealing mainly with homelessness and unemployment.
Here in Horsham, the Y Centre was built in 2006, and three years later Central Sussex YMCA came into run it. Andy Ide said: “I was asked by YMCA England, which owns the property, to help develop the Y Centre in Horsham, as at that time there were some issues with their housing. “They used to do lots of conferencing here and had the café area as well, but it wasn’t working that well as Horsham is café central and crossing the road can be lethal. “Because there is no parking, the conferencing side wasn’t going well, so that went too. “We went to the County Council-run Connexions service, which is now called Find it Out centres, and they rent office space from us and deliver their service from here. The information services we have are not just for Y Centre residents but the community in general, and not many people are aware of that. “We want to make it more of a hub for young people. That is why we have brought other services in, with counselling services, a sexual health clinic, Addaction (drug and alcohol addiction support) drop-in sessions, all here on the ground floor.”
Dean McBride has been at the YMCA for about eight months and is trying to bring some stability to his life. Two years ago, he joined the Army, but he was asked to leave after a fight. He is now 18 and is looking for employment. When AAH speaks to Dean, he has just been to a job interview which was arranged through the Y Centre, but he hopes to be able to re-join the army in the future. Dean said: “I spent a night at my aunt’s house and then came here. I was thinking about my life. Being in this place can open some doors and they can help you with job
36 searching. “I prefer being here to living with my parents, as I like the independence. They’ve helped me with interviews and volunteering work. I’m thinking of doing a challenge with Raleigh International in the future too, but right now I just want to find a job and hopefully get out of this place. “My aim is to join the military again, as I’ve matured since I arrived here.”
Wayne relaxes in his room at the YMCA
Another person planning a Raleigh International challenge is John Chandler. John is 24, and has been living at the Y Centre for nearly a year. “I was sofa surfing as my family moved away and I wanted to stay in Horsham,” said John. I was on a waiting list for a while but I got the biggest room here so that was a bit of a touch. It’s bad when you are sleeping on sofas as most of my friends were still living with their parents. “I’m fundraising at the moment to go out to Borneo with Raleigh International. I’ve done the Three Peaks Challenge, walking the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in less than a day. “One of the other guys in here told me about Raleigh International, and I spoke to Tracey (Wilkes, Engagement and Learning Co-ordinator) and she invited a guy to come in and talk about it. I was a bit stuck
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about what to do with my life, so this gets me away and I hope I will come back fresh with some ideas. “I’d like to be a gardener or a green keeper. I’m going over to Tilgate Park in Crawley once a week to get some experience as a park ranger. The Y Centre, through my key worker, makes me do stuff. If it was down to me, I’d never go to Borneo, but my key worker nags me to get things done. She’s worse than my mum!”
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All of the young people at the Y Centre are allocated a key worker. The key worker will work through a support programme with them and guide them from dependence to independence. Andy said: “The referrals usually go through Horsham District Council. If anyone comes here and says ‘I’m homeless, I have nowhere to live’ we would normally send them to HDC and they would register and go on our
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Horsham YMCA ‘Being in this place can open some doors and they can help you with job searching’ waiting list. If we have a vacancy they will send a referral list to us. We will then interview people, and as soon as we get a vacancy we will look to bring them in. They get a full induction, and various assessments are carried out. “We do have rules. There’s no real curfew, but we put them in place if we need to. Sometimes you have a 16-year-old who has just come out of home and all of a sudden they have all of this freedom and take advantage. Sometimes we give these young people a curfew just as a duty of care. “There are no drugs or alcohol on the site, so it’s a dry house, and we don’t tolerate violence. If the residents break the rules, we work on a warning system. If you persistently break the rules you will eventually be asked to leave. “They mustn’t bring the name of the YMCA into disrepute, so if they do cause trouble they will go on to
John and Dean may both take part in Raleigh International challenges
the warning system. We don’t have too many problems here as we don’t have many neighbours, but if they do something wrong in the community they can potentially lose their accommodation. “They have the opportunities to get things right. If they get to a certain point we would have a multiagency meeting as we don’t want to reach the point where a person has to leave. “A few years ago, we were probably evicting too many people as our warning system was not as robust as it is now. People were getting evicted for silly things they shouldn’t have been evicted for.”
You’ll be surprised by the young people who live at the Y Centre. Last year, six young people there went to University. Many come from good families who simply clash. Sometimes the young
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residents build better relationships with their parents once they are here and don’t have to see them every day. Jordanne Easterbrook has been at the Y Centre for a year. She said: “Now I have moved out of home, my relationship with my family is much better. “I wanted more responsibility and to become an adult and I’m doing that now. I can go out and do the things that I want to do now. “Everybody in here has a different reason for being at the Y Centre and you can go one way or the other. In some ways being here can make
you or break you. You can succumb to all the stuff that does go on here or you can be better than that and do what you need to do. “I have a work trial coming up in waitressing and hopefully that will go okay, and I’ve also taken part in food hygiene and music production classes here. The Y Centre is good at helping you build your CV up and finding you work placements.”
The learning engagement team at the Y Centre was set up about a year ago. It was formed with the idea of helping young
people engage in something positive and help them develop on to independent living. The idea was to offer a service to the whole community. Tracey Wilkes, Engagement and Learning Co-ordinator at Central Sussex YMCA, said: “We offer a range of courses, which can lead to qualifications, to all young people, and not just those living here.” “On a Thursday morning, there is a job club drop-in with job searching, CV and interview support and general guidance and we welcome anyone to attend that.
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‘If you persistently break the rules you will eventually be asked to leave’ “In the New Year we are holding an intense week-long course in association with the fire service, for which there are still places available. “We also have a music production course, and we are trying to support more people on things like the Raleigh International scheme. Our Positive Placements scheme helps young people find an apprenticeship in a workplace or in a volunteering role.” Andy Ide added: “We would like to get them into work but it is difficult in Horsham as there is not much employment here. They often look to Crawley or to the coast. “We also try to get them into education, and that is why we set up the learning engagement team. We try to prepare them for work or to move them into housing. Ultimately, we would like to see them doing something with their day and we do give them the opportunity to do that.”
Alice Smith has a job in retail and is working towards moving on from the Y Centre
Wayne Todman, who is 19 this month, has been at Horsham YMCA for three months. He said: “Things were not going so well with my mum, so it was time to move on. It was a spare of the moment decision. I walked out and was staying with a few mates before I got a place here.
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“This place had been a great help with work and benefits and things like that. “I was a bit worried when I came here, as I didn’t know what to expect. It was the first time I had lived on my own. It was a struggle at first but they are supportive and help you get things going. “I see my mum once a week and I do find it easier to talk to her, as you appreciate your
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40 Ashley is trying to set up his own business time together more. “Now I want to get my head down and move on as soon as I can. I work as a cleaner at a school, just doing ten hours a week, and Tracey has helped me get on to an apprenticeship course in football coaching at Crawley Football Club.”
The key workers at the Y Centre each work with about ten young people. When a young person moves in, the key worker explains the house rules and what is expected of them. Then they meet maybe a week later after they are settled and work on a support plan. Emma Lewis is a student social worker, on a work placement from Kingston University. Emma said: “It’s basically going through their needs, budgeting, work skills and how they might move on into new accommodation. “You put plans into place and it gives them something to work towards. Sometimes they can get fiery when they are upset about something, but you just manage the situation and it’s all about communication. “I think the frustrations they have here are the same as all young people - money, and reaching where they want to be. “So it’s about positive action and planning. Some of the youths in here now are ready to go but there is nothing for them to go to, which is why we are trying to promote the empty homes scheme. “I’ve seen two people move out. When one lad who moved on recently told us he was going, he was beaming. He has gained skills here and now he can go on and be independent, and that’s very satisfying for us.”
Ashley Evans is trying something a little different. He is an artist who hopes to set up his own business. With the help of the Y Centre he is hoping to obtain a grant from the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Scheme. The scheme helps young unemployed people establish their own small business. Ashley, who is 23 and has been at the Y Centre for a year, said: “I like it here, but I
‘I’m trying to set up my own business, printing T-shirts and posters and flyers for bands’ keep myself to myself. I’m a bit of a recluse. I just sit in my room and draw. “I’m trying to set up my own business, printing T-shirts and posters and flyers for bands. The staff here help me to cope with money and budgeting. “I’m 23 so I want to move on but I do feel a bit stuck here, which is frustrating. I want my own place and I want to move on with my life. I’m trying to get an enterprise grant through the Prince’s Trust, and YMCA helped me set that up, and that would be a start.”
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Moving on is a real issue, so Central Sussex YMCA is looking at the private renting sector. The Association has bid for Lottery funding to set up an Empty Homes Scheme. Locally, the Horsham Y Centre is linking up with Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council to look at empty homes and move young people into them. If you can help with a property, and would like to discuss the scheme email emptyhomes@sussexcentralymca.org.uk
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Did you know that Saint Nicholas, on whom the legend of Santa Claus is based, is the patron saint of pawnbrokers? The pawnbroker symbol of three spheres suspended from a bar is based on the fable of Nicholas giving a poor man's three daughters each a bag of gold so they could get married. Pawnbrokers have not always had the best of reputations, with some known for offering paltry sums for valuable items and charging high interest rates. But they’ve come to the aid of many people, including Royalty. Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her jewellery to finance Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the New World, and in 1338, Edward III pawned his jewels to raise money for his war with France. The practice of pawnbroking is still going strong in Horsham. At Sakakini Jewellers, we have been a fully licensed pawn broking for four years. We started because of the recession. We realised that banks were not lending and people were not able to access money they desperately needed. We lend money based on jewellery value. People come to us and say how much they want and we assess whether the value is in their jewellery. We will use that as our security.
It goes in a safe until the money is paid back. Nine out of ten people are paying back the money so they are not losing the jewellery. We offer six month contracts, but they can pay it off at any time. We charge 8% a month, which is the interest rate, and if any one is unable to pay off the contract after six months they can renew by paying off the interest. We have had people who cannot afford to pay their electricity bill, so will come in and give us their wedding ring, borrow £50 and pay it back a few days later once they’ve been paid. It has cost them £4 to do that. On the rare occasion
that somebody cannot pay the money back, we have an underwriter who purchases the jewellery from us to cover the debt plus the interest, so the customer owes no more money. We find that a lot of customers are now pawning jewellery they use. They are pawning items that carry value and can be used to get them out of a financial hole. Of course, some people frown upon pawn broking. I was at a dinner party once and a guy said to me ‘how can you live with yourself? You’re basing your business around other people’s misery.’ but we are not doing that at all. I’m basing a business around lending money out to someone who can’t go to the bank. We might be a last resort but we get people out of trouble and we do not charge exorbitant rates. If you look at the rates of some of the ‘quick cash’ companies advertising on TV, they offer a rate at up to 2000%. Our rates are reasonable, we keep people informed of their contract length and do not lend more than the jewellery value.
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1912 & 2012 We look back at Horsham a Century ago, and pick through the highlights of a rollercoaster 2012
How will 2012 be remembered? It’s been a year in which we heard the words ‘since records began’ more times than in any other year since records began. As a nation we confirmed that, more than anything, we like to talk about the weather. Considerately, the weather gave us a lot to talk about. In the spring time, we enjoyed a heatwave, and found it fascinating that places like Blackpool were supposedly hotter than some normally exotic
locations. Even if it was just for a day. After the hose pipe bans of spring, it rained all summer. We cared little as we marvelled in the collective glory of the Olympic Games as we surprised ourselves by putting on a good show! At Christmas, we ignored the fact that money is tight and hit the shops. We also spent more money online since records began! In the main, children wanted gifts that began with a small ‘i’. It was a good year, although the apparent inability of today’s bands to write
classic Christmas songs ensured that The Pogues, Shakin’ Stevens and Slade were played on constant repeat for another year. We’ve highlighted a few of the stories that may be remembered in 100 years’ time. For a bit of fun, Jeremy Knight at Horsham Museum has helped us piece together the main stories in the town 100 years ago as well. 1913 was, of course, a year before the outbreak of The Great War. Let’s hope 2013 goes a little better than that...
44 The Carfax and East Street (right) a century ago (Pictures courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC)
1913 The Year that
history forgot Historical Content by Jeremy Knight of Horsham Museum It’s interesting to see how time can distort memories. Some aspects of life fade from the memory, whilst some live on and in time their influence grows. In some instances their actual impact at the time can come to be somewhat exaggerated. In 100 years, will the world believe that the people of 2012 were all going crazy for ‘Gangnam Style’ because it has had a billion views on YouTube? For those who have just thought ‘Gangnam what?’ let’s hope not! As time goes by, years tend to be defined by a few key events. It’s most likely that a century from now, historians will view 2012 as the year London celebrated an Olympics and a Diamond Jubilee during a time of economic depression. Oh, and it rained a lot. Whatever happens, it’s likely we’ll remember more about this current era than we remember of Horsham a century ago. 1913 was very much a year that history forgot. 1913 is a strange year because of the way history treats it. World War One was about to engulf the world, so the events that occurred a year beforehand tend to be forgotten. It is as if we cannot wait to get in to the real
history, rather than the phoney history. And yet for Horsham, 1913 was an interesting year. Historically, one of the most significant events was the closure of Horsham’s last tanyard. The records give conflicting dates for its closure, 1912 or 1913, with William Albery, the 20th century town historian and sadler who used the tanned leather, being clear with a 1913 date. Today, tanning is a lost craft, forgotten apart from when you buy dyed leather. But in the town, tanning was an important industry and one that had its origins in medieval Horsham. It gave its name to an area, a former garage, a bridge, a school and a pub, with Tanfield, Tanbridge and The Tanners Arms. The story of tanning goes back to about 1285 when a tanner was recorded living in the Marlpost tithing, an area that would eventually acquire the name Bishopric. By 1426, there were three tanners and a shoemaker in the same area whilst the local bridge was known as Tan-bridge. In the mid-18th Century, tanneries were recorded in that same area, though the focus of the industry had moved to the Common on the east side of the town, around what
became Brighton Road. It would have been here that Richard Grazemark’s skin was tanned to make shoe leather in 1790. He was convicted of murdering his daughter, and following his hanging, Grazemark's corpse was handed over to local surgeons who carried out a public dissection. Some of his skin was passed to local tanners and made into the soles of footwear for some Horsham residents. There were three tan yards all built along the same stream The lower one, which existed south of the Brighton Road in 1719, closed sometime between 1832 and 1844. This yard was run by the Ansells, then the Killicks and finally the Moons, who gave their name to Moon Lane. The next yard to close lay further upstream. It was recorded in 1831 but ceased to operate sometime between 1844 and 1876. The Upper Tanyard to the north of Brighton Road was first recorded in 1787 and survived until 1912 or 1913. The main reason the tan yards were built near water is that they required a lot of it and as an industry it smelt, so they were set up away from where people lived. The operation
Horsham in 1913
It had been thought that the last tanyard closed in 1913 because that is the date given in William Albery’s chronology. But in 1985, Horsham Museum was given a postcard which showed the “debris of the Tannery Fire, Horsham, 28th August 1912”. The West Sussex County Times covered the fire in some depth on 31st August 1912 from which the following extracts are taken. ‘The tannery block of buildings till recently in
the occupation of Messrs Gibbings, Harrison and Co, was completely destroyed, only the cottage and bark barn, which stand between the old Tannery and Brighton-road, being saved. ‘Probably there has never been a bigger fire at Horsham, but as the telephone fire call has superseded the fire-bell (at all events at night time) most of the townspeople slept through it all in happy ignorance.
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itself was highly pungent and used a range of noxious chemicals, originally using pigeon manure, stale urine and large vats to soak off the hair from the hide before soaking the skins in tanning solution created from oak galls and bark. With Horsham growing, first in the Bishopric area and then by 1850s colonising the old common, it isn’t surprising that the industry contracted or moved away.
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A Women’s Suffrage group was established in West Street, Horsham
Probably there has never been a bigger fire at Horsham, but as the telephone fire call has superseded the fire-bell (at all events at night time) most of the townspeople slept through it all in happy ignorance. In February last year the Tannery buildings were submitted to auction by Messrs King and Chasemore, but were not sold publicly, being subsequently disposed of by private treaty to Messrs P Margetson and Co., of Bermondsey. For some time past the new proprietors have been making extensive alterations and improvements and putting down a good deal of machinery, preparatory to opening a factory for the manufactory of light leathers. Good progress had been made, and it was hoped to start the factory in the course of a few weeks. Now there remains nothing but ruins. It is stated that the damage which it is believed is covered by insurance, will amount to nearly £20,000.’ However local residents of Horsham may recall seeing an iron structure on the site of the Upper Tanyard till 1982. That structure was taken down and moved to Amberley Chalk Pits where it has been re-erected. But what we do not know is if it closed down in August 1912, after the fire, or if it carried on till 1913 when according to Albery the industry ceased.
But one date we do know with certainty, thanks to a birth certificate, is that of Hammond Innes’s birth date. The popular author was born on 15th July 1913 at 68 Clarence Road. Suffice to say, Horsham Museum bought his personal collection of all his novels bound in full red morocco leather, many of them later republications, but each one bound to his high standards as befits a man described by one interviewer in 1996 as “a model of old world courtesy and correctness”. They were bought by Charles Traylen of Guildford and subsequently purchased by Horsham Museum Society for the Museum. In one fell swoop the Museum acquired a collection of the works by one of Horsham’s famous but forgotten sons. Unfortunately they contain no inscription or mark by the author. In the same month that Hammond Innes was born the Horsham YMCA held a Bazaar. The most bizarre souvenir of the event was a linen table cloth which was given to Horsham museum in 1998. The table cloth had been signed by the town’s traders and their signatures were then embroidered in red wool. Also in 1913, a strange shop opened on the second floor of 60 West Street whose existence today is virtually forgotten but it represents an
‘The popular author Hammond Innes was born on 15th July 1913 at 68 Clarence Road’
Horsham in 1913 Also surviving from 1913 is film footage of Horsham Carnival and Horsham Cricket Week’
The Olympia Ice Rink in Horsham was a popular venue in Horsham (Image: Horsham Museum/HDC)
The original Olympia was replaced by a new building in 1910.
Qui Vive Corps and founded in 1912 by Mrs Florence De Fonblanque following on from and in the spirit of enjoyment experienced by women who went on the Woman’s March in 1912. The March from Edinburgh to London saw six women complete it, of which at least two became founding members of the Corps. The basic aim was to provide an u mbrella type organisation which all women suffrage groups could join. At short notice the women could be “mobilised” offering its services impartially whenever extra women were required to achieve a specific purpose. Although intended to be a national movement it seems to have been Sussex based, issuing orders from the Depot at 60 West Street. The organisation took part in the celebrations of 1918 when women
got the vote, but during the war they transformed themselves in to a supporting organisation providing jam for the troops. Also surviving from 1913 is film footage that shows Horsham carnival and Horsham Cricket Week. There were two fixtures arranged by Sussex Cricket Club. On Monday to Wednesday, Sussex would play Northamptonshire and on Thursday, the day of the carnival, they would start another three day match against Lancashire. The Pathé Company was visiting Horsham on Thursday 24th July to film the events and show them in the local cinema, the Central Picture Hall in Horsham, where it was shown repeatedly on the Saturday and all the following week. For cricketing fans the Lancashire fixture was seen as the match of the season. Sussex’s first innings was
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48
Footage from Cricket Week in 1913, and a table cloth from a YMCA bazaar in 1913 (Images courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC) feeble. They were forced to follow on and they then scored 322 before dismissing the visitors for 112 to win by 55 runs. The film shows Horsham decked out in celebratory mood with flags and bunting across the streets. The film was discovered in 1983 and the British Film Institute has enabled Horsham Museum to show this very rare film of county cricket.
So 1913 should not be a forgotten year in the town’s history. It was a year that saw the closure of a medieval industry, the birth of a leading 20th century author, a town bazaar part of a tradition of exhibitions and events to boost trade and a middle class response to women’s suffrage. It was also the year that Horsham Cricket week was filmed.
We’ll wait and see if 2013 can match it for memories… In the next few pages, AAH looks at the big stories of 2012. It would seem that the huge number of cooking shows on TV is driving a love of great food. That’s particularly evident in East Street, which is now more than just West Street’s smaller and less popular relative.
Lifestyle Europe
has it all
South-East-based car dealership, Lifestyle Europe, is expanding its leading operations across the region, and is now trading under Ford, Renault, Mazda, Kia, SEAT, Dacia, Subaru and Isuzu. With a 23-strong operation throughout Sussex, Kent & Surrey, Lifestyle has spent the past 11 years building a large network of dealerships, along with highly trained and experienced staff. “This past year has been fantastic for Lifestyle, and has seen our five-brand network expand with SEAT, Kia and Dacia joining our company’s portfolio,” explains Tony Feldon, Lifestyle’s Group Business Centre Manager. “With our name already a recognisable brand throughout the South, it signals great news for local motorists, presenting them with an even greater choice of vehicle options with even greater value.” Lifestyle Europe’s business ethos is to provide a friendly, familiar service which its customers can trust and depend on. As well as new and used vehicles for sale, Lifestyle also offers full servicing, MOT testing and accident repair facilities, all approved by its retailing manufacturers. Not only this, Lifestyle has also introduced a lowcost Ford rental service, which allows its customers to hire vehicles on a short or long-term basis. For customers looking to buy a car, deciding on the most suitable vehicle is essential. Lifestyle Europe invests heavily in staff training, ensuring that their
‘We believe that being part of the community is integral to our success’ customer’s needs are best met, specifying a vehicle that is fit for purpose and provides all the features the client requires. Lifestyle Europe is also a keen supporter of the local community. They have sponsored the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon, raising in excess of £35,000 for charity. Lifestyle also frequently holds events benefitting local charities including St. Catherine’s Hospice. “At Lifestyle, we believe that being part of the community is integral to our success,” continues Tony. “Through our charity fundraising, our sponsorship and participation in local events, not only can we help best promote our services, we can also learn about our customers and help to improve their motoring experience.” To find out more about Lifestyle Europe, or to test drive a new or used Ford, Renault, Mazda, SEAT, Subaru, Kia, Dacia or Isuzu model, please visit www.lifestyleeurope.co.uk, where full stock, dealership locations and services are available. You can also visit the Horsham dealership at 53-55 Bishopric or call 01403 254331.
Your Hearing Specialists The Horsham Hearing Centre 22 Worthing Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 1SL
01403 218700 Horsham@hearcentres.com
The dangers of MP3 players Last month we at Horsham Hearing Centre attended the John Connell Awards at the House of Commons. The late John Connell was the founder of the Noise Abatement Society. The NAS and HearCentres have worked together on an awareness campaign called Love Your Ears. The campaign highlights the dangers of listening to MP3 players for long periods at high volume. From surveys we have carried out, 96% of children listen to their MP3 players whilst walking or cycling. Of those,15% were listening for over four hours per day, most of them without a break. Half of the children surveyed said that they listened at a “high” volume. The average listening level was 89dBA. Awards are presented on the night to organisations, individuals and local authorities who have been innovative and pragmatic with regard to noise reduction. Past examples include the introduction of broadband warning sounders on vehicles, which is less annoying, more directional and much safer than conventional single frequency high intensity tones from conventional systems. Another example was using a tree planting strategy to reduce the sound from a railway line reaching nearby residents. The NAS have pioneered a “Q” mark (Q for quiet) on machinery, similar to the “green” labels for refrigerators and freezers. This symbol is internationally recognised and has been adopted by leading manufacturing companies throughout the world such as Lexus, Samsung, Philips, Senheiser and Hitachi across a whole
By Jonathan Ormerod Horsham Hearing Centre range of products including cars, hairdryers, lawnmowers and washing machines. Many young people will have received a personal stereo as a gift for Christmas, or perhaps are looking to buy one in the January sales. Try and ensure that the one they choose has an output limiter or you acquire an attenuator for it. Also consider the “Q” mark when thinking about purchasing an appliance.
SeboTek has launched its new range of High Definition (HD) hearing instruments. The Sebo High Definition line of instruments incorporate various features designed to provide excellent sound quality, noise reduction, and speech enhancement. Sebo HD helps users enjoy the finer things in life that they may have been missing; things like conversation with friends and family, the sounds of nature, sounds needed for safety and security and music. We are confident that if you try SeboTek technology you will like what you hear. Do book an appointment to see us. You won’t be disappointed! We also offer our customers a complimentary home visit service throughout the winter months.
The Future is HD Sound technology continues to make huge strides. But hearing aid technology continues to advance at a fast rate too, and at Horsham Hearing centre we have exclusive access to some of the very best devices on the market.
Young people are listening to music for long periods
Complimentary Initial Consultation: Call 01403 218700
2012
2012: Tough times, but enterprise and talent
still reaps rewards Eating out in Horsham has never been so good....
In 2011, The Pass at South Lodge (main image) became the first restaurant in the Horsham District to win a Michelin Star. This year it added four AA Rosettes to its star. In East Street, Restaurant Tristan won a Michelin Star this year - a just reward for the hard work of chef Tristan Mason. In the whole of Sussex and Surrey, only five restaurants have a Michelin star and Horsham is lucky enough to have two of them.
The Olympic legacy lives on... In Horsham, there has been a notable growth in popularity for some of the traditionally less popular sports in recent years. The local swimming club, Atlantis, enjoyed one its best ever years, whilst there was also notable development in basketball, volleyball, table tennis and cycling opportunities for young people in the district. The commendable Set 4 Success Awards, set up by Horsham Rotary, has seen many talented young people such as Thomas Haynes (left), golfer Marco Penge and rugby player Sean Richardson receive money towards their training.
Horsham goes west Following years of headlines but not a great deal of construction, the west of Horsham developments progressed at a rapid rate. On 7th July, Berkeley opened their new Highwood estate. The other big part of the development is at Wickhurst Green, a project being built by Countrywide Properties. In Southwater, the housing debate will rumble on into 2013, when you can expect the words â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;core strategyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to appear in many more news stories.
52 Some events fell by the wayside this year. There was no FrenchFest, as its traditional date coincided with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The town’s Christmas decorations, Swan Walk apart, were barely worth remarking upon. But Piazza Italia continued to grow. Now renowned as one of the best free events in the south of England, the show attracted a record number of Ferraris, which met on the lawn of South Lodge Hotel for the first time.
Piazza Italia continues to grow...
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Historic sites in town centre are revitalised...
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The Shaws Glass showroom in North Street, Horsham hosts a wide selection of products from a single sheet of glass to glazed windows and doors. We also have a range of conservatories or garage doors. You’ll have all the help and advice you need from friendly staff with a wealth of experience. Conservatories Double Glazing Front Doors Back Doors Composite Doors Fascias and Soffits Replacement Hinges Cat Flaps Table Tops Shop Fronts Cut Glass Toughened Safety Glass Supply only windows Glass Balustrades for staircases Acoustic Glass ‘We would have no hesitation in recommending Shaws to anyone" T & G Willett
2012 will not go down as a great year for high street retailers. But in Horsham, the restaurant boom continued. Most notably, Bill’s opened at the Old Town Hall in Market Square, following a long and costly battle between Horsham District Council and campaigners. Bill’s was open in time for Christmas and was an immediate success. Ask, an Italian restaurant, successfully took over the former King’s Head Hotel building another historically important site.
2012 There’s no such thing as a lost cause...
Whilst many sports clubs enjoyed a great 2012, several groups were hit by the news that Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre was to close. There was a determined campaign to overturn an intial decision by Horsham District Council, which resulted in the council promising to replace the facility. Without the campaign group, the centre would now be closed.
Railway station given a facelift...and a new cafe!
Horsham Station was given a much needed revamp. The new station was unveiled by Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP. Funding for the improvements was provided by the NSIP scheme, Southern, Network Rail and West Sussex County Council and totalled over £4million.
Focus on food revives several pubs...
Rumours of the pub’s demise proved to be greatly exaggerated. Good food led to a revival in fortunes for many pubs. The Crabtree in Lower Beeding thrived, whilst the likes of The George and Dragon in Dragons Green and Cromptons in Horsham were also successful under new ownership.
54 Buzzards’ secret plan progresses...
After years of promising to, people actually started to ‘buy local’ The ‘£1 Fish Man’ wasn’t the only market trader to enjoy a good 2012. Many people who had been made redundant or could not afford retail unit rates instead started small, opening up market stalls. It coincided with an increasing demand for local produce. The two combined meant the the town’s markets particularly the Local Produce Market in the Carfax on a Saturday- were bigger and more popular than they have been for many years.
Image by Darin Smith
Buzzards continued to progress with their secret plot to take over Britain. They’ve become so populous that children don’t even comment when one circles overhead these days. Alarmed at the rise in buzzard numbers, small rodents held an emergency summit and were warned to be ‘extra vigilant’. Meanwhile, an Osprey swooped in on Warnham Nature Reserve. That last bit is true.
When the News Made Headlines...
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The West Sussex County Times opted for a new ‘compact’ format, with only its property section remaining in broadsheet form. The paper had been a broadsheet since 1869. Editor Gary Shipton was reportedly reluctant to make the change, but the response to surveys was ‘overwhelmingly’ in favour of a new size. Meanwhile, one of the town’s free newspapers, The Resident, changed its name to The District Post. AAH didn’t change its name or its size, but many people still refer to it as ‘AHA!’ as it gives them an opportunity to do an Alan Partridge impression.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The thing I love about pantomime is exploring the possibilities you have with a cast and an audience to enjoy yourselfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Michael Neilson
‘When you can hear a
kid laughing uncontrollably, you know you’re
doing your job right’ The tax free Personal Allowance will increase to £9,440 from 6th April 2013 which will benefit most. However, high earners whose income exceeds £100,000 and pensioners qualifying for enhanced age allowances will not be better off.
Meet the cast of this year’s wildly successful pantomime at the Capitol, Snow White... Michael: “I remember watching Brian Cant and Derek Griffiths when I was about eight, in Aladdin, and that inspired me. I hope children are inspired by pantomime still today. I’ve been doing pantomime for years. These days the runs are shorter. Many years ago I was in a panto that opened in October and closed in March. I remember when we were giving out presents at the end of the show it wouldn’t be unusual to wish the audience a happy Easter! The thing I love about pantomime is having fun and exploring the possibilities you have with a cast and an audience to enjoy yourself. That is what sets it apart from plays or musicals. They’re more constricting as you have to stick to the script. There is much more scope to improvise in a pantomime and you can fool around to a degree. Sometimes the audience even like the lines that fall flat, because they can participate in that too,
laughing at bad lines. This year the cast have all got on great, which is remarkable as there was no audition process. It’s been put together by Michael (Gattrell, Capitol General Manager) who has seen most of us perform in other productions. It is very well cast. It’s a very good show, but I’m particularly enjoying the ‘hat scene’ develop. In my career, I was lucky enough to work with the likes of Terry Scott, Bernard Bresslaw, Norman Vaughan and Jim Dale, and they always used to explore and allow scenes to develop. We’ve been allowed to do just that with this scene. When you have three actors on the stage and none of us have talked about what we might do differently in the scene beforehand, but we trust and allow each other the freedom for the scene to develop each night, then that is special. By January 6th we’ll have it just right– we can go on tour with it!”
The amount of income an individual can have before paying higher rate tax is also set to increase by 1% from 2014, with higher rate tax payers benefitting in 2014/15 and being no worse off the following year. No change was mentioned in the 45% Income Tax rate for individuals with income over £150,000. Increases to child benefit have been limited to 1%. All those with an earner in the household, earning more than £50,000, will still lose child benefit from 7th January 2013. For more information contact Bryan Elkins on 01403 253282 or visit www.spofforths.co.uk
!
58
‘They were a bit shocked to see that I have blonde and not dark hair’
Daisy: “I always try and pick up things from the people I am working with but I don’t think that ever really stops in this business. No matter how long you’ve been in it, you want to be a sponge. But I’ve never worked with a director like Michael before. He is so relaxed, and it creates a better environment. The pantomime is better because of it. Normally with a panto it feels like a dot-to-dot. you stand here, do this, do that, and it’s over. There’s no real love in the production of the show. But it is different here because Michael has written it. A lot of us are commuting to Horsham for the
Daisy Wood Davis show, but I love the town. I was in Darlington last Christmas on my own, and that was hell! Horsham is heaven compared to that. My personal highlight is ‘Let Me Be Your Star, as it gives me goose pimples. I like meeting the audience too. After one show, I got a message to say some girls wanted to meet me. I went to see them after the show and they were a bit shocked to see that I have blonde and not dark hair. One girl said it was her first pantomime, and she cried at the end. When I spoke to her it reminded me how I used to feel about pantomime. I said to her ‘It might be you one day’. You never know who you might inspire.”
Bradley: “Pantomime can, in a sense, test your skills as an actor more than a conventional play or musical. You are not just singing, dancing or acting, you are constantly gauging and responding to the audience. Some people think panto is easy, but you have to listen and work hard to get it right. It’s a lovely theatre at the Capitol, and there’s a lot of care given to the show here. Some pantos are put on by production companies that come into theatres. They’re okay, but they can be very formulaic, and once you’ve seen one you have pretty much seen them all. But Michael and his team here seem to care about every aspect, especially us cast members, and it makes for a better experience for us and the audience. The audience can react differently with each night. The first few nights we play to school children and big groups of brownies and cubs, and they do not pick up on a lot of the adult humour. They like the silliness, falling on your bum - anything that is physical they enjoy! My personal highlight, as a singer, is being given the opportunity to close Act One with a great song. I also have a lovely duet right at the end with Daisy. Usually a pantomime ends on a big ensemble number but Daisy and I share this lovely duet, another song that Michael chose, and it’s just so nice. It cements that love story. We come off the stage every night and it feels wonderful.”
Group Discussion Jane: “I remember watching Cannon and Ball at the Palace Theatre in Manchester when I was about 13, breaking plates and just causing utter chaos. I remember watching that and thinking, I want to do that! I think the reason why pantomime is still so popular is it sticks to a formula but is always evolving. You add modern pop songs for the kids, new popular culture and TV references, and that is what keeps it fresh and interesting. It is often the first experience of the theatre for children, so if they enjoy it there is more likelihood of them coming to the theatre again. They might even want to become performers themselves, so long may it last! This year, I can stay at home and commute, and that has made a difference to me. It’s nice to go home to your own stuff and your own bed rather than decamp to the other end of the country. I also like it that everyone in the cast has been given the chance in this show to bring whatever their skill is to the table. It gives you a feeling of ownership, as we are all contributing to the production in our own way. My favourite thing about the pantomime, and it sounds cheesy but it’s true, is the reaction of the kids. When you hear them laughing uncontrollably, you know you are doing your job right. I love that sound of a kid just losing it! There is a particularly messy scene and during one of the shows for children with special needs I could hear this laugh booming out across the theatre, it was beautiful. That’s what it is all about for me.”
‘We come off the stage every night and it feels wonderful’
Bradley Clarkson
‘If a child enjoys it there is more likelihood of them coming to the theatre again’
Jane Deane
60 Gillian: “EastEnders give four people each year time out to do pantomime, and I did really want to do it this year. Some people do it for the money, but I just love theatre. I remember seeing my mum in an amateur dramatics production when I was young. I was sitting watching my mum be completely different on stage, and I was in awe of her. The audience were booing and hissing my mum and apparently I stood up and said ‘don’t you be horrible to my mum!’ I remember being amazed at how somebody could transform themselves. Everything about her was not my mum. On the first night of Snow White, like any show, I was nervous. I was thinking ‘will I remember my lines?’ I’ve had a bit of heckling here at the Capitol too, which is fun. Someone shouted out ‘Come on Slater!’ Pantomime requires a lot of skill. Some people in the business put it down and there’s a negative attitude towards it. But they are people who have never done it. I’ve staying in Horsham during the run. I like to take the opportunity to explore new areas and I have a dog with me so I take him out. The people here are very friendly and the market is lovely too. I think out of all the aspects of the show, I’m enjoying the storytelling the most. I’ve played a lot of fairies in the past, and they are actually quite lonely parts. Playing the Wicked Queen means I’m an integral part of the story, and I’m enjoying that as I feel more involved.”
Gillian Wright
‘I’ve had a bit of heckling. Someone shouted out ‘Come on Slater!’
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‘If we stick to that recipe of food,
shelter and water we can help an awful lot of people’
We have featured the CoCo’s Foundation before. But we return to it once again, simply as it’s such an unusual young charity that continues to learn and develop. It began with a small team of hairdressers from CoCo’s salons in Southwater, Billingshurst and Maidenbower, taking a break from gossiping about X Factor whilst highlighting hair. Led by CoCo’s owner Chris Connors, a man who admitted before his first trip to Africa that he “didn’t particularly like children”, they changed the lives of orphans whose lives had been decimated by AIDS. Male and female hairdressers, many of them teenagers, walk miles to fetch water so they can mix cement, keeping a look out for Black Mamba snakes as they go. After extensive bricklaying training, they then source the materials needed to build vital
new facilities for the community. For the people of the African village of Ubombo, they are unlikely saviours. They are the A-Team, but rather than a team of multi-skilled war veterans on the run from the military police, they are mainly young people skilled at hair extensions and with a good knowledge of which colours would enhance your facial complexion. Remarkably though, they get the job done, learning as much about themselves as they do about the building trade. They return as better people. Not only do the hairdressers learn life skills; they learn life lessons too. Having been through so much together, the employees also build up a rapport of the like that most of us will never share with work colleagues. Chris said: “It started when one of our stylists, Ed Purdew, said he would like to go to Africa to work with children, so we sat
down and worked out a plan, and quite a few of the young hairdressers expressed an interest. “We linked up with a charity called Food 4 Africa, who feed 17,000 children in South Africa a meal every single day. We found a suitable project and the youngsters raised £10,000 to build a trauma centre for orphans.” Since then, the charity, led by Chris, Ed and Debs Spraget, has come on leaps and bounds. After numerous trips to Africa, the CoCo’s Foundation has built a halfway house, a reservoir, a chicken house and upgraded a bakery so the villagers can sell bread to the community. In May, a team of 26 volunteers then constructed a Child Care Centre, which is now used as a Community Centre. But now, the Foundation is changing. The Child Care Centre was the biggest project yet carried out by the charity. But because
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of a change in policy by the South African government, it is not being used as it was originally intended. Children are being removed from such privately run centres, and are being placed with members of their extended family or new foster parents. So instead the centre is used as a village hub, hosting after school classes and a Sunday school. Chris said: “Initially I was devastated to hear that the children would be split up and would be going to foster homes or their extended family. “Firstly, I wondered what would happen to the children, and secondly, would the building be used? It was hard for me, as you build up a relationship with the children and they feel almost like family. “But it was reassuring to know that the actual centre itself isn’t going to waste as the community uses it now. It’s also positive that the South African government are looking at the child’s best needs. “If they go into foster care, then that is a good thing as the foster parents have to show they can provide a good home, as they
would over here. But the challenge for us now is when they go to an extended family member, can the new family cope?” With this question in mind, Chris has switched the focus to providing small homes with water supplies for those most in need. He has also realised the importance of allowing the African people to help themselves, and the charity is taking a new direction. “The CoCo’s Foundation is now helping them build their own homes,” he said. In late 2011, shortly after the Foundation was founded, Chris visited the homes of child headed families and set about helping the thousands of orphans in the Kwazulu Natal region of South Africa. Chris said: “We met with the ‘Gogos’, who are the grandmothers, as they knew where the children that were in the most desperate need lived. The Gogos are holding up rural Africa, as almost an entire generation has been wiped out by AIDS. “Saziso, an African social worker I had been introduced to, said they were a little nervous of me, but he
Chris Connors and his close CoCo’s colleagues set up the foundation
CoCo’s Foundation
had explained that he had brought me along from the CoCo’s Foundation to help the children. “They started to pray and sing. It always amazes me how rhythmic African people are. Their voices are so beautiful and they have perfect timing. There was great laughter, so I asked Saziso what they were laughing about and he said that they had asked if I was single! “We stayed and talked for an hour and once we had found out where the most desperate children were living it was time to leave. “We arrived at a house where three boys lived with their mother and father and one orphan. But following the death of the mother’s sister, they were expecting another three boys who were now orphans to arrive. “The father of the house was shy and nervous. Saziso told me the man was ashamed of his house and that the family had not eaten for a few days. “We handed out a food parcel and the man nodded politely, I asked how he was going to cope with another three children. He said he wouldn’t be able to.” But at that time, the CoCo’s Foundation could not build a new house for this man, called Jabulani. Instead, they built a house for a Gogo and 20 children in her care. Since then, another group of volunteers have been back to build the man and his family a house. Chris said: “When I went back to see the family, I walked up to the man and asked if he remembered me. He looked to the floor and said ‘Yes Sir’. I said ‘my name is not sir, it is Chris. I asked for his name and he said ‘Jabulani’. I said ‘I want to help you build a house of your own.’ “Every day when I arrived, Jabulani shook my hand and said ‘good morning’ and every night he shook my hand and said ‘Siyabonga’ (we thank you). I don’t think I have ever seen a man grow so much with pride as every brick was laid down. “Near the completion of his house, another two houses were needing some finishing touches, so I asked him if he would like to
64 give us a hand. He said ‘yes’ and he took as much time over their houses as he did his own. “I’ve now given Jabulani the chance to build houses in the future for us. “Two days before we were due to leave, we looked at a couple of other houses and Jabulani came with us. One house had a grandma and granddad, whose daughter had died and left behind an eight-year-old and a six-year-old. “The building was horrific, and it got me quite emotional. But I was happy, as I knew that in a couple of months we were going to have finished a new house for them and that the old people would live to know that after they die the children are going to be safe. “The best thing about it was that I knew I wouldn’t even need to be there. I would be back in the UK cutting hair, as Jabulani is going to build it.” It is part of the long-term aim in making just some families in most need self-sufficient. Chris said: “To be self-sufficient they need to have those basic needs of food, water and shelter first. When we say food, it’s not a matter of buying it and putting it in the microwave for two minutes. You have to make a fire and collect wood and water – it takes all day!” “So as well as building new homes, we have also provided a new JoJo water tank for each of the new homes, and we are giving them seedlings to grow their own food. “This is the future for us, and it feels right. You are flexible, moveable and there are all these houses you are going to be building with the help of the African people them-
‘You build up a relationship with the children and they feel like family’ selves. “There’s a clear change in how we are using the money. We are teaching them to look after themselves. “I still don’t know if I have it right, and I’m always learning. It’s fantastic that the CoCo’s Foundation is growing, but if we stick to the recipe of those three things – food, shelter and water - we can help an awful lot of people.” The CoCo’s Foundation would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the members of Salon Success for donating two houses and to the 10 volunteers on the most recent trip. The Foundation warmly welcomes volunteers, who are asked raise £2200 for the trip. By raising only £3,000 companies too can pay for a whole house and have a plaque placed on the building.
The CoCo’s Foundation also runs Mama Deb’s Feeding Programme which is a £1 monthly donation and the Clothes for Clothes programme which is well supported by local schools and organisations. Chris said: “You’ll never get a thank you from me, or a card saying you’re wonderful. There’s no administration fee taken by us, the whole pound will go directly to feeding the kids. Every card or email takes something away from that. “You can just log on to the website to see what’s happening with your money.” If you would like to find out more about donating or volunteering for a trip to South Africa with the Foundation, speak to Ed at Coco’s, 39 High Street, Billingshurst, call 01403 784848 or visit www.cocosfoundation.co.uk
The story of just one CoCo’s volunteer... My name is Sarah Dover-McCarthy. Some of you may know me from previous articles in All About Horsham as I am a local businesswoman and owner of Total Therapy Studios in Horsham. However, this is a different story of mine about my trip to Africa. My journey began when I was having a discussion with a group of my friends about charity work, and that I was keen to do something that I would find challenging but would benefit people, not just in a financial way but
on a personal level. My closest friend Jacki called me and said that her hairdresser had spoken to her about their charity and were soon to be taking groups out to South Africa to help with building projects in a local community, and did I fancy going with her on their next trip? I particularly liked the fact that they were a local charity and in their relative infancy, therefore it could be something that I could be personally involved with both locally and overseas. Continued on Page 65...
CoCo’s Foundation Continued from Bottom of Page 64 We needed to raise money to fund a house that we were going to build for a family in Meselini in South Africa, who did not currently have a safe environment and for their own children and their nieces and nephews who had lost their parents. We came up with the idea of putting a covers band together with our musical husbands and one of our oldest school friends for a one night only exclusive charity gig – The Copywrights was born. We sold over 100 tickets and raised £1700, then held another event in June 2012 which raised another £1500. With the additional help of some Smarties tubes and the children at Brook School in Maidenbower, we were ready. The trip itself could take up a book, but it was one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had. In two short weeks I experienced so many highs; fabulous company, laughter until I thought I would burst, pure joy in children’s smiles and song, giving safety and happiness to people who have so little, nature at its absolute finest including elephants and moths the size of my head, and finding so much joy and contentment in such simple pleasure such as a
flushing toilet and a hot shower. At the other end of the spectrum there were heart-breaking lows. Seeing children who have no family, people struggling to find food, water and medicine, houses that were no bigger than my bedroom unsafe from the elements or others, and horrific stories of abuse, HIV, AIDS and survival. Being out there in the thick of it all made what we were doing out there all the more meaningful as you could see and feel the difference that the Coco's Foundation were making to people’s lives. We had built a house from nothing, painted and everything, we even made a vegetable patch and fitted huge water butts for the family to have their own water and by the time we left our family could move in. Our last day was the day that touched me the most. We always say that people’s eyes say so much, and I have never seen such happiness in so many people’s eyes as I saw on that last day. It is an image that will stay with me forever and I hope to create these feelings again for others by continuing to support the foundation in years to come.
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The ‘things you probably didn’t know about Horsham that are really quite interesting’ page...
Notices from the Davis Estate in Horsham reveal the price of new Horsham homes 75 years ago
A top of the range home in town in the 1930’s cost
less than £1,000 The AAH editor recently received some promotional material from Berkeley homes, promoting the new Highwood estate in the west of Horsham. Property developers and estate agents promote a language all of their own. They have a unique and unappreciated skill in extracting positive aspects of a property and its neighbourhood. They can exaggerating their importance until the home and its surroundings are transformed into a Narnia of wonder and happiness. This comes from a promotional booklet on Highwood: “It is a place where traditionally styled homes, attractive street scenes, a village pond, the hub of the green and a village square come together to create a place where people are connected to one another through friendship, a shared set of English values and family aspirations.” Simply brillliant! But the art of property promotion is a long and proud tradition. Horsham Museum has in its collection a series of photographs, postcards, prints, sale notices and advertisement leaflets donated to the town by the Cramp family.
Within the collection are original notices for Davis Estate houses built in Rushams Road in the 1930s. It makes for interesting reading. One notice reads: ‘In the midst of the delightful country, famous for its wooded hills, and noble grandeur, lies Horsham, one of the most interesting and historic towns in the South of England.’ There were several different types of home built by Davis Estates Ltd. The H.20 type of houses were put on the market at £565 for a terrace home and £590 for an end of terrace home. For a semi-detached home you would have to pay out another £15. Two types of bungalows were also offered for sale. The notices state that ‘their original planning combines maximum interior comfort with a particularly pleasing appearance.’ The Type HB.25 bungalow with two bedrooms cost £620 and the three bedroom home cost £645. This most expensive option could be bought with weekly repayments of 15/2. Other types of home included the Type H.43 semi-detached homes at £685 or 16/1
per week, the H.19 semi-detached home at £695 and the H.42 semi-detached homes with two reception rooms at £765. The largest homes on the new Davis Estate were the H.9 homes, which have four bedroom sand two reception rooms. They cost £985, with weekly repayments from 23/2. The way properties were described has changed little since the 1930s. The Davis Estate notice says ‘the discerning home seeker will immediately recognise the unquestionable value offered in this modern house, containing three excellent bedrooms and well-proportioned living rooms.’ The kitchen is ‘inspired by’ knowledge of the housewife’s needs... so ‘planning of this excellent room has provided for maximum efficiency’. Cars were beyond the means of most people at that time, so the property company offered a free car to take those interesting in buying a home to the estate for a closer inspection.