Chichester Post 129 by Post Newspapers

28 Letters

postnewspapers.co.uk

Friday, October 19, 2018

Community News & Views A TRIO of recently retired opera singers brought their experience to help Bognor Regis Rotary Club raise funds. The appearance of Glenys Groves - soprano, Michael Lessiter - bass baritone and Scilla Stewart - pianist and mezzo soprano, pictured below, entertained the rapt near capacity audience with a selection of songs from the shows. Spring is Here, Ruddigore, Porgy & Bess, South Pacific and Brigadoon were among their repertoire. Numerous composers were also featured, such as Rodgers, Mozart, Sullivan, Novello and Gershwin. A section devoted to the end of the First World War engaged the audience in a journey down memory lane. Some short, but amusing, songs included a more recent version of Maud, to gave the audience an opportunity to endulge themselves in a slice of slapstick comedy. The outcome of the memorable night, held in the hall of the Regis School of Music in Sudley Road, Bognor Regis, last Saturday saw more than £700 raised for the Rotarians' community work. The artistes each have impressive careers. All were members of the Royal Opera House in London and have performed with the world's leading opera singers. Names that appear on their CVS include Dame Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne. They have toured with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Dublin Grand Opera Company and Netherlands Opera. Each of the singers introduced themselves and gave a descriptive and, sometimes, amusing resumes of the music they were singing. Rotary club press officer Peter Stemp said: "There were the smiles on the faces of the audience as they left and comments like why more nights like this did not take place." The artistes and a trustee of the school of music, Sasha Levtov, waived their usual charges to support the Rotary club.

WATER-BASED sports across coastal West Sussex are to benefit from a £170,000 grant. The money has been awarded to boost businesses for sports such as sailing, kayaking and kitesurfing to enable them to grow, flourish and create jobs. The grant is towards a £340,000 project to position the West Sussex coast as an active hub for them. It has been awarded to the Coastal West Sussex Partnership from the government's coastal communities fund and will pay for a much-needed marketing campaign to promote water sports in the region. This is intended to grow the market, attract more visitors and extend the visitor season as well as the length of stay for visitors. Caroline Wood, a director of the partnership, said: "We're over the moon to have been awarded this grant. We want to work with all relevant businesses to help put the West Sussex coast on the water sports map. "We have an incredible variety of water sports locally, from diving in Littlehampton to kayaking in Pagham to kitesurfing in Goring Gap. "Our stunning coastline has plenty to offer both seasoned athletes and total beginners alike and many of the businesses also cater to families." All water sports businesses along the coast in West Sussex have the chance to be involved in the campaign. Four times British champion kite surfer and Worthing resident Lewis Crathern said: "I'm extremely happy that the West Sussex area has received this grant. "Having grown up here by the coast, I have seen water sports develop at a rapid pace and I am proud to call it my base for my profession of kitesurfing. "I look forward to this collaboration and to further spreading the message that our area is world class location for water sports."

Sir, I am researching for a book I am writing about self-catering holidays over the past 60 years. I found a photo of Pagham Beach in the 1930s and discovered it was of railway carriages converted into holiday lets. I would like to appeal through your newspaper for information about these great places. I need to know what facilities one found inside, such as toilets, kitchens, and bedrooms. If any of your readers have any interior photos, that would be magnificent. I cannot actually come to Sussex as I live in The Forest of Dean, so remote research is all I can do! Jenny Care 7 Norchard Gardens Whitecroft Glos GL15 4UD LEGENDARY pianist Derek Ambler will be playing a special charity concert at Bognor Regis Music Club. Proceeds from his performance at 7pm tomorrow in the club's concert room at 2 Sudley Road will go to The Amber Trust. This helps blind and partially sighted children across the UK who have a talent or love for music. Derek has been making music since he was two. He shot to fame at the age of nine when he played jazz with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in London. Numerous national and regional TV appearances followed in the UK and overseas. In the past few years, Derek featured in the series, Extraordinary People, on Channel 5 and on BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. He has also given concerts across England, Europe and the USA. Chris Coote, the club's press officer, said: "There is no doubt that Derek is one of the

CIVIC dignitaries in West Sussex have spoken of their delight the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first baby next spring. The announcement on Monday came less than two weeks after the royal couple made their initial visit to Chichester, pictured above, and Bognor Regis. Susan Pyper, the LordLieutenant of West Sussex, said: "This is wonderful,

most extraordinary pianists and musical entertainers of his generation. "Yet he is blind, autistic and has severe learning difficulties. Dubbed 'The Human iPod' in the USA, Derek has a repertoire of tens of thousands of pieces." Derek will play a selection of light classical music, jazz and songs from the musicals. Members of the audience will also be able to ask him for requests. "We are privileged to welcome Derek to our club and are looking forward to an amazing evening's entertainment in support of such a worthwhile charity," said Chris. Also performing will be Poppy McGhee, pictured above, a 14-year-old local girl who is a pupil at Marlborough College. She began her musical journey aged five and has achieved top qualifications. She will include pieces by Gluck, Khachaturian, Prokofiev, Kreisler and Piazzolla.

heart-warming news. "On behalf of everyone in West Sussex, it gives me great pleasure to send warmest and most sincere congratulations to the Duke and Duchess at this time of great happiness for them both. West Sussex County Council chairman Cllr Lionel Barnard said: "We thank them for coming to West Sussex and wish them every happiness with their first born.”

Roxanecare@btinternet.com

Sir, Sorry to be thick here, but could someone please explain why it is that we should be delighted by the thought of 1,400 new jobs being generated by the Southern Gateway re-development, pictured below, most of which (despite Cllr Dignum’s faith in them being ‘highly paid’ will surely be the same-old hospitality jobs that can’t be filled elsewhere in town, given that the plans emphasise new pubs, bars and cafes for the area)? How does this fit in with the comments made by the owner of Opus Loco in the same edition of the Post that her recruitment business is under threat due to the acute shortage of applicants? Even if every adult in the 365 proposed new homes takes one of the jobs, this will still leave a shortfall of almost 700 people, most of whom, if they are available at all, will doubtless drive to work, get caught in the endless jams along the A27 and the Stockbridge Road and find nowhere in which to park when they get there. Or is it more about Cllr Dignum’s quest to achieve the holy grail of endless ‘economic development’ by planning to strip the area of every inch of open space in order to build more housing? Jane Church Brampton Court Chichester

A CHANCE to find out more about the HM coastguard helicopter seen flying along the coastline is available next Monday. One of its pilots, Eadin Brown, will be giving the latest talk to the Arun and Chichester Air Enthusiasts Society, Air Aces. This will take place at 7pm at the Chichester Park Hotel in Chichester. Eadin will introudce the HM Coastguard helicopter unit, which is based at Lee-on-the-Solent, and he ended up working for it. He will continue by giving a broad outline of how the helicopter search and rescue service operates. This will include the unit, the base, the roles of the crew and the aircraft. He will also give an idea of the routine of a typical day and the tasks the crew undertake. His talk will be illustrated with plenty of photographs to provide a lot of interest for anyone curious about the story behind the headline-making rescues. Entrance for Air Aces members is £3, guests £5 and free for under-16s. Tickets are available on the night. There is no need to pre-book. Doors open at 6.45pm. More details: airaces.org.uk or David Batcock on 01243 823007.