Sussex Local - Barnham - February 2018

February 2018

SUSSEX LOCAL

Barnham - Aldingbourne - Eastergate - Oving - Tangmere - Westergate Local news and events through the door to 5,200 homes in this area every month

SAY YES MORE

Get the life you want! Social Enterprise based at Brinsbury

LOCAL NEWS

Charity & Community

GARDENING

Ideas & monthly tasks

WHAT’S ON

February events

WIN!

Tickets - Parham Races Book - The A-Z of Curious Sussex Book - Ready to Serve

PLUS

What’s On, Local Walks, Recipe, Prize Crossword, Puzzles, Local news, Local groups & charity, Business Directory

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February 2018 Cover image Bosham Church Star-trail courtesy of David Jacobs

Welcome...

If you’re struggling to stick to your New Year resolutions, you may find inspiration from our main article this month - Say Yes More.

This social enterprise based out of a London Bus at the Brinsbury campus just north of Pulborough encourage their followers (the “YesTribe”) to not settle for any less than will make them happy. Read how they are changing attitudes and giving city dwellers a taste of countryside tranquillity - page 26.

Dig out the picnic hamper and your Wellies for the first race meeting of the season at Parham. We have tickets for four and reserved parking for Parham Races worth £70 - see page 11. You can also win a book The A-Z of Curious Sussex, packed with mysterious stories from Sussex’s past, p28.

Look out for more great competitions that miss the print deadline on our new website.

Andrew Staib is thinking ahead to Spring and re-vamping your garden. As usual there are some suggested tasks and places of horticultural interest to visit. See page 19.

4 ...........................................................................What’s On 11 ..........................................Win! Tickets to Parham Races 12 .................................................................................Recipe 13 .................................................Win! Book Ready to Serve 16 .............................................Young Readers’ Puzzle Page 17 ..................................................................Prize Crossword 18 ........................................................................Local Walks 19 ....................................................................In Your Garden 21 ..................................................................Property Doctor 22 .........................................................Charity & Community 26 .....................................................................Say Yes More 28 ...............................Win! Book The A-Z of Curious Sussex 30 .............................................................Business Directory 31 ...........................................................Index of Advertisers March booking deadline 1st Feb

SUSSEX & CHICHESTER LOCAL 01903 868 474

info@sussexlocal.net www.sussexlocal.net Kay Publishing Ltd PO Box 2237, Pulborough RH20 9AH Sussex Local & Chichester Local magazines are published monthly and delivered free of charge to over 38,300 homes and businesses in West Sussex. There are six editions and display advertising starts at just £24 a month per edition.

We have local community and charity news starting on page 22 - please keep sending in your local stories to info@sussexlocal.net we are always happy to publish articles of local interest free of charge.

Our regular prize crossword is on page 17 and for younger readers we have a selection of fun puzzles on page 16.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kris & Jeff

Words of Wit “Life has no remote.

Get up and change it yourself” - MARK A. COOPER Disclaimer - Whilst advertisements are printed in good faith, Sussex Local (Kay Publishing Ltd) is an independent company and does not endorse products or services that appear in this magazine. Sussex Local cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions or claims made by contributors.

The views and opinions of contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

1. Arundel edition - Arundel, Amberley, Burpham, Climping, Fontwell, Ford, Slindon, Walberton & Yapton Total addresses - 6,500 2. Barnham edition - Barnham, Eastergate, Westergate, Aldingbourne, Oving, & Tangmere Total addresses - 5,200 3. Chichester edition - Chichester centre & suburbs Total addresses - 7,800 4. Findon edition - Findon Valley, Findon Village, Nepcote, High Salvington, Clapham & Patching plus Salvington/Selden (south of A27) Total addresses - 6,000 5. Pulborough edition - Pulborough, Bury, Coldwaltham, Fittleworth, Marehill, Nutbourne, Stopham, West Chiltington village and Common. Total addresses - 5,500 6. Storrington edition - Storrington, Ashington, Cootham Thakeham, Sullington & Washington. Total addresses - 6,200 The combined circulation of all six editions is over 38,300 addresses.

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Competition

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Win tickets to Parham Races Saturday 17th March. For 4 adults plus reserved parking worth £70 Parham Races is home to the Crawley & Horsham Steeplechases, where a long tradition of National Hunt racing stretches back 65 years.

Parham ranks among the oldest tracks in the South East.

Sussex is a county with a great racing tradition. With Goodwood, Fontwell Park, Plumpton and Brighton on our doorstep, and Lingfield a stone’s throw away up the A23, we can justifiably claim to be a well-horsed county.

Parham sits foursquare in a county hosting Jump trainers of the calibre of Gary Moore, Nick Gifford, Richard Rowe and Amanda Perrett. Racing is in our blood.

from the original race to accompany it. And of course, our fixture in 2018 falls on St Patrick's Day, so expect a little bit of Irish blarney as you enjoy your afternoon whilst England take on Ireland at Twickenham.

This is a perfect chance to get close up and personal with your racing, support friends and family riding or training, and enjoy the unique ambiance that only a British springtime Point-to-Point can engender. Enter our competition or visit www.parham-races.co.uk and use voucher Sussex Local to get an extra £1 off the prevailing admission, valid until March 15. Competition closes 28th February. www.parham-races.co.uk

You can be assured of a great day out at Parham Races. A day at the races represents a fantastic family day out, whether with a picnic from the boot of the car, or in our hospitality marquee, where lunch and racing from the comfort of your own table costs just £68. General admission costs just £15, or less if booked in advance. The programme includes seven steeplechases, some pony racing to find the next AP McCoy, a flat race for hunting enthusiasts dressed in formal hunting gear, a hound parade, lots of shops, a funfair, licensed bar and the Parham Provender, our range of premium snack food concessions, where you can assuage your appetite with quality foods. There's a dog show too so if you have a pet of your own, bring it along for the chance of some fabulous prizes and great entertainment.

The programme is centred around a little piece of racing history in the Gatwick Cup, former feature of the eponymous racecourse, and re-introduced to the Parham races programme with a splendid antique trophy

Win tickets to Parham Races To be in with a chance of winning answer the following question: Q: How many steeplechases are in the programme? a) 10 b) 8 c) 7 Send your answer and full contact details including daytime telephone number to: Parham Races Competition, PO Box 2237, Pulborough RH20 9AH or email competitions@sussexlocal.net Winner will be first entry drawn after 28th Feb 2017. Please indicate if you wish to remain on our mailing list.

SUSSEX LOCAL

12 Recipe

All American Meatloaf Ideal February supper with mash and this rich tomato sauce!

Ingredients - Serves 4-6  900g ground or finely minced beef (or beef, veal and pork mixed)  1 medium onion, minced  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce  5-6 tbsp tomato ketchup  Salt & pepper  2 eggs  2 sliced white bread, crusts removed  ½ cup milk  2 tsps spicy brown mustard  2 tbsp soft brown sugar

Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas Mark 5. Mix the meat, onion, Worcestershire sauce, half the ketchup, salt, pepper and eggs in a large bowl.

2. Soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl for several minutes. Crumble the bread and then work it into the meat mixture.

Shape into a loaf shape on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or place in a greased 1kg loaf tin 3. While the meatloaf is in the oven stir together the remaining ketchup, mustard and sugar.

Brush evenly over the meatloaf about 15 minutes from the end and continue until the juice run clear when skewered in the middle.

4. Serve with mashed potato and salad.

Cookery Courses for all Why not give a Voucher for the perfect gift?

Contact Alex 01243 532240 www.cookwithalex.co.uk

Competition / Computers

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Win a copy of ’Ready to Serve’ Thriller by local author Simon M Gray ‘Bestseller potential’, ‘excellent escapism’, ‘phenomenal plot twists’ – just a few reviewer comments about Ready to Serve, the latest thriller from Sussex author Simon M Gray.

As for Simon, he has been described as a, ‘Wilbur Smith for our times’.

Simon M Gray And, Ready to Serve, his fifth novel, cements this reputation. The plot, which rarely pauses for breath, follows Mike Huntley, an initially reluctant hero, from his stifling London life to Central America where he faces the darkest enemies of our times as he fights to save his brother, a famous TV reporter. It is a dazzling thriller and a poignant tale about modern terrorism and our voyeuristic fascination with reality television.

‘I write about what I know,’ Simon explains. ‘I lived in the Caribbean, have trekked through jungle and crewed super yachts. Although, I have never faced down a terrorist! That is drawn from the headlines – and my own imagination.’

Simon, who now lives in Arundel with his wife and family, penned his first novel in just two weeks. ‘I wrote freehand, writing in every spare moment,’ he remembers. ‘I found it a hugely cathartic experience.’

Computer Care Budget laptops

by Alan Stainer You may be tempted to buy a £200 laptop, but be careful what you buy or you might find yourself with a useless piece of tech. Chromebooks are good and reasonably priced. They manage this because they are built around web apps. That means you don’t need much storage space or processing power, because everything is done via the web.

Microsoft have brought out a range of budget laptops to compete with Chromebooks. Windows was never designed to run using web apps alone and therefore requires much more space and processing power to run smoothly. A case in point, a Windows 10 laptop I was asked to look at was running low on space. It was new and still had the default programs installed.

When I looked I found the hard disk only had 27.8 GBs of space in total, which is not enough for Windows, especially since Microsoft started pushing applications onto Windows 10 without user consent.

While I was watching, the available space dropped down to zero bytes. There isn’t really anything to be done in that situation, other than take the device back and get a refund. If it had been a Chromebook, or a more expensive Windows laptop, everything would have been fine. www.alansitsolutions.com

Simon’s past careers and travels provide the plot framework for all his thrillers. But, his books’ soul comes from the characters. Are you ready to join Simon’s growing legion of readers? Are you Ready to Serve?

Paperback version of Ready to Serve £9.99 available from The Book Ferret, 34 High Street, Arundel, BN18 9AB. Kindle and Paperback versions also available at http://amzn.eu/hM8UkDn www.simonmgray.com

Win a copy of ‘Ready to Serve’ To be in with a chance of winning answer the following question: Q: How long did it take Simon to write his first book? a) 2 weeks b) 10 years c) 2 years Send your answer and full contact details including daytime telephone number to: Ready to Serve Competition, PO Box 2237, Pulborough RH20 9AH or email competitions@sussexlocal.net Winner will be first entry drawn after 28th Feb 2017. Please indicate if you wish to remain on our mailing list.

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16 Puzzles

Young Readers’ Puzzle Page Wordsearch - Crafty fun

Anagram

Find the listed words in the grid. Words may be hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and in either a forwards or backwards direction.

Trace the lines connecting the circles to find out what the 2nd word is

CANVAS GLUE RIBBON

FELT INK RUBBER

FOIL PAINT SEQUINS

GLITTER PENS TISSUE

Maze

Number Tower

Help the hungry mouse reach his tasty cheese! Start at the arrow on the top of the maze.

Fill the tower so that every square contains a number.

The value of each square in the number tower is the sum of the two squares directly under it.

Answers can be found on our website after the 1st of February www.sussexlocal.net

To sponsor this feature please contact us on 01903 868474 or email info@sussexlocal.net Sponsor for just £25 per month plus a monthly prize

Crossword

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Prize Crossword

Win a £10 Marks & Spencer’s voucher

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Barnham February 2018 December 2017 solution shown below.

Winner: Janet Saunders from Tangmere Congratulations and thank you to all who entered.

Entries to: Sussex Local Crossword, PO Box 2237 Pulborough, RH20 9AH or scan and email the page to crosswords@sussexlocal.net

Across

Down

1 3 9 10 11 14 16 17 18 21 22 23 24

1 2 4 5 6 7 8 12 13 15 19 20 22

Throb; dull pain (4) Something in the way (8) Suit makers (7) Stadium (5) Hillside (12) Involuntary spasm (3) Roger ___ : English actor (5) Knock vigorously (3) First part of the Bible (3,9) Palpitate (5) Copious (7) Murmured (8) Appear (4)

Self-operating machines (8) Japanese poem (5) Form of public transport (3) Capable of being moved (12) Type of cheese (7) Energy and enthusiasm (4) Despicable (12) People who are admired (5) Against the current (8) Guilty person (7) Decay (5) Individual article or unit (4) Enemy (3)

Name: ...............................................................................................................

Full address: .................................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................................

Postcode:..........................................................................................................

Email: ................................................................................................................

Phone:...............................................................................................................

Mobile: .............................................................................................................

Closing date: 28th February 2018 Good luck!

£10 Win a £10 M&S voucher

voucher provided by

SUSSEX LOCAL magazine

Sponsor this Crossword - call 01903 868474 for details.

Sussex Local may wish to keep in touch with occasional information and offers.

We will never share your details with third parties.

Please tick if you would like to receive such information.

SUSSEX LOCAL

18 Walks

Local Walks - February These walks are supported by Chichester District Council, are led by volunteers and are designed to cater for all ages and abilities. No booking is required but please arrive 10 mins before the walk is due to start. Dogs are welcome unless otherwise stated but must be kept on the lead. If the weather is poor the walk be cancelled, if unsure please check, contact 01243 534589 health@chichester.gov.uk www.chichesterwellbeing.org.uk. L = Walk Leader Thur 1st 10.30am Tangmere L: Peter Aviation Museum to Tangmere Church with WWII memories then the old airfield. Meet in Oving Park roadside, Church Lane Fri 2nd 10.30am Nutbourne to Prinsted L: Jane Through woodland to the harbour shoreline and back. Meet at the entrance to Maybush Copse Sun 4th 10.30am Walberton to Binsted Woods L: Dominic Meet at Walberton Village Hall car park, BN18 0PQ Mon 5th 10.30am Chichester Canal L:Helen A flat walk, gentle pace. Meet at Chichester Canal, PO19 8DT Weds 7th 10.30am Lavington Common L: Fiona A walk taking in the best of our heathland and woods. Meet: Lavington Common car park between Duncton and Graffham Weds 7th 10.30am Beginners Marina Stroll L: Janet Meet at Boathouse Cafe car park, Chichester Marina, PO20 7BA Fri 9th 10.30am Eartham Woods L: Peter Up into Eartham woods and back down Stane Street. Meet at Free Forestry Commission car park, PO18 0LU Tues 13th 10.30am Compton to Telegraph Hill L: Peter Climbing up through woodland to the top of Telegraph Hill.

Meet at Compton Recreation Ground Car Park Weds 14th 10.30am Chichester City Walls L: Janet A walk around the City Walls. Meet: By the aviary just inside the entrance to Priory Park in Guildhall Street Weds 14th 10.45am Climping L: Dominic Along dunes and beach to Climping Mill, then across fields and Rope Walk to club. Meet at Arun Yacht Club Car Park, BN17 5DL Fri 16th 10.30am Springhead Hill L: Peter Hilly walk with stunning views. Meet in car park at Springhead Hill Mon 19th 10.30am Chichester Canal L: Helen A flat walk at a gentle pace, suitable for beginners.

Meet at Chichester Canal, PO19 8DT Tues 20th 10.30am Easy Canal Walk L: Janet Return by bus. Can be muddy in places when wet.

Meet: Chichester Canal, PO19 8DT Weds 21st 10.30am Petworth Park L: Gerald See the fallow deer in Petworth Park, enjoy the peaceful countryside. Meet at The Horse Guards Inn, Tillington, GU28 9AF Fri 23rd 10.30am Ambersham Common L: Bruce Wonderful free-to-roam heathland. Meet at Heyshott at Ambersham Common crossroads Sat 24th 10.30am Whiteways L: Dominic Along Monarch Way and South Downs Way. This walk is not suitable for beginners. Meet at Whiteways car park on A29 Mon 26th 10.30am Chichester Canal L: Helen A flat walk at a gentle pace, suitable for beginners.

Meet at Chichester Canal, PO19 8DT

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Gardening

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Gardening

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An asbestos cement roof

By Chris Ennis FRICS Only recently I was phoned by a frail elderly lady who was concerned that a rogue builder was proposing to charge her hundreds of pounds to remove and replace her garage roof. I popped round to see her and found that the work was not really required as a matter of urgency and in her circumstances, should not have been prohibitively expensive.

The roof was shallow pitched with a central asbestos capped ridge and all weathered in corrugated asbestos cement panels, probably some 30 or more years of age. Asbestos was banned from use in buildings in 1999 but is still seen in many dwellings, often in rainwater goods, soffits and water tanks.

Asbestos cement building materials typically contain between 10-15% of white asbestos (there are three main types), bound in a cement base. It is the fibres from the asbestos that can be a danger to health if they are inhaled so asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) should never be abraded to create dust.

In this instance the roof was leaking where metal fixings secured the panels to the roof frame, and also where the asbestos sheets overlapped. I arranged for a contractor to have the roof cleaned with a biocide to remove moss and other debris, then to apply heavy

builder’s flexible mastic to the overlapping joints.

If water penetration continues, then a Asbestos coat of proprietary water proofing barrier (Aquapol or similar) over the joints should further extend the life of the roof. This repair is not expensive or time consuming, but care should be taken if climbing on to the roof since asbestos sheets can be brittle with age. Always use crawling boards.

With good fortune the complete renewal of the roof might be delayed by 5 years or so.

Asbestos disposal regulations allow any domestic householder to dispose of reasonable quantities of ACMs without charge if they are double wrapped in plastic sheeting prior to consignment to a local tip with facilities to collect this hazardous waste. – I believe Shoreham amenity site is the nearest.

However, if a building contractor removes the waste, a charge will be made.

Chris Ennis FRICS is a Chartered Surveyor Tel: 01903 261217 email: surveyor1@talktalk.net

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Sussex Snippets West Sussex Waste Prevention reminds residents about the importance of battery recycling - all batteries can cause fires, in refuse trucks and at waste plants, but lithium batteries are more prone and these are the ones in phones, laptops, tablets, digital cameras and hand held games. To recycle old gadgets/batteries take them to a Household Waste Recycling Site; or if you only have loose batteries, to a local disposal point – found in supermarkets and DIY stores. www.wastepreventionwestsussex.co.uk Henry Smith MP has welcomed the Government’s multi -million pound investment in local healthcare this winter, as it emerged that the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) had been granted up to an additional £1,687,000 of funding to help cope with winter pressures.

Travel writers at the Guardian have recognised Leechpool and Owlbeech Woods in Horsham as top “hidden gem” – the popular woodland attractions rated alongside world renowned locations such as Shell Beach; one of Australia’s natural wonders of the world and came out as one of the publication’s best hid-

SUSSEX LOCAL den discoveries of 2017. Commenting on the experience of visiting the local woods, the Guardian said it was “transported to another world”.

Bestselling crime and thriller writer Peter James, author of twelve consecutive Sunday Times number ones, whose books have sold nineteen million copies worldwide, is to host an evening in aid of “Care for Veterans.” ‘The Dead Good Evening’ to be held at the Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing, on Thursday 15 February, 7pm - tickets are £20 each and on sale now from the Care for Veterans’ Fundraising Office.

01903 218444 www.careforveterans.org.uk info@careforveterans.org.uk The true depth of the culture in the Horsham District has been highlighted by the incredible amount of grant applications made to the Horsham District Year of Culture 2019 team. More than 140 applications were made by the December deadline from communities, groups and individuals from all over the district including Steyning, Billingshurst, Ashington, West Chiltington, Henfield and Horsham and all areas of the programme have had interest. www.hdculture2019.co.uk A refreshed five-year capital investment programme and steps to balance the overall budget were approved by West Sussex County Council at a recent meeting. Members agreed a five-year Capital Investment Programme which will see a total of £800million invested in key priorities including new school places, major road schemes, boosting the local economy, and sustainable energy projects. The final budget is to be agreed on 16 February. www.westsussex.gov.uk West Sussex Writers are currently helping run the 2018 Steyning Festival Short Story Award, a competition open to East and West Sussex residents past and present, will be judged by two renowned Sussex writers - Elly Griffiths and Simon Brett - and will culminate at an award ceremony during the Steyning festival in May. Closing date for entries is March 11th and all the details can be found on the West Sussex Writers website. www.westsussexwriters.co.uk Lodge Hill is an outdoor educational and activities centre for young people set in the South Downs National Park near Pulborough. They launched ChallengeU in 2014. It is an early intervention programme for young people who may be at risk of offending, exhibiting anti-social behaviour or not engaging in education between the ages of 13 – 17. The Challenge has recently been adapted for young people with Asperger’s where the focus is on social interaction, life skills and enjoying outdoor activity. Thus far the Trust has worked with young people who, because of their anxiety, have found it difficult to leave their homes, let alone travel to Wales on expedition.

The Trust has successfully supported these young people to do just that. For further details contact activities@lodgehill.org.uk or phone the Activities Manager on 01798 831411 (Ext: 233).

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Advice on Cyber Security Chris White, Police Cyber Security Advisor, recently gave a presentation to the Storrington & District Business Club at Joanna’s Boutique Tearoom.

Chris White works for the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit that covers the Thames Valley, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex. The purpose and aim of the role is to present and promote cyber awareness in line with the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 – 2021. The unit offers presentations free of charge from board level to staff training workshops to completing local awareness days and/or conferences to present on – CEO fraud, personal and corporate security, identity thefts, latest threats and vulnerabilities, cyber frauds and scams, advice on cyber security issues and password management and social engineering with regard to reducing insider threat. cyberprotect@serocu.pnn.police.uk

Arundel Community Award 2017 The Mayor of Arundel, Councillor Angela Standing, has presented the third annual Arundel Community Award to Gill Hart for her work with the 1st Arundel (Earl of Arundel's Own) Scout Group.

Presenting the award, Angela Standing said, “Gill has been giving her time to the scouting movement for over 30 years. Generations of Arundel residents have benefitted from her scouting skills, in helping young

Charity & Community people reach their potential.

With her endless enthusiasm, dedication, care, tireless support and fundraising she is the backbone of the Arundel Scout Group.”

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Angela Standing & Gill Hart

The public is invited each year to nominate groups or individuals for the annual Arundel Town Council’s Community Award and the winner is chosen by the full Town Council. www.arundel.org.uk

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Probus Club of Arundel

and using a mobile device while driving.

Officers carried out extensive, dedicated patrols to target offenders across the two counties between 1 December 2017 and 1 January 2018, and dealt robustly with anyone they caught driving under the influence. A total of 195 arrests were made during the campaign – resulting in 46 convictions.

Are you retired or semi-retired with time on your hands?

The Probus Club of Arundel covers the town and Surrounding Areas, and is a club for retired and semi retired men. The Club holds monthly meetings with speaker followed by lunch (£15) at The White Swan, Chichester Road, Arundel. There is also a monthly lunch with wives, partners and friends held at different venues. The joining fee is £15 and the yearly subscription costs £40. R. Brennan - 01903 718 639 www.arundelprobus.club

Crackdown on under-influence drivers In a major Christmas-period operation, Sussex Police and Surrey Police launched a joint crackdown on drink and drug-drivers with significantly increased patrols. Under new Government proposals, motorists who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of intoxicating substances, face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment - the current maximum term is fourteen years. These plans were put forward following significant support from people including bereaved families of victims and road safety experts.

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is among the four major causes of serious injury and fatal collisions, along with speeding, not wearing a seatbelt

Government cuts Sussex apprenticeship funding

Influential business partnership Coastal West Sussex (CWS) has hit out at a government decision which could see a drastic drop in the number of small firm apprenticeships on offer in the region.

Government has awarded no funding for the Universities of Chichester and Brighton to run apprenticeship schemes on behalf of small and medium sized businesses, despite an increase in demand, andthe Further Education Colleges received only about fifty percent of their requirements.

The South East as a whole has fared badly in the funding announcement and now CWS chairman Geoff Edwards has written to the government’s Apprenticeships Minister Anne Milton calling for an urgent rethink.

Notices to info@sussexlocal.net. events to www.sussexlocal.net

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26 Charity Profile

Say Yes More Find the lifestyle you want. By Lynn Smith The New Year is traditionally when we take stock of our lives, perhaps resolving to take control of our life styles – to eat healthier, exercise more, work less hard - but the first flush of enthusiasm is often lost to the realities of our modern existence – the daily commute, gloomy global news. More often than not we settle back into our usual routine without really noticing that we’ve done so, leaving our good intentions to gather dust – along with that new gym membership.

Now there is help for those who might need a little support to embark upon a healthier less stressed lifestyle. Volunteer-run social enterprise SayYesMore has launched a crowd funding campaign to establish a community hub, using the unlikely shape of a London bus, the YesBus, in a West Sussex countryside idyll as a healthy alternative to city/urban living.

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The “YesBus” based at Brinsbury north of Pulborough In 2012, founder Dave Cornthwaite, started sharing a personal motto. To him, SayYesMore was a lifeaffirming message, “… a reminder that small lifestyle changes can make a big difference and a gentle kick up the butt in those times where everything feels hopeless.” Research has shown that spending time in nature can improve cognitive functioning, short-term memory and creativity and Dave explains how he came up with the project: “Having lived in London for several years, I have firsthand experience of the frenetic pace of life and the impact it can have on mental health. Around one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year which is significant number – so I was motivated to establish a space where people can get away from city living, get closer to nature, and make space for new ideas.

“Whether you’ve had a hard week and could do with some downtime in the country, run an innovative young company which sees the value in bonding their team in a countryside setting, or you’re a teacher wanting to give your students a special classroom for a day, we’ve developed multiple programmes to foster and incubate forward-thinking and the benefits that come from saying ‘you know what, I CAN do that’.” “It is,” Dave believes, “easy to get into a habit whereby your default response is automatically “no,” with the result that “you end up hiding away, not challenging yourself and growing stale.” Saying Yes More means people become more interesting, creating memories and learning new skills. What Dave describes as, “A call for action from anyone wanting to make life count.”

Dave’s first step was to launch a Facebook page that quickly gathered followers. In 2015, following an urge to see if he could turn his Facebook friends into

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Charity Profile

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“Yestival” Inset photo (c) David Altabev “real people,” Dave decided to invite his online friends to a one night camp out. Nineteen followers turned up at Liverpool Street station for the campout, and Dave discovered that they were not only real but also “nice.”

Since this first campout, SayYesMore has held hundreds of events, from weekly free wild campouts under the stars - motivating, the group say, nights of inspiration and adventurous tales called YesStories to regular gatherings of all kinds including barbecues and river paddles, that encourage people to believe in their power of choice. This includes an annual microfestival called - what else - “Yestival” and an evergrowing global community with over 10,000 members. Nicknamed the YesTribe - which Dave Cornthwaite confesses sounds a bit like a cult but, as he says, “if so we’re just a very nice one” - the community is free to anyone who is looking to make life less restricted, more enjoyable, more interesting and more memorable. The aim: “… to make a culture of happy, kind, yes-people normal. To help foster dreams of living and working based around passions and hobbies, and to make sure members use their time as well as possible.”

Dave’s idea was to establish a countryside hub for the YesTribe, and set about converting the YesBus. Once work on the bus was underway the search began for suitable land on which to site the finished bus/hub, resulting in SayYesMore entering into a partnership with Brinsbury Campus of Chichester College (just north of Pulborough) with a home for the bus on one of the college’s green fields. A place that would entice people away from the city into the countryside - a relaxing, safe space, overlooking stunning Sussex countryside, that would be the perfect setting for an escape.

The aim for the bus was a multi-use space both to help nurture a community spirit amongst independent, creative humans and to provide a countryside escape

which would fuse the calming power of nature with the need to keep on top of work. The bus would have coworking desks, a base for inner-city kids exploring the countryside for the first time and be a “digital detox retreat” designed to improve the mental health of adults struggling with the pressures of modern society, and a memorable site for team building days.

The group also wants to open up accessibility to the countryside, especially for city children who have

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never walked in woodland or down a muddy country track. From a creative hub enabling a vibrant, progressive tribe of adventurers, to a meeting space and an outdoor playground, the YesBus is an example of exactly what SayYesMore wants to inspire – what they describe as “… a beauty in bringing an audacious idea to reality.”

The Crowdfunding campaign continues, £48,000 is needed to cover the material costs of converting the bus. But the YesBus is not the only string to SayYesMore’s bow. The group’s own “micro-festival for positive change,” has been held annually, each autumn, since that first one in 2015. Set in rolling green countryside at Brinsbury Agricultural Centre Yestival offers: “a weekend full of workshops, talks, walks, discussions and games during the day, then comedy, inspirational lectures and chilled out music at night… a festival with an emphasis on discovery, inspiration and discussion, rather than drinking and partying.”

SayYesMore now has more than 6,000 plus followers on its main Facebook page and a further 2,000 members in regional tribes around the UK, and the message is spreading worldwide with YesTribes popping up in Germany, Australia, Bali, Canada, USA and Belgium. In the last year, the YesTribe has raised over £750,000 for good causes, and has “ … travelled well over 100,000 miles on human-powered journeys – including setting up charities, businesses and social enterprises.” And, SayYesMore runs workshops and

The Yes Bus - inspirational community hub retreats that aim to help anyone going through a tough but ultimately rewarding lifestyle transition.

The group’s ethos are straightforward – to make positivity normal; to support change by reducing hurdles and building a supportive network; to ensure that they have regular organised meet-ups, gatherings, camp-outs and events and to do more than just hang out, by sharing skills and create businesses together.

So, if you feel it’s time that you stopped doing a job that isn’t for you and began something that you’re more passionate about, want to surround yourself with positivity and like-minded people, want to take up new hobbies and learn new skills or head off on life-changing adventures – you could do a lot worse than saying yes more. www.sayyesmore.com

Win a copy of ’The A-Z of Curious Sussex’ Curious, strange and mysterious stories from Sussex’s past In this engaging volume we are taken on a grand tour of the curious and bizarre, including the Alfriston Star, the hostelry for medieval package tours with its unusual ship’s figurehead; the infamous Blue Gardenia Murder; and Brighton’s Pavilion, built as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales. Read about the antic of ’Spooky Bill’, a poltergeist at a house in Crawley, and learn the story of how Selsey became the home of the mousetrap. Along the way we will meet scandalous residents. inventors and smugglers.

‘The A-Z of Curious Sussex’ is guaranteed to fascinate both resident and visitor alike.

This is the only single-volume book that includes a range of miscellaneous and popular subjects about Sussex. It is filled with folklore, legends, supersti-

tions, local characters, eccentrics, achievers, and inventors, as well as strange and unusual historical events and scandals.

Author of the book, Wendy Hughes, has also written books such as ‘Shipwrecks of Sussex’, ‘Not a Guide to Worthing’ and ‘Haunted Worthing’. She has published over 2,000 articles in a variety of publications.

She is the membership secretary of the Society of Woman Writers and Journalists, and a member of the Society of Authors. She lives in Worthing.

Find out more at www.thehistorypress.co.uk

Win ‘The A-Z of Curious Sussex’ To be in with a chance of winning answer the following question: Q: Where is the home of the mouse trap? a) Selsey b) Brighton c) Chichester Send your answer and full contact details including daytime telephone number to: A-Z of Curious Sussex Competition, PO Box 2237, Pulborough RH20 9AH or email competitions@sussexlocal.net Winner will be drawn after 28th Feb 2017. Please indicate if you wish to remain on our mailing list.

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