20 Charity & Community
Sussex Snippets One-year-on since it was opened, Tangmere Solar Farm has generated enough clean electricity to power 1,500 homes for an entire year - almost 5,000 MWh (megawatt hour) of clean electricity from 18,000 solar panels - and is one of the country’s first councilowned solar farms and built on 29 acres of land owned by West Sussex County Council on part of the site of the former Tangmere Airfield. Louise Goldsmith, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “This is the first part of a very exciting on-going project to produce clean, efficient energy harnessing nature’s resource.” www.westsussex.gov.uk/energystrategy. It is estimated that there are 120,000 unemployed military veterans, and up to 20,000 are leaving the services each year - many will be forced to leave early through physical or mental trauma and are unsure what to do with their futures. Building Heroes was formed two years ago to offer free construction skills training to service leavers and support them into a career in the building trades. Building Heroes is entirely reliant on fundraising, sponsorship and donations, and is holding a Christmas Market on 17th December, at the Brinsbury Campus, near Pulborough, as well as a Santa Run. For more details see: www.buildingheroes.org.uk
SUSSEX LOCAL First Steps Childcare operates three full-day care nurseries in West Sussex in Brinsbury (near Pulborough), Chichester and Bersted, and the nurseries have committed to supporting The Big Build Kenya, in partnership with Chichester College, to construct a new primary school in Nakuru, Kenya. This year, the nurseries have raised £4,738, through bake sales, sponsored safari hunts and Africaninspired fun weeks, and hope to raise a further £3,000 next year, and are currently running a sponsored bike ride from Chichester to Nakuru on an exercise bike in the nursery reception, with children and staff following the route, kilometre by kilometre and celebrating each new country destination as they reach it. Contact: First Steps Nursery – Lucy Oldham 07971 436329 www.firststepschildcare.co.uk lucy.oldham@chichester.ac.uk The Big Build Kenya – Rachel Northover - 023 8178 0957 africanadventures.co.uk rachel@african-adventures.co.uk Sussex Wildlife Trust, the largest nature conservation charity in the county, has published its first printed calendar following requests from members and other supporters. It features twelve stunning full colour photographs showcasing some of the most beautiful examples of wildlife found in Sussex, as well as fun facts about the featured species and reminders of key UK dates. The calendars are priced at £8.99 and Christmas cards supporting the work of the Trust are also available - money raised from sales will be used to support conservation work throughout the county. Contact: www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/shop, or call 01273 497532. Postage and packing applies. A new model of support for children and families is beginning to take shape with a vision to create an environment where a number of the County Council’s Children’s Services work together more closely to enable better help for families at the earliest opportunity. This hub model encompasses a whole range of services and the current staff and stakeholder engagement will feed into the proposed structure and plans which will go back to the Select Committee for further discussions on 8th December. More than 100 volunteers were celebrated at a recent, special West Sussex event to mark the Diamond Anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). Volunteers came from 26 of the county’s DofE centres to share memories from the past six decades and were awarded a special commemorative certificate by Mark Spofforth OBE, The High Sheriff of West Sussex. Contact: d.of.e.award.youth@westsussex.gov.uk
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