Town centres are being hit by a ‘youthquake’ that must be embraced if the high street is to avoid extinction.

That was the stark warning delivered to traders and decision-makers from across West Sussex at a Let’s Talk About Our Towns event at the Worthing Dome last Wednesday.

It was part of a series organised by West Sussex County Council and independently hosted by the editorial director of this newspaper Gary Shipton.

National experts warned huge changes driven by a more socially conscious youth were unavoidable and planners had to react quickly in order to survive.

Fashion designer and town planning expert Wayne Hemingway said it was time for high streets to become ‘radical’ in their approach.

“We are in a youthquake,” he said.

“Young people are behaving in a revolutionary way and that means change. They are the first generation who are less well off than their parents – a generation who want change, deserve change and we need to listen to them. They know change has to happen and they will force it whether we like it or not.”

Wayne, an MBE who founded fashion label Red or Dead, said young people were more influenced by sustainability and ethics than their predecessors.

Rather than the retail-centred arcades of betting shops and faceless chains, towns were driving towards community hubs based around charity shops and the sharing economy – spawned from 2nd hand goods websites like eBay and Depop.

With Wayne’s prediction of a more socially aware youth, and the internet often cited as the scourge of the high street, it was no surprise to see the spectre of social media looming large over the event’s talks and workshops.

Keynote speaker Ojay McDonald is the chief executive officer of the Association of Town and City Management. He described the world of social media as a ‘parallel universe’ which was already dominating retail trends.

The level of change on the high street was ‘pretty scary’, he said, and pointed to the rise and fall of the iPod within the space of two decades as a marker of how quickly trends can come and go.

“In less than one generation we have had a change that’s completely transformed a retail sector and become obsolete,” he said.

According to Ojay, social media influencers were the new ‘middle men’ in retail, capable of making or breaking shopping trends.

Children, for example, are now less likely to wander round a toy shop to compose their Christmas lists and will instead turn to YouTubers like Ryan’s World – a toy review channel featuring eight-year-old Ryan Kaji that has over 33billion views and tens of millions of subscribers.

With children becoming computer literate almost as soon as they are out of nappies, it was up to retailers to harness the power of social media and the influencers that dominate it. The average cost of an advert on an Instagram post was now around £1,000, he said. For a YouTube advert, the average price stands at around £5,000.

The popularity of websites such as Instagram makes the power of the image another important consideration. Ojay raised the example of the dessert store boom – Worthing has seen several open over the last 12 months – with young people flocking to get the most Instagrammable picture of their fancy pudding.

Dessert parlours were staying open until late at night and making most of their money in the evening, he said, driven by the youth’s quest for a strong social media presence.

But rather than fear this brave new world, decision-makers were encouraged to seize the opportunity for change.

Reflecting on the move towards community-minded town centres, Wayne Hemingway said it was up to local traders to band together and carve out their own niche.

Traders’ associations were key, he said, formed of local people who could capture a town’s unique identity through community events and targeted schemes outside of broader town planning.

“Towns are becoming something that comes out of the community and something that is making things for the community,” he said. Rather than online shopping and social media heralding the arrival of a detached, digital world, they could instead bring communities closer together and make towns more aware of their own special identities.

Let’s Talk About Our Towns’ take home message was that West Sussex is an area filled with unique, industrious, close-knit communities of which we can be proud.

If we can stand together and embrace an ever-changing landscape, with progressive, targeted investment from forward-thinking local authorities, our town centres can be thriving social hubs once again.

Powerlifters put their pecs to the test at a Littlehampton gym’s charity event.

Ashley Macey, owner of AJs Gym, said the event on Saturday was the gym’s first charity powerlifting event, raising money for Clymping Dog Sanctuary.

She added: “It went really well. We had 18 competitors altogether joining in and we raised over £400.

“We wanted to choose a local charity that everyone would get on board with.

“We love pups at AJs. Clymping Dog Sanctuary has helped thousands of dogs to find a new home, a small team working solely off the help of donations and their own fundraising event.”

The strength sport involves three main lifts, squat, bench press and deadlift, and all were included in the charity challenge.

All competitors received a goodie bag and special awards were presented to best male lifter Dan Green, best female lifter Debbie Sprigg and best lb for lb lifter Sam Rance.

The gym, on Lineside Industrial Estate, has been running for three years and has powerlifting classes every Thursday at 7pm.

The financial situation at West Sussex County Council has been described as ‘rocky’ amid plans to use reserves to cover an overspend of more than £7m.

A report presented to the Conservative cabinet on Tuesday (December 3) described how a failure to deliver £6.6m of savings planned for 2019/20, coupled with extra pressure on services, had led to an overspend of £7.355m on the revenue budget.

The revenue budget is used to pay for day-to-day costs, and the council will need to use money from the budget management reserve to balance things.

The overspend was some £8m less than had been projected in June, with reserves and the ‘flexible’ use of capital receipts used to bring that £15.9m figure down.

Katharine Eberhart, director of finance, said the need to use reserves would put West Sussex ‘far down’ the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s financial resilience index.

The index compares how each local authority is performing when it comes to financial risks. West Sussex had been a mid-table team until now.

When asked if there was a resilience ‘red line’ that should not be crossed, Ms Eberhart said that point had already been passed.

She told the meeting: “We should never be in this position.

“We understand why we’re there, but we have crossed the line that moves us from an authority that is considered with really good financial control to one that goes rocky, because we need our reserves to balance our in-year position.”

The report to the cabinet said £23.4m of savings had been planned for 2019/20 but £6.6m would not be delivered. More work would be needed to deliver another £1.6m while £15.2m of savings had been achieved or were on track.

The use of more than £7m would see the budget management reserve fall from £26m to £18.6m – and members were told it was important to build it back up to make sure the county was financially stable.

One of the biggest pressures placed on the council has been the poor Ofsted report into its children and young people’s services. Cabinet members were told £11.3m more had been spent on that portfolio than had been allowed for in the budget, including a £1m increase in child care legal costs.

The highways and infrastructure portfolio was £2.25m more than expected, and there had been £1.14m of extra staffing costs in the adults and health portfolio.

Ms Eberhart said other authorities which had faced similar pressure due to poor children’s services reports, had learned that a failure to keep financial management and control up to scratch was ‘a path that leads you down a wrong way’.

She told members this point had been highlighted as an issue in reports following the financial crisis at Northamptonshire County Council, which was branded the ‘worst run’ local authority in the country.

She added: “It’s really important that we recognise the situation that we’re in and ensure that, as well as funding to get us to the right place, we are implementing sufficient control to make sure we’re making the right purchasing decisions, to mitigate the costs where it is reasonable to do so.”

The iconic Christmas red ribbon on Whibleys the Jewellers’ Worthing store has been ripped in high winds, after making its return for the first time in seven years.

The ginormous bow, decorating the store at 34–36 Warwick Street, draws a lot of attention as it stands out at the eastern end of the street, at the top of Steyne Gardens.

Iconic Christmas red ribbon is back on Worthing town centre jewellers’ store

Having been in place since December 1 this year, the ribbon has sadly now been ripped at the top and was completely torn away from one side of the story by high winds.

Sophie Hardman, office assistant, said the much-talked-about Christmas decoration had be installed for the first time in seven years, due to previous technical difficulties that we have now overcome.

She added: “We plan on having the Worthing ribbon repaired tomorrow and reinstated for Christmas. Unfortunately the winds were a lot stronger than we first anticipated.

“The Horsham, Richmond and Guildford stores have all been gift wrapped in their ribbons, too, but are having a lot more luck than Worthing.”

The final home game of 2019 saw Heath renew acquaintances with Sussex rivals Crowborough who have been one of the stand-out teams in the London SE2 division having been promoted last season.

If it hadn’t been for an unfortunate slip up losing by one point away at Deal the previous week when playing a re-arranged game, the Crows could have been sitting in second place rather than fourth making this a top of the table clash. As it was there was plenty to play for with a bonus point win for Crowborough meaning that they could draw level with Heath at the top of the league, while Heath were looking to keep losses so far this season to just one.

As befitting a Sussex derby there was a good crowd with a lot of away support mixing with the revellers from Heath fresh from their Christmas lunch in the Clubhouse. However, the crowd and the occasion were of no consequence to the highflying Heath team who picked up where they had left off two weeks previously and from the referee’s whistle played a hugely entertaining brand of rugby, notwithstanding the sticky underfoot conditions. Heath were in front after only a couple of minutes after fast attacking rugby saw second row Hugo McPherson take an inside pass and scorch under the posts for 5-0.

Crowborough tried to dip a toe in the game but could not live with the frenetic pace of the Heath attack or the all-consuming red and black wall of the Heath defensive set up. On 12 minutes a break from number 8 Gareth Fergusson was quickly recycled to winger Jamie Diggle cutting an angle at pace from around 30 metres out. After bouncing the first defender the rampaging Diggle pirouetted out of the next tackle and smashed his way over the line for the score. Will Reeves-Perrin knocked over the extras for a 12-0 lead to Heath.

The home side’s dominance saw Crowborough attempt to tighten up their game plan but again the Heath defence forced repeated turnovers and the wave of red and black attacks kept coming. Heath’s ambition to run the ball in this period of the game burned brightly and after managing to miss out on a try when they had done all the hard work to create the overlap, Heath scored again on the 20 minute mark. This time the forwards set a platform from which the ball was moved wide right sucking in the Crowborough defence before being shipped to the left where Owain McLoughlin drew two defenders and put second row Steve Doku in for the try in the corner and 17-0.

If anything, Heath became over-excitable at the way they were playing and left another couple of scoring opportunities on the park when it seemed easier to take the score, but nonetheless remained in complete ascendancy up to the break. Supporters expecting a cricket score were quickly disabused of that notion in the second half when Crowborough came back out a different team and with some real belief. A tighter game with their forwards operating well saw them put Heath under some real pressure both in terms of possession and territory. When Heath did get the ball they were sometimes guilty of trying to play too much Hollywood rugby rather than sticking the ball down in the Crowborough 22 and threatening the try line from up close.

An attacking scrum following a held-up maul gave the visitors a platform from which their scrum half was able to snipe over in the corner for 17-5. A different feeling in the second half with Heath unable to match the intensity of the opening period suddenly meant that it was game on as Crowborough tails were clearly up. The Heath reaction to the score against them was quick and decisive effectively putting the game to bed. A more pragmatic kick to the corner was taken well in the lineout and moved to midfield where the ruck formed. Crowborough were quick to fan out their defensive line but left the ruck unguarded allowing flanker and Man of the Match Josh Salisbury to pick up and run in unopposed from 20 metres out. Reeves-Perrin made the conversion for 24-5.

With the bonus point banked and the opposition requiring three scores to come back into it, Heath saw out the game with no late dramas although they did miss out on another try from a gloriously well engineered attack. At the final whistle, whilst Heath could have had even more points from the game, the final score accurately reflected how the match panned out, with Heath’s scintillating first half performance being pegged back by a much-improved Crowborough in the second half.

Heath Assistant Head Coach Jim Taylor was delighted with the performance and particularly securing a seventh try bonus point of the campaign by the Christmas break, matching the tally from the entire previous season. After the match Taylor presented the winners of the November awards for 1st XV Player of the Month, James Flicker, and RAMS Player of the Month, Sam Muir, with a bottle of Black Dog Vineyard Cuvee Sparkling Wine.

Next weekend sees the final game of 2019 which is another Sussex derby away at Hove when both the 1st XV and RAMS will be in action.

Heath 1st XV Squad: Charlie Newey; Max Drage; Sam Beckett; Steve Doku; Hugo McPherson; Sam Drage (capt); Josh Salisbury; Gareth Fergusson; Matt Ashley; Will Reeves-Perrin; James Flicker; Jack Lucas; Owain McLoughlin; Jamie Diggle; Dougie Kern; Matt Holyland; Patrick McPherson; Wilf Bridges.

The Barclays FA WSL returned for the penultimate weekend of games before Christmas and served up an extra helping of talent and application.

The big game of the weekend saw Manchester City travel to Kingsmeadow to take on Chelsea and looked like they might be coming away with a win until Bethany England scored and set Maren Mjelde up to earn her side a 2-1 victory.

Table toppers Arsenal headed to Reading fresh off the back of their record 11-1 win over Bristol City last time, and although the quantity of goals wasn’t quite as high, the quality was out of this world.

Meanwhile Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City all returned to winning ways while Liverpool and Bristol City’s search for a first victory of the season continues.

Kim Little – Arsenal

The midfield maestro is an automatic inclusion this week for her goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Reading at Adams Park.

If you’re a fan of Jack Wilshere’s 2013/14 Premier League goal of the season winner against Norwich City – you’ll love this strike too.

Little picks the ball up short from a corner and plays a one-two with Leah Williamson to get herself into the box before doing exactly the same again with Jordan Nobbs to get beyond the last defender.

Under pressure, and with just the keeper to beat, the Scot chests the ball under control and lifts it sublimely over Grace Moloney’s head and into the corner of the net.

Lauren James – Manchester United

The James family is overflowing with talent with Lauren putting hers on full display in Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Everton and brother Reece breaking into Frank Lampard’s first team at Chelsea this season.

Unlike her more defensively-minded sibling, Lauren is an out-and-out attacker and proved it by having a hand in all of United’s goals on Sunday, scoring twice and earning a penalty for captain Katie Zelem to stick away.

Still only 18 years old, James is now tied as second top goalscorer in the FA WSL with five strikes already this season and is starting to show the consistent form that saw her emerge as one of the brightest young talents in this country as a Championship player last season.

Bethany England – Chelsea

So often this season England has come up with the goods for Emma Hayes’s side and Sunday was no different as the flying forward turned the game at Kingsmeadow on its head.

It took until the final ten minutes were approaching but the 25-year-old was alert on the line to turn home an equaliser before her persistence two minutes later led to Mjelde getting the all-important winner in front of ecstatic 3,500 fans.

Duncton residents celebrated the opening of two new businesses last month.

Heath End Stores reopened after a three-month closure and Sir Geoffrey Pattie was on hand cut the ribbon at the official relaunch.

Theivandiram and Vasukee Jeevathasan, known locally as Jeeva and Vasu, have taken over the store – and they are familiar faces in the community having run the Graffham Village Shop for the past ten years.

The shop has an extensive range of stock including fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fresh bread baked daily on-site.

It also has produce from local suppliers such as Duncton Wood honey, Hallgate Farm eggs from Byworth, Henrietta Arkle cakes and patés, wines from the Wiston and Nyetimber estates, beer from Langhams brewery in Lodsworth, and a specialist bread delivery on Fridays from the Hungry Guest in Petworth.

Meanwhile, Fee Godman-Dorington and Marsha Watson-Cook have also opened Heath End Hut next door to Heath End Stores, where they serve homemade lunches with a menu which will vary depending on the freshest produce available.

Fee and Marsha met many years ago at catering college and their plastic-free business ethos requires all packaging to be recyclable or reusable.

They are happy to accommodate any dietary requirements or cater for dinner parties if given advance notice.

For more information contact Fee on 07775 647143.

Heath End Stores is open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 6pm and Sunday from 8am to 1pm, while Heath End Hut is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

>>> Pub in the Park coming to Chichester in 2020 <<<

>>> These roads are set to be closed in Chichester, Bognor Regis, Midhurst and beyond during the next fortnight <<<

Detailed plans for 141 new homes west of Chichester within the Whitehouse Farm development have been submitted.

Developers already have outline planning permission for 750 homes, with the second phase of another 850 due to take the total number of units built on site to 1,600.

The first two housing parcels within the first phase have been granted full approval.

Miller Homes’ reserved matters application for 73 homes was approved at the start of October, while Linden Homes’ first application for 91 homes was permitted a month later.

Now plans for the third parcel, which is in the north-western corner of the site, have been submitted by Linden Homes for 141 homes.

A total of 98 will be sold on the open market and 43 will be affordable.

There would be nine-one bed homes, 43 two-bedroom units, 56 three-bed dwellings and 33 homes with four or more bedrooms.

According to the application: “Overall, the proposed development within Part 1 Parcel 3C responds to the site’s unique opportunities and constraints and will deliver a development that accords with the outline masterplan principles as well as the approved architectural design strategy.

“It delivers a good mix of family housing, which are well connected to the wider green infrastructure and future amenities of the masterplan and provides future connections to other phases of the masterplan development.

“The proposed development ensures that the existing trees are respected within the development integrating itself within its context and proposed landscaping in-line with the approved parameter plans and the challenging areas of topography.

“Sustainable features such as solar panels have been added to the site in line with the principles of the architectural strategy, with pedestrian and cycle permeability and connectivity prioritised to encourage walking and cycling within the site.”

To comment visit www.chichester.gov.uk/planning using code 19/02819/REM.

Extra upgrades for the council’s depot in Westhampnett have been agreed.

Back in the summer Chichester District Council released funding to resurface the area to improve drainage as well as providing new fuel storage and vehicle wash-down facilities.

Now extra enhancements to the site have been agreed in the form of a surface water capture system and electrical vehicle charging infrastructure.

The council will also be installing improved LED floodlighting, more CCTV cameras, an automatic number plate recognition system and a new one-way system.

The extra spending of £195,000 was approved by district councillors on Tuesday December 3.

Penny Plant, cabinet member for environment and Chichester contract services, described how the additions would make the depot more efficient, secure and environmentally fit for the future.

Norma Graves, cabinet member for housing, communications, licensing and events, added: “This is a very good project and I look forward to it being completed. It’s going to make it [the depot] even more efficient than it is now.”

Officers described how the council’s road sweepers have to be filled up manually and a water capture system would save not only time but also money.

So the project can go ahead temporary off-site parking for CDC’s vehicles has been negotiated while the works are being carried out.

The work is expected to start on-site in January and last between 12 and 14 weeks.

The second most senior officer at Chichester District Council is set to retire.

Paul Over, who is deputy chief executive and executive director at CDC, will finish in his role at the end of December.

The announcement was made publicly at Full Council on Tuesday (November 3).

He said it had been a ‘pleasure’ working with members and described the working relationships as ‘fantastic’.

He added: “It’s been interesting and rewarding and I’ll be sad to go.”

Elizabeth Hamilton, chairman of the council, described how Paul had been leading work on the Southern Gateway project, was responsible for many of the council’s income generating initiatives over the years and had a hand in a number of major changes in the way the authority operates.

She added: “During his 30 years with CDC he has been a great ambassador for the council and supported and advised many members which has been greatly appreciated.

“We wish Paul a long and happy and healthy retirement.”

An award-winning Worthing micropub which has had a positive impact on the community is expanding into Rustington.

Craig Stocker quit his office job to open The Georgi Fin in Goring Road, Worthing, in 2017, named after his two children.

Just two years later, he is opening his second one, The Georgi Fin Rustington, following the success of his old-fashioned pub, which has won five awards and came second in Herald and Gazette Pub of the Year competition this year.

Craig said: “I can’t wait. It has had such a positive impact here in Worthing. I can’t wait to change another place for the better.

“I never expected it to go as well as it has here – and in two years I never expected to be opening another one!”

The micropub will replace Owen Electrical and Lighting Ltd in The Street, Rustington, and Craig will be doing all the renovations.

He said he felt excited and nervous by the new challenge but confident he can make the same model work in the village.

“It is about taking a concept that works really well and to take that and replicate it again without losing that human touch,” he commented.

“It has to have a personal touch. I always make sure I know the person’s name when they come in.”

Craig said the reaction to the news had been ‘huge’.

“I posted it on Facebook and it had hundreds of likes and comments,” he said.

“It feels amazing. I don’t feel like I have a job because it is so much fun.”

Craig said he hopes to open the micropub by Easter. There will be a grand opening, he said, and he will be taking on more staff.

To find out more about the Georgi Fin, visit www.thegeorgifin.co.uk. Or follow the micropub on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheGeorgiFin.

More public buildings in Chichester are set to benefit from some of the fastest broadband speeds.

Back in 2017 Chichester District Council agreed to join a county-wide project to rollout ultrafast broadband to some of the authority’s buildings.

West Sussex County Council awarded the contract for gigabit-capable dark fibre infrastructure to Cityfibre in 2018.

Network construction has already been completed in Chichester in Midhurst, with an expected go live date of early 2020.

Now the district council is looking to expand the project even further and connect an extra 50 public sector assets within the city to the dark fibre network.

The final sites are set to be agreed from a long list of potential locations.

The cost of the contract would be £743,000 over a seven year period and is due to be met from the county’s business rates pool.

Design and build work could start in 2020, with sites completed between late 2021 and late 2022.

The project was given the go-ahead on Tuesday (December 3).

Eileen Lintill (Con, Petworth), leader of the district council, said: “It’s crucial we take advantage of this and we are ahead of the game.”

Roy Briscoe (Con, Westbourne), cabinet member for community service and culture, added: “I think it’s an exciting opportunity and we do not want to get left behind.”

Peter Wilding (Con, Fernhurst), cabinet member for corporate services, asked if CDC could lobby for a dig-once policy so any disruption was minimised.

Officers voiced the hope that commercial suppliers would separately invest in fibre so that private sector properties would also benefit from faster and more reliable speeds.

A report said: “It is our expectation that suppliers will view Chichester as a forward thinking city with a digital agenda and one that would welcome accelerated commercial roll out of full fibre.

“If this is the case, the project would seek to minimise disruption and align civil engineering works if there is an opportunity to do so.

“In any event, Government has made the commitment that national gigabit coverage will take place by 2033.”

Haskins Roundstone Garden Centre has donated a Christmas tree to St Margaret’s Primary School in Angmering.

Pupils have been given the opportunit to decorate it, giving them a great start to their end-of-year festivities.

Trish Ramsey, senior outdoor assistant and cultivation street ambassador at the garden centre, has been getting to know the school through her work promoting horticulture in the community.

Despite sitting one place above KCS Old Boys in the London 1 South table at the start of play Horsham knew that their depleted side would be facing a tough afternoon at Motspur Park which proved to be the case in losing 43-19.

KCS Old Boys swept all before them last season in winning London 2 South West, with a 100 per cent record scoring a four try bonus point in every game. If they continue to field this quality set of three-quarters they will enjoy another successful campaign.

Horsham have now suffered five successive defeats and will need to return to the kind of form they were displaying at the start of the season otherwise they risk being sucked into a relegation dogfight.

KCS Old Boys raced into a 19-0 lead at half-time with tries from George Taylor, Brodie Wilson and James Houston two of which were converted by Gareth Stoppani.

Houston added his second following a charge down from the kick off, then on 51 minutes the Green and Whites troubled the scoreboard for the first time when Jordan Bell won the race to touch down a nudge through the KCS Old Boys backline by Frankie Smith.

Following an intercept Theo Alexis scored and when on 58 minutes Taylor completed his brace against the run of play, Horsham were looking down the barrel at 40-5.

The introduction of Josh Earle and Ian Paku seemed to inject a greater energy into Horsham’s play.

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Good multi-phase play saw the ball eventually reach Christian Squire to score which was converted by Smith, and then Paku scored a stunning solo try beating several defenders along the way before Stoppani closed out the game with a penalty.

Horsham head coach Nick Stocker said: “Another below par performance from us today which is frustrating.

“We started brightly but when we didn’t make headway immediately we started to go off plan and kick the ball away to a dangerous set of backs.

“We finally woke up after 65 minutes when playing a little tighter and looking after the ball better we sucked in defenders creating space for a couple of good tries, but it was too little too late.

“We have much to work on if we are to arrest the current losing streak going into the Christmas break over the next two weeks starting with an interesting match at home to London Cornish where a large crowd is expected.”

Cuts to the number of roads gritted during cold weather in West Sussex have been reversed in the face of huge public pressure.

The Tory-led West Sussex County Council decided to reduce the percentage of the network it salts from 41 to 31 per cent this year in an effort to save around £150,000 per annum.

But when this newspaper and its sister titles revealed the exact roads which would no longer be gritted it prompted a huge public backlash.

Even Conservative backbench county councillors said they were ‘horrified’ by what was being proposed.

In response we launched a campaign to stop the gritting cuts as we believed there had not only been a lack of consultation and publicity but also the changes were not the right ones to make.

It appears public pressure has succeeded as the county council has now confirmed the former gritting routes will be reinstated this winter.

A county council spokesman said: “The cabinet member for highways and infrastructure has asked officers to ensure that sufficient gritting equipment is available to reinstate the former gritting routes during this winter.

“That has been confirmed. We are now looking to restore the gritting programme to previous levels. It will happen as soon as practicable.”

Details for individual areas can be found here:

These are the Chichester roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Bognor Regis roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Worthing roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Littlehampton roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Shoreham and Lancing roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Horsham roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill roads where gritting is being stopped

These are the Crawley roads where gritting is being stopped

Chichester Netball Club are a fast-growing club who are going from strength to strength.

They have two teams in the Chichester Netball League, both of whom have had good undefeated runs. CNC Lightning, their premiership team, won all seven of their opening games, scoring 328 goals and achieving a goal difference of +183.

The club’s division one team are also playing superbly, winning five games out of five and scoring 183 goals. CNC Lightning are top of the premiership division and hope to finish the season strongly.

The club have also had excellent successes with juniors. Their under-tens and under-11s beat Magic NC last month and the U15s beat Gosport Gators in a very exciting, high quality match.

Juniors have a number of friendly fixtures and tournaments coming up over the next few months, all building to big Chichester Netball Club tournaments in March and April.

Chichester Netball Club offer training sessions for girls in school Years 5 to 11 alongside the successful adult club. If you or your daughter would like to join, please visit www.chinetballclub.co.uk to find out more and access the sign-up forms.

The club are open to all abilities and the aim is to play netball, develop skills and have fun. They also run a series of trips to watch professional netball matches alongside coaching workshops and a tour.

Chichester Netball Club are looking for a sponsor. They require some help in buying resources for fixtures, alongside trophies and medals for tournaments.

In return, they offer multiple advertising opportunities on the website, social media and kit. If you are interested in teaming up with the growing club, please contact head coach Claire Cobden on ccawte1@googlemail.com

A Worthing school has been looking at imaginative ways to educate the students and has decided to give some the opportunity to work outdoors.

Children in years nine and 11 at Chatsmore Catholic High School in Goring have been working on alternative outdoor learning initiatives through the autumn term, in support of their formal studies.

There are three groups involved for one lesson per week and for some, learning outside the classroom has been a real experience.

Philip Dean, outdoor learning leader, said: “I love the way these groups of students have embraced the alternative way that they can learn and progress.

“To some it has been a steep learning curve, not having a roof above their heads for comfort.

“Here at Chatsmore we think about the development of the whole character of the students and we are keen to look at imaginative ways to educate them.”

The year-nine students have been getting to grips with expeditioning, learning and experiencing all aspects of creating, running and reviewing an expedition that has sustainability as its core value.

This is the start of a three-year project, involving real expeditions, both locally and globally.

The students have also been looking at alternative ways to communicate, with sign language as the theme.

These personal development activities, including completing reflection diaries, have given them confidence and have bonded the team.

Student Ellie-Mae said: “I want to change the world by being kind.”

The GROWTH group from year 11 has been discussing goals, reality, opportunities, will, tactics and habits.

Using the outdoors environment, they have experienced leadership and team development, including rescuing a water source from a contaminated acid pool, plus shelter and fire building in the rain.

Student Jess Moore said: “I like to be involved in outdoor team activities because it helps you learn from your experiences.”

The project group, also from year 11, is working on a team event for the school houses, a party business supporting primary schools in the area and a dance event to promote health and wellbeing.

White, 22, has been hugely impressive for Marcelo Bielsa's promotion-chasers this campaign and his displays have also alerted Premier League giants Liverpool and Tottenham.

There were fears from Leeds that Brighton could recall White from his season-long loan in January but Albion are said to be happy with the existing arrangement.

Brighton head coach Graham Potter views White as a future Premier League player for the club but he is also eager for him to continue his development in the Championship under respected coach Bielsa.

“There is all sorts of talk, as we know," said Potter recently. "But the reality of it is he is our player and he has got a future with us and we are looking forward to having him back at the right time and go from there. He is a player we like a lot.

"If you see how he plays, the attributes he has fit us. He is at Leeds now. He is on loan. You let that run and settle down at the end of the season. He is at Leeds and doing a good job there.”

Albion, who are 12th in the Premier League, are also well covered in defensive areas with Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, Dan Burn all performing well with Shane Duffy as back-up. Burn has played mainly at left back this season but can also slot into a central position if required.

Leeds do not have an option to sign White permanently at the end of his loan deal but Liverpool have been continually linked with White and were thought to be considering a £20m move in January.

Brighton have no intention to sell and they also value White north of £20m, considering they paid £24m to land Webster from Bristol City last summer.

White has been an ever-present for Leeds this campaign and has been a key part of a well-drilled defence that has leaked just 10 goals - the best in the top four English divisions.

He also displayed his versatility last weekend as he played central midfield during Saturday's 2-0 triumph against Huddersfield as Kalvin Phillips was suspended.

In a week when the Cranleigh squad had been ravaged with injuries, they got their Surrey 2 game at home to Old Rutlishians off to the best possible start by scoring a try in the first five minutes.

Tom Wade, making his first appearance at hooker, collected the ball on the Rut’s 22 metre line and having driven through a maul, raced away to score.

Curtis Beecroft duly converted to give the Cranes a seven point lead.

Cranleigh maintained the pressure on their opponents but were unable to convert position and pressure into points.

Rutlishians only made two breaks in the Crane’s 22 but the second earned them a penalty near the posts for handling in the ruck. That made the score 7-3.

On 35 minutes, a Rut’s wing forward was sin binned for a deliberate knock on, but the score remained 7-3 at half-time.

The second half started like the first with Cranleigh dominating in the scum.

However too often handling errors stopped their momentum.

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The Rutlishian defence held firm and gradually, their pack started to gain momentum.

With ten minutes to go, their back row and fly-half combined to create a gap in the Cranes defence.

The resulting try was dotted down under the posts, meaning the easy conversion put them 7-10 up.

Cranleigh pinned Rutlishians back in their own half, but losing two of their own line outs and slow recycling of possession conspired to thwart their efforts.

The game ended 7-10 to Rutlishians.

For coaches, players and supporters alike this was frustrating result, being the third narrow league defeat in a row.

The Cranes travel to Caterhamians next week desperate for a win.

“Geraint had a deep moral compass and actively worked to make the world a better place for everyone in it, especially future generations.”

The family of Crawley councillor and former teacher Geraint Thomas, who died on November 27, have shared their pride in his life and work.

The 69-year-old’s death came as a shock to friends and colleagues on both sides of the political divide and his family said they were ‘deeply touched’ by the messages of support they had received.

In a statement sent by daughter Helen, they said: “Losing Geraint so suddenly is an incredible shock to us all. He leaves a gaping hole in our family which can never be filled.

“However, we have been deeply touched by the kind messages and thoughtful letters we have received from far and wide, with so many people sharing their fond memories of our husband, father and grandfather.”

Born William Geraint Thomas on March 17 1950, the future Labour politician was educated at The College of Richard Collyer, in Horsham, where he was quite the sportsman, playing rugby and cricket and proving himself to be a rather handy opening bat.

His future wife, Jen, went to Horsham High School for Girls and the pair met up again at Aberystwyth University, where she read English and he studied geography. They married at St Mary’s, in Horsham, on August 9, 1974.

The couple recently became grandparents to twin boys, doting over the little ones, who were named Hugh and Thomas.

Describing Geraint as a ‘loving, kind and generous family man’, Helen added: “A devoted husband, adoring father and besotted grandfather, he filled our lives with warmth, humour, and togetherness’.

Crawley born and bred, the community spirit was in his blood thanks to his father, Lloyd, who was very active across the growing town. When Geraint took early retirement from teaching, that same social conscience made it unlikely he would spend his spare time idle.

The family said: “While the hours he spent as a councillor were not without sacrifice to family life, we were all very particularly proud of his political achievements.

“He never lost an election he stood in, and increased his majority every time he was elected, and we all knew this was because the voters could see how hard he worked and how much he cared for Crawley.

“We are particularly proud of his environmentalism and his social conscience.”

Outside of politics, he was a fanatical supporter of the Wales rugby team and – as he always reminded his family – the ‘England and Wales’ cricket team.

Music too held a special place in his heart. As well as being passionate about the classical composers, he enjoyed the songs of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, sang in a number of choirs and could play the piano and cello.

On top of that, he served on the managing committee at Crawley Open House and as a trustee of Ifield Park Care Home.

His family said: “We would hope that the people of Crawley would remember Geraint as someone who cared deeply for their town.”

A service of thanksgiving will be held at St Margaret’s Church, Ifield, at 1pm on December 17.

The family has asked for no flowers to be sent, but anyone who would like to make a donation in Geraint’s memory can do so via www.crawleyopenhouse.co.uk/makea-donation or www.ifieldparkcarehome.co.uk/fundraising