The next session will be held at: The Capitol, Horsham on Wednesday 21st June, 10am-12noon

No appointment is needed – you can just turn up – and will be offered a warm welcome and a friendly chat over a hot drink.

The Cost Of Living Support Drop In Sessions aim to be a great place to start for anyone who is under a lot of stress or pressure. The sessions can point you in the right direction so you can begin to get help. 

Open to all, these friendly, informal sessions, offer a local ‘one stop shop’ opportunity to talk to range of advisors from many different agencies and organisations to get information, guidance and advice on a range of issues and needs, such as…

• food and fuel concerns,
• money and debt concerns
• housing issues
• health and emotional wellbeing, including dependency issues
• support needed for people caring for relatives,
• wanting to find work,
• relationship difficulties, and support for families
• …and more.

A West Sussex carer who has benefitted from putting a contingency plan in place has encouraged others to follow her example.

Eurfron Jones said having a plan in place has given both her and her husband Malcolm peace of mind, knowing he will still receive the support he needs should she unexpectedly be unable to provide him with care.

She has encouraged other friend and family carers to register with Carers Support West Sussex – a charity that works closely with West Sussex County Council – which offers unpaid carers information and guidance along with practical and emotional support.

Her message coincides with Carers Week, which takes place from 5 to 11 June. The theme this year is ‘Recognising and supporting carers in the community’.

Ms Jones said: “I’d really encourage other carers who don’t have plans in place to think about it. I remember the conversation I had with Carers Support West Sussex when they asked ‘Have you thought about what might happen should anything happen to you?’. It had never entered my head that anything would happen to me.

“I think it’s really important that people know that I’m a carer, particularly in the circumstances that I’m not around.

“Carers Support West Sussex have just been so wonderful in many ways. If you are a carer, please reach out to them because they’ve helped us enormously.”

Ms Jones has shared her experience and advice in a new video which is available to watch on the West Sussex County Council YouTube channel.

Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services, said: “We’re committed to building connections with more people like Eurfron, who provide vital care for family and friends.

“We want them to take the lead on decisions that help them to enjoy independent and fulfilling lives and help them get all the support they are entitled to.”

You can register with Carers Support West Sussex on its website, where you can also find useful tips for developing a contingency plan. These include carrying a carers emergency contact card when you are out and about.

Sonia Mangan, Chief Executive of Carers Support West Sussex, said: “Our carer emergency card serves as a prompt to make an emergency plan and offers carers peace of mind, knowing their cared for will be in safe hands should the carer be involved in an accident or suddenly taken ill.

“Having important information in one place and sharing that information with trusted family members, friends and/or health and care professionals makes good sense.

“We don’t want you to be daunted so get in touch with Carers Support West Sussex to get help in making that plan.”

There is also emotional and practical support available to young carers under the age of 18, provided by the county council’s West Sussex Young Carers Service.

Just a ‘Swift reminder’ that all are welcome to a Swift Talk by David Bridges this Wednesday evening, 7th June, 7:30 pm start, at Trafalgar Road Baptist Church, RH12 2QL.

These amazing clean-living birds used to hang out with the dinosaurs, but nowadays are in decline, as their old nesting sites are disappearing. Hopefully in Trafalgar we can reverse the decline by providing new nest sites.

How many Swifts there are in Trafalgar we have no idea, so we are going to carry out a survey. Would you like to help? Then come along to the meeting, or email us. Once we know how many Swifts there are and where they are, we hope to put up Swift boxes to encourage more.

If you’d like to help us encourage these wonderful birds or just want to hear an interesting talk, please do come along if possible! All welcome.

All welcome to Trafalgar Road Baptist Church, RH12 2QL, for an excellent Swift Talk by David Bridges of Wild About Warnham on Wednesday next week, 7th June, 7:30 pm start.  

These amazing clean-living birds used to hang out with the dinosaurs, but nowadays they need new nest sites.  

How many Swifts there are in Trafalgar we have no idea, so we are going to carry out a survey. Would you like to help? Then come along to the meeting, or email us. Once we know how many Swifts there are and where they are, we hope to put up Swift boxes to encourage more. Fancy a sponsored swift box on your home?

Do please share the above and come along if possible! All welcome”

The Talk on Swifts by Edward Mayer has been cancelled on Friday 2 June.

As you have probably heard, more rail strikes have been called, including action by the RMT Union on Friday 2 June.  Unfortunately, this strike will make it impossible for Edward to travel to Warnham to give his talk.  There is some uncertainty over the potential impact of the strike, but we have taken the decision to postpone Edward’s talk until later in the year.

We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.  We will of course let you know the rescheduled date as soon as it is fixed.

Wild About Warnham

Between January and March this year, residents in West Sussex lost a total of just over £3.5million to criminals using different types of scams. The majority of victims were aged 60 or over and just under half of the reports came from people living alone. To stop individuals becoming victims of fraud and blackmail, a new series of free webinars and in person events are being run to raise awareness about online safety.T The Horsham sessions, organised by the County Council’s Digital Safety Team, will be held online and in person on       Wednesday 2 August at Horsham Library at 10.00am Tickets for the online sessions can be booked via Eventbrite. The webinars will provide individuals with the knowledge on how to spot scams and what to do if they, or their family, become a victim of online fraud. After the sessions in libraries, members from the Digital Safety Team will be on hand alongside Digital Ambassador Volunteers and the West Sussex Library Service’s Digital Support and Digital Access Teams, to support people with any digital enquiries or to provide information on how to be more scam aware. Duncan Crow, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire & Rescue, said: “Whether it’s online, on the phone or on your doorstep, fraudsters have many ways of scamming people, and unless you know what to look for, it is very easy to get caught out.“ The top three fraud and blackmail scams between January and March this year are courier and impersonator fraud, sextortion and dating and romance fraud. With most of these taking place online, these scam awareness webinars, and in-person events are a great way for people to find out more on how they can stay safe and ultimately stop themselves, or their friends and family from becoming another victim.” If you can’t attend one of these sessions, you can visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/staying-safe-online where you can find more information on how the Digital Safety Team can support you, your family or business to stay safe online.

Find additional details here

As part of the PCC’s #TalkSussex Campaign, the Commissioner has invited Sussex residents to complete a survey about their experiences of crime, what makes them feel unsafe and what measures could be put in place to help people feel safer in their communities.I would like to invite each and every NHW member in Horsham District to complete the survey, by clicking on the link below – it should only take a few minutes. .#TalkSussex – Sussex PCC Survey (office.com)

To ensure any Public Right Of Way enquiries are dealt with efficiently by WSCC, please report them directly via their on-line form:Report a problem with a Public Right of Way­­

Landowners please be aware that you are responsible for trees on your land and have a legal duty of care and must maintain your trees in a reasonably safe condition. 

We hope our residents are aware that:

Potholes can be reported to West Sussex County Council at Report a pothole online – West Sussex County Council