November 2022

Holy Trinity Church on Rushams Road, will hold their annual Fire Pit Carols event on Saturday 17th December from 5pm – 7pm. where a Brass band will accompany them. There will be communal carol singing on the front lawn with free mulled wine and refreshments. Donations will be gratefully accepted on the day for “Turning Tides”, the homeless charity who are opening a new centre in Roffey.

Also, on Monday19th December from 7pm – 9pm singers from Holy Trinity and Trafalgar Road Baptist Church will be singing around the Trafalgar area and collecting money for Action Medical Research for Children, the charity based on North Parade.

Horsham District Council has received a planning application for the demolition of the existing school buildings at Greenway Academy and the construction of a new part two storey, part single storey teaching block with external play areas, canopy, photovoltaic panels and landscaping

Further details of the application can be found here.

Residents are invited to submit comments on this proposal by Wednesday 23rd November 2022

Citizens Advice in West Sussex are here to support you. With the cost of living affecting many people, we want to provide as much support and information to our residents as possible.

Knowing what options are available and getting support early is important to prevent further issues arising.

Here are our key tips:

• Act Early – getting support as soon as you can will help you to feel in control of managing your money and prevent any future problems. It is never too late to reach out though, and we will help you to find the right support whatever your situation

• Check your benefit entitlement – There are many benefits available depending on your circumstances. Our advisors can help you to work out what you can claim by using our handy Benefits Calculator

• Work out your budget and maximise your income – we can help you to look at ways to increase your income, support you with managing debt, and find out if you could save money on your bills

• Start tackling your debts – if you have debt and are struggling to manage, there is help available. Contacting Citizens Advice National Debt Service is a great first step, and we can talk through your options together 

• Check what help you can get from the Government and your local council – You might be eligible for help with the cost of things like childcare, travel, food, energy bills or healthcare

• If you’re 55 or over, get free guidance from Pensionwise – a government backed service that can help you make an informed decision about your options for taking money from your pension pots.

We have pulled together a webpage full of helpful information and links to help you find the support you need, visit (https://www.advicewestsussex.org.uk/advice/cost-of-living/)

Alternatively, you can call us on Advice Line for support: 0808 278 7969 or visit your local office.

Lavinia House Christmas Party

As members of valued local community groups, may I please draw your attention to the Blueprint Neighbourhood Plan which after seven long years of hard work by local people, has finally been passed through all the required stages to now be put to a public vote.  

The people of Horsham town are now invited to choose whether or not to accept Horsham’s “Blueprint Neighbourhood Plan”.   The Plan, which was created over many years by local residents, workers and visitors, will designate 23 specific areas within Horsham Town as ‘Local Green Spaces’ and will also ensure that green corridors (such as the Riverside Walk) are maintained for people and wildlife.  The plan does not allocate sites for housing development but includes many important policies such as providing affordable homes and keeping Horsham a distinctive market town.  

So please make all opinions count by using your vote on 20^th October, as local people of all ages and with diverse politics and interests have genuinely worked hard together for many years to produce this offering, our Blueprint Neighbourhood Plan.

The Blueprint Neighbourhood Plan  can be viewed in full on the HDC website.

Families affected by dementia in Sussex are invited to take part in an award-winning programme to improve dementia care. Time for Dementia pairs families affected by dementia with undergraduate students studying healthcare, helping the students to gain a better understanding of living with dementia, and develop skills to provide better care for patients and their families. We are currently looking for families in Sussex to have pairs of Medical Students studying at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School situated at the University of Sussex.

Designed to create a new generation of health care professionals, students visit a family affected by dementia in pairs over a two-year period, which provides a unique opportunity to see people affect by dementia in their own home. The visits are designed to enable students to see how a diagnosis of dementia can affect people and the challenges and changes that they may face over time. The students also receive supporting tutorials and lectures. Families will be visited by Alzheimer’s Society initially to explain the programme in more detail and answer any questions. Families taking part can expect to see the same pair of students up to 6 times over the course of 2 years of the students’ studies, with each visit lasting between 1-2 hours. 

The Time for Dementia programme has been embedded as a core component of the curriculum at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and University of Brighton along with universities across Kent, Surrey and Devon with a range of undergraduate health care students. So far, more than 1,800 families and 4,900 students have taken part in the programme.

You can hear what some of our families think about taking part here https://youtu.be/EvdE85OFz0s

Evaluation of the programme has shown huge improvements in students’ knowledge and attitude towards dementia. Additionally, students report that they have gained knowledge of what it might be like to live with dementia; that their confidence and skills in communicating with people with dementia has improved; and that they have more awareness of the role of carers.