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.

For children starting school in West Sussex next year, it’s now time to apply for places. Applications are now open for children who start in reception at primary and infant schools in September 2023. The quickest and easiest way is to apply online and the deadline for applications is 15 January 2023. Children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 are eligible to start school next September. Children who are currently in Year 2 at infant school will also need to apply for a place to start junior school in September next year. It is strongly advised that parents and carers apply on time, before 15 January 2023, so as to give themselves the best chance of being offered one of their three preferences. Those who apply late are far less likely to get a place at one of their three preferred schools and will still need to apply, as they will not automatically be given a place. Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “Helping people and communities to fulfil their potential is one of the key priorities in Our Council Plan and our schools play a significant role in helping to achieve this.“ When considering your three preferences, I encourage families to do as much research into the schools as possible. Please look at a school’s website and make contact with schools directly to ask questions and find out about their open days.” All of the information about applying is on the Council website. Free use of computers with internet access is available in all West Sussex libraries, there’s no need to book. Those unable to apply online can request a form through the post by calling 033 301 42903. Parents/carers are advised to include three preference schools on their application, listing them in order of preference. Parents/carers who want their child to go to their catchment school will need to include that school as a preference for it to be considered. If parents apply after the closing date they are far less likely to get a place at one of their preferred schools. County Council admissions staff are available for those who need help with their application. Contact the admissions team by phoning 033 301 42903 or emailing the admissions team north: admissions.north@westsussex.gov.uk or the admissions team south: admissions.south@westsussex.gov.uk Secondary school applications are currently open for September 2023 and close on 31 October 2022.

Saturday 15th October 2022

Jane, on Rushams Road, wishes to make our local residents aware of the fact that she is closing her produce stall on Rushams Road shortly.

The stall made about £645 for “Tommy’s Baby Loss Support” charity.

In addition Jane had received an amazing £1000 donation from a Trafalgar resident! She is very grateful to the residents for the support given!

Jany stays:

…’The support from local residents has been great, particularly some of the help received from the Birds Farm allotment holders who have regularly donated produce to sell on the stall.‘