A developer has resubmitted plans for 300 homes in Pagham after they were rejected by councillors earlier this year.

Arun District Council has recently approved two schemes in the village, 400 homes south of Summer Lane and 280 dwellings north of Sefter Road.

However a third large-scale housing application for land north of Hook Lane was refused by the council’s development control committee in January.

Hallam Land Management has appealed against the decision, with a planning inspector due to make a decision later this year.

In the meantime the developer has resubmitted the scheme to the council.

Councillors rejected the application on the grounds that the increased traffic generated by the development would exacerbate capacity issues on the highway network and mitigation measures proposed were insufficient to overcome safety issues.

But in a cover letter to the council Owen Jones, director at LRM Planning, pointed out that proposed highway mitigation measures are based on a cumulative assessment of traffic effects of 1,200 homes proposed for Pagham in the local plan.

He added: “These mitigation measures are to be provided jointly and separately by the development proposals at Pagham. It is important to recognise that the council approved planing permission for three other planning applications at Pagham, totalling 745 dwellings which each are based on the same highway mitigation measures.

“No evidence has been produced to justify why the proposed development at Hook Lane is in some way different such that planning permission can justifiably be refused.”

The outline application includes an 80-bed care home and D1 uses of up to 4,000 sqm including a two-form entry primary school.

A document submitted by the developer says the previous application ‘sought planing permission in the same form as this current application’.

It suggests councillors ‘acted unreasonably and against the advice of the council’s professional planning officers’ by refusing the first application.

The application concludes: “The material benefits of the proposed development are considerable. It will provide both private and affordable housing of a suitable scale commensurate with the status of Pagham, increasing the supply of new housing generally in the district and at a location deemed suitable for future development and well related facilities, job opportunities and public transport.”

At January’s committee meeting where the application was refused officers pointed out how the site was allocated in Arun’s recently made local plan, while West Sussex County Council as the highways authority had not objected to the application.

Councillors were told that the planning application only had to mitigate the impact of the extra traffic generated by the new homes on the road network and should not be refused because it did not solve existing problems.

To comment visit www.arun.gov.uk/weekly-lists using code P/30/19/OUT.

Tulips were in abundance at Findon Village Gardens Association’s spring flower show, drawing the eyes of the many visitors to Findon Village Hall on Saturday. Committee member Maureen Bowen said she had never seen so many tulip entries at the spring show.

However, the most outstanding exhibit in the horticultural classes was a single daffodil, winning Shirley Hobden the Michael Grand Cup. Other cup winners were new members Betty Seiler and Gay Hibbs, plus Tess McCormick, Norman Allcorn, Mike Solomons, Sue Line and Betty Lewis.

Shoreham lollipop man Mike Billington said a fond farewell to pupils from two primary schools as he retired after 27 years working the same spot.

The 83-year-old covered Downsway and Upper Shoreham Road, helping children from Swiss Gardens Primary School and Buckingham Park Primary School to cross the road.

Julie Holt, assistant co-ordinator at West Sussex County Council’s southern depot in Clapham, presented Mike with a long-service certificate and a bottle of champagne during an assembly at Swiss Gardens on Friday.

She said: “He is a lovely man, a real gentleman. We are really going to miss him a lot. Hopefully we will have someone soon to replace him.”

Mike also received a hamper from Swiss Gardens and a voucher from Buckingham Park.

Lawrence Caughlin, head teacher at Swiss Gardens, told the children: “It is a really long time to be getting up every day to make sure the children of Swiss Gardens and Buckingham Park cross the road safely at the beginning and end of the school day.

“That is absolute dedication to the job. It must be absolutely thousands of children he has helped across the road. He has decided to have a well-earned retirement.”

Mike started in 1992 and some of the children from those days have since sought his help crossing the road with their own children.

He said: “I know a lot of children and all their names. I will miss the children but I won’t miss the getting up in the morning.”

Mike has two great grandchildren at Swiss Gardens and his wife Ellen was not only a pupil there, during the Second World War, she also later worked in the school kitchen.

Ellen said: “When my children were here, someone knocked on the door and asked if I could help in the canteen. We only live down the road. In those days, we used to cook all the meals and we had a marvellous cook.”

A school crossing patrol recruitment drive is planned for the end of the month but Julie said there have been a few willing volunteers to cover in the meantime.

“It would be nice if we could replace Mike quite quickly because it is such a busy road,” she added.

Email julie.holt@westsussex.gov.uk or telephone 0330 222 6738 if you are interested in taking up the post.

Goodwood have confirmed that three chart-toppping DJs are set to perform at this year’s Three Friday Nights.

This year’s line up will feature MK on Friday, June 7, followed by Gorgon City on Friday, June 14, and to finish the popular summer event will be Disciples with R3wire and Varski on Friday, June 21.

Each event will start with an afternoon of horse racing until the last race is run and the sun sets when Gooodwood’s grounds will then transform into a dance floor ready for each worldwide DJ to take the stage.

US producer, remixer, DJ and Area 10 label boss, Marc Kinchen (MK) holds an impressive back-catalogue that includes over 500 titles bearing the stamp of his signature style.

MK’s live mixes have covered many popular artists from Sam Smith and Pharrell to Rudimental and Ellie Goulding.

He has brought his unique sound to millions worldwide, and is best recognised for hits such as ‘Back & Forth’ and ‘17’ (which topped the Dance Singles chart at no.1).

Gorgon City have established themselves as one of the most influential acts in the industry, best known for their platinum single ‘Ready For Your Love’.

Over the past five years their unique blend of bass-driven house music has led them to success.

The duo has collaborated with some of the top names in the industry, including Clean Bandit, Jess Glynn and Jennifer Hudson.

Finishing off the Thee Friday Nights are Disciples who have released chart-topping tunes such as ‘On Their Mind’ and ‘They don’t know’.

The South London trio peaked the chart at no.2 with world-renowned producer Calvin Harris for their single ‘How Deep Is Your Love’.

Three Friday Nights at Goodwood is known for being one of the most popular series of events to take place on the South Coast.

Adult tickets start from £35, with Juniors, between the ages of 13-17, starting from £26.25.

Various hospitality packages start from £102 and tickets are on sale from today and can be purchased at Goodwood.com or by calling 01243 755055.

A direct run-off between a pair on independents and two senior Arun District Council Conservatives is set to take place in Aldwick next month.

Hugh Coster and Tony Dixon are the only two candidates who are standing in Aldwick East against council leader Gill Brown and Trevor Bence, cabinet member for residential services.

All district council seats are up for election, with voters going to the polls on Thursday May 2.

Mrs Brown has been a district councillor since 1991 and leader of the authority since 2006.

At the last council election in 2015 both Mr Bence and Mrs Brown were easily elected, with the UKIP candidate finishing in third place in front of independent and Lib Dem challengers.

Mr Dixon argued that the Tories had become complacent given the number of safe seats on the council and argued that a fresh start is needed.

He added: “It’s time to elect councillors that will put the needs of the local community first - not a political party.”

Mr Coster, who is deputy chairman of the Bognor Regis Civic Society, added: “I am standing, along with Tony Dixon, because we have both had long experience of dealing with Arun District Council and we have been continually disappointed at the poor leadership decisions and almost total lack of public engagement.”

He continued: “We are standing as independents so that the public will have a clear choice as to whether they wish to see politics from elsewhere dominating local decisions, or whether they wish for a new era of independent local people making local decisions.”

Shoppers were keen to sign up to say no to single-use plastic at the launch of Plastic Free Steyning, Bramber and Beeding.

People flocked to Steyning Farmers’ Market on Saturday to hear more about the challenge at a bumper event to spread awareness of the damage caused to the environment by discarded single-use plastic.

Ronnie Reed, who is co-ordinating events for the campaign, addressed the crowd and said it was up to us to act now, before it is too late.

She emphasised that abuse of plastic today is laying in store massive problems for future generations and threw down the plastic-free challenge, which was enthusiastically taken up by many shoppers throughout the morning.

All three parish councils have also pledged their support.

Simon Birnstingl, chairman at Upper Beeding, said: “Upper Beeding Parish Council has long had an environmental policy and we are happy to adopt and support this plastic-free campaign for the benefit of all our parishioners.”

The plastic free challenge involves eight behaviours that anyone can do:

• Always take a shopping bag to the shops and refuse single-use plastic bags

• Say no to plastic straws

• Use a lunch box, not disposable plastic sandwich bags

• Use a refillable water bottle and refuse to buy bottled water

• Buy a reusable coffee cup and refuse to use a single-use plastic one

• Avoid single-use packaging. Buy at a local butcher and fishmonger, and take your own box to put meat and fish in.

• When shopping for vegetables, think local, seasonal and loose

• Avoid ready-made meals with lots of packaging

The campaign was begun by local environmental group Steyning 10:10, in association with nationwide grassroots movement Surfers Against Sewage.

The aim is to enrol businesses, schools, churches, community groups and individuals to the cause of reducing our dependence on plastic.

The Rev Emma Graeme, rector of Beeding and Bramber with Botolphs, said: “In Upper Beeding and Bramber, we are looking at what we use plastic for and are conscious of our responsibility to maintain God’s creation and ensure we leave a clean environment for our children and grandchildren.

“To this end, we are currently looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and live a truly sustainable life.”

Residents have already seen many local businesses forsaking single-use plastic bags in favour of paper or other materials.

Steyning Butchers now wraps meat in hygienic paper bags, Steyning Bookshop stopped using plastic bags five years ago, Truffles the bakers has gone plastic-free and no longer serves takeaway drinks in plastic cups, the Sussex Produce Company café has also gone plastic free and many more High Street shops are rising to the challenge of cutting out unnecessary plastic within their businesses.

The launch event also featured the Horsham District Refill scheme, aimed at helping reduce the use of disposable plastic water bottles. The scheme enlists businesses willing to refill a bottle for free.

The libraries in Steyning and Henfield, and the Hub in Upper Beeding, are already signed up as refill stations, and more are joining the scheme every day.

Future events in the pipeline include litter-picks and a mass unwrap, where shoppers will remove all unnecessary plastic packaging from their purchases and leave them on display outside the shop for the day.

For more information, visit www.1010steyning.org/plastic-free-campaign or email 1010steyning@gmail.com

Chichester’s Fire Station manager has asked the public to be vigilant after a spate of deliberate fires around the city centre on Saturday night.

Police are investigating a string of four incidents, one of which caused ‘extensive’ damage to a shoe shop in North Street.

Read more: Five fire crews called to blaze in central Chichester
Read more: Police probe after arsonists strike in Chichester city centre
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is warning such incidents can lead to larger, potentially life-threatening blazes and also take vital resources away from other incidents.

The incidents were:

– A fire started at an old property on a building site in Lavant Road at 6.45pm

– A fire that broke out in a skip behind the Hole in the Wall pub in St Martin’s Street at 9.26pm

– A bin set on fire outside the La Havana Bar in Little London at 9.39pm

– A pile of rubbish deliberately set on fire outside the rear door of Hotter Shoes in North Street, at 10.15pm, which spread to the shop and caused extensive damage

Police have confirmed today that no other incidents are being linked at this time.

Pete Sadler, Chichester Fire Station Manager, said: “We are concerned by the number of suspected arson incidents we have experienced in Chichester and urge those responsible to stop.

“Fires started deliberately can be particularly dangerous because they generally develop much faster.

“Fires started in bins can spread to properties or vehicles near-by and put people’s lives, homes and businesses at risk.”

The fire service works closely with the police and always seeks to prosecute those people who have started fires deliberately.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is also asking shops’ management teams and members of the public to be vigilant.

Measures to reduce the chances of arson occurring include keeping bins and waste in a secure place and only putting them out on the day of collection if possible, avoiding placing bins adjacent to buildings or vehicles and taking items to charity shops when the shop is open to reduce the risk during the night.

In the event of a fire call West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service on 999.

Anyone with information regarding the fires in Chichester can contact Sussex Police online at https://www.sussex.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/ or ring 101 quoting 1218 of the 06/04.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

People flocked to Steyning Farmers’ Market on Saturday for the launch of Plastic Free Steyning, Bramber and Beeding. Many of them signed up for the challenge to say no to single-use plastics.

Ronnie Reed, who is co-ordinating events for the campaign, addressed the crowd and said it was up to us to act now, before it is too late. Parish councillors, church leaders and businesses are among those who are already on board. Read more: Plastic Free Steyning, Bramber and Beeding launch sees shoppers pledge to say no to single-use plastic

Detectives attended a property in Bognor Regis after a laser was shone at a National Police Air Service helicopter last week.

Sussex Police said it is investigating a report of a laser shone at a police helicopter at around 8.22pm on April 1.

A spokesman added: "The helicopter was able to identify a property in Shripney Lane, Bognor Regis, and officers visited the property. All the occupants were spoken to and an investigation continues.

"No-one was arrested."

The National Police Air Service issued a warning after the incident. Its post on Twitter read: "A message we will continue to share – shine a laser at an aircraft and you’ll end up in custody.

"@NPASBournemouth were subjected to a laser attack. #NPAS999 crew identified the location of the laser and arranged for @sussex_police to visit the address."

A mother whose sons got skin burns after swimming in a Sussex leisure centre has demanded an apology.

According to Lisa Elliott, her sons Bailey, 10, and Harley, eight, had to be treated in A&E due to a red rash which they got after swimming at the Littlehampton Wave leisure centre in West Sussex last Saturday.

She believed it was due to excessively high levels of hydrochloric acid in the water, but the leisure centre has disputed this.

She said Freedom Leisure, which runs the pool, should apologise. She said: "I don't want an apology for myself; I want it for my children. It was my children that have been injured.

"They both have really scaly skin now from where I am still treating them for chemical burns."

The highly anticipated new leisure centre in Sea Road, Littlehampton, opened last Friday. The next day, Bailey and Harley went swimming with a friend and their father.

But according to Lisa, after about 45 minutes they got out of the water because their skin felt itchy, which got worse despite using the pool showers for half an hour in an attempt to soothe the irritation.

When they got home, the 31-year-old from Yapton said Bailey had a red rash which spread across his chest, arms and eyes, and his younger brother was suffering too.

She went to the centre for an explanation, where she claimed a manager told her the boys had burns from their foam floats, which she disputed as their eyes were also red too. She said: "My kids have never had float burns, and they have been to lots of different swimming pools."

As their condition got worse, she took them to A&E, where she said a paediatric doctor eventually took the decision to treat them using antihistamines. "She said 'I am not happy with seeing this as a rash. I'm treating this as a chemical burn'", Lisa said.

"I was seeing red; I was raging."

On Sunday, she saw a post on Facebook that the pool had been temporarily closed, and went back down to ask a manager why this had happened and to seek an explanation for her son's condition.

There, Lisa claimed they told her the closure was due to too much hydrochloric acid in the water, which is used to lower the pH levels in swimming pools, but said it was not linked to what happened to Bailey and Harley.

"I really struggle to believe that," she said.

While Bailey and Harley were on the mend, Lisa said her eldest son, who has autism, is now scared to go in a swimming pool.

She said: "I feel really sorry for him, because he loves swimming.

"I won't go there again, and it will be a very slow process to get my eldest back into a swimming pool."

A spokesman for Freedom Leisure said: "We were extremely sorry to hear that Ms Elliott’s two sons both experienced a rash on the skin after she first spoke with our duty manager last week.

"As per our further communications we have explained that the new pool has an automated system which continuously takes water readings that we also back up with manual checks every three hours, and we have confirmed that at no point during pool opening hours were the levels outside of legislative operating parameters.

"pH levels did rise slightly during the night which is why we delayed opening on Sunday – it is worth noting that it is not unusual for levels to fluctuate especially after a busy session, and that the automated system will rectify this.

"Over the weekend in question we had over 600 people swimming and can confirm that thankfully there have been no other incidents or concerns raised.

"Therefore we believe, and have explained to Ms Elliott, that the location and nature of the rash suggest that friction from sliding on and off pool floats may have been the cause."

During the first week of April, Guild Care, along with other fellow charities and organisations, celebrated World Autism Awareness Week.

This special week raises awareness for those on the autism spectrum, like some of the children and young people who attend Guild Care’s Ashdown Centre in Worthing.

Here, the charity offers a range of services that provide more than 100 families in the area with much-needed respite from caring for a child or young adult who has a learning disability or additional needs, including Zach and his family.

Zach, nine, was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) at an early age and has been using the Ashdown service for the past four years, attending every other Saturday and during the school holidays, providing valuable respite to his parents.

His father Simon said: “The Ashdown service gives Zach a few hours to be himself in a relaxed, fun and safe environment. He can just play and we can leave him and we don’t have to worry.

“This service really is invaluable to parents like us. Zach’s mum works on a Saturday so it also gives me a break for a few hours to do stuff around the house, or a sports activity.

“The staff are just so brilliant with him and he’s made good friends with them, as well as some of the other children. He’s a very energetic and physical child, so he really enjoys going to Ashdown and getting involved with activities like swimming, bowling and climbing. I would recommend Ashdown 100 per cent, they are just fantastic.”

The younger children can enjoy a range of structured activities, including creative play, arts and crafts, books and learning toys, dressing up and role play, games and a home corner, whereas the older children can choose all the activities themselves, including at least one outing every month.

Short respite breaks to parents and carers are also available, where recent trips have included bowling at Out of Bounds, Blackberry Farm, the British Wildlife Centre and Tilgate Park.

The Ashdown Centre provides evening, weekend and school holiday services for children and young people with a wide range of needs, such as physical, developmental, educational, sensory, behavioural or psychological, including autistic spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome and ADHD.

Legna, eight, was diagnosed with hyperkinetic conduct disorder with ADHD, generalised anxiety with specific phobias, autism spectrum disorder and suffers from insomnia.

For Legna’s mother, Heidi, she always knows that when Legna is at Ashdown, she is in a safe environment, where she has made some lovely friendships and gets to do lots of fun activities.

Heidi said: “It’s been really difficult to find other services locally that we can use that meet Legna’s needs. So this is a lifeline for us. The staff are amazing and we’ve always been supported as a family by Ashdown. It’s a huge, huge deal that we can come here.

“It’s a really hard being Legna’s parent. It’s a 24-hour job as Legna has insomnia so using Guild Care’s Ashdown service means that I get a much needed break. I know that she is having fun when she is there, so I don’t have to worry about her.”

For more information on Guild Care’s Ashdown Centre, call 01903 327327 or visit www.guildcare.org

The air was thick with emotion as West Sussex councillors discussed work being carried out to help the county’s former Armed Forces personnel.

At a meeting of the full council on Friday, members were updated on the Armed Forces Covenant, which provides support to those who have left the service with issues such as homelessness, loneliness and mental health.

The county signed up to a covenant in 2012, earned a silver award for its work in 2017 and has pledged to achieve the gold.

David Edwards (Con, Bersted) served eight years with the Royal Engineers and continues to receive treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He urged the council to lobby the government for more help for veterans, saying they ‘know what is happening, but seem to be oblivious to it’.

Mr Edwards praised groups such as the Building Heroes education foundation at Brinsbury College, and the Littlehampton Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club.

Building Heroes offers five-week courses to veterans and service leavers, giving them a basic grounding in artisan skills.

The breakfast club is a nationally admired support group, chaired by Ian Buckland (Lib Dem, Littlehampton Town), which attracts around 120 people each week.

Mr Edwards added: “It leaves a really bad taste in the mouth as someone who has served, and someone who still suffers, that the only way I can get support is through these people rather than through the places I should be getting it from.”

He also mentioned the work of a group called All Call Signs.

As well as providing peer support, the group has a countrywide network of people who search for missing veterans via a social media beacon alert system.

Mr Edwards said: “It’s incredibly successful. People are found very quickly – not always a happy ending, I have to say – but nevertheless it provides help and support again for those people who really need it.”

Choked with emotion, Mr Edwards asked the council to work with as many groups as possible ‘because there is a real need out there’.

He took his seat to applause from around the chamber.

This newspaper and its sister titles have highlighted campaigners calls on the Government to introduce a system to comprehensively record veteran suicides to help officials get a handle on what is feared to be a spiralling problem.

Last year Mr Edwards gave an in-depth interview where he spoke about out to share his experience of battling PTSD – and has backed the nationwide call for action.

Dr James Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton East) was a Royal Naval Reserve from 1973 to 1993, retiring as Director Medical Reserves as Surgeon Captain.

He said: “The Armed Forces of this country deserve our unremitting thanks and support – not just when they’re serving, because they have a superb support network in the armed services.

“Where they need our support most is when they are leaving and when they have left the Armed Forces.”

Leader Louise Goldsmith has a son in the Forces.

She recited a line from Rudyard Kipling about the way soldiers were treated after World War One: “And it’s Tommy this and Tommy that, and Tommy, go away/But it’s ‘Thank you, Mister Atkins,’ when the band begins to play’.

Mrs Goldsmith said: “Thank goodness we are nowhere near that, and I think the considerable efforts that we are making through the Armed Forces Covenant is absolutely right.”

Thanking Mr Edwards for everything he had said, she added: “It doesn’t matter who you are, post traumatic stress is a sleeper in your body and it may sleep forever.

“But one day there may be a bang of a car going into another car, it may be somebody shouting in the street, and it’s so small and it can flip somebody and change their lives.

“We never know – some will never develop and some will – and some will go down such a downward slope there is no end but the ultimate.

“And there are some that will have a long journey back.

“We should always be eternally grateful.”

Related stories:

How a traffic cone and wheelie bin triggered ‘horrific nightmares’ and PTSD for top Sussex Army officer

Top military officer who now supports Sussex veterans calls for end of ‘mad, bad or sad’ stigma facing our service personnel

Worthing RAF mechanic ‘stripped naked’ in brutal initiation ceremonies speaks of military hell which left him on brink of suicide

Families of those who died in the Shoreham Airshow tragedy have demanded a 'fearless' inquest into the disaster.

Preparations for the inquest relating to the Shoreham Airshow disaster continued today at a hearing before Senior Coroner Penelope Schofield.

The inquest had been on hold until the conclusion of the criminal case against Hawker Hunter pilot Andy Hill.

Last month Hill, 54, of Standon Road, Buntingford, was found not guilty of 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence following a trial at the Old Bailey.

What was today's pre-inquest review?

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield led a pre-inquest review into the tragedy at Crawley Town Hall today.

Representatives for the families of those who died, as well as organisations like the Civil Aviation Authority, the airshow and Sussex Police were asked to give their views today on issues like the inquest's location, when it should take place and whether it should be a jury inquest.

Mrs Schofield said: "Today we are holding a pre-inquest review hearing touching upon the deaths of those who died at the Shoreham Airshow on the 22 August 2015

"No evidence will be taken today.

"The final inquest which will take place later this year or early next year."

Pilot Andy Hill was not present at today's hearing. Mrs Schofield noted that he had contacted her in advance to say he could not attend.

Where and when will the Shoreham Airshow crash inquest take place?

A venue for the inquest has yet to be chosen.

Mrs Schofield indicated that any building would be needed for several weeks and need to hold up to 150 people.

Gerard Forlin QC - representing many of the families of those who died in the tragedy - called for a venue to be chosen that would assist in a 'fearless' inquest into what happened.

Will there be a jury at the inquest?

Representatives from the various parties at the inquest have until April 23 to write to Mrs Schofield with their views on whether a jury should be used at the inquest.

She indicated that a decision will then be made about a jury within 14 days of that date.

The inquest process continues.

Sussex Police, the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were all called to the scene just before 3pm.

A SECAmb spokesperson has since confirmed that a teenager has been taken to hospital with a leg injury, and others were 'shaken but uninjured'.

The spokesperson said: “South East Coast Ambulance Service has responded to an incident on Brighton Pier today in which it was reported, at approximately 3pm, that a piece of a ride had come loose.

"A male teenager has been taken to hospital with a leg injury. Others were shaken but uninjured. We are now clear from the scene.”

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "Police and other emergency services are attending Brighton Palace Pier after a fairground ride was reported to have failed at about 3pm on Monday.

"Initial indications are that four people have sustained injuries that are not thought to be serious at this time.

"There are currently no further details."

An East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We are attending an incident at the end of the pier.

"We were called at 3.06pm. We're assisting SECAmb."

An East Preston man who gave a life-saving donation of blood stem cells is running the London Marathon for cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

Luke McCarthy, 31, joined the Anthony Nolan register via the blood donor register back in 2015 and last year, he was found to be a match for a blood cancer patient.

The experience showed him just how much money it takes to make one single donation and opened his eyes to the work of the pioneering charity.

Luke said: “Out of a number of other matches for the recipient, I was the match that would give her the best chance of a successful donation.

“I gave a successful donation on July 10 last year. It’s been since this experience that I have witnessed first hand the dedication, expertise, passion and willingness of everyone involved in the Anthony Nolan family.

“I know there are many good causes to raise money and awareness for but as I have a personal connection to Anthony Nolan and cancer in general, I felt it fitting to try to do my bit to help out.”

Luke has set a target of £2,500 and held a fundraising event at East Preston Football Club on Friday, supported by family and friends, to help boost the money raised on his JustGiving page.

Victoria Waller, his sister, said: “I am extremely happy to tell you we raised £1,415. It was a massive success and could not have gone any better.

“We sadly five years ago lost our mother to cancer and with all of this in mind, this sparked the fire for the journey Luke was about to embrace and continued to dedicate himself to do as much as he could.”

Luke will be running the London Marathon on Sunday, April 28. Visit Luke’s Virgin Money London Marathon page to make a donation and go to www.26point2.run to follow Luke’s progress.

Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, it uses its register to match donors willing to donate their blood stem cells to people who desperately need life-saving transplants.

Gutted, I came away from the game feeling completely and utterly down, Crawley had yet again conceded another late goal to send them to another sickening defeat.

I, like many supporters are getting extremely worried about the thought that by the end of the season we will be relegated back to the National League and our Football League status will have evaporated.

I must admit though, the team did actually played well, created but failed to take the chances to put the game and three points on the board.

The only bright spot on the day was the absolute screamer by Dannie Bulman from 30 yards that put the Red Devils ahead in the first half – it was a cracking effort that would have beaten most ‘keepers.

We still try and work the ball into a goal scoring opportunity in the area – rather than have ago – how many goals have we scored from outside the penalty area – you can count them on one hand.

Read more:

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Crawley Town skipper Dannie Bulman: ‘There wasn’t much wrong with our performance’

The Red Devils should have had a penalty when Ollie Palmer shirt was virtually pull off his back only for the obnoxious arbiter to wave it away – it was right in front of him, that led to a breakaway by the visitors and an immediate yellow card for Filipe Morais for doing the same thing.

It was interesting to see that Paul Raynor was sitting in the West Stand on Saturday, although he does live locally. Should we read more into this as speculation is also mounting about Paul Haywood wanting to get involved with the club again.

Many more fans are now calling for the manager Gabriele Cioffe to be removed, but with only five games left it’s possibly too late for anyone to come in and improve the playing side.

We have to hope that the current team and management can get the points that are needed – especially as we have Yeovil and Notts County coming up – two teams scrapping against relegation.

All the teams below us dropped points failing to win, the gap is now six points and closing, but thankfully it’s still in our own hands to keep us in the Football League next season.

I have watched every game this season, and looking back since the New Year we have gifted the opposition late goals in virtually every game, they haven’t had to create, we just make an error of judgement and they pounce – it’s so frustrating because you now expect it to happen.

An update on our coaches to the next two away matches: amazingly our supporters keep travelling and credit to all those who do, it’s not easy to make this commitment to watch our away games week in, week out.

Yeovil Town on Saturday, April 13, we depart from the stadium at 9am and have a lunch stop at the Hunters Lodge Inn near Wincanton. Its then about 30 minutes to the ground. Cost is £20 which includes the buffet.

We are now getting full with only six seats remaining – unfortunately we can only be take one coach to this game, so if you want to travel please let us know as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

A county council by-election for Northgate and West Green will be held on the same day as Crawley Borough Council elections next month.

A change in incumbent Sue Mullins’ personal circumstances made it difficult for her to continue as a county councillor given the significant travelling required from Crawley to Chichester.

She therefore decided to step down as a West Sussex county councillor, but is standing as a Labour candidate in the CBC elections due to be held on Thursday May 2.

A by-election for the WSCC Northgate and West Green division will be held on the same day.

The candidates are: David Anderson (Liberal Democrats), Richard Kail (Green Party), Karen Sudan (Labour) and Jan Tarrant (Conservatives).

For more information visit the county council’s website.

You have until Friday April 12 to register to vote. Visit the Government’s website.

Labour Party members from across the Horsham district joined a climate emergency action demonstration in Chichester on Friday.

Members of numerous climate action groups and political parties marched from the Market Cross to County Hall in West Street.

This was followed by a West Sussex County Council debate on whether or not the authority should declare a climate emergency in the county.

While the emergency was not declared, the entire county council came together and pledged themselves to step up work to combat climate change.

Michael Symes, who took part in the demonstration and is standing for Labour at the Horsham District Council elections next month in the Trafalgar ward, said afterwards: “We are campaigning for West Sussex County Council to declare a climate emergency so that immediate action is taken before it is too late.

“We need to put the next generation before our own short-term needs and selfish desires.

“Every decision the council takes, whether it’s on housing, transport, waste management or energy must focus on the environmental impact. As someone seeking election to Horsham District Council I have taken the climate action pledge and as an elected councillor will do everything within my power to ensure Horsham district signs up too. Drastic action is needed now.”

Included in Labour’s local manifesto are a range of green commitments including; using the levers of local government to reduce the impact on the environment and commitments to setting up an environmental committee to assess the environmental impact of its decisions.

Labour says if it controlled HDC it would create a new senior role in the council with a focus on engaging with the public, making sure new innovative initiatives are developed and delivered across the district.

A programme of divestment, ensuring that none of Horsham district’s reserves or pension funds are invested in companies whose operations have a negative impact on the environment would also be rolled out at a Labour-run HDC.

David Hide, chair of Horsham Labour Party and one of three Labour candidates for the Forest ward, added: “This is Horsham Labour’s most innovative manifesto and reflects the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in.

“The planning process is where we will see the greatest environmental gains and we will not support a single planning application that fails to deliver both affordable and sustainable developments.”

For more information about Horsham Labour Party’s environmental policies and to download a copy of their manifesto visit www.horsham-labour.org.uk

Opposition to 16 and 17-year-olds being given the vote has been compared to the resistance faced by women more than 100 years ago.

A lengthy discussion at County Hall in Chichester on Friday saw West Sussex councillors vote to support the idea and pledge to call on MPs and the government to do the same.

It was a close-run thing, though. Members were given free rein on how they voted, with 29 in favour, 24 against and two abstentions.

A Notice of Motion was written by the West Sussex Youth Cabinet as part of their Votes at 16 campaign and tabled by Dr James Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton East).

Dr Walsh joked that because ‘we are all past our prime’, councillors should be planning for the next generations to succeed them.

Speaking about the women’s suffrage of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he said: “There was a huge opposition to that at the time and, as with any changes to the voting system, or anything like that, there is always an entrenched conservative – with a small c – opposition, who think things tick along very well as they are.

“But we have to move with the times.”

The Notice of Motion pointed out that Scotland had lowered its voting age to 16 in 2015, while the Welsh Assembly is considering the change by 2021.

This was a point picked up by Michael Jones (Lab, Southgate & Gossops Green) who said: “How can any of us defend a situation where Welsh and Scottish 16 and 17-year-olds are deemed able to cast their vote but English counterparts aren’t?”

Speaking against the idea, Duncan Crow (Con, Tilgate & Furnace Green) suggested Scotland had only made the change ‘because polling had shown at the time that 16 and 17-year-olds were more likely to support Scottish independence’.

Pointing out the various legal protections in place for under 18s, he added: “If you believe in reducing the voting age, it is inconsistent not to believe in reducing the age of adulthood.

“These two things go together.”

Stating ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, Mr Crow wondered how many young people would include ‘voting in the West Sussex elections’ on their list of things to look forward to when they turned 18.

Amanda Jupp (Con, Billingshurst) disagreed, saying she could understand some of the ‘frustration’ felt by young people, particularly given the ongoing Brexit saga.

Mrs Jupp added: “I would claim that some people over the age of 18 probably don’t have much knowledge of politics or wish to engage.

“I don’t think it’s an age thing. I think it’s how young people are encouraged to become involved.”

While supporting the idea, Mrs Jupp pointed out that, until the government brought about a change in the law, there was nothing the county council could actually do.

Speaking after the meeting, Ellie Roberts, chairman of the Youth Cabinet, said: ““It’s so important that our Votes at 16 Campaign has been heard and supported by councillors, it shows that the voice of youth matters in West Sussex.

“At 16 we can get married or enter a civil partnership, serve in the armed forces, pay tax and make other key decisions but currently we don’t get a say on who runs our councils and government. We think that’s wrong and it’s great that senior councillors think the same.”

The topic generated a huge amount of discussion on the Observer’s Facebook pages.

Comments included ‘they have little life experience at that age’ and ‘they vote with their emotions rather than their heads’.

But one reader said: “Yes because it’s their future and they have the benefit of learning current politics at school so are probably better informed than most.”

Another commented: “They have the life experience of a 16 or 17 year old. We sometime forget what it is to be young and what’s important to them. Maybe politicians would pay them more attention if they had the vote.”

Some felt that politicians have ignored young people’s rights and futures for too long, while others suggested 16-year-olds are more idealistic and ‘are more likely to be swayed by candidates who promise the world’.

Another reader wrote: “Like every other person their knowledge and maturity will vary.”

Members of West Sussex Youth Cabinet are aged 11-18 and are elected by their peers to represent the voice of all young people in the county. To find out more about the Youth Cabinet visit the county council’s website

An elderly man was taken to hospital after being injured on a footpath near Emsworth this afternoon, according to the Selsey Coastguard Rescue Team.

In a post on social media, Selsey Coastguard said its team was paged to an incident just after 3pm, near Thornham Marina, Prinsted

It added: "[The] team paged to reports of a 75-year-old man injured on the footpath.

"The casualty was assessed by coastguards and casualty care was given. He was then stretchered to a more accessible place and transport was arranged for the casualty to get to A&E.

"Hayling Coastguard Team were also tasked. In an emergency out at sea, on the beach, or along the coast dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard!"

See also: Selsey woman 'assaulted in unprovoked attack'

Repaired pothole made Chichester resident’s tractor ‘jackknife’

Sussex Police launch investigation after laser shone at helicopter