Members and friends at Adur East Lions will be out collecting in Shoreham town centre to help people affected by Cyclone Idai.
Lion Susan Saunders said: “Although it is a few weeks since this disaster, there is a continuing need for help in the region.
“Any money donated through the Lions goes straight to where the need is greatest, via the local Lions clubs.
“Adur East Lions’ members and friends will be collecting in Shoreham on Saturday, April 13.”
Candidates set to contest next month’s Littlehampton Town Council elections have been announced.
Polling will be held on Thursday May 2, the same day as Arun District Council elections.
A number of changes to the town council’s wards have been made that will take effect at this year’s elections.
Brookfield will be enlarged to include the former Cornfield and Elm Grove wards, Courtwick with Toddington will be a three-member rather than two-member ward, and Ham will be renamed Wickbourne.
Here are the candidates standing in each ward:
BEACH
Billy (Liberal Democrats)
Chris Blanchard-Cooper (Liberal Democrats)
David Gaskin (Conservatives)
Robert Gowland (Labour)
Stephen McDonnell (Labour)
Rachel Sadler (Labour)
James Walsh (Liberal Democrats)
BROOKFIELD
Neil Campbell (Labour)
David Chace (Liberal Democrats)
Jeffrey Daws (Labour)
JoJo Price (Liberal Democrats)
Andrea Turner (Conservatives)
Mick Warren (Conservatives)
Christine Wiltshire (Labour)
COURTWICK WITH TODDINGTON
Paul Graydon (Liberal Democrats)
Martine Howard (Labour)
Jill Long (Conservatives)
Maralyn May (Labour)
Vicky Rhodes (Conservatives)
Freddie Tandy (Labour)
RIVER
Roy Amos (Conservatives)
Ellie Boiling (Independent)
Phil Booker (Conservatives)
Ian Buckland (Liberal Democrats)
Sean Lee (Labour)
Berni Milliam (Labour)
Michelle Molloy (Liberal Democrats)
George O’Neill (Labour)
Stella Porter (Conservatives)
Emily Seex (Liberal Democrats)
WICK
Tracey Baker (Liberal Democrats)
Alan Butcher (Labour)
WICKBOURNE
Mike Northeast (Labour)
Tony Squires (Labour)
Malcolm Taylor (Liberal Democrats)
Ferne McCann, a TV presenter who has also starred in First Time Mum, met with young people who volunteer at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
They give their time to help run the network of Royal Voluntary Service shops, cafes and trolley services throughout the hospital - with many of them fitting volunteering around school or college.
Ferne said: “It was really encouraging to see young people so willing to give up their time to help others.
“I was so inspired by their positive attitude and they all talked so highly of their experience helping others.
“I think that volunteering is often seen as something we only do when we retire, but actually, any time you can give can make a huge difference to someone’s life and the benefits on you health and wellbeing are just incredible at any age.”
Her visit coincided with a major recruitment drive from Royal Voluntary Service to get more people to volunteer.
The charity said it can have a positive impact on wellbeing, with research showing that volunteering just once a week matches the feeling of ‘runner’s high’ – the feeling of euphoria from exercising.
Ferne also spent a morning with Royal Voluntary Service volunteers at Chesham House in South Street, Lancing, which runs daily activities for older people.
She helped serve up tea and cake in the vintage tea room, dished out a roast dinner to lunch club members and even took part in a Tai Chi exercise class.
Ferne said: “The volunteers I met at the social centre were just amazing.
“Not only are they helping to run the brilliant social centre, they are getting so much out of it too."
Rebecca Kennelly, director of volunteering for Royal Voluntary Service, said: “In the past the benefits of volunteering have been disproportionately enjoyed by those of higher socioeconomic groups.
"We want to see a cultural shift and for people of all ages and backgrounds to be able to integrate volunteering into their everyday life and benefit from the experience.
“There is something to suit everyone, whether it’s providing an older person with company at home, running an exercise class for patients on a hospital ward or putting culinary skills to use at a lunch club, our volunteers make a tangible difference to so many people, with millions of acts of kindness.
“The sense of purpose and joy that can be derived from volunteering and supporting others is incomparable and stays with our volunteers for life.”
Find out more at royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
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Candidates set to contest next month’s Bognor Regis Town Council elections have been announced.
Polling will be held on Thursday May 2, the same day as Arun District Council elections.
Here are the candidates standing in each ward:
HATHERLEIGH
Adam Cunard (Independent)
Simon McDougall (Labour)
PEVENSEY
Sandra Daniells (Independent)
Pat Dillon (Conservatives)
Inna Erskine (Liberal Democrats)
John Erskine (Liberal Democrats)
Ian Manion (Labour)
Helen Scutt (Labour)
Linda Shepperd (Labour)
HOTHAM
John Barrett (Liberal Democrats)
Steve Goodheart (Independent)
David Meagher (Labour)
Roger Nash (Labour)
Stephen Reynolds (Conservatives)
Wayne Smith (Liberal Democrats)
Jerry Tomlinson (Labour)
Jeanette Warr (Liberael Democrats)
Michelle White (Labour)
MARINE
Nigel Alner (Labour)
Jim Brooks (Independent)
Claire Needs (Liberal Democrats)
Heather Robbins (Labour)
Alison Sharples (Labour)
Matt Stanley (Liberal Democrats)
ORCHARD
Lynne Armstrong (Labour)
Kenton Batley (Liberal Democrats)
Chris Collins (Liberal Democrats)
Jan Cosgrove (Labour)
David Darling (Conservatives)
Alan Foster (Labour)
Henry Jones (Liberal Democrats)
Kelly Morris (Labour)
Samantha Staniforth (Liberal Democrats)
Phil Woodall (Independent)
A former head girl at a Pulborough primary school has this month been appointed as its new head teacher.
Mrs Sam Copus has been promoted from her role as deputy head teacher at St Mary’s C of E Primary School where she has worked for 15 years.
Sam, who also co-ordinated the support for special educational needs before being appointed as head teacher, attended St Mary’s as a child and in her final year was awarded the position of head girl.
She said: “Lots of things have changed over the years but this is now the same happy school that I knew then.
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“Our focus is on each of the children, making sure they learn social skills along with the national curriculum, and all while making new friends and having fun.
“Being a church school our Christian ethos underpins all that we do, as we strive to develop the children academically, spiritually and socially over their time with us, before the next stage of their education.
“I’ve been delighted and overwhelmed with all the support from the parents and children as well as from our fantastic teachers and staff.
“We’ve got lots of exciting things planned and we’re already starting to put them into action so we are all looking forward to a bright future together at St Mary’s.”
The Early Years areas at St Mary’s have recently been thoroughly updated in line with the latest advice on learning spaces.
For an appointment to visit St Mary’s school in Link Lane, Pulborough, contact head teacher Mrs Sam Copus on 01798 872007.
For more about the school, visit www.st-marys-pulborough.w-sussex.sch.uk
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The family of an epileptic man who died after being pinned face down by Sussex Police officers have hailed a jury's verdict.
Duncan Tomlin was 32 when he died after being arrested by officers in Haywards Heath in July 2014.
Following a lengthy inquest a jury has concluded that Mr Tomlin died from cardiac arrest following the use of a combination of drugs together with police prone restraint.
What happened to Duncan Tomlin?
During the inquest the jury heard how on the evening of July 26, 2014 Mr Tomlin's behaviour became irrational and erratic after taking a mixture of drugs and alcohol.
The loud disturbance at the house led neighbours to believe a domestic assault was taking place and they called 999.
When police arrived Mr Tomlin ran away but was chased and eventually restrained face down in the road, the inquest heard.
Mr Tomlin was 'screaming in pain'
Witness Jack Fulger told the inquest how he saw three to four police officers restrain Mr Tomlin on the floor.
He said: “He was screaming in pain. I’m not sure how you are supposed to restrain people so I wouldn’t be sure what to look for.
"But he was quite a thin guy, so he couldn’t have been hard to restrain. I thought it was a bit over the top.”
Jury finds neglect contributed to Mr Tomlin's death
Yesterday the jury concluded that neglect contributed to the death of Mr Tomlin.
They said: "There was an insufficient sense of urgency to move Duncan onto his side to address the risks of positional asphyxia from prone restraint couple with the use of handcuffs, limb restraints, the effects of Captor spray and the suspicion that Duncan had taken stimulant drugs.
"Duncan should have been moved onto his side earlier.
"Although the police receive training in positional asphyxia and the available policies extensively cover it, the efficacy of this training is inadequate.."
"The death was contributed to by neglect."
Family hail jury's verdict
Following the verdict, Paul Tomlin, father of Duncan said: "As a family we feel the finding of neglect by the jury is a damning assessment of the police’s behaviour.
"Coming into the inquest we had real concerns about information sharing, the need to move Duncan onto his side from the prone position, the use of handcuffs, limb restraints, and incapacitant spray, as well as the training that the officers had received in relation to positional asphyxia.
"Having heard the evidence the jury clearly shared these significant concerns. They have found not only that there were failings, but that there were gross failings.
"Throughout the past four and half years we feel Sussex Police and their officers have been arrogant, defensive and evasive. It has been incredibility traumatic to repeatedly have to watch the footage of Duncan in the back of the police van when we consider he clearly needed help. The jury have agreed.
"This is not the end of the process; the least we can do is continue to seek clarity and justice for our missing son and brother Duncan.”
'Damning indictment' of police actions
Helen Stone, a solicitor who represented the family said: "The jury's conclusion that Duncan Tomlin died due to neglect is a damning indictment of the police's actions in this case - and the way police treat vulnerable people generally.
"Neglect means causing someone's death by a gross failure to provide basic medical attention to someone who obviously needs it - but cannot look after themselves. In this case, the inquest jury clearly held that Sussex police neglected Duncan's urgent needs with the result that he died.
"All Britain's police forces have strict rules governing how their officers can restrain vulnerable people; and all officers should receive extensive training on how to abide by these rules.
"But the sad reality is when these rules are breached – as they often are - the only way in which those responsible can be held to account is by putting pressure on the authorities through the courts.
"Today's decision is a vindication of the Tomlin family's four year battle for accountability against denial and obfuscation from Sussex police and the bodies charged with overseeing police conduct.”
Police offer 'deepest sympathies' and vow to consider coroner's report
Assistant Chief Constable Nick May said: "I offer my deepest sympathies and heartfelt respect to the family of Mr Tomlin following his tragic death.
“All of our officers join the police service to protect the public and save life and it is of deep regret when anyone comes to harm.
“We accept the inquest's narrative verdict and will now thoroughly consider the coroner’s report and any recommendations within it.
"All of our operational staff are trained to recognise the signs of positional asphyxia in line with the national College of Policing syllabus. This training which, since Mr Tomlin’s death, is now offered centrally for consistency is reviewed and refreshed on an annual basis. "
Candidates set to contest next month’s Crawley Borough Council elections have been announced.
The authority has undergone a review with the number of seats being reduced from 37 to 36 with a number of boundaries being redrawn.
Labour has controlled the authority since 2014 and has 20 councillors compared to 17 for the Conservatives.
Last year when 12 seats were up for election the Tories fell just short of taking control of the council as 13 votes cast the other way would have handed them a majority.
Here are the candidates standing in each ward:
BEWBUSH AND NORTH BROADFIELD
Name of Candidate Home Address Description (if any) Name of Proposer Invalid
Marion Ayling, Labour
Rory Fiveash, Labour
Tony Herbert, Conservatives
Michael Jones, Labour
Richard Kail, Greens
Arshad Khan, Justice Party
Angela Khassal, Conservatives
Janet Setford-Thompson, Legacy
Sarah Smith, Liberal Democrats
Nina Wakeling, Conservatives
BROADFIELD
Duncan Crow, Conservatives
Dan Dobson, Labour
Carol Eade, Conservatives
Harry Old, Liberal Democrats
Laura-Lee Willcock, Labour
GOSSOPS GREEN AND NORTH EAST BROADFIELD
Liam Ascough, Conservatives
Iain Dickson, Greens
Christopher Mullins, Labour
Susan Mullins, Labour
Neil Setford-Thompson, Legacy
Lisa Vitler, Conservatives
IFIELD
Tahir Ashraf, Conservatives
Josh Bounds, Conservatives
Jilly Hart, Labour
Peter Smith, Labour
Martin Stone, Conservatives
Geraint Thomas, Labour
LANGLEY GREEN AND TUSHMORE
William Arinze, Conservatives
Bradley Constable, Conservatives
Shahzad Malik, Labour
Lawrence Mallinson, Liberal Democrats
Tom McAleney, Labour
Mike Sargent, Liberal Democrats
Brenda Smith, Labour
Tanya Taylor, Conservatives
MAIDENBOWER
Cecilia Hughes, Labour
Neil Hughes, Labour
Kim Jaggard, Conservatives
Jennifer Millar-Smith, Conservatives
Duncan Peck, Conservatives
Daniel Ugbo, Labour
NORTHGATE AND WEST GREEN
Zack Ali, Conservatives
David Anderson, Liberal Democrats
Connor Bounds, Conservatives
Sally Fadelle, Greens
Gurinder Jhans, Labour
Peter Lamb, Labour
Maureen Mwagale, Conservatives
Karen Sudan, Labour
POUND HILL NORTH AND FORGE WOOD
Olusina Adeniyi, Labour
Tina Belben, Conservatives
Richard Burrett, Conservatives
Winifred Duggan, Labour
Siobhan Gallichan, Labour
John Mac Canna, Legacy
Kevan McCarthy, Conservatives
POUND HILL SOUTH AND WORTH
Andrew Belben, Conservatives
Colin Flack, Labour
Cyril Gambrell, Greens
Stuart Gunatillake, Labour
Bob Lanzer, Conservatives
Emma Newnham, Labour
Alison Pendlington, Conservatives
SOUTHGATE
Morgan Flack, Labour
Karim Khassal, Conservatives
Inna Orjola, Conservatives
Kevin Osborne, Liberal Democrats
Mike Pickett, Labour
Simon Piggott, Conservatives
Raj Sharma, Labour
THREE BRIDGES
Bob Burgess, Conservatives
Brenda Burgess, Conservatives
Julian Charatan, Labour
Danielle Kail, Greens
Angela Malik, Labour
Stephen Pritchard, Labour
Jonathan Purdy, Conservatives
TILGATE
Francis Guidera, Conservatives
Derek Hardman, Greens
Kiran Khan, Labour
Charles Petts, Conservatives
Carols Portal Castro, Labour
A woman who took on a Horsham swimathon in memory of her grandma has been labelled ‘amazing’.
Sarah Szwarc took on the challenge at the Pavilions in the Park as a tribute to her Nanny, raising more than £300 for Cancer Research UK in the process.
Victoria Godfrey, manager of the East Street store, said: “Sarah our amazing volunteer took part in the Swimathon.
“She has raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK where she has volunteered daily for the past three years.
“We would love to say a huge thank you to Sarah and all the people who have sponsored her.”
Lives across the Horsham district - and throughout the south east - are being put at risk because a number of volunteer emergency medics have been ‘deactivated.’
That’s the warning that is being given by Community First Responders who work alongside the South East Coast Ambulance Service to provide emergency care to people in the region.
The volunteer responders - ‘CFRs’ - are often the first to arrive at the scene of an emergency. Now many say they have been laid off because of what they maintain is a clerical error by SECamb.
One worried responder who has been ‘stood down’ - one of 400 who normally work with ambulance crews in the region - said: “I am deeply concerned, angry in fact, that SECAmb have from last week, stood down scores of CFRs.
“This means they are no longer allowed to log-on and attend calls.
“Steyning and Partridge Green are just two villages that have had their entire teams stood down which means no cover and the worst emergencies now only see a standard ambulance response, which in these areas is 20 minutes. Greater than 10 minutes, as far as cardiac arrest is concerned, the patient stands little chance of survival.”
hE SAID Community First Responders carry life-saving equipment and drugs and are dispatched by the Emergency Operations Centre at the same time as an ambulance but usually arrive at the scene before the ambulance itself and begin treatment.
He said some responders “were actually attending incidents when they received texts/calls to say they’d been stood down. This I find absolutely appalling and they remain currently off-line due to SECAmb not being able to get their act together.”
The CFRs have to complete annual on-line training records and this year were given a deadline for completion of March 31. The responders say they completed the necessary work on time, but they maintain SECamb has not recognised this and has pulled them off duty.
A spokesman for SECamb said they were committed to working closely with Community First Responders and they had attended more than 11,000 incidents in the region in the past 12 months.
“These volunteers provide a valuable first response to calls prior to the arrival of ambulance crews. We are extremely grateful for the service and commitment they provide to the Trust and their communities.
“Patient safety is at the forefront of everything we do. It is essential that we ensure every CFR who is deployed to a 999 call is fully compliant with all training requirements. This means that every 12 months, CFRs are required to complete assessments in adult and paediatric basic life support, as well as mandatory e-learning.
“CFRs have been made aware of these requirements and the importance of completing regular training and assessment. CFRs who did not complete an annual assessment by the deadline of 31 March 2019 have been temporarily withdrawn from duty to enable them to complete their mandatory assessments. This includes CFRs who have not been active responding for the Trust for some time.
“Any affected responders have been advised of what action they need to take and offered support by the Trust with this process.
“As soon as evidence of completion of the required elements is received they will be able to resume attending incidents within their communities.”
A fundraising campaign which supports community projects has donated £500 to a Horsham school.
Trafalgar Community Infant School won the campaign run by the Kingsfold builders’ merchant NYEs Building Supplies.
Proud to be Local, set up by NYEs in 2018, offers community causes the chance to receive £500 funding. Rex Nye, managing director at NYEs, said: “Campaigns like Proud to be Local are so important.”
He told how he was touched by the support for the causes. The initiative, run four times a year, lets the public nominate causes that are shortlisted to three finalists that go head to head in a public vote. Votes can be cast by email, on Facebook and at the NYEs depot. Karen McGinnis, whose son attends the school, is a member of The Friends of Trafalgar School. She nominated the school as part of their aim to raise £40,000 for playground equipment. Alys Ransom, group chairman, added: “This money is very gratefully received.”
Alys told how everyone at the school would be ‘delighted’ with the funding.
Residents who regularly take prescription medications are urged to order repeat prescriptions in advance of GP practices and pharmacies reducing hours over the Easter Bank Holidays.
Running out of daily medication can have serious consequences for patients, especially those who rely on them to control heart and breathing problems.
The local NHS is calling on anyone who regularly orders a repeat prescription to order it at least a week before their medication is due to run out.
It can take 48 hours to process a repeat prescription under normal circumstances and even longer during extremely busy periods such as the Easter Bank Holidays.
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Dr David Supple, Clinical Chair of the CCG, said: “With the excitement of the Bank Holidays, it’s often easy for anyone to overlook ordering repeat prescriptions.
“This is why we are advising anyone who regularly orders a repeat prescription to order it at least a week before their medication is due to run out, and then take it to their pharmacy as soon as they have it.”
Patients may be able to order or cancel repeat prescriptions online if their practice offers a GP online service, and can check with their GP practice to find out how.
Southwater pupils have been working hard decorating eggs for a special Easter display.
Children from Southwater Junior Academy had an egg-cellent time creating the colourful artwork pieces for the project at Berkeley’s Broadacres development in the village.
Headteacher, Mrs Rebecca Toogood, said: “The staff and pupils at Southwater Junior Academy have really enjoyed creating the festive Easter eggs.
“Each child has used their powers of creativity and imagination to create a magnificent display for everyone to enjoy.
“Along with the rest of the staff at Southwater Junior Academy, I’m extremely proud of our pupils for the beautiful, vibrant (and dare I say egg-cellent) display they have created.”
Pupils were put into small groups within their classes and decorated the eggs to create a unique design.
Collectively, 64 eggs were hand decorated and placed at Broadacres to generate a colourful seasonal scene for the community.
Jeremy Chapman, managing director at Berkeley Homes (Southern) East, added: “The pupils at Southwater Junior Academy have used their creative flair and imaginations to create a wonderful Easter display.
“A massive thank you to all the students and staff who helped to design this spectacular display. Encouraging engagement with the local community is very important at Berkeley Homes and I am sure this project has been an enjoyable experience for the children.”
For more call 01403 334 000 or visit www.broadacres-southwater.co.uk
Lib Dems have launched their manifesto ahead of next month’s Chichester District Council election.
The document argues the Conservatives, who currently dominate the council, have become ‘complacent and lazy’, with their plans ‘too often just the easy way out’, while Liberal Democrat policies and ideas are ‘fresh and inventive’.
The Lib Dems are standing candidates in all 21 wards. Polling day is Thursday May 2.
At the manifesto launch last Thursday (April 4), Lib Dem group leader Adrian Moss described how many residents feel the Tory-run council is ‘out of touch’.
He outlined the ‘six to fix’ priorities including demanding residents have a real voice on the council, a citizens assembly for the A27, while on development green spaces are preserved while housebuilding is truly affordable and energy neutral.
The manifesto also promises support for local businesses and job opportunities locally for graduates and apprentices as well as plans to improve the environment from better air quality to cutting the use of plastic and encouraging sustainable transport such as cycling.
The last pledge is to demand better for the whole district by reinvigorating Chichester city as well as the rest of the towns and villages across the district.
Mr Moss said: “Too often residents’ concerns are ignored by the out-of-touch council. Decisions are imposed with either little or no consultation by the Conservative leader and his cabinet. The council is too Chichester-centric.
“The needs of the areas north of the Downs and south of the A27 are often seen as irrelevant.
“It’s not about spending more money. It’s about engaging with the people who know their towns and villages better than anyone. Resources are scarce so it’s more important than ever to find solutions that work for residents.”
On the current Southern Gateway project in Chichester Mr Moss said the Lib Dems wanted to ‘deliver something that changed the dynamics’.
They feel an underpass to replace the two level crossings would transform the area and make it really attractive part of the city and increase tourism.
Kate O’Kelly, Lib Dem councillor for Rogate, also raised concerns about the council being too Chichester-centric and highlighted Velo South and the former Grange site in Midhurst as two examples of residents not being listened to.
She added: “We are going to take Chichester by storm in May 2019.”
Mr Moss added: “I think we have a huge opportunity this time. I have been campaigning almost every day canvassing for the last few weeks.
“People are fed up, but not fed up with people who campaign for the issues that matter to them.”
Pupils at a Horsham school made the finals of a computing competition with a project that encourages road safety.
A team of seven year five pupils at St Mary’s CofE Primary school reached the finals of the PA Consulting Raspberry Pi National Competition for the sixth year in a row.
Each year PA Consulting sets a theme and teams have a £100 budget to produce a project with the Raspberry Pi credit card sized computer.
The team developed an idea to fit this year’s theme of travel and transport. The idea encourages parents living further away to drop children at various specified drop off points away from their school, before the children walk in.
Marcus Tyler-Moore, who is headed the adult part of the team, said: “A high percentage of serious child road accidents happen within 200m of a school gate, so any initiative to have less cars causing congestion around school gates should be encouraged.”
Children use a little NFC tag to scan in at the drop off point to a portable device (a Pi Zero) and then again at school on a human sized tree (in the shape of a Minecraft tree) housing a second full sized Raspberry Pi. The check-ins are validated to ensure the child has scanned in twice and a pointed added to their year and school and as a reward.
This results in a patch of land being automatically built in a Minecraft World running on the Raspberry Pi inside the tree.
The more pupils walk in, the bigger the world becomes.
Schools participating can view how they compare to other schools on a dashboard the team have built using PowerBi against the data held on AWS (Amazon’s cloud).
The pupils who will take their project to the finals in London on April 30, worked with Python, the Cloud (AWS), databases and SQL and more.
This year’s competition is supported by Rolls Royce, Highways England and Transport for London.
A Horsham firm has raised hundreds of pounds in aid of Help for Heroes.
HTS Spares in Redkiln Close raised £634.50 for Help for Heroes with a barbecue for all employees, smashing their target of £500.
The first of several planned fundraising events this year, the barbecue took place on March 25.
The fundraiser saw all employees make a generous donation towards their all you can eat barbecue.
Roy Knappett, marketing director at the company, said: “This has been our most successful fundraising event to date, thanks to our wonderful employees.
“We are looking forward to holding more events later in the year and sending even more donations to a very worthy charity”.
HTS, an industrial and plant spares company, donated several gifts to raffle off, adding to the impressive total.
The firm has supported a variety of charities, both in the area and nationally, over its 30-year trading history.
This year the company is fundraising for Help for Heroes.
With close links to the military, this is a cause close to the hearts of the HTS team.
Help for Heroes is the leading charity for the armed forces community.
It believes that those who put their lives on the line for us, deserve a second chance at life.
The charity provides lifetime support for the armed forces community and their families.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the Chichester pubs that have come and gone over the decades?
Here, we take a look at some of those that have shut their doors and see what became of the once-loved locals. Let us know if we have missed any out.
If anything encapsulated Gabriele Cioffi’s detachment from reality it was his 75th minute substitution of Reece Grego-Cox for Dominic Poleon.
For the second home game running the Italian chose to take off Crawley’s Man of the Match, no doubt baffling the sponsors as much as the home supporters.
The young striker fully deserved that accolade for his non-stop effort in which no challenge was too great and no chase a step too far.
This was in stark contrast to Ollie Palmer, who is losing legions of fans.
It was a display also worthy of topping that of Dannie Bulman who played as only he can and scored an even better goal than those featuring in the Goal of the Season competition on the club website.
It seems as though the players must have read my words as they once again threw it all away at the death.
The confusion between Filipe Morais and Joe Maguire that led to Christian Doidge’s second goal suggested they never talk to each other.
Certainly Morais seemed to blame his team-mate for not reacting to his own poor pass.
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Crawley Town verdict: Late goal by Forest Green brings threat of relegation
Once again this was a match that the Reds lost and Forest Green really didn’t deserve all three points.
They are a sound enough team but were generally outfought and out-footballed by Crawley Town.
For once we scored when we were on top as Bulman’s powerful drive from better than 30 yards proved unstoppable and showed that reward can come simply from having a go.
In attack we looked better although Grego-Cox was not adequately supported.
The backline was generally excellent although Doidge scored the opener with embarrassing ease.
He must love playing against us. It begs the question, how did we manage to lose? How indeed!
It was not down to the referee, although for a spell Darren Drysdale seemed to be on a totally different planet to everyone else.
Nothing occurred to merit the hugely unbalanced foul count and afterwards one fan, an active referee by the way, described the official’s decisions as “diabolical.”
Although Reds’ display was better on the day the faults and shortcomings appear not to have been addressed, nor do they look likely to be. No matter how hard the lads work in training nothing will improve until the coaches have instilled some cohesion into the set-up.
That means changing the approach (and therefore the incumbents) and, should we survive, testing Paul Hayward’s rumoured generosity and strengthening the squad.
In the meantime the club seems to be sliding inexorably towards a local derby with Sutton United in the National League next season.
I have come away from watching other games feeling disappointed, frustrated, even bemused but I don’t believe I have ever felt so downright angry at the way this fine club’s heritage is being trashed.
Try something new this Easter by making choux pastry buns. It’s easy once you know how, says David Woods, executive head chef of the Sofitel London Gatwick.
We’re counting down to Easter and that means chocolate is on the menu.
To be honest, it never comes off La Brassiere menu as chocolate tortes and mousses are our most popular desserts. This Easter weekend, we will be serving chocolate-coated choux buns with a spiced cream filling alongside berries, homemade meringues and quenelle of chocolate mousse.
If you have never made choux pastry before then give it a go. It is easy to do and as long as you cook them until they are crisp and golden, the choux buns won’t go soggy and flat. If you don’t have a piping bag, spoon mounds onto the baking tray and voila! – you’ve made profiteroles. That should impress your friends if you are entertaining this Easter.
La Brasserie is Sofitel’s 2 AA rosette restaurant. To book a table call 01293 567070 or email H6204@sofitel.com.
Follow us on Twitter or ‘like’ is on Facebook. Share your Easter recipes with us on Instagram by tagging @SofitelLondonGA.
Easter Choux Buns with Spiced Cream
Makes 14 rings
For the choux pastry:
250ml milk
1tsp salt
2tsp caster sugar
125g butter, cut into cubes
150g plain flour, sifted
4 large or 5 medium eggs
For the spiced cream:
300ml tub of double cream
1tsp mixed spice
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp brandy
Your favourite chocolate sauce. See chef’s tip.
Method
To make the choux pastry, put the milk, salt, sugar and butter into a medium saucepan and bring to boil.
Remove from the heat and beat in the flour with a whisk. It will form into a ball of soft dough. Put back onto heat for 2 or 3 mins, continually stirring with a wooden spoon.
Tip the mixture into a food mixer with the beater attachment. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. If you don’t have a food mixer, leave the dough to cool slightly in the saucepan and beat in the eggs with a wooden spoon.
You should have a smooth paste, which holds its shape. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5 cm nozzle. Pipe rings onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake in a preheated oven, 185oC (175oC fan) Gas Mark 4 for 12-14 mins until risen and pale golden. Turn oven down to 140oC (Gas Mark 1) and continue cooking for 12 mins until golden and crisp. Turn off the oven, open the door and leave buns inside to cool.
To make the cream: Put all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until thick. When the buns are cooled, split them in half horizontally and fill with the cream.
To serve, pour over your ready-made chocolate sauce.
Chef’s tip
You can buy ready-made chocolate sauce or heat four tablespoons of double cream in the microwave and stir in 90g of your favourite dark chocolate, which has been chopped into small pieces. And another tip – once you have piped your choux rings, you can freeze them on the tray at this stage, ready for defrosting and baking later.
Celebrity therapist and performance coach Steve McKeown is planning to lobby the government following his first mental health walk and talk.
The psychoanalyst and hypnotherapist has a passion for mental health issues and feels more could be done.
Read more: Therapist to the stars plans walk and talk across Sussex to raise awareness of mental health
Steve has just completed a 90-minute walk and talk from Eastbourne to Southampton, raising more than £3,000 for YoungMinds.
He was joined by sports commentator John Gooden and former mental health sufferers Phil Burman and Sarah Brown.
Steve said: “I am already planning next year and I think it will be a lot bigger with more celebrities involved. A lot of people have supported it, it was just too short notice for this year.
“I possess a lot of different skills but what the NHS are offering is limited. My next aim is to lobby the government to spend the money in a different way and rather than signpost, actually train people in skills beyond the basics.”
The aim was to encourage people to walk and talk, to help them deal with their problems.
Steve said: “I wanted make young minds the focus because that is where it all starts. If things are a little skewed at this stage, then you are going to see them suffering as adults. The world we are living in now is the most stressful time ever. There is a sense of neglect of the children because of the need to bring in the money to pay the bills.
“I couldn’t have had better companions. It was tough, being on your feet for nine hours a day, and there were lots of areas that involved lots of climbing but it is so picturesque.
“We did have people come along but the logistics are that once you are on the streets, you are hard to find. Next year, if we can get about 20 people along, it will be easier.”
Steve, who lives in Littlehampton and runs The McKeown Clinic in Worthing, works with children as young as eight and said the walk almost brought a tear to his eye, as he is so passionate about the cause.
House building in Horsham is at its highest level for a decade, data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has revealed.
However, industry experts have warned that a mismanaged Brexit could hit developers with labour shortages and higher material prices.
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The latest Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures show 1,100 houses were completed in 2018, the highest figure since 2008.
This is 22 per cent higher than in 2017, when 900 new builds were completed.
The figures only include new homes.
In Horsham, private developers funded 80 per cent of all new homes, while housing associations paid for the rest.
Alongside completed homes, building started on a further 1,000 sites in Horsham between January and December 2018, up from 850 during the same period in 2017.
Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said the Government needed to strengthen its efforts to meet its target of 300,000 new homes a year.
She said: “The fact housebuilding rates have picked up since the start of the decade is a welcome sign, but the Government still needs to make giant strides.
“To achieve this, it simply cannot rely on private developers alone – building social homes must be top of the agenda.”
Nationally, new home completions are on the rise.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, put the increase down to the Government improving conditions for developers.
He said: “Successive governments have helped create a much more positive policy environment, that has allowed the industry to invest with confidence in the people and land needed to build more homes.
“All indicators suggest we will see further increases in output and planning permission for new homes.
“Unlike the second hand market, new home sales have generally remained resilient to the ongoing uncertainty, but clearly demand for new homes is reliant on a level of economic stability.”
The National Federation of Builders, warned that a ‘poorly managed exit from the EU will create labour and work shortages’.
Nationally house building has mostly decreased since the 1960s. The early part of this decade saw house building at its lowest peacetime level since the 1920s.
• Report by Miguel Rodriguez, data reporter