Current News
Greening Steyning - Green Books Event
Added: 19th April 2021
Greening Steyning - Countdown to 2030 Launch Event
Added: 15th April 2021
20’s Plenty Campaign
Updated: 26th March 2021
Bramber Parish Council has joined with Steyning Parish Council and Greening Steyning and is part of a Community Working Party looking into the idea of turning the whole of Steyning and adjoining parts of Bramber into a 20mph zone.
It is the first step in making our community safer, healthier and greener. We aim to follow it up with efforts to prompt further traffic calming measures and improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure – so we can reach our 2030 Vision of making ours one of the greenest and most sustainable communities in the UK.
By the end of March, every household in the affected areas of Bramber and Steyning will be getting a survey leaflet through the door asking for their views. You can fill this in and drop it off at the Post Office or Steyning Centre. Or you can also respond online by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/Steyning20mph
The closing date for the survey is Friday, 30th April 2021.
Early Warning: Temporary Traffic Regulation - The Street, 5th May
Added: 7th March 2021
Greening Steyning Repair Cafe
Added: 23rd February 2021
SCYP Sessions Support Young People in
Steyning, Upper Beeding and Bramber
Added: 15th February 2021
Steyning Medical Practice Daily Updates
Added: 8th February 2021
Many of you will have already been offered your vaccination slot, but there are still more waiting - and worrying. The practice is swamped with phone calls from anxious people, and you can help to alleviate this pressure on them, and maybe reassure those who are phoning. Please share this site (https://groups.io/g/steyningppg/) with your family, friends and neighbours. New information is emerging almost on a daily basis, but the practice still finds time to update this site regularly. If you prefer you can also recommend the telephone message service on 01903 651150. We are all in this for the long haul, and we can help our local practice and our community by encouraging people to use this site or the phone number. Please do what you can, and thank you.
Downs Link Maintenance
Added: 31st January 2021
During the month of February 2021, West Sussex County Council's tree contract will be taking place on the Downs Link.
There will also be clearance work during this month in the Parish of Henfield on the Downs Link by a small number of individual landowners.
Sara Piggott
Countryside Ranger for Downs Link
Highways, Transport and Planning
West Sussex County Council
Location: Clapham Depot, Clapham Common, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3UR
Contact: Mobile: 07715 617656 | Internal: 25201 | External: +44 (0)330 222 5201
|E-mail: sara.piggott@westsussex.gov.uk
Free Helpline For Help with Digital Skills to Reduce Isolation
Added: 31st January 2021
I am working on a digital inclusion project across Sussex and wanted to let you know about a new free Helpline we have launched to help people who need assistance with digital skills. We all recognise how isolating the pandemic has been for many within our society. Accessing our basic needs from ordering groceries, making doctors’ appointments and claiming benefits has all moved online. Being online can also mean chatting with your loved ones and being lifted by the smile of familiar faces. Once online you can also explore your hobbies and open up a whole new world in a safe environment.
During the first lockdown, John was isolating in his warden-managed accommodation. Whilst he was happy there for many months, he hadn’t been able to see his family including grandchildren and great grandchildren, some of whom he had never seen before. With the help of his family and organisations such as Citizens Online, John can now talk to his family through a simple device, and is enjoying a new lease of life as he stays connected despite what is happening around us all. His brother said, “Seeing John’s face light up when communicating with his family was very emotional”.
If you know of anyone in your community who needs help with basic digital skills, gaining confidence online or support getting online they can all our FREE helpline on 0808 196 5883. One of our team of trained digital champions will offer friendly, patient support over the phone. It would be great if you could circulate this number within your community so it reaches as many people as possible. If you have a covid support group, social media accounts, noticeboard, newsletter, local Facebook group then please share there too. I have attached a poster you can use wherever you want to promote the helpline.
Citizens Online is a UK charity helping ensure the switch to online doesn’t exclude people. Visit www.citizensonline.org.uk for more information or give me a call on 07917 446082 or email sarah.collyer@citizensonline.org.uk with any questions.
Sarah Collyer
Digital Champion Coordinator – Sussex
07917 446082
More Than 20,500 Potholes Repaired In 2020
Added: 22nd January 2021
More than 20,500 potholes were repaired by West Sussex Highways in 2020 – that’s the equivalent of about 390 a week and compares to 16,000 pothole repairs in 2019.
Now the county council is inviting residents’ feedback on a new online pothole reporting form which is being trialled to make it easier for the public to report potholes.
A West Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “The county council is responsible for maintaining around 2,500 miles of road: A and B roads are ordinarily inspected monthly, C-class and main distributor roads on a three or six-monthly basis and declassified roads are typically inspected annually. Our highways officers cannot be everywhere, so the public’s eyes and help in spotting and reporting concerns are really appreciated.
“We would now welcome feedback from their experiences in using the trial, online pothole reporting form: this can be done by clicking on the ‘feedback’ link at the top of the website page. This feedback will help us to continue to make improvements, such as the changes made to produce the latest version of the form, which has been improved for mobile phone use.”
If a pothole is a significant and immediate risk to public safety, phone 01243 642105.
New Employability Programme in West Sussex
Added: 19th January 2021
The Education Development Trust (a National Careers organisation that runs the National Careers Service) have started a new employability programme in West Sussex for anyone over 18 who is unemployed and needs a bit more support seeking work. At the moment they are running support virtually though telephone, email and video calls. See the poster below for more details.
We Need To Stay Strong Work Together and Protect Each Other
Added: 19th January 2021
Since February 2020, Assistant Chief Constable Dave Miller has been leading Operation Apollo, Surrey Police and Sussex Police’s Covid-19 response. He is also Chair of the Sussex Resilience Forum; a multi-agency partnership including local authorities, emergency services, the NHS, volunteers and other key agencies which prepares, responds to and recovers from emergencies and major incidents. In this open letter, he shares his Covid experience and reflects on the past 12 months.
Thinking back to this time last year, I remember using the word ‘coronavirus’ as something quite removed from my daily life. A talking point. A virus, rapidly spreading in the Far East, though not yet impacting us here in the UK. As the police, we planned for its probable arrival. Developing a strategy around a possible worst case scenario as we would for any major incident and indeed, along with other public sector agencies, we had plans in place for pandemic flu. But this turned out to be quite different.
We could never have imagined what we are faced by now - our country, gripped by a disease which is not only controlling lives, it’s taking them too. All of us have been seriously affected by Covid – whether that’s contracting the disease, lockdown, being furloughed, or losing someone.
I write to you now as someone who tested positive six weeks ago, along with my immediate family. Today, I still suffer from this invisible enemy – the coughing fits and fatigue for example. I have a brother who is working exhaustingly to keep a care team running in Brighton; watching him struggle as they attempt to provide 24/7 care to people who desperately need it. As a school governor and father, I too am experiencing the challenges parents are facing as yet again they are asked to balance work and childcare at short notice. Like many of us, I have friends in the NHS and hear how very difficult it has been and continues to be for them, their patients and families.
None of us are immune. None of us. And it seems to be a complete lottery as to how we'll be affected. We can all contract it and pass it on, some of us without even knowing we are doing it.
Through my role leading the Resilience Forum, I see my colleagues in the public sector doing all that they can to fulfil the commitment they made when choosing a public service career. NHS staff working night and day to save lives. Teachers rapidly adapting their techniques to continue supporting our next generation and the social workers, preventing harm as a result of complex living environments. It’s a true multi-agency partnership – police officers working on logistics, fire officers helping to manage vaccinations, people working through the night to ensure those who require PPE receive it.
Twelve months ago, while I knew this was coming, I was concerned, not fearful. Now I am. I am worried for the people who are vulnerable; for the elderly. I fear for our children and the lack of socialisation they are experiencing. I worry for the long-term impact of Covid on myself and my family. But most of all, I worry about the people who are not adhering to the guidelines – the ones not concerned by police enforcement or social responsibility. The ones where even the pain and suffering that this horrible virus is inflicting on humanity isn’t enough to prevent them from taking responsibility and keeping each other safe.
Fortunately, as we heard from the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, this week; the vast majority of people are law abiding and as a Chief Police Officer, I thank you for this. In Surrey and Sussex, the vast majority of people listen, accept the advice and take personal responsibility to play their part when it is needed most.
Yet sadly there is still a minority who think the law, and the guidance, does not apply to them. We are in a third national lockdown. Our excess death rate has risen to its highest level since World War Two. And the infection rate continues to climb exponentially.
It is therefore not ok to be reckless or irresponsible because we are tired, frustrated, bored. I know it’s difficult, but it’s just not acceptable to bend the rules, even slightly. I say that as a neighbour, member of the public, father, friend and also as a senior police leader.
Which is why, as the police service, we will continue to support our healthcare colleagues by doing all that we can to keep people safe and prevent deaths. We will continue to adopt an approach which centres on engagement, explaining and encouragement, imploring people to make good choices.
For those who blatantly disregard the rules, we will ensure they are dealt with when justified, necessary and proportionate because they are putting others at risk. People are dying and that’s not acceptable. Please respect that our police officers and staff have a job to do, both in day-to-day policing and in supporting the Covid effort. Expect they may interact with you, ask you questions, encourage you to consider your actions. They are there putting themselves, and therefore their families at risk, daily doing a very challenging job at the best of times – catching criminals, keeping people safe, answering emergency calls, responding to incidents, investigating crime and the many other things the police service needs to do to deliver the best service we can. I’m immensely proud of them, but it’s far from easy even for our committed people.
As police officers we swear to protect life first and foremost. Which is why when every unnecessary contact is a possible infection, another hospital bed and potentially another life lost, we will do all that we can to play our part in stopping this virus.
We ask that you do the same – stay home, save lives, protect our NHS.
Trail Blazing - 20 New District Wide Heritage Trails to Explore
Added: 19th November 2020
A scorching red hot furnace blazes out on one of the twenty new trails that has forged together the passion of local community for their heritage, the initiative of the Horsham District Community Partnerships Forum and funding from the Heritage lottery fund. Together with the support of Horsham District Council, some 40 volunteers and Treetop Design a stunning, engaging and informative range of trails have been created to entice residents and visitors alike to explore Horsham districts amazing heritage. With stories ranging from a memorial to a submarine crew, to medieval iron working, to gardeners to making salt, these 20 trails reveal just how rich, but also hidden the past is.
The project, initiated by the Horsham District Community Partnerships Forum back in 2018, was intended as a way of using heritage to promote tourism, to help the local economy. Now thanks to Covid its importance has been transformed as people search out local walks that connect them to their place and so contribute to a sense of well-being, as the Heritage Lottery Fund were keen to promote. Though the trails were the final outcome, what was as important was the training of volunteers in writing and producing trails. So a guide for groups to create their own has also been written, pointing out, as the trails do, interesting features and the path to follow to create an engaging well thought out route to the destination.
Drawing inspiration from the Millennium Heritage trail, some 32 plaques scattered across the district the Heritage lottery funded project enabled community groups to explore further their local heritage and explain to others why they should seek it out. It captures people’s passions for their area, stories that grabbed their imagination, be it a gate post from a long lost garden on the outskirts of Horsham to a Burmese door in Storrington. Most of the trails are designed for walking, though two that explore the various churches are more suitable for the bike or car. But what all the trails do is reveal either interesting sites or picturesque views, from country lanes to meandering rivers, to the farmland of the downs, or the urban setting with its mixture of architecture.
So if you want to discover Storrington, Sullington, Steyning, Southwater, or Bramber, Beeding, or Henfield, Horsham, The Adur, Arun, or Rusper, Rudgwick and then down the road to Billingshurst, or Coolham, Cowfold, or Knepp, then pick up the free trails. If you want to discover famous musicians, money men, poets, soldiers and statesmen, quirky houses to quintessentially English views then these are the trails to find. If you want to create your own trail, follow the route in the manual.
Horsham District Heritage trails was a project involving Local heritage groups across the district, the Horsham District Community Partnerships Forum, Horsham Museum (Horsham District council) Treetop Design and print and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, without whose financial support and all of those who buy the lottery ticket this project would not have been possible.
The free printed trails are full of images will be available at local libraries post lockdown, whilst those on line are far simpler in look, so they are easy to download and can be found on Horsham Museum’s website: https://www.horshammuseum.org/heritagetrails
Community Hub Response for Lockdown 2
Added: 7th November 2020
Good News: Reduction of Traffic Through Bramber
Added: 3rd November 2020
For the last 3 years, Bramber Parish Council has shared the use of a Mobile Vehicle Speed Indicator (MVAS) which was purchased jointly with Upper Beeding Parish Council. As well as the visual indication / reminder of when the 20 mph speed limit is exceeded, the MVAS also records the individual speeding event (date / time / speed) and this can subsequently be downloaded for analysis.
The accompanying graph shows a summary of the data measured outside St Mary's House over that 3 year period. The effects of the current pandemic are clearly shown in the significant reduction in traffic, as well as a small reduction in both average and 85th percentile (15% of vehicles exceeded) speed. The recent speed and volume reductions were also associated with a change in the peak afternoon traffic flow from 5-6pm to 3-4pm (not shown on the graph): presumably as more people work from home.
It is gratifying to see that the reduced traffic flow has not resulted in increased speeds!
