Here's hoping

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Our August reminders: -

On Wednesday, Donna had CDC’s Planning; my meeting with Officers to discuss the feasibility of giving independent traders grants to cut overheads in a carbon reducing way had to be postponed because of staff illness. We hoped you found Planning interesting if you watched it live. Donna and I have previously visited the sites of a couple of the more contentious applications so she has first hand knowledge, - please get in touch early on, if you need a steer with a Planning matter because we have three tiers of Councils here, and things can be a bit confusing. For clarity, CDC decides, but applications only go to their Planning Committee if a District Councillor 'Red Cards' it in time, or if your parish, e.g. Selsey Town or Chichester City Councils, object to it, but CDC’s Officers approve. I have red-carded two applications this week, due to the level of public interest, because residents got in touch early enough for Steve and I to gauge the level of public interest.

Meanwhile, Donna has welcomed the news that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the Selsey Pavilion Trust a grant of £249,405 towards purchasing the Selsey Pavilion. The funding, announced on the eve of the building’s 110th birthday, was made possible thanks to National Lottery players. She was over the moon to be asked to support the Pavilion application and so pleased she may have helped by just writing a letter!

We live in a wonderful area. I have mentioned before how colleagues, students and their parents in the schools I have taught in, in Surrey and Greater London, love to spend time here. Admittedly, they tend to think the whole Peninsula is called Selsey or West Wittering, as this article shows - however, it is nice to think one of the main selling points of Haslemere (which I have known all my life because my maternal grandmother lived there) is its closeness to us.

There are of course other beaches - this week we have been helping my youngest daughter find another car ready for her commute to Southampton to study nursing. I remembered, when I worked in Bexleyheath, hearing Car Giant advertise on local radio; we went there last weekend so she could look at a range of different cars to decide which one she wanted. Having chosen an Audi A1, we ended up going to Clacton-on-Sea to buy one, which was a change of scenery; being West Sussex born and bred, I unashamedly acknowledge that for me there is no place like home!

In these difficult times, many people appreciate WSCC’s collaboration with Biffa and UKHarvest: each month they hold a Community Food Hub in each district and borough. The Hubs are open to all residents and are designed to help rescue food from suppliers that would otherwise have gone to waste. The hubs are child friendly and allow residents to access affordable food, learn low-cost cooking options and find support on a range of social issues. UKHarvest also hosts a large number of other food hubs in our area, as you can read here.

It looks like we might enjoy more clement weather for the remainder of this month so please remember that each Summer, West Sussex Fire and Rescue service are called to numerous fires started by disposable barbecues. These fires usually occur when they have been disposed of whilst the barbeque is too hot and the fire has been reignited either in the bin or upon collection by the crew. When disposing of your barbeque make sure to:
  • Sizzle: Don’t underestimate the heat of your barbecue as temperatures soar when cooking!
  • Sit: Leave your barbecue to cool down for several hours.
  • Soak: Cover your barbecue with plenty of water and remember: if it sizzles - it’s still too hot to be binned!

Better weather might see you doing something Donna loves, gardening. A few years ago we took advantage of a subsidy and got a composter. If you have a garden we recommend you get one too. By keeping a container in the kitchen to collect your fruit and veg peelings for compost you could reduce your waste by up to 10%. A lot of your kitchen waste can be recycled in this way, reducing your waste and saving you money by making compost that can be used on your garden. It’s free and an easy way to help the environment and give your garden a natural boost. WSCC has teamed up with Get Composting to help you buy a composter at a reduced price - a 220 litre compost bin for £18.00 or a 330 litre compost bin for £21.00.

It would not be the Summer without something slightly off-wall coming my way. I have commuted to Surrey and London since 2005, and I have never thought about why we drive on the left, but most other countries drive on the right. It seems this may go back to Roman times; if you are correctly thinking but in Italy you drive on the right, it is worth clicking here and reading more.

Looking ahead, Chichester Cathedral is hosting artist Peter Walker's immersive installation, Peace Doves, from 30th September - 12th November. This artwork is made up of fifteen thousand individually handmade paper doves which will be suspended above the Cathedral’s historic Nave. Each dove contains a message of peace, love and hope, written by local community groups, schools and members of the public. Ahead of the exhibition over one hundred schools and community groups from across our County, as well as the general public, will write messages of peace, love and hope on the doves.

We mention carers quite regularly because Donna was an informal one for many years and I assisted when at home. A truly moving post from a local, current, carer was posted this week with an an invitation to share - so please click here and have a read.

Finally: -

As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.

Tim

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