August 2006

Date	Press release title
1 August 2008	Grants for Local Organisations
1 August 2008	Town Council Grant Supports Swimming Club Trip
1 August 2008	Talk to Pension Experts
8 August 2008	Leylands Ward Surgery
22 August 2008	Police Available to Hear your Concerns
22 August 2008	Mid Sussex (South) Access Group comes to Help Point

Local community groups and voluntary organisations are invited to apply for financial grants from Burgess Hill Town Council to help fund activities that will benefit the town’s res ide nts. The next deadline for small grants of up to £1,000 is 31 August 2008 .

In addition, grants for capital costs of £1,000 plus are also available. Applications must be submitted by 30 September.

Burgess Hill Town Council Chairman of the Community Development Key Area Group, Jacqui Landriani, said: “The Town Council welcomes applications from our community groups. The Council recognizes the contribution made to the town by the voluntary sector, and wishes to support its work.”

Application forms and supporting information can be obtained from the Town Council website at www.burgesshill.gov.uk, by contacting Jennifer O’Grady on 01444 238207 or by emailing jennifer@burgesshill.gov.uk.

Local swimmers made good use of water outside the swimming pool at Burgess Hill’s Triangle leisure centre when they set up a sponsored car wash recently to raise money for a training trip to

Australia

. Burgess Hill Town Council has made a substantial contribution towards the cost of the expedition down under.

Dozens of members of the Burgess Hill & Haywards Heath Swimming Club washed cars on Saturday 19 July 2008, for a £5 fee, to raise funds for their forthcoming trip to a training and development camp in Australia.

Caught up in the frothy fun were town councillors Andrew Barrett-Miles, Suzanne Cosgrave and Jacqui Landriani, as they held their regular Dunstall ward surgery at the Triangle. Police Constable Graham Thurley, who was assisting with the surgery, was delighted to have his vehicle washed and returned in squeaky clean condition by the enthusiastic team.

Councillor Jacqui Landriani, Chairman of the Burgess Hill Town Council Community Development Key Area Group, reported that a grant of £609 had been made towards the cost of the swimmers’ club kit.

Chris Thomas-Atkin, Chairman of Burgess Hill Town Council, said: “We are delighted to support these local swimmers in this exciting venture, which will no doubt have a big impact on their development in this sport. It is great to see the youngsters trying hard to raise funds themselves in this practical way.”

Local people can find expert advice on pension issues at Burgess Hill Town Council ’s Help Point, 96 Church Walk. The next advice session takes place on Monday 11 August 2008 .

State pension advisers have helped people with their number worries for some time. No appointment is necessary for the advice surgery – simply call in. The service is available at the Help Point on the second Monday of each month from 0900 – 1600 hours.

Burgess Hill Town Council lors for Leylands Ward, Simon Hicks, Anne Jones MBE and Pru Moore are holding a surgery for residents of the Ward on Saturday 23 August at the Sidney West Sports & Community Centre, Leylands Road , Burgess Hill between 10.00 hours and 12.00 hours. Residents are also invited to take part in a new Police initiative “Neighbourhood Panels”. A representative from the police will be in attendance at the surgery with full details.

If you live in the Leylands Ward area and have concerns about issues in the ward, or in the town, Simon, Anne and Pru would be pleased to see you on Saturday morning. If you wish to contact them ahead of the surgery their telephone numbers are:

A scheme has been set up whereby local people are invited to drop in to Burgess Hill Town Council’s Help Point, 96 Church Walk, to discuss any worries they may have with a community police officer.

Police Community Support Officer, Brian Patfield, will be available at a drop-in surgery session at the Help Point on Wednesday 3 September 2008 and one of his colleagues will hold a surgery on Wednesday 17 September 2008 between 11.00 – 13.00 hours. Residents of Burgess Hill are invited to turn up on the day to discuss any issues or worries that they may have.

Chris Thomas-Atkin, Chairman of the Town Council, said: "We are delighted to offer this valuable service to people. This is an initiative designed to make it easier for people to speak openly to the police in an informal setting. Many people may find the thought of airing any problems or difficulties at the police station very daunting. Hopefully, anyone who would like to chat about their concerns will feel comfortable coming to the Help Point."

Mid Sussex (South) Access Group, which works to promote disability awareness and access in Mid Sussex, holds twice monthly advice surgeries at the Help Point, 96 Church Walk, Burgess Hill. The service is available on the 1^st and 3^rd Friday mornings of the month from 09.30 – 11.30am . Surgeries this month will be held on Friday 5 and Friday 19 August. There is no need to make an appointment as the surgeries operate on a “drop-in” basis.

The surgery provides service providers with advice on how to make their services more accessible to everyone in the community. It also provides people with the opportunity to discuss problems of access to shops, other buildings, and services such as local transport. So, if you would like information on access issues as a carer, as a disabled person or as a service provider please come to the Help Point to speak to a representative from the Mid Sussex (South) Access Group.

To obtain further information about the sessions, callers can contact the Town Council Help Point on 01444 247726.