The Samaritans of Horsham and Crawley have been offering emotional support for 40 years from 21 Denne Road.  To celebrate, Samaritans Awareness Week will run 29th September to 5th October.   The week is being launched with a concert on the bandstand in Horsham’s Carfax, 12 noon Sunday 29th September presented by Horsham Folk Club so come and enjoy the music and the ceilidh finale. During the week Samaritans will be in Swan Walk everyday and at the Market information stand on Thursday and Saturday.  Local organisations, business and schools have been invited to put up posters and ask Samaritans to give talks.

At the campaign’s forefront is the message that you don’t have to have suicidal thoughts to call Samaritans. Imagine that you – or someone you know – has a problem that is growing steadily.  We all have an idea of what constitutes either a big or small problem.  What concerns Samaritans is how big that problem feels.  Why wait?  If the weight of something feels huge, then it is.  Don’t wait.

Sometimes, we might not want to or be able to speak to someone close to us.  We might feel embarrassed; the problem may even involve those close to us. It could be something we’ve never told anyone before or feel afraid of being judged by someone important to us.  We simply might not want to burden anyone else.  Whatever it is, Samaritans don’t judge or feel burdened. Most importantly, it’s OK to talk to Samaritans about that growing problem before worry turns to overwhelming despair.  But if it does, they’ll be there for that too.

So how does it work?  21 Denne Road is a homely building with listening volunteers quietly coming and going for their shifts around the clock.  Just like their callers, listening volunteers come from all types of backgrounds.  Each has their own life experiences but they leave those at the door of the centre, don their metaphorical Samaritans hat and concentrate 100% on each caller.  They never know who’s going to call or what they’ll be talking about but they are there, ready to listen 24 hours a day so there’s no need to worry about waking them up!

For face-to-face callers, the visitor’s entrance is tucked around the corner in Denne Place.  You’ll get a comfy chair and a warm welcome.  You talk when you feel ready and they listen.  It’s exclusively your time.  They’re open most days between 9am and 9pm but it’s best to call or visit their website www.handcsams.org to check for visiting times.

Keeping abreast with modern technology, many callers can now contact Samaritans by text or email as well as by phone.  Speaking aloud isn’t always comfortable so both of these methods can be useful for communicating discreetly.

However callers choose to make contact, confidentiality within Samaritans remains at the heart of their ethos.  Technology may have advanced since Chad Varah founded the organisation in 1953 but the core values haven’t.  It’s all about the callers.

Where next?  The Samaritans of Horsham & Crawley are already doing much work with local organisations to reach out and support vulnerable people in identifiable groups.  But they also want to reach out to those who may not have considered themselves a Samaritans caller before.  Any of us could be callers.  So please look out for them during Awareness Week and do join in celebrating their 40 years in Horsham. They’d love you to stop by and say hello.  You might even see a large green telephone wandering about!  What better way to raise awareness?

Phone 01403 276276 / 01293 515151 / 08457 909090

Text 07725 909090

jo@samaritans.org

Following on from the two recent Parish Council meetings held at North Heath Hall to allow local residents to have their say over proposals for development north of the A264, minutes for both meetings have been posted to the Council’s website.  The minutes for both meetings can be found by clicking here, and then choosing the relevant date.

The minutes for the meeting of 16th September 2013 also include the Parish Council’s first draft response to the proposed development north of the A264 as outlined in the Preferred Strategy document.  This response will remain a draft, and is liable to be amended over the coming weeks, until the next Parish Council meeting that will be taking place at Roffey Millennium Hall on Tuesday 8th October at 7.30pm for the purpose of approving the Parish Council’s response to the consultation.

Following the Parish Council meeting on Monday 9th September, during which the public were given the opportunity to speak on this issue, reference was made to various Horsham District Council Planning documents – amongst which were the LDF Strategy Review Consultation document 2009 and the Core Strategy 2007 document.  Links to these and other documents are listed below:

“Leading Change Partnership to 2026 and beyond”
http://www.horshamdistrictldf.info/Files/CSReviewDocument.pdf

 

The Core Strategy (2007) Horsham Distrit Local Development Framework, February 2007
http://www.horshamdistrictldf.info/Files/Core_Strategy_(2007).pdf

 

As part of the 2009 Core Strategy, a report by consultants GVA Grimley:
http://www.horshamdistrictldf.info/Files/HorshamOfficeMarketDemandAssessment.pdf

As many local residents of North Horsham may be aware, there are two current planning applications in respect of Holbrook Tythe Barn.

The first is for works to reconstruct the Bowling Green; and the second is to construct a bowling clubhouse, car parking, relocation of a bin store, removal and replacement of trees and shrubs; and a revised entrance to the Tythe Barn building and an extended rear patio.  Not part of this latter planning application but included with the works will be internal alterations to the Barn.

The Parish Clerk will be at Holbrook Tythe Barn on Tuesday 13^th August 2013 between 4pm and 7pm, where the full planning application will be on display for you to view.  It is hoped that the developers, Westrock, will also be present.

“You will now find it easier to report incidents of anti-social driving in Sussex. Sussex Police has re-launched Operation Crackdown – a system that enables anyone to report anti-social driving and abandoned vehicles, either online or by phone.  Anti-social driving can be driving that is careless, deliberately aggressive or dangerous. If you see this type of behaviour it is important that you report it, so it can be dealt with in the most appropriate way.

Operation Crackdown is a joint initiative supported by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), Sussex Police and all local authorities in the county. It was first launched in 2002 as a way of reporting abandoned vehicles in Sussex, and was expanded in 2007 to cover anti-social driving reports.

The system for reporting anti-social driving has now been made simpler, to encourage members of the public to easily and quickly report this type of incident and users can now keep track of the progress of their case with a specific reference number provided.

Incidents can be reported, either via www.operationcrackdown.org, or by calling 01243 64 22 22, for those who don’t have access to the internet.

Members of the public who are reporting incidents must remember, where possible, the registration number of the vehicle, the make, model and the colour, so the police can identify the vehicle concerned and make contact with the offender.

Every report received through Operation Crackdown is viewed and a decision is made against a set criteria on how best to deal with it. In the majority of cases a letter of advice is sent to the driver or rider, but a report to Operation Crackdown can also lead to arrest and possible conviction, depending on the seriousness of the offence”.