Relate North and South West Sussex continue to provide counselling for all relationships.  All counselling is currently by telephone or via Zoom. Their service supports couples, families, individuals, and young people from the age of fourteen. Relate also provides psychosexual therapy for people who might be experiencing sexual problems in their relationship.

Their counselling service is offered in the districts of Horsham and Chichester, as well as Crawley, East Grinstead, and the villages surrounding these towns.

It is nearly a year since the pandemic began and they are aware that social distancing and the necessary lockdowns have had an impact on relationships.  Job losses and living with long-term uncertainty have also impacted on well-being. They are also aware that uncertainty regarding education and employment have increased anxiety and stress amongst young people. Relate counsellors provide a supportive environment to help people through the difficulties they may be facing.

Relate offer a subsidy scheme, based on income. Please contact their Reception Team on 07423 147915 for more information.

Website: https://www.relate.org.uk/sussex

News release from West Sussex County Council – 17 March 2021

Work starts soon on major Horsham highway improvement project

As part of West Sussex County Council’s ongoing commitment to improving traffic capacity on the highway, major improvement work starts soon at the A24 Robin Hood roundabout junction in Horsham.
The project will start on 6 April, subject to factors such as severe weather. In the first stage there will be lane closures on the A24 so that street lighting and traffic signal ducts can be installed, followed by night-time closures between the Great Daux and Farthings Hill roundabouts: this is so temporary traffic management measures can be introduced.
Details on this and future stages will be available on the project page at http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/a24-robin-hood-junction . Residents and other road users can also subscribe to regular email updates by emailing robinhoodroundabout@landbuild.co.uk
A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused during the works but please bear in mind this project will lead to long-term improvements.
“We are liaising with the project team working on Legal and General’s nearby Land North of Horsham project to try to minimise the impact on traffic in the area as much as possible.”
The Robin Hood junction improvements include:
• widening the A24 northbound, from two lanes to three
• widening the A24 southbound, from two lanes to four
• widening the exit from Warnham Road on to the roundabout
• traffic signal control on the A24 approaches and on the Warnham Road, with traffic signal control on the roundabout
• provision of a signalised ‘Toucan’ crossing across the Northbound exit of the A24 (towards A24 Great Daux)
• improved footway and cycleway connection, Warnham Road to Robin Hood Lane and the Public Right of Way.
Benefits of the scheme include:
• providing increased road capacity at the junction to allow for increased traffic due to local developments and through traffic;
• the provision of traffic lights with sensors, which adjust signal timings according to queuing levels to help ease congestion – these will be on signalled approaches (not Robin Hood Lane) and will help manage flows in the peak and off-peak periods;
• new crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists linking Warnham Park and the Public Right of Way with Warnham Road via new Toucan crossings.
The project is scheduled to be completed in mid-Autumn 2021.

With the children spending a lot more time at home over the past year, parents may have exhausted all possible forms of entertainment and be struggling for ideas to keep them amused over the Easter holidays.

But fear not, as West Sussex Libraries has a wealth of activities planned to help children have fun (and learn) at the same time.

Over the holiday, the library service will be providing kids (and their families) with a new and exciting blend of virtual and face-to-face activities which will be available online each Tuesday and Thursday covering the following themes:

• Growing – Tuesday 6 April
• Fun with food – Thursday 8 April
• Fit & Strong – Tuesday 13 April
• Cooking and ingredients – Thursday 15 April

There are competitions and challenges based on some favourite stories about food and growing, as well as ‘science in your kitchen’ experiments to try at home.

For anyone not online, local libraries will have all the activities available bagged up and ready to collect from the door.

“Primarily, these are fun activities for all the family to enjoy – the key aim of our Library Service. But they will also help children learn more about the importance of food for their growing minds and bodies.”

UK Harvest, the Chichester based food rescue charity, will also be supporting the holiday programme.

More information on locations will be posted on the UK Harvest website www.ukharvest.org.uk or on the library social media accounts closer to the time via Facebook: www.facebook.com/WestSussexLibraries and Twitter: @WSCCLibraries.

The holiday activities are open to all whether or not you are a member, but joining the library is free for everyone.

For more information on the Easter holidays programme at West Sussex Libraries, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/holidayactivity for more details.

Click to access public-notice-old-holbrook-horsham.pdf

Adults in West Sussex who have to leave home for work or caring responsibilities can now book a symptom-free Covid-19 test.
As efforts to combat the spread of the virus continue, more local testing is being rolled to help identify as many people as possible who have Covid-19 but not the symptoms.
The pan-Sussex Community Testing Programme launches this week as a partnership between West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council.
It offers free, rapid lateral flow tests to anyone who isn’t showing signs of Covid-19, who can’t work from home and who can’t access testing via other means.
Anyone over the age of 18 can book a test at a participating pharmacy anywhere in Sussex, or at one of two dedicated testing sites, one at the Moulsecoomb Leisure Centre in Brighton and one at Hove Town Hall. The most local pharmacy to North Horsham offering this service is Day Lewis PLC, The Park Surgery, Albion Way, Horsham RH12 1BG.
Further details, including how to book, are available on the West Sussex County Council website http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/communitytesting
Chair of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board Councillor Amanda Jupp said: “It is encouraging to see the rate of infection fall across West Sussex, but it is still the case that a third of people with Covid-19 may be passing it on without knowing it.
“The ability to test people who need to leave home for work, but who don’t have symptoms, is another important step that will help us return to normal life as soon as possible.
“I’d like to thank our partners in East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council for working with us on launching the pan-Sussex Community Testing Programme, and to the pharmacies who are on board supporting the rollout.”
Dr Tony Hill, Interim Director of Public Health at West Sussex County Council, said: “We know that around one in three people with Covid-19 don’t have any symptoms, so you could be passing the virus on even if you’re feeling fine.
“Symptom-free testing is an additional tool in the fight against the pandemic and keeping West Sussex safe. It will help us to identify more people who have the virus and encourage them and their contacts to self-isolate in order to further protect our friends, families, colleagues and communities. This form of testing is especially important if you have to leave home for work, and you’re unable to access testing by other means.”
More pharmacies will be available across Sussex in the coming weeks, making it even easier to get a test close to where you live or work.
People across West Sussex are urged to continue to ‘act like you have the it’ as the best way to avoid spreading coronavirus, keep West Sussex safe and help us come out of lockdown.
Go to http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/coronavirus for further information and support.