AAH January 2013

AAHALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINEJanuary 2013

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Our Biggest Print Run Yet - Now over 13,000 copies

To be honest, we had some problems withthe front page shot. It was an unorthodoxphoto shoot. Toby had wanted to set up hisstudio lights in the town centre, but it wasfreezing on the night we met dancers Katieand Amelia, so that idea was shelved.Instead, after I had interviewed the dancersat the Capitol, everybody made their wayto Toby’s house, squeezing into his frontroom where studio equipment stretchedto every corner of the room.The girls were photographed in front of aplain grey sheet. Toby then set about

;nding a nice backdrop. He went to a barnhe has used before for pictures and tookimages of the building and the entrance.We wanted to steer clear of dance halls and<oors in case it looked too similar to thebaton twirling cover a few months ago.The only decision we still had to make waswhether to put Katie or Amelia on thecover. The fact that Katie was stood sideways on in her best picture, allowingroom for the AAH logo, meant she got thenod. Toby made up this alternative frontcover of us for a laugh!

Breaking a TraditionI’ve worked at various local newspapersover the last decade.Obviously I wasn’t very good, so I hadto go out and start a magazine of myown. But one thing that gave me annual frustration was how everythingslowed down at Christmas.Collectively as reporters, we used touse the lack of press releases from thepolice, health services, local authorities,public relations ;rms, clubs and associations, as an excuse to producegenerally worthless editions overChristmas and New Year.It’s mystifying, as we all love readingnational newspapers and magazinesat the end of a year for the annual‘best of’ lists. Even if this year it mademe realise how old I’m getting - I hadn’t heard of any of what the criticsjudged the ‘best albums’ and I was unaware that all of the best televisionshows are made in Scandinavia.Anyway, I wanted to put together areally good New Year’s edition, withour own round-up of 2012 highlightsin the district.We’ve done something a little di:erent,combining the year’s big stories witha feature on what was happening inHorsham a century ago. If you’ve hada bad year, it might make you feel abit better, as last year’s headlines

were certainly more positive thanthey were in 1912. So I hope youenjoy that. We also talk to the cast of Snow Whiteat the Capitol, a former powerboatracer looks back on his life, SteveGubbins chats about his new artisticdirection, and we highlight the greatwork of the YMCA in Horsham.

We’re printing 13,000 copies now,which is good news for us, but betternews for our printer! Those who donot receive AAH through their door inBillingshurst and Southwater can nowpick it up at our new stands at theCoCo’s salons in those villages. In Horsham we already have stands atSakakini jewellers in the Carfax andArtisan Patisserie in Market Square.

Finally, I’d like to wish you all a HappyNew Year. It might come across as atoken gesture, but the emails and letters we received made us feel thatthe e:ort we have put in is worthwhile!So here’s to a great 2013 (I’m raising animaginary glass whilst listening to LastChristmas by Wham! for the third timetoday)

Cover Story

Ben, EditorToby Phillips (All AAH Photography) and

Ben Morris (All AAH Editorial & Advertising)

Editor: Ben [email protected] 878026 / 01903 892899

Advertising: Kelly [email protected] 878026 / 01903 892899

Photography: Toby Phillipstobyphillipsphotography.co.ukinfo@tobyphillipsphotography.co.uk07968 795625

ContributorsJeremy Knight (Historic images and text for article on Horsham 100 years ago and the DavisEstate article)

Additional thanks to...Chris Connors at CoCo’s for photographs and thepint of Sussex; Wildwood PR, Tracey Wilkes atYMCA, Michael Gattrell and SpoAorth’s for lettingus to use their Christmas tree for the Page 3 shot!

Door-to-Door Delivery teamThe Paterson family, GeoA Valentine, AndrewPrice, Trish Fuller, Sarah Guile, Amy Rogers, LauraHarding, Alex Bland and Cara Cocoracchio (allHorsham rounds), Anna Laker and Alex Besson (Billingshurst), Jamie Towes, Shaun Bacon andEddie Robinson (Southwater), Jack Barnett(Monks Gate/Mannings Heath), Karen Parnell(Warnham), Will Smith (Ashington), Roger Clark(Partridge Green and Cowfold), Reece Elvin (Slinfold), Ben Morris (Tower Hill, Rookwood, DialPost, Crabtree), Toby Phillips (Town Centre),

Herbie Whitmore (West Grinstead), Ben’sGrandma (Wisborough Green)AAH is available to pick up for free in stands atSakakini (Carfax ), Artisan Patisserie (MarketSquare), CoCo’s salons (Lintot Square inSouthwater and High Street, Billingshurst)and Horsham Museum.

WebsiteRun by Mi-Store of Brighton. Read all of our editions at www.aahorsham.co.uk

AAH Magazine is an independent publicationowned by B. Morris and is based in Ashington

Copies of past editions of AAH are available for £3each (this includes postage). Many are sold out, so

please email Ben for availability.

Visit our website at www.aahorsham.co.uk To discuss advertising in AAH call Ben on 01403 878026. View our advertising rates on Page 24...

30 ArtPortrait photographer Steve Gubbinsis developing new artistic styles

51 Review of 2012...Then come right up to date with the big headlines of 2012

6 News Round-UpWhat’s making headlines, including asuperb exhibition by John Jochimsen

66 How InterestingThe price of a new home in Horshamback in the 1930s...

12 My Story So FarJackie Wilson, from baker to powerboat racer and beyond...

43 HistoryWe look back at the tannery Cre andthe SuArage movement in 1912...

34 Horsham YMCAWe meet the young people changingtheir lives at the Y Centre in Horsham

22 Meal ReviewWe Cnd the Black Horse in Nuthurst isdoing the simple things well

20 One to WatchKatie DuBn and Amelia Knight arepromising Irish dancers

61 CoCos We look back at a big year for the incredible CoCo’s Foundation in Africa

CONTENTS

56 Group DiscussionThe cast of the Capitol’s panto, SnowWhite, talk about their experience

This month we introduce a new delivery roundin North Parade, Horsham, and place new

stands in Southwater and Billingshurst

AAHALL ABOUT HORSHAM MAGAZINEJanuary 2013AAH

Saddle UpJulia Felton went from being a cityhigh-Dyer to working with horses

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1: Photographs taken by John Jochimsen willform a new display at Horsham Museum. The20 images on display include pictures ofAfrican warriors, The Queen and PresidentReagan. John, a former Fleet Street photographer, was featured in the February2012 edition on AAH. ‘Adventures in Photography – Images from the Archive ofJohn Jochimsen’ opens at Horsham Museum& Art Gallery on Thursday 3rd January andcloses on 2nd March.

2: Jolyon Palmer has signed to drive for Carlinin the 2013 GP2 Series. The 21-year-oldSouthwater racer, who is already a race winner in the series, will compete alongsideBrazilian Felipe Nasr at the British team.Palmer is aiming for the title after a good2012 campaign which included victory at theMonaco Grand Prix as well as podiums at Silverstone and Monza. Carlin joined the GP2Series in 2011 but is already established asone of the leading teams with Britain’s latestFormula One driver Max Chilton Hnishingfourth in the drivers’ standings in 2012. Formore visit www.jolyonpalmer.com

3: The Hnalists for the Sussex Food & DrinkAwards 2012/13 have been announced andpoducers from the Horsham District featurein seven of the eight categories. The SussexFood and Drink Awards are the only awardsthat highlight, recognise and support Sussexfarmers and producers and the businesseswhich sell and promote their produce. Nominees across the various categories include Dark Star in Partridge Green, The Sussex Produce Company in Steyning, andWabi in Horsham. Charlie Tayler from The Passat South Lodge is nominated as Sussex YoungChef of the Year. Visit the Sussex Food Awardswebsite at www.sussexfoodawards.biz

4: The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children withCerebral Palsy host a quiz night on Friday 1stFebruary at 7.30pm at Billingshurst Communityand Conference Centre. It costs £10 to enter,with the price including Hsh and chips, or £6 ifyou bring your own supper. For tickets contactRosie Wyer, Regional Fundraiser, on 01403780444 or [email protected]

5: Cancer Research UK will bring its popularRace for Life to Horsham Park on Sunday, 2ndJune. The charity has decided to abandon itsannual event at Ardingly in favour of Horsham,which already hosts the Midnight Walk andSanta Run for St Catherine’s Hospice.

6: The 2011 Census provides an interestingsnapshot of the Horsham population on 27thMarch 2011. The Census reveals that thenumber of people owning their own homes isdropping and more are renting privately. In2011, three quarters of Horsham District residents owned their own home, slightlyfewer than in 2001. Car ownership is high atone and a half cars per household, whilst weare more likely to get married too. Just over aquarter of residents are single; nationally thisHgure is 35%. The number of Christians in thedistrict decreased to 64% from 76% in 2001.The Census suggests that people are becomingbetter educated, with more getting degreesor similarly high levels of education.

7: Paul Messis, one of our favourite local musicians at AAH, has started his own record

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AAH News Round-up

label. The Drst 7" release on Market SquareRecords is a record by 'The Market Squares'which is a collaboration between Paul andNashville psychedelic group The SuDs. It willbe released on February 4th and strictly limited to 300 copies. Paul’s second soloalbum 'Case Closed' will be out in May onState Records and will also be on vinyl. Visitwww.paulmessis.bandcamp.com for more onPaul’s music.

8: Horsham District Council has been lookingat diBerent ways to close the council’s budgetgap. The good news is that Council Tax will befrozen again this year as the council insteadlooks at a ‘user pays philosophy’ where thosewho use services pay for them. The greenwaste collection is now optional, with thecouncil charging £29 a year for the service. Insome car parks evening charges are to be introduced, and the tarrifs at some town centre car parks are set to increase by a smallamount.

9: An insight into life at Christ’s Hospital andits long history will be revealed in an

exhibition at Horsham Museum & Art Gallery,opening on 8th January. The exhibition willbe in two galleries, with one displaying engravings and pictures from the school’scollection in oil, watercolour and pencil. Ofparticular interest are cartoons by the artistFrank Brangwyn for the wall paintings in theChapel, paintings of pupils from the early19th Century and a watercolour portrait bythe Second World War poet and artist KeithDouglas, which has not been previously displayed in public. The exhibition is free toenter and is open from 8th January to 23rd February.

10: Woods Mill Nature Reserve was inundatedwith Eood water on 20th December. The Millis headquarters to the Sussex Wildlife Trustand this was the most Eooding seen on thereserve in over a decade, with the Mill pondwater level rising ten centimetres in an hour.Fran Southgate, Sussex Wildlife Trust WetlandLandscapes OCcer said: ‘We have done ourbest to help limit the Eood damage by open-ing up our land so that it can absorb as muchEood water as possible, rather than sending it

Eowing down the Adur. No matter how badthe Eood is now, it would have been a lotworse if the Trust and other landowners hadnot provided thousands of acres of land totemporarily store water, rather than letting ithit our houses and roads.’

11: It was a miserable month for most, butMax Morris of Ashington enjoyed himself inan enermous puddle on the playing Delds.No, it’s not really news, but it Dlls a gap!

12: It Dnally happened, Bill’s has opened atthe Old Town Hall building in Market Square,Horsham. Another Bill’s restaurant opened inGuildford during December. Bill Collison, whofounded Bill’s in 2001, Drst attempted tocome to the town in 2009, but there wasstrong opposition to the building being usedas a restaurant. It led to the unusual sight of a‘For Sale’ notice on the historic listed building.

13: Horsham Piazza Italia 7 will be held on Friday 29th March, Saturday 30th March andMonday 1st April 2013. The festival will onceagain see Ferrari drivers visit the town.

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Digit enhancementWhen experienced nail technician KimSawyers became a mother, she decided toset up her own business from home.Along with a colleague, Kim had previouslyestablished one of the leading nail salons inHorsham town centre. Now she is able tocontinue her passion for nail care from abeautiful and spacious studio at her homein the village of Ashington.Kim set up Salon 13 in 2006, and has beensteadily building the business. With over 20years of nailcare experience Kim o:ers aquality service but with greater <exibility toher clients.Kim said: “It's a lovely environment here inthe studio. When I started working fromhome I used a small study inside the house,but always had dreams of creating a studiowhich clients would look forward to coming to. “The studio was completed four years agoand I haven't looked back. I love workingfrom home, o:ering my clients a servicewhich works around their busy schedulesand unlike the nail technicians based in thetown centre I'm easy to get to and the parking is free. “Many of my clients comment on the studioand how much they enjoy their visits. I amable to o:er a stress free, relaxing, comfortable and friendly experience. I always have hot chocolate at the ready,which also helps during the cold spells!"Before co-owning a salon in Horsham, Kimsuccessfully completed a leading Hair andBeauty Training course, but soon realisedshe had a love and skill for nails. Kim

Nail technician’s home-based business success

continued her training, focusing on nails,and graduated from the Creative Nail Academy in London with the title of MasterNail Technician.Now as well as possessing the quali;cationsand experience, Kim is able to o:er leadingnailcare products to clients.Salon 13 uses Creative Nail Design (CND)products, providing strong, natural lookingnails, tailored to suit every individual.Kim covers all aspects of nail care includingnail enhancements, enhancement maintenance and removal. For those withnatural nails Kim provides a range of manicures with luxury solar silk and award-winning Solar Oil products which will leave

your hands glowing. Kim also o:ers giftvouchers so you can treat your loved onesto a slice of hand heaven. At the 2012 Nails Readers’ Choice Awards2012 CND products proved a favouriteamongst nail professionals, surpassing allother brands. CND scooped 11 Awards including favourite new produce for CNDAdditives, favourite polish for CND Shellacand favourite cuticle treatment for CNDSolar Oil.If you would like to know more about Salon 13, book an appointment or enquireabout our gift vouchers, call or email Kimon the details below to discuss your nail requirements

13 Mill Mead, Ashington, West Sussex, RH20 3BE 07799 881810 | [email protected]

salon13.co.uk

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Julia Felton gave up a successful career in the city to pursue her childhood passion of working withhorses. She now runs training courses in Dragons Green, claiming that businesses can learn about the

leadership, teamwork and communication skills of employees by spending time with horses...

Julia Felton was a city high-�yer…“I was in the corporate world with a high-5ying job in the city but I realised I was completely burnt out so took a sabbaticalwhen I was made redundant in 2006. Iworked in luxury hotels around the worldbefore running a specialist research divisionfor an accountancy 4rm. I monitored hotelperformance around the world, and thisgrew that into a multi-million pound business and the global market leader.”

During her sabbatical, Julia spent timewith horses….“The 4rst thing I did was train to be a riding instructor. I was 40-years-old but itfelt like I was rebelling against my parents!Horses were always my passion, but I realised that I gave away my personal powerand lived my parents’ dream by getting ‘a

proper job’. I think that happens to a lot ofpeople. Whilst working with horses, I cameacross Horse Assisted Coaching - the abilityto work with horses to teach people aboutbusiness and life lessons.”

It led to two new businesses…“I trained and became what is known as a licensed Horse Dream Partner. I set up Connect Thru Horses, which helps horseowners develop a better relationship withtheir horse. The second business is Connect2 Success, which helps individuals andteams achieve success through better understanding of themselves and how theycan add real value. Companies don’t everthink about taking people out to spend timewith horses in order to get to know theirteams and the individuals within them.”

It’s team bonding with a di�erence…“There’s a general lack of investment asthese are di3cult times. Companies are notdoing training days (like they used to) asthere is a perception that it’s a bit of a jolly. Ithink that is true for some outdoor activitiesas they are more like bonding events andhave no educational value. Team bonding isimportant but it’s a luxury rather than a necessity. People who have been on theConnect 2 Success training are blown awayby it. It is a cost e2ective way of developingskills within teams, because it is action-based learning.”

Julia believes horses can tell us a lotabout ourselves…“The great thing is that the horse doesn’tknow whether the person they are workingwith is the CEO or the janitor. The horse

A Kingdom for a Horse

responds energetically to who shows up.They re.ect back what is going on, andthat feedback is non-judgmental. Thehorses want us to be authentic. If you areafraid and pretend you are not, the horsesknow. A lot of people in the businessworld act in this incongruent state, but thehorses call people on that.”

Exercises can be interpreted to givebusiness insight...“We set up a range of exercises with thehorses which will give each client feedbackon their leadership and communicationskills. In one exercise, people lead a horsearound obstacles. If they are not clear onwhat they want to achieve then the horsetypically will not go. Like people, horseswant you to be a leader and be clear aboutwhat you want. If you are indecisive, then

the horse is not going to move.”

The results can be revealing…“I’ m quite a creator – I like developingthings and that was where I added mymost value in business. When we becamethe market leader and I had to man-manage, I hated it. I wasn’t very good at it.I wasn’t delivering as much value to thecompany and there were others whowould have done that job better and lovedit too. So I think it’s important to get peoplein the right roles. Sometimes, it might bethat these exercises show that somebodyis not in a role that gives the maximumvalue. But a smart employer might movethem to a role where they will add value.We have the most success when we dosome internal coaching -rst, and then theycome out and spend some time with the

horses and we evaluate what happened.”

Julia has written a book…One of the motivations for writing ‘Unbridled Success’ is it’s really di,cult toexplain this stu+ to people. If I go to a networking event and try to describe howpowerful connecting through horses canbe, they simply do not get it. But bringthem out to the space where the horsesare and they understand. There is something about being out with natureand with horses that puts a di+erent perspective on things. There is a lot writtenabout therapeutic bene-ts, and healingpeople with post-traumatic stress disorder,but not about business lessons.”

It’s more honest than Facebook…“We feel like we are more connected than

ever before because we have 1,500 friends onFacebook but the relationships are so transientcompared to my parent’s generation when youbuilt close relationships with friends and family. For me, a lot of this work is helpingpeople connected to others and to themselves.We are trying to get people back to their natural instincts. I think that is why this work isreally powerful – people are connecting, and ifyou connect well with people you can actuallybe more successful in business.”

Unbridled Success is available to buy throughEcademy Press

(www.ecademy-press.com) and you can readmore about Julia’s book at

www.unbridledsuccess.co.uk

Jamie Thorne and Rebecca Mason took on the LookFantastic salon in Horsham two years ago and

have revitalised its fortunes.

“We both worked as experienced stylists at the salon inPiries Place. It’s future was in doubt, and so were our jobs,so we decided to take over the franchise and give it a fresh

look and a new direction.We called on friends and family to redecorate the salonand steadily grew through excellent word-of-mouth. Now,Look Fantastic in Horsham is renowned for its sharp, contemporary styles, and our experienced team offersunique cutting and colouring skills. We also provide Balmain 100% human hair additions and extensions.

We are located in the scenic area of Piries Place close toWaitrose. Pop in soon for a free consultation!”

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I was born in Shipley near Bradford on 30thJanuary 1932. At that time I think my dad wasa lorry driver and mum was a busybody.

We moved to Lightcli-e in 1938. I lived at16 Ivy Terrace and I could tell you thename of everyone in the street. I rememberon the railway bank we found a truck thatwas full of peanuts. We cut a hole in theside of it and a shower of peanuts cameout. I had to go to court when I was agedeight years old!

My dad was a 6ight engineer in the RAF duringthe Second World War and was on 36 operations. His last 6ight was one of theThousand Bomber Raids over Germany in1945. The war was great fun for me. I wouldsit with my brother, watching the bombers6y over followed by the 5ghters shooting atrail of bullets.

I left school aged 15, working as an apprentice draftsman, but all my bossmade me do was sweep /oors. One day, Ijust erupted. I said ‘I’m not sweeping/oors anymore’ and he smacked me roundthe head and knocked me to the /oor.There was a huge spanner next to me as Ilanded. I picked it up and whacked him ashard as I could. He just went down.

I ran home, crying like a baby. I said ‘Mom,I’ve killed the boss! I’ve killed the boss! I hithim with a spanner and he’s dead’. Sherushed down there and he was sat downwith a towel around his head. I walked in andhe shouted ‘you’re 5red!’

My grandparents were bakers, and in timeI learned how to ice cakes. I worked for mydad, who opened his own shop, and he

used to .ll the windows with weddingcakes that I had made. It came to the daywhen my grandfather wanted to give mehis bakery, but for reasons I’ve never understood my mum refused to allow it.So I thought, that’s it, I’m o-.

I came down to Sussex to work for Frank O’Clee at a bakers in Southwater. It is 60 yearsthis month since I arrived from Bradford.When I arrived I remember seeing an oldchap called Yorkie who used to sell newspapers in the Carfax.

I thought I knew everything back then,and I thought I was the greatest baker onthe planet! So after two years on the samepay I asked for a rise as Brenda and I hadby then had our .rst child, Sandra.

Frank said he couldn’t a4ord to so that was

‘In one season, seven people I knew were killed

in powerboats’Jackie Wilson, 80

My Story So Far

the end of my days in baking. EddieJegla, my next door neighbour in OakRoad in Southwater, gave me a job as alabourer for three shillings an hour.That was the biggest pay rise I everhad!

One day, I was reading the West Sussex County Times with my goodfriend Johnny Maidment and saw anadvert for the Olympia Boat Show atEarls Court. We went up and parkedright outside the front door. That advert changed my life. Between us,we bought a 14 foot Jack Broomboat. We started to go boating at theweekend.

I started buying boat magazines, andsaw that the London Motor Boat Clubwas starting to hold races with boatslike mine taking part. Back then, the bigrace was a six hour race held every October in the heart of Paris. Bob Mayhad taken his boat, Yellow Peril, andwas winning until it broke down. Theboat was up for sale, and he sold it tome on the condition that I joined theRacing Club at Iver. So I did.

It turned out I was good at it. I boughta new boat, The Derry Devil, and waswinning a lot of races. It was all forfun - there would be inboards andoutboards racing together and therewould be 30 drivers in each class. Itwas a sport that was going places.

We started racing other Motoring Clubsall over the country. The best driversfrom all over the world went to theParis Six Hour Race. I went there for the0rst time in 1964. The guy whose boat

Jackie with his son Mark

Jackie in Southwater with a boat during the 1960s

we were racing was killed on the Seine twoweeks before. If I had known that, there is noway I would have got in it! But at that time itwas the most exhilarating thing I had everdone in a boat.

The boat speeds went up dramatically. Wewere doing 45mph when I started, and by1964 the speeds were up to 70mph. Whenthey started developing the hulls theywent to 80mph, and that was too fast forthe shape of the boat.

The death rate escalated. In one season, seven people I knew personally werekilled powerboat racing.

I did a deal to take on the garage at Southwater. I paid £20,000 for the garage.The bank wouldn’t lend me the moneyand I had a row with the manager, butEddie Jegla walked in there and guaranteedthe money for me. I had many a row withhim, as I do with most people, but Eddie

did that for me and never asked for anything in return.

I ran the garage and a marine dealershipthere and we had a good life. Powerboat racing kept growing and it really took o&when the engine manufacturers went head tohead. Mercury and OMC both set up a ‘works’team and I was part of the Mercury team.

As a factory driver, suddenly I wasn’t paying for boats, engines, travel, every-

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thing. It was tremendous fun, but itled to a decline in the number ofdrivers. A lot of my old friends wereleft behind. The works drivers wento1 all over Europe and America tochase big pots and the others werestill paying for everything. It wasn’t alevel playing 2eld.

The Mercury team was me, RenatoMolinari and Don Pruett, who was anAmerican Indian. The OMC team wasmade up of Jimbo McConnell, Cees VanDer Velden and Cesare Scotti. Later therewas Bob Spalding and Tom Percival,whilst the Americans like Billy Seeboldwould come over sometimes. Billy andRenato were the greats, but the bestdriver I ever raced against was anAmerican called Billy Sirois.

The boats then were running 125mph,and today the F1 boats are runningat the same speed. The boats havechanged, but the speeds have not.

At one point, F1 powerboat racing wason the verge of being something big. Itwas almost there, but it fell apart whenOMC and Mercury pulled the plug on it.It had everything going for it to be aspectacle. It seems di2cult to imaginenow, but there was not a lot betweenrallying, motorbike racing and F1 carsback then, and power boating was notfar behind. We used to get a 250,000people at the Brish Grand Prix at Bristol.

I should not be here. I had a bigshunt in Lake Havasu in America in1970. The boat 3ipped and just keptclimbing. I came out when the boatwas in the air, and I fell head2rst intothe water and it tore my nose o1. Ineeded about 140 stitches. Anothertime on Lake Windermere anotherdriver cut my boat in half at 100mph.

I remember in Havasu, Billy Seeboldonce raced Johnny Cash’s boat. Cash’sdrummer W.S Holland was a hydroplaneracer too, and I was asked if I couldbring some bits back for his boat whilstI was picking up my own parts from afactory in Holland. I had to take themup to the Albert Hall where Cash wasperforming. I asked for some tickets inexchange, and we had a box. AfterwardsJohnny Cash took us for dinner!

Perhaps my career highlight wasturning up at Bristol in 1978 with thenew Cosworth engine. We wentstraight out and got the lap record. Ilater won the Duke of York trophy inthat boat, beating the factory teams.

My Story So Far

Jackie drove a powerboat in the 1981 Disney 2lm Condorman

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I won the Paris Six Hour Race in my lastever race in 1979, racing with my sonMark. We had a long stop due to a fuelleak, which put us a few laps down, butMark refused to give up and put tapearound the petrol tank. He was adamantthat we should rejoin the race.

We kept getting fastest times and inthe end the boat wasn’t touching thewater. We reached ridiculous speeds,and we were leaking fuel as my ballswere on 3re! It looked like the boatwould take o2 at any time, but it didn’tand we won the race on the last lap.

I gave up after that. My head was tellingme to slow down but I wanted to go asfast as Mark. After the race, Brenda said‘one of you is stopping racing’. Mark wenton to be a very successful F1 Grand Prixdriver. I did still drive boats from time totime, including working on the Disney2lm, Condorman.

We moved to Brooklands Farm in Shipley. We had more fun there thanany time of my life really. I had all 3veof my kids - Sandra, Mark, Boo, Kimand Sammy - round me and all thegrandchildren too. It really wasWilsonville!

Barry Sheene had a boat, and used tocome into the Southwater garage in hisRolls Royce. One day, I had just 3own ahelicopter into the garden. Barry insistedthat I take him up, but I said ‘no’ as I hadonly started pilot training. He jumped inand wouldn’t get out until I took him upover the village of Southwater. Sevendays later, he dropped in at the farm in abrand new helicopter!

The garage closed in 1982. We wereconstantly in dispute with Total as theygave us very little on the petrol, but itwas the bypass opening that was thekiller. My takings went from 1000

Jackie ‘s striking Cosworth boat caused a sensation at the British Grand Prix at Bristol in 1978

gallons a day down to 100 gallons a day.

I moved to France in 2000 with my secondwife, Jill. We lived there for twelve years,and I’m pleased we did it. We met somewonderful people, even some French people! But they’re a cranky lot and I’mglad to be home!

Craig, Mark’s son and my grandson, hasdone wonderful things in boat racing,and has won the P1 Powerboat World Championship. I am proud that the Wilson name still lives on in powerboat racing.

Top: Jackie with his grandson Craig, winning the P1 Powerboat race at Cowes in2007, and son Mark. Below left, Jackie chats to Princess Margaret during a raceweekend, and below right, Jackie plays it cool at a race in America

Bridging - Contract lower abdominal and buttock muscles,keeping the spine in neutral.Slowly lift the pelvis just clear ofthe 5oor and hold this positionfor 10 seconds. Keep breathing.Repeat up to 10 times.

For those of you whofall into the “I injured

myself last year and stillhave that niggle, but am

skiing again in 2 weeks”category – give us a ring atCranfold Physical Therapy

Centre - we can still help!

Lunges - Take a stride forwardsonto one leg and, in the samemotion, dip down keeping yourback straight so the back knee almost touches the 5oor. It is important to keep the pelvislevel, if you place your hands onyour hips this will help. Then return back to upright on onesmooth motion. Perform 10lunges for each side.

Wall Sit - Stand leaning with yourback against a wall and your feetabout 3 feet from the wall. Slowlyslide down the wall, holdingthe position where your kneesare at about 60 degrees. Hold for30 seconds, progressing up to 1minute.

Cranfold Physical Therapy Centre is a BUPA Approved Practice, which o4ers a wide range of therapies across our sites, including

Chartered Physiotherapy, Sports Physician, Sports Therapy, Re5exology, Aromatherapy and Acupuncture.

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Preparation is of course the bestway to ensure you get the mostof your holiday.It will increase the chances of youspringing along to the bar foryour après ski, rather than hobbling! As we hurtle downhill to the skiseason, here are some simple exercises and stretches to ensurethat you get the most out of yourwell-deserved holiday in thesnow. Start 6-8 weeks before yourplanned trip and try to performdaily. They will only take a few

minutes.

Small Knee Bend - Stand withfeet shoulder width apart. Slowlybend your knees so you dipdown a few inches, keeping yourheelsdown on the ground. Keep yourbottom tucked in and thinkabout tightening the muscles justabove the knee. Hold for 5 sec-onds then slowly straighten. Toprogress, perform this exercisesingly as you balance on one leg.Repeat up to 10 times.

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For most of us, Irish dancing conjures up asingle image; Michael Flatley wearing ablouse and tight trousers stretching up tohis nipples, with his feet rotating faster thana wind-up plastic frog.Through astonishingly successful showssuch as Riverdance and Lord of the Dancehe has entralled and inspired millions ofpeople around the world.One of these people is 15-year-old KatieDu9n, who started Irish Dancing havingwatched one of his shows on DVD. Katie, apupil at Millais School, is now one of the topranked Irish dancers in the world for her agegroup and she recently won the BritishOpen Championships.Katie said: “I have been dancing since I wasfour-years-old. I started o8 with tap and ballet but I was getting bored of it. Then Iwatched Riverdance on DVD and it inspiredme. “I eventually went to the Ace Academy inCrawley and I’ve been there for four years.For me, Irish dancing came naturally, and Icould pick it up very quickly. But still, I thinkit’s a hard discipline. In tap and ballet youcan use your arms for balance but with Irishdancing your arms have to stay by your sideand you need to maintain a straight body atall times.”Having won The British Open title, Katiewent to the Celtic Nationals and triumphedonce again. Whilst the competition camefrom far and wide, it was her close friendsfrom Ace Academy who proved to be hermain rivals.“Last year, I won in the Under-15 category,but I was one of the oldest in that age

Flatley, My Dear,

20

group at that time. This year I was at Under-16 level, so I was dancing with people a yearolder than me. “I was also up against Becky Rham, who isone of my friends at Ace, and she won theWorld Irish Dance Association Championshipsfor our age group earlier this year. “There are some very good dancers at theAcademy, and we push each other on andlearn from one another, so that when it comesto competition we all have a chance of winning.“I don’t do much group dancing like you see

on Riverdance. I do mainly solo routines.”Also lighting up the dance ;oor was eight-year-old Amelia Knight of Horsham. Amelia,known as ‘Nugget’ to her dancing friends, isthought to be one of the most promisingyoung Irish dancers in the country, and shetoo won the British Open Championship titlefor her age group.Amelia :rst encountered Irish dancingthrough a tiny clip on CBeebies and decidedto try it out. She has progressed at a rapidrate, learning from Katie and the other moreexperienced dancers and always aiming to be

Katie and Amelia both won British Open Championship titles

Ones to Watch Katie Duf#n & Amelia Knight

I Don’t Riverdance

‘In tap and ballet you can use your arms for balance but with Irish dancing your arms have to stay by your side’ Katie

able to do what they can do.But Amelia, a pupil at St Mary’sSchool in Horsham, explained thatit isn’t just how you dance that isimportant – it’s how you look too.“We mainly do solo dances ratherthan team dances, and there arelots of di:erent kinds of dance.“There are is the reel, a slip jig, alight jig, a hop jig (single jig), aheavy jig, a hornpipe and lots ofset dances at the big events. “There are four di:erent categories.You have beginner, primary, intermediate and open, and everyone starts o: in the beginnerclass. Every time you win you moveup a category, so if you are in primary and you win the slip jig,you move up to intermediate, butstay at primary level for the otherdances until you win those.“On your feet, you have soft orheavy shoes, depending on thedance. The heavy shoe is like a tapshoe, but it is faster, and the softshoe is more like a ballet shoe. “We have to wear dresses and theyare usually brightly coloured andcovered in diamante. You can buythe costumes, make them yourselfor buy them second-hand. Mymum and dad have sold some ofmy old dresses to pay for a newdress, as they are very expensive.“You also have wigs, and we use either bun wigs, or you can curlyour hair.”In the future, Katie would like to dosome touring productions andlearn team dancing techniques,whilst Amelia would like to teachIrish dancing one day. For now though, both are set tocontinue developing their talent atAce Academy, where they trainevery Tuesday and Saturday. To;nd out more about Ace Academyand how to become a membervisit their Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ace-Academy-Of-Irish-Dance/100447236713624

‘We have to weardresses and theyare usuallybrightly colouredand covered indiamante’Amelia

22

BlackHorse Innbanks on playing it

SAFE“It’s lovely from the outside, and youwalk in and there’s an inglenook 9replaceright in front of you. It’s a quintessentiallyBritish pub.”Those are the words of Brian Denton,who runs the Black Horse Inn inNuthurst.Not a great deal happens in Nuthurst, although Architectural Plants is basedthere and the beautiful church has beenthe centre of the village for a thousandyears. But it is a close-knit communityand having a good pub at its heart is important.Brian took over the pub in the spring of2011. Living just a couple of miles awayin Monks Gate, he was a regular at theBlack Horse and after taking over hequickly set about establishing a reputation for good food and drink.When he arrived, the Black Horse servedSussex Best Bitter and London Pride.Now, there are four beers with one national beer and any three others. Usually, there are at least two local beerson tap. All 9ve of the local breweries(Dark Star, Hepworths, Westons, W.J Kingand Kissingate) have had their beers for

sale at some point in the last year.Brian said: “It makes us popular with thereal ale drinkers and we’ve been votedinto the 2012 Good Beer Guide, which isthe beer drinker’s Bible. “People like to drink local ales and in aplace like this, which is a destination pub,they want to known what’s on o8er locally. We have a lot of visitors from further a9eld. They turn up and want toknow the Horsham ales and it’s a goodselling point for us. “It also supports the local economy, butwe’re happy to do that as the breweriesare very good. For me, Dark Star is one ofthe best around.”Next, Brian set about changing the food,bringing in two chefs, Damon Paul andViki Marki. He realised that it was important for the food to be right if theBlack Horse was going to build on its reputation as a destination pub.“The food was not great,” said Brian. “(Theprevious owners) had lots of good ideasand were trying to do the right things,but perhaps in the wrong way. When Icame to the pub it didn’t need a completeoverhaul.

ReviewBlack Horse Inn, Nuthurst

Review: Black Horse Inn

“We just started playing around with themenu, saw what worked and what didn’tand put in a menu that would work. Pubsare not just drinking holes anymore. It isabout the food as much as the drink.“We try to serve good, honest food. Wedon’t oversell the menu as we don’t want tosound pretentious. We make it simple, butwhen it comes out it looks impressive.“It might be a shepherd’s pie, but it mightbe the best shepherd’s pie you’ve ever had.You order a steak and that’s what you get –good steak from a local butcher that is

cooked well, presented well. We use NewStreet Butchers and the meat we get fromthere is just fantastic.”Chef Damon said: “We want to put di.erenttouches on the food so people go ‘wow’. It’snot too fancy – there is no pork terrine withshaved tru0e, pea shoot and parsnip puree.Not yet anyway. It’s simple and not over thetop, and it’s well priced. People just wantgood food in a nice atmosphere.“I like adding 1avours that work. Maybe it’snot quirky, as that would suggest that weare taking it away from being traditional.

But we’ll have lamb with buttered carrots,with dauphinoise potato that is compressedand properly 1avoured. It’s going the extramile on making something simple.“But we are working with a fantasticbutcher, and when I’m working with ingredients as good as this it really is di/cultto mess it up. There is no need to dress it upas anything else.“So the menu doesn’t tell you all of the ingredients, there are a few little surprises. “We visited the Black Horse on a busyWednesday evening. The pub runs an

24

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enjoyable quiz night every Wednesday, raising money for St Catherine’s Hospice.Con6dent of my own general knowledge,we took an answer sheet and settleddown with a pint of Dark Star’s Hophead.At about the time that the quiz masterdeclared that round one was about‘opera’, we realised we might be set foran embarrassingly low score. As Toby declared he was far too busytaking photos and did not wish to be associated with the last placed team, ourstarter arrived.There are only four starters on the menu:Sussex Smokie baked with cheese topping served with bread (£6.75), Portobello Mushroom topped with balsamic onion marmalade and bakedwith creamy goats cheese (£5.95), Soupof the day (£4.75) and Ardennes Patewith an onion marmalade, pickled baby vegetables and toast (£6.50).But you can also choose from one of twoplatters to share. There’s a £13.95 MeatPlatter with prosciutto, Milano salami,chorizo, Ardennes pate, sundried tomatoes, marinated olives, salad garnish, crusty bread and butter.We opted for the Seafood Platter at thesame price, comprising peppered mackerel, crab pate, prawns, smokedsalmon, capers, salad garnish, marie rosesauce, lemon mayonnaise and wholemealbread and butter.It was very nicely presented on slate. Thestrong, intense 7avour of the pepperedmackerel ensured it was tasty as well asbeing nutritionally dense brain food. Thedelicious salmon was thick in texture,and deep and oaky in taste. It’s always nice to see a decent amountof crusty bread on the side of the platetoo, as oppose to thin slices of wholemeal that pate tends to rip rightthrough.As I sat trying to think of a reasonablyeducated guess for a question relatingto Munch’s famous painting ‘The Scream’in the vain hope of 6nishing second to

Review: Black Horse Inn

Come and see how beautiful our function rooms look when they’re all dressed up for a picture perfect wedding. There’ll also be fashion shows in a mystery venue set to impress, a ‘groom’s room’ with computer games as well as wedding suppliers offering everything you could possibly want for your special day.

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last in the quiz, the main course arrived.Mains include Rack of Lamb marinated withDijon mustard, mint and honey served withdauphinoise potatoes (£16.95), ChickenSupreme served with crushed new potatoes(£13.75), Beef Bourguignon served withcreamy mash and buttered carrots (£13.75),Fish Pie with a cheese and herb topping(£13.75) and Beer Battered Cod (£11.95).The Black Horse also has a selection of steaks.

You can choose between Fillet (£20.50), Sirloin (£17.50) and Rump (£15.50) withbaked rarebit Portobello mushroom, roastedvine tomatoes, mixed leaf salad and hand-cutchips. You can opt for peppercorn or bluecheese sauce for an extra £2.50.As it transpired though, Brian had noted thatsteak seems to come up frequently in ourfood reviews! Toby, who does like a goodsteak, felt the pressure to pick something else

so went for the Baked Salmon with a cheeseand herb topping, mashed potato and 9ashfried green beans (£14.75)The salmon was moist, fresh and 9avoursomeand once again beautifully presented withmoreish mashed potato and a little log pile ofgreen beans.I went for the Rack of lamb, which was againa neatly presented and vibrantly colourfuldish. The meat was conservatively cooked

We want to put different touches on the food so people go ‘wow’

26

but was very well 2avoured and thelightly seared compressed squaresof potato were wonderful. There was no fuss with the service; itwas friendly and informal with few ofthe formalities of a restaurant, whichsuits us just 1ne. We were, however,given a brief description of the winelist, which includes Surrey Goldfrom Denbies.A glass of Pinot Noir washed awaythe shame of 1nishing last in thepub quiz before the desserts arrived.There is chocolate brownie, applecrumble, bano0ee pie, lemonmeringue pie and home-made icecream on the desserts menu, allcosting £5.50. Toby chose the brownie, servedwarm with a delicious home-madevanilla ice cream. I sampled the

cheese board (which carries a £2supplement) with goat’s cheese,cheddar, brie, dolcelatte and parmesan shavings, apple chutney,red onion con1t and celery. It came with a huge selection ofcrackers, so if you are going to trythese cheeses there is plenty toshare between two or three people.We really enjoyed our visit to theBlack Horse Inn. It is a beautiful little pub, and it hasa nice garden which is being prepared for the summer. The fact that the pub continues toattract people from the surroundingvillages and further a1eld speaks foritself. It is a charming place withgood food, good ales, and it is nogreat surprise that this appeals to agood number of people.

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At Mark Antony Windows, our aim is to providethe best service supplying and installing PVC-Uand aluminium products in the South East andall at competitive prices. Company Directors Mark Edwards and AntonyDeakin have more than 30 years of experiencein the industry. We cater to all needs with every aspect coveredfrom complete conservatories - including design, project oversight and planning regulation - to minor repairs, locks and condensed units.Our windows are manufactured using theWHS Halo Pro;le, using a unique technology of a ;ve chamber thermalsystem to give extra protection againstthe outside elements. They undergo extensive testing to ensure maximum

insulation. All of our frames are calcium organic and recycled. All products come withour 10 year guarantee.Mark Antony Windows has also been recognisedby the Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme (DGCOS).

The DGCOS is supported by TV’sconsumer champion Nick Ross,who said: “The double glazing industry doesn’t exactly have thebest reputation in the world.

We’ve all heard stories about aggressive salestactics, poor standards of workmanship, problems never being recti;ed, and installersgoing out of business, leaving worthless guarantees.“The DGCOS is trying to clean up the industry.There are a lot of trade bodies in the doubleglazing industry but however impressive theysound most o:er little protection to con-sumers. We’re trying to change that and getreal consumer protections. When buying double-glazing or a conservatory I stronglyrecommend you use a DGCOS member.”Mark Antony Windows is also a Checkatradesupported business, and is backed by FENSA.

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participate in the day to day running of their development.As part of our commitmentto the community, we haveentered into a partnershipwith St Catherine’s Hospiceand St Barnabas HouseHospice to help to fundtheir activities. To date wehave raised£16,600.We have chosen these organisations as we know that many of theresidents in the properties we manage willhave had some experience of the good workthey do in providing the highest quality ofcare to people living withan incur-able

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30

Steve Gubbins knows he is getting somestrange looks.He is lying down on the rain-soaked ground,in the middle of the night in Piccadilly Circus,taking photographs of the pavement.It’s an unusual method, but one that doeshave interesting results. After a few toucheswith various software programmes, Steve’simages of neon lights re0ected o. a wetpavement make striking viewing.Steve is /rst and foremost a portrait photographer. He has enjoyed a successfulcareer spanning thirty years, running a studioin the heart of Warnham village.But in recent years, the dawn of the digitalage has seen demand for portrait photographywane. This has given Steve the opportunityto head into a more artistic direction. In an artistic sense, he has become bestknown for his close-up images of pavement

re0ections and yew tree roots, but Steve is alsodeveloping his skills as a ceramic artist. Buthe’s come a long way...Steve said: “I had an Instamatic camera and Ididn’t like the pictures I was getting. A friendof mine, who was a member of a cameraclub, said ‘you want to get yourself a Nikon’.“So I shot up to Capital Cameras in Crawleyand I bought one, not knowing what I wasbuying. I went to France, took three rolls of/lm and had them processed. “The pictures were not brilliant, but I fell inlove with photography. It hit me right betweenthe eyes. “I’ve always been a frustrated artist as I couldnot draw or paint, but with photography Ifound my niche and it took over my life.“I joined the camera club, and won thenovice prize in my /rst year. The next year Iwon the intermediate prize and in my third

year I won the advanced prize. I took tenthousand shots in my /rst year of photography,so it cost me a fortune. I used to get up atdawn each day and head out.“When you start out, you take photos ofeverything. I was lying in wet grass takingpictures of mushrooms, climbing trees to geta better viewpoint and all sorts. But I endedup taking pictures of people.“People turn up and they are nervous, especially women as they all think that theydo not photograph well, and I have to makethem like me, trust me and relax for me in tenminutes. That is what people pay me for, asnot a lot of people can do that.“It comes from life experience. I can’t teachstudents when to take a picture or how toget people into the right mood to take aphoto. Every photographer has their ownway of doing this and you have to /nd your

KEEPING AN EYE ON

Art: Steve Gubbins

After 9 months of careful planning and reparation, Horsham Home Care starts delivering care services on March 5th. They’ve spent a lot of time creating and developing their bespoke service – getting the business registered with the Care Quality Commission and recruiting the very best care staff.

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own way.”Now Steve is 'nding his own way withhis art. The dazzling array of colours featuredin many of his photography artwork isactually the roots of yew trees. Steveinverts the colours to create the e&ect,which works best on canvas. Most of the original images were takenat Kingley Vale National Nature Reservenear Chichester. Steve has returned tothe site several times and always 'ndsa fresh blend of patterns and colours.He once needed rescuing by a passer-by after managing to become stuck upin a tree.The ceramics began when Stevestarted attending an evening class andenjoyed the fresh challenge. Some ofhis ceramic pieces are on display in an

Steve’s own take on a classic...

N YEW

exhibition of his artwork now on at Horsham Museum and Art Gallery.“I’ve always fancied the idea of sculptureand ceramics but put it on the backburner.Then I woke up one morning and thought‘if I don’t do something about it now I’llwake up dead one morning and be reallycross about it!’“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly good at making ceramic pieces and I don’t know if itwill go anywhere, but you have to try thesethings.“My favourite piece so far is called ‘In God’sHands’. A friend of mine lost her husband,tragically, and it left her alone with a veryyoung child. I was thinking about the poorchild, so I made a sphere, representing thelittle girl, and the next level represents themother looking after her and the wingsaround it represent the father’s spirit lookingover them.”Steve has also recently started experimentingwith photography inspired by pre-Raphaelitepaintings. It’s an exhaustive method, butthe results are rewarding and it could be anapproach that Steve adopts again in the

future.He said: “It’s a style inspired obviously byLady of Shalott by John Waterhouse. I likedthe style, as it’s quite romantic and Ithought ‘how could I shoot that?’“So I set about creating my own version ofLady of Shalott. The model was shot in astudio, and I photographed the boat on avisit to friends out in Lithuania, as there area lot of those 3at boats still out there. I hadto remember the angle of the picture asthat’s so important when piecing di1erentimages together. “You would have thought that I would havetaken many shots from di1erent angles, butstupid Gubbins, I only took the one shot!Luckily it was just about right. “The background too is from several di1erentlakes and gardens. The front part is from aclient’s house near Ashurst, another sectionwas taken at Sedgwick Park and the rest isfrom a lake in Rusper. I borrowed a lanternfrom a friend and painted in the stone stepsand some of the boat’s decorations, andhad to piece it all together.“It was a huge e1ort and this is my 2rst try

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Above: In Gods Hands is Steve’s favouritepiece of ceramic art, but he is betterknown for this striking yew tree imagesand pavement photographs

‘If I don’t do something about it now I’ll wake updead one morning and be really cross about it!’

Art: Steve Gubbins

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at it, but I’m very pleased with it. I don’t knowwhat will come of it, as this is just for my ownenjoyment and love of photography.”On Steve’s website, there is also a small mention of Steve’s art nude photography. It isnot an area of work he likes to advertise, but itis work he is proud of.He said: “I love the beauty of the female form. Iget as excited about the female form as I dowith a rusty old boat or anything else that interests me and I’ll put as much passion intogetting the shot as always. “Some equate nakedness with sex, but it’s notthe case. This is not page three or glamour

shots, but some cannot di,erentiate – theyclass anything with a naked female as thesame thing. “People are so judgmental and ignorant. If Ispoke to an artist they would understand, butthe general public perception would be di,erent.“Where I go from now, I don’t know. The perceived value of portrait photography hasdropped through the -oor because of easilydownloadable software. Photography is so accessible now, and some people think ‘I cando almost as well as Steve Gubbins so whypay him thousands when I can do it myself?

“They can’t do it as well, nowhere near, andthey will print it out on cheap paper and theimage will disappear within a few months. “But a lot of people don’t want to spend themoney. They love the pictures, cry throughthe slideshow and it comes to the price. Theythink ‘the paper costs this much, the framecosts that much, the ink costs a little bit too,so why does it cost this for the photographs?’“They can’t understand that they are payingfor all the work that goes into creating themost beautiful photos they will ever have.”

For more visit www.stevegubbins.co.uk

Ashley, Jordanne and Alice outside the Y Centre

35

There’s no need to

Feel DownWe tend not to think of Horsham as atown that has an issue with homelessness.Lacking any major problems in society, wecollectively make a big fuss about minor issues, like parking charges rising by 20p orwhether we should spend money on Dxinga town centre fountain.But it may well be that, if not for the YMCACentre on the corner of Albion Way, thesight of a young person sleeping rough onthe streets of Horsham could be a morecommon occurrence.Andy Ide, Project Manager for Sussex Central YMCA, said: “We are always full. Youwouldn’t think Horsham would have a needfor such a place but the demand is high.There are 50 young people here and wehave 12 on our waiting list who are eitherstaying with a family member or are put upin a Bed and Breakfast.“The demand normally peaks around Julyto September when they leave school orcollege and are not doing anything withtheir day. The parents get fed up with themdoing nothing, staying in all day, playing onthe X-Box and say ‘you have to go’.”

For Alice Smith, the )rst night at theY Centre was the worst. Alice is 20-years-old, and has been at the YCentre for six months, after problems athome led to her seeking alternative accommodation.Like the rest of the residents, Alice is fromHorsham, as the Y Centre does not bringpeople from out of the area. She pays £8 a week rent for her room. Thereare 32 self-contained units at the HorshamYMCA with their own cooking facilities andbathroom, as well as eight shared units,where they have their own bedrooms but

share a kitchen and a bathroom. There areanother two emergency beds, so if somebody goes along to the council or social services and has nowhere to go, theycan be put up there for a three week period. But Alice hopes that she will not be at thecentre for the maximum two-year-period. “I was a little bit hesitant about living hereas the Y Centre doesn’t always have thebest reputation. But when you haven’t gotanywhere else to go, you come here and realise it’s not so bad. “The Drst night felt really weird. There wasnothing in my room; it was just empty.Luckily, my family helped me to settle in.“I’m working in retail in the town centre. I’venot been there long but it’s going okay. Iwould like to move out and get my ownplace, but if that doesn’t happen I’m happyto stay here. “You have to keep your head down and stayfocused because at the end of the day youare here for yourself.“Some think the Y Centre is unfair, but we’reall here for a reason and that’s to improveour own situations. “If ever you need a chat, the staB are alwaysthere. They look after you and treat youwell.”

The YMCA was founded in 1844 byGeorge Williams – a worker in the draperytrade in London. Concerned about the welfare of his fellowworkers, he started a prayer and bible studygroup. Gradually, the YMCA grew aroundthe world, with the American organisationeven creating the game of basketball. But over time, the emphasis changed, andin the 1970s the YMCA began to focus onyoung people, dealing mainly with homelessness and unemployment.

Here in Horsham, the Y Centre was built in2006, and three years later Central SussexYMCA came into run it.Andy Ide said: “I was asked by YMCA England,which owns the property, to help developthe Y Centre in Horsham, as at that timethere were some issues with their housing.“They used to do lots of conferencing hereand had the café area as well, but it wasn’tworking that well as Horsham is café centraland crossing the road can be lethal. “Because there is no parking, the conferencingside wasn’t going well, so that went too. “We went to the County Council-run Connexions service, which is now calledFind it Out centres, and they rent oCcespace from us and deliver their service fromhere. The information services we have arenot just for Y Centre residents but the community in general, and not many peopleare aware of that.“We want to make it more of a hub foryoung people. That is why we have broughtother services in, with counselling services,a sexual health clinic, Addaction (drug andalcohol addiction support) drop-in sessions,all here on the ground Eoor.”

Dean McBride has been at the YMCAfor about eight months and is tryingto bring some stability to his life.Two years ago, he joined the Army, but hewas asked to leave after a Dght. He is now18 and is looking for employment. WhenAAH speaks to Dean, he has just been to ajob interview which was arranged throughthe Y Centre, but he hopes to be able to re-join the army in the future.Dean said: “I spent a night at my aunt’shouse and then came here. I was thinkingabout my life. Being in this place can opensome doors and they can help you with job

How the YMCA is helping Horsham’s young people

36

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searching.“I prefer being here to living with my parents, as I like the independence. They’vehelped me with interviews and volunteering work. I’m thinking of doing achallenge with Raleigh International in thefuture too, but right now I just want to 8nda job and hopefully get out of this place.“My aim is to join the military again, as I’vematured since I arrived here.”

Another person planning a Raleigh International challenge is John Chandler.John is 24, and has been living at the Y Centre for nearly a year. “I was sofa sur8ng as my family movedaway and I wanted to stay in Horsham,” saidJohn. I was on a waiting list for a while but Igot the biggest room here so that was a bitof a touch. It’s bad when you are sleepingon sofas as most of my friends were still liv-ing with their parents.“I’m fundraising at the moment to go out toBorneo with Raleigh International. I’vedone the Three Peaks Challenge, walkingthe highest peaks in England, Scotland andWales in less than a day.“One of the other guys in here told meabout Raleigh International, and I spoke toTracey (Wilkes, Engagement and LearningCo-ordinator) and she invited a guy tocome in and talk about it. I was a bit stuck

about what to do with my life, so this getsme away and I hope I will come back freshwith some ideas. “I’d like to be a gardener or a green keeper.I’m going over to Tilgate Park in Crawleyonce a week to get some experience as apark ranger. The Y Centre, through my keyworker, makes me do stu7. If it was down tome, I’d never go to Borneo, but my keyworker nags me to get things done. She’sworse than my mum!”

All of the young people at the Y Centre are allocated a key worker.The key worker will work through a supportprogramme with them and guide them fromdependence to independence.Andy said: “The referrals usually go throughHorsham District Council. If anyone comeshere and says ‘I’m homeless, I have nowhereto live’ we would normally send them toHDC and they would register and go on our

Wayne relaxes in his room at the YMCA

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waiting list. If we have a vacancythey will send a referral list to us.We will then interview people, andas soon as we get a vacancy we willlook to bring them in. They get a fullinduction, and various assessmentsare carried out.“We do have rules. There’s no realcurfew, but we put them in place ifwe need to. Sometimes you have a16-year-old who has just come outof home and all of a sudden theyhave all of this freedom and takeadvantage. Sometimes we givethese young people a curfew just asa duty of care.“There are no drugs or alcohol onthe site, so it’s a dry house, and wedon’t tolerate violence. If the residentsbreak the rules, we work on a warning system. If you persistentlybreak the rules you will eventuallybe asked to leave. “They mustn’t bring the name ofthe YMCA into disrepute, so if theydo cause trouble they will go on to

the warning system. We don’t havetoo many problems here as wedon’t have many neighbours, but ifthey do something wrong in thecommunity they can potentiallylose their accommodation.“They have the opportunities to getthings right. If they get to a certainpoint we would have a multi-agency meeting as we don’t wantto reach the point where a personhas to leave. “A few years ago, we were probablyevicting too many people as ourwarning system was not as robustas it is now. People were gettingevicted for silly things theyshouldn’t have been evicted for.”

You’ll be surprised by theyoung people who live at theY Centre. Last year, six young people therewent to University. Many comefrom good families who simplyclash. Sometimes the young

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residents build better relationships with theirparents once they are here and don’t have tosee them every day.Jordanne Easterbrook has been at the Y Centrefor a year. She said: “Now I have moved out ofhome, my relationship with my family is muchbetter.“I wanted more responsibility and to becomean adult and I’m doing that now. I can go outand do the things that I want to do now. “Everybody in here has a di/erent reason forbeing at the Y Centre and you can go one wayor the other. In some ways being here can make

you or break you. You can succumb to all thestu/ that does go on here or you can be better than that and do what you need to do. “I have a work trial coming up in waitressingand hopefully that will go okay, and I’ve alsotaken part in food hygiene and music production classes here. The Y Centre is goodat helping you build your CV up and 0ndingyou work placements.”

The learning engagement team at theY Centre was set up about a year ago.It was formed with the idea of helping young

people engage in something positive andhelp them develop on to independent living. The idea was to o/er a service to the wholecommunity. Tracey Wilkes, Engagement and Learning Co-ordinator at Central Sussex YMCA, said:“We o/er a range of courses, which can leadto quali0cations, to all young people, and notjust those living here.”“On a Thursday morning, there is a job clubdrop-in with job searching, CV and interviewsupport and general guidance and we welcome anyone to attend that.

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“In the New Year we are holding an intenseweek-long course in association with the,re service, for which there are still placesavailable. “We also have a music production course,and we are trying to support more peopleon things like the Raleigh Internationalscheme. Our Positive Placements schemehelps young people ,nd an apprenticeshipin a workplace or in a volunteering role.”Andy Ide added: “We would like to get theminto work but it is di+cult in Horsham asthere is not much employment here. Theyoften look to Crawley or to the coast. “We also try to get them into education,and that is why we set up the learning engagement team. We try to prepare themfor work or to move them into housing. Ultimately, we would like to see them doingsomething with their day and we do givethem the opportunity to do that.”

Wayne Todman, who is 19 this month,has been at Horsham YMCA for threemonths. He said: “Things were not going so well withmy mum, so it was time to move on. It was aspare of the moment decision. I walked outand was staying with a few mates before I gota place here.

“This place had been a great help with workand bene,ts and things like that. “I was a bit worried when I came here, as Ididn’t know what to expect. It was the ,rsttime I had lived on my own. It was a struggleat ,rst but they are supportive and help youget things going. “I see my mum once a week and I do ,nd iteasier to talk to her, as you appreciate your

Alice Smith has a job in retail and is working towards moving on from the Y Centre

40

time together more.“Now I want to get my head down andmove on as soon as I can. I work as acleaner at a school, just doing ten hours aweek, and Tracey has helped me get on toan apprenticeship course in football coaching at Crawley Football Club.”

The key workers at the Y Centre eachwork with about ten young people.When a young person moves in, the keyworker explains the house rules and what isexpected of them. Then they meet maybe aweek later after they are settled and workon a support plan.Emma Lewis is a student social worker, on awork placement from Kingston University.Emma said: “It’s basically going throughtheir needs, budgeting, work skills and howthey might move on into new accommodation. “You put plans into place and it gives themsomething to work towards. Sometimesthey can get 5ery when they are upsetabout something, but you just manage thesituation and it’s all about communication. “I think the frustrations they have here arethe same as all young people - money, andreaching where they want to be. “So it’s about positive action and planning.Some of the youths in here now are readyto go but there is nothing for them to go to,which is why we are trying to promote theempty homes scheme. “I’ve seen two people move out. When onelad who moved on recently told us he wasgoing, he was beaming. He has gained skillshere and now he can go on and be independent, and that’s very satisfying forus.”

Ashley Evans is trying something alittle di erent.He is an artist who hopes to set up his ownbusiness. With the help of the Y Centre he ishoping to obtain a grant from the Prince’sTrust Enterprise Scheme. The scheme helpsyoung unemployed people establish theirown small business.Ashley, who is 23 and has been at the YCentre for a year, said: “I like it here, but I

keep myself to myself. I’m a bit of a recluse. Ijust sit in my room and draw. “I’m trying to set up my own business, printing T-shirts and posters and 6yers forbands. The sta4 here help me to cope withmoney and budgeting.“I’m 23 so I want to move on but I do feel abit stuck here, which is frustrating. I wantmy own place and I want to move on withmy life. I’m trying to get an enterprise grantthrough the Prince’s Trust, and YMCAhelped me set that up, and that would be astart.”

Moving on is a real issue, so CentralSussex YMCA is looking at the private renting sector.The Association has bid for Lottery fundingto set up an Empty Homes Scheme. Locally,the Horsham Y Centre is linking up withHorsham District Council and West SussexCounty Council to look at empty homes andmove young people into them.If you can help with a property, and wouldlike to discuss the scheme email [email protected]

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Did you know that Saint Nicholas, on whomthe legend of Santa Claus is based, is the patron saint of pawnbrokers?The pawnbroker symbol of three spheres suspended from a bar is based on the fable ofNicholas giving a poor man's three daughterseach a bag of gold so they could get married.Pawnbrokers have not always had the best ofreputations, with some known for o=ering paltry sums for valuable items and charginghigh interest rates. But they’ve come to the aidof many people, including Royalty.Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her jewelleryto >nance Christopher Columbus's >rst voyageto the New World, and in 1338, Edward IIIpawned his jewels to raise money for his warwith France. The practice of pawnbroking is still goingstrong in Horsham.At Sakakini Jewellers, we have been a fully licensed pawn broking for four years. We started because of the recession. We realised that banks were not lending and people were not able to access money theydesperately needed.We lend money based on jewellery value. People come to us and say how much they want and we assess whether the value is in their jewellery. We will use that as our security.

It goes in a safe until the money is paid back.Nine out of ten people are paying back themoney so they are not losing the jewellery. We o=er six month contracts, but they can payit o= at any time. We charge 8% a month,which is the interest rate, and if any one is unable to pay o= the contract after six monthsthey can renew by paying o= the interest.We have had people who cannot a=ord to paytheir electricity bill, so will come in and give ustheir wedding ring, borrow £50 and pay it back a few days later once they’ve been paid. It has cost them £4 to do that. On the rare occasion

that somebody cannot pay the money back,we have an underwriter who purchases thejewellery from us to cover the debt plus the interest, so the customer owes no moremoney. We >nd that a lot of customers are now pawning jewellery they use. They are pawningitems that carry value and can be used to getthem out of a >nancial hole. Of course, some people frown upon pawnbroking. I was at a dinner party once and a guysaid to me ‘how can you live with yourself?You’re basing your business around other people’s misery.’ but we are not doing that at all. I’m basing abusiness around lending money out to someone who can’t go to the bank. We mightbe a last resort but we get people out of trou-ble and we do not charge exorbitant rates.

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1912 & 2012We look back at Horsham a Century ago, and pick

through the highlights of a rollercoaster 2012

How will 2012 be remembered?It’s been a year in which we heard thewords ‘since records began’ more timesthan in any other year since recordsbegan. As a nation we con6rmed that, morethan anything, we like to talk about theweather. Considerately, the weathergave us a lot to talk about.In the spring time, we enjoyed a heat-wave, and found it fascinating thatplaces like Blackpool were supposedlyhotter than some normally exotic

locations. Even if it was just for a day. After the hose pipe bans of spring, itrained all summer. We cared little as wemarvelled in the collective glory of theOlympic Games as we surprised ourselves by putting on a good show!At Christmas, we ignored the fact thatmoney is tight and hit the shops. Wealso spent more money online sincerecords began! In the main, childrenwanted gifts that began with a small ‘i’.It was a good year, although the apparentinability of today’s bands to write

classic Christmas songs ensured thatThe Pogues, Shakin’ Stevens and Sladewere played on constant repeat for another year.We’ve highlighted a few of the storiesthat may be remembered in 100 years’time. For a bit of fun, Jeremy Knight atHorsham Museum has helped us piecetogether the main stories in the town100 years ago as well.1913 was, of course, a year before theoutbreak of The Great War. Let’s hope2013 goes a little better than that...

It’s interesting to see how time can distortmemories. Some aspects of life fade from thememory, whilst some live on and in timetheir inAuence grows. In some instances their actual impact at thetime can come to be somewhat exaggerated.In 100 years, will the world believe that thepeople of 2012 were all going crazy for‘Gangnam Style’ because it has had a billionviews on YouTube?For those who have just thought ‘Gangnamwhat?’ let’s hope not!As time goes by, years tend to be de@ned bya few key events. It’s most likely that a centuryfrom now, historians will view 2012 as theyear London celebrated an Olympics and aDiamond Jubilee during a time of economicdepression. Oh, and it rained a lot.Whatever happens, it’s likely we’ll remembermore about this current era than we rememberof Horsham a century ago. 1913 was verymuch a year that history forgot.1913 is a strange year because of the way history treats it. World War One was about toengulf the world, so the events that occurreda year beforehand tend to be forgotten. It is as if we cannot wait to get in to the real

history, rather than the phoney history. And yet for Horsham, 1913 was an interestingyear. Historically, one of the most signi@cantevents was the closure of Horsham’s last tanyard. The records give conAicting dates forits closure, 1912 or 1913, with William Albery,the 20th century town historian and sadlerwho used the tanned leather, being clearwith a 1913 date. Today, tanning is a lost craft, forgotten apartfrom when you buy dyed leather. But in thetown, tanning was an important industry andone that had its origins in medieval Horsham.It gave its name to an area, a former garage, abridge, a school and a pub, with Tan@eld,Tanbridge and The Tanners Arms. The story of tanning goes back to about 1285when a tanner was recorded living in theMarlpost tithing, an area that would eventually acquire the name Bishopric. By 1426, there were three tanners and a shoemaker in the same area whilst the localbridge was known as Tan-bridge. In the mid-18th Century, tanneries wererecorded in that same area, though the focusof the industry had moved to the Commonon the east side of the town, around what

became Brighton Road.It would have been here that Richard Grazemark’s skin was tanned to make shoeleather in 1790. He was convicted of murderinghis daughter, and following his hanging,Grazemark's corpse was handed over to localsurgeons who carried out a public dissection.Some of his skin was passed to local tannersand made into the soles of footwear for someHorsham residents.There were three tan yards all built along thesame stream The lower one, which existedsouth of the Brighton Road in 1719, closedsometime between 1832 and 1844. This yardwas run by the Ansells, then the Killicks and@nally the Moons, who gave their name toMoon Lane. The next yard to close lay further upstream. Itwas recorded in 1831 but ceased to operatesometime between 1844 and 1876. TheUpper Tanyard to the north of Brighton Roadwas @rst recorded in 1787 and survived until1912 or 1913.The main reason the tan yards were builtnear water is that they required a lot of it andas an industry it smelt, so they were set upaway from where people lived. The operation

44

1913 The Year thathistory forgot

Historical Content by Jeremy Knight of Horsham Museum

The Carfax and East Street (right) a century ago(Pictures courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC)

Horsham in 1913

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itself was highly pungent and used a range of noxious chemicals, originally using pigeon manure, stale urine and large vats to soak o.the hair from the hide before soaking theskins in tanning solution created from oakgalls and bark.With Horsham growing, /rst in the Bishopricarea and then by 1850s colonising the oldcommon, it isn’t surprising that the industrycontracted or moved away.

It had been thought that the last tanyardclosed in 1913 because that is the date givenin William Albery’s chronology. But in 1985,Horsham Museum was given a postcardwhich showed the “debris of the Tannery Fire,Horsham, 28th August 1912”.The West Sussex County Times covered the/re in some depth on 31st August 1912 fromwhich the following extracts are taken.‘The tannery block of buildings till recently in

the occupation of Messrs Gibbings, Harrisonand Co, was completely destroyed, only the cottage and bark barn, which stand betweenthe old Tannery and Brighton-road, beingsaved. ‘Probably there has never been a bigger $re at Horsham, but as the telephone $re call has superseded the $re-bell (at all events at nighttime) most of the townspeople slept through itall in happy ignorance.

46

Probably there has never been a bigger -re at Horsham, but as the telephone -re call has superseded the -re-bell (at all events at night time)most of the townspeople slept through it all inhappy ignorance.In February last year the Tannery buildings weresubmitted to auction by Messrs King and Chasemore, but were not sold publicly, being subsequently disposed of by private treaty toMessrs P Margetson and Co., of Bermondsey. For some time past the new proprietors have beenmaking extensive alterations and improvementsand putting down a good deal of machinery,preparatory to opening a factory for the manufactory of light leathers. Good progress hadbeen made, and it was hoped to start the factory inthe course of a few weeks.Now there remains nothing but ruins. It is statedthat the damage which it is believed is covered byinsurance, will amount to nearly £20,000.’However local residents of Horsham may recallseeing an iron structure on the site of the UpperTanyard till 1982. That structure was taken downand moved to Amberley Chalk Pits where it hasbeen re-erected. But what we do not know is if it closed down inAugust 1912, after the 8re, or if it carried on till1913 when according to Albery the industryceased.

But one date we do know with certainty, thanksto a birth certi8cate, is that of Hammond Innes’sbirth date. The popular author was born on 15thJuly 1913 at 68 Clarence Road.Su7ce to say, Horsham Museum bought his personal collection of all his novels bound in fullred morocco leather, many of them later republications, but each one bound to his highstandards as be8ts a man described by one in-terviewer in 1996 as “a model of old world courtesy and correctness”. They were bought by Charles Traylen of Guildford and subsequently purchased by Horsham Museum Society for the Museum. Inone fell swoop the Museum acquired a collectionof the works by one of Horsham’s famous butforgotten sons. Unfortunately they contain noinscription or mark by the author. In the same month that Hammond Innes wasborn the Horsham YMCA held a Bazaar. Themost bizarre souvenir of the event was a linentable cloth which was given to Horsham museum in 1998. The table cloth had been signed by the town’straders and their signatures were then embroidered in red wool.Also in 1913, a strange shop opened on the second 9oor of 60 West Street whose existencetoday is virtually forgotten but it represents an

‘The popular author Hammond Innes was born on 15th July1913 at 68 Clarence Road’

A Women’s Su�rage group was established in West Street, Horsham

Horsham in 1913

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Qui Vive Corps and founded in 1912by Mrs Florence De Fonblanque fol-lowing on from and in the spirit ofenjoyment experienced by womenwho went on the Woman’s March in1912. The March from Edinburgh to Londonsaw six women complete it, ofwhich at least two became foundingmembers of the Corps.The basic aim was to provide an umbrella type organisation which allwomen su:rage groups could join.At short notice the women could be“mobilised” o:ering its services impartially whenever extra womenwere required to achieve a speci;cpurpose.Although intended to be a nationalmovement it seems to have beenSussex based, issuing orders fromthe Depot at 60 West Street. The organisation took part in thecelebrations of 1918 when women

got the vote, but during the warthey transformed themselves in to asupporting organisation providingjam for the troops. Also surviving from 1913 is ;lmfootage that shows Horsham carnival and Horsham Cricket Week.There were two ;xtures arranged bySussex Cricket Club. On Monday toWednesday, Sussex would playNorthamptonshire and on Thursday,the day of the carnival, they wouldstart another three day matchagainst Lancashire. The Pathé Company was visitingHorsham on Thursday 24th July to;lm the events and show them inthe local cinema, the Central PictureHall in Horsham, where it wasshown repeatedly on the Saturdayand all the following week.For cricketing fans the Lancashire;xture was seen as the match of theseason. Sussex’s ;rst innings was

The Olympia Ice Rink in Horsham was a popular venue inHorsham (Image: Horsham Museum/HDC)

The original Olympia was replaced by a new building in1910.

Also surviving from 1913 is �lmfootage of Horsham Carnivaland Horsham Cricket Week’

48

feeble. They were forced to follow on andthey then scored 322 before dismissing thevisitors for 112 to win by 55 runs.The 1lm shows Horsham decked out in celebratory mood with 2ags and buntingacross the streets. The 1lm was discovered in1983 and the British Film Institute has enabled Horsham Museum to show this veryrare 1lm of county cricket.

So 1913 should not be a forgotten year in thetown’s history.It was a year that saw the closure of a medieval industry, the birth of a leading 20thcentury author, a town bazaar part of a tradition of exhibitions and events to boosttrade and a middle class response to women’ssu0rage. It was also the year that HorshamCricket week was 1lmed.

We’ll wait and see if 2013 can match it formemories…

In the next few pages, AAH looks at the bigstories of 2012. It would seem that the hugenumber of cooking shows on TV is driving alove of great food. That’s particularly evidentin East Street, which is now more than justWest Street’s smaller and less popular relative.

Footage from Cricket Week in 1913, and a table cloth from a YMCA bazaar in 1913 (Images courtesy of Horsham Museum/HDC)

South-East-based car dealership, Lifestyle Europe, isexpanding its leading operations across the region,and is now trading under Ford, Renault, Mazda, Kia,SEAT, Dacia, Subaru and Isuzu. With a 23-strong operation throughout Sussex, Kent& Surrey, Lifestyle has spent the past 11 years build-ing a large network of dealerships, along with highlytrained and experienced sta:. “This past year has been fantastic for Lifestyle, andhas seen our ;ve-brand network expand with SEAT,Kia and Dacia joining our company’s portfolio,” explainsTony Feldon, Lifestyle’s Group Business Centre Manager. “With our name already a recognisable brandthroughout the South, it signals great news for localmotorists, presenting them with an even greaterchoice of vehicle options with even greater value.” Lifestyle Europe’s business ethos is to provide afriendly, familiar service which its customers cantrust and depend on. As well as new and used vehicles for sale, Lifestyle also o:ers full servicing,MOT testing and accident repair facilities, all ap-proved by its retailing manufacturers. Not only this, Lifestyle has also introduced a low-cost Ford rental service, which allows its customersto hire vehicles on a short or long-term basis. For customers looking to buy a car, deciding on the

most suitable vehicle is essential. Lifestyle Europe

invests heavily in sta:training, ensuring

that their

customer’s needs are best met, specifying a vehiclethat is ;t for purpose and provides all the featuresthe client requires. Lifestyle Europe is also a keen supporter of the localcommunity. They have sponsored the TunbridgeWells Half Marathon, raising in excess of £35,000 forcharity. Lifestyle also frequently holds events bene;tting local charities including St. Catherine’sHospice. “At Lifestyle, we believe that being part of the community is integral to our success,” continuesTony. “Through our charity fundraising, our sponsorship and participation in local events, notonly can we help best promote our services, we canalso learn about our customers and help to improvetheir motoring experience.”To ;nd out more about Lifestyle Europe, or to testdrive a new or used Ford, Renault, Mazda, SEAT, Subaru, Kia, Dacia or Isuzu model, please visitwww.lifestyleeurope.co.uk, where full stock, dealer-ship locations and services are available.

You can also visit the Horsham dealership at 53-55 Bishopric or call 01403 254331.

Lifestyle Europe

has it all

‘We believe thatbeing part of the

community is integralto our success’

Your Hearing SpecialistsThe HorshamHearing Centre 22 Worthing Road HorshamWest SussexRH12 1SL

[email protected]

01403 218700

Last month we at Horsham Hearing Centreattended the John Connell Awards at theHouse of Commons. The late John Connell was the founder ofthe Noise Abatement Society. The NASand HearCentres have worked together onan awareness campaign called Love YourEars.The campaign highlights the dangers oflistening to MP3 players for long periodsat high volume.From surveys we have carried out, 96% ofchildren listen to their MP3 players whilstwalking or cycling. Of those,15% were listening for over four hours per day, mostof them without a break. Half of the children surveyed said thatthey listened at a “high” volume. The average listening level was 89dBA. Awards are presented on the night to organisations, individuals and local authorities who have been innovative andpragmatic with regard to noise reduction.Past examples include the introduction ofbroadband warning sounders on vehicles,which is less annoying, more directionaland much safer than conventional singlefrequency high intensity tones from conventional systems. Another example was using a tree plantingstrategy to reduce the sound from a railway line reaching nearby residents. The NAS have pioneered a “Q” mark (Q forquiet) on machinery, similar to the “green”labels for refrigerators and freezers. This symbol is internationally recognisedand has been adopted by leading manufacturing companies throughout theworld such as Lexus, Samsung, Philips,Senheiser and Hitachi across a whole

By Jonathan OrmerodHorsham Hearing Centre

The dangers of MP3 players

range of products including cars, hairdryers,lawnmowers and washing machines.Many young people will have received apersonal stereo as a gift for Christmas, orperhaps are looking to buy one in the January sales. Try and ensure that the onethey choose has an output limiter or you acquire an attenuator for it. Also considerthe “Q” mark when thinking about purchasing an appliance.

The Future is HDSound technology continues to makehuge strides. But hearing aid technology continues toadvance at a fast rate too, and at Hor-sham Hearing centre we have exclusive access to some of the verybest devices on the market.

SeboTek has launched its new range ofHigh De?nition (HD) hearing instruments.The Sebo High De?nition line of instrumentsincorporate various features designed toprovide excellent sound quality, noise reduction, and speech enhancement.Sebo HD helps users enjoy the ?ner thingsin life that they may have been missing;things like conversation with friends andfamily, the sounds of nature, soundsneeded for safety and security and music.We are con?dent that if you try SeboTektechnology you will like what you hear. Do book an appointment to see us. Youwon’t be disappointed! We also o>er ourcustomers a complimentary home visit serv-ice throughout the winter months.

Complimentary Initial Consultation: Call 01403 218700

Young people are listening tomusic for long periods

2012

2012: Tough times, but enterprise and talent

still reaps rewardsEating out in Horsham has never been so good....

The Olympiclegacy lives on...

In Horsham, there has been anotable growth in popularity forsome of the traditionally less popular sports in recent years. Thelocal swimming club, Atlantis, enjoyed one its best ever years,whilst there was also notable development in basketball, volleyball, table tennis and cyclingopportunities for young people inthe district. The commendable Set 4 SuccessAwards, set up by Horsham Rotary,has seen many talented youngpeople such as Thomas Haynes(left), golfer Marco Penge andrugby player Sean Richardson receive money towards their training.

In 2011, The Pass at SouthLodge (main image) became the 8rst restaurant inthe Horsham District to win aMichelin Star. This year itadded four AA Rosettes to itsstar. In East Street, RestaurantTristan won a Michelin Starthis year - a just reward forthe hard work of chef TristanMason. In the whole of Sussex and Surrey, only 8verestaurants have a Michelinstar and Horsham is luckyenough to have two of them.

Following years of headlines but not a great deal ofconstruction, the west of Horsham developmentsprogressed at a rapid rate. On 7th July, Berkeleyopened their new Highwood estate. The other bigpart of the development is at Wickhurst Green, aproject being built by Countrywide Properties. InSouthwater, the housing debate will rumble on into2013, when you can expect the words ‘core strategy’to appear in many more news stories.

Horsham goes west

52

Historic sites in town centre are revitalised...

2012 will not go down as a great year forhigh street retailers. But in Horsham, therestaurant boom continued. Most notably, Bill’s opened at the Old Town Hallin Market Square, following a long andcostly battle between Horsham DistrictCouncil and campaigners. Bill’s was openin time for Christmas and was an immediate success. Ask, an Italian restaurant, successfully took over the former King’s Head Hotel building - another historically important site.

Piazza Italia continues to grow...

Some events fell by the wayside this year. There was no FrenchFest, as its traditional date coincided with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The town’s Christmas decorations, Swan Walkapart, were barely worth remarking upon. But Piazza Italia continued to grow. Now renowned as

one of the best free events in the south of England, the show attracted a record number of Ferraris, which met on the lawn of South Lodge Hotel for the 2rst time.

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2012

Horsham Station was given a muchneeded revamp. The new station wasunveiled by Under Secretary of State forTransport, Norman Baker MP. Fundingfor the improvements was provided bythe NSIP scheme, Southern, NetworkRail and West Sussex County Counciland totalled over £4million.

Whilst many sports clubs enjoyed a great 2012, several groups were hit by the news that Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre was to close. There was adetermined campaign to overturn an intial decision by Horsham District Council, which resulted in the council promising to replace the facility. Without the campaign group, the centre would now be closed.

There’s no such thing as a lost cause...

Railway station given afacelift...and a new cafe!

Rumours of the pub’s demise proved tobe greatly exaggerated. Good food ledto a revival in fortunes for many pubs.The Crabtree in Lower Beeding thrived,whilst the likes of The George andDragon in Dragons Green and Cromptons in Horsham were also successful under new ownership.

Focus on food revivesseveral pubs...

When the News Made Headlines...

The West Sussex County Times opted for a new‘compact’ format, with only its property sectionremaining in broadsheet form. The paper had been a broadsheet since 1869. Editor Gary Shipton was reportedly reluctant tomake the change, but the response to surveys was‘overwhelmingly’ in favour of a new size. Meanwhile, one of the town’s free newspapers,The Resident, changed its name to The DistrictPost. AAH didn’t change its name or its size, butmany people still refer to it as ‘AHA!’ as it givesthem an opportunity to do an Alan Partridge impression.

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54

The ‘£1 Fish Man’ wasn’t theonly market trader to enjoy agood 2012. Many people whohad been made redundant orcould not a9ord retail unit ratesinstead started small, openingup market stalls. It coincidedwith an increasing demand forlocal produce. The two combinedmeant the the town’s markets -particularly the Local ProduceMarket in the Carfax on a Saturday- were bigger andmore popular than they havebeen for many years.

After years of promising to, people actually started to ‘buy local’

Buzzards continued to progress withtheir secret plot to take over Britain.They’ve become so populous that children don’t even comment when onecircles overhead these days. Alarmed atthe rise in buzzard numbers, small rodentsheld an emergency summit and werewarned to be ‘extra vigilant’. Meanwhile,an Osprey swooped in on Warnham Nature Reserve. That last bit is true.

Buzzards’ secret plan progresses...

Image by Darin Smith

‘The thing I love about pantomime is exploring the possibilities you have with a cast and an audience to enjoy yourself’

Michael Neilson

The tax free Personal Allowancewill increase to £9,440 from6th April 2013 which will beneEt most. However, highearners whose income exceeds£100,000 and pensionersqualifying for enhanced ageallowances will not be betteroC.

The amount of income an individual can have beforepaying higher rate tax is alsoset to increase by 1% from2014, with higher rate tax payers beneEtting in 2014/15and being no worse oC thefollowing year. No change wasmentioned in the 45% IncomeTax rate for individuals with income over £150,000.

Increases to child beneEt havebeen limited to 1%. All thosewith an earner in the house-hold, earning more than£50,000, will still lose childbeneEt from 7th January 2013.

For more information contactBryan Elkins on 01403 253282or visit www.spo&orths.co.uk

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Michael: “I remember watching Brian Cant andDerek GriDths when I was about eight, in Aladdin,and that inspired me. I hope children are inspiredby pantomime still today.I’ve been doing pantomime for years. These daysthe runs are shorter. Many years ago I was in apanto that opened in October and closed in March.I remember when we were giving out presents atthe end of the show it wouldn’t be unusual to wishthe audience a happy Easter! The thing I love about pantomime is having fun andexploring the possibilities you have with a cast andan audience to enjoy yourself. That is what sets itapart from plays or musicals. They’re more constricting as you have to stick tothe script. There is much more scope to improvisein a pantomime and you can fool around to a degree. Sometimes the audience even like the lines that fallFat, because they can participate in that too,

laughing at bad lines.This year the cast have all got on great, which is remarkable as there was no audition process. It’sbeen put together by Michael (Gattrell, CapitolGeneral Manager) who has seen most of us perform in other productions. It is very well cast. It’s a very good show, but I’m particularly enjoyingthe ‘hat scene’ develop. In my career, I was luckyenough to work with the likes of Terry Scott,Bernard Bresslaw, Norman Vaughan and Jim Dale,and they always used to explore and allow scenesto develop. We’ve been allowed to do just that withthis scene.When you have three actors on the stage and noneof us have talked about what we might do diCerently in the scene beforehand, but we trustand allow each other the freedom for the scene todevelop each night, then that is special.By January 6th we’ll have it just right– we can go ontour with it!”

‘When you can hear a

kid laughinguncontrollably, you know you’re

doing your job right’

Meet the cast of this year’s wildly successfulpantomime at the Capitol, Snow White...

58

Daisy: “I always try and pick up things from thepeople I am working with but I don’t think thatever really stops in this business. No matter howlong you’ve been in it, you want to be a sponge.But I’ve never worked with a director likeMichael before. He is so relaxed, and it creates abetter environment. The pantomime is betterbecause of it. Normally with a panto it feels like a dot-to-dot.you stand here, do this, do that, and it’s over.There’s no real love in the production of theshow. But it is di2erent here because Michaelhas written it.A lot of us are commuting to Horsham for the

show, but I love the town. I was in Darlingtonlast Christmas on my own, and that was hell!Horsham is heaven compared to that. My personal highlight is ‘Let Me Be Your Star, asit gives me goose pimples. I like meeting theaudience too. After one show, I got a messageto say some girls wanted to meet me. I went tosee them after the show and they were a bitshocked to see that I have blonde and not darkhair. One girl said it was her 3rst pantomime,and she cried at the end. When I spoke to her itreminded me how I used to feel about pantomime. I said to her ‘It might be you oneday’. You never know who you might inspire.”

Bradley: “Pantomime can, in a sense, testyour skills as an actor more than a conventional play or musical. You are notjust singing, dancing or acting, you areconstantly gauging and responding tothe audience.Some people think panto is easy, but youhave to listen and work hard to get itright.It’s a lovely theatre at the Capitol, andthere’s a lot of care given to the showhere. Some pantos are put on by production companies that come intotheatres. They’re okay, but they can bevery formulaic, and once you’ve seen oneyou have pretty much seen them all. But Michael and his team here seem tocare about every aspect, especially uscast members, and it makes for a betterexperience for us and the audience.The audience can react di2erently witheach night. The 3rst few nights we play toschool children and big groups of brownies and cubs, and they do not pickup on a lot of the adult humour. They like the silliness, falling on your bum- anything that is physical they enjoy!My personal highlight, as a singer, isbeing given the opportunity to close ActOne with a great song. I also have a lovelyduet right at the end with Daisy. Usually a pantomime ends on a big ensemble number but Daisy and I sharethis lovely duet, another song thatMichael chose, and it’s just so nice. It cements that love story. We come o2 thestage every night and it feels wonderful.”

‘They were a bit shockedto see that I have blondeand not dark hair’

Daisy Wood Davis

Group Discussion

Bradley Clarkson

‘We come off the stage every night and it feels wonderful’

Jane Deane

‘If a child enjoys it there is more likelihoodof them coming to the theatre again’

Jane: “I remember watching Cannon and Ball at the Palace Theatre in Manchester when I was about 13, breaking platesand just causing utter chaos. I remember watching that andthinking, I want to do that! I think the reason why pantomime is still so popular is it sticksto a formula but is always evolving. You add modern pop songsfor the kids, new popular culture and TV references, and that iswhat keeps it fresh and interesting. It is often the -rst experience of the theatre for children, so ifthey enjoy it there is more likelihood of them coming to thetheatre again. They might even want to become performersthemselves, so long may it last!This year, I can stay at home and commute, and that has made adi,erence to me. It’s nice to go home to your own stu, andyour own bed rather than decamp to the other end of the country. I also like it that everyone in the cast has been given the chancein this show to bring whatever their skill is to the table. It givesyou a feeling of ownership, as we are all contributing to the production in our own way.My favourite thing about the pantomime, and it sounds cheesybut it’s true, is the reaction of the kids. When you hear them laughing uncontrollably, you know you are doing your job right.I love that sound of a kid just losing it!There is a particularly messy scene and during one of the showsfor children with special needs I could hear this laugh boomingout across the theatre, it was beautiful. That’s what it is all aboutfor me.”

‘I’ve had a bit of heckling. Someone shouted out ‘Come on Slater!’

Gillian Wright

60

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Gillian: “EastEnders give four people each year time out to dopantomime, and I did really wantto do it this year. Some people doit for the money, but I just lovetheatre. I remember seeing my mum in anamateur dramatics productionwhen I was young. I was sittingwatching my mum be completelydi0erent on stage, and I was inawe of her. The audience werebooing and hissing my mum andapparently I stood up and said‘don’t you be horrible to my mum!’I remember being amazed at howsomebody could transform themselves. Everything about herwas not my mum.On the 1rst night of Snow White,like any show, I was nervous. I was thinking ‘will I remember my lines?’I’ve had a bit of heckling here atthe Capitol too, which is fun.Someone shouted out ‘Come onSlater!’Pantomime requires a lot of skill.Some people in the business put it down and there’s a negativeattitude towards it. But they arepeople who have never done it. I’ve staying in Horsham during therun. I like to take the opportunityto explore new areas and I have adog with me so I take him out. Thepeople here are very friendly andthe market is lovely too.I think out of all the aspects of theshow, I’m enjoying the storytellingthe most. I’ve played a lot of fairiesin the past, and they are actuallyquite lonely parts. Playing theWicked Queen means I’m an integral part of the story, and I’menjoying that as I feel more involved.”

We have featured the CoCo’s Foundation before.But we return to it once again, simply as it’ssuch an unusual young charity that continues to learn and develop.It began with a small team of hairdressersfrom CoCo’s salons in Southwater, Billingshurst and Maidenbower, taking abreak from gossiping about X Factor whilsthighlighting hair.Led by CoCo’s owner Chris Connors, a manwho admitted before his ;rst trip to Africathat he “didn’t particularly like children”,they changed the lives of orphans whoselives had been decimated by AIDS.Male and female hairdressers, many ofthem teenagers, walk miles to fetch waterso they can mix cement, keeping a look outfor Black Mamba snakes as they go. Afterextensive bricklaying training, they thensource the materials needed to build vital

new facilities for the community.For the people of the African village ofUbombo, they are unlikely saviours. Theyare the A-Team, but rather than a team ofmulti-skilled war veterans on the run fromthe military police, they are mainly youngpeople skilled at hair extensions and with agood knowledge of which colours wouldenhance your facial complexion. Remarkably though, they get the job done,learning as much about themselves as theydo about the building trade.They return as better people. Not only dothe hairdressers learn life skills; they learnlife lessons too. Having been through so much together, the employees also build up a rapport of the like that most of us will nevershare with work colleagues.Chris said: “It started when one of our styl-ists, Ed Purdew, said he would like to go toAfrica to work with children, so we sat

down and worked out a plan, and quite afew of the young hairdressers expressed aninterest.“We linked up with a charity called Food 4Africa, who feed 17,000 children in SouthAfrica a meal every single day. We found asuitable project and the youngsters raised£10,000 to build a trauma centre for orphans.”Since then, the charity, led by Chris, Ed andDebs Spraget, has come on leaps andbounds. After numerous trips to Africa, theCoCo’s Foundation has built a halfwayhouse, a reservoir, a chicken house and upgraded a bakery so the villagers can sellbread to the community.In May, a team of 26 volunteers then constructed a Child Care Centre, which isnow used as a Community Centre.But now, the Foundation is changing. TheChild Care Centre was the biggest projectyet carried out by the charity. But because

‘If we stick to that recipe of food,

shelter and water we can help an awful lot of people’

62

of a change in policy by the SouthAfrican government, it is not beingused as it was originally intended.Children are being removed fromsuch privately run centres, and arebeing placed with members oftheir extended family or new foster parents. So instead the centre is used as a village hub,hosting after school classes and aSunday school.Chris said: “Initially I was devastated to hear that the childrenwould be split up and would begoing to foster homes or their extended family. “Firstly, I wondered what wouldhappen to the children, and secondly, would the building beused? It was hard for me, as youbuild up a relationship with thechildren and they feel almost likefamily.“But it was reassuring to know thatthe actual centre itself isn’t goingto waste as the community uses itnow. It’s also positive that theSouth African government arelooking at the child’s best needs. “If they go into foster care, thenthat is a good thing as the fosterparents have to show they canprovide a good home, as they

would over here. But the challengefor us now is when they go to anextended family member, can thenew family cope?”With this question in mind, Chrishas switched the focus to providingsmall homes with water suppliesfor those most in need. He has also realised the importanceof allowing the African people tohelp themselves, and the charity istaking a new direction. “The CoCo’s Foundation is nowhelping them build their ownhomes,” he said. In late 2011, shortly after the Foundation was founded, Chris visited the homes of child headedfamilies and set about helping thethousands of orphans in theKwazulu Natal region of SouthAfrica.Chris said: “We met with the‘Gogos’, who are the grandmothers,as they knew where the childrenthat were in the most desperateneed lived. The Gogos are holdingup rural Africa, as almost an entiregeneration has been wiped out byAIDS.“Saziso, an African social worker Ihad been introduced to, said theywere a little nervous of me, but he

Chris Connors and his close CoCo’s colleagues set up the foundation

CoCo’s Foundation

had explained that he had brought mealong from the CoCo’s Foundation to helpthe children. “They started to pray and sing. It alwaysamazes me how rhythmic African peopleare. Their voices are so beautiful and theyhave perfect timing. There was great laughter, so I asked Saziso what they werelaughing about and he said that they hadasked if I was single!“We stayed and talked for an hour andonce we had found out where the mostdesperate children were living it was timeto leave. “We arrived at a house where three boyslived with their mother and father and oneorphan. But following the death of themother’s sister, they were expecting another three boys who were now orphansto arrive. “The father of the house was shy and nervous. Saziso told me the man wasashamed of his house and that the familyhad not eaten for a few days. “We handed out a food parcel and the mannodded politely, I asked how he was goingto cope with another three children. Hesaid he wouldn’t be able to.”But at that time, the CoCo’s Foundationcould not build a new house for this man,called Jabulani. Instead, they built a housefor a Gogo and 20 children in her care. Since then, another group of volunteershave been back to build the man and hisfamily a house. Chris said: “When I went back to see thefamily, I walked up to the man and asked ifhe remembered me. He looked to the 4oorand said ‘Yes Sir’. I said ‘my name is not sir,it is Chris. I asked for his name and he said‘Jabulani’. I said ‘I want to help you build ahouse of your own.’“Every day when I arrived, Jabulani shookmy hand and said ‘good morning’ andevery night he shook my hand and said‘Siyabonga’ (we thank you). I don’t think Ihave ever seen a man grow so much withpride as every brick was laid down. “Near the completion of his house, anothertwo houses were needing some 3nishingtouches, so I asked him if he would like to

64

give us a hand. He said ‘yes’ and he took asmuch time over their houses as he did hisown.“I’ve now given Jabulani the chance to buildhouses in the future for us. “Two days before we were due to leave, welooked at a couple of other houses and Jab-ulani came with us. One house had agrandma and granddad, whose daughterhad died and left behind an eight-year-oldand a six-year-old. “The building was horri>c, and it got mequite emotional. But I was happy, as I knewthat in a couple of months we were going tohave >nished a new house for them and thatthe old people would live to know that afterthey die the children are going to be safe.“The best thing about it was that I knew Iwouldn’t even need to be there. I would beback in the UK cutting hair, as Jabulani isgoing to build it.” It is part of the long-term aim in making justsome families in most need self-su=cient. Chris said: “To be self-su=cient they need tohave those basic needs of food, water andshelter >rst. When we say food, it’s not amatter of buying it and putting it in the mi-crowave for two minutes. You have to makea >re and collect wood and water – it takesall day!”“So as well as building new homes, we havealso provided a new JoJo water tank foreach of the new homes, and we are givingthem seedlings to grow their own food.“This is the future for us, and it feels right.You are ?exible, moveable and there are allthese houses you are going to be buildingwith the help of the African people them-

selves.“There’s a clear change in how we are usingthe money. We are teaching them to lookafter themselves.“I still don’t know if I have it right, and I’m always learning. It’s fantastic that the CoCo’sFoundation is growing, but if we stick to therecipe of those three things – food, shelterand water - we can help an awful lot of people.”The CoCo’s Foundation would like to say ahuge ‘thank you’ to the members of SalonSuccess for donating two houses and to the10 volunteers on the most recent trip. TheFoundation warmly welcomes volunteers,who are asked raise £2200 for the trip. Byraising only £3,000 companies too can payfor a whole house and have a plaque placedon the building.

The CoCo’s Foundation also runs Mama Deb’sFeeding Programme which is a £1 monthlydonation and the Clothes for Clothes programme which is well supported by localschools and organisations.Chris said: “You’ll never get a thank you fromme, or a card saying you’re wonderful. There’sno administration fee taken by us, the wholepound will go directly to feeding the kids.Every card or email takes something away from that. “You can just log on to the website to seewhat’s happening with your money.”

If you would like to )nd out more about donating or volunteering for a trip to SouthAfrica with the Foundation, speak to Ed at

Coco’s, 39 High Street, Billingshurst, call 01403784848 or visit

www.cocosfoundation.co.uk

‘You build up a relationship with the childrenand they feel like family’

The story of just one CoCo’s volunteer...My name is Sarah Dover-McCarthy. Some ofyou may know me from previous articles inAll About Horsham as I am a local business-woman and owner of Total Therapy Studios inHorsham.However, this is a di<erent story of mineabout my trip to Africa.My journey began when I was having a discussion with a group of my friends aboutcharity work, and that I was keen to do some-thing that I would >nd challenging but wouldbene>t people, not just in a >nancial way but

on a personal level. My closest friend Jacki called me and saidthat her hairdresser had spoken to her abouttheir charity and were soon to be takinggroups out to South Africa to help with building projects in a local community, anddid I fancy going with her on their next trip?I particularly liked the fact that they were alocal charity and in their relative infancy,therefore it could be something that I could bepersonally involved with both locally andoverseas.

Continued on Page 65...

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We needed to raise money tofund a house that we weregoing to build for a family inMeselini in South Africa, whodid not currently have a safeenvironment and for their ownchildren and their nieces andnephews who had lost theirparents. We came up with the idea ofputting a covers band togetherwith our musical husbands andone of our oldest schoolfriends for a one night only ex-clusive charity gig – The Copy-wrights was born.We sold over 100 tickets andraised £1700, then held another event in June 2012which raised another £1500.With the additional help ofsome Smarties tubes and thechildren at Brook School in Maidenbower, we were ready.The trip itself could take up abook, but it was one of themost memorable experiences Ihave ever had. In two shortweeks I experienced so manyhighs; fabulous company,laughter until I thought I wouldburst, pure joy in children’ssmiles and song, giving safetyand happiness to people whohave so little, nature at its absolute 6nest including elephants and moths the sizeof my head, and 6nding somuch joy and contentment insuch simple pleasure such as a

7ushing toilet and a hotshower.At the other end of the spectrumthere were heart-breaking lows.Seeing children who have nofamily, people struggling to6nd food, water and medicine,houses that were no biggerthan my bedroom unsafe fromthe elements or others, andhorri6c stories of abuse, HIV,AIDS and survival.Being out there in the thick ofit all made what we were doingout there all the more meaningful as you could seeand feel the di5erence that theCoco's Foundation were making to people’s lives. We had built a house fromnothing, painted and everything, we even made a vegetable patch and 6ttedhuge water butts for the family to have their own waterand by the time we left ourfamily could move in. Our last day was the day thattouched me the most. We always say that people’seyes say so much, and I havenever seen such happiness inso many people’s eyes as I sawon that last day. It is an image that will stay withme forever and I hope to createthese feelings again for othersby continuing to support thefoundation in years to come.

CoCo’s FoundationContinued from Bottom of Page 64

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The ‘things you probably didn’t know about Horsham that are really quite interesting’ page...

A top of the range home in town in the 1930’s cost

less than £1,000The AAH editor recently received some promotional material from Berkeley homes,promoting the new Highwood estate in thewest of Horsham.Property developers and estate agents promote a language all of their own. Theyhave a unique and unappreciated skill in extracting positive aspects of a propertyand its neighbourhood. They can exaggerating their importance until thehome and its surroundings are transformedinto a Narnia of wonder and happiness.This comes from a promotional booklet onHighwood: “It is a place where traditionallystyled homes, attractive street scenes, a village pond, the hub of the green and a village square come together to create aplace where people are connected to oneanother through friendship, a shared set ofEnglish values and family aspirations.”Simply brillliant! But the art of property promotion is a long and proud tradition. Horsham Museum has in its collection a series of photographs, postcards, prints,sale notices and advertisement leaAets donated to the town by the Cramp family.

Within the collection are original notices forDavis Estate houses built in Rushams Road inthe 1930s. It makes for interesting reading.One notice reads: ‘In the midst of the delightful country, famous for its woodedhills, and noble grandeur, lies Horsham, oneof the most interesting and historic townsin the South of England.’There were several di?erent types of homebuilt by Davis Estates Ltd. The H.20 type ofhouses were put on the market at £565 for aterrace home and £590 for an end of terracehome. For a semi-detached home youwould have to pay out another £15.Two types of bungalows were also o?eredfor sale. The notices state that ‘their originalplanning combines maximum interior comfort with a particularly pleasing appearance.’ The Type HB.25 bungalow with two bedrooms cost £620 and the three bedroom home cost £645. This most expensive option could be bought withweekly repayments of 15/2.Other types of home included the TypeH.43 semi-detached homes at £685 or 16/1

per week, the H.19 semi-detached home at£695 and the H.42 semi-detached homeswith two reception rooms at £765. The largest homes on the new Davis Estatewere the H.9 homes, which have four bedroom sand two reception rooms. Theycost £985, with weekly repayments from23/2.The way properties were described haschanged little since the 1930s. The Davis Estate notice says ‘the discerning homeseeker will immediately recognise the unquestionable value o?ered in this modern house, containing three excellentbedrooms and well-proportioned livingrooms.’The kitchen is ‘inspired by’ knowledge of thehousewife’s needs... so ‘planning of this excellent room has provided for maximume@ciency’.Cars were beyond the means of most peo-ple at that time, so the property companyo?ered a free car to take those interesting inbuying a home to the estate for a closer inspection.

Notices from the Davis Estate in Horsham reveal the price of new Horsham homes 75 years ago

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AAH January 2013

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