Rubbish Collections

Mid Sussex District Council is reminding residents that rubbish and recycling collections remain the same throughout the Easter holiday period.

Over Easter – Good Friday 2 April to the Bank Holiday on Easter Monday 5 April – refuse and recycling collection days remain unchanged. If the usual collection day is a Friday or Monday, it will remain on Friday or Monday. The Council’s optional garden waste collection service also remains unchanged.

Mid Sussex District Council keeps the service consistent as much as possible. This enables residents to plan for the service with minimal inconvenience.

Residents are asked to ensure that bins are at the edge of properties at the point nearest the highway by 7am on the day of collection. Bin lids should be fully closed to enable safe collection.

For more information please call 01444 477440, email wastematters@midsussex.gov.uk or visit www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling.

Downland Churches Easter collection

The Mid Downland Churches are collecting the following goods for Family Support Work.

 

Please leave items inside our church for collection on Wednesday.

 

    Household items:

 
Washing up liquid, Multi Surface Cleaner, Bleach, Toilet Rolls, Pan Scourers
     Toiletries:


Shower gel, Shampoo/Conditioner, Shaving cream, deodorant
     Food:

 

UHT milk, tea, coffee, Weetabix, Microwave Rice, Instant Noodles, Biscuits

Tinned products ideally with ring pull
Tins of Tuna, Fruit, Rice Pudding, Meat, Soup & Vegetables

Census Day

Census Day was on Sunday (21st March)  though many people had already completed their forms, online and on paper, across the country, and many more did so over the weekend.  I don’t know precisely how many, nor the split between online and paper, and won’t get that level of detail but overall I’m confident it’s going well.

The Census Field Officers have now started working. They will be calling at people’s homes from whom we have not received a completed census.  That should avoid anyone who completed theirs online on Census Day and if one is still in the post the officer will annotate the record and not call back until time has passed for that form to be received and processed.  They will not be completing forms there and then with householders – I’ve previously mentioned that they will observe social distancing and never enter a house – but will be able to offer a wide range of support and advice, including arranging for replacement unique access codes, paper forms if they are needed and answering specific questions.  They will also be able to point householders towards sources of help to actually complete the census with people who are struggling to do so themselves.

For those who need help and support there are a range of resources:-

  • There’s the Census contact centre which can be contacted on 0800 141 2021 (or text via 86677) or 0800 587 2021 for those who need language support, Both are freephone numbers.
  • There’s a lot of information at https://census.gov.uk/.  There isn’t a search function but it is logically arranged and the guidance is very clear.  I’ve been able to find answers to almost all my questions there.
  • Text relay service: (08001) 0800 141 2021
  • Census Support Centres. There are number situated in libraries within Adur, Worthing, Chichester and Arun districts, as well as one in Crawley, all currently operating on a booking system. Unfortunately there are none in either Horsham or Mid Sussex. You can  find you nearest one via the Census website or by calling 0800 141 2021

And for those who aren’t sure why or how  the Census is of benefit to all:

The results from the census will shed light on the needs of different groups and communities, and the inequalities people are experiencing, ensuring the big decisions facing the country following the pandemic and EU exit are based on the best information possible, through the anonymised answers provided.

The ONS will never share personal details and no-one, including government bodies, will be able to identify you in census statistics. Personal census records will be kept secure for 100 years, and only then can future generations view it. If people do not complete their census, they may have to pay a fine of up to £1,000. 

 

Easter at Poynings Holy Trinity Church

How about letting your children help decorate Poynings Church to celebrate Easter?

Well, they can, CLICK HERE to find out how! (you will need to go to the site for the link to work.

March South Downs Newsletter

Click HERE to see the March South Downs National Park newsletter

Lent Lunch 2021


You are warmly invited to a Lent Lunch

This is a simple meal of soup and a bread roll delivered to your home

 

 

Date: 1 April Time: lunchtime

Venue : your own home

Normally during Lent we try and give up something but this year we have all given up so much already let us make it about GIVING.

 

We will give you soup and a roll and if you can give a donation to the church and /or FSW. A portion of delicious homemade soup and a bread roll will be delivered to you ready for you to reheat. Let us know if you have any allergies.

 

You make also like to give a random act of kindness and make a donation on behalf of a friend or neighbour in the parish and we will deliver soup to them with a card (either anonymously or with your name on).

 

When you receive your soup delivery it will also be an opportunity to give us any cans or packets lurking at the back of the cupboard and we will pass these onto to FSW to help struggling local families.

Please email email lucy.newtimber@icloud.com.

or phone 01273 831877 with your name and address, how many people will be at home with you and the address of any other person you will be making a donation on behalf of.

Donations can be given in cash on the day or by Bank transfer to Mid Downland Parish CAF Bank Sort Code 40 52 40 Account Number 00010836 or Pay Pal

Then have a look in your cupboards and if you have any of the following items spare, put them ready to be picked up when your soup is delivered.

Household items:

Washing up liquid, Multi Surface Cleaner, Bleach, Toilet Rolls, Pan Scourers

Toiletries:

Shower gel, Shampoo/Conditioner, Shaving cream, deodorant

Food

UHT milk, tea, coffee, Weetabix, Microwave Rice, Instant Noodles, Biscuits

Tinned products ideally with ring pull

Tins of Tuna, Fruit, Rice Pudding, Meat, Soup and Vegetables

Council to introduce more meadow areas

MSDC to introduce more meadow areas

Mid Sussex District Council plans to create more meadows areas in local parks and open spaces this summer to encourage native insects, wildlife and grassland species to thrive.

Areas of open space in nearly 30 locations across Mid Sussex will be set aside and left to grow throughout the summer as part of the national Blue Campaign. This builds on a trial across a small number of sites last year and residents will be able to spot the protected areas because they will each be marked with a blue heart symbol.

A recent study by the Wildlife Trust suggests that 90% of lowland grassland has been lost in the 20th Century, areas that form an essential part of the UK’s ecological infrastructure. It is this dramatic decline in biodiversity and biomass that led wildlife film maker Fergus Beeley to create the Blue Campaign, a conservation project, which aims to rewild areas across Great Britain by letting grass grow naturally.

Councillor John Belsey, MSDC Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said:

“Biodiversity restoration is about so much more than wildflowers, it’s about restoring habitats that support so many different species.

“By letting the grass grow, native wildflowers begin to emerge, and they provide a natural canopy for smaller creatures like short tailed field voles, crickets and grasshoppers. Various types of beetle and caterpillar will start to feed off the native wildflowers and in turn, they will support families of growing blue tits.

“The Blue Heart Campaign is such a positive move towards increasing biodiversity in the UK and I’m delighted that we will be playing our part at Mid Sussex District Council. Over the next couple of weeks, we will begin roping off the identified areas to stop them being cut but the ropes will be removed as soon as the areas become established.

“If you’d like to find out more about rewilding and increasing biodiversity in the UK, just visit www.bluecampaignhub.com or email parksopenspaces@midsussex.gov.uk.”

Don’t forget to fill in your Census

Census reminders will start to arrive next week and the field officers will begin their work on Tuesday, following up with households that have not returned their questionnaire.

We would like to clarify our guidance on what a member of the public should do if they are concerned that the person on their doorstep is not a genuine census official:

•    Census officers will carry an ID card with their photograph and name

•    Census officers will work through the day to make contact with residents but will not call before 09:00 or after 20:00

•    Census officers will never ask for money or bank details

•    Census officers will never need to enter someone’s home

•    Census officers will have census leaflets and paper questionnaires with them

•    If the householder is still concerned, they can ring the contact centre for further advice:

o    England 0800 141 2021

o    Wales 0800 169 2021

________________________________________

Second Homes

As you are only too aware, the census is a count of population and housing and it is crucial everyone is counted in Census 2021 – that includes people who might be living in a holiday or second home during the pandemic.

It is important that we have a separate census return for both someone’s usual and second residence (used for whatever purpose) as local services will still be required at both addresses.

If the pandemic has changed where a person is currently living, for example if they are staying at what they might have classed as a second address prior to lockdown restrictions, they will still need to complete a census form for both households.

Whichever address you regard as your usual residence, you will be asked to complete a full set of census questions. For the other address you will be asked questions about the household as well as basic visitor questions, if someone is staying there on 21 March 2021.

For more information about completing the census for holiday homes or second homes, and how you can request online access codes, head to census.gov.uk.

Download delight!

More than 80,000 downloads from the West Sussex eLibrary in February

 

West Sussex residents are making the most of their West Sussex eLibrary service with an incredible 80,000 downloads in February 2021 – double the number of downloads in the same month last year!

The figures show that residents have welcomed the increased eLibrary offering from West Sussex Libraries, helping residents easily access ebooks, magazines and other materials during the pandemic.

February saw more than 80,000 downloads from the extensive eLibrary (including ebooks, eAudio, eMagazines and eComics) compared to 40,000 in February 2020 – a staggering 100% increase.

This is also reflected when comparing annually year on year, as ebook usage is up 235%, eAudio borrowing is up 100%, eMagazines are at 80% and eComics at a massive 500%.

Alongside the rising popularity in borrowing digitally, last week, West Sussex Libraries moved their eLibrary to the popular Libby app provided by Overdrive.

Libby is easy for first time users and offers a tailored collection of eBooks and eAudiobooks, including bestsellers and new releases on a variety of topics.

Readers of all ages can select from virtually every subject ranging from crime, romance, thrillers, children’s, business and more.

The service is compatible with all major computers and devices. Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period and there are no overdue charges.

Duncan Crow, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue and Communities, said: “Since the start of the pandemic, residents across the county have been discovering our eLibrary for the first time. Many have been downloading eBooks for their children, listening to audiobooks on their daily walks or saving themselves a trip to the newsagents and downloading magazines or newspapers.

“We quickly saw the increasing use in this service and decided to invest in providing many more titles that people can borrow digitally. We hope that the new Libby app makes the experience of reading or listening to items online even more enjoyable and the service can’t wait to hear how users are finding the experience.”

Libby’s eBook reader makes it easy to customise how you read. Users can adjust an eBook’s font size, book layout, and lighting. As they read, they can also add bookmarks, create notes and define words. It is intuitive, user-friendly and a great way to access the West Sussex eLibrary.

Find out more about how to download Libby at the West Sussex Library Service website www.westsussex.gov.uk/elibrary.

Possible stray cat

Is this anyone’s cat? It has spent a lot of time in Mill Close in the last few months looking for food.
If it’s yours can you let me know, so I can pass it on that it is fine, just likes lots of food .
I have to say, it doesn’t look very happy with me for putting this message out!

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