Road Closure. Muddleswood Road to Church Lane roundabout.

The A281 Henfield Road in Poynings (Muddleswood Road to roundabout) is due to be closed on Tuesday 14th March and Wednesday 15th March 2023 for Carriageway Patching. An alternative route for traffic will be signed on site. These works are weather dependant.

Poynings Parish Council meeting

The next meeting of Poynings Parish Council has been moved from Wednesday March 8th 2023 to Monday March 6th 2023.

Agenda to follow nearer the time.

Kind regards

Colin Warburton
Clerk

New NHS certified digital weight management service available free to people in West Sussex

A new digital weight management service is being offered by West Sussex County Council free to access for people who live or work in the county.

The programme aims to support people to lose weight and maintain their health. People will be given help to sustain healthy habits and achieve self-selected goals through access to education, recipes, on-demand exercise classes, group and one-to-one coaching.

The Council’s Public Health department is funding access to the ‘Gro Health’ app in response to growing numbers of people who are overweight or obese, in addition to a range of existing funded weight management services available via West Sussex Wellbeing and the NHS. Gro Health will offer an additional local programme for those wanting access to free digital support who do not qualify for the NHS digital weight management offer. The number of adults who are overweight or obese in West Sussex has increased from 61.6% in 2019/20 to 63.8% in 2020/21 and 23.3% were classified as being obese.

Gro Health can be accessed online using a phone, tablet or computer, without the need to download any special software. The service can also be accessed via free apps available for both iPhone and Android for those who wish to download them.

It is the first time that people in West Sussex have been offered free access to such an innovative digital service for weight management without a GP referral.

Bob Lanzer, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing at West Sussex County Council, said: “We are excited to be offering this clinically proven, free weight management app at a time of year when many people decide they want to make changes to improve their health and wellbeing. As the programme provides personalised support for up to 12 months and is available in 19 languages, we can help support more people across West Sussex to lose weight and maintain their health in the longer term.

“It is central to the commitment outlined in Our Council Plan for us to help people maintain and improve their health and wellbeing through advice and support.

“The Gro Health app is one of a range of options we provide to support people who want to lose weight. Our West Sussex Wellbeing weight management service also offers tailored weight management programmes with a Wellbeing advisor for those who prefer a non-digital approach.”

Michaela de la Fosse, Operations Manager at DDM Health, providers of the Gro Health app said: “We are delighted to support people in West Sussex with Gro Health. The service has been co-developed with clinicians and residents to support their journey to a healthy weight and improve mental health. I can’t wait to see the impact of our programme to the residents of West Sussex.”

Gro Health has been shown to support people to lose weight, improve their mental health, reduce medications and even reverse conditions such as prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. 

In one study, on average, people completing the programme report an average weight loss of 6.9kg, or 6.5% of their starting weight[1].

In another study, after 12 weeks’ of app use, people using the app reduce their stress levels by 23% and anxiety levels by 31%.[2]

People can check their eligibility and access the Gro Health service through the West Sussex Wellbeing website.

[1] Saslow L, Summers C, Aikens J, Unwin D. Outcomes of a Digitally Delivered Low-Carbohydrate Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Program: 1-Year Results of a Single-Arm Longitudinal Study. JMIR Diabetes 2018;3(3):e12

[2] Summers C, Wu P, Taylor A. Supporting Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Digital Behavior Change Intervention: An Open-Label, Single-Arm, Pre-Post Intervention Study JMIR Form Res 2021;5(10): e31273

  • The Tier 2 Weight Management Service is available in Gro Health, a digital platform developed by DDM Health.
  • DDM Health has already helped more than 1.8m people to improve their health by offering online support and advice. Visit https://ddm.health for more information.
  • DDM is recognised by the Healthcare UK/Department of International Trade as a Top 100 Digital Health Company.
  • Gro Health is available on the web, iOS, Android, smart watch, Fire TV, voice-activated assistants and smart speakers.
  • Gro Health is certified by the NHS (DTAC-certified) and the highest-rated health app in the UK (Orcha, 97%).
  • For more information, visit https://www.GroHealth.com or search for Gro Health in the App Store.

Look after yourself

If you’d like to make positive changes to your physical health this year, check out West Sussex Wellbeing for help and information on a range of topics and to find out what support is available near you including:

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, POYNINGS – January 2023

Firstly can we take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, healthy, hopeful and peaceful 2023.

As we write the Church has been transformed into a theatre, ready for the village pantomime  ‘Snow White and some Dwarves’, it is a reminder what a great space our church is.

There have been 2 funerals since our last news, Les Pask, who lived in the village for many years before moving to Steyning;  he had served as a member of the PCC. It was lovely to welcome back his family with his grandchildren who have fond memories of always being allowed to ring the church bells and indeed as he left the church, they rang the bells once more. We then heard the sad news of Malcolm Glover’s sudden death. Nikki arranged a beautiful service with many from the village attending.

Our normal services have taken place on the 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month, many have commented how they are enjoying the bells ringing as they arrive, with many thanks to the Tonkin family.  In October we had a wonderful harvest collection which was delivered to The Family Support Work team for their food bank and in November, held a very moving All Souls Service.  Also in November we were pleased to welcome visitors from Church House in November to enjoy our new warm pews. 

Maintaining our church remains a challenge and we have noticed damp/a possible leak between the Tower and the roof so have enquiries out for someone to come and have a look.  If there is anyone in the village who has skills or contacts that might help us with our maintenance do get in touch!

The All Age Services continue to be well attended and these will now be on alternate 3rd Sundays, starting in January with a Christingle.

Thanks to Rushfields for our beautiful Christmas tree and to the teamwork of Mike Airey, David Hope, Mark Lee, Mack and Chelsea Lee and Michael Poyntz for erecting the tree with a cherry picker & wrapping it in 2,000 twinkling lights. Despite the World Cup a good gathering sang carols and enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies as the lights were turned on. It is lovely to be able to enjoy the tree until the end of Candlemass (beginning of February). The church was busy on Christmas Eve for our Christmas Nativity .

In October we held a ‘Friends of Poynings’ meeting and discussed upcoming events, future events in the church and also Mid Downland Fundraising events, maintenance of the Church and could we find a way to have a toilet?  Any ideas or benefactors for the last item, do let us know!

So many help with maintaining the church, daily checking, cleaning, flowers the comments in the visitors book remind us how many find our church a welcoming, peaceful and respectful space – thanks to all who do! 

Parish fundraising events have continued with the Edburton Quiz and The Christmas Fair many helped, took part, Thanks.

This Year the planned date for the Fete is Saturday June 24th.

We were very sad to hear that our Reader, Patrick Pollicott-Reid died on Tuesday January 3rd 2023.  Patrick and Sheelagh have been so committed to Holy Trinity and The Mid Downland Parish and we have been so blessed by their time, wisdom, continuity, service to the Parish and especially during the period of interregnum.  Our thoughts and prayers are very much with Sheelagh and the family at this time.

We would love to see you at any of our services in the Parish which are held at 10am:

1st Sunday – St Andrews Edburton

2nd Sunday – St John the Evangelist, Newtimber

3rd Sunday – Holy Trinity,Poynings

4th Sunday – Church of the Transfiguration, Pyecombe

5th Sunday – Holy Trinity, Poynings

Or just pop in and enjoy the silence and peace of our churches.

Do get in touch with any queries or offers of help …

Nigs Digby – 07595255427

Anna Brookes – 01273 500686

Why not take part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2023?

The Big Garden Birdwatch is getting closer. Our countdown clock is ticking towards the start of the UK’s biggest citizen science wildlife survey on January 27-29, but there’s still plenty of time to sign up now and get your free guide.

Everyone who takes part plays an important role in helping us track how our birds are faring. So, if you’ve made a resolution to take more action for nature this year, Birdwatch is a great way to start.

What you get when you sign up

Sign up for Big Garden Birdwatch today and you’ll get your free informative guide on how to take part, which includes an ID chart to help you spot familiar UK garden bird species.

As a thank you, we’ll also email you a code for 20% off, plus free postage and packing, when you buy from the RSPB online shop*. It’s a great way to stock up on bird feeding essentials to make sure your Birdwatch counts.

How to play your part

It’s easy! Simply count the birds you see from your garden, balcony or local park for an hour, then go online to tell us what you saw. You can watch from inside with a cuppa or wrap up warm and sit quietly with the birds outside. Check our how-to page for a step-by-step guide.

Apart from enjoying your hour with nature, telling us what you saw on your Birdwatch will be key in helping our work as a conservation charity monitoring our well-loved garden birds in the face of the nature and climate emergency.

Your support is important to us. Could you consider a deeper connection with nature through a one-off donation or by becoming an RSPB member?

Get your garden Birdwatch ready

It’s never too early to get your garden Birdwatch ready. Top up your bird table and your feeders, and fill the bird bath to the brim. And remember to regularly remove old food and clean feeders weekly to avoid the risk of disease. Giving birds time to know your patch as a place to regularly feed means the livelier and more entertaining your Birdwatch will be. No garden? No problem! Even a small window feeder will attract more birds to your Birdwatch.

Over at rspb.org.uk/feedthebirds and rspb.org.uk/keep-your-bird-table-healthy there’s loads of advice on making sure you make your garden count this January.

Visit rspb.org.uk/birds-to-spot to find out more about your feathered friends. Knowing your great tit from your coal tit will give you more time to enjoy their antics without having to look them up. If you go to the 2022 results, you’ll see which birds were seen the most and which made it into the top ten. What will the rankings look like this year?

Big Garden Birdwatch Live will stream across the event weekend. Tune in for expert commentary, interviews and chat with special guests and wildlife experts from across the UK. We’d love to see your pics and stories on social media so please use #BigGardenBirdWatch. Stay tuned for more details.

Are you ready to look out for birds? Don’t miss out, put the date in your diary:
27-29 January.

POYNINGS PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

 

The next meeting of Poynings Parish Council to be held on the Village Hall on Wednesday 11th January 2023 at 7pm.

Agenda

  • Apologies for absence
  • Minutes
  • Matters Arising
  • MSDC and WSCC
  • Public Participation
  • Expenditure for October 2022 and November 2022
  • Planning applications
    SDNP/22/05774/HOUS | Two-storey infill extension and associated roof alterations | Rushfield Paddock Henfield Road Poynings West Sussex BN45 7AY
    https://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RMMQBRTUIO200&activeTab=summary
    b. SDNP/22/05047/FUL | Installation of 30 solar panels on ground mounted consoles | Rushfield Paddock Henfield Road Poynings BN45 7AY
    DECISION
    c. SDNP/22/03023/HOUS | Creation of a rooftop terrace, and erection of an external staircase for access | Rushfield Paddock Henfield Road Poynings BN45 7AY
    DECISION
    d. SDNP/22/02963/HOUS | Retrospective – Removal of existing half glazed lean to the west elevation and the construction of single storey timer framed annex. Construction of swimming pool in rear garden. 16 Mill Close Poynings BN45 7AF
    DECISION
  • Jubilee Sign – Permanent placement
  • Dyke road Closure – Snow
  • Watershed
  • Footpath
  • Asset register, Standing orders, Code of Conduct, Risk assessment. Updates
  • Village Gates
  • Elections 2023
  • Annual Parish Meeting
  • Budget/Precept 2023-2024
  • FTTP Broadband
  • Village Hall
  • Items for next month’s Agenda
  • Date of next month’s Meeting


Reminder: apply for primary school places before 15 January

Families have until 15 January 2023 to submit their children’s primary school application on time to have the best chance of being offered one of their preferred schools.
Parents and carers of children currently in Year 2 at infant school should also apply for a place at junior school before midnight on Sunday, 15 January.

Children born between 1 September 2018 and 31 August 2019 are eligible to start school in September 2023.
The quickest and easiest way is to apply online on our website, where people can find all of the information they need. All West Sussex libraries have free use of computers and staff on hand to help people with their application.
Those unable to apply online should call the admissions team on 033 301 42903 for support.

Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Learning & Skills said: “Applications received on time are processed first so families who submit them before midnight on 15 January have a far greater chance of being offered one of their preferences. Those who miss the deadline will still need to apply for a school place, their child won’t automatically be offered a place, so I would urge anyone yet to apply to do so as soon as they can.

“West Sussex County Council is working to continually improve educational standards in all parts of the county. Currently, 88% of West Sussex primary schools are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted and 64,000 primary children are being nurtured and supported to enjoy their education and fulfil their potential in our schools.”

Snow White and some Dwarfs

Yes, Poynings Pantomime is back,  grab you diary and enter these dates.  January 20th, 21st and 22nd.    Then head over to https://poyningspanto.eventbrite.co.uk/  and get some tickets before they sell out!

You know you want to. Oh yes you do!!!

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)

Update.

Poynings, Fulking and part of Newtimber.

You will be pleased to know that at long last this is progressing.  I haven’t been told where it is starting but Road Closure orders have been applied for and some people may have it installed by the end of January.

Hopefully more news will follow.

Colin

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