Local children and their families are invited to come along and enjoy a free afternoon of fun and activities in Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Hurstpierpoint at the start of August.

Mid Sussex District Council has organised a variety of rides, games and creative activities for local families to enjoy on 1, 2, 7 and 8 August to celebrate national Play Day 2018.

The theme this year is ‘beside the seaside’ and all the activities are inspired by the traditional British beach holiday. There will be donkey rides, Punch and Judy shows, a bouncy castle and a helter skelter. Children will be able to get their faces painted and race their friends using solar powered boats.
An arts tent will enable children to be creative and trained Circus performers will be on hand to show them how to juggle, hula-hoop, tightrope walk, and balance on stilts.
One of the biggest issues facing our coastline and the ocean right now is plastic pollution spoiling our beaches, polluting our drinking water and killing wildlife. We’ll have a Plastic Beach game for children to play to help them learn more about how we can reduce plastic on our beaches.

Councillor Gary Marsh, Cabinet Member for Service Delivery said:
“Our Play Days are always tremendous fun for all the family and we have another great line-up of activities this year.

“Parents know that it’s not easy to keep the little ones entertained during the school holidays so it’s great that we are able provide free family activities at convenient locations across the District.”

Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community added:
“Our Play Days provide a wonderful opportunity for the local community to get together and enjoy a fun afternoon with friends, family and neighbours. All the activities are free so please come along on the day and join in the fun.”

The free Play Day events will be held at:

• Victoria Park in Haywards Heath from 11am until 3pm on Weds 1 August
  
• St John’s Park in Burgess Hill from 11am until 3pm on Thurs 2 August
  
• King George’s Field in East Grinstead from 11am until 3pm on Tues 7 August
  
• Court Bushes Recreation Ground in Hurstpierpoint from 11am until 3pm Weds 8 August
  

Funding has been provided by the Clarion Housing Group to enable us to host a Play Day event in Hurstpierpoint for the very first time. The money is part of the Clarion Futures project, an initiative that aims to make estates and neighbourhoods more attractive and vibrant places to live. The financial support provided by Clarion means the Play Day at Court Bushes Recreation Ground will feature free miniature train rides for children to enjoy, in addition to all the seaside themed events.
Play Day is a celebration of children’s right to play and a campaign to highlight the importance of play in children’s lives. The 2018 events have been organised by Mid Sussex District Council with support from Clarion Futures, Places For People Leisure, Burgess Hill Town Council, East Grinstead Town Council and Haywards Heath Town Council.

For more information contact Regina Choudhury, Mid Sussex District Community Development Officer on 01444 477495 or email communityservices@midsussex.gov.uk.

As the heat increases, so does the amount of water we all use. To cope with this, South East Water is producing an extra 100 million litres a day across its supply area – the equivalent of 40 Olympic swimming pools of water.

High demand for water is often caused by garden watering – on a normal day it makes up six per cent of water use in the home, but on hot days this can soar to 70 per cent, mainly due to garden sprinklers which use as much water in an hour as a family of six uses in a day.

During this period of high demand some people may experience lower than normal pressures during times of high demand such as breakfast and dinner time so everyone is being asked to reduce garden water use during these times to try to make sure there is enough water for everyone.

Being water savvy in the sunshine will help ease pressure on the company’s extensive network of 9,000 miles of pipes, pumping stations and treatment works which are working at full pelt around the clock to keep taps running.

Despite the recent dry spell, reservoir and ground water levels are as expected for this time of year.

Saving water means saving money too and top tips and free water saving devices can be found at: southeastwater.co.uk/savewater.

Yvette

On behalf of South East Water

Mid Sussex District Council is giving you the choice to pay for parking by card, cash or phone in Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath town centre car parks.

New payment machines will help make parking as quick and simple as possible by enabling you to pay for parking with your bank card or by calling, texting or using an app on your mobile phone.

You can still pay for parking with cash in the conventional way but mobile payment is being introduced alongside cash payments as a handy alternative.

The MiPermit app is a quick, easy-to-use mobile phone service that allows you to pay for parking electronically, rather than with cash at a machine. By using the app you will not even have to visit the ticket machine and you can request a text message reminder when your parking is about to expire.

Councillor Marsh, Cabinet Member for Service Delivery said, “This is a progressive step for our well-used town centre car parks and an end to the frustration of not having the right change at the right time.

“The app also offers the option to extend your parking without returning to your vehicle, which is great when you find you need more time in town.”

The new machines are expected to be installed in time for the summer holidays.