About Town – Winter 2021

Make Ford Road Safe Update

THE campaign to create a safe walking and cycling route between Littlehampton and Ford is alive and well.

On 26th January, Arun District Council voted unanimously to support the route at a full council meeting. They also confirmed the route is one of their top 5 priorities for new cycling and walking routes and have given it the green light for some funding over the next two years. The Council vote followed a petition signed by 1,500 residents across Arun supporting the project.

More good news came in December when Joy Dennis, Cabinet member for Highways and Transport at West Sussex County Council intervened with Highways England, now known as National Highways, to persuade them to finally chip into the cost of revisiting the business case for the Ford Road project. At last, that work is now under way.

The next step is to conduct a Detailed Design Stage which will plot the exact route and consider all the implications and costs. It will then be put to public consultation. Andy Batty, part of the Arundel Town Council working group said, ‘Whilst it is expected that WSCC and Arun will contribute to the cost of a Detailed Design Stage, we will need National Highways to come to the table. After a slow and frustrating few months, the campaign has notched up a couple of successes and there is again some momentum. We just need National Highways to prove they are serious about this when it comes to funding the Detailed Design Stage”.

St Nicholas Parents, Carers and Toddlers Group

NOW that life is opening up again after the pandemic the St Nicholas Toddler Group is in full swing again. The group has been running for many years and some mums who attended when their children were small are now grandmothers! It’s aimed at parents with pre-school children, so babies right up to four-year-olds.

Jenny Hayden-Bell, one of the three mums who now organise the group, explains: ‘Numbers are rather lower than usual due to being closed during the lockdowns and then a shortage of volunteers, so we’re really hoping to get this lovely community resource thriving again.’

About eight families attend now but there is room for more. They are very fortunate to have a huge number of toys for pre- schoolers, including train sets, dolls and ride-on vehicles. There is also an arts and crafts table, and the bubble machine is very popular with the children.

“Life can be quite isolating as a parent of young children, and that’s been especially true during the covid era. I’ve found it really helpful myself to spend time with other local families, sharing war stories- so I’d like to urge other local parents to come and have a cup of tea and a chat while the kids play together. If you’re planning to send them to one of the Arundel schools, it’s a great opportunity to meet future classmates. The group also need more volunteers, both parents to help run the group- it’s not arduous and you don’t have to be there every week- and anyone who might like to come and help make teas/drinks and biscuits for the children.
If you would like more information email Jenny Hayden-Bell on jkmarkbell@googlemail.com

The Tennis Club ups its game!

FOLLOWING a very successful 2021, Arundel Tennis Club is planning for another good year. Membership is at an all-time high while both the ladies’ and the men’s first teams secured promotion in the summer leagues. Developments last year included the installation of new LED floodlights which have provided much needed extra winter playing time. In September, the club hosted a very successful tri-club tournament which will be repeated this year. In addition, this year our Club Coach, Colin Piper, is introducing a mixed box league as well as restarting his much loved (!) cardio tennis sessions.

Our Club Secretary Fiona Watson likes to emphasise the Club’s social credentials and fun evenings have been held at both La Campania and Motte and Bailey to which all members social or playing are invited.

Arundel Tennis is for players of all ages both for those who wish to be competitive on the Tuesday evening sessions or those who enjoy joining in the hosted social session tennis, particularly on Thursday evening and Friday or Saturday afternoons. Julian Larter also hosts his popular sessions for older players on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

To find out more about the Club please contact either Karen Byrne our Membership Secretary (07887 652618) or Colin Piper, our Coach, for details of his courses (07767 815722).

Arundel Chamber of Commerce 

THE Chamber and Visit Arundel have teamed up on a collaborative marketing approach for Arundel in support of the business community and are delighted that a £3,000 grant has been secured from Arun District Council for Arundel marketing which will be used to promote Arundel as a destination. The Arundel Marketing Plan will be presented as part of the evening at the Visit Arundel Networking Event at Arundel Castle on 3rd March.

After the success of the markets held on Tarrant Street during the 2021 Festivals the Chamber and Arundel Town Council are looking into the possibility of holding two more markets this year. The first would be in March funded by the Welcome Back Fund grant that Arundel Town Council received. The second potentially on the June Bank Holiday weekend that has been organised for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Businesses on both Tarrant Street and other parts of the town are being consulted for their views in advance.

Chamber networking events for local businesses will continue to be held on the first Wednesday of each month. These will alternate between breakfast and evening meetings and are open to non-members. Membership renewals for 2022 are now due and cost £30, still very much below the pre-Covid figure of £50. Small business owners, freelancers and entrepreneurs are being invited to attend the very first ‘Pop up Coworking Event’ in Arundel on Wed, 9th March from 09:00 – 13:00, at Arundel Town Hall. Working on your business alone can be quiet, lonely and isolating and can sometimes send you stir crazy! Occasionally you just want to bounce something off another person who gets it. Bring your laptop or craft project and get some company whilst you work. Tea, coffee & water provided. This is for local, small business owners who normally work on their own, either at home or in their office, live within a 10-minute drive of Arundel and want to be part of the wider business community here. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pop-up-coworking-event-arundel-tickets-239422728827
For further information or to join the Chamber of Commerce, please contact via their Facebook page facebook.com/ArundelChamberofCommerce. Email arundelchamberofcommerce@gmail.com “Creating a sense of connectedness amongst the towns various enterprises.”

Calling all singers!

THE end of the COVID restrictions has allowed the choir at St Nicholas’ Church to return to some normality and their Organist and Director of Music, Sarah Plumley, is now keen to recruit more members.

St. Nicholas’ is fortunate in having a committed voluntary choir who sing every Sunday at the 10.00am Sung Eucharist, leading the congregation in the hymns and the Mass setting, and singing an anthem for choir only. They also sing for occasional weddings and funerals plus extra services at the special festivals of Easter and Christmas. Evensong on the 1st Sunday of each month will be starting again now and there is a choir practice every Friday evening.

The choir is a friendly, supportive group of committed adults who strive for high standards of musicianship and a sensitive musical enhancement to the worship. They normally sing in four parts – soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Sarah explains: ‘We would be particularly glad to see a few new basses, and also want to encourage children and teenagers to join – or indeed it would be lovely to welcome whole families.’ It is useful if new adult members have some idea how to read music (and/or are prepared to work hard on this between practices) and can sing in tune, potentially even with a voice that balances with the rest of the choir. Sarah admits ‘This may seem a big ask, but if you would be keen to join, please contact me (sarah@plumleyheritage.co.uk). I’d be delighted to arrange to meet at the church for a discussion about what is involved and to hear you sing your favourite hymn!’

If you love to sing, what have you got to lose!

A Pilgrimage Through Time
A unique Arundel event in June

AN exhibition will be held in a marquee in the new Parish Garden at St. Nicholas’ Church in conjunction with the Cathedral’s Corpus Christi Carpet of Flowers. The exhibition will set out the history of Arundel from medieval times and will cover St. Nicholas’, the Cathedral, the Castle and the Town. It will feature fascinating results of the extensive new research that has taken place in recent years.

It will be open from Saturday 11th June to Sunday 19th June (entrance free) and it is hoped that the combined attractions of the Exhibition and the Carpet of Flowers will bring many visitors to Arundel.

Arundel Festival of the Arts

SINCE last August, the Arundel Festival Committee has carried out a detailed review of the event so that a full range of individuals and groups could contribute opinions and
reflections that will help in developing the Festival in the future. Overall it was generally agreed that the return of the ‘live’ Festival was a great success, especially given the difficult circumstances.

The foundations have been laid for new, promising ventures such as Cathedral Concerts, The Music Festival, Events exclusively for residents, and Café Culture and in future, even more venues in town will be encouraged to run events. This will involve greater coordination, marketing, programming and ticket sales. One strength of the Festival is that a number of events that take place under its ‘umbrella’ are organised and run by other individuals and groups, and the Festival Committee will continue to engage with them to offer to support, maximise co-ordination as well as building these events into the Festival promotional programme.

Not surprisingly, the two main areas requiring improvement are manpower and finances. The existing model whereby volunteers undertake the planning and running of such a major Festival is not considered to be sustainable. So we are working towards having a year-round paid Festival Co-ordinator whose role would become full-time when the event began. However, there will always be a significant role for people who volunteer and give so much time and effort free of charge, both on the Festival Committee and in running the event.

There are ongoing discussions with Arundel Town Council and other stakeholders in the town as to whether the framework of the August Festival can be extended into other events for example a Platinum Jubilee Festival in 2022, a Christmas Festival that would take on ‘Arundel at Christmas’. Many other festivals of comparable size and ambition are run for profit by a Management Company. That is not a route that we wish to take in Arundel; the Festival should continue to belong to the community.

All this of course costs money and several smaller fundraising events were held throughout the pandemic where businesses and residents recognised the difficulties and made generous donations. At the outset, the Festival Committee were given confidence that the Festival would be possible by a grant from Arundel Town Council. The Festival gave several charities the opportunity to raise funds for example Sporting Bears who enjoyed their most successful Festival ever.

Sharon Blaikie, Chair, comments “We are seeking to create a different system of governance, with Trustees to nurture the direction and vision of the Festival and a Committee to oversee the plan and operation with the full support of central teams and hubs for the variety of areas e.g. volunteers, logistics, marketing. We are looking forward to bringing back some of the traditional events as well as new ones for this year offering the full range of the arts and also being able to utilise the whole of Jubilee Gardens once again”.

The full review will be available to read on the Festival website. If you have any comments or feel you could contribute as a volunteer, fundraiser, or sponsor, please email secretary@arundelfestival.co.uk.

Ford Road Development

THE Community Land Trust in Arundel has been working towards the delivery of affordable homes for the town in line with the Neighbourhood Plan. Alongside the Norfolk Estate and Arundel Town Council, some significant milestones have been achieved in recent months, including the signing of a key agreement and the launch of an e-form to register interest in the affordable housing. In November, Fitzalan Estates, Arundel Town Council and Arundel Community Land Trust signed the ‘section 106’ (pictured). This agreement cemented the commitment to affordable homes, and other community contributions arising from the development, such as the potential for a new community building and ‘growing space’, which could be used as allotments. Arun District Council and West Sussex Council signed the following week, and the Outline Planning Consent has now been announced on the Arun Council website.

Earl Henry signed for the Fitzalan Estates (FE), The Town Clerk, Carolyn Baynes, for Arundel Town Council (ATC) and Chair, Darrell Gale for Arundel Community Land Trust (ACLT). The signing was witnessed by Alastair Deighton (FE), Mayor Tony Hunt (ATC), Angela Standing (ATC) and Hilary Knight (ACLT). 

The CLT says: ‘The agreement is the result of months of hard work and negotiation to achieve the aims of Arundel’s 2019 Neighbourhood Plan to provide much needed truly affordable homes for the people of Arundel, and in so doing keeping the community together when people with local connections would otherwise have to live elsewhere because of high house prices and rents.’

James Stewart, who chaired both the 2014 and 2019 Arundel Neighbourhood Plans and is currently a director and treasurer for the Arundel Community Land Trust was present at the signing of the agreement and was absolutely delighted. He said: “I feel that this momentous occasion for our Town is a direct result of the process started ten years ago when we started work on the first Neighbourhood Plan for Arundel, and it is fantastic seeing this coming to fruition”.

Mayor Tony Hunt is equally enthusiastic. “This is a milestone in so many ways, as these new homes will mean that we can respond to the shortage of affordable homes in Arundel in a sustainable and responsible way, that respects the wishes of the community in our Neighbourhood plan. Not only that, but it will also deliver new facilities for the whole community to enjoy.” Meanwhile, as The Bell goes to press, Arun District Council is expected to launch the e-form for people with Arundel connections, who meet the financial criteria, to register their interest in the new Social Rent and Shared Ownership homes that will be built on the land off Ford Road. There will be 20 socially rented and 7 shared ownership homes in the development, with the rented homes at about 50% of market rates, rather than the 80% allowed to qualify as Affordable Housing. Darrell Gale, Chairman of the CLT said ‘This is a real achievement for the people of Arundel and, enshrined in the ‘section 106’ agreement is the priority for people with Arundel connections.’ The rented homes will be owned by Arundel Community Land Trust and managed on their behalf by Aster, an experiences operator of affordable housing. Aster will have the freehold of the shared ownership homes and sell off equity under the Government’s Shared Ownership scheme to those people participated in the shared-equity scheme.

Gale added: ‘What is fantastic for the whole of Arundel is that over half the land allocated for development includes new public open spaces for the whole community to enjoy, linked to existing paths, and really making these homes part of the community.’

For further information contact Carolyn Baynes – Arundel Town Council Town Clerk Tel: 01903 881567 or email townclerk@arundeltowncouncil.gov.uk

Snowdrop Trust Fundraising Park Walk 8th May

EACH year The Snowdrop Trust needs to fundraise £400,000 to continue to support families of children with life threatening or terminal illness. They are delighted that the Duke of Norfolk has again given them permission to hold their annual fundraising walk day at Arundel Castle Park on Sunday 8th May 2022. This is their biggest fundraiser of the year and they look forward to welcoming you, your family, friends and colleagues for a gentle walk to enjoy the stunning views of South Downs. Dogs are welcome on leads. You can choose to walk the 1 mile or 5 mile course between 1pm and 3pm. There’s a small entry fee (£5 Adults, £2 Children, Under 5’s free) and all sponsored walkers go free – pre-booking is advised. There will be a tea tent serving delicious home-made cakes, a steel band performer and workshop and a bear tombola, toy tombola and raffle. For more information visit www.thesussexsnowdroptrust.com

 

St Nicholas’ Church Community Lunches

FOR some time now, on the third Thursday of each month, St. Nicholas’ Church has offered a hot meal with a glass of wine and a pudding, in an endeavour to beat the ‘Covid Blues’. A good number of people in the community of Arundel, who have perhaps felt isolated and in need of good conversation, have welcomed this initiative. There is no charge for the lunch and transport can be provided to and from the Church.

If you would like to come along, places must be booked and Fiona Maxwell in the Parish Office (Tel: 01903 882262) can be contacted from Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am – 3pm, to reserve a place.

St. Nicholas’ looks forward to welcoming more guests throughout the year.

 

Arundel at Christmas

THIS year the format of Arundel at Christmas meant that events were spread out over December making it more sustainable and financially viable with a balanced footfall. As with the Festival in the summer, Arundel at Christmas, provided the umbrella marketing and event platform under which businesses and organisations could promote their programmes.

There was an Arundel at Christmas committee formed to oversee the ‘live’ events in the centre of town and pull together all the town’s events into one ‘What’s On’ programme. The Committee, Chamber of Commerce, its members and the visitor attractions all worked together with great support from Visit Arundel, Arundel Town Council, and the Welcome Back Fund. It was great to be able to deliver the ‘live’ aspect of the event which included the Tree Lighting, Festive Sundays and Christmas Markets. During December more than 30 performers appeared around the town including local musicians, brass and steel bands, choirs, and Chichester University students.

Adding to the spirit of Christmas were all the amazing window and shop front displays which were part of the ‘Best Dressed’ competitions. The local primary schools Christmas card competition and social media campaigns, such as ‘Elf on the Shelf’, also added to the excitement.

‘Arundel at Christmas’ this year supported several charities including Elevenses (supporting people with Dementia) Arundel Community Aid (supporting families in need) Chestnut Tree House and Medical Detection Dogs. The Goodie Bag Initiative for Christmas Day was also hugely appreciated by the recipients.

Sharon Blaikie Chair comments “I’d like to thank everyone involved in making the coordinated approach work so well – it’s remarkable that so many events were still able to take place.’

For further information or to feedback, please contact Arundel at Christmas Facebook page or email arundelchamberofcommerce@gmail.com

Monan Gozzett Expand Tarrant Street Office

HAVING taken over all three floors of their building in Tarrant Street, Monan Gozzett have now recruited another solicitor.

Stephen Sampson is an Estate Planning expert who moved to West Sussex after completing his qualifications in 2008. He initially worked for Edward Hayes LLP in Worthing and Bognor where he first met Maria Monan and Neal Gozzett ‘so this feels like home.’ Outside of law, Stephen was previously the Treasurer for the Chichester Law Society and the Lord’s Taverners West Sussex Region. For the last five years he has been Treasurer of The Bognor Regis Friends of the Hospitals, which supports the staff and patients of Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital through various projects and improvements to the hospital.

Whilst at Edward Hayes LLP, Stephen became a full member of STEP (the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), and then took the STEP Advanced Certificate in Will Preparation, achieving a distinction and the highest mark in the country for 2014/15. His advice is simple: ‘The important thing to remember is that every adult needs a Will, regardless of the financial value of their estate. In my experience, without a Will the most bitter disputes amongst families can be about items with sentimental value but no or low financial value.’