Goring News

Rainfall figures at Goring

12th night approaches
Depending on how you count, decorations ought to have been taken down and stored safely in the attic by midnight on Wednesday 5th January. Mind you some disappeared on the Sunday after new year. My grandmother began taking hers down on the day after Christmas. Grandpa was not in the spirit of the season at all, opened his Christmas cards as they arrived, read the message, and dropped them in the bin.

Worthing will collect Christmas trees for recycling on the same day as the other collections.

How about a quick dip
There will be a lot of brave souls in the sea at 10.30 on Christmas morning at the Half Brick pub, Ham Road. Get sponsor forms for St Barnabas Hospice from Sue Demarco 01903-234196
And/or on Boxing Day at 11am from Splash Point. Sponsor forms for Worthing Hospital Cancer Unit from Gilly Small 01903-205111

Nasty crash in Goring Way
Two cars collided on Saturday morning 27 November outside the English Martyrs church in Goring Way. Fireman had to use cutting euipment to free the passengers. All the people involved were taken to hospital for a check but soon released. The police said that the injuries would have been considerable if they had not all been wearing seat belts.

Christmas Cracker Run on sea front
160 women runners of all sizes and shapes took part in a 5k or 10k run down the seafront, from from Worthing to the Sea Lane Cafe on Saturday 4 December. A good day for running, overcast, but no wind.

More work to stop sea wall seepage
Apparently the work eight years ago along the sea wall near the Yacht Club is not working very well and sea water is still coming through onto the greensward. So they are going to have another go this spring.

New Webmaster for the Goring Website
We shall be announcing changes on this website soon. We have a new webmaster who will have slightly different ideas. We will tell you when she starts. There may be a couple of days off the air while the transfer takes place. Regretfully we do not think we shall be able to keep up the posting on the local notice boards.

Sea Lane: Car Parking is free for a maximum stay of 2 hours - 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.
Marine Crescent: Charges apply 8am to 8pm 7 days a week
Monday - Saturday 70p for an hour or £1.10 all day
Sunday £1 all day Fine for defaulters £10 if paid the same day.

Eirene Road development back to the drawing board
Leisure and low-density housing are now the twin themes of the Eirene Road development, near the Yacht Club. There could be a doctor's surgery there as well. We await a new consultation document with impatience.

No 8 Bus Service goes to Compass
We understand that the valuable No 8 bus service through Goring and on to Ferring is for the chop at the end of November, but a service will provided by Compass to replace it.

The Chill wind doth blow
There has only been a couple of days this year when we have been down on the beach without a windbreak protecting us. Good sunshine, little rain, but chilly breeze. It has always been known as Windy Worthing, but this applies to most of the south coast, including Breezey Bognor. Same sort of tag as Boring Goring, probably true, but true also to a wider selection of towns.

Ferring produce Parish Plan
After a lot of work by a large and energetic committee, Ferring launched their new Parish Plan on 23 October at a well attended meeting at the Parish Hall. Many of the local societies took stands to advertise their part in the community. Over 100 suggestions have now been received, and the final version will be available shortly.

National Lottery good for Goring
In the last 10 years, there have been a number of local winners of the National Lottery. And local projects have received Lottery funding. Most recently the Ilex and Goring Gap interpretation boards were paid for by the Lottery. We note that 38, 25, and 31 are the luckiest numbers and may stay lucky. Unluckiest are 13, 41, and 20 and these a surely due to come up. I shall watch for a winning line of these six numbers, in numerical order 13, 20, 25, 31, 38, 41

Tree pruning planned for December
The trees in Sea Lane, Goring are maintained by WSCC from their office at Broadbridge Heath. They were last done in June 2001 and, as it is a three year cycle, they will be done again this December 2004. We have asked for improvement of the sight-lines at the Sea Lane Cafe roundabout, and raising the crown on the bushed trees to help Neighbourhood Watch see across the road.

Worthing wins SE England in Bloom
Worthing came first in the City class in the SE England in Bloom contest. The competition is judged on many criteria, not just colourful summer flowers. Worthing gained marks for community involvement, environmental awareness and conservation practices, residential and commercial displays, cleanliness, and lack of graffiti. And the Ilex Conservation Group got a Certificate of Excellence. Well done all.
Highdown Gardens has also won the covetted Green Flag for excellence again this year.

Mulberry Gardens has no car park
The car park in Mulberry Gardens, behind SOTAS in the Mulberry, will not be a car park again. It is privately owned and was for ever used as a dumping ground for old sofas and wrecked cars. So there will be a couiple of houses there instead.

Graffiti gets no better
Eight shops at St John's Parade were covered with graffiti in the early hours of Tuesday 31 August. This follows a bad attack at Tescos in Durrington. Generally the sea front gets more than its share too. And some of the graffiti is obscene as well. On the litter problem, WBC say they will probably do an additional collection each day during the school summer holidays next year. And after a six month delay we actually have a replacement litter bin at the sea end of Sea Lane Ferring. Well done Arun.

New marker on Sea Lane Outfall
The storm-water outfall at Sea lane has a new marker at the end. The black floating marker though has gone. Will it be repalced? The single spike 600 metres out in the channel looks a bit lonely. How long before boat hits it?

Rotary Carnival enjoys splendid sunshine
Starting at Marine Crescent, it was not as big as in some years past, but a good turnout, with floats, bands and pom-pom girls. The 2nd Durrington Sea Scouts won first prize with their excellent Jungle Book float. Lets have more local entries next year. Pictures

NCP parking tickets at Sea Lane
If you don't park neatly in the marked bays at the Sea Lane Cafe, NCP will be round giving you a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) to be paid the same day somewhere down in Worthing. Several people have been caught parking outside the toilets - where people have always been able to park. There are no notices or warnings. Definitely not fair. The town centre car parks are being refurbished by NCP. And there is a better ticketting system that actually gives change.

Vandalism gets no better
And some of the graffiti is obscene as well. A bad attack at Tescos in Durrington is the blackspot this week, but the sea front gets more than its share too. On the litter problem, WBC say they will probably do an additional collection each day during the school summer holidays next year.

Cycle Path Phase 2 announced
The sea front cyclepath Phase 2 is from Splash Point to George V Avenue. We have suggested to WSCC who are doing the planning that if they are going to do this, then it ought to be west as far as Sea Place to avoid the traffic in George V Avenue. WBC will discuss the plans on November 20th and there will be public consultation. Work will start next spring. Phase 3 is at Lancing as far as Shoreham which seems a good idea. Goring is not being mentioned so perhaps it is accepted that the existing route along Marine Crescent should continue.

No Permanent traveller's site at Rustington
WSCC had plans to set up a permanent travellers site on the A259 near Sainsbury's at Rustington. Rustington and Ham Manor residents were undertsandably worried about this, and held a protest meeting. WSCC are now looking for an alternative site in the area. Until they find one, travellers can be expected to camp on random doorsteps in the area and will stay there each time for 10 days.

Phoenix Surgery OK til August 2007
According to the new owner of Beach House in Sea Lane, Goring, the doctors need not move until August 2007. And after that he is prepared to discuss a larger surgery facility on the same site. So not to panic yet. The planning application for a surgery at the Mulberry carpark was turned down but may be re-submitted with better space for cars.

Steeles concentrate on Teville Road
Steeles of Worthing are still selling petrol (and sweets of course) at Aldsworth roundabout, but are concentrating their car sales at their main site at Teville Road. They are open to offers for anyone who wants a showroom opposite Aldsworth.

Goring is 90% recycled
The WBC recycling crew say that Goring does a good job on recycling with nine out of ten households using their grey boxes. Top marks go to Masrine Crescent which has 94% participation. There are also a lot of brown garden waste sacks out for green collection, and we suspect that many households take their green waste direct to Dominion Road. The green waste is converted into compost at a WBC site in Titnore Lane. Currently this is used as soil conditioner for agriculture, but we expect it to be available to be used in a domestic setting in Spring 2005.
As August 30 is a Bank Holiday the rubbish and Recycling collection slips a day. And note that they can now accept telephone directories in the recycling.

Worthing in Bloom 2004
Goring again did well in the annual Worthing in Bloom competition.
Best Residential Road Winner: Aldsworth Court, Aldsworth Avenue, Goring
   Highly Commended Willow House, Goring Chase
Goring Area Winner: Mr L Brooks, 31 Raleigh Way
   Commended: Mrs E Cole, 9 Raleigh Way
Best Garden for Schools and Youth Groups:    Palatine School, Palatine Road

Brighton City Airport
You did not know there was one did you. Brighton City Airport is what they are now calling Shoreham Airport - at least in the advert for EuroExec flights to Le Touquet, Rouen, Guernsey, Jersey. http://www.euroexec.com/

English Heritage to help Castle Goring
BBC South Today featured English Heritage who want to help Castle Goring which is Grade I listed but is on the Buildings at Risk Register. The managers of the forign languages school have done their best but it is really up to Mr Somerset who is the owner to show some interest in preserving this valuable heritage. WBC consultants will report later in the year on the amount of cash that needs to be spent to bring the building up to scratch.

Sea Defence work at Lancing
Huge barges have been bringing 10-ton rocks from Larvic in Norway to build new groines, and dredgers have been bringing ballast from the sea 10 miles south of the Isle of Wight. When they did the work at Ferring they dumped the material at the low water mark and used a fleet of trucks to bring it up the beach. At Lancing they have a metre diameter pipe from the dredger moored 600 metres out, and wash the material through the pipe to the shore. A spectacular operation. Phase 1 at the Shoreham end is finished. Phase 2 is along the front at Lancing Green. Phase 3 in 2005 is as far as Brooklands.

Goring Road resurfaced
We have been complaining about the potholes in Goring Road for some time. Now it is done and looking very smart. The cycle tracks have been repainted, but this time a fetching shade of green.

Raising the Crown in Ilex Avenue
A small project to 'raise the crown' of some of the holm oaks in Ilex Avenue and stop them bushing, has given a clean fresh look to the area near the cricket ground. In the photo you can now see the convoluted growth of these famous trees which tend to branch out just off the ground and then grow in all directions at once.

Sea Front webcam now back in action
The webcam at George V Avenue sea front is now back in action after the fire 11 months ago. http://www.seaspritesports.com/weatherframe.htm
Shoreham Airport now has webcam and live arrival and departure info http://www.shorehamairport.co.uk
They also have the weather live at http://www.shorehamweather.com

Dolphins seen off Goring
Keep an eye open as you walk along the front and you may see dolphins too. Any time from now until the end of September. More details from Whale Watch 01273-424339

Worthing Hospital gets two stars
Three stars would be best, but two stars is not bad, and is better than the one star last year. They missed out on three of the 13 target areas, suspected cancer patients seen in two weeks, financial management, and clinical focus.

Southern Water is best
The quality of the drinking water in this area is among the best in Europe. It is said that the quality is in fact as good as bottled water. They deliver 600 million litres of water a day to 2.2 million people. A lot of this is for washing, or for the garden, which seems a pity when it is all of drinking quality.

Five foot snake found in Ferring
A five-foot American Pine Snake was fiound in a garden in Sea Lane Gardens, Ferring on Sunday. It had probably escaped or set free from a private collection. The snake is a constrictor and probably not poisonous, and it is now in safe hands. But dogs have been acting worried in this area for some days.
(Meridian News 4 July 2004)

Birdman of Bognor Result
Tony Hughes was the winner of the Birdman of Bognor competition on Sunday 4th with a distance of 81.2 metres and a flight time of 12.54 seconds. More details http://www.birdman.org.uk/

Beach Huts looking good
A quick check of the 270 odd beach huts at Goring showed nearly all to be well painted and in good nick. Two have roof damage; one needs a coat of paint; only one needs a lot of attention. The Beach Office are obviously well on the case.

A2032 is one of the worst roads
The A2032 Littlehampton Road from the A259 junction at Northbrook College to the Durrington Lane junction has been labled as one of ther most dangerous for motor-cycles. There have been 12 accidents in the last three years. Some are rider-error, but the poor road condition is apparently also to blame.

Prize Winners     More Pictures
Full details: http://www.rawenergypursuits.co.uk/

There were 176 runners on the Worthing Olympic Triathlon, run on Sunday 27 June at the Alinora boat ramp.
The 1500m swim started sharp at high tide 7am, took the leader 18 minutes, and slowest 51 minutes. The 43km cycle ride took the leader 66 minutes. The 10km run took the fastest runner 36 minutes. The slowest competitor was also given an award and took a total of 4.5hours.
1st Jason Denniman from Horsham
2nd Gary Bryant from Kent
3rd David Glossy from Milton Keynes
1st Lady Nicki Treacy from Angmering

The Mayor Councillor and Mrs Jack Sahid presented the prizes.

The swim was fortunate that the sea was pretty calm; it got a lot rougher mid-morning. The cycle section was trouble free excerpt for an unfortunate accident just near the finish line; a retriever dog ran out of a house and knocked Mark Archer off his bike. He was taken to hospital but is apparently OK. And the yes, the dog is OK too. The run with two laps of a circuit from the Lido to George V Avenue went well.

Tories celebrate landslide victory
THE Tories are back in control of Worthing Council after a landslide victory at the polls. Sheila Player, who was also mayor elect, and other senior colleagues, including Maurice Tucker and Janet Goldsbrough-Jones also lost their seats in the Conservative victory, already being hailed the greatest for 10 years. They now control Worthing Council with a massive majority of 15 seats.
Turnout averaged more than 30 per cent in all 13 wards, with the figure topping 47 per cent in Goring. After the polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, counting went on until 5am the following morning. Castle ward had to be re-counted a total of five times before the results were announced.

Goring 47% turnout

CLAYTON K.P. GRACE M.G. GREEN F.E. JOHN N PARIS S.H. WAIGHT S.G. WITHNELL S

LAB LIB/DEM CON CON LIB/DEM CON LIB/DEM

317 611 2055 elected 2138 elected 677 2044 elected 606

Castle 37% turnout

BONETTI B.P. POTTER C.J.L. ROGERS J.L. ROGERS R.T. TAYLORE G.E. WHITE R.M.

LIB/DEM LIB/DEM CON LIB/DEM CON CON

1078 1093 elected 1081 elected 1090 elected 1042 1012

Eirene Road / Sea Place development to go ahead
The Eirene Road / Sea Place development was discussed at the WBC Scrutiny Committee. All the reasons why Bob Smytherman should reconsider were put forward but they voted it through 5-5 on the chairmans casting vote. The brief, largely unchanged, has now gone to potential developers and their people have been seen on site. The Tory councillor objectors publicly stated that, if control changes on 10th June, they will change to a leisure based brief.
The view of the Goring Residents' Association remains, that the area would be acceptable for low density housing providing the existing car park spaces are maintained, and the public toilets continue. Anything less would impact the continued success of the Worthing Yacht Club. We would prefer that the area be used for a windsurfing school or similar.

Beach clean-up at Ferring
The scouts mounted a major clean-up along the beach at Ferring on Sunday. Apparently the detritus was not as bad as in previous years, mainly tourist litter and some bathing towels. But the big shock was a headless sheep. We had wondered what the smell was along the front.
It is likely that the sheep was washed down the River Arun to Littlehampton; the Arun is said to be the second fastest flowing river in England, and is tidal a considerable distance inland.

No progress on Yacht Club boat ramp
WBC engineers are still pondering what to do about the shortened boat ramp which is not at all what is needed for the yachtsmen to launch and recover their boats. It is almost easier to go west and use the jet-ski ramp.

Shops looking very smart
Mace Supermarket at Aldsworth shopping is now Londis and has a new shop front. John Hayward chemist is now Rowlands Pharmacy. Richardson Estate Agents have opened in the Mulberry. Goring Pharmacy has a new shopfront.

Sunshine good, lityter and gaffiti bad
The sun has really brought out the crowds with cars parked all along the front. The grass has been neatly cut, and the WBC litter picking crews have been trying their best. The shelter at the sea end of the Plantation has been repaired - a very popular spot for regular visitors as well as for the not so well behaved.

Worthing Rubbish Collection"> TEXT

Eirene Road development on hold
WBC Executive for Planning decided to approve the development brief with minor amendments. But this decision will now be examined by the Scrutiny Committee, at a meeting on May 4th.
Key objection is now that WBC completely failed to consult the Worthing Yacht Club. They were just not aware that they were about to lose the main entrance to the club car park, most of the spaces in the car park, the public toilet, and a good part of the view from the Club House. A sacrifice of our valuable yachting and windsurfing venue for the benefit of the Aquarena the other end of town where they have not yet made up their minds what they want to do there.

Meeting Report

West Durrington protest grows
After all the fuss over the Planning Inquiry into the Worthing Local Plan last year, the developers have produced a planning application that has ignored all the the Inspector recommended. Titnore Lane is planned to be widened, the canopy of trees removed, a large roundabout built, and a protected band of trees called South Lodge Rue spoiled.
The time for objections has now expired, but at least a public meeting will be held on Monday April 19th 7.30pm at the Worthing Pavilion Theatre.

Objection Letter

Worthing wins Seaside Award
Last year a mystery spillage caused the Blue Flag of good sea water quality to be hauled down. This year we have at least achieved the mandatory level of water quality. But Worthing scored 100% for disabled access, 89% for beach building maintenance, and 100% for cleanliness. So we get a Seaside Award, but not the Blue Flag.

Inland Revenue parking battle continues
A radio broadcast with Julie Knox of Southern Counties Radio on Wednesday morning saw Richard Waller and two residents from Elgin Road at the Inland Revenue gate.
IR and computer contractor EDS have 1500 staff and only 700 car park spaces. As they all arrive with just one person per car the space is not enough. The overspill is spoiling the life of local residents when workers park outside their homes. There is no easy solution to this.

Parham House is among the 20 best
Parham House has been voted into the top 20 of England's Thousand Best Houses. It has gained 5 stars and is described as having a beauty which is essentially English. It is still a family home, but the house is often open to the public and the grounds are used for several spectacular events each year.

Parham House

Is Worthing past its sell-buy date
An article by Graham Forshaw in the West Sussex Gazette this week says that Worthing is losing its edge. The largest town in West Sussex, and it is being overtaken as a desirable place by Chichester, Horsham, and Brighton. But Littlehampton, Shoreham and Bognor also need a kick.

Worthing - good and bad

Is your beach hut site-rent too much?
If you think £240/year is too much to pay to WBC for beach hut site-rent, then thank your lucky stars you do not live in Southwold, Suffolk. There the site-rent is going up from £250 to £1300. Mind you, the huts sell for £40,000 there, as compared with a mere £7000 here in Goring.

Vandals caught in the act
Paul Holden, of Worthing Sentinal fame, managed to grab one of the four boys on bicycles that he thinks were responsible for graffiti, vandalism, phone box smashing in Goring. He invited the boy to meet him back at his parents in Marlborough Road. The police seem to be moving rather slowly on this but they have to go through the Crown Prosecution Service and this takes some time. We trust they will see their way to doing their duty and handing out some punishment as an example to the others.

Who didn't back Amberleigh House then?
Amberley is such a common local name round here that everyone should have backed it in The National. Or did the spelling fool you?

Rubbish collection slips two days
No collection on Good Friday or Easter Monday so your weekly collection slips two days next week
But this week from April 5th the contractor will collect cardboard, telephone directories and envelopes from your recycling box. The new brown garden waste sacks made of recycled brown paper will bio-degrade - a saving in handling by the contractor, and a more eco-friendly solution. The new brown sacks will be the same price 50p.

Worthing Rubbish Collection

Keep an eye on your dog
Dognappers are stealing family pets and then waiting for a reward before restoring them to their owners. Some have been taken from their gardens, others grabbed while their owners were walking them. The police urge that if you offer a reward, to tell them before paying out.
In any case, if your dog has not yet been chipped, then you should really consider doing this.

Cycle Track work has started
We note that work has started on the shared use cycletrack. The stretch from the Aquarena to Splash point has been substantially widened and is almost ready for use. And opposite Brooklands they have placed a line of large rocks to minimise shingle being washed onto the path. We still have our doubts about this project, with cyclists and pedestrians going both ways without physical separation, but so far it does not look too bad.

Waitrose takeover Safeways in Worthing
Waitrose will be the new name over the door at Safeways Worthing. So the plans for extension there will probably be changed, and the hopes that Asda may have had for moving in there will go away. Press Release

David Lloyd Leisure Centre takes shape
The new racquets, health and fitness club is taking shape in Romany Road, just up behind the Southern Water building. The centre will have a wide range of sporting facilities. Sounds excellent.
The photo shows the hole for the 25m outside swimming pool, with the inside pool beyond.

Hospital Haul
Two cash boxes containing about £80 were stolen from Goring Hall Hospital. You do need to be careful when you have collecting boxes - they may need emptying quite often to prevent this sort of thing happening. The boxes here were recovered; the cash was not.

Dates for planning decisions
There have been many strong objections to the three hot potatoes coming up for plannng decision:
West Durrington the first 800 houses - after the elections June 10
Sea Place/Eirene Road - 13 April
ASDA South Durrington - 27 April
Probably!

No longer use Email on this Website please
We now provide a contact form on this website for you to contact us. This is an attempt to cut down on the spam which we have been getting, currently running at 250 spam messages each day. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Contact Form

South Durrington concerns continue
There is a suggestion that ASDA superstore could be built on the site of Safeways in the centre of Worthing. Safeways is in the middle of selling shops to Morrison, so this actually may not be impossible. But the school still want new premises and if ASDA do not pay for them then their problems continue.

Only seven grass cuts a year
The urban road verges will be cut seven times this year. And along the main roads only three times. The national guidelines stand at 5 cuts. Nearly all gardeners do about 16 cuts. Worse than this - the verges will get cut once a month according to a schedule, and it doesn't matter how much the grass has grown, or indeed whether it is raining on the day. We think it would be nice gesture if we could each spend a few minutes cutting our own verges while we are doing our own lawn.
(Worthing Advertiser 17 March 04)

Wind Turbines on the Downs? - we hope not
Every county has been encouraged to find sites for wind turbines to achieve Tony Blair's promise to make sustainable energy a significant contribution to the National Grid. The site along the seashore at Shoreham has already been turned down. But apparently the best place would be alonmg the top of the downs. We hope not.
(Worthing Advertiser 17 Mar 04)

Spring is Sprung
The Met Office say that March 1st is the first day of spring. And indeed the daphs are splendid, and the tamarisk bushes are beginning to sprout. All the grass needs cutting already. But fear not, we shall have rain and snow again before May is out.

Another car on the greensward
Saturday 6th March saw another car crash through the wooden posts near Seafield Avenue and end up on the grass. Thankfully no one was hurt. This is about the fourth time this has happened.

Colin Chapman retiring from Pet Shop
Colin Chapman has been running Shoreline Pet Supplies in the Mulberry for years and has served us cheerfully seven days a week. Mark and Hanna are staying on for the time being under the new owner. We wish Colin a happy retirement.

Yacht Club has smart new balcony
Worthing Yacht Club has rebuilt the balcony with smart new railings. And wooden decking to the patio as well. Very nice, all ready for the summer.
And next door one of the dilapidated bungalows is being rebuilt. An enormous crane delivered huge girders to support a balcony there too.

Good case made at National Park inquiry
Our two teams put forward a good case to the Planning Inspector for the boundaries of the South Downs National Park at the Chatsworth Hotel. Both the Castle Goring and West Highdown cases have receieved sympathetic response, and we have hopes that both areas will be included.
The Protect Our Words (POW) action group are being very assertive about Titnore Woods, and are threatening 'swampy' action if the area is threatened by road-widening or development.
http://www.protectourwoodland.fsnet.co.uk/ (26 Feb 2004)

Only one post delivery per day
The Post office have circulated all residents to say that Goring is going down to one mail delivery a day from Monday March 1st. Deliveries start at 0845 and you will get your post by lunchtime. If arranged in advance, mail can be collected from 8.30 at the Sorting Office - not a good place to park at any time and especially at school drop off time.

Mulberry Parade carpark saved
The carpark in Mulberry Gardens, at the north-west of the Mulberry shops, behind SOTAS was under threat to build houses. It just recently been fenced off. Car parking in this area is getting very difficult, and loss of this area would have been a problem. But the planning committee has now refused permission.

Sea Place residents slate development plan
48 Goring residents whose houses overlook the proposed development at Sea Place/Eirene Road, packed into Baloos Restaurant on Monday to object to the plans. The meeting was hosted by Brad and Amanda Weemes who own the Restaurant, and supported by Richard Waller for the Goring Residents' Association, and WBC Councillor Steve Waight.
You still have time to register your objection; the closing date has been extended until 12 March. Baloos have a suitable letter for you to sign.

Full Story
Forum Discussion

Community Tax likely rise 6.6%
Some unspecified savings in WBC costs have been organised but the rates are likely to rise 6.6% which represents 5% extra for WSCC and 9.8% extra for WBC. We think that John Prescott will attempt to cap this rise to a lower figure.
It would appear that the plans to close the Museum and the Aquarina were red herrings after all. What an unnecessary fuss.

Cycle track construction starts at Brooklands
Work has started in building the shared path cycle track from Brooklands to Splash Point. The plans are very much the same as first published, and no account seems to have been taken of the concerns of beach hut owners east of Splash Point. Plans for the next phase from Spash Point to George V Avenue are expected this Spring.

Rat-run at Keymer Crescent
Cars exceed the speed limit on many of our local roads. But it appears that in Keymer Crescent the local cats have been suffering, and five have been lost to speeding drivers. Please do slow down, not just here but in all built up areas.

Elections in June
Elections for local councillors, and for European MPs will take place on 10 June. All the councillors will be up for election this year. Some boundaries have been changed. And there will be 37 councillors sitting which should resolve the current situation where the mayor has to take a casting vote. We do not yet know who the new Goring councillor will be to replace David Marchant.

Man charged over boy's road death
A man has been charged in connection with the death of a nine-year-old boy in Ferring. Callum John Oakford, who was known to his friends as CJ, died in hospital after the collision on the A259 at Ferring, West Sussex, on Thursday. Kamel Kadri, 38, of Goring, has been accused of failing to stop at the scene of a road accident, failing to report an accident. Apparently he is an illegal immigrant and has no driving licence or insurance. And he was going at a high speed.
(BBC Southern Counties 5 Jan 2004)

100 brave the waves on Boxing Day
Over 100 swimmers took to the waters on Boxing Day, sponsoring the childrens wing at Worthing Hospital. Apparently the sea was quite warm but the chilly wind while posing for photos was a killer.
(Worthing Herald 31 Dec 03)

WBC Budget Cuts

WBC Budget figures

WBC Press Release

More on this

New Laws needed Minipoll
Here is the result of the poll we ran about new laws needed:
1. authorise homeowners to use any means to defend their home from intruders : 24 26%
2. allow the use of all organs for transplant after death unless the individual has "opted out" and recorded that opt out on an organ transplant register : 14 15%
3. ban smoking in all workplaces, to include bars and restaurants : 24 26%
4. limit the number of terms a Prime Minister can serve to two and would have made voting in General Elections compulsory for all of voting age, subject to the provision of a "No Vote" box on the ballot paper : 14 15%
5. Ban all Christmas advertising and the erection of municipal street decorations before 1st December : 16 17%

For the record, the much larger poll on BBC Radio 4 Today with over 25,000 people voting was as follows: Defend your home: 37% Organ transplant: 30% Ban smoking: 20% Compulsory Voting: 9% Christmas Decorations: 5%

The full BBC report

Honours Gong for Boundstone Band
Aedan Kerney received an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to education. He is head of music at Boundstone College at Lancing, and among many other things, inspired Chris Hide to win the recent Pop Idol.

Bob Monkhouse was a pupil at Goring Hall School
Bob Monkhouse who died aged 75 on Sunday was a pupil at Goring Hall School back in 1939. He talked about visiting the Dome Cinema and went walking on the beach at that time whenever he performed at the Pavilion Theatre here.
(Worthing Herald 31 Dec 03)

An extract from his autobiography

Three cars stolen in Chelwood Avenue
It is very difficult to steal modern cars with a microchip in the ignition key which also manages the burglar alarm. So the baddies can either force the driver out of his car on the road, or break into the house and take the ignition key, probably left on the hall table. Monday night saw two burglaries in Chelwood Avenue during the night while the owners were asleep. Phones and money were taken as well as three ignition keys and the family cars.
(Worthing Herald 31 Dec 03)

12th night approaches.
According to the Goring Minipoll, most people are going to take down their decorations on Tuesday 6th Jan which is 12th night as is traditional, but a number will start taking them down any time now. The pretty lights on houses have been really spectacular this year.
Scores: Boxing Day: 7% Saturday: 7% New Year's Day: 33% 12th night: 33% What decorations? 20%