MSDC Garden waste collections return on 11th May 2020

Mid Sussex District Council is resuming garden waste collections from Monday 11 May.

As part of the Council’s response to the COVID-19 national emergency, garden waste collections were paused on 13 April to enable the collection crews to meet social distancing requirements and to preserve rubbish and recycling collections.

During the past month the Council has worked hard alongside waste collection partner Serco to secure additional resources that will enable our crews to practice social distancing and collect our customers’ garden waste safely. Collections were originally predicted to be suspended for a period of 12 weeks, but new working arrangements mean it is now possible to bring the service back after only a four-week pause.

When the service resumes on Monday 11 May, customers should place their garden waste bins out for collection on their usual collection day. Anyone who is not sure when their bin is due for collection can check online at www.midsussex.gov.uk/waste-recycling/bin-collection

The garden waste collection service has been paused for exactly four weeks and during that time each customer has missed two collections. To ensure that no household is financially disadvantaged by the suspension of the garden waste collection service, the Council will add four weeks onto the end of each subscription period to cover the number of collections missed.

Councillor John Belsey, Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said: “This has been a difficult month for everyone and we are so grateful to all our garden waste customers for their patience, support and understanding during the past few weeks.

“We know that garden waste collections are important to people, especially during this lockdown period, so we have been working as hard as we can with Serco to reinstate them safely as soon as possible. I’m delighted to say that we are now able to resume our garden waste collections.

“We really appreciate the efforts you are making to hold on to your garden waste but please remain patient for a little while longer once collections are back under way and we work through the build-up.

“Our crews are not able to collect any side waste so it’s important to make sure all your garden waste is contained within the bin and that the lid is closed. If you are unable to fit all your garden waste into your green wheelie bin, please continue to store it until your next scheduled collection. This will ensure the safety and wellbeing of our collection crews and that we can continue to offer a garden waste service to everyone.”

For more information, visit the garden waste collection page at www.midsussex.gov.uk/gardenwaste where there are answers to several Frequently Asked Questions. Anyone who is unable to find the answer to their query online should email gardenwaste@midsussex.gov.uk.

MSDC seek help to commemorate Mid Sussex Virtual VE Day

With planned VE Day events now not taking place, MSDC are compiling a virtual tribute

Mid Sussex District Council are calling for your help to create a memory bank of commemoration for Victory in Europe Day (8th May).

While current social distancing measures are in place it will not be possible for street parties to take place at the moment, so Mid Sussex District Council is calling for submissions for a virtual memory bank to help commemorate VE Day. Tributes and photos, memories, songs and stories of VE Day and what it means will be merged into a showreel and presented on the Council’s digital platforms. Recordings of ‘We’ll Meet Again’ can also be sent to form the soundtrack to the presentation.

Earlier in the year MSDC provided grants to commemorate VE Day; but given the current national and international situation these events won’t take place at this time. The Council will of course be honouring our grant commitments when recipients feel they are in a position to mark the many sacrifices made and to commemorate the end of WWII.

Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community said: “This is an important commemoration and we want to do everything we can to ensure it is marked. Somehow it is even more relevant, as we all recognise the bonds of friendship and community we are experiencing anew, that we commemorate those who gave so much at that time”.

Please send photos and poems for Mid Sussex Virtual VE Day to comms@midsussex.gov.uk or via the Council’s Facebook channel. You can upload film or songs to a special form at www.midsussex.gov.uk/VE2020

Deadline for submissions in Monday 4th May 2020. MSDC cannot guarantee all will be used but the team will try to use as many as possible. Before submitting you must ensure you have permission for any items to be displayed publicly.

A new Ansty Village Centre

By Claire Cooper

Plans for Ansty Village Centre in Ansty have moved a further step forward.

Mid Sussex District Council has granted planning permission for a new community centre. With permission already in place for a single hall, this gives the village a choice of two replacements for the ageing and well-loved meeting place.

Ansty Village Hall was originally a First World War army hut, which was dismantled in Holland and sold to the village by the Canadians in 1921.

Although old, with no proper foundations and in desperate need of repair, the hall is still a hive of activity and is home to many village organisations, such as the Ansty Sports & Social Club (AS&SC) as well as a monthly Arts and Crafts Club, Friendship Group, Garden Club and Card and Games Group. There are also Zumba classes, ballet lessons and even a school for problematic pets!

Following a request from the Ansty and Staplefield Parish Council and Mid Sussex District Council, further plans were drawn up for a bigger community centre to incorporate the village hall and social club, and provide changing rooms for the cricket and football teams.

Now these plans have been passed, villagers are focusing their efforts on raising the £1m needed to fund the centre.

Members of the Ansty Village Hall Trust, Ansty Sports and Social Club and Ansty Cricket Club have been raising funds and are currently applying for charitable status for the Ansty Village Centre Trust (AVC).

An application submitted by the AVC for funding from Mid Sussex District Council was successful, resulting in a grant of £127k. A public works loan of £100k is to be taken out by Ansty and Staplefield Parish Council.

The AVC have until 2015 to raise enough money to fund the new Community Building. “We are desperate to raise the rest of the funds needed in order that we can build a modern energy saving, environmentally friendly community centre – especially as we have lost our Public House, Church, Village Shop and Post Office. The hall is the only place where the residents can gather.”

Members of the Ansty Village Hall Trust and the AS&SC have been raising funds for several years with events including race nights, auctions and pudding evenings, coffee mornings, cream teas and barbecues. In Cuckfield, members take part in the Mayor’s procession, the Cuckoo Fair and the Christmas Tree Festival in Holy Trinity Church. The next event will be the Ansty Village Multi Garage Sale, from 10am to 2pm on 26th April, when home owners in the village will be selling a selection of goods from the driveways of their homes. There will also be a sale in the village hall, plus coffee, teas and cakes!

Vice Chairman of the Village Hall Trust and event organiser, Marion Petitpierre explained: “We will produce a brochure with addresses and a map of everyone taking part, with a brief summary of items being sold. Brochures, which will also be entered into a lucky draw, can be bought for £1.50 at the village hall, where refreshments will also be on sale.”

Marion is also organising a second ‘200 Club’ lottery where, after 200 tickets are sold for £10, one lucky ticket holder will win £1,000.

Other events being planned will include a Summer Barbeque, Cream Tea, Bridge Drive, Village Fun Day on August Bank Holiday Monday and the annual sale of bacon butties to motorists and spectators from the Veteran Car Rally which passes through the village in November.

For more information, contact Maureen Gibson gibson50qqq@btinternet.com 01444 413061 or Marion Petitpierre marionpetitpierre@gmail.com 01444 453277. For the Village Fun Day contact Brian Fletcher brianfletcher@btinternet.com