StreetVelodrome to return to Worthing

StreetVelodrome is to return to Beach House Grounds, Worthing, on 1st and 2nd July 2017, for a third year of wheel-to-wheel cycle racing action.

2015 and 2016’s sun-drenched weekends of cycle racing have set a high bar for the 2017 StreetVelodrome competition. Locally enjoyed and nationally televised, StreetVelodrome remains one of the most thrilling sporting weekends in Worthing’s calendar. Transforming Beach House Grounds in a matter of hours into a professional racing circuit, StreetVelodrome offers a perfect opportunity to clip on a helmet and test yourself against amateur and pro-riders alike.

“This is a fantastic family event,” comments Cllr Bryan Turner, Executive Member for Regeneration at Worthing Borough Council.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are or how much experience you’ve got, StreetVelodrome is an open competition designed to bring out the best in every rider.

“I’m proud that Worthing Borough Council is bringing StreetVelodrome back to the town for a third year, creating another great weekend for tourists and local residents alike.”

The format of 2017’s StreetVelodrome competition mirrors the successful set-up from the 2016 year. The South Coast Rollers, Worthing’s home team, will be taking to the track again, searching for the best new talent to accompany them to the London finals. All equipment and coaching will be provided, so all you need to do is turn up and ride!

In addition to the Borough Council’s investment, the StreetVelodrome competition benefits from the faith of its sponsors. This year, Worthing StreetVelodrome is being brought to the town in association with:

* Chandlers of Worthing

* Lancing College Preparatory School at Worthing

* Southern Railway

* Worthing Homes

This year, the Worthing StreetVelodrome weekend is also welcoming Worthing FC, Worthing RFC, Worthing Thunder, VC Jubilee and Southdown Leisure - all of whom will be offering visitors the chance to learn new skills, get active and revel in the sporting talent that Worthing has to offer.

For more information, please head to www.WorthingStreetVelodrome.co.uk.

Photo: Jack Ravenscroft - South Coast Rollers

Geminate II creates a digital playground at Colonnade House in the heart of Worthing

People are seeing themselves in a different light as they are transformed into glowing shapes and colourful digital images captured by clever technology hidden behind the windows of Colonnade House. Geminate II has been designed by artists Jim Horsfield and Adam Seaman who work together as As Described. The installation is live every evening between 5pm and 10pm and people have been amazed and delighted by the playful way that the images respond to their movements.

As well as creating the images, the artists commissioned Oscar nominated composer Andrew Phillips to create a soundscape for the work inspired by Worthing. The unique musical score for the installation also captures locally recorded atmospheric sounds. In addition, West Sussex Library Services kindly granted access to the local oral history archive that has provided the voiced memories of life here nearly a century ago, and recollections of wartime West Sussex.

Andrew Phillips says -

“Because the installation involves two separate screens and speakers playing simultaneously, I wanted there to be music on one side and more ambient sound effects on the other. So I recorded the sea under the Pier, used the wind on the seafront to vibrate the strings on an Aeolian Harp, and those sounds became an inspiration for the music. The voices from the oral history archive are really the centrepiece of the whole soundtrack, their memories inviting us to reimagine the space in which we are moving and listening.”

As well as providing an innovative form of public art for people to enjoy, the project is also intended to support the development of the creative industries in Worthing. Students from Worthing College will be getting a behind-the-scenes tour that will give them insight into the technology behind this work which includes components from an X-Box, and there will be a follow-up event at St Paul’s in April for a wider debate about the art of interactive space.

Cllr Dr Heather Mercer, Executive Member for Customer Services at Worthing Borough Council, said: "Worthing is fast becoming a hub for creative and digital industries and is an emerging jacuzzi bubble of creativity. This is something we as a local authority are committed to nurture and develop.

This amazing exhibition is a perfect example of the council providing a platform for talented local artists to showcase their artistic skills to a regional audience. I urge everyone to go along and enjoy the spectacle."

The Geminate II project has been supported with public funding from Arts Council England and Worthing Borough Council and is part of the programme at Colonnade House, Worthing’s Creative Hub which has been set up with funding from the Coastal Communities Fund. The Creative Hub is managed jointly by Worthing Borough Council and Adur & Worthing Trust.

More details about the project can be found here: http://colonnadehouse.co.uk/event/geminate-ii/

For more information contact clare.halstead@adur-worthing.gov.uk 01903 221142

Free event: Making the most of being a landlord

Landlords throughout Adur and Worthing are being invited to a free evening event, specifically designed to help them make the most out of their property portfolio.

Hosted by the National Landlord Association and Adur & Worthing Councils, the event will feature expert speakers covering everything that landlords need to know about how recent changes to legislation and taxation affect their business.

Suitable for all local private sector landlords, the event begins at 6pm on Thursday 23rd March in the Gordon Room, Stoke Abbot Road, Worthing, BN11 1HQ and is expected to run until 8:45pm.

In addition to the expert speakers, all attendees will be offered the chance to join in with a workshop, exploring how to strengthen the local private rented sector.  A team from Adur & Worthing Councils will be on hand to explain how the councils can work directly with landlords, guaranteeing rental income at the same time as tackling local housing supply issues.

Councillor Dr Heather Mercer, Executive Member for Customer Services at Worthing Borough Council, said:
“I am very pleased to see the council supporting this event - we have a diverse range of rental properties throughout the Borough, and it’s important that we are able to help landlords maximise the benefit of their properties.

“Landlords are also a vital partner in our work to increase the availability of affordable housing - and I would urge all property owners to consider how they could benefit from the free assistance we can offer.”


Adur District Council’s Executive Member for Customer Service, Councillor Carson Albury, adds:

“At Adur District Council, we want to be proactive in our approach to supporting landlords in the District.  Events such as these are the perfect opportunity for all landlords to get important information and benefit from free expert advice.

“Our local housing challenges have been well publicised, and we must use all available opportunities to support safe, clean and appropriate accommodation at the right tenure, for our growing District.  The Council has some fantastic support on offer which I suggest all landlords look into!”


Interested landlords are encouraged to email Steve Hay at Adur & Worthing Councils (steve.hay@adur-worthing.gov.uk) to secure their place for the evening, or to arrive at the Gordon Room, Stoke Abbot Road, Worthing in time for a prompt 6pm start on Thursday 23rd March.  Free parking will be available in the Civic Centre carpark directly adjacent to the venue.

WiseUp2's New Programme Launching Soon!

WiseUp2

Worthing and Adur Chamber is launching a new programme its highly successful WiseUp2 training sessions. Following on from the success of last year, the programme has been expanded to include topics suggested by members and also been expanded to delve deeper into high-demand areas such as Marketing.

What is it?

The new programme is offering over 20 different training sessions, all working with highly experienced trainers from the local area. The majority of sessions will be between 2 and 3 hours and based in Worthing town hall. They are kept deliberately small to offer a better learning experience to attendees. In most instances, this allows them to get a personalised experience from the trainer and really get what they need out of the session.

How do I find out more and book on?

The whole programme will be on the Chamber website www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk or call the Chamber office on 01903 203484 to find out more. Chamber members receive special discounted rates of only £35 per session, and for non-members it's £75. You simply cannot get training at these rates anywhere else.

Watch this space!

The Chamber will also be putting together some bigger 'meet the professionals' days which will offer a whole day focusing on a particular topic, allowing attendees to attain a much clearer understanding of the subject and leave with some practical solutions to any specific problems. These will be announced shortly.

Free Business Support with Business Navigator

Coast to Capital’s Business Navigator Growth Hub is a free service that signposts all businesses to the vital support that helps business owners achieve their objectives and growth.

Your local Business Navigators are, Amanda Geel and Ryan Davies, who cover the Worthing, Coastal and Rural West Sussex areas. They can research potential funding options, help you find a business mentor/advisor, assist with recruitment, find support for website development, and much more.

Amanda will be holding free information, guidance & support clinics in conjunction with Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce at the Sphere Business Centre in Broadwater

These sessions will focus on discussing your business needs whether it is access to finance, new routes to markets or training and development.

These sessions will run in the afternoon on:

• 25^th April
• 23 May
• 20^th June
• 18th July
• 19th September

Please contact Tracie Davey to book your free 1hr with Amanda:

T: 01903 203 484 or E: tracie@worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

Are you a charity or community group that needs funding for a project? 

Worthing and Adur Fund is open for applications – deadline: Friday 5^th May 2017

The Worthing and Adur Fund gives up to £500 in grants to small charities and community groups working in Worthing and Adur. The next deadline for applications is Friday 5^th May 2017.

Established in 2010, the Fund was set up in partnership with the Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce, under the umbrella of Sussex Community Foundation. A number of local Worthing people and businesses were founder donors and these donations established a core endowment fund. The income has since grown and enabled the Fund to make 29 grants worth £16,422 to 23 charities and community groups from Worthing and Adur

Recent groups supported by the Worthing and Adur fund include:

Worthing Town FC The Club has recently introduced a development team training opportunity for local under-5s keen to learn football. The response exceeded expectations leaving the Club without sufficient equipment to actively involve all of the children at each session. The Club used their £500 grant to buy four Junior goals, 20 Junior Lite balls and two packs of training bibs

Sussex Martlets Trampolining Club (pictured) used their grant to help buy additional floor safety matting and other safety equipment

Worthing Speakabout, an advocacy group run for and by people with learning difficulties. Grant went towards running costs, office rent, mini bus and hire of meeting room at Buddy's Cafe.

Worthing Gymnastics grant helped to fit out their new venue with essential apparatus.

Storm Ministries serves the local community through various activities, clubs and events. Their funding provided disabled access via a ramp with hand rails.

For more information and to make an application to the Worthing & Adur Fund, visit www.sussexgiving.org.uk/worthingadur

BITE – an event aimed at helping you work on your business, not in it!

‘Entrepreneurial’ is easier said than spelt, but what does it mean? BITE 2017 aims to answer that question amongst a whole host of others as it explores and educates Sussex-based businesses around the theme of making business better.

One of the keynote speakers at the event will be Marnus Broodryk, who is a shark in ‘Shark Tank’ - the South African equivalent of Dragon’s Den. Marnus will talk about “The Mind of a Successful Entrepreneur”, which is exactly what he is, having started his first business at the age of 14, becoming a self-made millionaire by the age of 24. For Marnus, making money is great but it’s just as important to empower others with the knowledge and resources to create their own successful enterprises, which is why he is the perfect fit for BITE.

Another theme of this free one-day conference is Alternative Funding. Whilst many will have heard the term, BITE aims to educate around its possibilities. The afternoon keynote session will see industry experts forming an Alternative Funding panel taking questions from the audience around funding in general and alternative funding in particular.

Panel members include Andy Davis, former FT journalist and author of ‘Beyond the Banks’, Jonathan Sharrock, CEO at Coast to Capital, Megan Reynolds, from crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, Steven Renwick, CEO and founder at Satago, Nigel Simkins, Senior Consultant at Touch Financial and Terry Porter, who has worked for a number of the top five banks and is a funding consultant at MHA Carpenter Box.

In addition to the keynotes, there will be six breakout sessions covering a number of important business themes as well as a business exhibition featuring companies offering software and services and whose aim is to help businesses to become more productive and stand out against their competitors.

Sussex-based chartered accountants, tax and business advisers, MHA Carpenter Box, will be hosting BITE 2017 (Business, Innovation, Technology & Efficiency) and it takes place on Thursday 27 April at the Amex Stadium, Brighton.

MHA Carpenter Box Practice Director, Chris Coopey, commented: “BITE provides attendees with a chance to learn from business experts and meet exhibitors whose objective is to make business better. From tech companies to alternative funders, BITE aims to open eyes to what’s out there to help businesses grow. The last event attracted over 200 attendees and this one promises to be even larger, so some great networking to be done!”

To register your interest or book a stand at the event, please visit www.bite2017.com.

WCHP Upcoming Events in 2017

March

Suspiciously Elvis – Thursday 23rd from 7pm  *FULLY BOOKED*
Suspiciously Elvis at Food Restaurant in Worthing. £29 for a three course meal and a fantastic evening’s entertainment. Call Food Restaurant on 01903 227780 to book your space.

Horsham Sleepout – Saturday 25th from 7pm
Horsham Sleepout, held at St Roberts Southwell Catholic Primary School

May

Pamper Evening – Thursday 11th

Shoreham Friends Group are hosting a Girls Night In Pamper Evening at St Peter’s Catholic Primary in Shoreham. Tickets are £20.00 and available from our charity shops or by calling the office from the end of March.

Skydive – Saturday 20th
Sponsored event held at Skydive Netheravon – email info@wchp.org.uk for more information!

June

Worthing Artist Open Houses – Weekends 17th - 18th and 24th – 25th
The theme of this year’s Worthing Artist Open Houses is “Safe Spaces”, held at Colonnade House in Worthing – email info@wchp.org.uk to get involved either as an artist or to contribute your own description of a safe space.

July

Worthing Artist Open Houses – Weekend of the 1st – 2nd 
The final weekend of this year’s event.

Worthing Summer Busk and Street Collection – Saturday 22nd
Street collection in Worthing, with musicians

August

Carboot Sale at Broadwater Green – Saturday 5th August

Shoreham Street Collection – Saturday 12th

Street collection in Shoreham

September

Thames Path Challenge – Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th  

Walk, job or run 100, 50 or 25km from Putney Bridge to Henley. More than 3,000 challengers will take on the main Thames Path Challenge following England's greatest river. Visit http://www.thamespathchallenge.com/the-main-challenge for more information and to sign up!

October

Taylor Maid musical evening – Saturday 14th from 7pm

Organised by the Goring Friends group, held at the Warren Ballroom. Tickets TBC

December

Christmas Tree Festival – Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd

Our annual Christmas Tree Festival will be held at St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham.

For further details of our events please contact the Fundraising Team on 01903 680740 or email info@wchp.org.uk 

If you would like help at any of our events please contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator on 01903 680740 or email helping@wchp.org.uk

Please visit our website www.wchp.org.uk or follow us on social media @WCHPnews

Charity No: 1027832