Time to Talk Day (Thursday 1 February) sees the launch of a new anti-stigma campaign, West Sussex Rocks – Time to Change.

As part of Time to Change West Sussex, Coastal West Sussex Mind are running an event where residents are being encouraged to talk openly about mental health and meet like-minded people at a number of library events.

Tomorrow Crawley Library is hosting a ‘pebble party’ designed for adults to relax, socialise and share messages through the form of rock painting.

Click here for more information and please promote February’s events to your communities. 

Join in the conversation on social media, use the #timetotalk hashtag and share our Twitter and Facebook messaging on the day.

Safer Internet Day 6th February 2018 is a global campaign celebrated yearly to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

This year’s theme, ‘Create, Connect and Share Respect: a better internet starts with you’, aims to encourage young people to use the internet to positive effect and make the most of online opportunities, all the while giving them the knowledge, resilience and support they need to navigate away from online risks.

Help to celebrate and support Safer Internet Day by:

Have a read of, 'A guide to keeping your child safe online' an e-publication advising parents on key topics: online behaviour, suitable use, parental controls and how to report an issue.

Attend our Online Safety Session at County Hall North Monday 5th February – to register click here.

Attend our Business Online Safety Session at Manor Royal, Crawley Monday 5th February – to register click here.

Visit your local Library to pick up a Get Safe Online Leaflet – some of our Libraries will also be running online safety drop in sessions on the 6th February:

• Worthing Library: 2 sessions 10am–12pm & 2pm-4pm
• Chichester Library: 2 sessions 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm
• Crawley Library: 2 sessions 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm
• Horsham Library: 2 sessions 10am-12pm & 2pm-4pm

Visit our Staying Safe Online campaign page for more info and resources.

Through February firefighters across the county will be serving advice to their local communities on how to stay safe in the kitchen as part of cooking fire safety month.

And we're asking you to lend your support by encouraging somebody you know that's living on their own to request a free Safe and Well Visit.

In 2017, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were called to 317 fires that started in the kitchen - the source of ignition for 52% of these were cookers.

Last year almost half (40%) of kitchen fires that WSFRS attended involved residents aged 65 and over, with the majority found to live alone.

Please check that your family member, friend or neighbour's property has a working smoke alarm and ensure that they are living in a safe environment.

To find out if they are eligible for a Safe and Well Visit, please call 0345 872 9719.

Rampion has announced it is to launch a £4 million community fund, which is set to benefit communities across Sussex.

As well as incorporating a £3.1 million community benefit fund to support local community groups, charities and not-for-profit organisations, £800,000 will be invested in a Rampion Visitor Centre to be located in the seafront arches just east of the i360 in Brighton. A charitable donation of £100,000 is also being made to the local RNLI stations.

The Rampion Fund at Sussex Community Foundation has been made available to support the local community, from Littlehampton Harbour in the west, to Beachy Head in the east and up to the A272 near Twineham in the north close to the wind farm’s onshore substation. It is designed to help fund local projects particularly those with links to the environment and ecology, climate change and energy, as well as those that work to improve community facilities.

There are 3 rounds of funding available during 2018/19 with closing dates of 4th May 2018, 14th September 2018 and 11th January 2019.

Further information about the fund can be found here. 

Events can happen within the local area to cause short term disruption and the emergency services or local authority may consider as a low priority but they can have impact on local community life.

The "What If" programme is to support towns and parishes in being prepared and to have the knowledge, skills and confidence to support its residents & local businesses during these occasions.

The free training locally tailored to Town and Parish Councils and Community Volunteers, aims to provide information on developing community resilience. Encouraging a confident approach to supporting each other in reducing the impact before an emergency occurs and this is bolstered by strengthening existing community networks.

Training elements include:

• First aid
• Personal safety
• Identifying and supporting the vulnerable
• Team leadership
• Community welfare

The modules also provide factual information on Health and Safety and the law.

Once your group has completed the training you will receive free basic safety equipment.

Last November saw Felpham PC and Community Volunteers receive their equipment as one of the first to have completed all of the current training modules. A press article can be viewed here. 

Felpham residents experienced severe flooding in 2012 and this has focused the Parish Council to develop a Community Resilience Partnership to support their residents. Read more here.

More information can be found on the WSCC Community Resilience What If web page or email emergency@westsussex.gov.uk.

Operation Watershed Active Communities fund has awarded a further £89,995 to worthwhile community projects.

Twelve community led projects across Chichester, Horsham and Mid Sussex will benefit from funding.

Funding is still available to be awarded between now and April 2018 for Parish & Town Councils and Community Groups to support communities affected by flooding in many diverse projects.

If localised flooding impacts your community, properties have been affected by flooding, surface water flooding disrupt local roads, or flood issues due to poorly maintained Riparian ditches, please get in touch 

If you have a community project in mind further information can be found here or email operation.watershed@westsussex.gov.uk

Feedback from a recent questionnaire sent to groups who have received funding provided strong endorsement for the grant funding initiative.

When asked how well the project met their expectations, over half of community groups asked felt that the project met their expectations and 54% thought they went extremely well.

78 % believed the community interest or activity involved in the project would be sustained.

As you are probably aware, last year the WSALC commissioned a piece of work on health and wellbeing, and since January 2017 has been promoting to town and parish councils how they can support the health and wellbeing of their communities. A copy of the report and leaflet was sent to all clerks on 30th November 2017.  

WSALC wants to build on this important work and are asking all parish and town councils in the County to complete this questionnaire whether they provide health and wellbeing services or not, and regardless of whether the initial survey was filled out. The results will help us to establish the benefit of the work, to focus our efforts and will, most importantly, inform a funding application to enable us to continue to support our member councils in the field of health and wellbeing, in turn benefitting your communities. 

There is still time to respond to this questionnaire, WSALC are still keen to hear your views so if you still wish to complete the survey please follow the  link.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Liz Leggo at SSALC should you have any questions liz.leggo@ssalc.co.uk