Photo credit – Queen Victoria Hospital.   Photo shows Steve Ody, East Grinstead Town Mayor; Chief Medical Officer Lt. Col. Tania Cubison; Mims Davies, Conservative MP for East Grinstead & Uckfield; Captain Chris Peschke, Naval Adviser for Canadian Defence; and James Lowell, Chief Executive Officer, pictured with the ceremonial Canadian Maple Tree at the front entrance to the hospital.

Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead has celebrated the 80th anniversary of its Canadian Wing with an event bringing together countries, military personnel, patients and clinicians. 

The celebration reflected on the Wing’s important historical links to the Canadian and British Armed Forces and the vital contribution it has made in caring for those aircrew patients injured in the Second World War.

The event concluded with the ceremonial planting of a Canadian Maple Tree to signify the enduring bond between the Canadian Armed Forces and its people, and Queen Victoria Hospital.

Metrobus has been working with its partners at Gatwick Airport to extend its 420 service. 

The revised 420 route which serves East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, and Reigate now continues daily to Salfords Church, Lumley Road in Horley, and Gatwick’s South Terminal, and terminates at Crawley Bus Station. 

The route will no longer serve Whitebushes which will continue to be served by route 460.  

Photos credit: Geoff Rogers

As you may have heard on last week’s local news, good causes across the South East have this year received a quarter of a million pounds from Gatwick Airport Community Trust. 

Susy Radio is pleased to announce that it is one of the 100 recipients; the grant has enabled the community radio station, run by volunteers to equip our new studios.  Other groups which received funding include St Catherine’s Hospice, Jigsaw South East, and Sal’s Shoes.

The Gatwick Airport Community Trust is funded by the Airport and has been providing support for charities and groups for two decades.

Photo credit:  Reigate and Banstead Borough Council

The Executive of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has approved a recommendation to stop the current arts and cultural activities at The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema. 

This means the Harlequin’s staff will be reduced to a core team of two to three staff who will instead work on developing the business case for a medium term cultural offer. 

The theatre closed last September on a temporary basis after the discovery of RAAC concrete in the building but the problem is more extensive than first envisaged.  A long-term decision regarding the Harlequin in the Warwick Quadrant will depend on the outcome of further RAAC survey work. 

The Council plans to hold an event in the Autumn to hear views from the community.