Wednesday 20th April 2011 Community power plant planned for Lewes
East Sussex could be home to Britain’s first community power plant
after residents reached an agreement with the owners of Harveys
brewery warehouse. The residents have formed the Ouse Valley Energy
Services Company (Ovesco) and will raise £3000,000 by selling shares
to investors. £166,000 has already been invested in amounts of between
£500 and £20,000. The company say the panels will help to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40 tonnes a year and generate
around 98,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Sussex

Monday 24th January 2011 Crawley boy forgoes birthday gifts to raise £15,000 for charity
An 11-year-old boy from Crawley has gone without birthday presents for
the past seven years to help raise thousands of pounds for charity.
Charlie Doherty was so shocked by images of the 2004 Boxing Day
Tsunami that he started asking people to give money to worthy causes
instead of giving him gifts. Charlie, who recently celebrated his
birthday, has also carried out a number of fundraising feats including
a walk from Crawley to Brighton earlier this month. Charlie said: “For
my fifth birthday party I asked for money instead of presents and gave
that money to charity. My main charity now is Mary's Meals.” Sussex

Tuesday 21st December 2010 Horse rescued from Sussex swimming pool
A horse took an unexpected and very cold swim when he escaped from his
field and wandered into a neighbouring garden. The horse fell into a
swimming pool after trying to walk on the pool's plastic covering,
which was concealed by snow. The horse, known as ‘Ben’, was rescued by
firefighters from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) who used
specialist equipment to hoist him from the pool in Bucks Green near
Horsham. A WSFRS spokesman said: "We are pleased to say that Ben is
now safe and well and back in the hands of his owners." Sussex

Wednesday 15th December 2010 Eagle sighting sparks excitement
A rare sighting of the white-tailed eagle, UK's largest bird of prey,
has caused excitement among twitchers. The white-tailed eagle, which
has an 8ft (2.6m) wing span, was spotted at RSPB Amberley Wildbrooks
in Sussex. The charity said it has been over 50 years since the last
reported sighting of the bird in Sussex. The RSPB are speculating that
the juvenile eagle may have been forced south by the severe winter
weather in Scandinavia or the Baltic. RSPB warden Peter Hughes said:
"When I got a call on Saturday lunchtime from someone who said he was
watching a white-tailed eagle at Amberley Wildbrooks, I'll admit I was
a little sceptical at first. But fifteen minutes later I was there
too, watching this magnificent bird." Sussex

Thursday 9th December 2010 Nick Cave wipes out speed camera in his Jaguar
Singer Nick Cave has smashed through a barrier and knocked over a
speed camera on Hove seafront while driving his Jaguar. The
53-year-old Australian musician crashed as he drove his twin
10-year-old sons along Kingsway. Cave, who lives locally, and his sons
walked away unharmed and no other vehicles were. Sussex Police said in
a statement: "The camera belongs to the Sussex Safer Roads
Partnership, not the police, and the railings belong to the local
highway authority. Both agencies were informed. Nobody has been
arrested but police inquiries are continuing." Sussex

Wednesday 20th October 2010 Kray twins memorabilia sold
An auction has raised £20,780 after selling more than 160 previously
unseen letters and photographs belonging to gangsters Ronnie and
Reggie Kray. The Kray twins' official autobiographer had previously
described the collection as a "goldmine". A photograph, showing Ronnie
with Tory peer Lord Boothby, sold for £550. Lord Boothby sued the
Daily Mirror in court after the paper alleged the pair were involved
in a homosexual relationship. Gorringes Auctioneers in Lewes, East
Sussex, sold the items from a collection by the twins' official
autobiographer John Pearson, who became their close confidante after
they were jailed for murder. Sussex

Tuesday 5th October 2010 Hastings pier badly damaged in fire
A huge blaze has destroyed the Victorian pier at Hastings in East
Sussex. Originally opened in 1872, the pier has been closed since 2006
due to fears over the safety of the structure. At least 95% of the
structures on the pier were destroyed, leaving a only skeleton of
ironwork behind. The pier had been due to pass into the hands of the
Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust, which had been set up to oversea
its restoration. Hastings Borough Council had intended to take over
ownership with a compulsory purchase order in order to hand the pier
to the the trust. The pier’s future is now uncertain. Sussex

Friday 23rd July 2010 Ice block smashes into Chichester home
A huge block of ice  has wrecked the roof of a home in Chichester, West Sussex, after falling from a passing aeroplane. Residents of the property, Vince Foote and his wife, were asleep when the falling ice smashed a 2ft hole in the roof at Summerdale Court, Chichester, at around 2am. Fortunately the block landed in the spare bedroom, which was empty at the time, so there were no injuries despite considerable destruction and flying debris. Mr Foote said: "I thought at first it was thunder and I got up to investigate. I tried to open the spare bedroom door and it wouldn't move. When I forced it open I couldn't believe what I was seeing.” It is very rare for such large ice chunks to fall to earth as they normally dissipate into the atmosphere but, despite this, there are still about 30 such incidents reported each year. Sussex

Wednesday 30th June 2010 Giant horses head for Sussex
No, it isn’t a grisly take on the famous Godfather horse in a bed
scene, this is art! After the installation of the 30-foot bronze
statue Sussex now has its own landmark, just like the Angel of the
North. The massive structure was installed on the South Downs near
Goodwood on Tuesday this week. The four-tonne piece is called
'Artemis' and was designed by Nic Fiddian-Green. Mr Fiddian-Green says
"My primary aim is to place beautiful works of art into the landscape,
and I can think of nowhere more powerful for my Greek horses head
'Artemis' than on the ancient site of the Trundle at Goodwood
overlooking the steeple of Chichester Cathedral to the sea and across
to the Isle of Wight". Sussex

Monday 22nd March 2010 West Sussex pond project completed
A £7,000 conservation project in West Sussex has created six new
ponds, three each at Pagham Harbour and Bersted Brooks, near Bognor
Regis. The new ponds will provide the perfect habitat for amphibians,
birds, insects and plants to thrive in and will be used as an
educational resource to help local children to understand the
environment.

Gareth Williams, from the Environment Agency, said: "Creating clean
new ponds is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect
freshwater wildlife and attract new species. These new ponds can
quickly establish themselves to become exceptionally rich habitats." Sussex