THE eyes of the world will be on Sussex later this month when runners and walkers carry the Olympic torch on one of the final stages of its journey.
Lined up to take part in Crowborough on July 17 is Lorraine Mercer, 51 from Haywards Heath. Lorraine was a thalidomide baby, has no proper limbs and was not expected to live when she was born. However her sheer strength of mind has carried her thorugh solo swimathons, fundraising for the RDA, craft and lacework making for charity, winning a Blue Peter badge and winning the RDA dressage silver cup. She was also a winner of a Young Artist award for mouthpainting. Lorraine will be in her specially adapted wheelchair and Wealden District Council has made their Pine Grove HQ available as a ‘base camp’ for her.
Also in Crowborough, mum of two Jo Rout, 36 who won two Paralympic swimming gold medals in South Korea at the age of 12. She was born without a left hand but wanted to prove herself and after her Paralympic wins she joined Beacon Swimming Club as a coach. Ben Stevens, former pupil at Five Ashes Primary School and Beacon Community College coaches lifesavers at the swimming club and studies at Brighton University.
Famous Framfield battler, Bazza West who is confined to a wheelchair after breaking his neck when he swerved to avoid a badger in the road, will grace the streets of Rye with the Olympic torch. Bazza will also take climb Mount Snowdon for charity Back Up. In May this year his mouth paintings were exhibited in public for the first time in Maresfield. Ian Noble from Uckfield will be a torchcarrier in Hastings.
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Print this pageSource: www.sussexexpress.co.uk
Torch Relay: Olympics fever grips Essex - chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk
Torch Relay: Olympics fever grips Essex
11:52am Wednesday 4th July 2012 in News By Ryan McCarthy
ABOUT 10,000 people are expected to line the Olympic Torch Relay routes through Brentwood and Chelmsford.
Torch Relay organisers were in Chelmsford this morning to give details about the Essex leg of the torch journey around the country.
Friday's route through Essex will be day 49 of the relay and it will cover 117 miles from Ipswich to Chelmsford.
On Friday there will be 138 torchbearers getting their hands on the torch and before day 50 starts in Chelmsford, the city will play host to Sparks Will Fly, a huge Olympic celebration at Hylands Park.
Bernard Mella, director of leisure and culture at Chelmsford City Council, said: "The relay and Sparks Will Fly will be truly incredible events.
"At Hylands Park there will be a host of schools performing as well as singer and stage star Lee Mead.
"There will be 57 different venues and attractions at the event."
Britain's Got Talent stars Twist and Pulse will also perform.
Mr Mella asked ticketholders to Sparks Will Fly to arrive early and bring a torch to help sparks fly in the evening.
Stephen Castle, Essex County Council member responsible for the Games, said: "Essex has been involved witht he Olympics for about ten years right from backing the bid.
"We have worked hard to ensure there is a legacy in Essex and Friday and Saturday will be remarkable and memorable days in the county.
"I have seen the effect of the relay in other counties and it really will be something special when the torch comes to Essex."
The torch will be in torchbearer mode, on foot, from Rectory Lane, Herongate, at 5.41pm until Common Road at 5.55pm.
It will travel along Ingrave Road to Brentwod where it will be in in torchbearer mode from The Avenue at 5.58pm until Middleton Road at 6.21pm.
After the Sparks Will Fly event the relay will then begin again in Chelmsford on Saturday at 6.57am at Anglia Ruskin University.
It will pass through the High Street, across Parkway and into Moulsham Street, arriving at Chelmsford Museum just before 7.20am.
Source: www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk
James ‘Arg’ Argent: Gemma Collins and I don’t need a TOWIE showmance - Metro.co.uk
Apparently confirming that he and TOWIE co-star Gemma are an official item, Arg has explained that neither of them will be using their relationship to get more attention on the ITV2 reality show.
Speaking to Heat, Arg said: 'The great thing about us is that everything between us has happened off camera.
'I don't like to sound arrogant, but if there's one person who doesn't need a storyline, it would be me.
'I had the most airtime of all on series five, and the Gemma situation only got revealed in the last episode. I don't need to go on camera and fake anything.'
He added: 'I'm really fond of her. I think she brings out the best in me. You know, the old Arg.
'I had a bad phase when I broke up with Lydia [Bright] and Gemma's the best thing that's happened to me since.'
The pair were last seen on-screen having a heated discussion in the TOWIE special The Only Way Is Marbs, which saw Gemma strip down to a swimsuit and tell Arg in no uncertain terms that he was missing out by not being with her.
She warned him: 'You need to realise there's people around you that don't care about you and you're just pushing everyone away.'
Both Gemma and Arg are expected to return for the next series of The Only Way Is Essex, which is due to return later this year.
Source: www.metro.co.uk
Businessman charged with attempting to murder Devizes solicitor - The Guardian
A businessman has been charged with attempting to murder a solicitor as he worked at his desk in a market town.
Michael Raymond Chudley, 62, is accused of attempting to murder Jim Ward, who suffered life-threatening head injuries in an attack with a sawn-off shotgun at the solicitors firm Morris, Goddard and Ward in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Chudley, who lives in Rowde, a village two miles from Devizes, is also charged with making threats to kill, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and carrying a firearm with criminal intent.
He is in police custody and will appear at Salisbury magistrates on Wednesday morning.
Ward, 58, a father of three, suffered a single gunshot wound in the attack on Monday afternoon. Police have said four other people were in the office at the time but were not hurt. Two members of the public, including an off-duty paramedic, rushed in to try to save the injured man.
Ward was airlifted to Frenchay hospital in Bristol and his family was at his bedside. Police said on Tuesday he remained seriously ill.
A neighbour at Ward's red-brick farmhouse in Westbury, Wiltshire, who did not want to be named, said the solicitor would do anything for anybody.
He said: "He is just such a lovely man. The whole family is lovely. It is such a shock this has happened – he wouldn't hurt a fly. It's the type of thing you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy – I can't think why anybody would have done this.
"We have all been praying for him at the local village church and we hope that he gets better – you have to have faith. He's just such a nice man."
Morris, Goddard and Ward was set up in 1988, specialising in matrimonial and family law, personal injury, general legal claims and residential conveyancing. Ward is listed as principal solicitor at the practice.
Police emphasised that such incidents were uncommon. Local inspector Ron Peach said: "I would like to stress how very rare incidents such as this are in Devizes, and across the county. However, we recognise that the community will be concerned and will experience some disruption as officers conduct inquiries. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim at this difficult time."
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Projects across Wealden lined up for prestigious Heritage awards - Lewes Today
A GOLF CLUB, gardens a community wood and a farm enterprise conversion are among projects that have won prestigious Sussex Heritage Trust awards.
Out of 74 separate entries, 14 awards were made and 16 Highly Commended certificates announced.
The awards were announced at the Trust’s 14th annual lunch by Chris Gebbie, OBE, chairman of the Trust and presented before 180 guests by Trust president, Rt Hon Lord Egremont at a reception at Lancing College on July 4.
Among other winners, Commercial Awards went to Hendall Manor Barn, Heron’s Ghyll, the Piltdown Golf Club and holiday cottage complex the Dipperays, East Dean. In the Landscape and Gardens category an award was presented to Follers Manor Gardens, Alfriston where the house also achieved an award in the Small Scale Residential category.
A Sussex Heritage Person of the Year Award went to Mrs R M Brown of Polegate for her foresight and public spiritedness in planting Stuart’s Wood, Nutbourne for community use.
In addition, Sussex Heritage Trust launched its new Bursary Scheme through major sponsorship from the Historic Houses Association in conjunction with West Dean College near Chichester.
The new scheme plans to offer further training to selected young craftspeople embarking on a career in traditional building crafts, who have shown a particular interest in the subject. Among sponsors are Uckfield agents Lawson Commercial and Lewes brewers Harvey and Son.
The winners receive a hand crafted slate plaque to be displayed at the winning site and all parties involved in the project receive certificates attesting to their contribution to the Award. Judging teams usually comprise a Sussex Heritage trustee, a professional in the appropriate field and a ‘lay person’ to ensure a balanced view. All are volunteers and receive no remuneration. The projects are judged on their own merits against a formal set of criteria, rather than against each other. This is why some categories see several Awards, and others perhaps none.
Source: www.sussexexpress.co.uk
She didn't do it alone: Katie Holmes' attorney father is said to have helped 'orchestrate her sudden split' from Tom Cruise - Daily Mail
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It's already been reported that he is helping his daughter with her divorce, but it seems that Katie Holmes' father may have been the one behind the big decision in the first place.
The 67-year-old attorney is said to have helped his youngest child set the wheels in motion when she decided she wanted to divorce her husband of five years, Tom Cruise.
According to People magazine, Martin Holmes 'helped orchestrate his daughter's sudden split' from the Hollywood actor.
The mastermind: Katie Holmes' attorney father Martin is said to have orchestrated her split from Tom Cruise
'Marty is very rigid – it's his way or the highway,' a Toledo attorney who has worked with Martin told the magazine.
'Marty believes there are only two sets of rules: the rules of the court and his rules, and he carries himself that way.'
The father-of-five is said to practice in areas including personal injury, business litigation, probate and matrimonial law, and is therefore the best person for Katie to turn to for advice.
It also seems that Martin is relieved to finally have his daughter back, following constant reports that he and his wife Kathy felt that the Mission Impossible star was controlling their daughter.
Fighting it out: Martin is said to be helping his daughter with her divorce proceedings as her five year marriage to Tom Cruise comes to an end
When Katie began dating Tom, 50, back in 2005, rumours quickly emerged that the actress's parents were wary of the relationship.
However, in public Martin was always supportive of Cruise, calling him a 'humanitarian' in a statement to Access Hollywood, and Katie was also quick to deny any stories of tension between them.
'Some of the crap that's out there – the stuff that's said about my parents and my siblings not hitting it off with Tom, it's really frustrating,' the mother-of-one told Vanity Fair in 2006.
Yummy: Katie took her daughter Suri out for the first time yesterday since the shock announcement on Friday
But Martin and Kathy are clearly behind their daughter's decision to divorce Tom - which was revealed to the world on Friday.
The actress has since moved to Manhattan with Suri and last night took her daughter out in public for the first time since announcing the split.
The pair visited a local ice cream parlous where the dark-haired child was spotted tenderly stroking her mother's face as she enjoyed the cold treat.
Number one priority: The pair enjoyed ice cream and a cuddle before heading back to their New York apartment
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
'Only Way Is Essex's Joey Essex, Sam Faiers for 'Million Pound Drop' - Digital Spy
Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk
Sussex Police to have fewest frontline officers in the country (From The Argus) - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex Police to have fewest frontline officers in the country
2:10pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012 in News By Ben Parsons, Crime Reporter
Sussex Police will have fewer frontline officers than any other police force in the country under its £50 million cuts programme.
The estimate was made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) on a day when three other forces were said to be “at risk”.
Officers’ representatives said deep cuts will affect the ability of police to fight crime.
Sussex Police is in its second year of a programme to cut about £50 million – 16% of the budget it enjoyed in 2010.
The force is expected to have lost a total of 470 officers by 2015.
That is 15% of officers, compared to a 10% fall elsewhere.
HMIC said that by 2015 the proportion of officers and staff in frontline roles – dealing with the public, keeping people safe or enforcing the law – in Sussex would fall to 65%, compared to the 74% national average, and a |lower proportion than in any other force.
Inspectors found crime in the county increased slightly in 2011.
In its nationwide review of the effects of cuts, HMIC said there was a risk Devon and Cornwall Police, Lincolnshire Police and the Metropolitan Police “may not be able to provide a sufficiently efficient or effective service for the public in the future”.
Previous HMIC reports have said that cutting more than 12% of budgets would affect frontline policing.
After reviewing the position in Sussex, Zoe Billingham, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said the cuts here were “realistic and achievable” but warned: “However, Sussex Police is cutting a higher percentage of police officer posts than most other forces, and by 2015, the proportion of its total workforce in frontline roles will be lower than in any other force.
“As they work to deliver their financial plans Sussex Police will therefore need to focus on both increasing and making the best possible use of its frontline, crime-fighting resources, which will help it to bring its crime levels in line with other forces.”
Mark White, secretary of Sussex Police Federation, said: “For the last 18 months we have expressed concerns about the effect the cuts would have on frontline policing. The HMIC report appears to endorse what we in the federation have been saying.”
Chief Constable Martin Richards said in a statement that year-on-year crime is currently down by 8%.
He said that the way numbers of frontline staff are counted vary in different forces. He said: “We are confident that our plans will ensure our people are delivering the best possible service to the public in the future.”
HMIC inspects police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Italian Job bus art installation teeters on seaside pavilion to celebrate Games - Daily Mail
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This summer's Olympic Games have been heralded as an opportunity for Britain to show itself off to the rest of the world.
And whether that includes running the event to a flawless schedule, offering a memorable opening ceremony, or perching a bus on top of a roof, the Games already look set to live up to their promises.
Despite its appearance of being stuck, the coach which has come to rest on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill East Sussex isn't stranded but is just the latest in a series of innovative artworks to mark London 2012.
The unusual installation on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion in East Sussex was inspired by 'The Italian Job'
The full-sized coach installation is hoisted delicately into place on the rooftop by crane
The unusual installation owes its inspiration to the final scene of the iconic film 'The Italian Job'.
And the artist behind the work has named the full-sized replica coach in honour of Michael Caine's last line in the 1969 movie - 'Hang on a minute lads, I've got a great idea...'.
Richard Wilson said that turning his idea into a reality presented a unique challenge: 'I wanted the building to be part of the work and viewing the coastal horizon made me aware of the building's edges.
'Producing this cinematic moment as a sculpture was not just about a structural daring but more a metaphor about the absolute limits of anything.
Artist Richard Wilson, pictured with his work, said creating the installation presented a unique challenge
The artwork is inspired by the final scene of 1969 film 'The Italian Job' (pictured)
'You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off': The Italian Job gifted film fans with one of the most memorable lines in cinematic history
'Being a red, white and blue coach makes it a flag-waving work for the Olympics.'
Wilson came up with the idea after being asked to imitate Antony Gormley's 'Critical Mass' artwork which was also staged on the rooftop of the De La Warr Pavilion.
Fortunately for worried residents, there will be at least eight tons of steel girders in place to ensure the vehicle stays in place on top of the East Sussex building. 
Eddie Izzard, who part-funded the work, said he hopes the UK will be known for its ability to balance coaches on buildings
Fortunately for residents in Bexhill (pictured) the bus will be held in place by eight tons of steel girders
The project is being backed, in part, by comedian Eddie Izzard, who said the year of the Olympics provided a 'perfect time to hang a large bus off the edge of a building in a seaside town.'
'By the end of 2012, I would hope the word goes out from our country that not only do we run excellent world events, but also we balance coaches on the edges of building like no one else ever could.'
The artwork opens to the public this weekend and forms part of the finale of the Cultural Olympiad, which is bringing together artists from across the world over a 12-week period.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
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