Latest News of Local Interest

The Poynings burglars

Posted on

Michael Griffiths murder police poster
The Chichester Observer has extended reports on a murder trial with a local connection. Here are some extracts:

Penton, 43, of Markway, Sunbury, denies murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, but has admitted conspiracy to burgle homes in Loxwood, Poynings and a home near Godalming as well as Mr Griffiths’s home.

The jury also heard how the burglary at Poynings on May 24, 2103, to which Penton has pleaded guilty, came after he found the house in Country Life magazine.

John Bartholomew, 72, of Cross Street, Portsmouth, denies murder and conspiracy to commit burglaries in Loxwood, Fernhurst and Poynings.

Harvey Munford, 23, of Monks Way, Staines, has admitted conspiracy to burgle homes in Loxwood, Poynings and Godalming, conspiracy to burgle Mr Griffiths’ home and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He denies murder but has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The murder of Michael Griffiths has been described by both a forensic pathologist and a police inspector as the ‘most complex’ case ever seen.

Much more here and here.

Under-age moto-cross

Posted on

Golding Barn Raceway in Small Dole
The Shoreham Herald reports:

Dan Beamish, who co-runs Golding Barn Raceway in Small Dole, visited key stage one children at Upper Beeding Primary School to talk about the extreme sport .. He took along a moto-cross bike, which is used in races, together with the equipment worn while racing. ..

Golding Barn Raceway is a professional moto-cross practice and race facility in Henfield Road. It was built by Danny and Steve Beamish, an ex professional moto-cross racer.

Beginning Nature Photography

Posted on

David Plummer Beginning Nature Photography
Tutor: David Plummer
Venue: Woods Mill
Date: Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April
Time: 10:00 – 16:00 both days

A two day course for beginners with digital SLR cameras only. Day 1: Camera basics, manual control, manual metering, aperture priority and depth of field control. Day 2: advanced metering, composition, making a good shot better, fieldwork and supports, focussing and where it goes wrong, putting it all together.

** Booking and course information **

Cross the A283 and live! [update 2]

Posted on

Bridleway crosses A283
The Shoreham Herald reports that WSCC Rights of Way Committee has now agreed to the new bridleway that will allow users of the Downs Link to avoid having to cross the A283:

It will run close to the River Adur, passing under the A283 road bridge, through a field, across a ditch and through a wooded highway verge to rejoin the Downs Link at its existing crossing point. It adds 970m to the length of the route.

Measure twice, cut once

Posted on


Steyning Grammar will be celebrating 400 years of existence in May with a variety of events including:

  • 24th May: the opening of the Church Street School and grounds to the public with archive material relating to the school’s history on display;
  • 24th-25th May: three performances each day of ‘Carvings, Corridors and Timbres’, a musical about the school, at the Church Street site;
  • 26th–28th May: a heritage quilt will be on display in the Church of St Andrew and St Cuthman;
  • 29th May: Janet Pennington will give a talk on ‘Steyning Grammar School, 400 Years of Education’ at 2:00pm in Bolton House;
  • 7th March–31st August 2014: an exhibition titled ‘The Scholar’s Tale — 400 Years of Schooling in Steyning’ at Steyning Museum.

Further details about these and other events can be found here.

The wrong kind of snow

Posted on

A27 flooded in 2012
The Worthing Herald reports:

Despite £800,000 being spent fixing the drainage on the A27, the busy trunk-road is still vulnerable to flooding with fed-up motorists facing yet more delays last week.

After months of disruption and lane closures in 2012, the dual carriageway still could not cope with the volume of water coming off the South Downs this winter.

But the Highways Agency denies that its drainage work has failed, arguing that it was never meant to deal with this kind of flooding.

Iconic views

Posted on


The Sussex Express reports the Director of Planning for the South Downs National Park, Tim Slaney, as saying:

The Rampion wind farm proposals would harm the landscape and cultural heritage of the South Downs National Park introducing 175 turbines into the iconic views from the Sussex Heritage Coast and cause large scale disruption to the landscape of the National Park through the construction of a 14km long and 30m wide cable corridor.

The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), which attended 11 days of public examination and submitted in excess of 270 pages of evidence, recommended that the Secretary of State should refuse to grant permission to ensure that the landscape and cultural heritage of the National Park is conserved.