NEWS RELEASES
Southwater's biggest ever celebrations 15 and 16 December 2006
29th November 2006
SOUTHWATER will be holding its biggest ever celebrations on 15 and 16 December and everyone is invited to come and see why.
The important dates signify not only the onset of Christmas but also the end of the village centre’s £25 million redevelopment where a whole new village centre has been put in place.
Shops, housing, a new health centre, a community centre and a Co op store are just some of the additions to the new focus of village life based around the newly named Lintot Square. A new public house will be completed nearby soon.
Beeson House, the impressive new community centre, also offers parish council offices, a library, a business resource centre, community police office, youth centre and a Citizens Advice Bureau.
To celebrate completion of this momentous project there will be a series of special events taking place on Friday, December 15, and Saturday, December 16.
Putting the cherry on the top of the cake and - linking with the area’s distant history - there will be the unveiling of a specially commissioned iguanodon dinosaur sculpture on 15 December.
The celebrations are free to enter and take place in Southwater’s Lintot Square and as follows:
Friday 15 December 2006:
| 1.15pm | Lintot Square, Southwater Unveiling of the Southwater Iguanodon dinosaur sculpture by the Chairman of Horsham District Council, Cllr Bernard Baldwin Followed by a dinosaur exhibition in Southwater Library (first floor) in Beeson House, Lintot Square. Free to enter. |
Saturday 16 December 2006:
| 10am | Grand opening by Sonia, the star of ‘Jack & the Beanstalk’ at The Capitol, Horsham |
| 10.05-11am | Tanbridge House School Band (Beeson House) |
| 10.15 am | ARRIVAL OF FATHER CHRISTMAS |
| 10.30am-12noon | Father Christmas in the Christmas Grotto* (Beeson House) |
| 11am-12noon | Children’s hand painting (Beeson House, first floor) |
| 12-4pm | Roving magician entertainer and balloons** |
| 1-2pm | Dark Star live band in Lintot Square |
| 2-3pm | Father Christmas in the Christmas Grotto* (Beeson House) |
| 2.15-2.45pm | Elsden School of Dance (Lintot Square or Beeson House) |
| 3.30pm | West Sussex Trafalgar Concert Band in Lintot Square |
| 4pm | The Venerable Roger Combes, Archdeacon of Horsham |
| 4.05pm-4.35pm | Church Choirs and Community Carol Concert in Lintot Square |
* gifts will be limited
** professional performances permitting
Also……
At Southwater Library, Lintot Square: 11am, 11.30am, 3pm and 3.30pm – DINOSAUR STORY AND TRAIL
Ends
Note to editors:
Creating a new heart for a modern village
SOUTHWATER is a modern village, one of the largest in the Horsham District. It has a booming population of 10,000 plus and a very active body of residents.
What it lacked for generations was a heart around which local life could revolve, and Horsham District Council is very proud of the major role it has played in bringing about the fulfilment of that long sought after goal.
After many years of discussion, a two year building project has seen the centre of Southwater transformed and we can now look forward to the final pieces of the jigsaw being put into place by Christmas this year.
To mark completion of this remarkable scheme there will be a grand opening ceremony on 15 December 2006 at which it’s planned to unveil a new bronze work of art at Lintot Square commissioned from former Millais pupil, Hannah Stewart. It is hoped that many people will want to come and see it. Celebration activities in Southwater will run on both 15 and 16 December.
This special event will be the culmination of a £25 million project whose origins go back many years when district and parish councillors first sat down together to discuss the special needs of this village. Some twelve years ago this action was promised and now at last it is reality.
The first part of the master plan was the creation of Oakhurst Business Park on the southern side of the village which enabled Horsham District Council to relocate the commercial units that once lined Station Road and blocked any chance of progress. Working closely with the former Horsham and Chanctonbury Primary Care Trust, the Council then ensured that a modern health centre was provided.
At the beginning of 2005, the first phase of the new village centre began and the creation of Lintot Square which is now surrounded by modern shops, convenient housing and car parking space. Most of the existing shopkeepers relocated and their buildings were demolished to make way for phase two, a Co-op food store and an attractive pub/restaurant along with more homes and parking spaces, which now nears completion.
One of the most important milestones came in July 2006 when the new Southwater Community Centre was handed over to the parish council ready to provide a range of key services to include library, youth centre, community police office, Citizens Advice Bureau, offices for Southwater Business Resource Centre and public rooms for meetings and private functions. It is also the new home of Southwater Parish Council complete with a modern meeting chamber.
The Southwater project has been planned and managed by Horsham District Council in co-operation with a host of different partners. It is a unique venture in many respects and it is very pleasing to see the Southwater dream realised at last.
Most village centres evolve over centuries. For Southwater it has taken just 15 years.
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
Email: richard.morris@horsham.gov.uk