SUSY 103.4 live on Saturday 19 September at Pride in Place, Bewbush with Neil Munday, Andy Brown and Clive Hilton.

‘Up to £20 million over 10 years’ sounds like a headline, but what matters is who gets to decide. We go live from Bewbush Academy, where residents are invited to shape a resident-led regeneration plan for Bewbush, backed by Crawley Borough Council and a neighbourhood board that turns local priorities into action. You will hear how the money could support social, economic and environmental improvements, and why this is designed to work from the ground up.

We chat with event organiser Amanda Foster, CCYS about how the event was pulled together in just 4 weeks and  Matt Pollard, Crawley Borough Council about the programme, and we also hear from local voices on what should come first, from upgraded play spaces and 3G pitches to better traffic flow, cleaner streets, lighting and safer public areas. The idea board fills up as the afternoon goes on, and the conversation stays practical: what would genuinely make daily life better for families, young people and older residents in Bewbush?

Community support is part of the story too. We meet Menshare Listening Group on men’s mental health and the power of listening circles, and we speak to the Free Shop, Bewbush about food support and the café that helps fund it and the many other community stalls. PLUS the brilliant live performances on the stage – youth music work, and a hula-hoop moment with Peter Lamb MP and Madam Mayor Cllr Marion Ayling that somehow turns into a serious point about participation, and you get a warm, grounded snapshot of what local pride can look like speaking with the Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Cllr Michael Jones.

If you have ideas for Bewbush, share this with someone local, subscribe to the Sussex & Surrey Soapbox for more community stories, and leave us a review. What would you spend the first years £2 million on? Join the drop in session at Bewbush Academy on Tuesday 22 September, 7pm to have your say!