As part of its Get Active Crawley campaign, Crawley Borough Council is encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy all that its beautiful local parks and green spaces have to offer this Love Parks Week, which is taking place from 24 July to 2 August this year.

Love Parks Week is a national celebration led by Keep Britain Tidy, highlighting the vital role green spaces play in boosting the health and wellbeing of residents and communities. Crawley Borough Council provides and maintains the parks and open spaces in Crawley.

Throughout the week, there is a range of family-friendly events happening across the town in our fantastic local parks so come along and get involved in the fun. Here’s a round-up of the coming week’s highlights:

Tuesday 29 July

• celebrate Love Parks Week with us by joining one of our weekly Crawley Wellbeing health walks. You can explore Goffs Parks woodlands and lawns by joining the health walk, which is held every Tuesday, meeting at the top car park at 10.30am. Alternatively, you can join the Tilgate Forest health walk, starting at 9.30am from the Tilgate Forest Golf Centre. It’s a great way to enjoy nature, stay active, and connect with your community. Find out more about health walks on the West Sussex Wellbeing websiteOpens in new window

Wednesday 29 July

• for those at work, there are plenty of routes to enjoy during lunchtime. Green Flag award-winning Crawter’s Brook at Manor Royal has the broadwalk landscape with plenty of picnic benches and seating areas to use and relax
• Wednesday is also about thanking the great work our gardening volunteers do every Wednesday throughout the year, both at Worth Park and Tilgate Park, to help the parks look great in every season. Thank you!

Thursday 30 July

• a quieter day, so why not explore the various parks and open spaces Crawley has to offer? There are plenty of green spaces to visit including Bewbush Water Gardens, Broadfield Park, West Green Park and more than 70 children’s play areas across the borough
• you can also join our health walk at Tilgate Park today. Find out about this health walk on the West Sussex Wellbeing websiteOpens in new window

Friday 31 July

• Love Parks Week is the perfect time to pick up a racket and enjoy a game of tennis at one of our nine courts available across Maidenbower, Southgate, and West Green parks. This weekend you can try tennis at all Crawley Parks tennis courts for just £1 throughout the whole weekend so it’s never been easier to get involved! Find out more and book on the Club Spark websiteOpens in new window

Saturday 1 August

• there’s plenty to do at our Green Flag award-winning Tilgate Park during Love Your Park Week. You can stroll the lakes and gardens, play golf, climb the Go Ape Tree top, enjoy food and drink at our cafes and restaurants and take a boat ride on the main lake. Maybe come along and see some of the wonderful animals in Tilgate Zoo including our new armadillo, listen to our daily keeper talks throughout the summer, or enjoy one of the new lemur animal experiences?

Sunday 2 August

• as Love Your Parks Week comes to an end, why not take a stroll around the Ifield Mill Pond, a lovely landscape full of wildlife? You can also explore the Ifield Watermill Museum which is open from 2pm until 5pm. It is the only watermill in Sussex which is powered by its original water source

Love Parks Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the fantastic parks and green spaces we have here in Crawley. Whether you enjoy walking, cycling, sport, wildlife, heritage or simply spending time outdoors with family and friends, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Our parks play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities, and I would encourage residents of all ages to get active, explore somewhere new and make the most of these fantastic spaces right on their doorstep. I would particularly like to say a big thank you to all the council teams who work hard throughout the year to look after our Green Flag award-winning parks.

Councillor Chris Mullins

Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing

Crawley Borough Council

Find out more on the Love Parks Week websiteOpens in new window. Visit our events page to find out what else is on in Crawley.

Gatwick airport say’s its water supply has returned following an issue over the weekend.

Both terminals lost running water after a power failure at a nearby treatment works.

Similar issues were caused back in 2022 when a burst water main caused low pressure to around 1200 houses and closed toilet facilities at the airport.

Have you ever wanted to work in radio but didn’t know where to start?

Well, now’s your chance as the news team here at Susy Radio are on the lookout for more journalists and newsreaders to join us.

You don’t need to have a background in journalism as full training will be provided.

If you can spare a few hours a week helping to produce news bulletins, then we want to hear from you.

To register your interest send us an email to [email protected] and who knows, just a few weeks from now you too could be on air spreading the news across Surrey and Sussex.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council has recognised several individuals, groups, and organisations for going over and beyond in their selfless service to the community.

In total, 55 individuals were honoured at this year’s Reigate & Banstead Volunteer Awards with the ceremonies taking place at the Town Hall on Friday 17 and Monday 20 July.

Organised in partnership with Voluntary Action Surrey East (VASE), the awards have become a great way for the community through the Council, to thank those who selflessly give up their time and effort for the benefit of others.

There were five award categories this year and the winners are:

Young Volunteer

• Marcus Martin-Burns – 9th Reigate Scouts group (Lower Kingswood)

Individual Volunteer

• Ana Sá – Include.Org
• Carol Ward – Include.Org
• Gill Hartley – Casualties Union, Surrey Branch
• Mike Gregory – Casualties Union, Surrey Branch
• Peter Taylor-Medhurst – Banstead Commons Conservators
• Lesley Ashworth – St Catherine’s Hospice
• Gareth Luker – YMCA East Surrey
• Chris Nott – Radio Redhill
• Kitty Cubbage – Age Concern Merstham Redhill Reigate
• Amanda Whitaker – Stripey Stork
• Angie Barton – MHA Communities East Surrey
• David Parsons – MHA Communities East Surrey
• Rod Baker – Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey and Stripey Stork
• Flt Lt Ellery Lock – 135 (Reigate & Redhill) Air Cadets
• John Williamson – Pathfinders Scouts Horley
• Trudy Hopcroft – Loveworks
• Sean Sullivan – The Brigitte Trust
• Chris Kemp – Merstham Community Facility Trust
• Kirsty Upton – The Lucy Rayner Foundation
• Chris Shaw – The Reigate Repair Café

Individual Trustee

• Sally Stimpson – I Choose Freedom
• Jeff Harris – MYTI Club
• Claire Pidgeon – Age Concern Merstham Redhill Reigate
• Doug Bennett – Us in a Bus
• Dan Gould – Pathfinder Scout Group
• Hugh Sergeant – Renewed Hope
• Vic Marcipont – Merstham Community Facility Trust
• Elizabeth Sandra Snelgrove – The Lucy Rayner Foundation

Long-Service

• Debbie Lackey – St John Ambulance
• Tim Arscott – 7th Banstead Scouts
• Bruce Chapman – Reigate Business Guild and Old Reigatians RFC
• Rosemarie Belcher – Girl Guiding UK
• Hysen Perlesha – Red and Black Roots Association
• Trevor and Shelia Ongley – The Redhill Corps of Drums & Band
• Sue Bracher – St Catherine’s Hospice
• Annie McKillop – Banstead Community Centre
• Pauline Barnett – Age Concern Banstead
• Colin Batty – Age Concern Banstead
• Suzanne Fletcher – The Brigitte Trust
• Darren Coomber – The Lucy Rayner Foundation

Team Volunteers

• Include Trustee Team
• Tracks through Pastures
• Woodhatch Community Centre Volunteers
• Gatton Trust Volunteers
• St Catherine’s Hospice Charity Shop
• Reigate Andy’s Man Club
• Stripey Stork Large Equipment
• Home Start Epsom, Ewell & Banstead
• Stripey Stork Corporate Volunteers
• Welcare
• Reigate Beekeepers Swarm team
• Loveworks Drivers
• Horley Community Centre Reception Team
• Asian Social Group Trustees Team

We know residents are frustrated by the recent disruption to rubbish, recycling, food and garden waste collections and we are sorry households continue to be affected.

The Council has agreed a £160,000 package of measures with Biffa to strengthen the resilience of waste and recycling services through to April 2027. These measures include additional staffing support, workforce stability initiatives and operational improvements, including an additional vehicle to support recycling collections.

The additional measures have only recently been agreed and it will take time for their full benefits to be felt across the service. In the meantime, some collections may continue to be affected as the service recovers and stabilises.

We understand residents’ frustration and thank them for their continued patience and understanding. The Council and Biffa remain committed to restoring a reliable service and reducing the risk of future disruption.