A Wry Look At Worthing

Sentinel asks the question following Press reports on the impending departure of three senior officers with 70 years of experience between them. The council refused to name the officers, stating: "It is council policy that it does not disclose to third parties any information regarding the position of individual staff." Of course, this was like a red rag to a bull and the Town Hall phone lines were soon buzzing with reporters seeking to find out who was departing. It didn't take long (about five minutes in fact) to discover who the three officers were but the powers-that-be still refused to be drawn even though the information was now firmly in the public domain. This is a prime example of how daft council "policy" can be at times. Had the names remained a secret, what would the council have told members of the public trying to contact the three people concerned after they had left? Presumably something along the lines of: "We are not at liberty to confirm whether they work for the council or not." Very helpful!

Sentinel was interested to learn that the Old House at Home pub, in Broadwater Street East, Broadwater, can trace its roots back to 1832.

Back then it was a beerhouse for agricultural workers and surrounded by open countryside. The pub was celebrated in bygone years by the following whimsical poem:

On Monday I goes out with Rosey, On Tuesday I goes out with Jane, On Wednesday I goes with a widow I knows, and her kids follow on down the Lane. On Thursday I goes out with Ryah, On Friday I practise the choir, but on Saturday night I get tiddly-tight, in the Old House at Home by the fire!

The Toad pub in Chapel Road also has an inscription, credited to Oscar Wilde, stating: "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it." Strangely, it is situated in the gents' toilet. The rear facade of Yates's, missed by most people, bears the slogans: "The sober man's secret is the drunken man's speech" and "Moderation is true temperance." At the Vintners Parrot, formerly the Thieves Kitchen, in Warwick Street, there are numerous musings on the mock Tudor walls upstairs.

Further to last month's revelation that beach huts were changing hands for up to £6,000, Sentinel was interested to learn that one of the seafront bijous was owned by a couple from Manchester, who during the summer, swap the rainiest city in the country for the sunniest town.

Cornwall ranks second only to West Sussex in terms of Sentinel's favourite counties so it was with great pleasure that he recently spent a few days on the rugged northern coast of "Kernow", where he was struck by how well the area catered for watersports' enthusiasts. Sentinel watched Europe's top kite-surfers going through their paces at Watergate Bay, just north of Newquay, and pondered over the reasons why Worthing couldn't stage similar events? Of course, we could, if only the borough council would press for the redevelopment of waste land behind Worthing Yacht Club as a surfing village.

Talking of Cornwall, the Eden Project, situated in a china clay quarry, is truly spectacular. Why can't a similar scheme be drawn up for the derelict Upper Beeding cement works?

The following letter, penned by Mike Switzer, of Hove, appeared in a recent edition of our sister paper, The Argus: "During a recent visit to Worthing, I noticed what a wonderful show of palm trees has been arranged along the promenade. Brighton and Hove City Council should instigate something similar to brighten up our own drab and barren seafront. Every effort should be made to attract visitors and tourists to our city."

Sentinel often watches metal detector buffs scouring the beach for valuables buried beneath the sand and shingle and recently chatted to a couple of enthusiasts from Crawley. They were sweeping shingle which had been disturbed by a bulldozer strengthening the beach defences but found only a few coppers. A far cry from Ventnor beach on the Isle of Wight the week before when they unearthed loose change totalling £44. Sentinel suggested they try the man-made cove opposite Sea Lane Cafe, which was a magnet for families during the summer, proving even more popular than the stretch of beach between the pier and the Lido. The husband and wife revealed that they often searched the seafront at Goring and found lots of bullet casings, the legacy of vicious dogfights between the RAF and Luftwaffe during the Second World War.

Sentinel had to laugh while driving past The Royal Coach pub on the Lancing-Shoreham boundary because somebody had rearranged the letters on the west-facing side to read Ole Hoary Catch.

While on the subject of pubs, the Wig and Pen in Broadwater, which was closed for many months due to a dispute between the landlord and the owners, has finally reopened.

Walking along Brooklyn Avenue recently, Sentinel's attention was diverted by the sight of a small traction engine being restored in a garden near the Iceland supermarket. There was a time when Worthing's window cleaners used ladders to go aloft but nowadays they keep their feet firmly on the ground and use brushes on extended poles, as demonstrated so ably by a couple of chaps in Brunswick Road.

Worthing gained some notoriety recently with the revelation that the town boasted more people over the age of 85 than any other community in the country. This was viewed negatively by some but Sentinel believes it demonstrates that if you want to live a long and relatively healthy life, then there is no finer place than Worthing to reside. And we all know that the age profile of the town is much younger than it was even ten years ago. Just look at the superpubs in Chapel Road on an average Saturday night.

Sentinel picked up a glossy leaflet called Sussex Top Attractions 2002 from the Richmond Road library and was dismayed to find Worthing didn't even merit a mention, which illustrates just how poor this council is when it comes to extolling the virtues of our fair town.

Sentinel was surprised to see the following comment attributed to Tony Chasteauneuf, general manager of Worthing Churches Homeless Project: "The local community has been through various stages of denial about the need for homeless services. Not so! While there is a need for hostels to deal with locals who have fallen on hard times, they should not be springing up to cater for outsiders. That is the key issue, and one which the Homeless Project has steadfastly declined to address. According to the project's own figures, only 43 per cent of "clients" gave their last address as being in Worthing. Rather than opening more hostels in the town, the remaining 57 per cent should be sent on their way. The project also plans to promote local debate regarding the need for a "wet" nightshelter, in other words, a place where street drunks can sleep overnight. But what about the rights of residents near this proposed nightshelter, who work hard for a living and deserve some peace and quiet when they get home?

While on the subject of down-and-outs, Sentinel witnessed a well-known inebriate literally stagger into a town centre off-licence and emerge with four cans of special brew, which is not acceptable. He thought there had been a crackdown on this sort of thing.

The talk at the Dome cinema by former TV war reporter Martin Bell was not only captivating but also generated £1,156, which was evenly split between The Children's Ward at Worthing Hospital and Gifford House. In addition, a further £920 was raised for Gifford House from donations, collections and other fund-raising activities, making a total of £1,498 for this most worthy cause. The Combined Ex-Services Association, which organised the event, has secured the services of Simon Weston OBE, the Falklands veteran who was terribly burned during the 1982 war, to give next year's talk, with proceeds split 50-50 between Gifford House and the Star and Garter Homes.

As Army reservists in the town receive letters warning them of a possible call-up, The Reverend Peter Roberts, rector of St Botolph's Church, Heene, writes in a recent edition of his parish magazine: "Many people in different countries are extremely conerned about the possibility of war with Iraq. We must hope that the United Nations can ensure, through a programme of inspection, that weapons of mass destruction are not available to any power-crazed leader. In making decisions that will affect the lives of many, we must hope too that those in positions of authority will listen to those whom they serve." He urged people to pray for President Bush, Tony Blair, and Saddam Hussein, stating: "Such prayer may be costly and at times painful but it is so, so necessary at this time."

The revamped interior of the Guildbourne Centre is gradually being exposed and daylight now floods through the skylights, making the precinct a lot brighter. The overall scheme is scheduled for completion by the end of the year, according to signs dotted around the walls.

Worthing's firefighters, who regularly put their lives on the line and on a daily basis deal professionally with car accidents which would horrify most of us, thoroughly deserve £30,000 a year in their wage packets and the Government, which squandered £900 million on the Millennium Dome, should pay up. It will mean a hefty hike in council tax bills for householders (approximately £13 a year) but West Sussex County Council might be able to lessen the load by cutting its allowances to councillors, who are expected to claim more than £1 million this year.

Strolling on the pier, Sentinel watched a fisherman wielding a rod equipped with a plastic bottle which ingeniously served as a highly visible float and a device to increase the length of his underarm cast by a good third.

Bearing in mind Worthing Hospital charges motorists 80p an hour to park, perhaps some of the proceeds could be used to tidy up the profusion of litter blowing around the bushes.

The complex has turned its internal courtyards into attractive features, complete with statues, landscaping and ponds but the newest courtyard, created by the construction of the children's centre, remains bereft of features, which seems a great shame.

Sadly, the hospital sends out mixed messages about smoking, producing a leaflet saying: "Please keep our hospital smoke-free" yet providing a smoking room and turning a blind eye to those lighting up outside the main entrance.

However, the leaflet does provide the following information on quitting smoking: After 20 minutes, your blood pressure and pulse becomes normal, after eight hours blood oxygen levels recover, after one day carbon monoxide is eliminated, after two days nicotine is eliminated and no longer causes damage to blood vessels, after two weeks blood circulation improves, after three weeks the body is no longer addicted to nicotine and fitness improves and after six months there is a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

Glancing east along Chesswood Road on a fine autumn afternoon, Sentinel was impressed by the leafy scene created by the splendid avenue of trees, one of the last reminders of Worthing's once world-famous reputation as a garden town-by-the-sea.

Walking on the West Parade section of the promenade, Sentinel noted that somebody had fixed a small bunch of red and white carnations to a bench, presumably in memory of the man named on the plaque. It was a simple, yet touching tribute.

A century or so ago, numerous regiments camped in Broadwater, Tarring and Offington, then small villages dominated by fields and meadows.

In 1897, hundreds of soldiers marched to West Worthing seafront for a bathing parade, prompting the following exquisite observation from an onlooker: "The sea was delightfully calm and the exercise was hugely enjoyed by the soldiers. A considerable number of people assembled to watch this wholesale ablutionary operation and even a small proportion of the fairer sex were not to be denied the novelty of the spectacle, though they kept themselves with commendable discretion at a respectable distance, only just permitting themselves to come within visual range of the extensive bathing ground."

If you have any unusual snippets or comments, write to The Sentinel, 35 Chapel Road, Worthing, BN11 1EG or email paul.holden@theargus.co.uk