Mayor of Bognor Regis' Weekly Briefing: 'Warm Spaces' are welcome in extremely cold weather

Welcome to this week’s Bognor Regis Briefing. I hope you are all settling back into your normal routines following the Christmas and New Year break.

Over the festive period, the Bognor Regis in Bloom Working Group awarded some impromptu certificates to businesses in Bognor Regis, who had really helped their shoppers get into the festive spirit with some amazing Christmas window displays adding that extra bit of sparkle around the Town! Congratulations to all those who received one!

With some extremely cold weather experienced recently and many weather warnings having been in place, it may be welcome news to hear that the ‘Warm Spaces’ scheme is running in Arun again, with some locations right here in Bognor Regis. For access to a warm, welcoming environment, where you can enjoy some company and in some locations refreshments, the opportunity to take part in activities and access to advice and information about local services, you can visit the following places on the days and times indicated: Bognor Youth Club and Community Centre. Tuesday and Friday from 12pm to 2pm (Westloats Lane, PO21 5JZ email: [email protected]) or Grandads Front Room, Wednesday to Saturday between 10.30am and 4.30pm (2-4 The High Street, PO21 1SS email: [email protected]). Warm Spaces in Arun are free and are a place where everyone can expect to be treated with dignity and respect.

It was a pleasure to present cheques to some of the successful applicants of the ‘Youth and Young Persons’ budget for 2024/2025 earlier this week.

With over £13,000 being awarded to organisations such as the Bognor Regis Youth and Community Centre, Bognorphenia CIC, South Coast Skate Club CIC and Making Theatre Gaining Skills CIC, the Town Council is proud to continue to financially support these youth organisations in the provision of youth activities for the young people of our Town. A big congratulations to all the recipients!

Bognor Regis Town Council’s annual newsletter is currently being prepared and will be coming through your letterboxes in the next couple of months!

As well as a message from me as your Mayor, and budget report for 2025, articles will include details about Bognor Regis’ VE Day 80th Anniversary commemorations, special anniversaries for our Town including our wonderful Town Force team and of course, our events diary for 2025, which will be as jam packed as ever with plenty of free entertainment organised by Bognor Regis Town Council! This year’s listings will also feature annual events put on by outside organisations, so make sure you make a note in your diaries! A big thank you to all those who completed our Bognor Regis Community Survey as part of our 2024 newsletter, this helped to inform your elected Councillors about the things that matter most to you in your Town, which was considered in the formation of the 2025 budget setting process. As we gained such a large response last year, this year’s newsletter will once again feature a Survey, and we would be extremely grateful if you, our residents, could take just a few minutes to answer the questions, via the QR code contained on the publication. I will be mentioning this again in the coming weeks and your support and help with letting us know what matters most to you, is greatly appreciated!

Another opportunity for members of the public to express their opinions to Town Councillors comes on Thursday 30 th January, as the Town Council hold their next Online Community Open Forum. Join us live via our Facebook page between 6.30pm and 7.30pm to put your burning questions directly to your Town Councillors!