What happened in Henfield?

The first of our Horsham District Older Peoples Forum Public Meetings of 2026 was held on Tuesday, 21^st April at Red Oaks Care Home, Henfield.  The home is surrounded by its own beautiful, well-maintained gardens in a quiet part of Henfield.  We were warmly welcomed by Linda Ryan, the General Manager, and her staff, who provided refreshments, including a delicious selection of homemade cakes and pastries for the meeting.

The Forum Chairman, David Searle, thanked Linda for hosting the meeting and welcomed the audience, including residents from the home and those attending on Zoom. Speakers included Digby Stephenson, CEO and Chairman of Henfield Haven, Police Inspector Neil Durkan, accompanied by PCSO Graham Foster, Mary Irons, Horsham Neighbourhood Watch, and Matt Roberts, CEO of Sussex Community Transport, accompanied by Catherine from Henfield Electric Community Car Club.

Digby Robertson, Chairman of Henfield Haven, told us about the history of the Haven, when, in 2015, volunteers took over running the centre from West Sussex County Council, and about the voluntary services they now offer, mainly for people living with dementia and their carers, including high-needs day care. The centre also has a much visited week day Cafe.  The Haven won the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.  The gardens at the Haven are well-maintained by a group of twenty volunteers from Rushmere.  They also offer residents of Henfield free gardening services.  If you have been away or in hospital and your garden has become overgrown, they will come in for half a day and blitz it and restore it to good order.

You can find out about the services provided at the Haven on their website, www.henfieldhaven.org, or by calling 01273 494747.  They are always looking for volunteers to help in the garden and kitchen, and if you have any spare time, call in and talk to their members.

Horsham Police Inspector Neil Durkan introduced PCSO Graham Foster and Mary Irons from Horsham Neighbourhood Watch and went on to tell us about his role.  Neil is based at Horsham Police Station and is responsible for the Horsham Neighbourhood Policing Team, including its PCSOs, and is the liaison officer with other parts of the force.  Each area has a dedicated PCSO who will deal with local issues and, where necessary, escalate serious issues further up the line of command.  It was stressed that local intelligence was critical to preventing crime, and we were asked to report any issues or suspicions.

On Monday, 23rd February, a Sussex Police mobile facial recognition unit was in Horsham town, operating in West Street.  Neil had requested the Unit to look for specific offenders.  This could be looking for known sex offenders in the Horsham Town area to ensure they were not breaking their orders, known shoplifters and many more.  On Monday, they had no hits, which is good and underlines that Horsham is a safe place. Horsham is the second safest police crime area in Sussex.

PCSO Graeme Foster is the Police Community Support Officer for the Henfield area, covering Henfield, Cowfold, Shermanbury, Woodmancote, and Small Dole. As part of the Sussex Police Neighbourhood Policing Team, he focuses on community engagement, visibility, and tackling anti-social behaviour.  Please speak to Graham if you see him and discuss any local issues you may have.  Mary Irons gave a short presentation on the benefits of Neighbourhood Watch and how it works closely with the police, particularly with Inspector Neil Durkan.

Matt Roberts from Sussex Community Transport also introduced Catherine from Henfield Electric Community Car Club and went on to tell us above how Sussex Community Transport was formed and the services they provide.  They took on the community buses in East Grinstead, Henfield, Hurst and Hassocks, which now also financially support their core business: Dial-a-ride and the WSCC contract for transporting children and young adults to educational centres.  Private hire from Care Homes is another feature of their business.   In addition, they support Henfield Electric Community Car Club, which, for a modest annual fee, lets you hire their electric car at very competitive rates.  To become a member of the Henfield Electric community car club, contact Catherine on 01273 087096 between 10 am and 2 pm, or email henfield@heccc.org.uk for an application form. 

David Searle gave a short presentation on the free HDOPF Mobility Scooter Safety sessions, which help users ride more safely by teaching them to understand their scooter controls and safe riding, thereby building their confidence.  Sessions can be conducted at users' homes. If they don't have a mobility scooter, they may be considering buying one; a scooter can be provided.

For more information, go to the website at mobilityscootersafety.org.uk, or alternatively, call 07906 211030 / 07729 376345.

David again warmly thanked Linda Ryan and her team at Barchester - Red Oaks Care Home for their wonderful hospitality in hosting the Forum public meeting and for providing the excellent facilities and refreshments.

Linda Ryan welcomes David Searle, Derek Moore & Martin Bruton of the HDOPF Committee.

The next HDOPF public Meeting will be held at Steyning Village Hall,

Fletchers Croft, Steyning BN44 3XZ Conference Room, on Tuesday, 9^th June 2026 and will start at 10.00 am.  Speakers for this event will be published shortly.