CHILDREN aged between two and four are being offered a free flu vaccination.

West Sussex County Council has joined the fight against the illness and is urging everyone in the county who may be at risk to get vaccinated.

Free flu jabs are now available to all children aged two, three or four.

For most children the vaccine is given as a simple nasal spray, with no injections involved.

West Sussex County Council cabinet member for community wellbeing Christine Field said: "I would urge residents at risk of flu to get protected and have the vaccine. It not only protects you, but reduces the risk of the virus being passed on to your friends and family.

"Influenza is not the common cold, and the effects of seasonal flu can be serious.

"Some people are more at risk and need the vaccine because they are not able to fight off flu as easily as the others. It can end up resulting in more serious complications which require hospital treatment."

Flu can lead to a stay in hospital, especially for children with medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

The flu vaccine is provided free at GPs' surgeries for people with long-term conditions, carers, those aged over 65, pregnant women and any child born between September 2, 2009 and September 1, 2012.

AN annual campaign to draw out Crawley residents' artistic sides is coming back to town.

The Big Draw is a national free event each October aimed at getting thousands of people drawing with anything from pencils and marker pens to chalk.

There are several events lined up in our area at the end of the month including "art on a plate for your five a day" taking place at Crawley Library on October 25 between 10am and 4pm.

Creative artist Rachel Cowell will teach those attending the library, in Southgate Avenue, how to draw the mammoth variety of fruit and vegetables which will be on display.

Artist Jo Harrison will guide people on a Sunday afternoon walk around Worth Park with sketch book in hand on October 26 between 12 and 4pm.

Families will then be encouraged to play with drawing materials at Milton Mount Community Centre to draw from the inspiration of the trip to the historic Victorian park.

A tree-themed afternoon of creativity indoors and outdoors at Waterlea Adventure Playground, in Furnace Green, is organised for children on October 29 between 12 and 4pm.

A range of artistic materials will be available to make 3D trees, bark rubbings and a hand print tree.

Play workers will be at the adventure playground event to help out.

For more information call 01293 438788, e-mail sam.murray@crawley.gov.uk or visit www.crawley.gov.uk/bigdraw

From Sunday, October 26 lights will come on from 5.30am until dawn, rather than 6.30am.

During winter months, the lights come on between dusk and midnight and then between 5.30am until dawn.

However, in the summer the lights come on an hour later because the clocks have changed and the lights are factory set.

West Sussex County Council's cabinet member for highways and transport Pieter Montyn said: "The timings cannot be changed once they are first installed.

"It is not a case of the county council trying to penny pinch. As soon as the clocks go back, everyone will notice the lights coming on earlier at 5.30am."

A MEMBER of Crawley's Muslim community has called on its leaders to denounce the actions of terror group Isis.

Ammer Yasir wants a strong message of condemnation to be put out locally against the jihadists who have taken control of large areas of Iraq and Syria, while beheading Western hostages.

The 27-year-old, from Langley Green, said: "If you see what the leaders are saying they aren't saying anything against Isis. There's no condemnation.

"It's like they are favouring them but they don't want to say it.

"My personal belief is that the majority of Muslims in Crawley, and at the Broadfield mosque, are Sunni and Isis is a Sunni extremist group and some members of the community look at them as like themselves.

"Their beliefs are similar but Isis is ruthless and kills indiscriminately."

Two weeks ago Arif Syed, chairman of Crawley Mosque, in Broadfield, said that the UK should not have got involved in carrying out air strikes on Isis and would not give his views on the group.

But Mr Yasir, who describes himself as a moderate Muslim who doesn't follow any particular branch of the religion, thinks that the UK had to get involved in the war.

He added: "If this is something the leaders are saying to the papers, what do you think they are saying in private?

"They should be condemning Isis, disowning them and disassociating themselves from them."

Given Crawley's recent links to terrorism, such as the suicide bombing carried out in Syria earlier this year by Langley Green dad Abdul Waheed Majeed, Mr Yasir believes it is vital that the town's Muslim leaders to do all they can to ensure no one else is radicalised.

He praised Ahsan Ahmedi, the regional president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, which has a mosque in Langley Green, who has spoken out against Isis.

Mr Yasir said: "I give credit to Ahsan Ahmedi for condemning the barbarity of Isis and disassociating it from Islam. At least he's condemning them."

Mr Yasir also called on all members of Crawley's Muslim community to stand up and speak out against Isis.

He added: "If they are British citizens and living here and getting help and earning a living here, they should be a part of this coalition against Isis."

Mr Syed had not returned calls asking for a comment before we went to press.

A NEW cycle path that links one side of the town to the other has been opened.

The path connects Quantock Close, in West Green, to Ifield Community College, The Mill Primary School and Ifield station.

While providing a safe route underneath Crawley Avenue it means cyclists can now get from Ifield to the town centre and the likes of Three Bridges, Maidenbower and Furnace Green using only cycle paths or cycle lanes.

An existing path has been resurfaced and widened to create room for cyclists to use it alongside pedestrians.

Signs have been added to make it clear cyclists can now use the path, but no markings have been painted "to avoid conflict" if pedestrians or cyclists were to use the wrong part of the path.

Members of Crawley Cycle Forum, who worked to ensure its construction, are pleased it has now been opened to the public.

Ifield councillor Peter Smith, who is a Crawley Cycle Forum member, said: "The reason the route is important is because the A23 is a dangerous barrier for people travelling east to west and west to east.

"The cyclists living in Ifield who want to go to town can now go under the A23, without having to go near cars.

"Similarly if people are going from the town centre to Ifield Community College or The Mill Primary School and Ifield station, they can use it.

He added: "My cycling club, Horsham and Crawley CTC, goes out into the countryside that way."

The path was first planned way back in 2006.

Its construction, carried out by West Sussex County Council, had been held up by a number of issues, including land ownership and, most recently, a landslide.

The bank where the landslip occurred has now been stabilised.

An event is being organised for next year where wild flowers and bulbs will be planted along the new bank.

Cllr Smith added: "Everybody I have spoken to loves the new path. Literally I have had people coming up to me. The new path is much nicer and it helps children to be safe on their way to school."

Mark Penfold, chairman of Crawley Wheelers Cycling Club, thinks the new cycle path was vital.

The 49-year-old, from Saxon Road, Worth, who is also a Crawley Cycle Forum member, said: "It's a big improvement compared to what was there before.

"It's a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians so for cyclists it should improve the journey from that side of town into the town centre.

"Also now we can cycle from Ifield under the A23 into some quieter residential roads, so it's a link that needed doing."

Crawley Wheelers club secretary Nigel Langridge thinks the new route could get more people cycling.

The 49-year-old said: "Some of the roads in Crawley are quite busy and people go past fast so cyclists who aren't that confident could use this path.

"And obviously parents will be happy for their kids to be riding on the cycle path when going to school."

To find out more about all Crawley's cycle paths visit www.crawley.gov.uk/cycling

A PETROL station in Northgate has won an industry award for its efforts to improve customer service.

Crawley Autopoint, on Woodfield Road, has been named the country's most improved petrol station in the 2014 SuperStation Awards.

The family-run fuel stop was up against garages in Essex and Gloucestershire for the title. Area manager Dharshan Sivasubramanian said: "It is a wonderful surprise and a very proud moment."

The awards were open to about 1,200 independent petrol retailers in the UK.

Each forecourt that entered was assessed by a panel who considered forecourt appearance, product offers, customer service and innovation in business strategy.

One day a week, picked at random so it isn't always the same, Crawley Autopoint offers cut price fuel two or three pence cheaper than anywhere else in Crawley.

Staff also implemented a senior citizen discount for anybody with ID proving they are aged 60 or over. And when the petrol station set up its Facebook page last year any customer who liked the page got five pence off their fuel.

Planning permission was not needed for the work to be carried out.

The applicant simply had to prove that the change of use would not cause transport, flooding or contamination problems.

The planning application was submitted to Crawley Borough Council on August 13.

It was approved by a council officer on October 3.

A TEENAGER convicted of being drunk and disorderly in Crawley town centre has said she fears she could end up in jail if she doesn't clean up her act.

Erin Hutson, 19, has opened up about the incident and explained that her behaviour has begun spiralling out of control in the past year as she is struggling with the after-effects of bullying at school.

For four years, Erin, who was studying at Central Sussex College's Crawley campus until last year, has wanted to become a police officer.

But she admits that after being convicted of the offence in Queens Square on September 6, and getting on the wrong side of the police on other occasions, she now faces an uphill struggle to achieve that dream.

After being fined £50 at Crawley Magistrates' Court two weeks ago – a fine she didn't have to pay because she spent time in custody – Erin revealed: "I've wanted to be a police officer since I was about 15.

"I started getting in trouble when I was about 18. I have some mental health problems.

"I have emotional instability, a personality disorder and post traumatic stress from past events like bullying at school.

"I went to Imberhorne School (in East Grinstead) and the bullying started when I was 11.

"It went on until I was 15. I don't trust people as a result and I've been in trouble with police a couple of times.

"I cried after the court case, and it made me realise if I carry on the way I am now I could be heading to prison eventually, which isn't a life.

"I'm not a bad person. I don't see myself as a criminal. I just went down the wrong road."

Erin completed a Level 2 course in public services at Central Sussex College, which teaches students about the emergency services, the Army and other public service roles.

She intends to return to college next year to take the Level 3 course and wants to eventually become a police officer.

However, she knows she faces a struggle, so has joined a support group in Burgess Hill to help her come to terms with what happened to her at school.

Erin, who lives in Buckley Place, Crawley Down with her grandfather, explained: "I don't think people know what they are doing when they bully someone.

"It was name calling, it was death threats; people saying things like 'if I see you I'm going to kill you'.

"It was physical, from slapping me around the face to trying to push me down stairs.

"It started because I was a 'goody two shoes'. I wasn't a troublemaker. I would just keep my head down. I loved education and people thought that was weird."

Speaking about her conviction, she said she was "an idiot" for mixing medication she was taking with alcohol, which caused her to lose control.

"I was taking Lorazepam (a drug used to treat anxiety) to make me calm and I mixed it with alcohol when I was out at my friend's pre-20th birthday.

"I didn't know what I was doing, my eyes were glazed and my speech was slurred. I wasn't co-operating with police so they arrested me."

Speaking about her prospects for the future, she added: "I still want to become a police officer.

"If I keep my head down and stay out of trouble in the future I think I can do it."

A THREE Bridges school has been rated as "good" by Ofsted just a year after it was formed, with particular praise for its support for pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as a second language.

The watchdog's inspectors visited Three Bridges Primary School on September 16 and 17 – less than a week after the start of term – and published their report last Wednesday (October 8).

The school was formed after Three Bridges Juniors closed in 2013 and its pupils joined those at Three Bridges Infants.

They became one all-through primary school, which operates at the sites of the former schools, in Gales Drive and Gales Place.

Three Bridges Primary School was rated "good" in the five areas that were assessed and head teacher Linda Pothecary is "delighted" with the result.

Mrs Pothecary said: "We were in a very unusual situation in that we weren't expecting the inspection, because we are two schools that joined together last year to make one.

"We had only been open for six days this term when we got the call from Ofsted. We are delighted with the result. But it is what we expected.

"We had evaluated ourselves as being a good school in those areas. We also knew what our areas for improvement were – the Ofsted team picked out what we had already picked out."

Inspectors Gianni Bianchi, Fiona Robinson and Deborah Gordon highlighted that the primary needs to bring pupils' maths skills up to the level they are at in reading and writing.

Mrs Pothecary, who became head at the primary school after three-and-a-half years in charge of Three Bridges Infants, said: "I just think that we have focused a lot of energy on literacy and reading and writing and not maths.

"Our focus now needs to change to maths and that is what we are doing. We had already identified that and have a plan in place.

"We have done a lot of training, have brought a maths specialist in, and we are working with our locality schools – Hazelwick, Northgate Primary and Milton Mount – to make sure maths is taught across the curriculum, instead of just in dedicated maths lessons.

"Where there is an opportunity for maths to be taught in other subjects, in a cross-curricular way, it will be."

Staff were praised for their work with disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The school has a special support centre where 17 children, who have speech and language difficulties, can receive help when not in the classroom.

Inspectors also reported that the "high proportion" of pupils who speak English as an additional language "achieve well" at the school, because of the "excellent support" they receive.

Mrs Pothecary said: "Fifty per cent of pupils speak English as a second language.

"The curriculum is adapted for them, we have training for staff to help them meet their needs, and we also have an EAL (English as an additional language) assistant who works with children and families.

"And some of our children who have EAL support younger children. They are called our young interpreters.

"We may have a Tamil child whose English is good who will work with a younger Tamil child or one who may be new to the country."

Three Bridges Primary was also praised for its pupils' behaviour – "almost always good across the whole school" – and its "clear and determined" leadership team, who are supported by a "committed" governing body.

Do you have a comment to make about the school? E-mail us at editor@crawleynews.co.uk

A NEW head teacher with a track record of improving schools has taken charge of The Bewbush Academy.

Elizabeth Wombwell, who has 17 years' experience as a head teacher, started at the school in September.

The 47-year-old is aiming to get The Bewbush Academy an "outstanding" Ofsted rating to continue the trend of steady improvement seen at the school over the past few years.

In January, the school in Dorsten Square was rated as "good" by Ofsted, having previously been labelled as "satisfactory" – a rating which has since been reclassified as "requires improvement".

And before that, in 2009, it had been in special measures.

Mrs Wombwell said: "The reason I wanted to come to The Bewbush Academy is because clearly the school has done a lot of work and come a long way. The challenge is working with the team to take that forward and achieve 'outstanding'.

"I think we can get that rating. It's not going to happen overnight. The potential is here and of course it's reliant on Ofsted not changing its criteria again. But it will always be a huge achievement for any school to achieve that."

The Bewbush Academy became part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) in April 2012.

Mrs Wombwell arrived from St John's C of E Primary in Caterham, which she joined in 2009 and took from "inadequate" to "good".

For seven years before that she had been at Reigate Parish Church School, which went from "satisfactory" to "outstanding" under her leadership.

Mrs Wombwell knew she would become a teacher when she herself was at secondary school in Epsom.

She said: "I have always wanted to work with children. When I was at secondary school I spent quite a lot of time going for work experience in infant schools and it felt like a very clear choice for me. I was lucky and knew what I wanted to do and was able to achieve it."

Mrs Wombwell wants to encourage more parents to get involved with the school, and added that The Bewbush Academy is looking for three or four community governors to join its leadership team.

She said: "We want to encourage parents to work with us, to get involved in school life. We have various groups running, such as those that support parents with teaching literacy and numeracy."

Anyone interested in becoming a community governor should contact the school on 01293 534897.