Leading Sussex and Hampshire accountancy firm Carpenter Box has welcomed a record 27 new trainee accountants, tax and business advisers over the past 12 months, with 12 joining in September.

Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex is delighted to be shortlisted for four awards at the 2025 Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence: Lifetime Achievement Award, Aftercare Supporter of the Year, `Breaking Barriers’ and Charity Staff Member of the Year.

FREE 7-day pass at K2 Crawley Leisure Centre

B Corp PR agency Midnight has joined forces with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy Edge of Difference to launch a new partnership built on shared values and a passion for helping businesses do better.

A time for giving and sharing!

This Christmas the Royal Pavilion’s spectacular Christmas display ‘A Very Austen Christmas’ will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Brighton & Hove Museums would like to share this unique opportunity to partner with Brighton’s Royal Palace this festive season and reach over 1.6 million people!

Matt Eamer from local creative agency me&you recently shared practical insights with charity marketing executives from the Gatwick Diamond Business network in a talk titled “Get Creative”. The session, built around findings from a recent me&you survey of charity communicators, offered practical ideas on how creative thinking can help purposeful organisations enhance their reach, relevance, and results.

Invitation to the launch of The Lingfield Foundation on 16th October 2025.

A coalition of 143 British hospices, led by Hospice UK, continue their “This is Hospice Care” campaign, to encourage people to consider leaving a gift in their Will to secure the future of British hospices and provide sustainable income for hospice charities. 

Each year I take on a personal challenge in support of our Foundation and charity of the year. This year the RPD Foundation is supporting Home Start Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex.

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to join us for an unforgettable evening in the enchanting surroundings of Ashdown Park Hotel. Wings of Hope Charity Dinner In support of the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance ????Saturday 8 November 2025 ???? From 6:00 PM

Saturday 6 September saw Victoria Park in Haywards Heath brimming with excitement for Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity’s (DVLCC) annual sponsored walk, ‘Walk Together’. Families, supporters, and local businesses laced up their walking boots to raise vital funds to support children with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities and rare genetic disorders.

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity (DVLCC) hosted their annual sponsored walk, Walk Together, on Saturday 6 September. Families, supporters, and local businesses laced up their walking boots to raise vital funds for children with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities, and rare genetic disorders.   Over 100 walkers enjoyed the 5k and 15k routes around Haywards Heath and Bolnore Village. Families supported by the charity, past and present, walked alongside supporters of all ages. One of the highlights was seeing some of the children joining the route using their walkers and wheelchairs - such powerful moments that reminded everyone taking part what they were walking for.     The Town Mayor of Haywards Heath, Cllr Duncan Pascoe, officially opened the event, alongside Richard Taylor-Johnson, who shared how the charity has transformed his family’s life.   The walk was supported by employees from local businesses, including GDB members David Mindham and Holly Ward from Carnegie Group, Warrick Francis from Newman Thompson, Mark Newey from Bespoke Law Services, and Steve Powell from Fresh Display. Together with over 100 walkers, they helped raise an incredible £20,000 (with donations still coming in) to support the charity’s life-changing work.   Sophie Barriball said: “It has been amazing to receive so much support from GDB members with our recent sponsored walk, and it was incredibly special for them to join many of our families and see how their support directly makes an impact. We are so grateful to all the members who joined us, and to others who continue to support our work.”   The funds raised will help DVLCC continue supporting more children and their families across the Southeast, helping children with cerebral palsy unlock their full potential.   You can view pictures from the event here. 

Metrobus, which runs buses across Sussex, Surrey and Kent, has generously gifted a unique branding opportunity for St Catherine’s Hospice. A double-decker bus wrapped in St Catherine’s signature orange and featuring the charity’s iconography will be travelling on their routes for a year.

Tilgate Park reverberated with the beat of Dragon Boat drummers this weekend as corporate teams paddled hard to raise vital funds for St Catherine’s Hospice at the charity’s annual Dragon Boats event.

Susan Fleet MBE invites you to sponsor a very special two-night concert celebrating 55 years of charity performances. This joyful celebration of music and friendship will raise funds for three charities close to her heart.

Cripps is delighted to announce that its first solicitor apprentices, Aimee Mitchell, Megan Pitt and Rosie Harvey, have now qualified as solicitors.   The firm was one of the first in the South East to launch the Trailblazer Solicitor Apprenticeship scheme in 2018, offering an alternative to the traditional university route. The programme combines academic study with hands on experience across different practice areas, with apprentices working towards qualification through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).   Fiona Chamberlain, future talent manager at Cripps, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Aimee, Megan and Rosie. They’ve shown real commitment and resilience since day one, and it’s been inspiring to watch them grow. It’s wonderful to celebrate their success and the contribution they’re already making to our clients and colleagues.”   In September, they will step into their new roles as associates, with Aimee joining the commercial and tech team, Megan moving into corporate transactional, and Rosie focusing on specialist disputes. This milestone marks the next chapter in their careers and underlines the firm’s ongoing commitment to opening up opportunities in the legal profession and supporting the development of future lawyers.   Fiona added: “Being one of the first firms in the South East to take on solicitor apprentices was a big step for us, and seeing our first cohort qualify today shows just how valuable this route can be. We currently have 24 apprentices at various stages of their training, and this scheme continues to demonstrate that there are credible and rewarding alternative routes into law.”   Applications for the 2026 solicitor apprenticeship cohort open in October, continuing Cripps’ commitment to developing the next generation of legal talent.

Finance Directors and business owners are invited to attend MHA’s upcoming FD Update Webinar on 18th September 2025, from 8:30AM, providing 3 hours of verifiable CPD. This free event is designed to keep your technical knowledge up to date to help you comply with the ever-changing regulatory environment in the worlds of Financial Reporting and Tax.

Sussex Wildlife Trust is challenging the decision by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to allow Brighton Marina to keep dumping dredged sediment in Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ), an activity that should not be allowed in a protected area.   Our legal action exposes the current inadequate protection given to marine protected areas. If 100,000 tonnes of dredged spoil can be dumped annually in a designated Marine Conservation Zone, it's clear these areas are protected in name only.   Beachy Head West MCZ is a nationally important wildlife hotspot, home to Short-snouted Seahorse, Blue Mussel beds and a unique chalk reef. Dumping dredged sediment in this protected area is impacting the sensitive chalk reef and harming its wildlife.   Brighton Marina’s application for a renewed licence to continue dumping dredged spoil into Beachy Head West MCZ was approved by the MMO in May this year. The licence was originally granted before the MCZ was designated, but now that the area is protected, this harmful activity should not be allowed to continue.   Sussex Wildlife Trust, alongside other environmental charities and hundreds of individuals, responded to the consultation to object to the renewal of the Marina’s licence. Over 1,500 emails were also sent to Secretary of State, Steve Reed MP, sharing concerns about continued dumping in a protected area.   Despite strong objections, the MMO granted permission for the continued dumping of 100,000 tonnes of dredged spoil into Beachy Head West every year, for the next ten years. As an environmental charity we do not take the decision to make a legal challenge lightly, but we believe we must act as a voice for nature and continue to fight for this protected area. Therefore, Sussex Wildlife Trust has applied for a judicial review of the decision.   What is a judicial review? A judicial review is a legal process by which a court examines the lawfulness of a decision made by a public body (in this case the Marine Management Organisation). It is not about whether the decision is right or wrong, but the process by which the decision was reached.   Henri Brocklebank, Director of Conservation, Sussex Wildlife Trust said: “Bold action is the only way to continue to fight for this protected area. By applying for judicial review, we are following our own values of being the strongest advocate for nature in Sussex. Inaction will see the continued dumping of 100,000 tonnes of dredged sediment in our MCZ every year for the next 10 years – this is not acceptable in a protected area and is a terrible precedent to set for the future management of all 91 Marine Conservation Zones around the English coast.” Rowan Smith, Senior Associate Solicitor, Leigh Day said: “Our client’s legal action seeks to rescue the Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone from further pollution. We are arguing on our client’s behalf that significant harm to this protected area resulting from the disposal could not be lawfully ruled out, because the Marine Management Organisation had failed to properly assess the impact. Our client is rightly concerned about the steps that led to the new licence, and we hope the Court will grant permission for a hearing to fully scrutinise that decision-making process.” In the midst of a nature and climate crisis, it’s vital we take every step possible to secure nature’s recovery. We need to make sure Beachy Head West, and all marine protected areas are properly protected.   Our legal costs have partially been covered by a generous donation, but we expect that proceedings will cost thousands of pounds more. If you are able to support this action and our work to protect the precious marine habitats off our coast every donation makes a difference. Donate here

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