Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers are eyeing up Brighton’s Gustavo Poyet as a potential replacement for recently sacked Mick McCarthy.

The Black Country outfit had interviewed Alan Curbishley, Neil Warnock and Steve Bruce but were left having to widen their search after all three turned their backs on the job.

Reading’s Brian McDermott is also believed to also be on the Molineux club’s shortlist and is considered a more likely option than Poyet because of his greater experience in the second flight.

Poyet has previously said he would remain loyal to the Albion unless faced with an offer he considered too good to turn down.

However, with a relative inexperience in management and a CV which currently boasts a single promotion from League One, the popular boss is unlikely to be in the running for more high profile vacancies in the near future.

Online bookies SkyBet currently have Poyet as joint second favourite at 5/2 with McDermott at 9/4.

A CHICHESTER city-centre shop has lost an appeal to replace its front windows because of the impact it would have on the architectural importance of the listed building.

Between the Lines, at 79 North Street, made two applications, both retrospective to replace the windows at the front the shop, but they were refused because it would have ‘a harmful impact on the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building and on the character and appearance of the conservation area’, according to the appeal inspector.

The two applications were refused by Chichester District Council in September because they were to the ‘detriment of the character and appearance of the Grade II Listed Building’.

The appeal inspector, J Armstrong said: “There are other shop windows in the vicinity which are not sub-divided but equally there are many, including some very similar to the appeal premises, which are, and which have thereby succeeded in retaining or reviving a more traditional appearance.

“While it has been argued that the change was necessitated by the use of thicker glass for security reasons, other premises appear to have resolved this matter and indeed I note that the sub-divisions have been retained in the other window of the appeal premises which fronts the adjoining alley.

“My finding is that the unauthorised alteration, while small, has a harmful impact on the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building and on the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

“I find no public benefit to weigh against this harm which could justify the alteration.

“It is therefore contrary to policies in the Chichester District Local Plan First Review (1999), particularly BE5 which requires alterations to listed buildings to be appropriate in design and BE6 which refers to the need for shop fronts to accord with the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.”

A blaze which destroyed a groundfloor flat in Midhurst in the early hours of this morning is being treated as possible arson, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has said.

Fire crews were called to Poplar Way at 3.13am where fire was raging in one of the four flats in a block.

The fire service said 90 per cent of the flat was destroyed by the flames and the remainder by heat and smoke.

Some residents were evacuated. Police and forensic experts are at the scene.

For the full story see the Midhurst and Petworth Observer on sale on February 23.

With less than two weeks to go until the opening race of this year’s Chichester Corporate Challenge, entries are pouring in.

The three-night series starts on Wednesday, February 29, with further action on Wednesday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 28.

Having started on February 26, 1992, the event celebrates its 21st running this year with some 25,000 finishers having crossed the line in that time.

The first race was a seniors-only event attracting just over 200 runners, but there have been more than 600 finishers on each evening for the past couple of years.

There are now popular schools races which precede the main A and B senior races, but the format has remained much the same over the two decades.

It was always the aim of the organisers to attract not only faster club runners but novices and first-timers who would enjoy running with friends or work colleagues.

The front end of the A race has proved a competitive affair, with the course record falling first to steeplechase international Tom Buckner as early as 1992 with a 12min 53sec clocking for the 4,500m four-lap city centre circuit.

Since then the mark has fallen even further with Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Michael East the current holder with a scorching 12min 39sec.

The most prolific winner has been Chichester’s James Baker, who was too young to run in the first few races but is the only athlete to achieve a clean sweep by winning all three races in a year, a feat he accomplished in 2009.

The first individual winners from 1992 are both expected to run this year.

Keith Toop is still representing a permanently-strong Waitrose squad who lifted the team trophy in the first two years.

In the women’s category Jane Harrop ran a speedy 14min 54sec in that first race, which still compares well with today’s winners.

Now a member of the Chichester club and well into the veteran ranks, Harrop will be looking to reproduce her fine cross-country form of late.

Local athletes will not have it all their own way as there’s sure to be a challenge from Portsmouth, Brighton and further afield.

In the women’s race the Midhurst duo of Emily Alden and the recent winner of the Sussex cross country championships, Emma MacReady, will be hard to beat if they line up, as will Worthing’s track international Rachel Ogden.

One of the attractions of the event is that fun runners can join up with club athletes to form teams, some with conventional names, others whose titles border on the eccentric. Last year IBM, Royal Mail and Chichester University Staff were doing battle with Cliffords Angels, Oddbins and the esoterically-titled Crouching Tiger Hidden Van outfit.

There will be fierce competition in the junior races – the girls’ secondary race is wide open with several of the Sussex team due to run. In the boys’ secondary event, Harry Leleu, running for Seaford College, will be all out to claim the Year 10 boys’ record to add to the Year 9 mark he set in 2011.

Getting the evenings off to a frenetic start will be the primary races with some 100 boys and girls charging round the two-lap 1,400m course. Spectators will be welcome to line the streets during the series.

Full details of how to enter and race programme are available at Chichester-corporate-challenge.org.uk or from the Chichester Runners noticeboard at Westgate Leisure, Chichester. Queries can also be made to race organiser Phil Baker at philbaker5@btinternet.com

HERE we are again in the world of ANIME, this time it`s all about gods and mega beings, ASURA`S WRATH (sounds like something you get after a chilli cook off) is a new game from CAPCOM and CYBER CONNECT 2 .

Like I have said before this is a game that is for the ANIME enthusiast, if you’re looking for something conventional then this is not the place for you, instead this title is more of a movie with some gameplay thrown in for good measure.

The story revolves around a character known as ASURA, a rootin` tootin` kick bottom DEMI-GOD ,betrayed by his fellow gods (usual story, these god`s can`t be trusted) and is thrown out of heaven, losing his wife and child into the bargain, and is resurrected centuries later, by the force of his anger, seeing what a mess the world is in ASURA becomes more agitated (this guy certainly has some issues) and embarks on a series of outrageous mega battles with other deities, resulting in some spectacular fight scenes.

This all takes place over a period of 12,000 years and you can imagine after being “stitched up” by his mates, having his wife murdered, and daughter kidnapped, ASURA is not in any mood to relax and move on.

In fact he runs about ranting and raving like a madman beating the living daylights out of any thing that gets in his way.

ASURA WRATH like many of the ANIME type games is story driven, which of course means many drawn out cut scenes, which are beautifully rendered and thought out, intercut with what I would describe as “Boss battles” ,certainly not conventional but very ANIME.

The game itself is 18 episodes long, each one consisting of opening credits and some really nice illustrations which make ASURAS WRATH more of an experience rather than a game, and there is plenty of variety in the game play even though it is mainly 10 minutes of “cut scene” and 5 minutes of “Boss battle”.

If you are looking for a conventional RPG then this isn`t for you and I am sure many gamers will feel a bit cheated by the lack of actual gameplay. In fact the whole thing is only 6 hours long, most of which is “cut scenes“.

This fusion of Science fiction and Asian mythology has been done before and the really over the top battle scenes certainly are very spectacular, it’s just a pity that the game doesn`t have more game play.

Granted the story is interesting, but is this a game or a DVD? For the price I do think there should be more interactivity, and I can imagine that many gamers will be hitting the “skip” button often after a few hours of play.

There will be DLC sometime in the near future but will it be more “cut scenes” or gameplay?

The actual gameplay itself is good and I enjoyed it with plenty of variety and a selection of different moves.

There are a number of QTE`s (quick time events) in which you are prompted to press certain buttons at certain times, but these really have no bearing on the outcome, just on you ratings at the end.

ASURA`S WRATH is a great game, if you are into the whole ANIME, Japanese crazy over blown action genre, otherwise be warned that if you are willing to fork out forty bucks or so, and expect an normal RPG then you will be disappointed.

It is refreshing to see companies that are willing to try something new, and push the boundaries, that is a healthy thing in the industry, this is a great concept but the lack of game play for the price will put many people off, it certainly is a great experience to behold but it should have been released on download with each level as a DLC to keep the cost down.

Summary

ASURAS WRATH is a game like no other, rich in story and beautifully animated, it would work as just a movie in itself, but to non ANIME lovers it would just be a bit long winded and lacking in game play.

If you are thinking of giving it a go just be aware that you will be sitting around watching more than playing, and it is not a very long experience for the money.

I give ASURA`S WRATH 8 out of 10 because it is another ground breaking and original idea but the lack of game play is off putting.

Asura`s Wrath

Developer: Cyber Connect 2

Publisher: Capcom

Xbox 360©

Playstation 3©

Genre: Action

Age Rating: 18

Release Date: 9th march 2012

Review by Dayvid Ryan

ARTS editor Phil Hewitt is now counting down to the hours to the Tokyo Marathon...

Possibly my favourite marathon moment came in my second London Marathon, a mile from a finish which seemed never to get any closer.

I was at my lowest ebb, every step was agony, confusion had long since squeezed out whatever common sense I had left.

Maybe I had got the hydration wrong, maybe it just wasn’t my day.

But something was seriously up, and I knew I had to get help from somewhere. Or someone.

And that’s the glory of the London Marathon. There are plenty of people to choose from, hundreds of thousands of them lining the route that takes you to the finish.

My good fortune is that I chose exactly the right person, a little angel of a lad, resplendent in his St John Ambulance uniform, standing on the corner as you turn into Parliament Square.

By now I was in last-resort territory. That resort was to thrust my chest towards randomly-selected bystanders in the hope that they would shout out the name emblazoned across my chest.

And, boy, did I pick the right boy in that ghastly moment.

“Come on, Phil”, he shouted, right in my face, and who knows, that might just have been enough.

But the little sweetheart instantly added: “Phil! Phil! You can still win this!”

OK, a little tear still comes to my eye when I think about it ten years later.

It was the most absurd thing to say. Completely bonkers.

But it was also absolutely the right thing to say. I smiled, I laughed and I floated.

New energy in my aching limbs, I made it through that final mile and was still grinning as I crossed the line.

I was sickly blue in the lips, deathly pale in the face, but grinning from ear to ear.

The actual winner had won an hour and a half earlier, but the little boy had been right. In my own terms, I could still win it and I did.

Whenever (not often!) my love of marathons wobbles, I think back to that glorious moment – one which sums up not just the insanity of marathon running, but also its humanity, not just its horrible lows, but also its off-the-top-of-the-scale highs.

That little boy will never know what he did for me that day, but ten years on, this Sunday morning (February 26) as I stand on the start line at the Tokyo Marathon, I will be thinking of him, cherishing the memory of a moment right up there in the annals of my running history.

Tokyo will be my 26th marathon and will come at the end of an important week for me.

Last Friday, my book {http://www.summersdale.com/book/2/569/keep-on-running|Keep On Running} was sent off to the printers by the superb team at Summersdale publishing in Chichester.

Summersdale picked out exactly the right passage from the book for the blurb on the back: “Marathons make you miserable, but they also give you the most unlikely and the most indescribable pleasures.

“It’s a world that I love – a world unlocked when you dress up in Lycra, put plasters on your nipples and run

26.2 miles in the company of upwards of 30,000 complete strangers.”

And it’s that makes Tokyo on Sunday so mouth-watering a prospect.

It’s a place I fell in love with last October when I joined a group of journalists for a look at the course, courtesy of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation.

Japan is a country which hits you right between the eyes with the most vibrant, the most intoxicating mix of sights and sounds and smells.

Tokyo is a place which grabs you and gets inside you, fast, fascinating and above all friendly - a city built on respect and on the warmest of welcomes.

As guests of the Tokyo Marathon organisation, we were treated with every courtesy by hosts ever eager to please and confident in the knowledge that they have got a rare treasure to reveal: a city which makes you walk taller, lifts the spirits and leaves you drunk on its atmosphere.

Everyone was intent on telling us that Tokyo was safe.

I took them at their word, plunging down dark alleys and side streets camera in hand, exploring the bright glitzy neon streets and enjoying unmolested the beautiful tranquillity of an early-morning run.

A self-confessed marathon bore and a veteran of 25 marathons in ten different countries, I like to think I know a good marathon course when I see one: Tokyo’s is a cracker, kicking off outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building before heading off through the dazzling night club district.

Then it reaches the perimeter of the Imperial Palace Gardens before heading for Ginza, Japan’s number-one high-end shopping district.

After that you plunge into the old town before wending your way to the finish at Tokyo Big Sight – a challenging course, but an excellent one, very much created with the sights in mind but also one geared towards the runners themselves, as its impressive 97 per cent finishing rate suggests.

So, I beg of you, dear reader: be my little boy this weekend.

The marathon starts at 9.10am on Sunday, which is ten past midnight UK time.

If any of you happen to be awake at that time, and at any time in the next few hours, shout out (or even mutter into your pillow): “Phil! Phil! You can still win this!”.

I promise you that it will make the world of difference to me half a world away.

WEST Sussex raider Jon Charlton has finally shaken off his dose of snooker semi-finalitis.

Victory in the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour event at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, ended a run of last-four exits in all four of his previous outings.

And Charlton, who made a 205-mile round trip from Bognor, is now top of the rankings after three of the six legs.

The Aldwick Royal British Legion cueman won all three round-robin matches in Group C and accounted for Group B runner-up Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough) 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

After dispatching Group D winner Kane Grigg, from Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, 3-1, he overcame Reading ace Martin Wallace by the same score in the final. Charlton, who posted the day’s top break of 63, pocketed £75 prize money.

The fourth leg of the Cuestars Championship Tour events is on Sunday, February 26, at Salisbury Snooker Club.

POLICE photographer James Gartrell is the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Midhurst Camera Club.

Police and forensic photography is the title of the talk which will take place at the Grange Leisure Centre on February 29 at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £2.50 and can be booked online at {http://www.midhurstcameraclub.co.uk|www.midhurstcameraclub.co.uk}, by sending a stamped addressed envelope and cheque, payable to Midhurst Camera Club to the club treasurer at Harrison Renwick, Grange House, Grange Road, Midhurst, GU29 9LS.

FIREFIGHTERS in West Sussex are reminding chip lovers to be vigilant as part of National Chip Week (February 20 to 26).

Almost 60 per cent of all accidental house fires in West Sussex are started in the kitchen, with the majority caused by unattended or careless cooking. Leaving a chip pan unattended for even a short time can have disastrous results as the oil can easily overheat and ignite. A simple switch from the pan to the oven or a temperature controlled deep-fat fryer can help prevent the worst.

Community risk reduction officer, Jackie Boyle, said: “I’m sure chips will be on many people’s menus during National Chip Week. People assume that cooking chips in a pan of hot oil is a thing of the past, but we know from the incidents our crews attend that it’s still popular. Last month a lady in Crawley sustained serious burns attempting to tackle a chip pan fire which shows just how dangerous it can be.

“We’d recommend oven chips as a safer and healthier option, but if people do choose to fry then please ensure you stand by your pan - don’t be tempted to leave it unattended. If you are unlucky enough to have a chip pan fire, please don’t try and tackle it yourself, especially not with water, it could put your life in serious danger.”

Tips on frying safely:

. Most kitchen fires occur when people leave things unattended. Don’t get distracted while cooking, if you are called away from the cooker take pans off the heat

. Never fill a chip pan (or other deep-fat fryer) more than one-third full of oil

. Consider using a thermostatically controlled deep-fat fryer - this will ensure that the fat does not get too hot

. Test it Tuesday – fit a smoke alarm on each level of your home and don’t forget that weekly test!

If a pan catches fire:

. Don’t move it – it is likely to be extremely hot

. Turn off the heat if it’s safe to do so – but never lean over a pan to reach the controls

. Don’t use water on a chip pan fire – the water reacts with the oil creating a potentially lethal fireball

. Don’t use a fire extinguisher on a pan of oil – the force of the extinguisher can spread the fire

. If you have put the fire out, leave the pan to cool completely.

THE Queen’s cousin is appealing, at a public inquiry, against the refusal of Chichester District Council to allow him to change the use of land at his Great Trippetts Estate in Milland to a residential garden.

The Marquis of Milford Haven was refused permission in December for the extension to his garden, despite Milland parish councillors raising no objection.

They said: “In the opinion of our planning committee this proposed land swap will have no adverse impact on the landscape nor will it impinge on neighbouring properties.”

But Chichester District Council (CDC) refused the application on the grounds that it represented an ‘unjustified and unacceptable encroachment into the rural area’.

“In addition to the encroachment into the former adjacent paddock,” it said, “the resultant domestic use and activity of this land would compound the harm to the quiet and tranquil character of the surrounding area which forms part of the South Downs National Park.”

CDC planning officers said allowing the proposal would also set an undesirable precedent making it difficult to refuse further similar applications.”

But appealing against the decision, planning experts for the Marquis of Milford Haven claimed the site lay within a country estate – with a very significant equestrian use – where the use as residential garden would not cause harm to the quiet and tranquil character of the area.

“This is not a wild natural uninhabited landscape, neither is it remote from human influence and habitation.”

A NEW firefighter is ready for action after graduating from his initial training course from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

Firefighter Kevin Wadey has been learning the necessary skills and will join his colleagues at Petworth Fire Station.

He was presented with his certificate at East Preston Fire Station by West Sussex Fire and Rescue service’s area manager Neil Stocker, following the completion of his initial training.

Neil said: “I am delighted to welcome Kevin into West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

“Firefighters working the retained duty system fully crew 14 of the 25 fire stations in West Sussex. These personnel are vital to the delivery of the county’s fire and rescue service and we still need to recruit retained firefighters to many stations in the county.”

Anyone who would like to know more about becoming a retained firefighter should call 01243 642134 or visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire

A DYSLEXIC cleaner at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester who left school without any qualifications is flying through her studies 20 years later.

Rosie Mills, who has spent her adult life struggling with basic reading and writing, is now gaining qualifications for her work – and getting a ‘real buzz’ out of learning.

The 49-year-old (pictured on the right with Carol Mainhardt, domestic services manager), who began working as a cleaner at St Richard’s in the mid-1980s, took her NVQ Level I in Cleaning and Support Services in 2003.

“I had never had any qualifications before, but I will be doing more,” said Rosie, who lives in Chichester.”

“It is a real buzz, and when you have got a taste for it you want to carry on. I was nervous about doing qualifications, but my reading and writing are much better now – it wasn’t easy for me at all but it really helps me outside of work.”

This was the first time she had studied for a qualification in her adult life, and she has now gone on to complete a range of Skills for Life courses at Chichester College.

With help from her employer, Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, Rosie has already begun the NVQ Level II in Cleaning and Support Service Skills at the college and is planning more study to boost her reading and writing skills still further.

In December she was nominated for an employee star award by the trust and health bosses have described her as ‘a real inspiration’.

Joanne Hauffe, learning and development nurse, said: “We know some of the courses were not easy for Rosie, but her positive attitude means she has made real progress.”

SEB FECHER is jubilant after being selected for Sussex’s under-ten cricket squad.

He started playing cricket at an early age, mainly as a target for his cricket-mad older brother Dom, who himself has been selected this year for the county’s under-13 Western Warriors.

Fecher is a member of Stirlands Cricket club at Birdham and first played for the under-12 team aged just seven. He batted against some of the under-ten county squad’s fast bowlers and survived!

Aged eight he became the leading wicket-taker in the Stirlands under-12 squad and won the much-coveted bowler-of-the-year prize.

Last September he was put forward by his club for selection into the Western Warriors Sussex county area squad. He was one of 20 local players to be selected for development training last autumn.

From these sessions the Sussex selectors invited him to go for the full under-ten county trials along with 25 other boys from across East and West Sussex and he attended three selection afternoons in January at the Sussex CCC HQ in Hove. Dad Nick said: “He was lucky enough to be selected as one of the final 16 to be in the playing squad for 2012. He is delighted to have been chosen.

“Without the dedicated coaching he has received from his coaches at his club Stirlands and at his school, Westbourne House, he couldn’t have got this far.”

Stirlands are keen to recruit new players for their under-12 team for 2012. Anyone interested should call Dan Oliver on 07920 887093.

Fecher is not the only West Sussex prospect called up by Sussex CCC. They have announced their junior squads for all ages and West Sussex is well-represented.

Under-tens’ west players: Seb Fecher, Ben Hawkes, Michael Kirby Bott.

Under-11s: John Norman.

Under-12s: Josh Wood, Nick Smith.

Under-13s: Nick Oxley, Jacob Temple.

Under-14s: Jay Hartard, Ryan Maskell, Jamie Piper.

Under-15s: Beck Hemingway, Dominic Keats, Mason Crane, Harry Isted.

FERNHURST Primary School and the charity Cystic Fibrosis are both benefiting from a clear-out by pupils’ parents.

A sort-out under the Life Laundry scheme has encouraged them all to check cupboards, wardrobes and drawers to find old clothes, handbags and shoes, small electrical goods such as toasters, kettles and hairdryers, radios and irons, and paperback and hardback books, CDs and DVDs.

Bagged up into categories, the school is paid a varying amount from 50p a kilo for textiles to 15p a kilo for books, while Cystic Fibrosis is also given 10p per kilo for everything.

Linzi Shipway, the newly-appointed chairman of the Friends of Fernhurst School, was delighted to see how many parents and carers took the opportunity to launder their stored items for the two good causes.

The school’s portion of the money is being put towards a make-over for the library and buying new books. This will be helped by Book Day on March 2.

Advertiser’s announcement

AN online business directory has hit out at unethically placed listings and reviews in the West Sussex area.

Find It, powered by Qype, Europe’s leading consumer reviews site, has cut thousands of misleading or malicious reviews from its 13.5 million online listings.

Taking a tough stance on third parties who abuse online reviews, Find It and Qype have taken down over two thousand fake reviews in the last month. Around three per cent of new reviews have been deleted since the partnership declared war on unethical listings.

With a new review appearing every 30 seconds on everything from hostels and tourist attractions to hairdressers and minicab companies, Find It and Qype have implemented a continuous campaign to keep the directory clean and ensure all business listings and reviews for West Sussex are accurate and fair.

Find It, powered by Qype, is committed to stopping people who use its listings for financial gain, and aims to stamp out biased or unreliable reviews.

“Find It is the number one source for trusted local reviews and listings, and working with Qype we want to ensure every single listing is independent and impartial,” said Andy Prior, digital product manager at Johnston Press.

Find it, powered by Qype, gives immediate access to over two million independent reviews on everything from quirky cafés and clubs to plumbers and primary schools. Covering 166,000 locations worldwide, including thousands of real reviews on the best places to go in West Sussex, Find it powered by Qype is an indispensable guide for locals, at home or away.

MILLIONS of pounds worth of investment in a new John Lewis store for Chichester is fast taking shape in the city.

Located in Portfield Way on the site of the former MFI and Paul Simon outlets, it will be opening on Thursday, April 5, in time for the key Easter trading period.

As an At Home branch, its focus is on core electrical and furnishing goods, with additional ranges of travel and nursey products in response to customer feedback. There will also be cafe faciltiies at the two-storey store which features 350 car parking spaces. The launch day will feature live music performances and entertainment for customers.

Gavin Smith, occupation manager with the firm, is responsible for the final stage delivery of the project and believed it is well on course for completion.

He said: “We are on target for the store opening before Easter trading in April. It has had its challenges due to it having previously been two stores that we are creating ours from. Once the construction work is finished we will be doing the final shop work in eight days, which includes moving £3m worth of stock in just three days.

“Each shop has its own design elements which make it different from others in the group and in Chichester’s case that is in the layout of its escalator and some different offerings including nursery and travel goods.”

Branch manager Claire Dunkason is joining from her present role at the retailer’s Poole store and will shortly be joined by her team of around 140 employees next month.

She said: “I am so excited that we are going to be openign in just a few weeks time. For me this is all about the people that work here and they will be working at other stores including Southampton in the month before we open so they will familiarise themeselves with the company.”

Computer terminals in the branch will allow shoppers to browse the wider johnlewis.com assortment including fashion, beauty and carpets and order for home delivery or next day collection at the shop via the retailer’s ‘click and collect’ service.

This allows customers to order products from johnlewis.com before 7pm and collect them at the branch after 2pm the following day or opt for home delivery.

Thanks to a series of special workshops at Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery, art is helping a young woman from Bognor Regis regain her confidence following a horrific attack in 2009 which left her wheelchair bound...

Carefully turning the pages of her treasured sketchbook, Lizzie Wingate is full of enthusiasm about textiles and her love for ‘bling’, both of which will feature in an artwork to mark the end of her college course.

Warm, chatty and blessed with a lovely smile, Lizzie is passionate about art and from the well-thumbed, bulging sketchbook it is evident she spends hours on her ideas and is constantly inspired.

But it is only in the last two years Lizzie has discovered her creative side. Three years ago she was the victim of a devastating assault in a Worthing nightclub which has changed her life irrevocably. At the time she worked with children with special needs at The Angmering School. Designated driver, she had driven herself and a group of friends into town for a night out. That evening she accidentally knocked into a woman who in response launched a horrific assault on her, hitting her head against a concrete pillar and then stamping on her back while wearing stiletto shoes.

The assault - for which no one has ever been brought to court- has changed Lizzie’s life irrevocably. She now suffers epileptic fits on a regular basis, and now depends on a wheelchair to get around.

“Obviously I can’t drive now, so I have lost that bit of independence, I have to have carers 24/7, one of my best friends Georgina does a lot of my caring, and my benefits have just been reduced by £100 a month, so it’s quite stressful and it’s hard work,” she explains.

She admits she does get low at times, especially during periods of bad weather when she is unable to get out and about and for a long time after the attack Lizzie felt too scared to go out, and still suffers flashbacks of what happened that night.

She was encouraged to apply for an access course in art at Chichester College and from that she was introduced to Pallant House Gallery’s community programme which she says has helped turned her life around.

“I met people and gradually step by step I felt safe coming here,” she says. “If there is any problem I’ve only got to talk to people and they will help me. It’s great fun and I love it, I see it as a social thing too.”

Lizzie is part of the gallery’s Partners In Art programme, a fantastic project which brings together a volunteer and a person who needs extra support to help follow their mutual art interests.

She admires Henry Moore and Jann Hawarth’s Mae West work which hangs in the gallery, and enjoys meeting the other artists in her group. Being in the gallery there is always a lot of inspiration and the opportunity to share ideas, and she is a great fan of the gallery’s library.

Prolific and passionate in equal measure, Lizzie would like to go to university eventually but says after her college course she will be taking a break to get her health back on track.

Lizzie says she has benefited so much from the programme and is now one of the gallery’s most ardent volunteers, helping out at fundraising events and was even there last Saturday working with groups of children, and chatting to visitors.

In recognition of her fundraising contribution and her personal circumstances, this month Lizzie was presented with a special coffee machine by gallery sponsors De’Longhi, which will now give her more independence at home.

“It means I can make hot drinks now, which is fantastic,” she says. “Before I couldn’t because if I had an epileptic fit and had a kettle in my hand it would be a lot of hot water going everywhere - unless you are in a situation like mine you don’t realise.

“Little things like that make a big difference to my life, I can be a bit more independent, and it’s much safer for me.”

At home much of her time is spent working on her ideas which helps her cope with her health problems.

“The whole living room is full of art equipment, the problem is because I have to have everything at a low level it looks more messy,” she laughs. “I do find it therapeutic to sit there and now I can have a drink inbetween, I love it.”

Her next fundraising drive will be a sponsored silence with her friend, which she says will be hard as she loves chatting, but she says it will be for a great cause.

“I like to get involved with fundraising because of how much of a difference Pallant House has made to my life,” she says. “When I first started I was too scared to go out of the house, I came here and it was like coming to another home.”

Wins for Lavant, Sidlesham and Wittering United all feature in our latest round-up of West Sussex League teams’ matches.

Petworth 1 Lavant 3

West Sussex League division one

With a month having passed without a game and a number of key players abroad, an air of anxiety pervaded the visitors in this hastily-rearranged fixture.

But despite playing into an horrendous wind at Petworth Park, Lavant looked comfortable and played confident football.

Lavant’s Ryan Seacombe was through on goal until Darren Hotson chopped him down with four minutes gone.

Petworth, assisted by the wind, maintained pressure on a resolute Lavant defence.

When they were breached, 17-year-old keeper Rob Baylis, on his debut, was up to the task, pulling off a fine save from Martin Dillon’s strike on 26 minutes.

At the other end Alex Wadey matched his opposite number with a fine stop from James Brooks’ drive and another at the feet of Mike Bartley in the 40th minute. In between, Baylis parried Hotson’s shot but Dillion was first to the rebound and set up John Pafford to put Petworth ahead on 35 minutes.

The turning point came two minutes from half-time when Petworth’s Rob Levett fired his penalty wide after being fouled in the box by Matt Lyttle.

Lavant’s management were confident of winning the game in the second half abetted by the wind.

This paid off when Dave Knight hit home a screamer from 28 yds on 56 minutes, a feat repeated by Brooks 13 minutes later to put Lavant 2-1 up.

The game was sealed in the 73rd minute when Mike Neville, who’s got back from Italy hours before the match, scored.

LAVANT: Baylis; Coe, Lyttle, Wright, Hine; Neville, Brooks, Stevens, Knight; Seacombe, Bartley. Sub: Latham.

Ashington 1 Wittering Utd 2

Chichester Charity Cup

quarter-final

Wittering booked their place in the semi-finals.

Wittering played into the wind in the first half and were immediately put under pressure.

Ashington took the lead after 15 minutes by carving open the Warriors defence.

The Ashington forward ran on to an excellent through-ball and fired it past Rochester in the away goal.

The home team should have extended their lead more than once.

Barry McCoy nearly levelled with a free-kick but it was expertly turned round the post.

After stern words at half-time by management and senior players, the Reds came out with a new lease of life.

Tom Kelly went close with a fierce drive from 25 yards that was turned round the post and from the corner Joe Jefkins played it to McCoy, who turned and fired it just past the post.

Wittering brought on Joe Newton for Joe Jefkins and Jamie Smith for Peter Cairns and switched to 3-5-2.

A long punt from Rochester found its way to Darran Cox. Cox headed over the onrushing keeper but the ball hit the outside of the post.

Minutes later a McCoy cross was met by top goalscorer Cox, who headed home the equaliser.

Five minutes later Wittering took the lead: Cox dispossessed the full-back around 25 yards out, turned and unleashed a ferocious drive that flew into the top corner.

Wittering probably should have had a penalty for a foul on Joe Newton but went on to book their second semi-final of the season.

Man of the match was James Kewell, midfield strings-puller.

WITTERING: Rochester, Kennard, Cairns, McCoy, Lartey, Kelly, J Jefkins, T Jefkins, Kewell, D Cox, Howden. Subs: B Cox, Smith, Newton.

Southwater 1 Sidlesham 3

Malcolm Simmonds Cup

quarter-final

Sids started sluggishly, not helped by a wet, bobbly pitch. The conditions were a factor when Sids keeper Simon Keen sliced a misplaced back pass to a Southwater centre forward, whose shot he then superbly saved.

Gary Jones’ 35-yard free-kick just before half-time was wind-assisted and keeper-assisted in for Sidlesham’s opener. A fine lobbed pass by Jay Whitmore allowed Brad Derry to nip in and fire home on 48 minutes.

Whitmore was also involved in the set-up of the third, finding Derry, whose tremendous run ended with a shot which the keeper parried into the path of Paul Barnes, who converted.

Barnes was replaced by Tom Simmonds and Ben Evans replaced Whitmore.

A misunderstanding in the Sids defence led to a Southwater striker converting on 80 minutes.

Howard Low came on for Steve Whitehead to shut up shop and the Sids secured another semi-final.

SIDS: Keen, Whitehead, Grantham, Carragher, Jones, Brown, Whitmore, Philips, Rawlins, Barnes, Derry, Evans, Simmonds, Low, Miles, Hounsome.

A late header from club captain Ben Blanshard spared Bosham’s blushes as they returned to action after three weeks off with a 1-1 draw versus Uckfield in division three of the Sussex League.

Both teams found the going tough from the off but Dan Dunford and Chris Hickman looked strong for the yellows in midfield, allowing for strikers Dan Barnard and Doug Sanders to push forward.

Blanshard marshalled the Reds’ defence excellently and, with Leon Smith and Jack Hancock, easily dealt with any attempts to find a route to goal.

Bosham settled and started to create a few opportunities for new striker Rafael Grant and stalwart Kieran Hartley. Nerves seemed to stifle any clear-cut chances on goal and Uckfield keeper Jim Robinson was relatively untroubled.

Against the run of play, Uckfield shocked the home crowd five minutes after the interval to jump into the lead after a moment of poor defending gifted Barnard the simplest of headers.

In the rain and wind, the pace of Grant was a constant threat for the Reds – but even that wasn’t enough for the home side to find a way through. Even Marco Giambelardini was kept quiet by Hickman.

The yellows could have doubled their lead late on when substitute Ben Elsey hit a super volley to round off a sweeping move, only for the effort to go narrowly wide.

Finally, Bosham got back on terms with only five minutes of the 90 left. Blanshard was in the right place at the right time to head home a free kick to bring the Reds level.

Hope sprang eternal that a winner could be found but time ran out on both teams.

Bosham host bottom side Haywards Heath this week.

BOSHAM: Hasted, Stent, Jack Hancock, Blanshard, Smith, Probee, Giambelardini, Joe Hancock, Hartley, Grant, Maunder. Subs: Dean, Docherty, Brett, Rodway.

ALAN PRICE

* At Hurstpierpoint, Matt Hibbert put Barnham in front before the hosts levelled. Ash Harper and a Richie Boxell wonder-goal gave them a 3-1 lead by the break.

Perry Northeast and Harper made it 5-1 before the hosts scored two more – only for Harper to complete his hat-trick to make the game safe – leaving Barnham one of five teams with promotion hopes.

BARNHAM: Redman, Wood, Boxell, Salisbury, Newman, Noble, Don, Hibbert, Hancock, Northeast, Harper. Subs: Walters, Peacock.

A MIDHURST town councillor has hit out at ‘stupid’ comments made by former chairman of West Sussex County Council Mark Dunn, over car parking problems in the town.

At a meeting of the council on Monday Colin Hughes said he had been ‘aghast’ when he read Cllr Dunn’s comments. “He has no concept of a rural town whatsoever.”

Mr Dunn, a former chairman of the county council, who represents the Bourne division south of the Downs, made his controversial remarks at a meeting of the county council’s county local committee.

He said be believed a ‘park and ride’ scheme could be the answer to the growing parking nightmare adding that radical measures must be adopted to prevent the area being branded an “unattractive visitor centre.”

He said he believed shoppers and tourists should be bused into the centre of town declaring the days of parking outside shops were a ‘thing of the past’.

He further enraged town councillors by declaring if people wanted to park in the town centre they should be charged £1 for 20 minutes though ‘those people who really want it should pay through the nose for it’.

Mr Dunn said he believed the solution for both the town’s car parking and coach parking dilemma could be dealt with by the creation of park and ride sites by landowners using redundant land outside the town.

Mr Hughes told a full town council this week: “I feel he let us down hugely with these stupid comments.

“I can’t believe such a high ranking county councillor could say such things.”