Herald column May 12th 2022
Firstly, congratulations to all those elected to Adur and Worthing Councils last week, especially those for the first time, and commiserations to those whose hard work didn’t quite pay off on the day. With a change of administration in Worthing it will be interesting to see how the Adur/Worthing partnership working which was pioneering when it started 15 years ago will fare.
Last Friday we were able to hold the first Eco Summit in person since 2019 and it was a pleasure to be back, after several cancellations due to COVID restrictions. The EYE (Eco, Young and Engaged) Project was hosted at Ricardo’s in Shoreham and students from local schools came to hear a report back from COP26 with a special welcoming video from COP26 President Alok Sharma. After a tour of the engineering company which is a world leader in environmentally friendly engine technology the students held a Question-and-Answer session and discussed what they wanted to see as the legacy from COP26.
We also heard from a representative of Shoreham Harbour which is bidding to become a hydrogen hub which complements well the hydrogen innovation centre at Ricardo where they are looking to retrofit busses and other service vehicles to be fuelled on clean green hydrogen where the only emission is water. With an application in for additional turbines at Shoreham Harbour our district could well soon become a producer of green hydrogen as well as a distribution hub for imported fuel.
This weekend marks the end of an era as HMS Shoreham returns to its home port for the last time after 20 years of service. The minesweeper is to be decommissioned and there will be a Freedom Parade and Hand Back Ceremony in Shoreham on Saturday morning. She was launched in 2001 and I remember going to her naming ceremony in Portsmouth where the wife of the Admiral of the Fleet who presided over the ceremony gave an account of the history of previous HMS Shorehams.
The current holder of that name is in fact the fifth vessel with the first HMS Shoreham dating back to 1694. That ship was very active in the Caribbean apprehending French pirates we were told, at which point a loud cheer went up amongst the assembled. How things haven’t changed!
Because of the parade our street surgery on Saturday will be slightly truncated but I will be there from 10am as usual after a quick pit stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd ‘Big Brekkie’ on Shoreham Beach in aid of Christian Aid week where I can recommend the bacon baps available between 9.30 -midday. See you there.
