Whispering Smith published in the Littlehampton Gazette May 23rd.

WANT TO see a dizzy deer? Then you should have gone to the full ADC meeting and you would have seen a buck passed so fast it made his antlers spin. At last Wednesday’s meeting regarding the future of the Windmill Theatre and cinema, the buck was passed so many times between Inspire Leisure and the ADC that one needed motion pills to cope. It is clear I want a pucker cinema in LA and not a voluntary run cinema club, our town deserves it, it is also clear that certain members of the ADC feel that although Bognor can support two cinemas, one a multiplex, (a miniplex if you are a small minded person) LA does not even deserve a monoplex (my invention?). Never during all my misspent years as a senior local government officer did I witness such a diversity of delivery during a debate as I saw that evening. Many of the ADC members eloquent, sensible, asking questions, making points, speaking for the local electorate as opposed to the mish mash of muddled thinking replies coming from the ADC ‘Cabinet’ members who could in no way admit to being  misguided, ill-informed or just plain old wrong. The Chairperson, obviously not a great fan of the public gallery, demanded that the members be shown respect while they debated the total lack of respect shown toward the local electorate as represented by the vociferous 300 Spartans in the public gallery!

PICNIC IN THE PARK was a great success. Over 500 adults and children enjoying a really fun evening out on Caffyns Field to the tunes of the LA Academy Steel band, Batala, a colourful drumming band from Pompey and, our very own LA Town Concert Band celebrating a marvellous twenty five year run. This is how LA was meant to be, a real picnic, it defines us as a summer resort, we need more such events and the various councils should be bending over backwards to ensure that we and our summer visitors can enjoy them. Hey, even the migrating swifts arrived at the beginning of the evening, a great entrance, a stunning display, fluttering their wings to tell us they had arrived and just in time for the concert. Super fun and ENCORE! So say we all.