This week marked the celebration of the new and old in Horsham.
I was delighted on Friday to attend the official opening of i-Rock Horsham District, a support and advice hub for local young people aged 14-25 living in West Sussex.
I have campaigned for Horsham to have its own i-Rock since the idea was raised with me by young people who were worried about their own and their friends’ mental and emotional wellbeing.
It was such a wonderful morning seeing the welcoming and vibrant space which young people can turn up to with or without an appointment and get any support and advice they may need. In my research I visited another Hub but that lacked what I think is a great advantage for Horsham – its co-location with Hurst Café: it couldn’t be easier to seek advice and support.
i-Rock Horsham District can help with a range of worries and concerns (not just mental and emotional wellbeing) and I really would encourage young people to make use of the service, pop in to see what is on offer and how the team can help.
I was delighted that Dr Alex George (once of “Love Island”, now the Government’s Youth Mental Health Champion) joined us for the opening and I really hope that this helps to boost the profile of i-Rock locally and the benefits early help can have for young people. We are all keen to see this fabulous source of support well used by our young people.
On Saturday, I visited the Horsham Unitarian Church who were celebrating their 300th anniversary. It is the second oldest place of worship in Horsham, after St Mary’s, built on its current site on Worthing Road in 1719.
Over their 300 years the Unitarian Church has been deeply involved in the community, indeed the first lending library in Horsham was originally based at the Church and in the 1890s the Horsham Museum Society was founded by its members.
It was lovely to mark the congregations ongoing contribution to our local community and I wish them well for the next 300 years!