This week's stories include:

• Mini Mayhem gears up for Piazza Italia
• New Facebook Campaign to save Old Town Hall
• Small Firms Prepare for Horsham Microbiz

Instructions:

This week's stories include:

• Laybrook Waste Battle is Won
• Jill's Dream Come True at the Capitol
• Horsham Parliamentary Election Promises Plenty of Intrigue!

Instructions:

This week's stories include:

• Victory for Adversane Villagers
• Newsagent Provocateur Review
• Smash and Grab at Wakefields Jewellers

Instructions:

This week's stories include:

• Countdown to Shelley Fountain's Big Relaunch
• Pancake Race Highlights
• Horsham Area Youth Awards

Instructions:

This week's stories include:

• Noel and Doreen Webster's "Round the World in a Wheelchair"
• Appeal for witnesses following second Horsham taxi robbery
• Controversial Newsagent to stand for Parliament?
• Laybrook Landfill Latest
• Pancake Race Itinerary

Instructions:

The Resident’s photographer captured this image of two white fallow deer, and another sandy coloured-deer, amongst a herd of about 15 animals in St Leonard’s Forest, Horsham, this week.

While striking in appearance - particularly when hopping across a field covered in a layer of snow - but isn’t actually that rare.

The common variety is the familiar tan/fawn colour with white spotting on the flanks. 

The Menil variety is paler, lacks the black bordered rump and keeps its white spots all year. The black variety is almost entirely black with no white coloration anywhere. 

Finally, the white variety can be white to sandy coloured and becomes more white at adulthood. This is a true colour variety and not albinism, which is rare. 

The rare white deer is the white-coated roebuck, which experts say is not an albino, and is so unusual that only a handful have been seen in Britain since the end of the Second World War.

In 2009, one was found and was expected to fetch bids of £6,000 by trophy hunters wanting a rare kill. The news of the bidding war made national headlines, and animal rights campaigners were outraged, nicknaming the deer ‘Pearl. Even a Facebook page was set up!

As far as we know, Pearl is still alive!

Masses of blue tarpaulin blowing about has hardly made the Shelley Fountain end of West Street the most visually attractive spot in the world in recent months.

And let’s be honest, the Travelodge being built there is hardly going to picking up prizes for attractive design at end of year architecture awards.

But it is at least providing a major boost to the town.

After a period of time when not a great deal appeared to be going on, the Travelodge site, being built opposite Mcdonalds in Horsham town centre,  is now expected to be open in early July this year.

Travelodge has also confirmed that the £2.5million project will create 13 jobs. All members of staff will be recruited through the local Job Centre, so be sure to register your details if you’re looking for a position at the hotel.

It is may seem a strange choice of location, as though Travelodge is targeting bus commuters and letting Premier Inn hog the lions share of the rail commuter business, but the new hotel is hoping to attract customers with its low prices - rooms will be made available for as little as £19.

It has also been confirmed that the hotel will boast 67 rooms.

It is hoped that the hotel will attract additional footfall to an end of town still looking a little barren without an adequate replacement at the former MVC unit.

And the hotel bosses seem pleased about the deal too. A spokesman said: "We are really delighted to be opening our first hotel in Horsham next to the town's most famous and iconic landmark, the Shelley Fountain. 

“The new hotel will have rooms from £19 making it an ideal base for both business and leisure travellers."

West Sussex County Council is to pump £2.35 million into tackling potholes caused by the recent severe weather conditions.

The money will be used to fund more pothole patrols, which have already been seeking out and fixing potholes since the beginning of December.

As the snow now starts to thaw in some areas, the patrols are starting to assess the most recent damage.

Early estimates suggest the cost of repairing this year’s winter damage will be considerable.

The County Council is advising motorists to drive with extreme caution whilst the job of repair gets underway.

Derek Whittington, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport, said: “We know that following the thaw there will be a considerable amount of damage which needs repairing. Non-urgent repairs have already been suspended in order to free up staff to work on this damage, but this will inevitably take some time to address.

“Where possible permanent repairs will be made but it is expected that most repairs will be temporary. This is because a temporary repair is quicker and we are therefore able to keep up with the number of potholes appearing and keep the roads safe as best we can in the current conditions.

“More extensive damage will require either patching, localised reconstruction or resurfacing.”

The worst weather conditions in 30 years have left roads exposed to a condition known as ‘freeze-thaw’, which damages roads in wet and particularly freezing conditions. Water gathering in cracks in the roads expands when frozen causing the surface to break up, which results in deeper than usual potholes appearing.

County Council Leader Henry Smith says he will be writing to the Secretary of State for Transport Lord Adonis, to appeal for more funds towards the repairs.

Derek added: “"We are doing everything we can to identify problem areas, however, I would ask people to be patient and drive with care.”

People can report potholes on 01243 642105 or www.westsussex.gov.uk

These days it seems that each of the major charities has a huge nationwide event held at venues up and down the country to raise vital funds.

There’s the Midnight Walk (held for St Catherine’s Hospice), the NSPP Big Bike Ride, Relay for Life for Cancer Research UK, and one of our favourites - The Swimathon for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

In April last year we were at Bluecoats Sports Centre at Christ’s Hospital to see people young and old come together to help raise a grand total of £1.5million last year.

It was a wonderful occasion for all the family, especially the Davis family, who all took part, with five-year-old Jacob completing a couple of lengths.

Zöe Salmon and Duncan Goodhew dived into the pool at The Chelsea Club during the national launch last week - and were the first entries to take the plunge for Swimathon 2010.

And hot on the heels of the national launch came the local launch at Bluecoats, where local swimmers gathered to take advantage of a half price entry offer in january.

Gill Probin of Bluecoats said: “We are delighted to be holding this event again at Bluecoats Sports and Fitness Club. Our fantastic pool and facilities makes it ideal for us to hold this event.  

“We warmly welcome swimmers of all levels to participate. Deciding to swim is a great chance for people to set new personal challenges for 2010 and in doing so they will feel a massive sense of achievement.”

You can swim in a team where 2 – 5 people participate covering 5Km (200 lengths of Bluecoats’ pool). There’s also individual challenges where you can swim 1.5km (60 lengths); 2.5Km (100 lengths) or 5km (200 lengths).

Gill added: “Ever yone’s challenge is very much their own – but not only do their efforts benefit themselves but also the charities. 

“Last year we raised £4,848.73 and this year we hope more people will swim and in doing so raise more valuable funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity.”

At the moment the Swimathon Foundation have an early bird offer of half price entry before 31st January.

Bluecoats will be holding 2 Swimathon sessions at the Bluecoats Health and fitness Club on Saturday 18th April 2010 starting at 9am and 11.00am. As well as one on Sunday 19th April at 5am 

Enter online for the 2010 Swimathon before the 31st January 2010 to take up the special half price offer.  Steyning and Billingshurst Leisure Centre, and The Pavilions in Horsham Park, will also be holding Swimathon events. For more details see www.swimathon.org

Sean Hughes is back with a brand new show, bursting at the seams with his darkly brilliant, self-deprecating barbed wit. 

In 1987, Sean started doing stand-up comedy in London clubs. 

He became the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Perrier Award for Comedy for 'A One Night Stand With Sean Hughes' at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in 1990. 

Sean launched his successful TV career with the critically acclaimed 7-part sitcom series 'Sean's Show', written by and starring Sean Hughes.  The Last Detective (ITV) and Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC) soon followed.

As well as his comic writing, Sean is also a serious writer, and has written two collections of prose and poetry. 

Sean performs at The Capitol on 31st January. Tickets: £16, concessions £14, from The capitol Box Office on 01403 750220.

The Resident does have 3 pairs of tickets to give away.  Just answer this question:                        

In which BBC TV show has Sean Hughes Appeared?

A) Never Mind The Buzzcocks

B) Never Mind The Buzzards

C) Mind Your Own Business

Email answers by 3pm on Tuesday, 26th January, to ben@the-resident.co.uk along with your name, address and phone number. Entrants must be over 18.