This year marks the 250th anniversary of the humble sandwich – named after the town, when John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, ordered beef served between slices of bread back in 1762.

The story goes that the Earl asked for the particular serving so that he could eat while continuing to play cards and his friends asked “to have the same as Sandwich”, according to the British Sandwich Association.

This year the Kent town of Sandwich is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the meal.

Zut alors! Tres expensive!

Some quick snack facts…
• According to the British Sandwich Association the sandwich industry employs more than 300,000 people in the UK and has a commercial value of over £6bn.
• In the last year 1.69 billion sandwiches were sold, at an average price of £1.66
• Over 62% of the population buy a sandwich at least once a year
• People in Yorkshire spend the most on sandwiches – an average of over £114 a year
• People in the South West spend the least – an average of £55 a year.
• The most expensive place to buy a sandwich is London – £1.83 versus a national average of £1.66
• Over 30% of all sandwiches sold have chicken as a filling
• With a further 2.67 billion sandwiches made for lunch boxes, this means UK consumers are currently consuming nearly 11 billion sandwiches per year.

Feeling peckish?

The most expensive sandwich in the world has been traced to Paris – where the ‘club sandwich’ (a tripled layer of bacon, chicken, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise) will cost you £20.59!!
It’s British sandwich week this week! Why not treat yourself to a change? Taste the difference with our haulage business and see how we can treat you to a slice of our professional service – upper crust style!   Call us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com

Last week we made a delivery of goods to Battersea in London on one of our fleet of 7.5t vehicles.

Battersea is probably best known for its iconic Power Station building.
The station is the largest brick building in Europe and is notable for its original, lavish Art Deco interior fittings and decor.
It is included in the Buildings at Risk Register.
In February of this year the site was placed on sale on the open property market at an estimated price of £500million

Battersea Power Station

This month, Chelsea Football Club submitted a bid to build a 60,000-seater stadium on the 39-acre site, which would take between three and four years to construct. The club also stated that they would restore the Power Station’s four iconic chimneys and west turbine hall.

They also confirmed that the stadium proposed is rectangular in shape with four separate stands and include a 15,000-all seated one-tier stand behind the south goal, likely to be the biggest one-tier stand in football.
With Chelsea also helping to develop local transport links, such as making a significant contribution towards the Northern Line Extension, a new high-volume transport link proposed for the area.

There are, however, other parties interested in the site – so nothing has been confirmed yet!

For a dedicated transport and warehousing service – we would be happy to give you a no obligation quote or discuss how we could assist you.  email us at sales@sussextransport.com or call us on 01903 751100.

Last month we collected a container from the port of Dover and delivered to Andover in Hampshire on one of our HIAB Lorries.

The Port of Dover is the nearest English port to France, at just 34 kilometres (21 miles) away, and one of Europe’s largest passenger ports.

Each year the port handles 16 million travellers, 2.1 million lorries, 2.8 million cars and motorcycles and 86,000 coaches!

Many holiday makers embark on their cruise holiday from the port of Dover.  Cruising is becoming very popular – and we’ve found a rather ‘nice little holiday’ which will set you back a mere £1.18m per couple!

The 124-day holiday on board the ‘Silver Whisper’ departs from Los Angeles in January 2013 and includes visits to 28 countries, including French Polynesia, New Zealand and Australia.

The White Cliffs of Dover

• The trip starts with you being whisked away from your home or hotel in London by helicopter and flown to a London airport. At the airport you’ll dine on Beluga Caviar, priced at a £4,000 per kilogram
• You will then fly to the United States by private charter on board a Boeing business jet that features mahogany panelling and gold-plated fixtures.
• During the flight, a Michelin star chef will create a 10-course tasting menu for you.
• You’ll be staying at the Beverley Wiltshire Hotel for a few days to recover from that stressful journey before being transported to the luxury liner
• Once at sea you’ll be in the Royal Suite, which has two bedrooms, two marbled bathrooms, dining area and two balconies.
• To finish off the holiday you will enjoy a four night post-cruise stay in a six-bedroom villa in Miami, Florida.

Bon Voyage!

We don’t want to rock the boat – but have you ever thought of trying a different haulage company for your next requirement?  Why not call us on 01903 751100 to see how we could help you in the future…

Oxfordshire was issued with no less than TEN flood alerts last week alone!
It was the wettest April in the UK since records began in 1910, with flood alerts and warnings in place across England and Wales. But despite the wet weather, much of the country remains in an officially dry state.

It has been suggested that England could see standpipes in the street next year if the country goes through a third dry winter.

Memories of 1976 - but at least the sun was shining!

Standpipes were used in 1976 when a drought and heat wave in the UK lead to a hosepipe ban and other measures being introduced in an effort to conserve water.

People have long spoken of April showers, but the likes of last month’s heavy rain and storms haven’t been seen in more than 100 years. The heavens opened just as hosepipe bans were introduced and a number of regions were officially declared to be in drought.

Apparently rain has come at the wrong time of year … (the WRONG sort of rain?!)
The past 18 months have been the driest on record, resulting in low groundwater levels and ground that is extremely dry.

We’re hoping for a ‘deluge’ of enquiries – please contact us for quotes, information and details of how we can assist you on 01903 751100 or email us at sales@sussextransport.com

Last week we collected warehouse pallet racking from Birmingham and delivered to Gatwick . Our load consisted of a mixture of 6m and 8m upright frames together with over 400 2.7m beams on one of our Artic Curtainside vehicles. We regularly collect and deliver racking, both new and used, on behalf of racking companies, eBay sellers and auctioneers when disposing of unwanted assets.

Based in Crawley, Gatwick Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world – yet only has one runway!

For those that like the facts –

• Gatwick Airport opened in 1958 with just over 186,000 passengers passing through in their first year of operation.
• Today they now serve over 32 million passengers every year.
• Gatwick directly employs 23,000 staff of which 2,200 are London Gatwick Airport employees
• It is estimated that an additional 5,000 people are employed off-site in roles directly related to the airport’s operation
• Around 90 airlines use Gatwick serving 13 domestic and 200 overseas destinations.
• Across the two terminals there are 317 check-in desks
• Their busiest day was 22 August 2008 when there were 895 aircraft movements.
• Gatwick is the first UK airport to be listed as a ‘trusted news source’ with Twitter’s ‘blue tick’ of authority through its use of updates on the micro-messaging site.
• Did you know that Gatwick used to be a racecourse? It opened in 1891, and continued as such until 1940, even running the Grand National from 1916 to 1918

The top ten holiday destinations for passengers flying from Gatwick last year were:

1.  Malaga (Spain)
2.  Palma De Mallorca (Spain)
3.  Faro (Portugal)
4.  Dalaman (Turkey)
5.  Dublin (Ireland)
6.  Alicante (Spain)
7.  Madrid (Spain)
8.  Orlando (USA)
9.  Ibiza (Spain)
10. Jersey (CI)

For a refreshingly different transport or storage solution, why not ask Sussex Transport for a quote on your next requirement? Call us on 01903 751100 or email info@sussextransport.com  Maybe its time to try someone new for your delivery?

One of our HIAB vehicles was deployed for this very purpose recently.  To lift and move a very large Hot Tub / Spa from a back garden in Shoreham, West Sussex, over the fence, onto the lorry and taken to it’s new destination in Crawley. The crane, mounted on the vehicle really comes into its own in a situation such as this; able to lift the hot tub over the garden wall at the rear of the property, where access may sometimes prove to be a little tricky!

Hot tubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes; from the soft tubs which can just be rolled along (once empty, of course) quite easily, to the more rigid, much larger, luxury ones which can cost thousands of pounds!

Hot tubs or spa’s as they are sometimes known were thought to originate as early as 2000 B.C when the ancient Egyptians used baths for therapeutic reasons. The earliest forms of hot tubs were made from small basins in the earth formed by volcanic activity, which were filled with heated sizzling stones, to warm the water!

Would you risk moving your hot tub with a group of well meaning friends? Why not let Sussex Transport collect and move your hot tub using specialist crane equipment mounted on one of their dedicated HIAB vehicles? Don’t let the worries bubble up – we can wash away your fear with our dedicated transport service! Call us for a quote on 01903 751100 or email us here

Last week we transported a helicopter to Redhill for a customer using one of our HIAB vehicles!
Redhill Airfield came into use in the 1930s for private flying and it was used as an alternative airfield to Croydon Airport by Imperial Airways.

Earlier this month, an 80-year-old woman landed safely at an airport in Milwaukee after taking the controls of her husband’s Cessna aircraft when he died of a heart attack. An instructor with Redhill Aviation in Surrey explains what to do if you ever find yourself in such a predicament …  worth reading up on this if you are planning on going up in a light aircraft anytime soon!

1. Locate the radio
Just like in a car, you will find it in the centre of the dashboard. Locate the PTT (Press To Talk) button. Press it and speak to the control tower, who will “talk you down” just like in the movies. But if that fails …

2. Look for a large green field.
Start gently – very gently – touching the control column to see what each move achieves. Keep the wings level.

3. Find the throttle
Pull the knob very gently towards you to decrease power.  Push away to increase power.

4. Keep in a straight line
If you have to turn – say, to circle to a landing spot – don’t bank more than 5-10 degrees.

5. Perform a controlled crash
It takes a lot of practice to land on your back wheels first, so it is likely you will land on the front wheel. A Cessna will land at about 60-70mph so be prepared for an abrupt halt.

Good luck!

Due to our continued expansion, we are expecting our new HIAB vehicle very soon – enabling us to respond faster to increasing demand for this part of our service.  Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com for a competitive quote.

Last month, we made a delivery of valuable goods from Dunwich in Suffolk, on one of Sprinter vans.   The items were carefully packed in the van using paper airbags known as Dunnage bags – for stability and to prevent damage or movement of the goods in transit.

Once one of England’s largest towns Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago with 3,000 residents! It boasted six churches, 2 chapels, hospitals and prestigious buildings including a King’s Palace as well as a harbour full of merchant shipping.

On the East Anglian coast, most of Dunwich now lies beneath the North Sea, following years of coastal erosion and numerous severe storms.  Just a few houses, a pub and a museum remain – with approximately 120 residents

For the last two thousand years the coast line at Dunwich has receded on average one metre a year. In other words the sea shore is now two kilometres west of its position in Roman times

It is said that if, during stormy weather, you stand on the bleak stretch of beach where the city centre once stood, you can hear the bells of the churches ringing underwater.

In the museum in today’s Dunwich there is a magnificent model of the medieval town, as it might have appeared from the air in the twelfth century.  The position of the current shoreline is marked by yellow sticky tape, presumably chosen because it is easily removable.

For a discussion on how we can move your valuable goods, why not give us a call on 01903 751100 or email us at sales@sussextransport.co.uk.  We would be happy to discuss your requirements.

Last week we made a dedicated delivery of such items from London on a 7.5t lorry.

Years ago, it would be the ‘Rag and Bone’ man who would collect unwanted materials such as old clothes, scrap metal, old appliances etc.

You would hear his call and the ring of his hand held bell as he made his way up the road, usually with a horse drawn cart, shouting something indistinguishable at the top of his voice! It was in the days when most house-holders grew their own vegetables – so there was always a race for the manure left behind by the horse!   In return for your scrap – the Rag and Bone man would offer a ‘donkey stone’; these were made from a mixture of pulverised stone, cement, bleach powder and water and were used for cleaning your front step!!

These days with the increased demand and price of scrap metal, this sort of service is resurfacing – although the horse and cart tradition has generally been replaced with a man in a van and you will be  rewarded with cash rather than a donkey stone!  However – there are some towns where you can still see the traditional sight of a rag and bone man complete with horse and cart

In 2008 a 2,500-year-old gold cup sold for £50,000 at auction. The cup was given to a man who is now in his 70’s by his rag-and-bone man grandfather, who acquired it in the 1930s.

The man said he remembered the cup as a small boy and had kept it in shoe box beneath his bed for 60 years!

Experts from the University of Oxford and Harwell Scientifics dated the gold cup from the 3rd or 4th Century BC in Persia (from what is now Iran to Libya.)

For a traditionally good customer service, from a family run company – why not give us a call to see how we can help you on 01903 751100 or email us at sales@sussextransport.com  or why not write to us?! We’ll write back!

Last week we made a dedicated delivery of a container to Stansted – home of one of Britain’s busy airports.

Despite the airport security liquid allowance being in force for over six years, today’s travellers are still not up to speed!  With nearly half admitting they don’t know the 100ml rule, according to London Stansted Airport.
60% believe baked beans are exempt while a staggering 28% don’t think water counts as a liquid.

The top ten most bizarre items confiscated at London Stansted security were as follows;
• Crustaceans
• Love cuffs
• Human body fat!!
• A sweet jar containing live goldfish
• Machete
• Snow globes
• Drills and sanders
• Sling shots
• Dirty nappies
• Air rifles.

The research highlights that this lack of security know-how means that customers are holding up queues at security to declare items. More than one in five travellers admit to having had items confiscated.

Of those that had to handover items at security, many tried to talk their way out of it with excuses such as “I forgot they were in my bag”  followed by “I didn’t know what the legal size limit was for liquids” and “I didn’t realise they were actual liquids” .

At JFK Airport in the USA, one security officer spotted something which required further investigation…  it turned out that somebody had pushed his leatherman knife into a full container of mayonnaise.

If you can’t bring knives on the plane, and you can’t bring more than 100ml of any gel or liquid… you will get caught out!!
JFK reported that no sandwiches were harmed in the process; the mayo and the knife were confiscated and the man was allowed on his way!

For a hassle free haulage solution – why not give us a call on 01903 751100 for a quote – or email us HERE!

Last week we made a dedicated delivery of building materials to University town, Oxford.

Oxford University takes part in the annual boat race along the River Thames, against rivals from Cambridge University.
• The first race was in 1829 and the event has been held annually since 1856, except during the two world wars.
• The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John’s College, Cambridge, and his school friend Charles Wordsworth who was at Oxford. Cambridge challenged Oxford to a race at Henley-on-Thames.
• The course covers a 4.2 mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake.
• As of 2012 Cambridge have won the race 81 times and Oxford 76 times
• There has been a dead heat once.
• In the 1912 race both crews sank, and the race was re-run.
• Cambridge also sank in 1859 and 1978, while Oxford did so in 1925 and again in 1951
• In 1984 the Cambridge boat sank after colliding with a barge before the start of the race.

This month, the race was filled with drama – the race was halted for over 30 minutes, when a man got into the water and deliberately swam between the boats near Chiswick Pier.  Shortly after the restart the boats clashed and one Oxford’s team suffered a broken oar. Cambridge quickly took the lead and went on to win the race. Further drama unfolded as one of Oxford’s team needed emergency treatment after collapsing in the boat from exhaustion at the end of the race.

For a drama-free delivery of your goods, why not call us on 01903 751100 ‘OAR’  email us at sales@sussextransport.com for a chat about how we could help you.

An abnormal load must be notified and indemnified against damage with the Local Highway Authority. In addition, the haulier must notify the Police and any owners of any structures (e.g. bridges) along the proposed route – this is something we often have to do in order to move the more cumbersome loads we carry for our clients.

Double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell will be running the London Marathon on April 22nd to raise money for a leading children’s charity in Tadworth.  The Children’s Trust provides intensive rehabilitation for children who have suffered a brain injury as a result of an accident or serious illness.

The rower, who achieved his first gold medal victory alongside Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent in 2000, suffered a brain injury himself in 2010 when he was hit by a truck whilst cycling across America for a television series.

Raising money for the same charity is former England cricketer and television personality, Phil Tufnell who will be entertaining guests at a charity evening at Epsom’s Royal Automobile Club later this month.

The Children’s Trust has undergone a remarkable transformation since 1984. Originating in the late 1920s as the country branch of The Hospital for Sick Children (later called Great Ormond Street), children with conditions including tuberculosis, rheumatic fever and cystic fibrosis were sent to leafy Tadworth Court in Surrey, for “good food, rest and fresh air.” After a high-profile press campaign to keep Tadworth Court Children’s Hospital open, the Department of Health transferred management control to a newly created charity in 1984, now called The Children’s Trust.

For more information about Sussex Transport please browse through our website or call us on 01903 751100 or email HERE – we’d be happy to hear from you.

In the same week, anglers in seaside resort of Littlehampton were expressing their excitement at the fish the unusually warm weather had been responsible for.  March this year has seen temperatures far higher than the national average and this is thought to be the reason fish of a much larger size than anglers are used to netting were being landed!

The warmer weather has brought sea temperatures up by about 3 degrees, attracting a higher number of smaller fish, which in turn bring in larger, predatory species who wouldn’t normally feed in this area.

In the space of a couple of days Littlehampton fishermen netted a rare, 35lb deep sea angler fish, as well as three uncommonly large blonde rays – all more usually found in oceans hundreds of metres deep. The angler who caught the enormous 35lb fish stated, ‘’It’s so rare to see one this size, away from the deeper oceans. The average catch could be about 10lb. It was enormous – at least 18 years old.”

Littlehampton fishermen have never seen anything like it – they have netted some record breaking catches that anyone would struggle to see in a lifetime.  One local angler stated , ‘’Littlehampton’s sea is absolutely teeming with life. It’s truly unprecedented.’’

Sussex Transport can offer a suprisingly good service should you require a haulage company or warehouse storage solution.  For more details and information, please browse our website, call us on 01903 751100 or drop us an email HERE or maybe ‘drop us a line’ !

As the weather turns decidedly nippy, we made a delivery of fridges for a client, to Horsham in West Sussex this week.

One of the most expensive fridges money can buy is a sleek, black, glossy ‘’Starry Night’’. A beast of a machine – made by Slovenian company, Gorenje. Their products are claimed to be synonymous to quality, design excellence, and cutting-edge technology.   The Gorenje Starry Night is embellished with 26,000 crystallized Swarovski crystal elements.
Aside from the dazzling scene that beholds anyone who looks at this prestigious refrigerator, it also boasts of a very elegant interior. The two-meter tall black beauty features touch screen control, tempered glass shelves and a no frost defrosting system!

Ice, Ice Baby!

Fancy one of these sparkly works of art in your kitchen?  It will only set you back around £10,000! Should you need your crystal fridge delivered – Sussex Transport can assure you of a service and delivery charge that wont leave you cold!  Please feel free to call us on 01903 751100 or email HERE

Last week, one of our Sprinter vans made a delivery to Waterloo in London. This area of London is most notable for its railway station and Waterloo Bridge – named after the 1815 battle fought in (present day) Belgium against Napoleon’s army.

Waterloo was also the title of the Swedish entry in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by ABBA.  They went on to have 9 UK number one hits after their success at Eurovision.

This year the UK entry into what is now recognised as more of a political show than that of a fun song contest, is none other than old time crooner Engelbert Humperdinck who will be 75 years old in May!

Claiming “It’s an honour. I’m raring to go and I want the nation to get behind me.”, the ‘Hump’ is vowing to win it for the UK…

Engelbert, dubbed the ‘King of Romance’, was a global star, with fan clubs worldwide. He still tours and has an album out this year.

• The United Kingdom is one of the most successful countries to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest.
• We’ve entered every year since 1959, and has won the contest a total of five times.The
• UK has finished as runner-up on a record fifteen occasions.
• The United Kingdom has finished last in three contests. The infamous 2003 “nul points” result was the first time that the country had come last in the contest, something that was then repeated in 2008 and 2010.

Englebert Humperdinck

Engelbert is 16/1 to be victorious for the UK.

Don’t ‘get the hump’ with your delivery, storage and despatch solution – call us for a  quote on 01903 751100 or email us HERE

Last month we transported bathrooms to Sutton in Surrey on one of our Sprinter vans for a client.

Sutton is home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and last week on a Sunday afternoon  4,000 walkers celebrated as they crossed the finishing posts of The’ Marsden March’ – a 14-mile sponsored walk to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

This was the second Marsden March – the sponsored walk from The Royal Marsden’s hospital in Chelsea to its Sutton hospital – and was developed as a great way for patients, staff, friends and family to show their support or honour a loved one. Money raised from The Marsden March will help provide the best possible care and treatment for people affected by cancer.

Among the charity’s supporters were several familiar faces. As well as Larry Lamb, walkers were joined by NathanielParker, NicholasOwen, Richard Fairbrass and Camilla Kerslake, all of whom were keen to show their support for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Right Said Fred’s Richard (I’m too sexy!) Fairbrass tweeted of the march ‘’ Amazing day yesterday. The generosity of everyone is extraordinary!’’

Looking for an extraordinary haulage solution? Why not try Sussex Transport for a quote on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com

Last month we made a local delivery from Brighton to Lewes on a HIAB of a shipping container for one of our clients.

Brighton is proudly displaying its plans for the new i360 on the promenade!  The Brighton i360 has been designed by Marks Barfield Architects, who conceived and designed the London Eye, the UK’s most popular paid-for attraction.

At 175 metres high, and with an observation pod rising to 141 metres, the i360 will be Britain’s highest observation tower outside London – taller even than the London Eye.

At just four metres wide, the i360 has a slender, elegant design. Sited on the axis of the Grade II* Regency Square, it will make a positive contribution to the Regency Square Conservation Area, adding visual interest and enhancing its character and appearance.

At the foot of the tower will be a shop and hospitality suite and a cafe/restaurant catering for up to 400 people.

Designed to use as little energy as possible over its life, the Brighton i360 will not only be a great experience for visitors, but will bring social and environmental benefits to Brighton & Hove. It will be an elegant 21st century landmark and a wonderful addition to the skyline.

The i360 will restore parts of the original pier to their former glory, including the Victorian tollbooths. Parts of the cast iron supporting structure will be reused in the new visitor centre and an exhibition will enable visitors to learn about the pier’s history. The cast iron structure off shore, known as the sea island, will stay but the wreckage of the derelict pier on the beach will be removed.

For more about our 360 service, call us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com  We’d love to chat to you!

Recently we despatched goods to all four corners of the world, including Singapore, Shanghai, New York, Kowloon, Kuala Lumpur, Nicosia, Colombia and Guadeloupe.

Kraft celebrated the 100th birthday of its Oreo biscuit in Shanghai on Tuesday by turning the waterfront into a vast Oreo advertisement, painting the landmark Oriental Pearl Tower Oreo blue, plastering skyscrapers
with multi-storey neon Oreo adverts and staging fireworks over the Huangpu River.
It was a celebration of one of history’s most successful global brands – and of how that brand has reinvented itself in China, where Oreo is the mainland’s best-selling biscuit.

In a bid to please Chinese taste buds, Kraft has made an Oreo with Chinese characteristics.

The original Oreo is less sweet on the Chinese mainland than in the US. Other changes are nothing short of revolutionary….

Some Oreos in China come in flavours such as green tea ice cream, grape-peach, mango-orange and raspberry-strawberry. Kraft says some of these flavours, developed first in China, have since become hits globally.

Even the “birthday cake” Oreo introduced to celebrate the cookie’s centenary is specially engineered to taste like a Chinese birthday cake – not an American one, says Kraft Foods China president.

For a freight service which won’t crumble under pressure  – why not call out Frieght Team on 01903 751100 or email freight@sussextransport.com

Last week we moved a shipping container from Crawley to London on one of our HIAB trucks.

The UK’s largest airline celebrated its 10th anniversary at Gatwick Airport in Crawley last month.

EasyJet marked its decade of service with staff gathering in the airport check-in area and a celebratory cake-cutting ceremony.  The milestone was also marked with commemorative gifts and entertainment for passengers checking in for flights
throughout the morning.

The event marked ten years since the first easyJet flight took off from Gatwick to Barcelona, and the start of its rise to becoming the biggest operator at Gatwick.

The company now operates 50 aircraft flying around 300 flights a day to and from Gatwick, with a choice of 94 destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Since first taking off at Gatwick, easyJet has flown more than 70 million passengers from the airport!

We’re not sure how many containers we have moved at Sussex Transport, but we do know that we will be moving many more to come as the company expands – we’re having another HIAB vehicle built to accommodate the
increasing demand and would be pleased to offer you a quote on 01903 751100 or via email at sales@sussextransport.com  .

It’s not just a container that was moved from Crawley to Brighton – in the same week, news broke that Crawley Town Football Club’s Head of Youth, Simon Rusk is moving to his new role with Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club as coach of their under-18 team.

Last May, Simon helped set up Crawley’s new Centre of Excellence after being appointed into his role by manager Steve Evans when the club was promoted to the Football League. Since then he has done an outstanding job nurturing the under-18s, many of whom have played reserve-team football this season thanks to Simon’s coaching skills.  Crawley Town are disappointed that Simon is leaving, stating that he played a big part in setting up their Centre of Excellence and he leaves with their very best wishes.

Simon said: “I have loved every minute of my time at the club, both as a player and in my role with the Centre of Excellence and I look forward to coming back to the Broadfield in future as Crawley Town will always mean a lot to me. The Gaffer gave me a fantastic opportunity and I will always be grateful.”

Albion’s head of football operations David Burke commented, “A number of the staff and myself had been aware of Simon since he retired from playing last year and became centre of excellence coach at Crawley. He is an enthusiastic young coach with new ideas and excellent coaching credentials, but most importantly he fits the profile of the type of coach we wanted to recruit.”

Here at Sussex Transport , we’re proud sponsors of Brighton and Hove Albion - and wish them every success with their new recriut!

For an easy transfer of your goods, why not speak to us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com for a quote – we’d be happy to assist!

One such booking we have taken is to deliver horse jumps to the equestrian events being held at Greenwich Park.

Back in July last year, we assisted with deliveries to Greenwich Park in readiness for a test event (see our previous blog HERE ) and are excited to once again be involved with a delivery on one of our Artic Lorries

The test event was successful in introducing Equestrian and an iconic venue to the residents and school children of Greenwich. The three-day competition also gave riders and horses a taste of what to expect at the Games in 2012 while allowing organisers to perform vital tests.

The eyes of the world will be on London on 27 July 2012 for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. There are certain elements that must feature in every Olympic Games Opening Ceremony:

• Receiving the Head of State of the Host Country
• Parade of Athletes
• Speeches
• Playing the Olympic Anthem and the entry and
  raising of the Olympic Flag
• Oaths
• The Torch and lighting of the Cauldron

The big finale is the entrance of the Olympic Flame into the Stadium. It is passed through the athletes to the final Torchbearer, who will ceremoniously light the Olympic Cauldron, indicating the beginning of the Games. The Olympic Flame will continue to burn for the whole of the Games.

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has announced that the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games will be titled ‘A Symphony of British Music’.

We look forward to being a part of this great event throughout 2012

From the smallest delivery to olympic sized loads, please feel free to contact us for a quote on 01903 751100 or email HERE

We are proud to have won a new account with an Australian beauty company and look forward to receiving our first consignment of goods for storage via air freight in the next few days.
Our first pick and pack job will be in readiness for  ‘Professional Beauty’ -  which is being held at Londons ExCel  on 4^th and 5^th March.

The largest health and beauty show in the UK and the biggest event to date, Professional Beauty 2012 is where you’ll see the top names launching new products and offering substantial ‘show only’ incentives.  The trade show at London’s ExCeL brings more than 500 brands and presents the latest innovations in skincare, spa, equipment, aromatherapy, nails, tanning and professional supplies.

London's ExCel with the o2 in the background

The ExCel centre’s waterfront location is used when it hosts the annual London Boat Show, with visiting vessels able to moor alongside the centre.

The exhibition building itself consists of two halls of approximately 479,493 square feet .

There are 6 hotels, more than 30 bars and restaurants, plus 3700 parking spaces on the campus.

In April 2009, ExCeL played host to the 2009 G20 London summit.

ExCeL London will be host to 7 Olympic and 6 Paralympic events in 2012 including boxing, table tennis and wheelchair fencing.

For an ‘ExCellent’ pick and pack, storage or haulage service, please call us for more information on 01903 751100 or email us HERE – we’d love to hear from you.

As a dedicated road haulage company, we supply our customers with Sameday courier vans, 7.5t & 18t rigid trucks, 44t articulated trucks along with more specialist vehicles including HIAB trucks (crane assisted vehicles) and Moffett mounted trailers (trailers carrying forklifts to unload).

All of our vehicles come with fully trained and uniformed members of staff.

Our entire fleet is clean, tidy and in excellent condition, LEZ compliant and equipped with satellite tracking devices.

The vast majority of Crawley based haulage businesses are pallet network members, specialising in economy, multi-drop deliveries. This offers an excellent way to distribute your everyday, non-urgent, low value freight. However, sometimes (and in many cases always) your goods require that extra bit of care, you need the services of a “Dedicated” transport company as this ensures additional safety of the load, higher levels of insurance cover, vehicles with manufacturer’s roadside assistance or recovery, direct driver communication and vehicle traceability.  If you like the sound of that, then next time you have an important load to move, feel free to give us a call.  We can be reached on 01903 751100 or via email sales@sussextransport.com

Last week we made a delivery of a skip to Carshalton in Surrey on one of our HIAB vehicles

A forgotten WWII air raid shelter which protected hundreds of people from German bombs has been discovered in a park in Carshalton.

The shelter, which has space for up to 1,000 people, was discovered after a hole appeared in the ground in one of the towns parks.  It is believed that the shelter consisted of a rectangle of four corridors, approximately five feet across, which would have housed people sitting on wooden benches.

The recently discovered shelter in Carshalton Park

Carshalton was hit a number of times by German Luftwaffe bombers during the war and also suffered a number of V1 rocket strikes. Preliminary investigations suggest the rediscovered shelter is in good condition and officials now plan to excavate it further.

Carshalton has also been in the news this week after local scrap metal dealer funded the replacement of fourteen bronze plaques bearing the names of 243 World War I servicemen after they were stolen from Carshalton warmemorial in Sutton in September 2011.

Stuart Nebbett, who runs a scrap yard in Merton, said he was as “outraged as everyone else” that it had been “plundered”.

The new plaques, which were made from Portland stone, were unveiled earlier this year.

For details on how we can help with a Sussex or Surrey HIAB please call us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com

Amid the snowfall last week, we have been making regular and trouble free journeys up and down the UK. One of the jobs we did included a delivery of equipment for one of our customers to Crawley on an Artic curtain sided vehicle.

Developers have discovered items dating back to medieval times during an archaeological dig in the town centre of Crawley this month!  Sussex House was a stereotypical 1960s concrete office block built around the time that Crawley became a ‘new town’ It was constructed with a bingo hall underneath, and adjacent to a café and AMF Crawley Bowl, all buildings being joined to form one large complex with parking at the rear. The structure has now been taken down, with plans for a Morrisons supermarket and Travelodge hotel, creating more than 400 jobs, to be constructed.

Crawley was important in the Wealden iron industry during the period when it was the centre of the English iron industry. Once the archaeological dig has been finished, a report of the findings will be produced and handed over to Crawley Museum.

The Punchbowl in Crawley

Two of the surviving medieval buildings on Crawley High Street, the Ancient Priors and the Punchbowl, were built around 1450. Both have had many uses over the centuries, and consequently have had structural alterations, but both have had their exteriors restored recently. Also restored is the building known as Crawley Moot Hall, which is perhaps slightly older than the others. It was dismantled and now stands in the Weald and Downland Open-Air Museum in Singleton near Chichester.

For a modern day service, with old fashioned values – why not give us a call for your next haulage or warehouse storage requirement.  Call us on 01903 751100 or email sales@sussextransport.com

Last month we made another delivery of a 20’ container from Hampshire to Crawley on one of our HIAB trucks.

Crawley is currently advertising for Super Heroes to step forward and make themselves known!

A celebrity agency in nearby Ifield has created a project to seek out the first ‘world-famous’ costumed crusader – the winner will be trained in martial arts, crime detection, first-aid and law and order to make them a bona fide hero.

Entrants will be judged by a panel of experts and so far the response to the competition has seen over two hundred applications from all over the world!  It seems that 2012 will be the year of the superhero!

Seaside town Torbay in Devon is already home to two real life super heroes… But despite months of patrolling their streets, the pair – in real life a financial adviser and a shop worker – have failed to find any trouble at all.

In fact, police say they are more worried about their safety than the local criminal fraternity.

The Dark Spartan and The Black Void ( photo source; The Telegraph)

“The Dark Spartan”, who has only revealed his identity as Will, a 27 year-old father-of-two, dresses up as a warrior from ancient Greece complete with body armour, helmet and an old riot police shield.

The “Black Void”, a comic book store worker, hides his identity behind a Spiderman mask and uses a cane for protection! He admits to suffering from irritable bowel syndrome which can become inflamed at times of stress if the situation gets “a little tasty”.

The pair, who bought their outfits on eBay, have a Facebook page and have posted films of themselves in action on the internet site YouTube.

Yet despite becoming regular fixtures on the streets of Torbay, Devon, at weekends, they have yet to make their mark on the local crime statistics.

Will began patrolling the streets of his home town in Torquay a few months ago after “coming out” to his wife Julie.

He told her: “I’m off out tonight love to patrol the streets of Torquay and check out some crime.”

Sussex Transport would love the opportunity to be your ‘haulage hero’  - so if you are looking for a transport company or warehouse storage solution… who you gonna call? Try 01903 751100!

Last week we made a dedicated delivered to Crawley on one of  our Sprinter vans.

Drivers across Sussex were facing treacherous conditions this  week after a blanket of snow hit the county on Saturday evening.

Up to 10cm of snow fell in Sussex and Surrey overnight  with the worst hit areas covering east  Brighton, Hailsham, Uckfield, Eastbourne, Crowborough, Crawley, East Grinstead,  Copthorne and Horsham.

It took our friends  a  weary 2 -3 hours to travel the short distance from Gatwick airport back down to  the south coast on Saturday evening  following a week away in the sun – a sharp  shock after balmy temperatures in Egypt of 20 degrees and wall to wall sunshine!
A 50-year-old man was airlifted to Eastbourne District  General Hospital with a suspected back injury following a sledging accident at  Seaford Head Golf Club.

A couple had to be cut free from the car on the A29 at  Slinfold after their vehicle came off the road in heavy snow on Saturday night.

A lorry jack-knifed  on the A26 hill in Crowborough causing long tailbacks. There have been minor  shunts and cars travelling into ditches on the A23 in Handcross, Netherfield,  near Battle, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, the A27 at Hangleton in Hove and the  A264 in Copthorne, near Crawley.

Drivers were seen abandoning their cars in drifts of snow in  Downland Road, Woodingdean.

The wedding fayre due  to be held at the American Express Community Stadium at Falmer had to be  cancelled because of the treacherous conditions.  Cars were turned away because of the large  chunks of snow that were falling from the roof of the stadium!

A bit of a nip in the air in Serbia at the moment!

Spare a thought for those living in Serbia … The Serbian government late on Sunday declared an emergency situation, saying the intense snowfall has jeopardized normal functioning. Emergency officials said that 70,000 people were cut off by the heavy snow!

Despite the travel disruption this week, Sussex Transport  have kept to their schedule and ensured all deliveries are made safely and in a  timely fashion.

Last week we delivered 4 crates of solar tubes in one of our 7.5t trucks to Angus in Scotland.  This was a very fragile delivery which required care and attention at every stage of the journey.

The UFO seen in Angus

Last month it was reported in the Angus local newspaper, ‘The Courier’ that a UFO had been spotted in Arbroath by a Mr Edward Cairney who took two pictures of a mysterious ‘hovering’ light in the sky above him.

He said: ”It was around sunset and at first I thought it was maybe just the moon shining in a strange way or something like that.”

He added: ”I was standing at the back window looking to the west towards Dundee. There were a couple of passenger planes in the sky and, as the sun set, there was a bit of an air passage towards the west.

”The planes were painted red by the sunshine but this thing wasn’t.  It was just so weird.”

A spokesman for RAF Leuchars confirmed there had been no activity in the area and nothing unusual had appeared on the radar.

After seeing the picture Matt Lyons, chairman of the British UFO Research Association, suggested a number of theories — including a streak on the camera lens — but said further analysis would be required.

Last year Angus residents celebrated the Year of the Light – a 12-month celebration of one of the world’s greatest feats of engineering, the Bell Rock Lighthouse.

Built by Robert Stevenson and completed in 1811, the Bell Rock Lighthouse has saved thousands of lives over the last two centuries by alerting vessels to the deadly rocks lying just below the surface of the water 11 miles out fromArbroathHarbour.

The bicentenary celebrations centre on the town of Arbroath, home to many of the early 19^th century tradesmen, labourers and engineers who were involved in the four-year construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers who manned it.

Sussex Transport won’t leave you confused … but we do aim to amaze you!  Please give us a call on 01903 751100 or email your enquiry to sales@sussextransport.com