Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex. It is 28 miles south of London. It covers an area of 17.36 square miles and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census. The town comprises of 13 residential neighbourhoods based around the core of the old market town, and separated by main roads and railway lines.
The nearby communities of Ifield, Pound Hill and Three Bridges were absorbed into the new town at different stages of its development. As of 2008, expansion is planned in the west and northwest of the town, in co-operation with Horsham District Council. Economically, the town has developed into the main centre of industry and employment between London and the south coast of England. A large industrial area supports various industries and services, many of which are connected with the airport and the commercial and retail sectors continue to expand.
Here the 13 residential neighbourhoods are identified in the map and table below.
The West Sussex County Council report on ‘Lifestyles of Older People’ shows:
- There is an expanding group of people aged over 55, of which 23,000 are currently living in Crawley. It will grow by 7.8% to 25,000 in 2016. The Crawley population is ageing faster than the national average.
- One quarter of the whole population is overweight and 40% of all deaths are from circulatory diseases.
- Crawley contains the wards with the highest rates in West Sussex of older people who describe themselves as ‘not in very good health’.
- Older people in Crawley are most likely to have hearing and memory problems.
- In Crawley, 44% of older people do not drink any alcohol in an average week. Crawley has a low alcohol use compared to the rest of the county, due to the higher percentage of Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in the area. Conversely it has significant issues with alcohol excess and smoking among older people.
- Crawley has the highest level of emergency admissions to hospital for people aged 65 and over, and the lowest percentage of older people who exercise regularly.
- Crawley has the highest percentage of older people across the County, who turn their heating/fire off in winter, due to expense and the highest number with home adaptations.
- Benefits take up is low.
- Crawley has the largest Black and Minority Ethnic population in the County at 17,000 people. Six percent of people living in Crawley coming from the BME community, are aged 65 years and over. This group is under represented, often isolated and ill informed. This community is largely Asian with the most recent groups coming from Sri Lanka and Iran. Increasing numbers of Gambians, Zimbabweans, and Diego Garcians represent a growing African community. Europeans from Portugal, Poland, Russia, Lithuania and Latvia reflect the growing richness and diversity of the town.
- Many people are socially and financially excluded.
- Poverty and disability exclude them from access and knowing about services.
So the need is great and growing.