There is beautiful countryside, in which nestle some of the prettiest villages you’ll ever see and the county is bordered on its southern edge by the seaside. However, the best thing about West Sussex is the people. I was in a charity shop recently where a business man was being served. “Is everyone here always so happy and friendly,” he asked. “Usually,” replied the assistant. “Why do you ask?” The man continued by saying that he travelled all over Britain on business but he had never been in a town where people were so friendly and helpful. “Well, we like to try,” concluded the assistant. I came across this friendly and helpful attitude last week. I had called my local bowling centre to take my son ten-pin bowling for his 13th birthday. We turned up that evening but became concerned when we saw that the doors were locked and the lights were dim. After waiting for a while, the doors opened and we were ushered in. The manager and staff explained that ownership of the centre had changed that afternoon but had not been formally completed so they were in a sort of limbo, but as they knew it was my son’s birthday, we could play. It was only one quick game but it meant a lot, so I would like to thank Leon Kett, Will Hillman and Natalie Gibbons-Powell of Horsham Super Bowl for making my son’s day and my family glad we live where we do. I’m actually writing this column while on the slow train to London for a casting. The RMT Union are on strike but the trains seem to running surprisingly well considering that fact. I’ve left very early as I hate being late for meetings and castings and as I’m lucky to do a job I like, I think the least I can do is “be nice and don’t be late”, the advice that Dean Martin gave to his children about show business. Simple rules that make life pleasant for us and all those we meet. Update: As a result of being early for the casting, I bumped into one of my oldest friends, so we went for a coffee, had a chat and a laugh. Michael Neilson is a Horsham-based actor, singer, dancer and writer. Follow him on Twitter @michael_neilson. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be among the first to know what’s going on. 1 Make our website your homepage 2 Like our Facebook page 3 Follow us on Twitter 4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out! Be part of it.