West Sussex County Council has commissioned the University of Chichester to conduct a 12-month study into the impact of post office closures across the county.

It follows the announcement by Post Office Ltd that four Horsham branches proposed for closure, which the company agreed to re-look at, will now be closed after all.

A total of 36 post office branches are set to be closed across West Sussex, with six of those being replaced by outreach services.

The study by the University will examine the economic, environmental and social impact of the branch closures on both urban and rural areas.

The outcome of the report will be to make recommendations how the county council can support the communities affected by the closures.

Cllr Louise Goldsmith county cabinet member for the environment and economy, said the council had held many meetings with Post Office Ltd, trying to find a way forward to help communities affected by closures.

Scientific research has shown that you don’t have to be sporty to keep fit: a rock drummer gets as much of a workout during a gig as a premiership footballer during a match. And playing drumming-based interactive computer games such as Guitar Hero World Tour could provide real physical and mental health benefits.

During June this year the Clem Burke Drumming Project (a scientific collaboration between Clem Burke, the drummer from rock band Blondie, and the University of Chichester and University of Gloucestershire) was featured at both the Cheltenham Science Festival (3-7 June) and the London International Music Show (11-14 June) where scientists from the Universities of Chichester and Gloucestershire shared their recent research findings related to modern day rock drumming.

Visitors to both shows were able to witness the appliance of science to drumming as Darrin Mooney, the drummer from Primal Scream, was put through an incremental drumming test to the point of exhaustion whilst wearing the latest state-of-the-art sports science technology which measured the changes in his heart rate and oxygen uptake.

Recent research conducted at the University of Chichester studying the psychology of taking penalty shots has been attracting national and international media attention.

The research, conducted by Dr Iain Greenlees (Reader in Sport Psychology in the School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences) together with colleagues from the Universities of Portsmouth and Brighton, examined the impact that eye contact used by strikers when preparing to take a penalty can have on the confidence of goalkeepers.

The results, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, indicated that goalkeepers view penalty takers who maintain high levels of eye contact as more confident and more composed than penalty takers who avoided eye contact.

The research found that goalkeepers are far less confident of saving spot-kicks when the striker maintains eye contact in the moments before his run-up.