CRAWLEY

The cross signifies the importance of Crawley's position at the junction of the London to Brighton and Horsham to East Grinstead roads. The nine flying martletts are from the traditional arms of the South Saxons, and feature in many civic arms in Sussex. Their gold colour on the blue background gives the Sussex colours, and their number suggests the nine communities which made up the original Crawley New Town. The acorns commemorate the oak forests which once covered so much of North Sussex, and also symbolise strong steady growth.

The shield is surmounted by the closed helm and oak leaves which are proper in all civic arms, and they are blue and white, the main colours of the arms. The crest on the helm features a palisaded crown which relates to the Crawley Development Corporation's crest and is an emblem of a planned area. The royal lion upon it, brandishing a hammer symbolises the Manor Royal Industrial Estate.

The borough of Crawley includes Gatwick, one of the world's largest international airports, so the supporters are an eagle on the right of the shield, with its wings raised, and, because Gatwick is a British airport, a winged lion on the left. The silver fretty - the criss-crossed area within the wings - represents Crawley industry, with the silver colour suggesting the steel and aluminium it uses. The two red thunderbolts held by the lion and the eagle represent the town's flourishing electrical industry.

The motto: "I Grow and I Rejoice" is a translation of a phrase from Seneca's Epistulae and refers to the building of a happy, expanding community.