Hurst Village Market launches at the New Inn this December 4th 2021

A new village market is launching this month in Hurstpierpoint, just in time for Christmas. The market is a triple partnership between The New Inn, @Shop_Hurst, an Instagram account which promotes local retailers, and Hurst Rethink.

After meeting earlier this year and realising how much they had in common, all three organisations decided to join forces and collaborate to bring local producers and crafters together once a month to the village. The first market will be Saturday 4th December, held in the marquee at The New Inn from 10am-1pm. If all goes well, the team hopes to hold the market on the first Saturday of every month, bringing more local producers in as time goes on.

The hope is that the market will drive footfall to the village, benefitting other retailers on the High Street. Several local Hurst traders are already confirmed for the December market including Wolstonbury Co vineyard, Auroras Bathtime Treats and Winser Grayling plants. Other traders include Scrapless zero waste shop from Burgess Hill and BlushBakesByRach cakes.

Charlotte from Hurst Rethink comments, “The Hurst Rethink Green Consumer group has been looking at how we make it easier to buy local without having to get in our cars and drive out of the village. This market is the perfect solution and we’re thrilled to be working with @shop_hurst and the New Inn - we share the same vision and desire to get stuff done!” The New Inn team will be serving breakfasts and refreshments throughout the morning. This first market is very much a trial to see how well it might go down in the village so please do come along and support it. If you’re out on the High Street on Saturday morning, we’d love to see you.

Hurst ReThinks the traditional new year's resolutions

By the Hurst Rethink team

Last year like never before, we saw people from all walks of life coming together to affect positive change. As the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

As we move into 2021, perhaps we can all learn to ‘Rethink’ where our environment and lifestyle are concerned. The dictionary definition of rethink is to consider or assess (something, especially a course of action) again, especially in order to change it. It’s by being conscious of our everyday actions that we can learn to change.

We hope that as we move into 2021 and start to make resolutions, you too will pause and rethink and be inspired to choose at least one of these actions for the New Year, knowing that we can make a change for the good of all.

• Move to renewable energy - bigcleanswitch.org is a great resource to help you.

• Make your home more energy efficient - check out www.warmersussex.co.uk to get you on your way

• Rethink your diet - reduce meat consumption and buy meat from local producers

• Rethink food miles - buy local wherever you can

• Change bank accounts to an ethical supplier - we recommend Tridos or Starling

• Rewild your garden - leave part of your garden to nature and see what happens!

• Make a hedgehog corridor in your garden

• Reach out to a neighbour on a regular basis. Why not set up a neighbours WhatsApp group to keep in touch?

• Terracyle your crisps packets/toothpaste/cosmetics - news on collection points in Hurst coming soon!

• Walk or cycle instead of using the car for local journeys

• Support local businesses whenever possible

By working together under the heading Hurst Rethink a group of locals have already begun to drive sustainable change in the village adding to the great work many unsung heroes have been doing for some time! In the three months since deciding we needed a Rethink, we have secured an electric charging point in Trinity Road long stay car park, set up a Terracycle group for packaging that can’t be recycled by the usual route and are in talks with the authorities about a cycle lane from Hurstpierpoint to Hassocks.

What can you do? What interests you? If you want to get involved, why not join us and make 2021 the year of the Rethink? www.hurstfestival.org

Think of Hurst High Street this Christmas

By Kate Jackman, Charlotte Wilson and Lucy Bennett.

These are worrying times for our local High Street. Although the entrepreneurs behind many small businesses are an adaptable bunch, the lockdown in November came as just another sucker punch on top of several blows in recent years. Many traders are struggling to survive - and we wonder how many more empty units we’ll see before the pandemic is through.

With people across the country re-assessing how they live their lives, we asked traders and customers alike how they see the future for the High Street - and why it’s so vital for villages like Hurstpierpoint.

Why is a thriving High Street important to the village?

Our High Street is often cited as a reason why people move to Hurstpierpoint - you only have to look at local estate agent listings boasting of a ‘bustling High Street’ to see what a draw it is. The High Street isn’t just a row of shops, it’s the hub of the community. It’s where neighbours and friends bump into each other of a morning. It’s vital for social cohesion and it’s where the community comes together on a daily basis.

Not only that but our local shops offer familiarity, advice and often a bespoke service that you just can’t get at bigger retailers. It’s not just about money for them. They know us and our families. We are their friends. Shopping on the High Street is a pleasure rather than a chore.

Independent retailers can play a really important part in building local communities and lockdown has really shown us how much a part of the local community the High Street is.

Why should we use the local shops?

Several traders we spoke to agreed that we need to get across the message that many of them are on the brink. Traders are doing what they can to adapt - but they need our help. Put starkly, if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them. They ask that rather than jumping in our cars to drive to a supermarket, we think twice and consider whether we could shop locally instead. Yes, the price might be a bit higher because local shops can’t buy in the quantity that large shops can, but you gain in other ways by being part of a local community and getting to know the shopkeepers.

From a sustainable point of view, shopping locally also saves on needless packaging and car journeys. Many of our local shops offer plastic free packaging and a choice of fresher, locally made or sourced products.

Find out the answers to more High Street questions like ‘How has 2020 been for the High Street?’, ‘In addition to COVID, what other problems do traders face?’ and ‘What does the future hold for High Street Retail?’ in the December issue of Hurst Life.

For now, why not check out our list of local traders, suppliers and producers and their online links so you can continue to support them over the crucial Christmas trading period: https://www.facebook.com/hurstrethink