Woodland Flora & Fauna Group Countryside Article

Hurst Life Magazine

Mike Thatcher met Michael Nailard, Chairman of the Woodland, Flora and Fauna Group, to find out a little bit of the group’s history, what it has been up to and his hopes for its future.

The group was founded in 2004 at the invitation of Mid Sussex District and Parish Councils to have a look at the local countryside and how it could be protected, as it was suggested by the council that the low weald between Ansty and the edge of Hurst was going to be given particular attention for future

development. The Parish Council invited lots of groups to a meeting to initiate a biodiversity study of the whole parish in order to determine whether there was anything of value that needed special protection.

Hurst Life Magazine

Michael Nailard (right) was elected as Chairman, and he estimated the study would take between 12-18 months
to complete. “However, there are 200 landowners in Hurstpierpoint parish, and they all had to be approached before any survey teams went on their land. After

a public meeting 120 people turned up, all very keen to stop any development and 60 volunteered to help with the survey.” These volunteers were trained, with the help of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, but then the number of volunteers dwindled when they realised it was hard work going round the fields identifying flowers and fauna. Numbers dropped to below 20 and the survey ended up taking six years.

He spoke at great length about the achievements of the group, which covered a multitude of areas. About 11 years ago it embarked on a bat conservation project in the woodlands. They also investigated where dormice were, and where they found indications they put in boxes, and there are currently six woodlands where they do monthly checks on them.

For the full story see page 14 of Hurst Life’s Feb 2020 issue.

Aspire Sussex Sea Turtles attempt Channel Crossing

Aspire Sussex Sea Turtles

A group of six friends from Hurstpierpoint are attempting one of the hardest swim challenges in the world - the English Channel - in a relay for a brilliant cause. The six are Zoe Collins, Guy Lovegrove, Sally O’Connor, Claire Grose, Tim Garnett and Cath Barton-Smith.

Aspire Sussex Sea Turtles

Known as the Aspire Sussex Sea Turtles, all six friends have a love of outdoor swimming and will attempt to swim the 22 miles from the British coast to Northern France at the end of September to raise money for people who have sustained a spinal injury. Every four hours someone is paralysed by a spinal cord injury. Aspire is a national charity providing practical support from injury to independence.

Life can change in an instant and it can happen to anyone. Having met with Paula Craig, who was supported by Aspire when she suffered life-changing injuries, the team were inspired to take on the challenge.

“After meeting with Paula we’re all excited and determined to cross the channel together and raise money for Aspire,” says Zoe, “an amazing charity that helped Paula so much with her recovery and continues to support her and others in so many ways. Although I suspect Guy is primarily coming because he thinks he’ll get cheap wine and cheese on the other side!”

Each of them must swim in strict order for an hour at a time until they reach the French coast. They can wear only swimming costumes and are not allowed wetsuits or any artificial aids!

The next nine months will mean intense training for the team as they work on their swimming skills in the pool as well as getting used to swimming in the low temperatures of the Channel. By July the team will have had to have swum two hours in the sea at a temperature of less than 16 degrees to prepare them for the day when they are called to Dover for their Channel attempt.

They’ve already started their training in the sea!
Paul Parrish, Director of Fundraising and Marketing

for Aspire, the charity benefitting from the Sea Turtles’ heroic efforts, said: “We are so grateful to the team
for their commitment. Their hard efforts will be so important to us, and they have pledged to raise over £10,000. This will have such a positive impact on the lives of those with spinal injury. Over the past ten years our Channel Swims have raised over £1,000,000 and it’s great to start the decade being supported by the Sea Turtles.”

To commence their fundraising efforts, the Sea Turtles will be holding a Pop Up Charity Shop at 40 High Street, Hurstpierpoint (formerly Olive Antiques next door to Morleys) on Saturday 8th February 10am – 4pm. Please go along to support them on the day and help launch their fundraising efforts, have a chat to the team and enjoy tea/coffee and cake.

If you have anything you’d like to donate for the sale please contact Cath on 07816 932559.

If you wish to donate to their worthy cause please go to their fundraising page on JustGiving:- www.justgiving.com/team/SussexSeaTurtles

Special wheelchair to enable Ian’s Snowdon Push

Ian’s Snowdon Push

Local resident Ian Maskell had a bike accident while cycling on the South Downs in 2013. It left him paraplegic and a wheelchair user. Ian said: “After five months in a specialist spinal unit and then community rehab, I thought I would have to stay on tarmac for the rest of my days. But thanks to the support and encouragement of friends, family and charities I have got back into the countryside. This has been fantastic for me.”

He now wants to take part in Back Up charity’s Push Up Snowdon in 2020. To do so he needs a specialist bit of kit called a mountain trike.

He has borrowed one for occasional rides out and says: “This is a fantastic piece of British design and manufacture.”

But at a cost of £5,000 it’s unaffordable, so Ian has set up a JustGiving page, which is aimed at raising enough money to enable Ian to buy the all-terrain mountain trike. The money will be administered and managed by the charity Aspire.

With this all-terrain mountain trike he will be able to take part in the Snowdon Push, donating further sponsorship monies he receives from the Push to Back Up, one of the charities which has helped him readjust and rebuild his life after his accident.

Ian does have form: in 2017 he wheeled 100 miles from the London Eye to the Brighton i360 and raised
over £10,000 for BackUp, Aspire, Spinal Injuries Association and the Architects’ Benevolent Society.

Find, follow and share us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ all-terrain-wheelchair-for-ian

Parish Council news - December 2019

By Stephen Hand, Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council Chairman and Tony Lank, Highways Committee Chairman

We have devoted this month’s Parish Council update to our recent application to the County Council to try and address some of the issues, large and small, raised by residents regarding traffic and parking in Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common. The scheme has now passed the first stage in the process and the full detail will be put out for public consultation and comment in the new year. This is an opportunity to give a summary of the proposed changes:

• South Avenue and Manor Road

- Designated parking bays to be marked within the existing parking zones and a small addition to the parking zone in South Avenue.

• Cuckfield Road

- 30mph signs at north end to be moved 70 metres north

- Alternate east /west side parking restrictions to be marked between the High Street roundabout and the Western Road junction (to ease peak time gridlock, and reduce off peak speeding)

- Investigate the feasibility of a mini roundabout at junction with Iden Hurst (major cost and unlikely to happen in near future)

• Brighton Road

– install “pull in” bay on east side near Washbrooks.

• College Lane/Malthouse Lane

- Extend 30mph restriction south of the College.

- Centre white line on the curve by Malthouse Farm.

• High Street

- At the junction with West Furlong Lane, remove the white line but not the “Keep Clear” wording.

- In line with the traders’ request, make the loading bay outside the New Inn loading only for 24 hours per day.

• Reeds Lane, Sayers Common

- Extend parking restrictions from roundabout and create a “pull in” bay on south side.

- “Access only 7.5t” signs to be placed at east end.

• London Road

– “Build outs” or “Refuge” to be installed near the Village Hall.

We have worked with County and District Councils to design this scheme, which hopefully will ease delays and parking to some extent. The underlying problem faced by all villages in Sussex of too much traffic on their narrow roads will remain. As soon as we have further news, especially on the consultation timetable, we’ll let you know.

As this is the last issue before Christmas, may we take the opportunity to wish our residents a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas event on 7th December on Hurstpierpoint High Street.

Michel Olszewski: Village People

By Mike Thatcher

Michel Olszewksi bears no resemblance to Peter Falk, but I was put in mind of Colombo by the end of our meeting. “Oh one more thing, did I say I received a medal from the Polish President?” Or, “I almost forgot; I did the Everest base camp walk a few years ago and got airlifted out when my back went.” Had I been there two hours, rather than one, I suspect there would have been many more stories and he would have talked about them all with equal modesty I’m sure.

His father was a regular officer in the Polish army before the war and belonged to one of the few regiments that managed to get to England as a whole, fighting their way through France, arriving in 1940. Michel was born on an army camp in Germany to a half Belgian, half French mother, whom his father had met whilst liberating a town.

“I came to Hurst when I was two in 1948 and my first language was French. My father spoke Polish, French and English; my mother spoke Dutch and French so the common language at home was French.”

After the war, approximately 300,000 Poles were allowed to stay and, although there were areas of the UK where this caused friction as soldiers returned and looked for jobs, this was not the case for his father in Hurst. “People here were incredibly kind and understood what the Poles had done. My father never went back to Poland because he was a Lieutenant Colonel and so he would have been at risk after the Communists had taken over. He lost most of his family in the bombing of Warsaw and never wanted to return.”

It didn’t take long for Michel to learn English and soon he was off to a boys’ Catholic school in Brighton. If you ever need confirmation that things were different a generation or two ago then this is it. “Aged 6, I caught the bus from the church, would walk up the road to school in Brighton and I’d catch a bus back. The driver and bus conductor were Hurst people, they knew you and made sure you got on; they waited for you if you weren’t there. So it was very different, but wouldn’t happen now.”

Community Christmas Lunch in Hurst

By Naomi McBain

Hope and Befriended, two local charities, are looking forward to hosting their third Christmas Day Community Lunch in Hurstpierpoint this year. Both charities believe in encouraging everyone in their community to become better connected and supportive of each other.

For many, Christmas isn’t a fun-filled, family time, as presented so often in adverts. Both charities are meeting people for whom this perfect image leaves more than a slight dread of the festivities. Perhaps it’s the intense sense of being on their own, the increased financial stress or even the heightened awareness of difficult memories.

Whatever the reason people have for joining in, we work at making this event welcoming and an opportunity for people to be part of a day that’s full of others who care. We are so grateful for the support from local businesses with generous offers of food and drink, as well as the village charity shop providing a grant to subsidise the initial event two years ago.

Our charities’ work goes on through the year too, so, quite possibly, by bringing an elderly neighbour or encouraging a family who is having a difficult time to join in the fun, they may well find an ongoing community connection to help them face what the New Year brings with more hope, joy and peace.

A father, who came last year with his son, said: “It was very welcoming and had family friendly games. The entertainment was fantastic. It made a world of difference being around people, rather than spending it alone.” The wonderful thing is that they have met up during the year with the friends made around their table. They are looking forward to joining in again this year.

The event starts as people arrive from 12.30pm to spend the next few hours enjoying plenty of chatter, fun and games, good food and musical entertainment. We listen to the Queen’s Speech and round the afternoon off with a few festive carols, before people head home at around 4pm.

If people are interested in being a part of this year’s Christmas Day Lunch, they should email admin AT befriended.org

Compostable bags; not compostable at home

RECYCLE THIS...

Colin McFarlin is a Volunteer Waste Prevention Advisor with WSCC.

Thank you for all your individual enquiries about your recycling. By the time you read this I will have replied individually to all your emails to the Editor on recycling. Do keep the questions coming...

Compostable bag - Not taken in garden waste

Compostable bags

My mailbag has been busy this month with correspondence from readers who have received mail through the post in ‘Compostable Bags’.

With the outcry against plastic many organisations, such as National Trust and WI, have quickly moved away from plastic wrappers for their mailings and moved to biodegradable wrappers.

The information they put on the wrapper is not
accurate. They suggest putting them into your
home compost bin. However, not everyone has
a home compost bin, also they will not compost in a home compost bin as your bin will not reach a sufficient temperature for the wrapper to break own. There are going to be lots of disappointed National Trust and WI members emptying their compost bins in a year’s time and finding this wrapper intact! Councils will not accept this in their garden waste bin, and we, along with many other councils do not have a food waste collection service.

So where can you put it? You are left with your black top rubbish bin.

This new idea is in fact a lot worse than the original plastic wrapper; that can be recycled in major supermarkets with plastic carrier bags.

Put it in your black top rubbish bin and I do hope you will write to anyone who sends you correspondence in a Compostable Bag and point out the problems they are causing in West Sussex - and other counties!

Would you like me to give a talk to your local group on recycling? Do you have an individual question on specific items you are not sure how to recycle? One email to the Editor at editor@hurstlife.co.uk, with a picture if possible, and I can let you know.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Keep recycling!

Austyn swaps St Lawrence for Rock!

By Mike Thatcher

Austyn Emmanuelle, a Year 6 pupil at St Lawrence School, is currently starring as Billy in the West End production of School of Rock, alongside former Hear’Say member Noel Sullivan.

Already a seasoned performer, Austyn began street dance at BPM Dance Academy and performed in his first show when he was aged five. In December 2018 he performed in Jack at the Hilton Metropole in Brighton but the jump to West End stage is a huge achievement.

“He went for a couple of acting castings for TV and wasn’t successful,” said his mother Sarah. “School
of Rock was the first musical he went for, and he got through the various stages of the audition and got offered a six month contract!”

Austyn has been dancing locally with BPM Dance Academy from a young age. Luke and Kat from BPM first met him when he used to drop his older brother off at his dance classes. Even though he wasn’t old enough he would stand in the doorway and try to join in as much as he could. “After just a few classes,” they said, “we knew that there was something special about Austyn; he was always so eager to learn everything and would smile throughout class from start to finish. An extremely hard worker in class, he always took every bit of feedback we gave him and worked on it to perfect his moves.”
St Lawrence School is extremely supportive and provides him with extra work to take to the theatre for when he’s on standby. “Other than that,” continues Sarah, “he goes to school, gets changed, heads to London, performs in a show or is on standby and gets back home at midnight and then up for school again the next day!”

Austyn hopes this is just the start for him. “I’m really enjoying being in a West End show. I love singing, dancing and acting, and I hope I can go further into more musicals after this.” And it seems Dave and Sarah would not disagree: “We are so proud of Austyn for his hard working character, determination and his outgoing nature. Seeing him be able to thrive in something he loves is a joy to us.”

School of Rock is at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and is booking until January 2020.

Full article printed in the November issue of Hurst Life.

Food Bank in Hurstpierpoint reopens

The Hurstpierpoint Community Food Bank has opened again at Court Bushes Community Hub in Willow Way. Vouchers can be obtained from St Lawrence School, Hurstpierpoint Preschool, Mid Sussex Healthcare (Trinity Road), The Point church, Holy Trinity church, the Methodist church and the Good News church.

“We are hugely excited that our Hurstpierpoint Community Food Bank has now re-opened in the newly refurbished, purpose built Hurst Community centre at Court Bushes,” said Food Bank coordinator Cheri McCarthy. “In these precarious economic times, unfortunately there are still many families really struggling to stay afloat and now as well as nonperishable food, we are able to provide some sanitary products.” The local charity shop has also kindly donated clothes of all kinds and sizes (including shoes and some school uniforms).

The Food Bank runs every Wednesday from 10am until 2pm and they look forward to providing help for anybody in need.

New owners at Morley's, Hurstpierpoint

Alex and Andy Kier

Introducing Alex & Andy Kier of Morley’s, on the High Street. Andy has been the chef at Morley’s for the last 18 months and has now, with his wife Alex, taken over the helm. Serving up classic and globally inspired dishes, there is sure to be something for everyone!

Andy trained in the colleges of Oxford University and has spent his career cooking in Oxford, Brighton and France, picking up a few awards along the way.

Alex has also spent her career in the hospitality industry, with some time managing Carluccios, before Bill’s and then most recently at Glyndebourne near Lewes.

The couple said it had always been a dream of theirs to run their own restaurant business and when the opportunity to take over Morley’s came up, they thought it was too good to miss!

“We are really excited to be taking on this lovely restaurant and feel very lucky to have been welcomed so warmly,” Alex said. “Morley’s is part of the community and we want to be fully involved with local events.”

Morley’s serves breakfast from 9am on Saturdays and Sundays. The full menu runs 12 noon-2.30pm and 6- 9pm Tuesday to Saturday. For an extra treat on a Sunday, Andy also does a top notch roast beef!

Village People: Clive Miller

By Mike Thatcher

I admitted to Clive, as we spoke in his kitchen at his cottage in Albourne, that I was as guilty as anyone that the High Street had lost its fishmonger; I loved the idea that it was there but didn’t use it enough and now regret its loss. Was he worried, in the long-term, that this could also happen to the butcher?

“No, I think there is always going to be a niche for butchers and people will always enjoy meat. And just as importantly they enjoy the cooking of it; from the sirloin joint to the everyday ‘St Lawrence’ sausage. The traditional roast at the weekend is still going strong, as well as BBQs during the summer.” Naturally, he is aware of changing habits and attitudes in the food industry as a whole. “We all care so much about what we eat and, in this day and age, we want to know it is of the best quality.

What people really care about is that what they’re eating has been well reared and enjoyed a good life.” It’s all a very different picture from when he started out in the profession. Soon after leaving college he got a job at Smith’s the butchers, in the building now occupied by Marrams.

[Read the full story on page 24 of September' 2019’s Hurst Life magazine]

Hurstpierpoint History: 150 years of St Lawrence School

What is now Players Theatre, used to be the village school in Hurst.

By Christopher Maidment

The act of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Hurstpierpoint School with the planting of a replacement tree on the corner of Trinity Road and Cuckfield Road (Hurst Life, April 2019) warrants a brief reminder of the background of the school’s inception. It is worth noting that its original funding perhaps encapsulates the values of not only the Saint after whom the school is now named but also what is regarded by many as the village motto of ‘kind and charitable’.

The titanic work of documenting a more complete record of three centuries of education can be found in Ian Nelson’s book - Hurstpierpoint school ‘to be larned, not washed’. Snippets of this work are unashamedly plagiarised here, with Ian’s kind permission.

At the outset, it should also be a matter of recognition that it is in fact the 200th anniversary of the school’s original foundation at its previous location in 1819, at what is now the Players Theatre, and shown here. Following its life as a school, it became an off licence.

The surgeon Richard Weekes, who lived at Matts (now Norfolk House) in the High Street, recorded the event in his diary notes of 1818: ‘In the autumn of this year we bought by public subscriptions to the Methodist Chapel [Player’s Theatre] at Hurst for the sum of £460 and it has cost £600 to fit it up for a school for boys and girls’. This was very much in line with the national movement to expand elementary education to provide education for all children.

[see full article in September 2019’s issue of Hurst Life magazine]

Hurst's Young Engineers of the Year 2019

A team of Lower Sixth students from Hurst College took part in the Big Bang South East Region Science and Engineering Competition last month and won two special awards, the overall competition and the title of Young Engineers of the Year.

Bella Shepard, Matthieu Bridger, Olivia Hampshire and George Rodriguez were showcasing their Engineering Education Scheme and Gold CREST project on Improving Coagulation and Flocculation in Wastewater Treatment.

Since winning an innovation award in April they worked tirelessly on improving their experimental data and design of static mixers. They tested their revolutionary and totally organic chemical, chitosan, on actual treated sewage water, which produced impressive results to support its suggested use as a replacement for the currently used ferric chloride, which leaves a heavy metal residue. They also designed and 3D printed in array of static mixers, along with a creative modular system of incorporating the mixers into currently used sewage treatment plants.

The team were delighted to be given two special awards: the Electric Prize for Commercial Potential sponsored by Eurotherm and the Prize for Research sponsored by Photek. These were topped, however, by the team being announced overall winners of the competition and a place in the national finals.

The Great Fire of Hurstpierpoint

HURST HISTORY ARTICLE

By Christopher Maidment

On Friday 27th January 1882 Hurstpierpoint witnessed one of the most dramatic days of its history. The building known as Holdens, now the Nationwide Building Society, and the three adjoining houses were extensively burnt down. This was Walter Fitch’s General Grocery, Drapery Store and Warehouse. The scene over the next few days was reported in the Sussex Daily News. These reports were collated by Ian Nelson and are abridged here.

At 5.15am in the morning a carpenter named Windus and Mr Waller, an ex-policeman, raised the alarm. Flames were already bursting out of the east windows of the store and warehouse and threatening to burn the North House, property of Lawrence Smith, a retired lawyer. North House is now divided into the three properties that are The Odd Corner, Chichester House and Bielside.

‘By the time the inmates of the surrounding houses and the employees at the shop could be roused, the fire had obtained such a hold as to defy the ordinary means of extinguishing.’

Besides the grocery and drapery goods in Mr Fitch’s store, there were quantities of wines and inflammable spirits in the cellar, along with oils and 8lbs of gunpowder on the first floor! Little could be done to save it, so efforts centred on saving Lawrence Smith’s house to the east, and Bank House to the west, the latter, now West End Cottage, belonged to Mr Pierce.

At the time, Hurst had no fire brigade. Brighton Police, who ran the Volunteer Fire Service, and Burgess Hill Waterworks were sent telegrams! A contingent of the Volunteer Fire Brigade caught a train to Hassocks, and horse drawn engines arrived soon after them.

[An excerpt from page 10, August 2019’s Hurst Life magazine]

Stonepound Crossroads work started

Work has started at Stonepound Crossroads in Hassocks – which will leave Hurst Road closed until the end of the school holidays.

The project, which is a condition of the planning permission for 129 homes being built by Barratt David Wilson Homes off London Road, will take place in two phases and includes upgrading ‘ageing traffic signals’, which will improve the busy junction’s capacity.

The first phase also includes works to widen Hurst Road and preparation work to facilitate a new cycle route scheme between Sayers Common and Downlands School.

During the school holidays there will be three-way traffic lights at the junction, while Hurst Road is closed at the junction. A diversion is in place for those travelling between Hurstpierpoint and Hassocks.

All businesses are clearly open as usual during this disruption. Lindsay Thompson, speaking on behalf of Hurst Traders, commented: “As local retailers we want to be upbeat about the summer. We’re working hard as a group to introduce new programmes and fun offerings while this work is going on, creating even more reasons for you to visit the High Street in Hurst, which is still very much open for business. We are so grateful for the support we receive from you all, day in and day out, without which many of us wouldn’t still be operating.

For the next month or so, could we dare ask for that one extra purchase a week?” She went on: “It’s going to be far more pleasant taking a trip to the village; less traffic and fumes, safer pavements, a better chance of parking and, dare I say, no road rage!”

Hurst Road is due to be closed until 2nd September, after which the crossroads will use four-way temporary lights until early November.

A West Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “This type of work does cause inconvenience for residents, businesses and road users, for which we apologise, but every effort will be made by the developer and its contractor to limit disruption as much as possible. For example, there will be a dedicated traffic marshall for the duration of the project to operate the temporary traffic lights between 7am and 6.30pm.”

The second phase of this work is expected to be completed by 30th January 2020.

Hurstpierpoint wine merchants new owner

Hobbs wine

Hurstpierpoint recently welcomed Hobbs of Hurstpierpoint to the High Street, an off licence in between Tina Bucknall and Retrospective. Owned by Paul and Samantha Hobbs it joins their other branch in Henfield, and they employ a total of 11 staff. Residents of the village, they have children at both St Lawrence and Downlands schools.

Paul has worked in hospitality and retail since he graduated from University and is excited about opening a branch in his home village. “We look forward to establishing ourselves on the High Street in this great village. We love the sense of community and belonging and hopefully will be here for many years to come.”

They plan a few surprises and specials for the St Lawrence Fair and advise people to keep an eye out on social media for information.

Junk Orchestra inspires Albourne children

Albourne CE School celebrated World Oceans Day with the primary school children carrying out a range of activities, including taking part in a Junk Orchestra.

“Our focus was on preventing plastic pollution, and the children made fish from plastic bottles, turning them into shoals for display, as well as fashioning instruments and sea creatures from plastic and card packaging,” said Headteacher Mrs Claxton.

The Junk Orchestra held interactive workshops, with children playing instruments made from plastic barrels and flip flops and other bits of rubbish, with the whole school, dressed in blue or as sea creatures, dancing along to the junkyard beat.

One of the school parents, Mrs French, is rowing 100 miles along the Cornish Coast to raise awareness of the need to protect our oceans.

“The children learnt lots of facts about oceans through a quiz and about the damage caused by large scale fishing and plastic pollution. The children said, as two thirds of our planet is water, we shouldn’t be called Planet Earth but Planet Ocean,” said Mrs Claxton.

“It was a fantastic day of learning, making the children aware that when they throw rubbish ‘away’ it doesn’t disappear but becomes someone else’s problem. The fun activities carried a serious and important message of conservation and the need for everyone to play their part in raising awareness and taking personal responsibility.”

Community group for dads and kids

Dad la soul at Court Bushes Community Hub

A new group for dads and their kids launched last month at the recently refurbished Court Bushes Community Hub in the village, to an extremely warm welcome from 15 dads and over 25 kids, and a hardcore rap session from Brighton-based music charity, Audio Active.

The volunteer-run group called ‘Dad La Soul’ aims to eradicate the social isolation that can be experienced by dads and give them a fun, welcoming environment where they can spend time with their children. It will run on the first Saturday of the month, with each session being led by a different dad who will teach the group a new skill.

Dad La Soul offers activities including everything from film, music and zombie mask making to DJ and circus skills workshops, as well as soft play, science lessons, crafting and games.

The sessions have been funded by Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group which provides social housing in the local area and works with residents to transform their communities.

Father to a seven-year-old son, Dan Flanagan founded Dad La Soul having struggled to find groups for dads and their children in his local area. “We have been running in Worthing for the last year and a half and regularly have 70 or so dads and kids joining us. Being able to bring this over to Hurstpierpoint is fantastic. We had dads that recognised each other from the school run but have never spoken, chatting away like old friends by the end of the session.”

He continued: “Being a dad can be quite lonely at times, but men don’t like to talk about that. Through Dad La Soul, my hope is that dads, stepdads, granddads and carers can come together to have fun, make friends and learn new skills. We’re delighted to be working with Clarion Futures to bring Dad La Soul to Hurstpierpoint.”

To find out more or book your place email: dan@ totrockinbeats.com.

Ever wanted to keep a pig?

Mike Thatcher met up with Hamish Raby and other members of the village who were instrumental in setting up pig groups in Hurstpierpoint.

Around eight years ago Hamish was looking for a healthy, outdoor project to get him out of the house and he struck on the idea of keeping pigs. As with both the groups I spoke to, one based in Bullfinch Lane and the other in the grounds of Danny House, when you set up a group it is very much trial and error from the outset.

“When I started,” explains Hamish, “I approached Tim and Pippa Jones in Bullfinch Lane and, being lovely people, they said of course we could use their land. An old Arc was brought in from Washbrooks, fences were put in place and Mitch Miller plumbed in the water. Even though half the fencing was scavenged, there was an initial investment required.”

When it came to buying the first ‘wieners’ it was just a case of getting on the internet and seeing what was available. The groups have had, at various times, Tamworth and Saddlebacks, Gloucester Old Spots, Large Blacks, as well as Oxford Sandy and Black, who have a much better temperament, especially when they get older. All are sourced from local, small-scale farms and are same litter traditional breeds.

Each project ideally needs a manager and it relies on every member doing his or her job. Now throughout history in every society this sort of arrangement can lead to teething problems and things are no different in Hurstpierpoint in the 21st century. “We learnt over the years,” says Hamish. “The great thing is anyone can leave if they are getting bored or annoyed with the other people. When numbers are smaller, say six families with everyone enthusiastic, it can be easier then with more, when sometimes the slack is not always taken up.”

Court Bushes Community Hub, Willow Way, Hurstpierpoint

The Ex-Serviceman’s Club in Hurstpierpoint has been reinvented

By David Tingley

The Ex-Serviceman’s Club has been closed for nearly two years, but there has been lots of positive work going on in the background, thanks to Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC).

The club had experienced some challenges latterly which resulted in MSDC repossessing the building off Willow Way back in December 2017.

Unfortunately, during that month a fire was started in a wheelie bin outside the centre, which took hold and spread into the eaves and roof of the building causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to the empty site. This gave the Council both a problem but also an opportunity.

There had already been a series of conversations with local interested parties to try to ensure that the club building was able to be used for the good of the community. District Councillor and Hurst resident Colin Trumble chaired and hosted a meeting back in November 2017 at Haywards Heath Town Hall. The result of that was the creation of a Steering Group whose members comprised of representatives from the Parish Council, MSDC, the Club, local churches and other community groups.

Following the repossession, fire damage and assessment, MSDC agreed a plan to spend money on renovating the site with Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council committing to take the lease for the building and grounds.

Paul Williams, Project Surveyor for MSDC, explained: “The fire damage was extensive and smoke had affected almost every aspect of the inside of the building.” Paul worked alongside the Steering Group to create a completely new plan for the space which would seek to be both flexible and practical. “Fortunately we were able to reuse some equipment and furniture from recently decommissioned Martlets Hall in Burgess Hill – which included the bar and kitchen equipment.”

The new building – named Court Bushes Community Hub – now comprises of three independent spaces.

A small room with a bar and kitchen is at the back of the building. This area has one wall which is entirely bifold doors and will open out onto a decked garden area.

On the opposite side of the site is a completely self-sufficient nursery premises, fitted with its own set of toilets, a manager’s office and separate entrance from the car park. This large, bright room includes access to a generous enclosed outside space too. The Parish Council have already agreed to rent this space to a local nursery school (Kiddie Capers) from September.

Then the main space is a large and bright room, now completely open, which includes storage facilities, a dancefloor area and a hatch through to a well-planned kitchen. This area also has its own bi-fold doors, opening out to the grassy field outside.

Each of these spaces can be let independently, and all enquiries should be direct to the Parish Council office on 01273 833264 or see the recently launched website: www.hurstpierpointvillagehalls.org

Colin Trumble explained: “I am delighted that this building has been given a new lease of life. Although it doesn’t always happen, this really is a triumph of ‘design by committee’ – as so many from the community have been part of what has now been built.”

“The original Ex-Serviceman’s Club was opened over 100 years ago in Hurst,” commented MSDC Councillor Joy Dennis, “as a response from the community to help those who fought for our country. Now, in different times, it’s great to see the revitalised Court Bushes site being open and available to be used for all in Hurstpierpoint.”

“To celebrate the opening of Court Bushes Community
Hub there is a Fun Day planned for Saturday 1st June
(1-3pm), which will include craft activities for kids, a soft
play area, café, bouncy castle, a DJ and Popsteps dance
classes – as well as officially cutting the ribbon! All are
invited to go along and see the revitalised building.”