Hurst shoppers get exclusive vouchers for their High Street

By Mike Thatcher

To everyone’s relief and delight, our High Street sprung back into action in April after government restrictions started to be lifted. Our resilient traders have been in this position before and this time round Hurst Life is delighted to be able to offer our readers a discount voucher for many of the shops in Hurst.

We spoke to many of the traders, some of course who have been open throughout, about their thoughts on the latest development. Jo Mallone, from Village Pizza, echoed many who have been trading already: “We are delighted that our retail and hospitality friends and neighbours will be reopening over the coming weeks and very much look forward to the High Street regaining its wonderful vibrant village vibe once again.”

The difference between this easing and the one last summer is, of course, that the vaccination process is well underway and it is hoped by all concerned that this is the beginning of the end for restrictions.

To read the full article and to find the amazing vouchers available, pick up a copy of May’s Hurst Life magazine.

Hurst Garden ReThink - Improving biodiversity in our village

The temptation for many of us in spring is to get on with jobs in the garden - including getting that lawn into the classic British stripe. But have you considered that what might look wonderful to your eyes is in fact a desert for our struggling native wildlife?

In the UK, we have lost nearly 7.5 million acres of flower-rich meadow and pasture since the 1930s, and now only 1% of our countryside provides flowers for pollinators. However, there are 15 million gardens in the UK and our lawns have the potential to be a major wildflower nectar source - a staggering 200 species are known to grow on lawns. In fact, incredibly simple changes in mowing can result in enough nectar from common flowers such as daisies, dandelions, buttercups and clover for ten times more bees and other pollinators. More bees and other insects also means more food for creatures further up the food chain - so by encouraging those at the bottom, we benefit many more.

In collaboration with the charity Plantlife, we’ve created a campaign called Hurst Garden Rethink where we urge people in Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common to reduce their mowing this year to allow wildflowers to flourish.

Our campaign will culminate in ‘NoMowMay’ where we simply ask that you leave your mower in the shed for the month of May, then record what flowers you have on a sample of your lawn at the end of the month. If you record your results on the Plantlife website, you can also get your personal nectar score which shows how many bees your garden can nourish. It’s a great thing to get the whole family involved in.

As we gear up to ‘NoMowMay’ we’d also like you to think about other ways you can benefit wildlife in your garden - from simple things such as not using chemicals (including slug pellets) to more fun activities such as building a small pond, constructing bug hotels and creating hedgehog corridors.

We hope to work with schools and community groups to encourage take up of our campaign - if you’d like to get involved, please contact us at hurstrethink@gmail.com. You can find more details on our website, hurstrethink.org.

Recent information revealed on WWII Hurstpierpoint bombings

By Mary Norris

On the afternoon of Wednesday 10th February 1943 a lone bomber dropped a stick of bombs in Hurstpierpoint damaging around 100 houses, of which fourteen were evacuated overnight. 22 people spent the night away from home but with typical resilience returned home the following day and began clearing up.

Sadly, there was one fatality; Heather Christine Lamb, the four-year-old daughter of the Free Church minister, died from her injuries. She is buried in the South Avenue Cemetery in plot F64. Much has been speculated about the reason for this apparently isolated raid, both at the time and since, and until relatively recently not much was known about it.

Following the earlier London Blitz, during 1942 the German Luftwaffe targeted historic cities in retaliation for the increased effectiveness of the attacks by the RAF on German cities. This became known as the Baedeker Blitz. While it was not considered a success, attacks on more strategic targets continued, plus minor attacks on ever more isolated targets particularly in the South East. Translated German documents show that these later ‘nuisance’ raids were a deliberate policy intended to cause confusion and undermine British morale. Lewes was hit on 20th January, Battle on 2nd February, Crawley on 4th February and Bognor on 5th February. While many of these later ‘tip and run’ raids were coordinated they appear as apparently lone bombers operating at low level on so called soft targets. The raid on 10th February had penetrated as far inland as Newbury before turning South. Two planes from the flight were shot down, one near Tangmere and another at Saltdean. A third attacked Midhurst, where three civilian evacuees were killed, and a fourth attacked Hurst. From the trajectory of the flight, it would seem that the pilot was aiming for the gasometer which then stood in Western Road. Fortunately, he missed and the bombs fell between Cuckfield Road and Western Road at the rear of the Chinese Gardens.

The photograph, which was taken by my uncle, who was home on sick leave from the RAF at the time, shows what appears to be an unexploded bomb in the foreground and some of the damage to the houses in Cuckfield road. My grandparents lived at number 79, on the left of the photo and Heather lived at number 73, the detached house on the right. My husband, who was walking south of Tott Farm with his nursery school at the time, well remembers hearing the thud as the bombs exploded and on returning home to Eastrees, 117 Cuckfield Road, seeing the large patches of missing ceiling plaster in the living room.

A new Mid Sussex kerbside collection!

Mid Sussex District Council has collected over 16 tonnes of broken electricals in just ten weeks.

A new kerbside collection service of small electrical items and household batteries was launched by Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) in late November last year. Since the service launch over 16 tonnes of unwanted small electricals and a staggering 2.8 tonnes of batteries have been collected by contractors, Serco.

Councillor John Belsey, Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery said: “MSDC is delighted that our residents are so engaged with this new kerbside collection service, which has enhanced our existing waste and recycling provision. Our huge thanks go to our contractors Serco, who have been extremely supportive of this new venture. We are enormously proud of our collection crews, who have worked tirelessly collecting unprecedented amounts of small electricals under very challenging circumstances. There has been a significantly increased demand on our existing rubbish and recycling services during this pandemic, and our collection crews have shown true dedication and professionalism throughout.”

The new service is for broken small electrical household items and used household batteries that can fit in a standard sized carrier bag. Most small electricals, items that have a plug, battery or lead, are accepted but some restrictions apply.

Serco Operations manager, Ian Tolley said: “Demand for the service is still exceedingly high at the moment. The storage cages on our collection vehicles are filling up fast, therefore if residents find their collection has been missed we are asking them to bear with us and store their items until their next scheduled rubbish collection or to wait a few weeks for demand to even out. Please remember ‘little and often’ so everyone can benefit.”

www.midsussex.gov.uk/electricals

Hurstpierpoint Village Trust offers community assistance

By Andrew Pridell, Chair of the Hurstpierpoint Village Trust

Some of you might know of the existence of a local support organisation, known as the Hurstpierpoint Village Trust. This is a registered charity established some 30 years ago to assist folk who are facing a financial crisis.

They help on a one-off basis to get people over money-related hurdles. They do not hand out money but, examples of the kind of aid they have given recently include providing fridges, cookers, a mobility scooter, a grave headstone, transport for children, part funding school trips, garden clearance etc.

These are the types of support which are not available through conventional, publicly-funded organisations, and can make a huge difference to people’s lives and get them back on track.

The Trust tries to make things as simple and straightforward as possible with the minimum of bureaucracy. Once you have made contact with the Trust, a couple of the Trustees have a quick chat with you to assess your situation and if your request qualifies.

The case is then considered and a decision and the assistance come to you usually within 48 hours. We are lucky enough to live in the south east of the Country, recognised as the most affluent region. However, despite this, many people are facing huge challenges in getting through life without facing what would seem to be insurmountable money challenges. Just the things most of us take for granted, are beyond the reach of many living in our community. We have a safety net in the form of social support, but that net has very big holes in it and sadly many people fall through it.

If you live in Hurst, Albourne or Sayers Common, and are facing an uphill financial struggle with which you feel the Trust might be able to help, you can contact any of the Trustees on a very strictly confidential basis. They are: Andrew Pridell (Chairman) 01273 833531
Jan Doxford 01273 834081,
George Baxter 01273 835758
Christine Sadler 01273 834586
Lyndsay Pyle 01273 834520
and Ian McBain 01273 832178.

Don’t be shy about asking!
Further info can be found online here.

Being Befriended in Hurst this winter

By Gail Millar

Happy New Year to you all from Befriended. Never, like any other time in our lives, do we need friends and loved ones looking out for us more. Sadly, we were unable to host our Community Christmas Lunch on Christmas Day but instead we delivered over 100 Christmas bags to people living alone in Mid Sussex. Our bags contained all of the lovely things of Christmas like Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, chocolates, nuts, Christmas cracker, a gift, bottle of wine and a Christmas card. We also included a gift and letter from the young people of Escape youth club in Burgess Hill.

The response and feedback we have received has been quite overwhelming. Michael said: “It was the best thing that had happened to me in months and I am still enjoying so many of the wonderful contents of my Christmas Bag. Thank you.”
From Roy: “Everybody needs Befriended.”
From Pauline: “It was wonderful, it brought me so much joy at such a sad time in my life.”

Befriended is here to make a difference to the lives of those who are lonely and isolated in Mid Sussex. We are committed to our vision which is to end loneliness in Mid Sussex. If you would like to help us fulfil that vision by being a telephone befriender or when we can, a face-to-face befriender we would love to hear from you. If you would like someone to call you for a friendly chat on the phone once or twice a week please call us on 0300 772 7703 and we would be delighted to pair you up with one of our amazing team.

Befriended is also delighted and so appreciative of the award received from Mid Sussex - Thank you. Find befriended online here.

Sussex Garden School's environmental tips on pesticides

By Juliet Sargeant, Garden and Landscape designs

Frequent use of chemicals in your garden can turn it from a haven to a hostile environment for its inhabitants. If you notice blotches on the leaves of your plants, or something has been nibbling at them, you will probably head for the garden centre in search of a cure. There you will find a dizzying array of coloured boxes and bottles, all promising you happy and healthy plants. Few of them will be specific to one particular problem, most are panaceas, because it is easier to blitz and hope for the best.

However, this approach can have a devastating effect on ALL the insects in your garden, the good as well as the bad. It can upset the delicate, natural balance of the garden’s ecosystems, so it loses its ability to defend itself and you get caught in a spiral of chemical use.

So, it is worth asking yourself a few questions, before reaching for the ‘Bug Gun’: is the plant ‘problem’ really a problem? Like all of us, plants have the odd blemish, which is cosmetic, but totally harmless. Do your plants have to look perfect? Might the problem pass?

Some pathogenic insects will infest and then move on and some plants have the ability to fight off disease themselves, much as we would fight off a cold. So, hold fire, wait and see…. Are there natural or organic ways of solving this problem? Before the gardening sector burgeoned, gardeners had home remedies for most problems. These remedies are generally still effective, and can be found by searching on the internet.

If you think chemical treatment is required, can you identify the specific problem? This will enable you to target your cure. In that way it will not only be more effective, but also less destructive to the ‘friendly’ bugs

in the garden. Much like people, the more you build up the natural resilience of your garden, the healthier and happier ALL its inhabitants will be.

Juliet Sargeant runs courses on gardening and design: www.sussexgardenschool.com

Hurst Players' perform pro panto despite restrictions

By Anne Hopper

A direct quotation from a member of Hurstpierpoint Players who’s had some years of experience in traditional pantomime and appeared in many of the company’s more ‘normal’ [whatever that is now!] productions. Robin Hood, directed by Sam Nixon and assisted by Annette Squire, was licensed for presentation on You Tube via our website for fourteen performances from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. The Company was gambling with an unknown variation on a familiar theme despite “a worldwide pandemic, rehearsing on Zoom and recording songs by singing into your ’phone alone in the kitchen!” My source for those comments is Jan Bell who’s been in around 40 shows for the Players in the past 31 years and wasn’t expecting to be able easily to cope with playing one of Robin’s Merry Men, ‘Billinda’ [Bill for short] a character disguised as a man but really a girl in love with Little John and maintaining the Panto tradition of role reversal.

In her post-production report Jan goes on to say, “I would be happy to film a show again – the cast had great fun and if you have a good, well-organised director and production team as good as we did then the filming process should be pretty smooth”. But yes, it was a steep learning curve for all of us and we’ve found the experience very rewarding – knowledge which will no doubt come in useful as we consider whether or not to stay ‘virtual’ for our first production of 2021 now under consideration. We have also been encouraged by positive comments sent to our website: “Have just watched the Panto – great fun – lots of laughs, good singing and clearly a lot of effort put into this virtual production. Now you can all have a rest as …it’s behind you! [sorry, you started it].!” Jason. “Just to say how much we admired the performance and especially the initiative you all showed in the most difficult of circumstances.” Patrick and Mary.

Viewers didn’t have to pay to see the Panto and we’ve been impressed at how so many people took advantage of the opportunity to watch us and to give a donation to help with production expenses. Robin Hood is no longer online but the opportunity to help with expenses still is, and it’s possible to go to the Players website: hurstplayers.org.uk where you’ll find details of PayPal and credit card donating.

It’s so dispiriting to see our unique theatre, so recently refurbished, now standing unused due to the current lockdown. Working online has obviously inspired the new members who’ve joined since the Panto – a warm welcome to you all. We now hope that it won’t be too long before we can stop talking about the next season on Zoom and get down to rehearsing the first production in 2021. Online if necessary but preferably on stage at the freshly minted Players Theatre, 147 High Street. Watch this space!

Hurst High Street's very own Village Pizza Kitchen

Earlier this summer, having been made redundant due to Covid, Jo Malone, along with her husband James trialled a pop-up food delivery service, The Village Kitchen. Following its success, they decided to further develop the concept and to fulfil what they considered to be a gap in the local market for artisan pizza and freshly made pasta dishes by launching the Village Pizza Kitchen at what was previously the Ruby Watts shop on the High Street.

Whilst pizza and pasta of course traditionally originates from Italy, with so much fantastic produce being grown and made here in the UK, Jo and James were passionate about showcasing British ingredients where possible - which is reflected in all of their dishes. The pizzas are handmade using a blend of stoneground wholegrain and 00 flours produced by ancient Cotswolds mills, whilst many of the toppings are from Sussex - including charcuterie from Steyning, cheeses from Balcombe, Brighton and Lewes and chillies from Ashurst.

Whilst most of the ingredients are British, Chef Simonetta Held brings her Italian influence to the dishes. Born near Rome and having been brought up cooking with her Nonnas from Venice and the Amalfi Coast, Simonetta loves nothing more than being in the kitchen cooking up a storm! Simonetta is joined by local chef, James Whittle, who having cut his teeth as an apprentice at The Fig Tree, is an expert when it comes to hand stretching pizzas - having made thousands of pizzas during his time with The Pizza Oven Company.

Since launching at the end of December, the team have been exceedingly busy - serving over 4000 pizzas, as well as pasta dishes, sides and desserts!

The Village Pizza Kitchen is open for takeaway:
12pm to 8:30pm Tuesdays to Thursdays
12pm to 9pm Fridays and Saturdays

Local delivery is currently available weekday lunchtimes, but is due to be extended to evenings over the coming weeks.

Order now on Village Pizza Kitchen Online

Top Ten Tips for Home Schooling Children with Autism

Written and supplied by LVS Hassocks, a specialist school for children with autism in Sayers Common, West Sussex

LVS Hassocks is open and providing a full curriculum for all students, but for parents of autistic children who are learning from home, headteacher Jen Weeks offers her top ten tips for productive study:

1. Consistency is key

2. Reduce anxiety and support your child’s online learning with visual timetables so they can see how their whole day is mapped out

3. Build in rewards and other motivation, such as a favourite activity, to help boost their engagement

4. Use cards to show what the current activity is and what is coming up next

5. Other visual cues like timers may be useful to show how long is left on the current activity

6. Praise what gets done and don’t worry about what has not been achieved

7. Communicate with the school if you have any questions or worries about what to do

8. Ensure your child has opportunities to get up and jump about, play with fiddle toys, listen to some music or whatever they enjoy that helps them calm, as the more anxious they are, the less able they are to focus on the lesson/task they should be doing. You can always set a timer for these movement breaks so that your child knows when they will be expected to return to their lesson/task

9. Try to do a mix of practical, workbook and online tasks

10. Where possible try and incorporate learning into everyday activities within the home to promote independent skills. Blurring the lines between school and home can be challenging for SEN children, but there are ways to incorporate learning into your day to ensure that your child is developing essential skills and supplement online classes, even when they’re not at school eg:-

• Maths – ask your child to work to a budget and help complete an online shopping order

• Food Technology – get your child involved in preparing lunch or dinner as a way of not only understanding how to make food but developing independent life skills

• English - Read a book together as a family or write a letter to a loved one / neighbour

• PE - Go for a walk or try geocaching. Set a target number of steps to complete and use an app to track activity.  Look online for virtual classes you can try at home like Zumba 

• Science - Go on a virtual tour of a museum via YouTube or try out the Natural History Museum Lego Life Forms Activity  https://www.nhm.ac.uk/schools/teaching-resources/lego-life-forms-activity-support-for-schoolkids.html

• Design and Technology - Birds will soon be looking for nests, so give them a helping hand by building a bird box https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-kids/games-and-activities/activities/make-a-nestbox/ 

Headteacher, Jen Weeks, explains: “There is a requirement to provide face-to-face education for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), which many of our students have. But for children with autism who are online learning due to illness, shielding or because they are extremely vulnerable, it's important to maintain a routine and create the right environment to study at home.

“We believe that school is the best place for our students’ wellbeing and education and I’m immensely proud of all the staff and teachers who have made it possible for us to continue to offer face-to-face learning.  Mass testing has been set up to ensure that we can offer a safe educational environment for everyone attending classroom-based lessons.  We continue to carry out regular risk assessments and we are also offering online learning for those who are unable to come to school.”

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

Mid Sussex Council offers financial help

Mid Sussex District Council is urging residents who are struggling to meet their household costs to get in touch for support and advice. The coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 an extremely difficult year and the Council is encouraging local people to seek help if they are facing issues with debt, are struggling with household bills or are finding it hard to pay their rent and/or Council Tax.

Mid Sussex District Council is signed up to the national Citizens Advice Good Practice Protocol, a public commitment to the principles of fairness, partnership working and transparency in local authority debt collection. “We know that there are people across Mid Sussex who are experiencing difficulties,” said Councillor Andrew MacNaughton, Mid Sussex Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning. “If you are unable to make your rent or mortgage payments, our Housing Needs Team is here to help you. If you’re struggling, please get in touch so that we can help make sure you do not risk losing your home. If you are a tenant of a social landlord in Mid Sussex please get in touch with your landlord as they can also provide assistance. If you are in difficulty, please do not ignore the problem because it will not go away.
“Landlords too may be facing financial pressures and tenants should continue to pay their rent if they can afford it. If you are a private landlord who may be serving notice on your tenant due to arrears, please contact us because we can offer advice and mediation to both you and your tenants to help avoid evictions.”

Councillor Ruth De Mierre, Mid Sussex Cabinet Member for Customer Services said: “If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax, we have a Revenues team who can put you in contact with the Money & Pensions Service, who provide free independent debt advice. They can help you to put payments of nonpriority debts, like credit card bills, on hold and create arrangements that work for you and your unique financial situation.
“We know it’s hard to take that first step and reach out for help but the worst thing you can do is ignore the situation because it could lead to court proceedings, additional costly fees, and ever-increasing debt. Ultimately, it could even result in you losing your home. Please don’t delay, get in contact with us if you are struggling and together we’ll help you through this.”

If you are struggling financially please contact Mid Sussex District Council on 01444 477564 or email revenue@midsussex.gov.uk

To contact the Mid Sussex Housing Needs team call 01444 477574 or email housingadvice@midsussex.org. uk

Alternatively, Citizens Advice in West Sussex provide free, confidential, independent and impartial advice. Email or web chat at www.advicewestsussex.org.uk or call 0344 477 1171.

Celebrate the Hurst community with Mid Sussex Applauds

Many residents and organisations in Hurst, Albourne and Sayers Common have recently been recognised for their effort and work in the community. Mid Sussex Applauds seeks to recognise those who go above and beyond in their efforts for our community.

Those nominated include:
Jane Cheshire of Sayers Common in the Stronger Together Award (Highly Commended)
Sayers Common Community Village Shop, (commended in the Business in the Community and Stronger Community awards)
Carol Jeffries and Dave Parsons (commendations in the Lifetime Achievement Award)
Befriended (commended Stronger Communities Award)
Hurstpierpoint Covid-19 Neighbours Support Group were joint winners of the Stronger Communities Award, alongside similar groups in Haywards Heath and Horsted. The judges felt it was impossible to split the amazing community spirit shown by these three groups, so it was decided to recognise all three as joint winners in this category.

Hurst cricket legend Dave Parsons was commended for a Lifetime Achievement Award. “When I moved to Mid Sussex in 1970, I was very fortunate to be introduced to Hurst CC whose philosophy and ethics about how cricket should be played mirrored my own. In past 50 years, whilst the personnel may have changed, I am proud to have played my part in ensuring the club is now thriving and same ideals still exist today. I’m very pleased to accept this award for everyone involved at the club.”

Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council, Councillor Colin Trumble commented, “It is truly heart-warming to read the stories of everyone nominated. Living through extraordinary times has highlighted how fantastic our community is and how people really step up in times of adversity. Huge congratulations to everyone awarded and those commended, they really are stars in our community.”

Despite being unable to host an awards event Councillor Trumble and the High Sheriff will fully recognise and celebrate the stories of all involved in a film to be released later in the year.

Hurst's cricket teas aren't over

The age-old tradition of providing cricket teas survived a narrow escape last month as at one point 1st Central Sussex Cricket League members voted to make it voluntary to provide one. Any club is entitled to propose changes to the following seasons playing conditions and one club proposed clubs should no longer be obliged to provide teas for their visitors. On the night of the AGM the proposal was carried by 104-85, a surprising result, quickly amplified when Times journalist Matt Chorley retweeted the result. The next day the story was featured on Good Morning Britain, Times Radio and Have I Got News For You. The Horsted Keynes Pavlova was trending on Twitter.

The Hurstpierpoint Cricket Whatsapp group sprang into life, registering their indignation and outrage and all being firmly in the ‘#teamainers’ camp, being rightly proud of the standard of tea and welcome they provide every weekend at the club.

Attention was then turned to quite how this result was achieved; it emerged that clubs who abstained or did not vote had their votes counting as voting FOR the proposal. The league hastily re-arranged the vote with the new result being 85-114 against.

When asked about the issue, Hurstpierpoint CC club Chairman, Kenton Green confirmed the club had voted to keep teas and had anyway already committed to providing full teas for next season and are pleased that position was reversed.

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

Hurst's panto WILL go on!

By Anne Hopper, Press and Publicity Officer

The Players are now well into socially distanced rehearsals for a first-ever ‘virtual pantomime’. You may well have spotted members of the cast if you’ve been out and about in the village this month. To comply with the Covid 19 rules during the lockdown, due to end on December 2nd, most of our preparations are taking place outdoors. We have a large cast of 33 local adults and 12 children and true to Panto tradition, Robin will be played by Daisy Swayne.

All are experienced stage actors now learning the new techniques of working for the screen under the direction of Sam Nixon. Not to mention the songs and dances, and it’s fair to say the latter is proving the greater challenge to most of the adult cast with Nurse Nora dispensing more than usual alcohol rubs to the ‘men in tights’.

Tickets will be free and performances will be screened through the Players Website between Christmas Eve and January 1st at 3pm and 7pm.

www.hurstplayers.org.uk

Hurst's own Bedlam Brewery commemorates Dame Vera Lynn

Award-winning Bedlam Brewery, near Ditchling at the foot of the South Downs National Park, are releasing The Dame, an exciting new limited 4.2% ABV amber ale dedicated to the memory of their local resident Dame Vera Lynn, the ‘forces sweetheart’ who sadly passed away earlier this year.

As a thank you from the team at Bedlam for her lifetime of national service, they have decided to do what they do best and produce a beer with which people can raise a glass in her memory and by doing so, raise funds for a worthy cause; 20p from every bottle or pint sold will be donated by Bedlam to a charity selected in consultation with Dame Vera’s family, who are supportive of this initiative.

The Dame will be available direct from Bedlam between early October through to the end of November in draft cask ale in Sussex, Kent and London, as well as 500ml bottles nationwide.

Bob Emms, CEO, commented, “Given the challenges we’re all again facing, we thought we would produce The Dame to enable our customers to raise a glass in her memory and look forward to better times. The imagery we’ve created combines local landmark Ditchling Beacon with a field of poppies, both of which were dear to Dame Vera’s heart.

So, here’s to you Dame Vera, thanks for all the memories you have left us with and on your behalf to all of our customers - keep smiling through!”

Reverse Advent Calendar Project 2020 style

By Margaret Carey

For the third year Holy Trinity Church members are going to run our ‘Reverse Advent Calendar Boxes’ project but, clearly, times are different this year. Previously we have asked you to put an item of non-perishable food into a box every day of Advent and then deliver the box to us for the benefit of Family Support Work (FSW), the Sussex based charity which supports families in need. Help is more than ever needed this year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The community has been wonderfully generous in the first two years, with dozens of boxes donated to help other families.

This year, because we want to cut down the Covid-19 risk of infection, instead of delivering tins and packets, we ask you to make a financial contribution to FSW, maybe the equivalent of the price of the gift you would put into the box each day. Because we think the Advent Calendar theme is important, we suggest that you might like you to record your gift each day and tot them up on Boxing Day before you make your contribution.

The best way to do this is via the family Support Work website, www.familysupportwork.org. There is a ‘Donate’ button on their opening page. You can also send a cheque to: Family Support Work, Garton House, 22 Stanford Avenue, Brighton, BN1 6AA. So that we know how much the project has raised, and so that we can thank you, please email us after Christmas to tell us how well you have done. Thank you so much.

Virtual panto planned by Hurstpierpoint Players

By Anne Hopper, Press and Publicity Officer

In June Hurstpierpoint Players turned their decorating skills from the inside of the Players Theatre to the outside - in July and August they ‘wrapped up’ the building as part of the “Missing Theatre Live” protest to draw the Government’s attention to the plight of all venues of entertainment.

In September the Players ‘Zoomed’ into their first-ever virtual Annual General Meeting – a legal requirement for any charity – and with the usual business dealt with efficiently in record time it fell to the President, Michael Squire, to make a special presentation to the Theatre’s retiring Treasurer, Josie Porter who has held the post for the past thirteen years. In thanking Josie on behalf of the Players Michael pointed out the increased responsibilities of the Treasurer during the decade-long fund-raising to ensure the Theatre’s future. With that future now assured the Membership wished Josie a well deserved retirement. Balancing the books from now on will be the responsibility of the Theatre’s newly elected Treasurer Richard Coney.

And after all the aforementioned smartening-up of the premises it was felt we should take further steps to make sure we were seen and recognised on the High Street - at the beginning of October a new sign designed by Bob Sampson was painted on the front elevation. We can’t yet say when productions will start again, nor when our friends from the Film Club can join us for a new season of films, but we’re pleased that the Theatre was able to provide a venue for preparation of some of the recent Hurst Festival events.

However, we are hopeful a virtual pantomime will be shot in and around Hurstpierpoint during November and edited ready for screening over Christmas. Auditions for a very special production of The Tales of Robin Hood were extremely well attended, all conducted under strict Covid regulations; clearly people are desperate to get back into the swing of performing live theatre.

With casting yet to be confirmed the plan is to use as many outdoor locations as possible so residents of Hurstpierpoint should not be surprised to see mediaeval villagers or various Merry Men involved in intense dialogue in some unexpected places. Of course, we rely on the current Covid situation here remaining the same and if so, rehearsals will begin early in November.

Hurst Village Cinema - Hello Film Lovers

By David Saitch
Well, this is boring isn’t it?
Under normal circumstances, Hurst Festival would have just finished (and kudos to the Festival team for the sterling efforts they put in to create a Virtual Festival), and we would be eagerly anticipating the start of our landmark tenth, yes you read that right, tenth film season. Our autumn programme would have been published, a new set of NT Live broadcasts lined up, website and app updated, our social media streams would be buzzing and hopefully, as usual, tickets already flying out.

Obviously, we want all that to still happen, and of course it will, but when?
As I have said before, we are currently betting on the start of 2021, but there are no guarantees. Then again, it might happen sooner - unlikely, but who knows? We can only hope. We are ready to act as soon as we are able to in full safety and we are regularly testing the equipment and fine tuning it, to make sure we can start at the drop of a hat, whenever the hat drops.

One question of course, would be what we will screen. We normally screen what we believe to be the best international and independent films that have been released in the previous months, but which haven’t had a big enough release, mixed with overlooked gems and classics. But given the pandemic, there are very few films being released, as production halted on films across the globe back in February.

But don’t worry, there is still a wealth of brilliant cinema available for us to screen. Each year we put a list of films together, then whittle it down to a final programme. Because we have a limited number of screenings available, a lot of films that we could have, perhaps even should have screened get dropped simply because we have to draw a line somewhere. So there are a lot of films we wanted to screen over the last nine years but couldn’t and we can certainly delve into those and put together a terrific season of films.
And, of course, there is an incredible range of amazing films of all kinds from past decades, so there is absolutely no reason why we cannot put together and exciting, entertaining, challenging, thought provoking programme of films.
Fingers crossed it won’t be too long before we can. Stay safe. www.hurstfilms.com