Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council September Newsletter

Hurst Life’s September issue has an update from Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council with news from around the parish. Below, we have gathered a sample for you to savour or go grab an issue today to read the whole piece.

Reeds Lane Recreation Ground

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Work has started on improving drainage at the Reeds Lane Recreation Ground to try to enable this very wet area to be used throughout the year. Following this, new play equipment will finally be able to be installed. Apologies to residents on the delay to this project. Section 106 funding can only be released on first occupation of the new houses on Kingsland Laine. Unfortunately, due to Covid, construction here has been much slower than usual. However, MSDC have now confirmed that they have now received the section 106 funding from the developer and therefore we can now proceed with an application for funds to refit the play area.

Christmas Lights

We are hoping to build on the success of the Christmas tree and lights in Hurstpierpoint by installing lights on lampposts in Sayers Common. Residents have voted on their preferred design; funding is in place in partnership with the Sayers Common Community Shop and we are now going through the extensive testing process that is needed to do this safely. The schedule for this is tight but we very much hope that these lights can be in place for Christmas 2021.

Therapist Louise tries something new

Louise Payne, started Rehab at Home Mid Sussex

Lifelong Hurst resident and chartered physiotherapist Louise Payne has recently set up her own business called Rehab at Home (Mid Sussex), which she will run alongside her current NHS and hospice work.

Born and brought up in Hurstpierpoint, Louise lives with her husband and two grown-up sons, with both her boys following in her footsteps by attending St Lawrence and Downlands schools and are now both in further or higher education.

“I enjoy running and you may see me pounding the pavements of Hurst, and four years ago I ran the Brighton Marathon in aid of St Peter & St James Hospice. As a family we all enjoy village life, especially the St Lawrence Fair which I’ve tried to attend every year since my childhood.”

Louise is a chartered physiotherapist with over 25 years experience working in the NHS and is the Senior Community Physiotherapist / Team Leader at The Princess Royal Hospital. She also works part time as a Senior Palliative Care Physiotherapist at St Peter & St James Hospice.

She hopes the new venture will provide a community physiotherapy service to allow individuals to restore and maintain independence and function within and around their own home as well as offering community physiotherapy after completion of NHS rehabilitation.

“Having worked for the NHS for the past 27 years, it has been evident to me that there is a gap in the services provided for the elderly or patients with long term conditions and through Rehab at Home, I hope to fill this gap.”

For additional information or to book an appointment please call 07732 947615 or email rehabathomemidsussex@outlook.com.

Hurst's central pub - the New Inn

I met Murray at the New Inn on a Monday, so we had the place to ourselves. “For some reason the whole of Hurst seems to shut down on this day; we kept open for a few years on Mondays but in the end it wasn’t worth it.” Many business owners have had ups and downs over the last 18 months and none more so than landlords and he very much hopes that by the time you are reading this, there will be punters standing at the bar again, being served drinks.

He grew up in Surrey and his first job was in a bank in Clacton-on-Sea, ‘in the days when you could get a bank job with O’levels.’ He progressed to a finance company in the Midlands, specialising in asset finance for the printing industry, which 25 years ago was thriving. Nearly 15 years ago he and his wife Chris moved to the village, at the far end of Langton Lane and the New Inn became his pub of choice. “It’s smack in the centre of Hurst and it’s got a massive amount of history. It seems every other customer who comes in here to drink has either worked here or slept upstairs at some point during their lives, so everybody knows it.”

Then one day the landlord announced he was selling, and he thought ‘well maybe I could do that, and wind down a bit’, rather than try to pursue a career that was essentially finished, due the internet and advanced home printing. So, he took the plunge and bought it in 2016. “I didn’t quite get that right, if I’m honest with you, as I’ve had to wind up rather than down! This is a full-time occupation and there’s no other way around it.” Like many landlords and B&B owners who had envisaged a quiet life leading into retirement, he had a rude awakening. “I thought I could dip in and out; when you’re the wrong side of the bar you think you could do it, but there’s so much involved in running a successful pub.”

It became clear to them early on that living two miles away was not working out, so they renovated the four-bedroom flat above the pub and rented their house out, an arrangement that comes to an end this month. Chris is a music teacher by profession but gave up and joined the business to help Murray run it. “We went from a situation living in Langton Lane where we never saw anybody from one day to the next to here where we now know everybody. And I love it, walking down the street saying good morning to everybody and everybody’s friendly, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Turn to page 18 of August’s Hurst Life to learn more about the life of a landlord and his dogs.

Interview with Dr Winn partner GP, Mid Sussex Health Care in Hurst

By Louise Evatt, Chair of Mid Sussex Health Care Patient Participation Group

The past year plunged our National Health Service into a state of emergency, requiring many sudden changes to the ways patients access health care. It’s been frustrating, worrying and difficult for the community and the practitioners alike. The demands on doctors’ surgeries are higher than they have ever been. The Times reported that in March this year the UK had hit the highest consultations on record, a staggering 28 million. So how has this impacted locally?

The PPG interviewed Dr Miriam Winn, Partner GP at Mid Sussex Health Care, who shared her experiences over the past 19 months. “In early 2020 the practice had to adapt its ways of working. We rapidly needed to move to a total triage model - this was under the direction of NHS England and it was very different to the way we had previously been working. We needed to start screening our patients by finding out what their problem was and how best to manage them whilst keeping patients safe and keeping staff safe.”

Dr Winn recalled the amount of unknowns they had to work with and the speed at which they had to react. She explained how they set up systems to be able to quickly adapt, including the creation of a team to make rapid decisions on a daily basis. “The team met every morning to respond to the information coming through. We also held daily huddles with all staff to explain changes being made and get feedback on how things were going, ensuring staff concerns staff were heard.”

At this time the community was concerned to see the sudden changes, particularly the closure of the Ditchling surgery and the limited access to the Hassocks surgery. Dr Winn explained the rationale for these changes. “We were worried about patients coming into the practice who may be potentially infected and therefore we needed to limit the amount of contact that our staff were having with patients, and we were also rapidly losing staff because they were developing coughs themselves, so needed to isolate, or needed to be at home with family members that were isolating. So we didn’t have enough staff available to open all three sites in a safe way.”

It has been a common misconception that GP practices have been closed throughout the lockdown. “We’ve been here all along,” said Dr Winn, “seeing patients face-to-face in the safest way that’s possible”. She explained how they needed to triage patients to know whether they should be seen in a Covid-secure environment or whether they had potential Covid symptoms and should be seen at the ‘hot hub’. “It was also important to keep our Hurstpierpoint site as a ‘cold site’ so that we could bring in vulnerable patients for blood tests or other appointments and they could be assured that it was as safe as possible. Vulnerable staff could also be assured that they were safe to be at work and worked only at the cold site.”

It’s now been well over a year since the rapid response to Covid began and unfortunately things are still very different to what they once were. We asked Dr Winn how it is now for the practice and its staff. “We’re still doing total triage all day. That will hopefully change soon. At 8.30am it’s all go. Our phone lines open and morning clinics start.” She explains that each GP sees 32 patients either over the phone or at the surgery, during morning and afternoon sessions. In between the two sessions they make home visits, put through patients, send off prescriptions and respond to contact made via E-consult. We all stay on until the job is done, so currently it is an extremely long day for us all.” Dr Winn chatted at length about all the changes, what might remain long into the future and what should eventually come to an end. We discussed reduced contact with the GP, and an increased digital service that the media recently predicted. She remains very positive that MSHC are on the right road ahead. “The rapid pace of change has certainly forced the practice to try new things such as online appointments, but all of us miss that face-to-face interaction with patients. We don’t have any intention to work only remotely, but we will still have online services so that patients have a choice.”

Dr Winn talked about the increased patient choice as a positive to have come out of the changes. She also explained that within the practice, it has also brought teams together to think about how best to manage the problems and to think outside the box, like providing oxygen monitors at home to patients with Covid symptoms. She hopes that patients understand the challenges they have had and welcome any feedback patients may have. The PPG would like to thank Dr Winn for this interview and also thank her and all MSHC colleagues for the efforts they have gone to, to keep our local health care going to support us through the pandemic.

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council

The Annual Parish Meeting is an ancient custom designed for those on the parish electoral roll to discuss parish affairs. It must be held between 1st March and 1st June and not be before 6pm. Previously, the forum has taken place in the Village Centre, with approximately 50+ residents in attendance. Last year, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and the associated lock-down measures, the meeting was sadly cancelled and replaced by an Annual Report which was published on the Parish Council’s website. This year, anticipating a lack of certainty over being able to a hold the meeting in person, the Parish Council agreed to publish its Annual Report on the Parish Council’s website, but also to embrace technology and to hold the meeting via a webinar on 18th May 2021. We widened the scope under the theme “Working together for a sustainable future”. There were some great presentations covering the range from recycling in the community, managing the Hurst Meadows for wildlife and the community, Hurst Rethink, The Lost Woods Project, to Sustainable Development. They were topped by very focussed videos from both St Lawrence School and Downlands School Students.

We had about 68 logged on to the webinar with a wider demographic to those who have previously attended this meeting in person at the Village Centre. The presentations were both thought-provoking and full of related updates. There was even a quiz to establish exactly which local authority is responsible for which service. We will be drawing upon some of the detail from the presentations and follow up questions to help us to develop further our Environmental Policy into one which will both support the operations and output of the Parish Council, and in some way meet the aspirations of our residents as well. If you missed the webinar the presentations are now accessible via our website at www.hurstpierpointpc.gov.uk/speakerspresentations-from-the-annual-parish-meeting/

Parish Council News published monthly

Village Centre, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint, BN6 9UY

Call: 01273 833264
Email: hurstpierpoint.pc@btinternet.com

www.hurstpierpoint-pc.org.uk

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A piece of Hurst's history - The closure of St Luke's Catholic Church

By Steve Turner

The small Catholic Church at 123 Cuckfield Road, looks every bit like a house, save for the large sign saying ‘St Luke’s Catholic Church’ and the small wooden cross on the gable end of the main roof. Sandwiched between the Church owned cottages either side, it has been part of the Hurstpierpoint landscape and focal point of worship for generations of local Catholics.

Originally an Anglican meeting room, it was acquired, along with the two cottages in 1925 for the princely sum of £425, loaned by the Diocese and paid back by the parish through enthusiastic fundraising, particularly by the Stringer and Gladman families who organised dances and Whist Drives (a card game social gathering).

The altar was made and presented by the Carthusian community at the monastery near Cowfold and the sanctuary lamp given by Lady Augusta Miller, of Wanbarrow Farm. A blue and gold damask curtain hung behind the altar. Early Mass attendances were about 20/30 on a Sunday but over the years the Church has been extended and was seeing numbers of 60/70.

Extensions saw the rear wall moved back to provide a new altar space in 1928 at a cost of £700. A side chapel was built in 1963, another extension provided a sacristy and cloakroom facilities in 1959; these extensions used garden space of the two cottages either side but being Church property this wasn’t a problem.

A gallery was provided in 1958 and outer porch provided in 1965; all this work allowed more seating to be provided for the vibrant and ever-growing number of worshippers. The rear extension includes two beautiful stain glass windows, depicting ‘St Luke the painter’ and ‘St Luke the doctor’ commissioned by Mgr. Canon Jeffrey Haydn Scott in about the year 2000.

The cottages either side have provided accommodation over the years for retired housekeepers and priests alike; a well-beloved priest and first ‘Parish Priest’ Fr Stuart Bell lived at 125 from 1978 until the Priest’s House at Keymer was built in 1985. Keymer and Hurstpierpoint having been previously under the administration of St Wilfrid’s in Burgess Hill. He regularly took groups of us to Lourdes each Easter to assist with the disabled pilgrims, assisted by another local parishioner, Paddy Kite.

There have been, as you would expect, a succession of priests over the years, all contributing, whether their tenure was long or short, to the wellbeing and needs of the Parish. Canon John Stapleton is worthy of a mention for his passion for music and installing a pedal organ.

Countless numbers of unsung heroes have contributed to the successful running of the Church.

Pick up a copy of July’s Hurst Life today to read about all the other people who contributed to the beating heart of St Luke’s.

St Lawrence Primary in Hurstpierpoint says goodbye to Crossing Patrol Officer

She has been a familiar to sight for over 30 years on Cuckfield Rd during term time, as the Crossing Patrol officer, but Helen Smith finally hung up her high-vis jacket and prepared to pass on the ‘lollipop’ baton, to take a well earned retirement this summer.

She was presented with flowers and well-wishers’ cards at the school by some Year 6 students and she wrote this note to children and parents of St Lawrence:

“Dear all. The time has come for me to hang up my rather unflattering hat for the final time and retire! I have enjoyed every minute of being St Lawrence School’s Lollipop lady and will miss you all. The children have been an absolute pleasure to work with, always friendly, polite and well behaved - they are a credit to themselves, their parents and the school. All being well, arrangements are in hand for cover to be provided from the 9th of June but there is now a vacancy for a full time School Crossing Patrol. I can thoroughly recommend the job and if anyone is interested, I would be happy to answer any questions they might have. Wishing everyone at St Lawrence all the best for the future.” Helen Smith

South Downs Refugee Project - community togetherness

An article in the April issue of Hassocks Life has helped a new community group get off to a flying start. The South Downs Refugee Project is a new, non-profit, voluntary group centred in Hassocks, and extending to Hurst, Keymer and Ditchling. The aim of the group is to welcome a refugee family to the area under the UK government’s Community Sponsorship scheme, and support them over a two-year period as they resettle here.

“There are twelve of us in the steering group, and even though we all came from the village, we didn’t know each other,” says Sally Miller, “it’s been really interesting to get to know new people.” It is not just the steering group who are involved. “There are already lots of other people supporting the project too, and we hope local businesses will become involved too,” adds Sally.

Community Sponsorship is built on the power of local people coming together to raise funds for the resettlement process, finding suitable accommodation for the family, and building up a network of local people who will support the family once they arrive. To date, the scheme has resettled hundreds of refugees. Tom Bailey, project chair, said: “The pandemic has shown us all how much difference local communities can make in times of difficulty, so we felt there was no better time to get started with welcoming a new family into our area. There’s plenty to do so we’re really going for it. The response so far has been fantastic, and we’re really looking forward to spreading the word and building a strong network of local support.”

The group are busy planning activities for a little later in the year, with a launch event planned for the summer, and a fundraising concert (‘Raise the Roof’) on 28th August at Danny House in Hurst - tickets are available via the group’s website here.

Jazz vocalist Lou Beckerman, pianist Joss Peach and their multi-talented friends are coming together in the beautiful setting of Danny House for the fundraising concert. “It will be a warm and vibrant evening of jazz and folk,” explains Lou. Hassocks folk duo and songwriters, Mike and Reina Reinstein, will also be performing, as well as Terry Pack, Kate Hogg and Sarah Carpenter.

Other activities may include a family ceilidh in November and a golf day, quiz, and comedy night organised by Chris at the Purple Carrot. The group aims to raise £15,000 and have already opened a JustGiving page. “In terms of when the family might arrive, we’re talking a year or so. It’s a long, slow, thorough process,” explains Sally Miller. “It’s about empowerment and in the long run, making ourselves unnecessary. This is for the benefit of the family, but we also want this to be an enriching process for the whole community.”

The group will be at the Hassocks Village Market at the end of July. “I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in finding out more about the project, our planned events and activities, and how they might get involved to come and have a chat at the village market on July 24th, or go to our website: www.southdownsrefugeeproject.org” said Tom.

Hurst's very own Hedgehog Haven

By Ann Winney, Hurst Hedgehog Haven

This is the time of year when we start to see a few hoglets from disturbed nests, little ones getting lost on foraging trips and everything in between. Carol is poised by the incubator ready for the two-hourly feeds and endless cleaning. But we have just had a hog in, with the usual symptoms; found out in the day, dehydrated, lots of internal parasites but she has been getting fatter and fatter so this can only mean one thing - she is pregnant.

Every rescue at some stage faces this dilemma, it would of course be much better for her to have her babies in the wild but she is only part way through her treatment. So, we have her in a massive zoo zone with a large wooden house with lots of lovely hay, as well as a camera trained on her so the we can keep a close eye. This will be a great learning opportunity for use to see how she gives birth, how long that takes and how she cares for her babies. We are like expectant aunties!

At the other end of the scale, we have had five days in a row where hogs have needed to be put to sleep. Their injuries were just too severe; our vets are very good and often fit us in at a moment’s notice. This is often hard but it’s the kindest thing we can do for them. I am very lucky to have my little gang of volunteers to talk through each case, these ladies were complete strangers and are now dear friends working with one goal, to help get hedgehogs healthy and back to the wild.

Ann Winney Hurst Hedgehog Haven, Tel 07787 515296

New Hurstpierpoint magazine launches: BBQ – Fire, Food & Outdoor Living

When lockdown forced everyone to cook at home, out came the barbecues and, for one Hurstpierpoint couple, out came a brand-new magazine called BBQ to provide live fire inspiration and recipes. Rupert and Kelly Bates launched ‘BBQ – Fire, Food & Outdoor Living’ last spring, appealing to pit masters, enthusiasts and novices alike. “We realised, while plenty of food magazines and cooking content out there, there was nothing focused on BBQ and al fresco dining – something for anyone simply enjoying cooking outside for family and friends, eager to learn more and have a lot of fun in the process. Light a fire and you start a party,” said Rupert.

“BBQ is a quarterly publication and we have just published our fourth issue and with the website – www.thebbqmag.com - going from strength to strength. We’re delighted with the response and as well as through subscriptions, the magazine is also available in selected butchers, farm shops, garden centres, hotels and restaurants,” said Kelly.

It is not all about cooking and eating at home. The magazine features the best live restaurants and pubs, looking to support the hospitality industry which has taken such a hammering during the pandemic.

Pick up a copy of June’s Hurst Life to find out which celebrities and Michelin-starred chefs have been talking to BBQ.

World Earth Day 2021 at Albourne Primary School

Written by five Yr 6 pupils

This year has been tough as we all know, but five Yr 6s from Albourne Primary School have still made an effort to plan a fun filled World Earth Day for their school. They have partnered up with Spirit of the Wild to spread awareness in their community of climate change, pollution and deforestation.

World Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on 22nd April to support the environment. It was first celebrated in 1970 in America. A senator from Wisconsin organised the event and protests and rallies took place all over America. By 1990, Earth Day was a national event celebrated by more than 140 different countries around the globe.

Spirit of the Wild brought in animals from their small private zoo to show the classes and to teach them about the animals’ environment and skills to survive. They brought in amphibians, reptiles, birds, invertebrates and mammals. Some of the animals included Morpheus a rare golden eagle, Flinty a small parrot known as a Caique, Tinker a cuddly skunk and a 7 foot Burmese python called Thanos.

The five girls planned eco activities for each class. In the classes they created their own environmentally friendly invention and found out their carbon footprints. The school also took part in the spiritual arts competition, a small competition about art and the environment.

Years 1 to 6 all did spectacular art pieces to do with the environment that were entered into a school competition and made mixed media presentations. Reception made paper plate jellyfish and did ocean conservation work that related to their topics. The year 6s enjoyed the day in the New Year 6 classroom equipped with two rooms, one for group work and the other being the main classroom. The classroom’s build had been put on hold due to Covid but it was finished in time for the start of the new year. It is detached from the main building of the school.

Half of the money that Albourne School raised was generously given to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to help them fight climate change, deforestation and pollution. The WWF works tirelessly by putting nature first and making our food system sustainable. They are the world’s leading independent conservation organisation and they work on every continent to stop dramatic declines in wildlife numbers. The other half of the money will go towards making the grassy area next to the year 6 classroom spacious and environmentally friendly.

Overall world earth day was a great success, filled with fun and enjoyment for all ages. Even the Albourne play group got involved with Spirit of the Wild and the arts and crafts of World Earth Day.

League campaign concluded for Hurstpierpoint Football Club

By Ed Bartram

To borrow a cliché, it’s been a season of two halves for Hurstpierpoint Football Club, but their Mid Sussex League campaign finally limped to its conclusion last month.

With the Championship division split into a top and bottom half, the 1st Team competed in a seven team mini-league to avoid relegation. It turned out to be a fiercely competitive group, with no side managing to pull away at the top, and every side doing their all to pick up points at the opposite end of the table. This was highlighted by the fact that, with just two games to play, any team could finish top, and every side was two defeats away from relegation!

For Hurst, a 1-0 win away at Peacehaven on the final day secured safety and Intermediate football for a third successive season. Danny Beattie scored the crucial goal early on, but was then dismissed for a tackle deemed to have been made with ‘excessive force’. Despite playing the majority of the game with a man less, the Bluedogs held on for victory.

The Reserves also restarted with the threat of a relegation battle looming large, but five wins in their first six games saw the side rocket up the table and secure a comfortable mid-table position in Division 4 South. And whilst the young 3rd Team (primarily made up of youth team players from the village making their first foray into men’s football) didn’t manage to climb off of the bottom of the Division 5 South table, they did record their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory at home to Willingdon 3rd Team; eliminating the visitors from the title race in the process. Progress and deserved points for the players.

Everyone is relieved to wrap-up another difficult season, with optimism that 2021/22 will be a little more ‘normal’. The club hopes to regain the momentum on the pitch from the 2018/19 double-winning season, before COVID struck. Plans are already afoot to make the season memorable; Artemis Marketing have renewed their major club sponsorship and new kit and equipment is en route, whilst the Village Pizza Kitchen have agreed to supply the prize for the Player of the Month award; just a couple of the exciting developments taking place off the pitch.

Pre-season training begins mid-June, and the door is always open for new players, volunteers and supporters wanting to get involved with the village side. So, head to social media or contact hello@hurstpierpointfc.co.uk if you’d like to get in touch.

Hurst resident's fundraising bike ride for CALM

As a train driver based at Southern’s Brighton depot, Andy Johnson knows the upset and distress suicides can cause; there is an average of one suicide every single day on the UK rail network. So together with some of his fellow drivers, they’re riding the London- Brighton Cycle Ride this September to raise awareness and funds for CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably. This fantastic charity aims to reduce suicides amongst men, and offers help and support when it’s needed most.

“Let’s face it,” said Andy, “us chaps aren’t much good at talking about our feelings. We’re quite happy to discuss our bad back or a dodgy knee but when it comes to mental health it’s still a stigma that we brush under the carpet.”

Andy has been a Hurst resident for three years and is fiercely proud of the village and its community spirit. “I hope the community will join me in supporting this worthy cause and donate to our fundraising efforts.”

A lifesaving call to CALM costs the charity £8, so they want to raise £2,640 which means that for each mile each of the team cycles they will have paid for another essential call. His JustGiving page (www.justgiving.com/brightontraincrew) has all the details of the excellent work CALM does together with details of how to donate. They’re already over halfway to reaching their target but need every pound they can get. “Your donation might help save the life of your son, father, brother or uncle. But whoever it is, they’ll be so thankful that you supported a charity that saved their life.”

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