New Befriended choir and tea party in Hurst

By Gail Millar

Befriended have launched a choir and tea party in Hurstpierpoint, starting in September. Singing is proven to be good for you physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and cognitively. At our choir we have lots of fun singing together songs from the musicals, old time songs and well-known hymns. Our wonderful choirmaster, Ira, encourages everyone to sing with joy, gusto and enthusiasm. Our choir is inclusive and accessible to all.

As with all Befriended activities, we enjoy tea and cake whilst building friendships. The choir will take place on three Tuesday afternoons each month at the village centre 2-4pm starting on the 17th September. Come and let’s make music together.

Befriended, in partnership with Holy Trinity Church, are delighted to launch a new monthly tea party on the third Sunday of each month, 3-5pm at Court Bushes, Willow Way. The tea parties will include quizzes, useful information, birthday celebrations, a scrumptious afternoon tea, a variety of entertainment and most of all the opportunity to meet and make new friends. Our tea parties are renowned for being places of joy, happiness, fun, enjoyment and connection. Befriended is committed to ending loneliness and isolation amongst older people living in our community. We will do this through addressing the causes of loneliness and isolation, bringing people together, having fun and making meaningful friendships.

We launch our first tea party on 15th September. We look forward to seeing you there. If you want to know any more information email office@befriended or call 0300 7727703.

Mid Sussex District Council September newsletter - 2024

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Four Mid Sussex District Council parks receive coveted Green Flag Award


Mid Sussex District Council is delighted to announce that four parks in the District have received Green Flag Awards after achieving an international quality mark for parks and green spaces. Beech Hurst Gardens and Victoria Park in Haywards Heath, St. John’s Park in Burgess Hill, and East Court and Ashplats Park in East Grinstead, in collaboration with East Grinstead Town Council and East Grinstead Memorial Estates, have been officially recognised as some of the country’s finest parks.

The news is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for the green spaces in the District so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy them. Councillor Chris Hobbs, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Customer Services, said: “We are thrilled that four of our parks have received the Green Flag Award. This award highlights the hard work and dedication of our team who ensure our parks are well-maintained and enjoyable for everyone.
“It is wonderful to see our green spaces recognised as some of the best in the country and we are committed to keeping these parks beautiful for our residents and visitors to enjoy.”

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The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

To read the full newsletter, pick up your copy of September’s Hurst Life today or click the images to enlarge them.

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council news - September 2024

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Update on proposed Traffic Regulation Orders

The Parish Council currently have 4 applications for Traffic Regulation Orders/Community Highway Schemes with WSCC. We have been advised that the request to limit Reeds Lane to 7.5 tonnes except for access, and junction protection for Willow Way, Talbot Mead and Chalkers Lane with the Cuckfield Road did not pass the threshold test for taking forward. The Parish Council intends to revisit both with WSCC. The applications for an extension to the current 20mph limit on the High Street, and harmonising speed limits on all the approaches to Hurstpierpoint College are still proceeding. Updates will follow when received.




Keeping hedges clear of footpaths – whose responsibility?

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The Parish Council often receives reports of footpaths and pavements becoming difficult to access due to overhanging greenery, branches etc. It is the responsibility of the landowner to maintain their hedges, trees and shrubs so that they don’t cause an obstruction or a danger to pedestrians. Problems of this nature should be reported to West Sussex County Council as the Highways authority, either online via their website or by ringing 01243 642105. Prior to doing this however, if the landowner is a neighbour, then a polite and friendly request is probably the most appropriate initial action.



To read the full newsletter please pick up your copy of September’s Hurst Life today or click the images to enlarge them.

Albourne Village Show returns September 2024

Albourne Village Show

By Vic Craske

Albourne’s Village Show is back and confirmed for Saturday 7th September. This family-friendly event is bigger than ever with food, drink and entertainment for adults and kids, and a range of competitions to enter.

The show returns for its second year in its new form, and brings back a number of popular competitions. Last year’s popular dog show returns and new for this year is the flower show, with categories including best vase with a single flower, best jam, best cake and funniest vegetable. The new photography show invites entries of Albourne scenery, Albourne wildlife, Albourne pets and village life.

Also new for this year will be a bar from Hurstpierpoint’s The Hop Tub, a range of kids’ activities and more food options. VR Games for the kids will return, as well as the infamous raffle where you can win a (toy) tractor. Bands include Stone Dark Night, The Kites and The Stanmer Band, alongside an open mic slot. And if you want to sell something crafty, then get in touch to book a craft stall.

The show is now a Community Interest Company, which means that profits from the event will either be used to support the show in future years or will be given to local charities to support Albourne and the surrounding area. Local companies such as Sweeptech, Avtrade, Ernest Doe, Wild In Art, Make Real, Albourne CE School and Hurstpierpoint College are all supporting the event, with many others providing raffle prizes.

Albourne Village Show runs 12pm-10pm on Saturday 7th September at Albourne Recreational Ground. To find out more, visit: www.facebook.com/AlbourneShow

One of Hurst's own elected as MP

Hurst’s own Alison Bennett has been elected as Mid Sussex’s newest MP and becomes the first Liberal Democrat to represent Mid Sussex, following recent boundary changes. A delighted Alison said: “A special thank you to my family and thank you most of all to the wonderful people of Mid Sussex. This is a place that I am proud to call home, a place where people are made to feel welcome.”

Alison graduated from Cambridge in 1999 with a degree in Social and Political Sciences, then worked for British Airways and, later on, Donald Trump’s election in 2016 fuelled her desire to make a difference: “I was dismayed and felt helpless. I realised that while I couldn’t do anything about what happened on the other side of the Atlantic, I could have an impact in the village where my children were growing up.”

In 2019, Alison made history as the first non-Conservative district councillor for Hurstpierpoint in living memory. Despite the demands of local politics, Alison remains grounded in routine family life in Hurstpierpoint. “I experience the same issues as everybody else,” she admits. “I worry about the environment, get stuck in traffic. I walk my kids to St Lawrence, shop in Burgess Hill, and take my family to the Triangle leisure centre.”

For a year, she was a classroom assistant for Key Stage 1 at St Lawrence so will be known to many parents in the village. She is looking forward to the challenge ahead: “To be elected to represent you in Parliament is truly the honour of my life. I won’t let you down.”

Hurst & Sayers Common Parish Council News - August 2024

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273 Bus Improved Timetable

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Following on from the request for better public transport from the villages made at the Annual Parish Meeting, we have heard much positive reaction from residents to the introduction of an improved 273 service to Brighton and Crawley, now including buses on Sundays and Bank Holidays. A single bus ticket to Brighton (or indeed to anywhere) is still only £2 – an absolute bargain we think! Especially as it means avoiding driving on the busy A23 and saving the cost of fuel and parking in the town at the same time! The new timetable is available here https://www.metrobus.co.uk/services/MB/273 we have asked Metrobus to supply some paper timetables, and these are available at the Parish Office. Real time bus information boards will shortly be installed at the Bus Stops at the Village Garden, War Memorial, and Willow Way. We have also requested the same for the 2 stops on the London Road in Sayers Common. Use it or lose it!

To read the full newsletter, please pick up a copy of August’s Hurst Life or click to enlarge the images.

Hurst’s David Thompson wins BAFTA

David Thompson

David wins a BAFTA

Hurst’s David Thompson, who has lived in the village for nine years, has won a coveted BAFTA award for his editing on the documentary Ellie Simmonds: Finding my secret family. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, so it all felt surreal to actually win it; we were all in a bit of a daze going up on the stage.” In fact, he almost deleted the email telling him he had been nominated, thinking it was spam, until he saw he had a missed call from the director.

At first the project was very secretive, because only a few people knew Ellie Simmonds was adopted. When he was finally told what the documentary was going to be about, he knew it had the potential to be powerful. “It seemed likely that Ellie would discover she’d been put up for adoption because of her dwarfism: something that was viewed as a disability but has been central to her success as a Paralympic athlete. That felt like an emotional story to explore.”

His favourite part of the documentary was when Ellie phones up the children of the foster mother who cared for her for a few months when she was just a baby. The foster mother had recently died but her daughter said that when the mother had seen Ellie in the Olympics in 2012, she recognised her as the baby she’d taken in, and wanted to get in touch but didn’t want to intrude. “That is the first time in the film where Ellie really cries. She is not just crying about missing the chance to connect with her foster mother; there are a lot of other emotions going on underneath and this is the first time she lets them out, so that was very moving.”

David, who on most Saturdays can be found running the line for the Hurst Colts U13s, has been interested in editing since he was a teenager, when using two VHS players joined by a SCART cable, pressing play on one and recording on the other. “At university I learnt to edit with celluloid film - slicing it with razor blades and taping it back together. Then one of my flatmates got a Mac with actual editing software and I borrowed it to learn and cut films for local charities.” A chance followed to help cut a documentary that was running behind schedule, with only a week before it was due to broadcast. With another editor, he worked almost every hour, day and night, for four days. “We got it done, it got decent viewing figures, so suddenly I was a freelance documentary editor.”

The ceremony itself was hugely exciting, but also bittersweet. “The television industry is in the midst of a crisis, and the mood reflected that. There’s a perfect storm of falling advertising revenue, license fee freezes and cuts to streamer budgets, and what it means is that programmes aren’t being made. Reports say 68% of the freelance workforce are unemployed.”

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish news - July 2024

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Twinning Association

It is almost 20 years since the Twinning Agreement was signed between the Parish Council and representatives of the village of St Martin de Boscherville near Rouen in July 2004. To mark this occasion a party of villagers will be visiting the Parish to celebrate this link and the founding of the Festival in the same year. The Twinning Association has invited a French musician and singer, Roddy, to perform at a concert on the afternoon of 21st September at Danny House. He will be singing a selection of songs in both French and English. A weekend programme for the visitors is being planned and the Association will be looking for host families. If you would like to get involved, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about St Martin de Boscherville and what the village can offer. They will arrive on the afternoon of Friday 20th September and depart on Monday 23rd September.

Sayers Common Tea Party with Mid Sussex Older People’s Council 5th July

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Following a successful application for Grant Funding from the Parish Council, we are delighted to confirm that Mid Sussex Older People’s Council will be running the first of their Sayers Common Tea Parties on 5th July in the Sayers Common Village Hall from 2pm – 4pm. If you would like to attend, please phone 01444 242760 and leave a message stating clearly which event you are booking for, and the name and telephone number of each person attending. You can find out more about MSOPC and events that they run via their website: www.msopc.org.uk

To read the full newsletter, please click on the images to enlarge them or pick up July’s Hurst Life today.

Mid Sussex District Council July update - 2024

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WORK WITH US!

These are exciting times in Mid Sussex. Our focus is on creating a place where everyone who lives and works in Mid Sussex can thrive. We have ambitious plans to ensure we achieve this vision, and we welcome driven, motivated and forward-thinking individuals, to join us in delivering outstanding services. We are especially looking for a Senior Planning Solicitor, but all our vacancies can be found by visiting: https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/job-vacancies

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To read the full newsletter please pick up your copy of Hurst Life or click the images to enlarge them.

Watoto Children’s Choir comes to Hurstpierpoint

Watoto Children’s Choir

The Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda is currently on a 3-month UK tour, where they are set to perform to nearly 100,000 people in churches, schools and community spaces across the nation. In years gone by they have performed for Her Majesty The Queen, US Presidents and countless governments in parliaments across the globe, sharing their stories of hope through song and dance. The Watoto Children’s Choir has recently released a new album ‘Better Days - There Is Hope’.

The Watoto Children’s Choir will be performing in a free concert this month, taking place at Holy Trinity Church, Hurstpierpoint on 24th May at 6.30pm.

Executive Director of Watoto UK Andrew White says: “We are delighted to continue the UK tour in Hurstpierpoint, as we seek to raise awareness of the incredible work of Watoto in caring for vulnerable women and placing the orphans in families across Uganda and South Sudan.
”Other than going to Africa yourself, what better way to learn about all the good work Watoto is doing, than through this heartwarming, musical performance. The proceeds made from the album will help Watoto continue to provide vulnerable children with an education, medical care, a safe place to call home, and most of all, the love of a family.”

Mid Sussex District Council May 2024 update

Planning is approved for Burgess Hill Centre for Outdoor Sport

The planning application for the new state-of-the-art Centre for Outdoor Sport in Burgess Hill has been given the green light, marking a significant milestone in the town’s sporting landscape, with works set to start this spring. Situated on an 8.6-hectare block of land within the Brookleigh development, the Centre for Outdoor Sport (CfOS) will provide first-class facilities for the district and would not have been possible without the support from Homes England. The sports mix, refined over three years through extensive engagement, consultation and data analysis, will complement the district’s existing sports infrastructure, offering a variety of sports. The development of the CfOS is one piece of the jigsaw of sports provision across the district.

Mid Sussex Matters

Sign up to our digital newsletter! We have launched a digital Mid Sussex Matters newsletter, a monthly email to help residents stay up-to-date with what’s going on at the Council and in the wider District. It will include local events, opportunities to share feedback about new initiatives, and stories that impact our communities. To sign up, please visit our website and search ‘Mid Sussex Matters’ to subscribe.

To read the council’s full newsletter please click to enlarge the images provided, or pick up a copy of May’s Hurst Life.

Hurst Village Cinema's upcoming listings

Thank you for your support this year, it has been a pleasure to be able to put on films for you and once again, thanks to the Players Theatre for providing such an amazing venue.

We start with Parallel Mothers (15) on Thursday 9th at 8pm. Two women, who are both unexpectedly pregnant, meet in a maternity room. Janis (Cruz) is middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatised. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance, develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way. Vintage Almodavar, with bright colours, sense of theatre and plot twists.

Then on Friday 24th at 8pm we screen Paterson (15). A long overdue appearance at HVC for a Jim Jarmusch film, this gently observed film centres on a bus driver (Adam Driver) who lives in Paterson, New Jersey, home to many famous poets and artists. As he goes about his routine life, he observes life and picks up snippets from his customers, using them as inspiration for his poetry. His wife Laura is very supportive and champions his gift for writing. There is a gentle rhythm to the film, not unlike a poem itself and Driver gives a wonderfully understated and restrained performance.

Our final offering is The Miracle Club (12) at 3pm on Sunday 26th. Set in 1967 the film follows the story of three generations of close friends, Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates), and Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) of Ballygar, a hard-knocks community in Dublin, who have one tantalising dream: to win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes. When the chance to win presents itself, the women seize it. However, just before their trip, their old friend Chrissie (Laura Linney) arrives in Ballygar for her mother’s funeral, dampening their good mood and well-laid plans. The women secure tickets and set out on the journey that they hope will change their lives, with Chrissie, a sceptical traveller, joining in place of Chrissie’s mother. Warming Sunday afternoon fare, with a stella cast.

Hassocks Hotel presents Bomb Bomb Bingo with Cherry Bomb

Bomb Bomb Bingo with Cherry Bomb

Join us for a fun-packed evening with musical bingo, games and cabaret with Brighton Drag Queen Cherry Bomb.

Friday 31st May, 7-11pm at Hassocks Hotel, BN6 8HN

£25pp - all proceeds will go to local disability charity, Kangaroos

Tickets here

Hurstpierpoint Parish Council News - May 2024

Dementia Safe Places

Have you noticed these f lower stickers on the windows of some of the shops, offices, and other premises around the villages? The flower sticker shows that the building is a “Safe Place” location. The ‘Safe Place’ project was created by the Parish Council to ensure that people living with dementia feel understood and able to maintain their independence and lead fulfilling lives in their local community. It gives the person somewhere safe to wait if they are feeling lost or upset rather than having to be taken to the police station which can be extremely traumatic for them.

Staff in all the Safe Places have received training from a local charity on how to support lost and distressed people in this situation. The Parish Council would like to expand this project by extending the number of shops and other premises taking part. Training and full information would be provided. If you would like to be involved with this project by becoming a ‘Safe Place’ please do contact the Parish Office by the end of May. If you are currently a “Safe Place” and would like more training or information, please do also get in touch.

To read the full council newsletter, please click the images to enlarge them or pick up your copy of May’s Hurst Life and turn to page 36.

Your nearest defibrillator in Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common

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At Hurst Life we’d like to encourage everyone living and working in the village to familiarise themselves with the sites of the life-saving defibrillator machines and learn how to use them.

An estimated 60,000 people each year in the UK have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and, sadly, less than 10% of those people will survive. Yet if a bystander is able to start CPR they could double a person’s chances of survival.

Hurstpierpoint has seven machines: one on the outside wall at the Fairfield Rec on Cuckfield Road, another is situated at the bowls club on South Avenue Rec, a third is inside the medical centre on Trinity Road and one is mounted on the wall in the alleyway next to Morley’s on the High Street. There are also defibs available at Court Bushes Community Hub and the Village Centre. Both of these units can be unlocked by a code given by the 999 operator.
The most recent defibrillator to be installed in the village was paid for by Burgess Hill Lions, and is located at the St Peter & St James Hospice Distribution Centre on Albourne Road.

In Sayers Common, there is one on the outside wall of the Community Shop (by the door to the hall), while in Albourne there is one inside the primary school, in the gym of Wickwoods Country Club (up Shaves Wood Lane) and one mounted on the outside wall of Albourne Village Hall, to the right of the entrance doors. Not all of these will be available 24/7 but the outside ones listed (pictured) should be.

All of the machines are portable and contain full instructions, but why not give yourself a head start with an online tutorial? The Resuscitation Council (UK) has produced plenty of information to help us all learn more about what to do in these dramatic and highly pressured times, should we find ourselves involved. You can watch videos and play interactive games to increase your understanding. You can even download an app - see www.resus.org.uk/apps/lifesaver for more information.

Please give it a go. If you have any information about changes to these defibrillators, then do please let us know, so we can update our knowledge for next time.

Hurst Open Gardens seek new participants

By Prue Heron

Open Garden will take place on Sunday 16th June, 1pm to 5.30pm, providing you with all the treats you have come to expect from Hurst Open Gardens – including that hidden-away oasis of peace, the majesty of a manicured lawn, views to die for, flowers of every variety – with plenty of locally grown plants to buy for yourself. There’ll be tea and home-made cake, entertainment to soothe you, stalls with local goodies and much, much more.

We have had a wonderful response for our call for gardens but need a few more to complete the event. If you’re thinking you’d like to but are unsure, then one of our last year’s gardener’s comments should reassure you: “I am an enthusiastic and seasoned punter of Open Gardens events across Sussex and Hampshire. They are always an inspiring and motiving celebration of people’s outside personal spaces shared for the joy they bring and for charitable ends. I fought my imposter syndrome which questioned whether my 10m by 7.75m north facing back garden with challenging clay soil was worthy or sufficiently interesting and, setting aside my doubts, agreed to take part. The bubble of chatter from the constant flow of visitors snaking to and from the garage all afternoon dispelled any misgivings I may have had. It was lovely to take part and maybe my garden has inspired you.”

Bakers – we welcome your home-made cakes with open arms – ditto gardeners with plants to spare – they really help swell the final coffers – all of which go to our local St Peter and St James Hospice.

We’d love to hear from you. Please phone Prue on 07769 904724/01273 835064 or email on prueheron@ gmail.com. Contact details are also on our website and FB page. Keep an eye on both for regular updates about the event, including tickets information. www.hurstpierpointopengardens.co.uk

Hurst & Sayers Common Parish Council News - April 24

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Are you interested in local nature?

Save the Date - Annual Parish Meeting Tuesday 21 May

We know many of our residents, value and want to protect nature and the countryside. The theme for this year’s Annual Parish Meeting will therefore be “Beyond Your Doorstep: Discover the Hidden Nature in our Parish.”

We have some interesting speakers booked and we have invited our local environmental and wildlife groups to have stalls. Come and find out about Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common’s swifts, barn owls, frogs and other resident wildlife and what you can do to encourage and protect them.

If you are part of a local group and would like a (free) stall at this event, please contact the Parish Office.


To read the full newsletter click the images to enlarge them, or pick up a copy of April’s Hurst Life and turn to page 14.

Mid Sussex District Council news - April 2024

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Funding available for energy efficiency upgrades with the Warmer Homes Programme

The Warmer Homes Programme offers significant funding of up to £25,000 for various energy-efficiency upgrades like insulation, air source heat pumps, and solar PV panels, all aimed at lowering your energy bills and keeping your home comfortable year-round. This opportunity is available until March 2025, so take advantage of this chance to strengthen your home against weather extremes and reduce your carbon footprint.

By joining the Warmer Homes Programme, you not only enhance your living conditions but also contribute to a more sustainable future. Get in touch now to see if you are eligible, and to experience increased comfort, lower energy costs, and a greener community. For more details and to see if you are eligible, please visit www.warmerhomes.org.uk/programme or call the team for free on 0800 038 5757.

To read the full newsletter click the images to enlarge them, or pick up a copy of April’s Hurst Life and turn to page 30.

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