Hassocks Goes Gold 2022

Hassocks Goes Gold update here.

By Rachel Bartlett-Bundy

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This September will be the fourth year of Hassocks Goes Gold – turning the village GOLD for the whole month of September to raise funds and awareness of Childhood Cancer. This year saw the most ever entries for the Poster Competition –all drawings of Golden Bees– which is our theme for 2022. It was super hard to pick the winners and in the end we had five winners across the different age groups, five runner-ups, two highly commended, and also a special mention as the standard of entries was just SO high!

WINNERS (Work pictured): Primrose O’Hara (PreSchool), Alice Lambe (Hassocks Infants School), Maisie Smith (The Windmills Junior), Erin Poat (Downlands), Emma Taylor (Adult).
RUNNERS UP: Hudson Hurrell-Wood and Ivy Woodbridge (Hassocks Infants School), Andy Morris (The Windmills Junior), Dulcie Field (The Windmills Junior), Layla Meadows (Downlands).
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hettie Hodson and Maja White (Downlands).
SPECIAL MENTION: Arony Hall (Downlands).

Pictured here are the five winning entries, all of whom have their work included on this year’s Golden Poster. It will be available from mid-August from QD Stationery and at the Village Market on Saturday 27th August where Hassocks Goes Gold will have a fundraising stall full of goodies.

If you haven’t yet ordered your Giant Gold Bow, you only have until 12th August, so don’t delay! Each gold wooden bow sponsored with a minimum £20 donation will be put up across the village in a trail ready to shine for the whole month of September, with your personalised ‘Sponsored by’ dedication.

Hassocks Goes Gold has a month of glittering excitement for you:
• The return of the very popular Daily Facebook Auctions all through September.
• A trail of stalls ‘Let’s STALL Childhood Cancer’ throughout the village on Sunday 11th Sept, with a minimum of 50% from each stall going to Childhood Cancer.
• The Parklands Road Gallery – a free display of ALL entries to the Poster Competition in the windows of the Parklands Road!
• The Golden Gala on Friday 30th September – a celebration of a month of giving. Teams of either compete in a Golden Pub Quiz, with a Pudding Auction, live music and raffle. Tickets are £6 or £40 for a whole team of eight.

Donations can be made via JustGiving: www.bit.ly/3Snhypp Please email Rachel at: HassocksGoesGold@gmail.com for more information, to book your Giant Gold Bow, Golden Gala tickets or join in the Stall Trail, or if you would like to offer an auction or raffle prize.

Hassocks Festive Light Trail this Christmas!

Building on the Infant School Art Week theme, ‘Let there be light,’ FoHis are offering two ways to share some seasonal sparkle.

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This year 26 houses around Hassocks are getting their Christmas lights up and taking part in the Hassocks Infants Festive Light Trail. Each house will have a clue displayed, and if you get all the clues you can complete the sentence and win a prize. Answer sheets will be distributed to Hassocks Infant pupils at school and can be collected from QD Stationary too. Anyone can take part and enjoy the trail!

Three of the houses are from the Light Up Lockdown Hassocks Facebook group, who are also encouraging people to spread a little joy by illuminating their houses and sharing pictures of their Christmas lights online. They hope to spread some festive cheer in these very strange times. Take part in the Hassocks Infants Festive Light Trail between the 1st - 19th December (or as lockdown allows) and hand in your completed answer sheets for £2 and get a prize on the 19th at the Hassocks Shop Local Christmas Event (we’ll be here at the United Reform Church).

We are also asking people of Hassocks to draw a ‘light up’ picture and put it in their windows to take part from home! If you want to support Your local infant school you can do so here www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fohischristmas or follow us @fohis @hassocks_infants_school_pta or fohisgroup@gmail.com.

Hassocks Infants School Library now open...

Jane Hissey

Jane Hissey, author of the Old Bear series, officially opened the newly created library at Hassocks Infants School last month.

Headteacher Ady Bates-Holland thanked the PTA for all their work and fundraising, as well as Barratt Homes, who donated money for books. Having only previously had book shelves in corridors, he was particularly pleased to finally have a library at the school. “I am delighted that we have now got a really lovely space where children can develop a love for reading,” Ady said.

The space had been kept under wraps while the library was being created, so the School Council were excited to be the first to see it at the ribbon-cutting ceremony by a published author.

Jane Hissey – whose children went to the school over 30 years ago – wrote numerous books while she lived here, including the first in the series.

She brought Old Bear and Little Bear with her and gifted a copy of her first and most recent book to the library. “You don’t need a huge library for children to learn to love books,” she explained. “I challenge all of you to read every book in this lovely library before you leave the school!”