Hassocks Life

Local Hassocks dads start up Tennis Tots

Tennis Tots

Hurst resident, and LTA level 3 tennis coach, Joey de la Nougerède wanted his daughter Evie to start tennis as soon as she was steady on her feet. Joey looked around for a tennis toddler session and, finding nothing, invited some of Evie’s friends and invented some fun, racket-themed games; and so Tennis Tots was born.

Fellow Tennis Tots dad, David Keenan from Sayers Common, persuaded Joey to run a Sunday session in addition to the existing Monday group, and with David’s help, the session has grown to 20 children by word of mouth.

David and Joey have now taken the plunge, formed Tennis Tots Ltd. and booked the Triangle for three 45-minute sessions starting on Sunday 7th April. David commented: “Seeing the children improve week on week is really heart-warming. My daughter Ella always comes out with a beaming smile on her face.”

Parents Charlotte and Nick have brought their four-year-old, Lennon, to Tennis Tots for two years now. Charlotte says: “It’s a real community feel; all the parents are part of the session, and we have all become friends.” Joey describes tennis as a ‘gateway sport,’ where cognative and motor skills can transfer easily to other deciplines including football, cricket, golf and hockey.

Tennis Tots are offering two free sign-up sessions for local residents with children from age 14 months (must be walking) to seven years in a fun, happy environment, with all rackets and equipment provided.

Mondays: 11.15am at the Weald Tennis Club in Hassocks.
Sundays: 9.15am, 10.15am, and 11.15am at the Triangle in Burgess Hill.

For more information see: www.tennis-tots.com

Hassocks Junior Football Club supports The Street to School project

Hassocks Junior Football Club - provides footballing activities to over 300 youth players from Hassocks and the surrounding communities - recently donated all their previous football kit to children and young people in Ghana, Africa. The Street to School project where football plays a big part for children in helping them access education and healthcare is called Akwaaba Volunteers. Gordon Macleod and his family, who live in Hassocks, personally delivered the kit on behalf of the club.

Akwaaba Volunteers have been operating in Ghana since 2016, working with over 1000 young people and families in the local community. Jordan Palmer, cofounded the project, said, “Our main aim is to Brighten the future of the next generation, alleviate poverty and create better opportunities in life for underprivileged children and disadvantaged communities in Accra.” The project gives children and young people who want to play sport access to education, health care or good nutrition.

One of the Hassocks Juniors U14 football coaches took five large bags of kit out to the project in Ghana, thanks to the BA Community Branch who provided free excess baggage. Gordon also offered some training and support to the under 13s team and coaches while they were out there. This was a great opportunity for junior footballers in Accra to learn from a junior football coach from the UK, but also for the coach to learn from them. Coach Gordon said: “I was inspired by the skills, quality of play and dedication of these young footballers, who appreciate every opportunity they get to play football.”

He also found it moving to see how much the young people appreciated being given a kit and wanted to acknowledge the important work done by the project and co-founders King Boateng and Jordan Palmer who give children in poverty opportunities to learn and thrive through playing football. He comments: “It was also great for coaches and players back in Hassocks to see their kit go directly to the children who need it most. The kit was so popular that even children who don’t currently play football wanted to join in so that they could also have their own Hassocks football kit!”

Hassocks Junior Football Club Chairman, Stuart Doyle says: “Everyone at Hassocks Juniors is very proud of the work that we do as a club and it’s great to see disadvantaged children like those attending the Akwaaba Volunteers project benefitting from football.” He adds: “We would like to thank coaches, parents and players for their kind donations of kits and boots.” To find out more about Akwaaba Volunteers and the street to school football project, see: www.akwaabavolunteers.org.uk – If you would like to support a child through sport and education (£12 a month) you can contact the project founders via the website.

An update from Hassocks Community Organisation (HCO) - March 2024

Our valiant Trustee, Jonathan, recently had the tough job of paying a visit to the new management at the re-opened Greyhound Inn, ostensibly to tell them all about the Village Discount Card scheme and to persuade them, like many other traders in the village, to sign up.
Whilst enjoying their warm welcome, he was quite surprised to hear from the new landlords that despite having been Hassocks residents for many years they had never heard of HCO!

So, we clearly need to communicate more! But first, just a few more words about our very successful Village Discount Card (VDC) scheme. This was introduced several years ago as a gift to Supporters and had two primary objectives;
1. to encourage villagers who would like to support HCO and our many activities by signing up as regular Supporters.
2. by encouraging Supporters to shop locally we help maintain a lively and successful High Street, which will be to the benefit of all of our villagers, particular those who find it difficult to shop elsewhere.

We now have approximately 160 paid up HCO Supporters and would love to see some more growth in this number, after all, our population is fast approaching 9000! So please do spread the word and encourage friends, family and neighbours to join up. It really is very simple now and can be done on-line easily and quickly on the HCO website. We even have a few Supporters who don’t live in Hassocks but still support us so they can enjoy the benefits of the VDC offers. Subscribe online at www.hassockscommunity.org.uk/subscribe

CONTACTS:
Volunteers’ admin: volunteers@hassockscommunity.org.uk or 01273 846481
Supporters’ admin: togetherwithhco@hassockscommunity.org.uk or 01273 846841
General questions: enquiries@hassockscommunity.org.uk or 01273 844920 www.hassockscommunity.org.uk – A registered charity, number 1183097

To read the full article, please pick up a copy of March’s Hassocks Life today and turn to page 20.

Hassocks history - Parklands Road

Click to enlarge

By Jonathan Taylor

‘Parklands’ was the name of a small estate with a large villa fronting Keymer Road, on the site now occupied by the forecourt of National Tyres and Autocare. Parklands Road was built along the western edge of the estate from which it takes its name. However, when it was first built, Parklands Road was called Bonchurch Road. The name was changed in 1907, after owners and occupiers of the road petitioned Keymer Parish Council. It’s not clear why the road was named after Bonchurch, a village on the Isle of Wight, nor why people objected to the name.

It is sometimes said the road was built to house those constructing the London and Brighton Railway, which opened in 1841. In fact, it appears to have been a speculative investment, and the road was not actually built until the late 1870s or early 1880s. At the time, Parklands was owned by James J G Saunders (1833-1889), a Brighton councillor, builders’ merchant and contractor. It is therefore possible that the road was built by Saunders; if not, it must at least have been built with his involvement. The first tenants were typically tradesmen: builders, painters, plasterers, and carpenters – the sorts of people who would have been Saunders’ customers and subcontractors.

Bonchurch Road and Woodsland Road were the first purely residential roads to be laid out in Hassocks, which until then had comprised little more than Keymer Road and the Station Approaches. Initially, terraced houses were built only on the east side of Bonchurch Road. The houses on the west side of the road were not built until about 1900. In the 1950s, the road, now called Parklands Road, was extended further south (where there had been allotments) and then east to join Windmill Avenue, to complete the road we know today.

Lack of drainage was a major problem on Bonchurch Road. The residents relied on cesspools, which required regular emptying, and frequently overflowed. It was reported to a Local Government Board Inquiry in 1896 that ‘the contents of [the cesspools] had to be carried through the houses [in Bonchurch Road] when emptied. If such an arrangement were continued, sooner or later a serious outbreak of fever might occur …’.

The problem was eventually solved by installing a proper system of sewers in Hassocks. This sewerage scheme was authorised in 1899 and completed in 1901. In the April 2023, Hassocks Life featured the sewer vent pipe on Lodge Lane in a local history article; that pipe would have been part of this scheme. Perhaps Bonchurch Road was renamed Parklands Road to disassociate it from the unsanitary conditions that had existed before the sewer system was installed.

What can you bring to the Hassocks Repair Café?

By Juliet Merrifield

What a year 2023 was! Over 400 items were brought in for repair last year, double the number in our first year. In January we moved to our new location at Age Concern, linked with the Hassocks Village Market on the fourth Saturday of the month. We were blown away by the numbers of people bringing items for repair, and apologies to the people who had to queue a long time.

Our talented volunteer repairers managed to repair 75% of the repairs attempted. That’s a lot of items given life extensions and kept out of the landfill. Based on the Repair Café Carbon Calculator (using averaged data), these successful repairs will result in emission savings equivalent to more than 9000kg of CO2, equivalent to flying 60,000 miles (that’s three times round the world). Hats off to the team!

What can we work on? The answer is a very wide array of household items.

• mechanical and electrical items, such as vacuum cleaners, toasters, kettles, coffee makers, air fryers, radios, CD players, keyboards, lamps, clocks
• we can also PAT test electrical items to be sure they are safe to use
• wooden items, such as picture frames, chairs or tables with wobbly legs, knife handles
• garden tools ¬- we replace handles for forks or spades, secateurs, repair cords for hedge trimmers and lawnmowers
• treasured objects that need to be delicately glued like statues, toys
• textiles - repair or replace zips, sew up seams, replace buttons, stitch up little holes and tears
• sharpening knives, scissors, garden tools
• There are only a few things we don’t work on: microwaves, bicycles, pressure cookers, child’s car seats. If you’re not sure about something, just get in touch, as we may be able to help or refer you to a professional.
• items must be clean
• it must be something you can carry in
• if a part is needed, you need to purchase it (or refund us if we supply it) • you bring items for repair at your own risk, we can offer no guarantee for repairs
• repairers are entitled to refuse to repair items

The Repair Café Hassocks team are all volunteers, and we welcome new people to join our friendly group. It’s a free service and we are able to cover our costs like rent of the space, public liability insurance, special equipment and publicity costs through small donations.

You can bring items to the repair café at the Age Concern centre on Dale Avenue on the fourth Saturday of every month, except August and December. No booking needed, just bring items between 9.30 and 11.30 am. Small repairs can usually be done on the day. If parts or special tools are required, our repairers may agree to take an item home to work on and arrange collection later.

Contact us by email repaircafe@hkdtransition. org.uk, phone 01273 040110, or visit us onFacebook www.facebook.com/repaircafehassocks

Pembury House Clayton opens its gardens for charity

By Jane Baker

Over 40 years ago, when we first moved to Clayton from Brighton, the garden at Pembury House was daunting. We did not dream that 10 years later, we would open our garden! We still enjoy sharing the garden today and remain a part of the National Garden Scheme Snowdrop Festival. NGS beneficiary charities include MacMillan, Marie Curie, Hospices UK & Parkinson’s.

In the early days, cake did not seem so important as it is now! The cheering effect of our winter garden has become key. Visitors enjoy cake and coffee, which is included in the admission price. In 2023, at Pembury House, we raised nearly £9,000 for the charities. By simply adding up the takings for each of the years we have opened, we have raised over £142,000. Over those years, we have had such joy from welcoming over 22,000 visitors.

In 2024, the garden is already looking good with lots of promise for the future and the cake is a work in progress! Tickets must be pre-booked on the NGS website, using the link from our website: www.pemburyhouse.co.uk
Please bring cash if you wish to purchase plants, snowdrop mugs, bags and robins!

Parking will only be at the recreation ground in Clayton, opposite the Church. The only visitor entrance is from our back gate onto the footpath which runs by the railway line from Clayton to Hassocks station. This will be signed from the car park. We look forward to meeting you in our garden. Your visit will change lives.

St. Cosmas and St. Damian Church introduces new family service for 2024

Fr Alex, Revd Sue and Fr Simon are excited to invite you to our relaunched All Age Family Eucharist and Sunday Storytime at St. Cosmas and St. Damian Church, Keymer. The All Age Family Eucharist, as the name suggests, is suitable for all ages. It is on the first Sunday of each month at 9.45am. The homily is always fun and interactive and is especially suitable for younger members of the congregation.

There is also the opportunity to be involved in helping with other aspects of the service too. Sunday Storytime runs on the third Sunday of each month. It begins in the 9.45am Eucharist during which younger people can make their way to the Church Hall with our storyteller Danielle to hear her read a selection of bible stories. Parents are, of course, welcome to accompany their children.

At all our services, there will always be a warm welcome whether you have been coming to church for years, been before, but not for a while, or have never set foot in church before. For more information, please email: claytonkeymer@gmail.com or see our Parish Website: www.claytonwithkeymer.org.uk and sign up for our weekly email.

Burgess Hill Choral Society welcomes you

If you fancy a new challenge in 2024 why not give Burgess Hill Choral Society a try?

This non-audition choir has an enviable record of musical performance. Our members come from across Mid Sussex to share their love of singing and the friendly atmosphere of our weekly rehearsals. There are a number of members who live in Hassocks. The choir caters for a wide range of musical tastes both modern and classical and we experience the thrill of performing with professional soloists and a full orchestra.

Many in the choir are experienced singers while others have joined after a long period without singing and some are just curious about the classical choral music the choir covers.

Why not come along to one of our open rehearsals on January 8th and January 15th as our guest? You’ll be made very welcome. Ring 07522 493966 or find out more by at: www.burgesshillchoral.com

Hassocks Food and Wines under new management - Hassocks

By Deirdre Huston

Many of you will know Suness from Keymer Stores. He achieved a degree in mathematics from London Metropolitan University. After graduating, as well as selling new cars, he traded in financial markets on FourX -an online platform. He then decided he wanted to have his own business, and says: “Being a businessman and investor, I bought Keymer Stores.”

The last few years have been full of change. This is true in terms of the pandemic, the economy, and also in Suness’ personal life. In August, 2021, Suness was acting as groomsman at the wedding of a friend. The bride’s best mate was Faizah Ali, a pharmacist from Glasgow. This was the first time Suness and Faizah met, and their relationship has since gone from strength to strength.

Around the time he met Faizah, Suness was making an important decision about which of two avenues to follow: he was considering whether to expand his retail business by buying more shops, or whether to invest in property. Suness says: “Once you meet someone, you have a shared life together, and this influences your decisions.”
Suness has always worked long hours, but when he settles down and has a family, he would welcome having the flexibility to spend some time with his family. Faizah helped Suness decide to expand the retail business. Suness says: “I like the idea of creating new owners who start with little retail experience but want to build a future of their own.” He adds: “I may be able to help with financial and legal support, too.”

Suness says: “I’m creating a family business with the help of my brother, Neel, who is now in charge of stock operations.” Another well-known personality from Keymer Stores is Frank Guoonghe, who has now been promoted to Regional Manager.
In November, Suness took over Hassocks Food and Wines. The previous owner, Jasvir, heard that Suness was buying stores and messaged that he might be interested as he wanted to start a different type of business. Suness was delighted to take on another shop in the village, as he has built up a strong connection with the local community. In December, Suness will also complete on the purchase of a shop in Ham Road, Shoreham called Lighters Newsagents.

Suness says: “With the help of my team, we are hoping to expand,” and adds: “We are grateful for the support we’ve received from ASM Accountants.” Suness aims to complete on further shops where there is a strong connection with the community. He explains: “I envisage a family network of shops.” He is actively looking for other shops across South East England, but they have to be the right locations. He says: “We’ve built up a good connection with the convenience store community in this region, and our team is actively looking for the next shop.”

Having more than one shop enables me to bulk buy to ensure our prices are competitive.” He adds: “This is important, especially right now, so we’re always trying to get items at a better price to keep our customers happy.”
It’s important to Suness that management retains a direct connection with the customer and therefore he’s commissioned a bespoke software system which will work via an iPad in each shop. “We will have a lot of realtime updates on stock,” explains Suness, “and this will also facilitate feedback to help bridge the gap between customer and management.”

Suness already manages a lot of orders for regular customers and says: “Pretty much anything we stock in the shop, such as wine or beer, we can get hold of for loyal customers, if they are buying a box or crate.” Since the pandemic, Suness has done deliveries, as suits the particular needs of his customers.

The Keymer shop will keep the full parcel and label printing service but the Hassocks Food and Wine branch will be a delivery and collection point for Collect Plus and Yodel.

Suness will still be around and about in the village as he now has an office at the back of the Hassocks Food and Wines store, so do stop and say hello.

Meet Hassocks' new hairdressing unisex salon - The Hive

The Hive

Meet the owner of a new hairdressing unisex salon: The Hive. Carly Shephard began hairdressing when she was nineteen. She trained at Lee Stafford in Brighton and always works with Redken products. She explains: “I love using this gorgeous luxury brand because it’s ammonia-free and vegan.”

After gaining five years of experience in Brighton, she moved to Haywards Heath and recalls: “I was with Laura at a salon called Crowns for ten years.” She adds: “It was a lovely team, but I always dreamed of opening my own salon.” Carly took a short break to have her two girls. They are now nine and ten and she feels the time is right to put her dream into action. She says: “They are happy for me, and I hope to be an inspiration to them.”

A friend told Carly these premises had become available, and she knew they had potential. “I’m hoping to put an exciting new spin on a salon, which has been here for a long time,” she says. The premises have now been extensively refurbished, and Carly explains: “We have designed this as a unisex salon, so it is comfortable for everyone because I want to welcome gents, women and children to have their hair cut at The Hive.” Carly adds: “I cut men’s hair very well, and a lot of gents enjoy the salon experience, which includes a cup of tea and a chat.”

Carly is bringing lots of previous clients to The Hive, but she is looking forward to meeting lots of Hassocks residents, too. Carly is recruiting, and says: “I am building a new team and am looking for stylists of all capabilities to come and join the team at Hive.”

Forthcoming copy dates

2024 Copy dates for Hassocks Life magazine

May Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 23rd April
Delivery between 4th - 10th May

June Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 21st May
Delivery between 1st - 7th June

July Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 18th June
Delivery between 29th June - 5th July

August Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 23rd July
Delivery between 3rd - 9th August

September Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 20th August
Delivery between 31st August - 6th September

October Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 24th September
Delivery between 5th - 11th October

November Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 22nd October
Delivery between 2nd - 8th November

December Hassocks Life magazine
Copy date 19th November
Delivery between 30th November - 6th December

Mid Sussex Choir concert at St Wilfrid's Haywards Heath this December

This carol concert will feature some of the Manchester carols alongside some Christmas audience favourites. Cynthia, one of the choir members from Hassocks, commented: “I have loved the learning the Manchester Carols with their beautiful words and music. I am also looking forward to singing the piece ‘Sing’ with Neil Matthews from Hurst College playing the organ. It should sound fantastic.”

The choir has been performing in Haywards Heath for almost 80 years and has attracted some loyal followers. One of them said: “I have attended several Mid Sussex Choir concerts, and I like them as it’s always great to attend a concert just before Christmas.”

The concert takes place at St Wilfrid’s Church on 16 December at 7.30pm. Parking is usually available. Tickets are £13 in advance, £15 on the door (under 16s are free). Tickets are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/mid-sussex-choir

Meet The Greyhound's new owners in Keymer

By Deirdre Huston

Simon Hodges has taken over The Greyhound. He and his wife, Josie, live about five minutes away from the pub, on the other side of Keymer Church. Their three children have attended local schools. Simon and Josie have long been regular visitors at The Greyhound and felt they could make a difference to the pub. Simon says: “We wanted to turn the Greyhound into a village pub again and give it back to the community.”

This new venture is very much a team effort. Simon is the Licensee, Zoe Scozzi is the manager, and Josie provides backroom support alongside Debbie Smith. Debbie is also a local parent and already works with the Hodges in another business.

Josie says: “We want to return the pub to how it used to be: a lovely, vibrant village pub.” The strength of local support has already taken the couple by surprise. Simon explains: “Our vision has been realised quickly because a couple of residents, Kenny and Gill Packham, organised a welcome do for us, and the pub was rammed with locals who wanted to wish us well.”

The pub is over 450 years old. Simon says: “We want this to be a pub with traditional food where you can come for a drink in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.” Food will continue being served from Wednesday to Sunday, with a proper roast at the weekend, and a view to including more days in the future. Meat is sourced through Twine Butchers in Hassocks, and, as well as the beer, a lot of the wines come from the Harveys Brewery. Simon says: “We will add to our ale and lager selection with guest beers.” Look out for the dried hops on the inglenook fireplace, which are a gift from a Harveys employee.

From 1st January, the pub will hold Open Mic nights every Thursday, a pizza van will visit every Tuesday while Wednesday will be Quiz Night.

The pub is open every day from 10.30am except on Sundays when the doors open at 11am. Josie says: “We would like the pub to be a Wi-Fi hub where people can come and sit and work and be warm during the day.” Every Wednesday, there will be a drop-in surgery when Emma Warner, the IT Girl from Hurstpierpoint, will be based here.

The Greyhound are members of HCO (Hassocks Community Organisation) and offer 10% discount on Wednesday to Friday lunchtimes.

“Everyone’s been amazing,” says Josie, and Simon adds: “We want to thank everyone for their immediate support because they’ve been fast to rally around us.” Many are keen to see the pub continue in the coming years as a hub of the local community.

Hassocks Parish council - All about the waterways

Living on the banks of a stream

Riparian Ownership - What does it mean? By Cllr Peter Richardson, Member of Flood Action Group – Hassocks Parish Council

In Hassocks Life issue #52 (August 2023) an article by Jonathan Taylor outlined the streams which run through the Hassocks/Keymer area. Watercourses enhance our lives in many ways and yet can pose a threat when in flood. It would seem obvious that watercourses should be allowed to flow freely and without pollution. They need to be respected, protected and maintained for the mutual benefit of the entire community.

At the time of writing, some residents may have already received (or are imminently about to receive) a booklet from Hassocks Parish Council regarding streams. This booklet outlines the significance of resident’s relationship with these watercourses and the associated legal context. Many people probably do not know that if they own land or property adjoining a watercourse (stream, ditch or culvert), or if there is one under their property, then they are by definition, a “Riparian Owner”.

This involves certain responsibilities. In our Hassocks/Keymer area it is believed there are approximately 450 properties which fall into the category of Riparian Ownership. The booklet is not intended to frighten but merely to inform. It is trying to raise the knowledge for such owners who may otherwise have been completely unaware of the issues.

It is not the intention here to duplicate the details provided in the booklet. It is probably sufficient to understand that the relevant rights and responsibilities basically follow what would merely be expected in a manner of general ‘good neighbourliness’. This would be to ensure that water can flow freely, without obstruction (causing flooding) or pollution that would affect the rights of others.

To read about the three main issues of Riparian Ownership, pick up your copy of November’s Hassocks Life or click to enlarge the picture above.

Hassocks locals complete Paddle4Pearl challenge to end Hassocks Goes Gold 2023

Intrepid brothers, Jamie BartlettBundy and John Bartlett completed their Paddle4Pearl challenge earlier this month, despite the appalling Scottish weather! Torrential rain stopped trains and emergency services across central Scotland, but the determined duo continued to paddleboard!

After three days, they had covered 100km from Bowling Harbour on the West Coast to Edinburgh on the east. Covering first the Forth & Clyde Canal and then the Union Canal, their journey took in 20 locks, several tunnels, high aqueducts, and navigation of the Falkirk Wheel. Their heroic efforts were the finale of an amazing month of fundraising in Hassocks, raising funds for research into childhood cancer. Jamie and Rachel lost their ten-year-old daughter Pearl to cancer in 2017, and have since been fundraising to find kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancer. To date the #PearlPower fund, overseen by the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, has raised enough to fund not one but two new research projects to fund kinder and more effective treatments for childhood cancer. With the efforts of this year’s Hassocks Goes Gold campaign raising over £13,000 and the recent Paddle4Pearl, they have smashed the incredible milestone of £100K. Rachel says:
“September is always an exhausting but very exciting month of gold in Hassocks, and the Scottish paddleboarding adventure has been a wonderful finale. Although the reason behind our Hassocks Goes Gold is the worst tragedy for our family, it’s important to us we fundraise by creating events that are fun that the entire village can get behind.”

Find out more: www.bit.ly/2FZK1RF

Light Up Hassocks returns this December 2023

Ella’s winning design of Christmas poster competition

By The Light Up Hassocks Team

After Light Up Hassocks 2022, we bade farewell to Bernard O’Rourke of Sussex Vale Rotary. We take great pleasure in knowing he’ll be able to enjoy the event as a resident this year, and we hope he’ll be proud of us.

We are lucky enough to have a, admittedly a very small but nonetheless, fantastic team who have worked incredibly hard to prepare for Friday 1st December. We listened carefully to feedback and know there have been challenges with lighting near the bridge. We also faced uncertainty around Halfords which led us to think about new locations for our stage.

This year, we’ve condensed stalls into a smaller area, moved the stage to Chancellors Park, and, with thanks to the Parish Council, we’ve invested in some hefty lights. We’re taking a more environmentally conscious approach, and traders are being asked to avoid single-use plastics wherever possible. We’ll be providing recycling bins in addition to waste bins. We have all the usual favourites: a parade with Burgess Hill Marching Youth band leading the serenade at Villa Adastra, the Hassocks Infant School and Windmills choirs, funfair, games, fabulous food and drink stalls, arts and crafts and live music from the very talented Stanmer Band.

We’re kicking the festivities off with the poster competition, hosted by Sussex Vale Rotary, at Hassocks Infant School. Children design a Christmas poster, and the winning entry becomes the poster for the next Light Up Hassocks. The winning designer gets to turn the Christmas lights on! Ella won 2022’s competition and we hope she enjoys seeing her artwork here (right), and all around the village very soon!

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the fabulous window displays created by our wonderful traders each year, so we’re delighted to announce that Art Groups 1 and 2 from u3a will be judging the windows this year in the week commencing 20th November. The winner and two runners-up will be announced on the night, and competition is going to be fierce…

Let us end by saying we’ve been talking with the elves at the North Pole and they’ve sprinkled a bit of magic dust on our Santa hats, so look out for some extra sparkle!

Useful information about Light Up Hassocks

Keymer Road will close at 4pm and re-open at 8pm.

The roads that meet Keymer Road (Dale Avenue, Grand Avenue, Parklands Road, Chancellors Park, Downsview) will be closed at the Keymer Road end.

The road closure will be extended up to Clerk’s Acre between 4.15pm and 5.15pm when we march up to Villa Adastra. We ask that all lay-bys be emptied by 3pm so that our stallholders can set up in good time. Please avoid driving into the centre of the village after 2.30pm if you can.

We’d particularly ask you to avoid Chancellors Park where Mid Sussex Radio and our team will be setting up the stage next to Bennett Oakley Solicitors. If you or a neighbour have carers, please help us to make sure this information gets to the carers so that they aren’t surprised by the road closure on the night.
Of course, in the event of a medical or other blue lights emergency, we will help vehicles through, but they will have to be escorted and that takes a little time.

More information about stalls and the timetable see the Facebook page @LightUpHassocks
For more information about the event, road closures, or joining us a marshal or volunteer for this year or next year, reach us at lightuphassocks@gmail.com.

HURSTfolk – it’s not a folk festival!

When Debbie Clare put a call out for Hurstpierpoint-based musicians to register their interest in being part of this new event, she was inundated with enquiries; what she thought might be a one night line-up has turned into a sprawling three day event, featuring traditional venues as well as lesser-utilised spaces. “’HURSTfolk – it’s not a folk festival!’ should have been the tagline,” said Debbie. “This is very much a festival for all genres – featuring the ‘folk’ of Hurstpierpoint.” Taking place from 17th-19th November, this unique gathering invites local performers to come together for a weekend filled with enchanting concerts, in various locations throughout the village, including venues, homes, and breathtaking outdoor spaces. Debbie has worked in the music industry – both on and off stage – for over 20 years. A vocalist for Massive Attack, and the agent for a plethora of groundbreaking alternative music artists, Debbie is drawing upon her extensive live music career to weave together this community-focused weekend of live music performances. Performers include Taz Modi, Heather McClelland, Lou Beckerman, Adam Whitby, The Self Help Group and many others. HURSTfolk will showcase the very best of Hurstpierpoint music-makers, as well as the village’s fantastic venues, and a community that wants to get out and support local talent. The event offers a ‘pay-what-you-can’ ticket option, along with many free-entry events, making it accessible for absolutely everyone. 100% of the income for the ticketed events will be paid directly to the artists performing. For information about the full line-up please visit www.hurstfolk.org

Adastra Hall hosts Hassocks On Show

Volunteers at Adastra Hall have breathed new life into an old Hassocks event by relaunching Hassocks On Show.

This community event will take place on Saturday 28th October from 10am until 3pm, and local clubs and organisations have snapped up available spaces! With nearly 30 exhibitors, and over 70 pastimes on show, the exhibition promises to give lots of useful insights into organisations and clubs from across the village.

The event is free for residents and their friends to attend. The WI are running the tea and cakes service, and the event will be across all three of the rooms at Adastra Hall. There is also a presentation about the extension project. This is a great opportunity to come and see what the hall has to offer to potential hirers too. Here’s a schedule of all those clubs and societies attending:

• Hhd u3a
• Keynotes Music
• Know Dementia
• Let’s Dance Hassocks
• Love Art Sudios
• Museum of Gardening
• Parish of Clayton and Keymer
• Sarita Prints Joy Block Print Workshops
• Seasons Art Class
• Star Cinema
• Sussex Vale Rotary
• WI
• Adastra Hall Table Tennis Club
• Bounce Hassocks

• Girl guides
• Hasocks Circle Dance Group
• Hassocks Community Organisation
• Hassocks Community Runners
• Hassocks Croquet Club
• Hassocks Field Society
• Hassocks Good Causes Whist Club
• Hassocks Green Group (HKD transition)
• Hassocks Parish Council
• Hassocks Tennis Club
• Hassocks Twinning Association
• Budding Foundation
• Crafty Ladies
• Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Sussex

“There is absolutely something for everything,” said Chris Hobbs, Chair at Adastra Hall. “This has been such an easy thing to organise and we are in the sad position of having to turn some groups away, just because we filled the spaces without much effort at all. I’ve lived in Hassocks for 22 years and I had no idea about some of the groups’ existence!”

The raffle will feature many prizes, all donated by the stallholders, and will raise funds which will be equally shared between the Teddy and the Big C campaign and the Adastra Hall Extensions Project.