Downlands Community School says goodbye to Mrs Hetherton

After twenty six years at Downlands, the school said ‘Farewell’ to Headteacher Rose Hetherton at the end of last term.  

Old and current staff mingled with former and current governors, PTA members and local residents as well as Rose’s former teachers during a summer afternoon tea held in July to wish her well in her well-earned retirement after seven successful years as Head of Downlands Community School.  

Di Hunt, the current Chair of Governors, gave a moving speech about the fantastic contribution Rose has made to the school and the local community during her time at the school.  

Mark Wignall takes over as new Headteacher from this month.

Mr Wignall was previously one of the school’s deputy headteachers.

The Governors of the Hassocks school felt that Mr Wignall was the best candidate to continue moving Downlands forward. “With the major build project on the horizon and an increase in pupil numbers we are sure that Mr Wignall will do an excellent job in maintaining the values and ethos of the school,” one commented.   

Albourne Village Neighbourhood Plan Referendum - 1st Sept 2016

The referendum on the Albourne Neighbourhood Plan takes place on Thursday 1st September 2016 in Albourne Village Hall.

Albourne Parish Council urges all residents entitled to vote in Albourne to take part in the referendum and to vote ‘yes’ in support of the proposal: ‘Do you want Mid Sussex District Council and South Downs National Park Authority to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Albourne Parish area to help decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’

The Plan aims to give local planning decisions to local people, not developers, and to protect Albourne against unwanted development.

Please see the Albourne Parish Council website for further details www.albourneparishcouncil.co.uk

What is an advertorial page in Hurst Life magazine?

Potential customers often ask us what is an advertorial?

Quite simply, an advertorial page is a page which is made up of a story and images and set just like all the other pages in the magazine (news, feature etc) but it is a page which has been paid for, and you can therefore 'sell from the page'. 

Businesses with great stories make great advertorials. For instance, a new business which has just opened on the High Street where they want tell the owners back story is ideal. Similarly an organisation that has more complicated services on offer, may find it easier to explain what they do with an advertorial. Another great opportunity for advertorials in our magazines is a business which is based in, or has a specific connection to, the community itself. This makes the story very much relevant to the readership and more or less guarantees it will be read by a keen audience who love the place they live.

Advertorials are a great way for businesses to start their advertising with us in our community magazines. It allows for a story to be told to their potential audience, and then follow it up with repeated and consistent messages and branding, in the form of standard advertising... 

“An advertorial page is one which you can ‘sell from’”

Standard Advertising

What we would refer to as standard advertising is traditional display advertising. A specifically designed advert with clearly defined edges which has been branded to match the company or person it is advertising. These are sold - in our magazines at least - in either quarter, half or full page slots. Plus we also sell the premium positions of Inside Front Cover and Outside Back Cover. 

Editorial

Editorial content is all the other content which make up a magazine (news articles, features, what's on, competitions, write-ups, reviews etc). Editorial content is not paid for and does not normally promote a profit-making business. 

For advertorials in our community magazines we do limit the number per issue, in order to ensure that our readership doesn't feel like it is being sold to on every page. We think its right and proper that a magazine like ours should have plenty of community news and information, and this doesn't have a price tag attached to it. We just want to tell the stories of the village. 

Hurst Festival 2016 - highlights

Hurst Festival 2016

Hurst Festival returns for its twelfth year on 17th September with more than 85 events.

Now firmly established on the Mid Sussex festival calendar Hurst Festival is back for its twelfth year in September 2016. This year’s festival promises to be bigger and better than ever with over 85 events across multiple venues in the village. Categories this year include popular and classical music, arts and crafts, comedy, literature, film, theatre, kids’ workshops and country pursuits.

Margaret Carey, Festival Chairperson, comments: “This year’s Festival Committee has been chaired by a trio who have shared the tasks and greatly enjoyed the huge number of suggestions from people in the community.”The festival runs for two weeks from Saturday 17th September to Saturday 1st October and we have a whole host of highlights:

Super Saturday.
The Festival opens with a village-wide party called Super Saturday in a nod to this year’s Olympics. Our Super Saturday will start Rio-style with Brighton’s Barulho Samba band leading a parade up the High St to a range of party activities such as Human Table Football and Puppet Shows on the Recreation Ground. Back by popular demand is our Treasured Transport parade with all manner of vintage vehicles on show.

Super Saturday culminates in a 1980s night at the Village Centre with top-notch event DJ Mark Fellowes. As is traditional, many of our Super Saturday events are free to encourage everyone in the community to come along.

Music
One of this year’s musical highlights will be renowned composer and Hurstpierpoint resident Fraser Trainer as part of Between The Notes, a genre defying collaboration with acclaimed cellist Matthew Barley and others. Their concert will feature extraordinary improvisations as well as solo pieces from the band in the Hurstpierpoint Players Theatre.

This year we welcome back the ever-popular Ensemble Reza as an Octet to Holy Trinity Church and the barefoot guitar maestro himself Richard Durrant in the beautiful setting of Sayers Common Church.

Other musical highlights include a proper Irish jig in the magical setting of the Albourne Estate Barn, Ben Socrates and Henry Melbourne piano and clarinet duo at Danny House and Mike Hatchard, jazz raconteur at one of our four intimate soiree concerts.

Concluding the Festival in rousing fashion are two very different musical experiences; Holy Trinity Church welcomes All Souls Orchestra and Choir who will combine the spirit of ‘Songs of Praise’ with the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ to perform a concert where the whole audience can join in with their favourite hymns and worship songs.

At the Village Centre the final night party is being kicked off by local singing sensation Kieran Murray who recently played with Jamiroquai. The Reform Club, fronted by ex Liberal Democrat Minister Norman Baker, take the headline spot for a session of good old British Rock n Roll.

Kids
The children of Hurstpierpoint have plenty to look forward to with a show by one of the UK’s best magicians, Max Somerset. Max is known to many as the star of his own hit Sky One show ‘Max Magic’.

Budding performers can also take part in our ‘Create Space to Dance’ and ‘Record a Track’ workshops, which take place at St Lawrence Primary School.

Battle of the Somme Centenary
2016 sees the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme and several events mark the occasion. Holy Trinity Church will be transformed by ‘Reflections’, a fee art exhibition featuring glass art by Elizabeth Lamont, memorial war poetry by award-winning writer Vanessa Gebbie, sculpture by Helen-Mary Skelton and artwork by residents at The Dene as well as photography from our very own Rev Jane Willis.

Hurst Library will be screening the UNESCO listed fil The Battle of the Somme. Shot and screened in 1916, it was the fist feature length documentary about war and in the year of its release it was seen by around 20 million people, almost half the population of Britain at the time.

Hurstpierpoint Open Studios
A core part of our programme is without doubt Hurstpierpoint Open Studios, which takes place over the fist two weekends of the festival. This year sees 18 artists open their studios to the community showcasing the wonderful artistic talent we have in our village, from jewellery making, sculpture and textile craft to photography, painting and stained glass art.

Hurstpierpoint College partnership
Hurst Festival is made stronger every year with the involvement of Hurst College in a variety of events showcasing the talent of pupils and teachers alike. This year we are holding seven events ranging from a theatre production of Stuart Henson’s The Silver Sword to a Life Drawing master class and Music Scholars’ concert.

And that’s not all…
In addition to the highlights above, the Hurst Festival line up also features a variety of walks, talks and tours featuring local authors, historians and nature lovers. A fist for the festival this year is a sheepdog display in the glorious setting of Danny Park.

Tickets for Hurst Festival are on sale now. A full programme of events is available at the website www.hurstfestival.org where you can also  purchase tickets.

Festival 21 in Hurstpierpoint marks charity's 21st anniversary

Festival 21, Danny House, Hurstpierpoint

Friends of Sussex Hospices comes of age on Saturday 3rd September, with a dazzling day and evening of thrilling family entertainment marking the charity’s 21st anniversary.

Festival 21 will include a spectacular Son et Lumière and laser light show, air show with replica First World War fighter planes, vintage fun fair, massive classic car display and historic battle re-enactments. There will be a big top circus, strolling jesters, medieval musicians and children’s entertainers, plus delicious food and drink, a licensed bar and tea and cake served in a giant ‘hospicetality’ marquee. Enjoy live music from the Swingtime Sweethearts and local bands. Festival 21 event welcomes the 100-strong Pendyrus Male Choir, coming all the way from Wales to perform in a concert with a repertoire that includes ‘Sussex by the Sea’!

The festival will be held in the grounds of Danny House, a splendid Elizabethan manor beneath the South Downs near Hurstpierpoint. In the evening the sound and light show will project colourful images on to the historic façade of the house, telling the story of Sussex from ancient times to modern days. Look out for Roman legionnaires, Saxons, Norman conquerors, great galleons of the Spanish Armada, scenes from the English Civil War, First World War and the Battle of Britain.

The invaluable work of the 12 Sussex hospice care providers will be celebrated during the evening and a moment of reflection will see 3000 lights twinkle in the night sky as we remember friends and loved ones. The evening’s finale is a spectacular laser light show.

Friends of Sussex Hospices chair Kathy Gore said: “This is the 21st birthday year of FSH and we want to mark it with a brilliant event where there will be a host of attractions for the whole family to enjoy. All 12 Sussex hospice care providers have been involved in planning Festival 21, which will celebrate the work they do and the care they give to young and old across East and West Sussex.”

Tickets are £22 per adult if booked in advance or £25 on the day. Children under 16 go free if accompanied by pre-booked adults or £5 on the day. Buy tickets from www.festival21.co.uk

Friends of Sussex Hospices is run entirely by volunteers and since 1995 has distributed £1.6 million to assist with hospice running costs. In June the charity was given The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest honour that can be given to a voluntary organisation and the equivalent of an MBE.

Steve Scott - Village People, Hurstpierpoint

By Deb Hollywood

We are lucky that we live in, what seems to me, an extraordinarily creative and talented area. There are some Hurstpierpoint residents who could grace the pages of the national media and be instantly recognised. There are many others who still deserve our recognition, and, for me, Steve Scott is one of these.

Steve, wife Annette, daughter Francesca and son Ollie arrived in Hurst 25 years ago with youngest daughter Emily making her appearance four weeks after their move. At that time, Steve was a Detective Sergeant with Sussex Police. Hurstpierpoint felt like the ideal place for him to access work across the county without uprooting the family every time there was a change in his work role.

It is clear from chatting with Steve that his introduction to village life came from his involvement in his children’s school life and activities. At many times over the years this has been as one half of a double act – think Barker and Corbett, Morecambe and Wise, Flannagan and Allen (look them up if you don’t know!) – alongside none other than Jerzy Lewandowski. Having met the Lewandowski family through their respective children (combined think Family Von Trapp), Jerzy approached Steve to help with the St Lawrence School PTA Fete, saying: “We need a van!” Steve came up trumps with a Police Carrier, not fully knowing its intended use, but all became clear as he drove across the school field, the back doors were flung open, and an assortment of parents and teachers dressed as ‘Gladys-ators’ jumped out in full fancy dress! (As you read on, you’ll see fancy dress is a recurrent theme!)

From this, Steve, pleased to help out, started to MC the school summer fetes for a few years. He says now: “I should have known with Jerzy as a friend that it wouldn’t end there!” When Jerzy took over as chair of the St Lawrence Fair, he asked Steve to take on the position of vice chair. Short of time, but with his arm twisted, he agreed to help out! It was during this period that Steve, and you may well recognise him from these as opposed to his ‘civvies’, led and MC’d the fair as Captain Hook, Judge Dread and Michael Schumacher!

The full article is published in the August 2016 issue of Hurst Life magazine. 

Balloon Girl book written by Hurstpierpoint's Bella Amatt

Belle Amatt wrote her modern day teenage tale Balloon Girl

By Belle Amatt

Balloon Girl is a modern day tale, a 21st century fable if you like, which charts the lives of a troubled but enchanting teen, Sylvie, and her mother, Anna. Through a series of flashbacks and memories, Sylvie explores how she became the 18 year old girl who stands on Brighton beach broken and lost in the depths of melancholy and regret. The journey we are taken on will explore our position as parents, our responsibility as role models and whether we can really blame our parents for our misgivings, and, if we do, can we forgive?

What inspired the premise you may well ask? Many years ago I led a series of child obesity projects in Sussex, working with both children and their families. The aim of the 12 week course was to offer a framework in which families could find the causes or the weight gain and so use this knowledge to push forward with helping their child’s weight loss. I learnt a huge amount about role-modelling, blame, denial and the drivers of success, those being honesty and open-mindedness. 

What works in these cases? A willingness to press the pause button at times, reflect on one’s own behaviour and consider how change is needed. The process requires a lot of self-acceptance, so is not always the easiest path.

This was the seed which prompted the theme. However, like all healthy seeds it grew into something bigger. This novel is much more than a tale of body image. It is about intricate family relationships, belief systems and conventionality. It may even evoke in some that depth of teenage passion which is all consuming and capable of reaching deep into the core.

Balloon Girl by Belle Amatt is available to download as an e-book from Amazon. 

Mid Sussex Golf Club appoints new head chef

Mid Sussex Golf Club Peter Howard chef

Mid Sussex Golf Club is proud to announce Peter Howard MCGB as the new Head Chef.

Howard, 45, is highly experienced having worked at some of the country’s top restaurants and establishments for over 29 years. His portfolio includes Head Chef at the Michelin rated Manley’s in Storrington,  London’s Café de Paris, Harley Street Clinic and Bryce’s Old School House (to name a few), and has chef managed local restaurants such as Limes Bistro in Lindfield an Kew at Wakehurst Place.

Peter is also a full member of The Association of Master Chefs of Great Britain, formed in 1980 – an organisation that furthers professional development through training and guidance and promotes the very best of British cuisine. Election to Full Master Chef status is by invitation only and is open to working chefs who can demonstrate they are at the top of their profession. 

Peter has stated: “I have a real, sincere aspiration and vision for the food offering at the club. I want to re-energise the kitchen and restaurant by introducing different foods and some newer trends to the menu. I would like to focus on local produce and suppliers, and hope to offer an opportunity to explore a new and more varied dining experience. I look forward to being part of the team to move the food ofering at the club forward.”

Peter joined the team last month and is pictured here with general managers Lee Andrews and Andrew Smith. The club’s motto is: ‘Where everyone is welcome’.

Mid Sussex Golf Club is open to the public for coffee, breakfast, lunches and afternoon teas. Plus lots of free parking, and wifi inside. he venue is available to book for weddings, events, parties and Sunday carvery lunches.

To make a reservation please call  01273 841835 or email Andrew Smith

www.midsussexgolfclub.co.uk

Community Cafe opens in Hurstpierpoint High Street

One Hurst resident has brought back a little more community to the High Street with the opening of Community Cafe late last month.

Ian Jury, who moved to the village two years ago from Camden with his partner Richard, has spent the last year or so finding the right location and planning the new venture – which is the latest café in a chain of community focused ventures managed by Ian.

After working in the youth care sector in Brighton, Ian created his own plan for a social enterprise cafe and was responsible for launching Community Diner at a youth hub in Islington.

Community Cafe here in Hurstpierpoint has many of the same principles, most notably providing a place for young people who may have had trouble with school or previous employment to find a way back to work. “We focus on ability, not disability,” Ian said, “as we take those who may have dyslexia, be on the autistic spectrum or just have not felt comfortable in an academic environment. We pull them out of that rut!”

Ian (pictured here with supervisor Leah Knight) insists that everything is top notch and finished at the refurbished shop at 124 High Street.Community Cafe, open 9.30am-5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10.30am-4.30pm at the weekend, will serve organic coffee and loose leaf Sussex tea alongside artisan breads, jacket potatoes and kids’ ice creams.

“Above all,” Ian continued, “we want to be welcoming to all. From family friendly fun to OAP afternoons, water bowls and treats for dogs to mother/baby mornings - we want to create a great vibe here in our modern, urban environment.”

A Royal appointment for Fergus Anckorn

Local magician and WWII veteran Fergus Anckorn recently attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace with The Not Forgotten Association. The charitable association was founded in 1920 and provides support for our injured service men and women of all ages.  He attended with his daughter Deborah, who lives in France.

Fergus, who is now in his 98th year, spent 3½ years in Japanese prisoner of war camps following the British defeat in Singapore in February 1942. Critically wounded during the height of the battle, having been blown up in his Artillery lorry, he was declared dead by a passing British colleague, who took his ‘dog’ indentity tags and handed them in for the casualty list. Luckily, he was not dead and was later taken into hospital and survived yet another ordeal, which was to be known as the Alexandra Hospital Massacre, whereupon the victorious Japanese army executed most of the patients and staff at the Hospital

For the full story see page 14 of the June 2016 issue of Hurst Life magazine

Fergus Anckorn with BGT 2016 winner Richard Jones and Ant and Dec

ADDENDUM: Fergus Anckorn takes part in the Britain's Got Talent Final as part of the magician finalist Richard Jones.

RIchard Jones went on to win the night, on Saturday 30th May 2016, with his captivating and poignant trick which paid homage and respect to his 'hero' Fergus - as he told some of Fergus' story of showing his captors in a Japanese PoW camp magic tricks, which ultimately, helped keep Fergus alive.

Hurstpierpoint Village Street Party for Queen's 90th birthday - Sunday 12th June 2016

All the village is looking forward to celebrating the 90th birthday of HM The Queen on Sunday 12th June.

Organised by a group of local traders and residents, Gill Blackburn explains that it will be a party atmosphere on the High Street that day: “We are all very excited about it. There will be so much going on, including facepainting, an open mic night on the green, children’s games and plenty of food to choose from.”

Other fun will include a dance performance by the children of St Lawrence School, a disco on the green, the chance to grab your selfie with Stephen from Googlebox, a plant and cake sale, raffle and a Prince and Princess dressing up competition for kids.

The road will be closed to traffic between 1.30-5.30pm on the day. There will be free tea and cake for the over 75s, plus a host of other catering options, including, the usual pubs and restaurants, ice cream, pizza van, BBQ, hog roast and a popup Mama Ghanouche.

Stall pitches are available for the afternoon, call Gill on 07748 630316. All proceeds from the day will go to St Peter & St James Hospice.

High Street trade issues in Hurstpierpoint: A Parish Council response

Stephen Hand, Chairman of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council, explains the current status...

Background

Last summer’s project to redesign the road layout resulted from many residents telling us over many years that they were fed up with risking life and limb on the narrow pavements in the High Street. From 2012 the Parish and County Councils prepared a joint plan to address the issues, taking on board many suggestions from local groups and people during public exhibitions and meetings, and the advice of transport consultants. A number of options to the selected plan were analysed by professionals, including traffic lights, and all were rejected for various reasons.

Current situation

It is clear from the public response since September that, although many people find the changes beneficial, some serious issues still remain in the public perception. These issues fall into two categories

1) High St Retail Economy – It has been reported that retail business turnover fell in August (the month of the changes) and September across all shops by between 10% and 60%. Currently, across all shops, it appears that this is still down by between 10% and 30%, although some report no drop in business. Several shops have closed, but it does seem that most are reopening in different ownership.

2) Continuing safety concerns – Regrettably, stories of pedestrians being brushed by cars, lorries and even buses climbing the pavements to squeeze past other vehicles continue. There is evidence from residents of the High Street that these incidents are less frequent than before the changes. Typically these are caused by bad - if not dangerous - driving rather than the road layout.

Parish Council response to issues

The Parish Council believes that, while the adverse publicity that has accompanied the road layout changes has deterred some people from coming to the village, there are a number of factors that are contributing to the current situation. The Council has resolved at its meeting of the 25th February to develop a joined up plan in conjunction with County and District Councils to address the concerns of Traders and Residents. The areas to be addressed will include

1) Business Promotion and Development

• Many rural High Streets are suffering serious downturns in business and many villages have vacant shops. Trends toward online and Retail Park shopping are affecting village shops everywhere, and the Parish Council will work with Economic Development staff from MSDC and WSCC to understand the wider economic picture for rural high streets and work with County and District Councillors to promote our High street and village generally using lessons from others.

• The Council is keen to work with traders to promote the attractiveness of our parish villages. We will initiate and support projects with this aim. For example, the Council has contributed to new ‘welcome bags’ for people moving into the village containing information and samples from the traders and information on services and societies.

• Lack of parking has been cited as a reason for falling trade in our High Street. The Council has requested MSDC to create ‘3 hour’ car parking bays in Brown Twins Road car park. This would allow people to stay longer to visit hairdressers, shops and cafes or restaurants. The Council will also look for ways to create parking at the east end of the village, which would help bring people in  from Hassocks and mean less traffic having to use the High Street.

2) Traffic Movement

The Council has commissioned an independent review of High Street operation to address concerns and make recommendations for improvement, including: 

• reviewing the operation and improving the marking of the loading bay outside the New Inn

• improving the visibility of signing for the current car parks in Trinity road and Brown Twins Road

• continuing to press MSDC for better parking enforcement in the High Street and elsewhere

• continuing to press Sussex Police to support eliminating the dangerous and antisocial driving taking place

Kevin Carey: Village People feature, Hurstpierpoint

Kevin Carey, Village People, Hurst Life

Hurstpierpoint has a fair few very recognisable residents, and who no doubt get stopped for a chat often on their way to the Co-op. Lucy Webb has yet to reach this level of local fame, but met with a man who is high on the list of VIP village people.

By Lucy Webb

Kevin & Margaret Carey, Hurst Life

My children often gasp at Kevin Carey as he walks down the street with his wife, Margaret. Partly due to spotting him in church and partly because of his trademark beard and windswept hair, they often whisper: “look mummy, it’s Jesus!” Actually, they rather shout this loudly, as whispering is a tone reserved for plotting against parents, but no doubt Kevin takes this kind of attention in his stride.

He and Margaret invited me to their house for a chat, and I was shown to Kevin’s ‘snuggery’, as he calls it. It’s an amazing room, a conservatory that looks out onto the rooftops of Hurst high street, the perfect hub for Kevin’s many and varied projects. His walls are lined with classical music and Braille books, and in front of him sits his keyboard, a specially adapted computer he is working on getting manufactured at a fraction of the current market price. More about that later.

Kevin tells me: “I have four jobs, and the one I care about the most is being a lay minister in Holy Trinity Church. I preach and teach there, and being a Christian is the most important thing in my life.”

Kevin is also the chairman of the board of the RNIB, commuting often into London to work at the charity which supports blind and partially sighted people. I’ve often wondered what it must be like for a blind person to enter the mayhem of a London commute, but he tells me that the staff at Victoria know him now, so they help him through barriers without being asked.

I ask the question that I’m assuming often goes unasked in our very British way, how do people react to his blindness day to day?

 

- full article printed in April 2016 Hurst Life magazine - 

Think first, Shop Hurst and support local traders campaign in Hurstpierpoint

By Lucy Webb

Columbines beauty salon celebrated its 25th year of trading last month, so who better than its founder and owner Ann Winney to come up with a fantastic idea to promote shopping in our High Street?

You may have started to notice some great little jute bags on people’s shoulders recently with the words: ‘Think First, Shop Hurst and support local!’. Indeed, they have been spotted as far afield as Burgess Hill, but what is the story behind them?

Ann explained: “I was conscious that there were a lot of new properties being built in the village, so therefore lots of newcomers. I felt it was important to encourage these new residents to shop locally. Then I came up with the idea of the bags to help bring our High Street to people’s attention.”

Available for free to new residents, they are distributed by estate agents and development sales offices, so when you collect the keys to your new home you get a jute bag full of goodies. Each one contains contact information, special offers and free samples from many of our High Street businesses. These include wild bird seed from the pet shop, toothbrush and toothpaste from the dentist and a wooden spatula from the Cook Shop.

The bags themselves are also available to everyone from many of the High Street shops for £3, and are a fantastic, environmentally friendly way of spreading the ‘shop local’ message. 

The bags, although the brain child of Ann who rallied High Street businesses to get involved and filled them all too, were paid for by the Parish Council, Hurst Community shop and the Co-op, with all proceeds from sales going back into buying more bags. 

Ann commented: “Our High Street has seen a lot of changes over the years, with shops coming and going. At one time we had a lot of banks and then most of them closed. Everyone thought it would be the end of the High Street; but we’re still here. We are all doing what we can to make Hurst a real destination for local shoppers.”

It’s no doubt that Ann’s positivity and drive have contributed towards her business being so successful over the years, and this can-do attitude is an important factor in helping the High Street to become as great and profitable as we all know it can be.

Hurst estate agent runs for charity

Alexa Mallet

One of the village estate agents really is going the extra mile later this month when she takes on the Virgin Money London Marathon to raise money for Arthritis Research UK.

Alexa Mallet, who works at Marcus Grimes Estate Agents on the High Street, is hoping to raise £2,000 for the charity which is very close to her heart, when she runs 26.2 miles with her friend Heather Smith on 24th April.

Two years ago Alexa’s mum passed away. She suffered from osteoarthritis, and she always said that she would like to do something to help other families going through similar situations. “This year was the year,”

Alexa explained, “and I’ve been training since October.” Reflecting on the hard winter training on the dark and cold mornings, she commented: “My mum went through far worse – how dare I complain?

“My poor mum went from being the central point around which our family revolved, and a dynamic force of nature, to constant pain, immobility and utter reliance on others.”

Alexa is keenly supported by both her marathon buddy Heather (who is running for Epilepsy Research UK in memory of her daughter Faith) and her close family; pivotal to this is her dad, Maurice Pound. Marcus Grimes is organising a charity golf day to help Alexa achieve her target. If you would like to sponsor Alexa, or read more of her story, you can do so at: www.justgiving.com/AlexaMallet. Heather’s just giving page for Epilepsy Research UK is https://www.justgiving.com/heatherepilepsyresearch

Hurstpierpoint Traders Association is all change

Hurstpierpoint Traders Association has recently had a change in leadership with David Hampson and Gill Blackburn being appointed to co-chair the organisation.

The pair take over from Lucy Driver, of Southdowns Cellars, who chaired the group for three years. “All of us are tremendously grateful to Lucy,” Gill commented. “She did a great job over a long period of time. Our job is now to follow in her footsteps and we are both very excited about this next chapter in Hurstpierpoint’s shopping history.”

The group has its fist meeting under the new leadership at the beginning of this month and there will be plenty of ideas on the table for traders to collectively consider in order to make an impact on the village shopping experience. “There is lots to be positive about in Hurst,” Gill continued, “and that’s what we will be focusing our attention on now as a Traders Association.”

Albourne's Pop Up Pub - Albourne Village Hall, West Sussex

By Lucy Webb

The pop up pub in Albourne Village Hall, launched in July 2015 and held every Friday evening, is a bid to bring locals together and provide a weekly social event for Albourne and its growing numbers of residents and workers.

The pub was an idea put forward by Meg Price, who is the Chairman of Albourne Parish Council, and who responded to the question; how do we introduce new people into the village and to each other, and help them to feel as though they are part of a community?

150 years ago, Albourne was primarily  a farming community, but today it’s home to many new small to medium sized businesses, along with many new residents.

It seems to be a general feeling amongst Albourne residents that they need a more central designated meeting/social space. This is partly because the church is not actually in the centre of the village, and there is no high street to speak of with the usual cafes, pubs and public spaces that people traditionally get together in. Albourne parish council has listened to its residents concerns about their feelings of isolation within the village, and decided that the Village Hall should become more of a community focus and general meeting point for locals.

At the pub’s opening on a Sunday afternoon in July last year, there were 20 or so bartenders, who are all volunteers, and the pub enjoyed an impressive 40 to 50 visitors. There was also a  good turn out at a special Christmas themed evening last year, with visitors enjoying  mulled wine and mince pies.

Local businesses provide the drinks, such as Giles Cutlack at South Downs Cellars in charge of organising wine, and the Dark Star brewery of Partridge Green providing beer.

The Village Hall has recently benefited from refurbishment, and the committee hope to be given the go ahead to improve the kitchen facilities, which will in turn open up the options for social activities.

Other potential ideas have emerged from meetings of a newly formed committee to decide on events that could be held at the Village Hall later this year. These include a Christmas fair with a Santa’s grotto, a craft fair showcasing the many varied arts and crafts produced in the area, film night, race nights, live music and quizz nights too.

There could also be a family fun day planned for the summer, as the hall does have some outside space that could lend itself well to this type of event.

So whether you’re an Albourne resident looking to get to know your neighbours, or someone from outside the village keen to meet new people from the village you generally just drive through, visit the pop up pub for a pint or a glass of something local and make some new friends.

The Mid Sussex Older People’s council have also set up Afternoon Tea events at the village hall, and this is now run by Ann Higginson, who is the Chairman of the Village Hall Management Committee. Ann hopes that this event will attract a wide range of people, as she says, ‘everyone is welcome’, so it’s worth a visit to enjoy a cuppa, some cake and a good old natter. This is held on the fist Tuesday of every month between 2.30-4.30pm at the Albourne Village Hall.

The pop up pub is held every Friday from 8.30-10.30pm at the Albourne Village Hall, The Street, Albourne.

Terl Bryant - Village People, Hurstpierpoint

Terl Bryant

Terl Bryant

Lucy Webb meets the drummer and percussionist Terl Bryant, and finds out moe about his impressive life’s work in the music industry

By Lucy Webb

One of the things one gets used to whilst living in the countryside is the difficulty of finding people’s home, and locating Terl’s was a good example of this. He lives in a road near the College Lane end of Hurst but, as is often the case, I only have a house name to work with.

I’m no exception to this. Living in a road where the houses only have names, I’m up there with Terl for tricky to find addesses.

After driving up and down a bit, I employ the old window-winding question to a local looking type with obligatory wellies and dog. She thought for a moment and after exclaiming that she knew the house, her son was friends with Terl’s son and to look out for “a wonderful cherry red VW van in the driveway”. Now I had a lot more to go on.

In a couple of minutes I located said cherry red VW, and was soon to discover the necessity of this van quite quickly after being invited into Terl’s house.

He and his wife, Jules, welcomed me with a smile and a cofee, she a kind of countrified ounger Jerry Hall type who is a writer of children’s books. Terl is a laid-back, tall, cool kind of chap, with an easy manner and great hair. Here was Hurst’s answer to a rock and roll glamour couple, and I found myself imagining that they probably held rather fabulous dinner parties with equally fabulous guests.

We settled down in the living room of the house that Terl and his family have lived in since 2005. He and Jules have six children (two girls, four boys), hence the need for the van, and despite this their home is the picture of serenity. The younger children were at school and the older ones, as teenagers are known to do, were either asleep or had slipped out of the house undetected.

Terl took me back to the very beginning of his career, explaining that he is originally from Northamptonshire, and left school at sixteen to become a drummer. He tells me he had no business plan and yet this wonderfully solid decision at such a young age seems similar to the kind of drive you would need to become an entrepreneur.

Terl’s parents were artists who met at art school, and actively encouraged their son’s career choice. He admits he was very much influenced in his love of music by hi father’s love of rock and roll. Listening to a wide range of music from punk to jazz, Elvis Costello to Deep Purple, Terl began drumming for bands around the Midlands, including a band called Stranger. He remembers with a slight wince that the band auditioned Fish (lead singer of Marillion and later Fish of solo artist fame), however the two founding members of the band didn’t want him. Terl and another band member knew at that point that they had found something great in Fish, and felt disillusioned with the band after this. Terl decided a change of scene was needed and, following an invitation from his parents’ friends, upped and left for California in 1981.

Full story published in the March 2016 issue of Hurst Life

www.terlbryant.com

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