A 38 mile cycle ride around Hurstpierpoint

Ross McCracken, Proper Cycle Ride around Hurstpierpoint

This month’s ride is suitable for intermediate riders and takes the riders 38 miles through some stunning country lanes and villages to Handcross. Our cycling correspondent Ross McCracken says not to ride it in the pouring rain….. or on a Wednesday….. Trust him!

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Once again the route starts at Proper Cycling & Coffee in Hassocks and heads out under the railway bridge and straight over the crossroads towards Hurstpierpoint.

Just after the Hurstpierpoint ‘welcome’ sign take a right turn into College Lane. Continue until you reach Hurstpierpoint College and turn left (mind the enormous pothole!). Take the next right, being careful on the bend, into Danworth Lane.

Danworth Lane is a lovely, quiet lane but avoid it in bad weather. The rain brings a lot of debris on to the road, the centre of which is green and slippery with moss in places.

Just over a mile on Danworth Lane (it does turn into High Hatch Lane but just keep on going) continue over Cuckfield Road by The Sportsman pub into Bishopstone Lane. The lane is marked as a dead end but fear not! It is open for cyclists and pedestrians.

Continue on until you reach the main road. Go straight over the main road and fork right continuing on Bishopstone Lane. 

See page 34 of February's Hurst Life magazine for the full description of the ride.

You can simply view the route here. A rough picture of where is goes is shown below too.

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Village People: Janice Kent

By Michéle Copeland

Scottish-born Janice Kent arrived in Hurstpierpoint with her husband Bill and their two children, one at Sixth Form College and one at Secondary School, when they moved into their new family home 30 years ago.

Janice had decided to retrain in a new career, which took a little time and was very rewarding. It was only when she collapsed at work in January 1995 that she realised that something was seriously amiss. It took some time to get a diagnosis, but she received this when she was referred to St Bart’s in London, where her daughter was working at the time. She was diagnosed as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as ME. 

In 1999 she decided to set up her charity with her husband Bill when he retired and she was feeling somewhat better – reMEmember (The Chronic Fatigue Society) was the first registered charity in Sussex to be set up to help patients and is based in Hurst.

One of the local patrons is none other than Howard Flight (now Lord Flight). He readily became a patron because one of his old school masters was severely affected by ME and he understood the problems that patients could experience.

Both Janice and Bill then spent some time contacting local ME groups around Sussex to assess their needs and concerns. What was needed was diagnosis and support for patients, who are badly affected with many symptoms not just fatigue. They also have poor prospects, as many of them are far too unwell to work, even part time, let alone have a career, as many of them did before they were unwell.

[Excerpt taken from full article printed in February 2017's issue of Hurst Life magazine]

Exciting times for Hurst creative agency: Calico

Hurst born and bred creative agency, Calico, well known for building local brands by providing a brand, marketing, print and web service has flown the nest and relocated to its new home in Crawley.

Having joined forces with Xpress Group, a specialist large format and digital printers, in November, they’re now offering an even bigger and better service that includes signage and display for exhibitions, way finding, shop signage POS and vehicle branding.

Calico founder Alistair Veness said: “We’re extremely proud of what we’ve achieved over our 10 years in business. Hurstpierpoint and Hassocks is where our heart is and we continue to work with many of its local businesses including Columbines, Washbrooks Farm, Black Dog Hill Vineyard and Garden Sage.”

The New Year is a time when many businesses start thinking about revamping their branding or website. Calico offer a free consultation and their tagline, ‘45 minutes is all it takes’ is based on the premise that they can gather information during a 45-minute chat to come back with a free proposal of how they can improve on a brand or website.

Christmas Tree collection raises £4,150 in Hurstpierpoint

Ours readers will no doubt remember how Hurst based resident Paul Wilkinson, who has been running a successful landscaping business for the last 13 years, collected £3,000 for Cancervive, last year, by disposing and recycling our used Christmas trees.

This Hurst based Charity, was set up to offer support to family & friends of cancer sufferers in times of need.  He decided to repeat this service again this Christmas, but splitting the proceeds between two charities: Cancervive and St Peters & St James Hospice. The later being solely reliant on fundraising to run their day to day care for those with life-limiting, or terminal illness.

This year Paul has surpassed himself by collecting an amazing £4,150 for the charities.

He says: “It’s good to be able to give back to the Hurstpierpoint community when I’ve been living here for nearly 30 years”.

Christmas came early in Hurstpierpoint

Last month the village turned out in huge numbers to get excited about Christmas and enjoy the day together.

Santa’s Fun Sunday, organised by a small group of business owners and residents, was a different way to get in the Christmas spirit as the High Street was closed for the day.

There were a variety of food and craft stalls lining the street, along with plenty of entertainment for and old alike. Stilt-walkers, giant bubble blowing and a snow machine being just some of the fun.

Gill Blackburn, one of the organisers, commented: “The weather was on our side, the village came out and the day was magical! It reminded me just how lucky I am to live in such a great village community.”

At the time of going to press the event had raised over £700 for Hurstpierpoint charity Cancervive. Thanks go to: All residents for their support (some of whom who had to put up with their road being closed), the traders, Burgess Hill Lions, the Community Charity Shop, staff at he Co-op, the Players Theatre, Holy Trinity Church, Sam Nixon and Zoe Thomson and all their performers, George who organised the musicians on the green, the amazing children’s choir from South Way School, Stephen & Chris from Gogglebox for switching on the lights, Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council – who promised a spectacular tree and delivered, Louise Sullivan and her husband for capturing the event in photos, Steve the marquee man, Hurst Chapel Choir, our Firefighters, Elsa and Olaf the stilt-walkers, our two Father Christmases, all the stallholders and the dream team Gill, Jules, Cat and Robbie!

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The organisers would welcome feedback from anyone who attended this year’s event. Was the day better than the previously held late night shopping? How did it feel for you? Please email your views to secretary@hurstpierpointtraders.com so that they can build on the success of this year and make it even stronger next Christmas!

The photos here are taken by Louise Sullivan Photography - and these (and many more) can  be purchased as prints from her website www.louisesullivanphotography.co.uk with the profits going to Cancervive.

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Hurstpierpoint Food Bank - one year on...

By Cheri Mccarthy

Hurstpierpoint Food Bank, situated in Willow Way, runs on Wednesdays from 9-11.30am. 

At this time of year there are a lot of people struggling to put food on the table let alone when they were thinking about Christmas. On the flipside of this, our community is very generous and we have received donations locally from the Methodist Church (for Harvest Festival) and from The Hobina Choir, who recently collected £93.67 at a performance at the Players Theatre.

We also have been fortunate enough to receive a huge food donation from Downlands School in Hassocks.

Teacher Mrs Kirsten Gaymer explains: “This term the Global Ambassadors have been considering the global problem of hunger. They discovered it’s not just a far away problem and, whilst there are millions of people suffering from hunger around the world, there are also many families in Sussex that can’t afford the food their family needs.

“The Ambassadors decided to take action by organising a school-wide food collection for local Food Banks. There was a huge response, and on Wednesday 14th December two minibuses full of food and keen students visited the Hurstpierpoint and Burgess Hill Food Banks to deliver the mountains of tins, pasta and Christmas food donated by Downlands students and staff. The school collected over 2000 items. 

Mr Wignall, Headteacher at the school, said:”It is so heartening to see how generous our students have been in supporting this worthwhile campaign. I am very proud that Downlands helped local families to have a better Christmas.

The volunteers who work at the Hurstpierpoint Food Bank were delighted and truly humbled at the generosity of the local community.

For more information about the local food banks visit: www.burgesshillfoodbank.org.uk

Hurstpierpoint Co-op has moved into new temporary shop

Over the recent Christmas period the Co-op store has moved from its temporary stall on the village green in to the Hurst Community Charity Shop building.

The small size of the pop-up trailer (in situ since the fire in the pet shop during the summer) has meant that it has struggled to keep up with the demands of the many residents who relied on having a supermarket on the High Street.

A Co-op spokesman explained: “The new space will enable us to stock a much better range than was possible previously - which we know our customers were asking for.”

The chair of trustees for the Community Charity Shop, Michael Barnes, explained: “We were approached some time ago by the manager of the Co-op who offered recompense for loss of earnings while it was out of use for us. As the whole raison d’etre of our existence was to help finance village community projects along with the church reordering, the trustees soon agreed to the notion, and we closed on 6th December.”

However, he is keen to stress that the shop will be open for business again in late spring.

“In the meantime we would ask that residents hold on to items until April/May when we will be able to accept donations of goods once again. Thank you.”

Below the Belt - Women's Health by Hurst's Caroline Telfer

By Caroline Telfer

There is a silent epidemic amongst women; one that is hidden by a mix of embarrassment, shame or, perhaps worse, one that is being normalised by the media and adverts for ‘sensitive bladder’ products!

If you leak when you cough, sneeze, jump, run or take part in any high impact activity (and that includes bouncing on a trampoline) then you have urinary stress incontinence (USI). Whilst this is common (1:3 women will suffer from this) it is NOT NORMAL. It is most common in women who have been through pregnancy and childbirth but USI can also affect many young women (including the super fit) who haven't had children.

Why does it happen?
In the majority of cases, USI arises from poor function of the pelvic floor muscles. he pelvic floor is a sling o muscles that supports the organs of the pelvis and has a key role in managing bladder or bowel function in both men and women. Weak, poorly co-ordinated or damaged pelvic floor muscles can result in reduced control and leakage. It can also lead to pelvic organ prolapse, where the bowel or bladder intrudes into the vagina. These muscles are put under considerable stress during pregnancy and childbirth and in some sports which involve a lot of high impact or impact on the abdomen. Other factors that affect the performance of pelvic floor muscles are the changes in the quality of connective tissues that occur as a woman transitions through menopause.

Do not accept!
Our culture of hiding this problem in plain sight leads us to mask the symptoms. This might be by not taking part in activities that cause us to leak, moderating fluid intake, wearing a pad or clothes that can hide an accident. You can now buy special pants that absorb leaks and reduce odour. These are being marketed to the fit and active 30-40 age group! All of this normalises USI and conditions us into not taking control of our pelvic health. How much better would life be if we focused on education to let women to know that, in the vast majority of cases, USI can be vastly improved or stopped altogether?

The way forward
As is the case with most muscular weakness, injury or dysfunction, co-ordination and strength can be greatly improved by the use of the correct training and rehabilitation. In some cases surgical intervention may be needed, but in uncomplicated cases of USI or mild prolapse good functionality can be returned to meet the requirements of daily life. You also need to know how to manage load when lifting, e.g. taking heavy shopping out of the car, picking up small children or any of our daily activities which challenge our core stability. Which types of exercise are good for your pelvic floor and which ones will load it beyond its capacity? How do you nourish yourself to maintain good bowel health, as constipation can be a significant driver of poor pelvic floor health.

How to take action
There are a variety of NHS and private options for dealing with pelvic floor dysfunction. Through the NHS you can visit your doctor and ask for a referral to the Women’s Health Physiotherapy team at Princess Royal. You can see a women’s health physiotherapist privately. Or for those with uncomplicated USI and those that have been diagnosed with mild prolapse, the Holistic Core Restore® ‘Everywoman’ programme offers a conservative pelvic floor wellness and fitness programme that combines progressive and functional pelvic floor exercise with nutrition, self-care and lifestyle advice. This is also suitable for new mums looking to return to exercise in a graded and pelvic floor sae environment, peri- and post-menopausal women and those in the advanced stages of recovery from abdominal surgery such as hysterectomy.

However you choose to tackle this problem, remember this might be something to expect at certain life stages but it is not something you have to accept. Be proactive with your pelvic floor health and it will serve you well throughout your lifetime.

For details visit www.musclebalancemassage.com/holistic-core-restore or call Caroline Telfer on  07922 114328. 

Judy Parfitt (Call The Midwife) talks to Deb Hollywood for Hurst Life

By Deb Hollywood

I wouldn’t say I was nervous about meeting Judy Parfitt, but on finding myself facing a twitten, still driving the car, I realised I would need to ring for further directions!

These were swiftly given and within minutes I was sitting in Judy’s kitchen ready for a chat.

It’s the feeling of knowing someone via their stage or screen persona that led to the nerves but in reality we don’t know television and film actors and it becomes apparent that Judy Parfitt quite likes it this way. 

Judy is old school when it comes to sharing information about her life. She is happy to answer questions but is frustrated by the accessibility of information via the internet. She hasn’t contributed to facts online about herself and says: “I didn’t put the information there and I wonder who did?” She adds: “Today there is too much importance placed on being famous.”

I mention Judy’s stage career and some of the wellknown names she has worked alongside. “When working with Olivier and Scofield,” she continues, “there was a mystery to them. You had enormous respect for your peers and wouldn’t address them by their first name until asked to do so!” It has not been a question of Judy seeking fame; being recognised is a by-product of what is essentially her work. “It’s doing what I’m good at, what I’m trained in and what I want to do,” adding, “I’m lucky to be working and appreciate it.”

Judy was born in Sheffield but considers herself to be a ‘soft southerner’ now! “I love North country people, but I couldn’t return to Yorkshire, I couldn’t cope with the weather!” Her work took her to Los Angeles in the late 80s when filming the television series, The Charmings.

Judy explained: “I enjoyed my time there enormously but it was important career-wise to have a balance between the UK and America.” In addition to numerous stage roles Judy’s work also includes the 1984 television series The Jewel in the Crown, for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Judy describes the scripts, the cast and the location as all being wonderful and adds: “I was proud to be a part of it.”

Judy is currently known to many of us for her role as Sister Monica Joan, the character she plays in Call The Midwife. Judy appreciates that both the character and the series resonate with the public, and often when entering a shop or café she is told ‘the cakes are over there’! This is a reference to her character’s penchant for eating cake, whether it belongs to her or not!

Judy has just finished a busy filming schedule of the series, with a Christmas Special due to be shown on Christmas Day and a new series starting in January 2017.

(read the full story in the Dec 2016 issue of Hurst Life magazine)

Lewesiana Flower Shop now open in Hurstpierpoint

New Florist on Hurstpierpoint High Street

There’s a new shop on the High Street with the opening of Lewesiana last month.

The florist business was established in Lewes six years ago by Christian Hopper. However, when looking for new premises to relocate to he fell in love with Hurstpierpoint’s High Street and has moved into the shop at number 52, next to Ashley & Thomas.

“The Lewesiana team are excited to start afresh here and join this lovely community,” Christian commented.

“We are very grateful to traders and residents for making us feel so welcome already.”

Hassocks resident Kate Osborn (pictured) will manage the shop, which will be open Tues-Fri 9am-5pm and Saturdays 9am-3pm. They will also be taking part in Santa’s Fun Sunday on Sunday 4th December and the traders late night shopping on 15th and 22nd December.

Mid Sussex District Council Community Service Awards honour Hurstpierpoint residents

Community Service Awards 2016, Hurstpierpoint people awarded

The Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council has marked the exceptional work of community-spirited individuals from throughout the district with a special garden party held in September.

The Council welcomed 54 community champions and their friends and family to The Ravenswood, Sharpthorne to issue them with Community Service Awards.

Presented by Councillor Peter Reed, Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council, and Mark Spofforth OBE, the High Sherriff of West Sussex, the awards acknowledge the dedication to helping their community that has been shown by the winners.

The nominees were selected by Councillors from Mid Sussex District Council and local Town and Parish Councillors. Awards are presented to residents who have selflessly committed their energy, time and skills to improving the quality of community life.

Hurstpierpoint resident Paul Huggett was nominated by Councillor Colin Trumble for creating the charity Cancervive to provide support and help for those closely involved in supporting loved ones who are suffering with cancer. After his life was deeply touched by cancer in his family, Paul set up the charity as he believed that it was often family and friends who are forgotten when their close ones fight cancer.

Other village residents celebrated in the awards were Margaret Gaughan and Judy Leech, both nominated by Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council. Margaret has devoted the last 42 years to St Lawrence School, starting work in the kitchen in 1974, firstly as the kitchen assistant and then as cook for 21 years. For the next 21 years she has worked tirelessly as the cleaning supervisor and has enjoyed watching the school grow over the years.

Judy has been a Leader of 2nd Hurstpierpoint Guides for 29 years. This involves weekly meetings and taking the Guides away on camps. She has held roles as District and Division Commissioner. An active member of the Mothers Union, Judy helps with their Toddler Group and fundraising for various projects.

Fish back on the menu in Hurstpierpoint

“Haywards Heath fish deli The Fresh Fish Shop is now offering FREE home delivery to Hurstpierpoint on Wednesdays & Fridays”

— The Fresh Fish Shop

Hurstpierpoint residents have been without a fishmonger for some time, but now The Fresh Fish Shop in Haywards Heath is offering to fill that void.

The shop is based by the railway station on Commercial Square but has free delivery slots available on both Wednesdays and Fridays direct to your door in Hurstpierpoint at no extra cost and with no minimum order.

Owner Sebastian Candelon grew up with alligators and snakes around him and fished for piranhas in the llanos of Venezuela. These days he runs the long-established Fresh Fish Shop and is looking forward to meeting the needs of local customers in the run up to the festive season.

“Christmas is a busy time for us in the shop,” Sebastian explains, “as many of us now include fish of all types as part of the essential mix of great food served up over the period.”

Among the regular produce available the team of fishmongers at the store on Commercial Square are offering ‘already done’ seafood platters and dressed salmon to order – to save customers time in creating amazing Christmas canapés.

For Sebastian doing the right thing is important. “Our fresh fish is sourced from all of the major fishing ports in the UK; primarily Eastbourne, Cornwall, Peterhead, Grimsby and handpicked by us from Billingsgate fish market. We pride ourselves in selecting only the finest seafood from line-caught, local day boats and MSC certified fish where possible and RSPCA Freedom Food certified salmon and low environmental impact farms for sea bass and sea bream.”

The fresh fish stocked at the shop is complemented by numerous product lines to enhance and expand your fish-cooking repertoire. In addition to pre-packaged favourites like salmon fillets and fishcakes, you can also discover local eggs, olives and a range of sauces on the shelves.

Sebastian is offering an exclusive offer to Hurst Life readers to get 25% OFF your first purchase at the shop before 15th December. This is perfect for you to try The Fresh Fish Shop before placing your Christmas order.

Download the voucher from this website: www.thefreshfishshop.com/hurst-life

The shop also has a variety of cooking demos coming up in early 2017 – see the website or adverts for details, or call the shop on 01444 451830.

Michèle Copeland takes editorial role

By David Tingley

It’s a pleasure to introduce Michèle Copeland to you, our new editorial assistant on the magazine. Michèle has lived in the village for the past three years, having first heard about Hurstpierpoint through her involvement in the twinning project with French town St Martin de Boscherville - from the other side! Michèle, although born in London, has spent a good deal of her life on the continent occupied with - among other things - her family, teaching English and the Alexander Technique and running a small publishing house near Paris.

Michèle’s role at Hurst Life will be to keep in touch with everything that is going on in the village, respond to enquiries from readers and write feature articles for our pages on a monthly basis.

If you have an idea for a story, or just want to say Hi, then do please send an email to us at editor@hurstlife.co.uk – where she will happily respond. Among other things, we would love a few residents to complete our 5 mins with feature (it literally takes five minutes max!) and also any suggestions for our Village People feature - where we meet and tell someone’s story in more detail following an interview. 

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Don’t be shy! Most of us love to learn more about folk in our communities - and Hurstpierpoint is packed with so many fascinating individuals; you’ve all got a story to tell. It’s not about being famous or a public figure! Give us a tip-off about your neighbour or best mate.

Michèle commented: “I’m really looking forward to meeting more local people and also getting stuck into writing again.”

Christmas Street Party in Hurstpierpoint - Sunday 4th December 2016

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Hurstpierpoint Traders present Santa's Fun Sunday 2016

Santa's Fun Sunday

Hurstpierpoint Traders are planning a series of special events in the run up to Christmas in the village.

The first will be Santa’s Fun Sunday on 4th December. 

The High Street will be closed to traffic between 1-6pm as the traders and residents host a family day for Christmas shopping and festive fun. Amongst the celebrations will be a Father Christmas Grotto, Elsa from Frozen, an Open Mic on the Green, Hog Roast, Tombola, Snow Machine and a huge Christmas tree.

Gill Blackburn, chair of the traders group, is organising the event and would be grateful for assistance from other residents to make the day go smoothly. She is looking for volunteers to be Stewards and First Aiders on the day - could this be you? They also need contributions to the charity cake stall (mince pieces, cakes, biscuits) too. If you can help in any way, or would like to have your own Street Stall on the day, please contact Gill Blackburn at Ashley & Thomas, 54a The High Street or call 07748 630 316.

All proceeds on the day will be donated to Hurstpierpoint’s very own charity: Cancervive. Please do come and support the Traders.

In addition, Hurstpierpoint’s shops will be open late nights on Thursdays 8th, 15th and 22nd December until 8pm, to offer our customers the opportunity to discuss the perfect retail experience here, in your village, and parking is free!

Thursday 15th December is a special Prosecco Night in Hurstpierpoint, when shops will be giving a free glass with every purchase too!

Emma Warner - The IT Girl, Hurstpierpoint - why I advertise in Hurst Life magazine [video]

Emma Warner runs The IT GIrl, a computer support and training company based in Hurstpierpoint. In this video Emma explains that she's had more enquiries and new business from her advert in Hurst Life magazine for the last six months than from all of her other previous advertising put together - that list includes smaller parish magazines AND local newspapers! 

Would you like to promote your business to the people of Hurstpierpoint? Are you looking to promote your product or service in and around West Sussex. We have a family of three magazines Hurst Life, Lindfield Life and Cuckfield Life - with a combined magazine print run of over 12,000 copies - including distribution throughout those communities by door-to-door teams plus picks up from the High Street and also through Sainsburys in Haywards Heath and also Tesco superstore in Burgess Hill. 

Talk to us today to advertise your business in our local community magazines that work for you.

Fire in Hurstpierpoint High Street - Village pulls out the stops in wake of fire

By Deb Hollywood

Friday 9th September saw a dramatic turn of events in the High Street. Afternoon school buses were diverted via Burgess Hill, and neighbouring shops and flats ere evacuated as a fie broke out at Hurstpierpoint Pet Supplies.

Fire crews arrived swiftly at the scene, as plumes of black smoke filled the sy above. Extinguishing the fie was obviously the priority, and it was a sorrowful sight witnessing residents and shopkeepers unable to re-enter their premises.

By now, no doubt, most residents are aware that, at the time of going to print, the pet shop is closed until further notice. Lee and Andree Tite who run the shop, ably assisted by daughters Tallulah and Roberta, are hoping to open a temporary shop in the village until they are able to return to their original site.

“STOP PRESS: Pet Shop reopening early October at The Cook Shop building on Cuckfield Road roundabout. ”

— Hurstpierpoint Hub

Resident Jacqueline Small responded swiftly, speaking for many, when she suggested creating a Just Giving page online to help Lee and Andree get back on their feet. Additionally, Tony Brown responded by setting up collection buckets at various locations in the High Street. It is a testament to the popularity of the family and the generosity of the community that this fundraising was taken up so positively. Within a week donations exceeded £3,365. Way in excess of the original £500 aim.

Lee and Andree were overwhelmed by the response saying: “We can’t believe all the love! The most important thing is that everyone was safe and managed to get out in time, especially Stella the dog. The fie forensics will  hopefully be able to give us some answers. 

“The fie has completely ruined the Coop and the back half of our shop, and the rest of the shop is completely black with smoke.”

From the view of the rear of the building it’s clear that the fie service did an amazing job in stopping the fie from spreading further, protecting both lives and premises. 

Other village traders have responded by having more of their usual stock available, particularly staple items, to minimise any inconvenience for local shoppers from the closure of the Co-op.

Shoppers should also note that parking in the short-term Brown Twins Road car park has recently increased from two to three hours. Traders hope that customers will stay loyal to local shopping in the meantime.

Lee and Andree have recommended Pet Supplies Sussex in Burgess Hill until they are up on their feet again.

Along with village residents, we at Hurst Life also wish all those afected a speedy return to normality. 

The Just Giving page closes on 8th October 2016

West Sussex County Council changes to school place applications

West Sussex County Council are urging parents to make sure they’ve done their homework when submitting school place applications.

Recent changes mean that schools will no longer send out reminder letters and so it falls to parents to ensure that applications are submitted on time.

If your child’s date of birth is between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013, it’s now time to apply for a school place. This can be done online at the website www.westsussex.gov.uk/admissions. If access to the internet is a problem, free access to apply is available at all West Sussex libraries and Children Family Centres.

This is the preferred method as the website provides the required information for completing an application, including details of all schools in West Sussex, the criteria for each and the relevant catchment area. Alternatively, a paper application form can be obtained by calling 03330 142 903.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 15th January 2017 and if received on time will take priority over those that are late. Online applications can be made from 3rd October. Contact should be made to schools directly for prospectuses and details of open events. 

Why is repeat advertising so important for your business?

By David Tingley, editor, Hurst Life magazine

One-off advertisements don't really work. I mean, sometimes they do, sure. But generally they don't! That's the reason why we recently stopped selling small, one-off placements in our family of three community magazines (Cuckfield Life, Lindfield Life & Hurst Life) - because feedback suggested that it wasn't good advice for our customers. 

Here is local marketing expert, Rebecca Jabbar (Strategic Marcomms), who explains what she thinks about why it makes good sense to advertise repeatedly...

What we want our customers doing is spending money on GOOD, EFFECTIVE advertising that gives them new customers consistently, so that THEIR BUSINESS GROWS and they tell lots of other businesses about how worthwhile it was ADVERTISING in our community magazines. 

That is our aim and that's just what we strive to do. Talk to us about advertising in Hurst Life today...

Hurstpierpoint new roads named after important women in the village's history

By Sophia Hunnisett

When my husband returned from a Parish Council meeting last year and shared a list of names that had been put forward for the roads of the latest housing development being planned in the village, I initially took little interest. It was only when he read them out, touching briefly on the context of some - names of historical figures of importance - that the pattern of the names struck me, and I felt something had to be addressed. Our village already has named tributes to men who made their mark in Hurstpierpoint, but what about the women?

It didn’t take me long to find the ‘Postcards of Hurstpierpoint’ books that my children took such interest in. I knew there were pictures of people in the village who had helped shape its history and, sure enough, in less than 10 minutes I had several names. Not only did these women contribute financially to the structure of the community but they were true philanthropists too: bequeathing valuable property to the aged, dedicating their lives to education, promoting women’s sports, devoting their energy to bringing children safely into the world and providing a safe haven for vulnerable members of society. And yet the names of these women have been largely buried in history. It was high time to honour them publicly. Why not, I thought, make a point of naming the roads of the new development after the women of Hurstpierpoint’s history?

Luckily the Parish Council fully supported the idea, and - with a bit of pressure - the Developer did too. Despite some arguments over the lengths of the new road names (the Parish Council insisted the full names of the women should be used, to make their gender clear) and a minor dispute over one name that the Developer felt would cause a problem for house-buyers (although living in Fanny Rowland Way would surely be a talking point rather than a repellent?!), the proposal was agreed. Not only will Spireswood Grange host the fist development dedicated to the women of Hurstpierpoint, but a special plaque in the estate will serve to inform the community of the remarkable contribution these women made to the village of which every resident is so proud.

I think this venture might go some small way to remind us that our community is, and always has been, shaped by a team of great men AND women. Since this decision, the Parish Council has agreed that all roads in new developments will be named after notable villagers – from the lowly street-cleaners who took pride in the appearance of the community, to the wealthy landowners and philanthropists who donated time, energy and resources to improve the lives of others.

(Extract from an article printed on page 22 of September 2016 Hurst Life magazine)

Letting your property in Hurstpierpoint with Village Letts

When Toby Carrington made the decision to move from Brighton to Cuckfield with his wife Alison there were no rural specific letting agents available.

This thought stayed with him for many years and resulted in him starting Village Letts, a new letting agency specialising purely in the letting of residential and commercial property in villages, hamlets and market towns. Village Letts allows those looking to rent a property in one of the many villages, hamlets or market towns in Sussex see what they have to offer in terms of the schools, bus and train links, local pubs, dog walks and so on via a comprehensive website.

“The information we wanted when we moved was down to ourselves to find out,” Toby explained. “We were lucky as my wife Alison grew up in the neighbouring village of Balcombe, but for those who don’t know the areas, finding out more about the villages they are interested in can take up a lot of precious time. We hope to reduce that by supplying as much information on the villages as we can.” Toby has been in the sales and letting industry for 30 years and lectures in Housing Law and Regulations to both landlords and agents all over England and Wales. Toby’s expertise has led to some high profile appointments. He was interviewed by Kate Falkner, one of the country’s leading independent property experts, on repairing obligations in letting. And he trained the two deputy mayors under Boris Johnson, the course that all landlords and agents have to take if they want to work with the London local authorities. He is currently part of a team training landlords and agents in Wales for the National Assembly under the Rent Smart Wales Scheme, so he certainly knows the business of letting inside and out. “I understand what it is like to be a landlord,” Toby continued. “I am one myself. I also know the importance of getting it right, which is why we not only credit check every tenant but we insure all of our rents throughout the term of the tenancy for free.”

Toby has had the idea of starting a rural specific letting agency for some time, but since he launched the company in May he tells us they have gone from strength to strength adding new villages as they go.

“It’s been really amazing how the business has taken of, as well as being very interesting and good fun doing the research for the website. You find ourself driving through a village or hamlet and suddenly you’re saying to yourself ‘I could live here’, and I think that’s how it starts for a lot of people when they realise they want that village lifestyle.”

Village Letts is obviously into the village scene and looks to promote activities and businesses on their site. Toby explained: “We love the idea of villages telling us about what’s on, the history and encourage their involvement. We will happily publish their photos and write ups. We have listed a number of villages so far including Hurstpierpoint, and are expanding on it on a daily basis. We also want businesses to send in information about themselves and they’ll get listed for free, but obviously we are also looking for landlords. I hope that any landlords reading this will understand what we are trying to achieve, like what we are doing and want to use us.”

If you are looking to rent out your property or are looking for a property to rent, then you can contact Toby on 01273 655557 or by email info@villageletts.comIf you are just interested in looking at the different villages listed so far and what they have to offer, then check out the website www.villageletts.com

You can also follow Village Letts on Twitter @Village_Letts and on Facebook too.