Hurst Rethink swift and house martin nesting project

By Rebecca Rees

Our 2026 Hurst Rethink Swift and House Martin nesting project is well underway for spring 2026 with Phase 3 seeing the installation of 22 House Martin nest cups and a further 12 Swift nest boxes.

This year, we decided to focus on supporting the House Martins who have a small stable colony of 12 natural nests along the High Street. By putting up artificial nest cups we are giving the returning birds permanent nesting sites and this will encourage them to stay and boost their breeding numbers. It saves the birds a lot of time and energy after their long migration that would otherwise be used gathering mud to build their nests.

Local ecological expert Paul Stevens has spent a busy two days in the village in early April fitting the house martin and swift nest boxes. We were lucky to see the arrival of the first house martins on 9th April, who immediately started visiting their nests above the row of shops on the High Street.

The 12 swift boxes have been fitted to houses within the successful swift nesting area to provide more nests for the years to come as we expect the colony to continue to expand across Western Road, Cuckfield Road, Weald Close and Wilderness Road. Since the project started in 2023, we have f itted 35 swift boxes. It is now said to be one of the most successful swift nesting projects in the county.

We would like to thank all the householders who have shown so much enthusiasm for the project by agreeing to host nest boxes on their houses and we are very grateful to the parish council and Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) who provided grants to help us fund the nests.

Hurst & Sayers Common Parish Council News - August 2024

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273 Bus Improved Timetable

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

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

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Newsletter - July 2022

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The Annual Parish Meeting predates today’s cycle of accessible Parish Council meetings, and is an ancient custom designed for those on the parish electoral roll to discuss parish affairs. It must be held between 1st March and 1st June and not be before 6pm.

Previously, the forum has taken place in the Village Centre, but in 2020 it was cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and was replaced by an Annual Report published on the Parish Council’s website. Last year, anticipating further COVID-19 induced uncertainty around meetings, the Parish Council published its Annual Report, but also embraced technology and held a very successful meeting via a webinar on 18th May 2021.

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This year, we were determined to hold it in person and to showcase the facilities at the Court Bushes Community Hub; what we had planned to do in 2020. The theme was ‘Working Together for our Community’. Parish Council matters were truncated and the majority of the evening was given over to pitches from local groups, both as stands and as one minute or ‘elevator’ pitches, and speakers such as the Headteacher of St Lawrence School, Hurst Rethink, Mid Sussex Ukraine Support Group and Age UK. About 85 attended, which was well up on previous meetings and, as a number commented, there was a real buzz in the room. It was evident that much networking took place across the community. Sustenance was provided in the form of teas, coffees, soft drinks and some excellent cake from the team that run the Melting Pot Café at the same location on Thursday mornings.

All could leave with a copy of the Parish Council report, a free sustainable support local Hurst bag, and leaflets/offers from local groups and traders. We would welcome any feedback via office@hurstpierpoint-pc.gov.uk about the event, and what we should aim to do next time.