Morley's hosts fashion show in Hurstpierpoint

Hurstpierpoint Traders organise a successful charity Fashion Show in June.

Last month a group of High Street traders from Hurstpierpoint held a charity event raising £1,200.

The owners of Ashley and Thomas, Le Chic Fashion Exchange and Morley’s Wine Bar worked together to organise the evening of fashion and fun, which was held at Morley’s in June. Clothes were supplied courtesy of Audrey (Le Chic) and the jewellery and scarfs from Gill (Ashley & Thomas). The event was a fundraiser for local charity Dame Vera Lynn’s Children’s Charity in celebration of Dame Vera’s 100th birthday this year.

Thanks must go to: The models (Sarah, Mickey, Sara, Jane, Liz, Susannah, Miriam, Isabella, Sheila); Sharon (hair); Jamie (makeup); Dressers (Sarah & Meriel); Steve and Chris of Gogglebox (comperes for the evening); all traders who donated prizes (Cookshop, Clive Miller, Muddy, JanTon, Hartley’s, Profiles of Hassocks, Le Chic Fashion Exchange, Lustig & Webb, and Louisanna florist. 

With special thanks to Toby and his team at Morley’s, and Steve at Trident Leisure for the supply of the marquee and chairs at no cost. 

What an amazing night – it just proves what can be achieved when a community pulls together.

Hurstpierpoint Open Gardens 2017

By Prue Heron

This lovely sociable afternoon will be held on Sunday, 11th June from 1-5.30pm.

The nine gardens that will be opening cover a spectrum from magnificent lawns, views to work-in progress, vegetables and, this year, one with children in mind.

Gardens opening their gates are:-

• 35c Cuckfield Road, BN6 9RW

• 13 Western Road, BN6 9SU

• 17 Western Road, BN6 9SU

• 162 Western Road, BN6 9TD

• South Lodge, South Avenue, BN6 9QB

• 15 Orchard Way, BN6 9UB

• 25 Orchard Way, BN6 9UB

• 26 Orchard Way, BN6 9UB

• 28 Orchard Way, BN6 9UB

There will be balloons at each entrance and the fee is only £6 for the whole day (free for 14s and under). There will be a hop-on, hop-off bus service running throughout starting at Trinity Road at 1pm.  Trinity Road car park is free on a Sunday. 

More information available on the website: www.hurstpierpointopengardens.org.uk or phone Prue Heron on 01273 835064.

South Avenue's marathon running team

Three Hurstpierpoint residents have all completed marathons this year, and they’ve helped each other along the way.

Fiona Bates, Gary Cole and Sarah Elsmore all live on South Avenue and became each other’s support network earlier this year when it became apparent they were working towards the same goal.

The full story is on page 19 of June's Hurst Life magazine. But you can support each of them with the following donation pages:

Fiona: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fibates

Sarah: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/sarahs-fundraising-page-2090

Gary: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Gary-Cole10

Hurstpierpoint Gymnastics Club gain great success

By Andrew Hair, coach

Hurstpierpoint Gymnastics Club had another tremendous success at their 18th Annual Arts Competition. Over a hundred gymnasts competed for trophies and medals in Ball Pairs, Beam Pairs, Rope Solos and Sports Acrobatic Sixes. Some of the competitors only joined the Club in the spring term, while some of the Seniors have attended the Club for over ten years.

(Full story in May issue of Hurst Life magazine}

Audrey's changes its name to Le Chic Fashion Exchange

The more eagle-eyed residents of the village may have spotted a subtle change to number 56 High Street in the last month or so.

Audrey’s has become Le Chic Fashion Exchange as it seeks to make it more obvious what the shop stocks. 

Hurst resident Audrey Wright, along with her partner Graham Towler, is still very much running the store which opened in August last year.

Le Chic Fashion Exchange stocks a mix of new and quality secondhand clothes, shoes and handbags, including such brands as Aquascutum, Jaeger and Coast. “We seek to be a place where local folk can find all sorts of bargains,” Graham explained, pointing to a ladies jacket that had never been worn, on the rail at just £35 (it was bought for over £500 originally!).

The exchange agreement with owners of clothes means that if something hasn’t sold in six weeks, it simply gets returned to them. This creates a natural turnover of stock and surely means that fashion bargain hunters really do have to pop in every week!

The shop also now boasts a new alterations and repairs service in store. Nataliya Avery works from the premises three days a week, has her own fashion range as well as being prepared to make to measure. 

Le Chic Fashion Exchange is at 56 High Street, Hurspierpoint and is open Tuesday – Saturday.

Living the country dream - Danny Lodge in Hurstpierpoint

A chance opportunity led Matt and Sophie White to not only buy a property on the edge of the South Downs National Park but also build their dream house for their family too. Whilst the build was certainly a Grand Design it was actually the sense of community in Hurstpierpoint that sold it to them.

By David Tingley

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Matt and Sophie White set up Matt Architecture in 2011, following a two-year stint living and working in Abu Dhabi. The plan was to return to London, set up a family home and build the new business together. As part of this, the pair set about developing the site of their house in London; making it into the home they wanted. 

During the building work they moved the whole family to Cuckfield, where they rented a property for a year. But they never moved back to the city.

Whilst living in Cuckfield the pair got a taste for family life in ‘the country’ and they saw just how smaller communities could work for them. An old friend of Matt’s lived in Hurstpierpoint and they had been to see him and liked what they saw. A coincidental loading of a new property app while Matt was in the area, led him to learn that Danny Lodge was for sale – which got them both thinking.

[extract from full article in May 2017's issue of Hurst Life magazine]

Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Talks

Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance

Book a talk about our life-saving work

 

The Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance is inviting local groups, clubs, societies and other organisations to book a talk (free of charge) to find our more about the work of the charity.

By inviting one of our volunteer speakers to your group, you will be helping to raise awareness of our work and therefore ensuring we can be there for those who need us, now and in the future.

For more information or to book a talk, please contact us on: 01622 833 833 talks@kssairambulance.org.uk

Andrew Marshall - Village People - Hurstpierpoint

by Michèle Copeland

There are many books and articles that touch upon illness and death, with more or less depth, but few will talk about those left behind, the bereft - the bereaved. One such book is My Mourning Year by Andrew Marshall published by RedDoor. 

Some of our readers may remember relationship therapist Andrew’s previous bestselling book ‘I Love You, But I’m Not in Love with You’, published in 2010. The book explored where relationships seemed merely defined by companionship rather than passion, and how he devised his own personal, unique programme, by offering couples a seven guided step map to recoup their attractiveness and uniqueness and thus resolve their marital issues.

A Hurstpierpoint resident for 30 years, Andrew has written 16 other self-help books, some of which have been translated into 20 different languages. He still has a practice in the city, and once a week he will see clients locally at the Sussex Osteopath Centre.

Though for many years he worked for Relate, a national relationship counselling organisation, he decided to stop working for them seven years ago.

He has contributed to many radio programmes and newspapers over the years, such as The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Times, as a freelance journalist.

Andrew comes across as a very private person, and it is all to his credit that he has had the courage to publish his one year diary, following the death of his beloved partner Thom in 1997 after a long debilitating illness. 

[Excerpt from the full article printed in the April 2017 issue of Hurst Life magazine]

Hurst Festival presents Any Questions live broadcast

Do you have a burning question about politics today or enjoy listening to lively, in-depth discussion of current events? For the first time ever, Hurst Festival are delighted to host a live broadcast of Any Questions?, BBC Radio 4’s flagship political panel programme, on Friday 5th May at 8pm in Hurstpierpoint Village Centre. 

Chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby, Any Questions? transmits live from a different part of the country each week, providing members of the public with an exclusive opportunity to challenge a diverse panel of four leading politicians, writers and thinkers.

Hurst Festival are pleased to offer a limited number of free tickets to members of the Hurstpierpoint community for this prestigious event on a first come first served basis. Applications for tickets should be made through the Parish Council. Or if you cannot attend, why not tune in live at 8pm on Friday 5th May, at 1.10pm on Saturday 6th May, or through BBC iPlayer for 30 days following.

For tickets to this esteemed event, please contact the Parish Council directly, or for more information email Sarah Williams at scw48@ aol.com

Hurst Pet Shop reopens on High Street

Pierpoint Pet Supplies is now back in business after six months. The shop had been closed, following smoke damage in the shop after a fire in the storage area. It has now been completely refurbished and restocked.

The shop has been trading for around 24 years, having been opened by the existing owner’s father and sister. Both Lee and Andrée Tite have been partners in the shop for ten years.

“We are looking forward to seeing both our loyal existing customers again and new ones too, and we still offer free local deliveries on Wednesdays and Fridays,” says Andrée.

Opening times are Mondays to Fridays 9am to 5pm, Saturdays 9am to 4pm with late opening on Thursdays until 6.30pm.

For more information please email: pierpointpets@hotmail.com or call 01273 832368.

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council surgeries to be trialled

Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council will be starting a new initiative this month, by holding monthly Parish Councillor Surgeries. They will be an opportunity for residents to speak to a local councillor in an informal manner.

The first Surgery will be held on Saturday 8th April 2017 between 10am-12noon, in the Conference Room at the Village Centre, Trinity Road. Two councillors will be available to chat about any issue or idea that residents might have.

All Parish Council and Committee meetings are open to the public and everyone is very welcome to attend. This initiative is being trialled for a year, for those people who might find it easier to chat in this informal manner. For more information, please contact the Parish Council office on 01273 833264 or hurstpierpoint.pc@btinternet.com.

Hurst Village Cinema

By David Saitch

Hello from the Hurstpierpoint Village Cinema. We have three extraordinary and radically different films and a fantastic Live Broadcast coming up in March.

Thursday 9th March – NT Live Hedda Gabler
Ruth Wilson stars in this stunning adaptation of Ibsen’s masterpiece, directed by Ivo van Hove. Her performance has received rapturous reviews and the productions stark simplicity has been called ‘Dark, bold and devastating’. Not to be missed, an absolutely spellbinding triumph.

Thursday 16th March – Things to Come (12A)
Isabelle Huppert is simply incredible as a philosophy teacher who finds herself having to soldier on as she loses her job, her mother and her husband leaves her over a short period of time. A poignant, wonderfully funny and elegantly crafted meditation on coping with the surprises that life can spring on you. Filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve just keeps getting better and better and Things to Come marks her out as one of the most talented and exciting directors working today. French with English Subtitles.

Sunday 19th March – I, Daniel Blake (15)
Winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes and Best British Film at the Baftas, the Evening Standard Film Awards and Best Film at the European Film Awards, as well as a host of awards for the director and cast, this searingly angry but also very funny and humane polemical film is one everyone should see. This is a charity event and all proceeds from ticket sales will go to the local food bank - a fantastically worthy local charity.

Friday 24th March – Tale of Tales (15)
Matteo Garrone’s Tale of Tales is fabulous in every sense; a stunningly beautiful but freaky portmanteau film. It is gloriously mad, rigorously imagined, visually wonderful, hilarious and internally consistent. It immerses you in a complete created world. It is a masterpiece of blackcomic bad taste and a positive carnival of transgression. The secret is the deadpan seriousness with which everything is treated. Tale of Tales is a treat, and Toby Jones is utterly superb as a conceited, melancholy, ridiculous king. It has fantastic performances from Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel and John C. Reilly.

Tickets from Mishon Mackay or www.hurstfilms.com

Hey Mr DJ fundraising event for Village Fair

By Rupert Bates

She mixes dubstep, electro and progressive house into a distinctive Sussex scout hut dance sound and has been hailed as a genre-defining musical entity the world needs more of.

But enough about Rachael Babister, who along with Tara McHale is once again organizing Hurstpierpoint’s Hey Mr DJ event in aid of the Village Fair.

Hey Mr DJ will take place on Saturday May 6th from 7.30pm in the Hurstpierpoint Scout Hut and those looking to channel their inner Guetta or Garrix, or even Sussex’s very own Fatboy Slim, can buy tickets and submit their top three tunes.

“Prior to the event we will draw at random the names of 14 DJs who will get the chance to spin the decks to their favourite songs, supervised by our very own professional DJ Emma Warner,” says Rachael.

“Emma, the only person I know who mixes DJ with IT, will make sure your mixing matches your magic and the dance floor keeps jumping all night. At the end of the evening we will crown the Superstar DJ – the one who gets the most people on the dance floor.”

Emma, or rather DJ-Em-Z, has a love for all genres of music – currently specialising in house and funk. The likes of Madonna, Queen, Blondie, Rick Astley, The Cure, Adam Ant and even opera and folk, have all played their part in making her as she modestly claims ‘one of the top ten female DJs in Hurstpierpoint!’

If you would information on buying tickets (£10) for Hey Mr DJ or would like to help the Village Fair in any way, please email: stlawrencefair@gmail.com

The Regina Monologues comes to Hurstpierpoint

Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived. There’s more to this little phrase than meets the eye as Hurstpierpoint Players’ next production, The Regina Monologues by Rebecca Russell and Jenny Wafer, proves!

The writers transplant the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII into the 21st century and by doing so show that their lives are not that far removed from those of modern women. Cleverly constructed, this is not a series of six monologues spoken one after the other.

Each wife takes a turn to reveal another bit of their story, which serves to hold the audience’s interest as all the tales reach their climax at once.

The Regina Monologues is both extremely funny and poignant, changing in the space of seconds, done with as much skill as Alan Bennett shows in his ability to find humour in the minutiae of life as well as in the big relationships! Coincidentally the show is accompanied by some of Bennett’s Talking Heads plays: Hand of God, Miss Fozzard finds her Feet and Soldiering On. At The Players Theatre, High Street, Hurstpierpoint from 28th March until 1st April, starting at 8pm.

Tickets are £10 Tuesday and Wednesday and £11 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. They can be purchased from Richwards, 133 High Street, call 01273 834506, or buy online with a 65p booking fee per transaction (not per ticket) and can be posted to you for an extra £1 per transaction. Visit www.hurstplayers.org.uk for details.

Unfortunately Hurst Players are not able to offer price concessions for this production.

Hurstpierpoint local ladies run marathon for hospices

Louise Payne & Lisa Stafford

Two local 40-somethings, Louise Payne and Lisa Stafford, are taking on the challenge of running the Brighton Marathon this 9th April in aid of St Peter & St James Hospice. “We are very much looking forward to this challenge, but with the usual ‘Maranoia’ that goes with it. We want to raise as much as we possibly can for this wonderful charity and are hoping that people’s generosity will help us reach our target and beyond. We thank all our friends and family who have donated so generously already.”

Louise has worked for the hospice for the last five years as a physiotherapist, so it made complete sense to support the hospice. “We want to make our Marathon count, and what better motivation could you have than supporting such a local and worthy charity. St Peter & St James Hospice is a vital service to our local community but only receives 17% government funding. Therefore, they must raise 2.6 million pounds a year to run the hospice and their community services in East and West Sussex. If you wish to make a donation, then please visit our fundraising page by following the link provided. To all who donate please accept our grateful thanks in advance for your wonderful generosity.”

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LouiseandLisa

Hurstpierpoint Horticultural Society Plant Sale and Show - 25th March 2017

Later this month (March) the annual Hurstpierpoint Horticultural Society Spring Show and Plant Sale will take place at the Village Centre, The event will, as ever, feature entries of spring flowers, cookery, floral arrangements, children’s exhibits, photography and a novice section too. A schedule and full details of all categories can be obtained from Gibsons on the High Street.

Of course tea and home made cake will also be part of the event, which takes place on 25th March at 2.15pm, as will a bargain plant stall and a raffle and auction of produce at end of show.

Exhibiting is free and open to all. Pop into Gibsons for more information.

What should I include on my advert?

Advertisement design tips
by David Tingley, editor, Hurst Life magazine

A lot of small businesses that advertise with us aren't always sure what should be included on their ad on our pages. If this is the same for you, then do get in touch with us, as we would be delighted to share our Top 10 Tips sheet with you to help you consider it for your own business. 

The video below has filmed by me to give a few of those hints and tips...

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.