Judy Parfitt to celebrate 150 years of Hurst school

By Mike Thatcher

Hurstpierpoint Society patron, star of Call the Midwife and village resident, Judy Parfiit was recently joined by Year 6 House Captains and other residents in planting a new tree outside St Lawrence School.

Twenty years after opening the school fete with her husband she returned to take part in this ceremony organised by the Hurstpierpoint Society to mark the 150th Anniversary of St Lawrence School. “It is a delight to continue to be involved in village matters, especially here at the school which is so central to our vibrant community, and working with Hurstpierpoint Society to create a new village heritage landmark,” Judy said.

After a short blessing by Rev Will Kemp, Judy took up the spade and completed the planting job at the junction of Cuckfield and Trinity Road. 116 trees have been planted in the village by the Society over the last ten years, including most recently, two in Chestnut Grove, one in Lynton Close, one in Weald Close and one in St Lawrence Way.

Cllr Colin Trumble, Vice Chairman of Mid Sussex District Council, said: “I am sure, along with everybody in the village, that we wish our excellent St Lawrence School a very happy 150th birthday. It will be great to see once more a tree growing next to the school, replacing the much loved horse chestnut that we lost a few years ago. This is a welcome example of the continuing success of Hurstpierpoint Society’s Tree Scheme.”

The ceremony was preceded by a robust Q&A session with Judy and the Year 6 pupils. Any fears that there would be no questions were soon dispelled as a sea of hands appeared and remained in the air all through the session. Judy gave them tips for acting, lessons for life and told them many stories from her varied career. Where mentions of Olivier, O’Toole and Hopkins were met with quiet respect, being told her favourite singers were Rag’n’Bone Man, Adele and Robbie Williams were greeted with gasps of approval.

The questions ranged from either her involvement in Call the Midwife and acting to questions starting ‘What is your favourite…?’ or to the somewhat leftfield. ‘Who is your least favourite cameraman?’. She finished with some welcome tips for those who had solo parts in the upcoming Robin Hood production, which were appreciated by her young audience.

Membership forms for The Hurstpierpoint Society can be collected from Columbines in the High Street or email: hurstsociety @gmail.com.

Shows must go on at the Players Theatre, Hurstpierpoint

Productions in the Players Theatre on the High Street will continue during the summer as it is proposed that the renovations will now take place in the autumn. It is hoped that the initial work will concentrate on new seating and heating system, making it an even more welcoming place to watch plays, productions and films.

The next production is Rope, by former Hassocks resident Patrick Hamilton, which is being presented by the Players Theatre 2nd-6th April. It’s a mysterious play, a why - rather than who – dunnit! The audience knows from the onset who is responsible for the gruesome murder. The contrasting collection of guests are assembled to enjoy a macabre supper party at the mercy of their hosts’ flawed personalities. Not a play for the kiddies!

Jo Kearns, the play’s director, explained: “Whilst I was suffering from serious illness a couple of years ago, the nurses encouraged me to plan for future events, and to place on a wish list ideas that had previously only been a figment of imagination. As I was keen to direct a play, ‘Rope’ became my directorial debut, which so far has been a challenging but highly enjoyable experience.”

St Lawrence Fair Fun Run - 6th July 2019

By Mike Thatcher

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St Lawrence Fair Fun Run in Hurstpierpoint

Although the St Lawrence Fair seems a long way off, preparation is already underway, and perhaps none more so than for anyone who is thinking of entering the Fun Run this year. It has become an integral part of Fair Day and I met with race organiser Benny Coxhill along with two of last year’s winners Laura O’Grady Serrut and Freddie Shalloe.

First conceived by Andrew Priddell, it used to be a much longer route, up to ten miles and going up Wolstonbury twice. Benny then got involved: “I used to see it go past my house in Bedlam Street and think I would like to do that, so I started training but that was the year they stopped running it! A group of us revived it about 20 years ago.”

Benny took over the running of the event from Ian Bush ten years ago. “We usually get about 100 people in total, 60 or 70 for the long course and 20 or 30 for the short course, but it would be nice to have a few more.

We have had all sorts of runners over the years. Some serious runners; people have come from Scotland and even the Netherlands, so you get all sorts of people.”

The long course goes over the top of Wolstonbury Hill and is just over five miles long. The shorter course cuts towards Danny House and over the fields and is close to a mile and half long. There’s a short stretch of road on New Way Lane, and the race organisers are grateful to Danny House as they need permission to run on the drive. It can be a moment to frighten or inspire the runners according to Benny: “You can see the great hill behind the house and think I’ve got to go up there!”

As much as anything, the race couldn’t be run without volunteers. Benny is particularly grateful for one group’s help: “The Army Cadets are really good. They are from Hurst but also recruit from other branches. They are great, and they do whatever is asked of them.”

If helping out at a water station appeals to you then please let Benny know. It’s a great job for dog walkers who don’t mind waiting somewhere on the route for an hour. As Laura said: “It gets really hot during the race, so we are really grateful for the water stations and volunteers.”

Race Day is Saturday 6th July this year. If you can help in any way email: stlawrencefair.funrun at gmail.com.

Parish Council news - March 2019

By Stephen Hand

As many will have seen, the new Village Gateways have been installed at the entry to the two villages of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common and in general have been positively received. Most people have commented that they do give a stronger sense of place, which was our intention in putting them in place.

Although New Year’s Day will be some weeks past when this page is published, I would like to thank everyone who made the effort to join the ‘Hurst Meadows Guided Walkabouts’ on that day. Some eighty people in total took part in the two walks and, from the lively discussions that took place, thoroughly enjoyed the guided tours of the three meadows which make up the fifty acres that now belong in perpetuity to the community. My thanks to Cllr. Claire Majsai and Advisory Board member Helen Brangwyn for organising the event, which will be repeated at Easter when the new orchard has been planted.

At its recent January meeting the Parish Council approved its budget for the year 2019-2020. In looking to next year we have taken account of our proposed management of the new Court Bushes Community Hub which will open in the spring. The new community building will be a flexible space that can be used in different ways by local community groups. A large hall area will be available for social functions or as a venue for activities like exercise classes and it is hoped that a nursery provider will use the space to provide local childcare. While MSDC has made most of the investment in refurbishing the building, it is proposed that the Parish Council will be responsible for the day to day financial operation of the Hub. MSDC will consider our management proposal in March, but meanwhile we believe that it is right for us to make provision to fund the early days of this hugely worthwhile project. In order to make sure we can do this while continuing to balance our budget, we have increased our Band D council tax by 5% which equates to an additional £3.42 per household per year. This budget and the financial results for the year 2018-2019 will be presented as usual at the Annual Parish Meeting in May.

Finally, in May there are local elections, including the chance to elect a new Parish Council. Anyone wishing to stand for election should contact the MSDC election office for further details. The deadline for candidates to submit nomination forms is 3rd April 2019.

Hurst College students sit on 'top of the bench'!

A team of students from Years 9, 10 and 11 at Hurst College won the Top of the Bench chemistry competition held in Lewes.

Lottie Ashton, Thomas Manchester, Saoirse Osbourne and Oscar Jaffe performed well in the annual competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry, to take the title from Brighton College in second and Eastbourne College in third.

Both Year 9 students, Lottie and Tom, carried out an investigation into reactivity and displacement reactions. Saoirse investigated rates of reactions that involved reacting magnesium with an acid, and Oscar carried out a titration to determine the concentration of hydrochloric acid. The team then came together at the end to compete in the multiple choice quiz.

Tree conversation in Hurstpierpoint

By David Clarke, The Hurstpierpoint Society

Throughout the world there is concern about the vast number of trees being felled, especially in the rain forests. In Hurstpierpoint we have been planting and conserving trees.

Towards the end of 2018 the Hurstpierpoint Society planted five more trees, two in Chestnut Grove, one in Lynton Close, one in Weald Close and one in St Lawrence Way.

These continue the Tree Scheme started by the Society, on the initiative of Paddy Kehoe, in 2011.

Since then 116 trees have been planted, funded by the Society with grants and support from the Parish Council, Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex County Council. We receive requests from residents for either a new tree to improve the street environment or to replace a dying tree. The deal is that the Society will acquire the tree and arrange planting but local residents take on responsibility for watering and caring for the tree near their houses. An oak tree on Albourne Road was funded by the family of a former chairman of the Society.

The scheme has obviously been very successful. It was thought that it would end in 2017.

Four Liquidambar trees were planted on the recreation ground. This year we will plant a new oak tree outside St Lawrence School to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the school. Watch out for more details later. If you have a suggestion about further tree planting, contact committee member Stephen Baldey, email: scbaldey at hotmail.com.

Working close to home in Hurst

Hurstpierpoint welcomes a new business venture this month with the opening of Desk Village on the High Street. It has been established by Hurst residents Matt Rosine and Danny Chadburn who, between them, currently have five children at St Lawrence School. The pair have already had a lot of interest from business professionals in the village who are looking to work in a shared space, rather than working from home.

“Hurstpierpoint has an incredibly high concentration of professionals and business owners,” said Matt. “Many who work for global brands, television and record producers, for example, and we are looking to build a business community for those looking for human interaction during their working day.”

Matt has recently returned from 13 years in the USA working within professional football. Danny’s background is in web architecture and design, and he was responsible for the logo adorning the shop front.

The space will include a conference area, and the option for a permanent desk space will be available after three months as well as 24-hour access for those dealing with global time differences. Guest speakers and special events have also been planned.

For further information see: www.deskvillage.com

Hurstpierpoint Community Hub - building progress

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Community Hub in Hurstpierpoint

Local residents had their first chance to see how work is progressing on the new Hurstpierpoint Community Hub in mid-December. The former Ex Serviceman’s Club at Court Bushes Recreation Ground has been empty since December 2017, and later that month a serious fire destroyed the interior of the building. Mid Sussex District Council is working with Hurstpierpoint Parish Council and local community groups to bring the building back into use as a community facility.

The new community building will be a flexible space that can be used in different ways by local community groups. A large hall area will be available for social functions like wedding receptions and birthday parties, as a space for social groups to meet or as a venue for positive activities like exercise classes. An area will be provided for community meetings to be held and it is hoped that a nursery provider will use the space to provide local childcare for nearby families.

Councillor Colin Trumble said: “Since November last year we’ve been working hard to bring this community centre back to life. We are hoping that by the middle of February it will be ready to use, with an opening probably sometime around Easter 2019.”

Christmas Day lunch offer to community

By Naomi McBain

It is an exciting time of expansion for Hurstpierpoint charity Hope, which aims to encourage and support family life and reduce stress and isolation amongst families.

Working with a growing team of volunteers, many lives are being encouraged and equipped through our term time programmes of parenting conversations, small support groups called Sparkle groups, playtime fun and support of individual families.

On Christmas Day we are linking up for a second year with another local charity, Befriended, for a Community Christmas lunch. Last year was full of laughter, fun and delicious food.

This year we are looking again to make Christmas Day special for families and individuals who might otherwise find the day difficult, or are simply looking to spend the day with others in the community. Do help us spread the word to people you know who would like to come.

For more information on this event please contact: admin @befriended.org.

Short back and sides - new barbers in Hurstpierpoint

Jed Berry

There’s a new barbers in town: JB & Co – which is run by brothers Jed and Jake Berry.

Jake, who already runs another barbers shop in Brighton, lives in Hurstpierpoint and loves the place.

He raved so much about it to his brother Jed, that he moved down from Banbury to run the business at 108 High Street!

Jed (pictured) has been a barber for seven years and explained that the pair have experienced a lot of support from residents and fellow traders already: “People just pop their head round the door and say Hi, wishing us good luck – it’s really nice.”

JB & Co is open from 9am Tuesday to Saturday with an earlier start on Saturdays and a late finish on Thursday nights

Hurst High Street Community Christmas Event

By David Tingley

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High Street Community Event in Hurstpierpoint

It is with great pleasure that we at Hurst Life have been able to join with the various other businesses who have supported the Community Christmas Event on the High Street on 8th December.

According to organiser Louise Lawrence, this year’s High Street event has been a genuine community collaboration with many groups, in addition to businesses, taking steps to make it happen. She explained: “Hurst Life’s support has been incredibly helpful. Hurst Life has, with no charge, allowed us to raise the profile of the event by printing photos and updates on a monthly basis.”

Other businesses involved this year specifically include: Marcus Grimes, Castles Solicitors, The Co-op and Nationwide Building Society as well as other High Street traders.

The High Street will be closed to traffic from 2.45pm on Saturday 8th December, reopening at 7pm that evening.

Highlights of the afternoon will include over 55 stalls (all local), Santa’s Grotto from 4pm, a live nativity, live band, dance performance, trishaw rides and a camera booth. The evening will conclude with a torchlit carol singing procession at 6.30pm.

For up to date information about the event search for ‘Hurst High Street Xmas Shopping’ on Facebook.

Christmas at Hurstpierpoint churches

Download the guide to everything that’s going on at churches in Hurstpierpoint at Christmastime 2018!

Natural health right here in Hurstpierpoint

Juniper Herbs, developed by Ellie Ceylan

Juniper is the brainchild of Ellie Ceylan who graduated as a Herbalist and Naturopath in 2015. As well as bringing up her two children, she spends her spare time foraging, growing herbs and making herbal remedies, with plans to develop a range of skincare products in the near future.

“My aim for Juniper,” explains Ellie, “is to provide natural health solutions so that customers can enjoy optimal health and well-being as well as participating in their own healing process.” She also believes that by promoting herbal medicine and natural healing to the local community she can increase people’s connection to the natural world, whether this is through medicine, educational walks and talks or workshops. Evidence increasingly shows that access to the natural world can reduce stress, anxiety and depression.

Moving to Hurstpierpoint in 2011 was a big step towards living closer to nature and bringing her children up within a beautiful, rural environment. Ellie explains: “I grew up with a love of nature and feel that our relationship with it has become obscured by our busy, modern lifestyles. I wanted to re-establish that connection and inspire others to develop a greater kinship with nature.” She believes that herbal medicine provides that opportunity – not only is it a chance to heal illness but it’s also about retuning to the natural world.

[Full article published in November 2018 issue of Hurst Life magazine]

Remembrance Parade through Hurst

Remembrance Parade in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex

By Trevor Evans

This year’s parade will mark a special milestone in our country’s history; 100 years ago, on Sunday 11th November 1918, the guns fell silent and the First World War was over.

This year, as always, we remember at our village Memorial all those villagers who not only gave their lives in the Great War but those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in subsequent theatres of war.

This year’s Remembrance Parade will take place on Sunday 11th November. The parade will form up at 10.30am at South Avenue. The parade will then march through the High Street to the War Memorial. If wet, the parade will assemble in the Army Cadets drill hall, which is situated behind the Co-op in the High Street.

The police have advised that they are no longer able to provide assistance for road closure traffic control and that we provide our own marshals.

I would ask motorists to accept a short delay on their journey whilst the parade takes place.

Having carried out the duties as Parade Marshal for the Royal British Legion in the village for many years I have decided to stand down after this year’s parade. I will be handing over the baton to Colin Richardson MBE who will continue the parade organisation on behalf of the village.

New stone laid on The Green in Hurst

Passers-by of the children sculpture on The Green may have noticed the addition of a new stone laid in front of it – courtesy of Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council.

Hurst resident Sylvia Thornhill (pictured) was one of many who suggested concepts for the installation, but hers eventually won the public vote and was installed in July 2013.

The new stone credits Sylvia and explains the rationale of the artwork, as the children represent the seven centuries that the St Lawrence Fair has been running.

Lustig & Webb celebrate four years in Hurst

With the High Street constantly changing, it’s great to be able to recognise business owners in Hurstpierpoint who have recently celebrated four years running Lustig & Webb – the hair salon tucked away behind Café Murano.

Originally started by Daniel Lustig and Stephen Webb as a pop-up shop - sharing the space with interior designer Angie Cheung - within a year the couple had taken on the whole shop and were employing two additional stylists.

The pair are no strangers to celebrations this year, as they got married in Bordeaux during the summer – with a three-day event including friends and family. “After two years of planning,” Daniel explained, “it was a very special time and fantastic to finally ‘tie the knot’.”

Daniel started work in the hotel industry but trained as a stylist at Toni & Guy and had worked in Brighton for 20 years before opening in the village. Stephen similarly trained at Toni & Guy and enjoyed working in London, Dubai and Brighton – before finally settling down in Hurst. They now live just up the road, in Sayers Common.

“For us,” Daniel says, “it’s all about customer experience. We know many can feel intimidated about coming to a hair salon, so we do everything we can to make clients feel welcome from walking through the door to the ‘goodbye’ as they leave feeling fabulous!”

[Full article published in October 2018 Hurst Life magazine]

The shining lights of village cinema

By Mike Thatcher

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Hurst Village Cinema gets Commendations

I gave far too much thought about which jumper I should wear to Sheffield. On the one hand I had worn the same one four years running and we had always come away with some awards. On the other hand people might think it was the only one I owned. Boldly, I chose a different jumper, albeit essentially the same colour.

Once again we had been nominated in two categories for the annual Film Society of the Year awards in Sheffield, rewarding the hard work which Manon and David Saitch put into running the Hurst Village Cinema.

I travelled up early on Friday and on arrival watched two films which are well worth a viewing; American Animals and The Miseducation of Cameron Post. I met up with David later, who was looking nervously over his shoulder for Newcastle Film Society who seem to have anointed him as their designated drinking buddy. As a group they were later to be awarded the Roebuck Cup, leaving David to muse that his shoes were too big to be filled by just one person.

David, with less than eight hours of his reign as Roebuck Cup winner left, had been asked to be on the Community Cinema Review of the Year panel entitled ‘Challenges and Success’. Unfortunately, going after Liz from Leigh Film Society meant much had already been said. What did emerge, however, was that Hurst Village Cinema is almost unique in having only three people at the helm. Other organisations have up to 30 volunteers and their scope and brief is much wider than ours. “It makes everything you do more amazing,” commented the Deborah Parker, the Chief Exective of Cinema for All.

The scene maybe changing slightly, with the emphasis now on the bigger organisation, but, as always, I came away proud to be a part of Hurst Village Cinema, as we picked up two Commendations at the awards. The last word from Deborah: “You guys at Hurst Village Cinema are a shining light. You exploded onto the scene in such a fully formed way that it seemed as though you had been there for decades, you started helping other film societies network straight away, you’ve helped out other film societies and us without a second thought; you’ve really inspired people.”

Community Christmas Event on Hurstpierpoint High Street

By Louise Lawrence

We’re excited to be able to give you a little info on the upcoming Christmas event, which will take place on Saturday 8th December between 3-7pm. Although it’s a little time away yet, we’re adding new highlights weekly so it promises to really kick start the festive period! Please save the date.

We will have something for all the family, including: Santa’s Grotto (sponsored by Marcus Grimes); traders and charity tables along the High street; live Nativity in the bus shelter; music by The Straw Dogs; theatre performances; photo booth competition and carol singing, of course!

The whole event concludes with a torchlit procession for all to join in with.

This year the event is being run by the community (local charities) and the traders. There has been no charge for table space and all the contributors have donated their time for free. We are excited that any money generated will benefit our parish.

You can see more updates by liking ‘Hurst High Street Xmas Shopping’ on Facebook or see next month’s Hurst Life magazine.

Work started on Community Hub

Mid Sussex District Council is working in partnership with Hurstpierpoint Parish Council to create a new community hub for local people.

The former Ex Servicemen’s Club at Court Bushes Recreation Ground in Hurstpierpoint has been empty since December 2017, and later that month a serious fire destroyed the interior of the building. 

The District and Parish Councils are working together to bring this building back into use as a community facility for local events, and building work is set to get under way shortly.

The new community building will be a flexible space that can be used in different ways by local community groups.

A large hall area will be available for social functions like wedding receptions and birthday parties, as a space for social groups to meet or as a venue for positive activities like exercise classes. An area will be provided for community meetings to be held, and it is hoped that a nursery provider will use the space to provide local childcare for nearby families.

Storage has been set aside to enable a Foodbank to be run from the building, and the ex-servicemen, who built the original building, will be able to relax and socialise in a new bar area.

The new facility will be built by Mid Sussex District Council before it is handed over to Hurstpierpoint Parish Council to manage on behalf of the local community.

Work started in August to strip out the interior of the building and prepare the site for renovation. Building work will start this month, and the new community hub is expected to be completed by the end of December 2018.

Councillor Colin Trumble, Mid Sussex District Council Member for Hurstpierpoint and Downs, added: “It’s wonderful to see the District Council, Parish Council, Ex-Servicemen, Clarion Housing and local community groups all working together to make this dream a reality.”

Hurst Open Studios weekends - 2018

Where you can find artists in Hurstpierpoint 

Hurstpierpoint Open Studios will take place over two weekends in September during the Hurst Festival.

There will be 26 artists at 13 venues  around the village displaying their work, which includes paintings, photography, textiles, stained glass, furniture, sculptures and jewellery.

You can meet the artists and enjoy the wonderful variety of work on display, and maybe treat yourself, or someone else, to a unique piece of artwork. Refreshments will be available at two venues during the first weekend and at one venue during the second weekend.

‘Art making is a way of experiencing peace’ is a quote from artist Melanie Circle. With this quote in mind and a theme of ‘Peace’ running through the Hurst Festival, the Open Studios artists have each produced a piece of work in their own interpretation of ‘Peace’. These will be on display in shops around the village for the two weeks prior to the Open Studios.

The Open Studio venues will be open on 15th/16th and 22nd/23rd September from 11am to 5pm and will have blue and white balloons at the entrance. Please note two venues will only be open on the first weekend. 

Details of venues (with a map) are in the Hurst Festival brochure and on posters and flyers in shops in the village and in the library.

Discover more about the group online at: www.hurstpierpointopenstudios.com or search Facebook for Hurstpierpoint Open Studios.