Hailsham

FARMERS MARKET: This is tomorrow, Saturday, from 9am to 12.30pm on the Cattle Market site, Market Street. Get your fresh local produce, gifts and crafts from reliable local farms. You can ask the farmer all about their products because it is them that you will see over the counter. There are also plants, egg, cakes and a bacon and burger van with hot drinks to keep you going on these chilly winter mornings.

MENTAL HEALTH GROUP: The Community Mental Health Action Group meets at the Square Youth Café on Tuesday from 10.30am to 12.30pm. If you would like to go along to this youth group (to 25s) you can book or make enquiries at [email protected] or on 07342 034097.

WELL-BEING DROP IN: There is a session at the James West Centre, Brunel Drive from 11.30am to 1pm on Thursday. All welcome.

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WINTER LUNCH AND WALK: On Thursday from 12.30pm to 4pm at Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen at Bates Green Farm, Arlington there will be a buffet lunch, bring your own bottle for £20 with a walk around the woods if you wish. Book at bluebellfarmhousekitchen.co.uk.

WEALDEN BRASS CONCERT: This is a free event to celebrate 150 years of Methodism in Hailsham on Sunday from 3pm to 4pm at Hailsham Methodist Church, High Street (opposite the Grenadier). There will be refreshments.

RED RIDING HOOD: Join Little Red Riding Hood on this classic fairy-tale panto adventure at Hailsham Pavilion. Follow her as she journeys deep into the heart of the forest to visit her Grandma. All is not quite what it seems. Grandma has big eyes and big teeth and she’s hairy, very hairy!
Hailsham Theatres panto is packed full of howling laughs for all the family so bring your big eyes, big ears and big teeth with you, all the better for seeing, listening and laughing my dears! Running daily from 23 to 27 January. Book early at Hailsham Pavilion 01323 841414 to avoid disappointment.

WHAT CAN I JOIN?: On Saturday January 26 from 10am to 2pm in Hailsham Parish Church and lounge, there will be many local clubs, and groups and things to join showing what they have to offer. Come along and have a look, ask questions and join something, whether it’s a club or a volunteering opportunity. There will be demonstrations throughout the day from Hailsham Flower Club, Life Saving skills with St John Ambulance and several choirs will be giving short performances throughout the event. The event is on Saturday 26 January from 10am until 2pm in Hailsham Parish Church and lounge. Tell friends and family to come along and find out what groups there are to join in Hailsham. This is an awareness raising event. There will be no money to spend except maybe a cup of tea and cake from the Demelza kitchen. There is a free prize drawer and refreshments. Joining something is a great way of putting an end to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

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GREEN FINGERS NOT ESSENTIAL: Last week Hailsham Lions’ president, Geraldine Gurr, visited Environment Hailsham’s poly tunnel, where she was updated on plans for the coming year to plant colourful floral displays in and around the town. While there, she presented a £200 cheque to Environment Hailsham’s David Harris, and vice-chairman, Hugh Bell, who told her the charity was totally run by volunteers. There were countless ways to help, they said, including planting shrubs and flowers, and watering the town’s displays. Green fingers not essential either! For more information contact 01323 842931 or [email protected]. This is the first Lions’ donation of 2019 but with new requests for financial help already being received they will be reviewing, and finalising, their fundraising events for the year to ensure they will be able to support the needs of those less fortunate.

YOUTH SERVICE: The service benefits young people school years 7 to 12, providing them with access to a wide range of opportunities and activities throughout the year. The Friday Night Project (FNP), which is funded by Hailsham Town Council and the Safer Wealden Partnership, works in partnership with organisations such as Knockhatch and Hailsham Community College to help create fun recreational activities for young people on Friday evenings. A variety of activities have been planned in the coming months including dryslope skiing and soft-play at Knockhatch Centre (skiing lessons for beginners available) and ten-pin bowling at Freedom Leisure, as well as abseiling and zip wire at the PGL Centre in Windmill Hill and trampolining at Urban Jump in Heathfield. The Friday Night Project outings are organised to give young people new opportunities to achieve, and to help prevent and reduce antisocial behaviour. Young people are guaranteed to enjoy the activities and there’s bound to be something for everyone. For further details, including bookings and programmes, contact Andy Joyes on 01323 841702. Alternatively, visit www.hailshamyouthservice.org for more information.

HERITAGE TRAIL: Residents and visitors to Hailsham can learn more about the town’s heritage and historical significance by walking the Hailsham Heritage Trail. A range of 27 buildings and other locations of interest and historical importance were identified, the majority of which have been included in the Trail with photos and a description of each. The map directs people through and around the town centre to such sites as The Stone, a Grade II listed building, originally built in the 1320s and probably the oldest house in the town, and Hailsham Parish Church (formerly St Mary’s Parish Church), a Grade I listed building dating back to the early 15th century. The Trail also covers the Fleur de Lys or Inglenook, Cortlandt, the Old Court House, Hailsham Pavilion, Wellington Lodge, the old Village School and the site of the former Hailsham Railway Station. Copies of the Hailsham Heritage Map and Guide cost £1 from Town Council offices in Market Street. Interactive copies of the Trail can be downloaded from the Hailsham Town and Shopping Guide, details of which can be found at www.hailshamforward.co.uk.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY: The lecturer for the first evening after Christmas and the New Year was the Society’s own President, Eric Lavender. Eric is a long-standing member of the society and in 1963 he instigated the first Colour Show, now an annual event on the first weekend in March, this year being no exception. He started the evening by explaining that he only became a member because the Society needed a treasurer and a friend talked him into it. He started by showing some of the equipment he had used over the years and told stories related to the projected images from all over the world, taken when on holiday. The second half of the evening was dedicated to AV’s (Audio Visuals) with a short lesson, in the software Pictures To Exe, to show the members how easy it is to make a simple AV. Next, the members were treated to Eric’s own productions, a tour of Hellingly, a trip to Hampton Court flower show, Shangri-La and a humorous Old Macdonalds Farm. Chairman, Colin Monk, thanked Eric for an interesting evening and wished the members a happy new year.BONFIRE BINGO: Next Friday, January 18, the doors at the Charles Hunt Centre open at 7pm for eyes down at 7.30pm. There are refreshments and a raffle. This is a fundraiser for Hailsham Bonfire Society spectacular which takes place in October each year and which supports various local good causes. If you would like to join the Bonfire Society, meetings take place at the Hailsham Memorial Institute on the first Monday of the month at 8pm.

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CUCKMERE BUSES: A special New Year’s Day bus service for Hailsham residents was well-received and used by passengers, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Town Council working in partnership with local bus companies. Bus operator Cuckmere Buses (formerly Cuckmere Community Bus) stepped in to fill a big gap in the seasonal timetables over the festive break by operating a special bus service from Hailsham to Polegate and Eastbourne on New Year’s Day. Cuckmere Buses, which is run entirely by volunteers was concerned that Hailsham would be left without any public transport on 1st January, as the commercial bus companies normally serving the town do not operate on this day, leaving Hailsham residents without a transport link to Polegate train station or Eastbourne town centre. This is the eighth consecutive year that Cuckmere Buses has run this special bus service part-underwritten by Hailsham Town Council. Barry Marlowe, who is lead member of Wealden Bus Alliance, was delighted to hear about the positive feedback received from passengers who used the service last year, expressing their delight and thanks to the volunteer drivers.