Hailsham

FAMILY FUN DAY: This is on Sunday at Hailsham Recreation Ground, Western Road. There will be lots for everybody to do at this combined Hailsham Lions and Hailsham Active event. Amongst all the fun stalls, there will be a fun dog show, so bring your pooch along. There will be many attractions as well as sports activities and games for both children and adults, refreshments including barbecue. The event starts at 11am until 3pm.

FALLS PREVENTION: There will be a talk, advice, education, an opportunity to share information, make contact, gain knowledge, exercises for mobility and muscle strength and more. Come and meet your local Community Falls Prevention and Rehabilitation team at Ersham House Nursing Home, Ersham Road on Thursday from 2pm to 4pm at Ersham House. They will have the answers whilst you enjoy tea, coffee and cakes. Everybody is very welcome. If you have any queries please call 01323 442727 or email manager@ersham housenursinghome.com.

CHIDDINGLY MARKET: Please note: The time for the August market, being held August 4 and on this occasion only, at Muddles Green School, Chiddingly, is from 10am to noon and not 9am to 12.30pm as stated last week. From September the market will return to Chiddingly Village Hall on the first Saturday of every month.

FOLK AND BLUES: At the Six Bells folk and Blues Club on Tuesday they will be taking songs from the Great American Songbook. The event is hosted by Manus McDaid at starts at 8.30pm at The Six Bells, The Street, Chiddiingly. For more information visit www.6bellsfolk.co.uk.

BUSINESS CLINICS: There are free business clinics for Wealden Businesses run by EDEAL on Friday July 27. If you would like a free 1-2-1 appointment please book on 01323 641144 or email [email protected].

ROTARY CLUB: Outgoing President of the Rotary Club of Hailsham, John Lulham, handed over the reins to Mick Tester. As he stepped down he told the members that the club had given away £14,699 to local charities and individuals as follows: £1.5k to a Herstmonceux child with cystic fibrosis so she could enjoy a family holiday, £200 to Herstmonceux Tiddlers and Toddlers to purchase play equipment, £600 to Charles Hunt Centre Hailsham to purchase a new Coffee Machine, £2.5k donated to the JPK project, Eastbourne, £300 to East Sussex Young Carers, 2 x £500 to Eastbourne AM Rotary Club charity Breakaway respite care, £1k presented to Hailsham Cricket Club to help with their restoration, £300 to Wartling Bunker for ongoing maintenance, £200 given to Rebeca Thomas - a student visiting Tanzania, £1.5k to Abigail Buckle for medical supplies when she visited remote villages in Peru, £100 to Zoe Pennington Choir, £500 to Kids Count charity Hailsham. £8870 was raised on the Christmas sleigh collection and each of the following benefited: Sovereign Harbour Rotary Club charities, Hellingly PTA, Grovelands PTA, Herstmonceux Cricket Club, Hailsham Brownies, all of whom provided helpers during the collections. Also £250 to Eastbourne DGH, £500 to Band of Brothers, £1k to Hailsham charity Starfish, £200 to Yasmin Ellis for East African Playgrounds, £1k to Nikki Boniface Eastbourne Sailing Champion. Also welcomed was new Club Secretary Rosemary Mullen. The Rotary Club of Hailsham will continue to raise funds for worthy causes and are always looking for members who are willing to give back something to our town and surrounding villages.

HEARTS FOR ITARE: Living Word Community Church held its second Hearts for Itare pop-up shop fundraising event for Life Word Children’s Home in Kisii County, South Western Kenya in June in the Quintins Shopping Centre. From the sale of pre-owned books and puzzles, paintings, craft and various other items they raised a fantastic £273.29. Further donations since have increased it to £348.29. Living Word Community Church has been fundraising for Life Word Children’s Home in Itare since 2014 towards the building of accommodation and other buildings. The current fundraising is to enable the building of a kitchen and dining hall. They are also planning to purchase water storage tanks so that the children do not have to walk to the spring every day to bring water back. If you would like to know more please email [email protected].

NEW COMMUNITY CENTRE: Hailsham Town Council has launched www.jameswest communitycentre.org, a website devoted to providing information on the new James West Community Centre located off Brunel Drive in the north of the town, which opened its doors to the public two weeks ago. The website provides details on how to hire the hall and meeting rooms, hire fees and facilities available, as well as information on selected community organisations and clubs which hire the Centre on a regular basis, the activities on offer to the public and how to contact the groups direct. The website also includes downloadable application forms for new and existing private/commercial and voluntary organisation hirers. A few parts of the website, including information on some of the Centre’s regular hirers are still awaiting completion and more will be added soon. The James West Centre, named after the founder and Chairman of the Hailsham and District Sports Alliance who passed away in November 2016, consists of an 18m x 11.7m hall, able to accommodate an audience of around 200 seated for licensed public performances. The building also includes two meeting rooms (10 and 16-person capacity), a large kitchen, store rooms, toilets, changing rooms and a P.A. system. The facility can be hired for community events, sports, business meetings, memorial services, youth groups and other social events, as well as private function hire. For further information about the James West Community Centre, or to make a booking, contact Hailsham Town Council on 01323 841702 or by email: [email protected].

CRICKET CLUB: Hailsham U11s took the short trip to Herstmonceux and, having lost the toss, were put into bat. Openers Ethan Hele and Hari Bala set the tone with some well-chosen shots and ability to find the gaps. Six of the eight batsmen made double-figure scores, the highlight being a rapid 34 from skipper Ethan Dawber. Pleasingly there was only one dismissal throughout the innings and Hailsham closed on 341-1. Herstmonceux chased hard and played some excellent shots but Hailsham kept control with regular wickets. Sam Andrews, Sol Skinner and Ethan Dawber all regularly rearranged the stumps and reduced the hosts to 262-11. Man of the match, sponsored by MBD Carpentry, was a tough call, with several top performances, but the award goes to Ethan Dawber. Well done to Ethan and all the team. Thank you to Herstmonceux for a warm welcome and a good game of cricket. Thanks are also due to Alex Renals for scoring.

CHIDDFEST UPDATE: Chiddfest Music and Beer Festival runs from Friday to Sunday, July 27 to 29, at Nash Street, off the A22 at Chiddingly. This is a fundraising event for St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Some of the lineup is as follows: The Blockheads, Toploader, The Animals, The Dualers, Noble Jacks, Natty, White Room, Soultastics, The Grahams, Wild Horse Balcony, Sol Diez, The Lightworker, Knocksville, Large, Suzi Island, Mike Wilton, (from The Standard Lamps, Sam Tier, Charlie Moss, Rich Somers, Smokestack, El Banda Burros, Harvey’s Band. Tribute Sunday features The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Stereophonics, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and The Foo Fighters. There will be two stages over 3 days with great music, glamping, fairground and much more. Tickets and more information are available at www.chiddfestchapter.co.uk or ring 07711 728038.

HERITAGE CENTRE: Deputy Town Mayor Cllr Grant De Jongh visited the Hailsham Heritage Centre and Museum recently. The heritage museum, located in Blackman’s Yard behind the Town Council offices in Market Street is run by local volunteers from the Hailsham Historical and Natural History Society. It houses small but interesting displays which include a period kitchen, farming and agriculture, local historical items, 19th and 20th century photographs, wartime artefacts and memorabilia. The museum is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 12.30pm from May to September (admission free) and features a host of new exhibits this year. The society also hosts well-attended monthly meetings, which are publicised in the local press. For more information on the Hailsham Heritage Centre and Museum contact Maxine Kitcher on 01323 843206 or visit hailshamhistoricalsociety.co.uk.

SUMMER MARKET: On Saturday July 28 from 9am to 3.30pm this will be a great family event offering something for everyone. Vicarage Field will be home to a range of street market stalls selling locally sourced food, as well as gifts and accessories and there will be live music throughout the day from El Banda Burros (1pm to 2.30pm) and the Peter Willson Jazz Quartet (10am to 10.45am and 11.15am to noon). Harvey’s of Lewes (King’s Head, South Road) will be providing a beer tent and selling wines in Vicarage Field, plus there will be hot pasties on sale, Hailsham FM will be broadcasting live at the event and there will be free face painting available for children, courtesy of Christchurch. Hailsham Parish Church will be holding an open church, where free refreshments will be available. The Town Council’s Communities Committee has been working hard on the Summer Market and the arrival of Harvey’s of Lewes on the day demonstrates how the town centre is very much open for business by giving people the opportunity to sample some locally sourced products. It will also bring variety and vibrancy to the town centre. The range of stalls and products offered is diverse and it is hoped that as many people as possible will come along and take advantage of what is on offer. For further information on events organised by Hailsham Town Council for 2018, please contact Karen Giddings (during office hours) on 01323 841702 or by email at [email protected].

U3A: Everybody is welcome to come along on Tuesday to the Civic Community Hall, Vicarage Road for an afternoon entitled Happy Days, when the entertainment is provided by members for members with singing, drama, and much more. Please arrive for refreshments at 2pm for a 2.30pm start. Visitors £2.

FREEDOM SOCIAL: This is a social group coffee morning for all which meets this month at the Ropemaker Centre, South Road at 10.30am tomorrow, Saturday. Come along and enjoy a cuppa, biscuits and a chat. For more information call Sheila on 07598 644144 or Trudi on 07955 182223.

SUMMER FLOWER SHOW: The Ripe and Chalvington Summer Flower Show and Fete is at 2.30pm tomorrow, Saturday, at the Yew Tree Inn, Chalvington. Entry is free and there are games, stalls, auction of produce, raffle and refreshments to enjoy along with a Brass Band. Enquiries on 01323 811377.

QUIZ NIGHT: There is a quiz night on Friday July 27 at The Charles Hunt Centre, Vicarage Road at 7pm. This is a light-hearted quiz with ploughman’s supper. Teams of up to six people at £5pp can been booked on 01323 844398.