Diary of the Dad reaches finals of second annual MAD Blog Awards!
Tom Briggs, a Dad of one from Sussex, has reached the finals of a prestigious national awards scheme for parent bloggers.
The Mum and Dad (MAD) Blog Awards, sponsored by Parentdish.co.uk, celebrate the best blogs written by British parents. The competition is now in its second year and is supported by companies including Morrisons, Early Learning Centre and TalkTalk.
More than 3,000 people have already nominated their favourite parent blogs in 15 different categories, with five blogs reaching the finals in each group. Blog fans now have just four weeks to vote for their favourite blogs at the MAD Blog Awards website at www.the-mads.com
Tom’s blog, Diary of the Dad (http://diary-of-the-dad.blogspot.com) has been shortlisted for the “Best MAD Baby Blog” category, which recognises bloggers who share the ups and downs of their first year as parents. The winning blogger in the category will receive over £200 worth of baby equipment.
Tom said: “I’m delighted to have reached the finals; it’s fantastic to be in such great company, with so many great blogs. Writing the blog has been a wonderful experience and is a great way of keeping a permanent record of all the mischief my son, Dylan, has got up to.”
The winners of the MAD Blog Awards will be announced in September 2011.
Sussex Living magazine is a free monthly A4 glossy magazine for Mid Sussex with community and lifestyle editorial. We put more copies into Mid Sussex than any other quality publication, paid or free. 19,000 copies are printed and distributed throughout Mid Sussex and the surrounding villages. In the same area, a local county magazine, the Sunday Times and Cosmopolitan Magazine, circulate less than 3,000 copies between them.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
News from Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead
Dear Friends
I'm very worried about arranging many more concerts with only a dozen in the audience on Sunday. I've been told that concerts are intimidating because people don't know what classical music is about . . . and that's why this concert on Sunday has both classical favourites as well as light hearted stuff in the second half.
I presume that as this weekend is half term, people have taken their children away on EasyJet instead of writing a Hammerwood cultural event in their diary. Where is civilisation going? On EasyJet? Is that as permanent as the holiday in the mind that music represents?
So please, if you can, we restore Hammerwood and put on events for your benefit, your entertainment and your children's too, not ours. Performers play not for themselves but to give others pleasure. If all people want is Cheryl Cole, that's all we'll be left with.
Future dates are 18th June and 13th August. Possibly 4th September - but what's the point if no-one comes?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead
West Sussex RH19 3QE
Tel +44 1342 850594
I'm very worried about arranging many more concerts with only a dozen in the audience on Sunday. I've been told that concerts are intimidating because people don't know what classical music is about . . . and that's why this concert on Sunday has both classical favourites as well as light hearted stuff in the second half.
I presume that as this weekend is half term, people have taken their children away on EasyJet instead of writing a Hammerwood cultural event in their diary. Where is civilisation going? On EasyJet? Is that as permanent as the holiday in the mind that music represents?
So please, if you can, we restore Hammerwood and put on events for your benefit, your entertainment and your children's too, not ours. Performers play not for themselves but to give others pleasure. If all people want is Cheryl Cole, that's all we'll be left with.
Future dates are 18th June and 13th August. Possibly 4th September - but what's the point if no-one comes?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead
West Sussex RH19 3QE
Tel +44 1342 850594
Have you ever thought of playing Bowls?
Have you ever thought of playing Bowls? If so, come & try it at any time to suit you. Everyone welcome.
Help & equipment provided.
Hurstpierpoint Bowling Club, South Avenue Hurst.
Contact 01273-842770.
Help & equipment provided.
Hurstpierpoint Bowling Club, South Avenue Hurst.
Contact 01273-842770.
Blind and Visually Impaired Ramblers Group
Would you like to join a rambling group for the blind and visually impaired. This newly formed group walk on the first Monday of the month and aim to cover approximately 4½ miles – 5 miles in the Mid Sussex countryside. Guides, who are all volunteer members of 4Sight, are available and transport to and from rambles is provided. Guide dogs are welcome and are able to run and play where it is safe for them to do so. Following our rambles lunch and a well earned rest are enjoyed in a local pub.
If you would be interested in joining this friendly group of ramblers please ring either Anne Tomlinson on 01444 456026 or Jane Aston on 01444 870462 or 07599 518887.
If you would be interested in joining this friendly group of ramblers please ring either Anne Tomlinson on 01444 456026 or Jane Aston on 01444 870462 or 07599 518887.
Brighton and Lewes Beekeepers @ Springwatch Brighton
The Brighton and Lewes Division of the Sussex Beekeepers Association will have a stand at the annual Springwatch Festival in Stanmer Park, Brighton on Sunday 5th June 2011.
Celebrating the newly formed South Downs National Park, details of Springwatch can be found here: http://www.sussexwt.org.uk/misc/page00009.htm#springwatch
Or visit our website: http://www.brightonlewesbeekeepers.co.uk/
BBKA - British Bee Keepers’ Association website: http://www.bbka.org.uk/
Celebrating the newly formed South Downs National Park, details of Springwatch can be found here: http://www.sussexwt.org.uk/misc/page00009.htm#springwatch
Or visit our website: http://www.brightonlewesbeekeepers.co.uk/
BBKA - British Bee Keepers’ Association website: http://www.bbka.org.uk/
The Haywards Heath Dolphins Practice supports The National Carers Week 2011
The Dolphins Practice at Haywards Heath is supporting this year’s National Carers Week (13-19 June) by organising a Carers Information Day for the whole community. The event is taking place at The Dolphins Practice, Butlers Green Road, Haywards Heath on Wednesday 15th June 2011 between 10.am and 4 pm. Over 30 Carer Organisations will be giving information, making presentations and answering questions on what help is available to carers. Everyone is welcome, not just Dolphins Practice patients!
Carers Week highlights the vital contribution made by carers to their families and communities in providing unpaid care for someone who is ill, frail or disabled. This year, the theme for the week is ‘The True Face of Carers’. It calls for greater recognition for the diverse range of people who give up their time, money and health to look after somebody else.
Along with many other events taking place across the UK, Carers Information Day will help by bringing together carers and the organisations which provide the support services during difficult times.
Dr Philip Dawson from Dolphins Practice said: “Many carers in the Mid-Sussex area suffer because of a lack of understanding about what they do – some don’t even recognise themselves as carers. This has a real but negative impact on their health, finances, working and social life, and general wellbeing. Our Carers Information Day is one of many ongoing activities and services that Dolphins Practice provides to support carers who feel isolated.”
This year’s National Carers Week is supported by many famous celebrities with caring experience, including British actor, Sir David Jason.
He says: “Sometimes the role of a carer can be a very hard and lonely one and National Carers Week is a time when hopefully a carer doesn’t feel quite so alone. It is also a time to pass on information and contacts to try to help with different circumstances.
It is a week to answer questions about finances, respite and health care issues. If each carer felt that one aspect of their lives had been improved with such a caring week, then the concept has been a huge success. Once again, let’s all care about the carers.”
Other celebrities supporting this campaign include Dame Judi Dench, Angela Rippon, Jack Charlton and Martin Lewis.
Carers Week is organised by a partnership of 9 national charities: Age UK, Carers UK, Counsel & Care, Crossroads Care, Dementia UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, MS Society, Parkinson’s UK, and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.
For more information about the events and activities taking place as part of National Carers Week, visit www.carersweek.org.
Carers Week highlights the vital contribution made by carers to their families and communities in providing unpaid care for someone who is ill, frail or disabled. This year, the theme for the week is ‘The True Face of Carers’. It calls for greater recognition for the diverse range of people who give up their time, money and health to look after somebody else.
Along with many other events taking place across the UK, Carers Information Day will help by bringing together carers and the organisations which provide the support services during difficult times.
Dr Philip Dawson from Dolphins Practice said: “Many carers in the Mid-Sussex area suffer because of a lack of understanding about what they do – some don’t even recognise themselves as carers. This has a real but negative impact on their health, finances, working and social life, and general wellbeing. Our Carers Information Day is one of many ongoing activities and services that Dolphins Practice provides to support carers who feel isolated.”
This year’s National Carers Week is supported by many famous celebrities with caring experience, including British actor, Sir David Jason.
He says: “Sometimes the role of a carer can be a very hard and lonely one and National Carers Week is a time when hopefully a carer doesn’t feel quite so alone. It is also a time to pass on information and contacts to try to help with different circumstances.
It is a week to answer questions about finances, respite and health care issues. If each carer felt that one aspect of their lives had been improved with such a caring week, then the concept has been a huge success. Once again, let’s all care about the carers.”
Other celebrities supporting this campaign include Dame Judi Dench, Angela Rippon, Jack Charlton and Martin Lewis.
Carers Week is organised by a partnership of 9 national charities: Age UK, Carers UK, Counsel & Care, Crossroads Care, Dementia UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, MS Society, Parkinson’s UK, and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.
For more information about the events and activities taking place as part of National Carers Week, visit www.carersweek.org.
Monday, 30 May 2011
Following us
Thank you for following us on Twitter @sussexliving and on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/sussexliving
Luxury Gulet Cruise in Turkey
The beauty of a luxury Gulet cruise in Turkey, sometimes referred to as a Blue cruise is simply to enjoy the luxury of cruising in your privately chartered Gulet, along the wonderful Turkish Mediterranean and Aegean coast, also known as the Turkish Riviera, anchoring in new, unspoilt bays of your choice every day.
In the evenings, you will watch the sunset at sea, while the ship’s cook prepares a delicious Turkish dinner for you and your company. For those who don’t want just to relax, sporting activities like snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing etc off the Gulet are always available.
www.luxuryvillasturkey go to luxury gulet- Prences Funda or e mail liratur@superonline.com
www.luxuryvillasturkey go to luxury gulet- Prences Funda or e mail liratur@superonline.com
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Borde Hill: The rise of the rose
6th – 30th June 2011
One of the finest arrays of roses in the South-East comes into its full glory this June, as Borde Hill Garden in West Sussex celebrates a season of heady fragrances, enchanting walks through beautifully scented displays.
Roses in Bloom, 6th– 30th June, captures the Rose Garden in its full glory. The spectrum of colour, from soft pinks to deep crimson, intermingled with the heady fragrances of old English roses, marks a glorious celebration of the best-loved of all garden flowers.
Head gardener Andy Stevens and his team have enhanced the unique style and atmosphere of the formal garden at Borde Hill – one of the Great Gardens of Sussex - which consists of a series of distinctive linked ‘rooms’.
Jay Robin’s Rose Garden, designed by RHS gold medallist Robin Williams and planted in 1996, boasts a lavish display of some 100 varieties of David Austin roses. The Rose Garden comprises a number of formal beds bordered by box hedges amid softly curving paths and walks. Reflecting the original style of the 1902 plantings are blue cast iron trellis poles decked with clematis swags leading to an archway into the Mediterranean Garden and beyond. Delphinium, peonies and phlox are also used to great visual effect, complimenting the star turn, the roses.
During Roses in Bloom, selected rooms in Borde Hill House, decorated with flowers by Cottage Flowers of Cuckfield, are open from 12 to 30 June for pre-booked groups (Monday to Friday except 12 June). Here’s a rare opportunity to visit the significant Heritage House, of which the oldest wing dates back to 1590. House tours will start at 11am and 2pm for groups and need to be pre-booked and paid prior to the event. (They are £3.50 per person in addition to the garden entrance fee).
Jeremy’s Restaurant at Borde Hill, will feature a “Summer Garden” menu of the day with a rose sorbet, to coincide with Borde Hill Garden’s Roses in Bloom.
Jeremy’s Restaurant will be offering their mid-week Summer Garden menu-of-the-day from the 6th to 30th June. Two-courses at £15 per person and 3-courses at £18 person. “A glass of beautiful, chilled rose from Provence makes a perfect accompaniment,” adds Jeremy Ashpool.
Café Elvira also will be serving special home cooked food during this time.
Borde Hill Garden opens from 21 March to 11 September and 22 to 30 October 2011.
Season tickets are also available.
Visit www.bordehill.co.uk for information on garden, events staged throughout the year, children’s adventure playground, fishing lakes and other family activities.
Sponsored by David Austin Roses and Cottage Flowers of Cuckfield
Lunch at The Birch, Haywards Heath
by Nicole Tata
When it comes to dining out, it’s easy to be wowed by newfangled food trends and outlandish décor. But nothing beats the feeling of sitting down to a good old-fashioned English luncheon – served with a warm smile in cosy, traditional surroundings.
Matthew Milliken, General Manager at The Birch Hotel, beams from ear to ear as he welcomes us into the Victorian foyer of the recently refurbished 51 bed hotel on the quiet side of Haywards Heath. “Most lunchtimes I’m here in the restaurant, serving,” he smiles as he leads us over plush carpet through to The Courtyard Restaurant, which is open to everyone. Yes, Matthew is a very hands-on, eyes-everywhere type of manager. Which is why he should take full credit for his achievements since taking over 15 months ago.
The newly relaunched restaurant is of generous proportions – bright, comfortable and inviting, and basking in glorious spring sunshine on the day we visited. The classic décor is all creams and greens with bespoke Brinton carpet and Italian wallpaper, accented by colourful Italian-themed paintings from Brighton artist Colin Ruffell. There are crisp white damask tablecloths and napkins to show that dining is taken seriously here.
Fresh, white (yay!) poppyseed rolls appear along with menus, drinks orders and a level of courteous, attentive service I had long believed extinct.
I notice there’s a midweek lunchtime offer (two courses for £10) which sounds like excellent value to me. “We always have an offer on,” explains Matthew. “It gives us the opportunity to introduce people to what our restaurant is all about. Then they can come back and perhaps bring the whole family.” In fact, traditional Sunday lunches are a big feature and, unsurprisingly, very popular with local families. As a further incentive for regular diners, a loyalty scheme has been introduced: The Birch Hotel Luncheon Club – collect six stamps and get a free three-course meal. What a good idea!
Starters arrive swiftly: Avocado & Mango Salad – a lovely, fresh green and yellow composition with a zesty dressing, ideal to wake up the palate. Hubby has chosen wisely too: Mushrooms stuffed with Chorizo and Parmesan, the strong flavours just enough to tickle the tastebuds into wanting more.
Head Chef Gary Lloyd was handpicked by Matthew and has now been at The Birch for eight months. “It’s not easy to find the right person for the business but Gary’s the right chef for us. He does things nicely.” Indeed he does – looking around the restaurant, I am struck by the mouth-watering presentation of every dish that is carried past en route to table. And when it comes to creating flavour combinations, Gary is no shrinking violet. Matthew regales us with the tale of Gary’s famed Chicken Breast in Jack Daniels. “What a winner that was – we sold loads,” laughs Matthew. Shame it’s not on the menu now – I’d have been tempted!
Instead, we are spoilt for choice with our main courses: Crispy Seabass Fillet with mango/chilli salsa and Roasted Breast of Duck with red cabbage and thyme sauce. The seabass is today’s Fish Dish of the Day – a fresh-out-of-the-pan summer dish that seems to melt on the tongue. I’m showing my continental roots in choosing the duck and am particularly impressed how well the fragrant thyme sauce complements. Matthew is joining us for lunch, seizing a golden opportunity to indulge in his favourite dish: Roast Beef with all the trimmings and a huge Yorkshire pudding perched jauntily on top.
He talks animatedly about his plans for the hotel and restaurant, clearly passionate about what he does. Backed by solid experience, including several years at the Bromley Court Hotel in South East London (The Birch’s sister hotel), Matthew comes across as confident and poised, showing a maturity far beyond his 25 years.
The Birch Hotel is a busy place. Not only is the hotel a popular venue for weddings and other functions at weekends but there are special events laid on throughout the week. The recent Murder Mystery Night and 70s/80s Disco were a roaring success, and look out for the Neil Diamond tribute on Saturday 14 May. Father’s Day luncheon bookings are now being taken for Sunday 19 June.
It’s time for dessert. We opted for our classic favourites and are delighted with the generous portions now arriving: Homemade Banoffee Pie with ice cream and Lemon Tart with blackcurrant sorbet. As we take our time to savour each spoonful, Matthew explains that the hotel is a member of the Best Western group, which actually means that it is independently owned and operated, giving him as manager the freedom to make improvements as he sees fit. “We now have the best AA scoring we’ve ever had,” he says with a hint of pride in his voice.
There is no doubt that The Birch Hotel is a beautiful place. Originally dating from 1874 with many period features still intact, it exudes an air of comfort and homeliness but with an unmistakable touch of luxury and excellence in terms of value, service and facilities.
Mellowing over coffee, I ask Matthew about holiday plans. His eyes light up: “I’m going to London for the Royal Wedding – booked it ages ago. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Now there’s a young man who is truly comfortable with traditional values! ■
Best Western The Birch Hotel
Lewes Road, Haywards Heath RH17 7SF
Tel. 01444 451565
www.bw-birchhotel.co.uk
June Events at Lingfield Park
Thursday 2nd June
Afternoon Racing
Saturday 4th June
Countryside Evening. The Quack Pack, local hunts and a farriery display will be amongst the fun along with a local beer festival.
Saturday 11th June
Irish Night. Great racing, Guinness and top Irish bands – Wonderland and Fanfair.
Saturday 18th June
Ronnie Scott’s Night. Racing action followed by Ronnie Scott’s all star band.
01342 834 800 | www.lingfieldpark.co.uk
Afternoon Racing
Saturday 4th June
Countryside Evening. The Quack Pack, local hunts and a farriery display will be amongst the fun along with a local beer festival.
Saturday 11th June
Irish Night. Great racing, Guinness and top Irish bands – Wonderland and Fanfair.
Saturday 18th June
Ronnie Scott’s Night. Racing action followed by Ronnie Scott’s all star band.
01342 834 800 | www.lingfieldpark.co.uk
Bluebell Railway: Victorian Picnic 2nd and 3rd July
Enjoy an evening of song and dance as well as a train ride from Horsted Keynes Station to Sheffield Park with a light buffet hamper, wine and soft drinks.
The train departs at 6.30pm from Horsted Keynes station
Following the train service, we make our way to “The Horsted Hippodrome” in the Grand Marquee where we enjoy an hour and a half of Victorian music and humour in the Company of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria herself!
For all bookings and enquiries please call 01825 720800 or visit www.bluebell-railway.com
The train departs at 6.30pm from Horsted Keynes station
Following the train service, we make our way to “The Horsted Hippodrome” in the Grand Marquee where we enjoy an hour and a half of Victorian music and humour in the Company of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria herself!
For all bookings and enquiries please call 01825 720800 or visit www.bluebell-railway.com
Burgess Hill Open Studios
Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 June
Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 June
10.30 - 17.00
BURGESS HILL OPEN STUDIOS
12 venues throughout the town
In its 9th year, Burgess Hill Open Studios are breaking new ground with a link to the Royal British Legion's Great Poppy party as the Legion celebrates its 90th year. Come along and find and name the poppies that will be on display in many of the venues. Also showing for the first time, work by Sarah Bonnot inspired by trips to Japan.
Over 130 artists (including students from Marle Place) will be showing work at 12 different locations. Local artists exhibiting their work including paintings, textiles, wood, sculpture, drawings, cards and much more; also some offering refreshments.
A leaflet will be available from early May from local libraries and Burgess Hill Help Point, or at www.art-in-burgess-hill.co.uk, or phone Sarah Wallace (01444 236501).
Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 June
10.30 - 17.00
BURGESS HILL OPEN STUDIOS
12 venues throughout the town
In its 9th year, Burgess Hill Open Studios are breaking new ground with a link to the Royal British Legion's Great Poppy party as the Legion celebrates its 90th year. Come along and find and name the poppies that will be on display in many of the venues. Also showing for the first time, work by Sarah Bonnot inspired by trips to Japan.
Over 130 artists (including students from Marle Place) will be showing work at 12 different locations. Local artists exhibiting their work including paintings, textiles, wood, sculpture, drawings, cards and much more; also some offering refreshments.
A leaflet will be available from early May from local libraries and Burgess Hill Help Point, or at www.art-in-burgess-hill.co.uk, or phone Sarah Wallace (01444 236501).
A Sustainable World
Margaret Tyzack More and Trisha Comrie, from Cuckfield, are presenting a series of talks exploring the theme of “sustainability”. Entitled “A Sustainable World: what do we mean by it and how can we get one?”, these events explore this much used buzzword and all its implications. By looking at how things are in the world right now, it then becomes possible to find the steps everyone can take to ensure a viable future.
Two further events, both free, are planned for Crawley Down (Thursday 2 June, 2011) and Cuckfield (Thursday 16 June, 2011). These events are being offered under the umbrella of the Mid Sussex Sustainability Partnership which promotes the sharing of knowledge to encourage local people to look for local solutions in these uncertain times. For further information on the talks, please email trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Thursday 2 June, 19.15 for 19.30 start
Oak Room, The Haven Centre, Hophurst Lane, Crawley Down
Free entry and no prior booking necessary. Enquiries: 01444 454208 or email: trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Thursday 16 June, 19.15 for 19.30 start
The Council Chamber, Queens Hall, High Street, Cuckfield
Free entry and no prior booking necessary. Enquiries: 01444 454208 or email: trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Two further events, both free, are planned for Crawley Down (Thursday 2 June, 2011) and Cuckfield (Thursday 16 June, 2011). These events are being offered under the umbrella of the Mid Sussex Sustainability Partnership which promotes the sharing of knowledge to encourage local people to look for local solutions in these uncertain times. For further information on the talks, please email trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Thursday 2 June, 19.15 for 19.30 start
Oak Room, The Haven Centre, Hophurst Lane, Crawley Down
Free entry and no prior booking necessary. Enquiries: 01444 454208 or email: trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Thursday 16 June, 19.15 for 19.30 start
The Council Chamber, Queens Hall, High Street, Cuckfield
Free entry and no prior booking necessary. Enquiries: 01444 454208 or email: trishacomrie@tiscali.co.uk
Cream Tea Garden Party in Hurstpierpoint
Saturday 25th June 2.30–4.30pm
CREAM TEA GARDEN PARTY – HURSTPIERPOINT & DISTRICT BRANCH RNLI
Do come and join us on Saturday 25th June between 2.30pm and 4.30pm at 60 Wickham Hill, Hurstpierpoint and enjoy a delicious cream tea in a lovely garden setting. There will be a raffle, sales of homemade cakes and jams etc., as well as Lifeboat souvenirs.
Tickets at £3.00 per person for a cream tea are available from the Mint House, High Street, Hurstpierpoint, Shafers, Keymer Road, Hassocks or on the day.
All proceeds in aid of the RNLI - Please come and support us.
Contact Jo Kaddish, Chairman Hurstpierpoint and District Branch RNLI on 01273 843857.
CREAM TEA GARDEN PARTY – HURSTPIERPOINT & DISTRICT BRANCH RNLI
Do come and join us on Saturday 25th June between 2.30pm and 4.30pm at 60 Wickham Hill, Hurstpierpoint and enjoy a delicious cream tea in a lovely garden setting. There will be a raffle, sales of homemade cakes and jams etc., as well as Lifeboat souvenirs.
Tickets at £3.00 per person for a cream tea are available from the Mint House, High Street, Hurstpierpoint, Shafers, Keymer Road, Hassocks or on the day.
All proceeds in aid of the RNLI - Please come and support us.
Contact Jo Kaddish, Chairman Hurstpierpoint and District Branch RNLI on 01273 843857.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Free Open Day at National Epilepsy Centre
The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy is holding an open day for parents that want to learn more about its school, further education college and medical facilities.
The open day is free of charge and takes place at the charity’s 60-acre rural headquarters in Lingfield, Surrey, on Wednesday, 13 July. The event will give parents the opportunity to find out about St Piers School and Further Education College and also the world-class Neville Childhood Epilepsy Centre which offers a range of diagnostic, assessment and rehabilitation services.
The school and college specialise in teaching students with epilepsy but staff have considerable experience teaching individuals with other neurological conditions and also autism.
Anyone wishing to attend the open day should email openday@ncype.org.uk or call Mandy Richmond on 01342 831 348. To find out more about the NCYPE, please visit its website at www.ncype.org.uk.
The open day is free of charge and takes place at the charity’s 60-acre rural headquarters in Lingfield, Surrey, on Wednesday, 13 July. The event will give parents the opportunity to find out about St Piers School and Further Education College and also the world-class Neville Childhood Epilepsy Centre which offers a range of diagnostic, assessment and rehabilitation services.
The school and college specialise in teaching students with epilepsy but staff have considerable experience teaching individuals with other neurological conditions and also autism.
Anyone wishing to attend the open day should email openday@ncype.org.uk or call Mandy Richmond on 01342 831 348. To find out more about the NCYPE, please visit its website at www.ncype.org.uk.
Art in Burgess Hill
Adult learners in Burgess Hill are getting arty next month with a free art and craft exhibition as part of Burgess Hill Open Studios.
The exhibition takes place on Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5, from 10.30am to 5pm, at Marle Place, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 8HZ.
It’s been organised by the West Sussex Adult and Community Learning Service and will celebrate the achievements of adult students and tutors in drawing, painting, ceramics and textiles.
Information about summer art and craft short courses, and new courses running from September 2011 will also be available. For further information contact 01444 236355.
The exhibition forms part of Burgess Hill Open Studios, where more than 30 local artists and 100 students will be showing their work, mostly in their homes or studio.
Information on Burgess Hill Open Studio is available from Burgess Hill Town Council Help Point, local libraries or online at www.art-in-burgess-hill.co.uk.
The exhibition takes place on Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5, from 10.30am to 5pm, at Marle Place, Leylands Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 8HZ.
It’s been organised by the West Sussex Adult and Community Learning Service and will celebrate the achievements of adult students and tutors in drawing, painting, ceramics and textiles.
Information about summer art and craft short courses, and new courses running from September 2011 will also be available. For further information contact 01444 236355.
The exhibition forms part of Burgess Hill Open Studios, where more than 30 local artists and 100 students will be showing their work, mostly in their homes or studio.
Information on Burgess Hill Open Studio is available from Burgess Hill Town Council Help Point, local libraries or online at www.art-in-burgess-hill.co.uk.
Tuffnels Home and Garden, Lindfield
by Nicola Hobbs
I walk into Tufnells, Lindfield’s lifestyle boutique, to find it bustling with customers. Some are buying Easter decorations, others are waiting for their purchases to be wrapped in luxury tissue paper and a few are taking their time browsing and enjoying the atmosphere.
I personally could have spent all day looking at the shabby chic Bergère dressers and soft furnishings, charmed by the Branch d’Olive French beauty products and St Eval Candles, and captivated by the gentle ticking of the Thomas & Kent clocks.
Lisa and Jeremy Goodger took over Tufnells five years ago and have transformed the 17th century Grade II listed building into an Aladdin’s cave of interior accessories, gifts, jewellery, and fair trade fashion. “I have always loved nice things and the building itself oozes character and charm,” says Lisa. ‘I want people to glide around the shop and like it. I want them to get inspiration and relax.’
Lisa and Jeremy have worked hard to make sure the stock in the shop is kept fresh. They have over 100 suppliers with deliveries from as far afield as Germany, France and Denmark, but they also work with local suppliers from Lindfield itself.
The homeware at Tufnells is enchanting. The shop is full of everything from ornate teapots and vintage style kitchen tins, to retro telephones and the most beautiful array of napkins I have ever seen. Fashionistas will be impressed with the ethnic cardigans and powder scarves adorning the antique looking mannequins. And embellished keepsake boxes, Cath Kidston stationery and Durrance and Watsoap bath produce are sure to attract any lady of luxury. Unique cufflinks, silver pens and handsome leather playing card boxes are just a few of the items aimed at men, as well as an enthralling spherical glass paperweight the size of my head.
‘Tufnells is all about individuality. We don’t buy anything en masse,’ says Lisa. ‘Regular customers are the bread and butter of our business so our stock changes all the time to keep things forever fresh for them. We don’t want to turn into another high street store.’
As well as the delights in the shop itself, Tufnells also has a courtyard and garden stocked full of original French style garden furniture, Kew Botanical planters and stoneware, ornaments and gardening gifts. I am particularly attracted to a gothic garden wall mirror and a ‘weeders digest’ gardening book. A stylishly distressed garden bench and innovative outdoor wine holder would be perfect for summer and the laughing stone Buddha would bring happiness to any garden.
Actually, I could quite happily fill my house, garden and wardrobe with the products from Tufnells alone. And because of the shop’s no-pressure, relaxed, open-door approach to shopping, I can spend as long as I want browsing, planning and envisaging. In fact, I challenge anyone not to be inspired to do a bit of interior designing after they’ve visited the charming boutique that is Tufnells. ■
Tufnells Home and Garden
75 High Street, Lindfield, West Sussex RH16 2HN
Tel. 01444 483200 | www.tufnells.co.uk
Opening Times:
Monday-Saturday 9.30-17.00, Sunday 12-16.00.
Summer Holiday Fun at The Acorns Nursery School
Acorns Summer Holiday Fun will be held from July 25th to August 12th for 2-8 year olds at Westmeston Parish Hall: a stunning rural location near Ditchling.
Run by The Acorns Nursery School team, there is a choice of half days or full days, action packed days or chilled out days. "Woodland walks, den building, outdoor play and art and craft plus lots of opportunities to ride bikes and play sport, is the essence of this summer play scheme for young children," said Janet Irwin.
Bookings are now being taken.
For full details and a registration form please contact Janet Irwin on 01444 455081 or look at The Holiday Fun section of the Acorns website www.theacornsnurseryschool.com.
Run by The Acorns Nursery School team, there is a choice of half days or full days, action packed days or chilled out days. "Woodland walks, den building, outdoor play and art and craft plus lots of opportunities to ride bikes and play sport, is the essence of this summer play scheme for young children," said Janet Irwin.
Bookings are now being taken.
For full details and a registration form please contact Janet Irwin on 01444 455081 or look at The Holiday Fun section of the Acorns website www.theacornsnurseryschool.com.
Friday, 27 May 2011
News from Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead
Dear Friends
Sunday fortnight, 29th May, 4pm Marc Naylor is going to be playing the organ, the first half with a classical repertoire and the second half with some very light hearted stuff - so if you (or your children) haven't experienced the organ before, THIS IS THE CONCERT TO COME TO! And even if you have, you'll enjoy it. Marc is a musician with great versatility and also plays the Tarogato, which I have never heard of before, but perhaps if we ask him he might do another concert!
Sunday 12th June, 4pm, Jerzy Owczarz is returning to Hammerwood. He first performed at Hammerwood at the age of 12 and returned to perform when he was 15 and 19 . . . a few years ago. He's just as happy playing Chopin meticiulously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1crCLYIuSU as he is turning it into Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUmf6tXGk0
PLEASE can you phone 01342 850594 to reserve seats. Members of the Hammerwood Park Society and members of CHD Organists Association £10, Non-Members £12, Children £NIL
Please can you try to bring some young people with you . . . ?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead Sussex RH19 3QE - UK
Tel +44 1342 850594
Sunday fortnight, 29th May, 4pm Marc Naylor is going to be playing the organ, the first half with a classical repertoire and the second half with some very light hearted stuff - so if you (or your children) haven't experienced the organ before, THIS IS THE CONCERT TO COME TO! And even if you have, you'll enjoy it. Marc is a musician with great versatility and also plays the Tarogato, which I have never heard of before, but perhaps if we ask him he might do another concert!
Sunday 12th June, 4pm, Jerzy Owczarz is returning to Hammerwood. He first performed at Hammerwood at the age of 12 and returned to perform when he was 15 and 19 . . . a few years ago. He's just as happy playing Chopin meticiulously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1crCLYIuSU as he is turning it into Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUmf6tXGk0
PLEASE can you phone 01342 850594 to reserve seats. Members of the Hammerwood Park Society and members of CHD Organists Association £10, Non-Members £12, Children £NIL
Please can you try to bring some young people with you . . . ?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead Sussex RH19 3QE - UK
Tel +44 1342 850594
An Update from the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund
As you know, melanoma is one of the Diseases of the 21st Century. It affected 1 in 1500 in the 1930s: now it affects 1 in 50.
Our objectives since we formed more than ten years ago, as you know, are
a) increasing awareness of melanoma
b) publicity and education
c) making early diagnosis and treatment more available
d) funding research to strive to find a cure
A PLEA FOR HELP!
As you will know, we have organised Melanoma Awareness Week nationally for the past five years: it’s listed in the national ‘What’s what’ of major annual events, Foresight.
We bombard the media at every level with our Press Release: but of course, it attracts the media at every level (radio and press) if it can be accompanied by a locally based ‘story’.
Melanoma Awareness Week this year is June 11th to 19th: If you can organise even a small fundraising event (needn’t be within that week, too short notice!) it would be great, and we can supply T shirts, leaflets, wristbands, UV bracelets etc. For instance, Caroline Pettett in Burgess Hill has twice organised her fabulous 12 Hour Cream Tea parties!
Haskins staff, on June 15th, are having a ‘bake-in day’, where cakes baked by staff will be on sale to raise money for Myfanw’s Charity: and they’ll all be wearing Sunflower Hats (remember our slogan, The Darker Side of the Sun!)
Carol Miles is organising a team of 24 to climb Snowdon at the beginning of June in memory of her friend Jane Rudall: whilst Neil Sands is cycling 100 miles in a day at the end of Melanoma Awareness Week! Both have JustGiving pages!
In fact, there are FIFTEEN JustGiving pages currently actively raising money for Myfanwy’s Charity: just visit www.justgiving.com and follow the link.
You’d be amazed: they are such innovative events, including the July 2011 participation by Alex Brunton-Reed and Ed Farrell in the Mongol Rally!
They set off from Goodwood on the 10,000km drive, crossing two deserts and five mountain ranges to finish in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. You can follow their route on www.banterbus.co.uk !
Now down to earth: this is for anybody who lives around East Grinstead!
If you or any friends can spare even an hour on June 11th or 12th, PLEASE contact me (Harry) either by e-mail or telephone (01342 322508); because, thanks to the generosity of Haskins Garden Centre, we will be collecting outside as usual. Worth about £500 to us!
But we’re short of collectors: and it could be down to just three of us manning entrance and exit doors for seven hours each day!
FUNDRAISING EVENTS DURING THE PAST FEW MONTHS
Our first Christmas cards appeared last November: we sold 250 packs at £3.00 for 10 cards (a serious but ‘fun’ picture on the front) These will be available again this year
My book Harry the Wheelbarrow Man, the story of my walk from end to end of the north island of New Zealand (800 miles, 68 days), pushing my wheelbarrow, George, should be published this summer: all profits to Myfanwy’s Charity , of course. The first book, The Slowest Pilgrim, is still selling well: £5.00 plus p and p from me!
We were named as the official Charity for the Open Water Swimming Championships (SWIMFEST2010) at Bluewater (Lakeside) in Essex, organised by Dan and Keeley Bullock (www.swimfortri.co.uk) : and we are once again their nominated Charity for their three events this year in memory of prominent triathlete, Louise Parker, who sadly died from melanoma.
She was also a very much loved teacher in Essex; and many schools and colleagues have raised more than £10,000 in her memory with a vast range of events including the climbing of Mount Kilimanjaro by Lyn Campbell and a ‘Race for Lou’ (which alone raised more than £1,400!)
The Louise Parker Dance Festival raised £420.00, whilst a friend, Ally Traynor (with a JustGiving page) has already raised £3815.56 towards her £5,000.00 target!)
Jane Ward has raised an amazing £5,087.00 in memory of her husband Richard: she pays him a really wonderful and heartfelt tribute on her JustGiving page
Many events were and are still being held in memory of Kerry O’Dwyer, who died aged 33, in Kent including a Jazz Concert (an amazing evening!) and events such as quizzes through voluntary organisations such as The Boys Brigade with which he had been deeply involved. Dave Wilkinson, a friend of Kerry, is walking from Orpington to Ramsgate (70 miles) in 24 hours in July to raise money in Kerry’s memory: he also has set up a JustGiving page.
Dawn Owen died from melanoma in North Wales: and her father John and lots of friends have organised a vast range of innovative fund raising events
Debi Dougall’s husband Barry died from melanoma, and she and her friends raised £1409.18 in the Scottish Half Marathon.
Bill and Irene Kershaw regularly make donations on his birthday and at Christmas in memory of their beloved son Alan who died in 1986 aged only 28
Leeds United updated their fans on our progress in their programme for their match against Portsmouth on December 28th: we’ve had fantastic support from the club, where Sports Therapist Bruce Craven sadly died from melanoma aged only 32.
Their supporters once again raised more than £1000.00 from donations at their training ground this past year.
Chemotherapy Headwear, who provide hats and scarves specifically designed for patients who have suffered hair loss through chemotherapy treatment, nominated Myfanwy’s Charity as their Charity of the Month for January 2011 and generously donated £330.00, 20% of their profits for the month
This is just a small sample of the ways in which we were supported during these past months.
I could go on and on, so many friends and organisations raised money with an amazing range of innovative projects: others make donations in memory of loved ones with tributes which are inexpressibly sad.
All enable us to raise awareness and fund research: and without them (YOU!) we could do nothing
Awareness
Our flagship, as ever, is the first ever, anywhere, Mobile Mole Awareness Unit (the Mole Patrol!) which is ‘on the road’ every day in Cornwall thanks to the dedication and drive of Caroline Macrae who works full time (and more!) taking the van round the beaches, shopping centres, schools etc. as well as ski outlets and the RNLI.
We put £40,000+ in to this, matched by a similar sum from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT: and it’s paid off so much that we’d like to do similarly elsewhere.
Last year, we also held two two-day free Walk-In Skin clinics, in Southampton and Plymouth (with Dr Pixie and Dr Dawn in attendance on the first day!): sadly this has not been possible this year, and in some areas the number of skin cancer consultants has even decreased!
The cost of such events, without sponsorship, is prohibitive.
Caroline Macrae is currently working on a range of innovative ‘beermats’ for free distribution in pubs and elsewhere, raising awareness and spreading the message of Stay Safe in the Sun: once it gets off the ground, we’ll be looking for distributors! Watch this space!
We’ve been invited by the NHS to take part in their official information film documentary about melanoma titled ‘Skin deep in the NHS’: this will get wide distribution on NHS Online TV (and perhaps on Sky Discovery?)
It features top oncologists and dermatologists: we are the ONLY Charity to be included, and our five minute section will relate why what we do is so essential.
Filming takes place on June 3rd.
I’ve also received an invitation from Sian James MP, Chair of the Melanoma Taskforce, to the Parliamentary Launch of the Mole and Skin Check Guidelines for Health and Beauty Professionals, organised by the Melanoma Taskforce and the British Association of Dermatologists, with a keynote speech by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Anne Milton MP, on June 21st!
We are still working on the DVD for schools, as skin cancer is an element in the GCSE Science syllabus for many examination boards: the script is done, the participants are ready, now we must start filming very soon. This will be freely distributed
Peter Kaye in Cornwall has put our UV bracelets ‘on the market’ at £2.00 each (obtainable from me!)
These are fantastic! The white beads change colour in the sun (blue, pink, cream etc.) and revert to white once back indoors: these can be used, practically, to test the UV protective efficacy of sunglasses, clothing and sunscreen, and of course, children love them!
WHERE OUR MONEY IS SPENT
RESEARCH WORK THAT WE HELP TO FUND
This year we have started to support innovative research at the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation, based at Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), East Grinstead, and where Myfanwy worked for a time, thanks to a generous donation of £15,000 from Ruth Marshall of East Grinstead who sadly died from malignant melanoma on January 11th 2011.
Scientists at QVH have discovered that the vital organs to which malignant melanocytes prefer to migrate to form tumours secrete high amounts of a range of proteins that attract these cells: and that malignant melanocytes have molecules on their surface that are ‘receptive’ to these proteins, rather like a ‘homing device’, and which may attract them to form tumours.
These ‘receptive molecules’ are not expressed on normal non-malignant melanocytes.
Their research aims to find out which of these proteins are the most important in causing these malignant melanocytes to migrate most readily to the major sites of tumour formation: and this would enable clinicians to tell at an early stage which patients are most at risk in developing the most aggressive forms of melanoma and therefore develop therapies to prevent cells from spreading to these sites.
This would enable clinicians to identify the type of melanoma at a much earlier stage and design treatment resulting in a much better outcome for the patient
We’ve helped to fund the work of Professor Richard Marais of Cancer Research UK for the past three years. He is one of the world’s leading experts on understanding the genetic faults that lie behind the development of melanoma. He published some very exciting new work in January.
It was known that faults in the BRAF gene contribute to the spread of around half of all melanomas: but this new research shows that BRAF actually has a ‘double whammy’ effect, not only causing melanomas, but also encouraging them to spread around the body.
Faulty BRAF stops another gene PDE5A from working.
PDE5A acts as a brake in healthy cells to stop cell movement; the first step in cancer spread. But in cancer cells, BRAF turns PDE5A off, removing it’s ability to block the cancer cells from starting to move and spread.
By blocking the activity of PDE5A, BRAF drives skin cancer cells to invade new tissues and spread further around the body, converting melanoma into a more aggressive disease
We have helped to fund the work of Dr Kevin Harrington at the Institute of Cancer Research, and who is also an Honorary Consultant at the Royal Marsden, since 2009. He specialises in developing new treatments using viruses that selectively destroy cancer cells and which are able to grow in- and kill- cancer cells, but not normal cells.
The virus therapies developed are generally given in combination with standard anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. His research has shown that some viruses can make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation: while the radiation may also favourably alter the effect of some viruses on cancer cells.
We are also still supporting the work of Dr Rachel Hayward at RAFT, where she and her team are working on improving the range of the UV spectrum covered by sunscreen creams, and improving efficacy.
There is so much still to be done: and as I said earlier, our work, which means so much to us, can only be possible with your own continued interest and corresponding support
Please contact me, let me know if you think that there is anything more that we can do, and if there is any way that you are able to increase your involvement.
Yours very sincerely
Harry Townsend
Registered Charity 1085969
www.melanoma-fund.co.uk
E-mail harry@melanoma-fund.co.uk
Tel. 01342 322508
Our objectives since we formed more than ten years ago, as you know, are
a) increasing awareness of melanoma
b) publicity and education
c) making early diagnosis and treatment more available
d) funding research to strive to find a cure
A PLEA FOR HELP!
As you will know, we have organised Melanoma Awareness Week nationally for the past five years: it’s listed in the national ‘What’s what’ of major annual events, Foresight.
We bombard the media at every level with our Press Release: but of course, it attracts the media at every level (radio and press) if it can be accompanied by a locally based ‘story’.
Melanoma Awareness Week this year is June 11th to 19th: If you can organise even a small fundraising event (needn’t be within that week, too short notice!) it would be great, and we can supply T shirts, leaflets, wristbands, UV bracelets etc. For instance, Caroline Pettett in Burgess Hill has twice organised her fabulous 12 Hour Cream Tea parties!
Haskins staff, on June 15th, are having a ‘bake-in day’, where cakes baked by staff will be on sale to raise money for Myfanw’s Charity: and they’ll all be wearing Sunflower Hats (remember our slogan, The Darker Side of the Sun!)
Carol Miles is organising a team of 24 to climb Snowdon at the beginning of June in memory of her friend Jane Rudall: whilst Neil Sands is cycling 100 miles in a day at the end of Melanoma Awareness Week! Both have JustGiving pages!
In fact, there are FIFTEEN JustGiving pages currently actively raising money for Myfanwy’s Charity: just visit www.justgiving.com and follow the link.
You’d be amazed: they are such innovative events, including the July 2011 participation by Alex Brunton-Reed and Ed Farrell in the Mongol Rally!
They set off from Goodwood on the 10,000km drive, crossing two deserts and five mountain ranges to finish in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. You can follow their route on www.banterbus.co.uk !
Now down to earth: this is for anybody who lives around East Grinstead!
If you or any friends can spare even an hour on June 11th or 12th, PLEASE contact me (Harry) either by e-mail or telephone (01342 322508); because, thanks to the generosity of Haskins Garden Centre, we will be collecting outside as usual. Worth about £500 to us!
But we’re short of collectors: and it could be down to just three of us manning entrance and exit doors for seven hours each day!
FUNDRAISING EVENTS DURING THE PAST FEW MONTHS
Our first Christmas cards appeared last November: we sold 250 packs at £3.00 for 10 cards (a serious but ‘fun’ picture on the front) These will be available again this year
My book Harry the Wheelbarrow Man, the story of my walk from end to end of the north island of New Zealand (800 miles, 68 days), pushing my wheelbarrow, George, should be published this summer: all profits to Myfanwy’s Charity , of course. The first book, The Slowest Pilgrim, is still selling well: £5.00 plus p and p from me!
We were named as the official Charity for the Open Water Swimming Championships (SWIMFEST2010) at Bluewater (Lakeside) in Essex, organised by Dan and Keeley Bullock (www.swimfortri.co.uk) : and we are once again their nominated Charity for their three events this year in memory of prominent triathlete, Louise Parker, who sadly died from melanoma.
She was also a very much loved teacher in Essex; and many schools and colleagues have raised more than £10,000 in her memory with a vast range of events including the climbing of Mount Kilimanjaro by Lyn Campbell and a ‘Race for Lou’ (which alone raised more than £1,400!)
The Louise Parker Dance Festival raised £420.00, whilst a friend, Ally Traynor (with a JustGiving page) has already raised £3815.56 towards her £5,000.00 target!)
Jane Ward has raised an amazing £5,087.00 in memory of her husband Richard: she pays him a really wonderful and heartfelt tribute on her JustGiving page
Many events were and are still being held in memory of Kerry O’Dwyer, who died aged 33, in Kent including a Jazz Concert (an amazing evening!) and events such as quizzes through voluntary organisations such as The Boys Brigade with which he had been deeply involved. Dave Wilkinson, a friend of Kerry, is walking from Orpington to Ramsgate (70 miles) in 24 hours in July to raise money in Kerry’s memory: he also has set up a JustGiving page.
Dawn Owen died from melanoma in North Wales: and her father John and lots of friends have organised a vast range of innovative fund raising events
Debi Dougall’s husband Barry died from melanoma, and she and her friends raised £1409.18 in the Scottish Half Marathon.
Bill and Irene Kershaw regularly make donations on his birthday and at Christmas in memory of their beloved son Alan who died in 1986 aged only 28
Leeds United updated their fans on our progress in their programme for their match against Portsmouth on December 28th: we’ve had fantastic support from the club, where Sports Therapist Bruce Craven sadly died from melanoma aged only 32.
Their supporters once again raised more than £1000.00 from donations at their training ground this past year.
Chemotherapy Headwear, who provide hats and scarves specifically designed for patients who have suffered hair loss through chemotherapy treatment, nominated Myfanwy’s Charity as their Charity of the Month for January 2011 and generously donated £330.00, 20% of their profits for the month
This is just a small sample of the ways in which we were supported during these past months.
I could go on and on, so many friends and organisations raised money with an amazing range of innovative projects: others make donations in memory of loved ones with tributes which are inexpressibly sad.
All enable us to raise awareness and fund research: and without them (YOU!) we could do nothing
Awareness
Our flagship, as ever, is the first ever, anywhere, Mobile Mole Awareness Unit (the Mole Patrol!) which is ‘on the road’ every day in Cornwall thanks to the dedication and drive of Caroline Macrae who works full time (and more!) taking the van round the beaches, shopping centres, schools etc. as well as ski outlets and the RNLI.
We put £40,000+ in to this, matched by a similar sum from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT: and it’s paid off so much that we’d like to do similarly elsewhere.
Last year, we also held two two-day free Walk-In Skin clinics, in Southampton and Plymouth (with Dr Pixie and Dr Dawn in attendance on the first day!): sadly this has not been possible this year, and in some areas the number of skin cancer consultants has even decreased!
The cost of such events, without sponsorship, is prohibitive.
Caroline Macrae is currently working on a range of innovative ‘beermats’ for free distribution in pubs and elsewhere, raising awareness and spreading the message of Stay Safe in the Sun: once it gets off the ground, we’ll be looking for distributors! Watch this space!
We’ve been invited by the NHS to take part in their official information film documentary about melanoma titled ‘Skin deep in the NHS’: this will get wide distribution on NHS Online TV (and perhaps on Sky Discovery?)
It features top oncologists and dermatologists: we are the ONLY Charity to be included, and our five minute section will relate why what we do is so essential.
Filming takes place on June 3rd.
I’ve also received an invitation from Sian James MP, Chair of the Melanoma Taskforce, to the Parliamentary Launch of the Mole and Skin Check Guidelines for Health and Beauty Professionals, organised by the Melanoma Taskforce and the British Association of Dermatologists, with a keynote speech by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Anne Milton MP, on June 21st!
We are still working on the DVD for schools, as skin cancer is an element in the GCSE Science syllabus for many examination boards: the script is done, the participants are ready, now we must start filming very soon. This will be freely distributed
Peter Kaye in Cornwall has put our UV bracelets ‘on the market’ at £2.00 each (obtainable from me!)
These are fantastic! The white beads change colour in the sun (blue, pink, cream etc.) and revert to white once back indoors: these can be used, practically, to test the UV protective efficacy of sunglasses, clothing and sunscreen, and of course, children love them!
WHERE OUR MONEY IS SPENT
RESEARCH WORK THAT WE HELP TO FUND
This year we have started to support innovative research at the Blond McIndoe Research Foundation, based at Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH), East Grinstead, and where Myfanwy worked for a time, thanks to a generous donation of £15,000 from Ruth Marshall of East Grinstead who sadly died from malignant melanoma on January 11th 2011.
Scientists at QVH have discovered that the vital organs to which malignant melanocytes prefer to migrate to form tumours secrete high amounts of a range of proteins that attract these cells: and that malignant melanocytes have molecules on their surface that are ‘receptive’ to these proteins, rather like a ‘homing device’, and which may attract them to form tumours.
These ‘receptive molecules’ are not expressed on normal non-malignant melanocytes.
Their research aims to find out which of these proteins are the most important in causing these malignant melanocytes to migrate most readily to the major sites of tumour formation: and this would enable clinicians to tell at an early stage which patients are most at risk in developing the most aggressive forms of melanoma and therefore develop therapies to prevent cells from spreading to these sites.
This would enable clinicians to identify the type of melanoma at a much earlier stage and design treatment resulting in a much better outcome for the patient
We’ve helped to fund the work of Professor Richard Marais of Cancer Research UK for the past three years. He is one of the world’s leading experts on understanding the genetic faults that lie behind the development of melanoma. He published some very exciting new work in January.
It was known that faults in the BRAF gene contribute to the spread of around half of all melanomas: but this new research shows that BRAF actually has a ‘double whammy’ effect, not only causing melanomas, but also encouraging them to spread around the body.
Faulty BRAF stops another gene PDE5A from working.
PDE5A acts as a brake in healthy cells to stop cell movement; the first step in cancer spread. But in cancer cells, BRAF turns PDE5A off, removing it’s ability to block the cancer cells from starting to move and spread.
By blocking the activity of PDE5A, BRAF drives skin cancer cells to invade new tissues and spread further around the body, converting melanoma into a more aggressive disease
We have helped to fund the work of Dr Kevin Harrington at the Institute of Cancer Research, and who is also an Honorary Consultant at the Royal Marsden, since 2009. He specialises in developing new treatments using viruses that selectively destroy cancer cells and which are able to grow in- and kill- cancer cells, but not normal cells.
The virus therapies developed are generally given in combination with standard anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. His research has shown that some viruses can make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation: while the radiation may also favourably alter the effect of some viruses on cancer cells.
We are also still supporting the work of Dr Rachel Hayward at RAFT, where she and her team are working on improving the range of the UV spectrum covered by sunscreen creams, and improving efficacy.
There is so much still to be done: and as I said earlier, our work, which means so much to us, can only be possible with your own continued interest and corresponding support
Please contact me, let me know if you think that there is anything more that we can do, and if there is any way that you are able to increase your involvement.
Yours very sincerely
Harry Townsend
Registered Charity 1085969
www.melanoma-fund.co.uk
E-mail harry@melanoma-fund.co.uk
Tel. 01342 322508
Plumpton Health & Fitness Club
by Nicola Hobbs
With summer just around the corner, there is no better time to join a gym and get in shape. Plumpton Health and Fitness Club offers brilliant service in luxury surroundings – getting fit has never been so pleasurable!
Plumpton Health and Fitness Club was relaunched last year by top personal trainer Chris Enser. He has invested a great deal of energy, money and passion into the club and transformed it into a haven for gym goers, exercise fans and those wanting sports massage therapy, hot stone treatments and sauna indulgence.
Those benefitting from Chris’ expertise, understanding and discretion as a personal trainer come from all walks of life and range from the absolute beginner to celebrity clients. “I wanted to create a gym that was open to everyone and a place that people wanted to come to,” says Chris. “I originally come from Lewes so the club is a great opportunity to serve the region.”
Chris and his team of personal trainers, who are all NVQ Level 3 qualified, are continuing to develop the gym and the services offered. Over the past 12 months, membership numbers have risen from just 42 to over 200. Chris’ aim is to keep pricing low and, with monthly membership fees starting at £29 and ad hoc gym entry also available, the club offers great value for money. Unlike other gyms, there is no annual contract, making it a brilliant choice for everyone from the serious body builder to those just wanting to look toned on the beach this summer.
The Club prides itself on its personal service and all members receive a free hour-long induction when joining. Personal training is also available for weight management, injury rehabilitation or just to give you an extra boost in your workout. “We see our customers as friends as well as clients. And because we are an independent gym we can provide much more contact with trainers to ensure everyone is getting the most out of the Club,” says Chris.
Members currently range from 17 to 96 years, showing just how extensive the gym’s facilities and services are and its ability to cater for diverse clients. Spin, Box Fit, Pilates, Swiss Ball and Ab Attack are just a few of the classes provided, with new additions to the timetable being made at members’ requests.
The gym only uses professional equipment made by ‘LifeFitness’ and has just installed two vibrating power plates for optimum calorie burning and toning. Chris has also invested in new ‘Livestrong’ spin bikes.
If you’re after a wide range of exercise classes, friendly qualified staff, top quality gym equipment and extremely reasonable pricing, Plumpton Health and Fitness Club is ideal for helping you reach your fitness goals. ■
Plumpton Health and Fitness Club
Plumpton Racecourse
Plumpton Green, East Sussex BN7 3AL
Tel. 01273 890999
www.plumptonhealthandfitnessclub.co.uk
With summer just around the corner, there is no better time to join a gym and get in shape. Plumpton Health and Fitness Club offers brilliant service in luxury surroundings – getting fit has never been so pleasurable!
Plumpton Health and Fitness Club was relaunched last year by top personal trainer Chris Enser. He has invested a great deal of energy, money and passion into the club and transformed it into a haven for gym goers, exercise fans and those wanting sports massage therapy, hot stone treatments and sauna indulgence.
Those benefitting from Chris’ expertise, understanding and discretion as a personal trainer come from all walks of life and range from the absolute beginner to celebrity clients. “I wanted to create a gym that was open to everyone and a place that people wanted to come to,” says Chris. “I originally come from Lewes so the club is a great opportunity to serve the region.”
Chris and his team of personal trainers, who are all NVQ Level 3 qualified, are continuing to develop the gym and the services offered. Over the past 12 months, membership numbers have risen from just 42 to over 200. Chris’ aim is to keep pricing low and, with monthly membership fees starting at £29 and ad hoc gym entry also available, the club offers great value for money. Unlike other gyms, there is no annual contract, making it a brilliant choice for everyone from the serious body builder to those just wanting to look toned on the beach this summer.
The Club prides itself on its personal service and all members receive a free hour-long induction when joining. Personal training is also available for weight management, injury rehabilitation or just to give you an extra boost in your workout. “We see our customers as friends as well as clients. And because we are an independent gym we can provide much more contact with trainers to ensure everyone is getting the most out of the Club,” says Chris.
Members currently range from 17 to 96 years, showing just how extensive the gym’s facilities and services are and its ability to cater for diverse clients. Spin, Box Fit, Pilates, Swiss Ball and Ab Attack are just a few of the classes provided, with new additions to the timetable being made at members’ requests.
The gym only uses professional equipment made by ‘LifeFitness’ and has just installed two vibrating power plates for optimum calorie burning and toning. Chris has also invested in new ‘Livestrong’ spin bikes.
If you’re after a wide range of exercise classes, friendly qualified staff, top quality gym equipment and extremely reasonable pricing, Plumpton Health and Fitness Club is ideal for helping you reach your fitness goals. ■
Plumpton Health and Fitness Club
Plumpton Racecourse
Plumpton Green, East Sussex BN7 3AL
Tel. 01273 890999
www.plumptonhealthandfitnessclub.co.uk
Irish Night at Lingfield Park - Saturday 11th June
“The Craic is back” as Irish Night returns to the Lingfield Park summer calendar this year. This ever popular classic is destined to be busy as we’ve secured a great act to headline the stage live after racing.
Wonderland are a talented Irish 5-piece girl band who were handpicked from Dublin auditions to form a new pop band by Louis Walsh. They've already starred in their own TV Show ‘Louis Walsh and Kien Egan's Next big thing' and have had great success supporting both Westlife and Boyzone on their massive UK tours. They're in high demand this summer as their debut album will be released on 6th June and they’re current single “Starlight” has been chosen for the Radio 2 playlist. Make sure you don't miss this special performance at Lingfield Park.
Supporting them will be one of pop music’s most exciting prospects for 2011, - Jessica, Roberta, Anara and Aimee - FANFAIR. Coming together from across the UK and Ireland, the group comprises four sophisticated, charming and fun girls who are dedicated and passionate about taking their music to the masses with a new and fresh approach. Fanfair are well known to the London Irish supporters as the girls are in a ground-breaking co-marketing deal with the leading Aviva Premiership Rugby Club, performing at all home matches.
Racing will begin at 6.10pm with a full card in prospect over both the all-weather and the turf courses. The last race is off at 8.40pm and music will begin as soon as the horses have been safely cleared from the area.
For our younger visitors our resident face painter and bouncy castles will be in attendance whilst for parents, the Guiness truck will be here serving the authentic taste of the Emerald Isle, to compliment our range of locally sourced food usually on offer.
Tickets are on sale now at just £17 if purchased before 5pm on Wednesday 8th June (£20 on the evening). There are also discounts for groups of 10 or more in advance and concessions for students and over 60’s on the day upon proof of status.
If you’ve got something to celebrate our private and shared hospitality suites can really make your evening special. Prices start from just £65 per person + VAT. You can find out more details by calling 01342 834 800.
The fun continues, in what is set to be an enjoyable summer of evening racing at Lingfield Park.
Saturday 18th June – Ronnie Scott’s night
Saturday 25th June – Racing and Music Night with Bon Jovi Experience
Saturday 16th July – Racing and Music Night with Take That 2
Saturday 23rd July – Almond Resorts and Barbados Ladies Night. Live music from Simon Webbe of Blue and the chance to win a holiday to Barbados.
Saturday 30th July – Racing and Music Night is ‘Rat Pack Night’ with Atila.
Saturday 6th August – Racing and Music Night with Jamie Archer and support from the winner of our “Search for a band” Competition – Naked Bass.
Saturday 13th August – Racing and Music Night with a live show from Maybe Gaga. In association with Fizztival.
For further information, please contact 01342 834 800 or visit www.lingfieldpark.co.uk
Join us, you’re welcome!
Supported by Heart FM Surrey and Sussex and Formula 13 Events.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Open Day at Handcross Park School
Our Next Open Morning is on Thursday, 16th June, from 9.30-12.00
to which all are very welcome .
Handcross Park School
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6HF
T: 01444 400526
to which all are very welcome .
Handcross Park School
Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6HF
T: 01444 400526
Bank Holiday Offer at The Sportsman, Goddards Green
As the bank holiday weekend approaches, we all long for those lazy days & balmy summer evenings.
Make sure you reward yourselves after all that DIY – to a long cool Peroni, Pinot spritzer or ice cold Pimms in our gardens!
We’re the perfect destination for a leisurely cycle or brisk walk with the dog, then relax & unwind in the garden & soak up the sunshine.
We will be open throughout the weekend serving lunch on Saturday 12.00 -3.00 pm & 6.00pm – 9.00pm, Sunday lunch 12.00pm – 7.00pm & on Bank Holiday Monday 12.00pm - 7.00pm where our standard menus will be available. Bar open from 11am daily
Pop in & try some dishes from our NEW Summer Menu available now!
EXCLUSIVE EMAIL MEMBER OFFER – THIS BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND ONLY!
MAKE A PRIOR BOOKING OF FOUR OR MORE THIS WEEKEND (Fri 27th – Mon 30th inc ) & I’LL BUY THE *WINE!
Available to prior reservations only, please mention EMO OFFER to qualify when booking
CALL ME NOW - 01444 233460
Maximum wine* value £15.00 per bottle per 4 main courses purchased
Email: eat@thesportsmanpub.com
Tel: 01444 233460
www.thesportsmanpub.com
The Sportsman
Cuckfield Road
Goddards Green
BN6 9LQ
Make sure you reward yourselves after all that DIY – to a long cool Peroni, Pinot spritzer or ice cold Pimms in our gardens!
We’re the perfect destination for a leisurely cycle or brisk walk with the dog, then relax & unwind in the garden & soak up the sunshine.
We will be open throughout the weekend serving lunch on Saturday 12.00 -3.00 pm & 6.00pm – 9.00pm, Sunday lunch 12.00pm – 7.00pm & on Bank Holiday Monday 12.00pm - 7.00pm where our standard menus will be available. Bar open from 11am daily
Pop in & try some dishes from our NEW Summer Menu available now!
EXCLUSIVE EMAIL MEMBER OFFER – THIS BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND ONLY!
MAKE A PRIOR BOOKING OF FOUR OR MORE THIS WEEKEND (Fri 27th – Mon 30th inc ) & I’LL BUY THE *WINE!
Available to prior reservations only, please mention EMO OFFER to qualify when booking
CALL ME NOW - 01444 233460
Maximum wine* value £15.00 per bottle per 4 main courses purchased
Email: eat@thesportsmanpub.com
Tel: 01444 233460
www.thesportsmanpub.com
The Sportsman
Cuckfield Road
Goddards Green
BN6 9LQ
Eric Gill: Naked believer
by Ruth Lawrence
Researching the life of Eric Gill felt like opening Pandora’s Box, albeit elegantly carved and exquisitely lettered by his own contradictory hand.
With a major exhibition at the British Museum running until August, interest in Gill’s work and multi dimensional personal life continues unabated.
Gill was born in 1882 in Brighton and by the age of 15 he had 11 surviving brothers and sisters. A family this size must have required a strident personality to remain heard and seen, yet also engendered a feeling of belonging and place. Family was to remain the central anchor in Gill’s life as his sense of home, his well of inspiration and source of support and companionship. It was a mainly female household where the enforced intimacies of cramped accommodation made it inevitable he was surrounded by the cosy nakedness of his sisters. The erotic always sprang from the domestic in Gill’s work. His subjects were his family, later transposed into religious iconography, they became archetypes that he dined with, slept with and loved.
Gill’s father was protected and idolized by his wife. Gill remarked that she had “built up in our minds the immense importance and dignity of the minister of religion and the father of the family.” He later embraced his own role as the paternalistic provider even though his notions of fatherhood disregarded restraint.
He met his future wife, Ethel (later called Mary after the couple’s conversion to Catholicism) in Chichester Cathedral; he was close to her father and perhaps he glimpsed in her the potential to replicate the role of his mother as the hub of an expansive family. He left the Gill home in Chichester at the turn of the 20th century to train as an architect in London. He saw himself creating homes for ordinary people, cottages of simple, honest construction, symbolic of his image of security, a “little house-four square, with doors and windows and a roof.”
Gill’s association with Ditchling began in 1907 when he moved the family from London to Sopers, a Georgian house on the High Street, from where he found the space and support to expand his letter cutting business and begin wood engraving and sculpture. His first stone figure was carved in 1910 just before the birth of his third daughter Joanna. It’s an accomplished piece: a naked female figure supporting a Greek inscription, perhaps symbolic of the burden borne by the women in Gill’s life. Her figure is confined and with the crushing weight on her shoulders she holds the dominating words aloft only by forcing herself into a restrictive space.
In 1913 Gill converted to Catholicism. He moved his family to Hopkin’s Crank on Ditchling Common, where eventually a commune and workshops were established housing some forty people that also became Catholics. He had found a religion to satisfy him and from that period he attempted to base his life and art on religious instinct, even though his translation was largely at odds with contemporary thought.
He tried to meld the erotic with the religious; in 1910 Jacob Epstein collaborated with Gill on ambitious plans to carve a henge-like group of godlike human sculptures on the South Downs, celebrating humanity. The plan did not materialise, but Gill completed a large relief sculpture in Portland stone, renamed Ecstasy in place of an earlier, earthier title. It depicts a couple having sex standing up; Gill’s diaries reveal that his sister Gladys and her husband were the models and it is reminiscent of the elaborate Indian temple carvings where Gods and their female consorts indulge in uninhibited union.
It is often said that Gill’s notoriously unfettered sexuality is at odds with the subject matter of his work. This typically Western view of God and sex as contradictory does not appear in Eastern religious art, where the Gods engage in enthusiastic coupling and temples are adorned with orgiastic tableaux. Gill was heavily influenced by Ananda Coomaraswamy, an Anglo-Ceylonese thinker who explained Eastern art, metaphysics and theology to the West, about whom Gill wrote, “I dare not confess myself his disciple; that would only embarrass him.”
Ditchling held nostalgic memories for Gill, he wrote of the “mortal loveliness” of the South Downs, where “no one who was not there as a child can know that heaven.”
Inspired by his surroundings, bolstered by his faith and supported by his devoted family, Gill began a major commission: 14 relief panels of the Stations of the Cross for Westminster Cathedral. The work took five years to complete and employed a number of artists, including Joseph Cribb, who became an important letter cutter and sculptor on Ditchling Common until his death in 1967. The panels are remarkably detailed, folds in clothing, shadowing of muscle and bone under skin, finely carved depictions of spears and helmets, faces exquisitely rendered; they emerge from stone with assured brilliance.
Gill eventually left Ditchling for a remote farm in Wales in 1924 after increasing tensions within the commune. This proved too isolated – although Gill held a dim view of London, he relied upon it for commissions and undoubtedly missed the stimulation of proximity to the capital. The Gills settled in Piggots, a former farmhouse in Buckinghamshire, from where he took on major public commissions, cementing him into the fabric of British institution. It’s ironic that despite his loathing of industrialisation, his work graces the London Underground Headquarters and Broadcasting House. He often tried to subvert his clients’ wishes by adding religious or carnal references; the hands of Ariel on the BBC building have stigmata and BBC governors tactfully asked Gill to reduce the size of the figure’s penis after Ariel was deemed “uncommonly well hung.”
In 1933, Gill completed major work for the fabulous Art Deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe, overlooking the Lake District across the Bay. A large circular relief panel crowns the ceiling above a sweeping spiral staircase nicknamed the “stairway to Heaven.” Depicting Neptune with marks on his hands, significantly carved rather than painted, Gill again gave a religious meaning to a theme from classical mythology. He carved two large seahorses that sit high above the entrance, hewn from a single block of Portland stone using only a tiny dried seahorse as a reference.
The more one delves into Gill’s prolific output, it becomes impossible to ignore the artist’s darker, difficult aspects. As a woman it’s hard not to be angered by his patriarchal dominance of the females who supported and obliged him. His relationship with them was undoubtedly, if bizarrely, loving but gave scant regard to their autonomy. Perhaps it was the support from each other that strengthened them and diluted the effects of his influence. Some visitors to the three Gill communities commented how the women worked and drudged to support the men’s artistic and intellectual lives while being excluded from decision making.
Gill had a relationship with most of the inhabitants, be it as father, employer, husband, lover, or teacher, so it is hardly surprising that his role as patriarch gave him a skewed sense of his own power. In his diaries, sold to the William Andrews Clark Library, University of California, after his death, detailed and at times shocking accounts of his misadventures appeared. Once in the public domain, as we know only too well today, words cannot be concealed.
Most unsettling were the objects of Gill’s sexuality; it seems wholly wrapped up in his own family, as though domesticity lent it acceptance in God’s eyes, or perhaps only his own. Not content with mere mistresses, Gill had a longstanding sexual relationship with his sister Gladys and experimented with two of his own pubescent daughters. One event from his past could have acted as a catalyst, though never an excuse: when he was 15, his beloved sister and closest friend Cicely died aged 13.
It’s widely accepted that the experience that accompanies our first sexual feeling remains imprinted upon us for life. Did the young Gill’s sexual development coincide with the death of his beloved, pubescent Cicely, the most important figure in his emotional life? Is this why the sexualisation of his own daughters began and ended at a similar stage in their own lives? Ethel had a similar bereavement aged 17, of her beloved brother. Did this parallel experience inspire her tolerance of Eric’s duality and at some unconscious level help her understand his behaviour? Ethel’s stoic practicality and acceptance would become the central hub from which Eric could securely stray. She was understanding to the point of seeming sacrificial; she turned a blind eye or at least a clouded vision to his infidelities, although perhaps inspired by jealousy or simple curiosity given rein by Eric’s uninhibited behaviour, she once ended up in bed with Gladys’ husband, Ernest.
Although Gill wrote in his diary “this must stop” after a chillingly functional account of sexual experimentation with his daughter, he seemed unable to stop himself doing something he obviously knew to be wrong. In a wood engraving of his naked 17 year old daughter Petra, taking a bath, her body is rendered in loving detail but her face is absent; a blank head with no features, no mouth no speak out, no eyes to see, no ears to hear, an object rather than a person, his child. Perhaps it was the domestic setting of the events that ultimately lessened their effect, for Gill’s daughters all married and had children of their own. Ironically it was Gill’s adopted son, Gordian, who hated him instead; he only discovered his adoption when he received his call-up papers and his relationship with Gill was never to recover.
In 1940, Gill developed lung cancer and, with characteristic defiance, refused surgery, preferring death to growing old and “carving ladies bottoms with great technique but no inspiration.” He did relent to a minor operation but died soon afterwards at the age of 58. The chaplain wrote that he had “never, in my 45 years as a priest, seen a more beautiful death.”
Buried at Speen in a Baptist churchyard, Gill’s inscription reads simply: Pray for me. Eric Gill. Stone carver. In line with his tendency to embrace opposites and in contradiction to the humility of his grave, he had been stridently deterred from proposing that his right hand be severed and placed beneath the Fourteenth Station of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral.
Gill’s legacy remains in his art, where he could express himself without restraint or harm to others; his best works were transcendent and it’s in these that he reaches most closely the ideals he strived for. Great art is rarely made without conflict and what is considered taboo is often a catalyst for future artists to develop in their own way. If Gill were alive today, he would probably be rattled yet thrilled by Tracey Emin’s pornographic sketches, as down to earth as his own, yet made by a woman, the objectified turned artist.
Gill was a rare creature: multi-talented, with the ability to etch the finest line, carve the most accurate letter or release figures from the hardest stone. His works scatter the country, appearing in small churchyards and the greatest cathedral, gracing our most iconic buildings and well known institutions. His typefaces permeate our everyday life: Gill Sans, his most famous font, is used by the BBC for many of its screen graphics and is now an indelible part of our culture.
Whatever his personal faults, Gill will not be forgotten; he left a physical legacy that will remain literally carved in stone and his ideals have particular relevance today. He spoke vehemently about the scourge of capitalism, championing the virtue of handcrafted goods and freedom from enslavement by the system. Given the recent revival of interest in handmaking and sustainability, Gill looks like a man ahead of his time.
He left a prolific legacy: a hundred stone figures, a thousand engravings, almost as many inscriptions and 11 typefaces. More than this, he seems to have engraved himself upon the minds of real people. With all his flaws, he will be remembered as a fallible, enigmatic and yet extraordinary man.
Suggested Reading:
Autobiography by Eric Gill (Kessinger Publishing, 2007)
Eric Gill: Lust for Letter and Line by Ruth Cribb and Joe Cribb (British Museum Press, 2011)
Eric Gill by Fiona MacCarthy (Faber and Faber, 2003)
Eric Gill: Man of Flesh and Spirit by Malcom Yorke (Constable, 1982)
For further information please contact:
Joe Cribb, The Eric Gill Society www.ericgill.org.uk
Ditchling Museum www.ditchling-museum.com
 |
| Nudes 4. by Eric Gill, courtesy of Ditchling Museum |
Researching the life of Eric Gill felt like opening Pandora’s Box, albeit elegantly carved and exquisitely lettered by his own contradictory hand.
With a major exhibition at the British Museum running until August, interest in Gill’s work and multi dimensional personal life continues unabated.
Gill was born in 1882 in Brighton and by the age of 15 he had 11 surviving brothers and sisters. A family this size must have required a strident personality to remain heard and seen, yet also engendered a feeling of belonging and place. Family was to remain the central anchor in Gill’s life as his sense of home, his well of inspiration and source of support and companionship. It was a mainly female household where the enforced intimacies of cramped accommodation made it inevitable he was surrounded by the cosy nakedness of his sisters. The erotic always sprang from the domestic in Gill’s work. His subjects were his family, later transposed into religious iconography, they became archetypes that he dined with, slept with and loved.
Gill’s father was protected and idolized by his wife. Gill remarked that she had “built up in our minds the immense importance and dignity of the minister of religion and the father of the family.” He later embraced his own role as the paternalistic provider even though his notions of fatherhood disregarded restraint.
He met his future wife, Ethel (later called Mary after the couple’s conversion to Catholicism) in Chichester Cathedral; he was close to her father and perhaps he glimpsed in her the potential to replicate the role of his mother as the hub of an expansive family. He left the Gill home in Chichester at the turn of the 20th century to train as an architect in London. He saw himself creating homes for ordinary people, cottages of simple, honest construction, symbolic of his image of security, a “little house-four square, with doors and windows and a roof.”
Gill’s association with Ditchling began in 1907 when he moved the family from London to Sopers, a Georgian house on the High Street, from where he found the space and support to expand his letter cutting business and begin wood engraving and sculpture. His first stone figure was carved in 1910 just before the birth of his third daughter Joanna. It’s an accomplished piece: a naked female figure supporting a Greek inscription, perhaps symbolic of the burden borne by the women in Gill’s life. Her figure is confined and with the crushing weight on her shoulders she holds the dominating words aloft only by forcing herself into a restrictive space.
In 1913 Gill converted to Catholicism. He moved his family to Hopkin’s Crank on Ditchling Common, where eventually a commune and workshops were established housing some forty people that also became Catholics. He had found a religion to satisfy him and from that period he attempted to base his life and art on religious instinct, even though his translation was largely at odds with contemporary thought.
 |
| 00`08 Gloria in Altissimis Deo. by Eric Gill. Courtesy of Joe Cribb. |
It is often said that Gill’s notoriously unfettered sexuality is at odds with the subject matter of his work. This typically Western view of God and sex as contradictory does not appear in Eastern religious art, where the Gods engage in enthusiastic coupling and temples are adorned with orgiastic tableaux. Gill was heavily influenced by Ananda Coomaraswamy, an Anglo-Ceylonese thinker who explained Eastern art, metaphysics and theology to the West, about whom Gill wrote, “I dare not confess myself his disciple; that would only embarrass him.”
Ditchling held nostalgic memories for Gill, he wrote of the “mortal loveliness” of the South Downs, where “no one who was not there as a child can know that heaven.”
Inspired by his surroundings, bolstered by his faith and supported by his devoted family, Gill began a major commission: 14 relief panels of the Stations of the Cross for Westminster Cathedral. The work took five years to complete and employed a number of artists, including Joseph Cribb, who became an important letter cutter and sculptor on Ditchling Common until his death in 1967. The panels are remarkably detailed, folds in clothing, shadowing of muscle and bone under skin, finely carved depictions of spears and helmets, faces exquisitely rendered; they emerge from stone with assured brilliance.
Gill eventually left Ditchling for a remote farm in Wales in 1924 after increasing tensions within the commune. This proved too isolated – although Gill held a dim view of London, he relied upon it for commissions and undoubtedly missed the stimulation of proximity to the capital. The Gills settled in Piggots, a former farmhouse in Buckinghamshire, from where he took on major public commissions, cementing him into the fabric of British institution. It’s ironic that despite his loathing of industrialisation, his work graces the London Underground Headquarters and Broadcasting House. He often tried to subvert his clients’ wishes by adding religious or carnal references; the hands of Ariel on the BBC building have stigmata and BBC governors tactfully asked Gill to reduce the size of the figure’s penis after Ariel was deemed “uncommonly well hung.”
In 1933, Gill completed major work for the fabulous Art Deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe, overlooking the Lake District across the Bay. A large circular relief panel crowns the ceiling above a sweeping spiral staircase nicknamed the “stairway to Heaven.” Depicting Neptune with marks on his hands, significantly carved rather than painted, Gill again gave a religious meaning to a theme from classical mythology. He carved two large seahorses that sit high above the entrance, hewn from a single block of Portland stone using only a tiny dried seahorse as a reference.
The more one delves into Gill’s prolific output, it becomes impossible to ignore the artist’s darker, difficult aspects. As a woman it’s hard not to be angered by his patriarchal dominance of the females who supported and obliged him. His relationship with them was undoubtedly, if bizarrely, loving but gave scant regard to their autonomy. Perhaps it was the support from each other that strengthened them and diluted the effects of his influence. Some visitors to the three Gill communities commented how the women worked and drudged to support the men’s artistic and intellectual lives while being excluded from decision making.
Gill had a relationship with most of the inhabitants, be it as father, employer, husband, lover, or teacher, so it is hardly surprising that his role as patriarch gave him a skewed sense of his own power. In his diaries, sold to the William Andrews Clark Library, University of California, after his death, detailed and at times shocking accounts of his misadventures appeared. Once in the public domain, as we know only too well today, words cannot be concealed.
Most unsettling were the objects of Gill’s sexuality; it seems wholly wrapped up in his own family, as though domesticity lent it acceptance in God’s eyes, or perhaps only his own. Not content with mere mistresses, Gill had a longstanding sexual relationship with his sister Gladys and experimented with two of his own pubescent daughters. One event from his past could have acted as a catalyst, though never an excuse: when he was 15, his beloved sister and closest friend Cicely died aged 13.
It’s widely accepted that the experience that accompanies our first sexual feeling remains imprinted upon us for life. Did the young Gill’s sexual development coincide with the death of his beloved, pubescent Cicely, the most important figure in his emotional life? Is this why the sexualisation of his own daughters began and ended at a similar stage in their own lives? Ethel had a similar bereavement aged 17, of her beloved brother. Did this parallel experience inspire her tolerance of Eric’s duality and at some unconscious level help her understand his behaviour? Ethel’s stoic practicality and acceptance would become the central hub from which Eric could securely stray. She was understanding to the point of seeming sacrificial; she turned a blind eye or at least a clouded vision to his infidelities, although perhaps inspired by jealousy or simple curiosity given rein by Eric’s uninhibited behaviour, she once ended up in bed with Gladys’ husband, Ernest.
Although Gill wrote in his diary “this must stop” after a chillingly functional account of sexual experimentation with his daughter, he seemed unable to stop himself doing something he obviously knew to be wrong. In a wood engraving of his naked 17 year old daughter Petra, taking a bath, her body is rendered in loving detail but her face is absent; a blank head with no features, no mouth no speak out, no eyes to see, no ears to hear, an object rather than a person, his child. Perhaps it was the domestic setting of the events that ultimately lessened their effect, for Gill’s daughters all married and had children of their own. Ironically it was Gill’s adopted son, Gordian, who hated him instead; he only discovered his adoption when he received his call-up papers and his relationship with Gill was never to recover.
In 1940, Gill developed lung cancer and, with characteristic defiance, refused surgery, preferring death to growing old and “carving ladies bottoms with great technique but no inspiration.” He did relent to a minor operation but died soon afterwards at the age of 58. The chaplain wrote that he had “never, in my 45 years as a priest, seen a more beautiful death.”
Buried at Speen in a Baptist churchyard, Gill’s inscription reads simply: Pray for me. Eric Gill. Stone carver. In line with his tendency to embrace opposites and in contradiction to the humility of his grave, he had been stridently deterred from proposing that his right hand be severed and placed beneath the Fourteenth Station of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral.
Gill’s legacy remains in his art, where he could express himself without restraint or harm to others; his best works were transcendent and it’s in these that he reaches most closely the ideals he strived for. Great art is rarely made without conflict and what is considered taboo is often a catalyst for future artists to develop in their own way. If Gill were alive today, he would probably be rattled yet thrilled by Tracey Emin’s pornographic sketches, as down to earth as his own, yet made by a woman, the objectified turned artist.
 |
| Greetings card by Eric Gill. courtesy of Brighton & Hove Museum |
Whatever his personal faults, Gill will not be forgotten; he left a physical legacy that will remain literally carved in stone and his ideals have particular relevance today. He spoke vehemently about the scourge of capitalism, championing the virtue of handcrafted goods and freedom from enslavement by the system. Given the recent revival of interest in handmaking and sustainability, Gill looks like a man ahead of his time.
He left a prolific legacy: a hundred stone figures, a thousand engravings, almost as many inscriptions and 11 typefaces. More than this, he seems to have engraved himself upon the minds of real people. With all his flaws, he will be remembered as a fallible, enigmatic and yet extraordinary man.
 |
| Divine Lovers. Sculpture by Eric Gill. Courtesy of Ditchling Museum |
Suggested Reading:
Autobiography by Eric Gill (Kessinger Publishing, 2007)
Eric Gill: Lust for Letter and Line by Ruth Cribb and Joe Cribb (British Museum Press, 2011)
Eric Gill by Fiona MacCarthy (Faber and Faber, 2003)
Eric Gill: Man of Flesh and Spirit by Malcom Yorke (Constable, 1982)
For further information please contact:
Joe Cribb, The Eric Gill Society www.ericgill.org.uk
Ditchling Museum www.ditchling-museum.com
News from Hammerwood Park, East Grinstead
Dear Friends
I made a mistake in the email the other day - Jerzy Owczarz is playing on 18th June - so 29th May and 18th June are the dates!
Marc Naylor has come to practice the Hammerwood instrument now for three days - so he knows the instrument well and his concert will be GREAT! Please come and please bring children too! (Details below).
Please don't let these performers be in the lurch without audiences: both are going to be great with both serious and fun sides to the programmes. Children free, as usual and adults bringing children half price!
Sunday 29th May, 4pm Marc Naylor is going to be playing the organ, the first half with a classical repertoire and the second half with some very light hearted stuff - so if you (or your children) haven't experienced the organ before, THIS IS THE CONCERT TO COME TO! And even if you have, you'll enjoy it. Marc is a musician with great versatility and also plays the Tarogato, which I have never heard of before, but perhaps if we ask him he might do another concert!
Sunday 12th June, 4pm, Jerzy Owczarz is returning to Hammerwood. He first performed at Hammerwood at the age of 12 and returned to perform when he was 15 and 19 . . . a few years ago. He's just as happy playing Chopin meticiulously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1crCLYIuSU as he is turning it into Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUmf6tXGk0
PLEASE can you phone 01342 850594 to reserve seats. Members of the Hammerwood Park Society and members of CHD Organists Association £10, Non-Members £12, Children £NIL
Please can you try to bring some young people with you . . . ?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead
West Sussex RH19 3QE - UK
Tel +44 1342 850594
I made a mistake in the email the other day - Jerzy Owczarz is playing on 18th June - so 29th May and 18th June are the dates!
Marc Naylor has come to practice the Hammerwood instrument now for three days - so he knows the instrument well and his concert will be GREAT! Please come and please bring children too! (Details below).
Please don't let these performers be in the lurch without audiences: both are going to be great with both serious and fun sides to the programmes. Children free, as usual and adults bringing children half price!
Sunday 29th May, 4pm Marc Naylor is going to be playing the organ, the first half with a classical repertoire and the second half with some very light hearted stuff - so if you (or your children) haven't experienced the organ before, THIS IS THE CONCERT TO COME TO! And even if you have, you'll enjoy it. Marc is a musician with great versatility and also plays the Tarogato, which I have never heard of before, but perhaps if we ask him he might do another concert!
Sunday 12th June, 4pm, Jerzy Owczarz is returning to Hammerwood. He first performed at Hammerwood at the age of 12 and returned to perform when he was 15 and 19 . . . a few years ago. He's just as happy playing Chopin meticiulously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1crCLYIuSU as he is turning it into Jazz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUmf6tXGk0
PLEASE can you phone 01342 850594 to reserve seats. Members of the Hammerwood Park Society and members of CHD Organists Association £10, Non-Members £12, Children £NIL
Please can you try to bring some young people with you . . . ?
Best wishes
David Pinnegar B.Sc. A.R.C.S.
Hammerwood Park
East Grinstead
West Sussex RH19 3QE - UK
Tel +44 1342 850594
Be a host family for Bright World Guardianships Ltd
Bright World Guardianships Ltd are looking to recruit more host families to take care of their international students in UK boarding schools.
Given the continuing huge demand for places at UK boarding schools from overseas, Bright World Guardianships, a Sussex based company, is predicting yet another increase in the number of students who will be joining schools in the UK in September this year.
Bright World Guardianships is a long established Guardianship company charged with offering care to international students in UK boarding schools whose parents are not living here. These bright and brave young students are full boarders at schools but need host family accommodation when schools close for short breaks such as Half terms and exeat weekends. With so many excellent independent schools in the Shropshire area, it is likely that an increase in demand will be evident here.
Hosting international students is a very fulfilling and rewarding role. Bright World do, of course, pay a generous nightly rate to cover expenses for visiting children which can offer a valuable extra income to families. More than this though, hosting a young international student can make their entire experience in the UK a happy one. If you welcome them into your home they will actually look forward to exeats and half terms and it will enhance their overall experience and impression of the UK. Your children will also benefit from the exposure to sharing their home with an international student and will learn about new cultures and countries - think of it as a geography lesson at your breakfast table.
So becoming a Bright World host family can not only help pay for that annual holiday but will help to educate your own children to new cultures and at the same time make a young international student's life so much better.
For more information on becoming a host family for Bright World Guardianships, please contact:
Lana Foster, Managing Director on lana@brightworld.co.uk
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Mighty Music Quiz and Prize Auction
A great evenings entertainment.
Held on SATURDAY 18TH JUNE. Please note this is a new date which replaces the original date advertised of 28th May.
At The Jubilee Community Centre, Charlwoods Road, East Grinstead.
Tickets are £6.00 per team member with a maximum of 6 per team.
Doors open at 7.00pm and the Quiz starts at 7.30.
Bring your own nibbles and tipple.
The Quiz Master is our very own Neil “know it all” Symon and the Auctioneer for the evening, the rabble with the gavel, Mr Daryn Buckley.
Fantastic prizes to be won, all donated by the wonderful people and businesses of East Grinstead, Lingfield, Forest Row and the surrounding area.
To book your tickets today by telephoning the Meridian FM office on 01342 325 825.
Or you can email Sue at admin@meridianfm.com
Held on SATURDAY 18TH JUNE. Please note this is a new date which replaces the original date advertised of 28th May.
At The Jubilee Community Centre, Charlwoods Road, East Grinstead.
Tickets are £6.00 per team member with a maximum of 6 per team.
Doors open at 7.00pm and the Quiz starts at 7.30.
Bring your own nibbles and tipple.
The Quiz Master is our very own Neil “know it all” Symon and the Auctioneer for the evening, the rabble with the gavel, Mr Daryn Buckley.
Fantastic prizes to be won, all donated by the wonderful people and businesses of East Grinstead, Lingfield, Forest Row and the surrounding area.
To book your tickets today by telephoning the Meridian FM office on 01342 325 825.
Or you can email Sue at admin@meridianfm.com
Burgess Hill gets active
Burgess Hill Gets Active is a fantastic event taking place on Sunday 26 June 2011 in St. John’s Park, showcasing the huge variety of indoor and outdoor activities available to keep us physically active. But you don’t have to wait until the summer to get involved – there is an open evening in January to whet your appetite.
The aim of Burgess Hill Gets Active is to provide a showcase for all the sports and activity groups in the area, covering all ages from toddlers to older people. Activities could include outdoor and indoor sports (e.g. rugby, football, tennis, badminton, table tennis etc); martial arts, yoga, tai chi and dance; bounce and roll sessions for toddlers and short-mat bowls and chairobics for older residents.
There will also be a healthy-living element to the day including blood pressure testing, stress and weight management and quitting smoking. There will also be the chance to discover some healthy eating temptations, such as smoothies, and to see cookery demonstrations. There will be a Skate Jam competition as part of the event too.
For more information please telephone 01444 247726 and ask for Jennifer O'Grady.
The aim of Burgess Hill Gets Active is to provide a showcase for all the sports and activity groups in the area, covering all ages from toddlers to older people. Activities could include outdoor and indoor sports (e.g. rugby, football, tennis, badminton, table tennis etc); martial arts, yoga, tai chi and dance; bounce and roll sessions for toddlers and short-mat bowls and chairobics for older residents.
There will also be a healthy-living element to the day including blood pressure testing, stress and weight management and quitting smoking. There will also be the chance to discover some healthy eating temptations, such as smoothies, and to see cookery demonstrations. There will be a Skate Jam competition as part of the event too.
For more information please telephone 01444 247726 and ask for Jennifer O'Grady.
In Pastures Pink - Mini Festival in Danehill, East Sussex
For the young and young at heart there is only one place to be on Saturday 9th July – Danehill in East Sussex. By popular demand, the ‘In Pastures Pink’ festival is returning, but with an even better and more exciting line-up than at its launch two years ago.
This is a music festival and country fayre rolled into one with amazing bands, a stand-up comic, lots of delicious local food and wine, a children’s activity area and much for. It takes place in the beautiful setting of Mount Noddy, with views to the South Downs, and is in aid of St Peter and St James Hospice, Teenage Cancer Trust and Breast Cancer Research. And, of course, there’s lots of pink - a pink drinks tent, a pink beauty tent and pink flowers everywhere.
In Pastures Pink offers something for everyone. The event kicks off at 4.30pm with children’s music, recitals and afternoon tea. Then at 7.00pm music and dancing begins with a ceilidh hoedown, followed by the bands. These include:
Gypsy and the Wolf (who play at the Albert Hall the night before),
Superlungs (a local young band),
Indiana and the Romeos (a new and innovative pub band),
plus the foot-tapping Acoustic Real Strings.
As-seen-on TV, Tim Fitzhigham is the stand-up comic and the presenter is Radio Uckfield’s Jacqui Rushton.
There will be masses of food available throughout the afternoon and evening, with a sizzling BBQ, hog roast, hot dogs, goulash, lots of locally grown produce, ready-made hampers and award-winning wine and pink fizz from the Bluebell Estate. Proceeds go to charity so please don’t bring your own food.
Entrance prices for adults are £20, under 25s £15 (children under 13 years are free) Earlybird prices (for bookings made before 1st July) are adults £15 and under 25’s £10. For tickets and further information, visit www.inpasturespink.co.uk, email event@inpasturespink.co.uk or ring Lesley 07545 531957.
This is a music festival and country fayre rolled into one with amazing bands, a stand-up comic, lots of delicious local food and wine, a children’s activity area and much for. It takes place in the beautiful setting of Mount Noddy, with views to the South Downs, and is in aid of St Peter and St James Hospice, Teenage Cancer Trust and Breast Cancer Research. And, of course, there’s lots of pink - a pink drinks tent, a pink beauty tent and pink flowers everywhere.
In Pastures Pink offers something for everyone. The event kicks off at 4.30pm with children’s music, recitals and afternoon tea. Then at 7.00pm music and dancing begins with a ceilidh hoedown, followed by the bands. These include:
Gypsy and the Wolf (who play at the Albert Hall the night before),
Superlungs (a local young band),
Indiana and the Romeos (a new and innovative pub band),
plus the foot-tapping Acoustic Real Strings.
As-seen-on TV, Tim Fitzhigham is the stand-up comic and the presenter is Radio Uckfield’s Jacqui Rushton.
There will be masses of food available throughout the afternoon and evening, with a sizzling BBQ, hog roast, hot dogs, goulash, lots of locally grown produce, ready-made hampers and award-winning wine and pink fizz from the Bluebell Estate. Proceeds go to charity so please don’t bring your own food.
Entrance prices for adults are £20, under 25s £15 (children under 13 years are free) Earlybird prices (for bookings made before 1st July) are adults £15 and under 25’s £10. For tickets and further information, visit www.inpasturespink.co.uk, email event@inpasturespink.co.uk or ring Lesley 07545 531957.
Thatchers are back in Burgess Hill
by Roger Linn
Russell Thatcher, owner of the popular local barber shops that bear his name, is about to open his fourth salon.
The new establishment in Burgess Hill, due to open on Thursday, 21April, complements two in Haywards Heath and one in Hassocks. And Russell is simply delighted at the prospect of returning to Burgess Hill after an absence of some eight years. “I had a Burgess Hill salon for eight years” he told me “but the pressure of running it, together with two more in Haywards Heath, at the same time as raising a family was just too much. Something had to go. But am I pleased to be back in Burgess Hill?!” he beamed.
The new shop is at the top end of Church Road and in a happy coincidence is virtually opposite where Russell’s original gentlemen’s hairdressing shop was sited. “I really am excited about the new venture,” Russell continued. “Burgess Hill has a bit of a buzz about it these days and there’s no question that it’s growing, so I hope we’ll do well.” The new salon will offer the same classic styles with a modern twist that have become Thatchers’ trademark and Russell himself will be cutting hair in Burgess Hill for certainly the first few weeks.
This will be no hardship to a man who loves his work the way Russell does. “I look forward to work every day because I get a genuine pleasure out of helping guys to look good, confident, smart, trendy – whatever they want. And all my team do. It’s part of the customer experience we provide – professional, stylish cutting as well as a warm welcome and a friendly chat. We respect our customers, many of whom become friends. In fact, when I’m recruiting new staff I always look for someone with an engaging, outgoing personality as well as great hairdressing skills.”
Stylistically Thatchers is light years away from the old, traditional barber shop of creaky chairs and brown wood and the new Burgess Hill salon will benefit from the same fresh, spacious and open design feel that exists in the Hassocks location. With mirrors everywhere and a buzz of conversation, it’s the ideal place to have your hair cut. They will even cut boys’ hair on a Saturday, which not many barbers do.
Finally, of course, I had to ask “Who cuts your hair?” Not surprisingly perhaps, I learnt that Russell is happy to have his hair cut by any of his staff. “If I wouldn’t let them cut my hair, why would I let them near my customers?” he asked, not unreasonably.
Thatchers in Burgess Hill is certainly going to be popular.
Thatchers Barber Shop3 The Broadway, Haywards Heath RH16 3AQ | Tel. 01444 441 500
29, Sussex Rd, Haywards Heath RH16 4DZ | Tel. 01444 441517
Unit 1/B, Adastra Place, 38, Keymer Road, Hassocks BN6 8AJ | Tel. 01273 843657
10-12 Church Road, Burgess Hill RH15 9AE | Tel. 01444 244776
Russell Thatcher, owner of the popular local barber shops that bear his name, is about to open his fourth salon.
The new establishment in Burgess Hill, due to open on Thursday, 21April, complements two in Haywards Heath and one in Hassocks. And Russell is simply delighted at the prospect of returning to Burgess Hill after an absence of some eight years. “I had a Burgess Hill salon for eight years” he told me “but the pressure of running it, together with two more in Haywards Heath, at the same time as raising a family was just too much. Something had to go. But am I pleased to be back in Burgess Hill?!” he beamed.
The new shop is at the top end of Church Road and in a happy coincidence is virtually opposite where Russell’s original gentlemen’s hairdressing shop was sited. “I really am excited about the new venture,” Russell continued. “Burgess Hill has a bit of a buzz about it these days and there’s no question that it’s growing, so I hope we’ll do well.” The new salon will offer the same classic styles with a modern twist that have become Thatchers’ trademark and Russell himself will be cutting hair in Burgess Hill for certainly the first few weeks.
This will be no hardship to a man who loves his work the way Russell does. “I look forward to work every day because I get a genuine pleasure out of helping guys to look good, confident, smart, trendy – whatever they want. And all my team do. It’s part of the customer experience we provide – professional, stylish cutting as well as a warm welcome and a friendly chat. We respect our customers, many of whom become friends. In fact, when I’m recruiting new staff I always look for someone with an engaging, outgoing personality as well as great hairdressing skills.”
Stylistically Thatchers is light years away from the old, traditional barber shop of creaky chairs and brown wood and the new Burgess Hill salon will benefit from the same fresh, spacious and open design feel that exists in the Hassocks location. With mirrors everywhere and a buzz of conversation, it’s the ideal place to have your hair cut. They will even cut boys’ hair on a Saturday, which not many barbers do.
Finally, of course, I had to ask “Who cuts your hair?” Not surprisingly perhaps, I learnt that Russell is happy to have his hair cut by any of his staff. “If I wouldn’t let them cut my hair, why would I let them near my customers?” he asked, not unreasonably.
Thatchers in Burgess Hill is certainly going to be popular.
Thatchers Barber Shop3 The Broadway, Haywards Heath RH16 3AQ | Tel. 01444 441 500
29, Sussex Rd, Haywards Heath RH16 4DZ | Tel. 01444 441517
Unit 1/B, Adastra Place, 38, Keymer Road, Hassocks BN6 8AJ | Tel. 01273 843657
10-12 Church Road, Burgess Hill RH15 9AE | Tel. 01444 244776
Lindfield Country Market
by Joy Mumms
47 years ago Lindfield opened a branch of the National WI Markets as a weekly event in the King Edward Hall. Producers of quality cakes, savouries, eggs, plants and crafts were able to sell their produce to enthusiastic local customers. The market flourished and – now called Lindfield Country Market – it still opens its doors on Thursdays from 10-11am, 50 weeks of the year.
All our producers are local experts in their own fields. A wide variety of cakes, scones, biscuits and preserves are popular, together with savoury pies, flans and sausage rolls etc, all at reasonable prices. Our cooks are always happy to take orders and try out new ideas.
You want a hamper of goodies for a friend or to give as a generous prize in a raffle? This can be easily arranged and if the recipient lives far away it is often possible to do it through another market nearer to them.
Christmas is a busy time and orders can be taken from November for Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies to be collected at a time of your choice.
Free-range eggs in various sizes are always popular and sometimes we have fresh free-range chickens.
A variety of fruit and vegetables are available in season together with fresh herbs.
Plants are a hugely popular line from bedding plants to hardy perennials and our producers are always happy to answer questions and offer friendly advice.
An attractive collection of crafts is displayed by their makers. Knitted garments and baby clothes can be purchased or made to order – how can you resist the display of tiny designer bears, no two alike?
After your shopping, treat yourself to a cup tea of coffee with friends.
If you have ideas or skills to offer, come and talk to us about becoming a shareholder. Just pop along on a Thursday morning and speak to Sheila Hobbs who organises the market.
47 years ago Lindfield opened a branch of the National WI Markets as a weekly event in the King Edward Hall. Producers of quality cakes, savouries, eggs, plants and crafts were able to sell their produce to enthusiastic local customers. The market flourished and – now called Lindfield Country Market – it still opens its doors on Thursdays from 10-11am, 50 weeks of the year.
All our producers are local experts in their own fields. A wide variety of cakes, scones, biscuits and preserves are popular, together with savoury pies, flans and sausage rolls etc, all at reasonable prices. Our cooks are always happy to take orders and try out new ideas.
You want a hamper of goodies for a friend or to give as a generous prize in a raffle? This can be easily arranged and if the recipient lives far away it is often possible to do it through another market nearer to them.
Christmas is a busy time and orders can be taken from November for Christmas cakes, puddings and mince pies to be collected at a time of your choice.
Free-range eggs in various sizes are always popular and sometimes we have fresh free-range chickens.
A variety of fruit and vegetables are available in season together with fresh herbs.
Plants are a hugely popular line from bedding plants to hardy perennials and our producers are always happy to answer questions and offer friendly advice.
An attractive collection of crafts is displayed by their makers. Knitted garments and baby clothes can be purchased or made to order – how can you resist the display of tiny designer bears, no two alike?
After your shopping, treat yourself to a cup tea of coffee with friends.
If you have ideas or skills to offer, come and talk to us about becoming a shareholder. Just pop along on a Thursday morning and speak to Sheila Hobbs who organises the market.
Quiz Night for St Catherine's Hospice
Sunday 26th June 2011
Quiz Night at The Victory Pub in Staplefield.
7 for 7.30 start
Food available to purchase from 6pm
Teams of 4 and £2 per person.
Contact Barbara on 01444 400667 for details.
Organised by the Handcross Friends of St Catherine's Hospice.
Quiz Night at The Victory Pub in Staplefield.
7 for 7.30 start
Food available to purchase from 6pm
Teams of 4 and £2 per person.
Contact Barbara on 01444 400667 for details.
Organised by the Handcross Friends of St Catherine's Hospice.
Christian Aid at Downlands Community College
Responding to a challenge set to raise money for Christian Aid three pupils from Downlands Community School, Hassocks held a highly successful sale and raised £200. The girls set up stalls at one of their houses, targeted the community and local churches with a leaflet drop and spent 3 hours selling cakes, preserves, plants, bric-a-brac, books and organised a tombola. The challenge set by the local vicar was to take 50pence and turn it into funds to support Christian Aid Week. They spent the 50pence on producing leaflets and targeted many people to donate goods for the sale.
Ella Hampson, Kelly Blamire, and Mia Fiander all year 7 pupils at Downlands Community School felt strongly about supporting this charity which aims to help improve lives in all parts of the world and were thrilled with the result. All of their parents were very proud of them for raising so much money for such a good cause.
STOP PRESS! FANTASTIC SUMMER PROMOTION!
FABULOUS CONDICI STYLES NOW 20% OFF!
There's never been a better time to buy that special outfit!
So if you need something for your daughter's wedding
There's never been a better time to buy that special outfit!
So if you need something for your daughter's wedding
– or maybe Ascot or Goodwood –
come to
Private Collection
74 High Street
East Grinstead
Tel: 01342 301115
www.privatecollectionladieswear.co.uk
www.privatecollectionladieswear.co.uk
Jewellery Classes at Giraffe Gems in June
1st June 10.30-12.30 Daisy Chain Necklace
1st June 2.00-4.00 Children's Class Leaves & Cluster Necklace
2nd June 2.00-4.00 Watch Bracelet.
7th June 10.30-12.30 Beginners'Class
7th June 2.00-4.00 Twoluna Bracelet
14th June 2.00-4.00 Safety-Pin Bracelet
15th June 10-30-12-30 Flower Garden Necklace
15th June 2-00-4-00 Seed Bead Class
16th June Whole Day Polymer Clay & Bead Making
22nd June 10.30-12.30 Vintage Bracelet
23rd June 10-30-12-30 Loopy Bracelet
25th June 10.30-12.30 Beginners' Class
29th June 10.30-12.30 Felt-Flower Garden Necklace
Giraffe Gems, Ote Hall Farm, Janes Lane, Burgess Hill
01444 248475
www.giraffegems.com
1st June 2.00-4.00 Children's Class Leaves & Cluster Necklace
2nd June 2.00-4.00 Watch Bracelet.
7th June 10.30-12.30 Beginners'Class
7th June 2.00-4.00 Twoluna Bracelet
14th June 2.00-4.00 Safety-Pin Bracelet
15th June 10-30-12-30 Flower Garden Necklace
15th June 2-00-4-00 Seed Bead Class
16th June Whole Day Polymer Clay & Bead Making
22nd June 10.30-12.30 Vintage Bracelet
23rd June 10-30-12-30 Loopy Bracelet
25th June 10.30-12.30 Beginners' Class
29th June 10.30-12.30 Felt-Flower Garden Necklace
Giraffe Gems, Ote Hall Farm, Janes Lane, Burgess Hill
01444 248475
www.giraffegems.com
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Read all about it ...
The hunt is on for volunteers to help out at this year's Summer Reading Challenge.
The event, aimed at 4 to 12 year olds, will run at East Grinstead Library from July to September and help is needed to register families, choose and discuss books and award medals and certificates.
Volunteers will receive full training and a certificate from Outset Youth Action showing the hours they have worked.
Deborah Urquhart from West Sussex County Council said: "Whether you can spare a few hours a week or a day, this is a great chance for young people to get involved in a community event and gain some skills".
If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information, please visit westsussex.gov.uk
The event, aimed at 4 to 12 year olds, will run at East Grinstead Library from July to September and help is needed to register families, choose and discuss books and award medals and certificates.
Volunteers will receive full training and a certificate from Outset Youth Action showing the hours they have worked.
Deborah Urquhart from West Sussex County Council said: "Whether you can spare a few hours a week or a day, this is a great chance for young people to get involved in a community event and gain some skills".
If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information, please visit westsussex.gov.uk
Music and Dance on Broadway - Sunday 29th May
by Nicola Hobbs
At just 18 years old, Tim French organised his first youth club event. Over 50 years later and with an MBE to his name, he is still running events for the community with dedication, passion and a can-do-anything attitude.
Since Christmas time, Tim and his team at It’s Magic have been busy planning for their big May event: Music & Dance on Broadway, taking place on Sunday 29th May. This will be the third spring Broadway Day in Haywards Heath and new ideas, new performers and new workshops guarantee it will be better than ever. “This is a full street commitment. We want everyone to get involved, have a dance, not worry about what they are doing and just have a fun time,” says Tim.
But organising an all singing, all dancing street party for over 4,000 people isn’t without its challenges. Special events licences need to be granted, road closures have to be authorised from the Secretary of State and sponsors need to be found. “Everything always comes together in the end. We do the preparation and tick all the boxes and it works,” says Tim.
The event is so popular that singers, dancers, bands and performers come from far and wide as well as from within Mid Sussex. Although being devoted to nurturing talented young people within the area, Tim ensures that the standard of performances is high so that people will have no excuse not to dance.
Sussex Living’s own Ruth Lawrence (pictured above) will be wowing the crowds with her Salariya Belly Dancing. As well as being a talented writer and photographer and boasting the ability to fly a private plane, Ruth has danced her way to performances on MTV, at international football matches and even for Prince William. “I’ve always loved the music, the costumes and the look of the dancing and as soon as I started belly dancing I knew I wanted to do it professionally. All my dancing is spontaneous and nothing is choreographed so it is fresher and more authentic,” says Ruth.
Belly dancing is sure to be popular on Broadway and is expected to set pulses racing. “The movements in belly dancing are very intensive. After ten minutes of shimmying and hip-shaking you’ll be exhausted – but it is so much fun,” says Ruth.
Another recognisable face for readers of Sussex Living will be Muhala Mtonga who featured in last December’s issue. His appearance in the magazine has boosted his career and his confidence. “I’ve been scouted by a fabulous photographer, Helena Carter, who has helped me with my portfolio. The article put me in contact with great people, helped me to get a role in a show at Brighton’s Pavilion Theatre and gave me the confidence to start work on my dance company,” says Muhala.
Muhala will be sharing his dancing flair and encouraging the public to join in with his hiphop dancing. “I’m performing with a friend and we’ll be doing a mix of street and hiphop using the things we have around us as props – like dancing in the street to really get the audience involved,” says Muhala. “We have created something fresh and funky.”
This will be the first time Muhala has performed for It’s Magic but he is a massive fan of their Broadway events. “I can’t say I’m not nervous but when I dance nothing really gets to me, I’m in my own little bubble. I went to last year’s event and all the food, bars and entertainment makes it a great day. I’m really looking forward to performing.”
The It’s Magic team have worked hard to ensure that, no matter your taste, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just a few of the performers include the steel band TLA, Greek dance team Moosootoo, Amor Flamenco, Lady Marmalade and the Blunter Brothers. Pollito Boogaloo will be playing Afro Colombian Roots Music accompanied by local Zumba group dancing. Brighton Jive Dancers, Star School and Cuckoo’s Nest Morris Women will be bringing energy to the street with their musical moves. Children will be entertained by Jimmy the Juggling Jester, Story Time Puppets and can take part in The Flobots dance workshop.
“This year we are introducing workshops so local dance groups have the opportunity to showcase their talent,” says Sarah Brook, Operations Manager at It’s Magic events. “From Zumba and Salsa to Greek and Morris Dancing, to circus skills and face painting, these workshops give the audience a chance to participate, have some fun and truly feel the community spirit.”
The main aim of Music & Dance on Broadway is to unite the community. The gate stewards, stage hands and everyone else who helps out on the day are local people who have volunteered their time to make the event a success. “We were light years ahead of Mr Cameron and his idea of the Big Society,” laughs Tim. “There are over 50 volunteers who help out because they share our views on the importance of the community.”
Running from 11am – 10pm on Sunday 29th May, Music & Dancing on Broadway makes the perfect family day out. Advance tickets for the event are just £7 or can be bought on the day for £12. Children up to age 11 are free with an accompanying adult.
This event supports the Purple Pinky campaign, the next phase of the recognisable Haywards Heath Focus on the Crocus campaign, run by the Rotary Club, to rid the world of Polio. “It’s Magic donates any surplus funds to local projects and to the Rotary Club so Polio can be eradicated. It is difficult when there are so many other problems in the world, but it is within our power to wipe out Polio. It is possible,” says Tim passionately. ■
Tickets for Music & Dance on Broadway are available from Haywards Heath retailers including Baldwins, Orange Square, Savannah, Idle Wild, The Locker Room and Seymour & Dench. You can also book online at www.itsmagic.org.uk or by calling the box office on 01444 800045.
At just 18 years old, Tim French organised his first youth club event. Over 50 years later and with an MBE to his name, he is still running events for the community with dedication, passion and a can-do-anything attitude.
Since Christmas time, Tim and his team at It’s Magic have been busy planning for their big May event: Music & Dance on Broadway, taking place on Sunday 29th May. This will be the third spring Broadway Day in Haywards Heath and new ideas, new performers and new workshops guarantee it will be better than ever. “This is a full street commitment. We want everyone to get involved, have a dance, not worry about what they are doing and just have a fun time,” says Tim.
But organising an all singing, all dancing street party for over 4,000 people isn’t without its challenges. Special events licences need to be granted, road closures have to be authorised from the Secretary of State and sponsors need to be found. “Everything always comes together in the end. We do the preparation and tick all the boxes and it works,” says Tim.
The event is so popular that singers, dancers, bands and performers come from far and wide as well as from within Mid Sussex. Although being devoted to nurturing talented young people within the area, Tim ensures that the standard of performances is high so that people will have no excuse not to dance.
Sussex Living’s own Ruth Lawrence (pictured above) will be wowing the crowds with her Salariya Belly Dancing. As well as being a talented writer and photographer and boasting the ability to fly a private plane, Ruth has danced her way to performances on MTV, at international football matches and even for Prince William. “I’ve always loved the music, the costumes and the look of the dancing and as soon as I started belly dancing I knew I wanted to do it professionally. All my dancing is spontaneous and nothing is choreographed so it is fresher and more authentic,” says Ruth.
Belly dancing is sure to be popular on Broadway and is expected to set pulses racing. “The movements in belly dancing are very intensive. After ten minutes of shimmying and hip-shaking you’ll be exhausted – but it is so much fun,” says Ruth.
Another recognisable face for readers of Sussex Living will be Muhala Mtonga who featured in last December’s issue. His appearance in the magazine has boosted his career and his confidence. “I’ve been scouted by a fabulous photographer, Helena Carter, who has helped me with my portfolio. The article put me in contact with great people, helped me to get a role in a show at Brighton’s Pavilion Theatre and gave me the confidence to start work on my dance company,” says Muhala.
Muhala will be sharing his dancing flair and encouraging the public to join in with his hiphop dancing. “I’m performing with a friend and we’ll be doing a mix of street and hiphop using the things we have around us as props – like dancing in the street to really get the audience involved,” says Muhala. “We have created something fresh and funky.”
This will be the first time Muhala has performed for It’s Magic but he is a massive fan of their Broadway events. “I can’t say I’m not nervous but when I dance nothing really gets to me, I’m in my own little bubble. I went to last year’s event and all the food, bars and entertainment makes it a great day. I’m really looking forward to performing.”
The It’s Magic team have worked hard to ensure that, no matter your taste, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just a few of the performers include the steel band TLA, Greek dance team Moosootoo, Amor Flamenco, Lady Marmalade and the Blunter Brothers. Pollito Boogaloo will be playing Afro Colombian Roots Music accompanied by local Zumba group dancing. Brighton Jive Dancers, Star School and Cuckoo’s Nest Morris Women will be bringing energy to the street with their musical moves. Children will be entertained by Jimmy the Juggling Jester, Story Time Puppets and can take part in The Flobots dance workshop.
“This year we are introducing workshops so local dance groups have the opportunity to showcase their talent,” says Sarah Brook, Operations Manager at It’s Magic events. “From Zumba and Salsa to Greek and Morris Dancing, to circus skills and face painting, these workshops give the audience a chance to participate, have some fun and truly feel the community spirit.”
The main aim of Music & Dance on Broadway is to unite the community. The gate stewards, stage hands and everyone else who helps out on the day are local people who have volunteered their time to make the event a success. “We were light years ahead of Mr Cameron and his idea of the Big Society,” laughs Tim. “There are over 50 volunteers who help out because they share our views on the importance of the community.”
Running from 11am – 10pm on Sunday 29th May, Music & Dancing on Broadway makes the perfect family day out. Advance tickets for the event are just £7 or can be bought on the day for £12. Children up to age 11 are free with an accompanying adult.
This event supports the Purple Pinky campaign, the next phase of the recognisable Haywards Heath Focus on the Crocus campaign, run by the Rotary Club, to rid the world of Polio. “It’s Magic donates any surplus funds to local projects and to the Rotary Club so Polio can be eradicated. It is difficult when there are so many other problems in the world, but it is within our power to wipe out Polio. It is possible,” says Tim passionately. ■
Tickets for Music & Dance on Broadway are available from Haywards Heath retailers including Baldwins, Orange Square, Savannah, Idle Wild, The Locker Room and Seymour & Dench. You can also book online at www.itsmagic.org.uk or by calling the box office on 01444 800045.
East Grinstead: Mid Summer Market
East Grinstead's Midsummer Market returns on Saturday July 23rd.
A large part of London Road, the town's major shopping street, is closed to traffic and the shops and cafes spill out onto the street creating a carnival like atmosphere for the day.
Small fairground rides and stalls are scattered around and the arrival of the famous French Market is guaranteed to pull in the crowds with their excellent selection of French produce and giftware.
Plenty of craft and gift stalls, as well as those run by local charities, can be found in the street and Queens Walk with activities throughout the day. This is the fourth year that the Midsummer Market has come to town, each time attracting record-breaking crowds.
Stall space available, prices and details from the Tourist Desk tourism@eastgrinstead.gov.uk or call 01342 410121
Girls' Night Out!
Friday 24th June 2011
Girls Night Out! Pamper & Shopping Event
Martlets Hall
Burgess Hill
6.30pm - 9.30pm.
Manicures, Pedicures, Indian Head Massage, Facials, Reflexology, Psychic Readings, Jewellery, Cosmetics & more. Treatments from £10.00
You do not need to pre book just turn up on the day! £1.00 Entrance fee.
All in support of St Catherine's Hospice.
Contact 07717 311019 for more info
Girls Night Out! Pamper & Shopping Event
Martlets Hall
Burgess Hill
6.30pm - 9.30pm.
Manicures, Pedicures, Indian Head Massage, Facials, Reflexology, Psychic Readings, Jewellery, Cosmetics & more. Treatments from £10.00
You do not need to pre book just turn up on the day! £1.00 Entrance fee.
All in support of St Catherine's Hospice.
Contact 07717 311019 for more info
Culture and Community meet in Cuckfield’s Historic Church
Drama in the Park
The forthcoming production of the rural period comedy ‘Gentle Harry’s Farm’ by the Rude Mechanical Theatre Company on Sunday 19th June at Cuckfield Park promises to be one of the most successful and enjoyable events of the summer season.
It is part of a series of cultural events being organised by the Friends of the Holy Trinity Church in Cuckfield. This rapidly growing and very active group of Friends started their annual programme with a sell-out performance of the Sussex Symphony Orchestra in January this year. The packed audience in the historic church were treated to a superb programme including Mozart, Vaughan Williams and Puccini with conductor Mark Andrew James and a special appearance of Royal Opera House tenor Andrew Rees. A further concert is already in the final planning stages for September this year.
In the meantime, preparations are now being finalised for the Rude Mechanical’s latest dramatic production, being held by kind permission of Bryan and Sue Mayou in the grounds of the glorious sixteenth-century Cuckfield Park (see below for how to book tickets).
Part of Sussex’s heritage
With a history that can be traced back to the Domesday Book, Cuckfield is one of the oldest and most distinguished villages in Sussex. At the centre of the village is the Church of the Holy Trinity which has its own proud history going back nine hundred years. The building is a superb example of Sussex’s architectural heritage and is considered one of the finest church buildings in Southern England. In particular, the unique Victorian painted ceiling and the glorious stained-glass windows are examples of the heritage of craftsmanship and worship embodied in the church building. The church is in great demand throughout the year to celebrate the happiness of weddings and baptisms.
Chairman of the Friends Paul Goldfinch says: “We have had a wonderful response not only from churchgoers but from residents of this beautiful village and from visitors from all over the country to join our Friends group and have their names recorded in the history of this beautiful and important building.”
The Friends represent one of the ways in which funds are raised, through membership fees and events, to maintain and restore the fabric of the church.
Some of the benefits of being a Friend include:
- ‘Private Views’, for Friends only, of events held in the church including the very popular Christmas Tree Festival.
- Discounted Priority Tickets for cultural events including concerts.
- VIP invitations to drama performances.
- Planned trips for friends to sites of cultural and historic interest as well as sporting events.
First Anniversary celebrated dramatically
The Friends of Holy Trinity Church have now been established for one year. It is to mark this special occasion that Friends and their guests have been invited to a Friends’ Anniversary Reception to be held at Cuckfield Park, by courtesy of their Honorary President on Sunday June 19th at 6.00pm. Peter Talbot, the founder and Director of the Rude Mechanical Theatre Company, has agreed to give the Friends an exclusive presentation before the performance of ‘Gentle Harry’s Farm’, during which he will provide insights into the traditions of traveling theatre troupes, morality plays, medieval ‘jongleurs’ and the conventions of the Commedia dell’ Arte. Paul Goldfinch added: “Although the reception is planned as a way of thanking our current members, we would be delighted to welcome new members either on by prior application through the website below. The theatrical production is open to members of the general public but the reception and presentation beforehand is only for members and it would be a great pleasure to welcome some new Friends on what is sure to be a very special occasion”
At 7.30pm The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company will be giving the open-air performance of their latest production entitled ‘Gentle Harry’s Farm’. Set in the English countryside, this romantic ‘comedy of manners’ will be performed in the tradition of the Commedia dell’ Arte and is sure to entertain as well as providing food for thought by addressing universal issues about relationships and social conventions.
How to be part of this special evening
For tickets to attend the performance of ‘Gentle Harry’s Farm’ please contact www.rudemechanicals.co.uk or buy direct from Wealden Stores or Pepperbox in Cuckfield. For details of how to become a Friend of Holy Trinity Church please see holytrinitycuckfield.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)