The Chronicle - Hoathly HubThe Chronicle for June and July 2012 – Page 3 Dear Friends, The month...

The Chronicle is published six times a year by St. Margaret's Church, West Hoathly for the benefit of the

communities of West Hoathly, Sharpthorne, and Highbrook.

The publication is edited, printed and distributed entirely within the parish by a dedicated team of

volunteers. We welcome reports of regular and one-off events and meetings, notices of

forthcoming activities, reminiscences, poems, line drawings, short stories, individual viewpoints,

letters, information and news of other matters. Items for inclusion should be sent by e-mail to

all four editors; typed or short handwritten items can also be delivered to any of the editors.

We reserve the right to edit any articles submitted.

THE EDITORIAL TEAM:

Peter Hartley, Old Timbers, North Lane, West Hoathly, RH19 4QF

Tel: 01342 811238 e-mail: [email protected]

Anne Thorne, Chiddinglye Farmhouse, West Hoathly RH19 4QS


Kathy Brown, Ashurst, Bulldogs Bank, Sharpthorne, RH19 4PH


Marion Jones, 6 Glenham Place, Top Road, Sharpthorne, RH19 4HU


Kate Wiseman, Dalingridge Place, Chilling Street, Sharpthorne, RH19 4JB

Tel: 01342 810411 email: kate @katewiseman.com

From the Editorial Team . . .

As this issue comes out the subscriptions are due, still only £3 for 6 issues, a real bargain!

Please have the money ready for your distributor.

We hope you will be joining in the many Jubilee celebrations planned for the villages and

will enjoy meeting up with old and new friends over the weekend. Hopefully the weather will

be kind to us. Many thanks to the Jubilee committee who have organised all the events. For

our next issue we would welcome some articles with photos if possible about your Jubilee

celebrations.

Whether you are going away or staying at home have a good summer holiday. We are

always pleased to hear any unusual stories, holiday recommendations or suggestions for

magazine improvement, and to receive art work for our front cover. Don’t forget to use our

‘small ad’ facility for selling anything or putting in a notice of an event (only £1), contact

Sue Billings.

We have a little puzzle in this issue on Page 20 for you to decipher, first correct answer

opened will win a prize. Give your entry to any of the editors.

Best wishes to all our readers

From Peter, Anne, Kathy & Marion

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

Goo Coomber at 01342 810298 leads the production

team, collating all copies in the church on the Thursday

afternoon before publication.

Rosemary Watson at 01342 810800 heads the team of

distributors, and she can arrange for the Chronicle to be

delivered to your home, or posted to you. Some copies

are also put out in the local churches and shops for

purchase at 70p a copy. Annual subscription - £3.

ADVERTISING & SMALL ADS

Sue Billings at 01342 810049 handles boxed business

advertisements, which can be included for £30 annually,

and also the Small Ads, which cost £1 per issue for two

lines of copy.

Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply any form of

approval of the quality of the services offered.

The Chronicle for June—July 2012 - Page 2

T h e C h r o n i c l e f o r J u n e a n d J u l y 2 0 1 2 – P a g e 3

Dear Friends,

The month of June is a very special and busy month in our community! Please read this edition of the Chronicle care-fully for details of all the activities in West Hoathly, Sharpthorne and Highbrook during the next two months.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving

On Sunday 3rd June we will be celebrating the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Maj-esty Queen Elizabeth II at a special Diamond Jubilee Ser-vice of Thanksgiving at Saint Margaret’s Church West

Hoathly at 10am. I am inviting you all to come along and to give thanks for Her Majesty’s many years of faithful service to this nation and to the Com-monwealth. Parish Churches through-out the United Kingdom will be joining with us on this Trinity Sunday; the Na-tional Service of Thanksgiving will take place in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Lon-don on Tuesday 5th June at which the Royal family will be present.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Songs of Praise

We will end the day on Sunday the 3rd June with our Songs of Praise service in

the Marquee on the West Hoathly Recreational Grounds at 7pm. I have written to you all to ask

you to please let me have your favour-ite hymns. Michèle Jacques and I are organizing the service and we hope that you will tell us what you would like to sing. Please encourage folk to come along to our Songs of Praise.

Olympic Flower Festival at Saint Mar-garet’s 21-24th July.

Saint Margaret’s Church is organizing a Flower Festival. The theme is “A cele-bration of the Olympics”. Please let Frieda Boyd know if you would like to do an ar-rangement of flowers in the church or Lychgate. I’m hoping that many of you will help us to celebrate the Olympics in flow-ers. Our preacher at the Festival Eve-ning Service will be our Archdeacon, Ven. Roger Combes.

New Bishop of Chichester announced.

On 3rd May, the announcement was made that Dr. Martin Warner, cur-rently Suffragan Bishop of Whitby, in the Diocese of York was to be our new Bishop. Please pray for him as he prepares to move into the Diocese.

Sunday Club

Our Sunday Club started off with 13 children meeting in the Vestry on Sunday the 6th May. My gratitude to my wife Sue and her band of willing, enthusiastic, helpers who

have worked really hard to make this possible. As this begins to grow we will need to find alternative accommodation. My hope

and prayer is to build an annex with proper toilets, a small kitchen and a hall for our Sunday Club and other par-ish events. Please pray with me that the Lord will open the way for this and provide the finances necessary for this project.

Continued on Page 4


Bluebell Railway Songs of Praise

Sunday 15 July the annual Deanery Songs of Praise will take

place. This is always a very special time! Saint Margaret’s will begin the celebra-tions with a Cream Tea in the picnic area of the Horsted Keynes Station at 430pm. The free train ride departs precisely at 545pm from Horsted Keynes Station for Kingscote Station where the Songs of Praise will be held (no parking at Kingscote, access only by train). There is always a wonderful array of songs, inter-views and talk. This year the talk will be given by Lionel. The evening will finish with a return train ride to Horsted Keynes station arriving at approximately 7.45pm. Do join us for this excellent evening. Re-tiring collection will be taken for the Blue-bell’s extension into East Grinstead.

New Churchwarden at Saint Margaret’s

Valerie Fyans stood down as Churchwarden at our Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). She will continue to serve the Lord in a different

role now and I want to pay tribute to her for all the hard work and dedication over the past 6 years. Carole Houston was elected as the new Churchwarden at Saint Margaret’s. Please pray for her as s he set-tles into her new role. She will need time to “grow into” her new job. Please don’t ex-pect her to be like Val-erie or any other previous churchwardens. She has different gifts and abilities. Fortu-nately, when God calls us to serve him he also enables us by his Spirit to do so.

The Relief of Rain

We thank God for the rain that has fallen recently replenishing the reservoir and underground water supply. We look for-ward to lots of sunny days and fun times together celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee.

My love and best wishes to you all.

QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE

CELEBRATIONS, 1ST

TO 4TH

JUNE

The main events for the whole Parish will take place on North Lane Recreation Ground:

The Jubilee Supper The Jubilee Entertainment “The Big Picnic” and Parish Games Songs of Praise The Pageant of Floats Jubilee Fête All culminating with the Lighting of Bea-

cons on Finche Field and in Highbrook - part of the national chain

Programmes of all events are around the villages and there will be many parties locally organised.

All information on www.HoathlyHub.info/Jubilee

SO HAVE A REALLY GOOD TIME!

Baptisms/ Wedding in the Parish

Samantha Louise Reed and Max Christopher

Gorton were baptized at St. Margaret’s on the

21st April. Barry and Laura, Max’s parents, live

at Hill Top in North Lane, West Hoathly.

Thanksgiving:

The parents of Lewis Peter Taylor, gathered at

All Saints to give thanks to God for the gift of

their child. The proud parents, Ken and Anna,

( with grandparents Peter and Andrea Browne)

and friends and family enjoyed a service of

thanksgiving and blessing.

Wedding:

Ian Anderson and Stephanie Gaynor Stone

were married at St. Margaret’s Church on Satur-

day the 12th May. Stephanie has long connec-

tions with the community, her late grandmother,

Doris Corke, having lived in Broadfield all her

life.

Flower Festival

20th - 23rd July

A Celebration of the Olympics

St Margaret’s Church, West Hoathly

Friday 20th July

Preview Party @ 7.30 pm Tickets £10

Available from Derek Shurvell on 01342 810780

Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd & Monday 23rd

10 am—5 pm Free Entrance

Teas—Produce—Plants

Bells—Harp—Piano—Organ music throughout the day

Plant up or decorate with flowers your old trainers or

shoes and bring along Saturday to line the church path

Services on Sunday 22nd July

10 am Communion

6 pm Choral Evensong Sung by

Una Voce

WEEKEND CELEBRATION TIMETABLE

Olympics in Flowers and Saint Margaret’s

Patronal Festival

Friday 20th through Monday 23rd July

Date Time Event

20th 9.15 am 7.30 pm

WH School Leavers Service St Margaret’s Preview Party for Celebration of the Olympics in Flowers

21st 10 am - 6 pm

Viewing Celebration of the Olympics in Flowers at St Margaret’s

22nd Noon - 5 pm 6 pm

Viewing Celebration of the Olympics in Flowers at St Margaret’s Una Voce Sung Evensong with guest speaker the Archdeacon of Horsham, Roger Coombes, installation and induction as vicar of Ven Lionel Whatley. Refreshments following the service

23rd 10 am - 5 pm

Viewing Celebration of the Olympics in Flowers at St Margaret’s

Organisations, businesses and roads have already agreed to participate but there is still plenty more

space .

It will be lovely to see the Church full of beautiful flowers, arrangements and displays which may take

the form of a medal colour, the Olympic rings, cities, countries, years, events or personalities i.e plenty

of scope! The variety of shoes, or boots, lining the path also make the entrance to the Church special

and colourful.

Do bring your friends and families along to visit the Church, look at the displays, listen to live music,

drink tea, purchase produce & plants and get ready for the Olympics to begin.

The above advert gives times and contact details, please ring me on the above number to book a place in

the Church if you would like to do a display. The Preview Party on the Friday Evening ( 20th ) will

include wine, nice nibbles and light entertainment for a summer's evening.

Derek Shurvell



Neighbourhood Plan - Initial Consultation Survey Results

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

West Hoathly Parish Council is leading a project for the parish community

to create a Neighbourhood Plan for the area – put simply “Our Plan”. The

plan, once adopted through a referendum in 2013, will become a formally

recognised part of the Mid Sussex District planning policy which will be

specific to this Parish. It is therefore a very important initiative that must reflect

the opinions and aspirations of the people in this community.

Initial Consultation Survey

During April and May a consultation survey was run using the booklet questionnaires that should

have arrived through your letterbox and online via the Hoathly Hub. Below is a very brief summary

of the results.

241 people submitted responses which included 710 individual comments. This probably equates

to about a quarter of parish households participating in the consultation.

75% of respondents “Strongly agreed” and 23% “Agreed to some extent” with the overall Vision

proposed in the survey.

Thirteen so called “Defining Characteristics” were proposed for the Parish of the future covering

aspects such as the countryside, public transport, homes and community. All of these

characteristics received a large majority of “In favour” ticks with even the lowest (for the

“Homes” topic) still being 79% “In favour”. The highest approval was for vision related to the

Countryside with 98% “In favour”.

The consultation also sought opinions on life in the Parish today regarding what we most value

about living here and what gives us most cause for concerns.

Way out in front of “what we Value” is the Countryside followed by the relatively low crime

experience. Having the primary school comes next with historic buildings, local communications,

community activities soon after.

Among our “Concerns” the biggest emphasis is on traffic volume and speeds, and pedestrian and

cyclist safety. The other key topics are the continued viability of schooling for up to primary ages,

public transport and facilities for an ageing population.

It is encouraging and reassuring to see that, in general, there is a remarkable level of consensus

among local residents about our area as it is now and how we would like it to remain or evolve in

the future. Obviously there is in fact a spectrum of attitudes expressed in the survey and the

comments which may mean some refinements are needed to the vision and future characteristics.

Out of interest, 44 of the responses were on paper and 197 were completed online. 57% were from

women. 40% came from each of Sharpthorne and West Hoathly and 10% from Highbrook. Half had

lived here more than 20 years. 60% were over 55 years old. Just over a third had young people aged

18 and under in their households

I would like to thank everyone who submitted a response, members of the community who helped

create the materials for the consultation and Jill Carter and her firm Abacus Insight who at no

charge helped construct, run and analyse the survey.

Next Steps

This initial consultation will now enable the “Our Plan” project to build on this foundation by

defining Parish objectives for the plan and the necessary policies to realise them which are

consistent with the opinions expressed by residents..

If you would like to participate in the next phase of the “Our Plan” process over the coming months

or have any queries about it, please either contact the Parish Clerk or me.

www.HoathlyHub.info/OurPlan also has further information.

John Downe, 01444-892065, [email protected]

“Representing Highbrook, Selsfield, Sharpthorne, Tyes Cross and West Hoathly” Your Parish Council needs some hands-on help from the community!

At the Parish Assembly on 23rd April the Council highlighted the major projects it is pursuing in the current year. Together these projects represent a heavy workload and to progress them quickly some extra helping hands are needed. Would you be able to participate in achieving the significant improvements needed in West Hoathly Village Hall where we need fund-raising and project management help for example? How about in the area of traffic volumes, speeds and weights where the Highways and Transport Committee wants to make progress with the recommendations from the consultant study completed in 2011? Last, but not least the crucial Neighbourhood Plan project (see page 6) really needs some additional on-going support as part of team so that it can be completed by 2013.

Youth Forum started

The first meeting of Parish Youth Forum took place on 30th April with 5 teenagers, 2 Parish Councillors and the Parish Clerk. All the Council’s current projects and initiatives were discussed and for the Council a very useful perspective was received. A key issue for the forum members is the lack of suitable public transport for them to be able to travel to towns independently. The Forum has started a Facebook page called YouthForum to aid communications and would recommend other Parish teenagers to “Like” it and contribute their ideas. Attention Land owners As part of the current Parish Neighbourhood Plan project (see report on the recent consultation elsewhere in this Chronicle), the Parish Council would like to hear from anyone owning land within the Parish area if they might be considering applying for development during the next 10 years or more. Developments of interest could include business premises, homes, recreational or community use. This is needed so that such ideas can be considered for inclusion within the scope of the Neighbourhood Plan. Any site that is eventually included in the Plan documents will, with the rest of the Plan in its entirety, be subject to a referendum of all registered voters of the Parish in 2013 but may or may not be actually developed subsequently. A majority of votes cast will be required to formally adopt the complete Neighbourhood Plan at that stage. Please contact the Parish Clerk before the end of July should you wish to bring any sites to the Council’s attention. Putting a site forward does not guarantee that the Council will support its development in the future. All sites will need to be judged against the needs of the parish and relevant District planning policies. All sites submitted as part of the “call for sites” exercise may be published in due course and cannot be treated confidentially. Parish Communications In the 2009 “Parish Futures” study, communications about the Parish Council and in general around the parish were perceived as “only fair or poor”. Since then greater efforts have been made by the Council to improve in this area through this page in every issue of the widely circulated Chronicle. Just over two years ago the Council also sponsored the creation of the Hoathly Hub to facilitate wider Parish communications and a completely new Parish Council website with more up-to-date information easily accessible. 460 residents are now sent the Hub weekly news email, over 100 people receive instant news updates through the Hub’s Facebook page, and several dozen follow the Hub on Twitter. Well over 60% of Parish households must be receiving local news this way. Has all this helped? If you have any comments or suggestions about this topic we would very much like to hear from you.

WEST HOATHLY PARISH COUNCIL

Parish Clerk: Helen Schofield - The Parish Office, North Lane, West Hoathly, RH19 4QG T: 01342 811301 E: [email protected]

Website: www.westhoathly.gov.uk The office is open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 9am and noon. Messages can be

left at all other times on the answer phone or by email.


West Hoathly WI

Ros welcomed a good number of members

to the April meeting. She has managed to

secure a visit to Highgrove for September

this year, which we are all looking forward to. A

team was put together to attend the quiz evening

later in the month.

Our speaker for the meeting was Sue Biddle -

All is revealed in your handwriting. She did re-

veal a lot! Many of us could recognise various

little signs and it was surprising what they

meant. Some of us realised that we were some-

what reserved or even more outgoing than we

thought. Signatures were not as revealing as I

had thought. An eligible scrawl is no better than

a neatly easily read signature. What are the scrib-

bled signatures afraid of I wonder? Even though

some of us have altered their writing style the

overall picture they reveal remains very much

the same. There was only one entry for the

Easter card competition and shamefully it was

not mine

For the May meeting we went to lunch at the

Anchor Pub in Horsted Keynes. Some of us had

only just returned to the newly built dining area.

Before the fire it was a pleasant venue and now it

is superb. We had three choices, fish and chips,

beef pie and vegetables or macaroni cheese with

salad, followed by delicious ice creams. Every-

one was well pleased with their choice. As it was

our resolution meeting we had to have a little

business. We voted to support the resolution

calling on the government to support more mid-

wives in the community. I am pleased to report

that our quiz team came a creditable fourth, well

done to them. By the time you read this there

will not be any vacancies left on the Highgrove

trip.

Our next meeting was to have been a visit to

Standen, however this has had to be changed and

the head gardener will come to us and give a talk

instead. Our next meeting is on June 6th at the

village hall. We are a friendly lot so if you would

like to give us a try please just come along (or

ring Frieda on 01342 811980 for details) Viona Hopwood

Snippet

Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions

from insufficient premises.

Samuel Butler

Sharpthorne WI

Christopher Rudd spoke at our April

meeting. It was easy to believe he had

taught at prep school, as he kept us on our

toes with a string of sharp-fire questions about

London and its past citizens. He accompanied

his talk with wit and excellent slides and exam-

ined the question of whether the spirit of the

capital lies in its architecture, the monarchy, Par-

liament, its churches or justice system? I am not

sure that a conclusive answer can be reached, but

I think his talk will have made many of vow to

visit London more often and more observantly.

Our May meeting is the one at which we discuss

the resolutions which will be taken to the AGM

at the Albert Hall, the WI's chance to give advice

to politicians. We had previously voted to sup-

port the resolution asking the Government to

improve the training, employment and retention

of midwives, and Janet Mill's daughter, Jennie

Hattan, spoke to us. She told us about her own

career as a midwife and about the changes in

midwifery, with big increases in hospital and

caeserean births. She told us that midwives' role

extends beyond delivery, to include dealing with

health and advice on breast feeding and access to

services. She said that, although the number of

midwives has increased , the number of births

has increased by a higher percentage, and factors

such as the rise of diabetes means there are more

complicated births. Midwives are often feeling

the strain of being too rushed to give enough at-

tention to each mother, and although 3000 mid-

wives are being trained each year, many do not

stay in the service, and the government must first

acknowledge the problem, and then start to solve

it. We voted unamimously to support this mo-

tion and to instruct our delegate to vote for it at

the AGM.

The Denman draw was won by Mary Mays.

June will be a busy month, with a performance

from the Music Group at the Jubilee entertain-

ment on 2nd June, and a WI float in the proces-

sion on the 4th, and, of course, WI tea and cakes

at the fete. Our June meeting will be on 11th

June, when Harry Townsend will describe his

trip across New Zealand with a wheelbarrow to

raise money for research into melenoma. Elizabeth Tamburrini


West Hoathly

Pre-school

Thank you to everyone

who came to our Easter

Party at the Sharpthorne

Club back in March.

We all had a great time and raised a fabulous

£250 for Pre-school. Huge thanks must also go

to Nora and Don at The Sharpthorne Club for

letting us host the party there – we are so grateful

for their continued generosity.

During March we also held a ‘Chocolate for

Chocoholics’ evening and raised £50 whilst en-

joying all things chocolatey amongst good com-

pany. Thank you everyone who came and sup-

ported us!

Our topic this term is ‘People who help us’ and

so far we have been visited by a fireman, chef

and lollipop lady. We are looking forward to

more visitors including a policeman, Father

Lionel and Mrs Swaffer, Reception Teacher.

The children who are going up to school in Sep-

tember have started their Cygnets sessions and

will shortly be visiting school weekly and getting

to know Mrs Swaffer and other staff. They have

the opportunity to have a hot lunch with the rest

of the infants and get to know their peers better

for easy integration in September.

We currently have spaces available for Septem-

ber 2012. We have a fantastic Pre-school with a

‘Good’ Ofsted report. We are also now able to

offer places to 2 year olds. For more details , a Prospectus or to arrange a visit,

please call:

Natalie Emms (Admin Manager) 07854 410841

Rachel Rush, Co-Chair

West Hoathly

Rainbow

Guides

21st birthday celebration.

Brenda welcomed everyone to the birthday party

in her speech:

21 years ago a seed was planted at the instigation

of Kim Cruttenden to start a Rainbow Unit in

West Hoathly. Sharon Turton hosted the meet-

ing, being the Guiding matriarch in the village at

the time. I went along with the idea of being the

Mum of a Rainbow who would be willing to col-

lect the toilet roll middles and other useful re-

sources. I had been a Guide Guider some years

previously and was found out. No escaping now

and so here I am 21 years later.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone

who has helped to run the Rainbows over the

years. This includes the Guiders, Unit helpers

Young Leaders, Trefoil ladies, Guides and

Brownies and a variety of

relatives of the Rainbows

and the wider Guiding

family in our district, divi-

sion, county and nation-

ally ... and of course my

own family, especially

Keith my husband. He has spent many hours not

only being our treasurer and Secretary but also a

listening ear. We all have had lots of fun on the

way. Guiding has lots to offer for everyone.

Today one of my ambitions has been fulfilled—

to have a lovely new Rainbow Banner. Our latest

old one became too wide for the church aisle,

and the girls would be seen at the events there

doing a crab like walk. No more of that now.

This event would not have taken place if it were

not for the enthusiasm and commitment of my

current Guiders Janet, Rachel and Liz, and I

would like to thank them on all your behalf for

doing such a grand job. For more information about Rainbows or Girlguiding

in our area please contact me for an informal chat.

Brenda Farley 01342 811020

In and Out in West Hoathly

The story of the Cat Inn and Queens Square

and the people who lived there

The launch of the Local History Group’s latest

publication at the Cat Inn on April 25th was well

attended despite the bad weather. The hospital-

ity and log fires were much appreciated.

The book, which costs £6, is available at the

Inn, the Priest House, and Costcutters in Sharp-

thorne (ask at the counter). It will be on sale at

the Jubilee Fair. It is hoped that everyone from

near or far will find something of interest in it.

We apologise for the poor colour reproduction

of the frontispiece and sketches on page 13 due

to a printing error. On the top line of page 32

please correct 17C to read 18C, and add to page

54 “Ref: W.S.R.O.”

We are especially grateful to Roger Bourne

for designing the cover, to Rodney Ffoulkes for

the type-setting, and to the owners of the build-

ings for permission to make records. Kay Coutin

T h e C h r o n i c l e f o r J u n e a n d J u l y 2 0 1 2 – P a g e 1 0

Music happening in our area

Jazz

Second Monday in every month at the

‘Haywaggon’, Hartfield

Sharpthorne Organic Cafe

Live music on Saturdays 12.00-14.00

Village walks

24th June Ken Allfree

29th July Janet Emm

Walks start at 10.00 am from Finche Field

Emmaus Club

1st June Half term -no meeting

8th June Half term -no meeting

15th June Rounders and Football on North

Lane Rec

22nd June Bivouacking in woods at Highbrook

29th June Swimming and Games at Leams

End

6h July Water balloons at Garden House,

Broadhurst

13th July Camp fire,swimming and games at

Vaex End

Bluebell Railway

1 June Rail Ale evening

2 June Afternoon tea on board

4 June Jubilee Special

8 June Murder mystery

17 June Fathers day – cooked

breakfast on board

15,22,29 June Fish & Chip evening

13 July Murder mystery

21,22 July Toy & Rail collectors fair

20 &27 July Fish & Chip evening For more information see http://www.bluebell-

railway.co.uk/bluebell/events/index.html

West Hoathly Local History Group and

Forest Row Film Society are on their summer break

Village Hall Jubilee Project

Plans for extending and refurbishing the kitchen

and storage areas of the Village Hall are pro-

ceeding and the Parish Council would like to

display their thoughts to the whole community

for comment.

There will be a display of the proposals in the

Village Hall on

Saturday, 21st July, 10.45 until about 1pm.

Please do come and comment; after all, this

Hall belongs to the whole community

Mansion market- Forest

Row

Michael Hall School, Forest Row. 11am-4pm

Over 70 stalls selling crafts, books, toys, plants,

organic foods. Children's entertainments. Taster

sessions of healing skills. Cafe open for meals

and drinks.

June 9th and July 14th (check board nr school)

The Jubilee Spitfire Proms

Borde Hill Garden, Sunday 1 July

This is a rare opportunity to

see a dramatic aerial dis-

play by the ‘Grace’ Spit-

fire; this Mark IX plane

saw action in WWII and is

flown by the world’s only female Spitfire pilot,

Carolyn Grace whose exciting displays have

won many fans. And as the plane flies overhead,

the National Symphony Orchestra will perform

stirring music to accompany the ballet of twists,

turns and dives.

So grab your tickets, your friends and bring a

picnic to Borde Hill Garden. Gates open 5 pm. To book call EMS Concerts 01603 660444 / on-

line www.emsconcerts.co.uk. Also available

from Borde Hill Garden 01444 450326

Tickets: Adult £22.50 / Children under 16 free This concert is sponsored by Bright FM.

For further information, please contact

Chris Bailey – EMS Concerts

[email protected] / 01603 633202 / 07957

911 914

NOTICE BOARD


Family Support Work

Latchetts Garden Opening. Freshfield Lane, Danehill, RH17 7HQ

Saturday 23rd June 2012 2—5 pm All proceeds to Family Support Work in the

Cuckfield Deanery.

This huge garden is one of the most popu-

lar in the National Gardens Scheme, ranging

from traditional shrubs, lawns, ponds and vege-

tables, to smaller modern planted areas, some

new this year, and some with Christian themes.

Whether or not you have been before, there will

be something to delight you.

Admission £5, accompanied children free.

Tea and homemade cake, plant stall, activities

for children. Dogs on leads welcome.

Sandy Lloyd, a local gardening expert,

will be there.

PLEASE COME TO AN EXCELLENT AF-

TERNOON OUT AND SUPPORT F.S.W.

Loiyangalani Trust—update

Following our February visit to Loiyangalani

Village, Kenya, the Trustees would like to thank

everyone who came along to our presentation

evening on the 28th March.

A photographic

slide show intro-

duced us to the

children at the

primary school

enjoying some of

the benefits of the

fund raising – new

uniforms; new

desks; more teach-

ers; smiling faces! Then on to more pictures of a

small but growing number of students who are

receiving sponsorship to attend secondary

school. These are children who have shown great

academic potential but due to their poverty

would not have received further education. De-

lightful pictures of both students and their fami-

lies expressing their gratitude.

We were very thankful that the evening

inspired additional sponsors to come forward

enabling several more children to grasp the op-

portunity of secondary education, although more

are still needed.

Look

out for

us at the Jubilee Fete in the village on the 4th

June and watch this space for news of further

fundraising activity later in the year. For further information please contact Carolyn

Bentley on 01342 810815, email Caro-

[email protected] or visit our website at

www.loiyangalanitrust.org.uk

Thank you!!

The Children’s Society Thank you for helping vulnerable children!

Our last box collection raised a total of £462.09,

an increase of 85% over our collection in 2009!

The Society has over 70 projects delivering prac-

tical and emotional support to more than 48,000

children, young people and families in this coun-

try every year. Much of their work would not

be possible without our support.

If you do not already have a collection box for

The Children’s Society and would like to have

one, please contact me, your local Box Co-

ordinator on 01342 810087. Michele Jaques

HCPT The Pilgrimage Trust Thank you all very much for your generous sup-

port .I received a very appreciative letter from

George Overton, Head of Fundraising and Com-

munications, who specially asked me to "please

thank everybody who contributed" to the final

total of £580 which was enough to send a child

to Lourdes this Easter. Angela Bellord

Birthlink Caroline Young and Sue Robinson would like to

thank everyone who supported the Birthlink

Charity day held at Little Cookhams last month.

The day was a great success and raised £300.

Together with Sue’s sponsorship for the Brigh-

ton marathon , the total raised is nearly £1400!

This will be put directly towards lifesaving pro-

jects for Mums and babies in developing coun-

tries.

We are very grateful for your kindness and gen-

erosity in enabling us to reach such a fantastic

sum. Sue completed the Brighton marathon in

4:03 and has signed up for London next year!

GOOD CAUSES


West Hoathly Royal

British Legion

We have several events planned for

this year. First, we will be partici-

pating in the Jubilee Celebrations,

hopefully taking part in the pageant

and definitely having 2 stalls at the fete on Mon-

day afternoon, including the usual raffle.

On Saturday 7th July we are planning to

hold our Afternoon Tea at Sharpthorne Club; this

event was so successful last year that we have

decided to try to make it an annual summer

event. Invitations will be sent out to all mem-

bers, but it is open for anyone who would like to

come and have a pleasant afternoon socialising

with other people from the villages.

As usual we have our Flower Show in Au-

gust, more of which will be featured in the Au-

gust/September Chronicle. If you have never

entered before why don’t you have a go this

year; we have many people out there who grow

their own vegetables, make their own jam and

cakes, do beautiful flower arrangements, take

lovely photographs and are handy with a needle.

It is all done in a spirit of friendship and fun.

We also have some very talented children in our

villages: it would be nice to see more youngsters

entering and showcasing their work. If you are

interested in exhibiting for the first time, or need

more information, please contact Gary Coxall on

810697 or myself on 810143.

A few of the things we have planned for the rest

of the year are:

In September we have our outing for those

people who do not get much chance to get out of

the village, venue yet to be arranged.

In October we plan to hold an afternoon of

fun and games at Sharpthorne Club.

October/November we are hoping to ar-

range a visit to the theatre in conjunction with

the Theatre Goers Group and, perhaps, other or-

ganisations in the village who may be interested.

In December we have our Christmas So-

cial Evening at Sharpthorne Club.

More details on all of these events will appear in

the August/September issue of the Chronicle.

We are also hoping to arrange more events on a

regular basis to cater for all tastes, all sugges-

tions are very welcome.

Finally, we would like to encourage more

people to join the British Legion, please remem-

ber that you do NOT have to have served in the

forces to become a member. Everybody is wel-

come. Membership is only £12 a year and you

will be helping to support our men and women

serving in the forces, those who have given their

service so willingly in the past and those who are

still serving today and will be in the future. Marion Jones

Tootsie Time

We've seen lots of new faces recently as well as

old, we've had lots of fun over the last term with

an Easter Party, lots of new things to play with,

some cooking, craft, singing and outdoor play

with the better weather. We also have regular

visits from High Beeches who provide childcare

advice, information and a free toy library.

Jenny Page has supplied us with wonder-

ful cake every week that we've been open; rain

or shine, she arrives with two massive, amazing

cakes. We can't extend our gratitude enough to

her - thank you Jenny!

There's no regular commitment to Tootsie

Time, just turn up anytime between 09:30 -

11.00, Friday mornings in the Village Hall dur-

ing term-time.

Dates:

Closed June 1, 8 (Inset day and Half-term)

Open June 15, 22, 29 and July 6, 13 and 20

July 27 Closed for summer holidays £2.00 per family, includes cake and refreshments.

Hope to see you there,

Nikki and Sara.

West Hoathly Lawn Tennis

Club

Our new tennis season will start on 14th May

and the court padlocks will be changed on that

day.

If you would like to join the Club please ring me

on 01444 892649 or e-mail

[email protected] and I will send you a

form. For those of you who are existing mem-

bers you should have received a letter and re-

newal form, so just complete the form and send a

cheque and we will supply the new key.

There has been a spate of vandalism at the courts

so if you notice anything suspicious please

phone Stuart Clough our local Police Commu-

nity Support Officer on 0778 9168791.

Enjoy your tennis. Terry Cooper


Weather Watch

March: dry & sunny

April: very wet indeed

March winds and April showers?? Only partly

true this year! March was unusually warm with

lots of calm sunny days, though April showers

did come in with a vengeance. In that month

there were lots of windy days and a phrase be-

loved of the forecasters recently: “longer periods

of rain”. In fact in many parts of southern Eng-

land, April was the wettest April on record, and

flooding was widespread in the south west at the

end of the month. For this parish I have monthly

rainfall records going back to 1979, and since

then there has been only one wetter April up till

now – and that was in the millennium year 2000

(see the summary at the bottom of the parish mil-

lennium map)

The wet weather continued into the first half of

May.

Statistics for March and April 2012

Basil Cridland

Snippets

Idealism is the noble toga that political gentle-

men drape over their will to power,

Aldous Huxley

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for

the good of its victims may be the most oppres-

sive. It would be better to live under robber bar-

ons than under omnipotent busybodies.

C.S.Lewis

Garden notes

The water companies must

have been praying hard for

abundant rain and some of

us gardeners too, because

the good Lord has certainly

emptied the heavens on us

in April and it's not stopped

so far in May!! We recorded 132 mm for April,

which is just over 5 inches, coupled with cold

temperatures, particularly compared to last year's

"summer" we had in April. Plant growth has

been fairly slow, but on the positive side this has

meant rhododendrons, azaleas, bluebells, and

other spring-flowering shrubs have been in

bloom much longer. It's the turn of Garden Cen-

tres and Nurseries now to pray for sunshine and

warmth to boost their meagre sales and shift all

the bedding plants grown and stocked with a

view to selling from Easter through to the end of

May.

Given the deluge, most of May's jobs will proba-

bly be undertaken in June and June's in July, as

in the "good old days" when bedding plants were

never planted out till June! Tender vegetables

like courgettes, sweetcorn, squash family, runner

and French beans need warm nights, as do annu-

als like Nicotiana, Cosmos and Ipomeas

(morning glory), Cobea scandens and other

climbers. They turn yellow and can rot off, so be

patient. The weeds have gone beserk, gloating

over the fact we haven’t been able take a hoe to

them very easily the past 5 weeks! Keep apace

as best you can, especially with the quick-to-seed

species like annual meadow grass, chickweed,

groundsel and bittercress.

Tomatoes and cucumbers will need regu-

lar attention, their side shoots removed on inde-

terminate types, tied up and fed. Bush types will

still benefit from a small stake unless they are in

a basket (e.g Tumbler), and likewise pep-

pers.Plant out leeks and purple sprouting broc-

coli, and sow later batches of carrots, beetroot

and salad crops.

Early flowering clematis, montana, alpina,

macropetala and cirrhosa types, can be pruned

when the flowers have gone over to keep them

under control if they are in need of a trim.

Check fruit cage netting for holes as the straw-

berry, currant and raspberry season starts. Roses

will be at their peak towards the end of June at

this rate; keep deadheading, likewise with aqui-

legias, alliums and honesty if you don't want

seedlings all over the place. Keep feeding and

March April

Sunny or bright days 25 19

Days with measurable rain 6 19

Month's rain, mm 28 122

Month's average rain, mm 66 52

Wettest day (4th) 14mm (29th) 20mm

Coldest morning (8th) 0C (6th) -2C

No of air frosts 1 3

Mean temp, day & night 8.3C 7.3C

Last year's ditto 6.6C 12.3C


dead heading tubs and hanging baskets (if you've

bothered planting them up this year, with the

hosepipe ban). Where daffs and narcissi have

been left to die down in grass, take a strimmer to

them and rake off and remove all the debris. If

you are fortunate enough to have an asparagus

bed, one normally stops cutting on the longest

day of the year to allow the fern to develop, but,

given the late start to the season, the end of June

is probably fine. Watch out for asparagus beetle,

which can strip the foliage rapidly, and also lily

beetle. Other bugs to keep a watchful eye out for

are aphids of various colours and species – black

ones on broad beans, green on roses and grey

furry ones on brassicas and lupins – as well as

whitefly in greenhouses. Use soft soap and other

beneficial insect-friendly products to exterminate

them. Lindsay Shurvell

Parochial Church Councils

At the annual church meetings in April both St.

Margaret’s and All Saints elected PCCs for the

coming year. Their membership is as follows.

St. Margaret’s, West Hoathly Vicar and Chairman

The Venerable Lionel Whatley

Churchwardens and joint Vice-Chairmen

Derek Shurvell (also Deanery Representative)

Carole Houston

Deanery Representative

Valerie Fyans

Treasurer

Trevor Swainson

Secretary

Carolyn Bentley

Reader

Nigel Dunsmore-Rouse

Lay members

Tim Baker, Simon Chalk,,

Alistair Duncanson, Cathy

Merry, Ingrid Sethi, Lindsay Shurvell

All Saints, Highbrook Vicar and Chairman

The Venerable Lionel Whatley

Churchwardens

Hugh Bennett

Tony Osborn

Treasurer

Simon Witheridge

Secretary.

Molly Cooper

Lay members

Monica Moore, Rory

Clarke and Nigel

Dunsmore-Rouse.

Ever thought of playing

Bowls?

West Hoathly Bowls Club based at Hook Lane is

looking for new members to play this most so-

ciable sport.

The club prides itself on being a welcoming

mixed club with options for players of all abili-

ties and ages to join. The membership offers ex-

cellent value for money and is designed to enable

players to get the most out of their bowls as a

newcomer or even as a county bowler. They

boast one of the best bowls greens in the county

and alongside is the well fitted Club House with

its great facilities and lounge areas and not for-

getting the well stocked bar! To find out more about what the club offers

visit their website. www.westhoathlybowls.org.uk

Nick Goodman

1st West Hoathly Scouts

At the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations all

the scouting troops will be trying to raise funds

for urgent repairs to the scout hut, so we have

booked a stall at the fete on Monday 4th June

where there will be a BBQ and a prize draw

competition. This already has some great prizes

(dinner at the Vinols, a ‘Beers from Around the

World’ hamper, a family ticket to Godstone

Farm and a Diamond Jubilee Tea-Time Ham-

per). Tickets at £1 are available from scouting

families in the village and will be on sale at the

Jubilee fete, so come along and buy one or some

delicacies from the BBQ. Explorers will be the

“night watchmen” for security for the marquee.

Cubs have started again after numbers

dropped due to age levels and losing our much

respected Cub leader, Pqndy, after years of dedi-

cation. Meetings now take place on Mondays at

6.15 pm in West Hoathly Scout Hut. Their new

leader is Heather Harvey and she would be de-

lighted to recruit any new troops of either gender

aged 8 plus. For any further information please contact the Group

Scout Leader, Phil Glynn, on 01342 810559.


More twitter

I have spent a lot of

time hanging out of an

upstairs window with

camera poised, waiting for the moment when

Canada geese would fly past, silhouetted against

the red rising sun, before alighting on the new

flooded clay-pit in the wood. Time has been

wasted waiting to identify the bird perching in

the ash tree only to discover that light and shade

were playing tricks. Does all this sound bird

brained?

Looking back over the years I think my

most exciting experience with birds was on a

walking holiday in Northumberland during 1952,

when a tiny boat took us out to the Fame Islands,

and, after a precarious landing-on the slippery

rocks, we were able -to see so many of the sea

birds which nest there – puffins, terns, shags,

kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, Manx shear-

waters and more. Back home I recall finding a

fledgling cuckoo in the garden and thinking it

was the ugliest bird I had ever seen.

Although there have been sightings of

waxwings in this village, I am still waiting to see

one. I wonder how long it will be before we

have red kites swooping low with the sun light-

ing their patterned red plumage, as I have seen

from a Berkshire garden. A while ago I was

lucky and saw an osprey soar up from the water

at Weir Wood Reservoir carrying a fish and be-

ing mobbed by other birds until it flew out of

sight. But I will never know for sure what

dropped a trout in my garden on 26th November

last year. Discovered at 09.30, it could have

arrived before 1 was awake.

We never know what may turn up and

must keep alert at all times. Kathleen Styles

And here is a puzzle:

A B C D BIRDS?

M N O BIRDS

S A R

R A L Anon.

West Hoathly Chapel

in the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion Part 2, 1945-2004, continued from last issue

When WWII was over in 1945, Mr Quentin

DeAth, the Chapel's part-time pastor, continued

to live locally and co-ordinate the preaching du-

ties at East Grinstead and West Hoathly Chapels,

with services taken by himself, retired Congrega-

tional minister residents of Fen Place near Turn-

ers Hill (a building now Alexander House) and

others. The youth and Sunday School work at

West Hoathly continued, albeit with many ups

and downs. For several years, Sunday School

teachers met with those from other churches and

chapels in the local Sunday School Union and

were able to enter pupils in scripture exams in

which they competed for certificates that were

awarded for good results. Sunday School out-

ings to the seaside were popular in these post-

war years to Eastbourne, Hastings or Camber

Sands. The winter highlight for Sunday School

scholars was the annual Christmas party, where

games preceded tea, which was followed by en-

tertainment and the distribution of prizes. The

ministry of the Revd Stan Colman who had ex-

perience of evangelistic work in the open air,

such as at race meetings, began in 1963 and cov-

ered West Hoathly and East Grinstead. He and

his family were players of a variety of musical

instruments, he himself being adept with the ac-

cordion - “squeeze-box” to the children. During

the 1960s there was a sponsored walk from West

Hoathly to Brighton in aid of the Sierra Leone

mission. The minister and his mini-bus were at

Brighton to meet the tired and weary walkers,

and he gave them all a lift home in the vehicle.

The Sierra Leone Mission was set up in

Victorian times, when it was realised that lots of

slaves who had been taken to America from Af-

rica years earlier had become Christians through

the influence of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon

and her personal chaplain, George Whitefield.

These slaves were sent back to Sierra Leone

'FREE'. They called themselves 'Huntingdon

Christians', eventually connecting up with the

English trustees and becoming known as the Si-

erra Leone Mission. Financial support and many

visits from the English churches have often been

undertaken..

Mr DeAth's leadership amongst the local

group of Huntingdon chapels continued through

the 1960s and 70s, with a succession of pastors

coming to this area, mostly for short periods.

The congregation at West Hoathly set up a

manse fund with the idea of providing a home in

this village for a new minister, but it never

reached a viable total. However in 1973, Mr

Richard Brunton, a teacher of religious education

at Imberhorne School in East Grinstead was

about to be married to Elaine who was expected

to become a teacher at Ashurstwood primary


school. The Huntingdon trus-

tees invited Richard to become

pastor of West Hoathly chapel

and helped with finance for

Richard and Elaine to move

into a home at Sharpthorne.

They clearly felt God's guid-

ance was supporting them in all

these decisions, and there fol-

lowed a period of growth in the

chapel congregation led by Richard, during

which time some old members and new ones

were baptised here by immersion in a portable

pool borrowed from East Grinstead chapel. Dur-

ing Richard Brunton's ministry relations with St

Margaret's Church became much more friendly

and co-operative and for many years harvest fes-

tival services were shared, with a joint evening

service on the last Sunday of September at the

Chapel, followed by a joint service at St. Marga-

ret’s on the first Sunday evening of October.

After nine years ministering at West

Hoathly, Richard felt the voice of God calling

him to a different field of service. He was obedi-

ent to this call, and soon went to live in Brighton

from where he was asked to go to Lancing to

open a new church. Soon he was invited to go to

Kenya for one or two worship meetings. Out of

this experience a new mission society was

formed, Living Hope Ministries. After Richard

moved on, the Chapel was without a minister for

three years and experienced something of a

downturn, but in 1985 an elderly retired minister,

the Revd Eric Bradshaw, a resident of East Grin-

stead, became the new pastor. Regular features

now were the meetings of the Brownie pack with

occasional 'camps' on the schoolroom floor, fol-

lowed by Sunday lunch for all the congregation

to share, Thursday evening prayer meetings with

Bible study, the womens' fellowship and the Fri-

day evening youth fellowship. The kitchen and

toilet facilities were upgraded with the aid of a

grant from the Connexional trustees.

The Revd Norman Sayers, with his wife

Ann, came as pastor to Copthorne Chapel in

1984 and six years later was asked to take on the

oversight of West Hoathly. He led a strong

weekday evening club for children, latterly in

Sharpthorne church hall, the move from West

Hoathly Chapel having been prompted by in-

creasing traffic problems. Norman Sayers with

help and encouragement from Mrs Jean Stonley,

who also worked for the Evangelisation of Brit-

ish Villages, led services at West Hoathly

Chapel and Sharpthorne hall. Women's meetings

were shared by Ann and Jean.

During this time new members

were added to the congregation,

and the schoolroom was refur-

bished so as to serve as the main

chapel. (The floor of the origi-

nal chapel and vestry were

showing signs of rot).

In 1996 the Revd Sayers

felt he had to relinquish his full

involvement in the chapel, but in 1995 Jan Par-

sons and I had joined him on a visit to the Holy

Land. Two years later, parish church members

from West Hoathly and various other Christians

joined in another visit with Norman. All found it

a very moving experience, especially the boat

trip on the Sea of Galilee and the communion

service in the Garden Tomb. After these visits

Norman and Ann were asked to join the adminis-

trators of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, which

meant they had to live there, Ann to work in the

shop on site and Norman to be a guide for parties

and tourists.

A good friend of West Hoathly Chapel,

Mr Gordon Hamilton, introduced an organisation

called Dovetail to the members. This resulted in

two visits from Mr David Oliver from Shrop-

shire to West Hoathly and Copthorne chapels to

meet the congregations and discuss various mat-

ters including finance. He and his wife were

willing to come, the congregation supported

them as an answer to prayer and the Connexion

trustees agreed to the move, recommending Mr

Oliver to take further part-time training at

Spurgeon's Bible College while becoming pastor

here. Accommodation at Sharpthorne for Mr

and Mrs Oliver became available, and the new

three-year pastorate began in 2001.

David Oliver continued the services and

activities of the Chapel much the same as before,

adding a monthly healing service and new songs

in the worship. As the original chapel had be-

come rather derelict he also organised its restora-

tion to its former glory as a worthy sanctuary,

rededicated in 2003. However, owing to death

and the moving away of some members and no

new people coming in, the attendances gradually

dwindled, so that by the end of Mr Oliver's 3-

year term as pastor in 2004, the national trustees

made the sad decision to close the chapel. They

sold the premises, but the site is a difficult one

with no space for parking, and has remained

unoccupied until the present time. Kitty Anscombe

The West Hoathly Chapel


Jubilees and Coronations

Our readers appeared to be rather short of memories on this topic. Here are all we were able to collect.

Silver Jubilee of King George V—a kerb-side view

King George V came to the throne on the death of his father King Edward VII on 6th May 1910, and so

his Silver Jubilee was celebrated on 6th May 1935.

At the time I was a ten-year old pupil in the bottom class of St Dunstan's College, a school for 700

boys at Catford in south-east London. Along with other schools in London, St Dunstan's was allocated

space along the route of the jubilee procession which left Westmin-

ster Abbey after a thanksgiving service there, and made its way to

Buckingham Palace, initially along the Victoria Embankment. Our

space allowed for perhaps a tenth of the boys in the school to at-

tend, and the headmaster decided that lots would be drawn to de-

cide who would go. I was one of the lucky ones. On the morning

of the Jubilee we went by train to Blackfriars and walked to our

appointed place along the Embankment. As one of the youngest

there I got a front place to sit on the kerb – for the long wait until

the time came to stand to watch the procession come by. It was a

wonderful spectacle with the King and Queen Mary riding in their

golden coach drawn by six white horses, and accompanied by other royalty in many other coaches.

There were marching guardsmen with their bands and hundreds of other soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

The King suffered from illnesses due to a bad chest and he died within eight months of the Jubi-

lee. For viewing the Coronation procession of King George VI in 1936, boys at our school who saw the

Jubilee were excluded from the lottery for places! Basil Cridland

A Jubilee Remembered

Since Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 there had been State funerals, two coronations and re-

joicings at the end of the Great War in 1918, but only in 1935 was there another great occasion for na-

tional celebration for George V's Silver Jubilee. The proceedings bright-

ened a time of depression and were well recorded by photography and

ciné film. Those who could not cheer the Royal procession in person

flocked to local cinema to watch the news reels and marvel as troops from

all corners of the British Empire marched along, bands playing, cavalry

prancing, carriages with the good and the great and King George and

Queen Mary themselves in their state coach.

Our kind grandmother had booked, seats on the first floor of Marshall and Snelgrove overlooking

Oxford Street so that my brother and I could enjoy a grand view of the spectacle. Aged 5 and 7 at the

time, our main concern was that our tortoises should not miss out on such an historic event - even they

might not live to see another Jubilee. Alas there was no provision for pets at the august department store

(unlike Harrods) so the tortoises were confined within a marble fireplace in our grandmother's London

flat. Tortoises need fresh provender daily: to keep them in the style to which they were accustomed;

someone was sent early to Covent Garden market to buy lettuce to sustain them during our absence.

Amazed by the endless procession, we also enjoyed the play room & toys provided by the store

for younger customers. Had they attended, the tortoises would have earned a place in history as the only

members of their kind to observe the event. Never-the-less our pets left their mark for posterity on mar-

ble at Mansfield Street. (Sorry, Granny!)

Kay Coutin


Coronations: two that were and one that wasn’t

The first royal event in my lifetime was the Silver Jubilee of King George V

and Queen Mary in 1935. Basil has written about this, and my memory of it

is much hazier than his, so I go on to the Coronations of 1937 – the one that

wasn’t and the one that was.

Edward VIII succeeded his father in January 1936, and planning

started for his coronation in May of the following year. The commemorative

industry got busy, and I became the owner of an Edward VIII coronation

mug. When he abdicated in December 1936 in favour of his brother, the

powers that be decided to keep the date and change the king. I became the

owner of a second coronation mug, and this one has my name and “West

Hoathly” inscribed on it. My youngest brother, born on 8 May, four days

before the event, received a special mug for the baby born in the parish clos-

est to the coronation day. My other brother and I were taken to see the pro-

cession to Westminster Abbey from a Parliamentary stand erected just out-

side the Palace of Westminster. Regrettably, I remember more about the excitement of the early start

and the drive up to London than about the actual procession.

Sixteen years later my brother and I were again privileged to view the coronation procession of

Queen Elizabeth II from a stand in the very same place. Next to the Queen herself, the star of the show

was the gigantic Queen of Tonga, beaming from her defiantly open carriage in the rain. Since our stand

looked down the Embankment, with no view of the Abbey or the departing procession, my brother and I

decided to exercise some initiative: having eaten our sodden sandwiches during the Abbey service, we

sneaked into New Palace Yard, waited till the police attention was fixed on the Abbey, and then heaved

each other up into one of the big, dripping catalpa trees, from where we had an excellent view until a

police officer noticed and sternly ordered us down. Despite the dismal weather, there was a very palpa-

ble feeling of optimism about that day as the beginning of a new era after all the shortages and hardships

and general greyness of the war years that had continued so long after 1945 – all helped of course by the

breaking news of the first ascent of Mount Everest.

That was not quite the end of the Coronation for me. I was inveigled by Ursula Ridley into taking

on Queen Elizabeth I in the West Hoathly pageant. Perched precariously side-saddle on top of an enor-

mous hunter of Colonel Ralph Clarke’s, my main anxiety was that when I descended to unveil the me-

morial plaque in Queens Square my skirts would remain firmly hitched to the pommel of the saddle.

And, yes, I do have a coronation mug of Elizabeth II beside the other two. Anne Thorne

The Sovereign Ladies of England, June 1953

The West Hoathly Coronation pageant, masterminded by Ursula

Ridley, took the form of a procession of the nine Queens Regnant

with their entourages. Boadicea and her daughters in her farm

cart transformed into a chariot was followed by Matilda with her infant

son (later Henry II). Then came Mary I (Bloody Mary), Lady Jane Gray

and Elizabeth I, all on horseback. Ursula Ridley herself accompanied

Mary in the guise of Ann Tree, the Protestant martyr. Elizabeth’s proces-

sion included Tom Buckley as Lord Burghley and the Vicar (Rev.

O.B.Parsons) as Cardinal Pole. Mary Queen of Scots followed in sym-

bolic chains, and then came Mary II accompanied of course by the other

half of William-and-Mary, both on horseback. Queen Anne was a dummy in a sedan chair, but Queen

Victoria was definitely real, sitting with Prince Albert in a Victoria carriage and followed by Gladstone

(Dr.Arundel Esdaile) and Disraeli (Robin Buckley) also in carriages. The pageant finished in Queens

Square, where Elizabeth I recited the Tilbury speech (a call to arms against the threat from the Armada)

and unveiled the memorial plaque. The Forest Row Silver Band played throughout, and Fred Parsons

conducted “Greensleeves” and “Jerusalem” as a finale. . Extracted from The East Grinstead Observer

Queen Matilda

Queen Anne


From West Hoathly Local History Archive

Death on the cricket field

From: Sussex Cricket in the 18th century by Tim

McCann, Sussex Record Society, Vol 88 with minor

editing.

This account shows that, under the rules of the

game at the time, not only was the batsman per-

mitted to hit the ball twice in order to avoid be-

ing caught, but also to further his advantage.

Both possibilities were forbidden by the 1744

laws of the game. That inference is confirmed

by the record of an inquest held at West Hoathly

on 12 September 1624 on the body of Jasper Vi-

nall by Edward Raynes, the Duchy of Lancaster's

coroner in the Rape of Pevensey. Roy Hunnisett

calendared the record:

On 28 August when Jasper Vinall late of

West Hoathly, husbandman, aged 34 or there-

abouts, and Edward Tye of West Hoathly,

'husbandman', were playing with several others

of the king's lieges at a customary game called

'crickett' at Horsted Green in Horsted Keynes

and Vinall and Tye were playing together, Tye,

bearing no malice and not intending to cause

injury to Vinall or anyone else there, in his turn

hit a ball [quadam pila palmaria] high into the air

and for his greater advantage in the game, in-

tended to hit it again as it was dropping to the

ground. Vinall, for his greater advantage intend-

ing to catch the ball as it fell, suddenly came run-

ning quickly behind Tye's back whereat Tye, not

seeing him, by misadventure and against his will

struck Vinall on the forehead with a small staff

called a 'crickett batt’ worth 1/2d which he held

in his right hand, giving him a bruise of which he

languished at West Hoathly until 10 September

and then died. Thus Vinall was killed not by any

felony but solely through his own rashness and

negligence and by misadventure.

He went on to point out the three interest-

ing points made by the inquest. First, by stating

that cricket was a customary game in Horsted

Keynes, it proved that by 1624 it was well estab-

lished in eastern Sussex. Secondly it confirms

that cricket was very popular with the poorer

classes. Thirdly, it shows that men did not play

cricket in their own villages only. But the most

important information provided by the inquest is

that the rules under which the game was played

in 1624 differed fundamentally from the pre-

sent—day laws.” John Ralph

Briefing Note on Fracking

This note seeks to provide a basic understanding of

what ‘fracking’ is and to outline the relevant issues

for West Sussex County Council.

Fracking refers to ‘hydraulic fracturing’, a

process used in drilling for gas trapped in shale rock.

Water is pumped under extremely high pressure into a

borehole, opening up tiny fractures in the rock, allow-

ing the trapped gas to flow out. Sometimes a small

electrical charge initiates the fracture. Sand is mixed

into the water to keep the fractures open (and the gas

flowing). The water also contains small amounts

(around 2%) of chemicals, mixed in for lubrication

and purification.

Why is it an issue? Fracking has been linked to

a number of environmental problems: Groundwater:

Shale gas deposits are located below aquifers, so if

the cement casing around the wellhole is not ade-

quate, both drilling and fracking can release chemi-

cals into groundwater. This can be controlled by en-

suring adequate casing and distance and limiting the

chemicals used. Earthquakes: On 1 April 2011 there

was a small (2.2 magnitude) earth tremor near Black-

pool which was subsequently linked to fracking op-

erations nearby. Although it caused no damage or

injury, the Department for Energy and Climate

Change (DECC) has ‘paused’ approval for fracking in

the UK. Seismic activity on a small scale is an ac-

knowledged result of the fracking process; it is man-

aging and controlling the scale of it that is potentially

the issue. Water Quantities: The fracking process

uses significant amounts of water, particularly at the

production stage—possibly in the region of 1 million

gallons (4.4 million litres). The technology is rela-

tively new in the UK, so it may be that better regula-

tion can control the environmental impacts.

What are the local issues? In April 2010

planning permission was granted by WSCC for gas

exploration at a site near Balcombe (ref.

WSCC/027/10/BA) to Cuadrilla. The permission in-

cluded the right to undertake fracking and was

granted prior to the earthquake in Blackpool. No ob-

jections were received. The Environment Agency has

revisited the application and remains satisfied that

there is no risk to ground or surface water. Cuadrilla

has until September 2013 to carry out the exploration

at the site.. In late 2011 we received several enquiries

about what had been permitted, and on 11 January

2012 a public meeting was held in Balcombe, specifi-

cally about fracking. There is strong public feeling

against fracking, and deep concerns at the potential

damage, particularly on this site which is within 1

mile of Ardingly reservoir, and 50 metres of the rail-

way line. Cuadrilla was represented at the meeting

and has indicated that they have no intention, at pre-

sent, to make use of the site or frack there, but they

insist that when undertaken properly the process is

safe to both the public and the environment.

Jane Moseley Principal Planning Officer, W.S.C.C.


Some Personal Thoughts on

Holy Saturday, April 2012.

Holy Saturday – that slightly curious day be-

tween cruel Good Friday and joyful Easter Sun-

day - is a time, for me, of reflection between the

two extremes of emotion in my inner life.

Good Friday in Christian churches is often a

time of gruesomeness – vivid depictions of the

crucifixion of Jesus. Sometimes I feel that the

more blood and cruelty, then it’s supposed to be

better! And there is no doubt that crucifixion was

a vicious and cruel form of punishment, rou-

tinely used by the Romans to deter would-be

rebels against the Emperor. Just as, I have to say,

was burning at the stake in this country in the

16th century – to deter people from having

‘wrong’ beliefs.

But when we sing “My debt he pays, my death

he dies...”does that have any real meaning for us

today? I suspect probably not for many. And

somehow, for me, this emphasis on death, on sin

taken away from us by the Cross, seems difficult

and unreal – albeit an official church doctrine for

nearly 1700 years.

“Christ died for our sins...” – the official church

mantra – needs to be coupled with “Christ alive

in us...” if we are to realise the meaning of the

wholeness of Jesus. Jesus, by his life, showed us

that there is an alternative to convention. He

demonstrated that it is in the living, and eventu-

ally dying (as we all do), that we can have life in

all its fullness; then, through our example, if we

are prepared to really follow him, the world

around us can change (hopefully for the better!).

And that was the joy for me, of the next day,

Easter Sunday, when I’m reminded, again and

again, that Jesus, in some way that I’ll never

fully understand, walks with me in my life

through all its ups and downs. He helps me to

change, and then, hopefully and in maybe only

fractional ways, the world around me changes as

well. Peter Hartley

In Memoriam

Colin Graham, 1929-2012

Colin was born in Yorkshire and spent his school days at Sedbergh. The connection with Sussex began

in the war, when his father on wartime duties stayed with the Buckley family at Hook Farm, and the

long-lasting friendship between the two families began. After school, Colin went on the Royal Agricul-

tural College and then joined Tom Buckley in the family farming business. He was a hard and assidu-

ous worker in all aspects of farm life, but with a special feeling for the livestock, taking particular pleas-

ure in rearing calves to join the dairy herd. His outside interests extended from St. Margaret’s choir to

cycling to photography. Although he never married, he became a favourite uncle, godfather and friend

to a horde of the next generation. Following a serious car accident in 1991, his health deteriorated, and

he spent his final 5 years in the care of Horncastle. Happy memories of Colin in earlier years remain

with all who knew him and worked with him. Will Buckley

Ruth Stedman, 1924– 2012

Ruth was born in Lewisham on 20th February 1924. Later in life she lived in Ashurst Wood before hav-

ing a bungalow built by Combers in Sharpthorne. Her working life was at the Bank of England, she re-

tired early and spent the rest of her life in the village.

Ruth was a very private person who loved her animals and country life. She joined the WI and

the local History Group, she also loved horse riding and gong on National Trust holidays. The last few

years were spent in Horncastle. She was taken to the Good Companions and joined their outings, she

also attended Saints and Angels teas at the Church, which she enjoyed; she also enjoyed the Christmas

Lunches at the village hall.

The funeral was held at St Margaret’s then Worth Crematorium on 11th April. The service was

attended by cousins, friends and neighbours from Sharpthorne and West Hoathly Pauline Thrift


June

3rd

Trinity Sunday

8am Holy Communion, St. Margaret’s

9am Matins, All Saints

10am Queen’s Jubilee Family Eucharist,

St. Margaret’s

7pm Songs of Praise, Marquee, North Lane

Recreation Ground

10th

1st

Sunday after Trinity

9am Holy Communion, All Saints

10am Parish Communion, St. Margaret’s

6pm Evening Service, St. Margaret’s

11th Monday

8pm Men’s Evening, Sharpthorne Club

12th Tuesday

12.30pm ‘Food for Thought’, Sharpthorne Hall

13th Wednesday 8pm ‘Hosanna’, Sharpthorne Hall

17th

2nd



10am Jubilate Service + puppets, St. Margaret’s

6pm Evensong, All Saints

24th

3rd


9am Holy Communion, All Saints


4.30pm ‘Gather Round’, St. Margaret’s

27th Wednesday 8pm ‘Heart & Soul’, St. Margaret’s

29th Friday

3pm ‘Saints and Angels’, St. Margaret’s

July

1st

4th



10am Jubilate Eucharist, St. Margaret’s

6pm Evensong, All Saints

8th

5th Sunday after Trinity

9 am Holy Communion, All Saints


6pm Evening Service, St. Margaret’s

9th Monday

8pm Men’s Pub Gathering, Sharpthorne Club

10th Tuesday 12.30pm ‘Food for Thought’, Sharpthorne Hall

11th Wednesday

8pm ‘Hosanna’, Sharpthorne Hall

15th

6th



9am `Matins, All Saints

10am Jubilate Puppet Service, St. Margaret’s

4.30pm Teas at Horsted Keynes Station, then

Songs of Praise on the Bluebell

20th Friday 9.15am School Leavers Service, St. Margaret’s

25th Wednesday

8pm ‘Heart & Soul’, St. Margaret’s

27th Friday

3pm ‘Saints and Angels,’ St. Margaret’s

29th

8th


10am Combined Churches Parish Communion,

All Saints

CHURCH SERVICES

ST. MARGARET’S, WEST HOATHLY AND

ALL SAINTS, HIGHBROOK

St. Margaret’s Patronal Festival

and Olympics in Flowers

Full details of the programme for the whole

weekend are on Page 5

Services on Sunday 22nd

9am Holy Communion,

All Saints

10am Parish Communion,

St. Margaret’s

6pm Evensong with Institution

& Induction as Vicar of Ven.

Lionel Whatley, St. Margaret’s WAITING... PAUSING...RESTING... “Stopping to take time to look at the pattern of my life, and to think and pray about it, almost inevitably means that I learn not only more about God, but I also discover more about my-self.”

Esther de Waal [And that might be no bad thing! Ed.]

July

Monday, 2nd

12 pm WHPC Planning Meeting

Wednesday, 4th

2 pm West Hoathly WI Village Hall

Saturday, 7th

2 pm British Legion Afternoon Tea at

Sharpthorne Club

Saturday, 7th & Sunday, 8th

Model Railway Weekend at Bluebell Railway

Friday, 13th

Bluebell Railway Murder Mystery Evening

Saturday, 14th

11 am—4 pm Mansion Market Forest Row

Monday, 16th

DEADLINE CHRONICLE

Friday, 20th

17.30 pm Preview Party Flower Festival

Saturday, 21st

10.45—1 pm Display of Village Hall Jubilee

Project, Village Hall

Saturday, 21st to Monday 23rd

10 am—5 pm Flower Festival St Margaret’s

SEE PAGE 5 FOR MORE DETAILS ON

THE FLOWER FESTIVAL

Saturday 21st & Sunday,22nd

10 am—4 pm Toy & Rail Collectors Fair

Bluebell Railway Horsted Keynes

Monday, 23rd

8 pm WHPS Finance & Administration Meeting

Friday, 27th

CHRONICLE AVAILABLE

Sunday, 29th

10 am Village Walk start Finche Field

Monday, 30th

8 pm Parish Council Meeting

June

DIAMOND JUBILEE WEEKEND

Don’t forget your ‘royal’ scarecrows

Friday, 1st

7 pm Jubilee Supper in Marquee

Saturday, 2nd

4 pm ‘Bring your Own Tea’ party Highbrook

Recreation Ground

7 pm Show in Marquee (with bar)

Sunday 3rd

1.00 pm The Big Picnic in NLRG

2.30 pm Children’s Fancy Dress Parade

2.30 to 5.30 pm Games, Competitions &

Prize Giving

Viewing of Flotilla down Thames

7.00 pm Songs of Praise in Marquee

Monday, 4th

1.00 pm Pageant, processing through villages

2 to 5 pm Jubilee Fete, afternoon tea and

scarecrow awards

10.30 pm Lighting of Beacon in Finche

Field

Tuesday, 5th

DAY TO RELAX & RECOVER

Wednesday, 6th

2 pm West Hoathly WI Village Hall

Saturday, 9th

11 am—4 pm Mansion Market Forest Row

Monday, 11th

12 pm WHPC Planning Meeting

8 pm WHPC Rural Management

Meeting

8 pm Sharpthorne WI, Village Hall

Tuesday, 12th

8 pm St Margaret’s PCC Meeting-

Sunday, 17th

FATHER’S DAY 9.30 am Cooked Breakfast on Board Bluebell

Railway from Sheffield Park

Monday, 18th

8.00 pm WHPC Highways & Transport

Saturday, 23rd

2—5 pm Latchetts Garden Opening

6 pm The Olympic Odyssey Ball

Sunday, 24th

10 am Village Walk Start Finche Field

Monday, 25th

7.30 pm Monday Supper Club, The Barn

Hoathly Hill

8 pm West Hoathly PC Meeting Village Hall

THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Post your events on The Hoathly Hub so you can

ensure that your events are automatically included in

the Chronicle Calendar. For more information

contact [email protected].


Clubs and Organisations in the Villages

Allotments ............................... Helen Schofield ........................... 811301

Beavers .................................... Bev Duncanson............................ 810709

Bellringers ............................... Rachel Edwards ........................... 810210

Book Club ............................... Rachel Whitlam ........................... 810117

Bowling Club .......................... Trevor Swainson.......................... 810546

British Legion ......................... Laurie Gausden............................ 810751

Brownies ................................. Christine Perkins ......................... 870276

Cricket Club -West Hoathly .. Peter Johnson ............................... 810660

-Highbrook ....... Patrick McGahan ............. 01444 892243

Cercle français......................... Bob Darvill .................................. 810443

Cubs ............. ......................... Pandy Dart ................................... 810005

Explorers ....... ......................... Colby Mager ..................... 01825 763257

Football Club ......................... Kirk Howick ................................ 316448

Friends of the Priest House ..... Rosemary Watson ........................ 810800

Friends of WH Churchyard ..... Brian Couchy ............................... 810561

Garages - Sharpthorne ........... Andy Johnson .............................. 810234

- West Hoathly ......... Jim Denne .................................... 810402

Good Companions ................... Liz Bennett ...................... 01444 892731

Gravetye Manor ...................... Amy Gleadow ............................. 810567

Hands Together ....................... Ingrid Sethi .................................. 810085

Hot Note Stage Academy ........ Sarah Wilson ............................... 841919

Karate Group ......................... Dorian Fretwell............................ 811044

Kindergarten – Hoathly Hill .... Jean Kingsley-Monks .................. 810093

Local History Group ............... Tony Hunt ................................... 810534

Local History Archives ........... John Ralph ................................... 810458

Neighbourhood Watch ............ Sophie Hill................................... 810282

Organic Café ......................... Mario ........................................... 811321

......................... ............................. Mobile 07581 321604

Parish Council Clerk ............... Helen Schofield ........................... 811301

Parish Council Chairman ........ John Downe ..................... 01444 892065

PCC Treasurer ......................... Trevor Swainson.......................... 810546

Pericles .......... ......................... Paulamaria Blaxland-de-Lange ... 810133

Pre-school (Village Hall) ........ Rachael Rush ............................... 811046

Priest House Curator ............... Antony Smith .............................. 810479

Pubs - The Cat Inn .................. Andrew Russell ........................... 810369

- The Vinols Cross ......... Dave Woods ................................ 810644

- The White Hart ............ Neil Cox ...................................... 715217

Rainbows....... ......................... Brenda Farley .............................. 811020

School ........... ......................... Christine Lyford .......................... 810302

Scouts ............ ......................... Phil Glynn .................................. 810559

Shop - Sharpthorne .................. Carol Johnson .............................. 810234

Sing & Play ............................. Liz Shannon ................................. 811400

Stoneland Players .................... Julia Piqué ........................ 01435 868245

Tennis Club ............................. Terry Cooper .................... 01444 892649

Theatre Goers Group ............... Marion Jones ............................... 810143

Tootsie Time ........................... Nikki Brennan ............................. 811669

Una Voce ................................ Andrew Slater .............................. 810734

Village Hall Bookings:-

- West Hoathly .......... Helen Schofield ........................... 811301

- Sharpthorne ............. Alastair Duncanson ..................... 810709

- Highbrook ............... Liz Bennett ....................... 01444 892731

Maureen Muddell ............. 01444 892791

W.I. - Sharpthorne ............. Mary Mays .................................. 810542

- West Hoathly .......... Frieda Boyd ................................. 811980

Writers Group ......................... Rachel Whitlam ........................... 810117

Youth Groups - Emmaus ......... Lindsay Shurvell.......................... 810780

Please notify any changes to Marion Jones

St. Margaret’s Community

Transport

If you would like a lift to a local hospital or

doctor/dentist, please contact:- Monday: Margaret Mason 811320

Tuesday: Valerie Fyans 810848 Wednesday: Kathy Brown 811866

Thursday Catherine Goodridge 810937

Friday: John Trueman 810612 Any Day: Bill Merry 810771

Barbara Polhill 810877 Valerie Fyans 810848

Robin Ingham 810160

Carol Houston 810075 Christine Graystone 810603

Please remember that these kind volunteers are

only available on the day stated

The Churches and Services

St. Margaret's, West Hoathly, and

All Saints, Highbrook www.westhoathly.org.uk

www.highbrook.info

Vicar

Venerable Lionel Whatley, The Vicarage, North Lane, West

Hoathly, RH19 4QF

Tel: 01342 810757 Email: [email protected]

(His house is just up the track opposite the school)

Church Officers at St. Margaret’s

Churchwardens: Carol Houston, Tel: 01342 810075

Derek Shurvell, Tel: 01342 810780

Church Officers at All Saints

Churchwardens: Tony Osborn, Tel: 01444 892191

Hugh Bennett Tel: 01444 892731

Main Services at both of these churches are listed on

the inner back pages.

Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Dunstan’s www.worthabbeyparish.co.uk

Parish Priest:

Father James Cutts, Tel: 01342 710313

Sunday Mass is normally at 11.30 am at

St Dunstans

Next Issue

The next issue of the Chronicle will cover the months of

August and September 2012. Latest date for the submission

of articles is Monday 16th July 2012. Printed copies will

be available on Friday 27th July 2012.

The Cover

Many thanks to Shirley Shier for the cover of this

issue of the Chronicle.

Pease keep those creative ideas and

artwork coming!

Please send cover designs to Kathy Brown.

Post Office opening times at

Costcutters Monday 9am - 2pm

Wednesday 9am - 1pm

Friday 9am - 1pm

The Back Page Directory

Police Community Support Officer Stuart Clough T: 0778 9168791

Email: [email protected]

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