This column will now include Buxted, Nutley. and Maresfield in its copy. Any organisation wishing to promote their event, please contact: melbutch160@gmail.com
UCKFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Working with Uckfield Town Council - We are proud of the many independent Uckfield businesses within our town and yet we know that it’s been a tough time recently with challenging traffic in and out of the town due to the temporary lights resulting from the deterioration of the old Maiden’s Head building. Please do continue to support local business at this time.
UCKFIELD TOWN MAYOR
Thank you to everyone who came and supported the Mayors Reception on Saturday night. Your enthusiasm and support meant so much. It was an amazing night celebrating volunteers and community groups in our town and raising money for the People need People Project working with Wealden Volunteer Centre and Uckfield Chamber of Commerce. Thank you to the most amazing 14 piece band - Swing Street - who bought the civic centre alive with a mixture of old and new Swing music arrangements by our very own Dr Matt Bell from Bird in Eye Surgery. It was a wonderful night to remember for so many reasons and my personal thanks to all the staff at Uckfield Town Council who worked so hard behind the scenes to put this event together and draws the 2024/25 Mayoral year towards its end on May 19th.
VE DAY ANNIVERSARY
Monday afternoon: Uckfield Town Council marked the VE Day anniversary in style at the Weald Hall. With Uckfield Theatre Guild, Jimmy Lin, Uckfield Singers, Rosie Ann Page and a rousing finale from Uckfield Concert Brass. There were vintage stalls, Twisted Toppings pizza. Indulgent Ice Cream, and the Lions BBQ - there was plenty to enjoy. My thanks to the Town Clerk, Officers and staff who put the event together. It is 80 years since a generation of ordinary men and woman gave selfless devotion, duty and service to save nations in Europe and across the world from tyranny. In the uncertain times that we now live it is more important than ever that those men and women should be remembered as an enduring example to us. We salute you all
CIVIC CENTRE UCKFIELD
Date for your diary: Abba Chique Live in Concert, Saturday 13th September. Tickets on sale now, just £20. Visit the Civic Centre website to book your seats. Courtesy of MD Events UK.
ASHDOWN FOREST CAR PARKING
Thanks to Nick Johnston on posting on social media the following: A note about the Ashdown Forest car park opposite Duddleswell tea rooms this morning. Went to check how to pay and checked if the QA code was correct and surprise found a fake one carefully stuck over the top of the true one so peeled it off saving at least one person who was about to use it a possible fine. The genuine codes are embedded into the notice so before using always check to see if there is anything stuck over the top. Today this one was well stuck with strong adhesive but eventually came off.
EAST SUSSEX WRAS
All this week it has been Hedgehog Awareness Week (May 4th–10th), and we've seen a noticeable increase in hedgehog admissions with the recent warm weather. This older hedgehog was brought into our care from Ringmer after being spotted out during the day. Upon assessment, we found no injuries, but he was underweight and dehydrated. Faecal samples revealed an extremely high parasite burden, which helps explain his poor condition. All hedgehogs we have in care are microchipped before release. This allows us to track their history if they're readmitted, and in this case, he was. First admitted in 2022 as a juvenile, it’s heartening to know he has managed to hibernate through two winters since his 1st rehabilitation. He is responding well to treatment so we are hopeful we can give them their 2nd chance back in the wild before too long.
LOVE BEES
Love bees?? Want to learn more about them or how to keep them?? Then come along to Uckfield College on Saturday 17th May for the Sussex Bee Market and speak to experts, take part in the auction, purchase fabulous gifts and equipment and listen to some talks. For more information about the event, visit www.sbka.info.
THE GROUP
Are you unattached and aged 55+? There's a Sussex club that may be exactly right for you. It's called The Group. The Group has events all over Sussex. Walks, lunches & dinners, live music, theatre, coffee mornings, football, galleries. Further afield, we also have holidays. The Group isn't a business or an agency. It's a friendly social club run by volunteers. AND it costs just £20 a year to join. What next? Well, that's easy. Go to: www.thegroup.org.uk. The next step? That's even easier. Turn up at one of our club nights (there are 5 every month), hand over £20. From then on, you'll receive The Group diary twice a month by email. Then ready to go - choose the events that appeal to you, contact the organiser, and start really enjoying your life.
NUTLEY FOOTBALL CLUB TOURNAMENT 2025
We are holding our tournament on Sunday 22nd June at Fords Green, Nutley, TN22 3LH. Morning - U9 girls (FULL) & U10 mixed (FULL) session starts at 09:00 and expected to finish at 13:00 Afternoon - U12 girls (FULL) & U12 mixed (FULL) session starts at 14:00 and expected to finish at 18:00 Six-a-side. Max squad size of nine. All groups are competitive. Cost of entry is £45 per team. BBQ, cakes & refreshments will be available to purchase. Sorry no academy or JPL sides. Fixture & result updates via Tournify. ToeEnter please emai:l tournament@nutleyfc.co.uk. We have the same four lovely local companies sponsoring our tournament this year as did last year! A massive thank you to Morgan Kelly Solicitors, AM Skip Hire, Nutley Motor Services Ltd and Ron Gibson. Our tournament is a major fundraiser for us and allows us to keep our player fees as low as possible and to buy equipment to play and look after the green. So the support of local businesses is very much appreciated. Also, a big thank you to Coppard Plant Hire in Crowborough for lending us a generator and the Nutley Arms for letting us use their field for car parking. Furthermore, we have four local businesses who will be supporting us at our tournament: the Nutley Arms will be running a bar; the Coffee House Nutley will be selling coffees and teas; DEphoto will be taking & selling photographs; Mack's Ices will be selling ice cream.
THE COFFEE HOUSE NUTLEY
I know lots of people were interested to know more so I thought I would do a quick post to keep you updated! We are open Tuesday–Friday 7 AM – 4 PM and Saturday–Sunday 9 AM – 3 PM, serving up a delicious selection of - Bacon rolls to start your morning right - Fresh Paninis - Pastries (vegan options available), muffins & amazing cakes - Plus, my mum’s homemade treats – because nothing beats homemade! We’re passionate about keeping things local, from our fresh ingredients to our Moresso-roasted coffee, brewed by a talented barista who’ll be creating monthly coffee specials for you to try. Easy roadside parking and we're open early for all your takeaway coffee and lunch needs before work. Come and say hello, it would be lovely to have you and follow us on Instagram @thecoffeehousenutley! Update Week one at The Coffee House completed. What an amazing week it’s been! Seeing so many of you come in and leave smiling with coffee and food in hand has been wonderful. I have loved that lots of you have been following on social media and come and say ‘hi’! It’s lovely to see all of your posts and read your comments. Thank you as always!