The Methodist Church in Cuckfield Road closed two years ago and has been sold for redevelopment into housing. I thought work had started but it seems not yet. There are two empty shops at the Hassocks end of the High Street where nothing appears to be happening as yet and the small shop near the Post Office, is still unoccupied.
PARKING: Sadly, some heavy vehicles, and others not so heavy, still sometimes park on the pavements, which is not only very dangerous for pedestrians, but also damages the kerbstones. One stone, near the pedestrian crossing, is completely upended and very hazardous and another driver insists on parking on the pavement outside the pharmacy. Several kerbstones are loose as a result and we really can’t expect the local authority to keep dealing with our bad habits!
HURSTPIERPOINT SOCIETY: Founded in 1962 as a registered charity, the Society’s aim is stated as ‘Respect the past, embrace our future’. It does a wonderful job in encouraging good development and recognising all the excellent ways buildings in the village are maintained and improved. This year’s Design Awards are detailed in their elegant newsletter and include improvements to buildings, walls and even the Swift Box Project. The newsletter starts with a fascinating article on the three almshouses charities in the village, founded in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. www.hurstpierpointsociety.org.uk. If you are not already a member, do consider joining.
LOCAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: It was good to see our local resident and MP, Alison Bennett, asking a question in Parliament during Treasury Oral Questions last Tuesday, after a visit to The Hop Tub, when she challenged ministers to say what support they are providing to our pubs and microbreweries and received a supportive answer from the minister concerned.
EARLY EVENING MUSIC IN HOLY TRINITY: The spring season ends with hugely popular keyboard virtuosi Simon Anckorn and Michael Dolovich, on two pianos, on 21 June. If you saw them at last year’s Hurst Festival, you will remember what fun we all had at their performance! You can book ahead, which is helpful to the organisers in order to stock the bar, but please just turn up if you feel like coming out on an early Summer evening. £8 per head, doors open 5.30 pm. margaret@112a.co.uk. And if you have favourite performers you would like to hear again, please let us have contact details. We’ll start again in October.
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH: The church is open all day every day. Everyone is welcome to the building, just to sit in the peace and quiet, and of course to attend services. A small neighbour asked me the other day ‘Who lives in the church Margaret?’ which was quite a challenging question to answer a five-year-old. Details of all services are on www.holytrinityhpp.org.
HURSTPIERPOINT HISTORICAL & GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY: Friday 30 May 7:30 pm, Guide HQ. Please note this is a change from the talk previously advertised elsewhere - “Stories from the Sussex Downs” A talk on unusual historical aspects of the South Downs. These include the Home Guard Cavalry, a college for lady gardeners, ploughing matches and much more. The speaker is Ian Everest. Admission for non-members £4.00.
THE WOODLAND FLORA AND FAUNA GROUP, Friday, 30 May, 7.30 pm Club Suite, Village Centre, talk by Michael Blencowe, naturalist, author and wildlife guide, on 'The Wildlife of Sussex’. The diverse habitats of our southern county support a wide range of amazing species. Michael Blencowe takes you on a guided tour from the rock pools, through the woodlands and up to the South Downs, meeting some amazing wildlife on the way. The talk is preceded, at 6.45 pm, by the group’s AGM. All are welcome.
CONCERT AT DANNY HOUSE, 7.30 pm, Wednesday 4 June. Vivace! Summer Concert to be held at Danny House, for an evening of music for everyone. Doors open at 7 pm and tickets from janepem@hotmail.co.uk or by calling 07853 142894. And we are still recruiting new singers, so if you think you might be interested, why not come along to the concert to hear how we sound? Or email us at info@vivacechoirsussex.org.uk.
HURST PLAYERS next production, on 8 - 12 July 2025, 7.30 pm, is ‘Sylvia’. It looks like a really fun evening! The subject is "Sylvia", a dog, the couple who adopts her, and the resultant comedy. Greg is a man of middle age, a restless empty-nester, tired of his job in finance, looking for meaning in his life. Sylvia is an exuberant and beautiful lab/poodle mix, astray in Central Park, looking for a new home. It is love at first sight for Greg, but his wife Kate is less than thrilled by the clever and coquettish canine who jumps, slobbers, sits on her couch -- and takes Greg's attention away from his marriage. Booking will open shortly.
‘BEFRIENDED: MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE SMILE AT A TIME’ Befriended is absolutely delighted to bring the community choir to Holy Trinity Church in Hurstpierpoint for the summer term, every Tuesday afternoon from 2-3.30pm in the lovely Long Glass Room, this is the perfect opportunity to come together, enjoy the joy of music and make new friendships. And of course, we’ll have tea and cake. Everyone is very welcome.
Thank you for reading this column. I am so glad when people take the trouble to tell me that it is useful to them. If there is anything that you would like included, just let me know. It is also available online on www.yourworldnet/sussex/west-sussex/mid-sussex.
Please keep the information coming so that I can keep people in touch with what is happening. It’s particularly useful for people who don’t use social media or the internet.