Hurstpierpoint Village News

Please keep your information coming so that I can include as much as possible in this column.

HURSTPIERPOINT PARISH COUNCIL: This month’s committee meetings are as follows: 12th Community Engagement; 19th Finance Governance & Estates; 26th Full Council; 30th Planning. All meetings take place in the Village Centre and are open to the public. There is currently one vacancy for a parish councillor to be appointed by co-option. Full details on www.hurstpierpoint-pc.gov.uk Closing date 14 October 2025.

ALISON BENNETT, MP: Our Member of Parliament writes a newsletter each Monday in which she tells us what she has been doing in Parliament and in the community, who she has met, and what initiatives she is taking. You can sign up to it by contacting [email protected].

HIGH STREET INFORMATION: Please keep using our shops, restaurants, cafes, and businesses. If we choose to live in such an amazing community, it is up to each of us to support it and not drive out of the village to do our shopping, eating and drinking. Please keep saying this to your friends and neighbours. It isn’t ‘someone else’s responsibility’! As far as I can see, there are two empty premises in the High Street – the offices formerly occupied by Frank Davey, the funeral directors, near Hurst Players Theatre, and the former offices of Nationwide.

OUR LIBRARY is an absolutely vital part of the village which can only survive if we use it enough. One of my friends talked to the Librarian about this and she explained that there are two criteria used to determine whether or not a local library remains in service: footfall and loans. As a small rural library, Hurst performs very well in terms of footfall but less well in terms of the number of books borrowed. The Librarian is really keen to spread the word to encourage villagers and visitors to loan more books so that Hurst’s performance statistics are boosted and our library’s future assured. If everyone who reads this column makes one visit within the next few days, and assures the team how much they are valued, I am sure this will please them very much.

ST LAWRENCE FAIR, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 July: This year’s theme is Happy Holidays and the Fair Committee, to whom we are all enormously grateful for the prodigious amount of hard work and continuing commitment to keeping our 700 year old fair going, say that there is no right way to celebrate, so let your imagination take you wherever you’d most like to be for your holiday. No doubt the costumes in the procession will be as varied as usual! The Fair programme tells us that Nic Stenning and Rachael Babister, the wonderful co-chairs of the Fair Committee, are stepping down after 15 years, so the Committee is looking for someone, or two people, to volunteer for the role. The whole village thanks them for their commitment. And if you would like to help in any way, send an email to [email protected].

124 High Street has a small theatre space on the ground floor, which is hosting ‘Something Rotten, or The Claudius Complex’ which promises to be a funny take on Hamlet, announced as ‘Hamlet’s uncle has his say at last’! Friday 11 July, 8 pm. Tickets from www.ticketlab.app.

TEACHING ASSISTANTS REQUIRED AT ST LAWRENCE CE SCHOOL: We are seeking to appoint flexible and committed teaching assistants to support pupils’ learning. You would be joining our hard-working and dedicated staff team, where we are blessed with wonderful children and a very supportive community. We are looking for people who can engage and motivate pupils in their learning, change and adapt to different circumstances and form positive relationships with pupils and colleagues. We have full time and part time roles available. For more details about the school, and for full details of the role, please refer to our website https://www.stlawrencehurst.co.uk/

EARLY EVENING MUSIC IN HOLY TRINITY: We are now planning the new season, starting in October, so if you have favourite performers you would like to hear again, please let us have contact details. Third Saturdays, 6-7.30 pm. [email protected].

HURST PLAYERS next production, on 8 - 12 July 2025, 7.30 pm, is the comedy, ‘Sylvia’. Booking on www.hurstplayers.org.uk. We are so fortunate to have this hard-working theatre group in the village, providing such high quality entertainment for us.

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.