Upper and Lower Dicker Village News
BATES GREEN GARDEN Head Gardner, Emma Reece is excited to highlight the range of nature-based events and workshops planned for this year.
This remarkable Garden, together with its adjoining ancient woodland, serves as an inspiring outdoor classroom, providing a perfect setting for both nature appreciation and creative pursuits. Each event is thoughtfully curated and meticulously organised to enrich your experience during your visit. The programming aims to foster deeper connections with the natural world while encouraging creativity and learning in an immersive environment. After participating in your chosen event, you are welcome to spend the remainder of your day relaxing in the tranquil surroundings of the Garden, exploring the Wildflower Meadow or wandering through Beatons Wood. It is hoped these experiences will make your time at Bates Green Garden both enjoyable and memorable. This year, there will be a series of seasonal tutorials at Bates Green Garden, designed to showcase the distinct beauty and challenges presented by each season. Emma will lead these guided walks and plan to offer participants insights into border planning and maintenance, garden design, and essential seasonal horticultural practices. She will provide practical guidance on cultivating naturalistic gardens, enhancing habitats for wildlife, and adapting gardening methods in response to climate change, all while highlighting the season’s most outstanding features.
In collaboration with the knowledgeable Garden Team, Emma will be conducting two dedicated plant propagation workshops. These sessions are designed to demystify the process of seed sowing and provide guidance on how to successfully take cuttings. Participants will gain hands-on experience and practical understanding, equipping them with essential skills for propagating a wide range of garden plants.
Additionally, there will be nature-based walks featuring bird observation and song identification, woodland trees, and fungi. These sessions, led by the highly experienced Sarah Wilesmith, have proven very popular, so early booking is recommended.
Creative workshops in cyanotype printing and sketchbooking will also be held, facilitated by talented former WRAGS students, Alison and Emma. These workshops will encourage participants to see the Garden from new perspectives. Each workshop session includes full-day access to Bates Green Garden, the Wildflower Meadow, and Beatons Wood, and participants will enjoy a
complimentary hot beverage and homemade cake. Discounts are available for Friends, members and bulk bookings.
For further information, please visit the website www.batesgreengarden.co.uk or to book directly
https://www.batesgreengarden.co.uk/workshops.html.
The Garden is now open for the season until 28 October 2026.
ARLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL next meets on Thursday 19 February at 7pm at Arlington Village Hall. Draft minutes of the January meeting can be inspected at arlington-pc.gov.uk or contact [email protected].
A STARGAZING EVENING is coming to the Dicker Village Shop on Saturday 28 February over 3.5 hours. This is a free joint event between The Village Shop and Seven Sisters Astronomy Group for an evening of star gazing. With the aid of telescopes, expert knowledge, clear skies and the perfect location, there will be conventional telescopes and smart telescopes. If there are clear skies, you will be observing Waxing Gibbous Moon 91.7% lit, Jupiter and its four moons, the ice giant Uranus, constellation of Orion and its nebula, constellation Pleiades plus lots of other objects in night sky.
The group will show a documentary film on the rise of SpaceX and give a short interactive talk during the film in the cafe. This will start around 7.15pm.
The event itself is free to attend, and there will be drinks (hot and cold) and items from the deli for sale. The cafe will be open until 9pm but Seven Sisters will be on the green until 11pm. Dress appropriately for what could be a cold night if it is clear and if you them, any red-light torches to minimise and light pollution.
As with all astronomical events, the evening will be weather dependent so keep an eye on the skies and this event to see if it is still going ahead. No need to book, just simply turn up.
VISIT ENGLAND Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service (VAQUAS) has taken place at the popular Arlington Bluebell Walk. Owner, John McCutchan, MBE said: “We are indebted to the different Assessors who every two years since 2003 have visited the Arlington Bluebell Walk and anonymously inspected what we offer our visitors. The scheme costs us but it has been invaluable, especially in those early years when we were finding our feet! The assessment is detailed and comprehensive, covering how an initial enquiry is dealt with on the phone, how our website is scrutinized, and their frank and candid experience of their day’s visit. We are told not to inform the Duty Charity of their impending visit, then later in the day we receive a call to suggest a de-brief meeting, which can last over an hour. You can imagine how we scrutinize visitors, especially single persons, although sometimes they come with a partner! That first report in 2003 was three double-sided pages; in 2025 it was eight! We have adopted so many of their recommendations and been briefed on the latest trends at other Visitor Attractions, so we feel we are improving as we are now being rated on seven different factors. Last year we only had an 80% rating. However, in 2015 we received their accolade ‘The Hidden Gem Award’, though as in all judging events, so much depends on that individual assessor.
THE PARISH COUNCIL meeting in January received an update from District Councillor Wilson. A revised draft Local Plan was presented to Cabinet on 14 January. This included hugely revised housing numbers. Wealden District Council will repeat part of the Regulation 18 Consultation and the revised draft will need to be agreed by full Council. The Owlsbury site and land west of Hailsham are shown as options. Problems have been identified and this will form part of the consultation. It is important that the Parish Council responds to the consultation. Cllr White highlighted the need for increased services, such as Doctors’ surgeries, if the proposed sites go ahead. Cllr Kinghorn asked that photos are taken of flooding which regularly occurs on the proposed construction site, the site is on a large flood plain. Information has been circulated regarding food waste collection which is being introduced.