Chailey

CHAILEY FREE CHURCH: has services every Sunday. A Morning Service takes place at 10.30am and an Evening Service at 6.30pm. All welcome to the services, visit www.chaileyfreechurch.com for more details.

QUIZ NIGHT: is being held by Chailey & Newick Colts Junior Football Club at The Crown Inn, Newick, on Wednesday March 29 as a fundraiser for the refurbishment of the pavilion, at North Chailey adjacent to the sports ground, on Memorial Common. There will be great prizes. Teams of 4 and tickets are £5 each or Crown burger, pint (drink) and quiz for £15. Tickets are available from Chris Buley at [email protected] or from The Crown.

SPECIAL EVENTS: A list of Special Events at the Bluebell Railway can be found at http://www.bluebell-railway.com/special-events/. There will be a Diesel Gala from March 31 to April 2 and the “Flying Scotsman” at the Railway from April 13 to 19. For more details visit http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/.

WHIST DRIVE: organised by Chailey Women’s Institute, is at the village hall on Saturday April 1 at 7.30pm. Admission costs £3.50 and everyone is welcome, there will be prizes, a raffle and refreshments.

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE meet on Tuesday March 7, at the village hall, and this meeting is an especially exciting one as the celebrated ballerina Dame Beryl Grey OBE will be speaking on ‘Life in the World of Ballet’. This subject will appeal to many and if you are interested do go along and learn more, the group are always pleased to welcome prospective members and guests for a nominal donation of £3. The talk will begin at 7.45 pm and be followed by homemade refreshments and finally the group’s monthly business meeting. To find out more call Margaret Smith on 01825 723519.

BIRDS AND MORE BIRDS: Join Ian Woolsey and members of the Commons Society in their search for the new migrant arrivals and the resident birds on the Commons on Saturday April 8. Meet at Lane End Common car park for a 9.15am start.

BLUEBELL RAILWAY VOLUNTEERS: Have you ever wondered how to become a volunteer, what it entails and who to contact? No matter whether you are male or female, skilled or with no previous experience, can offer a day a month or more, then why not go along and find out what volunteering in the various different departments on the Bluebell entails. If you are under 16, you can gain experience of such work in the 9F Club, but for those who are over 16, perhaps newly retired, or any other age, why not find out more? To help you narrow your choice of departments, please ask for a volunteer recruitment pack, for which a completely revised booklet is available. To help you choose, you can also join one of the ‘find out more tours’. The next tour is on Sunday April 9. The meeting time is 10.30am, at Sheffield Park Station, and the day should end around 4.30pm. Book your place on the tour by contacting the General Office on 01825 720800, or just turn up at Sheffield Park on April 9.

SWIMARATHON: Chailey Heritage Foundation has been chosen as the main beneficiary of this year’s Swimarathon, an annual event organised by Haywards Heath Lions Club which takes place on Good Friday, April 14, at the Dolphin Centre in Haywards Heath. They will be fundraising for the Foundation’s D.R.E.A.M Centre Appeal, to build a modern and vibrant indoor activity space where children and young people with complex disabilities and health needs can participate in a mixture of arts and physical activities. Haywards Heath Lions are looking to recruit over 60 teams of 6 to take part in a competition to see how many lengths they can swim in 55 minutes. This is a very popular annual event and if you would like to enter a team, and help to fundraise for the Appeal, please visits www.hhlionsswim.co.uk. The Foundation are looking for volunteers to help ‘man’ their stand on the day and if you are able to help to do this with one to two hours of your choice any time between 8am and 6pm please email Joan Martin via [email protected] or 01825 724752.

LAMBING AT TOWNINGS FARM: On Saturday April 15 from 2pm to 4pm Carole and Kevin Uridge invite members of the Commons Society and children to visit the farm and watch lambing time. There will be group visits to the lambing barn all afternoon. Meet by the Farm Shop Townings Farm, Plumpton Lane North Chailey BN8 4EJ. Please take care; advice should be taken for pregnancy, allergy and other health issues before farm visits. For more details of the visit contact William Coleman on 01444 831098.

LUNCH CLUB: at St Peter’s Church is held monthly at 12.30pm in the church on Chailey Green and the next lunch club is on Thursday April 20. All are welcome to go along for a delicious meal, meet new people and chat and relax. The food is all freshly prepared and home-cooked with a main course, choice of puddings and tea/coffee all for £5 per person. There is easy access and disabled toilet facilities. If you require transport or further information please contact Julia Guerard on 01825 722967.

CHAILEY BONFIRE: Society are holding their annual St George’s Day event on Saturday April 22, from midday to 4pm, at the Waterworks field opposite Markstakes Corner. Entrance is £1 per adult (which includes free entry into programme raffle). There will be lots of stalls and attractions, a fun dog show, barbecue, refreshments, table top sale, children’s rides and more. It is not too late to book a space for the table top sale or for local organisations/charities to reserve a space. Contact the Bonfire Society by email at [email protected] or phone 07376 071248. Also if you can assist the Bonfire Society with preparations for the day, making cakes to sell, donating tombola prizes or assisting with setting up on the morning or helping to run a stall please contact Diane Palmer on 01273 401900 or at [email protected].

WINDMILL AND RURAL LIFE MUSEUM: will be opened by the Friends of Chailey Windmill for the first time this season on Sunday April 30 from 3pm to 5pm. For more details call John Smith on 01825 723519.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEWS: The Great Chailey Bake Off held at the village hall, last month, in conjunction with the Women’s Institute was a great success. The Show Stopper entries of a cake with a garden theme were particularly impressive and the Star Baker was Hannah Sitford (aged 13) with a cake depicting grandad’s garden. The Show was very well attended and is definitely worth repeating perhaps with a Chailey Craft Show, so watch this space for news later in the year.

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