Cross in Hand, Horam, Blackboys & Five Ashes

LOOK OUT FOR NEIGHBOURS: Friends, neighbours and people who have regular contact with older and vulnerable people can help them to make their lives more secure. Research shows that fewer distraction burglaries are committed in areas where there is a supportive community.

You can help by: Keeping an eye on people calling in the area or acting suspiciously. Noting the registration numbers of vehicles parked in your area for a period of time. Calling on vulnerable people regularly. If it is not too much trouble, help them keep their front garden tidy and find reliable tradespeople for any maintenance work that really does need to be undertake. Inform the police to provide information about suspicious people, activity or vehicles, however insignificant it may seem. Remember treat every stranger with caution. If you are suspicious about a caller inform the police on 101 or in an Emergency dial 999.

FARM WATCH: Farm Watch Coordinator’s Update. Reported cases of loose animals on the public highways this week has dropped from 227 last week to five, all of which were cows. Please, livestock owners, ensure that your field boundaries are animal proof. Please ensure that you check your road, motorway and railway sided fields at least once a day. There have been several thefts this week across both East and West Sussex. Items stolen include a metal sign, a GPS receiver, three batteries, a pecker attachment for a digger, a set of tractor keys, a control box from a tractor, a quantity of metal fencing, a lightning conductor, a large quantity of roofing lead, a Land Rover Defender, a CCTV camera and a chainsaw.

WEALDEN CRIME REPORT: 18/09/2018 ESRFS attended a tractor fire on a farm in Marklye Lane, Heathfield. Ref 0426. Help us keep Sussex safe. If you saw or heard anything, or have any information about any incident in this message please contact us online, email us at [email protected] or call 101, quoting the reference number provided.

WEALDEN ALERTS: Older People’s Day. Each year a range of events is held across East Sussex celebrating the role older people play in our communities. Heathfield: Songs and Afternoon Tea for Seniors organised by the Wealden Senior Citizen’s Partnership at Heathfield Community Centre. Sheepsetting Lane, Cross in Hand Saturday October 13, 2.30pm to 5pm. Hadlow Down: The TN22 Social Club, based at Hadlow Down Village Hall, is holding taster sessions on Wednesday October 31. These take place from 11am to 2pm. The club meets on alternate Wednesdays and offers social activities and entertainment as well as a two course lunch. The full programme includes more than 100 events. It can be downloaded from the East Sussex County Council website: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/olderpeoplesday https://www.eastsussex .gov.uk/community/over50s/ olderpeoplesday. Copies of the programme can also be picked up from local libraries, leisure centres or council offices, or through community and voluntary organisations. Meanwhile, leisure centres across East Sussex are offering older people the chance to try a variety of sporting activities. At Wealden’s Freedom Leisure Centres these include over 50s swim, fitball, badminton, gym, pilates, aqua rehab and walking football. The programme is supported by East Sussex County Council, East Sussex Seniors’ Association and the NHS in partnership with leisure centres, local councils, charities, community and voluntary organisations.

THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING: Wealden residents are being thanked for the difference they make during National Recycle Week and every other week of the year. The theme of the 15th National Recycle Week campaign by WRAP, the Waste and Resources Action Programme, is Recycling. We Do. Because it Matters. It celebrates the growing realisation of the importance of recycling. Recycle Week is an opportunity to remind everyone to take care about which items go in the recycling bin, and which in the refuse bin. While we all do our bit to recycle what we can, 76 percent of UK households add one or more items to their recycling collection that is not accepted. This can disrupt the recycling process. Meanwhile, more than half (54 percent) of UK households put at least one item in the general rubbish that could be recycled. Please think about those empty deodorant cans, shampoo bottles and bathroom cleaner bottles which can be recycled. And make sure the following never go in the recycling bin, black plastic bags; food waste and nappies.

For a full list of what can and can’t go in the recycling bin have a look at your Recycling Calendar. Or visit our website www.wealden.gov.uk/recycling and click on the What goes in each container link.

CROSS IN HAND: Isenhurst Junction. No reported Incidents last week with the exception of a car overturned on the A267 not too far from the Isenhurst Junction. This is the second major incident in the last four months, so something is radically wrong. Letters and emails are still flying back and forth over the thorny issue of safety at the Isenhurst junctions. As more and more new homes come on stream, both behind the police station and in Cross in Hand itself, traffic density is worsening and the number of minor incidents at those junctions increases. Once again, Cross in Hand Amenities Society chief John Plant has reiterated views of Heathfield residents, all of whom suffer in one way or another from the apparently unresolvable problem. If a mini roundabout can be constructed south of Horam to allow Vines Cross traffic out onto the main road, why is there a problem creating something similar at the junction of the A267 at Isenhurst? John received a copy of a letter sent from Esso’s traffic management team last week (the report was dated July) and outlined, very convincingly, why such improvements could not be made. It cited a Crashmap database which apparently shows just eight incidents at the junction, only one of which was ‘serious.’ However, as John points out, ‘Crashmap’ only covers accidents requiring attendance of emergency services and excludes serious ‘near misses,’ for which the junction is notorious. The letter also said a new roundabout ‘would have a significant impact in terms of landtake (why I ask? how much room is needed) and the operation of the service station. It says an exit from the station where the entrance is would result in ‘additional traffic conflicts at the site entrance’ mentioning that the site operates as one way. Yes, there is the problem. The one-way access and egress is clearly the wrong way round. John Plant offers Esso’s highways team the opportunity to ‘complete a short circuit involving repeated right turns out of the service station and the High Street during evening peak so that you can then appreciate first hand the dangers that your customers and locals have to suffer.’ He suggests asking a BBC film crew to record the event which, he says, ‘would be a rare example of corporate responsibility to a community.’ I have to hand it to John. He keeps pressing on. Perhaps we must (God forbid) endure a series of life-threatening road traffic crashes at this junction before anyone at Esso suddenly notices that the highway is quite wide enough at this point for a mini roundabout to be created. After all it is only their paved and grassed area that would have to be adjusted. In the meantime we all avoid Isenhurst service station at all costs - particularly now it has a grocery section which inevitably means a long queue to pay for petrol while the couple ahead of us lunge into the bottom of their pockets or bags for enough small change to pay for potatoes, or perhaps order a Lottery ticket from behind the counter?

CROSS IN HAND PRIMARY SCHOOL: Mrs Massheder, head teacher reports: You know what it’s like, you get used to wearing some comfy clothes and then you don’t realise when they are starting to look a little tatty. Well, it was a bit like that with our school sports kit. Mr Pinard applied for a new kit from the Premier League, and it has arrived in school. The new kit - burgundy and blue, is just like our uniform. Thank you to Mr Pinard for applying for the new kit it’s fabulous. Miss Chapman, our PE lead teacher, said: ‘The children are really looking forward to wearing this kit when they represent our school. Let’s hope it helps them to win.’ Hear hear. Lovely Pevensey Class (Y5/6) presented their class Collective Worship on the subject of Rules. The children gave us a good insight into what the world would be like if there were no rules and we realised that it would be terrible. All of the children spoke clearly and confidently and there was some excellent acting too. The assembly was attended by lots of parents, carers and friends, so thank you to everyone who took the time to come and support the children. The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed a new sticker on our front door. It shows that we have been awarded the East Sussex Quality Mark for Inclusion. We pride ourselves on being a highly inclusive school, and this quality mark recognises that Mrs Williams-Finch runs a pretty tight ship when it comes to Special Educational Needs and inclusion. Well done, Mrs Williams-Finch, we all know how lucky we are to have you! No room for art? I think not. It is such a pleasure for me to tour the school and pop in to see what is going on in each room. The other day I happened to be going past the Art Room when Camber Class (Y1/2) was having a lesson. They had been having a good go at watercolour painting and when I popped in they were just finishing off some pretty impressive landscapes. Speaking as someone who is fairly artistically challenged, I was amazed at how good some of the paintings were. I think that we might have some future JMW Turners on our hands. Aren’t we lucky to have an art room as well as teachers who are capable and competent enough to use it? The first three prefects are here! Becoming a Year 6 Prefect is a pretty big thing in our school, and the first three of the year have been chosen. Chiddingstone Class is represented by Henry Jones, Herstmonceux Class by Selena Batson and Pevensey Class by Erin McCarthy. All three Y5/6 teachers chose these children because they embody what it takes to be a prefect hard working, sensible, reliable and a great role model to other children. Well done, you three. For more information, please see our Facebook page. And relax. We love science at our school, especially when we get to do practical experiments and investigations. Miss Rumsey, the lead teacher for science, said: ‘When it comes to science, children learn best by having hands-on, practical experiences while they explore the world around them.’ Well said, Miss Rumsey – I couldn’t have put it better myself. Good luck, Father George. Father George, the Vicar of All Saints, Waldron and St. Bart’s, Cross in Hand, comes into Collective Worship every Monday, but next week he won’t be with us. The brave man is making a pilgrimage, and he will be walking 60 miles from Chichester Cathedral all the way back to his own church, All Saints in Waldron. Father George will be walking from church to church and even sleeping in a different church each night. Wow good luck Father George and we hope that your feet aren’t too sore. Last week I mentioned the cross country team that represented the school at Burwash. I accidentally left out Ruby Huffey in Year 6, oops. Sorry Ruby, and well done for representing the school. Have a wonderful weekend.

MAYFIELD AND FIVE ASHES: Have won the Parishes in Bloom competition. Well done. Mayfield and Five Ashes have achieved a major accolade in the 2018 Parishes in Bloom competition organised by the South and South East in Bloom (SSIBC) organisation. This was the first year Mayfield and Five Ashes has entered the competition, scoring 89 points out of a possible 100. They were the highest scoring parish, crowning them the winners. Cllr Deveda Redman, Chairman of the parish council said: ‘We are delighted to have achieved such a high standard in the very first year of entering and we hope to enter other categories next year and achieve a similarly high result’. Peter Holman judge and Chairman of SSEIB observed in his judge’s report: ‘Mayfield is a quintessential East Sussex village and a pleasure to visit.’ SSEIB is a registered charity whose goal is to encourage every gardener, amateur or professional, to help contribute to improving the environment and work to improve health and wellbeing and the quality of life by caring for our gardens, parks, high streets and our natural landscapes.

PARISH COUNCIL: News October 2018. Councillor Vacancy. At the time of writing this article there had been one application received to apply to be a Councillor to represent Five Ashes Ward. The co-option will be considered at the Parish Council meeting in Five Ashes Village hall on Monday at 7.30pm.

Mayfield play area upgrade. Its very good news to be able to inform that the Section 106 money from the Love Lane development for play area equipment has been received from Wealden District Council. This has enabled the Parish Council to move to the next stage of the play area upgrade inviting quotations for the project. Details of the upgrade that quotes are being requested for include: Toddlers play area; installing a modern shipwreck (or equivalent) type feature in the centre of the toddlers’ play area; resurfacing the toddlers’ area with new composite rubber surface; installing a new toddler swing-set; installing a new slide linking two play areas; installing a wooden den; replacing the fencing with new environmentally friendly multi-coloured fencing. The existing children’s area will be re-fenced in the same style as the toddlers’ area. The existing disabled swing will be replaced with a more modern multi-use swing. A selection of fun trail equipment and a number of picnic benches will be installed creating a virtual fence between the play area and the rest of the grass.

MAYFIELD RECYCLING CENTRE: Please can residents respect the recycling area in the Court Meadow car park in Tunbridge Wells Road. The items that can be recycled there include glass, paper, cans, electrical items and clothing. It is not somewhere to dump anything else, which is classified as fly-tipping, for which you can be prosecuted for. For example, recently, there has been a broken gazebo, an old vacuum cleaner and a horse blanket. Please use the East Sussex County Council recycling sites in Heathfield or Jarvis Brook to dispose of any items unsuitable for the recycling bins. Also please take extra care when recycling bottles and jars as there has been a lot of broken glass in the car park which could damage vehicle tyres.

REMINDER: Wealden Local plan consultation. Please remember that the deadline for consultation on Wealden District Council’s Local Plan is 5pm on Monday. You can view the Proposed Submission Wealden Local Plan and associated documents on the council’s website: www.wealden.gov.uk/ wealdenlocalplan or at the Parish Council office.

WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT: For Coggins Mill Lane and Tidebrook Road. This is a quick reminder that Coggins Mil Lane is scheduled to remain closed until November 24. South East Water is laying 870 metres of new water main along a continuous stretch of Coggins Mill Lane and Tidebrook Road. This is a £174,000 scheme to improve the supply of tap water in Mayfield. The road is closed to through traffic for the safety of pedestrians, motorists and the company’s workforce for the duration of the work.

WEALDEN GRANTS PROGRAMME: Wealden Grants Programme is open for Community Groups /Societies and Voluntary Organisations until November 30. The Small Grant Scheme is for grants between £500 and £3,000. The Capital Scheme is for grants between £1,000 and £15,000.

Service Level Agreements for funding of up to three years. Match funding is required, but it can be entirely ‘in-kind’ such as volunteer time, member contributions etc. Funds must be spent within the financial year April 2019-March 2020 for capital and small grants, and April 2019-March 2022 for SLAs. A limited number of 40-minute pre-application advice sessions, for groups that have not had one before, will take place during office hours as follows: Crowborough, Monday October 15, am and Friday, November 2 pm. Uckfield Thursday, October 18, am. Sessions must be booked in advance and are to directly discuss a drafted application for your organisation. Please contact Michelle Gray by email: [email protected] or telephone (01323) 443520. If you are unable to attend one of the sessions you can submit your application by November 15 at the latest for feedback before the closing date to strengthen your application (although please note that this will not guarantee success). Applications must be submitted by the deadline of November 30. Forms can be downloaded from: www.wealden.gov.uk/communitygrants

MUSIC VOUCHER FRAUDS: Stay tuned to avoid music voucher frauds. Police are reminding local residents across Sussex, especially the elderly, to remain vigilant about phone and online fraudsters who use Apple iTunes vouchers (and some vouchers provided by other companies) as a means to receive payment from victims. The majority are frauds using the names of HMRC, PPI and online loans, though it has been seen as a payment method in romance and investment cases too. Typically, a victim is contacted by telephone, threatened with legal action over an outstanding, non-existent debt and persuaded to purchase vouchers from a local store. The voucher numbers are provided to the fraudster over the phone as a means of payment. Data from Action Fraud shows that nationally £6.5 million has been lost to this type of fraud during the three years to March 2018, with a significant proportion of the victims being over the age of 60.

HORAM: Horam Chapel Holiday Club for primary school age children. Razzamatazz Robots Holiday Club. Half Term October 22 to 26. Games, fun, and Bible stories. For more information Phone 01435 810372.

BLACKBOYS: Blackboys Inn. Well done to Natalie and Jay in winning three Harvey’s Brewery awards. The Best Kept Cellar. I can vouch for this award as I have never had a poor pint in the pub. I can assure you keeping Harvey’s best bitter in top condition is an art on its own. Well done Jay. I assume this is feedback Harvey’s receive from their own mystery shoppers and public feedback on all aspects of the way the pub, restaurant and the hotel is operated. Runner Up Award, Managed House Floral/Garden Competition. I must say the vast garden is a pleasure and patio area is a delight to sit in. All the shrubs, pots and window boxes are stunning. On a regular basis Mrs PP and myself speak with the gardener Glynn Rees on his floral achievements and pick his brains for planting and growing tips. Well done Glynn.

HOLIDAY CLUB: Blackboys Pre School Holiday Club. Places available for half Term October 22 to 26, 7.45am to 6pm. Age group 2 to 11 years. Snacks and hot teas provided. Activities include allotments and garden, cooking, forest school, music and art. For further information contact Blackboys Pre School 01825 891113 or email [email protected]