Hailsham

MARKETS: The Hailsham Street Market is back tomorrow, 5 January. There is no Chiddingly village hall market until the first Saturday in February and the next Hailsham Farmers Market is on Saturday 12 January.

PANTOMIMES: The Nutcracker Pantomime by Saltmine Theatre Company is at Hailsham Parish Church, 6pm on Saturday 5 January. Tickets are £5 from the Church office 01323 441868 or email [email protected] and on the door subject to availability.

Also, Join Little Red Riding Hood on this classic fairy-tale panto adventure at Hailsham Pavilion. Follow her as she journeys deep into the heart of the forest to visit her Grandma. All is not quite what it seems. Grandma has big eyes and big teeth and she’s hairy, very hairy!

Hailsham Theatres panto is packed full of howling laughs for all the family so bring your big eyes, big ears and big teeth with you, all the better for seeing, listening and laughing my dears! Running daily from 23 to 27 January. Book early at Hailsham Pavilion 01323 841414 to avoid disappointment.

ANTIQUE & COLLECTORS: This is on Sunday at Reid Hall, Boreham St, BN27 4SD from 8.45am – 1pm.

SIX BELLS FOLK: On Tuesday the SIX BELLS FOLK & BLUES CLUB meet for a Singers Night hosted by Keith Willson from 8pm - 10.30pm. Sing folk and blues at the Six Bells, The Street, Chiddingly, BN8 6HE. All welcome.

HUB LUNCH: This is a meeting point for older people on Wednesday and is open to all. It is at the Ropemaker Centre, Ropemaker Park, South Road, Hailsham from 11am. The event starts with coffee and will be followed by a presentation by local historian, Paul Endersby on Edwin Isaac Baker, Victorian Photographer. This will be followed by lunch which is £4 and should be booked in advance on 01323 442485.

OLD TIME DANCE: The Club meets on Wednesday at Summerheath Hall, Summerheath Rd, BN27 3DR from 7.15 to 10pm. This will be a celebration of the New Year and a bring and share party. £3. All welcome. Enquiries: 500180.

BUSINESS BREAKFAST: The Hailsham Chamber of Commerce meets on Thursday from 7am to 8.30am at Chapter 12 Bar & Kitchen, Hailsham High Street. Non-members are very welcome.

HAILSHAM VOICES: This Pop Choir is meeting on Thursday at the new James West Community Centre, Brunel Drive (off Hempstead Lane and Gleneagles roundabout) from 7-8pm. If you have always wanted to sing, this is a great way to get started. Ring Abbie on 07976 643381 for more information.

WHAT CAN I JOIN?: There are many groups now booked in to showcase what they have on offer in the town. There is also a variety of singing groups booked in throughout the event in case this is something you would like to do including, Pop Choir, Choral, Gospel, singing for health and also individual and improvement lessons. Hailsham Flower Club will also be demonstrating what you can achieve and the Hailsham St John’s Ambulance will be showing you how to save a life. Hailsham vegans will have some tasters for you to try and if you enjoyed Hailsham Festival this year, you can also find out how to get involved. Do you want to learn more about what Environment Hailsham does behind making the floral exhibits around town so beautiful or if there is a course you would like to attend through SCDA or maybe you would like to join a volunteer hub for when help is needed by a group? Lots and lots of groups will be coming along including Hailsham Active about all the sports, health and fitness activities there are. There will be something for everyone. The event is on Saturday 26 January from 10am until 2pm in Hailsham Parish Church and lounge. Tell friends and family to come along and find out what groups there are to join in Hailsham. This is an awareness raising event. There will be no money to spend except maybe a cup of tea and cake from the Demelza kitchen. There is a free prize drawer and refreshments. Joining something is a great way of putting an end to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY: At the December meeting, speaker Alan Wenham, presented an illustrated talk - All in the Best Possible Taste, about Eastbourne, its origin and development under Victorian and Edwardian values. Its original planning was conceived to create a seaside resort of the very highest quality, clearly and intentionally for the sole use and enjoyment of the very rich.

The landowners of the time were the most powerful and financially exclusive of the day, being only one level below that of Royalty. Thus, the best classical architects were employed to design and create a unique ‘utopia’ in which to live, attractive to those who had the highest positions in society and could afford it - it being zoned in most part to exclude the lower, working classes. Everything necessary was provided in the layout, including select leisure parks, tree-lined avenues, adequate sea defences and leisure promenades, and with all the essential services and sewers, roads, walkways, schools, churches, and entertainment.

Expectations included how residents should behave, and even how to dress. Eventually when the town was handed over to Council control, there were strict caveats, and local bye-laws were adopted aiming to exercise ‘proper’ control of the use of the facilities and to maintain the exclusivity. All this mostly applied to the western end of the seafront (Grand Parade), and was specifically aimed to shut out, practically and visually, those residential occupants of the Eastern end (Marine Parade), which was openly considered to be the ‘artisan’ quarter.
Public trams were considered to be inappropriate, trade vehicles were not permitted on the seafront roads after 6am and dogs were not allowed to bark on the beaches. Such was the ‘snobbery’ of the period, in this elite location. This talk was, in all, an extremely interesting, entertaining, yet factual presentation of Eastbourne’s early history. Meetings of this Society are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the Charles Hunt Centre, Vicarage Lane, BN27 1BG at 7 for 7.30pm start. All welcome. Visitors £2.50p. Enquiries 01323 440359.

YOUTH CAFÉ: A new-look Square Youth Café, operated by Hailsham Youth Service, has reopened following a 4-day redecoration and refurbishment project. The interior of the popular venue for young people in Market Square, managed and funded by the Town Council, has been repainted and now looks much brighter following the transformation. Young people aged 11 to 13 (Years 7-8) can enjoy a range of activities on weekday afternoons (Monday to Wednesday and Friday) at the Square Youth Café from 3.15pm to 5pm. Entry is free. Café evening sessions are also free to enter, catering for young people aged 13 to 17 (Years 9-12) and take place Monday to Friday from 6.45pm to 9pm. Activities taking place at The Square include pool, table football and console/video games, as well as cooking sessions where young people can learn how to prepare food recipes. Computers and free wi-fi are also available. Additionally, a variety of outings are organised on a regular basis as part of the Friday Night Project (FNP). All activities are supervised by staff members to ensure their safety and well-being at all times. For further details about the Square Youth Café, Friday Night Project and other youth services contact Andy Joyes on 01323 841702. Alternatively, email [email protected].