Cross in Hand, Horam, Blackboys & Five Ashes

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING: Switching on the town’s Christmas lights. The town’s Christmas lights will be turned on at the Fire Station on Friday November 30 at 3.30pm. Refreshments will be available including mulled wine and mince pies. Cross in Hand Primary school pupils will be singing carols around the Christmas tree. In conjunction with the lights being turned on the Fire Station will be holding a safety event.

FARMERS MARKET: Heathfield Farmers Market Saturday, November 17. Despite the roadworks taking place, the market will be accessible. There will be all the usual stalls selling: Fresh fish, Indian food, coffee and tea, cakes, plants and flowers. Also on sale are home-made dog treats and candles. Local choir, Warblesinger, will be singing between 11am to 11.30am. Please come along and buy good food and local arts and crafts and support your local farmers and producers. A jam and marmalade seller is sought for Heathfield Farmers Market held on the third Saturday in the month. This is due to a very long standing stallholder of seven years, Wish End Farm, moving out of the area. You must have public and product liability insurance in place, comply with Food Hygiene Regulations and be able to attend regularly. If interested please contact: [email protected] or call 01892 610314.

ROADWORKS: Wouldn’t it be good if East Sussex Highways could work nights on the High Street road refurbishment and halve the time the High Street is closed to traffic? We note the A267 will be closed during the night at Mayfield, the A265 (Heathfield High Street) is an extension of the same road so why can’t the works continue through 24 hours? Interested to hear, while chatting to a couple of Parish Councillors, that the Parish Council was not informed of the High Street roadworks. What are the chances of the junction between the end of Mill Road/Tilsmore Road being opened early, so traffic has two options to get out of town when heading westwards. Sheepsetting Lane and Ghyll Road are gridlocked at school arrival and departure times, also from 7am onwards. By the way, top marks to Cross in Hand Primary School which has introduced a couple of ‘walking buses.’ Brilliant idea. It would be good to see it continued after the end of the roadworks tool.

JUST A REMINDER: Over the weekend of November 11 and 12, Members of Wealden District Council will be honouring those who gave their lives in the service of their country at Remembrance Day services across the District.

ARMISTICE DAY: On November 12 Councillor Chris Hardy, Wealden District Council Chairman, will be attending the remembrance services at Hailsham and Crowborough. In the morning he will attend the Hailsham parade, starting at the Charles Hunt Centre and marching to the War Memorial. In the afternoon he will be attending the wreath laying ceremony in Crowborough at the War Memorial followed by a service at All Saints Church. At all services he will be laying a wreath on behalf of the Council. On the morning of November 11, Wealden District Council Vice Chairman Councillor Pam Doodes will be attending the Polegate Remembrance Service at Polegate Town Council’s War Memorial recreation ground and laying a wreath. Wealden District Council Deputy Leader, Councillor Claire Dowling will be attending the Uckfield Remembrance Parade and other District Councillors will be attending Remembrance Day services throughout the District.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: Leave A Light On Autumn Burglary Campaign Begins. A focus on burglary begins this autumn after the clocks changed last weekend. There were 644 burglaries across the force in September 2017, but this fell to 518 in September 2018. The autumn campaign aims to maintain this decrease, as well as raising awareness about how you can protect your own home. During this week there will be prevention advice to specific communities as well as social media posts, in an effort to prevent burglaries from happening in the first place. Of the 43 UK police forces, Sussex is rated as fifth highest in the national league table as one of the least likely places to live and be burgled. Communities can work together to prevent crime. By joining an existing Neighbourhood Watch scheme or becoming a NHW coordinator your community can be stronger together. Help us keep Sussex safe. Seen something suspicious or have information about a crime or incident? Please contact us online, email us at [email protected] or call 101.

WEALDEN ALERTS: Help with starting your own business. EDEAL, the Eastbourne and District Enterprise Agency, in association with Wealden District Council, is holding a free Business Start-up Workshop at Uckfield Civic Centre. It is on Wednesday from 10am to 4pm.

Starting up in business is always going to be difficult. If you have the right guidance and support at the very start you are far more likely to succeed. You can go on to run a successful business. It will mean hard work and taking risks, require plenty of enthusiasm and determination. But it could be the most rewarding thing you do. The workshop is free to Wealden residents or anybody who is starting a business in Wealden. The November 14 event will cover the fundamental points of starting a business. These include: Writing a good business plan; sourcing finance; managing cash flow; meeting your legal obligations; taxation and VAT; marketing. Book now to avoid disappointment. Please call: 01323 641144 or email: [email protected]. Events are also planned for Crowborough, Hailsham, Heathfield and Uckfield in 2019, with the first taking place on Thursday January 17 in Crowborough.

MAYFIELD AND FIVE ASHES: Parish Council News, November 2018. Councillor Vacancy. Following the October 2018 Parish Council meeting the Parish Council is pleased to announce that a new Councillor to represent Five Ashes Ward was co-opted. Cllr Duncan Smith has worked as an accountant for various local authority bodies and has experience as the finance representative on various committees in the public and private sector. He has also previously assisted in organising and managing the Speed Watch group in Five Ashes and hopes to use his experience to help the Parish Council in conducting its functions for the local community. Welcome on board Cllr Smith.

COMMUNITY BOOK SWAP: Since the closure of Mayfield Library the Community Development Committee has been looking into the possibility of having somewhere in Mayfield and Five Ashes where books can be exchanged. In November a trial will start for a Community Book Swap in St Dunstan’s Church that has been kindly agreed by Father Nigel. The shelves that will contain adult and child fiction will be clearly displayed to the rear of the church. Residents are being asked to bring along any fiction that they think others may enjoy and to place the books on the shelves. It is hoped to soon build up a good selection of literature that everyone can borrow, enjoy and then return. Please note that no bags of donated books are left on the floor beside the shelves. If the shelves are full books could be dropped off at the Parish Council office during opening hours. It is hoped to trial the book swap to Truffles Café and Five Ashes Village Hall in the near future. If anyone has a spare stand-alone bookcase that they are willing to donate please contact the parish council. Once all the shelving in place book donations will be sought for those sites too. It will work particularly well if a book is donated or returned each time one is borrowed. So please keep an eye on the Community website and Facebook page for information on when the other locations are ready to open and to receive donations.

RECYCLING CENTRE: You may have noticed that the recycling bins in the Court Meadow car park have been replaced. There are now two bins that accept dry mixed recyclables, the same items that are collected from the kerbside, rather than the previous bins that were for paper only.

ROADWORKS: There are some scheduled roadworks in November on the A267 that will be taking place overnight. Mayfield Road will be closed to through traffic between 8pm and 6am from Frog Hole Lane in Five Ashes to the junction of the B2102 Mayfield Flat near Cross in Hand from Friday November 23 for nine nights. Resurfacing of the A267 carriageway is scheduled to take place (finally!) at Mayfield roundabout. It will therefore be closed for 150m south and 100m east of the roundabout from 8pm to 6am from Friday, November 9 or nine nights.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Charging points. Wealden District Council is asking for your help in planning the infrastructure of electric vehicle charging points in East Sussex. They want to try to understand the charging patterns of existing electric vehicle drivers. It will also look at the potential interest in switching to using an electric vehicle. The consultation is being carried out by the five district and borough councils in East Sussex and views are being sought from those who currently drive electric vehicles as well as from those who don’t. To take part visit http://www.wealden.gov.uk/chargepoints, but you will need to hurry as the consultation closes on November 18, 2018.

WARM HOME DISCOUNT SCHEME: You could get up to £140 off your electricity bill for winter 2018 to 2019 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

This is an electricity bill rebate available to qualifying households. The money is not paid to you – it’s a one-off discount on your electricity bill, between September and March. You may be able to get the discount on your gas bill instead if your supplier provides you with both gas and electricity (contact your supplier to find out). The discount will not affect your Cold Weather Payment or Winter Fuel Payment. You can still qualify for the discount if you use a pre-pay or pay-as-you-go electricity meter. To find out if you qualify visit: https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme.

CUSTOMER PANEL: East Sussex Highways customer panel. East Sussex Highways is looking for residents to join their Highways Customer Panel. A survey, which will be sent via email twice a year, will ask for your views on the service that they provide and will help them make improvements based on the feedback given. If you are interested in joining then please sign-up here: http://eepurl.com/dtHTXr. You can unsubscribe from the panel at any time. More information on the Highways Customer Panel can be found at: https://www.eastsussexhighways.com/highways-customer-panel.

ONLINE SUPPORT: For domestic abuse. There were 938 reported cases of domestic abuse last year in Wealden. Domestic or sexual abuse and violence can happen to anyone. ‘The Portal’ helps people across East Sussex to find advice and support online. Visit http://theportal.org.uk if you have been affected by domestic or sexual abuse or violence to find out more about the help, advice and support available. Remember that in an emergency call the police on 999. You can also use 101 to give information to the police or to make an enquiry.

THEFTS FROM SHEDS: One of the most common crimes in the area is the theft of power and gardening tools from sheds and outbuildings. Sussex Police have issued the following advice: Garden sheds can sometimes be a common target for thieves. Not only are they often filled with valuable equipment; they are often less secure than a house. Choose the location carefully. Ideally, your shed should be positioned so that it cannot be seen from the street, but not so out of sight that you cannot see it from the house. If it does end up being targeted by a thief, then you don’t want them to be able to do it unseen. The lock that your shed comes with will be basic and easily bypassed. A hasp and a strong padlock will be a more secure and relatively inexpensive way to upgrade the security of your shed. While you’ll want the best lock for your shed, you don’t want to make it look like you’ve got something to hide, so it would be risky to attach several padlocks at once.

CHARITY DINNER DANCE: New Years Eve Charity Dinner Dance, Saturday December 29, 7.30pm. Mayfield Memorial Hall (licensed into the early hours!). With live music. What better way to see in the New Year than celebrating with friends whilst raising money for two very worthwhile charities; Help the Heroes and Hospice in the Weald, Five Ashes. The festivities take place in Mayfield’s Memorial Hall, which will be elegantly and festively transformed especially for the occasion. To get the evening off to a great start, a complimentary pre-dinner drink and canapés will be served whilst a professional quartet provides arrival music. This will be followed by a delicious two-course supper. People will be seated on round tables which comfortably take eight so that friends can socialise together. Tables must be booked by one ‘host’ person who is responsible for the booking and for their guests’ payments. For those in the mood for dancing, live music will be provided by the Mayberries who will be playing many popular numbers throughout the evening and into the New Year. But 2019 will be piped in traditional style by a live piper so be ready to sing along to Auld Lang Syne and see in the New Year festively. Dress code is smart/black tie (optional). Tickets cost £85 per person (contributing to the charities) and include a pre-drink, canapés, two-course meal, cheese & biscuits, coffee and mints. There will be a small bar and guests will bring their own wine. Tables can be booked at Mayfield Chiropody and Podiatry Clinic 01435 873848

FUNERAL OF MICHAEL CLARK: The funeral of Michael Clark, who sadly died a couple of weeks ago, will be at Eastbourne Crematorium on Tuesday November 13 at noon. If anyone wants further details, please contact Christina Martin of Wealden District Council on 01424 787 529.

BLACKBOYS: Sarah Becvar Design. I never cease to be amazed at the interesting people you meet while dog-walking, in our case in Kiln and Turnmill Woods, Blackboys. The most recent encounter and a long conversation, was with Sarah Becvar who turns out to be a very talented lady. So on the basis of shopping locally without compromising quality, I suggest you look at her website before you decide what to buy for Christmas. I was knocked out by some of the items on her website, I think Mrs PP will probably be pleased with a couple of her presents this year (always a minefield). Contact Details and the full product range www.sarahbecvardesign or phone 0797 9661 0379.’

CROSS in HAND: Road Works. There are some scheduled roadworks in November on the A267 that will be taking place overnight. Mayfield Road will be closed to through traffic between 8pm and 6am from Frog Hole Lane in Five Ashes to the junction of the B2102 Mayfield Flat near Cross in Hand from Friday November 23 for nine nights.

SINGIING FOR FUN: Singing for fun for everyone continues on Monday, from 2pm at Cross in Hand Methodist Church at the top of Firgrove Road. It continues on Mondays from now on. The car park is on the left hand side. There are favourite songs to sing and do take along songs and music for the group. Time for refreshments and a chat afterwards.