Chailey Village News

St PETER'S CHURCH SERVICE this Sunday (April 19) is Parish Communion at 10am. New ringers and choir members always welcome. Transport to services can be arranged; please contact the churchwardens Paul Corver 01825 724687 or Bea Annis 07837859750 to arrange. See St Peter’s newsletters at http://www.stpeterschailey.org/ for more information.

CHAILEY FREE CHURCH service this Sunday (April 19) is at 9.30am. Previous sermons are available at https://www.chaileyfreechurch.com/.

 OPEN DOORS Chailey Free Church (BN8 4AN) is open every Wednesday from 11am to 3pm and is a place to sit, chat, with free light refreshments. There is free WiFi, plus board games and puzzles.

 LUNCH CLUB at St Peter’s Church is held on the third Thursday of each month from 12.30 to 2pm. This is a two course hot meal followed by tea/coffee served at a cost of £6 per person. This is a very popular event when some forty plus people attend and is a good social get together. Transport can be provided where required. The next Lunch Club is on Thursday April 23 and all are welcome. For more details call 01825 722586 or email [email protected].

ST GEORGE'S DAY FETE is being held on Saturday April 25 at the field opposite Markstakes Lane. The event runs from 12pm to 4pm and offers a great afternoon of entertainment with lots of stalls, a dog show, refreshments, bar and much more. The Society are looking for local businesses to promote their services by sponsoring specific events on the day. If you feel you could help the Bonfire Society’s fundraising efforts in exchange for advertising your business then please get in contact with the Society. Also, there is still time to get involved and help The Bonfire Society with their fundraising events. If you would like a stall or pitch or to register a vehicle for the Vintage Vehicle Show at the Fete or to help in any way please contact Chailey Bonfire Society via [email protected] or Facebook.

CITIZEN’S ADVICE BUREAU Lewes District Citizens Advice is offering free, confidential and impartial advice at St Peter’s Church (BN8 4DA) on Friday May 1 from 10am to 1pm. Help will be given with benefits, housing issues, cost of living, debt, energy and much more. Do call in for a chat.

CRICKET CLUB FRIENDLY XI first fixture of the season takes place on Sunday May 3 against Cuckfield CC Sunday XI, starting at 1.30pm, at the Sports Ground, North Chailey (BN8 4ET). For more details see Chailey Cricket Club’s Facebook page or visit https://chailey.play-cricket.com.

CHAILEY EVENING WI meet, at the village hall, on Tuesday May 5th at 7.30pm for their Annual Meeting and Resolution vote. After which Audrey Wende, former President of the Chailey Evening Women’s Institute, will give a talk about ‘Birds’. Audrey is a member of the Sussex Ornithological Society, which she joined in 1984. She served on the Society’s Council for fifteen years, seven of these as Chairman and in addition undertook other roles including organising birding outings for members, setting up monthly mid-week walks and helping with the Society’s Conference catering. Audrey became the first ‘Swift Champion’ in 2008, liaising with local people to find out where Swifts nest and delivering Swift nest boxes throughout the county. She continues to support this initiative and various groups including Lewes Swift Group and Worthing & Adur Swifts Group. At a Sussex Ornithological Society’s Annual Conference Audrey was given an engraved glass goblet in recognition of her work on behalf of the Society and of the birdlife of the county. An example of Audrey’s bird sightings can be seen on the Friends of Weir Wood Society website where she records ‘A lovely visit in the sunshine today and found a Great White Egret and 6 Egyptian Geese, rafts of Canada and Greylag Geese, Cormorants, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Moorhen, Mallards and finished with 2 Buzzards mewing overhead’. Audrey is sure to enlighten us on all these birds and more. All are welcome to the meeting; no need to bk. The first visit is free and includes refreshments. For more information visit the group’s Facebook page or call Mandy on 07546 592739.

CRAFT ‘N CHAT takes place on Thursday May 7, from 7pm to 9pm, at the Free Church and you are welcome to attend. Take the craft you are working on or join in with the ‘craft of the month’. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. For more information contact Jan on 07913 652920.

BEATING OF THE BOUNDS team challenge is on Saturday May 9 and the route, a total of approximately 24 miles, is divided into two halves which both start (at 10am) and finish (with awards at 5pm) at the Five Bells, Chailey. There are various sections to the race with different disciplines including: cross country running, mountain and road biking, paddle boat rowing and wheelbarrows. Over the years people have used this race to raise awareness and money for good causes. The choice is yours but fundraising is at the heart of the community and the selected charity is St. Peter & St. James Hospice. To enter select at least 10 members for your team, one of these must be the team captain who is nominated to shuttle team members between points. The cost of entry is £150 per team and anything you raise beyond this can be given to a charity of your choosing. To enter visit fivebellschailey.co.uk/bb. There will be fun commentary at the Five Bells all day thanks to Chris Farrow, plus activities for spectators to enjoy including a pay per play assault course. Plus from 5.30pm there will be a hog roast and live music.

REPAIR CAFÉ will be at St Peter’s Church on Saturday May 9 from 10am to 1pm. There are many talented repairers at the Café so do take anything in need of repair along whether it be electrical, clockwork, ceramic or fabric. They offer a sharpening service too, for kitchen and garden implements. There is no charge, but you are invited to make a donation towards costs. Delicious homemade refreshments are available. Do email [email protected] for more details.  

MESSY CHURCH is at the Free Church, South Chailey, on Monday May 12 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Messy Church is for families and is a combination of activities, games, teaching and singing followed by a meal together. It is suitable for pre-school, primary school and teenage children as well as the grown-ups of the family. Just turn up, all that is asked for is a donation of £1 from each family to help cover costs. For more details visit https://www.chaileyfreechurch.com/.

PLANT SALE organised by the Horticultural Society, where all manner of plants will be on sale as well as some locally made trugs, will be at the village hall car park on Saturday May 23 from 10am to midday.

SMALL GRANTS Please be advised that the Parish Council’s Small Grants Application process will open on 1st May and close on the 31st May 2026. In the past these have been in June, so local organisations who wish to apply for a small grant need to be aware of the change of date. Application forms can be downloaded from the Parish Council website (chaileyparishcouncil.gov.uk) alternatively contact the Clerk at [email protected] for a copy of the form.

JUMBLE SALE at St Peter’s Church (BN8 4DA) raising funds for the church takes place on Saturday June 20 at 11am. Refreshments will be available.

GOOD NEIGHBOURS SCHEME provides transport from Newick and Chailey for appointments to doctors and hospital etc. It is a registered charity and all activities are risk assessed. New drivers are always needed, especially for Chailey. There is no specified commitment, the system allows you to accept or refuse a journey depending on your availability. If you would like to know more contact Bea Annis on 07837859750 or email [email protected].