Hailsham

SWIMMING FUN DAY: Hailsham Swimming Club is holding a Fun Day from 11am to 3pm tomorrow, Saturday, at Nunningham Farm, Bagham Lane, Herstmonceux. Entry is £1. Parking is free.

HEALTHY LIVING CLUB: On Tuesday this over 50s club will be enjoying Boccia between 10 and 11am then a talk on Healthy Backs from 11am to noon at the Methodist Church, High Street. Get there early as space is limited.

FLOWER CLUB: The Flower Club has a demonstration, Flowers, Fun and Friendship by Joyce Pannell in the Civic Hall, Vicarage Lane at 7.30pm. Visitors welcome.

VEGANS: This local group has a pop-up social foody event on Thursday at 7.45pm. For details and to find out where and when this and future events are going to be held, email Rebecca at [email protected].

HAILSHAM TOWN FC: On Saturday, July 23, there is a pre-season friendly against Bedfont and Feltham at the Beacon Field football ground which is signposted off Diplocks opposite SE Tyres or across Western Road Recreation Ground. Kick off is at 3pm. Support your local team.

GRASS CUTTING: Half way into this year’s grass cutting season, Hailsham Town Council is offering information to help assist residents to understand the grounds maintenance process and its overall responsibilities for grass cutting throughout the town. Hailsham Town Council arranges the contracting for the cutting of grass on behalf of East Sussex County Council for most of the highway verges in Hailsham, which are cut 10 times per year, from April to November. The County Council pays for five of these cuts which is their standard across the county and the Town Council supports this by paying for another five cuts in order to maintain a higher standard of presentation. The Town Council also arranges grass cutting in areas of land owned by the Town Council including Hailsham Country Park, Western Road Recreation Ground, Maurice Thornton Playing Field, Hailsham Cemetery and the Common Pond. It does not make arrangements for grass to be cut on privately owned estates such as Harmers Hay, on developments that have not been adopted by the District, County or Town Council, or on local authority housing estates such as Town Farm, which is the responsibility of Wealden District Council. The Town Council currently shares payment costs for grass cutting services on public highways and footpaths with the County Council and although environmental issues are of principal concern, the majority of urban grass cutting is actually carried out for highway safety reasons rather than aesthetic purposes. Hailsham Town Council recognises the importance of maintaining a reasonable standard of grass cutting throughout the town and works with contractors in order to continually improve services and ensure value for money. Residents in Hailsham who have any enquiries regarding the responsibility or standard of grass cutting on road side verges, parks and public open spaces should contact Hailsham Town Council on 01323 841702 or by email to [email protected].

HAILSHAM FM: Hailsham FM, the town’s community radio, has extended its broadcasting hours to weekday evenings. Starting this month the town’s community radio station will be on air on Monday evenings through to Thursday from 7pm to 11pm, and Friday from 7pm through to Sunday 11pm. Hailsham FM broadcasts online via its website www.hailsham.fm.co.uk, and on mobile and tablet via TuneIn. Meanwhile the presenters, engineers, programmers and management prepare to launch their full time FM service prior to April 2018. During the week, programmes cover most musical genres while at the weekends listeners can wake up with the Breakfast Show from 7am, before listening to interviews with people from the local area throughout the day, together with regular travel and weather updates, local and national sports coverage and a whole lot more. The weekend evenings are devoted to specialist shows to satisfy listeners who love soul, Motown, rock ‘n’ roll and mainstream music. Also proving very popular is Hailsham FM’s Takeover which gives listeners the opportunity to try their hand at broadcasting over the weekend. If anyone is interested in getting involved in presenting their own show on-air, or any other aspect of the radio station, they are encouraged to contact the station via 01323 886488/07494 650350, or by email [email protected]; twitter @HailshamFM, or Facebook Hailsham FM. This is just the beginning.

SUMMER HOLIDAY CLUB: The summer holidays are fast approaching. If you want to give your children a summer to remember at Freedom Leisure with their fun filled holiday club, they can take part in a number of activities including ten pin bowling, trip to the cinema, team games, arts and crafts. The clubs are open to children aged 6 to 12 years. Bookings are now available and spaces are limited. To book, phone 01323 846755.

PLANNING QUESTIONNAIRE: If you want to have a say in what happens in our town and how it is going to move forward into the future you have until tomorrow to complete and hand in your Neighbourhood Planning Questionnaire. These can be picked up and deposited again at Town Council Offices, Library, HMI Club, Seaforth Farm Surgery, Vicarage Field Surgery, Battle Road Medical Centre, Quintin Medical Centre, Dippy Doodahs, Chapter 12, Hailsham Jewellers, Waitrose, Tesco. You can also complete your questionnaire online via the Neighbourhood Planning section of the Town Council website: www.hailshamtc. gov.uk/neighbourhood-planning.

KABUBBU FUNDRAISING: Young people from The Square Youth Café in Hailsham are set to embark on an 11-day trip to Uganda in October to take part in a life-changing volunteer experience and are appealing for donations for the Quicken Trust project. Thirteen young people and youth work volunteers will fly out to the isolated village of Kabubbu in Uganda on October 21 to get involved in a building project, agricultural development and helping families within the community. The Square Youth Café, owned and operated by Hailsham Town Council, has a long-term relationship with the Quicken Trust, a Sussex-based charity which aims to transform the lives of people living in poverty in Kabubbu in terms of healthcare, nutrition, education, welfare and sustainable work projects. The Quicken Trust works in partnership with a range of organisations around the UK and worldwide to achieve this goal. Young people from The Square and Friday Night Project have visited Kabbubu several times in the past, where they have built a house for a family in need, and cleaned, painted and participated in arts and crafts sessions. Recent fundraising activities include sponsored bag pack in Asda Hailsham and chest wax for Town Council staff members and parents, where more than £500 was raised at each event. Previous activities included Pier to Pier sponsored walks, charity football matches, quiz nights, raffle competitions, tabletop sales, bag packing and leaflet drops and The Square Youth Café has raised over £10,000 towards Quicken Trust projects to date. To make a donation to the Square Youth Cafe’s Kabubbu fund, please visit justgiving.com/kabubbu2016/. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity.

HAILSHAM IN BLOOM: Hailsham gardens and town centre floral displays were under the spotlight last week as the town hosted judges from the South and Southeast in Bloom competition. Judges were driven around the town when Environment Hailsham representatives presented their horticultural creations and outlined their community activities held during the past year. Included in the tour were the town centre’s floral displays in North Street, George Street and the High Street, the premises of this year’s Best Kept Front Garden competition and the plant nursery site near Orchard Park. Whilst on the tour of the town’s floral hot spots, the judges enjoyed the tranquility of the Dennis King Memorial Sensory Garden near Grovelands Primary School as well as the work carried out in the Diamond Jubilee Rose Garden outside Hailsham Library with all its fragrant roses. The judges will now compile their report, the results of which will be revealed at the South and Southeast in Bloom awards which are being held at Ferneham Hall, Fareham, on Wednesday 14th September.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION: At the June meeting members discussed the unveiling of the VC Stone for CSM Nelson Victor Carter who gave his life on 30 June 1916 at Boar’s Head and the parade and service for the Somme. Ray Smith attempted to show and talk (his scouse way) of his trip to the Falklands Islands, but could not get the internet to show the footage (time expired I think) but Steve Leonard came to the rescue with a quiz. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm at The Hailsham Club, Vicarage Field. Go along and join a friendly meeting, may be an old acquaintance could be there, rebuild comradeship with fellow ex-service men and women, civilians can be members too. Very poignant this year with so much to remember, especially those families who lost loved ones a century ago with the Battles taking place in the Somme Region. The Royal British Legion is a Registered Charity that helps ex-service men and women, serving personnel and also dependents of former and serving service personnel. That is why every year the Poppy Appeal is held to raise funds by donations in some cases, door to door collections, but here in Hailsham, mainly by setting up stalls in prominent locations. The Hailsham and District Branch is very grateful for the help and also the donations given by the residents of Hailsham and villages in the surrounding area.

VC STONE: In memory and recognition of CSM Nelson Victor Carter VC of Hailsham, last Saturday at Hailsham War Memorial, the Mayor of Hailsham, Cllr Nigel Coltman the Mayor welcomed and addressed those assembled and introduced principal participants. Dave Dyer gave a short personal history with a brief of the Battle of Boar’s Head. The Mayor read the citation which was published in the London Gazette for the award of the Victoria Cross, Mike Weller explained the reason for the exhortation to the younger generation before giving the exhortation, Rev Stan Tomalin unveiled the VC Stone and gave the blessing following which the Last Post was played, two minutes silence, Reveille was played, Mike gave the Kohima Epitaph with Rev Stan Tomalin giving the Soldiers’ Prayer and the final prayer of blessing. The Mayor of Hailsham then invited those present to join him in refreshments at the Hailsham Town Council Offices. Hailsham Historical Society opened the museum which is adjacent at the rear of the offices for those present to view the display for CSM Nelson Victor Carter, which many, especially descendants of Nelson, enjoyed.

U3A: The University of the Third Age (U3A) welcomed a good number of members at the last meeting for the return of Mr Gledhill, who gave an excellent presentation, with music, on the life of Mr Sousa. He started the meeting with a synopsis of his previous talk on Strauss which was unfortunately cut short when a member of the audience was taken ill on that occasion. Again another interesting and informative talk. There have been many new members recently and it is hoped they have been made to feel welcome. The Chair asked that members try and speak to someone they do not know at the general meetings and went on to suggests that we can all become so involved with our own friends that we forget new members probably do not know anyone there. You may like to become a meeter and greeter and so help people to integrate into Hailsham U3A. For enquiries about joining contact Christine on 01323 841536.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES: Hailsham Town Council’s youth services continue to go from strength to strength, providing a range of opportunities and activities for young people in Hailsham between the ages of 12 to 17 years. A variety of fun activities for young people have been planned for the Friday Night Project in the coming months including windsurfing and sailing at Spray Water Sports Centre and ten-pin bowling at Freedom Leisure, as well as kayaking, Segway and roller-skating. There will also be the chance for young people to participate in go-karting, Laser Quest, wave-running and giant pillows at Knockhatch Adventure Park. The Friday Night Project, which is funded by Hailsham Town Council and the Safer Wealden Partnership, works in partnership with Hailsham Community College to help create alternative recreational activities for young people on Friday evenings, will also continue to be a feature in young people’s social events calendar this spring and summer. Further details, including bookings and programmes of activity schedules can be obtained by contacting Andy Joyes on 01323 841702 or by email: [email protected]. Alternatively, visit squareyouthcafe.com or hailsham4youth.org for more information.

DOG WALK: Local lad, 10 year old Ben is a keen fundraiser for a number of charities. He has helped Giasco, GMSN, raised over £1000 for Brain Tumour Research and now over £800 for Twinkling Stars, and he is not finishing until he reaches his target of £1000. Mum, Carmen, would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support, coming to the dog walk and braving the rain. Ben raised a fantastic £180 through all the donations, raffle prizes etc. ‘Ben couldn’t have done it without everyone behind him.’

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