Author: Eddie Westfield

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Love is Blind by William Boyd

‘Life without complications isn’t really a life’

Our choice in July was ‘Love is Blind’ by William Boyd. Like many of Boyd’s novels (e.g. ‘Any Human Heart’) it follows the protagonist’s life, in this case ten years of Brodie Mancur’s life at the beginning of the 20th century as he flees around the world from a pursuer bent on revenge. It is therefore a picaresque adventure story owing much to one of Boyd’s heroes, Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as to Chekhov – another influence on his writing. Continue reading “Love is Blind by William Boyd”

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‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama – ‘wife, mother, dog lover’

Becoming’ opens with an anecdote that sets the tone of warmth throughout the book. She tells how, having left the White House, and hungry in the night, she goes down to her own kitchen and makes a cheese toastie to eat on her back doorstep, suddenly becoming aware of her newly-found freedom to do something that would be impossible in the White House. So starts the memoir of a woman who grew up in a humble black-district in the south side of Chicago and rose to become America’s First Lady with many achievements in her own right. Continue reading “‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama – ‘wife, mother, dog lover’”

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Booking Secretary Required for Hadlow Down Village Hall.

The Village Hall Committee are looking for a replacement for our bookings secretary, who is stepping down from her position. This is a salaried post and requires approximately 10 hours per month. The bookings secretary is responsible for taking bookings over email and phone, managing the online diary, updating the website, putting a user check list sheet in the hall at the start of each week, monthly invoicing sent out via email.
For any queries regarding this post, or if you would like to apply please contact Sally Blyfield on villagehallchairhadlowdown@gmail.com

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Charity Quiz Night

Come and support your local charity Engage in their annual fund-raising quiz. All proceeds go to running the TN22 Clubs, which helps to combat social isolation and loneliness and provides a vital resource for carers.

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Ikarus Inc.

The Rude Mechanicals Theatre Company has now cancelled tonight’s performance on the Playing Field.
We are told that due to the high winds they were unable to erect their tents.

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Hastingford Lane Closed

We are getting reports that Hastingford Lane that runs between Hadlow Down and Crowborough is closed  due to a RTA and police say it may be closedc for the rest of the day.
Other reports suggest that going via Stonehurst Lane past KIt Wilson and then via Rotherfield may be an option.
Villagers are currently updating on the Village Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HadlowDownVillage/

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Vandals Set Fire to School ‘Outdoor Classroom’

Many villagers may already be aware, that sadly some mindless individuals have intentionally set fire to St. Mark’s School ‘outdoor classroom’ area at SMILE Meadow. The school has informed the Police and the Fire Service and, at present, are thinking of how they can move forward to rebuild this area for the children. As this is a temporary structure, it is unfortunately not insured. Once the school has some ideas, they would like to call on all parents and the village community for any donations of materials and time to help us with its reconstruction.

Continue reading “Vandals Set Fire to School ‘Outdoor Classroom’”

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A New Way of Reporting Crime

Police Forces across England & Wales are using a new system called Single Online Home (SOH). This is a policing portal which allows the public to easily report crimes, incidents and information online.

The police non-emergency phone number 101 remains available if personal contact is required. However, using SOH significantly reduces wait times for those reporting crimes or incidents, or if you simply wish to provide some information to the police. Reporting online via SOH is easy and effective. It has been positively endorsed by a number of Neighbourhood Watch members who have had the opportunity to use it.

The new portal can be found on the home page of the recently updated Sussex Police website www.sussex.police.uk. In addition to the Report area, here you will find a new box “Tell us about …”. There is a drop down from which you can select, for example, “Something you’ve seen or heard”.

We have given you this information as we know that some people are rightly cautious about clicking on links in E-mails. However, there are some shortcut links available as below, which we have tested for you.

If reporting a crime or incident which has occurred in Sussex, SOH is available directly viahttps://sussex.police.uk/contact-us/report-online/. You can scroll further down that page to see other options.

If reporting a crime or incident which has occurred outside of Sussex, SOH is available viahttps://report.police.uk.

If it’s something that you’ve seen or heard the link ishttps://www.sussex.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/soh/something-youve-seen-or-heard/.

SOH should not be used for an emergency – dialling 999 remains the means of contact if there is danger to a person or if a crime is being committed.

All reports submitted via SOH will receive an immediate acknowledgement message. Reports are reviewed in live time, and within 48 hours Sussex Police will provide a personal response from a named staff member.