Category: News

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An Evening With Owls

LAST FEW TICKETS AVAILABLE !!!!
‘An Evening with Owls’ is coming to Hadlow Down Village Hall, presented by the UK Owl and Raptor Centre.
This evening talk will provide a unique insight into the world of Owls and will give you the opportunity to see some of the largest and smallest species from around the world…
Date: 13th November ’22
Venue: Hadlow Down Village Hall
Time: 19:00
Tickets cost £5.50 per child, £7.50 per adult and £28 for 4 adults. Visit www.owlandraptorcentre.co.uk/eveningwithowls for more information and to book your tickets!
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Bonfire Celebrations Sadly Cancelled


Following on from an inspection of the Playing Field this morning  – Guy , David and I  ( and the wider HDPFA committee) have taken the sad and hard decision to cancel this year’s Bonfire Night.

The reasons behind this decision are :

  • Saturated ground conditions and standing water
  • The forecast  Wind speed on Saturday night is too high
  • The Bonfire would propose a risk with the forecast wind speed

We would like to thank all of the volunteers involved who have been involved in the build up to the event for all of their hard work and our generous sponsors too who we will be in touch with directly.

Please make a date for your diary of November 4th 2023 for next year’s Bonfire.

With thanks

Fi and the HDPFA team.

 

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Bonfire Night Celebrations at The Playing Field

The Hadlow Down Playing Field Committee look forward to welcoming the villagers of Hadlow Down to the annual Bonfire and Fireworks display on November 5th.

Delicious Flapjacks, Toffee Apples, Hot Chocolate ,Tea and Coffee will be available alongside Cider , Sussex Ale, Mulled Wine ,Red and White Wine , soft drinks and traditional hot dogs and burgers .

Your safety is paramount at this event , so please dress accordingly with stout and waterproof footwear ( as the field will be very muddy ) and warm  clothing especially hats and gloves. Please do pay attention to The Marshalls at the event ,as they are there to ensure your safety.

Children under 16 years of age must be very closely supervised by a responsible adult at ALL times especially in the vicinity of the Firesite.

We do not allow Dogs or any Pets at this event ,so  please keep them safely indoors.

Parking : Please respect your neighbours , especially those neighbouring the Playing Field and where at all possible, leave your cars at home and walk down to The Playing Field.

Wilderness Wood have very kindly offered their parking at the wood for residents and guests alike.

Timings :

  • 6.00pm    Gates open to public at the playing field for refreshments *
  • 7.15pm    Torch Lit Procession starts to form up outside The New Inn
  • 7.30pm    Procession departs New Inn and proceeds along short route to Playing Field.
  • 7.45pm    The Traditional chant will be recited and torches are cast onto the Bonfire.
  • 8.45pm    The Spectacular Firework Finale will commence.(will not exceed 10 mins)
  • 11.00pm   Bar closes and site is secured for the night.

*This is different from what has been published in the official Bonfire Programme which says 7 p.m – our error – sorry . Feel free to come down to the Playing Field from 6 p.m

We look forward to seeing you all and please do give generously on the night as this is a fundraising event for the maintenance  and upkeep of The Playing Field.

Please keep safe !

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Book Club Review – November

‘I’ve always believed in inherited pain’

This month our chosen book is The island of Missing Trees by the Turkish writer Elif Shafak, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022. It is about the Cypriot civil war and how the trauma of such a war imperils future generations as well as uprooting ordinary lives. It is also a Romeo and Juliet story of the passionate love affair between Kostas, a Greek Cypriot and Defne a Turkish Cypriot and it centres on the story how their daughter Ada comes to terms with the past she has never known. Continue reading “Book Club Review – November”

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St. Mark’s Church News – November

Parish Church of St Mark the Evangelist

So, what has been happening in and around St. Mark’s?Well, we had a lovely Harvest Service on 25th September. We sang the old favourite Harvest Hymns and felt that everything was ‘safely gathered in’. The school had also had their Harvest Service, so we had all their produce displayed in the Church. Nowadays the gifts that are given tend to be the packet and tinned variety, rather than fresh produce, as it all gets taken to the Food Bank for distribution, where it is very gratefully received.
The flower ladies had done their usual excellent job of decorating the Church, so that was a lovely welcome, and we thank them for their faithfulness in doing the flowers.
There was also a beautiful exhibition of Harvest pictures by the school children displayed in the Nave of the church.
Continue reading “St. Mark’s Church News – November”

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‘An Evening With Pete the Pond – The importance of Wildlife Ponds in our Environment’

A ‘Supper Talk’ not to be missed!!!!
‘An Evening With Pete the Pond – The importance of Wildlife Ponds in our Environment’
Presented By the Hadlow Down Horticultural Society.
October 12th. in the Village Hall
‘Pete the Pond is a local legend who has worked tirelessly for many years to help sustain and restore many of our local aquatic ecosystems, especially ponds, which are critical to the health of local nature and wildlife. In the process he has built up a reference collection of aquatic plants in his back garden which is unique in its range and diversity and is now an immensely valuable asset in maintaining local biodiversity.’
With his wooden leg and often seen with a parrot on his shoulder Pete has also understandably been called ‘Pete the Pirate’
Pete will possibly be bringing some of his pondy friends with him.
There are still some tickets left for what will be a memorable evening with the usually excellent meal and an amazing speaker.
If you would like to attend the supper please contact Kathy by phone 01825 830616 or by email (kathy.cracknell48@gmail.com) to order your tickets. They are £8.00 per person and £12.00 for a non member.
Wine will be available and of course our lovely raffle, plus we might also have a small plant stall, so please bring cash with you.
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Hadlow Down Book Club Review

We had our usual summer holiday free choice of books in August and an interesting and diverse number to discuss ranging from 18th century to July 2022 and encompassing Africa, Venice and indeed the entire planet.

A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland Samuel Johnson (1775), a weighty account of his eighty day journey through the Highlands and Islands, full of witty insights and powerful moral judgements. He is more interested in the social conditions with Enclosures just beginning but shows an 18th century lack of interest in the scenery.

Donna Leon’s novels set in Venice featuring the likeable Commissario Brunetti. If you haven’t read these novels you are in for a treat with well-rounded interesting characters, good plots and of course descriptions of wonderful food against the Venetian backdrop. If you want to read them in order start with Death at La Fenice (1992) but the novels get better as the characters develop. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review”