Bonfire Celebrations 2023

The Timetable Of Events for the Bonfire Celebrations on 4th. November are as follows:

Time Details
18:00 Gates open to the public for Bar and BBQ
19:15 Procession starts to form up outside the New Inn
19:30 Torchlit procession departs the New Inn
and proceeds down Hut Lane and then right
along the footpath to Waghorns Lane.
Turning left into Waghorns Lane, the procession
will turn right into School Lane and proceed
to the entrance of the Playing Field.
19:45 The Traditional Cry will be recited and
torches cast into the bonfire
20:45 Firework finale commences
(duration not exceeding 10 min)
23:00 Bar closes and the site is secured for the night

All times are approximate and subject to change.Very Important Safety Information:
No children under the age of 16 are permitted to carry torches.
Do not carry small children on your shoulders if you are a torch bearer.
Wear appropriate flame retardant clothing.
Sturdy waterproof footwear is advisable.
No animals are permitted at the Playing Field or as part of the procession.
Observe the Marshal’s instructions at all times.
Bring a torch (one of those modern battery-powered things – not fire!) for your journey home.
There is NO PARKING at the Playing Field, Where possible leave your car at home. Do not park on the pavement in School Lane, This restricts pedestrian access.

Pop Up Vintage Tea Party at the Village Hall

Please join us for a Vintage Tea Party from 3pm on Saturday 28th October.

Afternoon Tea will be served –
expect a cream tea, sandwiches and a delicious selection of cakes

Tickets are £15 and can be booked via the QR Code below
or by calling 01825 830857

There will also be  bar!

Feel free to dress accordingly, see you there,

Chin Chin!

HDCC Survey Results

8 of 10 respondents to our village survey are in support of building a new Village Hall and Sports Pavilion at the Playing Field

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and to share their views with us. The great news is we had 131 responses to our survey which means we have a good representative sample from the parish and user groups outside of the village. The full details of the survey and all the verbatim comments can be found on the HDCC website www.newvillagehall.co.uk

 

 

Executive Summary

  • 83% of respondents agree that Hadlow Down needs a new high quality Village Hall and Sports Pavilion for use by the whole community.
  • The survey has given us plenty of evidence that supports the new proposal, particularly from a wealth of verbatim comments which are centred on the need for new modern facilities, improved access and a “community building’ for sports recreation, social events, education and entertainment.
  • Usage of our current facilities has been very similar across both sites with the village hall being used quarterly or more by 46.6% of respondents and the Pavilion 46.1% respectively within the last year. Key reasons for this low usage has been cited as poor access, limited parking, poor toilets and changing facilities in worn out/old buildings.
  • The survey data tells us that this usage would increase in the future with better facilities and a broader range of activities. Respondents want to continue with current social events but also want a New Village Hall and Sports Pavilion to provide the community with some new choices for both the old and young, such as baby and toddler groups, after school clubs, adult education classes, gardening club, community cinema, Information Technology, health and well-being, martial arts, sports coaching, art classes coffee hub, office hub etc. These make for an exciting new community space in the village.
  • There is clear support from the village community with half of the people surveyed willing to provide their personal time to progress the project in some way, offering word of mouth support, helping with door to door distribution and helping with fundraising and organising events.
  • On the other hand, there are still 17% against the proposal. Whilst these respondents currently have low usage of the current facilities their views are still important to us. Their key reasons for not supporting the proposal are that they state that the current facilities are already adequate and the new building would be too large and costly, as well as being concerned that it will bring more traffic and noise pollution to Hadlow Down. Whilst we recognise we may not change their views, we are committed to further consultation and communication for the whole community as we progress.

Continue reading “HDCC Survey Results”

HDCC Survey and Q&A meeting

 

Hadlow Down Community Centre (HDCC) would like to thank all respondents that have taken the time to complete our survey since the consultation period opened on 3rd July.

If you haven’t yet completed it, there is still plenty of time to give your views.

HDCC is proposing to build a new Village Hall and Sports Pavilion at the Playing Field. The new building will include a much larger main hall, more adequate storage spaces, a meeting room and modern kitchen facilities. Much needed changing facilities, showers, storage, club room and a bar are also planned. There will be parking for 43 cars, including 5 spaces for disabled users, 10 bicycle parking spaces and 20% of the car parking spaces will be fitted with electric charging points.

Methodology

Hadlow Down residents, along with Village Hall and Pavilion users, are invited to complete an on-line survey here

HDCC Survey

If you would prefer to complete a paper copy of the survey please email Geoff Gregory geoff.gregory@outlook.com or call 07936 678891
Delivery and collection will then be arranged. A pre-paid return envelope can be provided, if you would prefer to remain anonymous.

Comments will be published anonymously with the report.

Results will be independently verified and reported to parishioners in the Village Magazine, on the Village Website and on the HDCC website.

How can I give my views?

The consultation period will begin on the 3rd July and will run for a period of three weeks, closing on 24th July.

Parishioners and current user groups from both the Village Hall and Sports Pavilion are invited to respond. You can find out more about the project either on our website www.newvillagehall.co.uk  or in our latest newsletter here

Join us at our Q & A meeting

There will be a public meeting to be held in the Village Hall on Thursday 20th July (7.30 pm) which we hope will achieve several things:-

  • After the AGM held in February and the feedback we received, we would like to invite parishioners to a public meeting. HDCC would like to provide an opportunity for those concerned about the project to share their thoughts and ask any questions they may have. We ask that questions be submitted in advance  in order that we can respond fully and in detail.
  • Many of you have been wondering if the project is still alive and the meeting will enable us to reassure local people that we are attempting to move forward;
  • If we can attract new residents to the parish to attend the meeting, they will be made aware of the project and what we hope to achieve – who knows, they may want to get involved!!
  • It will give us an opportunity to encourage all those present to complete the online survey so that we get a high response level.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Q & A session, please send your questions to Mandy Chapman

mandy.chapman45@googlemail.com to arrive by 18th July

You can still submit your views until by taking our online survey here
The survey remains open until 24th July 2023

 

“Pop Up Suppers” at the Pavilion return

Summer is here! And our successful Pop-up suppers return to the Pavilion at the Playing Field.

We hope you will join us for a 3-course meal in good company and raise funds for the Playing Field at the same time.

Bring your own drinks – everything else is provided.

When the weather is fine, tables are set out on the veranda.

If you have any special dietary requirement, please let us know when booking. To book  please call Glenys on  01825 830857.

Three courses for £20.

Dates are:

  • Friday, June 9th – Moroccan menu
  • Friday, July 7th – Italian menu
  • Friday, August 11th – Spanish menu
  • Friday, September 15th – Indian menu

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.

 

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 !