Message Re. Water Outages from Michael Lunn

Dear fellow residents,
Yet again we are all facing water shortages. I have this afternoon been in touch with South-East water, and the Leader of Wealden District Council to highlight that Hadlow Down is also off despite South East water saying we weren’t, yet on their map it said we were.
The latest I have is water ‘might’ be possibly be restored at 9am tomorrow. The Parish Council have requested water station at the Village Hall but at the moment Crowborough is the only place offering it and a delivery at Crowborough is unlikely be until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. If anyone has further updates on deliveries please do post here.
For updates follow this link:

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”

Hadlow Down Book Club Review – June 2022

I live my life in widening circles/ that reach out across the world’ Rilke

Our book this month was one of the Mann Booker short-listed books, Great Circle (2021), by Maggie Shipstead, also short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022. Referred to as ‘a ride of a book’, it was at times exhilarating although the book club’s members sometimes found it to be a rather bumpy ride. It was an ambitious novel on a grand scale, spanning a full century and the entire planet. Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – June 2022”

Hadlow Down Book Club Review – April

A lot of women are really strong, even though they are slaves.’
Celestial Bodies iby Jonka Alharti

Some months ago we read Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger, a detailed factual account of his travels and relationships with the Bedouin tribesmen across the desert and is entirely about the men. Our February book was one that redressed the balance being about three generations of Omani women in a period of transition from patriarchy to living in an oil-rich Gulf state. Celestial Bodies is by Jonka Alharti, published in 2010 and winner of the Man Booker International prize in 2019, the first Omani writer to be translated into English.

Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club Review – April”

Getting Extra Help With The Priority Services Register


The Priority Services Register is a free support service to help people in vulnerable situations. Energy suppliers and network operators offer it. Each keeps their own register, although some share with each other.

We recommend that people who may be vulnerable or at risk during severe weather should be on a Priority Services Register. Parts of the UK have recently had severe weather – our turn may be coming! Friends and relatives can assist those who may be in need of a bit of help to register, such as the elderly or people with serious medical conditions, or those who may not have Internet access and therefore may not have received this message. Each operator can be contacted online or by phone. Please act now, don’t wait!

Continue reading “Getting Extra Help With The Priority Services Register”

Help Please !

St Mark’s Churchyard needs a tidy up!

Now that the wild flowers have died back and seeds dispersed, the grass has been strimmed ready to be raked up.

There is also a good deal of debris to clear from other areas and we need some help ! Could you spare an hour or two?

We are aiming to do this on Saturday, 30th October, meeting at 9.30 am in the churchyard.

Anyone who can assist please bring a rake, gloves and clippers.

Contact Janet Tourell for further information: 01825 830478
Thank you!

The Christmas Market is back !

We are delighted to announce The Christmas Market is back ! Do join us if you can in the Village Hall on Saturday 27th November between 10 am and 1.30 pm.

Tea Coffee and cakes will be served all morning.

Stalls will include Cards, Gifts, Clothes, Jewellery, Preserves, Locally Produced Meat and Bric-a Brac