The BIG Hadlow Down Bonfire Night


Saturday November 2nd.

7:00 pm Gates open at the Playing Field.
7:30 pm Torchlight procession departs the New Inn. Goes via Hut Lane, Lake Boulevard and School Lane to the Playing Field.
7:45 pm Torches are cast to light the bonfire .
8:45 pm Massive firework display finale.
Bar and food available throughout the proceedings

A Thank You from Macmillan

Just received from Macmillan Cancer Support.
Thanks to everyone who came and supported the cause.  Special thanks to those who helped on the morning and the Village Hall for making the venue possible

Hadlow Down BIG Macmillan Coffee Morning

 One week to go before the Hadlow Down Macmillan BIG Coffee Morning.
A fabulous way to meet up with old friends, make new ones, for those new to our community an opportunity to meet established residents, to find out what may be going on in our drama, horticultural, book and other clubs.
A chance to chat about who’s doing what and what’s going on.
Chat about anything and anyone over a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a piece of cake by the renowned bakers of our village.
Oh, and of course, when you have your coffee and cake you’re helping the wonderful Macmillan Cancer Relief Charity!

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”

‘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’”

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

Scout Cubs & Beavers

Hadlow Down Beavers & Cubs are both part of the 1st Buxted Scout Group and meet on Mondays.
Beavers meet in the Village Hall from 5 to 6 pm
Cubs meet in St. Marks Church from 6.15 to 7.45 pm
Beavers are our youngest members, and generally meet for an hour per week. They enjoy all that Scouting has to offer; being introduced to outdoor activities, having the opportunity to be creative, explore their local community and experience the excitement of a Beaver Scout sleepover with their friends.
The Beaver Colony is the first and youngest section of the Scout Group. Beaver Scouts are young people aged between 6 and 8 years old.  There is core flexibility in the age range:  young people can join from age 6 to 8 years and can move to Cubs from age age 8 to 10 ½  It may sometimes be appropriate to extend this flexibility for young people with additional needs.

For Cubs, excitement and adventure are key. Their programme offers a huge variety of activities surrounding areas of fitness, global and beliefs; whilst allowing them to be creative and get involved in their local communities. Cubs are introduced to exciting outdoor skills and take part in adventurous activities, as well as camps and residential experiences.
The Cub Pack is the second section of the Scout Group following on from Beavers. Cub Scouts are young people aged between 8 and 10 ½.
For Joining contact buxtedscoutsmembership@gmail.com
or go to website www.buxtedscouts.org
For general communication:-
hadlowdownbeavers@gmail.com
hadlowdowncubs@gmail.com

 

 

Horticultural Society Autumn Supper

The Horticultural Society invite you to join them for their Autumn supper to be followed by a talk from Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter.

Held at the Village Hall on 16th October ~ 6.30 for 7pm.

Tickets £8 for members, £10 for non-members. The talk will be after supper.  For bookings and enquiries please contact Barbara Ball on 01825 830231.

 

The Book Club

Are you an avid reader? Or perhaps new to the village. Did you know we have a flourishing Book Club?

The book club started about 15 years ago with just 3 members and our first novel was ‘the Girl With a Pearl Earring’. Since then we have grown into a small but enthusiastic group of committed readers. We meet monthly in different members houses for book discussion and a bit of gossip over a glass of wine. Books are chosen democratically: someone suggests a book which we may vote on. We aim to read widely — modern literary books, some classics and, occasionally, a thriller or a biography. We want to enjoy our reading but sometimes to challenge ourselves and read something we may otherwise not have thought of.To find out more about the Village Book Club contact Heather.
Activity Address Rose Cottage and various venues
Name of Contact Heather Mines
Contact Address Rose Cottage, Hall Lane, Hadlow Down, TN22 4HJ
Telephone 07974 204231
Email Address heathermines2@hotmail.com

Autumn by Ali Smith

‘ It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. Again.’

Last month the Book Club read Ali Smith’s ‘Autumn’. Published in 2016 soon after the Referendum, it is the first of four seasonal state of the nation novels and was shortlisted for the Mann Booker Prize. It is a novel that has haunted me since reading and re-reading it, largely due to the poetic flow of the language, which has been described as ‘a beautiful poignant symphony of memories, dreams and transient realities’, but also to the complexity of the ideas, the richness of literary allusions, the use of symbolism and the treatment of time. It is an elusive, multi-layered novel. Continue reading “Autumn by Ali Smith”