Hassocks, Hurst, and Ditching u3a groups thriving

Many of us associate September with the start of a new academic year. U3a is a national movement which supports people in their ‘third age’ to continue their learning and interests in an informal environment, and we have a thriving local group.

Hassocks, Hurst and Ditchling u3a now has 357 members, exceeding pre-Covid levels. This great local organisation is open to anyone who is not working full-time, costs very little with an annual fee of £15, and offers great opportunities to ‘learn, laugh, live’! The local branch offers a wide range of subjects and activities.

Future Lives shares information and resources to inspire, influence and inform members about how we can improve our future lives by discussing and learning about relevant subjects. The new and very popular Men’s Meeting group meets on the second Monday of the month. The first meeting was a lunch in The Hassocks Hotel dining area. Local Outings enables members to contact others with similar interests to arrange outings or trips together, for example, art, films, live performances, places of interest, and music.
So far, members have attended events at the Ditchling Players, the Brighton Dome and the Brighton Fringe Spiegeltent, with upcoming events planned at Adastra Hall and The Old Market in Hove.

In the Board Games group, members learn and play games brought along by the group leader and members. This group meets monthly at The Purple Carrot café in Hassocks. The Russian Studies group reads and discusses Russian literature and culture. All you need is an interest in Russian culture, broadly defined, as the group works with translated materials. These are just a handful of our 40+ interest groups. We also have an open monthly meeting where all are welcome. To find out more visit www.u3asites.org.uk/hhd, or email: hhdu3amem@ gmail.com.

Behind the Counter: The Purple Carrot Hassocks

By Deirdre Huston

Brighton’s loss is Hassocks’ gain. I’m not in The Purple Carrot for long before I realise just how much there is going on. Many years ago when Chris went travelling he was fascinated by the cafe culture he saw. The mixing of the generations (not just families going out) and the general feeling of bonhomie. Back in the late 80s, inspired by his travels around Israel, Chris made tentative attempts to start a Mediterranean style café in Brighton, but loans were not readily available and, sadly, Chris had to shelve his plans.

He put in a good few years working for the council but when redundancy created an opportunity for him to make a change, he was eager to rekindle his earlier ambitions. He accepted that he’d become rooted in Hassocks and found his first premises on the west side of the station where many of you will have sampled the excellent cheeseboards at book club or card evenings. When the lease at No 6 became available, Chris recognised its potential and the prominent corner location between high street and station is well suited to his vision for The Purple Carrot’s future.

The interior is light filled and relaxed. Customers wander in and out and Chris is quick to put people at their ease. As he talks to me, although he is diffident and self deprecating, his motivations soon shine through. Rather than bean counting, it’s a wish to create a community which is at the heart of his business plans. He elaborates: “I’ve always been drawn to dealing with a range of people of varying ages and backgrounds. I want them to be allowed to be able to take their time and enjoy their food and drink.” Chris has a real passion for the food side of things; the invention and experimentation, the getting people to try out new things.