Hassocks Life community magazine is printed by Newman Thomson in Burgess Hill, and we can share this video, which gives a small insight into how that traditional litho print process works and how our great community magazine gets printed, before it gets distributed through all the doors of homes in Hassocks.
A visit to the vet before a vacation? 2021's new pet passport procedures
By Jonathan Underwood
I am writing this article in early January as my wife, Annelise, ‘de-Christmases’ the house. When I was younger this was the time of the ‘thank you’ letter – I used to fill up my Parker vector with a new royal blue ink cartridge and set to work.
It was certainly tedious but a good way of making me consider all the presents that I had received. Even in the age of the email, it would be wrong not to enforce the same regime on our two children – mainly because if we had to do it, so should they! Watching them complete the thank you letter task reminds me of how bad my handwriting has become. Granted, it was never a perfect copperplate, but now nearly everything is written on a keyboard, there has certainly been some significant deterioration. I’m not sure you could tell the difference between my handwriting and my six-year-old Owen’s – except he can’t neccessarily, necesarily, necessarily spell as well…
This brings me on to form filling. In particular, the debacle that we are now faced with in terms of the paperwork required for pet travel into the EU post-Brexit. You can imagine the joy in my heart when I (and the rest of the veterinary profession) discovered - at very short notice - that the pet passport was to be replaced with a ten page ‘Animal Health Certificate’ (AHC) as of 1st January. I had a particularly warm feeling inside on learning that this was one of those forms where use of the wrong colour, an inadvertent lower case letter where a capital should be, or a tick in the wrong box could result in having to start the whole thing again! Furthermore, each certificate is unique to the country that the pet is entering from the UK, and has to be certified, stamped and printed copies taken of the certificate and all supporting documentation.
And the best bit of all? This has to be repeated every time a pet travels to the EU. Now, I am no bureaucrat, but it would seem to me that a far simpler system would be to have a single document with the pet’s identification in it, where you could record information such as rabies vaccination status and health checks. You could then use this document every time the pet travels without the need to fill out a new one for each journey. Maybe you could make the document blue and like a little booklet and give it a name. Perhaps ‘pet passport’, or similar?!
Apologies for the sarcastic rant! Here is some constructive advice with regards the changes to pet travel. From 1st January 2021, GB pet passports will no longer be valid for travel to the EU. Instead you will need an AHC. You will need to bring your pet for an appointment with an Official Veterinarian (OV) within ten days of your date of travel. You will need to bring evidence of date of microchipping and rabies vaccination with you. The AHC is valid for four months and will allow you to return to the UK within that time frame. There are obviously many other possible scenarios, such as where you are travelling, travel through other countries and how long you are travelling for. It is beyond the scope of this article to go into all these details, but I have written a comprehensive guide on our website (www.hawthornvets.co.uk/news). We have four OV’s at Hawthorn Vets, so while it may not be our favourite thing to do, we are well set up to complete AHCs and support you and your pet on their journey – whenever that is allowed!
Please feel free to contact us (01273 495227 or reception@hawthornvets.co.uk) if you have any queries about pet travel or anything veterinary.
Henfield Surgery
Hawthorn House
High Street
BN5 9DA
DownsFest 2020 Cancelled
DownsFest music festival, which was due to take place in September, has been now been cancelled. Organiser Michelle Binks said: “We have held out for as long as possible but feel this is our only option at this stage to keep everyone safe, and not knowing what’s to come in terms of guidelines.” However, on a very positive note the date of Saturday 17th July 2021 for has been confirmed for next year! “We have brought the date forward into July for the warmer weather and lighter evenings,” Michelle went on, “avoiding other local event clashes and before the schools close for their summer holidays.” One Step Beyond will be headlining and our new ‘Family Zone’ will be launched at DownsFest 2021. The event will continue to fundraise for St Peter and St James Hospice. All tickets for DownsFest 2020 will automatically be transferred to 2021. Ticket holders who cannot make it next year, will find refunds will be available through Ticket Tailor. Michelle said: “We cannot thank the community enough for its understanding and ongoing support. Here’s to 2021!”
Memorial Garden Keymer - We shall remember them!
Hassocks Community Organisation
By Amanda Kenhard
If you had walked past the Grade II listed war memorial in the lower garden of St Cosmas and St Damian church in Keymer early last year, you may have noticed that the sloping grass bank behind the war memorial was looking a little sad. A more attractive and inspiring backdrop for the parish war memorial was clearly needed. What better year than 2019 - the 75th anniversary of D-Day to be chosen to give this area a makeover?
Conversations were started between the Hassocks Community Organisation’s (HCO) Green Group, the church Rector, Rev Alex Baxter and the volunteer group who look after the church grounds. Whilst the church team were very supportive and agreed that rejuvenating and tidying the Memorial Garden was highly desirable, they had no budget to be able to get this work done. Father Alex agreed that completion in time for the Remembrance Service on the 10th November would be an excellent goal. We enrolled the help of local professional gardener Jenny Curling for advice on suitable low maintenance shrubs and to produce an estimate of costs involved. With funding from HCO and a further grant obtained from Mid Sussex District Council, the work could begin and volunteers appealed for. During October the grass bank was strimmed and the volunteers met on the 26th October to start the planting. Beds around the memorial itself were also created and planted up with a mixture of red cyclamen and white heather. Happily, most of the work was completed in time for the Remembrance Service. Remaining funds will be used to add more spring bulbs and plant a few more shrubs by which time, the shrubs planted last year should be in full growth and looking great!
Thanks to Sage Garden Centre for their support and to Jenny’s mum for the tea and cake which fuelled the volunteers!
A new decade for Hassocks FC
By Scott Mccarthy
Gone are the 2010s and here are the 2020s. When one decade passes over to another, it often seems like
a good time to reflect on what has been before and what we want to happen in the future.
Everywhere you looked over the past month or so we’ve been blitzed with ‘best of the decade’ lists and ‘what will the world look like in 2030?’. You probably thought you could finally escape all that by picking up the latest edition of Hassocks Life in January 2020, but Hassocks FC have other ideas. Sorry!
How will the 2010s be remembered at the Beacon? By-and-large, it was a decade of success. The Robins achieved their highest ever finish of fourth in the Southern Combination League Premier Division in the 2011-12 season.
The Under 18s lifted two Central Division titles, finished runners up on a further three occasions and won a League Cup. The production line from youth team to first team has shown no signs of abating either.
Of course, there have been low points. Only being spared relegation due to ground grading at the end of the 2017-18 campaign was a disappointment, but the Robins have managed to stay afloat in the top flight – no mean feat for a club who pay peanuts compared to some of the big spenders.
And what of the future? That’s a more difficult question. That lack of serious financial backing means that it is hard to see how Hassocks could compete for promotion to the Isthmian League in the near future at least. Success on the pitch therefore over the next ten years will look like extending their run as the top flight’s longest serving club past the 30-year mark.
Strengthening the junior section and getting even more local players into the first team is another realistic target. The long-talked-about south field development might one day find the funding and support to get off the ground, allowing the Beacon to provide improved facilities and more pitches for teams in the village.
That could turn the home of football in Hassocks into the home of football in the local area, making the football club something the community can be truly proud of. Not a bad aim for the decade ahead, is it?
Barn home to new gents clothing store
Photo: Deirdre Huston
Some readers may have noticed a new shop on the outskirts of Hassocks, along London Road. The Godfather officially opened on 30th November and stocks pre-loved and vintage men’s clothes. Stuart Levy, the owner, has been working in retail since he was 18 and previously had various retail outlets in Burgess Hill, including a luggage shop. He explains: “I saw this was the right place for me and put all the renovations into place in the space of a fortnight.” The shop is crammed with rolling stock from top brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, Lee, Ralph Lauren and more. There is also a good supply of lumberjack jackets.