Friends of Windmills School needs Hassocks' community spirit to step forward!

Things are beginning to bounce back after Coronavirus restrictions put paid to almost all our fundraising events in 2020. Friends of Windmills School (FoWS) held a hugely successful Easter raffle: parents and local businesses were very generous. This was organised by a team of just three parents, all of whom find time to help FoWS alongside their own full-time jobs.

Our Secretary is leaving at the end of this school year, which will leave only two committee members. This means legally, as we are a registered charity, if we cannot fill the vacant Secretary post, FoWS will have to cease. This would be a significant loss for the school and the children that we benefit.

Whilst we have one ‘official’ post to fill, we would also like to increase the number of parents or carers who get involved, help occasionally, and attend committee meetings. We believe that there must be other parents/carers who have good organisational skills, can work as a team and bring some new ideas to the table. In these times of under-funded schools, particularly in West Sussex, you really will make a difference to your child’s education and that of every child, as all money raised goes towards enriching their experience at The Windmills Junior School.

The village of Hassocks has always punched well above its weight when it comes to kindness and community spirit and this is why we are asking community-minded parents and grandparents, who are willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, to get in touch with us now! Please email your contact details to friendsofwindmills@gmail.com if you can help us keep FoWS going.

Community flood teams proposed for Hassocks

Following the surface flooding in November in Hassocks, local group, HKD Transition propose the formation of community flood teams. Each group will focus on key areas of the village which are prone to surface flooding, particularly during periods of leaf fall that may clog the drains as was the case in November.

The Drain Busters teams could help with leaf clearing in Autumn, to complement council efforts. They could also co-ordinate storage (and shared awareness) of brushes, rakes and sandbags, liaising with the fire brigade and West Sussex Council for any drain clearing or pumping issues. It is hoped that each ‘team’ will have its own WhatsApp group or a telephone tree (or whatever communication tool works for its volunteers) enabling the team to respond quickly if needed. HKD Transition will put the team members in touch with one another so each group can decide how best to operate.

In the meantime, the debris dams built by our volunteers in Lag Wood this year to slow the flow of flood water are holding up really well as the image demonstrates. If you would like to be involved in either project please email herring@hkdtransition.org.uk

Please visit www.hkdtransition.org.uk for more information about HKD Transition.

Flash flooding in Hassocks high street

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On Saturday 26th October, Hassocks was affected by flooding. In Keymer Road, water flooded shops near Spitalford Bridge. Kelly Harding of Bella June comments, “the entire community came together on that wet and cold evening - how incredible! There were people clearing the drains, the fire brigade pumping, people helping to clear the shops... just such a wonderful community. We are endlessly grateful for the support and help we received and continue to receive. Totally overwhelmed by the love of the Hassocks community. I wouldn’t want my shop anywhere else despite the flood risk!” Kelly is looking for nearby temporary premises which Bella June might use for about a week while the ruined floor is replaced.

Hayley Elphick of Reflex@42 recalls, “it was a terrible Saturday night to be honest, coming after everything that’s already happened this year. Thankfully, we now have sandbags, some angel of a man turned up at midnight with them and I cried all over the poor man!”

Juliet Merrifield, of HKD Transition, explains how the flooding happened: “surface water poured downhill to the lowest point. The drains were blocked with leaves blown off by the strong winds.” To help slow the flow of rainwater, Juliet suggests, “we can reduce the runoff from hard surfaces by planting trees, harvesting water from roofs into water butts and making sure driveways are permeable.” HKD Transition have been working to reduce pressure on local flooding pinpoints such as Spitalford Bridge. Margaret Ford of HKD Transition commented, “the flooding in the Parklands Road area might have been a great deal worse.” The Floods and SuDS group is a partnership between HKD Transition and Hassocks Community Organisation, with a lot of support from the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust. The group have initiated various local flood interventions, such as the Rain Garden in Adastra Park. A couple of weeks ago, a group of twenty-five volunteers, working in bubbles of six and following social-distancing rules, were out mending dams in Lag Wood.

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The owner of Lag Wood, Paul Roberts, provided chestnut stakes for the group and helped conduct a recent survey to monitor the condition of each dam. Alistair Whitby, of HKD Transition, explains: “these dams are essentially a couple of stakes in the riverbed with debris behind it. They’re designed to be leaky and are beneficial for biodiversity.” The water that forms behind the debris dams is beneficial for wildlife like macro-invertebrates, damselflies, dragonflies, coots and kingfishers. During high rainfall events, these dams can hold back a significant amount of water. Alistair adds, “it’s a natural way of making sure the water’s not running down into the village all at once. The key thing is to slow up the speed with which water hits a barrier. Spitalford Bridge can only hold so much water so as soon as the water is reaching it at a greater speed, the water starts backing up.”

Alistair comments, “climate change is exacerbating these high rainfall events and any way of holding the water back and releasing it more slowly is what we’re trying to do.” HKD is looking for more volunteers. To get involved, see www.hkdtransition.org.uk/flooding

Planned Hassocks Repair Cafe seeks volunteers

HKD Transition is hoping to establish a repair cafe in Hassocks, to coincide with market day each month and taking place at the United Reformed Church. Repair cafés are pop-up events located on regular dates where the local community can get their broken household items repaired for free by volunteers. The types of things fixed include clothes, household electrics, technology, woodwork, children’s toys and furniture.
The idea is not to compete with local businesses or professionals but to fill the gaps where these don’t exist or where the cost of repairs is more than replacing the item. Repair cafes are a way for our communities to help each other move away from our throwaway culture.
To get the repair cafe going we need a team of volunteers who would be interested in participating and lending their repair skills, as well as helpers with the café and with organising and greeting.
Do you have any skills to share and would you be willing to volunteer? If so please email the team at: repaircafe@hkdtransition.org.uk.
You can find out more about how a successful repair cafe works and how it might work for us locally by visiting the Burgess Hill Repair Cafe, which will be starting again on 12th September from 10am-1pm at The Kiln (the former Argos store).

Hassocks volunteers rally round to create support group in light of Covid-19

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Call for help in Hassocks and Keymer 01273 040 111

Loretta Major, a local businesswoman, could see there would be a need to support vulnerable members of our community through the Coronavirus Crisis. She has quickly and efficiently set up a community support scheme, Hassocks Volunteers Covid19, and already hundreds of local residents have joined the group on Facebook.

If you have access to Facebook, join the group and, if you need help, you can then reach out with a post. For example, you might want to ask, ‘can anybody pick up my prescription?’ or ‘please could you get me some shopping?’

Through the group, local residents can also volunteer to help. Some local organisations are referring people to Hassocks Volunteers Covid19. It’s important to get news of the group out to as many people as possible. Perhaps you would like to be a helper?

“I’ve already met a lot of fantastic people through this,” said Lorretta. “We at Hassocks Volunteers Covid19 group want to make sure that there isn’t a single person in Hassocks who cannot access community support to help them get through this crisis.”

Hassocks resident spots a gap in the volunteering market - Huddle Puddle launch

Huddle Puddle volunteer online database launches

By Richard Watkins

We are Hassocks residents living in a street comprising 26 bungalows. Recently, because of the Covid-19 threat, I organised a neighbours’ contact group via WhatsApp.

Only half the responders have WhatsApp, some have just landline and some local family (therefore consider themselves supported). I also found out that most of the residents, like us, are over 70.

This set me thinking about the wider world of communities and the potential issues we all face over the coming months with isolation and a completely new approach to living our day to day lives.

I spoke to our son, who owns a technology development business, and we brainstormed ideas on how to create a not-for-profit community contact and services computerised system.

The idea, in summary, is to create a verified register of local volunteers; a similar register of any household in the community needing some form of assistance; and a form of bulletin board, which will be used to record ‘things’ to be delivered and track the timely and actual delivery.

The volunteer verification process is critical. We will ask potential volunteers to complete an online application, using the same checks as for a bank account opening. There are secondary levels that might be used, for example the acceptance of certified DBS applicants.

Once accepted, volunteers will be given a unique identification and a ‘virtual’ identity card that will be used for any communication or interaction into the service.

Homeowners will need to provide address verification and postcode details. The postcode is critical as it enables the easy identification of the household needing help, which will assist with deliveries.

We want the service to be inclusive and understand that not everybody has access to, or is confident with, internet-based services. We will cater for this by the use of mobile phone or near-neighbour ‘buddies’.

There is lots more information available on our website, which we invite you to view: www.huddle-puddle.com

There is also an option for the reader to add an indicator that they think the idea is valuable and, also optional, add further basic details so that we can keep you informed of progress.

It is my hope that we can be up and operational shortly and that this system is able to help those most in need in our communities.