Stalls for Ukraine (Hassocks, Sunday 3rd April 2022)

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By Rachel BartlettBundy

It's been so depressing and scary listening to this tragedy in Ukraine unfold. One morning I heard about the children who couldn't access their essential cancer treatment, because Putin was bombing the hospitals. That brought me to tears as I know from personal experience how desperate it is to have a child needing cancer treatment. That is a battle enough, and trying unsuccessfully to access it in the middle of a war must be unbearable. 

So I really wanted to do something to help by raising more funds. But I also felt the need to bring inspire some joy and community spirit. Current events are huge and terrifying can so easily make us all feel helpless, isolated and impotent to help - but crucially this is NOT true. We each have the power to stand up to bullies and come together as a community. Hopefully on the 3rd April we will not only de-clutter our houses; purchase useful, fun, beautiful or delicious items from the stalls but also be out on the streets talking to each other and spreading neighbourliness. It's something that Hassocks is brilliant at.

It's free to hold a Stall for Ukraine. Just get in touch with me via the "Stallholders for Ukraine" group on Facebook or on 07747 866457 so I can add you to the Trail Map (see below).

All I am asking is that a minimum of 50% of the money raised is given direct to one of the three main Ukraine appeals - UNICEF, the Red Cross or DEC. Some of the stalls are existing businesses or selling items donated for other charities but due to these unusual circumstances are agreeing to give half to Ukraine. Most stalls will be giving 100%.

If any companies out there would like to match the money raised, please get in touch! 

And likewise if any other villages or towns fancy holding a similar event that would be amazing, I'm happy to share my resources!

Most of all we need customers! Download the Trail Map (see below) and visit as many as you can on Sunday the 3rd April 12-4pm. Give generously - it's really needed. 

#StandupForUkraine #StallsForUkraine

BN6 Craft Beer and Tap opens on Keymer Road

Duncan and Fleur Lane have opened BN6 Craft Beer and Tap on Keymer Road. The relaxed and spacious interior feels like a cross between a café and a pub. The premise behind the micropub is that you can come and have a drink or two, and chat without the distractions of screens, gaming machines or music. Duncan says: “We’re engaging with people. It’s a convivial space where people can get together and talk about what’s going on in the world.”

At the same time, WiFi is available, and some tables are tucked away to aid quiet reflection. Board games are available too. As well as hot drinks, soft drinks, and gin and wine from Ditchling, BN6 offer an ever-changing choice of Sussex beers and ales from independent brewers. Keeping the focus local helps reduce their carbon footprint, and, of course, they will usually offer one of their own beers too!

Duncan’s family have lived in Hurstpierpoint for the last hundred years. He took over Hurst Brewery about four and a half years ago, after having worked for the previous owners. He says: “They reinvented the old Victorian Hurst Brewery and when they retired, we couldn’t bear to see the tradition disappear, so we bought the business.” After nearly five years, they wanted to expand. Fleur explains: “We felt a micropub would compliment the microbrewery well. It means we meet our customers and deal with lots of nice brewers.” The couple, who live in Hurstpierpoint with their two teenage daughters, snapped up the Costa site. “There’s a garden which we’ll open in spring,” says Fleur, “but it will have limited hours to take local residents into account.”

De La Casa opens up for workshop space in Hassocks High Street

There is a new light and peaceful workshop area at the back of De La Casa on the high street. Owner, Jo De’ la Nougerede says: “I’m not doing fitted kitchens anymore. Instead, I’ll be offering a choice of handles, paint, tiles and homeware, as that seems to be what people are searching for.” Jo will still offer freestanding new and vintage kitchen furniture.

The shift in focus has freed up a bright space at the back. Local resident, Abigail Locke recently attended a lino printing session and says: “It was great!” There are five tables which can be arranged to suit, and Jo plans to put up a curtain for added privacy. The space can be hired for adult workshops during the week, at weekends and in the evenings, too. Planned workshops include a jewellery carving workshop on Mother’s Day with a jeweller, Beth Chaplin, from Rose Honey. There is a botanical painting workshop planned and, possibly, felting. Jo herself plans to run a kitchen design workshop on planning your own kitchen. If anyone is interested in hiring the space for a creative workshop or event, please get in touch with Jo at info@kdlc.co.uk.

Hassocks Life talks to Cheryll at Stones Throw Therapy

By Deirdre Huston

Cheryll Avery McNeill was born in Doncaster, the middle one of three sisters. When she was three, the family moved, and she recalls: “My father had worked down the pit, so when we returned to visit the area, my early memories are of him talking to other miners about the strikes.” Cheryll spent most of her childhood in the Lancashire village of Helmshore. “It lacked the sense of community found in Hassocks but, fortunately, we had eleven cousins nearby and my grandparents lived at the top of the road, so we were scooped into the extended family.” Cheryll remembers roller-booting down the steepest hill outside her grandparent’s bungalow. “The trouble was, I couldn’t stop, but those boots made me fearless. I loved it!”

At 13, Cheryll was wrenched away from her grandmother when her family moved to Burgess Hill. Cheryll joined Downlands Community School in Year 9 and stayed to do her GCSEs. “Suddenly, I felt like I fit in,” she says, and explains: “Although, I missed my extended family, I had new friendships to make up for it.” Cheryll gained qualifications at Secretarial College and worked as an office receptionist. After working as P.A. then Team Manager in various offices, Cheryll researched the marketing of pharmaceutical products for her father’s new business.

Keen to learn more, Cheryll signed up for a degree. For three years, she worked part time and studied. She achieved a First Class BSc Honours degree and became a Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. After she graduated, she continued counselling parents of disabled and critically ill children under an excellent supervisor for a year. She then became a paid counsellor for the YMCA Dialogue service in West Sussex and stayed for three years, working with teens and young people in care.

In her private practice, she offers talking therapy as well as a range of expressive and creative therapy activities and techniques. She predominantly sees teens and explains: “I work creatively, and kids naturally have fewer defences to using metaphor, creativity and imagination. Teenagers may not have the emotional literacy to express themselves, so it can help to use a sand tray, objects such as stones and shells, games, clay or paints, paper or wallpaper.” All counselling methods Cheryll use comes with a choice and she explains: “This is a gentle way to let them practise being in control as sometimes that’s not a feeling they’re used to in their everyday lives.”

For more information, see: www.astonesthrowtherapy.com

To read the whole story pick up a March Hassocks Life magazine today and turn to page 16.

Have you ever wondered how a magazine is printed?

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.

Recycle better with Colin McFarlin’s talk in Hassocks

By Colin McFarlin

I am really looking forward to giving my talk on recycling to Hassocks Field Society on Monday 28th February at 7.45pm.

As a Volunteer Waste Prevention Advisor for West Sussex County Council I first found interest in recycling in Haywards Heath 10 years ago, whilst attending a village fair and engaged with their stand on recycling. WSCC were looking to form a small team of volunteers to train on all aspects of recycling, to enable them to offer talks and events on recycling in their own districts. Colin was the first in Mid Sussex.

This required completion of a one-year online course at Brighton University, and to pass an examination. Also follow up courses every six months to keep up to date. This allows Colin to wear the Waste Prevention Advisors badge.

I am working closely and supporting MSDC and WSCC recycling initiatives. I keep busy giving talks on recycling. In 2019, I gave 65 talks to over 2,100 local residents. Talks in 2020 and 2021 were restricted by the pandemic, but continue to be available to groups, large and small, via Zoom. I have also broadcast on local community radio and write a monthly article in Hassocks Life and the three sister magazines, which can be found here: Cuckfield Life, Hurst Life and Lindfield Life.

Nominated by the community of Mid Sussex, Colin won the first “Take Pride in Mid Sussex” award in 2019 awarded by Mid Sussex District Council. The award recognises residents who dedicate their time and energy to Mid Sussex.

When not talking about recycling;

• Recording engineer for Talking Newspapers for the Blind
• Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator
• Chairman of Governors at Oathall Community College, Haywards Heath for 10 years
• Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute
• Past President of the Insurance Institute of Brighton
• Enhanced CRB/ Disclosure and Barring clearance Sussex NHS Volunteer Vaccination Champion

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at Adastra Hall.

Bella June Flowers shares the tips of the florist trade this Valentine's Day

By Kelly Harding (Bella June Flowers)

When did you last do it? Buy flowers I mean! Or should I say, when did you last do it properly, with a genuine florist on your local high street who’s selling the best quality and well cared for flowers in artistically curated bouquets?

Whether it’s been a while, or you pop to your local florist regularly to take in the sweet scents and soak up all the creativity on display, don’t miss out on the best stems this Valentine’s at the best prices. Flowers are still hitting the top spot for the most popular Valentine’s gift and with this age-old tradition not looking like it’s wilting anytime soon, I’m here to let you know how to really earn some brownie points this year with some top tips for buying your Valentine’s blooms.

“Roses are red”… yes indeed, but they’re also creamy ivory and soft peach, sweet lilac and vibrant yellow. In fact, by swerving the predictable red rose at Valentine’s you’ll be swerving the high price attached too. And please remember it’s not your florist upping the price - the farms need more water, more feed, more staff and machinery, longer hours and more lorry drivers and fuel (and that’s an issue in its own right!) to get millions of roses out and shipped across the globe for this mammoth day in the floral calendar. The price of a single rose more than doubles before it’s even reached the UK. So, for anyone thinking florist are bathing in fifties by 15th February - please think again, the margin left for your florist is so small that a red rose barely covers our elevated costs at Valentine’s. The only thing we are bathing in is Epsom salts and bits of leaf that wash out from goodness knows where!

So, my top tips:

1. Ask the florist
This is the best one and if you have to forget the rest, just remember this one! Your florist wants you to have the best of what they’ve got, they want you to tell all your mates how good it is. Ask your florist ‘what’s the best thing I can get for X amount’ and let the pros do the work.

2. Avoid red
Anything red (or even pink) will be around double the price at Valentine’s. Think outside the box, did you know yellow was the original rose of love and affection? Did you know in a recent survey, recipients of flowers confirmed they’d rather receive their favourite colour flowers at Valentine’s over red roses… How well do you know your Valentine? Is it time to go back to the playground chat up lines and ask, ‘what’s your favourite colour then?’. No hair pulling though boys - it didn’t work then and it won’t work now!

3. Order early
Florists get to pre-order better priced stems around three weeks before Valentine’s Day. If you order before they’re cut you will usually benefit from their pre-order prices… especially if you want red.

4. Be creative
If you’re still set on red roses but not willing to pay the premium look out for fun and clever ways of gifting them. At Bella June flowers we are offering single boxed red roses and you can add on the 11 others to make it a dozen in the form of a redeemable voucher to use in March when the prices go down and quality goes up!

5. Trust your florist
Whatever you decide, trust your florist: you are their best advert after all.

Finally, however you do Valentine’s, do it with a local florist, gift shop or independent restaurant. Why not try some local wine and confectionery? You can’t buy love, but you can buy local and that’s kind of the same thing!

Aroma Café offers special Valentine's day menu on Keymer Parade

Matt Penfold and Natalie Steer of Aroma Café and Kitchen at Keymer Parade are offering a Valentine’s treat. A special five-course menu will be available in the evenings of Friday 11th to Monday 14th February.

Matt explains: ‘We’ve put together the Valentine’s menu with fresh, uncomplicated food in mind. We are serving four nights of home-cooked classics, from Beef Bourgogne to Sticky Toffee Pudding.” Other offerings include pulled pork croquettes with apple sauce as a starter, strawberries dipped in chocolate as a petits four, and vegetarian main course options such as sweet potato, spinach and peanut lattice with roasted vegetables.

There’s a nod to romance too with passion fruit macarons. Matt adds: “We truly believe there is a choice for everyone. Of course, good food should always be complimented with great wine, so we’ve partnered with South Down Cellars to provide accompanying fizz and some special Rosé for you to choose from too.’ The evenings are by pre-bookings only and to avoid waste, Aroma ask you to make menu choices in advance.

Visit the website to book a table or call 07871 932754 to speak to the team.

Seeking local delivery team in and around Hassocks

By David Tingley, editor

We feel privileged when we hear how much readers of Hasscks Life enjoy receiving a copy through their letterbox each month. Our door-to-door distributors have said for years that this magazine gets more positive reactions than any other titles the company delivers. We are now recruiting for our own team of distributors who could take on walking delivery routes to get the magazine into houses across Hassocks, Keymer and Clayton.

The work would be paid and would suit anyone who is fit and healthy and enjoys walking! Because the magazines tend to be quite large (sorry!) it can be difficult to carry large numbers of them at once. We will provide distributors with a push-along trolley, but it’s worth noting that you will need to be able to lift boxes of magazines.

If you think this type of work may be something that could suit you, we’d love to hear from you. Please can you register your interest by email in the first instance to: delivery@kipperlife.com. In the meantime, please bear with us as we potentially change systems over the next few months. And, if you ever don’t receive a copy when you have before, please email editor@hassockslife.co.uk to share your address with us.

Advertising FAQs - What is an advertorial page?

Potential customers often ask us what is an advertorial?

Sell from the page - an advertorial is content with a selling element

Quite simply, an advertorial is a page that is made up of a story and images and set just like all the other pages in the magazine (news, feature, etc) but it is a page that has been paid for, and you can therefore 'sell from the page'. 

Businesses with great stories make great advertorials. For instance, a new business that has just opened on the high street where they want to tell the owners’ backstory is ideal. Similarly, an organisation that has more complicated services on offer, may find it easier to explain what they do with an advertorial. Another great opportunity for advertorials in our magazines is a business that is based in, or has a specific connection to, the community itself. This makes the story very much relevant to the readership and more or less guarantees it will be read by a keen audience who love the place in which they live.

Advertorials are a great way for businesses to start their advertising with us in our community magazines. It allows for a story to be told to their potential audience, and then follow it up with repeated and consistent messages and branding, in the form of standard advertising... 

“ADVERTORIAL
Up to 600 words
Tell a story
Looks like editorial content”

“ADVERTS (Display Ads)
Any design/style
Graphic-led
Fewer words”

Standard Advertising

Display ads

What we would refer to as standard advertising is traditional display advertising. A specifically designed advert with clearly defined edges that has been branded to match the company or person it is advertising. These are sold - in our magazines, at least - in either quarter, half or full page slots. Plus, we also sell the premium positions of Inside Front Cover and Outside Back Cover. 

Editorial

Editorial content is all the other content that makes up a magazine (news articles, features, what's on, competitions, write-ups, reviews, etc). Editorial content is not paid for and does not normally promote a profit-making business. 

For advertorials in our community magazines, we do limit the number per issue, in order to ensure that our readership doesn't feel like it is being sold to on every page. We think it’s right and proper that a magazine like ours should have plenty of community news and information, and this doesn't have a price tag attached to it. We just want to tell the stories of the village. 

Advertising FAQs - Print ads don’t work any more, do they?

By David Tingley, editor and company director

We’ve been in the publishing business since 2009, and so we’d like to address a few questions that potential advertisers have for us, head-on. Right here. We aren’t in business to trick or hood-wink businesses out of marketing spend, but what we want is for local businesses in the area to making more money in sales from the advertising they do with us… Sounds simple, right?

---

Print ads don’t work any more, do they?

It’s true that not ALL advertisers who spend money with us in Hassocks Life (or Kipper Life family of magazine titles) make a return on their investment.

That’s always gutting for us. But there’s no point lying.

Sometimes it’s not always obvious why the advertising hasn’t worked. While, for others, there were some warnings. Your advert needs to not only look good, but look appropriate for your target market.

Years ago, I had a builder whose advert I offered to ‘improve’ with a bit of ‘slick design’ to drag the advert and his business (I thought) into the 21st century. Having designed the revamped advertisement, we ran it for a further few months, until I took a call from the customer. He explained that his enquiries had dropped off since changing the advert design, and he’d like to revert to his basic, Powerpoint slide layout which he had been using for months beforehand very successfully. So, you see, as a professional designer - I learnt a valuable lesson that day about making the advert look right for the business and the target audience. They didn’t want a ‘slick’ builder!

Having said that, if an advert has way too much text on, and really isn’t legible in print - the advert just won’t work, if people can’t read it.

We hear from customers who sometimes say that their advertising campaign with us ‘hasn’t worked’, but when we ask how the customer finds out where their new enquiries come from - they tell us that they don’t ask! On this basis, it would be hard to measure the success of any advertising campaign in any media!

Of course, smaller adverts do have to work harder than full page ads. The bigger the ad, the larger the passing impact on the readers.

Some advertisers have a seemingly brilliant advert design (bold, colourful, large headline, clear call-to-action), and they haven’t been stingy on the size either. And it still doesn’t generate the results for them. I wish I knew why this was. We had a mortgage broker who had completed an advertising campaign for six months with half page ads, and they had had no clear leads from the run in our magazine.

Conversely, and more positively, we have one customer who runs a few quarter page ads per year, and the results from it, keeps them busy for the season! And the ad is even at quarter page size!

Fortunately we have plenty of happy advertisers, many of whom have been advertising with us for years and years. You can see Richard Talman of RTFJ talking about his success with our magazines here. Similarly, Adam Bateup from House Proud Finish used Hassocks Life to launch his new carpet cleaning business. He tells us more here.

So, can I guarantee that advertising with Hassocks Life will bring in new customers? No, of course not.

But I will guarantee that me and my team will do our absolute best to make it work for your business. Whether that’s helping with the ad design, giving you a premium spot for a special month, a bit of editorial copy or even a cheeky size upgrade when we’ve got some extra. We really do just want advertising with us to work for you, so you stay a customer for years - just like Richard and Adam and the dozens of others.

Hays Travel's own Kelly talks about her adventures in the travel industry in Hassocks Life's Behind the Counter

Kelly Stentaford grew up in South London, but now lives in Crawley Down, where she enjoys country walks with her husband and two young children. “I’m a football mum,” she admits, “and my husband coaches our son’s team. I enjoy it as it’s a great way to make friends.” Kelly took up her role as Manager of Hays Travel, Hassocks, in September of this year, but she’s always worked in the travel industry.

“Florida is my ultimate favourite,” says Kelly, “and it’s not just because of Disney and Universal. There are beautiful beach resorts and lots of opportunities to shop. I’ve done it prior to having a family, and with children, so I’ve seen it in different ways.” About ten years ago, through a competition, Kelly won a place on a work trip to Sri Lanka, and it’s become another of her favourite destinations. “They have very little, but the people are warm and welcoming, and have big hearts,” she recalls, and adds: “From the tea plantations to the elephant orphanage, it was incredible! When we arrived at the elephant orphanage, the orphans and elderly or frail elephants were walking up from the beach in a procession, tail to trunk, and I was moved to tears.”

“People sometimes forget we do many UK breaks too,” says Kelly. “We can offer hotels, coach tours, theatre breaks, boating, glamping, city breaks and cottages.” Hays Travel also sells foreign exchange and Kelly comments: “We always have dollars and euros in stock, but can order in more exotic currencies too, all at competitive rates.” Kelly loves her new role in Hassocks and says: “Since I’ve been here, I’ve only encountered lovely, friendly customers who soon become regulars. It’s definitely a nice place to work!”

To read more about Kelly’s exciting experiences around the globe and around the travel sector, pick up a January copy of Hassocks Life.

Meet long time Hassocks resident Judy Tilbury in our Village People feature

By Deirdre Huston

After having lived here for 58 years, Judy, aged 81, must be one of Hassocks longest residents. She was born in Framfield, near Uckfield. She remembers: “My father was the head gardener to Lord and Lady Fisher of Framfield Place, and it was phenomenal, reminiscent of Kew Gardens.” Judy hoped to get into grammar school, but she was ill on the day of her interview so instead, she stayed at the village school until she was 13, then progressed onto Uckfield County Secondary where she became Head Girl, and Head of the School Choir. She remembers singing live on Glyndebourne stage, in the finals of a Sussex singing competition. Sadly, Judy’s father was asthmatic, and he died young, leaving her mother with six children. Judy was sixteen, and along with her sister, she left school to work in a dry cleaner’s, shelving hopes of further education. At the dry cleaner’s, she learned how to hand press cocktail and evening dresses.

“My mum loved the sea, and we often went to Brighton or Eastbourne on the bus,” recalls Judy. “After my father’s death, she decided she wanted to move to Brighton.” The family moved to Hove, and Judy’s mother found work in a Jaeger factory, making coats and Judy helped while she waited to start a new job. Judy learned many sewing skills from her talented mum, who made absolutely all the family’s clothes, and her mother often recounted how, at age four, Judy asked to have a go, and her mum said: “You’ll prick your finger!” Judy took to it immediately, and sewing has become a lifelong endeavour. She began sewing for other people as a teenager in Framfield, making full circular skirts with can can petticoats to go dancing in. She used to make them for all her friends, and soon, someone asked her to make a dress, “It took off from there,” says Judy. “It was a great way to supplement our income.”

Judy still loves sewing today and makes personalised birth samplers, ring cushions and poems to order. She also makes samplers for the royal babies and is proud of letters of thanks she’s received. During lockdown, one of her swimming colleagues asked if she could make masks. The friend found a pattern and Judy made two. Then she made three for another friend. And it snowballed! “Sometimes, I was in the workroom at 5am.” All in all, Judy made 5000 masks, raising £8000 for Headway. The masks were a pound each, but many people donated extra.

If anybody would like to support her and make a donation, please go to www.justgiving.com and search for Headway Sussex

To read much more about Judy’s life and her connection with the village pick up a copy of January’s Hassocks Life magazine.

Hassocks Parish Council news - new village sign

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A village sign had been on the Parish Council agenda for some years. When the long-standing sign, positioned in the entrance to the Adastra Park, blew down over a windy weekend in Spring 2021, the time had definitely come to turn this aspiration into a reality.

The previous sign in Adastra Park was erected in 1977, 44 years ago. It formed a part of the celebrations to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, in June 1977. The wording on the old sign referred to the ‘Parish of Keymer’, ‘George Vth and Elizabeth II,’ and ‘1910-1977’. The sign included various heraldic symbols, including Martlets and Lions Rampant, and was enclosed in a metal frame topped with a crown.

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It was painted onto a sheet of marine ply and lasted for far more years than anyone may have expected. This sign had come to a natural end and so opened the door for something new and more appropriate to represent the village of Hassocks. Meanwhile, around the same time, a local Sussex based artist, Joanna Myles, had contacted the Council enquiring about plans for a new sign. The burning question was, what should the fresh sign be like? The general consensus was for a more typical village sign which identified in words the name of the village and including pictorial references to local landmarks and /or historical features.

To read more about how the new sign was designed and what to look out for within the design, pick up a copy of Hassocks Life January magazine or click the pictures to enlarge them.

5 minutes with... Bryony Mae Torney

Meet Bryony, a local mum who gave up an advertising career to launch her own floristry business in February 2020 and has been busy ever since!

Do you share your home with anyone?
My husband, two children and a cockapoo called Scout.

How long have you lived in Hassocks?
Ten years, the longest I’ve lived anywhere!

What’s the best thing about being here?
The supportive and kind community.

What would you like to see in Hassocks that isn’t here?
A family friendly restaurant or a wine bar.

Favourite film?
The Royal Tenebaums or When Harry met Sally.

Most common New Year’s resolution?
Exercise more often. Every. Single. Year!

Your most enjoyable event in the village?
Light up Hassocks. My kids still love it!

Song you play the most?
Anything from Radio 1, courtesy of my son, often an Ed Sheeran track; a guilty pleasure!

Which app on your phone do you use the most?
Definitely Instagram.

Your most frequented village shop?
I often pop into Indigo for gifts.

What’s your proudest moment?
Launching my business during a global pandemic and spreading a little happiness with weekly flower deliveries during a difficult time.

Last present you received?
A delicious Sugarlips doughnut from a good friend while we were isolating.

Your advice for life?
Don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.

If you would like to provide your own answers for 5 Minutes With, simply email them to editor@hassockslife.co.uk along with a photo of yourself, or do please encourage a friend to send their answers in!

Sussex Vale Rotary, local charities they support and why they need your help

By Duncan Honeyman

Over the past year, Sussex Vale Rotary has supported the local Foodbanks, Sussex Cancer Fund, St Peter & St James Hospice, Hurst Museum, Hurst Girls Brigade, the Red Cross, CAB Project Wenceslas and refurbished defibrillators in Hurst and Hassocks, together with other local groups needing help.

As the festive season draws near, we are already planning the supply of Christmas hampers to those in need. Your help is welcome and very necessary, and we look forward to meeting you when we hold our local street collections in Hurstpierpoint on 11th December, followed by Hassocks on the 18th. Please give generously: every penny raised goes to good causes as we have no overheads. Besides the charities listed above, Sussex Vale also sponsors the Memory Moments Café in Hurstpierpoint with the support of Know Dementia. It meets on the first Thursday of the month at the Court Bushes Centre (2pm-4pm) and we need volunteers to help with the general running of the café. If you think you can help for a couple of hours one day a month, please email: secretarysvrotary@gmail.com.

Our community needs your help to continue to develop a supportive and friendly environment for all the local residents, so if you want to become involved in this, why not consider having a look at what Sussex Vale Rotary offers? We meet fortnightly at The Greyhound in Keymer, in a relaxed and friendly environment, so if you are interested in learning more about Rotary and how you can help or join us, please contact our club secretary, or ask in The Greyhound for the next meeting date.

Special Makaton signing day at Santa's Grotto, South Downs Nurseries - 4th December 2021

The Budding Foundation’s ever-popular Santa’s Grotto at South Downs Nurseries in Hassocks is pleased to offer a special signing day this year. On Saturday 4th December, the team of Elves will use ‘Makaton’ signing to help children with special needs and hearing difficulties. The Elves volunteering on the day all work at a special needs school and have extensive knowledge of Makaton signs which they use during their day-to-day work with young people.

Clive Gravett from the Budding Foundation says tickets for their Grotto’s at Hassocks and Old Barn Garden Centre, Dial Post are selling fast and those interested should book as soon as possible via the charity’s website: www.thebuddingfoundation.co.uk The Budding Foundation has supported many Sussex children and families with grants ranging from £50 for school uniforms to over £5000 to help purchase an all terrain wheelchair. Also helping locally with the Burgess Hill Pantry.

Buy local this Christmas on Hassocks High Street and more

A shopping ‘list’ by Kelly Leppard. Kelly, owner of Bella June Flowers and a passionate shopper, approached Hassocks Life because she wanted to do everything she could to encourage local residents to start their seasonal stocking up right here in the village.
Whilst we weren’t able to include every shop by name, it’s our hope that highlighting some of the excellent calibre on offer here makes the case for exploring more shops at your leisure.

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Start your Christmas shopping in Hassocks this year….

Lighting and homewares from My Vintage

Bikes & cycling accessories from Proper

Wine & chocolates from Hassocks Wines - 13 Keymer Rd, Hassocks BN6 8AD

Gift hampers from Adastra Deli

Stockings, fillers & toys from QD Stationery

Candles, incense & gifting from Indigo

Christmas trees from South Downs Nurseries

Houseware, tools & sundries from Hassocks Hardware

Cushions, throws & Christmas table-scaping from Marram

Wreaths and garlands from Bella June Flowers

Vouchers and make hair care from Thatchers

Beauty gifts and vouchers from Profiles

Plus loads of others! Start your Christmas shopping in Hassocks this year.

Aroma Café on Keymer Parade shares news and treats!

For those of you who haven’t popped in there yet, Aroma Café and Kitchen, is situated on Keymer Parade. Since mid-October, they have opened for evening meals on certain days. “We’d just like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have already dined with us from our new Friday and Saturday night menu,” says manager, Natalie Steer. “We’re already working on the next one and are very excited to share it with you soon.”

Her business partner, Matt Penfold, says: “We are waiting for confirmation that our alcohol license has been granted so fingers crossed!” Matt and Nat originally worked together at the locally renowned Café Elvira and Jeremy’s Restaurant at Borde Hill.

Aroma will also be offering a seasonal menu. Matt says: “Our Christmas themed menu is very much in the works, and we will serve this on Friday and Saturday nights as well as offering exclusive dining on a Wednesday and Thursday evening, so if you haven’t organised your office party yet or are planning a pre-Christmas family gathering then we can host up to 16 guests.”
www.aromacafe.uk

To celebrate their evening opening, here’s a recipe from Aroma

Ingredients

• 125g margarine

• 250g caster sugar

• 2 medium free range eggs (preferably Macs Farm ;-) )

• 1 tsp Danish vanilla sugar (you can use a few drops of vanilla essence as a replacement)

• 250g gluten free plain flour

• 2 tsp gluten free baking powder

• 4 very ripe Bananas

• 175g chocolate chips or chunks (I prefer chunks)

Method

1. Cream the margarine and sugar

2. Lightly beat in the eggs

3. Mix in bananas (use a fork to squish them a bit!), vanilla sugar and chocolate

4. Slowly sifting, add the flour and baking powder, stirring all the time

5. Line a bread tin with grease-proof paper, transfer mix, then bake low and slow for roughly 1 hour at 160°C

6. Check it’s cooked all the way through with a knife. If it’s clean when you remove it, it’s cooked!

7. Serve as a slice by itself or warm and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, custard or cream for a delicious dessert.

A new football season for Hassocks Football Club's Robins

By Scott Mccarthy

The 2021-22 Southern Combination League season is three months old now and for Hassocks, it has been a campaign so far featuring a new way of doing things with mixed results. In the summer, Hassocks decided to focus on youth. With Dave John stepping down as manager to become the club’s technical director overseeing all football at the Beacon. Former Under 18s manager Brad Sweetman was appointed as new first team head coach.

Sweetman is the youngest boss in the Premier Division and he is operating with the youngest squad by some distance. Most of those players have played under his management before in the Robins youth set up, where Sweetman led Hassocks to the Southern Combination Under 18 League title in 2017-18 and a second place finish the following season.

In the two curtailed campaigns, the Robins had been third in 2019-20 and top in 2020-21 when football was halted by the pandemic. Hassocks have enjoyed something of a golden age of youth team football over the past five years, so who better to manage those players as they transcend to senior football than Sweetman?

That is the theory, anyway. The Premier Division is awash with a fair amount of cash this year, meaning that players who perhaps should ply their trade at a higher level are turning out at step five of the non-league pyramid.
Hassocks, meanwhile, are trying to navigate their way through with a team of players mainly under the age of 23. Whilst they will no doubt become better talents for the experience and few clubs exhibit a degree of longterm planning like this, there is a danger that the Robins struggle in the here and now. The major problem with young players is that they tend to be inconsistent, and that is what has plagued Hassocks so far. The Robins have beaten a top eight side in Steyning Town despite playing for over an hour with ten men following an early red card. They then repeated the trick by picking up a point inside of half an hour, despite a dismissal start, against one of the preseason dark horses for a title tilt, Lingfield.
Table toppers Littlehampton Town were nearly shocked at their Sportsfield ground and AFC Uckfield Town have been held at the Beacon too. Mixed in with those promising showings have been several heavy defeats.

Results aside, the one thing you can say is that it is never dull. Sweetman has his side playing an exciting brand of modern football and when it works, it is great to watch. The key for Hassocks over the next six months is getting it to work more often. The games continue to come thick and fast as autumn turns into winter. Fixtures can be found on the Hassocks website and admission remains £6 adults, £3 concessions with under 16s going free. The Robins are trying to start a brave new era, so why not come down and see what it is all about?