White Hart 1867: No rush as ham thieves have midnight feast

www.cuckfieldconnections.org.uk

On Tuesday night some thieves broke into the White Hart Inn (Mrs Stubberfield’s) by forcing open the shutter, a hinged one, of the bar window, into which room they got and seem to have forced open the money till with a pair of sugar nippers lying on the counter. They took about £2 in coin, nearly all pence. They also opened and disturbed the contents of another drawer and a workbox, took down a bottle of bitters and helped themselves, leaving a bottle and cork on the table.

They also displaced the cigar boxes, emptying one nearly half full of its contents and carrying away a bottle of peppermint. By aid of a key, they got into the cellar, from whence they took about four or five lbs of cooked bacon; they seem to have eaten a small quantity of it, from the appearance of a small bone, freshly gnawed; they left behind part of a loaf of bread and a bottle of cordial. Letting themselves out by the back door they threw away part of a rush candle in the yard and decamped. The thieves are still at large.
Surrey Gazette - Tuesday 12 March 1867

Farewell to Dame Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn sadly passed away at the age of 103 on 18th June surrounded by her family. She was the founder and president of Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity based in Cuckfield. Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ as her funeral procession stopped at the crossroads in her home village of Ditchling with a fly past by two Spitfires. She will be truly missed by all the staff and families at the charity, but her legacy will live on with the continuation of the support given to children with cerebral palsy and other motor learning impairments. The Charity is facing an extremely difficult time due to the devastating impact that Coronavirus has had on small charities. The staff have worked hard to find new ways of supporting families through offering virtual online sessions and have been actively fundraising through online activities such as virtual challenges. They are busy planning to reopen their doors to families in September following strict Government guidelines. A parent whose child has taken part in Zoom sessions at home said: “You have given us so much valuable support over the last few weeks of isolation. My daughter has really enjoyed as well as greatly benefited from the one-to-one online sessions with Istvan. He is very good at explaining things and makes it fun. It has really worked a treat and I can see an improvement already in strength and balance. Thank you so much for organising this.” The fundraising team have some exciting events planned for the coming months, including a Firewalk, and have also secured a coveted charity place for the Virgin London Marathon for 2021. If you are looking for a challenge to support a local charity they would love to hear from you! Please take a look at the website on how you can get involved or call Carole on 01444 473274 or email: carole.whorwood@dvlcc.org.uk.

Article published in August’s Cuckfield Life.

100 years of tennis

Warden Court circa 1900

By Doug Mower, chairman In the heart of Cuckfield village, by the lush green recreational ground stands the Cuckfield Lawn Tennis Club comprising of three tennis courts. This year was supposed to be its big 100th year filled with big celebrations.

A brief history!
- 1920 – The Cuckfield Lawn Tennis Club was formed from two smaller clubs, played on two courts in the Vicarage Field, and was led by a committee of six under the chair of Miss Payne. Later that year Mrs Richard Worsley presented the recreation ground to the village.
- 1921 – A further court was added and the joining fee was set at ten shillings.
- 1927 – Three grass courts were constructed on the recreation ground.
- 1938 – The Council agrees to construct one hard court, with a rent set at £25 per annum.
- 1943 – Play continues during wartime. The AGM reported 30 members and the Club won the Challenge Cup against Haywards Heath.
- 1969 – A clubhouse was erected and each member was asked to lend £100 for the project, and each member was repaid.
- 2000 – The Clubhouse was extended and professionally clad by the members.
- 2014 – The Club becomes a registered company and a charity, and takes responsibility for the courts from the Council.

This year the celebrations got off to a brilliant start with a new logo by Louis McKay and an anniversary letter from His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, President of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, congratulating us on reaching our centenary. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the other events planned for this year were postponed. Yet thanks to a surge in popularity, the tennis club’s celebrations are likely to be bigger and better for next year. In June the government gave the all-clear for tennis to restart again. This has grown from just singles to now doubles and even social tennis games every Tuesday and Saturday with good attendance. Coaching has also taken off in terms of demand. The club’s in-house coach, Patrick Armstrong, said: “There has been a really positive response to tennis in general and the coaching has really taken off too, which has been fantastic.”

For more news and information about current restrictions and to find out how you might be able to help the club with some of your own Cuckfield tennis memories, see the full article in August’s issue of Cuckfield Life.