charity

Bolnore Macmillan Coffee Morning

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One Bolnore resident decided to join in with the national fundraising campaign for Macmillan Cancer Support by hosting the first World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in the village.

“I’m not aware that there has ever been one before,” Della Mold explained, “so I wanted to give it a go.”

The event was a great success, raising over £500 for the charity, as Della sold cakes and held a raffle on the day.

“It was a fantastic morning with donations for the raffle from local businesses, including the Bolnore Co-op food store. It gave me a great feeling to know there are so many people that care and will help.”

Bolnore dads take on 3 Peaks Challenge

By Ben Harris

The Three Peakers were James Brazier, Russell Cheverst, Jamie Grant, Ben Harris, James Sherrell, Nolan Sorrell and Andy Walton. We’re all Dads of kids at Bolnore Village Primary School, and one Grandad, David Grant, was ‘safe hands’ behind the wheel. 

Our trip started from the school gates at 9am on Friday 10th August. We headed straight to Snowdon and started the clock from Pen-y-Pass at 5.45pm. We finished Snowdon in 2 hours 50 minutes, much to David’s surprise.

Scafell Pikes was ascended in the dark, beginning at about 1.30am, just before the cloud descended for the tricky walk back down. Completed by the time the sun fully rose in 3 hours 20 minutes.

Then the long drive to Fort William for the final, highest and longest peak, Ben Nevis. We set off with 6.5 hours to go, with everyone getting to the summit within three hours and then the tired, crowded, never-ending last leg down to the finish line after 5 hours 20 minutes. 

The whole challenge, once David had driven 280 miles to the start of Snowdon and then taken us safely over the 470 miles between the Peaks, was completed in 23 hours 5 minutes!

We had amazing encouragement from our wives and families through all the preparations and especially during the challenge.

We have made over £1,000 so far, for Friends of Bolnore Primary School so far, with donations coming from within Bolnore Village, kind residents of Cuckfield, Friends of Falcon Health and Complete Electrical, and our amazing families! And... the fundraising page is still open: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/fobvps3peaks

Cuckfield Mayor's Election 2017

“Mayor’s Election Night – Friday 20th October 2017
Mayor’s Procession - Saturday 21st October 2017”
— Independent State of Cuckfield

By Kate Fleming

Will this be the year for Leanne or will Evelyn be donning the robes in October? Will the people of Cuckfield be joining the international political arena and electing a female Mayor to lead and promote our rapidly developing community?

Right now the second question looks like a serious possibility, as Leanne Knapman and Evelyn Stenning are the sole runners for this prestigious role.

Our current mayor, Wilf Knighton, will also automatically become a candidate, but at the moment he is the only man standing. It is, however, early days and the opportunity to stand is still open. So gentlemen, this is your chance to represent your pub, club, organisation or simply stand as an independent candidate.

The two lady candidates are well known around the village, albeit in slightly different surroundings.

Leanne is a member of the Murphy family, many of whose names shine forth from the Mayors of Cuckfield board in the Queen’s Hall. She is a busy working mother of three, married to Gareth and involved with village life. She has been associated with The Independent State all her life and is a valued member of the committee, bringing new ideas and support to the organisation. Last year she took responsibility for the Pensioners Christmas Lunch, which was a resounding success. This will be her 13th attempt to become Mayor. Could this one be lucky for her?

Evelyn Stenning is a formidable opponent for Leanne or indeed any candidate. She is a retired midwife who has worked locally and so will know many of the population in an extremely special way! She is working tirelessly to gather funds for her campaign. She has organised coffee mornings, supervised a village quiz and has gathered together sponsors for a 5k walk. All this so that on the big night she can deliver the most money needed to become Mayor.

So, lads of Cuckfield, this is your moment to balance the competition. We need more males to accompany the reigning Wilf. This will lay the foundations for a competitive election night at The Rose and Crown and the ability for The Independent State of Cuckfield to create and sustain important activities for both young and old in our community