By Louise Rahman Smith
First of all I beg your understanding as it is not yet December and I’m bringing up the C word! It’s because at this time of year for the last fifteen years I have always been buried deep in glitter, glue and cheer and organising community Christmas activities ready for advent. These activities always include the Bolnore Village Tree at the Cuckfield Christmas Tree Festival, with handmade decorations made by the many groups and individuals of Bolnore including the school, preschool, Saplings baby and toddler group, Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Village Hub.
Our tree is part of the annual Cuckfield Tree Festival, a marvellous event in which 70 plus local groups each decorate one tree for the first weekend in December, which you can then ordinarily go and visit for some fairy lit magic, music and charm and raise monies for charity.
Well, of course, things are a little different this year and there won’t be a Bolnore tree in the festival but there will be one tree on which each of the 70 groups will have one decoration. Are you a crafter? Do let me know if you’d like to be the maker of the one decoration to represent Bolnore this year (Maglousmith@hotmail.com). I thought a mini oak tree decoration adorned with rainbow hearts would be a good fit to represent Bolnore.
To give us something to look forward to this Christmas especially, we are also planning the first Bolnore Living Advent Calendar! Based on the village participation with window rainbows supporting our amazing NHS and key workers, and our fabulously long village Coronasnake (#bolnorerocks), this Christmas time is perfect for an advent trail across the village.
There will be a decorated window being revealed for each of the days counting down to Christmas. Working with Bethan Hobbs and the lovely team at Grace Church (which is normally based in the Woodside and is sad that their gorgeous usual Christmas village events; wreath making, Christingle and carols, will not be happening). We are hoping the Bolnore Living Advent Calendar will be a spectacle to look forward to, and give us something that we can participate in, in these trying times. Launch information coming soon on the ‘This is Bolnore’ Facebook page.
Finally, when we moved to Bolnore 17 years ago, with a new baby, we really wanted to create the community for our family to thrive and that we really wanted to live in. Now, more than ever, I want to offer out a friendly (virtual) hand. If you are struggling in these challenging conditions do get in touch, as Charles Darwin, one of my heroes, famously said: ‘I have been bent and broken, but, I hope, into a better shape.’ Let us all shape this wonderful imperfect place we are fortunate to call home.