Friday 20th October 2017 was the night when Cuckfield would find out who its new Mayor would be. In the end lifelong Cuckfield resident Evelyn Stenning wore the robes as she 'won' the most votes on the night.
There's a full story in the November issue of Cuckfield Life magazine - but here are a couple of videos of the action as it unfolded on the Friday night, and for the Mayor's Procession on Saturday 21st October.
A new business will be opening in the village next month when boutique wine merchant and off licence, Sacred Cellar, opens its doors on Broad Street.
Sacred Cellar owner Andrew Jenks is understandably upbeat about the new venture in the premises opposite the car park, formerly occupied by a florist.
The shop will sell fine wine, artisan spirits, craft beer and unique cider.
Andrew said: “More than 95% of our product range will have won at least one award or major commendation around the world, to ensure we focus only on the highest quality products regardless of price point.
“We will also look to retail products created by the best independent craft producers from around the world and across Sussex to offer a curated experience for lovers of fine drinks.
“Our website will be launching as soon as our launch product range is 100% confirmed, and it will allow visitors to learn more about the team and vision behind the company as well as purchasing products in a secure way.”
Andrew has lived in the village for two years and comes from a background in the luxury marketing sector, while his wider team have extensive experience across the winemaking, craft brewing, national and international drink distribution, fine wine insurance and catering sectors.
Andrew’s mother, Lesley, will be Sacred Cellar’s operations manager but may be familiar to many in the village from her acting roles with Cuckfield Dramatic Society.
By Sheila Mortimer
The speakers are booked, the programme is printed and tickets will shortly be available for the first Cuckfield Book Festival. It opens on Friday 6th October 2017 with supper at Ockenden Manor, and then over the next two days there is a packed programme of talks, discussions and workshops, plus sessions for children upstairs in the Queen’s Hall. The range of authors who have agreed to come is remarkably wide: Adrian Tinniswood talking about The Long Weekend and recounting the tumultuous and scandalous history of English country houses during the years between the two World Wars; Andrew Lownie’s biography of Guy Burgess which the Daily Mail called ‘a more compelling page-turner than any spy thriller’ and Damian Barr who wrote a memoir of his childhood, Maggie and Me, about which JoJo Moyes said: ‘it should be required reading’.
Download the Cuckfield Bookfest 2017 programme here
We all remember the Great Storm of 1987, and Tamsin Treverton Jones has written a compelling portrait of this extraordinary event which she will be discussing with Sue Cook, the well-known broadcaster. Elly Griffiths, famous for her crime fiction, will be talking about The Chalk Garden, the latest in her bestselling series about Dr Ruth Galloway.
Other writers include Gavin Mortimer, Harry Mount, Anthony Seldon and Anne Sebba. Two young authors will be discussing Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë, both of them as popular as ever.
The last event on Saturday features the renowned actress Harriet Walter, who will be talking about her book Brutus and Other Heroines, which explains why Dame Harriet has decided to tackle Shakespeare’s mature male roles.
Add to the mix, a book about the Impressionist world by Catherine Hewitt, an explanation of the art of ghostwriting from Andrew Crofts, moderators such as Julian Worricker, Sue Stapely, Alan Judd and Howard Leader, and we hope you agree that the programme is full of interest.
Two local children’s authors, Sally Symes and Jill Lewis, will run events especially for children upstairs in the Queen’s Hall and there will be fascinating sessions for all young dinosaur fans, held in conjunction with Cuckfield Museum.
As with all events in Cuckfield, the success of Bookfest will rely on volunteers, so if you are interested in getting involved, please contact Sheila Chasser at limetrees@hotmail.com
We look forward to welcoming you to lots of events.
PS – Waitrose in Haywards Heath has agreed to make Cuckfield Bookfest part of its Community Matters in August, so do please support Bookfest in that way too.