Charities helped by Co-op store

Three local charities have been accepted as the local Co-op Community Fund recipients at the Whiteman’s Green Co-op store.

Cuckfield Stroke Communication Group, Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity and Friends of St Marks Primary School in Staplefield are all already receiving money from the supermarket. Co-op members can sign up
and choose one of the community funds, which will then receive one per cent of the value of Co-op own- brand goods.

Carolyn Dodd from the Stroke Communication Group explained: “We are delighted to be part of this scheme. As a small organisation the money from this period will make a big difference to our members. We would like to improve access to speech and language therapy, music therapy and exercise for some of the most isolated people in the community.”

Friends of St Marks is looking to improve the school playground and provide a more inclusive playtime experience for pupils. Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, also based in Staplefield, works with the families of children with cerebral palsy to encourage inclusion by swimming in local community facilities.

Published in Cuckfield Life March 2020.

Dramatic Society awarded 'Accolade of Excellence'

Following the two NODA awards Cuckfield Dramatic Society (CDS) received in the last couple of years The National Operatic and Dramatic Association has awarded CDS another Accolade of Excellence for its spring 2019 production of Stepping Out.

Inspired by its Creative Director, Sophie Bradshaw, and co-directed by Harriet Sheldon, Stepping Out was CDS’s first bold step into musical theatre. Although the stage play is more of a play with music and dance as opposed to a full-blown musical, it was nonetheless a huge challenge for the theatre group.

CDS has plenty of acting talent to choose from, but to provide some dancing experience CDS collaborated with local dance school Dance With Emily. And so began a blend of actors learning to dance and dancers learning to act that culminated in such a wonderful show.

Once the details of the show were announced, interest in the village spread quickly and with its Saturday matinee and extended seating layout ticket sales picked up rapidly. The show ultimately broke CDS’s attendance record. Many audience members had travelled far and wide and from other drama clubs and societies, such was the interest in the show.

Creative director Sophie said: “This award is just the cherry on the cake for such a fabulous production. The show was a dream come true for me, having been desperate to do it for about 10 years! I’m so very proud of all the cast, crew and Dance With Emily members who helped to make it such a roaring success. They all fully deserve this award.”

Quote from producer and CDS Chairman Ross Bradshaw: “This was an incredibly challenging show for CDS but we carried it off with great aplomb and this award is richly deserved by everyone who was involved. It just shows the incredible range of talent that we have both onstage and behind the scenes.”

The NODA review read: ‘With a small cast of ten principal roles and no ensemble, there is no place to hide for the performers and each needs to bring their best to keep the audience engaged for the duration. Not only did this talented cast achieve exactly that, their claim of not being able to differentiate the ‘real’ tap dancers from the ‘never tapped befores’ was also correct.

‘It is a true testament to the cast and the creative team to achieve such chemistry and for each individual performance to be of such a high standard.’ This was CDS’s first venture into musical drama and it sounds like it won’t be the last.

The groups next production will be Proscenophobia by Bettine Manktelow and will be at The Queen’s Hall between 27th and 30th May.

Find out more at: www.cdsweb.co.uk

First published in Cuckfield Life, March 2020 issue.

Matthew James Gallagher - 12/03/73 – 29/12/19

Matthew Gallagher died suddenly on 29th December 2019

It is with great sadness that we report the very sudden death of Matthew Gallagher on 29th December 2019 at Kings College Hospital, London aged 46 years. Matthew’s funeral took place on Saturday 18th January 2020 at Holy Trinity Church Cuckfield, attended by over 600 people. The funeral was a celebration of his life with music he had selected personally and tributes given by friends from around the world, his fellow professionals within the funeral profession and a family tribute detailing Matthew’s love of life and all the people within it.

Matthew was born on 12th March 1973 in Richmond upon Thames and moved with his parents, Pat & Sandy Gallagher, to Cuckfield, where he attended Holy Trinity Primary and Junior school before moving on to Warden Park, completing his GCSEs, before attending Varndean Sixth Form College in Brighton.

Having completed his A-Levels, he graduated from The University of Leeds with a BA Honours degree. He then went on to Goldsmiths College, University of London, gaining a post grad certificate in education.

He taught in many schools in and around London as a supply teacher before entering the educational recruitment sector, which after several years, saw him move to Australia to expand and develop a new operation. He stayed there for four years before returning to the UK.

He joined the family business in 2007 and became a director, joining his parents and other board members at P & S Gallagher Funeral Directors with offices in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, Bowley Funeral Service in Hassocks and Bowley and Gallagher Funeral Directors in Preston Park, Brighton.

Pat Gallagher explained: “Matthew has been instrumental in developing the business over the last few years, expanding the company into Brighton and refurbishing and renovating all the premises throughout the company.

“He brought a refreshing and different insight into how he thought the modern day funeral directors premises of today should look and feel. His thought and vision has certainly left its mark within the family business, with bright modern facilities being created using colour and furnishing styles that have complemented the building the company use, being the envy of many other funeral directors premises.

“His demands and determination with his fellow directors and contractors alike have now been shown to be the way forward for the company, and it is his vision and creativity that will become his long-lasting legacy within the family business.”

Alongside his role within the business, he became a valued member and part of the governing body in The Independent Funeral Directors College. Joining in 2007, he brought the experience from an educational background in his previous career to the College, and he was paramount in his vision within the College, training as an Assessor and then Verifier. Two valuable positions within the education arm of the profession.

He was also an executive member of SAIF Charter, the prepaid funeral planning arm of the profession of which he was a staunch supporter, sitting on the Executive and chairing one of the committees. He was also a qualified member of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, being the cemetery registrar for both Cuckfield and Walstead Cemeteries.

Matthew will be very sadly missed by his parents, family, colleagues and his many fellow professionals and friends around the world.

“Matthew’s legacy is love in his lifelong friendships. He was proud of us all, knowing goodness will guide us, if love is inside us.”