New premises for Haywards Heath Foodbank

Haywards Heath Foodbank’s new headquarters was recently officially opened by the town’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor as the service announces the re-introduction since the Covid pandemic, of its client collection system to supplement the weekly delivery service – with a tie-in to the King’s Coronation.

Councilor Howard Mundin cut the ribbon at the new premises on Delaware Road, Haywards Heath and saw how the food bank team are helping clients celebrate King Charles III’s coronation with the creation of a special pudding devised by Cuckfield Michelin star chef Stephen Crane. Heather Cooper, Foodbank Manager explains: “As well as the usual food boxes, our clients also received a Coronation Foodbank Box which replicated as many items as we were able from the last coronation.
“Jelly and custard were the favourite pudding at that time, and we have gone one better. We invited chef Stephen Crane, from Ockenden Manor in Cuckfield, to make a food bank coronation trifle based on the popular food donations of tinned fruit, biscuits, rice pudding and custard. All the ingredients to serve up this special treat will be included in the coronation box”.

The food bank delivery service will carry on for those who don’t have transport or have health issues, but the team will encourage those who are able to visit and collect their food, to enjoy refreshments if they wish, plus a confidential chat or signposting with a friendly volunteer.

The new headquarters will be open on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4pm and Thursday mornings from 10am-12noon. Cuckfield’s Barry Prior, Chair of Trustees, adds: “By drawing the comparison of what the coronation weekend hopes to achieve – the sense of communities coming together in a spirit of shared values – we believe that sentiment resonates with the work of our food bank, which relies on the generosity of the public to provide the food, and the time and efforts of our volunteers to sort and pack it.”

For more information, please contact Heather Cooper, Haywards Heath Foodbank Manager on Tel: 07884 106719.

Fun adventures for Bolnore Scouts, Cubs and Beavers

The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in Bolnore have had a busy spring term. The Beavers enjoyed a walk to Beech Hurst to play in the park, made bird feeders and planted some spring bulbs. The Cubs had a Lego evening, learned how to use knots to make mini rafts, built clay models and made their own cardboard cars to go to the drive-through movies! The Scouts have had an active term, with a chip shop hike, rock climbing, the Monopoly run around London, as well as a robotics evening with their own Robot Wars challenge!

We’ve also had some fantastic events. A group of Cubs and Scouts (plus one Beaver!) entered the annual Haywards Heath Lion Club’s Swimarathon on Good Friday, swimming a staggering 185 lengths between the ten of them! Well done everyone.

We were delighted to be able to attend the Pillows and Pilots camp at the London RAF museum last weekend, where we slept under the wings of a Supermarine Stranraer and a Lockheed Hudson IIA. A great time was had by all. The summer term is set to be even more action packed, with rifle shooting, rock climbing, a trip to the Butterfly Gardens and plenty of outdoor summer fun planned! A special mention needs to go to Sam Larby (Beaver Leader) and Pippa Barker-Danby (Cub Leader) for both obtaining their Wood Badges!

All groups meet on Tuesdays:
Beavers (age 6-8) 4.45pm-5.55pm
Cubs (age 8-10.5) 6pm-7.25pm
Scouts (10.5 – 14) 7.30pm-9pm

If you’re interested in finding out more about our group or joining our waiting list, please find us at: www.bolnorescouts.org.uk

Holy Trinity Church - Coronation bells

It is the middle of March and we are just about halfway through Lent, with Mothering on 6th May, bells will be rung throughout the land to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, and the bells in Cuckfield will be rung from about 9am that morning. The Coronation, primarily a Christian service rooted in longstanding tradition and Christian symbolism, will be an historic moment in the life of our nation. The tradition of ringing bells to commemorate significant events goes back hundreds of years.
More recently, bells rang out to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and muffled bells sounded throughout the nation three months later, in September 2022, as a mark of respect at her passing. Holy Trinity has a peal of eight bells which are rung every Sunday morning to call people to worship, and are regularly rung at weddings and other special occasions throughout the year.

Six bells were recorded as being in existence in 1630, and these were recast in 1815 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, two more being added at the same time. All were re-hung in 1903 and range in weight from the Treble at 5 cwt. to the Tenor at 15 cwt. Visitors are always welcome at our Thursday evening practice nights, whether to join in the ringing or just to watch the ringers and admire the bells.
At present we have nine Cuckfield ringers of varying ages, although sometimes we are joined by ringers from other towers. Bellringing is open to all ages and is not as strenuous as you may think, so why not give it a try? For more information, contact the Bellringers Secretary, David Wilson on 01444 456777. Holy Trinity will celebrate the Coronation again on the Sunday evening with a special Evensong for a King at 6pm.

Holy Trinity Church Cuckfield, West Sussex RH17 5JZ Tel: 01444 456461 Vicar: Vacant More information: www.holytrinitycuckfield.org Churchwardens: Jane Coan and Brian Cutler