Chailey

CHARITY BARN DANCE: Takes place at Wivelsfield Village Hall tomorrow, Saturday, in aid of St Peter and St James Hospice and Noah’s Charity. There will be live calling by D’Arcy Spice. Hosted by Craig Payne and Lindfield Young Farmers Club the Barn Dance starts at 7pm and tickets cost £20, which includes a tasty supper with deserts, using produce from local suppliers. There will be prizes for the best dressed cowboy, cowgirl and group (4 years plus). Tickets need to be booked in advance at www.craigpayne.co.uk/collection/barndance/. To find out more call 01825 791437 or 07858 962889 or email [email protected].

CHAILEY FREE CHURCH: Has services every Sunday. A Morning Service takes place at 10.30am and an Evening Service at 6.30pm. All welcome to the services, visit www.chaileyfreechurch.com for more details.

VOLUNTEERS: Have you ever wondered how to become a volunteer, what it entails and who to contact? No matter whether you are male or female, skilled or with no previous experience, can offer a day a month or more, then why not go along and find out what volunteering in the various different departments on the Bluebell entails. If you are under 16 years, you can gain experience of such work in the 9F Club, but for those who are over 16 years, perhaps newly retired, or any other age, why not find out more? To help you narrow your choice of departments, please ask for a volunteer recruitment pack, for which a completely revised booklet is available. To help you choose, you can also join one of the find out more tours. The next tour is this Sunday. The meeting time is 10.30am, at Sheffield Park Station and the day should end around 4.30pm. Book your place on the tour by contacting the General Office on 01825 720800, or just turn up at Sheffield Park on April 9.

BLUEBELL RAILWAY: The Flying Scotsman will be at the Railway from Thursday April 13 to Wednesday April 19. For more details visit http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/.

SWIMARATHON: Chailey Heritage Foundation has been chosen as the main beneficiary of this year’s Swimarathon, an annual event organised by Haywards Heath Lions Club which takes place on Good Friday, April 14, at the Dolphin Centre in Haywards Heath. They will be fundraising for the Foundation’s DREAM Centre Appeal, to build a modern and vibrant indoor activity space where children and young people with complex disabilities and health needs can participate in a mixture of arts and physical activities. Haywards Heath Lions are looking to recruit over 60 teams of six to take part in a competition to see how many lengths they can swim in 55 minutes. This is a very popular annual event and if you would like to enter a team, and help to fundraise for the Appeal, please visits www.hhlionsswim.co.uk. The Foundation are looking for volunteers to help man their stand on the day and if you are able to help to do this with one to two hours of your choice any time between 8am and 6pm please email Joan Martin via [email protected] or 01825 724752.

LAMBING: At Townings Farm. On Saturday April 15 from 2pm to 4pm Carole and Kevin Uridge invite members of the Commons Society and children to visit the farm and watch lambing time. There will be group visits to the lambing barn all afternoon. Meet by the Farm Shop Townings Farm, Plumpton Lane North Chailey. Please take care; advice should be taken for pregnancy, allergy and other health issues before farm visits. For more details of the visit contact William Coleman on 01444 831098.

LUNCH CLUB: At St Peter’s Church is held monthly at 12.30pm in the church on Chailey Green and the next lunch club is on Thursday April 20. All are welcome to go along for a delicious meal, meet new people and chat and relax. The food is all freshly prepared and home-cooked with a main course, choice of puddings and tea/coffee all for £5 per person. There is easy access and disabled toilet facilities. If you require transport or further information please contact Julia Guerard on 01825 722967.

ST GEORGE’S DAY: Chailey Bonfire Society are holding their annual St George’s Day event on Saturday April 22, from midday to 4pm, at the Waterworks field opposite Markstakes Corner. Entrance is £1 per adult (which includes free entry into programme raffle). There will be lots of stalls and attractions, a fun dog show, barbecue, refreshments, table top sale, children’s rides and more. It is not too late to book a space for the table top sale or for local organisations/charities to reserve a space. Contact the Bonfire Society by email at [email protected] or phone 07376 071248. Also if you can assist the Bonfire Society with preparations for the day, making cakes to sell, donating tombola prizes or assisting with setting up on the morning or helping to run a stall please contact Diane Palmer on 01273 401900 or at [email protected].

MUSEUM: Windmill and Rural Life Museum will be opened by the Friends of Chailey Windmill for the first time this season on Sunday April 30 from 3pm to 5pm. For more details call John Smith on 01825 723519.

CAR BOOT SALE: On Sunday May 7 at Chailey Heritage Foundation car park, Haywards Heath Road, North Chailey, to raise funds for the Dream Centre Appeal. Pitches cost £15, for directions and to book your pitch visit www.chf.org.uk/carbootsale and make a donation of £15 by Monday May 1. Sellers to set up from 9am and entry to the public will be from 10am to 1pm. A food vendor will be selling snacks, hot and cold drinks. For further information please call 01825 724 752 or email [email protected].

DRM PROJECT: Is a brand new online clothing store set up to support the Dream Centre Appeal at Chailey Heritage Foundation. The founders of this project, Laura and Zoe, say on their website http://www.thedrmproject.co.uk. The DRM project was set up to support the Dream Centre a brand new state of the art centre for disabled children and young people at Chailey Heritage. We are passionate about supporting this project because our children are both severely disabled and attend this school. The new Dream Centre will broaden their horizons and allow them to participate in sports they would otherwise not be able to enjoy’. All the profits from the DRM Project will go to the Dream Centre Appeal so do visit http://www.thedrmproject.co.uk and see the lovely range of t-shirts, sweatshirts and accessories.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: Spring is now with us and it is time to get planting. Sowing most seeds and beans is fairly straightforward but some do need extra care. One that a lot of people find difficult is parsnips. They can be slow to germinate yet require a fairly long growing season. My favourite method is to make a hole with a dibber about 9” deep and fill with a mixture of well sifted universal compost and horticultural sand. Water and place five or six seeds on top and cover with vermiculite and protect from slugs. Some people place seeds on a damp cloth in a warm place and plant out at the first signs of germination. Parsley is another slow to germinate and this may be encouraged by using hot water to water in the seeds. Remember that most Swiss chard, perpetual spinach and beetroot seeds are compound seeds meaning that they are a bunch of seeds stuck together so germination produces a number of seedlings. Beetroot seeds are available as individuals (solo). At the end of April it is possible to plant runner and French bean seeds in the greenhouse ready to plant out in early June after the last frost. Remember it is possible to extend the season of both runner and French beans by repeated sowings up to the end of July. In the greenhouse tomatoes can be planted in the borders after mid-April. Plant as deeply as possible so that the first truss develops low down. In the poly tunnel a couple of courgette plants will produce an early crop. Finally remember that April is the favourite month for weeds to germinate and grow so get out the hoe. Never forget the slugs. For more details of the Horticultural Society contact Peter Estcourt on 01273 400791 or [email protected].

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