Churches of Lindfield Christmas services

Welcome to Lindfield Life’s churches of Lindfield Christmas services event page. Here you will find our most recent information for everything Christmas in our churches.

See also, All Saints Church, Lindfield United Reformed Church, Lindfield Evangelical Free Church, St Augustine’s Church, Scaynes Hill

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All Saints Church

www.allsaintslindfield.org/christmas
Email: allsaints@lindfield.info

Sunday 15th December
8am - Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
9.30am - Morning service with children’s groups
4.30pm - Traditional Carol Service (1)
7pm - Traditional Carol Service (2)

Tuesday 17th December
10am - Tiger@Ten Christmas special (fortnightly group for over 65s)

Sunday 22nd December
9.30am - All Saints Kids Nativity
The children can come dressed up as a shepherd, farmyard animal or angel as we retell the Christmas story in this enchanting, fun and slightly chaotic service
11.15am - Morning Worship
4.30pm - Big Band Carols (1)
7pm - Big Band Carols (2)

Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve)
3pm - Christingle
This Christingle is a particularly accessible service for all, including SEN families and those with very young children
4pm - Christingle
5pm - Christingle
6pm - Christingle
11.15pm - Midnight Communion

Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day)
8am - Christmas Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
10am - Christmas Celebration

Sunday 29th December
10am - Morning Worship (children will stay in for whole service)
6pm - Cornerstone – our informal band-led service for all ages

Please visit our YouTube channel to watch some of these services broadcast live.

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Lindfield United Reformed Church

Friday 13th December
4pm - Messy Christmas
The monthly Messy Church focuses on Christmas

Sunday 15th December
10am - Family Worship
5pm - Carols by Candlelight
A candlelight traditional service of lessons and carols

Thursday 19th December
7.30pm - Christmas Concert
Join us in the church or online for a light-hearted Christmas concert with music from the Perdido Players, and more as we celebrate together the meaning and message of Christmas

Sunday 22nd December
10am - Family Worship - including the Lord’s Supper

Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve)
4pm - Crib Service
A retelling of the first Christmas, appropriate to, and performed by, the very youngest. Suitable for all ages

Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day)
10am - Family Service - We celebrate the birth of Jesus

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Lindfield Evangelical Free Church

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www.lefc.co.uk

Sunday 22nd December
4pm - Carol Service

Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day)
10.30am - Christmas Service

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St Augustine’s Church, Scaynes Hill

www.sash.org.uk

Saturday 30th November
4.30pm - Lighting of the Village Christmas Tree With hot dogs and carols - followed by mulled wine and mince pies

Monday 9th December
4pm - Christingle Service Followed by a Christmas Party Tea

Thursday 19th December
10.30am - Cheerful, short service with carols
7pm - Celtish Concert - free admission As seen on BBC One’s Songs of Praise

Sunday 22nd December
6pm - Carols by Candlelight Followed by mulled wine and mince pies

Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve)
4pm - Crib Service
11.30pm - Midnight Communion

Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day)
10am - Christmas Holy Communion

Sunday 5th January
4.30pm - Follow the Star Trail

Lindfield’s Remembrance Sunday

Welcome to Lindfield Life’s Remembrance information page. Here you will find our most recent information for all things Remembrance Sunday.

See also, Lindfield Parish Council
and All Saints Church

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2024

Members of the Lindfield branch of the Royal British Legion are busy preparing for the annual Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Services.

From 4th November, poppies will be on sale daily at the gazebo on the High Street.

On Sunday 10th November at 2.45pm, there will be wreath laying at the memorial outside All Saints Church followed by a memorial service at 3pm.

On 11th November, at 10.50am, members will gather at the War Memorial outside All Saints Church for wreath laying and to remember those who sacrificed their lives at 11am.

All Saints and Ensemble Reza present a music treat

By Hannah Carter

Join Ensemble Reza in Lindfield for a magical family concert and ‘wish’ away those January blues on Saturday 13th January at 3pm at All Saints Church. This concert is perfect for all ages and will feature the brilliant musical story the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, composed by Paul Dukas, (which was used in the film Fantasia), arranged and narrated for our group by Ensemble Reza musician, Anna Cooper. Accompanied by our Ensemble Reza quartet, plus a few extra instruments (double bass, bouzouki, accordion) this magical musical story will include plenty of audience participation and will have you on the edge of your seat!

We are passionate about giving young people the opportunity to experience live music and here are a few words from our younger fans … ‘Music connects people.’ Radin, aged 11. ‘The music makes me feel open and happy.’ Zysha, aged 11. ‘It made me feel relaxed and free in a cloud of song.’ Nora, aged 11.

And here are a few words from our very special Patron, Dame Judi Dench: “I’m a real fan of Ensemble Reza, having attended several concerts over the last year. The passion and virtuosity of the musicians is evident in every note they play, and their shared sense of musicianship results in outstanding performances which leave audiences cheering for more! We hope you will be free to join us for this special concert in January, which has been made possible with the support raised by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded by Postcode Society Trust. Tickets are available from: www.ensemblereza.com/events

Lindfield's connection to WW2 submarine mystery - HM Triumph

HM Triumph

By Richard Bryant, Lindfield History Project Group

You may have seen newspaper articles and television news pieces in mid-June, reporting a 25-year search has finally brought to the end an 81 year old World War II submarine mystery, without realising the story had a connection with Lindfield. In All Saints church, there is a brass plaque mounted on the southern wall that reads:
Remember in Love
JOHN SYMONS HUDDART LIEUTENANT ROYAL NAVY H.M. SUBMARINE TRIUMPH WHO WITH HIS OFFICERS AND MEN WAS KILLED IN ACTION JANUARY 1942
The Lord of Hosts is with us

Lt. John Symons Huddart, known as Tommy, was 31 years old, living with his parents George and Clare Huddart at Froyls in the High Street. He joined the Royal Navy, Submarine Service in January 1934, completing his Commanding Officers course in April 1940. The command of several submarines followed before joining HMS Triumph in November 1940; a T-class 1,300 tonne submarine, 275ft long with a company of about 60 men that had been in the Mediterranean for 12 months patrolling and undertaking special covert operations.

On 20th November 1940, the submarine departed from Alexandria, Egypt for her 20th war patrol in the Aegean, which included special operational executive missions, returning to port on 11th December 1941. The crew were greeted with the news that the Triumph was to return home for crew leave and a refit. Joy was short lived as Triumph, being the only available operational submarine, was ordered to undertake her 21st mission. She was tasked with urgently landing 5,000 kilos of supplies including radios, weapons and possibly money for the Greek Resistance. The drop was to be made at Antipros, an isolated location where the supplies could be rowed ashore in a small boat. The few remaining Commonwealth servicemen that had evaded capture and were waiting at Antipros had expected to be evacuated after the unloading.
However, Triumph had only just started her patrol and it appears that this had not been advised to the servicemen. Lt. Huddart decided not to have a debate on the beach about air consumption and food and water supplies, all of which were limited and restricted operational capabilities. Instead he simply quoted a change of orders preventing him from taking on board passengers, but promised he would return in 10 days to pick them up on his return to Alexandria. Triumph signalled Naval Command confirming successful completion of the deliveries and this was the last communication.

Triumph departed and was not seen or heard from again. She failed to show up at the promised rendezvous at Antipros on 9th January. On 21st January 1942, C & C Mediterranean reported to the Admiralty ‘Regret in absence of further news HMS Triumph must now be considered lost’. The circumstances and location of the disappearance of the submarine and what happened to the crew have remained a mystery ever since, but it was assumed that all crew perished. There is no German record of a submarine having been engaged.

In June 2023, it was announced that following years of searching Triumph had now been found in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece, lying 660ft below the surface. Images from a remotely operated submersible show her hull almost intact, although some damage to the stern is visible, possibly caused by an underwater explosion. Importantly, the images reveal that all the escape hatches and gun hatches were sealed closed indicating the crew are entombed inside. In that depth of water, crew were doomed as escape would have been impossible. Triumph was probably at a deep dive depth when the disaster struck.
The exact location of the submarine has yet to be disclosed as it must be treated with the respect of a maritime war grave. Protected by the strict archaeology laws of Greece.

This discovery brings to a close the 81 year old mystery and the location of the men’s grave. You can see a video clip of the submarine lying on the seabed here.

Contact via www.lindfieldhistory.org.uk or 01444 482136.