Mid Sussex District Council news - July 2024

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Promoting Independence: Disabled Facilities Grants

Stay in your home for longer with our wide range of Disabled Facilities Grants. We are pleased to offer various grants to help individuals stay comfortable and safe. Our grants cover a wide range of needs and improvements, making it easier for people, especially those with disabilities, to maintain their independence.

Safe, Suitable, and Warm Homes Grant

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For individuals with disabilities and low income, this grant helps make necessary home improvements and repairs to reduce living risks. This includes making electrical and gas installations safe or repairing leaky roofs.

Summer Playdays on Tour returns for 2024

Following a very successful 2023, we are pleased to announce a summer of fun across the District, with 10 free events in our towns and villages.
The free events are aimed at families with children under 10, and activities at the events include puppet shows, crazy golf courses, soft play, circus skills, arts and craft stalls, DJ workshops and many more. All events take place from 1pm-3pm, and there is no need to book.

30th July - Adastra Park, Hassocks
31st July - The Haven Rec, Crawley Down
6th Aug - Whitemans Green, Cuckfield
7th Aug - John Pears Field, Ashurst Wood
13th Aug - Court Bushes, Hurstpierpoint
14th Aug - Humphreys Field, Copthorne
20th Aug - Worlds End Rec, Burgess Hill
21st Aug - Balcombe Rec, Balcombe
27th Aug - Clair Park, Haywards Heath
28th Aug - Mount Noddy, East Grinstead

For further information about what is on offer at each event, please visit: www.midsussex.gov.uk/playdays

To read the full newsletter, please click to enlarge the images or pick up your copy of July’s Lindfield Life today.

Lindfield's circular walk to Walstead via Haywards Heath

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By John Twisleton

Over twenty years Lindfield has been dear to me, so it is a privilege to be invited to supply a walk guide. Our family moved to Gatesmead in 2001, Horsted Keynes in 2009 and most recently to Bentswood in 2017. I’m a regular visitor to All Saints Church and the Red Lion and my son and namesake John works at the Bent Arms. The lime trees on the High Street always impress me, true to the name ‘Lindfield’ meaning ‘open land with lime trees’. So do our timber-framed houses, many of medieval origin, leading from the scenic pond up to All Saints Church of literally crowning beauty at the top of the street.

On this circular walk to Walstead (around 8 miles, or 9.3 km), start by heading for the tennis courts in Lindfield Common recreation ground and then left into the access footpath at the field corner. Cross Meadow Drive into the next stretch of footpath passing over Scrase stream into William Allen Lane.

Enter Scrase Valley Local Nature Reserve continuing with the stream to your right. Turn left at the junction walking up and across to Barn Cottage Lane. After the recreation ground, turn right up New England Road to Hazelgrove Road. Cross right then left into Church Road and turn left along St Joseph’s Way.

From The Orchards car park in Haywards Heath descend through the precinct and turn left along South Road. Continue to the roundabout and turn left down Caxton Way continuing straight ahead down the Syresham Gardens footpath beside the stream to St Augustine’s Way. Turn right then left along Priory Way to Western Road. Turn left and cross the road into the footpath down to the left of Haywards Heath Cemetery gates.

Continue left on the path at the bottom of the graveyard then right into Silver Birches, left into The Hollow and walk on to No. 2, ascend the track to Gravelye Lane. Turn right along Gravelye Lane and cross the road into Lyoth Lane. Continue up the steep narrow road to Snowdrop Lane and turn left walking past Snowdrop Inn on a beautiful country lane to its junction with the B2111 Lewes Road. Cross diagonally following the footpath sign through into a narrow path along a field.

At the end enter a farm track continuing to a stile. After the stile enter a large field. Walk sharp left heading for another stile accessing the footpath through Walstead Place Farm. Continue past cottages on your right following the path across an access road into another field and then across East Mascalls Lane into Snowflake Lane.

Divert to the left to visit Walstead cemetery – where you can still see both chapel buildings as mentioned above. On your return head down Snowflake Lane, the road to Walstead Forge, which narrows into a footpath afterwards. This section can be muddy after rain. Continue in the same direction to the footpath junction taking the left turn towards Lindfield.

Continue straight ignoring the right turn for Lindfield village following the path between fields which enters Bancroft Drive. Head right down the Drive, cross Newton Road and proceed down Luxford Road and Eastern Road to Lewes Road.

This walk is reconstructed from ‘Fifty Walks from Haywards Heath’ £9.99 available by emailing john@twisleton.co.uk.

Balcombe Road closure will affect Lindfield residents

The controversial closure of Balcombe Road, Borde Hill Lane and Hanlye Lane – which was delayed from last year to give businesses opportunity to plan for the impact - is still due to take place across the summer.

As part of the new development by Redrow Homes being built at Penlands Green, work on the new roundabout at the current junction where Balcombe Road, Borde Hill Lane and Hanlye Lane intersect will now take place from 22nd June - however there is significant improvement in the time road will be closed completely.

Robert Phelps, Technical Director at Redrow, comments: “The lower levels of traffic on the roads at this time due to the pandemic meant we could again revisit plans, resulting in some local routes being kept open through periods of the works.”

Mims Davies MP explained: “I’m delighted that Hanlye Lane will remain open for most of the build weeks allowing for local access to businesses. Current estimates are that this junction will need to close for approximately three weeks from mid-July.”

More information: https://www.urbanissta.co.uk/update/penland-farm-road-closure/

Sussex Mineral and Fossil Show 2017

On 18th November at Clair Hall, the Sussex Mineral and Lapidary Society (SMLS) will put on probably the best one day mineral and fossil show in the country. It is filled with wonderful minerals, crystals and fossils and is perfect for a fascinating family day out or just a quick visit to see some of nature’s finest wonders. The show is put on by the members of SMLS, a local society which meets to discover more about the beautiful world of minerals, fossils and lapidary work. Chairman and local resident Nick Hawes writes more…

By Nick Hawes

The grey limestone cliffs rose above my head, tiered in benches by the quarrymen so that they could quarry safely deeper into the hillside. We were on a Sussex Mineral and Lapidary Society (SMLS) field trip to the limestone quarries of South Wales.

I scanned the cliff side and saw a small gash in one of the benches at the bottom of the quarry and went over to investigate. I could see where the latest rock blast had opened up what appeared to be a small hole in the rock and went over to investigate. It was what we call a vug – a space that has opened up in solid rock enabling crystals to form within. In this case the crystals were of calcite, usually a whitish mineral but in this case the crystals were coloured red by a covering of the mineral hematite – an iron mineral. The crystals were in clusters and were in groups up to 10cm across with crystals up to 5cm. They were perfect in every way, not a mark on them – something very important in mineral collecting. I finished cleaning out the cavity, and as I was wrapping the specimens to keep them in good condition, I saw another small hole in the wall of the bench above me and walked to investigate.

I found another small hole in the rock, but this had no crystals showing, however, you could see a bigger cavity within. With trusty sledgehammer and an array of chisels I began to open up the entrance to the cavity. As I did so, the hole within appeared to be bigger and bigger. Eventually I realised I had stumbled upon a whole cave, lined with calcite crystals up to 30cm long. It was an amazing sight. I eventually opened up an entrance big enough to crawl through and was able to retrieve beautiful crystals from the cavity floor where they had been broken off by blasting in the quarry. 

Other club members came across, encouraged by my hammering and we had a great time, all gathering as many specimens as we wanted. With rucksacks bulging with our finds, we were eternally grateful for a lift out of the quarry. Thus ended another great day’s collecting with the SMLS.

Sussex Mineral and Fossil Show
Clair Hall, Haywards Heath
18th November 2017, opening at 10am.

The show is, we think, the best one day mineral and fossil show in the UK - and it’s right on your doorstep!

[Full story in October 2017 issue of Lindfield Life]