St Augustine’s Church in Scaynes Hill have signed up for the A Rocha Eco Church Awards.

By Jenny Walker

Members of St Augustine’s Church in Scaynes Hill are exploring ways in which it can help to protect the environment and as a part of this we have signed up for the A Rocha Eco Church Awards. Eco Church is an environmental award scheme for churches run by A Rocha, equipping churches to care for God’s creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement and individual lifestyles. There are three award levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold and we are at the point of submitting our application for the Silver award.

Ultimately this work is not about the award itself but about analysing our impact on the environment and making changes to make this a more positive one. We have already made a number of changes including LED lighting, using green electricity, using Fairtrade tea and coffee, toilet twinning, recycling milk bottle tops, organising a communal card scheme at Christmas and planting a native tree in the churchyard to encourage wildlife. Recently we have set up an Eco Church Team who have lots of ideas for further actions that we can consider.

Last September our Vicar, Rev Beverley Miles, started a monthly Eco Church session called 23@3. Through this we have engaged with our local MP, Mims Davies, on environmental matters. She joined us at 23@3 for a walk in nearby woodland and a discussion on local environmental matters. We subsequently wrote to her ahead of COP26 raising our concerns about various environmental issues.

At present our focus is on encouraging our church community to consider how to make their own lifestyles more environmentally friendly. To help with this we have set up an ‘Eco Table’ at church to facilitate reusing and recycling goods. People can bring along unwanted items and take away items that they can make use of and for which they give a small donation. All of these donations are used to help the charities which St Augustine’s Church supports.

We are planning a larger scale event to encourage the reuse and recycling of the clothes which most of us have in our wardrobes and no longer require. Our Spring Pre-loved Clothes Sale will take place on Friday 11th March from 10am to 7pm and Saturday 12th March from 10 am to 4pm in the church. Menswear, womenswear and clothes for babies and children can all be donated as well as accessories. All items must be in good condition. We are hoping to have two enjoyable days with refreshments served and everyone is welcome to come along for a browse. As part of our commitment to caring for God’s creation, St Augustine’s Church is also hoping to hold an ‘Eco Festival’ in September with a range of events and activities aimed at engaging people with eco matters and educating and empowering people in their understanding of how to adopt a more eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle.

Pugs in Space for Great Ormond Street Hospital - Lindfield authors

Pugs In Space CEO, and Lindfield resident, Tim Southwell has announced an exciting new partnership for the comic brand with children’s charity Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The company will donate 50p for every copy of the comic sold, plus 15% of all merchandise sales. The money raised will help support seriously ill children who are treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

“It was a no brainier for us to approach Great Ormond Street,” says Tim. “Given the all-ages nature of the comic and the amazing work that Great Ormond Street Hospital does for children, we just saw it as a great opportunity to make sure that the pugs don’t just entertain in space, they put something back on earth as well!”

Laura Savory, GOSH Charity’s deputy director of community fundraising, said: “We at GOSH Charity are thrilled to be benefitting from the exciting adventures of Pugs In Space. The money raised will be hugely beneficial to seriously ill children and their families at the hospital, so for that we’d like to say a big thank you.”

Tim, co-founder of Loaded magazine, founder of GolfPunk magazine and feature writer for the The Daily Telegraph, turned his attentions from golf to pugs, launching the new comic, Pugs In Space in November 2020, prompted by the pandemic.

Created by Tim and graphic artist Jason Measures, Pugs In Space is an all ages comic inspired by satirical magazines, The Simpsons and classic UK comics. Tim got the idea when his two pug dogs started getting very excited whenever there was a space movie on TV. “Whether it’s Gravity, Space Odyssey or Star Wars, they go mad for it, running round in a figure of eight,” said Tim. “So, I decided to turn them into cartoon characters and send them into space in order to solve the world’s sausage problem.”

Led by Major Ron (a canine Captain Mainwaring) and Lieutenant Lola (excitable and unpredictable liability), they embark on an epic journey in which they encounter all manner of strange characters and adventures, culminating in them having to go where no pug has gone before... the Catosphere...

Tim set up Pugs In Space Ltd shortly after lockdown, funding launch costs through a successful Kickstarter campaign in October. “I think I might have gone slightly mad in lockdown,” said Tim. “And like a lot of people, I was at a bit of a loose end. The idea for the comic had been with me for a couple of years but I never got round to doing anything with it. Then, when Covid turned the world upside down I thought I’d give it a try. I went on LinkedIn, found Jay and we got to work. And it’s been fantastic fun!”

Tim added that he has always featured cartoon strips in his magazines especially Loaded and GolfPunk. “Even my fanzine, my first journalistic endeavour, had comic strips, but I’d never done one myself. I thought about the popularity of these funny little dogs and they kind of made up my mind for me when they started watching and clearly enjoying space films.

“We must be doing something right because Frank Skinner and his eight-year-old son are avid readers!” he said.

Copies of the comic are available through the website: www.pugsinspace.co.uk/shop

What to do with used PPE face masks in Lindfield

A local woman and Lindfield business have worked together to combat the dropped littering of masks since the pandemic started. Sophie Lamb swapped her two hours of commuting to/from Surrey when the first lockdown started, which she joyously replaced with working from home and walking around Lindfield and Haywards Heath instead. “With less traffic at the time, I noticed more nature and enjoyed the peace and quiet of my walks,” she commented.

With the easing of restrictions last summer however, she noticed more and more litter appearing on her routes. Sophie bought herself a litter picker and decided to ‘do her bit’, often filling one or two carrier bags each time. “Whilst actively looking for litter, I noticed more and more discarded PPE masks, and in a two week period I collected well over 100 masks. My main concern (apart from them being unsightly), was the risk to our local wildlife, so I looked for a way to recycle them and came across www.Reworked.com.”

ReWorked makes a plastic sheet product called Stormboard from 100% recycled plastic – often from waste that is considered ‘unrecyclable’, including used disposable masks which are normally made from polypropylene.

Sophie invested in a collection box from ReWorked and - with the help of Maxine Hayes at Potential Personal Training – anyone with used disposable masks can drop them into the reception at Unit 7 Lindfield Enterprise Park, off Lewes Road (open seven days a week, can be posted in carrier bag out of hours). Businesses generating a lot of PPE waste like this, can order collection boxes from www.reworked.com

Stamp out litter and recycle to keep Lindfield tidy

Lindfield Parish Council is pleased to be working alongside Colin McFarlin to help keep Lindfield tidy. Colin McFarlin is a volunteer Waste Prevention Advisor with West Sussex County Council. You may also have seen his regular monthly column in Lindfield Life.

Lindfield is fortunate to have an excellent selection of coffee shops that offer takeaway drinks. We are keen for residents and visitors to support these businesses. If you do buy a takeaway coffee, please help keep the village tidy:

1) Take your waste home and recycle it. Did you know that if you put your used coffee cup in the litter bins around Lindfield, then it cannot be recycled? If you take it home, clean and dry, you can then recycle in your kerbside blue top recycling bin. The lid as well!

Are you going to create rubbish or recycle?

2) Ask the retailer if they can recycle the takeaway coffee cup once it has been used. For example, Lindfield Coffee Works are running a scheme for their customers where you can return your used coffee cup to be recycled. More information on this scheme can be found on page 14 of last month’s issue of Lindfield Life.

3) If you cannot take your waste home or return it to where you purchased it from, then please squash it before placing it in the litter bin.

Stamp out litter. This is the message we will be promoting throughout Lindfield. We will be working with volunteer groups, such as Love Lindfield (www.facebook.com/lovelindfield), to Keep Lindfield Tidy. We have also approached local businesses and look forward to working together with them on this issue.

Remember think before you throw. Waste costs whereas recycling earns. Once something goes in the rubbish bin there is a cost attached to collecting and disposing of it. Over a year, a typical household wastes 59kg of recycling by putting it in the wrong bin. Recycling saves money that could be spent on other public services. For more information see: www.thinkbeforeyouthrow.co.uk

Mid Sussex District Council are responsible for the collection of waste in Mid Sussex, including all public litter bins. Mid Sussex District Council owns the bins on Lindfield Common & Hickmans Lane playground. Lindfield Parish Council provides bins in other areas within the village. More information on waste and recycling in West Sussex Can be found at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/land-waste-and-housing/waste-and-recycling/recycling-and-waste-prevention-in-west-sussex/

If you have a question for Colin on our campaign, or would like to be involved, please email: climate@lindfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk

Lindfield Front Garden Festival winners

With some 46 gardens to view from the pavement, hundreds of visitors enjoyed walks around the village through the summer and helped raise £2,300 valuable funds for local hospice, St Peter & St James.

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The winner of the People’s Choice prize for the best garden was ‘Edenmore’, Lewes Road, owned by Ron Harris, while the prize for the best planter went to 33 Barncroft Drive, owned by Vera Stevens. One lucky person also won a prize when their vote was the first name draw from a hat.

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The organisers, Sue and Jim Stockwell, said: “We are delighted with the feedback from visitors and much appreciate the support from the sponsors, Pots and Pithoi, Jackson Stops, and Heather Martin Garden Design. Covid regulations permitting, we hope to organise an Open Garden event on Sunday 30th May next year.”