Writing a life story - Memory Lane Books

www.memorylanebooks.co.uk
 

Many of us regret not knowing more about our parents and grandparents. Photographs are fine while they’re still around to explain who’s who, but will a dusty album mean anything to future generations?

Writing your life story can help your children or grandchildren to learn more about you. You might not have been famous, adventurous or influential but your family and friends will find your story as interesting as any celebrity autobiography.

A life story book can be an overview of your life, or a snapshot of a particular time, for example childhood, hobby or career. It can heal past wounds, deal with unfinished business or even reveal family secrets.

If you fancy having a go yourself, you could start by writing a memoir, which doesn’t have to include every detail of your life in chronological order - it’s a story from a life, so focus on key events, such as a career or relationship. If you’re tackling a longer life story, select up to 20 key life events and think about how you can link them to create a narrative.

Before you start to write, do plenty of research. You might think you remember everything that’s happened, but look back through old diaries and photographs, listen to music, or visit an old house or school to trigger memories. Decide on the structure and create summaries for each chapter before you start to write. Dialogue and vivid description are great, however, don’t get bogged down in unnecessary detail that slows down the narrative.

And remember that a life story isn’t just about you, it’s about other people, so talk to parents, siblings and other key people for their take on events. However, penning and publishing a book can be daunting, so, if you need help, a life story writing service like Memory Lane Books can help.

During a series of personal visits, an interviewer will chat about your life to gather life stories and recollections before shaping them into a narrative.

Grace Parker had been telling her two grandchildren about travelling to New Zealand as one of the Ten Pound Poms when she realised her story might soon be forgotten.

“It was such an important time of my life but I never really talk about it,” says Grace. “I wanted to write it down so that my great-grandchildren could find out about what
I did – after all, I might not be around to tell them.”

Grace started writing her life story but found the project daunting - arthritis in her hands didn’t help either - so she turned to Memory Lane Books for help. The one-to-one chats helped her remember and record the details of the trip and other important times in her life.

Using a professional life story service, your words will be edited, written and proof read – you’ll get to check and approve the story as you go through the process. After choosing up to 50 photographs, the finished 150-
page book will be typeset, designed and printed, forming your personal history into a professional book.

“I’ve been showing it to all my friends and some of them have found out things about me that we’ve never spoken about,” says Grace, who’s given copies of her book to her children and grandchildren, while another
one has pride of place on her bookshelf. “I sometimes get it out and read a bit,” she admits. “It’s wonderful to reminisce and a real talking point when friends visit.”

She adds: “I know that my family have now got a permanent record of my life, and hope my book will become a family heirloom.”

If you’d like to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime
project, please contact Helen Gregory on 077997 64414 or email helen@memorylanebooks.co.uk to
discuss how we can bring your life to life.

www.memorylanebooks.co.uk

London to Brighton Bike Ride (via Lindfield) for Crispin...

Last September many were devastated by the untimely and tragic loss of Lindfield resident Crispin Taylor from an undiagnosed heart condition. He was fun, kind, generous and known to so many in the village. Friday 5th May would have been his 57th birthday. In order to raise research funds his sons Oli and Eddi are leading a group cycling the British Heart Foundation’s London to
Brighton on a particularly poignant Father’s Day (18th June). “We’re all still coming to terms with the loss of dad and so hope that, in a small way, we can help others avoid the same tragedy,” said Eddi.

Oli commented: “The support from the Lindfield community has been incredible, as has the sponsorship, we’re all so grateful and we’d like to say a big thank you. Not least to those cycling with us: Jeremy and Ben Taylor, Laurence, Dan and Ben Trigwell, Patsy Whiteside and John Barling. If you’d like to sponsor us please see our JustGiving website at www.justgiving.com/
fundraising/Oli-Taylor1990.”

Photo shows: Laurence Trigwell, John Barling, Patsy Whiteside, Eddi Taylor and Oli Taylor

What's in our 100th issue?

Lindfield Life magazine is the community magazine for Lindfield, and this is David Tingley, editor, talking through the content in this celebratory issue in 100 seconds! Nearly!

Lindfield Life: meet the team...

Justin Ross, Claire Cooper, Emily Billson, David Tingley, Heather Barling, Annika Beadle

By David Tingley

One of the common misconceptions about being the person responsible for publishing this magazine is that many assume I do it alone. I don’t! It’s definitely a team game.

When my wife and I created Lindfield Life eight years ago, Emma was tasked with selling advertising space, to pay for the production costs, and I would write the majority of each issue’s content. We do still receive a good few emails to ‘David & Emma’ – which is very sweet, although Emma technically stopped working for the magazine back in early 2012 when she was offered more hours in her position with a local charity.

One crucial role we’ve utilised since the beginning is that of a proofreader. Lindfield resident (who also happens to be my mother-in-law) Heather Barling took on the task since the very early days of Lindfield Life – and her razor-sharp attention to detail is much appreciated.

In 2012 we hired journalist Claire Cooper, who I am very pleased to say is still with us today. Claire’s part-time role is Editorial Assistant, and it’s her job to write up news stories and feature articles, as well as responding to emails which are sent to the editor@lindfieldlife.co.uk - plus keeping her ear very close to the ground for all the latest Lindfield news of course!

After running Lindfield Life for nearly three years I decided, at the end of 2012, to branch out and produce another community magazine for the nearby village of Cuckfield. Even at that stage, I had begun to see the powerful effects that a local magazine could have on the community it served – and so I was keen to see if it worked elsewhere.

Fortunately it did, and I have since been building that business. In April 2015 I started another title for Hurstpierpoint – so life in the office became very busy! 

As any business owner will tell you, it’s about getting the right people in the right roles. I’m very grateful to have Lindfield resident Natasha Hannah (not available on the day of the photoshoot) as my bookkeeper for nearly five years – keeping the books straight!

Local student Annika Beadle handles all our social media posts and has done so for some time – which is really helpful. We use Twitter and Facebook as a way of sharing events and stories from within the magazine during the month, but also to allow us to be more responsive than the restraints of our usual monthly deadlines.

I also soon realised that I needed help in the office as the demands of an ever-increasing customer base became greater. Another Lindfield resident, Emily Billson, took over that role in December 2015 and she’s really made it her own. Emily’s part-time role as Office Administrator sees her covering everything from taking phone calls and booking in advertisers through to creating advertising/content schedules for each issue. Her organisational skills are legendary and keep me in check!

Our most recent addition to the team is Creative Artworker Justin Ross. Justin is a freelancer and has taken on the task of creating the first proof of the magazine. Essentially, he turns it from a stack load of Word files and pictures to the cleanly set pages you see – all in the Lindfield Life house style. 

Ian Taylor and his distribution team, supported by Niamh Hannah in Scaynes Hill, take on the door-to-door deliveries for us – and do a great job. 

By now you may well be asking: ‘What about you?’! Well, I have input specifically on adverts’ artwork and design where necessary, I also deal with making changes and sending each issue to print. I do still write – although not as much as I used to. I take some photos and also keep abreast of the emails to the editor account.

During the month we each take responsibility for our own areas, and then come together once a month for our editorial meetings at our offices in Haywards Heath.  At this meeting we decide which stories are going in and what more needs to be done in order to create our first proof.

So there you have it. That’s how we do it! It may not be rocket science, but it’s a great job and we love doing it.

Easter Bonnets on parade in Lindfield

By David Tingley

View fullsize

All schoolchildren in Lindfield waved goodbye to the spring term in glorious sunshine last month, but at Lindfield Primary Academy the warm playground was also bathed in colour as the school held its first Easter Bonnet Parade for over 20 years.

Its return to the school was the brainchild of mums and PTA members Carrie Faraday and Laura Bartlett. “We had originally only intended to run the parade in the playground for Reception children,” Laura said, “but Mr Still [Principal] loved the idea and said he thought all Year groups should get the opportunity to take part.”

The children had a couple of weeks to put their bonnets together at home – with many parents’ manhours too I suspect – before bringing them in on the last morning of term. Key Stage 1 and 2 paraded first, walking around the playground to the whoops and claps of proud parents looking on with cameras at the ready.

[Full article in May's issue of Lindfield Life magazine]

Lindfield artists set to open their studio

Two Lindfield artists, who met while exhibiting at the Arts Festival in 2015, have joined forces to create what they hope will become a new village tradition. 

Brett Hudson and Georgina (George) Moir will be staging an Open Studio event for families over the Arts Festival weekend this September.

Brett and George were inspired after visiting the Open House Art Trail at the annual Brighton Festival.

“We had both visited open houses and agreed that they provided a lovely and relaxing way to look at art in different surroundings,” said Brett. “With so many creative people in the village and lovely buildings, Lindfield is perfect place for an art trail so we thought we would go for it and open my garden studio!” 

The hope their event will encourage other artists to open up their homes and studios to create an art trail in the village. “It would be great if other artists could join us and open their houses - if not this year, maybe next year,” added Brett.

[Full article in May's Lindfield Life magazine]

Car Boot Sale at Lindfield Primary Academy

Sunday 14th May 2017

After the success of its Vintage Table Top Sale last year, Lindfield Primary Academy PTA is holding its very first car boot sale in the Academy’s grounds on Sunday 14th May, 9.30am-1pm. It is one of many events in its very busy calendar, alongside discos and film nights for the children, and golf days and a summer ball for the grownups, just to name a few. Emily Hadden, PTA co-chair, explained: “We like to make our events as inclusive as possible, ensuring they attract attention from across the local community, and would love to welcome the people of Lindfield to join us to either take a pitch, pick up a bargain or just come along for a bacon sandwich and cup of tea. All proceeds will go towards the ‘extras’ that cannot be funded directly by the school, as well as much needed equipment that requires our additional input. A BIG ‘thank you’ to Tesco which has kindly donated towards the food and drink at this event.” 

Doors will open at 9.30am. Admission £1. Pitches will be reserved on a first come first served basis and cost just £7 (£10 for a van). Please contact lindfield.pta@gmail.com for more details or to reserve a pitch.

Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Talks

Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Amulance Community Talks

Book a talk about our life-saving work

The Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance is inviting local groups, clubs, societies and other organisations to book a talk (free of charge) to find our more about the work of the charity.

By inviting one of our volunteer speakers to your group, you will be helping to raise awareness of our work and therefore ensuring we can be there for those who need us, now and in the future.

For more information or to book a talk, please contact KSSAA on: 01622 833 833 or talks@kssairambulance.org.uk

Donate handbags for refugees

By Jacqui Smith, Homesmiths

We need your handbags! Well, not your actual handbag but a handbag which you could fill with useful things and give away to a refugee who no longer has one.

Refugees are people like you and me, who may find themselves without one now and, more importantly, without all the things which we rummage for in our own and probably take for granted. As a result we are collecting handbags, filled with all things useful such as tissues, brush, lipsalve, tampax, wipes, hand gel, plasters, handcream and a scrunchie. I would also add to that things like a spare pair of knickers (new) and perhaps some reading glasses (you can get these from Poundland). Note: medications, food and sharp objects are off limits but you can include anything you think would be of practical use.

The bags don’t have to be designer – they can be nearly new, picked up from a charity shop or purchased inexpensively from a supermarket. I would suggest that pockets would be good and one that is easy to carry. 

Filled bags can be dropped at 26 The Platt or with Jade and Louise at Swalk on the High Street. We are collecting until the end of April. 

For more details please visit www.facebook.com/HomeSmithsInteriors and please feel free to share!

Feedback from our Reader Survey

Useful reader feedback, thanks

By David Tingley, editor

In the January 2017 issue of Lindfield Life, we asked readers for their thoughts about the magazine in order to see how we are doing – and to see where we can improve in the future.

I was delighted that we received over 60 completed surveys back by post and via the website. 

It was certainly interesting to note that 85% of you read the magazine cover to cover in one sitting – although a couple of you noted that its not always possible to have enough time to get through it in one session!

It is great to hear that 31% of the respondents would make Lindfield Life the first port of call to find a business or service you needed. And everyone said that the magazine would form part of their research. This is superb news as our advertisers do literally make this happen – and they rely on getting responses from their ads. Nearly 80% of readers have called an advertiser at some point. Fantastic, so thank you all! 

In the comments field, Catherine said: “Keep them coming!”, Ian thought some articles were more pertinent that others (fair enough) and asked about a readers column – presumably like a letters to the editor. If we have any, we will certainly consider this in the future (editor@lindfieldlife.co.uk)! Helen asked for more local sports news, so we’ll look into that. We have already responded to a request to make the Sudoku larger – so I hope that helps. A few of you suggested local walks to be covered – maybe there’s a volunteer who is a keen walker who might like to contribute such material?

The Village People features are very popular – so we’ll keep them coming, also mentioned by name were the regular Homefront and Recipes pages too.

David suggested we cover more local events like the Horticultural Show, for example, and we will certainly aim to do this. And Leesa had a great idea to include a guest young editor page too – so I will look into how this might work, and potentially try and partner up with another organisation to make this work. 

This magazine started as a community project taken on by my wife, Emma, and myself back in 2009. At the time we weren’t at all sure how we’d find enough to write about but nearly eight years later – this village and it’s amazing residents keep coming up trumps! 

I know I speak for my fantastic team when I say we all really love our jobs – putting Lindfield Life together on a regular basis. Thank you for making it possible. Any other comments and suggestions do please email us at editor@lindfieldlife.co.uk

Can Lindfield Scouts help you?

By Sharon Coulbeck

We have 34 Scouts, aged 11 to 14, ready and waiting to help you with your community work or project. Ideally the work the Scouts carry out will not only help YOU but will help our Scouts to grow as people themselves. The work/project does not have to be of a size to involve all of our Scouts, it maybe you only need help from a small number of volunteers and the times we can be available to help can be flexible. Our two Scout troops meet on a Monday or Wednesday evening but we can also be available at weekends subject to Scouts and Leader availability.

Why are we offering our services? 

Well, apart from wanting our Scouts to grow up as good citizens who take pride in themselves and their local community, by helping out on community projects the Scouts are earning elements of a valuable ‘World Challenge’ badge which is one of nine challenge badges which contribute towards the highest accolade a Scout can earn, the Chief Scouts Gold Award.

We can be creative and adaptable as to what help our Scouts can provide you with. Any help we provide will include the appropriate Leader/Adult to Scout ratio so you will not be expected to directly supervise the Scouts, just tell us what you need and watch us go!

If you think your community project could do with some Scoutpower, please get in touch with us by emailing sl@lindfieldscouts.org and we can arrange to have an informal chat to get the ball rolling.

Battle of the Bands comes to Lindfield and it needs bands!

All Saints Church will play host to the Haywards Heath Battle of the Bands competition next month.

The contest, run by a group of youthworkers from the local area, is to take place in the church where the majority of the pews were recently removed as part of its reordering plans. “The new space is perfect for events like this, where flexibility of setup is key,” commented Chris Steynor, pastor to the Under 30s at the church.

The competition is open to all young people in school or college from Year 9 and above in the area. Anyone interested should search HH Battle of the Bands 2017 on Facebook for more information. Or, to enter your band, email botbbhheath@hotmail.com - but it must be before Friday 10th March.

The main event will take place on Friday 7th April at 7.45pm at All Saints Church, Lindfield.

Brian Tester - Obituary

Brian was born on 21st February 1942, the only child of Minnie and Mervin Tester who lived on Hickmans Lane and his family’s roots were embedded in Sussex. His paternal grandfather, Edward was once the landlord of The Green Man in Horsted Keynes and his uncle Scan was a notable folk musician who played the local pubs and even The Royal Festival Hall.

Brian attended Lindfield Primary School, where he later served as a School Governor, and was accepted to continue his education at Brighton and Hove Grammar School, leaving in 1958 to join the London Quantity Surveying practice of AE Thornton-Firkin and Partners initially as a student then as trainee/junior QS. He studied part time at the Regent Street Polytechnic, completing his Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) examinations and becoming Chartered in 1965.

In 1963 he joined AL Smith & Partners, then based in offices in Victoria Street until they opened an office in Haywards Heath in 1974, and Brian became the resident partner in 1975.

Brian began his active life with the RICS as a member of the Sussex Branch Junior Organisation, serving as Chair in 1971. He became a committee member of Sussex Branch in 1977 and was Chairman in the Centenary Year (1988/1989). He was also Chair of the QS Division on more than one occasion. At national level, he was a member of the Quantity Surveyors Divisional Council from 1990. 

Outside of RICS, he was a member of the Sussex Local Joint Consultative Committee for Building from 1980. Among other affiliations he was Chair of the Consultant Quantity Surveyors Association in 1993/1994.

Brian met Sue at the Haywards Heath Golf Club where they were both having lessons and their romance blossomed when they would see each other again at the Sussex 20s Club. They married at All Saints Church, Lindfield in 1971 and moved to Croxton Lane. In 1973 their daughter Alison was born followed by a son, Jonathan, in 1976. Alison married Mark in 1997 and they have two children Hannah & Nathan and Jonathan married Sushi in 2013.

They continued to attend All Saints until 1982, when they joined the United Reformed Church and both took a very active role within the fellowship. Brian would often take part in the service, reading the lesson with his distinctive tone or even acting in dramas. As Alison and Jonathan joined The Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade, Brian took to coaching the BB Football Team and reprised his role as a referee, something he had done for the Mid Sussex Leagues. Alongside supporting Brighton & Hove Albion, Brian was an ardent follower of Sussex Cricket.

He was passionate about cricket and had been a player for Lindfield Cricket Club and was also a member of the MCC. He loved the history of the game and was an avid collector of books on the sport and would often recount the story of Fred & Maurice Tate who both played for Sussex and England.

This love of history was a major part of Brian’s life and he became something of a local historian. He enjoyed giving lectures and talks and indeed his last one was only in November 2016 on ‘Memories of Lindfield’ to the U3A History Group. He also owned at extensive postcard collection, the majority of which were of Lindfield. This culminated in the publication of the book ‘Lindfield Remembered’, which Brain co-authored with Gwyn Mansfield and Peter Duncan, and featured many of his personal collection with all proceeds going to the King Edward Hall.

Brian was a member of the team that founded the Lindfield Village Day celebrations, after they organised a fête for the 1977 Jubilee and its success led to it being an annual event and a staple of Lindfield life.

Throughout his life he was supported every step of the way by his beloved wife Sue who helped him prepare for his talks, attended postcard fairs and prepared picnics for their frequent cricket matches. His life has left a lasting legacy for those all who knew him, especially his children and grandchildren and he was even immortalised in music by his son’s band and their song Big Bri In The Sky!

A man who loved Lindfield and who Lindfield loved.

Lindfield: what an amazing place to live!

Mathew Gurr, Move Revolution

By Mathew Gurr, Move Revolution

Welcome to our first market report of 2017. Christmas and New Year have gone by in a flash, and soon we’ll be talking of Easter!

A question Estate Agents are always asked is ‘what is the market doing and is it a good time to sell?’. Now, we know Lindfield is beautiful all year round, but from a property transaction point of view, it really comes alive in spring time. From a marketing perspective, whatever style and size of home you have, the demand will certainly be there. Prices remain strong and we see that continuing for certainly the next six months at least.

A great example are two homes we have agreed sales on this year within walking distance of The Witch. Both sets of buyers are not only buying a home that exactly fits what they are looking for, but they have also fallen in love with the village, which isn’t a surprise with the fantastic array of independent shops and fabulous places to eat and enjoy amazing coffee!

We always talk about how Move Revolution is different. Following a recent very successful sale in Lindfield, we wanted to share this independent raterAgent review from one of our many happy clients: “Matthew and Mark did a superb job selling our property in Lindfield. We had 13 viewings in the first week, and an asking price offer within a fortnight! The professional photos they took of our home were simply fantastic - much better than anything else we’d seen from other agents. We just wanted our lovely home to be viewed in the best way possible. We were really pleased with our online listing. We also had a number of viewings (which they always undertook) which made full use of their 7 days a week service.”

What the review doesn’t tell you is that rather than answer questions by email on a Sunday morning that the sellers had about their move, we went to see them at 8pm that evening. We chatted through their thoughts face to face with an agreed action plan for the coming week.

We recognise that our industry really is 24/7, and that for many clients, it is far easier to talk in the evenings and at weekends than it is during the day. Our approach to estate agency really is different, the above review demonstrates this and our personal approach. If you are thinking of moving or letting out your property, please give us a call on 01444 657657. I would love the opportunity to visit you, value your home and support you with your next house move.

Move Revolution

Help me plan my advert design for Lindfield Life

ADVERTISEMENT DESIGN TIPS
BY DAVID TINGLEY, EDITOR, LINDFIELD LIFE MAGAZINE

A lot of small businesses that advertise with us aren't always sure what should be included on their ad on our pages. If this is the same for you, then do get in touch with us, as we would be delighted to share our Top 10 Tips sheet with you to help you consider it for your own business. 

The video below has filmed by me to give a few of those hints and tips...

Lindfield Arts Festival tunes up for 2017

By Lynn Tulip

Plans for the 2017 Lindfield Arts Festival are coming along well. Being led by Mike Steer, Stix to his friends, an innovative programme is planned for 8-10th September 2017 with forward planning for the next few years’ events as well.

The Trustees are delighted that Stix has a mix of new and long-standing team members committed to bringing the eighth Festival to fruition.

This year, the weekend coincides with the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms on Saturday 9th September 2017. With this in mind, Stix is wanting to encourage members of the local community to embrace this wonderful event and watch it on Lindfield common, in a local public venue (to be announced in due course) OR in the comfort of their or someone else’s living room as part of an Open Living Proms Event. So how will this work?

Team LAF is looking for ‘hosts’ who will be happy to welcome guests to their home to listen and watch the performance together. If you think you will be at home that night and you have one, two or more armchairs free in front of the TV and would like to open your door to guests to share the Proms experience, then let us know. Email enquires@lindfieldartsestival.com and the LAF Team will give you more information.

Lindfield Arts Festival continues to be committed to supporting emerging artists and young people who are developing their artistic talents or aspire to a career in the arts. So if you have, or know of a budding artist, actor, dancer, writer or musician the Festival team will be happy to consider how to showcase their talent. For more information or to make suggestions please call Stix on 07868 879084.

BBC Proms (2016) in 3 mins

Scaynes Hill Charity Car Wash fundraiser

The garage/shop in Scaynes Hill will be running its annual charity car cleaning event on Monday 13th February to raise money for Cancer Research.

Motorists can have their cars cleaned in return for a donation to charity. 

Manager Jay Patel and his staff have run the event every year since 2009, always on 13th February. The first event raised £345. Last year’s event raised a record £2,500. “We love running the event,” Jay commented, “and we’re hoping to break another record again in 2017!”

Celebrations for Lindfield butcher (Glyn Thomas & Son) on reaching finals

Christmas came early for staff at Glyn Thomas & Son, the butchers in the High Street, when they discovered they had reached the finals of the Sussex Food and Drink Awards.

Owner John Cottenham, Nicola Whatford (manager) and Josh Whittington were delighted to find that the popular shop has reached the final three in the Butcher of the Year category of the annual competition.

The finalists in Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2017 were revealed following an intensive eight-month judging process, and a record of 13,000 public votes.

John, who took over the business in May, is now looking forward to attending the Sussex Food and Drink Awards Banquet on 1st February at the Amex Stadium, hosted by awards patron Sally Gunnell OBE and BBC’s Danny Pike, where the winners will be revealed and receive their trophies.

“Winning would be fantastic but I’m very happy to have made it this far as one of the top three butchers in the county,” said John. “The judging process has been quite intense, and I’d like to thank all our customers whose votes have supported us and undoubtedly helped us to reach the final three.”

Now in its eleventh year, the awards are all about supporting and boosting local farmers, food and drink producers and the outlets that use and sell local produce. Starting from small beginnings, the awards have grown to become prestigious and respected, with huge support from business in the county, bringing together the whole local food and farming community.

Chairman of the judges, William Goodwin, said: “Over the last decade, Sussex has really earned its place as one of the leading counties in the UK for producing superb food and drink, and this year’s Grand Finalists line up offers an impressive range of first class, diverse businesses from across the county. 

“The competition was really tough this year, and the 30 grand finalists should feel immensely proud at making it through to this final stage in the competition.”

New gardening group: Lindfield In Bloom

By Heather Martin

Lindfield In Bloom has been set up with help from the Parish Council to support individuals and organisations in the village with a shared interest in our beautiful village from a gardening perspective.

Perhaps your organisation tends the flower beds outside your meeting place or would like to have a flowering planter at its entrance? Maybe you enjoy the pretty front gardens in your street when in full bloom? Or perhaps you have no experience of gardening but would like support in learning about what to do? We even have a place for you if you simply like to socialise in Lindfield and could perhaps bake a cake for a fundraising event, have a knack for photography or would like to have a go at building a planter for a local charity to use. We would love to hear from individuals and organisations from across the village, of all ages and interests and hope you will join our community group.

To find out more, come along to our first meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 23rd January 2017 in the Bent Arms pub, High Street, Lindfield.

Although not obligatory, if you know in advance that you are able to attend please let us know so that we can reserve seating. For further information please visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.co.uk/LindfieldInBloom or contact Heather Martin on 01444 487775 or by email: Heather@heathermartin.co.uk

Daring Trifles - Simply Good Food - recipe variations on a classic

By Caroline Young

Is a trifle a Christmas tradition in your house? Do you remember the version made with slices of Swiss roll and canned fruit cocktail set in stiff fruit jelly topped with Birds custard and, hopefully, whipped cream?

If you were lucky there might have been a generous sprinkling of sweet sherry over the sponge slices! Happily recipes have moved on and you can develop your own favourite combination of fruit, cake or biscuits and a rich creamy topping.

Traditionally the dessert should be made in a straight sided glass dish to show off the different layers. Here are some of my ideas – the quantities depend on how many people to be served – any left-overs are delicious for breakfast the next day! Have a peaceful Christmas.

Apricot and Almond

Layer small cubes of Madeira cake in the bowl with drained canned apricots and generously moisten with the fruit juice or alcohol of your choice. Gently combine a good chilled custard with the same quantity of whipped cream and spoon over the top. Cover and chill overnight. Top with a generous sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.

Ginger and Pineapple

Combine roughly crushed ginger nut biscuits and diced canned pineapple in your bowl. Moisten with fruit juice or ginger wine. Top with a layer of good quality chilled custard, cover and chill overnight. Spoon whipped cream over the top and decorate with crystallised pineapple or chopped candied stem ginger.