The London Marathon - Lindfield's 43 laps!

Lindfield runner Florence Robinson was one of many who ran a marathon on the ‘official’ day of the London Marathon last month.

While that marathon took place with only a handful of selected participants, Florence ran her first ‘London Marathon’ around Lindfield Common!

The secondary school teacher and mother of two had been planning and training for the marathon in April, which then got moved to October, which then got pulled completely. “After restarting my training plan four times during lockdown and contracting an Achilles injury in the summer, I was thrilled to make the run, taking in 43 laps of the Common to reach the 26.2 mile goal,” Florence explained.
“Paula Radcliffe helped me along through my London Marathon app - but the best bit about doing the event virtually and locally was the sheer weight of support from friends, family and strangers who clapped every lap. I was truly overwhelmed by the Lindfield community, whole families coming out in the rain and individuals jogging laps alongside me - so hugely motivational. The atmosphere was incredible despite the damp weather conditions!”

Florence was raising money for the charity Victa, which supports blind children; and so far has raised over £1,800.
“Over the past few years, I have been humbled to work alongside young people with sensory impairments,” said Florence. “Their attitude to learning and life in general is inspiring – they never let their disabilities affect their participation and eagerly get involved alongside their able-bodied friends.”

If you would like to add to her total, you can do so via the official Virgin Money Giving: https://bit.ly/2GVfmpb

Swap your shop

By Isabella Mortimer, age 12

“This is a precious world and each of us can use our actions and our voice to save our planet.” - David Attenborough

On 1st October, plastic straws, cotton buds and drinks mixers were officially banned in the UK. That’s amazing! We still see lots of packaging though including non-recyclable plastic, packaging the non-plastic cotton buds!

Here are some easy swaps, perhaps one a week... it will really make a difference:

Plastic packaged toilet rolls SWAP for Bamboo, paper packaged at Cloughs
Paper napkins SWAP for Cloth ones
Kitchen paper/roll SWAP for Old cloths
Cling film SWAP for Reusable wax wraps
Throw away/recyclable coffee cups SWAP for Reusable coffee cup/mug
Plastic shampoo bottles SWAP for Shampoo bars
Plastic handwash bottles SWAP for Soap bars and wood scrubbing brush
Coffee jars/foil wrapped SWAP for Freshly ground in Lindfield
Cotton pads/facial wipes SWAP for Cotton washable cloths at Cloughs
Bought plastic packaged tortillas SWAP for Home-made tortillas (easy recipe), freezable.

Lots of the swaps are available at Cloughs, who also offer paper bags to buy quantities you want for your weekly shop of grains, nuts, pulses and much more.

IDEAS:
• Use a reusable bag to pick up take away food.
• Keep empty pasta sauce or mayonnaise jars to store food.
• Start a compost heap to make your own soil and avoid the plastic bags they come in.
• Grow herbs in a jam jar of water (mint, oregano, sage, basic, thyme and rosemary)
• Blend wilted greens, freeze in an ice cube tray for smoothies or cool drinks.

There are lots of us making changes, helped all the more by local Lindfield shops offering plastic free options, Cloughs and Pauls to mention just two. On a larger scale, there are lots of initiatives to sign up to to help big organisations make changes too for a brighter future. Small steps, big changes. We can do this together!

Local Poppy Appeal

By Val Upton

This year the poppy appeal will be different. There will be no door-to-door collections and no street collectors with trays.

However, there will be an opportunity to buy poppies. Between 31st October and 7th November volunteers will man a table to enable socially-distanced collection and donations.

Our Service of Remembrance on 8th November at All Saints Church will be limited numbers and you will need to sign up for it. It will commence at 10.30am, starting with wreath laying and then a short service. Everyone must wear a mask. There will sadly be no parade this year.

PTA adapting in this ever-changing world

By Lynne Roberjot

Year 1 outdoor classroom, part-funded by the PTA

There is no doubt that 2020 has been an incredibly tough year for charities. The need for new and innovative fundraising ideas, which are safe and Covid-19 compliant, are essential.

Here at Lindfield Primary Academy PTA – a non-profit organisation run by parents and teachers of children at Lindfield Primary Academy – we consider ourselves a resilient and resourceful bunch.

In the last academic year, despite a global pandemic that shut down our school and saw the cancellation of planned events including the Summer Ball and Summer Fair, we raised £24,000. This followed a record-breaking £40,000 raised the year before.

These much-needed funds further enrich our children’s learning and environment. Recently, the PTA has helped to fund a Year 1 outdoor classroom and learning area, online subscriptions which have been invaluable in supporting home learning, booster groups and mountains of books.

New initiatives have included EasyFundraising and Amazon Smile, enabling families to gift donations to the PTA through their everyday online shopping. We have received generous one-off donations and the continued support of corporate sponsors, including Lloyds Bank.

Last month we held our first virtual PTA Annual General Meeting, with a significant uptake in attendance on the previous year. New committee members were voted in by the current committee, and heaps of new ideas proposed.

With current PTA Co-Chair’s – local businesswomen Anna Ashley and Rebecca Downie - stepping down after two successful years at the helm, we are delighted to welcome new Co-Chairs Victoria Tischendorf and Sharn Smith. Tasmin Broadstock adopts the role of Secretary, replacing Lynne Roberjot, while Treasurer Steve Hall and Vice-Chairs Carrie Faraday and Julia Barham-Wick continue with their roles.

While we are currently unable to run in-person events, including our much-loved and profitable Christmas Fair, we will be making Christmas special for the children and their families with some new and virtual festive fun!

We are incredibly lucky to have such an amazingly supportive school and local community. We thank everyone who continues to donate, volunteer, partner and support us and we wish our newest PTA committee an exciting (albeit unprecedented) fundraising year ahead!

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.”

Lindfield Parish Council launch climate change plan

Working Group members standing below one of the bird boxes

Lindfield Parish Council is pleased to announce that it has adopted a Climate Change Action Plan, which commits to helping tackle the environmental emergency at a local level. A copy of the plan can be found on the Parish Council website via this link: https://bit.ly/3duZ3el

A Climate Action Working Group has been set up and tasked with developing short and long-term actions. Councillor Wood chairs the Working Group, which also includes Councillors Grace and Wilson.

The Working Group is currently at the stage of researching the potential for a range of projects and creating networks, including with other councils and environmental groups.

We want to work with the local community including local groups, businesses, and other councils, to raise awareness of climate and sustainability-related issues, share good practice and identify actions we can implement in Lindfield. We would welcome any interested residents or local businesses to contact us if you would like to become involved or have any ideas which you would like us to consider.

Ideals can be submitted using the following link: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BPPDSZJ

One of our aims is to seek to encourage Lindfield based businesses to be environmentally sustainable. Alongside this, we would like to encourage residents to make changes in their behaviours to be more carbon neutral. This will include promoting encouraging recycling, re-use and repair as well as walking and cycling as leisure activities.

Bird and bee boxes
The council has begun to act in helping to improve the environment. Recently, the parish orderly installed bird and bee boxes to enable the maintenance of the wildlife in the Wilderness Field, which is an example of how the council is seeking to use one of its assets to demonstrate its commitment.

The Challenge to live differently
Have you thought about how you could make an action that could help the environment? Here are some suggestions:
• Commit to recycling more
• Try to re-use rather than dispose of items
• Commit to using your car less
• Buy from environmentally friendly businesses
• Grow more of your food

Pet care hits the right notes

A former executive assistant from Lindfield has taken her employment status into her own hands recently.
Arabella Beresford- Mitchell was made redundant from her job in London back in February but a friend encouraged her to think outside the box, to do something different and avoid the dreaded commute! So, over the summer, Arabella launched Toe Beans Pet Care.
“I grew up with various pets, including cats and dogs, and currently have three cats whom I adore,” she explained. “For me the best part of owning a dog are the walks.” This is one of the services she’ll be offering pet owners in the area. Arabella is also able to pop in to feed cats and dogs for the duration of a holiday, be a pet taxi service or even enable the pets to enjoy some music therapy.
With a degree in Classical Music (she more recently completed a Masters in Composing for Film & TV), Arabella knows that certain types of music can help pets calm down and relax. “My cats often fall asleep in my music studio whilst I am working,” she said, “and respond positively when I play guitar to them.”
If you are in need of a break and need someone to look after your cat or dog, or if your pet needs a break and wants to relax – Arabella could be worth a call! For more information see her advert on page 30 of Lindfield Life magazine or her website: www.toebeanspetcare.co.uk.

Lindfield Medical Centre's Plans for Flu Clinics

Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, our flu clinics at Lindfield Medical Centre are organised differently this year.

For those patients over 65 years (born on or before 31st March 1956) and those age 18-64 deemed ‘at risk’, we will be offering a pre-booked appointment. We do not have the facility to see any patients who arrive without an appointment. The clinics’ dates will be added to our website (www.lindfieldmedicalcentre.co.uk) and displayed in the reception window, but given the large population we need to immunise we will be sending out allocated appointment times. Please be aware the first two clinics are for patients on our NHS shielding list and their household members only. You will be contacted with your appointment time by 1st October.
To help our clinics run smoothly and maintain social distancing, we are asking that you do not arrive more than five minutes before your allocated time slot. In addition, please can you wear a face covering and be assured the staff will be taking appropriate precautions to protect you. We would also ask that you wear appropriate clothing to enable quick presentation of your upper arm.
As with all our booked appointments, we request that you do not attend the clinic if you or a household member have had any Covid-19 symptoms within 14 days of your appointment.

We are anticipating a high level of demand for the flu vaccine and it is going to be a challenge to vaccinate all eligible patients in a short space of time, so please only contact the surgery in extenuating circumstances. Please see our website for the designated flu email address.
*To see if you are in the eligible group of atrisk patients please refer to our website or https://bit.ly/2DPExYx

This year the flu vaccine is being offered on the NHS to:
• adults 65 and over
• people with certain medical conditions (including children in at-risk groups from 6 months of age)
• pregnant women
• people living with someone who’s at high risk from coronavirus (on the NHS shielded patient list)
• children aged 2 and 3 on 31 August 2020
• children in primary school
• children in year 7 (secondary school)
• frontline health or social care workers
Later in the year, the flu vaccine may be given to people aged 50 to 64. More information will be available later in the autumn. However, if you’re aged 50 to 64 and in an atrisk group, you should not delay having your flu vaccine.

From Lindfield Swan to Sussex Shark

Unless you closely follow local cricket you may not have known that Lindfield Cricket Club, meeting on the Common, has recently celebrated a young junior player at the academy going right through to England U18s and a professional contract with Sussex. Here is Abi’s story in his own words…

By Abi Sakande
My journey towards becoming a professional cricketer for Sussex began on the Common at Lindfield when I was around 10 years old. I was introduced to the game of cricket by one of my best friends – Geoffrey Lawrence. Our endless games of backyard cricket during the 2005 Ashes sparked my interest, and his late dad (and former Chairman) Mark convinced me to join Lindfield, sending me to my first Sussex Junior Trials. Without Geoff’s infectious love of the game and Mark’s steady advice - to my parents to get me some kit as an U12 – I would never have begun on the path that has led to me representing Sussex in 24 professional fixtures over the last 3½ years.

To read more about Abi, what it’s like to live a day in the life of a Shark (not the swimming kind) and what Abi’s plans might be for the future, find the full article on page 40 of September’s Lindfield Life magazine.

Goodbye Vicar

Village People
By David Tingley

I can only assume that the next door neighbours who invited James’ family to church after they moved house in 1962 had no knowledge of the long-term impact of their generous actions. Not a family of churchgoers, his parents declined the offer but pushed seven year old James forward instead. The two sisters and brother kindly took him to church twice every Sunday for several years. James was brought up in the small Welsh market town of Llandovery in rural Carmarthenshire and, in his words, ‘Its main claim to fame is being the birthplace of hymn writer William Williams (‘Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah’). His grandparents ran several small businesses there, including a hotel, bakery and café, and his father worked in the family business. After attending school at Llandovery College, James studied Political Science and Economics at University College Wales in Aberystwyth and found the change from boarding-school to student life liberating: “On my first day, I sat in my room waiting for a bell to ring as it used to at school. I soon discovered to my delight that no bell rang and I was master of my own destiny. It was a great three years.” James became interested in academic work as a career and went on to be a researcher in the David Bruce Centre in the Department of American Studies at the University of Keele while doing an MA. Part of his responsibilities at the time were helping to organise and host visiting lecturers at the David Bruce Centre, which included former Prime Minister Harold Wilson and White House Counsel and Watergate defendant John Dean – who arrived at the campus by helicopter! He went on to spend four more years at Keele working on his doctorate in American history and political theory. “I loved the academic life,” James explained. “We used to go for long pub lunches where one person would bring a paper to read and discuss before submitting for publication. It was such a collaborative and creative process.” However, two more important things took place while James was at Keele. After a period where church didn’t play a part in his life, he found the Christians he met at Keele were ‘more than Sunday worshippers’ and that piqued his interest. With a very active Christian Union at university he was soon ‘converted’ and became a Christian. At around the same time a certain young student called Chris Foster started her degree in International Relations and also became part of the bustling CU. It wasn’t long before interest turned into romance, and – in fact – the pair got married just three years after they met, in the very chapel where James had been an invigilator for Chris’ exams eight weeks earlier! During these years at Keele James’ ambition to become a professor by the age of 40 had begun to recede, as his new faith had blossomed.

To find out more about their amazing life together and James’ journey to Lindfield, look on page 36 in September’s issue of Lindfield Life for the full article.

James’ last Sunday at All Saints Church will be Sunday 4th October.

George's greeting cards

A seven year old Lindfield resident has been doing his bit for charity recently. On hearing that many families were struggling during the Coronavirus pandemic, George was inspired to try to help. As a keen artist, he decided to create his own range of greeting cards and sold them to friends, family and neighbours. With four different designs, the A6 cards enabled George to raise an impressive £215.27. He and his mother, Sophie, found out about the IMPACT Foundation from last month’s issue of Lindfield Life, and immediately knew that it was the perfect charity to donate the money to. “We really liked the idea of not only providing food parcels to local families in need but also recipe cards to help them make affordable, healthy meals,” Sophie told us. George’s fundraising efforts will help contribute to their valuable work, which benefits over 40 families in the Haywards Heath and Lindfield area. George went to IMPACT’s offices on Western Road to hand over the cheque to UK Programme Coordinator Lisa Waller. Whilst there George was able to assist the volunteer team in filling the week’s boxes before they were distributed later that morning. “We are very proud of George,” explained Sophie, “but we also wanted to thank all those who have bought cards already and the printing company – Newman Thomson in Burgess Hill – who very kindly printed the cards for free.” If you would like to buy any of George’s uniquely designed cards (blank inside), you can get in touch with Sophie via email (sophiegrimaldi2012@gmail.com).

Don't forget to Vote in our Front Garden Festival!

By Jim Stockwell

The Lindfield Front Garden Festival has been running for more than six weeks and continues until 12th September. We’ve been delighted with feedback from visitors: ‘The garden is a riot of colour that demands attention as it dances in the wind’ ‘Thank you for organising the front gardens walk around Lindfield. I enjoyed it so much I did it twice!’ ‘… I have enjoyed being able to take a virtual stroll round the village and admire the gardens’ ‘I am sure it has given many people much pleasure’ ‘They are all really lovely with lots of different styles’ ‘I’m helping to support an amazing charity. Best wishes to all those taking part.’ So, don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to view Lindfield’s delightful front gardens. We hope to raise as much as possible so, please, make a donation to the Hospice via this JustGiving page: https://rb.gy/bknfpw You can vote for your favourite front garden – all votes received by 11th September will be entered into a prize draw. The most popular garden and the first name drawn from votes submitted will both win a beautiful pot donated by Pots and Pithoi (see above). There will also be a prize for the best pot/planter/window box. Details of all 46 gardens participating, including a map guide, are available now from the Festival website (https://lindfield-gardens.co.uk) and are also shown on the notice board outside the King Edward Hall.

Harvey and Molly ‘brave the shave’

Two teenagers have joined thousands of others across the UK to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Lindfield resident Harvey Alcock (16) and his girlfriend Molly Hord (15) decided to ‘brave the shave’ just three weeks after being told of his mum’s diagnosis of lymphoma.

Katherine Alcock, who has been actively involved in school PTAs and is also co-chair of Lindfield Village Day, couldn’t believe they were prepared to do it: “I am very proud of both of them. With personal image so important at that age, I do appreciate that it’s a big (and very obvious) show of support.”

Before the shave…

Molly had only been dating Harvey for two months when she suggested the idea. Her hair has been sent off in eight pony tails to the Little Princess Trust, which makes real hair wigs for anyone under the age of 24 who has lost their hair due to illness. “It had always been in the back of my mind to do this,” Molly explained, “but I’ve never had a strong enough reason. Doing it this way supports Katherine but also raises funds for charity too.”

Harvey said: “We have friends who have benefitted from the support of Macmillan over the years, so we are very happy to be able to help fund its work.”

Each of them has a fundraising page and they have already raised over £2,100 between them since the shave took place in July – where trained hairdresser Heidi Keane was on-hand to make sure it was all done right!

“Molly and I are really chuffed with the amount raised so far,” Harvey commented. “Thank you so much to all those who have donated already.”

https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/molly-hord

https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/harvey-alcock

Thank you key workers

By David Tingley, editor

At the beginning of lockdown (I know, it seems like an eternity ago!) we asked people of Lindfield to send in photos of amazing key workers who they know, who are doing amazing jobs at this difficult time in the life of the village/country/world! Of course, we know that NHS workers on the frontline are doing an awesome job under challenging circumstances - and a lot of us will have taken part in the collective applause for them specifically. However, many of us became more aware of care workers, postmen and women, refuse collectors, those in the emergency services, teachers and shopworkers too. Lindfield resident Ali Brown painted a six foot sign to show her appreciation, which stood in her garden for a time and artist Brett Hudson drew a special colouring sheet for children to add the finishing touches to and put on display in their windows. Here we celebrate seven of these superstars in our midst. And to make it even sweeter (literally) at the time Lindfield gift shop Tufnells made up Easter goodie bags for each person, which we delivered over the Easter weekend.

Carry on Volunteering

By David Wilson The coronavirus catastrophe has brought out the best in us. Immediately the lockdown started, notes were slipped through the doors of people who had been instructed to self-isolate. They were from younger, able-bodied individuals who were taking the initiative to identify vulnerable neighbours and make arrangements to help them during their self-isolation. It demonstrates that there is a massive amount of goodwill in the community for volunteering to help others. This spirit has been tapped for the last 37 years by Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary. In the beginning, a bunch of 43 year olds got together to make a difference in the community. Over the years they have raised nearly half a million pounds for local causes and for their International projects. They have also done some serious practical work for local mental health care and other establishments. Youth work ranges from reading assistance in primary schools to teenage competitions and sponsoring candidates for leadership courses. The great thing is that all this is done with friends, so it’s a lot of fun too! Not only that, but the same things are being done by like-minded people all over the world, 1.2 million of them!

To find out more or to join in pick up August’s issue of Lindfield Life now.

Sussex Young Musician of the Year 2020

Applications for the Coro Nuovo Sussex Young Musician of the Year competition 2020 are now open, offering young musicians the chance to win up to £1,000 to help support their music studies.

For details on how to enter grab yourself a copy of Lindfield Life, August issue.

The deadline for application is midnight on Sunday 30th August and the winner will be announced in a live virtual award ceremony during October.

Poster competition for children

At a time when parents of school age children will be feeling like this is the longest period of ‘school holidays’ ever – a local collaboration means that there is something new for kids between four and 12 years old to take part in this summer. Lindfield in Bloom, supported by Sussex Wildlife Trust and with Lindfield Life magazine, has launched a poster competition. Children are being asked to design a poster which tells residents how they can encourage more wildlife into their gardens.

• Find information about how to help wildlife by visiting https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/discover/go-wild-athome where you can also find Summer activity sheets and more!

• The poster should be A4 size, with your name and age written on the back.

• Email a photo or scan of the front and back of your poster to WildlifeCompetition@heathermartin.co.uk

• Winning entries will be notified by the end of September. There will be a prize for the winner and the runner-up in three age categories: 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12

• Winning entries will be featured in a future issue of Lindfield Life!

Lindfield Front Garden Festival launched

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Last year the Lindfield Open Garden event attracted more than 800 visitors and raised over £9,000 for St Peter and St James Hospice. The event has been cancelled this year, but to raise much needed funds for the Hospice, Lindfield gardening groups have teamed up to arrange a ‘Front Garden Festival’ through the summer. Full details are shown on our advertisement on page 57 and on our website at: https://lindfield-gardens.co.uk

The idea is for lots of the beautiful front gardens around the village to join in the Festival and for the whole community to view these from the pavement at a safe distance. A map of those selected for the ‘People’s Choice’ stage will be made available in mid-July and the public will make a People’s Choice for their favourite garden in each part of the village - and there will be a special prize for the best planter/window box/hanging basket. So, owners of all front gardens - large or tiny - are invited to join by sending an email with your name and address to fg@lindfieldhorts.org.uk (or phone Sue and Jim Stockwell on 01444 459363).

We hope to raise as much as possible, so please make a donation to the Hospice via this Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lindfieldfrontgardenfestival2020

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/

Lindfield High Street begins to open up again

Lindfield High Street sees new life after lockdown

By Mary Collins

As we start to emerge from lockdown, Lindfield is gradually returning to some sort of normality with the reopening of non-essential shops and businesses during June.

Most outlets that have been shut since March have rejoined those that heroically stayed open throughout the lockdown as the High Street takes its first cautious steps towards recovery.

To get a snapshot of how traders are faring in these uncertain times and what shopping will look like after almost three months in lockdown, Lindfield Life spoke to a selection of those that kept the village going throughout the lockdown, and some that have reopened.

Those traders spoken to have primarily talked about customer loyalty and the importance of local shopping and local supply chains, and whilst there is general confidence and optimism that the High Street will begin to trade normally, there is also a note of caution as the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Staff at Cottenham’s, who stayed open throughout the lockdown, talk of the ‘intense, long and sometimes emotional days’ and the ‘eerie quiet of the village interrupted by the incessant ringing of the phone for yet another order’. John Cottenham said: “The last few months have been extreme! When panic buying stripped supermarket shelves bare, our relationship with local suppliers ensured we kept customers supplied and happy. We have been overwhelmed by the hard work of our staff and the support from our customers.”

Demonstrating the Lindfield community spirit, John adds: “It never felt stronger, with those of us that stayed open energising each other. We worked with Paul’s Greengrocer to combine some deliveries, and the Co-op was helpful with cooking ingredients.”

[Excerpt from July 2020 magazine]