May 30

Downland Church News June 2016

The Downland Benefice

Holy Trinity, Poynings, St Andrew’s, Edburton

St John the Evangelist, Newtimber

The Transfiguration, Pyecombe

www.downlandchurches.co.uk

 

June 2016

 

There is a united Benefice service every Sunday morning at 10 am in one of our churches.

 

On most Sundays, this is a service of Holy Communion.

On the first Sunday of each month, it is an all age worship service, followed at 11.15 am by a short Communion service.

Location varies according to the pattern below:

    First Sunday     (5th June)             Poynings

    Second Sunday    (12th June)            Newtimber    

    Third Sunday     (19th June)            Poynings    

    Fourth Sunday    (26th June)            Pyecombe

 

There is also a Benefice Evening Service at 6pm

every second Sunday (12th June) at Pyecombe.

 

In addition, at Edburton Church there is:


A service of Family Communion every first and third Sunday at 11 am. (5th and 19th June)

 

Morning and Evening Prayer each week

Mondays: Edburton at 6 pm; Tuesdays: Newtimber at 5 pm

Wednesdays: Poynings at 9 am; Pyecombe at 6 pm

 

Evergreens (for the over 60’s)

Monday, 6th June, 3.30 – 5 pm at Rectory Cottage, Newtimber

(home of Shirley Murrell)

Baptism

Sunday 5th June, 10am     Sam Rentz        Poynings

 

Weddings

Saturday 18th June    Joe Mills & Alexis Eckerle    Edburton

Saturday 25th June    Charlotte Newnham and Mark Stacey

                            Poynings

 

Special events and dates this month

 

  • Saturday 4th June, Pyecombe to Lewes Priory walk (8miles total distance); set off 10.30am. Further details, see fliers or karenalew1@aol.com Walk as little or as much as you want, bring picnic lunch; informative talks en route and Priory tour.
  • Saturday 11th June, 2.30pm, Classical concert in Newtimber Church followed by strawberry and cream tea in the lovely grounds of Newtimber Place: see fliers or contact Lucy on 01273 831877 or lucy.dalrymple@icloud.com.
  • Book Nook in Fulking opens every second Sunday, 11am – 4pm. This month on 12th June.
  • POYNINGS FETE is 2 -4.30 pm, on 18th June in the Rectory Garden. Games, maypole dancing, tombola and live music – all proceeds to the Church. A village event for all the family.
  • Study Groups re-start on Weds 8th June for 6 weeks: afternoons 2.30-4pm or evenings 8-9.30pm, At the Rectory. The second of the Pilgrim course, looking at the Lord’s Prayer; all welcome. 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th June; 6th and 13th July
  • Messy Church meets this month on Friday 17th June, from 4.30 pm – 6 pm at Fulking Village Hall. Do come along!
  • ADVANCE NOTICE of Pyecombe’s Village Weekend and Flower festival, which is 2nd -3rd July: theme for the flowers this year is ‘Books’; refreshments and other stalls all weekend

 

Clergy contact details:

Revd Dr Caroline Currer, Priest-in-Charge

Tel 01273 857456         c.currer@btinternet.com

Revd Graham Jeffery (Edburton)     01273 494559


 

May 27

Sold As Seen

SASSold As Seen are once again hosting an Indoor Session with special guest Dave Gee.

£5.00 per person for an amazing evening of live music entertainment of self write songs and Motown.
Limited tickets available.
Please bring along your own alcohol / soft drinks.
Doors open at 7.15pm. Saturday 28th May
Please reserve your tickets at www.soldasseenband.biz or purchase on the door on the night.
LIMITED PARKING.

May 27

Pondtail Wood

Stay vigilant this weekend – if you see trucks or Travellers entering Pondtail Wood, phone 999 immediately to inform the Police!

Breaches of the Stop Notice should still be reported to Mike Airey as usual on 07884 165 867 or email airey2005@btinternet.com

May 25

Hymns and Pimms

Hymns and Pimms from the PCC at Edburton.

Everyone is invited to join the congregation of St Andrew’s Edburton for their annual ‘Songs of Praise’ service, ‘Hymns and Pimms’, which is next Sunday 29th May at 6pm.

We will be singing some favourite hymns accompanied by a complimentary glass of Pimms, and hope you will join us.

We look forward to seeing you there.

May 24

SheepWatch UK

•         SheepWatch UK is a new initiative which is trying to help people work together to reduce the number of attacks on sheep by dogs, support responsible dog ownership and enable stress-free dog walks

•         The initiative is working closely with the Kennel Club, Farmers Unions, Police Forces, the National Sheep Association and others

•         Thousands of sheep (many of them pregnant) are killed by dogs every year – and many more are worried (which can lead to them losing lambs which they are carrying)

•         In the first two months of 2016 (before the horrendous attach at West Dean in which 116 ewes died), over 400 sheep had been killed by dogs (averaging over 50 every week) – and this figure is probably only the tip of a, largely unreported, ice-berg

•         SheepWatch UK is trying to encourage all farmers to report incidents to its website so that there is a better picture of the scale, nature and costs of the problem

•         The campaign will offer ideas and advice to farmers as well as producing a ‘Toolkit’ for local communities so that they can organise local campaigns to increase awareness and encourage responsible behaviour in the countryside

•         Communities are encouraged to obtain copies of the Toolkit (now available) and find out more about the issue via the SheepWatch UK website

•         A national conference (free of charge) is being arranged for Friday 3rd June (details via the SheepWatch UK website) http://www.terena.co.uk/sheepwatch-uk.html

•         The initiative has already been featured on BBC Countryfile, researchers from the BBC ‘One Show’ have been in touch with us and are currently considering covering the issue, there is reference to the initiative on page 6 of the new ‘South Downs View’ and interest in using the Toolkit to organise local campaigns has already been received from over half the counties in the country.

I hope that this information may be helpful to you.  There will be no ‘quick fix’ to this issue but, hopefully, if lots of communities take an interest and help to raise awareness then changes might be seen over the years ahead …

May 22

The Queen’s birthday

Don’t forget that anyone over the age of 50 can apply for tickets to attend an afternoon tea event on June 10th at the Copthorne, Effingham Park Hotel, to celebrate the Queen’s birthday.

This is a ticket only event for Mid Sussex older people, which will be opened by a Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex.

Tickets and more information from anitawright401@gmail.com

May 19

Wild About Mid Sussex

Local residents will be able to come face-to-face with some fascinating animals, reptiles, insects and birds at the Wild About Mid Sussex event on Saturday 4 June 2016.

Held on the first day of Burgess Hill Summer Festival, ‘Wild About Mid Sussex’ is a free wildlife exhibition celebrating the wonderful countryside that surrounds the towns and villages of Mid Sussex. It’s a fun day out for the whole family and provides a great opportunity to discover more about local wildlife and how to protect it.


Open from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm, Wild About Mid Sussex brings a host of creatures, both native and exotic, to a huge marquee in St. John’s Park, Burgess Hill. There’s a chance to see live owls, stag beetles, bees, bats, tree frogs, pythons and lizards, including a very friendly giant rhino iguana.

 

The Buzz Club will be on hand to share the work it is doing to protect native wild bees in Mid Sussex and there will be opportunities to find out more about local and national conservation groups and universities.

 

‘Wild About Mid Sussex’ is organised by the ‘Friends of Burgess Hill Green Circle’ group, in partnership with Mid Sussex District Council.

 

The Friends of Burgess Hill Green Circle are a band of several hundred volunteers who work to protect the countryside around Burgess Hill. With the support of Mid Sussex District Council, West Sussex County Council and Burgess Hill Town Council, they work to connect Burgess Hill’s green spaces together using safe, traffic-free routes. This helps the local wildlife to move between areas safely and makes it easier for local people to enjoy the varied habitats and the wonderful landscape that they create.

 

“Wild About Mid Sussex is a fantastic family event and is the perfect way to kick-off the Burgess Hill Summer Festival 2016,” said Councillor Pru Moore, MSDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Sustainability. “There are lots of fun activities for young children and it’s great for people of all ages to get the chance to handle local wildlife, as well as some exotic creatures from further afield.

“It’s free to enter so I hope people come along to discover more about the wonderful wildlife that’s right on our doorstep.”

 

For more information about the ‘Wild About Mid Sussex’ exhibition, please visit

www.bh-green-circle.org.uk, contact the Mid Sussex District Council Landscapes team on 01444 477439 or email parksopenspaces@midsussex.gov.uk.

May 18

Pyecombe Plant Sale

Saturday 28th May between 2pm and 4pm

@ Pyecombe Church Yard

A beautiful selection of garden plants and bric a brac for sale 

Teas and homemade cakes also available

May 16

Pondtail Wood Update

Local people came out in force today [16 May], along with reps from Sussex Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth, to protest against the illegal felling of Pondtail Wood on Muddleswood Road (opposite Singing Hills Golf Club) and the illegal bringing in of hardcore to create a hard surface entrance, decimating the woodland and doing so without a felling licence or planning permission.

Pondtail Wood was bought earlier this year and since then there has been extensive felling of the planted wood.  It is a Planted Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) and is within the South Downs National Park.  The trees that have been felled were mature and were a pine variety.

Local people raised concerns from mid-March and Mid Sussex District Council and South Downs National Park Authority were informed at that time.  A ‘Temporary Stop Notice’ was issued last week [May 10].  The notices have been removed from the gate and work on the site appears to have continued.  The South Downs National Park woodland is under threat if it cannot be protected.  Local people want to see the destruction stopped and the woodland repaired and replanted.

Listen to the BBC Sussex piece this morning:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03tlgxw#play  – go to 02:41

The protest is expected to be shown on BBC South East TV tonight (note we normally get BBC South TV in this area, so do find the right channel on your Freeview/Sky/etc)

And it will be in The Argus, Mid Sussex Times and West Sussex County Times later this week.

Further updates will be issued and a campaign on Facebook and Twitter is being set up where updates can be shared with everyone who cares about this issue.  Links will be added in due course

Mike Airey is collating information for SDNPA and other authorities.

Any further activity that the authorities ought to know should be e-mailed to him at airey2005@btinternet.com or he is contactable on 07884 165 867

 Pondtail Wood Demo 1Pondtail Wood Demo 2

May 15

Public Demonstration at Pondtail Wood

We need your help – please join a public demonstration outside Pond Tail Wood, Poynings, opposite Singing Hills Golf Club at 10am on Monday with media coming – just need you to join us for 30 minutes to show how strongly we feel about the wood being illegally felled and the owner bringing in illegal aggregates to create acres of hard standing for who knows what – in the supposedly protected South Downs National Park! Thanks.

 

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