Parish News September 2020

TURNERS HILL PARISH NEWS SEPTEMBER 2020 PUBLISHED BY ST LEONARD’S CHURCH Edition Number 399

THE CROWN RE-OPENS - A WELCOME SIGN With that sultry summer lockdown heatwave behind us, we step towards autumn with hopes that it brings us a steady, safe return to everyday normality. One welcome sign for the village is the re-opening of our flagship hostelry The Crown after five months of covid-enforced closure. Landlord Phil Shoubridge and his team are now firmly back in business with their smartly re-furbished pub and restaurant. Comfortable, sociallydistanced layouts are installed inside and out.

The Crown resumes its rightful place as a happy haven of village hospitality, alongside the Red Lion which was able to re-open in July.

•The Crown team back in business.

From left: Molly Shoubridge (with baby Felix), Mike Richards, Will Maskell, Lindsey Kovacs, Alex Latus and Matt Wimbush. ********************

INSIDE THIS EDITION……

ARTS SOCIETY TURNERS HILL introduces its new Chairman LESLEY CROUCHER. The PARISH COUNCIL gives news of the Mid Sussex District Council development plan consultation; and also reports a new burial ground planning application from Hartmires Investments. Our FIRE & RESCUE CREWS had yet another action-packed month; and the NHS seeks feedback on how we fared in lockdown. This month’s centre-spread features village stalwart, MAVIS STANBRIDGE. Sadly, we publish the OBITUARY of popular village resident, TOM SHEA. All this and more inside…. ___________________________________________________________________________

THANKS TO TURNERS HILL PARK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION Our Parish News team extends grateful thanks to Turners Hill Park Residents Association for their recent generous donation. It is very much appreciated. ___________________________________________________________________________

THE PARISH CHURCH, ST LEONARD’S, TURNERS HILL SERVICES FOR SEPTEMBER 2020 For all Church Services please see the notice on the Church Door and/or https://sites.google.com/thparish.co.uk/turnershillstleonard/pandemic Sunday September 6 (Trinity 13)

10.30 Parish Communion

Wednesday September 9

16.00 Holy Communion

Sunday September 13 (Trinity 14)

10.30 Parish Communion

Wednesday September 16

16.00 Service cancelled

Sunday September 20 (Trinity 15)

10.30 Parish Communion

Wednesday September 23

16.00 Service cancelled

Sunday September 27 (Trinity 16)

10.30 Parish Communion

Wednesday September 30

16.00 Service cancelled

___________________________________________________________________________

ST LEONARD’S CONTACT DETAILS Vicar: Canon David Tickner

01342 715278

stleonardth@gmail.com

Churchwarden: Dominic Hawken

07831 440819

dominic@del.co.uk

Treasurer: Denise Bauldry

01342 604825

dlbauldry@gmail.com

PCC Secretary: Jackie Scott

01293 883314

jackiscott@aol.com

Friends: Barbara Podbury

01342 714899

barbarapodbury@gmail.com

Bells: Jo Barnes Hall: Tina Shea

jopbarnes@btinternet.com 01342 715322/07900 266738

Web: www.thparish.co.uk

_____________________________________________________________________________

FROM THE VICARAGE Church Road, Turners Hill, RH10 4PB FORWARD PLANNING PROBLEMS One consequence of Covid-19 is the difficulty of doing any reliable planning. As I write, there are more than 600,000 holiday makers in Spain who will have to quarantine for 14 days when they get back to the UK which was not the case when they left. We have gone through multiple (often sudden) changes at St Leonard's and I suspect this will be a feature of life for quite some time yet.

ANNUAL MEETING DEFERRED TO OCTOBER One of the things we had to change was our Vestry Meeting and our Annual Parochial Church Meeting. They were due to take place in March but they have now been delayed to October.

We cannot be sure what will be allowed in terms of public meetings or perhaps more accurately what will not be allowed. Many of us have learned more about Video Calls and Video Conferencing, but there are still a great many people not on the internet. Many of us are in the vulnerable bracket for complications if we get the virus. Many have decided to go with Government advice to stay at home if at all possible.

The Vestry Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting assume the use of the Church Notice Board and the use of the Church. Voting assumes pieces of paper can pass around. Those assumptions (and many others) cannot be honoured at the moment.

Feeling our way We are feeling our way as the rules change and can only offer a few things which we can control.

First, we will use the main doors of the Church Hall as the temporary Church Notice Board. This we can keep up to date whatever the rules turn out to be.

Next we will be using thparish.co.uk as part of the communication, but we have learned already that the information has to be updated frequently and we need to let people know when it is.

Rather than use a scatter-gun approach, we would prefer to communicate with those who actually want to know. Therefore we ask those wishing to be kept informed to supply us with name, email address (if you have one) or home address.

Please send an email to stleonardth@gmail.com or post to the Vicarage, Church Road, Turners Hill, RH10 4PB indicating your desire to be kept informed.

At Vestry Meetings the Churchwardens are chosen by anyone in the Parish. At Annual Parochial Church Meetings an account of the year past is given and members on the Church Electoral Roll can choose Deanery Synod Representatives and Parochial Church Council members.

At the moment we are aiming for these to happen on Sunday October 25 - BUT!!!

Almighty God, you search us and know us: may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

TURNERS HILL PARISH COUNCIL THE ARK, MOUNT LANE, TURNERS HILL, WEST SUSSEX, RH10 4RA

TEL: 01342 712226 E-mail: office@turnershillparishcouncil.gov.uk Web: www.turnershillparishcouncil.gov.uk

The Parish Council Office is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 09.00 and 12.30, but a message can be left at any time or an e-mail sent to the above e-mail address.

During the current pandemic, Council meetings are still being held on the first Tuesday of each month starting at 19.30, with 15 minutes for public participation but they are being held on-line. You are very welcome to join us for part or all of any meeting, please e-mail the Clerk with your question on any item on the agenda and she will let you have the password and log in. The agenda will not be displayed in advance on the village notice board but will be on the Council website (details above). Our next meeting is on September 1.

- Chris Marsh, Clerk To The Council PARISH COUNCIL OFFICE Leanne (Responsible Financial Officer) and I will be returning to the office at The Ark on Tuesday September 1. You can continue to contact us via the telephone or e-mail, but if you want to come in for any reason, an appointment will need to be made, because doors to The Ark must be kept locked at all times.

You will not be able to just pop in during the pandemic.

NEW POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICER (PCSO) - AND DRUG PROBLEM I met Turners Hill’s new PCSO Sophie Norman recently. She will be covering Copthorne, Crawley Down and Turners Hill until another PCSO is recruited and then one will cover Copthorne and the other, Crawley Down and Turners Hill. We met specifically to discuss the ongoing problem with drug-taking/dealing in the recreation ground, the Free Church car park and Village Green bus shelter. If you notice drug-taking going on, please keep a record of the time and location, then call 999 or 101.

MSDC SITE ALLOCATIONS DEVELOPMEN PLAN CONSULTATION Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) has published the Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) for consultation from August 3, closing midnight on September 28, 2020.

The Site Allocations DPD forms part of the Mid Sussex District Plan 2014-2031, which was adopted in March 2018. Its preparation is in response to the requirement by the Planning Inspector to meet the residual housing and employment needs up to 2031.

The Site Allocations DPD proposes a number of new housing and employment sites for allocation in order to meet this need. It also includes an allocation for a Science and Technology Park to the west of Burgess Hill, and a number of other strategic planning policies considered necessary for delivering sustainable development.

MSDC is seeking views on whether the Plan is legally compliant and meets the test of ‘soundness’ set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). These are the broad areas that the Inspector will focus on in examining the Plan.

Comments will be considered by an independent planning inspector alongside the submitted Site Allocations DPD at a future Public Examination before deciding whether the Plan can be adopted by the Council.

MSDC will summarise the main issues from the consultation for the Inspector. The Inspector will also receive copies of representations submitted.

All of the consultation documents, Community Involvement Plan, Statement of Representations Procedure, and further information can be viewed online at: www.midsussex.gov.uk/SitesDPD and a link will also be on the Parish Council’s website.

Comments can be submitted: Online: Online Form at www.midsussex.gov.uk/SitesDPD Post to: Planning Policy, Mid Sussex District Council, Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1SS E-mail to: LDFconsultation@midsussex.gov.uk Responses must be received by midnight on September 28, 2020.

HARTMIRES INVESTMENTS PLANNING APPLICATION Hartmires Investments Limited has submitted another application on the land north of Turners Hill Road, Turners Hill (the former Tulleys strawberry field). Application number is DM/20/2877 and the proposal is: Outline application for single chapel crematorium with a single abated cremator and natural burial site with associated access, car parking, landscaping and drainage. All matters reserved apart from access.

If you wish to comment on this planning application, please go to the MSDC website at https://pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications// The Parish Council will be discussing this application at its meeting being held virtually at 19.30 on September 1.

NO WASTE FREIGHTER The Waste Freighter is still not able to visit The Ark or The Park during the current pandemic due to social distancing measures.

BONFIRES Please consider your neighbours and refrain from having bonfires during the current pandemic. We have been advised that those who have had the virus struggle with breathing if a bonfire is lit nearby. It can take days for them to recover from the effects.

HEDGE CUTTING The ideal time of year to trim hedges is during the autumn and winter months, which allows nesting birds and their young to remain undisturbed during the spring and early summer.

STREET LIGHTS Please continue to report any problems to the Clerk giving the exact location of the street light, for example: ‘opposite Tarana’s, Selsfield Road.’

DIAL 105 TO REPORT POWER CUTS Should you experience a power cut please call 105 for UK Power Networks, the company which maintains electricity cables in our area. If you need extra support during a power cut they recommend that you add your details to their Priority Services Register. This does not mean you will get power back any quicker, but they can offer additional support and help. Call them free on 0800 316 3105 or sign up on-line at www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.

PENSIONABLE AGE BUS PASSES / SENIOR RAILCARD REMINDER Contact the Parish Clerk regarding issue and renewal of reduced-rate Senior Railcards and Bus Passes. Full advice and guidance will be provided on current procedures. Call or e-mail as shown above.

________________________________________________________________________________

The Ark IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES SOME VERY SMALL EVENTS CAN TAKE PLACE AT THE ARK. PLEASE CHECK OUR COVID RISK ASSESSMENT AND SUPPLMENTAL CONDITIONS OF HIRE WHICH ARE ON THE WEBSITE. PLEASE CONTACT US WITH YOUR ENQUIRY Other independent services may continue, but clients are advised to check in advance: Osteopath treatments - call Jo Barber on 01342 712266 Comfort Foot Care Clinics – call Victoria Vaughn on 07593 630863 Outreach Post Office service in The Deck Room (each Tuesday and Friday 10.00–12.00) _________________________________________________________________________________

VILLAGE NEWS CHANGE AT THE TOP FOR ARTS SOCIETY This month sees change at the top forArts Society Turners Hill with long-standing Chairman, Nigel Emery, standing down to be succeeded by Lesley Croucher. She will, of course, be widely remembered as ‘Dr. Croucher’ who cared for many village residents as a well-respected GP at Crawley Down Health Centre, before retiring six years ago. Lesley was formally elected Chairman at the Society’s recent AGM which took place via email. In turn, Nigel has agreed to take on the mantle of Honorary President in succession to Binnie Manger.

ARTS SOCIETY TURNERS HILL

Lesley Croucher, Chairman

Although Covid 19 has stopped our talks at The Ark we have not been idle. We will be back as soon as we can, but meanwhile have educated ourselves on Zoom and plan to present a full programme of illustrated talks - initially on Zoom - from September.

Our first will be by Prof. Anne Anderson on September 22, entitled: ‘California Dreaming: Impressionists and Post-Impressionists at the Norton Simon Museum,’ based in the ‘Art Deco’ area of Pasadena Los Angeles. Works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas, are displayed alongside the vibrant palettes of Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin. Complementing these works are Auguste Rodin's monumental bronze sculptures, displayed in the museum's front garden.

Outstanding paintings by Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard lead to the doorstep of 20th-century Modernism: seminal works by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Henri Matisse will complete our tour.

Last month we enjoyed a “virtual visit” to ‘Theatreland’with London Blue Badge Guide Pepe Martinez who ‘walked’ us through the dramatic capital on Zoom. It was a treat for those missing the theatre, walking and London.

If you want to join us do contact me via lccroucher@btinternet.com or look at https://theartssociety.org/turners-hill for more details and information. ******

NIGEL’S PRESENTATION Nigel Emery has stepped down as our long-standing Chairman, but has agreed to become our new Honorary President.

Abiding by Covid 19 rules, a small presentation was made by me on behalf of the Society in the beautiful garden of our treasurer Steve Mente.

•Lesley and Nigel at the garden presentation.

______________________________

SUPER SHOBHANA WINS COUNCIL THANKS Determined dedication to keep the village fed, watered and well-served through lockdown difficulties has won Central Stores proprietor Shobhana Keshavji formal thanks from our Parish Council In an official letter sent early last month, Clerk to the Council Mrs Chris Marsh wrote:

“Dear Shobhana, “I am writing to you on behalf of the Parish Council to thank you for keeping your store open, supplying and delivering food where necessary and for your support to local residents during the curent pandemic.

Central Stores has been a life saver to many and this has not gone unnoticed.”

The Council’s thanks will be fully endorsed by many in the village and surrounding areas.

As one resident said: “Led by Shobhana, the Central Stores team of Ashok, Caroline and lockdown delivery volunteers has worked tirelessly for us during these difficult times.”

SEA SUNDAY SUCCESS

John Roberts

Happily churches and pubs re-opened (sort of) as lock-down eased just in time for Sea Sunday. This year it was still quiet around the village when the annual collection for the Mission to Seafarers was held.

People trickled back, masked and socially distanced to St Leonard’s and haltingly at first to the Red Lion, but The Crown was still closed.

Under the strange circumstances a total of £178 finding its way into the Mission collecting tins was an excellent result.

Indeed it was even £1.18 up on last year!

In a thank-you to the village Johnny Dowling, Community & Ports Fund Raising Manager at the Mission, said: “ It is right to celebrate seafarers who continue to work in harsh conditions to keep shelves stocked.

Even with restrictions our chaplains are still there to be a welcoming face and a lifeline to those we rely on so much. On behalf of all seafarers we serve I thank you most sincerely for your ongoing support for our work.”

FIGHTING FIRES, BLOOD SPILL - AND A LOCKED LOO

Watch Manager Lee Aggett

Turners Hill Fire & Rescue crews have been extremely busy since our last report for July/August, attending more than 55 calls. They ranged from an incident involving two youths, with their fingers stuck in the handle bars of their bike, to a serious house fire in the Broadfield area of Crawley which took four fire engines and crews wearing breathing apparatus to bring under control.

One drunken night for a male ended up with him in hospital after cutting an artery on a window in East Grinstead town centre. To ensure there was no threat of contaminated blood to the general public crews were sent to wash down the area.

A long night was spent at Crawley Household Waste & Recycling site when a fire started in the tip during early evening. Eight fire engines were despatched to bring the blaze under control.

Weather-related incidents were partly responsible for the increase in calls this month.

We have attended several grass fires and spent approximately 20 hours tackling large wild fires on Ashdown Forest.

With the major incident declared in Surrey due to the Chobhan Common wild fire, Turners Hill crews were sent to Godstone Fire Station to maintain fire cover in the area. While there we attended two cars on fire, along with a large hedge also ablaze.

Closer to home, crews had to release a slightly embarrassed occupier, when the lock on a bathroom door broke with the person trapped inside.

TOLLEYMEN STILL PLAN SUMMER MARBLES TOURNAMENT Our stalwart Tolleymen marbles team still aims to hold a summer tournament this month on the rings behind the Red Lion, but skipper Will Aitchison is having trouble nailing down a date with visiting teams.

He said: “Some players are still worried about Covid, but we are having another ring-round to get those who are not to agree a date.”

At least marbles can go ahead easily outdoors with out having to worry about social distancing so anybody who wants to have a go should keep an eye open for further news via a notice at the Lion and roll up.

LIFE-SAVING MEMORIAL TO NICK & MATT BAILEY New defibrillator equipment at the Red Lion is to be dedicated to the memory of a father and son, both of whom were killed in separate road traffic accidents close to the village.

They are Nicholas ‘Nick’ Bailey and Matthew ‘Matt’ Bailey who lived in Cuttinglye Road and were very well known in Turners Hill where they had many close friends.

Matt lost his life in 2006 when his motorbike was hit by a vehicle on the B2028 between the village and Ardingly. In tragic irony, Nick was killed in a similar incident at the Wallage Lane junction on the same road on June 25 this year.

The defibrillator has been funded by regulars and visitors to the Red Lion in a Christmas Hamper raffle devised by landlord Graham Martyn. With defibrillators already at The Ark and school, he believed this vital kit should also be available for the north side of the village.

With the approval of Harveys Brewery and support of our Parish Council the equipment was ordered and due to be in place earlier, but work was delayed by lockdown.

It is now expected to be installed alongside a special memorial plaque this month.

“Against the background of a dreadful father-and-son tragedy, it is appropriate that Nick and Matt should be honoured with a life-saving memorial at a place in the village they both loved,” said Graham.

• Since his death in 2006, family and friends have organised the annual Matt Bailey Memorial Darts Match at the Red Lion to raise funds for charity in Matt’s name.

AUDREY SETS THE TREND AT TURNERS HILL PARK Never mind the trendy lockdown fashions endlessly featured in the glossy magazines, we’ve got our own special covid couture model here in the village..

She is 90-year-old Audrey Kemp from Turners Hill Park pictured here in stylish matching skirt and mask, made especially for her by daughter Lynne Brough.

Lynne explained: “My mother was an avid needle woman in her younger days making all our clothes when we were children - and with the left-over pieces of material she would make matching outfits for our dolls.

“When she no longer made our clothes she turned her needlecraft skills to many things including tapestry. Unfortunately she now has macular degeneration and any needlework falls on me, so when she asked me to take up a skirt for her, and I was left with some material the obvious thing was to make a mask. Like mother, like daughter!”

Audrey and husband Les moved to the Park early last year from the New Forest to be closer to Lynne and her sister Dawn.

“Audrey and Les love living on The Park,” added Lynne. “It suits them so well and they have found everyone so friendly and helpful, they settled in very quickly. They just wish now they'd moved a bit earlier.”

•Left: Audrey on the catwalk at home. Pity we can’t show the vivid blue patterns, but you’ll get the picture.

____________________ ACTION FRAUD WARNS AGAINST PAYPAL SCAMS More than 1,000 reports in 24 hours about fake emails purporting to be from PayPal have recently been received by Action Fraud, the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. Emails state that recipients’ accounts have been ‘limited’ as a result of policy violation. Links in the emails lead to genuinelooking ‘phishing’ web sites designed to steal PayPal login details, as well as personal and financial information.

With more people now purchasing on-line due to lockdown, its is important to be vigilant against scams.

Anyone receiving a suspicious email should forward it to the Susipicious Email Report Service via report@phishing.co.uk.

Check for further information on this and other scams at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk

OBITUARY Tom Shea – ‘Great supporter of the village’ Well-known popular resident for more than five decades Tom Shea was, with his wife Tina, deeply involved in the community they both loved. He led and took active part in many worthwhile village activities over the years. At the same time, Tom supported Tina’s longstanding commitment to the Turners Hill Brownies group and her other voluntary duties at St Leonard’s. Tom was especially proud of their two daughters brought up in the village and their subsequent grandchildren. Here, daughter Carolynn pays tribute…..

I

t is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Thomas Grant Shea.

Tom sadly passed away unexpectedly on Sunday August 2 in East Surrey Hospital after a short stay for treatment of a leg ulcer. He will be greatly missed by his wife Tina, his two daughters Carolynn and Nikki, his sons-in-law Nigel and Phil, his four grandchildren, Eleanor, Joshua, Oliver and Nathan, his many lifelong friends and all who knew him.

Tom and Tina have lived in Willow Ridge, Turners Hill for 51 years, since 1969, and he loved the village and surrounding area. He was a great supporter of the village, especially in the 70’s and 80’s when Carolynn and Nikki attended Turners Hill School. Immersing himself in village life Tom helped run the Turners Hill Youth Club and organise the village pram races as well as supporting many other events and village projects throughout the years.

An incredibly kind, generous, and sociable person, Tom would always be on hand to help anyone, and in recent years could often be found chatting to neighbours and visitors to Willow Ridge.

•Tom admires a vintage motor on holiday in Madeira Tom was passionate about motorbikes and was an active member of a local trials club, Reigate, Redhill, and North Downs Motorcycle Club. He passed this passion through his youngest daughter, Nikki, to Nigel, Josh and Oli who continue to participate and organise motorbike trials locally and around the country. He also liked to ride road bikes and could be found on many a Tuesday night socialising with like-minded bike enthusiasts at The Crown.

Tom and Tina have enjoyed caravanning for many, many years and had some wonderful holidays and weekends away all around the UK and Europe with their many beloved dogs, but also with family and friends.

- Carolynn Jones

Thomas Grant Shea was born on June 20, 1945. He died on August 2, 2020, after a short illness. His funeral took place on August 26, 2020. ____________________

PARK PAGE Turners Hill Park Residents Association

By SHEILA CALDWELL THANKS TO PARK TEAM The Park Office re-opened in mid-June and we thank the team for working during the recent 'lockdown’. The office was available to residents with any queries by telephone and email and the Park has been maintained exceptionally well during this period.

BACK ON THE BUS The 84 bus has resumed service and is visiting the park. Residents without transport are thankful now that we are able to visit the shops and cafes again.

GRATEFUL TO PARK STORES We continue to be particularly grateful to Gordon and Olly. They have kept our shop open and supplied residents during these strange times, especially those who were shielding or who could not get to the shop, for whom supplies were delivered.

CLUB OPENED FOR DRINKS ‘AL FRESCO’ I believe that the club opened ‘low key’ several weeks ago, mainly so that members could have a drink in the garden area.

MORE FEATHERED FRIENDS ARRIVE It appears that our bird population has grown over the last months. Our feeders are emptied daily by the small birds who visit our gardens. Several species are arriving which have not been seen before.

WORK GOES ON There’s been a convoy of men with white vans on the Park carrying out work on residents' homes and gardens. Practically every home is having some sort of renovation done and very smart they look too.

NEW RESIDENTS WELCOMED We have new residents and we welcome them to Turners Hill Park with our 'Welcome Packs' giving them information about the village and local organisations and we wish them well and hope they enjoy living here.

THANKS FOR KEEPING US UP-TO-DATE We would also like to thank, not only the Parish News team for continuing to publish the news and keeping us all up-to-date with information about the village, but also the Delivery Team, especially those on the Park. A big thank you goes to you all.

So far we have been very lucky indeed. We’ve been Covid Free which is really good news, especially when considering some of the more vulnerable who live here.

Long may it last. ______________________________

A Sussex Notebook

by Michael Horan

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

I

t was just taken for granted. Every year, one morning in April, there it would be: the clear, unmistakable call of the cuckoo. Spring had returned. At about the same time, the swallows and house martins came back from Africa, picking up where they left off last year; and swifts would streak screaming overhead. As spring turned into summer and the days grew warmer, turtle doves purred dreamily in the oaks by the ripening wheat fields.

Sadly, these once-familiar regular visitors are seldom heard or seen these days, and spring has just not been the same without them. But there is another side to the coin.

Three exciting birds which were long absent from our Sussex skies and which I could not have dreamt of seeing here as a young birdwatcher 70 years ago, have been returning in recent times, becoming local residents – the buzzard, red kite, and raven.

Of the three birds, the one most often seen is the buzzard. On any day of the week, one or a pair will be seen circling somewhere in our skies. A mewing call signals the bird’s presence. Although about the size of a rook, the buzzard appears very much bigger, with the huge spread of its broad wings and their upturned ‘fingers’ stretching to four feet or more.

The bird’s extraordinary eyesight enables it to search the ground from a great height as it circles on rising air currents, watching for small mammals on which it feeds. In contrast with its effortless and graceful soaring, the buzzard’s level flight appears clumsy, with shallow wing beats followed by a glide. Sometimes one can be seen flapping laboriously, being given a hard time by more agile jackdaws, but once the buzzard finds a thermal it rises easily out of range of its tormentors.

Virtually extinct The red kite was virtually extinct in Britain for centuries, apart from a handful surviving in mid-Wales, but in recent years it has been reintroduced successfully. There are now 2,000 breeding pairs in the country; and the kite’s range has extended into Sussex. While not as common as the buzzard, the kite will be spotted frequently hereabouts. Rather larger than the buzzard, the kite is readily identifiable by its long, forked tail, which it tilts from side to side as it glides buoyantly on long, angled wings, searching the ground for the carrion on

which it feeds.

If you have walked along Cornish cliffs, you have doubtless seen pairs of ravens showing off their aerobatic skills, tumbling together in the sky above the sea. In recent times, ravens have been extending their range eastwards and can now be counted among the birds of Sussex. They have made themselves at home on Ashdown Forest and appear from time to time over our local fields. The largest of our crows by far, the raven is bigger than both buzzard and red kite. Its jet black bulk and broad wings make it appear larger still.

Distinguishable from other crows by its great size, the raven can also be identified by its distinctive wedge-shaped tail and a loud, deep ‘Kronk!’ It feeds on carrion, small mammals, birds and eggs.

An even more exotic returner to Sussex is the white stork. Storks bred in Britain this year for the first time in literally centuries, nesting at the re-wilding project at Knepp, West Grinstead. Has anyone seen a stork here yet (other than families with new babies?)?

You will not mistake a stork for anything else, with its huge black and white wings, head and neck outstretched, and long legs trailing behind as it flies.

I am not at all sure that the presence of these great birds – buzzards, red kites, ravens, let alone storks – makes up for the absence of the cuckoo. Even so, theirs is a welcome return.

______________________________

JOHN ROBERTS INTERVIEWS……

W

e have never been short of stalwart characters in the village and marvellous Mavis Stanbridge is certainly one. For years now she has been a familiar sight, bag and stick in hand, trudging local roads as Turners Hill’s self-appointed litter picker. She loves the village and can’t stand it being despoiled so off she goes, entirely unpaid, to clear up others’ thoughtless mess.

John Roberts sat her down long enough for a chat…

It is easy to grasp Mavis Standbridge’s love of Turners Hill when you realise that Stanbridges have been active in village life right back to the turn of the last century.

Indeed, her great-grandfather George was blacksmith at what was the old forge on the crossroads corner opposite the school.

Mavis was born to Hilda Stanbridge on March 1, 1941, at Forest Barn Farmhouse, on the edge of the village going towards Crawley Down, behind which a small suite of offices now stand. It was an offbeat entry to the world since her family were living in Rock Cottage at the time!

“My dad Clarence farmed 120 acres of land surrounding Forest Barn and the lady living in the farmhouse invited my mum down there to give me a more comfortable birth.

Then off we went, back to Rock Cottage.”

As a small child Mavis was taught at the village school and recalls: “Just after the war the school was pretty small, just 60 of us. I enjoyed it. I was reckoned to have neat handwriting so I was chosen to write to the Queen on behalf of the school when King George VI died. I had a lovely letter back from Buckingham Palace.”

The village was much smaller then as well.

Mavis says: “I can remember when Medway was built. Before then it was a field belonging to Bowers. They kept a pony out there called Dolly.

“Everybody togged up in fancy dress once a year for the village fete: We had a parade from Ridge House, down the hill and back up again to the Rec. which was behind the Red Lion then.”

In time Mavis moved on to the County Grammar School at East Grinstead, later part of allembracing Imberhorne, then amazingly 17 years after her birth she found herself back at Forest Barn Farm.

“Paddockhurst Estate bought the place and in November 1958 moved our family in.”

Mavis was not entirely grateful: “I reckoned I was better off at Rock Cottage. It wasn’t quite so isolated as Forest Farm.”

Forest Farm was all of 300 yards down the road, but that was isolation to Mavis.

For a small acreage the farm was always busy. They reared 300 turkeys every year for Christmas, grew peas and beans to feed them, had a small dairy herd and in the early years delivered milk around Turners Hill and Crawley Down and Mavis looked after their pigs.

The family served home-made jams, marmalade, honey and eggs to anybody who knocked on the door. Older residents remember fondly stepping into the front room which was given over to selling the goodies.

…...MARVELLOUS MAVIS Sometimes they were served by Mavis’s granddad Percy who had a hook where his righthand should have been following a grisly accident.

First he had broken a hip falling on a concrete manger floor and then later: “He fell off a haystack and sliced his hand with a hay knife. Years later when my dad died my brother Adrian and I were clearing out the farm when I unearthed that hay knife all rusty and blunt. It gave me quite a turn.”

Mavis remembers making “tons of that jam for mum to sell. And I used to pick the fruit for it from Tulleys as well. Mum enjoyed selling at the door. It kept her sane, what with everything else as she WAS half the village – in the WI, in the stoolball team (it packed up in the mid‘60s) and scoring at the cricket when dad played while I put numbers up on the board.”

Mavis too played stoolball for Turners Hill and was in the Brownies and then the Guides and still remembers her knots, but adds: “I only went to one camp, down at Beaulieu. I had rheumatic fever and it rained every day.”

After school and as a farmer’s daughter Mavis was accepted straight onto a year’s residential course at Plumpton Agricultural College, but instead of a life on the farm she said: “ I fancied the fire brigade” and not just our local station either. Mavis joined Surrey Fire Service working in the control room answering emergency calls.

“It was a lot of responsibility with just one control room for the whole county. There were five of us on each watch of nine hours in the day or 15 hours night duty.

“One night there was a massive fire at a big institution. I was told ‘Send ten pumps,’ then it was 15.

As I scrabbled around trying to find more crews and engines the call came – ‘ make that 20.’ I was phoning other counties and running out of places to ask when they said – ‘we need 25!’ I don’t know how, but we did manage it.”

Her father died in 1987; and her mother 18 months later. Mavis and her brother Adrian, who carved out his own Turners Hill niche with his firm Stanbridge Coaches, had to clear out the farm.

“We both had our own full-time jobs, but apart from having to clear the farm we still had 50 head of beef cattle left. Adrian was up at 6am every day before work to feed them and with my shift work I was run off my legs.”

•Mavis on litter-pick patrol in East Street And after all that, sighed Mavis, the farmhouse stood empty for six years: “Every year I went down there and picked all the fruit rather than leave it to rot.”

Three years later came an incident which indirectly led to Mavis’s renowned litter clearing: “I got run over crossing the road on a visit to London on October 1, 1990. I was taken to the Royal Free Hospital, four floors up. I could see Hampstead Heath from there. I came home four months later.”

Continued on next page……

John Roberts Interviews continued……

It put paid to her Fire Service job after 26 years. She moved to a house at Selsfield with a third-acre garden and says: “It was my salvation as I had to use it learning to walk again.”

After 15 years she found a flat back in the village “on ground level behind the hairdressers.”

All was well for ten years, but “I had a stroke there.”

Mavis reluctantly decided she need a flat with no garden and found one at Crawley Down.

She reckons: “I’d prefer to be in Turners Hill, but I had to be sensible.”

Now happily she has a place with a small garden she can enjoy on Vicarage Road.

And happily for us, as Mavis learned to walk again after her London accident, she came up with a plan.

Litter-picking day “It all started with a village litter-picking day organised by Frank Kelley when he lived here.

It was to be on a Saturday, but I saw it was going to rain that day, so I did mine early and went out on the Thursday along Selsfield Road, filled two sacks full and took them to Frank on the Saturday.

“Well, of course it was raining and nobody bothered littler picking. I reckoned no other roads would be done so I thought, right, I’ll do them. I did all four roads from the cross-roads to the village boundary.

“Then over time I just kept doing it. Later I collected all the metal cans separately and sold them down the scrappy at Rowfant to raise a bit of money for the school. The first time I went with Charlie Norman because I was scared to go my own, but after that they were used to me there and I was OK.” Now Mavis is at Crawley Down she still makes clean-up forays to Turners Hill – and don’t we still need them – but she has widened her remit. She tackles Crawley Down roads with jaunts along the Worth Way to Rowfant and explains: “I walk two hours a day so I might as well do something useful.”

However, Crawley Down folk must not imagine they can claim Mavis as one of theirs.

She insists: “I’ll always be a Turners Hill girl!”

______________________________

WORTH ABBEY The Abbey Church Is Open for Public Mass The Abbey Church is now open for some celebrations of the Eucharist. These will take place each week on Saturday at 17.00, Sunday at 09.30 and Tuesday at 10.00. (To protect the health of vulnerable monks, the monastic mass will be celebrated later.)

Notwithstanding the significance of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, you might like to attend Mass on Tuesday instead. (There is still no Sunday obligation). You will, in this way, be serving others who can only attend on Sunday.

See website www.worthabbeyparish.co.uk for further information.

Contact points: Parish Priest – Fr Paul Fleetwood 07764 260216 Parish Secretary - parish@worth.org.uk

TURNERS HILL FREE CHURCH THE ‘BLAME GAME’ by Giancarlo Elia Light to the Nations Ministry*

T

he oldest game ever played is called “blame game.” In the first recorded report of the game, there were four players, two with similar aims and two with aims opposite to each other, seemingly unrelated to the aims of the first two players.

Player number three made the first move by initiating the game with player number two. As we will see, he started with an irreversible disadvantage and he was doomed to lose.

However, his aim in the game was different from those of the first two players in that his move was designed to capture them in the same snare in which he was already entrapped. The first two players were trying to win by passing to somebody else the blame for the first move, initiated by player number three. The first player actually played brilliantly, because in one single move he managed to pass on the blame not only to player number two but also to player number four, by blaming player number four for having paired him, player number one, with player number two.

Player number two could not reverse the move, by passing back the blame to player number one, nor could she pass it to player number four because she was not in a previous relationship, antecedent to the relationship that player number one skilfully used to pass the blame to player number four. Therefore she had only one choice and she passed the blame to player number three, who had made the first move towards her. Player number three was already in a losing situation, because he had fallen into a trap of his own doing, from which he had no possibility of escaping. Since he was the sole originator of his losing situation, he could not pass the blame to anyone else and missed his move by keeping silent.

Player number four had the upper hand because, at the first passage of blame, player number one inevitably forced player number two to disclose the first move made by player number three. In doing so, the blame could not be passed any further because player number three was already in a losing situation. However, the only possible outcome of the game was for player number four to pay the highest stake in order to close the circle and take players number one and number two out of the snare prepared by player number three. The only way to do so was for Player Number Four to take the same place in which players numbers one and two fell, so that they could get out of the snare. In doing so, paradoxically he was the one who had to take on himself the entire disastrous consequences of the first move by player number three, Isaiah 53:5, but gloriously He won the game, Isaiah 53:12, by voiding the aims of that move, regardless of the foolish attempts by players number one and two to pass the blame to each other. The full recount of the game is given in Genesis 3:1-19: read it and enjoy it. *An itinerant ministry serving the entire body of Christ. For information, contact giancarlo@lttnm.org

********************** THE CHURCH REMAINS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, BUT IS MEETING ONLINE AND WELCOMES ALL VISITORS. VISIT WEBSITE http://thfchurch.org/ WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS RE-ESTABLISHING SERVICES WHEN ABLE TO MEET ALL GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES FOR SAFE RE-OPENING. AN UP-DATE WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE NEXT EDITION.

______________________________

NHS SEEK ANSWERS TO HOW WE FARED IN COVID-19 LOCKDOWN CRISIS In a Sussex-wide initiative, three key NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups have launched a joint public consultation on pros and cons of health care during the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown constraints. Working together as Sussex Health Commissioners, the groups have titled their consultation ‘The Big Health Care (Socially Distancing) Conversation’ and are seeking wideranging public feedback. Public Involvement Officer Vicky Smart explains… .

THE BIG HEALTH CARE (SOCIALLY DISTANCING) CONVERSATION Patients and the public are at the heart of what we do. We strongly believe that involving the public in planning NHS and social care services is key to ensuring that they meet the needs of the population that we serve, which is why we are holding the Big Health and Care (socially distancing) Conversation across Sussex.

We are calling to the public and local community groups to help play a key role in helping us understand people’s experiences of care during the Covid-19 crisis. We are focussing on a number of key areas, in partnership with Healthwatch, where we know services and how they are accessed and delivered have changed during Covid, and we would like to ask for your help in gathering feedback. One key area has been mental health and wellbeing. Some of us went for long walks, some filled our diaries with virtual quiz nights and many perfected our banana bread recipe! How did you look after your mental wellbeing during lockdown? Feedback will contribute to wider engagement on these topics, with clear recommendations. This will be fed into the relevant Recovery work streams.

How can you get involved?

We want to make sure we understand what it has been like for people if they have needed to use health and care services during Covid across Sussex – what has worked well, and what could have been better?

If you didn’t access services when you thought you needed to, why not? What changes should we maintain, and what needs to go back to normal. This is your chance to tell us your experiences, ask questions and share your ideas as we move towards restoring services.

To feed in your views and experiences, you can: •Visit the website https://yoursaysussexhealthandcare.uk.engagementhq.com and share your experience, ask questions, and more.

•Invite the Public Involvement Team via email vickysmart1@nhs.net to your (virtual) group meeting for us to hold a discussion with your members to gather their feed back.

•Call the team on 01903 708411 or write to us: FREEPOST RTUZ-ECYG-ERRK Attn: Public Involvement Team, NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Brighton, BN3 4AH We would love to hear from you, and please let us know if we would be able to come along and visit your group or meeting, to hold discussions with you and provide feedback to help inform the restoration and recovery of services.

Please contact the West Sussex Public Involvement Team through Vicky Smart (vickysmart1@nhs.net) to discuss further. My working hours are 07.30 – 15.30 (Mon – Fri) Vicky Smart, Public Involvement Officer Working together as Sussex NHS Commissioners NHS Brighton & Hove CCG | NHS East Sussex CCG | NHS West Sussex CCG

______________________________

RAY FOSTER Garden & Forest Machinery Sales and Service  Quality Garden & Forest Machinery at Competitive Prices  Garden Tools  Safety Clothing and Boots  Oils and Sundries`  Apache Quad Bikes  Berg Karts (Pedal)  Bocarts (Petrol)  Repairs Please visit us at: Burleigh Quarry, East Street, Turners Hill 01342 714774

Aching joints or muscles?

Osteopath Jo Barber may be able to help you.

Jo helps people of all ages with a wide range of ailments to reduce pain, increase mobility and get a better night’s sleep.

AXA PPP and BUPA recognised.

Tel 01342 712266 The Ark, Mount Lane, Turners Hill, RH10 4RA

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Turners Hill Parish News, which reaches more than 900 homes, please contact: Martyn Mason at martynmmason@aol.com

Linage Advert

Milborrow & Son Chimney Sweeps. Stove Installs, Liners, Blockages and Problems Solved. 01342 717900. Email flueologist@btinternet.com wwwmilborrowchimmeysweeps.co.uk

Dorte Hass IRONING 4 U Ironing, Laundry, Dry Cleaning & Alterations We also clean your Duvets, Bedspreads, Pillows & other Household items Service washes and wash & finish available We sell Luxury Clothes Rails, Suit Covers, Dress Covers, Lint-removers & refills, Clothes Brushes Photocopying and Fax Service Also available

OPENING HOURS Tuesday 7.30am - 6pm, Wednesday,Thursday & Friday Friday 9am – 5pm Closed for Lunch 1pm -2pm Closed Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays & Bank Holidays

Parmeria Place, Lion Lane, Turners Hill TEL/FAX01342 717788

The Red Lion

Lion Lane, Turners Hill RH10 4NU 01342 715416 Graham and Lorna welcome you to the Red Lion

www.redlionturnershill.com Free WI FI

Harvey’s Ales, Home Cooked Food served Six Days a Week Lunches Only Kitchen Closed Thursdays (Pub open as normal)

If you would like to place an advertisement in the Turners Hill Parish News, which reaches more than 900 homes, please contact: Martyn Mason at martynmmason@aol.com

PARISH NEWS NEXT EDITION Copy deadline for the OCTOBER Parish News edition will be MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21 Editorial contributions, including letters for publication, should be sent to: editor.parishnews@thparish.co.uk Advertising enquiries should go to: advertising.parishnews@thparish.co.uk Post: Turners Hill Parish News, The Vicarage, St Leonard’s Church, Turners Hill RH10 4PB PARISH NEWS ONLINE: The Parish News is also available on line.

Go to www.thparish.co.uk and click on ‘Parish News’ at ‘QUICK LINKS.’ ______________________ CLUBS & ORGANISATIONS Under continuing circumstances of curtailed social activities and gatherings, the listing of Village Clubs & Organisations remains omitted from current editions.

For information/advice about likely future arrangements, please contact organisers. ______________________________

AND FINALLY……

A POEM A DAY TO KEEP THE VIRUS AWAY BY ‘FRYING PAN ANN’

W

e’ve all been in awe of the now-legendary Captain Tom, but let’s salute Turners Hill’s own NHS fund-raising, virus-beating champion. She is Ann Marks – better known to her many followers as ‘Frying Pan Ann’ – who, every day for four months, has been pounding out

poems to bring in donations.

Having enjoyed penning poetry for years, Ann launched her ‘Poem A Day To Keep The Virus Away’ fund-raising campaign reciting daily verses over Facebook back in April. She set her target at £2,000.

As Ann’s fame spread, she was picked up by BBC Radio Sussex and invited to appear several times on the Sunday afternoon Sylvie Blackmore Show.

Ann, 81, who lives at Turners Hill Park, was initially inspired by the good Captain, but prompted into poetic action by family members working in the NHS. Her eldest grand-daughter is a Junior Registrar in Oncology and Haematology married to a Doctor; and her younger one is a Junior Doctor.

“They have made me very much more aware of their traumatic days and exceptionally long hours they have to cope with, like so many others connected with our NHS,” she said.

Ann’s four-month poetic endeavour finished at the beginning of last month. During that time, she penned and video-presented a total of 47 poems.

Ann commented: “I mentioned to my son that I would like to video myself reading these poems and he said I would need to be on Facebook which petrified me as I’m a technophobe. However, I managed and now have a Facebook page under ‘Ann Marks’ with a link to JustGiving.” She has also been active on the Turners Hill Village Facebook site.

As this edition was going to press, Ann was just £45 short of reaching her £2,000 target.

Any donations, she advised, could be made via her Facebook page or directly through JustGiving.

Ann is pictured alongside the very first of her 47 poems which introduces her nickname….

Hello - My name is Ann, And I’ve got a face like a frying pan At least that’s what I’m told Now that I’m 81 years old!

I thought ~ three weeks have now gone by And I’m still alive and I don’t want to die.

I’ve made 100 phone calls up to now Some people probably thought ~ Oh. it’s that cow!

What does she want?

Well ~ I’ll tell you what I want.......

MONEY, MONEY,MONEY for the NHS Because.....MONEY, MONEY, MONEY is their SOS. So, everyday now I shall write a poem A Poem A Day To Keep The Virus Away If you haven’t got a penny, a halfpenny will do And if you haven’t got a halfpenny a pound will do A poem for all of you And hopefully you will enjoy them too....

****************************** __________________________________________________________________________

SEE INSIDE BACK PAGE FOR OCTOBER EDITION DETAILS