fulking.net - This is the community website for the people of Fulking, West Sussex

Bobservation No. 106: Anne Hind RIP

Anne Hind
Sadly there is another village death to report, adding to the other villagers who have passed away during the last twelve months. Anne Hind, such an attractive and charming lady, was taken by emergency to hospital but it was not possible to save her. She was of no great age and the shock to her husband Mark must have been quite horrific. I am sure everyone one who knew her was greatly saddened by her passing.

Fulking Fair
The annual fair on Sunday 16 July from midday till 5pm is being driven along by the Chair of the Social Committee, Sally Brownie, and given decent weather will be a tremendous local attraction. Centre stage will be RSPCA fun dog show and support will come from some interesting live music with Henfield Ukulele band, the Steel tribe band, Tenderhooks and The Pycombe PV choir, many entertaining stalls selling teas and homemade cakes, plants, flowers, jewellery, canine treats accessories and training, many children’s games and interests, Tug of War, a large array of food stalls including the Shepherd & Dog bar and BBQ, Indian Home cooking, crepes, pizzas, hot dogs, Ice cream, Fudge, pies, bakeries. In addition to all this a mammoth bottle Tombola. The new location at Long Clays on the Edburton road with adjacent parking will save visitors the walk from one end of the village to the fairground. There will be demonstrations and displays by Sustainable Henfield 2030, Henfield Spinners & weavers, Tottington Woodlanders, HART, hedgelaying, Woodland Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust and more.

Bobservation No. 105: Fulking Fair 2023

Fulking Fair
This year’s fair will, as usual, be centred on the RSPCA fun dog show. In addition there will be childrens games, tattoo face painting, a competition, races and Tug of War. Food will include Crepes, Fudge, BBQ, Hot dogs, Pies, Bakeries, Pizzas, Ice Cream, Cakes, Biltong, Fresh fruit, Hot caramelized sandwiches, Homemade cakes, Preserves, Indian home cooking. Liquid refreshment by the Shepherd & Dog, teas, coffees, beers & wines, cocktails. Demonstrations by HART, Woodland Trust, hedgelaying, woodworking, Sussex Wildlife Trust, Henfield spinners & weavers. Music by Tenderhooks, Henfield Ukulele band, Pyecombe Choir. Doggie things like pet portraits, dog collars, dog & pet food, dog training. Sales stalls including childrens books, jewellery, leatherwork, bric a brac, caps & hats, ladies clothing, cards & gifts, flowers. Information from Fulking Parish Council, Sustainable Henfield 2030. AND an exceptional TOMBOLA to win great value prizes.

Ok! So I know we are missing a couple of F-16 fighters and a troop of Chieftain tanks but you can’t say we didn’t try!!

All of this takes a number of volunteers to make it work in an acceptable manner. If you have not already done so please contact Sally Brownie to see what you can do to help.

Bobservation No. 104: No Election, No Mow

No Mow May
On Monday 1 May ‘No Mow May’ will commence. This wonderful idea created by ‘Plantlife’ seeks to get us all through the month of May without mowing our grass. Of course, unless you are rewilding 100%, it is allowable to create mowed paths which will enable Robins and Blackbirds to source insects. Otherwise it will free the wildflowers so they can grow wild, provide a feast for pollinators and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground. Now this all sounds very easy but most British gardeners have been brought up with a ‘cricket pitch’ mentality, this encourages large swathes of beautifully geometrically mown green lawn to delight the eye; you must resist this archaic attitude and think of saving the planet from climate change. Beware of marriage destroying arguments! And remember there are no weeds only wildflowers growing in the wrong place!

Parish Council Elections
So it turns out that there is such a lack of interest in standing for election to the Parish Council in Fulking that there was no need to hold an election at all! I believe this means that Fulking continues to have a Parish Council of five unelected members and as vacancies occur villagers will be co-opted by invitation from the currently unelected but co-opted members. I think it is a great disappointment that current villagers are missing the chance to exercise their right to choose who they wish to represent them at the base of the whole democratic process. Of course, ideally, what should happen is that the whole Parish council should have to be re-elected individually at the end of each four year term, but alas such is not the case. I hasten to say this is in no way a criticism of the existing Parish Council.

Bobservation No. 103: Planning Update

Planning Update: Public Facility

I understand that a planning application will be placed on record at Mid Sussex District Council and South Downs National Park for the installation of a public toilet next to the Ruskin water feature. This will accommodate the needs of both men and women. It is suggested that to conjoin with the name of Ruskin in the village that the proposed toilet be given a title chosen by Fulking villagers. Possible titles might be the name of a local celebrity, a villager or even a politician or member of the Royal Family. Perhaps the toilet could be painted blue to remind us of the political party that has been so successful in restoring confidence and wealth to all Fulking villagers. We could doff our headwear as we pass. [1.4.23]

Charmayne Diamond RIP

Charmayne Diamond
Alas! What a rotten year we have just had and now more news of another ex- Fulking villager who has passed away. Charmayne was a most enthusiastic villager and greatly enlivened the annual Call my Bluff wine quizzes. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the Theatre Royal in Brighton with her and Lee on the evening when the Argus award for ‘Best Community event in Sussex’ was awarded to Fulking for the Fair and the three of us went on stage to receive the award. She was so excited. This could only have been achieved with her generosity in running the Dog Show and letting us use her two fields adjacent to her house for the fair. I hope it would not be incorrect to say she was genuinely one of those ‘larger than life’ people who very occasionally cross one’s path. Goodbye Charm!

Bob Rowland

Bobservation No. 99: Friends Departed RIP

Watercolour - view from stile across meadow southwest towards Downs — Watercolour by Nick Bremer- view from stile across meadow at Perching Sands

‘Baz‘ Parmar

My very good friend Baz passed away on the 4 November. He fought a quite horrific type of cancer some years ago and until quite recently had been clear. Regrettably he suffered another bout which eventually proved to be fatal. A quiet, modest, helpful and unassuming man who had been a most successful orthodontist, my respect for him was great. He was part of one those remarkable Asian families who came to Britain as a result of the crisis caused in East Africa by Idi Amin. We should all consider these national advantages before criticising any form of immigration to our shores.

Nick Bremer

So hard to know what to say about the passing away of an old chum. Both Nick and Jill contributed more to the social life of Fulking than anyone in the past 30 years and were my inspiration for getting involved in this wonderful village. Nick was a fine artist who designed and produced the so attractive village pictorial signposts. Even though old age has made it necessary for us to move to Henfield we still have a fine watercolour of the bluebells at Furzefield that we commissioned Nick to create, reminding us of happy days with them in Fulking. Wonderful sense of humour, golf addict, terrible cribbage player, great friend and colleague on the Parish Council. See you next Tuesday you old devil!

Bobservation No. 98: Democracy Quiz

St Andrews Quiz evening
This annual event, with a brilliant quizmaster, always so well organised and with a delightful supper, has been a great pleasure for quite a few years now. Last Friday the Furzefield Four, comprising the recent and current owners of that property, had a disastrous attempt at answering most of the questions but in spite of that had a most enjoyable evening. This really is a fixture on the local village calendar. Long may it reign!

Democracy?
Considering the ghastly mess that this Government has got all of us into, it is worth reflecting that the poorest will suffer the most and the wealthiest the least. I count myself as one of the more fortunate citizens and am enthusiastic to change this imbalance as soon as possible. Our nation has staggered along under a system that is flawed from top to bottom. Because change should start at the top I suggest the following changes should be considered. The Monarchy should be modernised and be subject to same laws as the rest of us. The Parliament buildings containing the Houses of Commons and Lords should be sold off and the proceeds invested in a new and modern parliament in the Midlands, which after all is nearer the centre of England. Members of Parliament should be elected by proportional representation and the House of Lords members should be similarly elected by the voting public. The Prime minister should only be chosen by the electorate and the enfranchisement age reduced to 17 for all elections. All remuneration and expenses for elected representatives should be carefully scrutinized and either reduced to acceptable levels or scrapped. The revaluation of domestic property should be updated as soon as possible for council tax purposes with second properties subject to double that tax. Having moaned about all that, and to be completely apolitical, I do sincerely wish the new Prime Minister the very best of luck. He seems a decent sort of man and I am delighted we have a leader who, for the first time, is a person of colour. He faces a very difficult journey but, so long as he has support from his own party, he may be able to lead us put of this mess.