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Reconfiguration ~ Transfiguration

Pyecombe Church
Work has started on the new loo and kitchen at Pyecombe Church. The Reverend Caroline Currer comments:

The church is the only public meeting place available in the village, and is used for meetings and events such as parish council meetings. We believe the extension and its facilities will encourage the start-up of smaller local, social groups such as coffee mornings and informal meetings. In addition, the toilet facilities will encourage greater links with the many hundreds of charities and groups who organise sponsored walks, bike rides and the challenges along the South Downs Way.

Landfill Communities

A landfill community
The South Downs National Park Authority reports:

The Veolia Environmental Trust have awarded a grant of £40,000 through the Landfill Communities Fund which is helping to improving the chalk grassland near Saddlescombe Farm, Brighton, where rare and threatened butterfly species such as the Small Blue, Chalkhill Blue and the Brown Argus can still be found. The funding means that newly improved chalk grassland on the edge of Waterhall Golf Course will join up with chalk grassland already managed by Brighton and Hove City Council — increasing the area that the butterflies can call home by 50 per cent.

Small but perfectly formed

Small but Perfectly Formed An Introduction to the Small Mammals of Sussex

An Introduction to the Small Mammals of Sussex

Tutor: Laurie Jackson
Venue: Woods Mill
Date: Friday 11th April
Time: 10:00 — 16:00

This course looks at identifying small mammals and their field signs, conservation status, introduction to ecology (distribution, habitat requirements), survey and monitoring.

** Booking and detailed course information sheet **

Highways A23gency

Highways A23gency
Drainage works at Randolph’s Copse:

Work is currently programmed from 10 March until the end of May. The works are located on the A23 between its junctions with Patcham Interchange and the B2117 to the north of Brighton.

Lighting relocation, Hickstead–Bolney–Pease Pottage

The work will all be carried out overnight and involve carriageway and lane closures. It is expected to be completed on the morning of Thursday 17 April.

These works are additional to the “major improvements” to the A23 that local readers will already be very familiar with.

Two ways for you to help our village

Saturday 15 March, meet at 10:15am at the North Town Field

ntf_tidySpring is almost upon us so please come along to the North Town Field next Saturday to help us get it ready for the long warm days to come. Bring gardening tools please.

John Hazard
[on behalf of the North Town Field Trust]

Collecting verge litter

Sunday 30 March, meet at 10:30am

Please get involved in keeping the village tidy and free of rubbish.

There are four meeting points:

  • Party 1 starts at the corner of Clappers/Holmbush lanes and moves South;
  • Party 2 starts at the corner of The Street/Clappers Lane and moves North;
  • Party 3 meets at the Ram House by the Shepherd and Dog and moves up The Street;
  • Party 4 meets at The Deans in Poynings Road and moves towards The Street.

Take care of traffic, wear bright colours and please bring suitable gloves and bin liners to collect the rubbish. Dispose of collected rubbish in your wheelie bins. If this time is not convenient choose your own time and do your bit. Perhaps ending up at the Shepherd & Dog for a well earned pint!

Any queries give me a call on 271.

Bob Rowland
[on behalf of Fulking Social Committee]

A283 delays for twenty weeks

The Water Lane to Hampers Lane section of the A283
The West Sussex Gazette reports:

Roadworks begin on the A283 to create a new right-turn for a new housing development in Sullington. The junction improvements are expected to last for 20 weeks, finishing around August 3. The works are in Storrington Road, between Water Lane and Hampers Lane. Two-way signals will be in operation 24-hours a day, with manual control to manage traffic flows at peak times.

Fulking Social Committee: a plea for help

Fulking Fair in 2013
The Social Committee’s income is principally derived from the annual fair proceeds and is used to finance village needs, including funding Pigeon Post. The provision of such funds facilitates the receiving of grants and reduces the amount required by the village precept, which forms part of the Council Tax.

This year’s Fulking Fair will be held in Downside Meadow on Sunday 27 July 2014 from noon till 5pm. On Friday 25 July there will be a Call my Bluff for 96 people in the marquee, 7:00 pm for 7:30pm, with superior wines supplied by Quaff. Tickets £15 a head (includes 8 wines and nibbles).

Those of you who have attended the fair in previous years will appreciate that it takes a lot of volunteers to organise and run it. We are desperately in need of such help from villagers to man events and to provide relief for those already involved. If you would like to get involved please give Bob a ring on 271.

We welcome ideas on how future monies can be spent in the village. The principal items spent over the last few years are listed below.

Fulking Social Committee accounts
Bob Rowland
[on behalf of Fulking Social Committee]

Mapping the woods [update]

Aerial photo versus LiDAR showing hidden archaeological features
A regular aerial photo compared with a LiDAR image of the same area. The latter reveals archaeological features that are hidden in the former.
The Midhurst and Petworth Observer reports that:

A special plane equipped with cutting edge technology is being used next week to search for the lost archaeology hidden under the South Downs National Park’s ancient woodland. While the South Downs are famous for Iron and Bronze Age monuments such as Cissbury Ring and Winchester Hill, a large part of the central areas of the national park lie under forests or woodland and almost nothing is known about their ancient history. The Piper Chieftain survey aircraft will be using airborne laser technology (commonly known as LiDAR) to map the ground underneath 30,000ha of woodland between the river Arun and the A3.

Rebecca Bennett said: “It’s a unique opportunity to unlock the secrets underneath these ancient woods. There are a few archive aerial photographs of this area capturing a tantalising glimpse of features revealed by felling during the second world war, but there is so much we don’t know about the history of the people who lived here.”

Our earlier post on this project is here.

Richard Rogers vs Mayfield Market Towns

22 Parkside Wimbledon, designed by Richard Rogers
The architect Richard Rogers has joined the campaign against Mayfield.

Existing settlements already contain ‘live, work and leisure’; public transport, schools, hospitals, churches, meeting halls and existing social and physical infrastructure. Greenfield land has none of these facilities in place and therefore it will mean that more cars, roads, sewers, etc. will be required which is why it is not environmentally sustainable.

Full report here.