Community

Teddy’s big adventure. Delighted owners celebrate his return in time for Christmas!

Hayley Kelly had all but given up on her 12 year old cat Teddy who had been missing for six weeks. Usually a bit of a home bird he had disappeared back on the 13 November from their home in Crowborough, and despite calls to the locals vets he was nowhere to be found. “I... Read more

20th December

New social housing in Wealden unveiled

The first 100 per cent affordable housing development in Heathfield is due to be completed soon.    Wealden District Council’s Housing Development Team worked in conjunction with local contractor Trinity Homes Ltd to build the homes at Cart Barn Place, and Baily Garner which designed the scheme. The 15-home development is available for rent only... Read more

14th December

Heathfield man wins first prize at World Dog Sledding Dryland Championship

Heathfield resident Matt Hodgeson has held onto his world title after tough competition in last week’s World Dog Sledding Dryland Championships in Germany. “Well what can I say it was tough and muddy and we got lucky,” exclaimed Matt. The quality of a win is directly related to the quality of the competition and World... Read more

14th December

Cranwell wins festive window display contest

It’s a great time of year when the dark December days are finally lit up with festive lights and the high street in Heathfield is always a lovely place to be thanks to the beautiful window displays. Staff from Cranwell Wealth Solutions were given some extra Christmas cheer when we received the brilliant news that... Read more

7th December

Secretary of State praises Heathfield Community College on a recent visit

Secretary of State praise for “fantastic” College On Friday 1 December Heathfield Community College was honoured to host the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan at the College, alongside constituency MP Huw Merriman. The visit included a tour of the College, and some high-quality learning in a range of lessons, speaking to Year 7,... Read more

7th December

Heathfield man takes on the competitive world of dog sledding

In a country that falls apart the moment it snows, it’s a bit of a surprise to find a Gold Medal Champion ‘musher’ living in Heathfield. Matt Hodgson has been racing Sleddogs for nearly 20 years. It all started with Alaskan Malamutes and then moved on to Canadian Eskimo Dogs, of which he still has... Read more

29th November

Sandhurst army scholarship for Heathfield Community College student

Heathfield Community College has received the fantastic news that Amy Washington-Thurston (Y13) has been awarded an Army Officer sixth form scholarship. This means she has been recognised as possessing exceptional leadership potential and following her studies has secured a place to train as an Army officer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. This prestigious award... Read more

28th November

English Woodlands, Cross-in-Hand, has just become 100% employee-owned following its sale to a newly created Employee Ownership Trust.

English Woodlands, the Sussex tree nursery, has just become 100% employee-owned following its sale to a newly created Employee Ownership Trust. English woodland in Cross in Hand has announced that the business will become an employee-owned company, founder Michael Hardcastle said “We wanted to safeguard the independence of English Woodlands for the future whilst acknowledging... Read more

21st November

Best value way to buy a turkey this Christmas

Every year at this time the NFU’s #BuyMyTurkey Day pops up, families are encouraged to buy British, buy local and buy a whole turkey this Christmas to get the best value for their money. Turkey producers across the country are taking to social media to show off their farm fresh turkeys and urge the public... Read more

18th November

Lightning fibre scoop ISPA award

Lightning Fibre has been named as the ‘Best Consumer ISP with fewer than 50,000 customers’ by the Internet Service Providers’ Association at the 2023 ISPA awards. ISPA recognises outstanding excellence in the ISP industry and celebrates 25 Years. The ISPA Awards acknowledge the best and brightest in the industry, and the winners represent the pinnacle of innovation... Read more

16th November

Heathfield Community College celebrates Parliament Week

Politics in Parliament Week Although the news coming out of Westminster this week has been unexpected and bewildering at best. It is as important as ever that our young people understand how politics works and that they are not put off by all of the negative news frequently shared about politicians. Young people are the... Read more

16th November

Master of Wine, Michael Palij comes to Heathfield to host a special Italian fine wine tasting at Cuculo Cheese & Wine

An exclusive wine event in Heathfield This Saturday will be a very special opportunity for lovers of fine wine. When, one of the world’s few Masters Of Wine, Michael Palij will be hosting a special tasting at Cuculo, High Street, Heathfield, East Sussex to showcase wines coming from a fascinating selection of Italy’s most famous... Read more

8th November

Heathfield Community College re-opens after shock vandalism

Over the weekend Heathfield Community College in Heathfield, East Sussex was subject to trespassers in the early hours of Sunday morning. As a result, there was significant damage to school property across the site. The damage was physical and potentially put students at risk of harm. Parents received email communication to confirm the impact of... Read more

17th October

Simon launches his new community initiative

We recently reported on the retirement from Waitrose of Simon Hudson, a hugely popular character – the community’s fondness was borne out in the huge engagement our Facebook post generated reaching over 30,000 people with over 500 people wishing him all the best for the future. Simon thanked every single one of the wellwishers. What... Read more

9th October

Jayne Torvill makes a guest appearance at Young at Heart Community Club in Heathfield

Young at Heart Community Club, based in Heathfield were delighted to welcome Olympic gold medal winner – ice dancer Jayne Torvill OBE last Tuesday to talk to the children of All Saints’ & St Richard’s Church of England Primary School who were brilliant with their questions! Other activity on the day included cherryspringstudio who kindly... Read more

2nd October

Heathfield Community College celebrates students’ achievements at awards event

On a sunny September evening last week, parents, staff and students gathered to celebrate the achievements of the students of Heathfield Community College over the course of 2022-23. Award certificates were presented to a number of students in each year group. These include ‘Honours’ for Effort and Progress and ‘Excellence’ awards for individual subjects as... Read more

27th September

Win £100 of treatment at Heathfield’s newest aesthetics clinic – Radiant

Only two days to go until the opening of Radiant, the new Medical Aesthetics and Skin Clinic, at 64 Heathfield High Street, and to celebrate they are launching an amazing prize draw competition. How to enter: Take a look at the T&Cs but to enter message Radiant’s Facebook or Instagram pages with your name and... Read more

7th September

Le Marché’s French and English traders drew huge crowds to Heathfield on Bank Holiday Monday

Bank Holiday Monday 28 August saw the popular Le Marché back in Heathfield, East Sussex. This annual Anglo-French market event is a combination of superb entertainment and 110 French and English stalls. This year’s market was blessed with fine weather which drew huge and happy crowds to the 26th Anglo/French market in Heathfield.   The event... Read more

31st August

Heathfield residents and shop workers mourn loss of popular resident

Heathfield resident Rosemary Westacott passed away unexpectedly on July 11, 2023. Rosemary was a popular and well-known figure in and around the town; a valued friend to many and a much-loved mother. She lived in Ridgeway Court on Mutton Hall Hill. Rosemary, 83, moved to Heathfield several years ago and helped out at Cuculo as... Read more

1st August

Heathfield Community College: Good, great, Outstanding: a “vibrant and nurturing school…where pupils flourish”.

Heathfield Community College: Good, great, Outstanding: a “vibrant and nurturing school…where pupils flourish”. Senior leaders at Heathfield Community College have expressed appreciation to the community for the collaborative work that has led to all areas of the College being rated as Good, “great” or Outstanding, following the publication of the latest inspection report. Following a... Read more

29th June

This year’s Heathfield Show is all set to be a great day out

This year’s Heathfield Show is one of the area’s biggest and most well-attended events and it is just around the corner, the show ground is packed full of stalls and entertainment and it is set to be better than ever. It’s a real look at country life. The Heathfield Agricultural Show, which takes place on Saturday... Read more

23rd May

Erin Denness joins Hughes Solicitors to lead the residential property team

We are delighted to announce that Erin Denness will be joining the team in Heathfield as a partner and head of our residential property department. Erin is a senior solicitor with over 15 years of experience in handling all types of residential property matters both for individuals and corporate clients. She joins Hughes Solicitors from... Read more

23rd May

The New Enterprise Zone – a showcase for start-up businesses at The Heathfield Show

Supporting new businesses in and around Heathfield The Heathfield Agricultural Show was the pioneer of an initiative, back in 2015, to offer businesses, that have started trading since the last Show, an opportunity to have a complimentary trade stand at the Heathfield Agricultural Show.  This popular formula for allocating these stands has been copied by... Read more

16th May

Win Heathfield Show VIP Member tickets for a family of four

Here’s your chance to win VIP Member family tickets (2 adults and 2 children) for this year’s Heathfield Agricultural Show on 27 May 2023 at Tottingworth Showground, Broad Oak near Heathfield, East Sussex. You will receive two adult and two junior members passes which give you access the the Members Area with catering, ringside seating... Read more

8th May

Clean sweep for the independents in both Heathfield North & South elections

As we recently reported, Heathfield North and South wards were being contested in yesterday’s May 4 local elections, by independent candidates who were taking on the incumbent Conservative councillors. It has just been announced that both Mike Gadd (Heathfield North) and Kevin Benton (Heathfield South) were elected with large majorities. Mike Gadd (Heathfield South) received... Read more

5th May

Heathfield Community College celebrates a wider curriculum day exploring career and further education options

All of Year 10 were fantastically engaged this week during their Wider Curriculum Day which marks the launch of their focussed support on progression paths after Year 11. The day was split into two parts: travelling to Eastbourne Sports Park for https://www.bigfuturesshow.org.uk/ The Big Futures Careers Fair, which is the largest employability, skills and job... Read more

2nd May

Independents try to wrest control from the Tories in both Heathfield South and North in the local elections May 4

The local Wealden Council election on May 4 will see three independent candidates join in the battle to win in both Heathfield North & South. Kevin Benton takes on Conservative Tom Guyton-Day in Heathfield South and Mike Gadd and Mian Naz take on Ray Cade, Conservative, David Newman, Labour in Heathfield North. Heathfield is a... Read more

27th April

Tributes paid to dedicated, long-serving councillor

TRIBUTES have been paid following the death of a long-serving county councillor who died at the age of 70. Cllr Rupert Simmons, who represented the Heathfield and Mayfield division and served as a Cabinet member responsible for economy, died on Monday, April 17. Paying tribute to his friend and colleague, Council Leader Cllr Keith Glazier... Read more

18th April

Police appeal for information on whereabouts of Heathfield man

Do you know the whereabouts of Louis Sawyer? Detectives from Sussex Police who are investigating the theft of a car and subsequent road traffic collision in January 2023 would like to speak to the 26 year old from Heathfield. Louis Sawyer is believed to have information which could assist the police with their investigation. He... Read more

11th April

Pixel Dash FREE coding,craft and activity clubs come to HEATHFIELD this Easter

In conjunction with East Sussex County Council this Easter, Educraft are providing a free 2-day game design and coding club for children and young people aged 8 to 14 who receive benefit-related free school meals.Children who attend will experience sessions on video game design, coding and a range of craft making activities, physical exercise and... Read more

28th March

Wealden Works supports students at HCC for an Employability Workshop

On 9th March 2023 the Year 9 students from Heathfield Community College engaged in a number of workshops all centred around Employability Skills: Finance, Business, Oracy and Finance. In Finance students learnt about different salaries for different jobs, discussed what they thought of these salaries and whether they were fair and learnt about the tax... Read more

16th March

Heathfield Community College impresses the Rotary Club on a recent visit

On 28 February, the College welcomed a group of 11 Heathfield and Waldron Rotarians with President Mark Garnett for a morning on site. In a visit they described as “enlightening” and “impressive” the guests were welcomed by Chair of Governors Richard Karn over coffee and biscuits, before an address from Headteacher Caroline Barlow about the... Read more

5th March

Wealden High Street initiative comes to Heathfield

From an enchanting mermaid gliding through the streets to a shopping dance display, there’s something for all the family in towns across Wealden this month in an initiative to promote Wealden’s high streets and encourage support for local retailers. The wide range of fun, free street theatre events will take place in Polegate, Crowborough, Hailsham,... Read more

5th March

Heathfield District Bonfire Society celebrates fundraising for The Scouts and Hospice In The Weald

Heathfield District Bonfire Society The popular Heathfield District Bonfire Society, are easy to recognise at events in their stripey green, white and black jumpers. Since their inception a few years ago the society has gone from strength to strength and brought bonfire back to Heathfield with a regular annual event. Last year’s event raised a... Read more

17th February

When certain catalysts occur in life, they can really change your direction.

Meet Sam Collins of Cranwell Wealth Solutions. He talks about family life and offers some financial tips for all. Cranwell Wealth Solutions, a local wealth advising practice based on the high street in Heathfield, is delighted to announce a new appointment to the team. Sam Collins recently joined the business as a Financial Planner. Here... Read more

16th February

Heathfield’s science students get to rub shoulders with top UK scientists at Brighton’s Science Live!

GCSE Science Live! at Brighton Dome Heathfield Community College Year 10 and 11 Triple Science students were able to attend GCSE Science Live at Brighton Dome last week and witnessed 4 of Britain’s top scientists at the cutting edge of their field.  The scientists showed the passion and enthusiasm they had for science. Including top... Read more

8th February

Healthy Walks are looking for new leaders so they can grow the Heathfield Group. Can you help?

Health Walks is a successful programme of walking for health benefits both mental & physical and it runs at lots of locations around the county including Heathfield. The group which runs on a Wednesdays is too big to take any new walkers, but they would like to run another one. Lorna Neville, Leader & Organiser,... Read more

2nd February

Don’t forget that Coronation weekend street parties need permission for any road closures

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on the morning of Saturday May 6 and is set to be one of the most significant events of the year. The Coronation ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort, followed by a celebration concert held the following day... Read more

2nd February

Developer’s plans for Heathfield Carwash site refused

Today’s Wealden Planning Committee South was in session, 26 January 2023, to review a range of local development plans. One plan which was up for review again is the proposal to develop the popular Heathfield Carwash site on the Burwash Road. The developer wants to create a new housing development of four three bedroom houses.... Read more

26th January

Ayo Awotona leads empowerment session for female students at Heathfield Community College

Becoming a Better Version of Yourself – Ayo Awotona Despite an arduous three hour journey, true to her reputation the visiting speaker Ayo Awotona arrived at Heathfield Community College last week full of energy and enthusiasm to speak to Year 9 and 10 girls. Her work is based around female empowerment and self-esteem. Her focus... Read more

25th January

Friends of Tinkers Hatch celebrate after successful fundraiser

Tinkers Hatch is a Residential Care home within Heathfield, it caters for adults over the age of 18 with Learning Difficulties. It is situated in New Pond Hill in Cross in Hand and has been in existence since 1984.  Friends of Tinkers Hatch started fundraising last year in 2022, they raised funds by holding various events... Read more

25th January

Benefits drop-in day coming to Heathfield 24 January

The benefits system can often seem daunting and many people fail to claim for the support that they are entiltled to, don’t miss out on this opportunity to speak to experts about the help available. Residents living in Wealden are invited to a benefits drop-in session in Heathfield on Tuesday 24 January. The event is... Read more

19th January

Bonus Family? Why a blended family needs a will

It is increasingly common for couples to marry while one or both have children from a previous relationship, and the couple may then go on to have children of their own. The Swedish drama on Netflix Bonus Family provides a light-hearted exploration of the complexities of joining two families together, highlighting the emotional and logistical challenges. All... Read more

12th January

NEW GRANT FUNDING FOR HEATHFIELD RE-WILDING PROJECT

Sussex Lund 2022 Grant funding for College Eco Re-Wilding Project Heathfield Community College is delighted to share that they have been granted funding up to £10,000 for an exciting re-wilding project that will be student led and develop an AONB-species-rich educational showcase. The College is set amongst some of the most beautiful countryside in the... Read more

9th December

Heathfield Youth Drama’s Oliver Jr racks up another success!

Last week the aspiring actors from the Heathfield Youth Drama Group put on their Christmas production of Oliver Jr. This classic take on the story of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, is very much a musical with the key elements of the much loved story incorporated in it. The sell out performance over four nights... Read more

7th December

Twelve ideas for Christmas from Cuculo!

Cuculo is brimming with gift ideas for the festive season. This year they are making it easy for you, so James & Cinzia have trawled the shelves to pick out some of the best gift ideas for lovers of food and wine. There is everything from chocolate Santas to fine wines and something for every... Read more

30th November

Autumn Statement comments from Cranwell Wealth Solutions

Sam Collins Cranwell Wealth Solution’s new Financial Adviser’s take on Thursday’s autumn statement: “This statement was always going to include some tough measures in relation to personal finance. “Stand out points include the threshold for additional rate of tax cut significantly, big reductions in capital gains allowance and dividend allowances over the next couple of... Read more

18th November

Heathfield gets festive this Friday 18 November

The festive season kicks off early this year in Heathfield when the town’s lights will be switched on and shops open until 8pm. Heathfield’s traditional tree, outside the fire station, will be illuminated at 5pm on Friday 18 November when there will be entertainment and the Cake & Wine Club Choir. You can enjoy the... Read more

17th November

Local turkey farmer crowned Britain’s Fittest Female Farmer over 40

Vines Cross turkey farmer Lucy Sheffield has been named one of Britain’s Fittest Farmers 2022. Lucy of Foords Farm travelled to Essex to take part in the Farmers Weekly’s run Britain’s Fittest Farmer competition. The competition is held yearly to help raise awareness of physical and mental health within the farming industry.  This year Farmers... Read more

31st October

Heathfield students celebrate their global connections through the Global Social Leaders initiative.

Last week 9 students from Heathfield Community College gathered together to retell experiences of their international summer adventures. They told of connections they had made with teenagers from around the world: from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Africa, Japan and across Europe. The conversations and adventures happened courtesy of a social change project, enabled by the... Read more

19th October