Staplefield Fete & Car Show - July 2017

By Victoria Ponsford

“Who you gonna call?” asked Maggie Chamberlain, Co-Chairwoman of the organising committee for the Staplefield Fete this Bank Holiday Monday 29th May. 

Well, the answer really was ‘Ghostbusters!’ this year. The Sussex Ghostbusters, a team of Ghostbusters super-fans kitted out with movie-accurate uniforms and equipment from the Ghostbusters movies, were there to raise money for local charities.

The Ghostbusting crew along with ‘Philvis’, an Elvis impersonator, and MP Nicholas Soames rubbing shoulders with Baron Von Thunderclap from the Monster Raving Loony Party (both taking a break from election campaigning) were among the many wondrous sights to behold at this year’s annual Staplefield Fete and Car Show.

The festivities started with a stunning opening from St Mark’s Primary School Maypole Dancers. This was followed by the ever-popular dog show, run by Kate Fassam from Raising Hopes Dog Training. This event is always well attended, with dogs coming from far and wide and in all shapes and sizes. This year cocker-poo Snoopy stole the highly-coveted title of Best in Show.

This year’s fete raised an amazing £7,375.00 for St Mark’s School in Staplefield, St Mark’s Church and the Staplefield Village Hall. A huge number of people attended this year, and with rising numbers the organising committee is keen to hear from local businesses and entertainers that would like to be part of next year’s fete. Please contact Maggie Chamberlain (maggs49 @btinternet.com).

Take your copy of Cuckfield Life on holiday with you...

Reader Jayne Cole was kind enough to send us the following photo from her holiday in Spain. If you’re going away, do take your copy of the magazine with you and send your snaps and selfies to photos@cuckfieldlife.co.uk - we’ll include entries in coming issues!

This summer why not pack your recent copy of Cuckfield Life magazine in your suitcase - and send a selfie with you to us?

Hello Simon - new editorial assistant for Cuckfield Life

Simon Yeend

By David Tingley

Our new editorial assistant takes the form of Simon Yeend, a former sports journalist who has worked on national newspapers for more than 16 years. Simon, who has been a resident of Bolnore Village since 2004, has spent the last two and a half years looking after his youngest daughter and writing his first novel. “I’d been promising myself that I would do it,” said Simon, “and the natural break to look after Orla seemed like the right time.”

“I love living in Bolnore but I am also a huge fan of Cuckfield where my children go to school and where I walk my boisterous Hungarian Vizsla, Rufus, in the beautiful woods and fields that surround the village.”

Simon has got stuck in straightaway with interviews for features in this issue of Cuckfield Life, although he says that people are much quicker to respond to your phone call when you work for a national daily paper!

He would love to hear from anyone about fascinating residents who might make a great subject of our Village People feature, as well as local groups and societies that are keen to get their message out to the community. 

Simon’s role is concerned with all aspects of editorial content, so do drop him, or me, an email on editor@cuckfieldlife.co.uk when you have a suggestion or news item or event to mention. Our strapline is ‘local village talk by the village’ and, as such, we love to hear from our readers – many of whom get in touch on a regular basis.