Hailsham

NEARLY NEW SALE: This is tomorrow, Saturday, in the Charles Hunt Centre, vicarage Road, from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Go along and find a new outfit at a bargain price. Refreshments available.

MEET THE ALPACAS: On Saturday August 18 there will be a pets corner, including friendly Alpacas Ziggy and Indie, Poppy the hen, the Varndean goats and Galaxy the sheep. Pat the New Forest pony will be giving rides. This garden party and jamboree is open to all from 1pm to 4pm at Ersham House Nursing Home, Ersham Road. Amongst the many stalls and sideshows Come and enjoy a Ploughman’s lunch, strawberry cream tea, tombola, cake stall, refreshments, bric-a-brac, books and lots of other fun games.

SPONSOR A PEN: The Cats Protection Friends of Eastbourne Adoption Centre based at 63 Marshfoot Lane, invites you to sponsor a pen at the Adoption Centre by regular monthly, quarterly or yearly payment by cheque or standing order for a minimum of £10 per month. Your sponsorship includes news from the Adoption Centre quarterly, photos of cats in your sponsored pen, three newsletters a year and a thank you certificate and calendar. If you are interested, please ask for a form on 01323 440101 or email friends [email protected]. Visit the website www.cats.org.uk/Eastbourne.

FUNDRAISING MARKET: This is at the HMI, Western Road, Hailsham, opposite the Rec from 11am to 10pm. There will be cards, eggs, jams, tombola, Avon, cakes and a raffle which will be drawn on August 19. All welcome and all in aid of St Wilfrid’s Hospice.

BONFIRE BINGO: Next Friday, August 17, there will be another of the Bonfire Society’s fundraising bingo sessions. Doors open 7pm for eyes down at 7.30pm at the Charles Hunt Centre, Vicarage Road. There is also a raffle and refreshments. This monthly event raises money for the Bonfire Spectacular, the town’s biggest event of the year, held in October.

FLEA AND COLLECTORS FAIR: Over the weekend Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19, at Nash Street, Golden Cross.

WEALDEN BRASS: Following hot on the heels of their first very successful CD, Wealden Brass at The Movies, Wealden Brass have recorded a second CD, Wealden Brass - Unforgettable Brass Band Favourites. If you follow the band you may well recognise the tracks which comprise some well-known themes and tunes True and Trusty, The Lone Ar-ranger, Unforgettable, Zambezi, Breezin’ Down Broadway, Star Lake, Make You Feel My Love, Bandstand Boogie, Frolic for Trombones, Journey Through America and the ever popular Wealden Brass signature tune, Sussex by the Sea. If you wish to order a copy of Wealden Brass - Unforgettable Brass Band Favourites, please contact John Briggs via email at [email protected], leaving your name and contact details. Alternatively, when available, they will bring a few copies along to their events, available for sale at £7 during the interval or at the end of the concert. You can keep up-to-date with events through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or at wealdenbrass.co.uk. Thanks are offered for everybody’s support during the year.

SUMMER MARKET: Crowds of shoppers attended Hailsham’s Summer Market in the town centre recently. Vicarage Field was home to a range of street market stalls selling locally sourced food, as well as gifts and accessories, and there was a variety of live music throughout the day, free face painting for children courtesy of Christchurch, and Hailsham Parish Church held their open church.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY: The last meeting was, for Chairman David Bourne, a trip down memory lane, as John Blackwell, of the Sussex Industrial History Society, gave a presentation of the history of J Every’s Phoenix Iron Works at Lewes, where he served my apprenticeship. John Every, founder of Phoenix Iron Works, began his trade in London as a ‘moulder’ packing sand around a mould to make the shape of the item to be cast in metal. He then came to Lewes, working at Morris Foundry before starting up on his own and, in 1837, becoming successful in a thriving business, at a site near the High Street. About 5 years later, the foundry was destroyed by fire, but luckily, did not destroy the patterns. After bankruptcy in 1872, John Every’s son, John William Every, took over the business, and things began to look up following a move to a larger site off North Street, backing onto the River Ouse. Many substantial buildings were erected to house the foundry, pattern making shop and the smith’s shop. Later a machine shop was added so the castings from the foundry could be machined on site. By 1885, the third John - John Henry Every, was running the business, and by the 1930’s was employing up to 500 men and women. There were now 2 furnaces, making up to 25 tons of castings per day. In 1943, John Henry’s son, John Morris Every changed the name of the company to John Every Lewes Ltd and this can be seen on drain covers; manhole covers and (until more recently) lamp-post covers, around the town of Lewes.

More locally, there is still, between Hellingly Church and the bridge over the River Cuckmere, a drain cover with this name on it. In 1951, the company was sold to a Mr. Burchell, and was renamed East Sussex Engineering but kept the Phoenix Works name. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, the demand for cast-iron was in decline, and the firm concentrated more on structural fabrication and heavy engineering work. In 1976, Aurora Holdings bought the factory, sold off the assets, and most of the employees were made redundant in 1977. The Non-ferrous foundry lasted until 1986 with just a few men. A large part of Lewes is now long gone, apart from the manhole covers and drain gratings. In the height of their production the Phoenix Works made most of the cast-iron along the Sussex coast – railings along the sea-front at Brighton, Eastbourne, and Hastings, as well as on the Piers. In Hailsham, the cast-iron lamp-posts had Phoenix Works Lewes on them and many Hotels had fire-escapes made in the structural blacksmith’s shop. As a matter of local interest, a representative from the Phoenix Foundry, came to Hailsham (probably on market day) in 1842 and placed an order for 100 copies of business cards. These were printed at S Breads, later to be C U Jenner, then EU Jenner, then Jenners Hailsham Ltd at 44 High Street.

The Society’s next meeting will be on Wednesday September 5, when the talk will be Mr Kipling, Without the Cakes, presented by Sue Bobbins. This will take place at the Charles Hunt Centre, in Vicarage Road at 7pm refreshments for 7.30pm start. All welcome. Visitors £2.50.

GREASE IS THE WORD: You’re the one that we want. Have you got your ticket yet for the Grease Singalong at the Hailsham Festival? Hosted by Hailsham FM in association with Brooklyn Hyundai, a great evening awaits at the Hailsham Pavilion on Saturday September 8 at 7pm for a singalong version of this classic movie. Fancy dress welcome and there will be a prize raffle too. Tickets are only £5, U16s and concessions £4 available from Hailsham Pavilion box office in person, by phone on 01323 841414 or online at www.hailshampavilion.co.uk.What’s that? You can’t, you’re Sandra Dee.

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR: Also included in the Hailsham Festival is this critically acclaimed first world war musical. Joan Littlewood’s legendary musical has been revived to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. Originally produced by Joan Littlewood at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, Oh What A Lovely War is a satirical masterpiece which was made into a classic film in 1969, starring amongst others Maggie Smith, John Gielgud and John Mills. This revival directed by Sam Elsby is a riot of music and colour, deeply moving and features some of the greatest songs from the First World War including It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, Goodbye…ee, And When They Ask Us, Keep the Home Fires Burning and many more. You can get tickets now £10 for the shows from September 20 to 22 at 7.30pm each evening with an additional matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm.