Plumpton

WALK: this Sunday (May 22) is 4½ miles through farmland and tracks, with fine views of South Downs and Chanctonbury Ring. There will be the possibility of a cream tea in Steyning afterwards. Meet members of the Footpath Society at Fletcher’s Croft Car Park (free) in Vicarage Lane, opposite the Church (Map Ref: 179 114) ready to start walking at 2pm. For more details call the walk leader Bernie Kempton on 01825 722649 or 07791247025. DOUGHTY’S: (Leading supplier of Patchwork and Quilting Materials) East Sussex Road Show is on Saturday June 4 from 10.30am to 2.30pm at the village hall. There will be a wide range of fabrics on sale at discount prices. Entrance costs £1 and refreshments will be available. All proceeds to St Peter and St James Hospice. Contact Sue Akers on 01273 891701 or sueakers@hotmail.com for more information. JUNE WALKS: with the Plumpton Footpath Society, the first is on Wednesday June 1 starting at 10am at Kings Standing car park, Ashdown Forest (Map Ref: 473 301). The walk will include the Airman’s Grave, lunch at the Forester’s Arms and a steep climb back to Kings Standing. For more details call the walk leaders, Gill and Geoff Gamble, on 01273 891218 or 07719540121. The second is a four mile walk on Saturday June 4 starting at 10.30am at the free car park opposite Griffin Inn, Fletching. The walk will follow field paths, with several stiles, and relatively quiet stretches of country roads through peaceful countryside. For more details call the walk leaders Margaret Land and Ann Kelly on 01273 890125 or 01444 245031. The third walk is on Sunday June 19 from Lewes over Malling Nature Reserve to Ringmer; with an optional lunch at Green Man. Return to Lewes via Lower Stoneham. Meet at the Phoenix car park, by Harvey’s brewery, ready to start walking at 10.30am. For more details call the walk leaders Clive and Sandy Washer on 01273 477336 or 07961936989. JUMBLE SALE: in aid of Junior Football takes place at the village hall on Saturday June 11. Please take jumble donations to the hall from 9am and do go along at 2pm; with clothes at 20p each there are sure to be lots of bargains. Along with jumble there will be a tombola, refreshments, good as new items, bric-a-brac, books, toys, clothes and linen. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN: Copies of the plan are available to download from the parish website (http://www.plumptonpc.co.uk/) and for reading at the following locations the Post Office, the Station, Half Moon, Plumpton Village Hall, All Saints’ Church and Annexe, the Fountain and the Plough. Public consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan runs until June18 and you can give your response to the Neighbourhood Plan by filling out the Plumpton Parish Draft Neighbourhood Plan Response Form. You can download this as a pdf at http://www.plumptonpc.co.uk/neighbourhoodplan/index.php, print it, fill it out by hand, and send it to the Parish Clerk, Damian Mooncie, at Little Talland, The Street, Firle, East Sussex,BN8 6NT. Alternatively download the word file, which you can fill out, save, and send as an attachment to an email to damian.mooncie@plumptonpc.co.uk. If you need any help with the form call the Clerk on 01273 858522. Also a Public Consultation event is being held at the village hall on Sunday June 12 from 2.30pm to 5.30pm to which everyone is very welcome. TRAVELS IN RAJASTHAN: is the subject of the Newick & District Decorative and Fine Art Society meeting at the village hall on Tuesday June 14 starting at 2.15pm. Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, and Hindu was his first language, but at the age of five he was sent back to England for his education. Happily he was not considered clever enough for Oxford and so at the age of sixteen returned to India. There he started work as a journalist but he also found time to publish some poems and short stories alongside his reports. In 1988 he took the train across Rajasthan to Agra, Jodhpur and Udaipur, the City of Lakes and Palaces, recording and illustrating as he journeyed through. On his eventual return to England he found that he was already a well-known author. The speaker Elizabeth Merry is an experienced lecturer and will include many quotes from Kipling’s poems and books. Do go along and enjoy what should be a fascinating lecture with as usual superb digital illustrations. Visitors are always welcome, £7 on the door with tea and biscuits afterwards and a chance to talk to the speaker. If you require any further information please contact Marjorie Blunden on 01825 723250. PLUMPTON ROMAN VILLA: The villa site was first discovered in 1973 when a rectangular pattern of flint and chalk was noticed in one of the Agricultural College fields. Surface artefact collection and geophysics showed it to be the site of a small c.3rd – 4th century Roman villa. Further geophysics in 2014 carried out on behalf of the college revealed the chalk and flint walls of a ‘winged corridor’ villa, prior to an area being excavated over the last two summers revealing the wall foundations of several rooms. This year it is intended that further investigation will take place between Saturday June 18 and Saturday July 30, and those wishing to join in should register an interest with the Sussex School of Archaeology (SSA) at info@sussexarchaeology.co.uk or visit www.sussexarchaeology.org .SSA’s popular and comprehensive 5-day Excavation Training Courses start each Monday from 20th June. They will also run a range of Saturday Excavation Techniques for Beginners ‘taster’ days. Both courses provide an excellent start in field archaeology. Other 1-day courses cover more specialist topics. Volunteering opportunities at Plumpton are available from £5 a day with a maximum charge of £50 for the season. Details of local accommodation/camping are available on request, and they are interested in receiving details of additional local B&B and camping opportunities (please phone 01273 843026 or email info@sussexarchaeology.co.uk). FLOWER CLUB: meet on Wednesday June 22, at 7.30pm, in the village hall and the demonstrator will be Elfleda Dew with her demonstration titled “Spectrum”. There is always a raffle giving you the chance of winning one of the arrangements created by the demonstrator. Visitors and prospective members (£2.50 admission) are always welcome. OPEN GARDENS :in aid of St Peter & St James Hospice takes place on Sunday June 26 from 2pm to 6pm. This year the Support Group are delighted that twelve gardens, within reasonable walking distance of the village hall, will be open. Tickets will be available on the day from the village hall and participating gardens will be open in East View Fields, Station Road, West Gate and The Riddens; just look for the yellow and green balloons. Afternoon teas and plant sales will now be at ‘BRYNDON’, Station Road. Entrance costs £5 for all the gardens or £1 for an individual garden, with entrance for children under 14 free. For more information call Gill on 01273 891218 or Terry on 01273 891256. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage at www.sussexexpress.co.uk/ 2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Sussex-Express/ 3) Follow us on Twitter @sussex_express 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! The Sussex Express - always the first with your local news. Be part of it.