Advent Windows 2024
Hurst Village Advent Calendar Windows are back for Christmas 2024! Join us in creating a festive spirit around the village in the lead up to Christmas day. We’re looking for 24 households or businesses to create a festive scene in a window visible from the road. For more information or to sign up, please email hurstadvent@gmail.com.
Pond Talk with Pete the Pond Wednesday 2nd October 7:30pm Scout Hut, Brown Twins Road
Join Hurst Rethink in welcoming Pete the Pond, who will talk us through why, what and how to have a wildlife-friendly pond in the garden.
Pete has worked tirelessly for over twenty years helping to sustain and restore many local aquatic ecosystems, especially ponds, which are critical to the health of local nature and wildlife. With his wooden leg and often seen with a parrot on his shoulder, Pete has also understandably been called ‘Pete the Pirate’.
For the interval there’ll be stalls promoting the cause of local mammals and birds, selling plants and local honey, and offering teas, coffees, and homemade cakes. In the second half of the evening, Pete will be introducing some of his pondy friends. Whet your appetite with this short YouTube film…
This event is £3 to attend to cover our costs. Please book a ticket using the link. We will be accepting donations on the night for Hurst Rethink.
Hurst Rethink spring meeting – Monday 22nd April 2024
The next Hurst Rethink meeting is timed to coincide with Earth Day on Monday 22nd April. Earth Day is an annual celebration that honours the achievements of the environmental movement and raises awareness of the need to protect Earths natural resources for future generations. How very apt!
The meeting will be held in the back room of the New Inn from 7:30pm and we have a VERY special guest Mitch Miller, who will speak to us about Heat Pumps:
- Are they really the answer?
- How do they work?
- Are they expensive to run?
- Why are they costly to install?
- Is the grant simple to get and how much is it?
- Are the right for my house?
- I heard they are noisy?
- What’s the difference between ground source and air source?
We hope to answer all of these questions and more. If you’re thinking about a heat pump, come along and hear a real life case study.
Hurst Jumble Trail 2024 – Sunday 14th April
Meet your neighbours, have a spring clear out, grab a bargain, raise money charity… It’s win-win-win! The Hurst Jumble Trail 2024 will be held on Sunday 14th April from 10am – 2pm.
Here’s the official map of households taking part:
Hurst Rethink Advent Calendar 2023
The Hurst Rethink Community Team are delighted to publish the final map for the Hurstpierpoint Advent Calendar 2023. Addresses, from households and local businesses, are spread across the village for all to enjoy. Each Advent Window will be unveiled between 5-8pm on their allocated date and all will be lit on Christmas Eve to mark the night before Christmas. Anyone with mobility issues can ask Cycling Without Age for lifts to see them. If you would like a copy of the map to print off at home then please email hurstadvent@gmail.com. Merry Christmas!
Tuesday 26th September 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Hurst Festival Debate – The Youth Vision of a Sustainable Future
Where does the younger generation want the world to be in 10 years time? Many are working on sustainable solutions in fashion, architecture, farming and retail. How might it shape our future for the better? Join Hurst Rethink as we host a panel of local students discuss their vision. This event if free but please register for a ticket on the Hurst Festival website.
Swifts & Our Local Biodiversity – A Talk By Edward Mayer of Swift Conservation UK
Wednesday 14th June 7:00 – 9:00pm
Join Hurst Rethink for a FREE talk on swifts and local biodiversity featuring renowned swift expert Edward Mayer of Swift Conservation UK. The talk will take place in the back room of the New Inn on Hurstpierpoint High Street.
Swifts lead the most incredible lives, migrating from North Africa to the UK each summer to breed.
Find out more about their lives, how we can help them and how they fit in to our ecosystem. There will be stalls at this event where you can buy nature friendly plants and get information on how to support local biodiversity
Hurst Rethink Community Jumble Trail Sunday 2nd April 10am-2pm
Get involved with the Hurst Rethink Community Jumble Trail on Sunday 2nd April 2023. It’s the perfect chance to declutter. And to pick up a bargain! Email hurstjumbletrail@gmail.com if you’d like to have a stall outside your house. It’s too late to be included on the printed map but we can add your details onto our interactive Google Map for the day. Alternatively, wander around the village on the day and pick up a bargain as well as meet the community!
Here’s a map of the households taking part. You can download a PDF of this map here.
Hurst Rethink Annual Meeting – Wednesday 30th November
We are holding our Annual Meeting on Wednesday 30th November on Zoom at 7:30pm. All are welcome to join us as we plan next year’s activities. The more people that come along and offer to help, the more we can do in the areas of transport, energy, biodiversity, community and green consumer.
We have seen a drop off in volunteer and member engagement since March and this has held us back in some of our plans. Whilst we realise that life is incredibly busy, and for some, really tough, but we can’t lose the wonderful momentum we’ve built up over the past 2 years. We’d love to see lots of you there.
Details to join are:
Topic: Hurst Rethink AGM
Time: Nov 30, 2022 07:30 PM London
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5793539746
Please email hurstrethink@gmail.com to let us know you’re coming.
1st – 24th December – Hurst Rethink Community Advent Calendar
Hurst Rethink Community are delighted to announce that the Hurstpierpoint Advent Calendar is ready to go! 24 families have signed up to open their festive Advent Windows between 5-8pm on the dates specified on the poster. All Windows will be open on Christmas Eve. The map will help people plan their Advent route as they walk around the village.
We have requested that photos of the windows to be posted on the newly formed Hurstpierpoint Advent Calendar 2022 Facebook group, so that those who cannot get out and about are still able to enjoy them.
If you would like a digital version of the map then please email hurstadvent@gmail.com for a copy. ( A printer ink friendly poster can be printed in black and white ).
Tuesday 27th September 7:30pm
The Hurst Rethink Big Debate: The Energy Crisis – how did we get here, where are we going and what can we do?
We are returning to this year’s Hurst Festival for our Big Debate in the back room of the New Inn at 7:30pm on Tuesday 27th September.
This year our debate is focussed on energy. The energy crisis is dominating headlines and looks set to impact our lives profoundly this coming winter and beyond.
Join a panel of local energy experts to unpick how the energy crisis has unfolded, what’s going to happen in the short and medium term and what we can do to act.
What part do renewables play? Do we need to decentralise our energy system? How can local Co-operatives help? What can we do individually to reduce our consumption and bills?
Come along for a fascinating evening and discussion. Tickets are free but you’ll need to book them in advance so we know how many people are coming.
Come along for a fascinating evening and discussion.
Our Panellists include:
- Ollie Pendered – Chief Executive of Community Energy South
- Tom Parker – Chair of REPOWERBalcombe
- Matt White – Director, MATT Architecture
Biographies:
Ollie Pendered is Chief Executive of Community Energy South and leads on our Partnerships and capacity building support Community Energy Groups. He is the regional representative for Community Energy England and Chair of the Greater Brighton City Region Energy Working Group.
Tom Parker trained in horticulture at Kew Gardens and later became a Head Gardener in Turners Hill where he lived for 27 years. He now lives in Storrington with his family and is currently chair of REPOWERBalcombe Co-operative and a director at Springbok Sustainable Wood Heat. As part of the Springbok Co-op Tom has assisted with woodland conservation work and successfully helped bring back the Wood White butterfly to previously unmanaged woodland.
When a governor at Turners Hill School Tom was responsible for a number of environmental initiatives including solar power, wind turbines, air source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting, LED lighting and planting a woodland. He is currently refitting his house to make it as low carbon as funds will allow. With REPOWERBalcombe Tom has worked to develop a solar farm connected to the mainline railway. He is very keen to see community energy groups develop locally and benefit our area in the same way as others he has been involved with.
Matt is Director at MATT Architecture, a London firm of Architects. He has recently been involved in a project to make his home in Hurstpierpoint more Eco-friendly and energy efficient and is coming along to share advice and learnings from his personal journey.
Sunday 2nd and Sunday 9th October
The Big Hurst Jumble Trail is back!
Sign up to take part by emailing your address to hurstjumbletrail@gmail.com.
Clear out unwanted household items, get to know your neighbours, meet new people from your community AND raise money for charity…it’s a win on every level! Encourage people on your street to take part in this village wide event.
Thursday 26th May 7:30 pm
We The Power Film Screening and Monthly Meeting
We’re really looking forward to hosting this film screening which will be replacing our Hurst Rethink general meeting this month.
The film will be shown at St Lawrence School Hall at 7.30pm and will be followed by a quick catch up and discussion on our response to the film.
Please do come along and bring a friend, neighbour or anyone you think might be interested in learning more about community energy production. The film documents the story of communities across Europe taking on big energy companies and restoring power back to the people.
It’s a particularly powerful watch given the ongoing energy crisis and is a must for anyone interested in energy production and renewable energy. View the trailer for the film
The screening is free to attend with a suggested donation of £1 to cover costs. Refreshments will be available, so please also bring some cash or card.
Wednesday 18th May 7:30 pm
Sunday 10th April 10am-2pm
Big Hurst Jumble Trail
Take part in our village wide Jumble Trail on Sunday 10th April 2022. It’s a chance to get rid of things you don’t want and mingle with the community. There are no rules, you can give stuff away for free or charge a small amount. You can also provide refreshments. Or you can wander around the village and look for bargains. Encourage everyone you know to take part and enjoy our first community day this year.
May 2021
Tuesday 11th May 7.30 – 9.00pm
HKD TRANSITION LOCKDOWN LOUNGE – FOOD FOR OUR FUTURE
Join HKD Transition for a wonderful talk on Zoom all about the food we eat and the waste we produce. Speakers include Ed Johnstone, the Sussex Peasant, Freya Robinson from Old Tree Market Garden and West Sussex Recycling guru Colin McFarlin.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/96964988224?pwd=TTF6NzFKeGlhOERhZ2s5VWVxM0VJQT09
Meeting ID: 969 6498 8224
Passcode: 054194