Author: Andrew Taylor

ALWAYS on the lookout for those moments when our lovely town is at its loveliest, Promotions Officer Simon Kerr took this shot of the High Street with the cherry blossoms in full bloom over beds of Spring bulbs.

TOWN Mayor Counsellor Margaret Belsey launched Jigsaw (South East)’s new Pick Up the Pieces campaign at The Felbridge Hotel on 22 March, and purchased one of the first symbolic pieces of puzzle.

The East Grinstead-based children’s charity is running the new campaign to fund its invaluable work supporting bereaved children and young people, and those facing the loss of a loved one through serious illness.

She was joined by a number of families from across Surrey and Sussex who have sought guidance and support from Jigsaw following the death or terminal diagnosis of a close family member.

Counsellor Belsey unveiled a symbolic 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and appealed to local businesses, sponsors and individuals to purchase a piece of the puzzle for £100. In return, they will be helping Jigsaw to Pick Up the Pieces and continue its work supporting beareaved youngsters. The idea for the fundraiser came from one of the charity’s dedicated volunteers, Tony Allen.

All donors will receive their own piece of the puzzle along with a certificate and a logo on the Jigsaw website.

About Jigsaw

BASED at East Court Mansion since 2006, the charity, in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, offers support to children and young people who have a family member with a serious, life-limiting condition. It also provides grief support to children and young people who have experienced the death of a significant family member due to illness, accident, suicide or murder, through family grief support groups based in East Grinstead, Epsom, Reigate and Guildford.

To find out more, or to donate, call 01342 313895, or send a cheque with your details to Jigsaw, at East Court Mansion College Lane, East Grinstead RH19 3LT. Or visit the website at www.jigsawsoutheast.org.uk.

Alternatively Donate now by texting ‘JGSE12 £…’ and the amount to 70070

FELBRIDGE Boxing Club will be having its first-ever show at Imberhorne school on 31 May when members will take part in 15 bouts at an event officiated over by the Amateur Boxing Association of England.

It is hoped the show will promote the club and raise much-needed funds to help it grow.

Spokesman Jacquie Russell said “We are extremely grateful for the support we have had from both East Grinstead Town Council and the East Grinstead Sports Council, and are delighted that the current Mayor and her husband (a former schoolboy boxer) will be in attendance, as will the Leader of the Town Council who has pledged to donate a Town Council trophy

“As part of our commitment to the local community there will also be a fundraising element for our local charity Advance. Based in East Grinstead, Advance specialises in helping children with brain injuries.”

Jacquie added that the Club is keen to involve the local business community as sponsors for the event.

For more information check out the Club’s webpage at www.felbridgeabc.wordpress.com

Felbridge Amateur Boxing Club, Amateur Boxing Show
Saturday 31 May 2014
Imberhorne Lower School, Windmill Lane, East Grinstead West Sussex.
Doors Open 3pm. First Bout 3.30pm (times approximate)
Tickets on the door: adults £10/ children £5

CHILDREN’S author Geraldine Durrant, who is responsible for the Town Council’s PR, has waved her storybook heroine off on a UK wide tour in Pirate Gran a new stage adaptation of her books by the award-winning Scamp Theatre Company.

Geraldine attended the opening weekend of the show at Watford Palace theatre where she met actress Pauline Goldsmith playing the eponymous Pirate Gran – and Gran’s crocodile Nippy who has been made by Toby Olie, one of the puppeteers who designed and operated War Horse.

“It was a real once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Geraldine. “The show was sold-out and sitting in the dark with a theatre full of small children watching Pirate Gran come to life was magical – as an author you don’t usually see people enjoying your characters.

“Scamp are renowned for their imaginative productions and their innovative use of stage props, and somehow Gran’s sitting room changes into a ship, and she and Nippy win the Pirate Games in the world’s first instance of Dressage and Steeplechase done live, on stage, on a crocodile.”

With the critics’ plaudits already ringing in their ears, Gran and her pirate crew are now off on a UK tour which includes appearances at the South Bank’s Udderbelly Festival, a month in Edinburgh, and at Eastbourne’s Devonshire theatre in May where Geraldine will be taking all her grandchildren to see the show.

“A lot of people have spent a lot of time and talent bringing Pirate Gran to life and having finally seen the result I couldn’t be more thrilled or more grateful that of all the books in all the world, they stumbled across mine,” laughed Geraldine.

Geraldine meets Pirate Gran played by Pauline Goldsmith. “I was surprised to discover that Pirate Gran is Scottish as I had always imagined she was Cockney, but having seen Pauline’s fabulous performance I now realise how very wrong I was,” said Geraldine.

THE fifth Andy Riley Memorial Race will take place at 10am on 21 September.

The 10k route will start at Imberhorne Upper School and follow footpaths and the Worth Way to the turn point in Crawley Down, before returning to East Grinstead station.

From there, runners will use local roads to the finish in Imberhorne Recreation Ground.

The run, in honour of England rugby union international Andy Ripley, will raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK and Wooden Spoon.

For more information or to enter the race see www.eg10k.com, or ring Lance Quirico on 07792 669856.

For more details contact the box office on 01342 302000

Barron Knights concert – Soundtrack of Our Lives: Thursday 3 April at 7.30pm

PROBABLY the most entertaining group to come out of the 60s and 70s, The Baron Knights are the only group to have toured with the Beatles and twice with the Rolling Stones.

Tickets £17.50

Billy Pearce – Funny Guy: Thursday 10 April at 7.30pm

LEEDS-born Billy Pearce first came to National prominence when he reached the finals of Central TV’s top talent show New Faces.  He’s appeared at eight Royal Variety shows and has won pretty much every award going including a British Comedy Award.

A national treasure, Billy has appeared on TV shows such as Tonight at the London Palladium, Through the Keyhole, Blankety Blank and You Bet

His one man show Funny Guy comes to Chequer Mead for one night only.

Tickets £18.50.

Sussex Youth Dance presents The Spring of Youth – Saturday 12 April at 7pm

SUSSEX Youth Dance Company are proud to present their new Spring repertoire accompanied by a few specially invited Youth Performance Groups.

This exciting evening celebrates the power and creativity of our local young performers and promises to be a versatile and professional show for all ages.

Tickets £7.50/ £5/ family ticket £20.

The Vienna Festival Ballet presents Cinderella on Wednesday 16 April at 5pm and 8pm

CINDERELLA is one of the best-known fairytales, and Vienna Festival Ballet’s full length version has all the familiar ingredients – a downtrodden young girl, a glass slipper, two comical ugly step-sisters and a handsome prince.

The specially commissioned score, created solely for Vienna Festival Ballet by Chris Nicholls, features music from some of Rossini’s most famous operas La Cenerentola, the Italian Girl in Algiers and Silken Ladder.

Tickets £19/ £17.50 concessions/ £12.50 children under 14.

Elvis the Movies Experience – Thursday 17 April at 7.30pm

ELVIS the Movies Experience, starring Mark Summers as Elvis Presley with a full stage cast, is the musical stage show as seen in the West End and packed with all The King’s greatest movie hits.

Mark Summers has just won the National Tribute Awards as the UKs Official Number One Elvis Tribute.

The show also features special guests including for the first time a Priscilla Presley Tribute.

To find out more visit www.elvislegacy.com

Tickets £16/ concessions £15.

Bob Drury Presents The Neil Diamond Story – Friday 25 April at 7.30pm

FEATURING Cracklin’ Rosie, Sweet Caroline, Hello Again, Love on The Rocks, America and more recent acoustic material, Bob Drury’s one-man show is a ‘must see’ for all Diamond fans.

Tickets £12.

ANYONE who can help with a collection for St Catherine’s hospice on the weekend of 26/27 April at the Haskins Garden Centre at Snowhill is asked to contact Sonia on 01342 714710.

FOUR Friends – Thursday 3 April to Wednesday 16 April 2014

FOUR Friends, four artists, four visions, four nationalities, four ways of looking at the world….

Jude Kingshott, Amelia Leigh, Jules McConnell, and Leslie Morgan are a diverse group of artists with different concerns and interests, working individually and collectively with textiles and mixed media.