Author: Andrew Taylor

NOW is the time to scatter field poppy seeds on ‘disturbed’ ground as part of a nationwide commemoration to mark next year’s anniversary of WWI.

The poppy became a symbol of the fallen after the publication of a  popular poem – In Flanders Fields – by Canadian army doctor Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae.

After personally burying a close friend who had died in battle, he noted how quickly poppies grew over the graves of the dead, and wrote his famous poem exhorting the living to carry on their fight.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Art by Example – until 9 October

EXAMPLE are contemporary artists living in and around East Grinstead. Experience experimental and traditional printmaking, evocative gestural painting, wire and steel sculpture and drawing in stitch. Admission free.

Forgive Me My Beauty Pure Habit – Friday 11 October to Wednesday 16 October

OIL painting and collage, by local artist Jane Tyler, hang side by side as an intriguing visual response to the human condition.  Humour, mischief and emotion are conveyed through inventive images of relationships, experiences, insecurities and general musings on life. Admission free.

The Water Man – Thursday 31 October to Wednesday 6 November

A former RAF engineer who turned his hand to watercolour paintings is hosting an exhibition of his life’s work in East Grinstead.  Admission free.

For further details see the website at www.chequermead.org.uk or contact the Box Office on 01342 302000

An evening with Chris Andre and Guests – Tuesday 1 October at 7.30pm

SEE this amazing multi-instrumentalist perform some of the hits which have inspired a generation of music lovers and players from all over the world.

Truly a brilliant and unique guitar, fiddle and bouzouki player, Chris will take you on a musical journey through time and continents.

Chequer Mead is the venue Chris has chosen to host his very first solo show in the UK.

An Intimate Evening with the Rat Pack – Thursday 3 October at 7.30pm

THE Official UK No. 1 Tribute show includes all the great hits, comedy and glamour of Sinatra, Martin and Davis swinging live in Las Vegas.

Memories really are made of this!

Re-Take That  – Friday 4 October at 7.45pm

THIS is the Northern Hemisphere’s biggest, best and most authentic tribute to one of pop’s greatest bands. Superb sound, dramatic lighting and dynamic dance routines, complement breath-taking versions of their greatest hits.

Sounds of Simon – A Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel – Saturday 5 October at 7.30pm

LOSE yourself to nostalgia as the band plays some of the classics that have made Paul Simon one of the world’s most successful songwriters. Hits include Mrs Robinson, Homeward Bound, You can call me Al and many more.

An Evening of Mediumship with Tony Stockwell – Wednesday 9 October at 7.30pm

MEDIUM Tony Stockwell believes he can communicate with the dead.

Clarinet Recital – Sunday 13 October at 7.30pm

DEBORAH Salmon performs some of the highlights of the clarinet repertoire to raise funds for the Bluebell Railway.

Ian Keable presents The Secret World of Charles Dickens: Mirth, Marvels and the Mysterious – Wednesday 16 October at 7.30pm

IAN Keable, winner of The Magic Circle’s prestigious Comedy Award, performs the favourite magic tricks of Charles Dickens and divulges the spooky practices of Victorian ‘psychics’. Charles Dickens, in addition to being one of the world’s greatest writers, was an expert conjurer.  He was also highly sceptical about ‘spiritualism’, which was a popular pastime in the 1800s.

The Counterfeit Sixties – Thursday 17 October at 7.30pm

RE-LIVE the sounds of the swinging sixties, as Britain’s No. 1 tribute show bring back the magic with their tribute to more than 25 bands of the era.

Lingfield Silver Band present A Centenary Concert – Friday 18 October at 7.30pm

JOIN Lingfield Silver Band as it celebrates its Centenary with music from the last 100 years with the support of two guest bands, Mayfield and The Redhill Corps of Drums.

Ariel Company Theatre Young Actors presents Les Miserables School Edition – Tuesday 22 October to Saturday 26 October

ARIEL Company Theatre Young Actors return to Chequer Mead for the 3rd time with their hit production of this classic musical. The production sold out on both previous occasions, and earned nightly standing ovations for its astonishingly talented cast, so book early to avoid disappointment.

LDN Wrestling – Monday 28 October at 7.30pm

BOO the bad guys and cheer on your favourites, as you get up close and personal with the rip-roaring action. Post show you will also get the chance to meet the stars and maybe even grab yourself a souvenir or two! Top names include British Heavyweight Champion the Barbarian Karl Krammer, fan favourite Alan Lee Travis, the masked man of mystery the Dark Lord and many more…

Gentlemen – A prostate awareness event – Tuesday 29 October from 6pm – 8.30pm

IN the Gallery and Foyer at Chequer Mead Arts Centre – free tests but donations appreciated.

A PSA blood test, results in 10 minutes, costs £15. Further blood test if PSA is high costs £150.
Please book appointments with  Alex Leggat 01342 717966 or alexhleggat@yahoo.com.

Ben Montague – Tuesday 29 October at 7.30pm

BEN’S debut single ‘Haunted’ became a major radio hit two years ago, and he has just received the accolade of ‘BBC RADIO 2 Album of the Week’ with his new album Tales of Flying & Falling.

Ralph McTell  One More For the Road – Wednesday 30 October at 8pm

RALPH McTell has enjoyed a 48 year career and autumn 2013 sees the One More For The Road tour of this quintessential singer-songwriter-guitarist.  Ralph’s show features beautifully crafted narrative songs, combined with dextrous guitar-playing and evocative story-telling, and will of course include the Ivor Novello award-winning Streets of London.

FIREFIGHTERS are inviting East Grinstead residents to have a free electric blanket test to help them stay safe this winter.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is hosting a safety session at Glen Vue on 28 October. Anyone wishing to have their blanket tested will need to make an appointment after 30 September – see the poster here for details.

Fire Safety officer Jackie Boyle said: “Electric blanket fires may not be the most common incident we attend, but nationally, there are around 1000 fires each year caused by unsafe blankets and sadly, many people are injured and some even killed.

“It is often our older or more vulnerable residents who use electric blankets. Even if you don’t use an electric blanket yourself, please consider neighbours or relatives who do. Just because someone has been using an electric blanket for many years without a problem it doesn’t mean that it’s safe. We would certainly recommend replacing any blanket over 10 years old.

“We’ve doubled the number of testing events we’re holding this year, so we are really urging people to take up the offer of a free test to give them and their families peace of mind knowing their blanket is safe.”

For more information on the safe use and storage of electric blankets please visit website www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire

EAST Grinstead Operatic Society’s reputation for excellence is so well-deserved, there was no doubt its production of Oliver! was going to be a treat.

Even so, the almost sell-out first night audience rang with plaudits for a show which exceeded their already high expectations.

One of the most popular of musicals, Lionel Bart’s terrific score includes several songs which have become standards, in a dark storyline where humour and pathos are pretty equally balanced.

As the eponymous hero, Oscar Wortley had everything – blond good looks, a sweet face and a voice to match –  and there can’t have been a mother in the stalls who didn’t long to snatch him up and take him home for a good meal.

While Joe Fisher played the worldly-wise Artful Dodger with considerable charm and a very cheeky grin.

But it was Michael Kennard who stole the show with his simply mesmerising performance as Fagin.

He delivered his big numbers – Pick a Pocket or Two, Be Back Soon and Reviewing the Situation – with such a winning combination of pathos and panache, that it would have seemed positively churlish to cheer as his seedy underworld collapsed around him.

Sophie Pepler’s Nancy was also terrific, outwardly tough but heart-rendingly vulnerable, she conveyed all the despair of a girl to whom life had offered no chances, and from whose misery there was no escape.

And in Robin Shergold she had a brutish Bill Sykes. Robin set out his stall as a violent thug in My Name, and Nancy’s eventual murder at his hands provided a thrilling climax to the plot.

But there was plenty to smile about too.

James Klech was in fine voice – and figure –  as Mr Bumble and provided much-needed comic relief in his duets with Sarah Marchant as the appalling Widow Corney.

While Julian Marks and Pamela Marsh as the Sowerberrys  – he all smarmed down hair, she a brittle martinet – showed deft comic timing with It’s Your Funeral.

But the warm heart of the show is provided by the orphans/ young thieves whose slick dance routines paid tribute to their hours of drilling in rehearsal.

They also sang beautifully, and their fluting voices combined with Fagin’s in It’s a Fine Life and Be Back Soon were particularly good.

The supporting cast in this 60-strong production also deserve praise for providing the colour and bustle of Old London Town which forms the backdrop to one of Dickens’ most enduring tales – and it was a pity the plot did not permit us to hear more from Trisha Fitzpatrick as Mrs Bedwin.

A marvellous ensemble, a terrific show.

At The Swan, Forest Row, Tuesday 12th November from 6.30pm

Come and join us for a 3 course meal at this popular restaurant in Forest Row. Cook your own food on sizzling hot rocks, re-live your mountain holiday with a delicious Tartiflette or simply choose a salad or pasta.

£15 per head, bookings in advance from Caroline at The Swan Tel: 01342 822318 or email: enquiries@mcindoememorial.com

All proceeds to go to the McIndoe Memorial Statue Appeal Registered Charity No. 1106240

THE Town Council has donated the cost of hiring Chequer Mead for a fundraising concert in aid of the Bluebell Railway.

Hosted by TV’s Nicholas Owen, a long-time supporter of the steam railway, the evening will feature Deborah Salmon playing highlights from the repertoire for clarinet.

For full details see the poster below.

THE Friends of East Grinstead Museum will be hosting a charity concert at Chequer Mead at 7.30pm on 15 November.

The popular Roger Hind Quartet with guest singers Ruth Fahie and Gary Wright will be performing Unforgettable, an evening of music and song from Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

Tickets are £16/concessions £15 from the box office on 01342 302000.

* For further information contact Friends’ chairman Barbara Gledhill on 01342 317149. Or email her at wjgledhill@gmail.com

CLLR Danny Favor arranged for a quartet of talented musicians headed by Julian Spencer to perform live for members of the town’s Saturday Dementia Club at Glen Vue on 14 September.

Club members and staff enjoyed the song and dance session and hope that on-going fundraising for the Club will enable more sessions to take place.

“It was fantastic,” Danny said afterwards. “Everyone involved enjoyed it, and they were very grateful to the musicians involved for making it happen. We are hoping to generate further funds so that we can keep this and similar activities in place to help improve the lives of those affected by dementia, and their carers.”