The Hurst Rethink

11/05/2026

We will be holding our popular swift and house martin evening walks again in June to showcase our new nest cups & boxes - and to talk about our local populations of these birds.

Spaces on each walk are limited to 20 places so we've set up an Eventbrite to manage bookings. The walks are free to attend, just register your place on Eventbrite for one of the two walks, either Tues June 23rd or 30th at 7.45pm

Here are the booking links:

June 23rd: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989209047810?aff=oddtdtcreator
June 30th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989209231359?aff=oddtdtcreator

Hopefully see some of you in June 🙂

08/05/2026

Here's the map of addresses taking part in the Hurst Jumble Trail this Sunday 10th May 10am-2pm. We really hope you enjoy wandering around the village looking for treasure and meeting the community! If you want a downloadable version, head to our website, hurstrethink.org.

Happy Jumbling! 😍

05/05/2026

🦇🦇A HUGE thank you to everyone who came to our sell out woodland wildlife talk and bat walk last Thursday in Sayers Common, hosted by the brilliant as ever Michael Blencowe. We had over 40 people at the event, sharing bat detectors and the visit to the churchyard didn't let us down. Thanks to Sayers Common Village Hall for welcoming us for our first ever event there, we will be back!

We hope a few of you have ordered your own bat detectors - it is quite addictive.

15/04/2026

Our 2026 Hurst Rethink Swift and House Martin nesting project is well underway for Spring 2026 with Phase 3 seeing the installation of 22 House Martin nest cups and a further 12 Swift nest boxes in the village.

This year we decided to focus on supporting the House Martins who have a small stable colony of 12 natural nests along the High Street. We are very lucky to have this colony of birds nesting in the village and they urgently need our help to maintain and boost their nesting numbers.

In 2021, these sociable birds were placed on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC) in the UK following a 72% decline in numbers over the last 50 years leading to the risk of extinction.

By putting up artificial nest cups we are giving the returning birds permanent nesting sites and this will encourage them to stay and boost their breeding numbers. It saves the birds a lot of time and energy after their long migration that would be used gathering mud to build their nests with and artificial nests reduce the risk of mud nests collapsing during the breeding season with subsequent loss of broods.

Local ecological expert Paul Stevens, who is the Hirundine Champion for Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) has made bespoke house martin nests carefully designed to fit various different types of eaves ; these nests will provide the best chance of the nests being successfully used by returning House Martins.

Paul spent a busy two days in the village last week fitting the house martin and swift nest boxes. We were lucky to see the arrival of the first house martins on April 9th who immediately started visiting their nests above the row of shops on the High Street.

The 12 swift boxes have been fitted to houses within the successful swift nesting area to provide more nests for the years to come as we expect the colony to continue to expand across Western Road, Cuckfield Road, Weald Close and Wilderness Road. Since the project started in 2023, we have fitted 35 swift boxes. In 2023 one box fledged swift chicks, this increased to 3 boxes in 2024, and 9 boxes fledged in 2025 with a further 5 boxes hosting pairs of young swifts choosing their nest site for 2026. It is now said to be one of the most successful swift nesting projects in the County.

We would like to thank all the householders who have shown so much enthusiasm for the project by agreeing to host nest boxes on their houses and we are very grateful to HPPSC Parish Council and Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) who provided grants to help us fund the nests. A huge thanks to Rebecca Rees for all of her work on this project - and for writing this update!

Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council

27/03/2026

🦇🌳Woodland Wildlife & Bat Walk 🌳🦇

Join Hurst Rethink and the Lost Woods Project for an evening exploring local nature in Sayers Common.

📅 Thursday 30th April
⏰ 7:15pm
📍 Sayers Common Village Hall

Michael Blencowe from the Lost Woods project will start the evening with an illustrated talk on the wildlife that can be found in the Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common area. As the sun sets we will head out, armed with special bat detectors, on a short walk looking and listening out for bats.

🎤 7:15 – Illustrated talk: 'Woodland Wildlife of the Lost Woods'
☕ 8:00 – Teas, coffees & a chance to mingle
🦇 8:20 – Bat walk with special bat detectors!
🏁 9:15 – Finish

🚨 FREE Places are limited to 40 and are going fast — book soon, at hurstrethink.org
Organised by Hurst Rethink & the Lost Woods Project 💚

23/03/2026

🛍️ Hurstpierpoint Jumble Trail 2026 is back!

📅 Sunday 10th May 2026 | 10am–2pm

Sign up to be a jumbler 🏷️ — set up your own stall outside your house, sell or donate your unwanted treasures, and reconnect with your neighbours and friends on what promises to be a brilliant, sociable day! 🏡

👫 Why not team up with a group of neighbours for multiple stalls?

📩 Email your address and postcode to [email protected] by 1st May to be included on the official Jumble Trail map!

♻️

10/03/2026

A reminder to fill in your response to this survey :)

The Parish Council originally requested an extension to the 20mph zone to cover the roads around St Lawrence School.

Following a road safety assessment, West Sussex County Council has recommended extending the scheme to a much wider area due to the risks to pedestrians caused by significant on-street parking. The proposed area is shown by the broken red lines on the map.

A public consultation is now open and runs until 12 March 2026. It is important that local views are shared so there is clear evidence of community support.

You can view the proposal and submit comments online here:
https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/traffic-regulation-orders/live-consultations-for-permanent-tros/mid-sussex-live-tro-consultations/

Alternatively, you can email your comments to [email protected]
Please quote reference MDS8014-MM.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to respond.

24/02/2026

We've long thought a 20mph restriction in more of the village would make us all safer and encourage more active travel. Please take the time to respond to this consultation from West Sussex.

The Parish Council originally requested an extension to the 20mph zone to cover the roads around St Lawrence School.

Following a road safety assessment, West Sussex County Council has recommended extending the scheme to a much wider area due to the risks to pedestrians caused by significant on-street parking. The proposed area is shown by the broken red lines on the map.

A public consultation is now open and runs until 12 March 2026. It is important that local views are shared so there is clear evidence of community support.

You can view the proposal and submit comments online here:
https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/traffic-regulation-orders/live-consultations-for-permanent-tros/mid-sussex-live-tro-consultations/

Alternatively, you can email your comments to [email protected]
Please quote reference MDS8014-MM.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to respond.

19/01/2026

🎬 are screening the brilliant film Power Station on Tuesday 10th Feb at Hassocks Hotel

It’s the inspiring true story of how one entire street in London came together to install solar panels 🔆—turning their street into a power station ⚡ and building a stronger, more connected community 💚 along the way.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with representatives from local community energy groups 🌍⚡

🎟️ Tickets: £5
Book via Eventbrite 👉 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-power-station-tickets-1979175903405

18/01/2026

🌿 Conduit Community Woodland Coppicing Weekend 🌿
📅 7–8 February 2026
📍 Conduit Community Woodland (off New Way Lane)

A warm invitation to come and learn traditional coppicing while helping restore a beautiful Sussex woodland from the landowner, Jill. 🌳

Join them for a hands-on, friendly weekend led by Alun Hughes, an experienced outdoor educator, woodland guide and all-round good human (with a great sense of humour!). You’ll learn the principles and practical skills of this ancient, regenerative woodland craft, supporting biodiversity, wellbeing and long-term land stewardship.

💚 What to expect

Learn millennia-old coppicing skills

Be part of a living, regenerative woodland project

Fire, tea & cake to warm up with 🔥☕🍰

Stories, music & shared food around the fire on Saturday evening (optional – bring food to share!)

⏰ Times
9.30am–4pm each day
Come for one day or both

👨‍👩‍👧 Children welcome (carers responsible for their safety)

🥪 Bring
Packed lunch (hot drinks & cake provided)

💷 Suggested donation
£50–£100 for the weekend (all goes towards restoring the coppice)
Please don’t let money stop you from coming – offer what you can.

📩 To book or ask questions
Email: [email protected]

Call: 07931 576007

🚶‍♀️ Easy to reach from Hassocks via New Way Lane

Come and connect – with the woods, with each other, and with an ancient craft 🌲💚

12/01/2026

Get involved in citizen science this year - dates for your diary ☺