With the South Downs in easy reach and its own nature reserves and parks, Burgess Hill is a great destination to while away a weekend
RidgeView Wine Estate Limited Satnav: BN6 8TPMost good weekends will include a glass or two of wine, but for something a little different visit RidgeView, which offers an open to all Tour and Tasting. You will be taken on a tour of the winemaking process at the estate from start to finish, including a peek at the winery and cellar. After the tour you get to sit back, relax and sample the wine. The tour starts at 11am on June 18th and tickets cost just �10 for an experience of an hour and a half. Booking in advance is essential. Sales and Marketing Executive Oliver Marsh says: “Here at RidgeView Estate we are nestled in the beauty of the South Downs National Park where we benefit from the ideal conditions (chalk/limestone soils and cool climate) to be able to produce top quality, award-winning sparkling wines following the strict traditional methods perfected in Champagne. Why not pop in and see for yourself why RidgeView Estate last year won the Decanter World Wine Award for Best Sparkling Wine in the World!” For more see www.ridgeview.co.uk
The Orion Satnav: RH15 8DXThe Orion cinema in Burgess Hill has been on the same site in Cyprus Road since 1919. Then, it had a single screen, an organ that played ten pre-programmed tunes and a single projector. Every ten minutes there was a pause whilst the projectionist changed the reel!It has moved on a lot since then, having been taken over in 1995 by Lee Allwood, a Surrey businessman and avid film fan. By then it had a different name and a second screen. On hearing the history of the cinema, Lee renamed it The Orion, after the name given to it when it had been refurbished in September 1946.
Burgess Hill Open Studio 2011The Burgess Hill Open Studio, now in its ninth year, is taking place on 4 and 5 and 11 and 12 of June. With over 30 local artists and 100 students exhibiting, there is something to whet the appetite of any art lover. Artist Nick Taylor is taking part again this year and he sums up what it is all about, “Exhibiting at Open Studio is what I regard as a very sociable gathering of people, to enjoy and discuss art and appreciate the hidden talents of our local artists, it brings the community together and over the years the number of regular visitors increase.” Nick is an artist of scroll and fretwork, and he not only uses wood, but card, acrylic and copper as well. This is a delicate art form, which can be very time-consuming, but also exceptionally rewarding. Originally from Surrey, Nick moved to Burgess Hill in the early Eighties. He is opening his studio to the public on the first weekend (4 and 5 June) at 2 Willow Cottages off Maple Drive (RH15 8DE). For more see www.willowcottagecrafts.co.ukEx Tex is an experimental textiles group taking its name from the course on which its members met. The group is made up of Diane Costello, Sue Edwards, Mog Granger and Margaret Yeats (sadly, they lost one of their members, Eleanor Fielder, to a long illness earlier this year). They are all Sussex-based and produce both 2D and 3D work with plastic, metal, paint, beads, text and found objects..This will be their third year exhibiting and you can find them at 63 Chanctonbury Road (RH15 9EX).Other artists taking part include Mike and Sarah Wallace, Bob and Pauline Turner, Clare Buckle and Sarah Bonnot. Leaflets are available from the Town Council Help Point and local libraries, or visit the BHOS website: www.art-in-burgess-hill.co.uk
Burgess Hill School for Girls in the CommunityBurgess Hill School for Girls has recently launched an 600km memorial walk and bike ride from Ambleside in the Lake District to Burgess Hill School in West Sussex.The Margaret Morris Memorial Challenge (M3C) will involve groups of past and present pupils, staff and parents walking and cycling in relays across the UK in just five days.The event will begin on Wednesday 6th July and will finish at Burgess Hill School with a big welcoming party on Sunday 10th July. It is hoped that people from the local and wider community, will join parts of the walk and the final celebrations.The event aims to create a lasting memorial to Miss Morris, the School Headmistress from 1955 until 1971, and provide funds for a bursary in her memory. For more information visit www.burgesshill-school .com.
Bedelands Farm Nature ReserveSituated on the north east edge of Burgess Hill, this nature reserve boasts ponds, woodlands, flower meadows with a significant diversity of flora and fauna.In 1991, Bedelands farm was formally designated as a local nature reserve. It forms an important part of Burgess Hill’s green crescent, providing on the one hand access as a corridor to the countryside, whilst acting as a barrier for outward urban growth. The reserve has since won four consecutive Green Flag Awards, the government standard for quality green spaces.
