Events held in 2023
Quiz Night at the Blacksmiths Arms – results
A very big thank you to everyone who came along to take part in our fundraising quiz night at the Blacksmiths Arms, Offham, on Thursday 9th February, when we raised £560 towards the conservation of old Hamsey Church.
We had a full house of eight teams, making for some friendly competition.
True to form, after all seven rounds, the ‘Clever Dicks’ were declared overall winners with a score of 41. ‘Beardyboys & Offham Babes’ took second place with 38.5 points while ‘Through the Looking Glass’ were a creditable third with 37.5 points.
Other results were: ‘Hamsey Hustlers’ 36.5, ‘No Hopers’ 36, ‘Offhambridge Academy’ 34, ‘Ballcocks plus One’ 32, and last, but not least, the ‘Quizzy Rascals’ with 18 (better luck next time).
Special thanks go to Jazz and Drixie at the Blacksmiths who made the evening possible with their wonderful hospitality.
Grateful thanks also go to Depot Cinema and Cheese Please in Lewes for donating some of the many raffle prizes.
We still have a fundraising mountain to climb, so look out this summer for more fundraising events and our annual Hamsey Church open day in late June.
MH – Friends of Hamsey Church.
ARTWAVE 2022
S H A R E D S P A C E - Paul Evans + Keith A. Pettit
Artists Paul Evans and Keith Pettit, well-known for drawing their passion and inspiration from their rural surroundings, exhibiting together for the first time. Keith, this his annual Artwave show, has been working on a series of new sculptures made using recently-discovered oak, extraordinarily preserved in nearby Pevensey Levels for 5000 years. And Paul, hugely popular to many for his evocative, distinctive landscapes, returns to his beloved Sussex after a 6 year absence, with exclusive new paintings for the show.
The exhibition is hosted at Hamsey Church. With proceeds of sales donated to 'Friends of Hamsey Church' and their ongoing campaign to preserve and renovate the fabric of this beautiful church.
Weekends from the 3rd to the 18th September - 11am to 5pm
Events held in 2022
Events held in 2022
Old Hamsey in Bloom
This year’s Open Day on Saturday 23rd July was a very convivial affair featuring a plant stall, teas and cakes, a ‘Pimms’ and ‘Aperol Spritz’ bar, and a raffle. Sue Rowland, ably assisted by Lynda Ridge, was on hand with her comprehensive knowledge and information on the churchyard and drew a great deal of interest all afternoon. Jodi’s plant stall was another popular draw, with some of the many plants donated by Staverton Nursery. Hamsey church guidebooks, postcards and wildflower seeds were on sale on the Friends table. Inside the church, alongside the Old Hamsey Church information banners in the chancel, we were very fortunate to be able to display the splendid Hamsey CP School ‘Wish Fish’ which the children had created for this year’s Patina ‘Let’s Make Waves’ parade in Lewes. Our grateful thanks to Caroline Croft and the children for the loan. Delightful musical accompaniment was kindly supplied by Jason Loughran & Lisa Jackson from 2-3pm, Claire Pickard and fellow musicians from the Mid Sussex Brass Band from 3-4pm, and Di & John Cullen who played from 4 until 5pm. The popular bottle raffle was drawn just after 5pm. Congratulations to all who won a prize – and a big thank you to those who donated prizes.
That afternoon we raised over £1,100 for the church restoration fund.
Beowulf
The evening of Friday 25th June saw a sell-out performance of the Anglo-Saxon epic ‘Beowulf’ in our beautiful, ancient church, accompanied by drinks of traditional mead and ale, and followed by a hog roast in the eastern churchyard. The church had been suitably dressed by the Friends team with simple greenery, deer horns and antlers which, as the evening fell and the candle light flickered, really set an evocative scene.
The powerful one-man performance of his own adaptation by Michael Bloom, ably assisted by producer Nicola Bloom, was thoughtful, humorous, and at times mesmerising, as he brought the thousand-year-old tale of a hero’s bloody confrontations – first with the monster Grendel and then with the monstrous creature’s equally formidable and vengeful mother – to vivid life for an appreciative full-house of over 100 people.
Our very grateful thanks go to Michael and Nicola for so generously creating a unique and memorable work which helped to raise over £2,440 for the church restoration fund.
A very hearty ‘thank you,’ too, to Miles Jenner for the generous supply of Harveys ale –which we labelled ‘Grendel’s Blood’.
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The Friends launched a new fund raising initiative in 2022 selling Certified wild flower seed of two kinds, downland and hedgerow varieties. This was a complete success and all seeds sold out.
