Where In Sussex

Hope it goes with a bang (ours did)!

It’s time for “Bonfire 2008 – The Slideshow”!

Featuring snaps from Crowborough, Fletching, Rotherfield & Mark Cross, Hastings, Nevill, Lewes Borough, South Heighton and Barcombe’s 2008 celebrations, it’s just something I threw together last night, and I hope that you can spot some memories!  Oh yes, and there is at least one duplicated picture – ooopsy!

Wow! What an absolutely fantastic night we all had at Barcombe! It really was amazing!

Thanks to Roy Clever, Les Coppard and their team for another slick effort. Great fireworks, great attendance and great weather… perfect!

Here are some pictures from the night, for the full selection visit my Flickr Collection to see the lot!

I’ll see you all at the Carol Service on the 7th!

So here we are, the night before the last bonfire of the year

The weather is looking mild and dry, the costumes are slightly singed, the torches are ready and tomorrow night it’s BARCOMBE BONFIRE NIGHT!

I visited Barcombe today on my bike, saw the bonfire being built, tested the pub, took some pictures and got excited

I went to Barcombe Bonfire for the first time last year, and even considered joining, because it’s the closest society to work and I felt they did a really good job!

So go to the village shop, buy your programme, give generously to the buckets and enjoy the night!

Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make Sussex Bonfire a success this year!

• Uckfield – It piddled down and fortunately I couldn’t go!
• Crowborough – It was frickin’ hot!  25c when I left tee hee
• Mayfield – didn’t go, can’t remember the weather!
• Burgess Hill – Couldn’t go…..
• Rotherfield – Rain and Wind and very soggy lol
• Fletching – Fog!
• Hastings – Perfect weather, huge crowds, not enough torches
• Nevill – Great show – had to scamper there from work and took pictures!
• Newick – Excellent night and the rain stayed away (mostly)!  Yay!
• Lewes –
• South Heighton – our night!  And the rain stayed away!
• Barcombe…… the end

This Saturday sees the grand finale of the Sussex Bonfire Season – yes it’s time for Barcombe Bonfire!

Barcombe always has a great following from all the local boyes and gals, as well as the rest of the bonfire community, who want one last blast.  There are a couple of processions, great fireworks and, more importantly, a “playpen” for letting those rookies off one last time!

To be assured of parking arrive early.  Processions start from around 19:30 usually, I will try and find out more precise info, last year we marched to Barcombe Mills old station first, then back to the Royal Oak, then back to the fire site.  There is also a final procession back to the village.

The firesite is on the left, by the junction of the road leading to the church, as you approach from Barcombe Mills.  As there are many routes into Barcombe, I will not recommend any particular.  The “easiest” way of finding Barcombe though is to approach from Lewes, heading north from the Cufail Tunnel roundabout towards UCKFIELD on the A26.  About 400 yards after the second turning to Ringmer on the right, just before the United Garage there is a junction for Barcombe on the LEFT.  Google Map of the area and facilities.

Facilities in the vilage centre include the pub (Royal Oak) food and refreshments etc.  Please note that the village is small and crowded, so moving along the (long) procession route will be beneficial.  The usual rules apply – no fireworks in the street, no picking up of discarded torches and behave yourself at all times!

Just got back from the South Heighton bonfire!  It was really good fun, great to see loads of support for the society, the fireworks were great and the tab of a postbox with “RIP” in reference to the passing of the local Post Office at Denton Corner was really appropriate.

Thanks to Roger, Claire, Sophie, all the marshals, banner carriers, police, St John Ambulance, the Pentacle Drummers, Newhaven Youth Marching Band and all the other people who made the night happen!  See you at Barcombe!

Oh and afterwards, I put a rookie in my dustbin…. tee hee hee!

Tonight (8th November 2008) sees the South Heighton Bonfire Society’s annual torchlight procession from the Flying Fish in Denton Road at 6:30pm, up to Heighton Road, up Heighton Road to the Hampden Arms then down to the firesite at The Hollow (village green/recreation ground) where the fire will be lit, bonfire prayers will be said and then fireworks detonated.

I’ve been down this morning, helping build the fences, the bonfire and bag up the torches.  It was a bit damp, but we don’t care (well, not that much!)

Some pictures from this morning….

Fletching Bonfire was really good this weekend, despite almost not getting into the car park due to Mr Anal the road block attendant, who seemed to think it was a good idea to close the road about 60 mins before the procession was due…. never mind, I got my way in the end!

I’ll be at Hastings this weekend, wearing the stripes but not in the actual procession, thought I’d have a spectating couple of weeks…

As I write this, the weather forecast is looking good for Hastings Bonfire, which is, of course on October 18th.

All the information for Hastings Borough Bonfire Society’s celebrations are on my previous entry and of course you can visit their website for all the official latest information on bonfire day.

In other news, thanks to Lord Clunk of Piddinghoe for providing the rookies last weekend, they were good fun!  The pictures are a bit thin on the ground due to being in the procession, and also thick fog at the firesite, but I filmed in the playpen and filmed the excellent finale… thanks to FBS for a great show!

On Saturday 18th October the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society will hold their annual torchlit procession and bonfire, followed by a spectacular firework display around the Old Town, Town Centre and Seafront of Hastings in East Sussex.

READ ON FOR PROCESSION TIMES, PROCESSION (PARADE!) ROUTES, PARKING INFORMATION, BONFIRE LIGHTING TIME, BONFIRE LOCATION, SAFETY INFORMATION AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT TRAIN INFORMATION!

Hastings holds one of the most traditional and what I would call “proper” bonfire nights in Sussex, with a large crowd always turning out.  They have a website, where more information can be found on the evening.

Having been an evening worker in Hastings for several years, this will be the first year that I have been able to visit Hastings Bonfire as a proper spectator, as well as a participant in the procession.

Parking is always a bit of an issue, as the town centre becomes very busy, but if you turn up early and are sensible, it shouldn’t be a problem.  Follow the signs for Priory Street (TN34 1EA) and/or Priory Meadow (Devonshire Road TN34 1NE or South Terrace entrances) multi story car parks, or find on street parking.  Beware the menace of the traffic wardens, although they don’t appear to operate on this evening in the same way as usual, but I wouldn’t take the chance: they do work until midnight!

The procession starts near The Stade at Rock-a-nor, which is where the A259 bends towards Rye, on the seafront, by the fishing huts, in the Old Town area.  The East Hill beacon is lit and then the fire is brought down to the seafront by the Hastings Runners, who light the procession and start it at 1915.  The procession then heads up the A259 towards Rye, before turning left to the top of High Street and then heading down High Street back to the seafront.  Visitors should note that “High Street” is not the town centre shopping area, but is in the Old Town!

The procession should reach the bottom of High Street, by the Dolphin Fish Bar at around 1945.

The procession will then walk along the seafront, past the firesite, which is on the beach, opposite the fountain roundabout by Iceland and turning right into Albert Road.  The procession will march up to the traffic lights at the bottom of South Terrace, before then looping back to the Town Hall.  They should arrive here at 2010.  There will be a set piece firework as the Mayor meets the HBBS chairman, the procession continues to the America  Ground memorial, where the America Ground declaration is read out by the town cryer and another set piece is discharged.  The America Ground history is quite interesting, and it would be well worth reading this website, to familiarise yourself with the whole reasoning behind the declaration.

From the memorial the procession will parade through Robertson Street around 2030 to the seafront and then left to the firesite, where the bonfire will be lit at around 2100.  Fireworks will be around 2130.

Hastings is well served by trains.  More information can be found at the National Rail Enquiries website or by calling 08457 48 49 50.  There may be changes due to bonfire or weekend engineering work, so it’s well worth finding out.

Please remember to follow the common sense rules for bonfire:

• Don’t pick up discarded torches
• Don’t discharge rookies or other fireworks in the street: it is illegal and you’ll go to jail!
• Follow instructions of the marshals – they are there for your safety
• Don’t climb over barriers or attempt to join the procession
• Don’t do anything else stupid – remember, this is a family event in a public place and there will be children about!
• Do enjoy yourself!

CLICK HERE FOR THE PROCESSION ROUTE ON GOOGLE MAPS

CLICK HERE FOR HASTINGS BOROUGH BONFIRE SOCIETY’S OFFICIAL SITE WITH LATEST INFORMATION

The weather is looking very good for Fletching Bonfire 2008!  The forecast is for it to be nice and dry, maybe a bit more cloud than we have had the last few days, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be getting wet in the processions!  Yay!

Please see the post below for times, parking, location, fireworks, bonfire and all the other info you need to make Fletching Bonfire one of the best Sussex bonfires of the season!