News

Did recent Olympic water sports excite your child? Have they got too much energy and an inquisitive nature? The Sea Scouts may be the organisation for them writes Robert Veitch

In celebration of the vineyards of Sussex and the fabulous Sparkling Wines produced here, Sara Whatley dives into the world of wine

Children with Cancer Fund – Polegate is a small East Sussex charity that works with children up to the age of 18, who have or have had cancer. Issy Taylor-Gallardo explains who they help, how they do it and how to get involved as a supporter, or a beneficiary

Want your blooms to last forever? Give artificial a go! Sara Whatley looks at the ultra realistic flowers and plants available today

Where Cubs and Scouts are mixed, Guides is solely for girls aged 10-14, offering life relevant skills, friendships and plenty of fun along the way writes Robert Veitch

Alzheimer’s Society Sussex Area Manager, Jacqui Justice-Chrisp reflects on the importance of the Brighton Memory Walk for people living with dementia in the area

The origins of Chess are Indian and Persian; today it is a board game that can be played by everyone from granddaughter to Grandmaster writes Robert Veitch

The three Sussex branches of the Motor Neurone Disease Association are currently seeking new recruits to join their enthusiastic and dedicated teams of volunteers. David Setters, MNDA volunteer and patient writes about what they do, how they help, and how easy it is to get involved

Advertising Feature: The Seychelles group of islands is a treasure in the Indian Ocean. It is possibly the most romantic archipelago in the world; the perfect paradise location for a dream wedding. With powder white sandy beaches, crystalline clear turquoise waters, lush flora and gently swaying coconut trees, all teamed with a warm tropical climate all year round making it ideal for that special life event – the Seychelles certainly ticks all of the boxes as a sensational wedding destination

Like lawn bowls, bocce and crown green bowling, petanque is a form of boule sport – and it’s played widely across Sussex as Hanna Prince explains

With plenty of popular windsurfing spots, Sussex is the perfect place to try your hand at this water-based adrenaline sport writes Hanna Prince

During June 10-year-old Dougie Wren cycled from Horsham to Shoreham and back again to raise over £1,300 for St Catherine’s Hospice in memory of his Nanny Chris, writes Laura Mitchell

Archery has had close associations with Sussex since the iconic colour scheme of the archery target was invented here in the early 1800s as Hanna Prince explains

It’s a school playground favourite – but netball can still be enjoyed by women (and men) of all ages and levels of experience as Hanna Prince reports

Advertising Feature: Wakefields jewellers have been serving the Horsham community since 1911, offering a combination of expertise, passion for fine jewellery and watches, along with a highly skilled team of welcoming sales consultants as Lisa de Silva discovered

A ring is a never-ending circle which makes it the perfect symbol of love. Whether for engagement, wedding or eternity, Adele Trathan explores the symbolism of offering this gift of love

It’s that time of year when clinking spoons start stirring tea in china cups whilst knives slice through scrumptious fresh cake. It’s that time of year when the crack of leather on willow begins again in earnest as Robert Veitch reports

Advertising Feature: It’s not often that you get to visit something so new the Mayor and local MP are cutting the ribbon as you arrive. But that’s what happened to Robert Veitch when he met the team at the new A-Plan Insurance branch in Haywards Heath

Advertising Feature: Offering everything from beautiful face masks and craft supplies to bespoke cleaning services, Sarah Lacey Dry Cleaning is getting back to business post-lockdown as Hanna Prince discovered

June 16th is fast approaching and this means Sussex Day is almost here. Robert Veitch spoke to Brady Ells about this relatively recent innovation of a celebratory day to all things Sussex

The directors of an award-winning absinthe bar share their passion for magical cocktails in a new book. Sam Wylie-Harris takes a peek inside.

A good read for every occasion.

Costa Coffee, is introducing a selection of delicious sweet and savoury items to its existing menu. Available to purchase from Costa Coffee stores nationwide from Thursday 6th May, these new additions are the perfect choice for any picnic in the park.

Got into baking sourdough bread during lockdown? Mix it up with this tasty pretzel recipe, from former Great British Bake Off finalist James Morton. Deliciously salty and perfectly chewy, these sourdough pretzels are sure to please.

Want to enrich your daily walk or make your lunchbreak that little bit brighter? Here's a list of the best mood-lifting podcasts.

Advertising Feature: Sara Whatley discovers how Woodhouse Butchery are punching way above their weight in the meat world with both their products and their extraordinary service

Sophie Beresford from Macmillan Cancer Support has written about the good work the charity does in Sussex, and then makes the case for getting involved in this year’s Coffee Morning to help the good work continue

This contemporary curry recipe is full of flavour but uses just staple kitchen cupboard ingredients. Adele Trathan recommends making it for family and friends as it’s easy to prepare in advance which lets the flavour develop and makes it a stress-free favourite

This is a dish to impress your guests. Adele Trathan uses honey in three stages of her recipe, generating depth and sweetness to deliciously succulent, griddled king prawns

Adele Trathan’s fish finger wraps are an easy, weekend or summer holiday lunch for kids to make, using a few staple ingredients from the fridge and freezer, wrapped up for a nutritionally balanced and deliciously simple meal

This month we are celebrating all things Sussex so how about making a traditional Sussex dessert? Adele Trathan has put her spin on this old suet pastry pudding recipe that encases a whole lemon. Once steamed, the lemon should be almost candied and luxuriating in a pond of butter and sugar. Decadent!

'Parfait' means 'perfect' in French and this recipe by Adele Trathan is quick and easy, as well as eye-catching and delicious.

Advertising Feature: With summer just around the corner, now is the perfect time to invest in a versatile outdoor stove. Distinguished local company Bolney Stoves can help, writes Hanna Prince

The perfect partners; offering a combination of texture and taste, an ideal companion to salmon or steak. Adele Trathan’s hollandaise sauce is easy to make because it uses oil, which means it can be reheated without spoiling, or served at room temperature.

Fresh salmon is available all-year round, it’s quick, easy and makes the perfect light, stress free mid-week meal. Accompany Adele Trathan’s recipe with asparagus and hollandaise sauce for a delicious lunch with friends

This mouth-watering barbecue recipe is perfect for spring in the garden!

Got into baking sourdough bread during lockdown? Mix it up with this tasty pretzel recipe, from former Great British Bake Off finalist James Morton. Deliciously salty and perfectly chewy, these sourdough pretzels are sure to please.

A dreamy pudding for a little bank holiday weekend indulgence.

Schools are now open, so we've brought you one of our favourite lunchbox recipes, enjoyed by kids and grown ups — simple Lunchbox Lasagnes!

February 12th marks the beginning of the Chinese year of the Ox! Why not celebrate with your family at home, by making and baking your own Fortune Cookies. After all, we could all do with a little luck in 2021!

Traditional pancakes with lemon and sugar are always a winner, but what about something a little different this year? We love thick, fluffy pancakes with fried banana and bacon, drizzled in maple syrup. Sounds so wrong, but we think it's so right!

When it's cold and wet outside, we love to brighten a day stuck indoors with a few home comforts. How about these home-made Pork and Cranberry Sausage Rolls, served fresh from the oven.

It's Friday — and while the pubs and restaurants might be shut, we won't be deterred from making the best of it. How about sticking some music on and becoming a mixologist for the evening. We recommend this recipe for Toasted S'mores Martini.

Fancy something sweet to eat now the Christmas supply is long gone? There’s no need to wait until your next essential shopping trip, you can make this quick and easy Chocolate Mug Cake with ingredients likely to be in your cupboard already.

One mouthwatering meal which is guaranteed to give you your five a day is a Buddha Bowl. You can make these with anything you like really — the more colourful the better! But here we're making a healthy and flavoursome grilled chicken and rice Buddha Bowl, packed with fruits and vegetables.

These are the highlights from Flo Whitaker’s holiday diary, having recently returned from a short break with her friend, a fellow Medieval history geek

With the dog days of summer preceding the arrival of autumn, or an Indian summer (who knows!) we asked Robert Veitch to find an interesting route from Balcombe to Haywards Heath. He took his friend Donna along for the gallivant, to brighten his day and count the kissing gates

Out with the old and in with the new for multifunctional makeup to save you time, space and money. Sara Whatley looks at a few hard working products, some of which you probably already own!

Here are the solutions to the Puzzle Page problems on page 158 of the September edition of the magazine – how well did you do?

In today’s frenetic, time-restricted modern world, cultivating a practice of mindfulness in everyday day life can help to minimise needless stress and anxiety, writes Lisa de Silva

Wild swimming is suddenly all the rage and there are people out there who'll try to convince you to spend a fortune on 'essential kit' – Nonsense! writes Flo Whitaker, but admits it is probably time she bought a new towel...

Sussex is home to some of the best rockpooling spots in the country. Hanna Prince looks at where and how to enjoy this classic summer holiday pastime

The Monday Group are rights of way volunteers, founded in 1961 by Harold Rowling MBE of Westmeston. They’ve been creating stylish stiles ever since as Jim Redwood explains

Safeguarding against things that might happen in life is an unfortunate necessity most people need to be prepared for, as Peter d’Aguilar explains

We thought for a change, we would allow our resident rambler Robert Veitch to come up with something on his own patch. Make it go past your house we said, find some bluebells we asked. He succeeded with one and got within 50m of the other. Happy wandering!

The Booth Museum in Brighton is home to an original presentation of the natural world as one Victorian saw it. Generations later, it’s also a timely reminder that extinction is all around today as Michael Blencowe explains

With our planet rapidly turning into one giant landfill site, the world needs repair shops more than ever, writes Flo Whitaker

There are over 29,400 people living with dementia in Sussex. Alzheimer’s Society has been supporting any of them, and people across the county who are concerned about their memory, through the pandemic, explains Jacqui Justice-Chrisp (Alzheimer’s Society Area Manager for Sussex)

Property, equity and retirement can be a complex topic, so we asked Peter d’Aguilar to shed a little light on some of the options currently available

With an estimated 18 million working days lost to stress each year in the UK, Lisa de Silva explores the effects of stress and offers some tips for minimising and managing its effects

This month, Flo Whitaker tries in vain to understand the attractions of Social Media

What will the future make of Lewes’s most recent century? John Warburton explores the town in the past 100 years, from its iron industry and railway to its famed bonfire celebrations

A beautiful story about a feisty 86-year-old, desperate to embark on one final great adventure.

There's plenty of TV drama to get stuck in to while we're indoors this winter. Here's our list of what's on and when.

Over Christmas, due to the lack of a Sky subscription and the need to find out what was getting everyone so worked up in the office, I devoured the book behind HBO's latest television thriller, The Undoing.

Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson are a couple in real life and will be performing together this September. They are heading to Sussex to tread the boards in Horsham, Robert Veitch chatted to them while they cooked dinner together

Advertising Feature: Tisshaws the specialist family law firm based in Haywards Heath are delighted to welcome Richard Adams to the team, so we sent Lisa de Silva to meet the man they’re all talking about

Despite his Northern roots, actor Richard Hawley has been a long-time resident of Brighton. Currently walking the cobbles of Coronation Street as Johnny Connor, Lisa de Silva talked to Richard about living on the south coast and his work, both in Corrie and as a supporter of the Alzheimer’s Society

Behind the corporate image of Sussex Police, there’s a very human element to the force. Robert Veitch has delved into a little police history, then brought it up to date in conversation with the recently appointed Chief Constable, Jo Shiner

Saturday June 30th, 2012, was a rather special in John Hannam's 47 year career as a showbiz writer and broadcaster. He fondly refers to it as 'my Sheridan Smith day'

We talk to acclaimed children’s author and illustrator Chris Riddell about his inventive imagination, love of the Sussex coast and his eagerness to inspire the next generation of creative youngsters

From a life of movie acting and travelling the world to becoming an autism advocate from her home on the South coast, Tara Leniston gives an honest account of her journey

We talk to actor David Calder on his love of Sussex and life during lockdown

Well known for his presence on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Bob Flowerdew speaks to us on the love of his profession, his links to Sussex and his handy gardening tips

On a cold January day I headed for Ludlow to meet up with Boycie, that notorious second-hand car dealer from Only Fools and Horses.

During the final ten days before the lockdown, I’d been lucky enough to have pre-arranged five interviews. It was in Guildford on a very wet and miserable March day. Would she be like Raquel in Only Fools And Horses or Mrs Maguire in Grantchester?

Sussex Living investigates much-neglected Sussex writer Hilaire Belloc, a politician, patriot and polymath on the month of his birth and death

There are some years you just never want to end. In my case, it was 2019. I became the grandfather of twin boys, was privileged to attend a Buckingham Palace Garden Party and had interviewed Dame Judi Dench live on stage, in the presence of the Lord Mayor of London. That honour led me directly to my last major interview of the year — Sir Ian McKellen.

Often dismissed as frumpy and boring, some fabulous new varieties have been added to the hydrangea family. Flo Whitaker urges you to take a second look at these long-lived plants that offer much – and ask for little in return

Advertising Feature: Whether you need extra room for work, for rest or for play, Createspace Garden Rooms provide the ideal solution for extending your living space, as Lisa de Silva recently discovered

Thinking of remodelling the kitchen this summer? Read on for some tasty on-trend design and style tips from Sara Whatley

Is your garden looking tired and dusty? This month, Flo Whitaker recommends plants that revel in summer heat and will keep on looking good until autumn

With her long history of religious and regal associations, all flowers bow down in deference before the rose. Flo Whitaker pays homage to Her Majesty and educates the rest of us

Advertising Feature: In an ever changing world, security systems have evolved at great pace thanks to technological innovation and the ever increasing speed of the Internet as Robert Veitch discovered when he met the team at Sight and Sound Ltd

No garden is complete without a few herbs, writes Flo Whitaker. Herb gardens are beautiful and practical – and you don’t have to break the bank to make one

Advertising Feature: Inspired by the traditional Victorian shepherd’s hut, the White Hut Company offers handcrafted, high quality, custom-built huts for contemporary lifestyles as Lisa de Silva discovered

Advertising Feature: Offering everything from bespoke soft furnishings and room styling to gifts from local designers, Caroline at Home is one of Haywards Heath’s hidden treasures, as Hanna Prince finds out

Advertising Feature: As lockdown eases, visitors to The Orchards in Haywards Heath will notice an exciting new addition to the shopping centre called Acorn Sales & Letting Agency. Lisa de Silva paid them a visit recently

Advertising Feature: Garden Sage was born with the ethos of providing quality plants and sound horticultural advice. After five years and a recent move to a new home near Henfield, Robert Veitch went to see how far they’ve come

This month, Flo Whitaker’s on the veg patch. If you’re new to veg growing, you can be sure of success with beans – and now’s the best time to plant them

Dinosaurs ate them, and the Victorians obsessed about them; ferns are astonishing survivors from the prehistoric world and still have the power to enchant us, writes Flo Whitaker

Plant Heritage calls for garden enthusiasts across the UK to enter competition which celebrates rare and unusual plants.

The euonymus genus contains over 150 varieties in the form of shrubs and trees, so there should be one type available to brighten every garden throughout the year

Versatile and long-lived, no plants give better fiery autumnal colours than acers.

In today’s climate, home offices have never been more desirable. We've got this advice for designing your own stylish workspace

It’s all go on the veg patch this month. Sow hardy winter greens and plant onions for a tasty crop next year

September is the perfect time to customise your fireplace with a few stylish design tweaks

As we move into the cooler months, here's our top tips on the safest and most cost efficient ways to stay warm at home

With Bear being the first female pooch in the house of Teddy, this month our favourite Border Terrier muses on all things gender related, with his thoughts translated into human, as they always are, by Helen Stockton

Bees are some of Mother Nature’s most important pollinators and our relationship with them goes back for thousands of years. Ruth Lawrence has discovered how the High Weald Beekeepers’ Association at the Horsted Green Park Apiary are working hard to maintain thriving colonies and extend this relationship

For Barry Foulkes, the blood that runs through his veins might conceivably be equine not human, such is his passion for horses, racing and Lewes. Robert Veitch went to meet the man that set up the Lewes Racecourse History Group

With summer in full swing Teddy has been telling his human translator, Helen Stockton, how excited he is getting about the prospect of holidays, extra treats and pampering, made all the more likely as apprentice fur, Bear, recently gained her motorhoming badge

With puppy training well underway, Teddy reports on the progress his protégé, Bear, has made in recent times. As always, our favourite Border Terrier’s musings are translated into human by Helen Stockton

To celebrate its 10th birthday, nationwide campaign, Hedgehog Street, is asking members of the public to do 10 things to help hedgehogs throughout 2021. The campaign launched by wildlife charities People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) aims to encourage people to make their gardens more hedgehog friendly, in order to help stop the ongoing decline of Britain’s favourite mammal.

Having a dog in your life can be a very rewarding experience, however it is also a lifelong commitment. Adam Levy, Regional Manager at Dogs Trust explains why it is important for potential owners to be fully informed before bringing a dog into their lives

Teddy has a love of clowning around and making people laugh, as explained through his human translator, Helen Stockton

It’s 25 years since the Friends of Weir Wood Society was set up to help maintain the Local Nature Reserve on the reservoir and Peter Erridge has been looking into the voluntary work they do for nature conservation

Autumn’s well and truly arrived, and Teddy, along with his interpreter, are steeling themselves for the rainy days to come

‘Junior Him’ is moving and it’s a busy time for the whole family. Teddy’s on paw though with his own method of stress therapy

Things seem to be heading back to a sense of normal for ‘Them Indoors’, but there’s only one thing on Teddy’s mind: getting a decent haircut

What may seem to us to be natural waste, could be an invaluable asset for a whole range of garden species and benefit the natural environment.

Sparrowhawks are now fairly common throughout the country and more of us can enjoy the breathtaking sight of these spectacular, small birds of prey.

Teddy may be starting to look like a Wookiee on a bad hair day, but it hasn’t stopped him from staying positive during lockdown. His human interpreter writes his account of life at home and the reality of spending more time with ‘Them Indoors’.

Barney and Penny are our Cats of the Week

Zara is our Dog of the week

You and a loved one could soon be jetting off into the sunset with a luxury holiday to Barbados!

Enjoy a fascinating insight into the life of well-known and talented nature artist Louisa Crispin and her exciting new exhibition...

Sign up to the Sussex Living newsletter and you could be in with a chance to win a 4th generation Amazon Echo, just in time for Christmas...

Enjoy discounted tickets to this exciting event at these stunning Sussex gardens with live music, wood-fired pizzas, drinks and more!

Due to popular demand, we've got another batch of these family tickets to sell for the Middleton Butterfly Gardens this autumn...