Category: Clubs & Societies

Book Club, Gardening Club, Horticultural Society, Short Mat TN22 Clubs, Variety Club.

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🏆🏵The Summer Show Returns!🏵🏆

🌻 The Hadlow Down Summer Show Returns! 🌻
Saturday 2nd August | Village Hall

We’re thrilled to announce that the much-loved Hadlow Down Summer Show is making a triumphant return to the village calendar!

With the recent and sad closure of the Horticultural Society, you might have thought the days of showing off your prize dahlias, giant marrows, and crafty creations were over. But fear not! Thanks to a group of determined and plucky villagers, the tradition lives on – and it’s shaping up to be better than ever.

Taking place on Saturday 2nd August in the Village Hall, this year’s Summer Show is open to everyone, and we’ve introduced some exciting new classes alongside all your old favourites.

🌼 For the green-fingered and creative at heart:

  • Show off your blooms, veg, flower arrangements, and handmade crafts

  • Try your hand at new 2025 classes like infused gin and homemade wine

  • Crafters – get ready to create a doorstop or something in tie-dye

🧒 For our younger showstoppers, we’ve added fantastic new children’s classes across three age groups:

  • Under 6s, 7–10 years, and 11-14 years

  • Get creative with wooden spoon puppets, an alien made from fruit or vegetables, or a decorated picture frame

🎟️ And it doesn’t stop there! Expect:

  • An exciting raffle with brilliant prizes

  • An auction of donated exhibits for some lively bidding fun

So, whether you’re a master grower, a crafty genius, or just love a bit of community spirit, save the date and get involved. It’s a celebration of all the talent, creativity, and heart that makes Hadlow Down such a special place.

Keep an eye out for entry forms and full details coming soon – and start planning your entries now!

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🧀Join Us for a Dramatically Cheesy Quiz Night!🧀


Friday 26th April | 7:00pm | Hadlow Down Village Hall

The Hadlow Down Drama & Variety Club invites you to an evening of fun, food, and a touch of drama at our Dramatically Cheesy Quiz!

Tables are going fast for this lively quiz night, taking place on Friday 26th April at 7:00pm in the Village Hall. For just £10 per person, you’ll enjoy a Cheese and Pâté Ploughman’s supper, a fun-filled quiz with a theatrical twist, and access to our pay bar to keep the good times flowing.

Expect laughter, friendly competition, and a great evening out with friends and neighbours – the perfect way to shake off the April blues!

So gather your team and come along for a night of fun, friendship, and good food – all served with a generous helping of drama.

To book your table, please contact Claire at 📧 claire.rivers61@gmail.com – we’d love to see you there!

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Book Club Review – September

‘Jewish is a way of seeing the world, a strong consistent background theme.’

Our book this month is Going Home by Tom Lamont 2024. It is set in the Jewish community in Enfield and centres on Joel, an articulate two-year-old whose mother dies leaving him in the care of her friend Teo. It is about the four adults who take on responsibility for him in their own way. Teo who has moved away from the community to a job in the police force and a flat in Aldgate is the responsible one who takes on the grieving youngster and  learns to care for him and love him. Then there is Ben, the feckless rich boy, the opposite of Teo but also his best friend, and Vic, Teo’s father, dying of a degenerative condition and determined that Joel will not grow up in the care of the Social Services as he once did. Finally, Sybil, the only woman of the four and a progressive rabbi trying in vain to reform the intransigent members of her synagogue. All of them interact with Joel in their own way and find their lives challenged and enriched by him Continue reading “Book Club Review – September”

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‘Painting with Plants’ – Wine & Buffet Evening

Last chance for Hadlow Down HS members to get a preferential opportunity for tickets  before they go on sale to the general public!
A Horticultural Society presentation not to be missed!

Chris Beardshaw was born and grew up in Broad Green, near Broadwas, Worcestershire.   He was formally trained in horticulture at Pershore College, and holds a BA Hons and PGDip in landscape architecture from the University of Gloucestershire.  He has won 35 prestigious design awards, including 12 RHS Gold Medals.  He has also been voted for the People’s Choice Award six times, most recently in 2023.
His first TV appearance was in 1999 as the expert on Surprise Gardeners for Carlton TV. After this, he moved to the BBC TV and Real Rakeovers as the expert contributor.  His first show as solo presenter was Weekend Gardener for UKTV Style in 2000. Also in 2000, he co-presented Gardening Neighbours for BBC 2. This was followed by three series of Housecall.  After this, he joined Gardeners’ World Live as a specialist presenter, and then soon moved on to become a presenter on Gardeners World. 
Beardshaw presented The Flying Gardener series for BBC2, which ran for four series. He currently presents Beechgrove and is a regular panel member on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time .
The Chris Beardshaw Rose was launched at the Hampton Court Show in July 2007. Scented with soft pink blooms, the new rose was produced by international rose specialist C&K Jones. Chris specifically asked for a donation (£2.50) to be made to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for every rose sold.
He holds an Honorary Degree from Liverpool University and is an Honorary Fellow of Gloucester University and in 2017 was awarded the Kew Guild Gold Award.

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Raffle Extravaganza !

Raffle tickets are available to purchase NOW! At only £1 per ticket and with every penny raised going back to Village organisations, it’s a fantastic way to support all our brilliant local projects, groups, volunteers and participants.
Contact Avril on 07812 188871 to secure your tickets Prizes will be drawn at the Fayre on Saturday September 7th 2024

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Hadlow Down Book Club August Review

 

‘A kid is a terrible thing to be, in charge of nothing’ 

Recently we read the childhood of David Copperfield and then compared it to Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver’s novel inspired by her hero Dickens but set in the rust belt of Appalachia and exploring contemporary issues. It was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Like Dckens, she lays bare and makes an impassioned criticism of social injustice, cruelty and incompetence of those who should be helping children,  Continue reading “Hadlow Down Book Club August Review”

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July Hadlow Down Book Club Review

‘English humour turns on transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary’ , James Thurber 

Listening to the World Service in the small hours of an insomniac night, I suddenly jolted wide awake as I heard the voice of the author of one of our favourite Book Club reads – Clare Chambers talking about Small Pleasures. She was saying that she extensively read fifties novels in order to capture the dialogue and atmosphere of the time. Her favourite was Excellent Women (1952) by Barbara Pym, so we decided to read it ourselves.   Continue reading “July Hadlow Down Book Club Review”

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Horticultural Show

Time to start lining up & preparing all the Fruit, Veg & Flowers you intend to show and getting your entry forms in.