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Welcome to the Fair Committee news section. We'll be updating this area as often as possible to help us communicate progress on the 2012 Fair, so please come back soon and check for additional information.
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Written by Jolan, Chair of the Fair
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Monday, 01 August 2011 17:53 |
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In the run up to Fair 2012 I will leave some notes about the history of the Ditchling Fair on the website. I am very grateful to Tom Dufty and Janet Cragg of the History group for their help and research.
The main reason for these little snippets of history is to get us all excited about the Ditchling Fair 2012 but more importantly engaged in the village community. Although we live today in a Global Village with access to internet and Facebook friends in India and Peru, there nothing better than walking in Ditchling High Street on Sunday morning, looking up at the South Downs and seeing friendly faces. It does not get better than that!
Now... In 1312 Edward II granted John de Warenne, Lord of the Manor a charter to hold fairs on his estates at Reigate, Cuckfield, Brighton, Hurstpierpoint, Westmeston and Portslade "and one other market each week on Tuesday at his Manor of Dychenyng in the same county and one fair at the same each year for three days duration ( in the eve and in the day and in the morrow of St Margaret the Virgin)..."
Ditchling was by no means the first in Sussex to have a royal charter. The earliest were in the 11th century and were given to places on or near the coast or on important trading rivers, including Chichester, Arundel, Hastings, Rye, Lewes and Pevensey.
The word Fair derives from the Latin word 'Feria' which means Festival or Holiday. Everybody liked a free day with organised entertainment to go with it. Villages were self-contained communities in those days and everybody knew each other. Dozens would have worked together either for the Lord of the Manor, in the fields or in the same trades. Women would have shared news and household tasks, helped deliver babies and took care of elderly, sick and infirm neighbors.
Not much has changed? Let us know!
The Fair Club will have meetings in the White Horse and you are welcome to come along and volunteer. There are a million jobs to do so we need you hands and brains – and anything in between-.
Jolan van Herwaarden Chair of the Fair 2012
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 August 2011 23:06 |
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Written by Malcolm Smith
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Tuesday, 07 June 2011 08:45 |
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The members of the Ditchling Fair Committee invite you to a social evening in the Barn on the Village Green on the 16th June from 7pm till 9pm.
As you may know, the next Ditchling Fair will be a very special one. Seven hundred years ago, Ditchling was granted the Royal Charter to hold a Village Fair.
So far the working title for the theme of the 2012 Fair is Past-Present-Future.
On this evening of June 16th 2011 we would love to hear your stories and see your pictures of previous Ditchling Fairs to help us capture the spirit and to enliven the consultation on the Fair for 2012. On that same evening we would like to consult the village and its clubs and associations on ideas and plans for the Fair 2012.
We also want to recruit people to join the Fair Committee who can offer their skills, commitment and enthusiasm to help organise this very special Fair.
There will be nibbles kindly provided by the new village delicatessen The Larder and you can enjoy wine tasting courtesy of Court Garden Vineyard. We are aware that these local businesses need our support as much as we need them!
We are looking forward to hear from you and see you on 16th June at 7pm in the Barn on Ditchling Village Green.
We need you to let us know what you would like at the Ditchling Fair 2012 and we need you to help, in any way you can, to make Fair 2012 happen. We look forward to seeing you!
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 June 2011 16:09 |
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Written by Jolan van Herwaarden
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Monday, 29 November 2010 11:46 |
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Do you really need a good reason for a party? Do we need aims and objectives for a festive gatherings with other Ditchlingers and have some fun? Well... The Ditchling Fair Committee discussed the new Ditchling Fair 2012 and came up with quite a few interesting ideas. Maybe we could fund raise for a similar small village in a developing country, or a specific group or building in our beloved Ditchling.
But in all out enthusiasm and excitement we simply forgot that we are, after all a COMMITTEE of the Ditchling Village Association. This means that our fund-raising efforts will go to the DVA. All the proceeds of the Fair will support the Ditchling Village Association with it’s Inter-village Sports Day, Old Folks Dinner, Village Newcomers Party, and other grants to local clubs and societies.
This will simplify the aim of the Fair and we can concentrate on a theme, events and activities. Here are a few ideas that came to me by email;
- a dog show
- a village food market
- wine tasting
- Horse Drawn trailers. Heavy horses were bred in this area by Henry the 5th for carrying his knights etc. so they are part of Ditchling's history.
keep the good ideas coming in! Send me an email on
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The more the better!
Kindly
Jolan
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Last Updated on Monday, 06 June 2011 07:18 |
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Written by Jolan van Herwaarden
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Monday, 15 November 2010 19:44 |
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 We are not under immense pressure to quickly organise the next Fair and we do have the time to brainstorm about the Fair 2012. Our next Ditchling Fair committee meeting is on 19 January in the White Horse @8pm. In the meantime I would like to suggest that we gather as much wild and wacky - and the very good - ideas.
Malcolm has worked on the Fair Website and now we can use it to enhance it as a tool for the Fair Committee in particular and to inform the villagers in general. So you can dump your ideas in emails to me/us, and I'll start a weekly/bi-weekly blog on the website.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 09 December 2010 09:23 |
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