Village People - Tessa Land-Smith

If you’ve visited Cuckfield Museum recently, then it’s likely you’ve been enchanted by the exquisite miniature toy shop on display, complete with the tiniest workbox you’ll ever see! But you’re probably unaware that its creator runs a business in the village, and that designing and making miniatures is just one her many talents.

Tessa Land-Smith is the owner of the Chapel Gallery framing business in Brook Street. Visitors calling in to the former chapel will often find Tessa beavering away at her latest project. And from painting portraits and making soapstone sculptures to icing wonderful wedding cakes it seems there’s nothing that Tessa can’t turn her hand to.

Tessa spoke to Claire Cooper about her endless creations, her inspiration and how she’s happy to tackle any project – even a request to frame a single fish finger!

Read full article on pages 26/27.

Building Heroes

By Claire Cooper

For more than 50 years Court Meadow School in Hanlye Lane has been a centre for specialist education and opportunities with thousands of young students passing through its doors, before they closed in 2012.

Now the learning tradition is set to continue as an innovative new charity has moved on to the site and is breathing new life into the redundant buildings.

Building Heroes is a new national charity set up to provide training and employment for service leavers and local young people.

The charity took over the building on 1st July and for the past few months a team of builders has been hard at work converting the former classrooms into new workshops to offer building maintenance courses, and in a few week’s time the first groups of trainees are set to arrive. Even the former swimming pool has been transformed, although the seaside mural has survived as a lasting memorial to the school and a clue as to what lies beneath the floor!

Read full article on pages 10/11.