Sue meets the Queen

Cuckfield tennis coach Sue Pegler, who has inspired many deaf youngsters to take up the sport, was recently presented to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace.
     Sue was one of 300 Churchill Fellows, chosen from over 4,000, to be part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. 
     The Winston Churchill Fellowship Trust was set up in 1965 to ‘travel to make a difference’ in a particular field of work or interest. Sue was a 1984 Fellow and, from 1999 to 2003, served in the Council to help choose categories and interview prospective Fellows.
     “Being invited to Buckingham Palace and meeting the Queen and Duke was such a privilege and great honour,” said Sue. “It was lovely to meet other Churchill Fellows too who are doing tremendous work at the grassroots of society and are so passionate and enthusiastic!”
     Sue was granted a fellowship for ‘Social Integration of the Young Deaf through Tennis’.
     The funding enabled her to travel to New York for the USPTCA Conference, meeting other coaches from all over the world.
     She went on to spend 8 weeks studying ‘Integration through Sport of the Deaf’ in America and Canada, visiting the Deaf University and schools teams in Washington DC, North Carolina, Baton Rouge, Texas (where Arthur Ashe had a big tennis school for deaf youngsters run by a qualified deaf coach,) San Francisco and Montreal, and witnessing the confidence gained by deaf sports people competing against hearing players.
     Armed with contacts, information and experience, Sue set up tennis coaching days all over Britain inspiring a whole generation of deaf youngsters to take up the sport and eventually taking Britain’s first team to compete in the Deaf Davis Cup.
     Her first pupil, Andrew Rees from Cuckfield, went to achieve international recognition in world games for deaf tennis and rugby.
     Sue is now keen to encourage others to apply for grants. “It’s a chance in a lifetime to make Britain better in your field of work,” she said. “The possibilities are endless to integrate people into communities through sport and you gain much more than you give.”

Article also available on page 21. 

Sandra Hall - Village People

By Claire Cooper

When Sandra Hall was preparing to take up her first post in the ministry, as assistant curate at Holy Trinity Church, she was given one simple piece of advice: “Love the people and they will love you back.” 
     It’s advice that has served her well, for as Sandra prepares to leave the village to take up her first parish she’s been humbled by the heartfelt messages from parishioners who are clearly very sorry to see her go.  
     “Leaving is going to be very hard and I can’t help but feel sad,” said Sandra. “I’ve made some wonderful friends here and the village will always have a special place in my heart.” 
     Sandra has been appointed priest-in-charge in the parish of Slinfold and Itchingfield, near Horsham. Her last service at Holy Trinity will be on April 19. 
     “It’s going to be a sad day,” said Sandra. “When it was announced that I was leaving I had many tears. I just hope I can hold it together.”  
     Sandra arrived in Cuckfield in June 2010. 
     “I came here straight after ordination so this was my training parish,” said Sandra. “It was all very exciting - my first year as a deacon.” 
     She was ordained priest in the parish in June 2011, with two other women priests. “It was a magnificent service. The church was completely full and the music and singing were fantastic.” 
     Sandra always knew she would leave the village when her training ended but was delighted to extend her stay after vicar Nick Wetherall retired. “My training finished last year but because Nick was leaving I was allowed to stay and look after the parish while a replacement was found. It’s been a great experience for me.” 
     She also used the time to look for her next post. “Slinfold and Itchingfield appealed to me straight away,” said Sandra. “I’m a country girl at heart and grew up on a farm, so a parish in the countryside was perfect.” The parish has two churches and covers four lovely villages. “It’s also only about a 35 minute drive from Cuckfield, so it doesn’t feel like I’m going too far away!” 
     Sandra was born in Leatherhead but shortly afterwards the family moved to Ovingdean. “So I always thought of myself as a Sussex girl!” 
     After leaving school she worked in the accounts department of American Express, and as a farm secretary, before spending many years in the sales team of Bass Charrington. “I also worked as a driving instructor for 4 years after being made redundant,” Sandra recalled.

Read full article on pages 10/11.

Elaine Baker - Village People

An ancient Chinese art dating back to the Tang Dynasty is alive and well in the heart of Cuckfield village!
     Working from home, porcelain painter Elaine spends hours meticulously working on each piece and producing antiques of the future. 
     She’s passionate about her work, is keen to encourage others to have a go, and would love to share her talent at a village Art Trail/Open House event.

By Claire Cooper
Elaine’s love of porcelain painting started 25 years ago when she signed up for a china painting evening class at Oathall Community College in Haywards Heath. “I was given a tile and a brush and I was hooked!” she says.

Elaine carried on for three terms before the teacher decided to leave. “I knew then that I would have to buy my own kiln or give up altogether,” she recalled.

Elaine started working on the dining room table at home. “My children got very used to coming home from school and being told to keep away from the table and not to touch anything!”

She then progressed to her garden ‘sheddio’, “it’s more than just a shed, but not quite a studio!”

Elaine was delighted to discover a porcelain painting club in Crawley with members from all over the South East. “At that time there were around 50 of us,” said Elaine. “Now there are only 9, but 2 of us live in Cuckfield!”

To paint on porcelain Elaine uses powder pigments mixed to a consistency similar to oil paints that can be painted onto a shiny surface. When heated, at about 800 degrees, the colour sinks into the glaze and by the time it has cooled is totally permanent.

“You can also mix the paints as ink and draw fine outlines with a mapping pen, fire, then build up the layers of the design,” said Elaine. “But the real beauty is that if you make a mistake, you can just wipe it off and start again. The paint doesn’t sink through the glaze until it is fired.”

“I like to mix lavender or clove oil in with the paint. It helps the paint stick to the china but also provides instant aromatherapy while I work!”

Sometimes Elaine uses pure gold. “It is mixed with oil, and when the piece is fired, the oil burns away and the gold is left. But at £40 for 5 grams I only use it on very special pieces.”

Read full story on pages 16/17.