Dear Parishioners

We are really excited that preparations for the village’s 2021 Carnival night are now well under way. This year’s celebrations on the 13th November will be the 96th time we have come together as a community since 1919 to commemorate and remember. We are thankful that unlike so many other events around us this autumn, we are going ahead. Given the limitations and restrictions we have faced with our fundraising efforts we are grateful for your continuing support for those few events we have managed to organise. If you’ve not already, please consider joining the Society either as a Member or Friend – or make a donation, you can do that via the membership form attached to this letter. Or to donate, we have a ‘Go Fund Me’ page, which can be found at www.gofundme.com, just search for ‘East Hoathly’.

The collection this year is for East Hoathly Parish Church. If you would like to help and collect on the night for this worthy cause, then please email. [email protected] to register your interest and to get further information about where to obtain a collection box.

We are excited to be trialing some changes this year – The Foresters closure and changes we are having to adopt to satisfy Police and Local Authorities have impacted our evening severely over the recent years – we hope the changes we are implementing this year will reinvigorate and help to make our night as exciting and as safe for all as we can make it. Please read through the following ‘Programme of Events’ to see those changes.

Following last year’s successful changes to our Guy Competition we are continuing with our ‘Guy at Home’ theme, villagers are encouraged to build their own ‘Guy’ and display it at the front of their property. Judging will occur a week before Carnival Weekend on the 6th and 7th Nov. Please look out for the posters for details on how to take part.

On ‘Dip Night’ (Friday 12th Nov.) we are throwing open the doors to our ‘Bar at the Pavilion’ from 6.30pm. Come on down, have a few drinks and meet some (paraffin soaked) Members! All proceeds will go towards the Carnival.

We will have a Fancy Dress Competition at the Village Hall from 4pm on Sat 13th Nov.- again, please look out for posters nearer the time – everyone would be most welcome to come along – prizes for the best costumes, classes for all ages and chocolate for all!

Our first procession will be for the Carnival Society and anyone (and everyone) who took part in the Fancy Dress Competition to show off their wonderful costumes. It will leave the Kings Head at 6pm and proceed around the Village and finish at the Pavilion where an ‘Overall Prize’ for the best children’s costume will be awarded.

At 7pm Bonfire Societies and marching bands from across Sussex will join East Hoathly at the Pavilion in a procession around the village.

A further procession will leave the Pavilion at 8.15pm which will include our ‘Act of Remembrance’ on the corner of the village at 8.30pm – after turning around at the Mews the procession will head back up the village up Waldron Road to our new Fireworks Field outside the village towards Barham (see map, overleaf for details). Entry to the Fireworks Display will be by ticket only this year (£5.00 each). These will be available from the Kings Head, the Village Shop and https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/ehhcs-fireworks-tickets… prior to the night. Tickets will be available at the Pavilion Bar and outside the Village Works on the night itself. We are hoping that this change will help secure the Society financially and go some way to cover the huge expenses of putting on our night.

After the Fireworks Display the procession will return to the Playing Fields and light the Bonfire to mark the end of the evening.

The Road Closure for the village of East Hoathly will commence at 5:00pm. We would ask that if you have a car parked on the main road through the village, that these are moved to a side road or alternative parking by 4:00pm on the day of the Carnival. This will allow the safe parking of cars on either side of the road from the Shaw Roundabout to Old Whyle and Juziers Drive to the Bypass. Once these roads are full of parked cars, there will not be any available parking within the village for visitors. As there will be no parking allowed on the A22 and East Sussex Highways will be making the A22 between Crockstead and Whitesmith and the B2192 between Easons Green and Terrible Down on the Lewes Road a Red Route. These roads will be patrolled by Sussex Police. Any vehicles found parked within these zones will be towed away. The Road closure will remain in place until 11:00pm so that those who have taken part in the event can leave the village safely.

If you required a pass for your car to enter the village between 5:00pm an 6:00pm, please email [email protected] . After that time access will be severely restricted. Please email your name, address, car make and colour together with the registration number. A permit will be hand delivered to your house on Friday 12 November.

Thank you for reading this letter and I hope you have a fantastic and safe Carnival Night! Further information will be available on the Society Website

Yours sincerely,

Tim Laker

Chairman