Drizzly weather could not dampen the spirits of groups of wassailers last weekend at the Weald and Downland museum. Wassailers? No, me neither……! It is an ancient custom of visiting orchards, reciting incantations to promote a good harvest and there was plenty of mulled cider available to keep the spirits up. The open-air museum is a jewel in our tourism offer, telling the story of life in England over the past 950 years, and it’s a great place for kids to run around. An old dairy and bakehouse are being restored on site and flour produced using traditional methods at the ancient water mill will shortly be turned into bread available to buy. The museum is also home to a group of expert wood carvers, the Daywood Carvers, who are already preparing intricate carvings for the Priory Park 100 year celebrations this September.
Another local restoration project which is gathering interest is the campaign to save Tangmere control tower. Its early days but if feasible local residents would like to restore the listed building to its former glory for use as a community facility.
We are spoilt for choice when it comes to wonderful country pubs and restaurants in and around the area but it was a pleasure to sample the delights of Michael di Bella’s cooking at the Dean Inn in West Dean. He was nominated for pub chef of the year and he has made it through to the final four. The competition takes place in London and all finalists have an hour to impress the judges with their creations….so fingers crossed!
After Sunday lunch at the Dean Inn, I attended the united churches service in the Cathedral where eight local charities showcased the fantastic support they give to people in need in our community. Under the umbrella of the churches these charity groups help people who are struggling to make ends meet, often due to the weight of debt, some groups provide youth facilities and experiences, and a variety of counselling services to help people through traumatic experiences. It never ceases to amaze me how much people give back to our community and volunteer to help those people who need help. We are truly blessed with wonderful people trying to make people’s lives better.
For the next three weeks in Parliament I will be locked away on the Trade Bill committee. Following the second reading and vote a couple of weeks back in the House of Commons a group of us will go through the Bill line by line to ensure we have the right legal structure. This will be a first for me and a great place to learn about the legal underpinnings of our future trade agreements.