Dear New Hellingly Resident
On behalf of Hellingly Parish Council may I extend a warm welcome to you, whether you have lived in Hellingly all your life, have made Hellingly your home for a while, or are new to the area.
Hellingly Parish Council have a website https://www.hellingly-pc.gov.uk where you will find lots of information about the area.
Should you be unable to find what you are looking for, you are welcome to contact us here at the Parish Council, our office is based at the Community Hub, The Drive, Hellingly, BN27 4EP. Our telephone number is 01323 449415 and email enquires can be sent via https://www.hellingly-pc.gov.uk/contact.
Hellingly is a growing community and with the combination of beautiful countryside and urban life, it provides a wonderful area to live or visit. We hope that our website helps you get the most from this lovely area.
The Parish of Hellingly is located adjacent to the north-west boundary of the town of Hailsham. The Parish is mostly rural in character and is situated at the confluence of the River Cuckmere and Bull River, one of its tributaries.
Within the Parish boundary are the residential settlements of Lower Dicker, and Lower Horsebridge, as well as the original village of Hellingly which comprises of the Parish Church and cluster of homes some of which are listed for their historic interest. This area is designated as a conservation area. The new residential areas east of the original village are focused on Park Road, The Drive and New Road areas, and these areas continue to expand with many new homes expected over the next few years.
The Parish Crest was adopted following a competition amongst local residents and the winning design was created by Ron Pidgley. The crest is divided into four quarters. The upper left depicts the Village School, the upper right the Church tower and lower left the Cuckoo Trail and the lower right the Water Mill, all prominent local land marks. The crest appears on all Parish official documents and correspondence.
Parish Council run Facilities
Hellingly Community Hub is a modern venue located on the Roebuck Park housing development, and has meeting, sports and event facilities which can be hired. The Parish Council offices are located in this building.
The former Village Hall is located at the junction of North Street and Church Road and is used solely by a pre-school group.
There are three defibrillators located in the Parish. They are situated at the Kings Head Public House, Horsebridge, Hellingly Village Hall, North Street, Hellingly and at the Community Hub at The Drive. These are all checked regularly, and pads and batteries are replaced before they go out of date.
Hellingly Country Park originally formed the grounds of the old Hellingly Hospital and is a beautiful and peaceful area to walk around with mature tree specimens, secret style paths and lovely views. The park includes children’s play facilities, a multi-use games area for ball games, a dog agility area, a cricket pitch and pavilion, ponds and woodland walks. Fishing at the top pond is allowed with a license all year round. The surfaced paths are suitable for wheelchair users and pushchairs too. There is free parking for visitors at the adjacent Community Hub.
Lower Dicker Recreation Ground includes a children’s play area and is the home to Hellingly Lions Cycle Speedway track and club.
Lower Horsebridge Recreation Ground is home to Hellingly Bowls Club, Hellingly Cricket Club, Hellingly Rugby Club, Hellingly Houndogs American Football Club and Link Football Club. There is also an enclosed play area for the children to play in a safe space and a large open space to run and play when the sports clubs are not using the grounds.
There are 25 allotment plots at Roebuck Park, should you wish to add your name to the waiting list and live on the Roebuck Park development please contact Natalie on natalie@hellingly-pc.gov.uk or 01323 449415 with your full name, address, email address and contact telephone number. In addition to these allotments there are approximately 90 plots at the Union Corner site, should you wish to apply for a plot here, please contact Tina via email at tina_jenner@outlook.com with your full name, address and contact telephone number.
Hellingly Cemetery is located on the east side of North Street, there is a War Memorial situated near the entrance where the Community join together on Remembrance Day in November each year. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission inspect the War Graves within the Cemetery annually.
Hailsham Town Council oversee the administration of the cemetery and for details and enquires contact them on 01323 841702 or email https://www.hailsham-tc.gov.uk/
The Parish Council is also responsible for a small area along the Cuckoo Trail known as The Arboretum. This was planted in 2000 to mark the Millennium.
The Parish Council have memorial trees around the Parish including an Oak planted at the front of the Community Hub in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee celebrations. There are also a number of memorial benches placed around the Parish, including in the Country Park and Hellingly Cemetery. If you wish to have a tree or bench placed in memory of a special person please contact the Parish Council.
Park Wood
Park Wood is one of the largest areas of un-fragmented woodland in the Hellingly and Hailsham area and the entire woodland is designated ancient, semi-natural woodland. It has a long history of coppice management back to mediaeval times when iron smelting was an important local industry.
It is designated as a Local Wildlife Site, important for its species richness including a number of bat species, hazel dormouse, amphibians, reptiles, birds and bryophytes (plants). The woodland is highly valued by the local community both as wildlife habitat and as a place for a wide range of quiet informal recreation activities.
Park Wood is designated as an Asset of Community Value and is designated as open-access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.
Cuckoo Trail
The Cuckoo Trail offers a 14 mile trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders taking you through the beautiful East Sussex countryside. The trail is part of the National Cycle Network (Route 21). https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/leisure-tourism/countryside-sites/cuckoo-trail
The route was formally a branch railway line and the trail runs for 11 miles along the route of the old railway, linking the three large towns of Heathfield, Hailsham and Polegate. An extension south of Polegate takes the Trail to Hampden Park, near Eastbourne. There are three cycle access points onto the Cuckoo trail in the Hellingly Parish.
Being mainly off-road it is suitable and safe for people of all ages and abilities. The slight gradients and sloped accesses make the trail available to most mobility scooters and wheelchairs.
Benches are located along the Trail, many carved from fallen trees by local craftsmen. Picnic tables and bike racks are located at intervals along the Trail and there is a Wildlife Sculpture Trail laid out for a mile north of Hellingly village.
As the Cuckoo Trail is used for more than one activity, the following guidance is helpful:
- Walkers can use all of the Cuckoo Trail
- Cyclists can use all of the Cuckoo Trail but should dismount where signed.
- Horse riders can ride between Hellingly and the south of Heathfield and between Summerhill Lane south of Hailsham and Polegate. This latter section involves going over a bridge, which crosses the A27 Polegate bypass, where a mounting block is provided at each end.
Bike rental is available at Horam – check out https://www.countrybike.co.uk/ for details.
Primary Schools
Burfield Academy – 01323 819309
Groveland’s Community Primary School – 01323 840062
Hawkes Farm Primary School 01323 841466
Hellingly Community Primary School – 01323 844346
Hailsham Primary Academy & Pre-school – 01323 841468
Phoenix Academy – 01323 841420
Ropemakers Academy – 01323 368374
White House Primary School – 01323 841615
Secondary Schools
Hailsham Community College Academy Trust – 01323 841468
Heathfield Community College – 01435 866066
Kings Academy Ringmer – 01273 812220
I hope this letter has given you a taste of Hellingly, however please do take the time to have a look at our website where you will find out the most up to date information about services, amenities and what’s on in the area.
With kind regards
Cllr David White.
