Category: Dark Skies

Village Hall Events in October 2026

Dates for your diaries:

  • Saturday 3rd October   LIBRARY CAFE 10am -12noon
  • Monday 5th October and every Monday :
    • ART CLUB 10am -12noon
    • LIBRARY CAFE 2-4PM
  • Friday 16th October QUIZ EVENING 7pm for 7.15pm
    £7-50 per person. This includes light refreshments but please bring your own drinks. Teams (of up to 6) can be made up on the evening. There will be a RAFFLE – so bring some extra cash. For further information, table reservations etc, please contact Douglas or Diana Sewell (01435 830304) In aid of the Royal British Legion (Poppy Appeal) and Dallington Village Hall.
  • Saturday 24th October DARK SKIES AFTERNOON 2- 4.30pm
    See article below for details

And finally… We have recently registered Dallington Village Hall for donations via Easyfundraising. Every time you make a purchase from one of over 8000 retailers (including major supermarkets and other well-known names) they give a small donation to us, without costing you anything.
Just go to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/dallington-old-school-village-hall/ and register as a supporter.

Dark Skies over Dallington

Photo of Milky War in night skyHave you seen the Milky Way in the night sky above Dallington?

Will it still be possible to show your grandchildren the Milky Way in a decade’s time?

 

We’ve some of the darkest skies in Sussex – we ought to celebrate them and ensure we keep them into the future. On Saturday October 24th from 2:00 to 4:30 pm  with the support of Dallington Parish Council and High Weald National Landscape, we’re holding a family-friendly Dark Skies afternoon at Dallington Village Hall for all residents.

Come along and learn how our dark skies are under threat, how this affects more than just our views of the stars, and how managing the threats can bring both health and commercial benefits.

David Field of the High Weald Dark Sky Community, Tree Warden Doug Edworthy, and volunteers from nearby villages will be on hand to explain how High Weald parishes are becoming certified as Dark Sky Communities and inviting Dallington to become one too.

Come along, have some refreshments and chat with like-minded people who value our dark skies and find out what you can do to keep our skies starry.

Andromeda Event postponed until next week

Posted on behalf of Doug Edworthy:

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the weather forecast for Thursday, and it doesn’t look great. While it’s not going to be raining, the clouds will prevent us from seeing the main event – the Andromeda Galaxy!

The forecast for a week later is (currently) a lot better so we’ve postponed the event until Thursday 25th September.  Same venue, different date. (See updated poster for details)

Apologies if this makes it difficult for you to attend, but we hope you can still make it.

Extended Deadline for Dark Skies Children’s Writing Competition

 

In view of the interest generated by the recent High Weald Wild about Dark Skies Festival (28 Oct-10 Nov), the editorial board of The Messenger Magazine have decided to extend the deadline for our  Children’s Creative Writing competition (previously announced in the September issue of the Messenger) to 15th November, 2024

The Festival aims to celebrate the High Weald’s dark skies and raise awareness about the negative impacts of light pollution – on wildlife, climate change and our own wellbeing – and how we can help reduce it.

Our writing competition  is designed to inspire and celebrate children’s responses to this topic. It is open to all children aged 5-11 living or attending school in the area served by the Messenger. We  invite entries of poems, or short stories or articles (maximum 250 words) on any aspect of the theme of Dark Skies. Here are some questions to get them thinking:

    • What’s special about dark skies and why do they matter?
    • What are your own experiences of the dark?
    • What  can you see in the night sky?
    • What do you like about the moon and stars?
    • What are the stories behind constellation names?
    • Why is darkness important to wildlife?
    • What would happen to animals, birds and insects if it stayed light all the time?

The new deadline for entries is  15th November, 2024 and results will be announced in the new year. Prizes will be awarded in the two age categories:
– Young 5-7 years
– Junior 8-11 years.

The winners in each age category will each receive a £20 book token from Rother Books and their entries will be published in The Messenger. Runners up from each of the four villages will receive a £10 token.  All entrants will receive a special Dark Skies bookmark.  Your school may be taking part in the competition but individual entries are also very welcome.

Competition Rules

  • Subject: “Dark Skies”
  • Word count: Up to 250 words (excluding title)
  • Judging criteria: Originality, engagement with theme, language (entries will not be judged on spelling and grammar)
  • Only one entry per child
  • Entries must be the original work of the child and should be submitted by a responsible adult (parent/guardian or teacher with parental consent).
  • By submitting, the responsible adult grants permission for winning entries to be published in The Messenger. Copyright remains with the author
  • Child’s name & age on 15th November 2024 should be included with their entry, along with address and contact details (which will not be published) for notification of results.
  • Entries may be handwritten or typed and submitted by email to messenger@gmail.com or by post to
    The Messenger Children’s Writing Competition,
    Hunters Farm, Kent Lane, Brightling TN32 5HU
  • Entries must arrive by midnight  15th November 2024; late entries cannot be considered
  • The judges’ decisions are final

This Saturday 2nd November Dark Skies Talk

Apologies for another reminder but it’s come to my notice that the incorrect time was shown on one of the pages of the Messenger Magazine – so this is the correct information again:

Dark Skies PosterIn Dallington, local expert Doug Edworthy (Fellow of the Royal  Astronomical Society)  will be giving a talk about the wonders of the stars and the impact of light  pollution on nature, people and the sky . This will take place at Dallington Old School Village Hall on Saturday 2nd November at 7.30. That is the weekend of the new moon, which means it will be particularly dark so we may be able to enjoy the skies on the way to and from the hall.

 

Wild about Dark Skies Festival – latest news

As previously announced, Dallington is participating in this year’s High Weald Wild about Dark Skies Festival. Running from Saturday 28 October to Sunday 10 November 2024, the Festival promises a fortnight of stargazing, workshops, talks, walks and fun family activities. Find out more at https://highweald.org/get-involved/dark-skies/wild-about-dark-skies-festival/

Dark Skies PosterIn Dallington, local expert Doug Edworthy (Fellow of the Royal  Astronomical Society)  will be giving a talk about the wonders of the stars and the impact of light  pollution on nature, people and the sky . This will take place at Dallington Old School Village Hall on Saturday 2nd November at 7.30. That is the weekend of the new moon, which means it will be particularly dark so we may be able to enjoy the skies on the way to and from the hall.

Dallington School is also joining in with the festival.  Paul Cox, Head Teacher, reports that the older children are currently working on a project based around the Dallington Village Dark Skies Festival. They have been visited by the amazing Rachel Bennington, who works for the High Weald. They have done lots of wonderful work around the stars and light pollution. They will also be writing some poems around the night sky – to be entered for the Messenger Magazine Childrens Writing Competition on the Dark Skies theme.

We hope to arrange some additional events later in the month, including a star gazing event and a bat walk (details tbc).

Dallington Parish Council supports the Dark Skies Festival and when commenting on planning applications, takes account of the High Weald Dark Skies Planning Advice Note which aims to reduce light pollution.

 

 

 

 

Brightling Moth Breakfast Saturday 13th July

(posted on behalf of Caroline Moore & Brightling Environment Group)

May be of interest to Dallington residents too?

Last few places for the Brightling Moth Breakfast:

Brightling Environment Group’s latest event is a Moth Breakfast.   Local moth enthusiast Caroline Moore – who’s been trapping moths and recording species and numbers for 24 years at her garden in Etchingham – will be doing a live moth-trap opening and species ID on the morning of Saturday 13 July, 8.15am for an 8.30am reveal at Brickyard Lane, Brightling.  Come along for breakfast (bacon and/or mushroom rolls, plus coffee, tea and juice) and to see how the moth count compares from three traps, set across three different local sites, each with different habitats and levels of light pollution. Numbers are limited, so email brightlingenvironmentgroup@gmail.com to book your place and receive full details of the location. (Please note, BEG will be asking for a donation of £5 to cover the costs of breakfast.) See you there!

(Web editor’s note: light pollution and how to mitigate its impact on wildlife including moths are all part of the High Weald National Landscape Dark Skies Festival (28 Oct-10 Nov), designed to celebrate and protect some of the darkest skies in the South East. More information at https://highweald.org/get-involved/dark-skies/wild-about-dark-skies-festival/.  We’ll be posting details over the next few months about how Dallington will be taking part in the Festival.)