Crowborough Remembers

To mark the end of the First World War Centenary a festival will be held in Crowborough.

This year marks the Centenary of the end of the Great War (1914-1918) and the Crowborough Community Festival will be commemorating this moment in history with a week-long programme of events called Crowborough Remembers in October 2018.

Crowborough Camp – Image courtesy of Denis Hart

A major exhibition called Crowborough’s War 1914-1918 will be held at the Beacon Academy School from Monday 22 October until Thursday 25 October. The exhibition which will be opened by the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, will tell the story of the town and the thousands of soldiers who were based in the army training camps before being deployed to the front line. The students of Beacon Academy will create a striking poppy installation to be displayed as part of the exhibition in Beeches Main Hall. All Key Stage 3 students (Years 7, 8 and 9) will decorate a unique laser-cut poppy during Art and Technology lessons at the beginning of the academic year.

We are also making an appeal to local families who may have relatives who fought in the Great War to get in touch and share their stories, old photos or memorabilia with us and we will include in the exhibition.

The week will begin on Saturday 20 October with a special commemorative concert performed by Crowborough Choral Society held in the Main Hall, and the programme will feature an original score called This Human Shield, specially written for the occasion by local composer Simon Austin, and poet and writer Nick Nye.

As the festival takes place during half term week we will have lots of fun as well as educational activities for young people, including creative workshops called People & Poppies as well as a ‘Secret Stones Trail’ with a painted poppy for each of the names commemorated on Crowborough’s War Memorial. A series of talks from notable speakers on the subject of the Great War is also planned as is entertaining dramatic sketches featuring the Suffragette movement and an interlude with Rudyard Kipling. A mini film festival with screenings of classic WW1 films is also scheduled.

Local artists of all calibres are invited to submit artwork with a WW1 theme to participate in a Competition and exhibition to be held at Crowborough’s Community Centre from Thurs 1 November until 21 November. Artist materials to the value of £500 will be awarded to the first, second and third prize winners.

“This is such an important Centenary in world history and Crowborough should remember the part it played. I’d like to thank the British Legion, Beacon Academy, Crowborough Historical Society, Wealden WW1 Project and all the volunteers who are supporting this unique event”, says Festival Director Denis Hart.

More information about the festival programme will be found on www.crowboroughcommunityfestival.org or on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/CrowboroughFest.

This story was submitted by Denis Hart