FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - COMPOST AND SOIL - THE SOIL FOOD WEB
2025-03-21 18:30 - 20:45 (Europe/London) | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
The Soil Food Web
FRIDAY NIGHT TALK MARCH 21ST @ BURWASH COMMON PAVILION

We are all learning that soil health is important but what does that actually mean?
Join Julia & Sylvie who are part of Wild About Burwash and are setting up a local food waste composting scheme, to have a deep dive into the workings of the soil food web and learn how we can all improve our own soils.

DOORS OPEN 6.30PM FOR SET UP, DRINKS, CHIT CHAT, LIBRARY AND SHARING TABLE ETC.
TALK STARTS 7 PM
TALK ENDS 8 PM
QUESTIONS FOR THE SPEAKER AND AOB 8.00 - 8.30PM
HALL CLOSES 8.45 PM

FIRST AID on the SMALL HOLDING: A bespoke course for SFTG
2025-03-26 19:00 - 21:00 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Wednesday 26th March 2025
7-9pm
Burwash Common Pavilion
FIRST AID ON YOUR SMALL HOLDING/FARM/GARDEN
This course at Burwash Common Pavilion, will be led by St John Ambulance.

The course has been tailored specifically for SFTG and will focus on small holding/farming/gardening related injuries as well as resuscitation and emergency first aid.

Just £10 per person for members!

Come along to find out how to protect yourself and other visitors to your small holding, garden or farm.
This is not a certificated course but will give you a good overall training on basic emergency first aid which could make all the difference in an emergency situation.
There will also be time to practise skills and ask questions throughout the session.

Please arrive in time for a prompt 7pm start - teas and coffees available from 6.45pm

Tickets are available now!

BUTCHERY DEMONSTRATION
2025-04-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Butterbox Farm, Nash Lane, Scaynes Hill, RH17 7NJ
Tom, from Nose to Tail butchers will be doing a demonstration of butchery for SFTG
HURRY ! TICKETS VERY LIMITED!
Venue - Butterbox, Blackbrook Ln, Scaynes Hill, Haywards Heath RH17 7NW
Date - Friday 4th April 2025
Time - From 7pm until approximately 9pm
(flexible finish time to allow for attendee questions etc - Tom has kindly said that he can stay for as long as is needed)

Tom will prepare a whole lamb and side of pork in front of you so that you can see what cuts can be made and how the butchery process is carried out. Tom is keen to show small holders what can be done with their animal's carcasses and demonstrate the skill involved in quality butchery.
There will also be time for questions throughout the evening as he works.

At the end of the evening, there will be an opportunity to purchase the meat cut on the night, should you wish.

Refreshments will be available on the night too

Due to insurances, it isn't possible for attendees to actually butcher/use equipment themselves on this evening but it is intended that attendees will leave with enough information to be able to have a go themselves at home with their own meat should they wish; have a better understanding of the cuts they might ask for from a butcher in the future and know what they might like to ask for when having their own animals prepared following slaughter.

Lambing Morning
2025-04-06 09:30 - 13:00 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Come and visit the Lambing shed.
Simon & Rachael are Lambing their flock of 30 Ewes during April.
Visiting a lambing shed can be a delightful and educational experience! You may have the opportunity to observe the birthing process, see adorable new born lambs, and learn about the care and management of sheep during this critical period.
You may have the chance to help feed the lambs and learn about the care they need to thrive.
Safety Note, this event is not suitable if you are pregnant

AN INTRODUCTION TO SMALLHOLDING
2025-04-12 12:00 - 16:00 | Foxwood, Hellingly, Cinderford Lane, Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4HL, United Kingdom
****Due to a cancellation, we now have one ticket available for this course -
please email chair@sftg.org.uk should you wish to attend ****

Perhaps you're about to take over a smallholding? Or are you relatively new to keeping land and animals? If so, perhaps you feel you'd like to talk the issues through with others in the same boat, and with someone who's been doing it for a while? If that sounds like you, then our "Introduction to Smallholding" workshop is just the thing for you.
Come and spend the afternoon finding out what smallholding entails from a practical perspective, as you visit this 7 acre plot. Paul Lovatt Smith has been working on the land for over 15 years, and has a wealth of knowledge that he's happy to share, including:

How to get started - we know it's all a bit overwhelming at first
What's involved with the paperwork and legal aspects, as well as the finances
A basic overview of keeping poultry, sheep, cattle and pigs
Growing veg
Making hay and growing small-scale cereals

Please note:
this course will be held outdoors (and partly in a barn) - so please do wear suitable outdoors clothing, bearing in mind that this is England - it may well be cold and damp (or warm and sunny, boiling and dry, windy and snowing... you get the picture).
Can't make this date? Event sold out? Please email our training organiser so that you will be on the list when we run the workshop again.

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - SAXON FARMING
2025-04-25 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
ANGLO-SAXON FARMING
DUNSTAN'S CALENDAR - PAUL LOVATT-SMITH

April's Friday night talk will be all about Saxon farming and will be lead by our very own chairman, Paul!

You might remember a series of articles that Paul wrote in the SFTG newsletter a while back, based on twelve pictures of farming and other activities, from an Anglo-Saxon calendar made in Canterbury around the year 969 AD. The pictures are beautifully crafted and justly famous. He was interpreting them in the light of the traditional farming that goes on at his smallholding today. He is in the process of compiling these articles into a book, called "Dunstan's Calendar".
This talk will be a sneak preview of the contents of the book!

*Note that the date is the fourth Friday in April (the 25th) and not the third as we would usually meet, owing to Easter falling on the 3rd Friday*

DOORS OPEN 6.30PM FOR SET UP, DRINKS, CHIT CHAT, LIBRARY AND SHARING TABLE ETC.
TALK STARTS 7 PM
TALK ENDS 8 PM
QUESTIONS FOR THE SPEAKER AND AOB 8.00 - 8.30PM
HALL CLOSES 8.45 PM

KITCHEN GARDENING - Cancelled due to lack of interest
2025-05-04 14:00 - 16:00 | Oast house, Heathfield, Oast House, Sandy Cross Lane, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 8QP, United Kingdom
Make this the best year yet in your veg garden!

Learn from a gardener with decades of experience in growing vegetables. This course will be led by the SFTG's Jenny Huggett, who many of you will know from our regular Friday evening meetings, open farm days and annual picnics.
Although she wouldn’t tell you so herself, the chances are that if Jenny doesn’t know the answer to a question, then it probably doesn’t have an answer.
In this course, you’ll learn about such topics as:

What to plant for year-round fresh or stored vegetables, and when to plant it
Which vegetable varieties to grow, including what works well in this area (and what doesn’t!)
Caring for your vegetable plants
Feeding the soil so as to get the most from it
The benefits of no-dig gardening
How best to avoid pests without chemicals
Companion planting – which plants will help each other, and which will hinder?
Seed saving

So go on - book now! We are sure you won't have bean on a better course!
Every attendee will come away with some plants too!

Meet the Member - Emma and Dan
2025-05-17 12:00 - 16:00 | Private: The Granary, Prinkle Lane, The Granary, Prinkle Lane, Bodle Street, East Sussex, BN27 4UD, United Kingdom
Come along to Emma and Dan's holding near Bodle Street on Saturday 17th May, see what their plans are for their new woodland home and meet other SFTG members over a cuppa.
The holding is approx 7 acres, mostly woodland (an overgrown conifer plantation approx 30-40 years old), interspersed with some older neglected hazel coppice and mixed deciduous. A very large pond with swimming end (currently full of brown carp and looking like the penguin enclosure at Drusilla's!). The house is a 17th Century barn conversion with attached Victorian granary (also needs considerable renovation).
Whilst they've both had allotments in the past and Emma has run an edible community garden in Hove for many years, managing land on this scale is new to them. They have chickens and hope to install a polytunnel this year for veg.
They are also members of the Sussex Bodgers (APTGW) and Emma now coordinates the Sussex Group (a role she took on as a novice bodger last August) who meet monthly at Old Barn Woods on Cinderford Lane.
Their vision for the land so far is: 1) a source of fuel for a biomass boiler we plan to install this year to heat the house (currently no functional heating) 2) potential structural material for A-frame shelters 3) a source of material for green woodworking on a small scale. 4) a venue for craft and skills sharing activities. They would like to renovate the hazel coppice and slowly replace the conifers with deciduous trees (This could be challenging given the number of deer currently abiding there though!). Their overall aim is to steward the land as sensitively as they can for maximum wildlife and low impact.
Best if dogs are on leads as they have a large pond, chickens, plus deer a plenty roaming with incomplete boundary fences.

POSTPONED - FRIDAY NIGHT SOCIAL - MAY - SFTG SPRING QUIZ
2025-05-23 18:45 - 21:00 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Event postponed until early 2026
SFTG SPRING QUIZ!
Friday 23rd May 2025, Burwash Common Pavilion
Come along for fun and laughter at our spring social!
Open to all the family! Bring your friends too!

Doors/bar opens 6.45pm
Quiz from 7pm
JUST £10.00 per team
CASH PRIZES!
Teams of up to 4

Bring your own snacks for your table/team - Alcoholic drinks MUST be purchased on site from the bar

Purchase one team ticket and bring up to four people to quiz with
(members and non-members welcomed)

All ticket purchases will be used as prize monies on the night - the more teams, the bigger the prizes!

Please note there will not be any teas/coffees, library or sharing/selling table this month

SMALL, SMALL FARMERS SOCIAL GET TOGETHER!
2025-05-27 11:00 - 13:00 | Etching Wood, Etching Wood, Framfield, East Sussex, TN22 5EW, United Kingdom
SFTG would like to invite our smallest members and their families to a
BYO picnic, small holding tour and play session!
Tuesday 27th May
11AM - 1PM
Venue - Framfield
Details
The SFTG committee know how important our young people are to the future of farming/small holding/gardening/animal keeping etc etc! We would like to start hosting more Small, Small Farmer events in order to give our youngest members more learning experiences and opportunities to socialise too.
Committee member Helen, has kindly offered to host our first introductory event in May half term!
We'd love to see you there!

* All members welcome as long as they have small, small farmer to bring along! Perhaps it is your own child/children or your grandchild/ren
* This event is provided free of charge by SFTG and there will be tea and coffee made available.
* Bring along your own picnic; meet the animals on the small holding and play/catch up with other small, small farmers.
* There is no age restriction for this event as long as all young people are accompanied by a responsible adult. Babes in arms, toddlers, primary aged children and teens alike are all very welcome.
* This event will take place on a working smallholding with animals and machinery - all attendees take full responsibility for themselves and their minors
* This is a ticketed event so that we know how many people to expect - please book a ticket online for each adult and child
* Please dress appropriately for the event/venue/weather. Sensible footwear is must!

We hope to see as many of you there as possible
and look forward to using this opportunity to find out what our small, small farmers would like to see more of!

Any questions, please email GTO@SFTG.ORG.UK
TICKET SALES CLOSE MONDAY 26TH MAY @ 12PM

QUAIL: MEAT AND EGGS FOR YOUR FAMILY
2025-05-29 18:30 - 20:30 | Burwash Common, United Kingdom
QUAIL MEAT AND EGGS FOR YOUR FAMILY DINNER TABLE

Quail are an inexpensive, low maintenance, space saving animal that provide wonderful eggs but also taste absolutely delicious if reared for meat!
Louise and her family have been rearing quail for their family diner table now for a few years and are keen to show others how they organise their flock and how it provides them with food for their family.
This course will give attendees an insight in to how quail can provide a valuable food source for your family. The course will include all the information you need about incubation of eggs, rearing young and keeping a breeding family. There will also be an opportunity to watch a quail dispatch and dressing of the bird for the table should you wish, as well as some freshly cooked quail to try.
Subject to dates and incubation windows, you should be able to see quail at all stages of growing too.

AN INTRODUCTION TO KEEPING ALPACAS
2025-05-31 10:00 - 12:30 | Etching Wood, Etching Wood, Framfield, East Sussex, TN22 5EW, United Kingdom
Have you ever wondered what keeping alpacas is like?
Do you love these furry creatures?
Would you like the opportunity to walk an alpaca?
Perhaps you have some space on your small holding to add to your menagerie?
This new SFTG course might be just for you...
INTRODUCTION TO KEEPING ALPACAS COURSE
Saturday 31st May
Time 10am to 12.30pm
Venue - Framfield, East Sussex
(Full address confirmed on ticket purchase)

Member, Helen will introduce you to the world of alpacas! On her small holding, Helen keeps a variety of animals including alpacas. Helen will talk you through all of the basics that you might need to know in order to start keeping alpacas such as their housing, feed, grooming, health, using their wool and the benefits of alpacas for mental wellbeing. You'll also get to meet the animals, give the alpacas a walk and maybe even get an alpaca kiss!

Alpaca walks alone usually retail at about £25 per person, so this informative course and opportunity to walk the animals comes in at a very good price, especially for our members.

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE!

SOIL MICROBIOLOGY - HOW PRODUCTIVE IS YOUR SOIL?
2025-06-18 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-08-17 09:30 - 11:30
TEST YOUR SOIL
INCREASE YOUR GARDEN'S/FARM'S/SMALLHOLDING'S PRODUCTIVITY
Following their successful Friday night talk on the soil food web, join Sylvie & Julia for a lively 2-hour introduction to soil microbiology designed especially for smallholders!

Discover the essential workings of the Soil Food Web, the vital roles of microorganisms, and how to recognise key functional groups.
Learn how to assess the life in your compost and garden soil using lab-quality microscopes, and unlock the secrets to growing more resilient plants and nutrient-rich food.
You’ll also gain practical tips on how to adjust your composting methods and soil treatments to better support soil life and improve soil health.

All attendees will be invited to bring a sample of their soil to analyse, making this a truly bespoke workshop

Places are limited to just 6 tickets per session to allow Julia and Sylvie to give you in-depth information about your soil and ways forward
We are running this same course on two dates

This event will take place on a private small holding where animals and machinery may be present. Attendees are responsible for their own safety at all times.

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - JUNE - PRIMAL TRAIL - CANCELLED
2025-06-20 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
UNFORTUNATELY THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
WE HOPE TO RESCHEDULE IN THE NEAR FUTURE
ALL ATTENDEES HAVE BEEN EMAILED

FRIDAY NIGHT MEETINGS RESUME IN SEPTEMBER

Friday 20th June 2025, Burwash Common Pavilion

Speaker: Gazza
PRIMAL TRAIL - Primitive bushcraft in the modern world
www.primaltrail.com

Gazza, a truly inspiring bush craftsman and travelling woodsman is coming to talk to us about his work!
Gazza talks of his inner primitive voice 'singing' when he engages with nature, working with wood, bone, stone, skin and sinew.

Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Talk from 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members

Summer Barbeque 2025
2025-07-12 12:00 - 16:00 | Hopping Tom's Oast, Chuck Hatch, Hartfield, East Sussex, TN7 4EX, United Kingdom
UPDATE! Due to lower numbers than expected, Cat will now be doing a buffet, not a BBQ.
Come along to our summer barbeque, this year kindly hosted by Pauline and Colin Burnett-Dick at their lovely holding, which includes a lake, rheas and woodland, set in Winnie the Pooh country in the Ashdown Forest.
Cat Bush will be providing delicious barbeque food, including sausages and burgers from livestock reared on her own farm, followed by a lovely pudding. Tea and coffee also provided. All for the subsidised price of £5. Cat is happy to cater for any dietary requirements, including a veggie option. Please email her if this is what you require. catrionabush@gmail.com
It's a great opportunity to meet other SFTG members and to have a look around the Burnett-Dick's lovely smallholding.
The swimming pool will also be available, at your own risk.
Please bring your own chair, drinks and glasses.
Please no dogs, as they have four of their own plus cats and free-range poultry.

ASHBURNHAM TOUR AND SOUP SUPPER - MEMBERS ONLY EVENT
2025-09-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Ashburnham Place, Ashburnham Christian Trust, Ashburnham Place, Battle, TN33 9NF, United Kingdom
Join member Jules as he gives a tour of Ashburnham Place,
the wonderful grounds
and its beautiful kitchen garden

Jules and his family live and work on this stunning estate and have offered a bespoke, members only evening for SFTG members with a behind the scenes look at the workings of the kitchen garden as well as an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful surroundings Asburnham has to offer. Following the tour, there will be a soup making session using vegetables grown on the estate with a shared soup supper to conclude.

This is an opportunity not to be missed
Prepare for kitchen garden envy, delicious food and friendly company!
Wonderful!

WWW.ASHBURNHAM.ORG.UK

Tickets just £7.50 each
(includes tour, soup making experience and supper!)

TICKETS AVAILABLE UNTIL FRIDAY 29TH AUGUST

HONEY EXTRACTION WORKSHOP
2025-09-04 19:00 - 21:00 | The Retreat, Woodside Way, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3PF, United Kingdom
Join members and group experts, Ben and Maggi Pratt in their honey room for
an evening workshop all about honey extraction.

You will need your apron and the willingness to get sticky as Ben and Maggi go through the extraction process with you; share their expert hints and tips for successful harvesting and talk through ways to use the products harvested for optimum results. For this occasion, they have saved a hive super just for us to work with. Come and see the incredible magic of nature produced by a colony of bees.
Ben and Maggi have been keeping bees for many, many years and are very well respected as experts in their field in the 'bee community'. We are incredibly fortunate to have their skill set as part of our group and this opportunity to 'pick their brains' and see inside their own honey room is one not to be missed!
Tickets are available now and are limited to just 10, giving you plenty of opportunities to ask your own questions and get a really personalised experience.
This workshop is suitable for those new to and experienced in bee keeping.
Member tickets are being subsidised by SFTG and are only £10 - get them whilst you can!

GROWING YOUR OWN FLOWERS FOR DISPLAY - TALK AND WORKSHOP
2025-09-11 18:30 - 20:30
Member and local florist, Becky, will lead a workshop on floral arranging and a talk about what you can grow at home in order to have your own beautiful displays
Course content to include:
* Annual Flowers - what to grow, when and how to sow, planting out, plus harvesting
* Jam jar posy arrangements (including making one to take home using Becky's beautiful home grown flowers)
* How to create a hand tied bouquet using your garden flowers

Come along and spend an evening learning about how to grow your own flowers to display in your home or gift to others. Each participant will take away a beautiful posy in a jar at the end of the evening (all materials included) which they will have created with Becky's expert guidance. Enjoy tea and cake too - maybe even a glass of fizz as you enjoy time with other flower lovers! No previous experience required, just a desire to have a go and learn more about what you grow at home.

This event will take place on a working smallholding with animals and machinery. All attendees take responsibility for themselves whilst at the event. Please dress appropriately for the weather/venue as the event will be held under gazebos and will go ahead in all weathers as long as it is safe to do so.

THURSDAY 11TH SEPTMBER 2025
6.30 - 8.30pm
Chiddingly

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - RURAL CRIME
2025-09-19 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Friday 19th September 2025, Burwash Common Pavilion

RURAL CRIMES TALK - LED BY SUSSEX POLICE

Sussex Police's rural crime unit will be coming to speak to us about the best ways to keep our small holdings, farms and country homes safe; ways to secure machinery and other farm/home steading equipment and educate us on how thieves operate in rural communities.
This evening will be invaluable for anyone new or old to farming/smallholding/rural living.
There will also be opportunities for questions and seeking advice.
I don't know if they have a police tractor that they can bring - but I will ask!

Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Talk from 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members

QUAIL: MEAT AND EGGS FOR YOUR FAMILY
2025-09-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Broom Cottage, Broom Cottage, Westdown Lane, Burwash Common, TN19 7JT, United Kingdom

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - OCTOBER - MILKING GOATS - OUR JOURNEY FROM SMALL HOLDING TO FAMILY BUSINESS
2025-10-10 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Friday 10th October 2025, Burwash Common Pavilion

The Topping Family will share their journey in to making a family business from their milking goats!

Rachel and her family will talk all about their journey to keeping milking goats and their new business selling goats milk yogurt and soap.
There will be a chance to sample their produce as well as opportunities to buy on the night too.

Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Talk from 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members

CHICKENS: MEAT AND EGGS FOR YOUR FAMILY
2025-10-11 10:00 - 12:00
CHICKEN : MEAT AND EGGS FOR YOUR FAMILY DINNER TABLE
Le Bresse chickens are said to be the most delicious chicken in the world! They also happen to be good egg layers too!
Louise and her family have been rearing chicken for their family dinner table now for a few years and are keen to show others how they organise their flock and how it provides them with food for their family.
Le Bresse are a slower growing variety than commercial meat chickens which Louise and her family chose specifically for this reason.
They also raise their meat organically and their meat will be available to try on the day.
This course will give attendees an insight in to how chicken can provide a valuable food source for your family. The course will include all the information you need about incubation of eggs, rearing young and keeping a breeding family.
There may also be an opportunity to watch a chicken dispatch and dressing of the bird for the table should you wish.

This event will be held outside so please dress appropriately for the weather. The event is also held on a working smallholding where animals and machinery will be present. Attendees take responsibility for their own safety at all times.

AN INTRODUCTION TO SMALLHOLDING
2025-10-11 12:00 - 16:00 | Foxwood, Hellingly, Cinderford Lane, Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4HL, United Kingdom
Perhaps you're about to take over a smallholding? Or are you relatively new to keeping land and animals? If so, perhaps you feel you'd like to talk the issues through with others in the same boat, and with someone who's been doing it for a while? If that sounds like you, then our "Introduction to Smallholding" workshop is just the thing for you.
Come and spend the afternoon finding out what smallholding entails from a practical perspective, as you visit this 7 acre plot. Paul Lovatt Smith has been working on the land for over 15 years, and has a wealth of knowledge that he's happy to share, including:

How to get started - we know it's all a bit overwhelming at first
What's involved with the paperwork and legal aspects, as well as the finances
A basic overview of keeping poultry, sheep, cattle and pigs
Growing veg
Making hay and growing small-scale cereals

Please note:
this course will be held outdoors (and partly in a barn) - so please do wear suitable outdoors clothing, bearing in mind that this is England - it may well be cold and damp (or warm and sunny, boiling and dry, windy and snowing... you get the picture).
Can't make this date? Event sold out? Please email our training organiser so that you will be on the list when we run the workshop again.

NEXT DATE JUST ADDED - - SATURDAY 11TH APRIL 2026 -- PLEASE BOOK TICKETS VIA OUR EVENTS PAGE

SFTG WOOL DAY 2025
2025-11-01 12:00 - 16:00 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
SATURDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2025
12-4PM
SFTG WOOL DAY
Celebrating All Things Wool!
OPEN TO ALL INTERESTED IN WOOL PRODUCTION AND CRAFTING

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR VIDEO PROMO!

* Expert speakers
* Come and meet talented producers of wool products who will be demonstrating their craft and selling their makes
Including: needle felting, knitting, peg looms, spinning, making knitting wool, small frame weaving and yarn sales
* Enjoy the chance to 'have a dabble' at some wool crafts
* Learning about shearing and wool collection
* Opportunities to sell fleeces (please bring photos or the fleeces themselves to show potentially interested parties)
* Make contacts between producers, makers and sellers of wool products
* Small farmers will benefit from being educated about the numerous ways that their fleeces can be used, so that they can explore options for direct sales or even take up the crafts themselves

* Enjoy refreshments (including homemade cake!) in the beautiful surroundings of Burwash Common Pavilion and Recreation Ground
*Stay for as little or as long as you like
*Plenty of free parking
* A wonderful opportunity to pick up some Christmas gifts
* Special promotions and discounts on the day for SFTG members

Order of the day - timings approximate

12pm - Event opens - Welcome from SFTG committee and introductory talk by Bella Goggin (Researching Farming For Textiles)

12.30pm - Exhibitors demonstrating their crafts, selling their goods, talking about how they can use wool and offering opportunities to 'have a go' at their crafts

2.30pm - Talks about shearing, raising Shetland sheep for wool and a demonstration of sorting and preparing a fleece

3pm - Exhibitors demonstrating their crafts, selling their goods, talking about how they can use wool and offering opportunities to 'have a go' at their crafts

4pm - Event closes

2025 AGM
2025-11-14 18:00 - 22:00 | Village Hall, Punnetts Town, Hall, Battle Road, Heathfield, East Sussex, TN21 9DH, United Kingdom
You are invited to join the committee in the convivial atmosphere of Punnetts Town Village Hall for a great value Friday night out. The AGM is not only the most important event of the year in terms of the running of the group, it's also a great social occasion.
The ticket price this year is a subsidised £7.50 and includes a welcome drink and a delicious meal prepared by our very own Cat Bush and helpers. Please email Cat if you have any dietary requirements, including vegetarian. catrionabush@gmail.com
Bring your own drinks to go with the meal but we supply the rest.
Doors open at 6.00 pm. The formalities will start at 7pm with a review of the group's activities over the last year at and our plans for the next one. We'll also be voting for the new committee. This should take about an hour and then we'll eat, drink and, with any luck, be merry!

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - JANUARY - MASTER WHEELWRIGHT
2026-01-23 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Friday 23rd January 2026, Burwash Common Pavilion

Douglas Andrews, will share his journey in to the fascinating and skilled craft of being a wheelwright which saw him named as a Master Wheelwright by the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights in conjunction with the City and Guilds of London Institute in 2014!

Here is a little snippet from his website about what he and his team get up to.......
"As wheelwrights we make and repair all types of wooden wheels and the vehicles they go on. These include Carts, Carriages, Veteran Motor Cars, Hand Carts, Wagons, Drays, Trollies, Romany Caravans, Traction Engine Living Wagons, Bicycles, Artillery Pieces, Wheelbarrows, Traps and Wagonettes etc.
We also make and supply Mill Parts for Mill Wrights and private individuals.
We supply and fit solid rubber tyres for Carriage wheels and Victorian Motor Cars.
We can also make bespoke furniture.
We can make, paint and erect Oak road side finger posts.
We can forge out iron work for the above vehicles and also make Gates and Railings.
We have also made repetition items on the copying machine such as Axe and Bill Hook handles.
We have made Ash framing parts to pattern for motor car bodies.
As traditional wheelwrights most of our wheels are made from English hard woods with an Elm Hub, Oak Spokes and Ash Felloes. However wheels for specialist applications have been made from different timbers. "

So, as you can see.... he's not that busy!

This is sure to be a very interesting talk, so please do book a ticket, come in for a drink, shelter from the January weather with friends and enjoy learning about this heritage craft from an expert.

Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Talk from 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members

CREATING BODY PRODUCTS WITH PRODUCE FROM YOUR BEES!
2026-01-31 10:00 - 12:00 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
New workshop for 2026!

Member and expert bee keeper, Maggi will lead this workshop
on how to use produce from the hive to make body and home products

A relaxing opportunity to enjoy a session using products from the hive
to make a lovely natural moisturising cream and lip balm
and have a go at rolling a beeswax candle to take home.

All attendees will be able to take home at least one moisture cream, a lip balm and a candle.

An ideal Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one!
Should you wish to book as a gift, book a space on our website as normal, then email gto@sftg.org.uk to request a gift voucher to give to the recipient.

Burwash Common Pavilion
31st January 2026
10am to midday
Refreshments provided

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - FEBRUARY - ASIAN HORNETS
2026-02-20 18:30 - 20:45 | TBC, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Friday 20th February 2026
Burwash Common Pavilion
WARNING: ASIAN HORNETS IN ENGLAND
Protect our bees and pollinators. Protect our environment.
Asian hornets have been confirmed in this part of England. They are highly aggressive predators of honeybees and other vital pollinators.
Paul Lindstrom is an experienced bee keeper and member of The High Weald Bee Keepers Association.
His presentation will help you:
How to identify one
Whey they are a threat
What you should do
Your action matters. Every report helps slow the spread.
Stay vigilant. Report sightings. Protect England's bees and pollinators.

Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Talk from 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members

FRIDAY NIGHT TALK - MARCH - COWS, METHANE AND HOT AIR
2026-03-20 18:30 - 20:45 | Burwash Common, United Kingdom
Friday 20th March 2026, Burwash Common Pavilion
COWS, METHANE AND HOT AIR
Speaker: Paul Lovatt-Smith
Has it ever puzzled you why cows get so much of the blame for global warming?
Do you question George Monbiot's assertion that eating a leg of lamb causes more greenhouse gas emissions than a flight to New York?
Come and listed to my theory of why science has got it wrong on this one.
Doors open 6.30pm for drinks, nibbles, chat, library books and SFTG sale table
Doors open at 6.30 Talk will start at 7pm
Doors close 8.45pm
FREE to members and just £3 for non-members
