Your Crowborough F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 I s s u e 6

Crowborough Gallery

Crowborough Beacon Golf Course

Photo: Andrew Newson - www.andrewnewson.com

Visit us online at www.yourcrowborough.co.uk

IN THIS ISSUE...

Take Better Photos - Tips from local photographer Andrew Newson

Improve your well being - Health tips from

Judy Bowen-Jones

Burnt Oak Train Crash - The Story of the Domden accident

PLUS: Local information, Puzzles and more ....

FEBRUARY

13th - Valentines Night at the

Crowborough Rugby Club

17th - Life in the Beale

Household Standen by Marilyn

Greatorex

20th - Bugs and Beasties

24th - Plan your own

vegetable patch

27th - Farmers Market

MARCH

3rd - Greenfingers Quiz Night

11th - Comedy Night at the

Crowborough Rugby club

27th - Recall Theater present

Caberet Night

27th - Race Night at the

Crowborough Rugby Club

27th - Farmers Market

Crowborough

Diary

If you would like to add

your event to the diary

please email us at the

newsdesk

To learn more about the

events visit our online

diary

Editor’s Newsletter

Welcome to the latest issue of Your

Crowborough.

Here at Your Crowborough we’re working on

refreshing both the site and the publication.

To starters there’s a new section - Life Style - this

section will look at various ways we lead our lives

touching on health issues, money matters, travel ,

anything really but we’ll be looking at these

subjects from a local angle.

We have already recruited a couple of local

business people photographer Andy Newson and

health expert Judy Bowen-Jones. You can read

their first articles in this issue. More to follow in

future issues and on the website.

If you would like to contribute to the publication on

your subject please drop us an email to

admin@yourcrowborough.co.uk

Look out for more changes and don’t forget to sign

up to receive your regular edition at :

www.yourcrowborough.co.uk/subscribe

See you next month!

How to take better photos

Making Money on the Markets

Would you like to earn a bit extra AND have a bit of fun at the same time? St Johns

Investment Club was established in 2000 and holds regular meetings in the center of

Crowborough. The aim of the club is to invest in shares while enjoying a good social

environment and learning a bit about how the financial markets work at the same time.

Members can invest from as little as £25 per month. The money goes into the club trading

fund and is invested in shares as selected by the whole group. New members are also asked

for an initial investment of £200 to start their personal share of the pot.

Every other month there is a virtual share competition in which each member invests a

virtual £1000 in a share of their own choice with the owner of the share showing the most

profit after two months winning a bottle of wine. The highlight of the year is our annual

dinner which takes place shortly after our AGM.

For further information please contact Colin Chapman on 01892 654317 or send him an

email to colinanne@aol.com

Also, perhaps surprisingly, is

that learning how to use your

camera better by getting

familiar with it’s settings is

not that hard. I offer tuition

courses for people wanting to

learn about their camera and

photography in general and

I’m finding that one 2 hour

session is all a lot of people

need to start taking better

photographs straight away.

I’m going to give you a few

tips here for taking better

photographs and hopefully

they will be of use to you.

A lot of us now-a-days tend to have quite good cameras,

with a rising amount of people using a digital SLR.

But it’s really surprising how many people have these

cameras, but don’t really know how to use them, or at least

don’t know how to get the best out of them.

To flash or not to flash?

Most cameras have an

automatic setting, where the

camera decides if it should

flash depending on the level

of light. Sometimes we’re

using flash when we

shouldn’t and not when we

should!

For example, when you see a

sporting event and around the

stadium you see lots of flash

lights going off. What is the

purpose of that? The flash on

most cameras isn’t going to

illuminate anything past

about 20ft, when the subject

we are photographing is much

further away. You’ll end up

illuminating the back of

someone’s head in front of

you, this could be distracting

from the subject you’re trying

to capture. So just

temporarily turn the flash off

and you’ll find the shot will

be better for it.

By Andy Newson

www.ukphotocourses.co.uk

A re you fed up? Lacking in energy?

Sick of feeling cold? Finding it hard

to concentrate at school or at work?

Then set aside 7-8 minutes once or twice a

day – or whenever you need it - to perform

the simple exercise shown on the next

page. You’ll be amazed at how much better

you feel!

Improve Your Wellbeing

– Naturally

This gentle patting

exercise offers a

number of health

benefits:

Improves circulation

Strengthens our

tendons, bones and muscles

Enhances the function of our

internal organs

Makes us feel wide

awake, ready for action & clear-

headed

Lifts our spirits

Helps us feel full of vitality

By helping our body

relax (by patting) we help our mind relax

too.

This exercise is a great

example of something simple we can do

improve our wellbeing and to help protect

ourselves from ill-health.

Our health is our

responsibility. By introducing small

lifestyle changes we can make a major

difference to our health and how we feel.

In the next few issues

we will explore other ways of enhancing our

wellbeing including: managing stress natu-

rally, protecting our-selves from the cli-

mate, living in har-

mony with the sea-sons and understand-

ing the healing power of food.

Judy Bowen-Jones Lic Ac, BSC Hons

Ac, MBAcC

Judy Bowen-Jones prac-

tices classical Chinese

acupuncture at The Hollo-

way Acupuncture Clinic,

Crowborough ( 01892

664939). She is a regis-

tered member of the Brit-

ish Acupuncture Council

and also teaches and

practices at the Interna-

tional College of Oriental

Medicine, East Grinstead

Further information:

www.acupunctureinsussex.co.uk

The Patting Exercise*

The whole body is patted lightly with either palms or loose fists, over 8 main areas

of the body.

Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and relax your whole body. Your

knees should be slightly bent (soft not tense) and your feet facing forwards.

If you can’t stand, do as much of the following as you can reasonably do safely and

without making yourself uncomfortable. REMEMBER to breathe naturally during

the exercise.

Pat your Head Pat both sides of your head (not your face) with the palms or

loose fists from the front of the head to the back. Pat to and fro about 20 times.

Pat your Arms Pat up and down the front, back and sides of the left arm with the

right palm or fist 10 times on each side. Then pat the right arm with the left palm

or fist in the same way.

Pat your Shoulders Pat the left shoulder with the right palm or fist and then the

right shoulder with the left palm or fist. Pat them alternately 10 times each.

Pat your Back Pat up and down the right side of your lower back with your left

palm or fist, then the left side of the lower back with your right palm or fist 20

times each side.

Pat your Chest Pat the left and right sides of the chest with the opposite palm or

fist alternately (like Tarzan!....but more gently) ....and ladies, be mindful not to

strike your breasts. Pat up and down (from top to bottom) 20 times on each side.

Pat your Waist and Abdomen Using your waist as an axis, turn the upper body

to the left, then to the right. As you turn, pat the left side of the waist with the

right palm or fist and then the right side of the waist with the left palm or fist. Pat

from top to bottom and move from the inside of the waist and abdomen outwards.

Pat your Buttocks Pat the left buttocks with your left palm or fist and the right

buttocks with the right palm or fist. Pat 20 times on each side. There’s lots of mus-

cle on your buttocks.....so you can pat quite firmly!

Pat your Legs Using both hands on both legs (simultaneously), pat down the

outsides of your legs with your palms or fists, starting at the top and working down

to your ankles. You will need to bend down as you do this. From your ankles then

pat the insides of your legs with your palms or fists and work up to the thighs. Re-

peat this 20 times.

This last exercise can also be done seated on the floor with legs outstretched, pat-

ting one leg at a time with that knee bent.

At the end of the exercise......shake your arms and legs, wipe imaginary water off

your arms, torso and legs in a downward motion (to get rid of any negative en-

ergy). Clap your hands and smile!

*Reference: Exercise adapted from: Hicks, A (2009). 77 ways to improve your wellbeing. How to use the ancient Chinese Wis-

dom to enhance your physical, mental and emotional health. Spring Hill.

The Burnt Oak Train Crash

The train passed by some

gangers busy working on the stretch of track just

short of the Burnt Oak bridge on the South side of Crowborough tunnel.

The driver, on sighting

the gangers blew his whistle and they moved out of the way. One of

the gangers was alarmed at the speed of the train

and said to one of his colleagues "She'll be off the road".

Just after the train passed

the Burnt Oak overbridge, the fireman noticed the

train starting to roll. This was quite usual for this type of engine when

going around a curve on the line.

Passing under the Burnt Oak bridge, John Paige

noticed the engine had dropped on his side of the

train and felt the train roll again. He was about to

turn off the steam when

the train appeared to right itself. The rear

wheels then fell of the rails and the driver turned to his mate and

said "We're running on the chairs" meaning they

had come off the rails. He immediately shut off

the steam and applied the main brake. The whole of

the train, with the exception of the rear carriage then derailed.

The engine went on a few

yards before rolling sideways and turning

over. It was found lying upside down by the side of the track. The three

front carriages were off the tracks completely,

standing on their wheels while the rear 3 carriages were left standing

upright. John Paige was thrown headfirst into a

nearby hedge.

O n the 5th April 1916 the 8am service left

Tunbridge Wells for Brighton was running on time.

At 8.21 the train - a D Class tank loco, 'Domden',

- pulled out of Crowborough station.

The fireman – P Savage –

and 5 of the passengers were injured but none

seriously. John Paige, the driver suffered serious injuries.

At the enquiry to the

accident there was some debate over the speed the train was going.

The gangers suggested it

was as fast as 50mph but the driver and the fireman said it was more

like 25mph. It was decided that the gangers

account of the speed of the train could not be

accurate and that the fault lay with some weakness in the line

caused by the unfinished work that was being

carried out at the time. The engine was repaired

after the Burnt Oak crash and eventually was

withdrawn for scrap in

July 1936.

Source:

The railways archive. A copy of the official report can be found at

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_CrowboroughBuxted1916.pdf

Thankfully train crashes are few and far between in

Crowborough but one such incident occurred on 5th April 1916.

A D Class Loco similar

to the Domden

Listed below are some of the important numbers you might need

Public Services Information

Public Transport

National Rail Enquiries ......08457 484 950

Traveline ...........................0870 608 2608

Brighton & Hove Buses .....01273 886 200

Flight Enquiries .................0870 000 2468

Council Services

Crowborough Library ........01892 664 426

Crowborough Town Council .... 01892 652

907

Societies

Hospice in the Weald ........01892 820 500

St John Ambulance ...........01892 610 183

Police

Non urgent enquiries ........0845 6070 999

Crimestoppers ................... 0800 555 111

Doctors Surgeries

The Surgery, Beacon Road . 01892 652 233

Brook House Center, ........ 01892 652 850

Saxonbury House .............. 08444 773 045

Hospitals

Crowborough Hospital ...... 01892 652 284

Kent & Sussex Hospital ..... 01892 526 111

Domestic Emergencies

National Grid, Gas .............. 0800 111 999

Electricity ......................... 0800 753 8866

Southern Water Services .. 0845 272 0845

Helplines

R.S.P.C.A ........................... 0870 5555 999

N.S.P.C.C. ........................... 0808 800 500

Childline ................................... 0800 111

Citizens Advice Bureau ..... 01892 655 303

Samaritans ...................... 08457 90 90 90

Crowborough

Farmers' Market

The Crowborough

Farmers' Market offers

locally produced food

direct from the producer. Always held on

the fourth Saturday of the month

Thursday night is Quiz

Night at the White

Hart Pub.

Starts 8pm. Come a along

and have a laugh!! Live Music at the Wheatsheaf

in February

5th—B-Sharp

13th—Wotstock

19th—Carly Cooper Band

27th—Steroid Blues

Check the Wheatsheaf web site

for further details

26 Springfield Close

Crowborough East Sussex

TN6 2BN

E-mail: admin@yourcrowborough.co.uk

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Coffee Break

Take time out to relax with our page of puzzles

and teasers. If you get stuck you can find the

answers in the Coffee Break section online,

where you can also get a daily Crossword and

daily Sudoku puzzle.

Masher

Take the letters in the

phrase below and mash

them into a song

suitable for this month

Raise the Violin

Farmer Brown

came to the Farm-

ers Market with

some melons. He sold half

of them plus a half melon

and had one melon left.

How many melons did he

start with ?

Sudoku

7 5

9 8 1

5 7 6

2 6 7 1

4 6 3

8 5 6 4

7 8 2

2 1 5

1 7