All set for generation game at 2026 Village Show
Young and old is the theme for the 2026 Cuckfield Village Show, following record entries from both age groups last year.
Top honours went to 88-year old Jim Turnbull and nine-year-old Ollie Cotter, who won Best in Show and Junior Best in Show respectively. Both are hoping to retain their trophies when categories are announced and entries open, in March, for this year’s show on Saturday, September 5 at Cuckfield Baptist Church.
There will be opportunities for growers, bakers, crafters and makers to showcase their skills and talents. A line-up of expert judges are already being recruited.
Last year saw record entries in the vegetables and junior sections, proving says Susan Osborne, part of the organising team, that annual events like this bring together all ages in friendly competition.
She says: “We are led to believe that traditional village shows like ours are becoming a thing of the past. Not here in Cuckfield. I’m delighted to report that ours goes from strength to strength.”
This year’s Show will be the 20th annual event organised by The Cuckfield Society. Doors will open to the public at 2pm. Follow this page for details on when categories and entry forms will be available.
Pictures courtesy of Cuckfield Life
2026 classes and entry form
Eyes on the prize
Introducing Community Cup in memory of Cuckfield’s Emma Gosling
They will be presented with the trophy by Bob at this year’s show, being held on Saturday, September 5, from 2pm at the Baptist Church, Polestub Lane.
Susan Osborne, of the Village Show organising team said the decision to remember Emma in this way was unanimous. “Emma was the life and soul of the village and embraced all that is important to Cuckfield.
“When we mentioned it to Bob he thought it a great way to keep her memory alive. He has generously provided the Cup, which will be presented every year to a local group whose contribution is outstanding.”
Shortlist for 2026:
For the first time, clubs and organisations who make a difference to local life will be recognised at this year’s Village Show.
Emma Gosling, who was a great friend to many organisations in Cuckfield, sadly died last year. But her memory will live on with the awarding of a Community Cup which bears her name, to one group decided by Emma’s widower, Bob, as worthy recipients.
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Evelyn Stenning, Julie Clapp, Sylvia Bugg, Joyce Sewell-Ritter, Gwen Ferber and Nancy Towner. They knit and crochet the beautiful toppers that appear at special times on top of the village postboxes. The group got together for The Queen’s Jubilee.
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1st Cuckfield Cubs is for boys and girls aged eight to ten-and- a-half and organises many fun activities. They include swimming, cycling, climbing, hiking, camping, pioneering and rafting. Recently, as part of their community programme, the children undertook the Foodbox Challenge in support of Haywards Heath Foodbank, collecting 65 kilos of food for local families. Cubs meet at the scout hut at Stocklands Close on Tuesday evenings during term time. Akela is Steve Whiting. Assistant leaders are Steve Cray and Caz Clark.
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Greener Cuckfield is a small group of people who came together in 2019 to encourage nature to flourish and to cut down on waste and energy use. Recently they have organised plastic recycling collections at community centres, schools and pubs. They have also given free lectures in nature recovery and sustainability, and campaigned to promote wildlife friendly gardening.
Katie Stewart Cup
Katie Stewart, who died in 2013 and a Cuckfield resident for 44 years, was mentor to a generation who first learned their kitchen skills in the late 1960s and 70s.
A renowned cookery writer and author, her Times newspaper columns were the bedrock of many families' excursions into fancy cooking. Yet so reliable were her recipes, and so lacking pretension, they have continued to attract devotees to this day.
Each year at the Village Show we showcase one of her celebrated cake recipes. We’ve chosen her Date and Walnut Loaf Cake (pictured here) for this year’s offering and expect, as always, bumper entries all competing for the prestigious Katie Stewart Cup.
1. Grease and base-line a 22.5 x 12.5 x 7.5 ( 9 x 5 x3 inch) oblong tin. Roughly chop the dates and place a medium bowl. Finely grate the lemon and add to the dates. Squeeze the lemon juice into a measuring jug. Sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the chopped dates. Make up the lemon juice to 225 ml (8 fluid oz) with boiling water and add to the bowl. Stir well and leave until cold.
2. Heat the oven to 160°C (320°F or gas No3). Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Lightly mix the egg and stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the date mixture. Sift the flower into the mixture. Stir until well mixed. Reserve about 25g (1oz) of the broken walnuts and stir the remainder into the cake mixture.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared in and spread level. Sprinkle with the reserved walnuts. Set into the pre-heated oven and bake for 1-1¼ hours. Cool in the baking tin for 15 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack. Slice to serve.
Moist and easy to slice with discernible chunks of dates and walnuts - keep for 24 hours before serving.
Recipe by kind permission of Andrew Leask.