Author: Sarah Monk

Final badge night 2023

Posted on by Sarah Monk
Our wonderful Barrels team work so hard at Bonfire and it’s much appreciated. Photo copyright of Ian Cumming. Photos can be purchased from www.southoverbs.com website. Any problems or questions, please contact photos@southoverbs.com

Deadline for members!

Our final Badge Night is this Friday (Nov 3) from 6pm-8pm at our HQ The Swan. That will be the last opportunity to get your Membership Card updated with this year’s sticker and pick up your 2023 Badge if you want to participate in the big night. Please bring your Membership Card with you. If you can’t find it, then you will need to pay for a replacement and get a temp card. In either case, you will also have had to renew your membership online in advance of Badge Night by following this link:

https://membermojo.co.uk/southoverbs/yourmembership

You need both your 2023 updated Membership Card and 2023 Badge with you in order to process on Bonfire Night. Marshals are checking and you will be asked to leave the procession if you don’t have both of these with you. You will also be denied access to the firesite and fireworks. Any queries, please contact membership@southoverbs.com

Plus, even if you are all sorted, our final Badge Night is a great event. We’ve restocked our merchandise and clothing stalls so all those last-minute purchases can be made. Once our Badge Night has shut up shop, there is also the opportunity to join your fellow Bonfire buddies at The King’s Head from 8.30pm for some more banter etc. There won’t be any membership renewals, merch or clothing stalls available at The King’s Head.

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Southover Open Gardens blooms again!

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Southover Open Gardens is back and blooming again for 2023 with a trail of secret gardens to explore in Lewes on Sunday June 11 from 2pm – 5pm. The event is hosted by us, Southover Bonfire Society, and is raising funds to buy some of the fireworks Lewes is famous for. There are a wide range of gardens to see, including several new ones: from large traditional English spaces to those that are smaller, or with a more contemporary feel.

Entry is by ticket only at £5 per person, kids under 16 go free.

STOP PRESS: Our advanced online ticket portal is now closed as of June 8. Anyone who has purchased an online ticket will receive their map by email from June 9.

The great news is you can still buy paper tickets for this Sunday June 11, 2pm-5pm, £5 per adult, kids under 16 go free) from:

The Swan Pub, 30 Southover High Street, Lewes, BN7 1HU; The King’s Head, 9 Southover High Street, Lewes, BN7 1HS; St Pancras Stores, Barber Court, St Pancras Road, Lewes, BN7 1JQ (open all week but only from 7.30am-1.30pm on Sundays); Lewes Tourist Information, 187 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2DE (open Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Saturday 10am-3pm, closed Sundays).

On the day itself, we plan to have two ticket sales points from 1.30pm until 4pm at the bottom of Keere Street and outside The Swan pub.

At the event, we kindly ask people to either have their printed ticket or have their electronic version showing on their phones to gain entry.

More info about Southover Open Gardens can be found on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/opengardensofsouthover/

The Southover Open Gardens event email is: events@southoverbs.com

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May Fayre magic at The Priory

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Get your kirtles and surcoats on, people. Yes we are back again hosting our fantastic Feast of St Pancras May Fayre which returns to Lewes Priory Park on Saturday and Sunday May 13 & 14 2023, 12 noon – 5pm both days. It’s Southover Bonfire Society’s 12th year of fun for all the family and this year we have some fabulous new attractions joining our favourites – including the chance to parade your pawfect pooches in not one but two Medieval Mutts dog shows! We are also very lucky to have green-fingered gardening writer, Ciar Byrne, on hand to help you with all questions of a herbaceous variety.

Plus we have our usual line up of bonkers games to test your skills featuring rolling swedes, splatting rats and very moist wet stocks to pop your nearest and dearest in.

And let’s not forget a treasure island, fab tombola, a flourishing plant stall and plenty of opportunities to win some great prizes. We’ve also got an ale and hearty bar, wood fired pizzas and stalls with other delicious and hard-to-resist culinary delights. What’s more it’s also going to be another biggie this year with hundreds of re-enactors recreating the Battle of Lewes on the streets of our town so there’s plenty of action of the armour-suited variety taking place over the two days.

What’s not to love?

Feel free to dress up in medieval garb for this brilliant family event. Entry is absolutely free. Entry via Cockshut Road, Southover, Lewes, BN7 1HP. Close to Lewes railway station too. More info via email: may.fayre@southoverbs.com

Follow us on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/LewesMayFayre

https://www.instagram.com/southoverbonfiresociety/

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Get your 2022 firesite tickets and programmes

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Our 2022 bumper Bonfire-bursting bedtime read – the SBS Bonfire Programme – is out and hot off the pyro press at just £3 per copy. On sale at Lewes Tourist Information Centre, The Swan Inn and St Pancras Stores – plus door to door thanks to our lovely SBS volunteer sellers. You can also pick up our limited edition firesite tickets at the same venues at £10 each. If you are a paid up member of SBS, you get free access to the firesite on the night as long as you have your up to date Membership Card and 2022 Badge with you. But, if you have friends and family who aren’t members, you need to buy your tickets quickly as there is a limited supply!

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2022 Badge Nights at The Swan

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Southover Bonfire Society Badge Nights are back this year and are all taking place at The Swan on Sunday October 16 2022 and Sunday October 30 2022 from 7pm – 9pm; and Friday November 4 2022 from 6pm – 8pm. There will be merchandise and pre loved costumes on sale as well as plenty of Bonfire banter. We will also have our Society photographers on hand to ‘pap’ our SBS members so do turn up in your finery.

Please make sure you have renewed your membership online in advance of Badge Nights. If you are coming to Badge Nights, please remember to bring your red plastic SBS Membership Card(s) with you as we need to update them all with a 2022 sticker. 

If you are not sure where they are, please look for them now. If you’ve lost them, replacement cards can be ordered before midday Friday October 7, for £3 each for collection at remaining Badge Nights.

Please email membership@southoverbs.com with “Replacement Card Order” in the subject field; a Mojo payment request will then be sent for completion. New member cards and previously ordered replacement cards can be collected at any Badge Night.         

You need both your 2022 Membership Card and Badge with you in order to process on November 5. Marshals are checking and you will be asked to leave the procession. You will also be denied access to the firesite and fireworks if you don’t have these with you.

For any membership issues, please contact membership@southoverbs.com

Please remember that our final Badge Night is November 4 at The Swan from 6pm-8pm. Following this, we will adjourn to The King’s Head for our final celebrations.

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Torchmaking on Sundays

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Wilson, our doggedly determined prize torch-maker and author of the Ruff Guide to Bonfire is primed and ready for our first Sunday torchmaking session for SBS members on Sunday (Sept 4) and every Sunday until we’re done making 3,500 of them we need for Bonfire Night. Torchmaking (with training) is taking place at our HQ The Swan Inn, 9.30am til 11.30am. STOP PRESS: We have made all our torches for 2022 so you can now have a lie-in!

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Southover Open Gardens is back

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Southover Open Gardens is back and blooming again for 2022 with a trail of secret gardens to explore in Lewes on Sunday June 12 from 2pm – 5pm.

Entry is by ticket only at £5 per person, kids go free. The event is hosted by us, Southover Bonfire Society, and is raising funds to buy some of the fireworks Lewes is famous for. There are a wide range of gardens to see, including several new ones: from large traditional English spaces to those that are smaller, or with a more contemporary feel.

STOP PRESS: As of Friday June 10 we have sold out of our online tickets but you can buy paper tickets from the following Lewes outlets – please note opening times for Sunday:

Tickets can be purchased from The Swan Pub, 30 Southover High Street, Lewes, BN7 1HU; Lewes Tourist Information, 187 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2DE (open all week but only 10am-2pm on Sundays); St Pancras Stores, Barber Court, St Pancras Road, Lewes, BN7 1JQ (open all week but only from 7.30am until 1.30pm on Sundays).

You can also buy them from our stall setting up at the bottom of Keere Street, Lewes, from 1.45pm on the actual day (June 12). Tickets have the map printed on them too.

Please make sure you have your tickets printed out and with you or, if you bought them online, available on your phone so you can show them at each garden on entry.

If you are on Facebook, please follow us at https://www.facebook.com/opengardensofsouthover/

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May Fayre magic returns!

Posted on by Sarah Monk

Medieval magic is back in all its glory at our fantastic Feast of St Pancras May Fayre which returns to Lewes Priory Park on Saturday and Sunday May 14 & 15 2022.

It’s Southover Bonfire Society’s 11th year of fun for all the family and this year we have some fabulous new attractions joining our favourites including bonkers games to test your skills such as smashing crockery, rolling swedes, splatting rats and very moist wet stocks to pop your nearest and dearest in.

Plus there’s crafts people, a treasure island, fab tombola, a brilliant plant and garden stall, and plenty of opportunities to win some great prizes. We’ve also got an ale and hearty bar, wood fired pizzas and stalls with other delicious and hard-to-resist culinary delights.

What’s more it’s also going to be a biggie this year with hundreds of re-enactors  recreating the Battle of Lewes on the streets of our town so there’s plenty of action of the armour-suited variety taking place over the two days. Can you hear the chainmail and swords clanking people?

Feel free to dress up in medieval garb for this brilliant family event.

Entry is absolutely free and the fun takes place from 12noon to 5pm both days. Entry via Cockshut Road, Southover, Lewes, BN7 1HP. Close to Lewes railway station too.

Follow us on social media: 

https://www.facebook.com/LewesMayFayre

https://www.instagram.com/southoverbonfiresociety/ https://twitter.com/SouthoverLewes

Website: http://www.southoverbs.com/

If you’d like to find out more about the Battle of Lewes, check out http://www.battleoflewes.com/

Watch out for more info and gird yer medieval loins people!! Advance!!

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