Sussex church celebrates the 613th anniversary of it's annual summer fair

By Izzi Vaughan
Published 7th Aug 2023, 16:06 BST
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St Thomas à Becket church, Cliffe High Street, Lewes stages its annual summer fair on Saturday, August 19.

Vicar Herbert Bennett will recite King Henry IV’s 600-year-old charter granting permission for markets and fairs to ‘our dear cousin Thomas’ (the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, in 1409).

Vicar Bennett said: “Please come at 10am, hear the charter, and enjoy the fair. We’ll have lots of tempting stalls – it’s all jam, home-made cakes, a garden store, tin mine, bags of books for kids and grown-ups, jewellery, bric-a-brac, and tombola and raffle prizes to be won.”

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The fair opens at 10am and closes at 12.30pm. Donations for the stalls are very welcome - please deliver to Cliffe Hall (next to the church) 8am-10am on the day.

The church was founded in the late 12th Century and it has origins in pre-Norman times. The fair is an important fund-raising event for community work and church upkeep.