Maresfield Conservation Group (MCG), formed in 1991 by a small group of volunteers from the village, aims to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in Maresfield and surrounding area. We promote and support village life and its amenities.
The Group has raised funds for the village and has been involved in many projects over the years. They have contributed towards the following village assets:
- floodlighting of the church tower.
- the restoration of the church clock.
- the restoration of the Victorian street lights at the recreation ground, School Hill cemetery and on the church wall beside the lych gate.
Regular ‘Village clean-up days’ are organised in the spring and in the autumn. The Group’s members and local volunteers clear litter on an ongoing basis.
Social events are held throughout the year and include a quiz night, in 2024 this raised £1,000 for the Uckfield Food Bank, and a Cheese and Wine evening.
Village organisations benefiting from the fundraising include the village hall. The MCG has given assistance with replacing chairs and tables; insulation when the central heating system was renewed and equipment for the kitchen and Lunch Club. To contact Maresfield village hall please email maresfieldvillagehall@gmail.com or visit their website.
For several years MCG has provided, erected and installed lights on a large Christmas tree in the centre of the village. The Group also organise with the Church an event for the lighting of the tree and carol service which is followed by the serving of mulled wine and mince pies.
The Committee continues to meet monthly using a meeting room at The Chequers. Each member of the Committee leads on a particular area of our work, enabling us to achieve the volume of outputs we do over the course of a year. You can see a copy of our monthly agenda and the subsequent set of minutes on our website.
Footpaths Group
In December 2014 the Footpaths Group was reformed under the leadership of John Smith. This small group of local village volunteers meet every Wednesday morning and spend their time maintaining the footpaths in Maresfield village, as well as those footpaths on the rights of way in Maresfield Parish. They have also repaired or replaced many stiles along the footpaths and installed the planters at the road entrances to the village. They are kept busy with the maintenance work which is not undertaken by the Councils. Despite the wet weather of 2023/24 the Group have continued to carry out their activities including:
- Clearing footpaths and drains, keeping them clear of fallen leaves and debris;
- Replacing broken planters at the entrances to the village;
- Preserving wooden footpath signage;
- Bulb and flower planting;
- Litter picking;
- Tidying overgrowth on elm trees in churchyard.
Development sub-committee
With the publication of the Local Draft Neighbourhood Plan, MCG has set up a sub-committee to identify those developments that may have an impact on Maresfield Village and to bring these to the attention of the residents. There is a dedicated page on the MCG website, on which we are posting details of developments and advice on how to comment on these should you wish to.
For more information and contact details Please select this link to access the