On 11 Feb 2010 at 10:19am Helen wrote:
Hi everyone,
I am thinking of moving to Lewes from Canterbury for work, but don't know anyone there! I was just wondering if there are many clubs,societies, volunteering opportunities etc to get involved in community life?
Thanks for any help,
Helen
On 11 Feb 2010 at 11:20am Old Bob wrote:
Large yogurt knitting community, apparently.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 11:22am Sherlock wrote:
Ignore Old Bob Helen, there are a lot of things to do here and you'd be very welcome I'm sure.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 12:02pm Chris wrote:
There's lots of local societies & groups here in Lewes. The east sussex community information service (escis) is very handy for finding out more, as you can specifcy the location as lewes. The library & tourist info centre in Lewes are also a good sources of local information.
escis.org.uk
On 11 Feb 2010 at 12:28pm dfe wrote:
if i were you i wouldnt bother, stay where you are
On 11 Feb 2010 at 12:47pm Prick Stein wrote:
Theres always Southover DFL Bonfire Society, they'll let anyone join!
On 11 Feb 2010 at 2:12pm windows wrote:
Helen don't bother listening to anyone on hear their all bigots......only joking! Lewes is lovely and people are friendly....just not always on here. 
lots of things to do and always something going on.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 2:15pm neukomer wrote:
I moved to Lewes last year - best thing ever.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 2:21pm polychaete wrote:
Indeed Lewes is packed to the gunnels with knit-your-own-Alpaca-muesli-"such fun Darling"-drive-to-gym-in-Chelsea-Tractor types. Far more than the national average, and generally a town a bit too far up its own watsname. My advice is if you have a quarter of a million quid for a bedsit come and live here, as these people can be avoided and if not, ignored. Also Harveys, a railway station, views, lovely countryside in all directions, primary & secondary schools, Harveys, good pubs, Harveys, and loads of social clubs etc.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 2:26pm polychaete wrote:
Helen - forgot to mention what you may well know already: a lot of people here play a traditional 'burn the Catholic' game each November, but in a nice way.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 2:49pm 2Bclear wrote:
Yes as I said there's negitive people on here who feel that Lewes has gone too middle class and anything to do with middle class means its idiotic. There's a good mix of people in the town but not on here unfortunately.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 3:00pm Brixtonbelle wrote:
We moved to Lewes in the summer and are really enjoying life here. I suspect it probably is pretty similar to Canterbury in many ways, but smaller. I would say the countryside around here is much much lovelier and the transport links better. People are friendly, but you do have to get involved and there seems to be loads to get involved in - theatre, arts, good sports centre, walking, cycling, running club etc. it has good pubs and good shopping as well - if a little 'niche' in parts and npt many of the high street chain clothing stores like next etc . many many antique shops, a monthly farmers market and picturesque streets. It has a good mix of people, but there can sometimes appear to be a DFL/ local split on this forum. that isn't apparent in real life - As 'dfl's' we have met a few 'locals' all of whom are very welcoming and not at all resentful of us moving here.
It takes a while to get settled and don't expect instant friendships, but get involved and you will meet lots of people.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 4:18pm Ed Can Do wrote:
I was in Caffe Nero this morning and there seemed to be some kind of buggy appreciation club going on. I swear each table had at least one more buggy than child at it. One woman was even so kind as to give me a filthy look for sitting at the table next to her (With my crutches) as apparently little Tarquin's coat was using that table.
Anyway, Lewes is a lovely place to live although moving from Canterbury you should expect to significantly down-size your house, or get a big old mortgage. There are all sorts of events and social clubs in town and joking about the Islington Bonfire Society aside, Bonfire Societies are easily the best way to get to know people and get involved in the community.
I'll admit I'm amazed that you've found a job here though, unless you're working in Brighton, in which case I'd suggest living there, the train journey in the morning is moderately horrific and driving to Brighton is retarded.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 5:02pm Winterbourne Wanderer wrote:
The train journey from Lewes to Brighton is 'horrific', Ed Can Do? If you describe a scenic, fast, 10-15 min journey in that way which has regular trains that are normally on time, I'd love to see you describe something that IS bad, like, I don't know, people who are always banging on about baby buggies, for example.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 5:58pm Ed Can Do wrote:
It's a lovely scenic journey, unless you're aiming to get to Brighton between half eight and half nine, when most people start work, at which times the trains are full to bursting before they even reach Lewes, often late and cancelled at the first hint of heavy rain, let alone snow.
And "always banging on about buggies"? I think I've mentioned them twice in the last two months, once when one ran me off the pavement and today when I got an evil look for disturbing someone's coat when I wanted to sit down to drink a coffee in a shop full of them. I defend my right to get narky about buggie pushers when they think their kids' coats are more deserving of a chair in a cafe than a guy on crutches.
You're being overly defensive there WW. Are you perchance a buggy pushing, Nero patron who needs an extra seat for their childs garments on their way to the station to catch a non-peaktime train to Brighton?
On 11 Feb 2010 at 6:19pm Winterbourne Wanderer wrote:
My buggy days are behind me and peaktime is my middle name. We must be getting different train services. The trains are of course not perfect, but to describe the brief journey as 'horrific' to someone who's asked about living in Lewes does seem to veer close to unacceptable use of hyperbole.
Twice in two months - yeah, I'd describe that as banging on, given the wild-eyed tone of paranoia that makes your buggy posts so memorable. Buggies appearing from all sides, shoving you into the road, forcing you off seats... AAAARGGGHH! They're out to get me...
On 11 Feb 2010 at 6:33pm SHS wrote:
If I may just but in on this friendly banter, I find ECD has an excellent and entertaining way of making a point. In an age when two flakes of snow make national headlines as a crisis, I find that in everyday speech some slight exageration is essential to make a point. I thought the Lewes to Brighton train effort was usually a bus now anyway.....
On 11 Feb 2010 at 7:11pm Ed Can Do wrote:
Ha ha, cheers SHS.
I suppose I was exaggerating a touch but I would hope that anyone who's read a couple of threads on this forum would know to take pretty much anyone's posts with a pinch of salt. Glad to hear my posts are memorable though.
On 11 Feb 2010 at 8:45pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I had my own irritating buggy encounter in Costa Coffee the other day. The place was full of them. Perhaps the buggy c;lub meets in different cafes on different days. (I was only in there to avoid getting hypothermia during the half-hour wait for a bus, normally I'd avoid the place like the plague.)
On 11 Feb 2010 at 11:33pm Great Western Gnat wrote:
Lewes is the victim of it's own success. It is a lovely town to live in, and as someone above has said, the more you get involved, the more you are accepted and the more you get out of it.
There is an element of truth about Lewesians feeling threatened by the influx of Londoners (and anywhere outside of Lewes), but the Lewesians that feel threatened are generally the ones who are outsiders in their own town (due to their lack of participation in the community).
On 11 Feb 2010 at 11:40pm Brixtonbelle wrote:
This buggy culture in cafe's and buses has crept in since those annoying 'sport' buggies were invented - the ones that you are supposed to go running with. Most parents who own them don't bother to collapse them when they should because they are too loaded down with all the other 'essential' baby accessories.
What amazes me most is the age of the kids in the buggies - 3 and 4 year olds are common. No wonder we are breeding fat/ hyper kids when they sit in buggies for half of the day and don't burn off any energy by walking. Our kids walked everywhere once they were able and I believe as a consequence are now fit, healthy and strong. Get those toddlers out of buggies and get them walking, I say !
On 12 Feb 2010 at 9:33am Helen wrote:
Thanks for all you responses, I appreciate all the advice! And don't worry, if I do move I promise to reform my prioritising-the-comfort-of-my-clothing-over-the-comfort-of-people-on-crutches ways 
On 12 Feb 2010 at 10:12am costas wrote:
Word to the Costas crew, why not support a chain free local coffee shop instead? Costas is massively overpriced and run by evil itself. It's probably full of buggies as this is one of the few shops with room to accommodate them.
On 12 Feb 2010 at 10:23am Off-Message wrote:
Why does everyone insist on calling a push-chair a buggy?
On 12 Feb 2010 at 12:38pm Entomophobe wrote:
Eeeeeeek - nasty buggies - squash them flat!
On 12 Feb 2010 at 1:35pm Ed Can Do wrote:
I use to buggy to refer to those big off-road things that Brixtonbelle is refering to. A pushchair to me is one of those old-school things that's basically a fold away chair on small wheels, without the storage space for half of Hamleys.
On 15 Feb 2010 at 11:27pm Bartleby wrote:
I think a useful analogy Ed would be this:
Buggy- your mouth. contains an incredible volume of junk.
pushchair- your brain. surprisingly convenient to carry around.