Haywards Heath duo to drop their debut album: Sweet Loretta

Haywards Heath’s own Sweet Loretta are making waves beyond Mid Sussex - and now they’re gearing up for their biggest release yet. The local duo, made up of lifelong friends Quinn Humphreys and Fraser Blanchflower, will release their much-anticipated debut album at the end of November.

The two have been making music together for over ten years, mixing their love of 70s and 80s pop, soul and funk into a sound that’s all their own – a fresh twist on alternative pop.

They’ve already been turning heads. Their 2024 EP No Small Parts has picked up over 130,000 streams on Spotify, and last year they went international, supporting the acclaimed artist Kishi Bashi on tour across America and Europe.

Their latest single In The End dropped in late September and even got some airplay on BBC Radio Sussex – a great moment for the musicians making their mark.

With a hometown connection and an ever-growing fanbase, this debut album promises to be a milestone moment - not just for Sweet Loretta, but for the local music community too.

Lead vocalist Quinn said: “We’re thrilled to be releasing our debut album. It’s been a long and winding journey to get here. And no matter where we play - whether that’s London or New York - we always think back to our very first gig at the Albemarle Centre!”

If you haven’t heard them yet, now’s the time to tune in. Keep an eye (and an ear!) out for the release this November, and join us in cheering on two of Haywards Heath’s finest as they take their next big step.

What and who is twinned with Haywards Heath?

By Liz Price, Haywards Heath Twinning Association

The keen-eyed residents may have noticed a recent addition to the Haywards Heath skyline in the form of a signpost which sits in the little garden opposite the Star pub and outside Zizzi Restaurant – showing the distances to Bondues and Traunstein. But why? You may well ask…

Behind all of this is the thriving Haywards Heath Twinning Association, membership of which is open and welcome to all residents of Haywards Heath and surrounding villages. The Twinning Association organises trips to and from Bondues and Traunstein and encourages links between clubs and societies in Haywards Heath and our twin towns of Bondues and Traunstein.

Only an hour’s drive from Calais and close to Lille, Bondues is a lively friendly community with a beautiful old town centre. Established in 1998 the twinning friendship with Bondues is very active and much cherished.

Traunstein and Haywards Heath have been proudly twinned since 1993. Traunstein is in the south-eastern part of Bavaria and is beautifully situated close to the Lake Chiemsee between Munich and Salzburg.

Anyone with children who’ve studied German at Oathall Community College will be aware of the town of Traunstein since Oathall has a regular school exchange with a school in Traunstein in Bavaria. This link has been in existence for many years and it’s from this link that the formal twinning between the towns of Haywards Heath and Traunstein came about 30 years ago. 

There are opportunities to visit for all members and this is a great way to improve language skills in French and German and meet new friends in France and Germany.  During the year The Twinning Association offers many language opportunities  including  Language Classes and groups and our very popular informal chats in local cafés in French and German, wordle groups, scrabble in French and a French Book Club. All these groups meet to progress language skills and share a common interest with friendly folk!

Since the demise of Adult Education in our area it’s difficult to find opportunities for language learning and practice and this is one of the many reasons the Association has become so popular.

With the approach of Christmas, it will  soon be time for our annual Christmas party with carols in French and German around the piano with Glühwein and seasonal food!

 If you’re someone who might be interested in joining us, we would love you to get in touch. Membership is just £10 per annum. You might also be someone involved in a local club or society interested in having links and possibly exchanges with a similar club or society in France or Germany.  Please do contact us at hhtwinners@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook.

Haywards Heath Town Mayor welcomes Haywards Heath Life

Duncan Pascoe

By Duncan Pascoe, Town Mayor of Haywards Heath

I’m thrilled to be featuring in, and pleased to endorse, the first issue of Haywards Heath Life! This new community magazine for our town will be packed with community news and events, as well as providing space to showcase our local businesses. For several years, residents of neighbouring villages Cuckfield and Lindfield have had the benefit of receiving a monthly community magazine like this one. So, it’s nice that finally Haywards Heath will get a magazine that’s all about us!

This new publication looks to celebrate everything that makes our town unique: from local heroes, hidden gems, community events, businesses, history, and the everyday stories of the people that make our town great. My hope is that this magazine will foster a greater sense of connection between residents and offer ways for people to feel more involved in our community. Whether you’ve lived here your whole life or just moved in, I’m sure Haywards Heath Life will be a fantastic source for what’s going on in and around our community.

I’m grateful to David and his team for pulling this together and I am excited to see how it grows!