Sussex Day is on Tuesday 16 June, with celebrations outside the town hall in Rye starting from 1pm.
The event kicks off with Ryebellion Drummers at 1pm, followed by the ceremony at 1.15pm which will finish with a communal sing-along of Sussex by the Sea.
Rye’s Town Crier, Paul Goring, will proclaim the Sussex Charter and there will also be readings of extracts from Sussex poems by Belloc and Kipling. The prayer of St Richard of Chichester, the patron Saint of Sussex, will be given by Reverend Christopher Breeds and there will also be a speech from the Mayor of Rye, Chris Hoggart.
“The Sussex Charter is addressed to ‘All the people of the ancient Kingdom of Sussex’,” said Paul Goring. “It is traditionally proclaimed on 16 June, which is the Feast Day of the patron saint of Sussex, St Richard of Chichester. It is a declaration of the identity and independence of the people of Sussex, a reminder of our obligations to the county, and a celebration of Sussex’s unique heritage and culture. It is also a reminder that although Sussex is divided into East and West for administrative purposes, it still remains one ceremonial county, within the same borders as when it was first established by Aelle in 477AD.”
2027 marks the 1,550th anniversary of the founding of Sussex and there are county-wide plans for a major celebration.
Sussex by the Sea was written by William Ward-Higgs in 1907 and is regarded as the county’s unofficial anthem.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .