The Green Waves Community Festival is this weekend at Tilling Green. With so much to see and do from Friday, August 29 until Sunday, August 31 it’s sure to be worth being part of it. So how did it come to happen? As Graham Ellis explains, it started with a conversation with an inspirational couple.
In early 2024 I was introduced to Dan Lake, the chair of Tilling Green Residents Association. He shared that the organisation was in a slump, hadn’t had a meeting or organised any events for years and he was feeling really despondent.
I met his wife Donna and she explained how they had created several excellent activities for the residents of Tilling Green in the past but the number of engaged board members had diminished until there was only Dan and herself. They hadn’t had a board meeting for several years and they both felt disillusioned and exhausted.
With pride they showed me videos of the last summer fete they organised in 2018 and lamented the fact that since then community cohesion and spirit on Tilling Green estate had greatly diminished.
I’ve been involved in promoting social events since my teenage years growing up in Hailsham where I organised regular dances at the Crown Hotel. After organising more music events and a festival in Victoria, Canada, I went on to become a circus performer and founded the Hawaiian Vaudeville Festival in 1985 which became an annual week long extravaganza that lasted for nineteen years attracting performers from all over the world.
After describing my experience and enthusiasm for creating events to Dan and Donna their faces lit up and we made a pact that we would work together to build a team to bring back community events to Tilling Green. I’m happy to report that we’ve achieved our goal.
In December 2024, with help from Andy and Niki Stuart, we brought the first community Christmas tree to Tilling Green. In April, Donna spearheaded the Easter Fun day at the community centre which successfully revived a popular gathering that had not happened for many years.
In May, Dan organised Disability Awareness Day that involved a parade of wheelchairs precariously traversing from Tilling Green to the Rye Bowls Club. In June, we commissioned a fun and colourful mural that now adorns the walls of our community centre. In July, we unveiled a beautiful new “Welcome to Tilling Green” sign with the intention of bringing more pride to our otherwise run down estate.
All this was possible because Dan and Donna are a dynamic duo with huge hearts and a strong desire to see their fellow residents thrive and get along better together. As the chairman, Dan has revived the dormant residents association, continuously recruiting more board members and volunteers and holding monthly meetings.
To raise funds we incorporated Tilling Green Events CIC, bringing Jan Crook from FAIR on board and to date we have brought in over £16,000 to support our activities.
Our team for our first annual Green Waves festival has brought together the musical impresario talents of Andy Croft, the graphic design experience of Dena Ellis, the tent and staging capabilities of Sam from Main events, the electrical and sound capacities of Ben from FTB group plus the support from local organisations including the Rye Partnership, Rye and Winchelsea Community Hospital, Jane Brook Events plus a host of local volunteers.
We hope to see you all at our festival this weekend. Everyone is welcome and we guarantee there’s fun for the whole family.
Image Credits: Julie Smith , Graham Ellis .
Well done Dan and the team, well organised fun events over 3 days!
Greenwaves has been a huge success thanks to Dan, Donna, Graham and others. Congrats on a fantastic celebration of and focus on a period of renewed community building, for and by the Tilling Green Community which benefits and enriches the wider community of Rye. I can’t speak for anyone else but I really feel a sense of dynamic energy and purpose in what the Residents Association are doing that generates a sense of pride and togetherness across the whole of Rye, it’s an inclusive and welcoming approach that speaks volumes about the Association’s approach but also Tilling Green itself. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Well done Dan & Donna, proud of you both as both mum & dad would have been!