The ABC Animal Sanctuary in Juggs Lane, West Chiltington, RH20 2JS, hosts its Annual Open Weekend on 30 – 31 August, 11.30am – 4.30pm. This great family day out is an opportunity for visitors to meet the animals, with an equine/large animal vet talk on Saturday and a farrier demonstration on Sunday. There will also be live music, hot and cold food, tombola, bric-a-brac, fire engine, pony grooming and face painting. Well-behaved dogs on leads welcome. All proceeds go to caring for the animals. Entry £6 (U12s free). www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk

Horsham's first Tap & Vine Takeover will take place in Horsham over the weekend of 5 – 7 September. A collaboration between Horsham District Council, Firebird Brewery, Your Horsham and Visit Horsham, this event showcases some of the best Sussex breweries, wineries and cider producers in 13 venues across Horsham over the weekend. Pick up your trail passport from any one of the 13 venues, collect a stamp from each and a chance to win a prize – a mixture of all the products on show over the weekend. Venues include The Anchor Tap, The Bear, Beer Mine, The Black Jug, D'Arcy's Wine Bar, Horsham Cellar, Horsham Sports Club, King's Arms, Piries Bar, The Red Deer, The Rock, Wolfpack and a Firebird Brewery/Brolly Brewing/Horsham Brewery pop-up taproom in the Carfax. Follow Your Horsham or Horsham Tap & Vine Takeover on Facebook and Instagram

A Daytime 90s Rave will be held at Mungo’s Bar in Park Place, Horsham on Saturday 6 September, from 1 – 5pm. The Over-23s event has been organised by Anna McCabe, who is hoping to raise £8,000 for a trek Cambodia in October 2026 in aid of St Catherine’s Hospice. If they achieve their fundraising target, Anna and her husband will have raised more than £21,000 for the hospice over the years. For details, email cambodiatrek2026@gmail.com or call 07876 245341.

Silvertip Films is bringing the Horsham Film Festival back for a third year in 2021. The festival hosts four categories for both over 18s and under 18s, including Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best Animation and Best Comedy. The event also has a special ‘Your District’ Award. The awards night will be held at The Capitol, Horsham on 11 February 2021, hosted by Nicola Hume. For entry details visit www.silvertipfilms.co.uk

The Sussex Six Market will be held in Horsham town centre on Sunday 7 September, 10am – 4pm. The food and drink event will feature chefs cooking signature dishes live, alongside local produce, street food, live music and family entertainment. Matt Gillan of The Woodcote, Kenny Tutt and Miranda Gore-Browne of Parham House Cookery School, Alex Dome from Knepp Wilding Kitchen and Joshua Mann from Camellia at South Lodge will showcase their skills using Sussex produce, hosted by food guru Hilary Knight. The market event, organised by Food Rocks and Horsham District Council, supports the Sussex Six Campaign, managed by Natural Partnerships, which aims to increase the availability of local produce on menus and shop shelves. https://foodrockssouth.co.uk/sussex-six-market/ 

The Floral Fringe Fair will be moving to the Deer Park at Leonardslee Gardens, Lower Beeding over the weekend of 5-6 June 2021. It will have the same friendly, eclectic feel as ever with plant nurseries, artists and makers, vintage stalls, street dining, picnics, food, music and a Steampunk twist. To draw attention to the rare plants at Leonardslee’s Grade 1 listed garden, there’s a celebration of Victorian plant hunters. Classic car owners are invited to attend with reduced entry.  www.facebook.com/floralfringefairInstagram @floralfringefair

The Kinsbrook Harvest Festival will be held at the Kinsbrook Vineyard, West Chiltington Road, RH20 2LU on Saturday 13 September, at 11am - 6pm. Kinsbrook Held to coincide with the season’s harvest, the festival will be a relaxed, inclusive, fun family affair featuring live music acts and entertainment, with kids and dogs welcome, as well as large groups. Festival tickets cost £ (£10 for U18s, U5s free). Free parking onsite. For announcements, follow @kinsbrookvineyard

Southwater artist Ian Walder exhibits his work at Drews Barn, Warnham Deer Park Estate, on the weekend of 13 – 14 September, 10am – 5pm. Ian suffers from a rare form of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and all the proceeds of the raffle and 20% of the art sales will be donated to the West Sussex North Branch. His work covers everything from landscapes and city scenes to a number of aquatic-themed paintings. The Lucas family, owners of Warnham Deer Park, have generously offered Ian the opportunity to exhibit his work to help raise awareness of MNDA and raise much needed funds. www.ijwhorshamart.com

Following a successful relaunch in 2024, the Alf Shrubb Memorial 10k and 5k race returns to Slinfold on Sunday 14 September. Adult runners will meet at Slinfold Cricket Club before the race starts at 11.15am on Clapgate Lane, the route passing through the countryside on local footpaths, bridleways and trails before ending back at the cricket club. Adult races include chip timing and runners will be led off the start line by the local fire brigade (if circumstances permit), recreating the moment in 1899 when legendary runner Alf Shrubb chased after a fire engine heading to a blaze in Southwater. This year’s special guest runner us sports reporter Vassos Alexander. There will be a warm-up for the main race prior to the start and then move everyone across to the 10k start line. All adult race finishers get a replica world record medal. The 5k adults run (for ages 12+) starts at 10.40am, with children’s races held from 10am. There will be refreshments with tea, coffee and soft drinks served along with cakes and a fully licensed bar at the cricket club. Alf Shrubb was born in Slinfold in 1879 and became one the greatest runners in the world, breaking several world records and becoming all England champion at the National Cross-Country Championships in 1901. Profits from the event will be shared across local good causes. www.alfredshrubb10k.eventrac.co.uk

Billingshurst Dramatic Society present Blithe Spirit at The Women’s Hall on Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 September, at 7.45pm. Nick Thorogood directs Noel Coward’s classic 1941 farce, in which socialite and novelist Charles Condomine invites eccentric medium Madame Arcati to his house to conduct a séance. He gets more than he bargained for when he is haunted by the ghost of his temperamental first wife, who attempts to disrupt Charles's marriage to his second wife. https://wegottickets.com/billingshurstdramaticsociety/

Horsham Music Circle has announced three autumn concerts as part of its 84th Season. The series begins with ENSEMBLE 360, featuring pianist Tim Horton and rising star Will Duerden, performing Schubert’s sparkling Trout and Vaughan Williams’s lyrical early work at St Mary’s Parish Church on Saturday 20 September, 7pm. For tickets visit wegottickets.com/HorshamMusiccircle.org.uk or email horshammusiccircle@gmail.com

The London South Tough Mudder returns to the Holmbush Estate in Faygate on the weekend of 20 – 21 September. With a diverse course that includes woodland trails, rolling terrain and muddy obstacles, it offers a challenge like no other. Tough Mudder is expected to bring some of its signature 'showstopper' obstacles to the venue, with 5K and 15K courses offered to competitors. For entry details, https://toughmudder.co.uk/ 

As part of the Shipley Arts Festival, the St Mary’s Church Fundraising Concert will be held at St Mary’s in Billingshurst on Sunday 21 September, 7pm. The concert is held in support of the St Mary’s Church Transformation Project. The programme includes excerpts from Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio number 1 in D minor Op 49 and John Ireland ‘s Phantasie for Piano Trio. Limited tickets cost £80 (includes private drinks reception). www.bernardimusicgroup.com/events/

Discover the fascinating history of the wartime Land Army in the Horsham Museum & Art Friends' talk in the Wesley Hall at the Cornerstone London Road Chapel, Horsham on Wednesday 24 September, 7.30pm. An authority on Sussex agricultural history, Ian Everest will explain how he first became interested in the Women’s Land Army and how it led to many years of research about the girls working on the farms. The talk will consider how the Land Army began, its role during two world wars and its recognition in more recent times.
Admission to all is £7.50 (includes refreshments).

The Rotary Club of Horsham hosts a special Macmillan Coffee Morning at the Bridge Leisure Centre in Broadbridge Heath on Friday 26 September, 9:30am – 1pm. JubyLee Bakes, an award-winning bakery run by young adults with special needs, will provide some of the goodies at the Bridge, which kindly hosts the event. Stop by for coffee, cake and a chat, with all donations going to Macmillan cancer support. Everyone is welcome. 

 The Sussex Green Hub will be held at the United Reformed Church, Springfield Road, Horsham, on Saturday 27 September, 10am – 2.30pm. The Hub offers a welcoming space for anyone looking to have items repaired, reduce waste, save energy, learn new skills and connect with like-minded organisations. This month, there will be a focus on food waste with advice from West Sussex County Council and a hands-on talk at midday on composting systems. The Horsham Community Fridge is held from 10 – 11am, redistributing surplus food that would otherwise go to landfill. The Hub also includes the Green Book Library, Community Café, the Home Energy-Saving Help Desk, the Refill Shop and Horsham Repair Café. www.sussexgreenliving.org.uk

Horsham Unitarian Church on Worthing Road hosts Apple Day 2025 on Saturday 27 September, from 10.30am – 2.30pm. Alongside apple tasting, homemade puddings and fresh juice, the event includes live Morris dancing, nature trails and art activities, and a talk on community orchards at 2pm.

Run Barns Green will be held on Sunday 28 September. The event is comprised of four races - a half marathon, 10k and 5K races, and a junior race for children aged 4 – 11. This year’s event marks the 43rd anniversary of the half marathon, and the 10th anniversary of the first 10k race.  It will also be the 10^th anniversary of St Catherine’s Hospice being the official charity of the event. The two longer races follow scenic rural routes on closed roads through the lanes of Barns Green, Itchingfield, Christ’s Hospital and close to Southwater. There is chip timing and runners also receive a gold, silver or bronze medal, depending on their finishing time.  Horsham MP John Milne will once again act as the official starter for the races this year. www.runbarnsgreen.org.uk

Murder, She Didn’t Write, comes to The Capitol Theatre on Thursday 2 October, 7.30pm. Edinburgh Fringe favourites Degrees of Error are bringing back their sell-out show for your sleuthing pleasure. They’ll create a classic murder mystery on-the-spot in this ingenious improvised comedy. You, the audience, become the author as the cast act out your very own Agatha Christie-inspired masterpiece live on stage. Tickets £26 from www.thecapitolhorsham.com

The Heron Way PTA hosts the 10th anniversary of the school’s 10k Trail Run and Fun Run on Sunday 5 October, at 11am. The trail follows a scenic route through St Leonard’s Forest and for the first time, there will be a chip timing system. Entry £25. www.heronwaypta.org.uk/10K or the Heron Way 10K Facebook page.

As part of October Black History Month, a Community Antiracism Conference will be held at the Millenium Hall, Roffey Road, Horsham, on Friday 10 October, 10am – 1pm. The free event is set to bring together educators, social workers, social care professionals, community leaders and residents for a transformative day of learning, reflection and action. The event is organised by Vivian Okeze-Tirado, a Horsham-based author, award-winning social worker and social justice advocate and Head of VOT Training and Consultancy. With a powerful line-up of speakers telling their stories along with interactive workshops, the event aims to inspire attendees to take meaningful action within their personal and professional spheres, under its theme of ‘Let’s Talk, Let’s Learn, Let’s Change’. The event is for anyone committed to racial justice, particularly social workers and social care staff, educators, Council staff and community/faith leaders. Limited to 100 attendees, with booking essential. For more information, email learn@vottraining.co.uk or visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-anti-racism-conference-tickets-1461633939459/

Horsham Music Circle has announced three autumn concerts as part of its 84th Season. Renowned harpsichordist Steven Devine presents The Bach Circle, a stylish, intimate recital exploring works by J.S. Bach and talented contemporaries, at the Causeway Barn, Horsham, on Saturday 18 October, 7pm. For tickets visit wegottickets.com/HorshamMusiccircle.org.uk or email horshammusiccircle@gmail.com

Best-selling author Peter James introduces his latest thriller, The Hawk is Dead: A Killer in the Palace, at the Coombe Court Room, Steyning Centre, on Wednesday 22 October, 7.30pm. The novel sees Roy Grace gain access to the heart of Buckingham Palace, when he is called upon to solve a murder and what looks to be a royal assassination attempt. Peter will discuss how Queen Camilla and King Charles came to feature in the book and share his fascinating research into the inner workings of the Royal Household and Buckingham Palace. Peter will be in conversation with an interviewer, followed by audience Q&A and book-signing/meet and greet. There will be a licensed bar selling alcoholic and soft drinks. Tickets £22 including a copy of the book. www.steyningbookshop.co.uk

Horsham Music Circle has announced three autumn concerts as part of its 84th Season. The final concert sees the Aurora Trio (harp, flute and viola) bring the season to a close with works by Bax, Debussy and Ravel at the Causeway Barn on Saturday 29 November, 4.30pm. For tickets visit wegottickets.com/HorshamMusiccircle.org.uk or email horshammusiccircle@gmail.com