British folk traditions

The church has what is believed to be the oldest written reference to morris dancing in Sussex.

Martin Frost, spokesperson for SVM, said: "The 1561 records of St Andrew's Church, West Tarring, mention the oldest written reference to morris dancing in Sussex with a five shilling payment for their bells.

"To mark this 500-year link, a very timely and much-appreciated donation to Sompting Village Morris was presented at the Sunday service to help fund our 2024 apprentice bells."

The dancers were delighted to receive the donation on April 14 and Martin took to the microphone to explain the link between the Tarring Parish accounting and a local morris dancing side.

He said: "We have been dancing for at least 40 years, which is nothing compared to the connection that we have with this church, which we discovered a few years ago.

"According to the parish records, there was a donation made by the churchwarden. It seems very appropriate to re-enliven this tradition and we will be very happy to have this small donation for the cost of the morris bells for this season's apprentices."