Uckfield is a pleasant town situated in the Sussex Weald, and lies between Lewes / Brighton and Eastbourne to the south, Tunbridge Wells to the north and Haywards Heath / Gatwick Airport to the west. All of those places can be reached within 20 to 45 minutes, and London is a 1 hour 15 minute train journey away. The population of Uckfield is around 15,000, and the town serves a wide hinterland of villages and rural areas.
Uckfield has a substantial business park called Bellbrook, as well as an office / retail area in the High Street. Many small and medium-sized businesses are based in the outlying areas as well as in the town itself. There are a number of substantial employers such as TR Fastenings within the town.
The retail shopping area includes Tesco and Waitrose supermarkets together with large retailers such as Halfords and WH Smith, as well as a good variety of specialist retailers. M&S Food and Home Bargains have both opened their doors on the nearby Ashdown Business Park, Maresfield, with the latest multinational to make Uckfield home being a Co-op convenience store in the south of town adjacent to the Highlands Inn.
Uckfield has a large and well-performing secondary school, Uckfield College, as well as five primary schools situated within the town. There are other primary schools in the nearby villages.
Other leisure facilities nearby include golf courses at East Sussex National (to the south of the town) and at Piltdown, as well as a leisure centre with indoor pool and a rugby club with playing fields. There are plans to build an all-weather sports pitch which will be available for public use, at the Community Technology College.
There are prestigious country house hotels within easy reach of Uckfield, at Buxted Park, Horsted Place, Newick Park and Ashdown Park.
Uckfield has many open space and nature reserve areas within an easy walk of the town centre. These include Lake Wood and West Park local nature reserves, as well as Views Wood and Buxted Park.
The town has its own award-winning cinema, The Picture House, one of the longest-established in the country, boasting state of the art facilities.
Uckfield and neighbouring villages have a wide range of restaurants and catering outlets, including many specialist restaurants serving food from different areas of the world.
For many years Uckfield has taken part in the Sussex tradition of bonfire and carnival processions, to raise money for charity in the autumn months, and the Uckfield Carnival is a well-visited event on the first week in September of every year, with torch-lit processions along the High Street and neighbouring roads.
The area is within very easy reach of the South Downs National Park and Ashdown Forest, which is a protected heathland habitat comparable to the New Forest and also known as the home of Winne the Pooh from the well-known children’s books of AA Milne. Stunning views can be had from the Downs and from the higher parts of the Forest.
There are many tourist attractions in the local area, such as the Bluebell Railway and Sheffield Park gardens. The coastal resorts of Brighton and Eastbourne are nearby, as is the historic county town of Lewes with its castle, river and many aincient buildings.
Uckfield and district has a very strong chamber of commerce, which comprises over 200 members and which is now the third largest chamber in the county. The Chamber runs a regular and varied programme of meetings, talks and networking events for its members.
It has been said many times that Uckfield is a town which punches above its weight. It is an agreeable place to live in and to do business in. It is on the border between town and countryside, and is accessible to London, the south coast and to a number of other centres without having the very urban feel of a number of other communities in the Sussex / Surrey area.