Fairlight

There is also the 2017 Lent Course – ‘Hear The Word Of The Lord’. You’ve missed, I’m afraid, the first session, which was part of the Ash Wednesday service a couple of days ago, but from now on the course will run on five Wednesday nights at St Peter’s, from 7.30 to 9 pm each week. The subjects and speakers or leaders are as follows: March 8 – The Torah with Valerie Hornsby: March 15 – The Prophets with David Hornsby: March 22 – Other Old Testament writings with Meriel Deasy: March 29 – The Gospels and Acts with Richard Barron: April 5 – The New Testament Letters with Richard Barron

Don’t forget – and at the rate 2017 is galloping by, it won’t be long – the Church will be hosting a Flower Festival at St Andrew’s from Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2. They have already had a very good response from people wishing to sponsor an arrangement in memory of a relative or other loved one. There are just six more opportunities remaining. Please contact Linda Willard for details, either by phone to 812316, or by email to [email protected]

It’s approaching three years since the Church talked of illuminating St Andrew’s, when parishioners attended demonstrations and expressed opinions. Now it is, of course, all up and running, and the naysayers and doomsters who envisaged light pollution like Blackpool on a hot July weekend are surprised to see that the sky is still up where it always has been, and no curtains, to my knowledge, have been rent from top to bottom. Meanwhile, the church looks a picture. Thanks be…

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, March 3, Bev will be along from Wiltshire Farm Foods to give what is sure to an interesting talk. Also there will be Nicola’s Age UK toenail cutting service and a star prize for the raffle. Lunch today is steak pie, and then Angel Delight and fruit

Next Friday, March 10, the members will be able to participate in Tai Chi exercises with Sarah Kimber, and as a reward, consume some delicious roast pork with all the trimmings, and a pud of strawberry gateau and cream.

It’s the Big One tomorrow: The once-a-year day when queues form at the village hall nice and early, in expectation of a bumper crop of goodies to purchase at the Playgroup’s annual Jumble Sale. It’s great fun, and provides the group with necessary funds. It’ll be open from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

In addition to funds, the group could do with a few more youngsters, and so if you have one that is coming up to the right age to be part of the playgroup, please give them a look. They have been going since 1970, and certainly know what they are doing!

The Club’s AGM: A final reminder that The Club’s Annual General Meeting is next Wednesday, March 8 at 7.30 pm at the Clubhouse on Wood Field Recreation Ground. There will be some refreshments and a look at the photos of the youngsters on their recent trip to Greece. All are welcome to attend the meeting.

The Bowls Club Coffee Morning: Always packed when I look in on this annual event, the Bowls Club Coffee Morning will be in the village hall from 10 am to 12 noon on Saturday, March 11. Entry is free and everybody, not just bowlers, will be welcome. Of course, if you have a question or two about bowling, this is the place to raise it. They always have couple or so rounds of bingo at the end and this is a perfect way to conclude the morning’s fun.

Parish Council: By the time you see this, the Parish Council will have held its February meeting (on Tuesday last) Information has been a little thin on the ground lately, but the Agenda in advance of the meeting talks of welcoming the new Parish Clerk, Katy Derbyshire. Obviously, certain adjustments are necessary when there is a change of personnel, and one hopes that all is well for Ann Evett, the previous Clerk.

Walk with a warden: You will be able to join one of Sussex Wildlife Trust’s experienced wardens for a short walk around the coastal nature reserve at Rye Harbour. It’s an opportunity to see what birds, insects and plants are around at this time of year. This walk starts at Rye Harbour village car park at 10am on Sunday 5th March. It’s lovely down there, and there are no hills to trouble dodgy knees. They wouldn’t say no to a donation or two, as well.

This event has no connection whatsoever with Walk with a Warder, a facility which has probably been enjoyed by a number of readers of this column round Exercise Yards while they were guests of Her Majesty.

Gardening club: On Monday next, March 6, the Club welcomes back Wendy Bates of Rotherview Nurseries, who will be talking about winning a Gold Medal at Chelsea and all the preparatory work that goes into such an iconic show. She will also be bringing along plants for sale, so make sure you’ve got a few extra pennies! Her talk starts at 2.30 pm in the village hall, and will be followed by refreshments. Non-members are always welcome at £2.00 per person but why not join – it’ll only cost £6 per household. Membership entitles you to use the Garden Hut where you can buy your garden essentials at a discounted price.

And talking of the Hut, now is the time to start sowing and planting and tomorrow, Saturday, March 4, sees the opening of the Hut’s 2017 season. It will be open from 10 am to 12 noon and will stock all you could need, they hope! Although the weather has been very unpredictable during the last week, it is time to look forward to warm summer days when we can admire the fruits of our labours in the garden and enjoy home-grown flowers and vegetables! It’s only just over a fortnight to the start of Spring!

All would agree that the ‘Brightening the Village’ project has been very successful and in preparation for the new season, the Club will be having a Working Party on Tuesday, March 14 up at the Circle. All are welcome whatever your gardening skills as there are plenty of tasks to choose from including planting bulbs/cutting back/weeding amongst others. If you can spare half an hour and would like to join their happy band, either contact Sue Clarke on 813006 or just turn up at 10 am at the Circle. You’ll be very welcome!

Variety Night: Last Saturday’s supper evening in the village hall, marking and celebrating the Residents Association’s 70th anniversary celebration, was a notable success with the FRA Chairman Trevor Lewing as MC, and an enthusiastic and experienced cast including Hall and Blokes, Barrow Boy Bill Sapsford, Village Voices choir, Keith Miller, Jim Saphin, Jennifer Annetts, Fishy band, Keith Jellicoe, the Panto Group – in the form of Will Giles and George Morland, Reddy and Willin from this year’s panto, and all together now for the Grand Finale, with a special contribution from Keith Jellicoe in appropriate completion of the entertainment. Wendy Hatch and Ken Hall had jointly masterminded the staging. There was excellent food for the 80 paid customers plus the further 27 cast and crew, thanks to Mary Stewart and her team.

The first 70 years of the Residents Association is put into perspective by the assiduous research of Paul Draper in the new issue of Fairlight News, where he has discovered previous similarly intentioned but very differently named organisations in the village. His article is the first of what one hopes will be several.

Tuesday Ladies Club: All present for the February meeting enjoyed a fascinating insight to the business of weddings with our Margaret Pulfer. Margaret was in Facility Management when she lived near Banstead and decided to branch out on her own and run a Wedding Shop. Margaret did not sell things but acted as agent dealing with around 150 suppliers of various wedding services and goods. She was very involved with the planning of weddings and both she and her husband acted as chauffeurs on the big days. John ensured that the chauffeurs were smartly dressed which was important as it gave the right impression. Margaret’s range included weddings in the City of London and St. Brides Fleet Street, with Japanese and Chinese ceremonies as well as a very entertaining Gypsy wedding (perhaps Lucky Heather got married?) After 5 years they sold the business as they could see that more and more was being done on line, rather than through the personal touch. Mary Stewart informed the members that £106 had been sent to the club’s favoured charity Hearing Dogs. The next meeting will feature Tony Smith whose subject will be Horses Through History, (My Kingdom, my Kingdom and all that) The meeting will start at 2.15 pm in the village hall on March 21. Visitors will be very welcome for only £2.

Speakers Corner: The audience for Speakers Corner were enthralled by the illustrated talk given by writer Andy Thomas on Unexplained Mysteries and Cover Ups – and many of his books were sold. Andy covered a variety of unexplained mysteries, including the recent weird spiral seen in the sky over Norway, crop circles, Pyramids, the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster, ghosts, out of body experiences, the Fatima visitation of the Virgin Mary, the possible fake photography of the moon landings and Flying Saucers. He explained to the fascinated members that the truth is often hushed up and pointed out that in recent times the lady who ‘knew’ where Richard III was buried has been dropped from current reports – why, he wonders?

The next meeting features Sherilyn Paterson on another fascinating subject, The Leisure Wear Industry. They could almost have retained this month’s title – Unexplained Mysteries and Cover Ups! Her talk will be on March 8 at 2.30 pm in the village Hall. Visitors welcome for £2.

Walkies anyone?: There is an East Sussex County Council initiative promoting walking for health. Here in Fairlight, on Monday next, March 6, meeting at 10.30 am outside the village hall, there’s to be a taster Health Walk. For more information, you should call Healthy Walks Project Officer Jennifer Deering on 07740 899559, or by emailing [email protected] this is part of TCV, the Conservation Volunteers, and of Walking for Health. The former have been reclaiming green spaces since 1959. Involved from within the village is Cas Barlow, who is on 814229. Suggested walks have been planned and timed making sure that stiles and steep hills are avoided. Every weekly walk will commence at the same place and time and will have a leader and one person bringing up the rear. Walking time for each walk is under an hour. Dogs will be welcome on the walks, as long as they are on short, i.e non-extending, leads – for obvious safety considerations. All you have to do is walk it!

Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat: The new main boat at Pett Level will be formally named at 2 pm on Sunday, March 12, by the High Sheriff of East Sussex, Michael Foster, DL. The boat is to carry the names Margaret and John Pulfer, and a more deserving pair of names would be impossible to find. Be there and join in the celebration. It’s an outdoor event, so sou’westers at the ready…

Broadway road up – again: BT cones are missing from Battery Hill, potholes are certainly not missing from Waites Lane and, surprise, surprise, it’s Road Up time in Broadway again. I think they’re working to a modular curriculum, and SGN can be proud of their ability to make holes in the road, to allow those holes to lie fallow, while absolutely nothing happens, and then to refill the holes in the fullness of time. The work section that is an abject failure is the erection of Elf and Safety structures around their holes. OK, nothing larger than a couple of lemmings could get down the holes but, come a bit of wind and the whole kit and caboodle self-destructs so that postmen and passers-by have been manhandling the guards off the actual carriageway. The resulting disorganised mess would do for the second act of Les Misérables – ‘Beyond the Barricades’.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RyeandBattleObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @RyeObs

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Rye and Battle Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.