Fairlight

You may recall an earlier note about the new Midweek Meetings, which will be on alternate Wednesdays starting on September 2. Each meeting will be at St Peter’s Church Centre from 6 to 8 pm, commencing with a hot meal! If you’d like to go to the first of this series of meetings, please let Valerie know by August 31. Her number is given above.

A diary note – there will be no Benefice Service on Sunday week, August 30. That morning will see a service of Morning Praise, and the Baptism of Maisie and Edward Nevey. It’s at St Andrew’s, at 10.30 am.

Village Hall closure: As promised, the village hall will be closed on Monday and Tuesday next week for the essential upgrading of some of the floor covering. The main hirers affected will be Fairlight Players on the Monday evening, and this is covered in the note below. It is just possible that for the Parish Council meeting on the Tuesday evening, access to the main toilets may now be complete, and to offset this possibility, those at the meeting who need to ‘go’, will be able to use the facilities in St Peter’s Church Centre next door.

Players in action for their new season: The read-through to familiarise everyone with the play selected for their November production will take place on Monday next, August 24 at St Peter’s at 7.30 pm. The play is to be The Vicar of Dibley, an adaptation of the very popular TV series, to be directed by Keith Miller. With appetites whetted, it is hoped that another good turn-out arrives for the auditions, which will be in the village hall at 7.30 pm on Thursday, August 27. You don’t have to act to be fully involved. Go along, make yourself known, and put your name forward for back-stage or front-of-house, and share in an engaging hobby through the winter months.

MOPPs today and to come: Last week we said that Sharon would be singing this week, but she won’t, and MOPP’s Vice Chairman Jim Saphin, always a polished and popular entertainer, will be entertaining the members in her stead. The free toenail cutting service will be there too, and then it’ll be eyes down for ham, egg and chips, and strawberry flan for afters.

Next Friday, August 28, there’ll be a talk by Sally Watson and friends about Hearing Dogs. There’s also a visit bringing free hearing-aid maintenance (this is not the same service as the one noted below!), and then a lunch of cold meat and jacket potato, followed by lemon meringue pie

Hearing the bus coming: The ever-popular mobile bus of the East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre will be in the village hall car park next Thursday, September 3 between 1.30 and 3.30 pm. These visits are often very well attended in our village, offering, as they do, help with hearing aids, advice and counselling, and possibly if time permits, hearing tests, and all according to you hearing needs. Don’t miss the visit!

Wine and Social Club: A very good crowd thoroughly enjoyed the horse-racing evening last week, two years after the success of the last similar event. Members will now be looking forward to a talk entitled Treasures of the Attic, given by the accomplished and popular speaker, Ray Shayler. He will recount the story behind a metal box discovered in an attic at Scotney Castle in Kent which contained a treasure trove of memorabilia, revealing the story of one man’s life during First World War. That man was Arthur Hussey, a commanding officer during the war, whose war diaries from 1914-1918 were an early sign of the significance of the box’s contents. All this on Monday, September 14.

Parish Council meeting next Tuesday: Among a full and varied agenda, there will be a discussion on the CCTV situation to approve replacement equipment, and confirm the cost. They will consider and authorise the expenditure for the possible purchase of the twitten in Woodland Way, and also

discuss the Hill Road parking issue, and approve any required expenditure. Consideration will be given to the replacement of the notice board in Waites Lane, by Knowle Road junction and approve any expenditure. Also under discussion will be a request from the Table Tennis Club for the Council to hold its future meetings in St Peter’s Church Centre.

There will be updates on the situation with regard to the Post Office Community Shop venture, and the new dog bins. A discussion will ensue about Southern Water, regarding Lower Waites Lane and the response from the Consumer Council for Water.

The proposed new visitor centre for Hastings Country Park attracted many people and much comment at the last Council meeting, and this month the subject will receive an update and presentation from Fiona Wellings of Groundwork South, the company who will manage the centre through a centre manager. Also present will be Murray Davidson, the Hastings Official responsible for the Environment and Natural Resources. As he is currently on holiday, it is not known whether portfolio holder Cllr. Warren Davies can be present or not.

The dog that came back: A quick plea from Steve and Jane, whose puppy was returned to the village hall on Saturday, August 8 during the occasion of Nic and Pippa’s wedding. Would the kind people who actually made the return please give Steve and Jane a call on 814773, as they didn’t get their names in all the excitement of the day.

Pett Level Rescue Boat: The Rescue Boat’s always popular Open Day is only a week away, on Sunday, August 30, running down alongside Pett Level’s Smugglers pub, the fun starts at 12 noon, and it runs on until 4 pm. Among the attractions of the day is a Fun Dog Show at 2 pm. Details of other goodies will all be revealed next week. Just as long as you have a large note of the date in your diary already.

Open Gardens 2016: You’ll remember that there’s a proposal to have an Open Gardens event in the village over the second weekend in June once again, following those which were so successful in support of our First Responders in 2012 and 2014. Next year, the aim is to give added succour to the Preservation Trust’s Cliff Saving Scheme III. Well, the inaugural meeting is almost upon us, and will be taking place at Deforel in Sea Road on Sunday, September 6 at 10.30 am. If you could be interested and would like to know more, why not go along for tea, coffee and a chat? It would help if you could let Roz know you’re going, and you can call her on 07718858517, or send an email to [email protected].

Floral Club demonstration next Thursday: This month there is a visiting demonstrator, Hazel McGregor, whose offering is entitled ‘Floral Fusion’. Those who usually attend such demonstrations will know how polished each one can be, and the Thursday meeting will begin at 2.15 pm in the village hall. The usual adjuncts of a raffle, supplies for arrangements and refreshments will also be available.

Belatedly: There have been reports of another missing cat, which I hadn’t mentioned earlier in the hopes that she might have walked back in before she was reported missing in Village Voice. She has not shown up as yet, and has been missing from Gorsethorn Way since Sunday, August 2. She is Lucy, an elderly and rather nervous tortoiseshell and white cat, and if you are returning from a holiday this weekend, before making that much needed cup of tea, please just go and check your garage and garden shed or greenhouse. She is much missed. Any information to Christine Chambers, please, on 812587.

Remember the War?: You should, even if you weren’t there. And a special chance for such remembrance is coming on Saturday, September 5 with a Tribute of Commemoration and Celebration on the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, with members of the local branch of the British Legion. It’s at St Andrew’s, starting at 7 pm. There will be readings, WW2 songs, hymns and music. All comers will be welcome, and refreshments will be available after the service.

Flicks in the Village: Our neighbours over in Pett have featured regularly in the Fairlight Voice, mainly when we have mentioned their excellent Flicks in the Village. Locals will have been saddened to notice that their poster for Thursday, September 3, for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, states that this is the last Flicks ever. How sad that falling attendances have brought the Flicks to this sorry pass. Since their inception in 2002, they have screened an astonishing 146 films and entertained over 5600 attendees. Because of the low audience numbers, they have found it necessary to bring forward to September the commercial decision to close, rather than wait for the end of the year. Give them the packed send-off they deserve – make sure the hall is full on Thursday week, just as it was for their first night!

Be careful what you wish for: Last week’s torrential rain, almost frightening to watch even from the safety of being indoors, saw a month’s worth of water deposit itself on the village in under a morning. Even the staunchest gardeners, with their wry, suffering grins of ‘well, we do need rain’, must have wished it came with an on-off tap. It was like those times when you awake at 3.30 am in the realisation that you never turned the hose off after watering your best border. Except you couldn’t blame anybody, and you just had to wait until the sky was on empty.

Potholes? What potholes?: It’s not really the height of the season for the formation of potholes – for that we must await the winter of our discontent. What is worth highlighting is the state of Waites Lane, which is pretty abysmal. Unlike Battery Hill, the south side of which is totally abysmal. Perhaps repeated messages will hammer home these facts to those who could do something about them.

And talking of Battery Hill: There’s still quite a lot of sunlight about, and a heck of a lot of foliage coming downhill from the church. Why, then, when approaching drivers must be aware of how visible are those showing dipped headlights compared with those driving ‘dark’. Put ‘em on, especially in case you meet a double decker. If ever a road was unsuitable for such vehicles, which come along at least a foot and more further out than single deckers, Battery Hill is that road.

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