Icklesham

CHURCH NEWS: We are now approaching the solemn season that precedes the Easter glorious celebrations. The service this Sunday will be 9.30am Parish Eucharist for Palm Sunday. This will be led by Rev. Canon Richard Orchard. On Thursday 24th, Maundy Thursday, there is a United Service of Eucharist of the Last Supper and Watch at Winchelsea at 8 pm. On 25th, Good Friday. there is a service of Stations of the Cross at 12 noon at Winchelsea. followed by Meditation on the passion of Christ United Service at Icklesham at 2 pm. The Easter Vigil and the First Eucharist of Easter will take place on Holy Saturday at 8 pm at Winchelsea. There will be Parish Eucharist at 9.30 am on Easter Sunday led by Rev. Canon Robin Whitehead. Come and celebrate the risen Christ.

DATES: It is unusual for Good Friday to fall on 25th March which is Lady Day, when the Annunciation of the birth of Christ was told to Mary by the Angel Gabriel. It only happens when Easter is early, as it is this year. Have you a view on the proposed fixing of the date of Easter sometime in the future?

DECORATING: The church will be decorated for Easter from 9.30 am on Saturday 26th March. If you would like to help please come along or ring Christine Overy on 01424 814 927. All the donated lilies will be used in the decorations and a book of remembrance will be available.

WEATHER: As already mentioned, the sun is warm enough to sit in, if you have a sheltered corner. Monday 21st March is the spring Equinox. A lunar eclipse is mentioned for Wednesday 23rd. Although the garden is still pretty soggy, the first cut of the grass took place last Saturday. And the weather retaliated by presented a very hard frost overnight! Grass is tough stuff so should be all right. BRITISH SUMMER TIME BEGINS ON 27TH MARCH. CLOCKS GO FORWARD ONE HOUR.

QUEEN’S HEAD: The live music this coming Sunday will be played by the Sands Quintet playing Sinatra, quite frankly ! There will be an Easter Mini Beer Festival featuring micro breweries and live music. On Friday 25th from 9 - 11 Loose Change will play Covers. On Saturday 26th Anita Jardine will play Folk and Blues from 4 - 6 pm. On Sunday 27th John Paul Miller will play covers from 4 - 6 pm. And on Easter Monday, 28th, Los Twangeros will play Cooool !

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY: The Spring Show is on Saturday 2nd April. Schedules are available from 22 High Fords, Icklesham or the Post Office at Winchelsea Beach. They are £1 each which also includes membership. All new and old members are very welcome. To enter write the class numbers on a piece of paper with your name and address. To enter each class costs 20p. Please deliver these to 22, High Fords by 7 pm on Wednesday 30th March. Staging is between 8 and 10 am. The Show will be open to the public from 2 pm.

D-DAY FOR THE NEW PAVILION: It’s crunch time for our pavilion plans and we need you to help us get the building the club deserves. A show of strength from players, ex-players and supporters at a meeting later this month will be vital in persuading parish councillors to agree that when it comes to the new pavilion, size really does matter. Icklesham Parish Council, including our own four parish councillors, have already agreed, subject to outline planning approval, a new building on the existing site. But at the Annual Parish Assembly on WEDNESDAY 30th MARCH A DECISION WILL BE TAKEN ON THE FOOTPRINT (SIZE) OF IT. If we do not get a footprint to our liking, then all the effort and fundraising of the last four years will have been wasted. And as you know, a great deal of hard work has been put in by many people to get to this stage. There is tremendous support locally for the new pavilion, as can be seen by the fact that the fundraising figure stands at around £24,000, even after payment of the architect’s fees. SO, it is important that we have as many of you as possible at the meeting, when the council’s decision is likely to be influenced by the opinion of those members of the public who attend. As the Casuals will be the main beneficiaries of the new changing facilities we need a show of support to underline just what this means to the club which, after all, has been part of the village community for 79 years. Please show your commitment by confirming your attendance to [email protected] details are Icklesham Annual Parish Assembly Wednesday 30thh March at 7 pm in the new Hall, Winchelsea. It is thought that the pavilion plan will be one of the first items on the agenda, so you would not have to sit through the entire meeting.

QUIZ: 16 teams have confirmed for the next quiz to be held on 9th April. Pleas contact Stuart if you wish to add or subtract your team. At the Quiz last week the early front runners were team Name and North London Derby. At the end of round three, Casualities had moved into the lead. Empty Heads, High Ford Hooligans, Stalybridge Celtic, Nobby’s Nuts, One out, All Out, 30 Somethings, Allsorts and Golden Arrows were all in contention after round 4. We then held the raffle and the New Pavilion Lottery Draw which was w drawn by Marc Baker. The winners were : 1st, £50 Sharon Sellens; 2nd, £25 The Ladies Dart team; 3rd, £15 Peter Drew; 4th, £10, Colin McPhail; 5th, £5 Tracey Young; 6th, £5 Margaret Reeve. The lottery is open to all and cost £1 per month. All money is split 50/50 therefore the more members we get, the bigger the prizes. Then we moved to round 5 of the quiz. At the end of this round North London Derby were back in the lead, Round 6 Empty heads played their Joker and scored heavily to move into the lead. While this was going on at the front Saints and Sinners, Potato heads, Friends and Family, Flower power plus Fab 4 were mounting their challenge. After round 7 Empty Heads were still leading and held their lead to be overall winners, followed by Casualties, 30 Somethings, Allsorts, North London Derby, Golden Arrows, High Ford Hooligans, Nobby’s Nuts and Team Name. Profit for the New Pavilion Fund was £403, another brilliant effort by all concerned. Thanks to Icklesham Casuals FC, everyone who helped with clearing up at the end, Sean, Marc, Michelle and Mags for setting up, and all those who donated raffle prizes and bought tickets. The next QUIZ is 9th April.

CONTACT: Please let me know of any items which you would like included in the Village Voice. it is free publicity you know. Phone 01424 815 247, pop round or use the email. News, reviews, reports etc. are all welcome.

AND FINALLY: Do hope you have had a good week. Doesn’t the sunshine make a difference to one’s state of mind ---it does mine anyway.

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