Winchelsea

Choir and Soloists: ‘Sure on this Shining Night’ will be performed at St Thomas’ Church this Sunday March 5th at 4pm. The concert, under the direction of Peter Hatch, features instrumental soloists and the Cantate, Kapella & Coro Choirs of King’s College School Wimbledon. Tickets are £10 each from the Farm Kitchen or at the door and proceeds will go towards the Church and Winchelsea Corporation Court Hall Appeal.

Weird Weather: Not cats and dogs but, ‘The Day it rained Crabs and Frogs’ as described by weatherman Ian Currie in his reference to a hailstorm in Tunbridge Wells on August Bank Holiday 1956. The hailstorm was peculiarly dense and lay on the ground like thick snow. With Storms’ Doris and Ewan still gusting in places Ian will be explaining our weird weather at the Second Wednesday Society’s next meeting on Wednesday March 8th at 2.30pm in the New Hall. As usual non-members pay £4 which includes the talk followed by a delicious home-made tea. Ian Currie and his team run the website Frosted Earth which includes facts, data, photographs and the latest weather forecasts. Also amongst his many media activities he presented Weather Watch on BBC Southern Counties, also forecasted the October 1987 hurricane and took part in the BBC Radio 4 series ‘Strange Weather Days’.

Lent Lunches: This year’s Lent Lunches will be held in Icklesham Memorial Hall at 12.30 to 2pm on Friday March 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st. The lunches consist of tasty soups and cheeses will celery and grapes. Everybody is invited and all proceeds will go towards various charities. The proceeds for the lunch on March 24th will be for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal (2017)

Lofty heights: Dan Richards author of Climbing Days gave a talk about his climbing experiences at the recent Literary Society’s meeting. After discovering by chance his great great aunt Dorothy’s memoir called Climbing Days hidden away in his father’s study he was inspired by her mountaineering feats. Despite a lack of experience, in 2015 he succeeded in climbing the North Ridge of Dent Blanche in the Alps which was Dorothy and her husband Ivor’s most significant first ascent in 1928. Dan explained that Dorothy and Ivor climbed in tweeds, with a hemp rope, not much kit and axes more like building tools compared to the equipment used today. Although climbing was not seen as acceptable for a middle-class Victorian woman Dorothy was undeterred and in 1921 set up the Pinnacle Club for women rock climbers and led the changes in what was traditionally a male oriented climbing world. Dorothy and Ivor were more comfortable when climbing together and Dan describes their social awkwardness in everyday life as contrasting with them being ‘devoted companions’ bound by a love of the mountains. Having now attained a more equal footing with his climbing relatives Dan enjoys the physical and mental clarity of climbing and suggested ‘you can be things in the mountains that you can’t be elsewhere’. From heights to depths Dan also co-wrote the book Holloway meaning ‘sunken road’ which notes that there are thousands of these ancient labyrinthine paths criss crossing Dorset’s countryside. They are formed where the bedrock is soft and earthen walls usually tower on either side with trees growing out of the top. To walk them and Dan has ventured a few, can be considered as entering a deep history.

Winchelsea Beach

Next service: This Sunday March 5th there is no 9.30 am service at St Richard’s Church due to the monthly rota. Instead all are welcome to the Holy Communion service at St Thomas’ Church which begins at 11am.

Fellowship Lunch: This very sociable lunch is held on the last Friday in the month and will be on March 31st at 12 for 12.30pm in the Community Hall. Please contact 01797 227168 to make your reservations as the caterers need to know numbers. The lunches are a variety of home-made dishes plus there is usually a speaker and donations would be appreciated towards a selected charity.

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