News from around the clubs - July 9

Bexhill Gardens and Allotments Society

SMACK under the flight-path to Heathrow and within sight of the London Eye/Millennium Wheel there is an oasis of tranquillity which is as surprising as it is fascinating.

Though intercontinental airliners wheels-down on final approach roar constantly overhead, wildfowl of every description go about their natural lives in untroubled calm in the very centre of London.

The London Wetland Centre located by the Thames at Barnes is a truly remarkable achievement, as members of Bexhill and District Gardens and Allotments Society have found.

A cormorant swooping low over the coach to make its own landing on one of the centre's many lagoons made a spectacular start as Sunday's party arrived.

Thanks to chairman Dick Lancaster's customary good planning and Rambler driver Richard's efficiency, members had four and three hours in which to explore the 42-hectare site at leisure.

A pair of ducks snoozing at the feet of the entry statue of naturalist Sir Peter Scott symbolised how successfully Sir Peter's dream of repeating his wildfowl centre at rural Slimbridge has been replicated in a city centre location.

The Bexhill visitors watched eager youngsters learning the joys of pond-dipping.

They saw proud mute swan parents leading their fluff-ball cygnets out of the reeds.

They enjoyed the incongruity of the view from the centre's Peacock Tower. This multi-storey hide offers opportunity to spot Lapwings and Herons, Tufted Duck and Terns going about their business on the centre's wader scrape, with Highland cattle grazing in the middle distance and the Millennium Wheel haloed behind one of the many city tower blocks on the skyline!

Dedicated bird-spotters toting telescopes and enthusiast photographers armed with gigantic tele-lenses rub shoulders with casual visitors with pocket cameras in this easy-going environment.

In contrast, relationships between mallards and pochards, barnacle geese and their near-neighbour coots (which appear numerically to be the most successful species) are sometimes fractious '“ but always entertaining.

It all added up to yet another highly pleasurable Gardens and Allotments Society day trip, ending with the customary convivial glass at The Rainbow Trout at Broad Oak on the homeward journey.

Bexhill and District RNA

ON June 28 at 8 Bells of the Second Dog Watch, the secretary reported on the Armed Forces Day Parades, and forthcoming reunions concerning five RN ships '“ Jamaica, Protector, Newcastle, Ulster and Mohawk, and the British Nuclear Test Veterans.

He also gave notice of the RNA Sea Service Sunday on July 18 in Maidstone.

After Stand-Easy, shipmate Ralph Hill recited the Marriott Edgar monologue Three Ha'pence a Foot, concerning the oldest sailing story in the world. He then narrated part of the story of the Destroyer HMS Watchman on Russian convoy duty, and how, returning to base, in a blizzard she crashed through the anti-submarine boom in Skaale Fjord in the Orkneys, and later, with most of the boom still wrapped around her screws, chugged back to Londonderry, where 17 tonnes of steel wire mesh were removed in seven lorries.

He also displayed the remains of her ensign, taken down after four days and nights at Action Stations, and of which three-quarters had flapped away in the Arctic winds. A photograph can be seen in the BBC Hundred Objects collection at the website http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistory

oftheworld/objects/Nqj6Sd64SDON_eJZaG8fEQ

The main part of the talk concerned The Great Rood of Waltham '“ a massive black basalt crucifix, revealed in a dream to be buried at the top of a hill in Montacute, Somerset, and installed in King Harold's Church at Waltham, Essex in 1060.

There it was an object of pilgrimage for 500 years, but disappeared at the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and is still waiting re-discovery. What a triumph it would be for any clairvoyant or medium who could succeed in locating this ancient object!

Fourteen shipmates successfully named The Royal Oak in the regular monthly Name the Ship quiz, but by answering the tie-break question, the prize was won by shipmate Fred Cayton.

All those men and women who have served in any branch of the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy are assured of a warm welcome as new members. In the response to duty we have found the gift of comradeship. This comradeship is in evidence not only at our branch meetings but also at our summer and Christmas socials, at our anniversary dinner, and at our annual Trafalgar dinner. Our 2010 summer social with be on Friday July 30

Information about joining the RNA, and dates of meetings and events, can be obtained by telephoning 01424 219035.

Bexhill Labour Party Women's Section

WE were delighted to welcome quite a few new members to our latest meeting at which there was much discussion in light of the recent Coalition Budget and impact on cuts which already we learn will be affecting front-line services of support to people in the community.

Support was given to the Fairtrade Committee at the recent Green Day and with Christian Aid's concerns about Global Poverty/Climate Change.

As local MP Greg Barker is the relevant government Minister we shall lobby to ensure all the progress made under the Labour Government support for International Development is not now threatened.

We discussed an issue also relevant to global financial impact but which in Zimbabwe continues to cause severe suffering as the country refuses to adhere to the Kimberley Process of all African states in the mining of what has become 'blood diamonds'.

We considered further the complete list of nominations for the Labour leadership and the 2011 Rother District Council Elections which will now take place on the same day as the Referendum on Voting Reform.

There was a very interesting discussion after a Book review of Tony Benn's latest offering reflecting not just on past political ideology but the hopes for our future generations that reminded members of their involvement in younger days of: CND, anti-Apartheid, miners' strike and other strong necessary movements and protests.

We are a lively campaigning group - meeting monthly. For further information contact the secretary on 01424 220337.

Bexhill Chess Club

Mr Robert Elliston, the chairman of Rother District Council, visited Bexhill Chess Club on Tuesday June 29 in his official capacity to give a simultaneous display against eight club members at their venue at the Grosvenor Park Nursing and Residential Home, 26 Brookfield Road.

Mr Elliston, a Sussex county player and three times former chess champion of the famous Hastings and St Leonards Chess Club, is keen to promote chess throughout Sussex. The outcome was never much in doubt, although no game finished in under an hour. Mr Elliston won seven out of eight, conceding just one draw, against Bexhill veteran Joe Blake, who once drew in a simultaneous competition against former World Champion Anatoly Karpov. Commendable resistance was shown by several of the Bexhill players, including Ted Baker and rapidly improving member James Frost, who was the last to finish, in a little short of two hours. The club meets every Tuesday afternoon, 1.30-4.30 pm. Membership is open to players of all grades. Beginners are especially welcome.

Crafts 4 U

CRAFTS 4 U met on Thursday July 1.

We had a lovely morning where we made cards using the lace technique. This is using cutting and folding. It was used to make a card with an attached bookmark.

Bags were given out to club members so that they could make a card, which will be given to Cancer Research and sold in the charity's for 1.

A very successful trip was had the week before to Hobbycraft and also the lovely garden centre at Badgers Mount.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will be holding a Particraft afternoon at St Martha's Church Hall Little Common from 1pm to 4pm. There will be craft demonstrations and lots of craft goodies to buy. We will also be holding a raffle with some lovely craft items to be won.

All are welcome to come along for 10 minutes or the whole afternoon.

'¢ Crafts 4 U meets on the first Thursday of the month at St Martha's Hall in Little Common from 10am. We have a demo each month and are then given a kit to make what we have been shown.

If you are interested in joing us please ring Tina, our secretary, on 01424 445422.

Little Common Ladies' Club

AT our meeting on June 23, our speaker Mr Michael Hoad recalled the days of the Grand Tour when visits were made to European countries, sometimes lasting months and in some cases, years. With the aid of slides, he then proceeded to take us on board a typical cruise liner, the Jewel, from his title A Jewel in Europe for a modern-day grand tour of different European town and cities.

First of all, we were taken to Oslo and some of its museums before visiting Helsinki with its Russian-influenced architecture and Tallinn with its attractive mediaeval city centre. We continued on to St Petersburg, where the former home of the Tsars, the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum were highlighted. 'Sailing' via Copenhagen, the next ports of call were in the Atlantic Islands of the Azores and Madeira, to view their lush plantations and botanical splendours.

From there, the tour took us to Villefranche on the Cote d'Azur, the nearby palace in Monaco and the casino in Monte Carlo. After lingering in Rome over the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Forum and the Vatican, the tour ended with views of the architectural delights of Pisa.

Our chairman, Pat Grayling thanked Mr Hoad for his fascinating presentation, which had brought back nostalgic memories of places she and others present had visited in the past.

The next meeting is on July 28, when Tony and Lizzy Gilks (Time Span) will demonstrate The Way We Were in their own inimitable way. Anyone wishing to come along will be made very welcome. Meetings begin at 7.45pm at Little Common Community Centre, Shepherd's Close, Little Common. Call 01424 842456 for further details.

Bexhill Bridge Club

Bexhill Bridge Club recently held its AGM.

Ray Bittan was elected chairman.

Trophies presented were:

'¢ Mulcaster Cup - Trevor and Barbara Graham

'¢ Pairs Trophy - Fergus Cameron and Brian Gould

'¢ Cowpland Cup - Ray Bittan and Norman Taylor

'¢ Birthday Cup - Joan and Rob Knights.

The club meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St Augustines Church Hall, Cooden Drive at 6.45 pm. New members are welcome.

Please contact 01424-846570.