Beckley Village Voice

This year I have been given access to the minutes from the original village centre in Beckley that was known as the Public Room & library. It was opened in 1905 and stood on land exactly opposite the house named Dunedin on the site where the bungalow called Freshfields is now sited in Main Street.

18.11.1926- A general committee meeting was held in the parish hall at 7.45pm on Thursday. Those present were the Rev RA Edgell (president) in the chair, Messrs Wickens, Stone, Frennerry, Broomfield, Smith, Brown & F Paine Hon sec. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The hon sec produced the accounts for the year ending sept 30th 1926, which were compared with the vouchers and showed a very favourable balance of £28.11.6 an advance on the previous year by about 30/-. It was proposed by Mr Smith and seconded by Mr Stone that the accounts be adopted-carried. Re a letter from the BWI asking for the use of the hall on every Thursday instead of 3 in each month it was decided to put it to the general meeting.

18.11.1926- The Twenty first annual general meeting was held in the parish hall at 8.30pm on Thursday. Those present included the Rev RA Edgell (president) in the chair, Messrs Wickens, Stone, Frennerry, Broomfield, Smith, Brown, Sheather, Budden, Baddeley, Crouch, T Paine, Russell, Edwards, Bryant, Bodle etc & F Paine Hon sec. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. In the absence of the hon treasurer Mr CE Bates the accounts were read by the chairman which showed the very favourable balance in hand of £28.11.6 an advance of about 30/- on the previous year. After the chairman had passed a few remarks on the different items it was proposed by Mr T Paine and seconded by Mr C Crouch that the accounts be adopted-carried. The BWI asked for the use of the hall every Thursday instead of 3 in each month after a slight discussion on the matter it was proposed by Mr H Brown and seconded by Mr Frennerry that they have the use of the hall as asked for at an additional charge of 10/- per year making the price for them to pay £5.10.0 per year-carried. An invitation to a games match by the Northiam Village Club was accepted. Election of officers for the ensuing year was then proceeded with. It was proposed by Mr Frennerry & seconded by Mr Baddeley that the Rev RA Edgell be again elected president- carried. Proposed by Mr T Paine & Seconded by Mr L Smith that Mr CE Bates be again Hon Treasurer-carried. The Rev RA Edgell proposed that F Paine be again Hon Sec which he refused to take saying he had had 10 years of the job and thought it was time for some-one else to have a turn. Finally Mr LA Smith accepted the office of Hon Sec. There were 14 members proposed to fill 10 seats on the committee. After a ballot the following were elected on the committee- Messrs Frennerry, Wickens, F Paine, Crouch, Stone, Edwards, Broomfield, Brown, Budden & Farley. Mr Frennerry proposed & Mr Crouch seconded that the hall be open for hire on Wednesdays which was carried and the meeting came to a close.

Coffee morning @Beckley Village Hall on feb 4th @ 10.30am run by FOBC. There will be a charity stall in aid of Beckley Church Parochial Council, books and bric-a brac as always.

The Beckley Lunch is held on the second Thursday of the month. Cost £10 for a 2-course meal. The next one is feb 13th. We are a friendly group and everyone is welcome to enjoy the meal and chat. To book your place phone Keith Hedley on 01797 260720 or email [email protected] no later than the Monday before the Lunch.

Co-op- do you have a co-op membership card? If you do please consider nominating 1st Rye Scouts as your chosen charity. If you do the group will be granted some money towards their summer camp 2026! This is a year long promotion so please tell your friends and get them to nominate 1st Rye too….they don’t even have to live in the area!

Church services this month are on Sunday 12th @ 8am & 10am. Sunday 19th @ 8am, Sunday 26th @ 8am & 10am. For Baptisms, Weddings, funerals, Home Communion etc. please contact The Rev Owen Edwards. The Rectory, Brede Hill, 01424882201 or email [email protected]

Sunday 26th Jan for our next amazing Farmers & Craft Market is on at the village. Stock up on all your Bread , Cheese & Local Produce, as well as crafts for your and gifts. WI serving refreshments of amazing bacon rolls & cakes. All proceeds help maintain our village hall. Free entry. 10-12.30pm

Beckley History Society meet again on January 31st where the talk takes us back to early history and archaeology at Lossenham – just across the river in Newenden. You can find out more about this project at www.lossenham.org.uk. The AGM in March will include a talk on Northiam.

DEPUTY MANAGER VACANCY-Beckley Preschool has a Vacancy for a Deputy Manager position within our small setting to join our existing friendly, professional and hard working team to provide the highest standard of care for children in the setting. Hours - 8:45am – 3:15pm Mondays/Tuesdays/Wednesdays term time only Start date: Monday 24th February 2025. NVQ Level 3 qualification required. All positions will be subject to an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and references. Email [email protected] for a full job description and an application form or for more information. CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Friday 31st January 2025. INTERVIEWS TO TAKE PLACE: Monday 10th February 2025

National Trust has a range of activities planned locally throughout the year. Starting with a walk and pub lunch on Jan 14th in Peasmarsh – cost £1 (plus the lunch). On the 16th Jan there is a talk on the history of sport in Sussex with the famous Stoolball featuring and on Feb 6th there is an afternoon tea at the Kings Head Inn rye. For more details contact Dee Williams 07760115413 or Julie Etches 01797 225317 [email protected]

Pick up your copy of the latest “Beckley Bulletin” magazine produced by the PC. It’s a bumper winter edition full of news and events and useful contact details. It can be obtained for free from the Rose & Crown, The Village Hall or RVS

Beckley Parish Council has a vacancy. If you would like to help make and keep Beckley a lovely place to live. Come join the council. Speak to the Chair Natasha (email natasha@ beckleyparishcouncil.org.uk) about what is entailed or the parish clerk Mary (email [email protected] or 01797 270 790). Also if you have any contributions for the quarterly magazine again contact the clerk. Parish Council Meetings are at the village hall and are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm. Minutes, Agendas etc are available to view on the PC website or the two noticeboards- one at Four oaks end of the village and one opp Rose & Crown pub. www.beckleyparishcouncil.org.uk The PC are happy to advertise village events on this page – please contact clerk (details below. The Parish Council works hard to support village activities and amenities and if you are part of a village group that needs support please get in touch. Facebook info page: Beckley Parish Council Information is a new page where residents can read notices from PC or important events for village.

www.beckleyparishcouncil.org.uk and they are happy to advertise village events on this page.

Beckley Preschool accept the 30 hour voucher. If you are looking for a space for your young child for sept please contact them email [email protected] They are term time only and open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am - 3pm.

Yoga – did you know we have two yoga teachers at the village hall? Lolly runs a gentle yoga on a weds eve 7-8 on a drop in basis @ £7 per class and Andy runs Hath yoga on a Friday morning from 9-10.30 @ £10 a class.

Neighbourhood Watch, Beckley has a new FB group for neighbourhood watch. Please join for tips and advice on how to keep our community safe. If you are not on FB please email [email protected] to receive updates.

For anyone struggling with the cost of food there is a community supermarket at The Hub on Rye hill will be back in January (dates to follow) between 10.30-11.30 where you can get £20 worth of food for just £6 (cash only). There is also the Rye food bank who offer more than just help with food. They have a direct link to Rother which locals can use to find out about services etc (in fact anything like the terminals in the library used to offer). They have a link to benefit support and debt counselling and they have someone who can give heating advice as well as a Family Support Worker – Gill (you do not need to be referred to seek Gills help. The Food Bank is open every Wednesday between 12-3pm in the Baptist Church in Cinque Ports Street Rye or can be contacted 07526 349847. You can also email them at [email protected].

Growing Network Hope to see you at their coffee morning on 11.00-12.30 will be in Beckley Village Hall-Feb (date to follow); these get togethers are always interesting as we never know who and what will turn up! Everyone is welcome, you don't have to be a grower to come and get free fresh food and plants. Things for free sound a little new and strange, however, those of us lucky enough to grow food, hate throwing our excess food, plants and freshly grown produce in the compost because we have too much. Each meet up is different and of course we have changing seasons and the different foods to grow to suit them. Do try and call in.

Cinque Ports FM. We have a fantastic local radio station now. Tune in to 95.1 FM service for a service covering Rye and surrounding areas. You can hear us in East Sussex in crystal clear FM stereo.

Friends of Beckley Church are a friendly group and if you would like to join them in raising funds for a much needed new church roof please call Mike on 260525 for further details

The Flexi bus is a great service that allows you to pre book your local bus trips . FlexiBus is a flexible, on-demand rideshare service, for areas with limited or no bus service. Residents can book a FlexiBus journey to their nearest town, train station, hospital and other key destinations for £3 fare . FlexiBus links people to our improved conventional bus services. further details are on ESCC website or ring 01273078203.

Trefoil- New members welcome @ Beckley village hall. 01797 260537 or [email protected]

Community Speedwatch. Can you spare an hour a month to help with speed watch? The team are in need of a couple of extra helpers due to some members moving away. The purpose is to educate drivers rather than to penalise them. Please contact me on the email at the start of this column.

Beckley preschool was founded in 1973 and has been educating and preparing village children for school ever since. If you are interested in a place for your child Beckley Preschool do have some vacancies for children from the age of 2. For enquiries please email [email protected] They are term time only and open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9am - 3pm.

WI- If you would like to find out more about the exciting activities they have lined up or become a member please contact [email protected]. They meet up on the second Monday of the month in the village hall @ 7.30pm.

1st Beckley Brownies & Guides need you help! Adult volunteers are needed to enable girl guiding to continue in Beckley. Could you lend a hand? Find out more from Carlyn (Jay) by emailing [email protected]

BECKLEY VILLAGE CENTRE is the community hub of the village. It is a run as the Beckley Village Hall charity by and for the people of Beckley. Rooms are available for private parties and meetings. Groups running regular weekly activities are Taekwondo, Table Tennis and Yoga. Other activities include Church Coffee Morning, WI, Monthly Lunch, History Society, Horticultural Society, Self-Defence. Beckley Players as well as children’s activities. No building runs itself. If you could help with admin, fund-raising, maintenance or generally keeping the place ready for use please let us know. Contact; [email protected] phone Mary Howse 01797 260213 for bookings & Lauren Dobson 01797 260364 for everything else! One way you can help support the village hall is via the local lottery……

Lottery! Rother runs a lottery and Beckley Village Hall is a beneficiary. Tickets cost just £1 and there is a weekly draw. Please consider signing up to support our village hall keep going in this time of great financial difficulty. The village has already had a couple of residents win and the top prize is £25K! for details go to www.rothercommunitylottery.gov.uk and search for Beckley Village Hall.

THE BECKLEY FUND is a charitable Trust set up to help local groups generally supporting heritage, the arts and their venues. Grant applications are welcome from local groups as the fund is keen to support our community. The fund is small at present and donations are always welcome no matter how small. As the fund grows it could help when a quick response is needed. Contact: Mary Howse 01797 260213 [email protected]

Defibrillators

Beckley now has three Defibrillators one is on the wall outside the Ebofrost factory . There are also defib units outside the village hall and in the repurposed phone box opp the Rose and Crown Pub.

The monthly Parish magazine. This month’s issue is available as a physical copy …if you would like to sign up to receive a copy go to the Beckley and Peasmarsh Church FB page or email Alex on alexboatwrightsmith@icloud

Please find below a list of useful numbers for local clubs and village amenities etc.

Defibs x3 - Opp Rose & Crown, outside village hall, Ebofrost factory

Library-Phone box opp school houses books etc for residents to swap & read.

Neighbourhood watch – [email protected]

Beckley Preschool- Village Hall- term time Mon 9-3 Tues 9-3 Wed 9-1 Fri 9-3- 01797 260 582- www.bpnn.co.uk FB = Beckley Preschool

Village Primary School- 01797 260 342- www.beckley.e-sussex.sch.uk FB=Beckley School Association Events

All Saints Church – services 8am Sundays and some 10am services.

Parish magazine available as a hard copy or online. Details from [email protected]

www.beckleyandpeasmarshchurch.co.uk FB page = Beckley and Peasmarsh Church

Friends of Beckley Church- village coffee morning with charity stall.- 1st Tuesday- 10.30-12.30-Village Hall- 01797 260775

Farmers Market – held every 4th Sunday of the month - Village Hall- 10-12pm FB page = Beckley farmers and craft market

WI – 2nd Monday 7.30pm –Village Hall-01797260450

Trefoil 3rd Monday –Village Hall- 01797 260537

Taekwondo every Wednesday-430pm Village Hall- Start from age 5. Petra 01233 642357

Brownies & Guides- Thursdays vill hall 6.30pm [email protected]

Table Tennis- Every Thursday- 9.30-11.30am– Village Hall- 01797 252382

Tennis Court/MUGA- (tennis,basketball,netball or football) Located at top of the Playing fields free to play if vacant. Bookings can be made via FB; Beckley Multi Use Games Area or https://beckleymuga.setmore.com/

Hatha Yoga fridayss 9.30-11am [email protected] 07913615984

Lunch Club- All ages- 2nd Thursday-Village Hall- 12.30pm [email protected] 01797 260720

History Society- 01797 260213 [email protected]

Horticultural Society- [email protected] or 01797 260775 https://beckleyhorticulturalsociety.org

The Growing Network-food/seed sharing 1st sat of month Beckley Village Hall 11-12.30

FB=The growing network (Beckley E.Sussex)

Beckley Players (Am/Dram)- )- 07974928665

Beckley Bowls- 01797 260537

Beckley Cricket Club- 07599175491

Beckley Rangers-football- [email protected]

Village Hall Hire- 01797260213 Rother Lottery supports the village hall for more info Rothercommunitylottery.co.uk

Rose & Crown Pub- Alice 01797252161 takeaways available

Beckley Community Speed watch Group- www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk

Beckley has some other Facebook pages not mentioned above: Search for the groups:

FB= Beckley (sussex) Neighbourhood watch,Beckley Bulletin Board, Beckley (east sussex)Village Society, Beckley (e sussex) village hall, Bargains in Beckley(e sussex), Businesses in Beckley( sussex) and nearby!, Beckley Baby & Children’s Bargains, Beckley Horticultural Society. Beckley and Peasmarsh Church.

The village hall website is www.beckleyvillage.info