Catsfield Village Voice

Catsfield Ukealongians – Ian writes - On Monday next, July 21st from 7-9pm in Catsfield Village Hall, we will be raising money for "The Bexhill Branch of Stroke Support Group". We hope you can come along and support this charity along with hopefully over 30 ukulele players, we’re going for a record number of players in the Hall, so if you play or sing or both, come along for a great informal evening of a wide variety of songs. It's free and refreshments are served. Just a voluntary donation to the charity, if you so wish.

The Windmill Hillbillies are coming to Catsfield Village Hall on Thursday July 24th at 7.30pm (doors open at 7pm) Admission is £5 each and refreshments will be available. The group is so named after the beautiful old windmill at Windmill Hill and are known for singing lively country-style sing-along songs and dancing to fundraise for the maintenance of the mill.

Don’t forget that the Catsfield fete will be on Saturday 2nd August from 12.30pm - 3pm at the recreation ground. As usual there will be a BBQ, Pimms tent, the WI selling teas and cakes, Beat the Goalie, Stoolball Challenge, Coconut Shy, a gymnastics display, a first appearance at the fete by ‘The Whacky Band’ and other fun things to do. Anyone wanting to have a stall at the fete please contact Scott as we would like to have representation from local businesses. If you are available to help on the day with setting up or running a stall or if you would like to be involved in the fete organising group, or can be a stall-holder then please contact Scott Lavocah through Facebook or email [email protected].

In the evening, we welcome the Catsfield Steamers back to the village where we will be holding a Barn Dance in the poly tunnels at Great Park Farm from 7pm. Tickets bought in advance £10 each, £5 for a child. Family tickets (2 adults & 2 children) £25.On the night £15 adult, £10 child, family £35, under 6 free. There will be a licensed bar and a pizza van serving wood-fired pizzas, cooked fresh to order& available to purchase.

Afternoon Tea – the fundraisers for St Laurence Church invite you to join them for tea on Sunday, 10th August at 4pm in the Village Hall to celebrate the church’s patron saint of St Laurence. A ‘traditional’ Afternoon Tea will be served and tickets cost £12 per person. They are available from Sandra, call her on 01424 774708 or 07545292533 What a perfect way to celebrate a (hopefully sunny, but not too hot) summer Sunday afternoon with friends.

Jan writes - When venturing out, beware of speaking benches and lampposts, another bizarre venture being promoted by AI, need I say more? Spending £500,000 of tax-payers’ money so that the public will be able to ask benches and lampposts for information, the Environmental Agency Quango have quoted that the ‘chat benches’ will playfully communicate and consult with us citizens via the project known as ‘Hello Lamppost’. Public opinion is that Britons don’t want small talk with a bus stop or banter with a bin, what they really need is help and advice from a human. Now I’ve heard it all!

Farming and Sport – from Ann - At the time of writing, Monday morning, the wheat still isn't ready to cut. Meanwhile, it has been looked at several times, ears have been chewed and are still soft. Also closely watching are the predators, buzzards, seagulls and a fox or two anxious to catch the rabbits when they run out of the crop. The next step will be to check the moisture levels and perhaps by Friday it will ready. The mighty combine will be driven out of the barn and the header fixed. There will be a great noise and whirring of the racks and gears, puffs of smoke and a smell of hot oil. Dave, the local engineer, who is mostly retired, will be around at the end of the telephone (no going on holiday in the summer for him) and if something breaks, he will put on his old overalls and join in the head scratching and moaning. Who in the farming industry doesn't enjoy a good moan? There will also be a great amount of dust, the result of all this dry weather and constant wind we have been having this summer. We hope for a good yield, no breakdowns, the crop won't have to be dried and the price will be worthy of the effort.

Our cricketers were disappointed to suffer another blank fixture last Sunday when the opposition couldn't field a team. This week we are away at Ashburnham, where it is always windy, but we hope for a good match and a friendly game.