Chailey Village News

St Peter’s CHURCH servicethisSunday (August 3) is Parish Communion at 10am. See St Peter’s newsletters at http://www.stpeterschailey.org/ for more information.

CHAILEY FREE CHURCH service is at 10.30am this Sunday (August 3). Previous sermons are available at https://www.chaileyfreechurch.com/.

Cricket Club Friendly XI game on Sunday August 3 is against Rustington CC Friendly XI starting at 1.30pm. For more details see the Chailey Cricket Club’s Facebook page or visit https://chailey.play-cricket.com.

OPEN DOORS Chailey Free Church (BN8 4AN) is open every Wednesday from 11am to 3pm and is a place to sit, chat, with free light refreshments. There is free WiFi, plus board games and puzzles.

CRAFT ‘N CHAT takes place at the Free Church on Thursday August 7, from 7pm to 9pm, and all are welcome to go along. Take the craft you are working on or join in with the ‘craft of the month’. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. For more information contact Jan on 07913 652920.

Chailey REPAIR CAFÉ is at St Peter’s Church, BN8 4DA, on Saturday August 9 from 10am to 1pm. There is no charge, but you are invited to make a donation towards costs. Homemade refreshments will be available. Email [email protected] for more details.

MESSY CHURCH is at the Free Church, South Chailey, on Monday August 11 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Messy Church is for families and is a combination of activities, games, teaching and singing followed by a meal together. It is suitable for pre-school, primary school and teenage children as well as the grown-ups of the family. Just turn up, all that is asked for is a donation of £1 from each family to help cover costs. For more details visit https://www.chaileyfreechurch.com/.

The FIVE BELLS has jazz on Sunday August 17, Open Mic on Tuesday August 19 and live music on Friday August 22, including karaoke band style. For more information call 01825 278328.

YOUTH GROUP (for school years 6-9) meets at Chailey Free Church on Thursday August 21 from 6pm to 8pm. There will be refreshments, games, music, discussions food and a tuck shop. For information call Dave on 07770 537676.

CHAILEY EVENING WI meet on Tuesday September 2, at 7.30pm, at the village hall when the speaker will be Stuart Flitton a journalist for more than 40 years. Stuart started in South Africa, covering the big and everyday events during the 1970s and 1980s. He has also worked extensively in Britain, including 22 years on The Times. His talk called ‘Journalism: My Part in Its Survival' will include some of the fascinating people he has met such as Roal Dahl, Freddie Mercury and Nicky Lauda. Stuart will also look at how technology has revolutionised newspapers. This talk will be a wonderful insight into journalism and prospective members and guests are most welcome. The cost is £3, which includes refreshments. For more information call Mandy on 07546 592739 or visit the group’s Facebook page.

CITIZEN’S ADVICE BUREAU Lewes District Citizens Advice is offering free, confidential and impartial advice at St Peter’s Church, Chailey, on Friday September 5 from 10am to 1pm. Help will be given with benefits, housing issues, cost of living, debt, energy and much more. Do call in for a chat.

JUMBLE SALE raising funds for Chailey Bonfire Society takes place at the village hall on Saturday September 6 at 11am. Jumble can be dropped off at the village on the Friday from 7.30pm until 9pm and also on the Saturday morning from 8.30am until 10am.Local collections available, to arrange call Diane on 07773 935403.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY NEWS ‘What we all had feared has come to pass. A hosepipe ban though the implementation of this seems to have produced a useful shower of rain! However watering has to continue but now by watering can. With a water shortage I think evening watering is better than doing it in the cool of the morning. A good soaking overnight allows the plant to become fully hydrated before the heat of the day and reduces evaporation. Always water at the base and try and keep the leaves dry especially on tomatoes and squashes. Also I don’t think the abnormally high temperatures have done us any favours. Temperatures can get very high in a greenhouse and I think this inhibits the setting of tomatoes and along with maximum ventilation a spray of a fine mist may help though I fear it may be a bit late for this advice. Outside high temperatures inhibit the setting of runner beans and again a fine misty spray in the evening might help along with ensuring frequent watering. Germination of salad crops, especially lettuce, is also inhibited by too high a temperature. However on the plus side the hot dry weather has reduced the problem of slug damage and lead to an excellent crop of apricots, plums and cherries. Removing the lower leaves of tomatoes and exposing the fruit to direct sunlight will hasten ripening and encourage sugar production and hence sweetness. They should be picked as required and eaten straight away. Sweetcorn will be producing cobs and tassels and in the absence of wind gently shaking the plant will aid pollination. To check for ripeness strip back the outer leaves of a cob to expose a kernel. Pierce it with a finger nail and if it exudes a milky fluid it is ripe. If the fluid is clear it needs a bit longer and if no fluid appears it is passed its best! Pick and eat straightaway as once picked the kernels start converting sugars to starch and the sweetness is lost. Keep digging and storing potatoes. Only store those that are perfect and choose a cool dark place for the sacks. By the end of the month figs will begin to ripen. Unfortunately a ripening fig is greatly sort after by birds. Netting a whole tree can be difficult so I tend to bag the figs individually using old tights or stockings which whatever their original use might have been are excellent at resisting a pecking bird and yet allow a degree of ventilation to the ripening fig. Resist the temptation to water the grass. It may look brown and dead but grass has a great facility to recover once the rains come. Trim back the whispery growth of wisteria to five to six leaves from the main stem. Agapanthus benefit from a liquid feed in late summer after flowering to ensure a good display next year and like to be kept moist. Our last show is on September 13th in the village hall. Put the date in your diary and come and join us for a relaxing afternoon amongst a wonderful display of vegetables, flowers, fruit, cooking, handicrafts and entries from children. Good Gardening and Watering.’ For more information and a Show Schedule contact Peter Estcourt via [email protected] or 07803179708 or www.chaileyhorticuluralsociety.com.

‘You Raise Me Up’ concert by Jumbo Ensemble is at The Dream Centre, at Chailey Heritage Foundation, on Friday September 12 and Saturday September 13 at 7pm. Saturday's ‘relaxed’ matinee has a 2pm start. There will be musical theatre hits, featuring a stunning line of vocalists, 12-piece choir and 15-piece live band and it's not to be missed. Tickets are available at https://www.chf.org.uk/event-calendar.html.

VACANCY FOR A BOOKINGS CLERK A new Bookings Clerk is sought for Chailey Village Hall, this is a voluntary role. The role would suit someone looking to put something back into the community who is prepared to offer a few hours a week to fit around their other commitments. As such, there is the option of a small honorarium. The successful candidate would be expected to issue the agenda for and attend 3 or 4 early evening Committee meetings a year and take the Minutes. They should have an organised friendly attitude, some computer literacy and be able to liaise with the regular and ad-hoc hirers, Trustees (particularly the Chair and Treasurer), maintenance and cleaner. If this is something that would appeal to you please contact Katie Delo at [email protected] or telephone 07946 530156 to arrange a chat to discuss the role further.