Fairlight Village Voice

After an extended festive break, otherwise known as December, the Parish Council is finally dusting off its agendas and reconvening. Yes, it’s been a while. Christmas happened, biscuits were consumed, and nobody felt democracy would survive an evening without a tin of Quality Street close to hand. Normal service resumes on Tuesday 20th January, at 7 pm in the Village Hall, where this month’s edge-of-your-seat Parish Council meeting will take place. All villagers are welcome: the curious, the concerned, and anyone who simply fancies sitting somewhere warm for a couple of hours. For those unable to attend in person, or those who do attend but momentarily drift off, the entire meeting will be videoed and, technology permitting, posted on Facebook. This allows you to relive the excitement at your leisure, pause for snacks, and rewind any particularly thrilling agenda items. I’ll be bravely sifting through the action to bring you the highlights, a term I use loosely, in next week’s Village Voice.

Meanwhile, a small note for your diary, and possibly a large note for your Sat Nav. St Andrew’s Sunday service this week will indeed be a Holy Communion at 11 am, but not, as one might reasonably expect, at St Andrew’s. Instead, worshippers are invited to make their way down the village to St Peter’s. Confusing? Slightly. Sensible? Entirely. You see, when St Andrew’s was built back in 1845, the builders clearly had many talents, but insulation and double glazing were not among them. As a result, the church can feel a touch bracing at this time of year. The solution is a seasonal migration, with January services relocating to the warmer comforts of St Peter’s, possibly for longer, depending on how winter behaves and how brave everyone feels. St Andrew’s has also shared some cheerier news: their tea, coffee and cake stall at last month’s Christmas Village Fair raised a highly respectable £300. Congratulations, and thanks, to the church bakers, whose cakes clearly proved both delicious and persuasive. Finally, looking ahead to Sunday afternoon, the Pett Methodist’s will be holding their traditional Covenant Service at 3 pm in their Chapel this coming Sunday, 18th January, led by Reverend Crawford Logan. A warm welcome awaits all, and, crucially, so does the heating.

After a well-earned festive break, normality has also returned to the Fairlight Friday Lunch Club, also known, with great affection, as MOPP. The group is once again back where it belongs on Friday mornings in the Village Hall, restoring order, routine, and the sound of cutlery on plates. If you’re planning to attend today, you’re in for a proper treat: fish and chips are on the menu, hopefully with mushy peas, as nature intended. A brief word of concern, however: certain Hastings restaurants have recently been spotted serving this great British institution with salad. Yes, you heard right, Salad. With fish and chips. A culinary development that nobody asked for and which we should all politely pretend never happened. No further comment, other than… really? But I digress. Following the main event comes a true local speciality: Fairlight Mess. What’s that I hear you cry. Well, it’s a bit like Eton Mess, but without the airs, graces, or the hefty price tag. Posh it is not, delicious it almost certainly is. Once suitably fed, watered and slightly immobile, the morning concludes with chair exercises. Why chairs? Not because they’re easy, but because standing up after fish, chips and pudding would be wildly optimistic and potentially hazardous. And just when you thought that was enough excitement, there’s more. Fans of local singer Jade Chamberlain will be pleased to hear she’s back at the Lunch Club next Friday, 23rd January, adding live music to the mix, proof, if any were needed, that MOPP continues to raise the bar. Proceedings kick off at 10 am, sharp-ish. Come hungry, leave happy, and don’t forget your chair!

The Fairlight History Group will be blowing the dust off 2026 in style at their first meeting of the year on Wednesday 21st January, when Paul Draper will be taking us back in time with a talk grandly titled “Fairlight and the 1917 Lucas Shadwell Catalogue.” Now before you yawn and reach for your knitting, be warned: this was no ordinary catalogue. This was the catalogue that helped shape Fairlight as we know it today and even led to the creation of Fairlight Cove. Yes, over one hundred years ago, a list of properties quietly rearranged our landscape while everyone else was worrying about the weather. Proceedings begin at a civilised 2.30 pm in the Village Hall, followed by the truly important historical tradition of refreshments. There will also be the chance to renew your membership for 2026 at the still very reasonable price of just £10. Plus, non members can sign up for the first time and officially join one of the village’s most popular groups. Membership forms will be available, pens may or may not work, and someone will definitely know where you live. Come for the history, stay for the tea, and leave knowing more about Fairlight than you did when you arrived. What more could you want on a January afternoon?

As mentioned last week, and now mentioned again with feeling, tickets for Fairlight Pantomime Group’s production of The Emperor’s New Clothes are still on sale. The panto runs on Thursday 29th, Friday 30th and Saturday 31st, with two performances on Saturday. The good news is that both of Saturday’s performances are almost sold out. However, there are still plenty of tickets available for Thursday and Friday, and they’d really like some company. The cast, crew and backstage heroes have been working incredibly hard, and it’s shaping up to be a proper village panto, big laughs, loud boos, silly jokes and at least one Emperor who probably should have worn more clothes. So please, grab your tickets, bring friends, neighbours and anyone who says they “don’t like panto”, and go along for a great night out while supporting a brilliant local production. Tickets are available online, by phone or by email. Visit Fairlight Focus and click on The Pantomime Group, or see the poster for details.

The village Facebook pages have been positively alive this week with impassioned debate, conflicting “facts,” and the sort of forensic analysis usually reserved for international diplomacy, all concerning the rather unsavoury subject of sewage discharge in Lower Waites Lane. Why this has become such a hotly contested issue is, frankly, beyond me, but then again, this is Facebook. Personally, however, my concerns lie slightly closer to home. Or rather, underfoot. While much digital ink has been spilled over sewage that may or may not be present in Lower Waites Lane, a far more visible and fragrant problem continues to decorate pavements, verges, and green spaces across the village. Canine sewage. Now, to be clear, the overwhelming majority of dog owners fully realise that man’s best friend, loyal though they may be, is fundamentally incapable of picking up after themselves. These responsible owners come equipped with bags, good intentions, and a strong sense of civic duty. However, it appears that a small but determined minority must be operating under the charming delusion that their dog is different. Smarter. More considerate. Trained to return later with a tiny shovel and a sense of shame. So, in the spirit of public service, let us conduct a brief fact check: Fact: Dogs cannot pick up after themselves. Fact: Their owners can. Fact: Everyone else really wishes they would. By all means, let us continue to debate the mysteries of sewage management, but while we’re at it, perhaps we could also agree that what ends up on our village paths should end up in a bin, not on someone else’s shoe. After all, some problems are best dealt with, not on Facebook, but at the end of a lead, with a small plastic bag and a sense of responsibility. Have a great week. Bob Scattergood