Etchingham

PARISH COUNCIL: If you want to find out what Etchingham Parish Council is doing there are a number of ways to keep up with what is happening. The agenda for the next meeting and the minutes of the last meeting are placed on the notice boards outside the Post Office and at Parsonage Croft several days before the next meeting, they are also published on the village website where minutes and agendas are also archived, you can currently look back on minutes and agendas from October 2011 onwards. All information about the Council is on the website including Councillor and Clerk contact details, policies and procedures and registers of interests etc., just follow the links on the left-hand side of the page.

Recently a page has been set up on Facebook and the Council can also be found on Twitter, regular updates are published on both sites with links to any online information that the Council needs to make you aware of.

REPORTING PROBLEMS: If you find things in the village that need repair or attention, report them to the Parish Council so they can be dealt with. it is easy for you to report a lot of issues such as repairs needed to roads pavements and verges etc. on line at Fix My Street www.fixmystreet.com . Go to the website and entere a postcode near to the problem you want to report, you will then see recently reported issues in the locality and can check if someone else has already reported the problem. You can report the details of the problem and pinpoint it on the map, if you have photos you can add those as well. As soon as it is registered on the site the details are sent to the Council responsible for fixing, you can then go to the website later to check the progress of your report. Please also inform the Council that you have reported the issue by contacting the Clerk and/or the Councillor who has that item in their portfolio.

QUEEN’S GARDEN: You may have noticed that some of the play equipment in Queen’s Garden has been fenced off, a recent safety inspection has resulted in one piece of equipment being taken out of use because it was shown to be unsafe. This has now been fenced off to prevent use and any possible accidents. We hope it will not be out of use for too long, but this will depend on how much work is required and costs. This was on the agenda for discussion at the Council meeting yesterday, updates will be posted here and on the village website, also on Facebook and Twitter.

KNITTING WOOL: The Knitting Group of Rother Valley Ladies have already sent four blankets to those injured by the earthquake in Nepal earlier this year. They plan to start making more blankets but are running short of wool so any donations will be welcomed, and can be left with Phil, and Paul at Etchingham Post Office.

ETCHINGHAM CLUB: Acoustic Night, Saturday October 24, 8.45pm. Three top acts in one evening, headlining act will be Steve Hope. After being part of some excellent line ups Steve has decided to bring his own flavour to the table. Covering classic and contemporary songs, his soul/blues vocal and piano experience bring a new edge to many well known songs.

Another top act of the evening is the amazing local talented performer PINKIE who spent time on the international stage as guitarist for chart topping Charlie xcx.

To add to the list of top talent, the Club brings you Mr Piers Foster. Stepping back from fronting some of the best cover bands in East Sussex to bring you his own one man acoustic show. All welcome.

A reminder that the Club is open Mondays and Wednesdays 7.30pm to 10.30pm, Fridays 6.30pm to 11.30pm and Saturdays 7.30 to 11.30pm, Longman Brewery Ale on tap, everyone welcome.

ETCHINGHAM FIREWORKS: The Fireworks this year will be on Saturday November 7, same location as last year. Lots of clean burnable wood is required for the bonfire, if you have any available contact Helen Brophy on 819206 to arrange collection. can you help collect wood from around the village? If so, meet at the Etchingham Club on Saturday October 31, 10pm. Full details of the fireworks here nearer the date.

FOOTPATHS: If you are out walking your dog, or just out for a walk, if you find any problems with the footpaths such as broken stiles or overgrown areas, please let the Parish Clerk know, [email protected] 01580 819048, or email Frank Brophy [email protected] or you can use the village website links to send them a message, if you have a photograph of the problem that would also be helpful.

HURST GREEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY: Have you thought about joining your local history society? Hurst Green Historical Society meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, September to May, in Hurst Green village hall, 7.45pm, new members would be very welcome. Annual membership is £20 which covers eight talks followed by free refreshments. A variety of topics are covered, most from a local perspective. If you would like to attend as a casual visitor you will be made most welcome, £5 per visit. Talks for the next two months; November 11 - The History of Kent and Sussex Tyg with Lawrence Anderson, this has a practical element-so please take an apron. December 9 - Shepherds of the South Downs, their lives and times by Ian Everest.

FUTURE EVENTS: If you are planning events, Halloween is just around the corner, are you organising any special things, and time to promote those Christmas fund raisers, send me the details as soon as you have them, then I can tell everyone about your event well in advance so they can put the date in the diary, do not leave it till the week before the event. Also put the details of your events into the Events calendar on the village website to help avoid clashes of similar events on the same day.

ETCHINGHAM MILITARY & AVIATION: The Etchingham Military & Aviation Preservation Group will hold its one-day Annual Exhibition this year in Northiam Village Hall on Saturday November 1. The Group and its members will be presenting many of the thousands of items from their collections, showing how our forefathers and older relatives coped with life during wartime. Members will always be on hand to answer questions.

Do attend if you can. We owe it to those who did not survive to learn what happened in the hope that the lessons of the past will help to preserve peace for the future. Opening times, 10am to 4.30pm. Refreshments will be available.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH: New volunteers for the Etchingham group always welcome, we currently have just seven volunteers, with more we could run more sessions, not a difficult task and you can put in as much or little time as you want. Speedwatch is not about getting drivers fined or points on their licence, there is no prosecution process involved. The aim of Speedwatch is to educate and encourage drivers to drive at the correct speeds in speed limit areas, drivers exceeding the speed limit by a significant margin will get a Police letter reminding them of safe driving speeds, no other action will be taken unless the same driver is noted on several occasions, they will then get a Police visit. If you want to find out more about how Speedwatch works, find out how to volunteer or wish to make any comments regarding Speedwatch email [email protected]

INFORMATION: I am happy to put all your events in this column, but if you do not tell me about them I do not know and they will not get included. As soon as you have the details of your event, get the details to me, if I have the details I can mention it a few weeks ahead to give people the chance to put the date in their diary, then add the full details nearer the date, if you have a diary of events planned for the year let me have the dates and I will put in a list of village events for the year so that people can put the dates in their diaries.. And remember to send me some information after the event, your supporters DO want to know how successful your event was, how much you raised for your cause etc., but I cannot tell them if you do not tell me.

SENDING INFORMATION: Get information for this column to me as soon as possible. There are several ways to get your info to me, but email is preferred because there is less chance of errors during copying. I need information by 10pm on Monday to be sure it will be in time for inclusion, I can sometimes add extra items on Tuesday morning, but this cannot be guaranteed. You can deliver to 2 Park Farm Close, telephone 01580 819532 or 07941 786244 or email [email protected] you will also find a form on the village website to send your information from there, look for the Village Voice link near the bottom of the column of links on the left-hand side.

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