Etchingham

If you have any questions regarding these results, please ask, we will do our best to supply information requested, or if you want to know more about volunteering for Speedwatch contact us at any time 01580 819532 [email protected] or go to the website at www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk

Since starting the group has operated weekly Speedwatch sessions at several different locations in the village. The group currently only has five trained operators and continuing to operate weekly sessions will put too much of a workload on the current volunteers. Despite a number of requests for more volunteers in this column, the village website and the Parish Council Newsletter, no more volunteers have come forward. So, unless more operators become available, the group will have to reduce the frequency of sessions, to avoid overworking the operators we have, but speed checks will still be done as often as possible with the operators we have.

The group has set up an online questionnaire to gather views and comments of village residents regarding traffic speeds. The questionnaire can be accessed on the Community Speedwatch website www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk , on the Home Page click on the Questionnaire tab and enter DSE4J7 into the code box, answer the seven questions and add any comments, suggestions and ideas you have.

Why reduce speed?

The % survival rate of pedestrians hit by motor vehicles.

Vehicle speed = 20 MPH, Survival rate = 95%.

Vehicle speed = 30 MPH, Survival rate = 55%.

Vehicle speed = 40 MPH, Survival rate = 15%.

Plant pots wanted, any size, they don’t have to be perfect or even clean as long as they are usable! We want to sell on excess plants in aid of the new village hall project but will run short of pots very quickly. Collection can be arranged. Contact Mary Barnes 01580 819142

A Midsummers Party at Burgham Farm, Sheepstreet Lane on Saturday June 21, 7.30pm till Midnihgt, in support of Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Live Band, International Burger Bar, Auction of Promises and Raffle. Tickets are £10 per adult, children free, available from the Etchingham Shop & Deli and the Bistro, or email Beth at [email protected]

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a Charity dedicated to supporting the children of men and women killed whilst serving in the British Armed Forces.

In July the Village Summer Fete will be held in Queen’s Garden. Last year, during the Fete, I put on a display of old photographs, postcards and documents in the Church, depicting much of the village history.

I am planning a similar display this year, it will be based around my collection of old photos and postcards, if I can borrow enough suitable items from village residents I hope to also include a display of memories of the school, as this will be the last year in the current building. If you have any suitable items I can borrow, let me know as soon as possible to help me plan space. You might have photos, books, documents, press cuttings or other items from your school days, or perhaps from parents or grandparents. I also have access to a lot of items relating to Etchingham Women’s Institute, so would like to also feature that in the display, if you have anything W.I. related that I can borrow please let me know.

If you have photos or small documents I can either borrow the originals for the display or make copies so that you can have the original items back straight away. If you have books or larger items I will need to see what you have as soon as possible so that I know how much space is required and pick the items up a couple of days before the display.

I will also be doing a display during the Flower and Dog Show, it would be good to have a different theme for the display, ideas welcome, one suggestion has been a display marking the centenary of the start of World War One, this is a possibility if enough items can be found, the items could relate to the time period and not necessarily all be related to Etchingham directly.

For both displays the available space is the area around and on the Choir Stalls and the Chancel in the Church.

Last Saturday, March 22, some Etchingham residents and Police colleagues gathered at the Bistro to wish PCSO Tom McAspurn a happy retirement, after several years as the PCSO for the village. Pictures are online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ttelyob/sets/72157642757250464/ if you were unable to attend you will have a chance to say goodbye to Tom when he joins us at the Annual parish Meeting, details below.

We hope to have news soon about a replacement for Tom, until a new PCSO is appointed you can contact Tina Grevett at Robertsbridge - [email protected] 07810656247.

Ruth Seal at Burwash - [email protected] - 0790715967.

Or contact Sgt Masterson - [email protected]

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Thursday April 10.

The meeting will begin at 7.30pm and an agenda for the meeting will be published during the week beginning March 31.

Please remember that the Annual Parish Meeting, although chaired

by the Chairman of the Parish Council, is not a Parish Council meeting but a meeting for the parishioners of Etchingham. If you have any items of business that you would like to be discussed at the meeting, please notify the Parish Clerk as soon as possible.

Before the APM at 6.30pm, representatives from ESCC and the Contractor will be at the Village Hall to give an update on the new School and Community facilities and also provide illustrations and details of materials to be used in the construction.

There will also be an opportunity to say farewell to PCSO Tom McAspurn who has been our PCSO for a number of years and I am sure there are many in the village that will wish to thank Tom and wish him well in his retirement.

These will also be the final meetings in the current Village Hall so it will be time to bid a fond farewell to the Hall and acknowledge its many years of faithful service to the village.

Lastly, a reminder to all village groups and organisations that contributions for the Annual Parish Report need to be sent to the Parish Clerk by the end of March.

Get information for this column to me as soon as possible, 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. 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. Just a little reminder, I get plenty of information about events that are taking place, but I get very little follow up information, after your event try and remember to send me brief account of how successful your event was, it can be as simple as a thank you to those that attended and how much money was raised etc. You can deliver to 2 Park Farm Close, telephone 01580 819532 or 07941 786244 or email [email protected].

Colin Boylett, 2 Park Farm Close