Fairlight

Don’t forget, as noted in last week’s Voice, that St Andrew’s Church tower is now open to visitors from 2 until 5 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. I wonder how many residents have never made the trip to the top, well worth doing because you can see clearly into France on the best days.

Only three weeks to go until the Fairlight Flower Festival in St Andrew’s. Entitled ‘Seasons of Life’, the festival will start on Friday, June 30, and run throughout the weekend, on Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2. The church and the tower will be open on each of the three days, from 10 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 12 noon to 5 pm on the Sunday. On the Saturday there will also be stalls and, during the morning, a Teddy Bear zip wire from the top of the tower! Get your friends to take their favourite toy along, and then watch them zip down the wire to the ground. The toys, not the friends. On this Family Fun Day, there will also be a barbeque and refreshments.

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, June 9, MOPPs welcomes popular singer Carol George to entertain the members. Lunch will be sausage and mash, not the fish and chips I had promised last week, followed by Black Forest gateau and cream. Next Friday, June16, there is a welcome visit from the excellent renowned local speaker Ken Brooks, who will be talking about Hastings in Wartime. Lunch on what should be another warm Summer Friday, will be quiche and salad, followed by lemon meringue pie and cream

Parkhurst Cricket Club: If you’ve been paying attention, even lightly, you’ll have noticed that Parkhurst Cricket Club, a non-league outfit from Bexhill, have been determined to use Wood Field Rec. for their home games, and all sorts of preparations have been undertaken so their aim can be brought to fruition. The club now announces to all Fairlight residents that their first home fixture will be starting at 2 pm this Sunday, June 11, and that any and all of us would be welcome to go along and watch. They do point out that this is not softball, and that they will be using real cricket balls, which are very hard. The casual visitor is warned that wandering over the pitch while the game is in progress is to risk being hurt by fast bowled or hard hit balls! They try to cover every area of the pitch when fielding, but if you are on Wood Field on Sunday, even if you don’t like to watch the cricket, never sit or walk with your back to the game; this helps avoid incidents where spectators or passers-by are struck by the ball hit by a batsman. Club Captain Russell Barker and his team look forward to seeing you there. In our turn, we are looking forward very much to seeing Parkhurst in the village, and we thank them for re-introducing to Fairlight that most English of clichés, the sound of leather on willow.

Village Hall Summer Fair: The popular village hall Summer Fair, held on Saturday last, was enjoyable as ever, with all the familiar favourites on offer, though the whole event seemed lower key than is the norm, with far more flooring on view in the main hall, where it is usually difficult to see where to put one foot in front of another. It was suggested that an open garden event in Winchelsea could be to blame, though this is improbable – our residents would always look for the simplest option, and pop into our village hall rather than trekking all the way to Winchelsea!

The Gardening Club: Secretary Karen Draper reports – very promptly, thank you – on Monday’s talk, given after they had invited the return of Christopher Rudd, who entertained members in his usual quirky but knowledgeable style on ‘London’s Parks, Squares and Gardens’. This was Christopher’s third visit to Fairlight and he never failed to disappoint with his delightfully old-fashioned and eccentric but fact-filled presentation which meandered through the many green areas in London from Greenwich Park to St James’s Park via such places as Highgate Cemetery and Tavistock Square. A delightful afternoon was had by all!

The Club has welcomed several new members recently, including some familiar stalwarts of the village, which is very gratifying. Volunteers continue to be encouraged by the many positive comments as people drive around the Circle and judging from their reactions at the Village Fair last Saturday, the planting is starting to influence purchases for their own gardens! If you are interested in a particular plant on the Circle, do approach Sue, on 813006, or Karen, on 814154. Who knows? A cutting may well be available – for a small donation!

Fairlight Players AGM: The Players’ AGM is coming up tomorrow, Saturday, June 10 at 7.30 pm in the village hall. The usual excellent attendance is anticipated.

The Wine and Social Club and Petanque: Another hardy annual is coming up on Monday next, June 12, with the Wine and Social Club’s annual excursion to the Fairlight Lodge Hotel for their very popular Petanque and Ploughman’s evening, starting at 7 pm.

The Tuesday Ladies Club Summer Outing: The Club is having a coach on Wednesday, June 28 for its Summer Outing to Amberley, near Arundel. There are still some spaces available on the coach, for which the price, for the coach and entry, is £18 (£8 for club members) payable in advance. You could be picked up at Scollays, the Circle, Knowle Road and Winchelsea Beach. If you’d like further details, Mary Stewart has them, and she is available on 813031 or 07952 414514

Quiz Night for the Playgroup and Nursery: The recent Quiz Night in aid of the Playgroup raised an extremely healthy £480, thanks in part to a number of souls purchasing tickets on the door, and to two of the evening’s prize-winners, who promptly returned their winnings to the group. Things could be looking better for the Playgroup in the New Year, but the Autumn Term is still raising its own questions and difficulties. If you would like to assist the group financially, or can persuade friends or relatives to support them with increased pupil numbers, please do so. This facility within the village is too good to lose…

The late Doris Mier: A number of prominent residents of long-standing have passed away in recent months. It is not always easy to obtain details of what happens next, but fortunately the time and date of the obsequies for Doris Mier, who died age 95 on May 28 have already been announced. Her funeral will take place at St Andrew’s on Tuesday next, June 13 at 11 am.

Pothole of the Week: A suggestion, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, has reached me about having a pothole of the week. We agree which particular monstrosity we are going to target, and then everybody in the village writes / emails / Facebooks or Twitters East Sussex C.C. about that one hole. The beauty of this game is that the resources needed to play it – potholes – exist in an inexhaustible supply. The upshot could be the repair of a real nasty. Warning! If playing this game at home do not hold your breath…

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