Fairlight

Please remember that the Annual Parochial Church Meeting of St Andrew’s and St Peter’s Churches will take place in St Peter’s on the Thursday of next week, April 27 at 7 pm. All those on the Electoral Roll are entitled to attend this meeting.

An ever-rolling stream: Fairlight churches are looking to create a list of village residents who would like to receive information by email concerning church activities. This could be, for instance, services on Sundays, events taking place during the week, community events and fund raising for church or charity, such as the forthcoming Christian Aid Week and May fun Day. If you would like to join the list and receive notification about the ever rolling stream of informative, interesting and just plain fun church events, please contact [email protected] The information in this clip has already been circulated on the FRA email system, but rather as a one-off, as the system does not usually cover religious or political subjects. Nor does this column, excepting those items, like this one, concerning the church as a vital part of village life.

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, April 21, is St. George’s Day, and Jim Saphin will be singing for the members, as he always does so well. Lunch will consist of roast pork and all the bits, with lemon meringue pie and cream for afters. Next Friday, April 28, it’s Produce Day and Bingo, together with a talk about the orchids at Kew Gardens by Felicity Bullock. Busy, busy – there’s also free hearing aid maintenance that day, and that maintenance is available not only to MOPPs members. The lunch, however, is for them and the hard-working helpers only, and it will be steak and mushroom pie, followed by fruit crumble and custard.

Variety Night: The recent Variety Night was a great success, but unfortunately there seems to be an acute lack of photographs of the acts at work, although a video was filmed. If you happen to have some decent snaps, the Residents Association would like to include them in the next edition of the Fairlight News – and also have some to keep in the Village archives. Please contact Trevor Lewing on 812340 if you are able to help.

The FRA AGM: And following on directly from the previous note with a further mention for the FRA. The Association will be having their AGM on Wednesday, May 24 at 7.30 in the Village Hall followed by a talk by Haydon Luke. This really is an early warning, giving you sufficient time to write it down and forget all about it. Be assured – a reminder will follow in due and timely course.

Cranford: Pleasing and encouraging reports are emerging from the rehearsal room regarding the Players’ forthcoming production, which is Martyn Coleman’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford. Judy Welsh is making her Fairlight directorial debut with this offering, a piece powerfully peopled by those on the distaff side. £6 tickets are still available at the Post Office. The play will run at the village hall next week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 27, 28 and 29, at 7.30pm each evening, and there is also a 2.30 pm matinee on the Saturday. There is a licensed bar at each evening performance.

Speakers Corner: The popular group, which currently has a 53-strong membership list, held their AGM and members’ tea this month, marking the end of the 2016-17 season. That membership has enjoyed ten usually fortnightly talks during the winter period. The business side of the afternoon meeting was followed by a fiendish quiz based on the talks held and required memories that most of the members lacked, especially when it came to the remembrance of dates! The club will resume operations in the middle of October and the subscription will be £10, which is excellent value. We shall ensure that you don’t miss a single session come the autumn!

Tonight’s the night: The Club, which used to be called Activate, is running a Fun Bingo Night tonight in the village hall at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £6 each, with bingo tickets and, more importantly, supper included in the price. Because of the food aspect, it may be too late for you to decide to go along – they can’t be expected to conjure up food out of nowhere! If they can fit you in, you take your own drinks, and a bit of folding cash for the raffle. Just give Wendy Hatch a call on 07908 377845 before setting out.

Market Garden Site: During the predictably well attended Parish Council Planning meeting, when more than 60 concerned residents gathered in the village hall, it was stated that the Council would be making their own, measured, comments on the application currently before Rother. Of course, the Market Garden site has been on everyone’s radar as a possible building site for some 11 years, so the chances of there being no new building there are remote. However, this does not mean those applying can expect a carte blanche approach as, taken from many different points of view, the site presents numerous difficulties. These include site access, street lighting (in Fairlight?), contractors’ vehicles, waste water and effluent – and the list goes on and on. Given under the hand, principally, of Planning Committee Chairman, Cllr Stephen Leadbetter, the PC response to the application runs to a little under 2,300 words, with well directed arrows puncturing countless problem aspects of the proposed development. It is to be hoped that, should the application get the go ahead, the Council’s warnings may be included as riders, caveats or call them what you will. A very Considerate Contractor is going to be needed over the long, long months it will take to prepare the plot and erect 16 dwellings.

Cricket, lovely cricket: As the spring weather vacillates between the outrageously warm and the decidedly nasty nip in the air, there comes news that will warm the cockles of your heart and, indeed, many other extremities that even a couple of cans of the famous lager couldn’t reach. Cricket is returning to Wood Field in the shape of Parkhurst Cricket Club, a previously Bexhill based non-league and friendly club, and their playing presence will be seen very soon. Already a chatty newsletter composed by their Chairman Richard Ahsam has been posted on the FRA email system, referenced by Russell Barker, the Club Captain. You can find out more about the club – and pick up an idea of their friendly attitude to cricket and life – by going to Parkhurst Cricket Club on Facebook. They have an email address if you’d like to make contact, or ask a question, and it’s [email protected] There is mention somewhere of a fixture at Fairlight at 2 pm on Saturday, April 29, originating from Russell Dicker, who I guess may be their Fixture Secretary.

Meanwhile, skipper Russell Barker has posted on Facebook that they had a successful session on Wood Field over the Easter weekend and that they will be coming over this coming Sunday, April 23 to continue with the good work. They intend to finish the new shed with paving slabs, guttering and water butt. They will also need to finish filling the new roller so it can be got into action. If there are any strong, enterprising young guys who want try to rescue Fairlight Cricket Club’s old roller from the stream a spade, some rope and plenty of muscles will be required.

Parkhurst are keen to attract new playing members, be they young or older, male or female, boys or girls. The days of the ladies going to village cricket purely to prepare some legendary cricket teas are long gone, with the best female role models actually participating as equal members of what were men only teams. Good luck to the new residents in our midst. Howzat for a first Parkhurst/Fairlight innings, then?

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