Fairlight

Pews News: This Sunday, October 7, there will be an informal service of Holy Communion at St Peter's at 6 pm. At Pett Methodist Chapel, the 10.45 am service on Sunday will be administered under local arrangements.

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, October 5, it’s time to celebrate the Group’s tenth birthday, an achievement which owes much to the hard work, planning and persistence of a handful of people whose vision began some twelve years ago. Principal among these dedicated few was, of course, Sylvia Gutsell, who is still going strong each and every Friday ata the village hall. The entertainment today will be by the singers Jade and Char, and today’s lunch will be roast beef, followed by lemon tart and fruit

Next Friday, October 12, the members will be spoilt for choice, with Bon Marché visiting, plus Sandra Stunt with her greetings cards, and also Nicola with her Age UK toenail clipping service. Lunch will be fish and chips, followed by melon.

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A pressing engagement: Stonelynk Organics will be pressing apples and extracting their juice tomorrow, Saturday, October 6, in the village hall from 10 am until 4.30 pm. One senses that this is probably a ‘first’ for the village, and it’s certainly worth a look. It may not be rocket science, but it is sure to be more refreshing – and healthy, too!

The Royal British Legion’s Tea at the Waldorf: As previously reported, a good time was had by all who were present for tea and music recently at the Fairlight Lodge Hotel. What we didn’t know then was that the Legion benefitted to the tune of more than £160. A really excellent outcome.

The Panto auditions are next Friday: Our renowned Pantomime Group are making the initial preparations for their January brush with Rumplestiltskin with the auditions next Friday, October 12 in the village hall, starting at 7 pm. Perhaps you see yourself as a future star of the West End, on the telly, in Hollywood and on Broadway in New York. Well, the Broadway to get your start on is the Fairlight one, and all the rest can follow later. Get yourself down there – you’ll get a warm friendly reception that will calm the nerves, and before you know it you’ll be in the show. See you there, along with director Wendy Hatch.

The FRA Annual Quiz: A week tomorrow, on Saturday, October 13, at 7 pm for a 7.30 pm start, it’s the sure-fire hit of an evening, Bob and Dec’s FRA Annual Quiz. Tickets have probably all gone now, but you could cross your fingers and ask… As exciting as this evening is in prospect, it is further enhanced by the fact that the 2019 FRA Calendar will be on sale at the Quiz Night!

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The special Concert at St Andrew’s: Don’t forget the concert by the Three Valleys Male Voice Choir, who will be at St Andrew’s on Sunday, October 14 at 2.30 pm. The tickets are £8 each, and they’re still available from the Post Office, or from the Rectory.

Just jabbing your memory…: Those in the village who are on the books at the Harold Road Surgery should remember that there are only two ‘flu jab sessions in the village this year, and the first one was yesterday. Right, that leaves you with Thursday, October 18, nearly a fortnight away, in the village hall from 10 until 11 am. Roll up your sleeves and get down there… Of course, as is the usual practice (ha!), there are drop-in sessions at Harold Road from 8.30 until 11 am each Saturday in October if you can’t make it here on Thursday week.

Supporting Rye and District Dementia Action Alliance: Sharon Sellens has sent a note telling of ten group’s next fundraising event, which will be on Friday, October 19. A music and supper evening has been planned to take place in Rye’s Tilling Green Community Centre. Music will be supplied by The Fieldstone Boys, a great local skiffle band, and the food will be bacon butties and beans followed by home-made apple pie and custard. All this for a ridiculously reasonable £7.50 a head – what a bargain! Booking is essential. You can reserve your tickets by calling Daliea on 0773 735 0896.

The Players’ Poetry Group: The Players have had a Poetry Group for several years now, meeting quarterly, and Keith Miller has sent out a reminder that the next meeting of the group is next week – on Wednesday, October 10, at 7.30 pm in the village hall. The challenge for this time (should you wish to accept it) is to write a poem which contains all of the following words: patience/patients; gluttony; carbolic; river; wandering/wondering; weather/whether; transatlantic; seagull; trousers and quickly. You have but little time to tackle this task. If you don’t want to do it, it doesn’t matter – just go along and enjoys the efforts of others. If you enjoy yourself and become a regular, you can always attend to later challenges!

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The latest from the Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat: This well-respected and highly valued local facility is fund-raising once again, this time to restore a rather neglected back-up launch vehicle, to try to eliminate the risk of not being able to get their boat in the sea when an emergency comes around. These items do not grow on trees, and the likely cost could easily be just into five figures. Watch this and other spaces for news from the indomitable John Pulfer about how you can best help them achieve their aim.

The Parish Council: At their September meeting, a number of interesting and varied points were notable. Haydon Luke, our representative on matters concerning the Hastings Country Park, reported that work on the new Visitors Centre is unlikely to begin before early 2019, at the soonest.

A letter had been received from Rag Solutions Ltd, who wanted to install a recycling bin for unwanted clothing, and to pay a monthly fee for having the bin. It seemed to be appropriate only for a massive conurbation, not a cul-de-sac village, and they are plainly commercial rather than charitable. It was agreed that any suitable offerings would be more effectively disposed of by taking them to a charity shop. Of course, the unsolicited plastic collection bags in support of all sorts of medical disasters are extremely convenient, but very commercial and only marginally charitable.

Since the Wakehams Farm plans first saw daylight, our Neighbourhood Plan was sunk, as we had no credible building spaces to offer. Our ‘plan’ effectively reverts to Rother DC who, as a fall back position, have outlined the now infamous East Field for 30 dwellings, should the 150 houses fail. These 30 should be 40% affordable, and 50% for older people. One assumes that these two categories should not be mutually exclusive. There is to be a consultation period from October 25 to November 7 on this matter. In the Open Forum (which operates smoothly after all the pedantic furore of twelve months ago!) the question was raised of the status of Lower Waites Lane. This is stated to be an Unadopted Road where Broadway meets it, but further down is called a Private Road. There are, unbelievably, no fewer than three separate definitions of what constitutes a Private Road, although the consensus agreed that Unadopted was the most fitting style for the Lane.