Fairlight

Sunday is the day of the Rogation Walk, which will start from St Peter’s at 3 pm and finish up at the boundary stone outside Pett Village Hall. After a brief service at the boundary stone at 4 pm, it’s all off to the Methodist Hall, where refreshments will be served (and necessary, too!). Pets are welcome, preferably with their owners, and they will receive a blessing at the short service (the pets, not the owners). If the weather has been wet before you set out, take care over your appropriate footwear. Maps are available in church or you can receive one by email from [email protected], which could be useful as St Bernards with brandy barrels round their necks are not on duty that day.

The Fishy Band will be in concert… on Saturday, June 7 at The Coffee Box, Hastings Centre on the Ridge, starting at 7.30 pm Tickets for this event are £5, with all proceeds going to Christians against Poverty and The Food Bank. Aidan Tigwell, lead singer of Dorey the Wise, will be performing there too, both with the band and solo. Sounds like a good way to spend the evening after going to the Village Hall Summer Fair for lunch and a bit of a spend. More details can be yours by emailing Wendy Hatch at [email protected]

The Messy Church… meets on Wednesdays June 4 and July 2 between 4.30 and 6 pm. Children and adults of all ages are welcome to attend and, if you would like more details, give Maggie a call on 07547 897469. Sounds like there’s fun in store on those dates. All they want now is football for teenagers – could that be at the Lionel Messi Church?

The Parish Council… meets next Tuesday, May 27, at 7.15 pm when it will be the occasion of their AGM. Including the ratification of Chairman and Vice Chairman, plus the appointment of Councillors to various committees and working groups, the agenda also deals with the consideration and recommendation of grants to some ten regular recipients, as well as discussion of a new application from the Bowls Club. Planning matters will form the basis of Cllr Leadbetter’s report, and this may well include mention of the formal application from Battle developers Gemselect apropos the Market Garden site. This includes some variations on the outline proposals avidly consumed by residents when the Company made its presentation in the Cove a while ago, including the possibility of reducing the affordable homes content of the planned build to zero as, apparently, such properties would render the scheme economically unviable.

The Parish Assembly… is also next week, on Friday, May 30 at 6.30 pm. This is in no way just another Parish Council meeting, but rather a meeting of the whole village which can discuss anything and everything, but without making binding decisions. Our MP, Amber Rudd, has indicated that she will attend. It is hoped there may be a discussion or talk led by Stephen Leadbetter about Neighbourhood Planning, and whether or not we should be going down this route. This will no doubt open up discussion of other planning issues. There is also expected to be a discussion about progress on our cliff problems and hopefully the Preservation Trust will give a presentation. Also scheduled is the presentation of the John Lutman Award for 2013-14 for Community Service, for which some strong contenders have been nominated.

Viva Las Vegas… about 50 people had a great time with the roulette and three blackjack tables (manned by Fairlight’s own croupiers) at Fairfest’s Vegas Night last Friday. ‘Charles’ finished with more tokens than anyone else, with Barry Prime close behind, and the prize for the person who managed to lose the most money in the shortest possible time went to Bez Cuss. Everyone was well fed with the excellent finger buffet and the young close up magician Lewis Fuller entertained at their tables. Now the team get down in earnest in readiness for Fairfest 3 on Sunday July 27. Watch this space!

The Trefoil Guild… meets on Wednesday next, May 28 from 10 am to 12 noon, when the subject will be Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, a talk on beauty by Shirley Lancaster.

The Village Hall Summer Fair… is on everyone’s horizon, for it’s only a short time until Saturday, June 7 when it will be filled baked potatoes from 12 noon , when the fair opens, and runs until 3 pm. All the usual popular tables, games and attractions will be on offer. For instance, the well-supported Booze Box offers an almost similar value prize to getting four numbers up on the lottery, but at fives times better odds!

Pett Level Rescue Boat… may not always be in the headlines, but it is seldom far from our thoughts and minds. Public support was absolutely magnificent when they were aiming for a new boathouse, and having achieved that, support continued for them to upgrade the old boathouse by equipping it with a kitchen and a loo. No less that £15,000 has been raised for this second project, but John Pulfer, their Appeals and Fund-raising Organiser, tells me the sum required is actually £20,000, so as things stand they are £5,000 short. Another little dip in your pockets could see them across the finishing line. Don’t just picture coastal waters as things are at present – warm sun and not a breath of wind, and imagine some of our winter storms when, possibly, someone you know and love could be swept out to sea, and in dire need of the Rescue Boat, and then dig a little bit deeper. John can be contacted on 814866 where you can tell him how much you’ll be sending him. If you’d like to respond quickly, his address is Calais View, Channel Way, Fairlight, TN35 4BP, so can send your cheque to him right away!

Flicks in the Village… coming up for June with Saving Mr Banks at 7 for 7.30 pm in Pett Village Hall on Thursday, June 5. Another good film, this one, with fine acting led by Emma Thompson as the Mary Poppins author P L Travers, and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney

Kier and/or Southern Water… beat me to the draw last week, by repositioning the wind-swept signage on Waites Lane so that traffic can once more see the narrowing and priority quite clearly. Mind you, there has still been no work done to repair the sewer. Perhaps the authorities should apply for planning permission for the road signs to become permanent features in our village.

Summer is definitely here…! There has been a sighting of the first foreign coach of the season coming up Broadway and, possibly more alarmingly, backing all the way up from Lower Waites Lane and out on to the main road. Cheap, inaccurate foreign satnavs still seem to confuse Sea Road, Fairlight with Sea Road, St Leonards. If you search for ‘Sea Road Hastings’, you actually get Fairlight. It’s plainly the St Leonards bit that confuses the drivers and the satnavs.

As the sun shines, coming down the higher reaches of Battery Hill overhanging with all the glory of early summer foliage, is like driving through 300 yards of a strobe lighting display. Added to that, the whole stretch is now incredibly dark – more so than in the gloom of a January and February afternoon, when what little light there is can reach the ground. Put your dipped headlights on, please, so that the tearaways can at least see you before they drive into you.

Keith Pollard

Broofield, Broadway