Fairlight

This Sunday, September 1… we have an All Age service in St Andrew’s church, starting at 10.30 am

You could be certificated… in First Aid, a very useful qualification to have, especially if you are involved with other people at, for instance, clubs where knowledge of what to do in an emergency could be utterly invaluable. Activate Youth Club are holding a certificated first aid course with St John’s, of Ambulance fame, on Saturday, September 14 from 9 am to 1pm at the clubhouse, and they have two spaces going begging if anyone would like to avail themselves of the offer. The cost is £65. If you are interested, please contact Wendy Hatch, either on 812297, or by email to [email protected]. Wendy will be able either to give you more details, or to accept your booking.

An insoluble problem… Fairlight Parish Council holds its regular monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month, just hours after Voice’s deadline. This means it is always ten days before vital decisions from each meeting can be relayed in the press to interested parties. Equally frustrating is the fact that the agenda for each forthcoming meeting is always delayed, meaning that items to be discussed that would be of high interest to residents cannot be revealed in the press four days prior to the meeting. Next week’s meeting is unusual in that the fortnightly planning meeting, which would normally take place at 2.30 pm on a Tuesday, will immediately precede the full evening council meeting. The planning meeting will start at 6.15 pm, with the main meeting commencing at 7.15 pm.

Questions 1, 2 and 3 – What, where and when…? On behalf of the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, there is to be (1) a Quiz Coffee Morning at (2) the village hall on (3) Saturday, September 7 from 10 am to 12 noon. The quiz will be on pub & inn signs. Oh, and there’ll also be a raffle to raise funds for the Royal British Legion. Margaret Pulfer, the organiser, hopes you’ll al be there. So do I – it’s a very good cause.

Another caffeine fix… and another very good cause, this time one of the renowned McMillan Coffee Mornings, which will be coming to our village hall on Saturday, September 21 from 10 am to 12.30 pm. Betty Snow, on 812694, or sue Clarke, on 813006, can answer any queries you may have, or take your name if you would like to volunteer to help or to make a baked contribution – scones, cakes, whatever you would like to make and donate!

Gardeners’ World… Our First Responders experience with their Open Garden Day last summer was, despite the less than wholly friendly weather, an outstanding success, and naturally it has crossed the organisers’ minds to have a repeat in the summer of 2014. If you could be interested in either opening your garden, or helping on the day, please get in touch with Liz Brooker, on 813149, and she will arrange a short informal meeting over a cup of coffee in November to talk it all through. As was specified last summer, your garden does not have to be in a pristine condition, but it would be nice if it offered something unusual or of special interest, or maybe have a view.

Making an exhibition themselves… The Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve has compiled and is now presenting an exhibition for viewing at Hastings History House in Courthouse Street in the Old Town. This fascinating exhibition is open to the public daily from 11 am to 4 pm on Thursdays to Sundays until Sunday, September 15. If you’d like more information, give the History House a call on 424744. But don’t miss your chance to see the show!

September at the Cove… will see Quiz Nights with questions put by Linda Eades. As yet, we don’t have the relevant dates to give you, but as soon as we do, they’ll be in print for your information. So make sure you go along!

Who does he think he is…? Well, he is James R Cruttenden and he knows full well exactly who he is, but what he’d like to do is find out more about his dad, James Harold Cruttenden, who was born at Shepherd’s Cottage in Fairlight on 11th June 1920. James Harold was the son of George and Minnie (nee Hayler) Cruttenden, and he lived in Fairlight from his birth until 1953. He attended Fairlight School, leaving about 1933 or 4, and lived with his parents for some time in Coastguard Cottages and also at St Denys in Warren Lane. He joined the Royal Army Service Corps in about 1943 serving in North Africa and Italy. He married James R’s mum Sheelah in 1949 and they moved with their young family to Guestling in June 1953. James R would like to find out any information regarding his early life in Fairlight. We have a picture of him playing in the cricket team and know that as a boy he sang in Fairlight Church Choir. It would be pleasing to rediscover some photos of him at school that were displayed many years ago at a flower festival in the church. There was one in particular that showed him as a boy standing on the steps of a bus on what looked like a coach outing. He also did quite a bit of gardening work in and around Fairlight. If anyone has any memories, information or photographs please contact James Cruttenden on 812637 or by email to [email protected]

September at the Gardening Club… is, as usual, on the first Monday of the month, which just happens to be Monday next, when the speaker will be Sally Botwrite, a professional London guide who has visited the Gardening Club previously. This time, her talk is entitled London Oddities.

On screen in September… Flicks in the Village, which is, of course, Pett Village, will be showing the enormously successful blockbuster Les Misèrables, which stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne, with comic relief from Helena Bonham-Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. I expect you know the drill for Flicks by now – doors open at 7 for a 7.30 pm start. It’s always on the first Thursday in the month in Pett’s village hall.