Fairlight

In our churches this Sunday, Aug 11… there are services at both ends of the village, with Holy Communion at St Peters at 8 am, followed at 10.30 am by Morning Praise at St Andrew’s.

Coming up next Saturday, August 17… the Fairlight Playgroup and Nursery will be having a Coffee Morning in the village hall from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. Though it may not attract the vast numbers that have gathered for their last two Jumble Sales, many queuing until the doors opened, it is hoped that many will nonetheless support what is a valued facility within the village. A nice cuppa will warm you up, or cool you down, whatever the weather may be playing at tomorrow week. There will be coffees, too, plus cakes and cream teas, and all proceeds go the support of the nursery.

The Wine and Social Club have their August meeting… on Monday next, the 12th, at 7.30 pm in the village hall. Ever-popular Ray Shayler will be the guest speaker, on the subject of Bateman’s, and there is no doubt his Kipling based subject should make for an exceedingly fine talk.

AT MOPPs this week and next… Today, the lunch will be gammon & parsley sauce, followed by fruit crumble, and the activity for the day being Allergy Support (though this is awaiting confirmation as we go to press) Next Friday, August 16, there’ll be roast turkey, followed by fruit jelly, and the participants will be able to enjoy some chair based exercises with Celia King – always a popular fixture.

The best laid plans…? There is a planning application, RR/2013/1546/NA, which covers the demolition of the B&Q store in Rye Road, Ore, and its replacement by a supermarket, possibly Aldi. Losing the B&Q store would have an adverse effect on many of us in Fairlight as well as those in other outlying villages like Pett, Pett Level and Winchelsea Beach. Few in their right minds would want to trek to Glyne Gap for their DIY needs. Comments about this application have to be made to Rother District Council by August 20, either using www.rother.gov.uk/planning, or by writing to Rother District Council, Bexhill-on-Sea, quoting both the planning application number and your own address. It might be more to the point to write direct to B&Q, Eastleigh, Hampshire. Although I haven’t seen it yet, there is apparently a petition in the store, against the proposal to close and demolish it. Surely worth popping in and signing it in our hundreds!

Unclaimed raffle prizes after the Fairfest Summer Bash… Those of you who left the Bash before the raffle was drawn should look in your pockets and handbags to see if any of the unclaimed prizes should be yours. If your ticket proves you’re a winner, please get in touch with Jennifer, on 812476, or by email to [email protected]. If you take its fellow ticket to her she will give you your prize, or she could deliver it to you. Check carefully, there are good prizes here – no bath salts or shell-decorated ashtrays! Any unclaimed or unwanted prizes will go in a future raffle. The tickets are all yellow and are coded AC 852983. 100 - Multi tool with pen torch; 124 - Liqueur chocolates;

128 - Bottle of Brandy; 129 - Dove Supreme Pro Age collection; 121 - Build a Robot spinner game;

70 - Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs Activity Book; 74 - Marks & Spencer Irish Toiletries.

Anybody got any photos…? Of concert pianist Valerie Tryon in her evening dress at her recent recital at St Andrew’s Church, because organiser Geoff Wyatt was simply too busy to take any himself, and he would love to both have some, and to share them with Valerie. Please either contact Geoff, at 33 Waites Lane or on 813300, or email them to [email protected]. Geoff would be very grateful.

Citizen Space local bus service survey… which is aiming to find out our views on the bus provision from the village, exists as a special online survey. But obviously not everyone in Fairlight is able to complete such a thing online, so there are now hard copies of this survey available from The Post Office and Wakehams Farm Shop. The deadline is August 17, which is a week tomorrow. It is imperative that we keep or even get an improved bus service. Not only does everyone not have an internet connection, but also not everybody has a car, and many of our residents depend on a good bus service.

An afternoon of rare opportunity… is coming up on Saturday, August 17 at the Ellen Terry Barn Theatre, Smallhythe Place. Ann Rachlin, who presented her brilliant and comprehensively illustrated talk on Ellen and her daughter Edith to the Players earlier this year, will be presenting Ellen Terry – Star of the Silver Screen after having searched film archives all over the world and saved numerous clips from disintegration, garnered from silent films made between 1916 and 1922. This is a unique chance to see these historical excerpts, screened on the stage of the theatre which Edy Craig dedicated to her mother Ellen’s memory. Tickets, which are £7.50, are available from Smallhythe Place on 01580 762334

Back to the future… Our village has its fair share of octogenarians, and another joined their ranks two days ago. As this particular milestone is reached, it is often a time for family and friends to have a private celebration. For this special lady, things are slightly different, as she is better known and remembered than many in her position. The lady in question is Kathy McKay Sinclair, who, for some thirty plus years from 1963 to the 1990s, had a clairvoyant and palmist kiosk on Hastings Pier. No doubt any number of satisfied customers will recall Kathy’s insight – and foresight!

Kathy has been married to Dr John Sinclair for 31 years, and for most of her life has spent her quiet moments writing, mainly short stories and poems, many of which she read for the Hastings Talking Newspaper. In the 1980s, Kathy was in the Hastings Writers’ Group, winning the annual cup four times in the five years she was a member. Kathy has completed seven novels and, with remarkable timing, has had the first one published just three weeks ago. It’s called Evacuee Lottery, an evocative and self-explanatory title, which is available from various High Street and online booksellers (you know who I mean!) Congratulations, Kathy, on your 80th, and on your book!

Road works ahead… well, not actually ahead, more behind. Work has been going on along Pett Level Road from Monday to Thursday this week, and should have finished by now. It has involved closures, diversions, detours in a quite complicated scheme, which appeared to be announced by means of notices posted on bus stops (by the bus company, rather than the County Council) What a pity County couldn’t make up their minds early enough for the news to reach the paper last Friday – it might have saved at least some bus users this week’s heartaches.

Nice day for flora…? There’s a walk through the Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve tomorrow, Saturday, August 10. It runs, or rather, walks, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm, in the company of Jacqueline Rose of the Hastings Botany Group. To join this Summer Wildflower Walk, you need to meet up at the Hastings Country Park Visitor Centre.

Nice day for fauna…? The biggest fund raising event of the year for the RSPCA Mallydams Wood, with their Annual Open Day, is tomorrow, Saturday, August 10 from 10.30 am to 4 pm. Never been? You don’t know what you’re missing! There’s free parking and a minibus service, but there is a modest entrance fee. Give it a look, and be sure to take the kids.

Glittering prospects… St Peter’s Church is coming to the end of its life and, recognising this, a few weeks ago the Parochial Church Council reached the decision that they would aim to replace it in five to ten years time. The desire is for St Peter’s to be a spiritual hub in Fairlight Cove, a place of worship and Christian activity that meets the spiritual needs of those who live close by. In order to progress this exciting goal, the PCC wishes to form a team (rather than a committee!) of motivated people who would spearhead the project. Their need is for people with experience of the various disciplines necessary for this sort of project, people who like the challenge of working towards an aim that will benefit the entire community. It is not essential that team members should be among those who attend church each week. If you have the right skills set, or you wish to suggest someone you know who would fill the bill, please speak to Richard Barron, on 812799, or one of the churchwardens, who can be reached on 812913.

Pot hole of the week… has to be the one three parts of the way going west up Battery Hill. In the daytime you won’t spot it, even if you’re one of the sensible few with lights on, (not counting the new chavvy bling-strings of LEDs.) At night, you may see it, though any vehicle coming down the hill is likely to ensure you cannot take any evasive action to avoid it.