Fairlight

Keith Pollard
Brookfield, Broadway

In Church this Sunday, June 16… It’s Father’s Day, and there is to be a 10.30 am service of Monthly Communion at St Andrews, led by the Rector, Rev Richard Barron. As it happens, this Sunday is also the Saint’s Day of St Richard of Chichester, patron Saint of Sussex, and his flag, replete with six of those weird, footless martlets, will be flying on that day. Later, the balance returns to the distaff side, with the Rev Kay Burnett leading Evening Prayer at St Peter’s at 6 pm.

Apart from the after shave, the socks and the barbeque tools, all fathers might like to nip up to St Andrew’s in the morning to give thanks - for just being a father!

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Since 180 degrees of our outlook is distinctly watery, you are invited to note in your diaries Sunday, July 14, which is Sea Sunday. That day will see a United Fairlight & Pett service 10.30 am at the Pett Level Rescue Boat Station at Pett Level. A good service to attend, no doubt mentioning Those in Peril – which is what the Rescue Boat exists to alleviate.

The Players’ AGM… was held on Saturday last, June 8. Almost 80 members attended, and the meeting itself took a mere 38 minutes, Chairman Keith Pollard, Secretary Carol Ardley and Treasurer Keith Miller all being returned unopposed. Committee members Social Secretary Marion Pollard, Tom Miller, David Shortman and Aisling Tigwell were also willing to stand again, and were duly reappointed, together with newcomers Libby Annetts, Theresa Hall, Andrew Mier and Barry Prime, who come on in place of Richard Pollard, who had resigned during the year, and Ken Hall, Pauline Lucas and Peter Norris, who did not wish to stand again. They were duly thanked for their contribution during the last twelve months.

Despite Happy As A Sandbag being an incredibly costly production to mount, the year’s two productions both made a highly satisfactory profit, as did two main social events, a Murder Mystery evening and a brilliant talk on Edith ‘Edy’ Craig, Ellen Terry’s daughter given by the renowned Ann Rachlin. These social events were resumed a few years ago when funds were a bit on the short side, but are now continued as many people enjoy them. The next season will feature a Murder in October and a Quiz in March. Dates for these events will appear in due course, as will the August date for the auditions for their November production, to be directed by long-standing favourite Roland Garrad, with a title as yet to be finalised, and for the April 2014 production, which Keith Pollard will put together.

It’s this Sunday… The Fairfest Car Boot Sale will be taking place on Wood Field Recreation Ground from 10 am to 2 pm. ‘Creature comforts’ will be available in the Activate Youth Club Headquarters in the south-west corner of the field. Though access is available from the twitten through to Meadow Way, the easiest way in is from Commanders Walk. Fairfest have given us two festivals and a number of other social events – they’ve all been well worth supporting. This is sure to be no different from the others – go and have a look!

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Does what it says on the tin… The Knit and Natter group meeting last week was considerably more of the latter than the former! One of the members, who had only been coming for a few weeks, was teaching another member how to make frilly scarves, something that she was unable to do herself before she had joined the group! Betty Snow and another member spent quite some time looking out a pattern for a child’s bobble hat and scarf which was eventually tracke down on the internet!

The next meeting is on Wednesday, June 19, from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm at Kingsdown, Channel Way, Fairlight. It will only cost you £1 per meeting – so do go along and join them as and when you can - you can be sure you will be made most welcome.

Apologies are in order… to Alan Grant, until recently, Vice Chairman of our Parish Council. On his retirement I mentioned he had held this position for two years, whereas, in fact, he had worked a ‘split shift’, and held the position for almost four years earlier, until he relinquished the job for Andrew Mier to take over, so that the succession when previous Chairman George Hensher retired would run smoothly. Sorry, Alan – and even more congratulations for your term, which was so much longer than I intimated.

A touch of real class is coming next Tuesday… when the Tuesday Ladies Club next meets, on Tuesday next, June 18. As usual, it’s at 2.15 pm in the village hall, and the event is the performance by harpist Fiona Hosford. It’s only £4 for guests, and that gets you wine and a finger buffet as well as some excellent music. Don’t miss this one – gentle men are welcome as well as ladies.

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The Tuesday Ladies Club outing has a few places unfilled for their coach outing to Newnham Court Shopping Village, near Maidstone, on Tuesday, June 25. The cost for non-members is £6.50. If you’d like to go, give Mary Stewart a call on 813031

It’s under a month now… to the visit to St Andrew’s church of Valerie Tryon, a concert pianist of world-wide renown, on Saturday, July 6. Tickets are, as I write, still available, probably on the basis of ‘I’ll get mine later; they won’t have sold out yet’. Valerie’s recital promises to be a musical highlight the quality of which we seldom, if ever, get the chance to hear in the village. The tickets are available from the Post Office, or by post direct from G. Wyatt, of 33, Waites Lane, Fairlight, TN35 4AX. Cheques should be payable to Fairlight P.C.C, and they are £16 each, including a glass of wine (or a soft drink) and a programme. The evening is to take place in St Andrews Church, and commencing at 7 pm. Any profit from the event will go to support the fabric of St Andrews, where they are much needed.

You’ve gotta have art… a reminder that this weekend is the second of three when Anna Wilson-Patterson has her Art Exhibition at Spark Cottage in Fyrsway. It’s open from 11 am to 6 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. And next weekend, too. These dates are part of the South East Open Studios event.

Today at MOPPs… they’re having a produce stall, and lunch will be steak pie, followed by lemon sponge

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Potholes, and the same to you… that desperate string of ever-widening and deepening holes punctuating the south side of Fairlight Road, just before, and after, the Martineau Lane turn, are apparently not the self-resolving kind. They urgently require human intervention. Could someone please apply the necessary? It really would be worth East Sussex’s while to save up and kerb this stretch of road. Claims for car damage must surely outweigh potential maintenance costs.

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