Fairlight

In our churches this week… Sunday, March 10, there is an 8.00 am Holy Communion service in St Peter’s, giving you time to follow this up at St Andrew’s for Morning Praise on Mothering Sunday at 10.30 am. A special time for each of us to remember Mum!

Are you too late…? Ann Rachlin MBE is talking and presenting later this evening for the Players, with her subject being Edy was a Lady, an absorbing and polished evening on the memoirs of Edith Craig, Ellen Terry’s daughter. The evening starts at 7 for 7.30 pm, and includes supper. If you suddenly realise you’d like to be part of it, you’re advised to call Carol Ardley on 814178.

There’s a talk at the Wine and Social Club… on Monday next, March 11. The speaker is Ian Millington, and his subject is Policing. No doubt there will be wine there a-plenty, too. Mind how you go!

It’s next Tuesday week… that the Tuesday Ladies Club meets, Mr G Albon giving a talk on The Land that inspired Sibelius. Finland, for such it is, was part of Sweden for some six hundred years, but has been a separate country since the early 1800’s. It is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, with the best education system in Europe and one of the best qualities of life in the world. Indeed, Finns ain’t what they used to be.

The Fairlight Trefoil Guild inaugural meeting… went well, but unfortunately due to illness of two of the possible members, and one lady having had a fall, breaking an arm and a leg, the numbers were not as high as had been expected. Members who did arrive on a bitterly cold morning were greeted with a welcoming cup of coffee or tea and a biscuit, which was much appreciated. Those who attended enjoyed the friendship and fellowship at the meeting and much information was passed round as to what Trefoil in Fairlight, and further abroad, entails.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 27 from 10 am until 12 noon in St. Peters Church on the corner of the Broadway and Waites Lane. The meeting is entitled Getting to Know You and members and visitors are asked to bring along a bag containing three items which will tell everybody something about themselves. Their introductory talk needs only to be approximately three minutes, but even this is not obligatory.

On March 2 three members attended the County Review at Broad Oak Hall, Heathfield. There were approximately 140 Trefoil Guild members there from all over East Sussex and Vikki Cooke, from Battle, gave a very good illustrated talk of her visit as a Guider and Trefoil Member to Romania, where they held a camp for the Roma girls there. She also included in her talk the Guiding visits she had made to Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and other countries around the world. There were two quizzes on the table to keep all brains alert throughout the afternoon and a tea of scones with butter, jam and cream, followed by cakes, was served by the Guides and Senior members of Heathfield Guides. The occasion was also an opportunity to meet members from the many Guilds around East Sussex - an excellent time to catch up on all the news!

If you would like to join the Fairlight Trefoil Guild - Guiding for Adults, please just go along on the fourth Wednesday of each month - you will be made very welcome. Should you require any further information, please ring Betty Snow on 01424 812694.

Fairlight Floral Club’ s February meeting was a practice, at which members were asked to interpret Shrove Tuesday in flowers, not forgetting the lemons. Nine members took part in this and the hall looked very spring-like. On the following day, training classes were held, and here the programme was ‘Basket Case’ the interpretive title - Nell Gwyn 1650-1687 (no doubt with oranges to put with the Shrove Tuesday lemons). Sixteen people attended this class, which was led by our Vice-Chairman Stella McGowan, and once again the hall was a mass of spring flowers and much laughter.

For your diary, the Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held on March 28 at 2.30 pm.

MOPP today… will be enjoying a special theme day “Remembering the 60’s” when the ladies and gents have been asked to dress up sixties style. The ladies may wear their hot pants or mini skirts! (Let’s hope the better spell continues, otherwise it’ll be leg warmers and platform soles!) There will be a prize for the best dressed participant. MOPP currently has a couple of vacancies and if you are interested please phone Sheila on either 01304 or 07774 573086. The food and the company are excellent, and there is always entertainment which is also highly praised.

Much business… at the Parish Council last week, and among items resolved it was agreed to make a donation of £300 to the Fairlight Nursery and Playgroup. This highly rated asset in the village is fully deserving of such assistance.

Tear drops rather than sponge drops… the Bake Sale for Comic Relief in the village hall last Saturday was sad to see. Apart from direct friends and relatives of the organisers, Fairlight residents stayed away in their hundreds. There was an impressive spread of all things baked, and no one to purchase them. Perhaps the publicity could have been stronger, but Fairlight cannot be proud to have failed to support a worthwhile charitable effort so poorly. ‘Could do better’ on our report.

All change… at Hairbase, our hairdressers in the village, who are organising a Pyjama Party for Comic Relief next Friday, March 15. No more details are forthcoming at present, so nip in and ask!

Coffee, old bean…? The Bowls Club Coffee Morning each spring always seems to hasten the arrival of the bowling season, and it’s tomorrow week, Saturday, March 16, in the village hall from 10 am to 12 noon. There will be the usual stalls and goodies on offer and, the clincher for many, some short bingo sessions, too.

That blasted oak… in Lower Waites Lane is to receive attention at last, and reports will follow when the plan of action is revealed. Meanwhile, there should be concern about the tree standing to the right of the PO Box in Lower Waites Lane at the end of Broadway. A large branch broke off some months ago but never fell, due to the tangles branches below it. It has recently moved, and now appears to be hanging there precariously. Take care when trying to catch the post, that the post doesn’t catch you!

Dogs (dirty) in the news again… with the subject being well aired in the Open Forum of the Parish Council meeting. You’d think every home owner in the village would like to call his or her property The House at Poo Corner, though it was recorded that Inspectors (Is that really Excrement Inspectors?) could find only one instance of fouling on their visit. They should throw away their white sticks and look again.

Keeping a Lydd on it… Cllr Val Gibbs has taken up the explosion cudgels with Alan Keeling, the Deputy Range Officer at Lydd, who has assured her he will make contact if and when they start detonating demolition explosions again. Val will send this information to Village Voice and to Trevor Lewing for his residents’ email system. By the way, the men who were training last week have already been deployed to a ‘theatre of war’. The Range Officer added his thanks to local residents for their understanding and forbearance, but he hadn’t realised the shock waves would reach this far, despite his saying that atmospherics, a low cloud base and the wind direction had all been responsible.

A friendly Cove… Next Wednesday, March 13 sees the latest in their fortnightly series of Acoustic Nites, commencing at 8.30 pm. The last session offered an eclectic (but certainly not electric!) range of music to a thriving and appreciative crowd. Give it a try!

Their popular Quiz Nights are back on the following Wednesday, March 20 for those whose interests are cerebral, which is possibly why ‘Nights’ is spelled correctly. Go along and exercise your little grey cells.

There’s the annual Spring Buffet Lunch… organised by the Conservatives, in the village hall on Saturday, March 23 at 12 noon. The cost is £12 per head, a sum that includes donated drinks. Richard Ashworth, MEP, will be present. If you would like a ticket or two, please contact Ann Bird on 813636