Icklesham

This is a very busy weekend.

Today,Friday, Icklesham School has its Christmas Fair which starts at 2.30 with Carol Singing. Everybody is welcome.There are crafts made by the School’s pupils,tombola,refreshments,raffle and games. and of course Santa Claus in his beautiful grotto.

Tonight,Friday, at 7.30 in Icklesham Parish Church the Rye “Wall of Sound” choir has its Christmas Concert with a selection of Seasonal songs and music. There will be a Retiring Collection in aid of the Children’s Society.

Tomorrow,Saturday, there is the last Craft Fair of the year in the Memorial Hall. from 10.30am to 2.30pm. Many colourful stalls full of Christmas ideas plus a Christmas Raffle with a draw on the hour every hour.Refreshments available and the neighbouring Recreation Ground with its free parking and kids play area. Carol Stunt who has run the sales would like to thank everyone who has supported the Fairs, the stallholder, the tea ladies Pat, Linda and Mary,Pete and Eric who set up and packed up and Corinne for her delicious cakes.

Sunday 8 December 10.30 Parish Eucharist in All Saints.

4-6 Queen’s Head Live Folk Music with Corbus.

6.30 St.Thomas’ Church, Winchelsea. Ann Rachlin will be presenting “Say It With Music” - the story of Irving Berlin. Written and told by Ann and using a variety of visual material the life of the man who gave us so much familiar music is so real.Iain Kerr has arranged many of the familiar songs with the London Choir Pegasus ,Conductor Matthew Altham, in full harmony.Tickets are £10 from Winchelsea Post Office. All proceeds to St. Thomas Church.

Monday 25 November The Icklesham Trust A.G.M. The Chairperson Corinne Merricks thanked all the Committee for all their hard work.The committee and officers are unchanged. Bob Baker of Icklesham Casuals F.C. gave a presentation on the progress of the New Pavilion. Fund raising for this is well under way. In the Memorial Hall there are plans and architectural drawings of the New Pavilion. It is an impressive building.

Thanks from St. Michael’s Hospice to all those who voted for them. Yes,our Hospice won. The oddly unround figure of £49998 will be used to develop St. Michael’s Day Therapy Centre.The Centre offers people with progresssive life-limiting illnesses the opportunity to meet new people,enjoy activities and receive special therapies. A newly enlarged Centre will enable more to attend and more activities and facilities to be offered. The award will go towards extending the service,creating an internet-style café to help patients use the internet and skype,and a specialist arts and crafts therapy room with photographic facilities.

There will also be craft events on 8 and 15 December btween 10am and 3pm at Harborough Nurseries with over 20 stalls.Complimentary driks aand the stallholders will be donating 10% of their takings to St. Michael’s Hospice.

Last Saturday’s Church Christmas Fair was full of a warm friendly atmosphere. It raised £750 which was a great credit to all those who worked so hard and to the large numbers of Icklesham folk who were there.Terry Gilbert who would be Sion Corn in The Land of His Fathers was very convincing in the star role.

Saturday 14 in the morning a Thank you for all those who were suppliers or supporters of the monthly church markets. Come and enjoy mulled wine,mince pies, carols and refreshments.

Thursday 19 December The mobile East Sussex Hearing Resource Centre will be in the village. Don’t miss the bus, they say.

Every household should have received the Christmas and New Year recycling collections. Three weeks are affected. Those starting Mondays 23 December 2013, 30 December 2013 and 6 January 2014. I’ll use village voices as reminders but the first effect is that the LAST GREEN BIN COLLECTION for Garden Waste is TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER. Gardeners, then your next collection of garden waste is Tuesday 14 January 2014.