Icklesham

Tomorrow Saturday 30 from 10am till 1pm Icklesham Church holds its Christmas Fayre in the Memorial Hall. Santa Claus will be there. Stalls, Cards, Raffle, Hand-Crafted Jewellery, Tombola and refreshments.

Sunday 1 December, 10.30 in Church Parish Eucharist. Advent Sunday. The start of Christmas

Queen’s Head 4-6 Live Music-Greg McDonald the singing songwriter.

The Royal British Legion collected a total of£942.85 in Icklesham during the 2013 Poppy Day appeal. The Remembrance Day Service produced £122.80. Boxes which are permanently in each pub,each shop and the Nursery collected £191 in the year. The trays in the School and the Five Villages received £224.95. The hard working House to House collectors got £403.90.

The total collected by the local branch -the five villages of Icklesham,Three Oaks, Fairlight, Pett and Guestling -was £4165.00.

“Oh Crumbs”. Icklesham has a new business and it’s almost next door to Jade’s Hairdressing Salon in the Sherwood Industry Park. Home made sandwiches are already supplied to Icklesham Village Stores. These sell well to the ever increasing passing trade who find parking in the lay by so easy and to man people who are working here.. There is a choice of over 100 fillings . Novelty Cakes and Designer Chocolates can be made to order. Just contact Ruth on 07522 529 746. To discover more you could drop in and see “Oh Crumbs” the charming café open for Cream Teas or Coffee Wednesday to Saturday 11am -5pm. You can also book for a 4 course Christmas Lunch for just £15.

Icklesham Village Stores has Pay Point after nearly two years of struggling against the powers that be. Dexter And Karen started applying even before their shop opened. At a Pay point you can pay bills such as gas,electricity,water rates and council tax, You can top up your mobile phone and even buy a lottery ticket for £1 (the British Health Lottery).. All this without having to go by car or bus into Hastings or Rye.

Every household should have received from Rother Council a pamphlet about changes in recycling. From summer 2014 a new brown Wheelie bin will replace the green wheelie bin. Garden waste will be only collected in the brown bins. You have to register if you want a brown bin by Monday 6 January 2014. The charge for using brown bins will be £25 per bin per year. You can have more than one. Cardboard will be collected with general waste in the green bins. The pamphlet does not say what will happen to the black wheelie bins. The fortnightly pattern of collection will continue.

A week today Friday 6 December at 7.30 in All Saints Parish Church the Rye” Wall of Sound” Choir has its Christmas Concert - a Selection of Christmas Songs and Music.. There will be a Retiring Collection in aid of The Children’s Society.

A week tomorrow Saturday 7 December the last Craft Fair of the year is in the Memorial Hall from 10.30am till 2.30pm. Many colourful stalls full of Christmas ideas plus a Christmas Raffle with a draw every hour on the hour. Refreshments available and if you don’t know the village there is plenty of free parking.

A week on Sunday 8 December at 6.30 in Winchelsea Church Ann Rachlin will be presenting the unique show which she has written about the life of Irving Berlin. “”Say It With Music” has Ann telling the story with real insight and integrating a variety of images and videos into her narration. Iain Kerr has specially arranged many of the familiar songs with Pegasus, a London choir with a Winchelsea reputation, in full harmony. Tickets are £10 from Winchelsea Post Office. All proceeds go to St Thomas’ Church.

Other local events later in December are craft fairs at Harborough Nurseries on 8 and 15 and on Saturday 14 a “Thank You” when the monthly Church Markets entertain their suppliers and supporters with mulled wine,mince pies and carols.

In the Harborough Nurseries craft fairs the stall holders will be donating 10% of their takings to St. Michael’s Hospice. Complimentary drinks will be served.

Friday 6 December Icklesham School Christmas Fair starts at 2.30 with Carol Singing. You can visit Santa in his Beautiful Grotto. There are crafts made by the children,refreshments,tombola, raffle and games.

Last Sunday, 24 November, in the Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury the Parishes of Winchelsea and Icklesham as a united benefice witnessed the start of the Reverend Canon Robin Whitehead’s term of office as our Priest. Robin was instituted by The Right Reverend Dr. Martin Warner,Bishop of Chichester, and inducted by The Venerable Philip Jones the Archdeacon of Lewes and Hastings.There were many local clergy taking part and the choir included singers from Icklesham, Winchelsea and St. Richard’s Winchelsea Beach. Representing Icklesham’s congregation our Churchwardens took part in the Bishop’s processions. In the congregation were many worshippers from the parishes and some from Robin’s previous living St. Botolph’s, the famous “ Boston Stump,” in Lincolnshire. The Church was packed and there was a warm friendliness and yet an appropriate solemnity. The language of the Eucharist was familiar but Institutions and Inductions are not frequent so it is rewarding to read (and re-read) the fine old words and phrasing. Canon Hugh Moseley will of course continue to be Icklesham’s clergyman whilst Canon Whitehead’s pastoral care will be mostly in Winchelsea and Winchelsea Beach. However we look forward to his first visit to All Saints with St. Nicolas.