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IDEN PARISH COUNCIL MEETING: The Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 5th June, was held in Iden village hall. Ray Griffin chaired the meeting, and began by thanking our Parish Clerk, Mary Philo for arranging the previous Saturday's '˜Available At Iden' morning in the village hall, which demonstrated just what clubs and societies are at Iden's disposal. He also added that Mary has very recently become a very young Grandma. Ray reminded us all of Iden's ensuing cream tea, available to all. He then called upon Councillor Keith Glazier, chairman of East Sussex Council, who mentioned the usual bugbear, the potholes in the road, which are of constant concern. Keith expressed how difficult it is for the Council to make '˜ends meet'. 75% of council budget goes on our most vulnerable, children and the elderly, the remainder, being unfortunately thinly spread. Keith has recently been in extensive talks about identifying and prioritizing funding needs, the difficulties of which are present throughout the country. Councillor Paul Osbourne from Rother District Council spoke about being chairman of the '˜Community Grants Scheme', which the Parish Council may need to consult about new equipment for the play area in the park, which is under review. Such equipment is hugely expensive. Councillor Sally Anne Hart from Rother District Council provides a monthly comprehensive report [available on the Iden village website], keeping us abreast of decisions affecting our area. One such she described was the major upgrade of the A21. Sally Anne's predominant allocation is tourism, which encroaches on all aspects of council issues. The Parish council has donated £150 to the Air Ambulance. The Council expressed thanks to Tony Stanton, who is their much-valued internal auditor. A bench for the play area has been donated by John Hammel. Councillor Michael Miller stressed how important it is for people to remember to shut all gates leading from fields and farms, as sheep have recently been escaping into the roads around

PLEASE NOTE: Inspector Dan Russell from Rother District Crime prevention scheme will speak at the meeting on local crime prevention, something of interest to us all.

THREE MEN ON A BIKE!: Ralph Sperring, Paul Simpson and Kevin Beale are cycling to Paris over a four day period, in hopes of making £1000, in aid of prostate cancer. We can follow their progress on the Facebook page [3 old men cycle to Paris] They started on June 12th at ‘ The Woolpack in Warehorne, and hope to arrive in Paris tomorrow. Donations may be given at Iden Stores, or via, Just Giving at 3 old guys cycle to Paris-Ralph Sperring. Well done you guys [and not so much of the ‘old’] What a selfless gesture for a worthwhile cause. I’m getting my purse out even as I write. Sitting [no doubt]] on ice packs, they will inform us of their progress- so watch this space!

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‘DEALING WITH DIABETES’ AT FERRY ROAD MEDICAL CENTRE: Ferry Road Medical centre PPG together with Rye Medical Centre PPG, are having an event on Wednesday 20th June at the TILLING GREEN COMMUNITY CENTRE, at 6pm, for 6.30pm. The speaker is Erwin Castro [senior diabetes specialist nurse]. All are welcome to come and be brought up to date with this life-changing disorder. [many thanks to Elinor [Denny] Nicol, secretary of Ferry Road Medical Centre PPG]

A GREAT CREAM TEA!: On 9th June, Iden village hall celebrated the Queen’s birthday with a cream tea. The event was very well attended, and the hall was filled with happy laughter and the chink of teacups. £395 was raised for the village hall. The committee would like to thank all those who helped, baked and supported the event.

BINGO AT THE BOWLS CLUB: Tonight at 6.30p.m. doors open Eyes down at 7p.m. all are welcome Refreshments at the interval are free. A fun evening for all.

A SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION: There is a service of Holy Communion this Sunday, at Iden Parish Church. The service starts at 9.30am.

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A BOUQUET OF HERBS: The other day there was nothing much in the garden worth picking, so I pounced on my herb garden. The mint this year seems particularly prolific, and it makes lovely foliage. It made the house smell as though I was boiling new potatoes. The sage had those blue flowers which vaguely resemble small lupins. Then I picked pink chive flowers which really last in a vase. I was well- satisfied with my herbal bouquet. The word ‘herb’ is like the word ‘apple’, because it conjures up something wholesome [don’t you think?] In spite of the ensuing years, Life is still very ‘Cider with Rosie’ isn’t it?

A BEDPAN FULL OF DAISIES: When I retired from nursing, I found a new [unused] pristine enamel bedpan in an antique shop in Tenterden, so I brought it home, filled it with artificial daisies and buttercups, and hung it on my bedroom wall. It’s there to this day, a constant reminder of the nights I spent in the sluice as a student, terrified that I would accidently throw away a specimen. The showery thrum of the bedpan washer still occasionally rings in my ears. Although nursing was wonderful, it did carry a lot of responsibility. People’s health is very sacrosanct. There is a freedom about retiring from such an answerable job. People’s fluid intake and output was very important, and it’s nice to be able to give my husband a cup of tea without writing it on a chart. I used to go around asking how much the patients had drunk, and it took ages, because they would say something on the lines of “now hang on a minute dear because I only drank half of it, that would have been when my sister turned up, she’s the one with the boy in the army”! On night duty, fluid charts were added up at midnight to check whether the patients were in a negative or positive fluid balance. Now, at midnight I can sit up in bed with a good book and some salt and vinegar crisps. There is something to be said for being blissfully unaccountable!

CONTACT ME: If anyone has anything to add to the Village Voice, please contact Gill Griffin [telephone 01797 280311]

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