Ninfield and Hooe

BEETLE DRIVE: Hooe Beetle Drive tomorrow, Saturday, in the Village Hall, Hooe. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. If you haven’t contacted Sally Durman on 893007 yet, please try, so your names can be added to the list, but otherwise it’s £5 entry on the door and take your own nibbles, drinks and glasses. There will be a soup and bread supper and a raffle.

CLOTHES SALE: Nearly New Clothes Sale and Fashion Show tomorrow, Saturday. Doors open for shopping at 6pm to finish at 9pm. Come and join us for a fabulous evening of fashion and fun, and shopping at charity shop prices, or cheaper. The whole idea is to make the most of nearly new clothing (not jumble), recycling unwanted garments, grabbing real bargains and raising lots of money for the Memorial Hall refurbishment fund. Everyone is welcome. Having seen what has already been donated, we know there will be a wide range of items on offer, including Ladies Day-wear, evening wear, short coats, handbags, hats, shoes, as well as gentlemen’s shirts, trousers, jackets and hopefully some children’s items. There are some designer pieces, and also vintage clothes already on rails in the hall, some really interesting fashion from decades past. Entry to the event is free and there will be the Pop-Up Bar in situ, plus light refreshments, nibbles and canapes. At 7.30pm, after the first flush and rush of shopping, there will be a short catwalk-style fashion show, showing nearly-new items previously picked as a challenge from the rails and also, a special guest will be on hand for a natter throughout the evening. Norman Hartnell Model, Barbara Wimbush, who graced many a magazine cover showing the Royal Designer’s gowns and day-wear, will have some of her collection of photos, books, designs and fabrics on display, and she will be very happy to talk about those heady days of glamour and style. See you there.

HOGS: The lively ladies of Hooe Open Group met on January 11 in the village hall in Hooe, in their revised winter hours, 1.30pm to 3.30pm. It was their AGM, which is not normally the most exciting afternoon, nor the most attended, but the ladies still had a wonderful time organising the charities for their fundraising for 2019, as well as putting their heads together for a Christmassy Quiz, leading onto tea and a chat. Over the last year funds were raised for three local charities and the group were thrilled to donate £300 to each of them, Bexhill Care in the Community, St Michael’s Hospice and the Dragon Fly Cancer Trust. The ladies were also delighted to receive an award for their ad hoc, on the spot collection of £121 donated to South East Air Ambulance Service, raised from delving into handbags and pockets after the presentation by one of the crew members. If you would like to join this active group, just turn up on the second Friday of the month, or call Edna Wallis on 01424 842591. February sees Julie Hammond taking the presentation Keep Moving, ideal for shedding a few Christmas lbs.

HORTICULTURL SOCIETY: Ninfield Horticultural Society meet on Monday in the Memorial Hall at 7.30pm when members will welcome Mick Lynn with his talk on Bees and how we can encourage them into our gardens this spring and summer. Call Rose on 892422 or email [email protected] for more information on all events, meetings and shows.

MEN’S SHEDS: The next meeting will be on Thursday January 31, 11am in Sparke Pavilion. This fantastic new initiative is part of Ninfield’s newly formed Health and Well-being Group and enables men in the local area to come together for a natter and a cuppa, have a laugh and find support and care without fuss. If you’d like any more information, please call Dave on 893883, he’d be very happy to have a chat.

FEBRUARY’S FIRSTS: The First Ninfield Carnival Association meeting will be held on Wednesday February 6, 8.15pm for an 8.30pm start in the Working Men’s Club. This is not the usual second Wednesday slot, so please make sure you get this first Wednesday in your diary. I have had a very good chat with Roger, who is organising the 60’s Revolution event in July in Bexhill, and certain similarities in ideas came forward. There are also lots of thoughts and processes to discuss, but of course the main thing is do people want the Carnival in 2019. We need more willing souls to come on board and get involved. It’s great fun and even more so when the workload is shared more widely. Please come to the meeting on February 6, have a cheap drink, sit by the fire, have a laugh and make Carnival Magic happen. Contact me, Sami, or Call Robin on 07970184858.

PARISH COUNCIL: The first parish council meeting will be held on Thursday February 7, in the Methodist Hall, 7.15pm. Everyone is encouraged to attend. This is a very uncertain time in the eerie world of planning, with speculative applications being drummed up and thrown into the Wealden offices willy-nilly and, unfortunately having to be taken seriously, due to WDC’s lack of five year housing supply and their 18 month delay on producing the Local Plan. If every application for housing development was considered and passed, the village of Ninfield would be more than doubled in size with no improvements in infrastructure, no sustainability and no school places. Food for thought? Make sure you get to this meeting.

CHURCH SERVICES: Sunday, 10.30am Methodist Church United Covenant Service with St Mary’s Parish Church. Messy Church, Wednesday January 30, 3.30pm to 5.30pm in the Methodist Church Hall.

PARISH CHURCH: Sunday, Ninfield St Mary’s joined with Methodist Church 10.30am. Then, 11am St Oswald’s Hooe, Parish Eucharist.