Northiam

Today (Friday) is the Village Hall Coffee Morning, with stalls (including fruit and veg) and chat between 10am and midday.

Badminton in the Pretious Sports Hall starts with the junior club at 5.30pm (ages 8-11), and 6.30pm (ages 12-18). The adult club starts at 8pm and operates as a drop-in session, just £3 a time with equipment provided. Everyone plays everyone else so you don’t have to find a partner before you come along!

Dance Club meets in the Village Hall on Fridays for sequence dancing.

The Footpath Group head out for Hawkhurst on Sunday, leaving the surgery car park at 1.30pm for a 5 mile walk to enjoy the late summer sunshine (fingers crossed!).

On Mondays, there is Badminton in the Pretious Sports Hall at 5.45pm for an hour and Zumba at 8.15pm. Short Mat Bowls is back – in the Village Hall at 2pm.

Northiam Nursery runs a weekly toddler group each Tuesday – 9.15 to 11.15am in the main school building, cost £2 – call in and meet the gang. The Blood Transfusion Service will be visiting the village on Tuesday – please make an appointment in the usual way, or visit blood.co.uk website. The Over 60s meet at 2pm.

Coffee Stop will be brewing between 10am and midday on Wednesday, then the WI meet in the Jenkins Room of the Village Hall at 2pm. This month, a Park Ranger from Hastings will speak on the extensive parks open to the public in the area. The competition will be an item from the countryside. New members are always welcome, call Margaret Hinds on 253341.

The Horticultural Society start their series of lectures next Friday (it must signal the end of summer!), with a talk from George Puddefoot on Fuchsias, winter tubs and baskets. As he runs the Riverside Fuchsia Nursery at Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford, we can be sure he knows his subject. The Society needs more committee members, so please come forward if you would be able to help. Carole (253292) or Lesley (252096) will be very pleased to chat as to what actually does go on behind the scenes. The talk starts at 7.30pm.

As the nights are drawing in, so the range of activities on offer multiplies! Next Saturday (5th), St Michael’s Hospice are holding an Autumn Market, with local crafts etc in the Village Hall, and I believe Great Dixter are also holding a Plant Fair that day.

On October 12th, the Bonfire Society will be having a Craft Fair – a good opportunity to get ahead with Christmas shopping (sorry!). If you would like to take a stall, please look on the website for an application form northiambonfiresociety.co.uk. Or call Simon 07976 254247.

In the evening of 12th, loyalties will be split – our very own Northiam Chamber Orchestra will be performing in St Mary’s Church. The programme includes Vivaldi’s Gloria – effectively a world premiere, as this piece was written for strings and Peter Fields has arranged it for the orchestra. Other pieces include Zadok the priest (Handel) and Sleepers Awake (Bach). Alternatively, The Village Hall and Bowls Club have got together for a Quiz Night, which are always good fun.

Adult learning Courses in Rye, organised by WEA, start weekly or monthly now. Schisms within Abrahamic Religions, Practical Gardening, Burning Issues and Creative Writing are on offer, as well as a day school on Medieval Women – nuns, tarts, trouble and strife. For information, call Andrew Stuart 01797 223831.

Services (29th): 8am Holy Communion, 10.30am Morning Praise