Fairlight

MOPPs today: Today, Friday, April 12, Bon Marche will be here, as well as Movie Day, and lunch will be roast gammon, followed by panna cotta. Next Friday, April 19, which is Good Friday, the entertainment will be by popular singer (and previous Chairman of the Group) Jim Saphin. For your Good Friday lunch there’s salmon, with lemon tart for afters.

MARS on Wood Field: On the weekend of the April 6 two candidates, Richard and Harry, from the Marsham Amateur Radio Society (MARS) sat their Intermediate Radio exam, a qualification that carries world-wide recognition. They had spent six Saturday afternoons studying the Intermediate book with practical tasks that had to be completed. The syllabus considers Transceivers, Receivers, Licence conditions, Technical Basics, Feeder and Antennas, Propagation, EMC, Operating Practices and Procedures, Safety and Construction. It is satisfying to be able to announce that they both passed, and can now apply for their new Licences which will begin with 2E0***. The next Intermediate course is due to start on Sunday, May 19, from 10 am until 12 noon. Anybody who wishes to participate on this course should contact Steve Stewart on 0758 130 5310. In order to sit the Intermediate course, you must have already passed the Foundation course exam. If you would like to take the Foundation course, please ring Steve to find out when the course starts.

The club meets on the second Saturday of each month from 1.30 until 3.30 pm at the Club Hut on Wood Field. All are welcome to come along and see what we do and have a cuppa…

The History Group and the Lucas-Shadwells: This already highly popular group will continue to enlighten and entertain its members in the village hall commencing at 2.30pm on Wednesday next, April 17, when Paul Draper will tell of the Lucas-Shadwell family, their properties and their place in Fairlight history. All members, plus any newcomers whose appetites have been suitably whetted, will be most welcome.

A new public access Defibrillator for the village: The Fairlight Community First Responder team were happy to receive a new public access defibrillator from Cllr. David Shortman, Chairman of Fairlight Parish Council. The Council had provided the funding for this defibrillator which will be located on the Wood Field recreation ground off Commanders Walk. Issy Horsley was pleased to welcome Kerry Gentleman, Sandie Vivian and Emily Govoroski as new recruits to our First responder team.

Easter Fun Event: Here’s hoping you haven’t forgotten that the Fairlight Playgroup will be running a fun event on Easter Saturday, April 20 in the village hall from 10 am to 1 pm,. Admission is free, but each activity is individually priced. There’s an Easter Egg Hunt, cuddly critters and feather and fan dancing, with tea, coffee and cakes available if you should start to flag. Donations will be gratefully received in the bucket by the door.

The Club Quiz: In the evening of Easter Saturday, April 20, the Club will be hosting a Quiz starting at 7.30 pm in the village hall. It will cost you £2 per person entrance, in teams of no more than six each. Nibbles will be provided. And you can get hold of your tickets either at the Post Office or direct from Wendy Hatch.

Humble Boy tickets: Tickets are on sale for the Players’ Spring Production, coming up a little later than usual on May 9 – 11, at 7 30 pm each evening, and with a 2.30 pm matinee on the Saturday. The Post Office and General Stores has the tickets, which are £7 each. The play is Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones, an acclaimed and fairly recent work which is both very funny and moving, too. This six-hander is Aisling Tigwell’s first directorial show for the Players, though she is well known for her work on stage. If you live outside the village and would like to see the play, please call secretary Carol Ardley on 814178.

A planning event for the elderly: There is to be a free seminar in the village hall on Thursday, April 18, when Peter Wallace of Hastings and Rother Legal Services will be discussing many aspects of administering an estate, wills, probate, planning for funerals and so on. This session is designed to be a forum at which you can ask questions about a multiplicity of details that you may find a worry. There will be no selling at this meeting. For more details, call 813346.

An Easter Treasure Hunt: A good bit of fun for all the family on Wednesday next, April 17, when The Club is running an Easter Treasure Hunt. Meet up at the Clubhouse for an 11 am start, and then at 5 minutes intervals. The hunt will be followed by hot dogs! For families or groups of friends to search out clues and eggs! The cost for individuals is £2, and for families, £5. Donations would be welcome to go toward the hotdogs!

Parish Council News: With effect from May 6, the Parish Council will be made up of David Shortman, Derek Greenup, Issy Horsley and Stephen Leadbetter, all existing Councillors, together with five willing new volunteers - Chris Bunch, Rob Foster, Dale Richards, Collette Slack and Steve Stewart. There being just the right number of new candidates to fill the vacancies, there will be no need for an election. This is slightly disappointing, as it means we don’t get to see potted biographies by which we could have got to know a little more about each of them! The fact that there are five empty spots means that, in addition to the sad passing of Cllr Nick Jones, we are losing four esteemed and experienced councillors who have worked long and hard on behalf of the village. They are Cllrs. Jennifer Annetts, Carol Gallagher, Tony King and Andrew Mier. The debt of gratitude we owe them is large indeed.

You win some…: Twice in recent weeks I’ve been caught out by the passage of time. A Monday moan about Southern Water and the leak in Broadway saw that leak repaired before the paper hit the streets on the Friday. (Clearing the plastic barriers and warning signs is obviously a job for some other department) The abandoned car in Waites Lane I thought would be over-summering here, that, too, had gone before Friday. The pressure of trying to make sure all my moans are timely has led to my advancing Maundy Thursday by a week, which cannot have impressed the church authorities. Sorry!