Peasmarsh

Preparations are going ahead for the official opening of the refurbished hall by Andy McConnell (glass expert) of Rye tomorrow (Saturday) at 3pm . Every household in Peasmarsh should have received an invitation and the committee hopes the event will be well attended. Speeches will be brief, and in addition to refreshments there will be a small scale archive exhibition and the Guides and Brownies will mount a display about their activities.The memorials for the 2 world wars will be erected in the hall by then, and this will be the first chance for many to see the memorial from the 1914-18 war which has been in storage for a considerable time. The refurbishment of these memorials will be partly funded by a grant for the purpose to the British Legion to mark 2014 as the centenary of the start of the war.

Last Monday the new Lunch Club started at the Memorial Hall. 22 residents sat down to an excellent meal, very well prepared and served. The Lunch Club will take place every Monday during term time; there will be a special concession on October 14 and the first 25 tickets sold will be priced at £1 only. For this the menu will be sausage and mash with onion gravy followed by syrup sponge pudding with custard.

It is sad that many who enjoyed their lunch this week will be unable to do so again on Monday 14 as they will be attending the funeral of Pam Evans, whose sudden death has shocked her many friends in the village.

Last week’s visit to the parish by the Bishop of Chichester was a great success. He had a very tight schedule but managed to fit in a service at Beckley, followed by breakfast, a visit to both Beckley and Peasmarsh schools, and a short time at Peasmarsh church in just 3 hours before moving on to Brede. We would have liked to have seen more of him, but it was good to have him in our churches and those who were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to speak to him appreciated his interest and knowledge of our local concerns.

A reminder about the Christmas appeal from the charity Link to Hope (formerly Link Romania) - they organise the collection of shoeboxes filled with gifts for very poor families and elderly people living alone in Romania, Moldova, Albania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. These gifts are everyday items such as soap, toothpaste, shampoo, combs, socks, crayons and colouring books etc. If you would like to support the Link to Hope shoebox appeal this year then please collect a leaflet from Peasmarsh Church or contact Sue Cavilla Tel: 230431. Please telephone Sue to arrange collection if required. Shoeboxes need to be ready by Sunday October 27 please.

The Rye and District Association of the National Trust has asked me to include the following: The winter Talks season will start with A Victorian Naturalist presented by Melvin Smith on Thursday October 17.Please note a change of venue for this season -all Talks will be at Brede Village Hall commencing at 2.00 pm. The entrance fee of £2 (members) and £3 (non-members) includes refreshments after the talk.

Also a Quiz Night is being held at Beckley Village Hall - 7.00 pm on Saturday October 26.

Following the success of this event over recent years we are hoping to present you with another entertaining evening including a freshly cooked supper.Teams should be 8 players and if you can organise your own all the better. Otherwise we can arrange for you to join a team that is short on players.There will be a charge of £8 per person. Please contact Danny Rushbrooke on 01797 253521 before October 15 to reserve your table in your team name.

Don’t forget the Peasmarsh & District WI Choir Concert in Rye Methodist Church on Friday October 18 at 7.30. Tickets are £6 at the door. Please come and support your local ladies and help to raise funds for our Community First Responders.

There will be a Harvest Festival service at Beckley church this Sunday at 10am; the service at Peasmarsh will be Holy Eucharist at 3pm.