Piddinghoe

NIGHTLIFE: Since the demise of The Royal Oak (about 25 years ago,by most reckonings) there has been no natural, regular outlet for social inter-action in this village, although several people have tried to do their best to spark some sort of leisure activities. After the fire that finished off the pub amid rumours that it was a put-up insurance job that failed, an imaginative group of villagers formed the Royal Oak Survivors Club to present occasional social events such as Quiz Nights, Irish Nights, Culture Talks, Discos and exhibitions, most of them in the old village hall (a smart house and courtyard/garden now stands on the Royal Oak site and the residents have been there 22 years). People can remember the hard work put in by Andy Hill and his late wife Sue who also played a key role in keeping St John's Church going before her tragic death. There was also Bill Weir, Peter Gould, Valerie Mellor (the village historian) and later Penny and Neil who threw parties and Carolyn and Den who booked comedy shows, refurbished the hall and tried to get it extended. Not all of those people are still with us and although Film Night has been running, once a month, for about seven years now (often to tiny audiences) and Vanessa and Christine put on a lovely concert for the Newhaven Food Bank in the church recently other events have become few and far-between. There are still some people who mourn the passing of Open Gardens in Piddinghoe (it was in early June usually) which was abandoned following undeserved and hurtful criticism of the brilliant organiser. There is still The Big Barbecue or Big Tea (usually late June) run by Sheila and Mel and we have had the odd musical act come and play in the Village Hall, but bad weather ruined a revival bid of the Skipping and Pancake Race in February and March. The two Davids still get together with Debbie and Mel now and then to put on a pop-up bar for a fun and charity social night but there seems the clear impression of things drifting away as far as sociability is