Udimore

Steady rainfall last Saturday morning may well have deterred several people from coming along to St Mary’s Community Hall for the Friends of St Mary’s barbecue at noon that day, but those who did come enjoyed a very pleasant social occasion. Although by noon the sun had come out, in the Hall we were glad to be sheltered from a chilly wind. Using a barbecue kindly donated to the Friends by Jane Evans, Frank Langrish kept us all supplied with ‘burgers and hot dogs, the bar did steady business, the tombola dispensed numerous prizes and the closing down sale of the Hall’s stock of books did very well too. Altogether a sum of exactly £300 was taken, making this a useful fundraising event for the Friends in their important work of helping to pay for improvements to our beautiful parish church.

If you read this in time, you’re reminded that our very helpful Police Community Support Officer, Richard Perchard, will be at Brede Farmers’ Market this morning (Friday) between 10 and 11am, offering help and advice on any policing issue which may be of concern to any of us.

The one service in St Mary’s Church on Sunday is the Sung Family Eucharist at 11.15am, followed by refreshments in the Hall. Alternatively, between 9 and 10am on Sunday, though details reached me too late for a mention last week, you can join the Rotary Club’s 16th Annual Charity Walk. Starting from Rye, there’s a choice of three routes varying in distance from three to ten miles. For more information, please ring 07530 770200.

The very important Annual Parish Assembly will take place in the Hall at 6.30pm on Wednesday (May 21). Led by Gina Sanderson of Rother Voluntary Action, there will be a full discussion about what projects the Parish Council should undertake during the next few years. One expensive possibility would be to install four traffic speed indicator devices, two at each end of the village. Other suggestions will be welcome, so please come along with ideas of your own. The formal Annual Parish Meeting will follow afterwards, probably at about 8pm.

Looking much further ahead, please note in your diaries that the Brede and Udimore Overseas Group will be holding a Summer Lunch in the Hall on Thursday June 19. More details nearer the time, but meanwhile tickets are available@ £8.50 from Liz Turgoose (01424 882657).

Ann Barker tells me she’s expecting to arrange another of her fundraising coffee mornings in late Spring or early Summer. Over recent years funds raised by these popular events have paid for numerous improvements to the Hall, the latest of which, new flooring in the bar, is now in place. As soon as I know the date, I will publish it in this column.

Richard Holmes

Beauchamps