Udimore

Beauchamps

Dennis Crouch’s funeral is to be in St Mary’s Church next Friday, June 7, at 1.30 pm. Family flowers only, more details about donations in Dennis’ memory next week. Refreshments in the Hall after the service. Joan has asked me to say how much the many cards and letters she has received have meant to her at this sad time.

What beautiful weather we had last weekend, a real foretaste of summer at last! These were perfect conditions for our National Gardens Scheme opening on Sunday afternoon: several of our 115 visitors commented that they had never seen Beauchamps garden or our views of the Brede Valley looking lovelier. Matty and I are very grateful to the numerous friends who helped in various ways, and specially to the Friends of St Mary’s Church for their baking of their usual superb selection of cakes and serving them, with cups of tea, to our visitors. This enabled them to earn for their funds nearly £240. The remaining proceeds, including gate money, some very generous donations, and the sale of Matty’s plants and marmalade, amounted to nearly £840, which has benefited Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the Hospices, the Carers’ Trust and the other charities supported by NGS.

What the Arabs Really Want is the intriguing subject of a talk to be given at 3pm today (Friday) in Rye Methodist Church, Church Square. The eminent speaker, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, will be well worth listening to: he has served as British Ambassador to Israel, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, and as the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Any profits from the sale of tickets for his talk (£15 at the door) will help support scholarships to Pestalozzi International Village, Sedlescombe.

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) 10.30am for 11am in Brede Village Hall there will be a special Neighbourhood Watch meeting. This will be a chance to meet Katy Bourne, the newly elected Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Charles Mc Ilwrick MBE, the local NW chairman, and Carolyn Randall, of Sussex Crimestoppers - and raise with them any matters of local concern. Refreshments will be served.

Tomorrow evening, there’s an open invitation from the Wheeler family to join their party at Parsonage Farm for the annual Rockabilly Race, run over a 5-mile course in the Tillingham Valley, starting at 6pm. Free entry to the farm any time from 4pm onwards, plenty of free parking space. There will be a barbecue, other refreshments and a licensed bar, open for the rest of the evening. Too good a party to miss!

The 11.15am Sunday service in St Mary’s Church will be the usual monthly Family Service for All, followed by refreshments. At 4pm on Tuesday (June 4) the usual monthly Messy Church, for children accompanied by adults, will be in St Mary’s Community Hall.