Village Voices: Udimore - November 26, 2010

So that the public may be further consulted about the spending of the £3,077 received from the former New Hall Committee, the new Management Committee was to be asked to suggest a list of capital items on which this sum could be spent.

Councillors then considered the helpful and informative letter recently received by Chris McGrath from the County Director of Transport and the Environment, Rupert Clubb.

This had been quoted in full in the Council’s November Newsletter. It had explained the reasons for keeping the present pattern of vehicle speed restrictions on the Udimore section of B2089 unchanged, the feasibility of marking the edges of the carriageway with white lines (to be evaluated), and new measures designed to encourage better HGV driving standards.

In this connection, Operation Crackdown had proved to be a very useful scheme: an incident recently reported by a member of the public had received prompt attention by Rye police.

We can all play our part in this by taking a note of the time, place and vehicle details of any incident of anti-social driving we witness (especially, in our case, substantially exceeding the 40mph speed limit on B2089, which also applies to HGVs on “60mph” sections of the road) and reporting them, either by phoning 01243 642222 or on line www.operationcrackdown.org .

There was more hopeful news about the playground. It seems that Amicus Horizon is now likely to be prepared to lease the land on which it is sited to the Parish Council at a nominal rent, once the necessary legal arrangements have been made.

Another hopeful piece of news is that the current Parish Precept of £6,000 is thought likely to remain unchanged for the financial year 2011-12, subject to any unexpected expenditure being required next year.

You may well have a 2011 diary by now. If so, please note in it the dates of the next three Parish Council meetings, all on Wednesday evenings in the St Mary’s Community Hall: January 12, March 9, and May 11 (Annual Parish Council Meeting, plus Annual Village Meeting).

THE following morning, a very successful Coffee Morning at Wick Farm Oast raised £160 for the Hall.

Rachel Dunn has asked me to thank her team of helpers, who contributed so much to the event’s success.

THE Udimore Gardeners’ meeting in the Hall on Saturday also went very well. Linda Harland has sent me the following account, “Udimore Gardeners, and many guests, heard Nadia Florence-Marshall give us exciting ideas about Christmas decorations, using greenery from the gardens, hedgerows and woods.

This was a very successful afternoon, and Nadia left us all inspired to forage the gardens, and in some cases the prunings heap. Of course she makes it look so easy, but we all know what a great deal of work and preparation went into this very creative presentation.

Udimore Gardeners has a full programme of events for next year. Please contact 01797 222410 for further details of joining.”TOMORROW (Saturday) the annual St Mary’s Church Grand Christmas Fayre takes place in the Hall from 10am till noon.

The stalls include Cakes, Preserves, Books, “New to You”, Gifts, Bric-a-Brac, The Wonderful Wick Sloe Gin, Jewellery, Charity Christmas Cards and “Book Yourself a Makeover for Christmas”.

Besides the biggest raffle ever, there is another raffle for The Famous Hamper. If you would like to donate items for sale on the stalls, please bring them along when you come to the Fayre.

In addition, this year there are lots of competitions, in both open and under 12 age groups. It’s not too late to prepare (or look out) your entries for the various classes and bring them along with you at 10am.

To remind you, the classes are: 1 The Great Bake: (a) Christmas cake - traditional or something different. (b) Diabetic, gluten-free or dairy-free cake. (c) Preserve - jam or pickle. 2 The Perfect Winter Photo. 3 Christmas Table Decorations Made with Natural Materials.

ON MONDAY (November 29) from 10am till 12.30pm there will be a “Jamie at Home” party at Perryfield House, with mulled wine and mince pies for sale.

This is an opportunity for some upmarket Christmas shopping from an extensive display of goods from the Jamie Oliver catalogue. A percentage of takings will be donated to Chernobyl Children Rye.

NEXT FRIDAY (December 3) from 6pm till 8pm there will be a Christmas Disco for Primary School Children in the St Mary’s Community Hall. For tickets (£2) please ring Cherry Merricks (07895 639773).

NEXT SATURDAY (December 4) at 7.30pm Bromley Youth Chamber Orchestra and Newstead Wood School for Girls Choir will be making their popular biennial visit to St Mary’s Church Rye, to give another concert in aid of Chernobyl Children Rye.

Their programme will include music by Handel, Grieg and Elgar, and seasonal motets and anthems.

Both orchestra and choir have exceptionally high musical standards and are sure to give us another superb concert.

For tickets (£10) please ring either St Mary’s (01797 224935) or Janet Waddams (01797 223188).

THAT weekend (Saturday and Sunday, December 4-5) Brenda Hartill’s studio at The Oast House Gallery, Pound House (opposite Church Gate) will again be open to the public, 11am- 4pm both days.

On show will be new work, both by Brenda and by Dawn Cole, Nicola Jackson and Susanna Moores, much of it for sale at attractive prices: paintings, collages, photographs, etchings, collagraphs, greetings cards and jewellery.

You will also be able to see demonstrations of printing small etchings.

FOR all of you who are interested in the abundant and diverse wildlife we are lucky enough to enjoy in our village, there will be an important meeting in the Hall at 7.30pm on Friday December 10.

This will be the inaugural meeting of Wild Udimore, a key part of our Village Plan. We shall be discussing ways in which by sharing our individual interests we can contribute towards a fuller understanding of the whole natural environment of Udimore and its place in the Rye Bay area.

Please keep the evening free for this important meeting if you possibly can.

RICHARD HOLMES

Beauchamps