Westfield

Services at St John’s Church, Westfield for September are posted outside on the church notice board. The full list of services over the Christmas period have been distributed widely. Everyone is welcome to the traditional service of lessons and carols by candlelight at the church next Sunday, December 15 at 6pm.

Westfield Church will be open each evening from Saturday, December 14 until Christmas Day for visitors to admire the display of decorated Christmas trees from village organisations. The theme is ‘A Christmas Carol’, and donations in aid of St. Michael’s Hospice will be added to those collected from the Christmas lights. Hot drinks will be available.

The Friendship Club resume their meetings from January 6th at the Parish Hall from 2 p.m. - 3.30 p.m. each fortnight. Whist, bingo, scrabble and dominoes are enjoyed by members with tea and biscuits during the break. Subscriptions of £5 are due on the 6th January. New members will be made very welcome. We like to take this opportunity to wish members and readers a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year.

The famous Westfield Christmas Lights were switched on last Friday. Around twenty houses and gardens, mainly in Churchfield and Church Lane, will be decorated with lights and Christmas scenes, and residents will be collecting donations to St. Michael’s Hospice, so please be generous. This is the ninth year that the Westfield residents have supported the Hospice in this way; they raised an amazing £5,562 in 2012! The lights stay on until January 5.

The Friends of Westfield Church would like to thank everyone who supported the Christmas Fayre last Saturday. It was a busy and happy afternoon which raised the record sum of £626, which will be put to good use in helping to maintain the fabric of the church.

Community Speed Watch volunteers for Westfield. Information from Sussex Police invites villages to set up groups of volunteers to carry out this worthwhile speed check. I am sure you will all agree that some motorists travel far too fast through our village and we need to do something to help change their behaviour. Villages that have already taken part in a speed watch initiative report that there has been a noticeable reduction in speeding. Initially, I am looking for expressions of interest, volunteers need to have some free time to participate in initial training by the police and then become part of a group of ideally 10 who would operate the equipment on a rota basis. Unfortunately, if there is insufficient interest it will not be cost effective for the police to deliver training. To find out more See http://www.westfieldvillage.co.uk/node/4527

If you can help Westfield Football Club in any way please contact the club. They are presently putting things in place to ensure both local football opportunities at all levels & for all ages with the 1st team playing in Senior Football. Therefore if you would like to offer one off or ongoing support, both on & off the pitch, before during or after games please get in touch with the Secretary on [email protected]

The Youth Club offers a great time. It runs on Wednesdays from 6.30-8pm. You need to be a member, so contact Dan 07899917952 to register.

St Michael’s Hospice Neighbours has a campaign in the village. This scheme is looking for people to volunteer their time by giving a few hours a week, fortnight or month on a day and time that suits them, within their local area, to help with everyday tasks such as putting out the washing, walking the dog, cooking and daily chores – or just chatting over a cuppa. The first Westfield volunteers are being trained, but more are needed. Please contact Jane Cave on 01424 445177 ext. 6012, or email [email protected] if you think you can help.

The F3 women’s group meets on a regular basis in the village.

There will be a Table Sale in the Community Hall tomorrow, Saturday December 7, from 2pm. Tables at £3 can still be booked from Heidi 07977 802826 or Lisa 07989 025037.

Please support the ‘Carols Sing-a-long’ with Richard and Graham at ‘The Plough’ on Wednesday, December 11 at 7pm, with a raffle for local charity.

The Westfield Community Association carols around the village Christmas tree will be next Friday, December 13, at 7pm. Local musicians will be providing the music for community carols, and there will be hot soup afterwards.

Westfield Beavers are now full & taking names for a waiting list.

Westfield Women’s Institute meets on Tuesdays, ring 01424 754013 for more information.

Supermarkets vouchers for Westfield School can be dropped into the new look “Westfield News & Village Store” where Richard & Dan will happily collect them from you.

The Westfield HUB meets at ‘The Plough’ on Fridays from 10am to 12noon. A warm and friendly welcome and a decent cup of tea/coffee are assured at the Hub every Friday morning between 10am and midday.’

Neighbourhood Watch – Coordinators are required to cover Churchfields, Cottage Lane, Main Road, New Cut & New Moorsite. For more information please contact our village PCSO Richard Perchard on 07796336862 or [email protected]

Early Notice of a party. Westfield 80s fancy dress disco at the Community Hall

7.30 till 12.30pm. Bring your own alcohol and nibbles. £5 per couple

£3.00 per person on 22nd February 2014. Ticket information to follow.

What would you like to see included in the village website? The Westfield village website team members are always looking for ways to improve this community website. Please help by completing our short feedback survey. The link is on the home page of www.westfieldvillage.co.uk

Friday 13th December: A Christmas Extravaganza with Geoff Hutchinson at 2.00 pm in Brede Village Hall. Geoff will give us a joyful start to the Xmas celebrations with his wit and charm – Just For Us. The charge for this occasion will be £6.50 pp including a spot of Christmas spirit with savouries, mince pies and mulled wine. If you would like to join us please book with Ros Adkins on 01797 253763; [email protected]

Forthcoming events in 2014

Thursday 16th January: Our first Talk of the new year is ‘Dante Gabriel Rossetti - his Art and Poetry’ presented by Nick Shaddick a local art and design historian.

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.

Rye & District Lions – inc Westfield, help for the Philippines.

Rye and District Lions Club is helping to provide life saving relief for local communities affected by the disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Lions Clubs throughout the British Isles and Ireland have pledged £200,000 to send 1,000 Lifesaver water filtration systems providing up to 20 million litres of sterile water for drinking and medical use. Rye lions have donated £500 towards this appeal. The donations from the British Isles and Ireland support the £310,000 pledged immediately after the event by Lions Clubs within Southeast Asia and by other global fund-raising events. This money will deliver vital on the ground relief through volunteer members of Lions Clubs in the Philippines, working closely with government officials and other agencies. This is the second disaster to hit this area in a short period and local Lions Clubs, including four in Cebu and one in the disaster epicentre of Tacloban, were already helping those affected by October’s major earthquake nearby, when the typhoon occurred. “Lions Clubs provide a global network that is able to give immediate practical and financial support when such disaster strike,” said President of Rye and District Lions Club, Sue Clay. “Through Lions Clubs International Foundation we maintain a disaster fund enabling the organisations to respond immediately with one hundred per cent of donations going direct to local relief efforts co-ordinated by Lions operating in affected communities.” Sue Clay went on to say ”Typhoon Haiyan has been called the worst storm to make landfall in recorded history and its devastation is hard to imagine. As Lions, we not only help our local communities throughout the year with donations, but are able to respond when relief is required in any community.” Should anyone that has not yet responded to the various appeals for this disaster still wish to donate, they can send cheques made payable to “Rye and Distract Lions Club” to Reg Emson, 22 new Winchelsea Road, Rye, TN31 7TA. Please mark the back of the cheque “Philippines Appeal”. The Lions next fund-raising event will be their Christmas collections outside Jempsons, Peasmarsh and Jempsons Budgens at both Rye and Hawkhurst.

Visit the village website www.westfieldvillage.co.uk for information about village organisations, events, Westfield Community Association, the Parish Council, and all sorts of useful links. Remember this is YOUR website, set up to serve the village community, and your contributions, news and views are needed.

To send information for the Westfield Village Voice, please email [email protected]