Whatlington

Whatlington Remembrance 1914 - 2014: Sunday 9th November being Remembrance Sunday our service will remember all those who served in both World Wars and particularly those who gave their lives and whose names are recorded on the village War Memorial, which is located in the church. Along with this year being the centenary of the declaration of war in 1914 and the 75th anniversary of the start of the Second World War in 1939, it is particularly poignant that the first name on the memorial, 2nd Lieutenant Gillachrist Moore, 2nd Royal Sussex was killed on 7th November 1914, 100 years ago. The service will be held at 10.30am, following the format of our monthly All Age Service, with the Act of Remembrance and appropriate hymns and readings. Parking as usual will be available at the nearby village hall. This will be the first Remembrance Sunday service in the church since 2009, due to the fire of 2010. As always children are welcome, with an area set aside having bean bags, soft toys and books. The service will be followed by coffee, tea and biscuits. We hope that villagers will come and join us for this important service.

English Heritage Angel Awards: Jeffrey Bridges writes: As Whatlington church has received a Commendation in the English Heritage Angel Awards we were invited to attend the awards ceremony at the Palace Theatre in London. The Awards are sponsored by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. Both churchwardens along with former Treasurer Hilda Aplin attended the event which was hosted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Simon Thurley of English Heritage. The theatre itself is a wonderful example of Victorian architecture and as such was just the right venue. A series of short films were shown to detail the four buildings in each category which were shortlisted. The categories were as follows: Industrial, Places of Worship, Craftsmanship & Any Other Heritage Site. The awards were given out by the judge with specialist involvement in that sector. The judges were as follows: The Bishop of London, Dr. Bettany Hughes, Emma Bridgewater, George Clarke, in addition to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Simon Thurley. There was also a People’s Award category which was decided by votes from Daily Telegraph readers, that paper being the media partner for the awards, the certificate in this section was presented by the Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Culture. The Awards were punctuated with entertainment provided by The Commitments and a variety of performers from the Arts Educational Schools London. The Awards and the background stories highlight the huge efforts which individuals and bodies exert throughout England to save our heritage and also to show just how many wonderful buildings and places remain at risk. Whilst we would naturally have liked to have been shortlisted we are pleased to have received a commendation and are invited to apply again next year, so who knows!

The Royal Spook: Maria writes (and many others have reported) that the Hallowe’en Party at The Royal Oak was a great success, with many guests coming along in various spooky costumes. The disco, the food and the atmosphere were all much enjoyed. Many thanks indeed to Jeremy Trinder who brought along part of his amazing Hallowe’en collection to help decorate the pub, including a most realistic Flying Ghost and a life-sized Frankenstein’s Monster. Talking of decorations, we will be starting to dress the pub for Christmas in the next few days - and don’t forget our great Festive Meal deals for larger groups, this month and next.

Patricia Begg

Riccards Spring