Whatlington village voice - March 30

I am going to take a break from writing the Village Voice for a few weeks as the last few months have been quite tiring and stressful as many of you will know. I shall be at home however and at the end of the telephone if you need to contact me.

The news for the Village Voice should from the 1st April, for the next few weeks be sent to Andrew Ratcliffe at [email protected] Andy, who lives in Whatlington, has kindly offered to stand in for me for a period of time so that I can re-charge my batteries, although I am giving up writing the Village Voice later on in the year as I feel that it should be written by somebody from the village and also it would be good to have another stance on the way the voice is presented.

I can see I am forgetting things because I forgot to mention in last week’s column that the clocks should have been put forward last weekend and I did not realise until last Saturday that this was applicable.

The Good Companions enjoyed a delicious lunch at the West Station, Bexhill on Sea a week ago; in fact 20 members attended. Their next meeting, a social afternoon, will be on Wednesday April 18th at Whatlington Village Hall. (Further details nearer the time)

The Parish Church Appeal Fund rose by £1020.00 this week to bring the balance to £32979.78. May I through your column, thank the person , who so generously donated £1000.00 to this fund anonymously and also thank Ted for his generous donations. When I first launched the Appeal Fund I thought that it would possibly reach £25,000 but as you can see it has passed that figure significantly. May I sincerely thank all those people who have given so generously; your gifts are greatly appreciated.

Nick tells me that there is another 1066 walk tomorrow, Saturday March 31st.It will be a walk of 4.50 miles starting at Rushlake Green. If you would like further information on this walk please contact Nick on 07918 907265 or www.spanglefish.com/1066countrywalks.

Today is the last day of the term for pupils at Mountfield & Whatlington School as they break up for the Easter holidays. It is a MUFTI/fundraising day and there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children.

Pupils return back to school on Friday 13th April

Yesterday parents said their goodbyes and good wishes at school assembly to their headmaster Joe Hellett who is moving on to take over the headship at Sacred Heart School in Hastings.

May I take this opportunity of thanking Joe for all his hard work in cementing relationships with our Parish Church and wish him well for the future. He will be greatly missed, but starts another chapter in his life and one that will bring him different challenges no doubt.

News from the Royal Oak: Irish Music Night at The Royal Oak has come round again – don’t miss a “jamming” style session around the bar from 8.30pm tonight (Friday 30th). This is always a popular event and a unique evening, often attracting over a dozen musicians. Please call 01424 870492 for more details.

In the run-up to Easter The Royal Oak has a few events planned; On Wednesday 4th April the brilliant New Orleans Rhythmakers will be performing Traditional Jazz from 8pm. On Thursday 5th April we will be holding an Easter Quiz with lots of Easter eggs, spot prizes and lollipops – why not put a team together (up to six people) and join us?

On Saturday 7th April Dani and Amy are hosting another of their great cocktail nights, so get your glad-rags on and come and sample a few interesting beverages. The usual menu will also be served from 6.30 – 9pm.

The next film on the itinerary for the Whatlington Film Club is “A Room With a View” which will be shown at 8pm on Friday 6th April at The Royal Oak. This 1985 adaptation of E. M. Forster’s novel is a romantic drama with an all-star cast including Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Callow and Judi Dench. For further information about the Film Club please contact Steve via email [email protected].

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday and is the first day of |Holy Week, which end the following Sunday; Easter Day. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus`s triumphal entry into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion, when people placed palm leaves before him as he entered the city.

The Parish Church will be celebrating Passion/Palm Sunday this Sunday with a Parish Eucharist at 8.30am in the village hall. All are most welcome.

The following Friday, Good Friday, there will a service in the village hall at 6pm.

Holy Communion on Easter Sunday will be celebrated at 9am (please note the change in time) and will also incorporate a family service with refreshments afterwards.

Hilda Aplin, Lismoyne, Oakhurst Road