Winchelsea

Finding Camille: There will be a screening of the 2017 Italian comedy ‘Finding Camille’ on Wednesday January 16th at 2pm in the New Hall. This will be followed by tea, cake and Q & A with the film’s director Bindu De Stoppani. The PTA at St Thomas’ Primary School is organising the screening to raise money towards a clean-up of the school garden and tickets for the event are £5 and there will be tea and cake at £2. The local community is invited and any donation will be gratefully received.

Dark Surprises: On Friday January 18th the Literary Society will be having its monthly meeting in the Court Hall at 7 for 7.30pm. There will be a talk and workshop given by David Meyer on Shakespeare’s Macbeth which contains famous lines like “When shall we three meet again in thunder, lighting or rain?” David is an actor who works with the Globe Theatre and he will be exploring the theme of Black Magic in the play. Food for thought is whether this highlights the effects of dark chocolates being consumed during a performance of the blood-thirsty play or concerns the cosmic bubbling cauldron of the Weird Sisters as they cast their spells. Needless to say all will be revealed on the night.

From Captivity: The Garden Society’s annual Winter Lecture will be presented by the celebrated plant-hunter, horticulturalist and author Tom Hart Dyke. He will be speaking at the New Hall on Saturday January 19th at 2.30pm and admission is £5 or £3 members’ payable at the door. Annual membership costs £5 and you will be able to renew on the day. The theme of the lecture is ‘From Captivity to A Castle’ and Tom will be describing his perilous and fascinating adventure with his travelling companion Paul Winder when they shot to international fame in the year 2000. The reason was that they were kidnapped and held hostage for nine months in the Colombian jungle while on a plant hunting expedition that went badly wrong. On the day the guerrillas told them they would die, Paul spent the afternoon in prayer while Tom, as a diversion used his final day in designing a world garden for his ancestral home Lullingstone Castle near Sevenoaks in Kent. Fortunately, the young men were released in time for Christmas on 16th December 2000. Tom has since been building the ‘World Garden’ from plants he’d collected across the globe and this project is located in the back garden of Lullingstone Castle and is now open to visitors from around the world. Tom’s knowledge of all plants is unrivalled and he is described (in The Guardian) as ‘The new David Bellamy’.

Winchelsea Beach

St Richard’s: This Sunday January 13th there will be a Parish Holy Communion service in St Richard’s Church and friends and visitors are always welcome. The service, led by the Rector will begin at 9.30am. St Richard’s Church is also open to all for quiet prayer from 9.30am during the week.

IPC Meeting: The next Parish Council meeting will take place on Monday January 14th at 7.15pm in Rye Harbour Village Hall. This is both a Planning and Full Council meeting and local residents are welcome to attend. Recent IPC activities include the Council agreeing an application from the Winchelsea Bowls Club for a grant of £500 for important works to the green. Also the Council approved the buying of new security padlocks which appear to be much needed, for the gate at Harbour Field Recreation Ground at Dogs Hill. In addition, the allowance for Parish Councillors which is currently £228 was due to be reviewed by the Independent Remuneration Panel. Although the Parish Council does not at present pay allowances it is possible there may be a need to do so in the future.