Winchelsea

Spring Show: The Garden Society’s annual Spring Show takes place on Saturday April 8th at 2pm in the New Hall. On display will be a colourful variety of polyanthus, violas, daffodils, tulips, hellebores, camellias, floral art, vegetables, pot plants, cookery and more. Admission to the show is free and refreshments will be served. Plants on display do not have to be perfect and if you would like an Entry form, please contact Sally Rhodda by 7.30pm on Thursday 6th.

Church election: The Annual Church Meeting took place last Saturday morning in St Thomas’ Church to elect members of the congregation who have an interest in the running of the church. Results showed that those appointed were mainly re-elected having kindly given their time in those positions for the last three years or more. They are the two Churchwardens Charlotte Beecroft and John Rodley; the lay members of the Deanery Synod: Angela Hill, Deborah Rodley and Marion Lovell and the lay members of the Parochial Church Council: Sara Baker, Stewart Elms, Pamela Jefferies, Anna Hargreaves, Susan Taberer, Alice Bolton, David Jefferies, Celia King and Tessa Potts.

Literary Society: During the Literary Society’s Annual General Meeting last week there was a reshuffling of Committee Members. These rearrangements were significant with Howard Norton and Felicity Youlten who had each given notice of their retirement, standing down as President and Chairman respectively. Lorna Challand now replaces Felicity as the Chairman; Tony Moore continues as Vice-Chairman; Hilary Roome is now Secretary; George Challand continues as Treasurer and Committee Members are Howard Norton, Felicity Youlten, Gillian Southgate, Richard Thomas and Bill Docherty. Grateful thanks went to the long standing Committee Members as well as to Lawrence Youlten for setting up and maintaining the Society’s blog. The evening began with South African writer Marion Molteno reading excerpts from three of her novels. Each in their different contexts revealed a sense of place and security which is essential for someone who has travelled as extensively as Molteno. These novels were ‘Uncertain Light’ set in Tajikistan, Central Asia; ‘If you can walk you can dance’ in various parts of Africa and ‘Somewhere More Simple’ on the Isles of Scilly where Marion and her family had spent their holidays when they first came to Britain in the 1970s after leaving Africa. As an Education Adviser for Save the Children Molteno visited over thirty different countries in two years and met many inspiring people who had to cope with the rigours of poverty and oppression. Although it was a nomadic period in her life, she formed attachments in the places she visited and ideas for stories grew from the many cultural differences encountered. Her second novel, ‘If you can walk you can dance’ parallels a great deal of Molteno’s own experience and concerns a young woman having to escape her home in South Africa following the political upheavals at the time. On the journey across east and central Africa she notes that the land she is travelling through is being torn from her with no chance to say good bye. After a journey fraught with danger the car she and her friend Kevin were travelling in finally had to be abandoned before reaching the border town. Heat, mosquitoes, exhaustion and legs torn from pushing through thorn bushes was how they reached their destination. This was neighbouring Swaziland a member of the commonwealth with a Christian majority and a place where her life could start again. She realised that the new life would ‘have almost no point of connection with the previous one’ and that she could no longer return as that place of belonging was no longer there.

Winchelsea Beach

Quiz Night: The Bowls Club are holding a Quiz Night tomorrow April 1st at 6.30 for 7pm in the Community Hall. Tables of up to six people are required and new members are welcomed. The price of £9 p.p. includes a hot salad/ploughman’s and dessert and a bar will be available on the night.

WBCA AGM: The Winchelsea Beach Community Association is having its Annual General Meeting on Monday April 3rd at 7.30pm. This will be in the Community Hall and is open to all to attend.

Jackpot chance: Every other Wednesday there is an evening of Cash Bingo in the Community Hall and everybody is invited to play. Starting at 7 for 7.15pm there will be refreshments, a raffle and the jackpot is available to playing members.

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