Rodmell and Southease Parish Pump

I was delighted to see on Breakfast TV the morning of 4th September a representative from Age UK being interviewed about the problem that 1 million 4 hundred people who are pensioners either don’t have technology, can’t use technology or just do not want to do technology, so are finding life very difficult in many ways. None of us particularly want to get old but I’m afraid we have to deal with it! It’s a fact of life. What really pleased me was that the subject of parking and the various methods of paying to park was one of the issues, I and I know many of my friends, and readers of Parish Pump, find we don’t go out so much now as we have to think can I park, and can I walk to where I want to go from the car park I can still use. I work my weekly visit into Lewes now by parking and shopping in Tesco for 3 hours, in which time I can possibly sort out other issues, maybe arrange to visit a restaurant for breakfast or tea and meet friends who work the same system. At one time I used to go into Lewes or Seaford (which is good for parking) several times a week, but now my friends tend to come over to our pub to meet me, which is good for the pub but takes trade away from Lewes, and Lewes by the look of it these days needs it. Lots of people come to Lewes on a Sunday when it’s free parking so perhaps a ‘no pay parking day’ which was in use for the day when Lewes isn’t busy would bring people in.

Banking is another big issue for older people, many who used to use Lloyds Bank, which was situated in the middle of our county town and was always busy. I often see and speak to people in Nationwide branch in Seaford who transferred from Lloyds Lewes 1) because they didn’t want to walk up School Hill 2) because it is good parking in Seaford and flat walking. As someone who has just been diagnosed with heart failure problems I can see their point. You can of course use your bus pass to get up School Hill and back down again. So many older people are now, I find, saying ‘well they don’t want us to stick around as we are seen as a liability’. Maybe the Government should take this on board when it comes to the next election?!

I was going to go to the meeting in our village hall last night about the speeding on our road (C7) an issue of many many years going on and on. I didn’t make it, as I’d had a day in Lewes walking at a very slow pace from doctors to opticians and various other places and then doing the weekly shop, so by the evening I was worn out and couldn’t make it. I heard from a neighbour that about 18 people made it but not many could do Speed Watch which is said to make a potentially significant impact on driving along the C7 (I did it years ago with a neighbour). It involves groups of residents receiving training for Sussex Police to operate hand-held speed cameras at intervals, in their local areas. I remember one desperate neighbour making out her hair dryer was a speed detector to try to get people to slow down… that would of course cause big debates and anger. Should we get more deaths on the C7. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. If you are interested in volunteering to help Speed Watch in Rodmell you can contact Fred Wettern who is coordinating enquiries tel: 07979700913 email: [email protected]

I hope all you art lovers have enjoyed the first weekend of Artwave, which is on through September.

The Quiz in our pub on Wednesday was a good fun evening, and the pub was packed out. The next one will be 7th October, and you can book your team (of up to 6 people) in by contacting the pub on 01273 472416.

We have Ride and Stride on 12th September, a sponsored event to help preserve Sussex Churches. You can walk or ride a bike visiting historic churches to raise funds for their preservation. Refreshments will be available.

Rodmell Parish Council meeting takes place on 15th September in Rodmell Village Hall at 7pm. Local residents are welcome to come along and hear what is being done by the council in our village.

Ali kindly left a pile of conkers for me recently, so they are now all around the house to deter the very large spiders which have taken up residence in my house recently. I need to tell my B&Bs why they are there else they may think it is a very strange custom. So far, it’s working, I hope it lasts.

I have Annie, a lady that was a lodger with me several years ago, who now lives in France, coming to stay this month, plus Juliet who was a live-in carer to people in the village some years ago who is also coming to visit me and others she knows. I love people visiting.