Winchelsea Village Voice

RIDE AND STRIDE is this weekend on Saturday September 12th and its aim is to raise funds for St Thomas’s Church and Sussex Historic Churches Trust. You are invited to take part by cycle, walking or any other way.  The sponsor forms which should be completed soon and route maps are at the  back of the church. 

HERITAGE OPEN DAY at Wesley’s Chapel will be on September 12th from 10am to 4pm.  As usual this coincides with the Sussex Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride event and is an opportunity to see the Chapel’s historic artefacts and documents collected over the years and learn about the Chapel story in the context of the town.  This year, the displays will include copies of some 19th Century Circuit Plans. These are of interest to Methodists in particular, as the plans include the names of all the churches in the same group (Circuit) as well as the preachers and the times of the services.  The 19th Century was a time when Methodist chapels were being built in almost every village, if there wasn’t already one.  As Jesus said to the disciple Peter: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)   Many people may find it of interest to try and piece together the developing picture of chapels across their locality.  The friends of the Chapel look forward to seeing you there and entry is free all day with tea and coffee available.

IPC MEETING will take place on Monday September 14th in Winchelsea Beach Community Hall.  This will be Planning followed by Full Council at 6.15pm.   On September 28th in Winchelsea Court Hall there will be Planning followed by Open Spaces Committee at 6.15pm.  Icklesham Parish Council continues to monitor vehicle speeds around the Parish using the Black Cat speed monitoring equipment.  The data is collected weekly and uploaded to the Parish Council website for residents to view and also shared with East Sussex Highways and Sussex Police, to provide evidence of speeding concerns within the communities.  A new pole will also be installed at Dogs Hill (Winchelsea Beach) to enable the collection of speed data at this location.   The Parish Council will continue to monitor traffic speeds throughout the Parish and work with various authorities to improve road safety for the residents.  Please note that IPC welcome your views and do send any requests to [email protected]

COMMUNITY BUS OUTING with the Garden Society will take place on Sunday September 20th leaving German Street at 10.30am to be back by 5pm.  Please remember to bring a picnic for the event.  The first visit will be to Tidebrook Manor, Wadhurst for the NGS Open day at the 4-acre Arts and Crafts country garden.  Complete with exceptional views of the countryside the garden features courtyards, meadows, hydrangea walk and a woodland garden.  The second visit is to Rapkyns Nursery, Heathfield for this NGS garden which has a large collection of salvias and cottage garden plants.  During the visit there will be a talk about the nursery and this will provide the opportunity to ask questions about anything pertaining

‘WHY POETRY? A Creative Exploration’ is the title of Literary Society’s next talk, which will be given by the Society’s chairman, Dr Richard Ormrod.   Richard is a semi-retired academic who has taught for the Open University and continues to teach adult creative writing in Rye under the auspices of the Rye Arts Festival to whom he has also given a number of public lectures.  He is also a published biographer, journalist, reviewer and poet; and has also written English Literature textbooks for the Edexcel Exam Board.  The talk will be held in the Court Hall on Friday September 18th at 7 for 7.30pm.  This is free to members and non-members pay £5 admission.

1066 HISTORY FESTIVAL dates for your diary begin on the afternoon of Saturday October 10th at 2 for 2.30pm in the New Hall.   This is when WAAHS have invited Stephen Gray, an archaeologist and trustee at Battle Museum, and Jonathan Starkey author of ‘The Battle of Hastings at Sedlescombe’, for a lively debate on the possible sites of the Norman landing and subsequent battle, with a retired High Court Judge as moderator!

On the morning of Saturday October 24th at 10.30 for 11am in the New Hall WAAHS have invited Dr Michael Bintley, associate Professor of Medieval English literature at the University of Southampton, who will describe what the countryside of England was like at the eve of the Conquest.

On the evening of Saturday October 24th in the Lower Court Hall FOAM will provide a light-hearted political debate between the three men who fought for the English Crown: the Viking Harald Hardrada, the Saxon Harold Goodwin and the Norman William. Rather than take part in a bloody battle, our audience will be able to decide, who they feel would make the best ruler of England. 

On the morning of Saturday October 31st at 10.30 for 11am in the New Hall Kathleen Tyson, who has transcribed and translated the earliest account of the Norman Conquest, will be giving a talk on behalf of WAAHS. 

On the afternoon of Saturday October 31st at 2 for 2.30pm in the New Hall it is the turn of the WCA to host a talk. This one is by Alexandra Martin, author of a fascinating book on the politics of Saxon embroidery, she will be looking in detail at the Bayeux Tapestry.

Please book early for these history talks and tickets are £5 members and £10 for non-members and can be purchased online and details are on the posters. 

WINCHELSEA BEACH is holding its Monthly Bingo session on Wednesday September 16th in the Community Hall on Sea Road.  Doors open at 2.30pm and all are invited to play at Bingo and enjoy afternoon tea.