Staplecross

COMMUNITY NEWS & REVIEWS: Just a few days ago, (April 12th) Ewhurst Parish Council held it's Annual Parish Assembly in the Village Hall in Staplecross and it was a pleasure to see so many residents from all three villages attend. As usual, a superb buffet of delicious finger food was arranged by members of our local W.I. and many grateful thanks were extended to them for continuing to support this meeting in this way. This meeting was the perfect opportunity for the residents to come along and hear from our Parish Council Chairman, Mr. David Young, what plans E.P.C. have in store for us over the forthcoming months and questions were encouraged from the floor, to all Councillors as all three levels of local government were represented. Regrettably Mrs. Angharad Davies arrived too late to be involved in these discussions, but many residents were able to speak to her at the end of the evening. A summary of the Parish Council's forecast incomings and outgoings for the past year was available via the Ewhurst Parish Council, -Annual Report, 2015-2016 together with reports from the majority of the community and voluntary groups within the parish, and these all made for very interesting reading. The guest speakers, Mr. Ted Kemp, from the '˜Rother Neighbourhood Watch', - Mr. James Doran from the '˜Hope Farm Project', and Mr. Patrick Melanophy, our local '˜Community Speedwatch' co-ordinator - provided us all with several interesting facts on these issues with which to mull over and hopefully take further and we thank them for giving up their time to come along and discuss these subjects with us. The meeting was brought to an end with the delightful, charming and heartfelt plea, in the form of a letter (perhaps, '˜petition' would be a better word) which brought smiles to the faces of the audience and much laughter during the reading of it. Here is the '˜petition' - in it's entirety, warts & all, for you to enjoy also. - 'Dear Ewhurst Parish Council, I'm writing to you because I think you need more equipment
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Apr 2016, 00:00 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

EAST SUSSEX LIBRARY SERVICE: “Learning opportunities in Eastbourne and Hastings”. Did you know that the East Sussex Library Service offer on-line courses, either in a library or at home, - with support and guidance available from a tutor?. In both Eastbourne & Hastings libraries, you are able to sign up to a range of “learndirect” English, Maths and ICT courses. Although the courses are online, - these courses are for people at all levels, from beginners who have never touched a computer and don’t know a mouse from a memory, (like me !) right up to experienced clever computer bods who know them inside out but just want to gain a qualification. They assess your needs and help you select a course that suits you. In the last 12 months, nearly 200 new qualifications have been gained through “learndirect” courses in East Sussex Libraries. Their students have used the skills gained through these courses to secure new or better jobs and new volunteering opportunities. To find out more, please visit your local library - information can also be found through the Mobile Library Service - or by telephoning 03456~080196 or check out their website: eastsussexlibraries.gov. Some qualifications are funded by the government, - so are free of charge or have reduced fees. How much you pay depends on which course you take and if you are eligible for funding. These courses are open to everyone, so why not check it out and then decide which one will be best for you?

ROTHER DISTRICT COUNCIL: Just a gentle reminder of the ‘Jobs Fair’ event that Rother District Council have arranged together with various local employers. The ‘Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair’ will be held at the De La Warr Pavilion, in Bexhill on Friday April 29th. between 10.00am and 3.00pm. This has been created in response to local employers, who are keen to actively recruit new staff or offer apprenticeships and training opportunities. The Jobs Fair is a ‘not-for-profit’ event and is supported by local businesses. It is free for businesses and delegates. Please pass the word on to whoever you feel may benefit from learning more and attending this fair. It would also be nice to encourage, and see as many young people as possible visit this event, as who knows what exciting new horizons this event may lead to. The link to the event on the De la Warr Pavilion’s website is: www.dlwp.com/event/jobsfair and the twitter hashtag is #BexhillReady. Pop along and find out what is available for you.- It just may surprise you!.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

STAPLECROSS MCP SCHOOL: In a serious attempt to reduce the nightmare congestion of the twice daily school run, Head Teacher, Mrs Liz Avard, her staff and the PTFA have come up with ‘an evil plan’ ! - in conjunction with the Staplecross Village Hall Committee, an arrangement has been made whereby parents will be encouraged to park their cars in the Village Hall Car Park and using the new gate to the rear of the hall, walk, hop, skip or jump down the back entrance path, in an easier, safer, environment directly down to the school. With the Village Hall car park having recently been given a resurfacing, this should make for simpler, smooth parking, therefore avoiding parking on the kerbs, pavements, bends and even grass verges ! This is hoped to make the horrendous problem of trying to find a space to park the car, and then finally just abandoning it because time is running out and there’s no space anywhere ! - a thing of the past. Vehicles of all shapes & sizes, colours & cc’s have been delivering pupils to this little school for a number of years and this is accepted as part of family & school life now. The school’s pupil register has grown over the years, which is a good thing, - the school run delivery service also steadily increasing in number,- sadly is not !. This area has now become quite a bottle neck with traffic coming and going in all directions and consequently this issue has also become much more of a problem, seriously so, in fact, that something must be done before a serious, tragic accident occurs. Hence this idea/suggestion/plea. There is space for dozens of cars to park safely, quickly and easily at the Village Hall and it will enable parents to walk along with their children not only at a more leisurely pace, but also more enjoyable and MORE SAFER! Therefore PLEASE parents, carers & minders, - all who take children to school in a vehicle, please don’t dismiss this suggestion out of hand, please give this idea a chance, - there are many benefits for everyone -- less rushing, less panic to find parking for chauffeur’s, children can walk down happily with their friends and enjoy doing so. The warmer summer days will soon be here with nicer weather and there will certainly be less stress for all concerned, but most importantly it is so much safer for everyone.- especially your child. PLEASE TRY IT.

QUEEN’S 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: In honour of our Queen Elizabeth attaining the age of 90 years old, it has been decided to organise a fabulous “Firework Display” to help celebrate it. This will take place on the Staplecross Playing field in Northiam Road with the display beginning at 8.30pm. As always, those clever chappies from the Ewhurst & Staplecross Bonfire Society will organise the display which has been sponsored by the Ewhurst Parish Council who wanted to help mark this special occasion. Following on from the firework display, food and entertainment will be available at the Cross Inn pub in the heart of the village. After all the heat, and the ‘ooohs & aaahs -’a pie & a pint’- may be just the answer, to round off a really great evening. So don’t miss it.!

STAPLECROSS BOWLS CLUB: The month of April has arrived and the fixtures for this new 2016 season will begin in earnest now as an Opening Bowls Drive has been arranged for Saturday April 23rd at their home ground in Northiam Road, Staplecross, TN32 5QH commencing at 2.30pm. An invitation from the members of the Staplecross Bowls Club, is extended to one & all, to come along to their “ Taster Day” which is being held on Sunday April 24th. 2.30pm, again in their clubhouse. If you have ever considered taking up this fascinating sport, then this may be just the right time for you to come along and have a go !.- All the equipment will be there for you to try out and that includes friendly advice, instruction and encouragement.- you need bring nothing else - other than flat, comfy shoes which are the only request from the club. It will also give you the opportunity to meet the members and find out all about this dedicated and friendly club. Following on from the ‘Taster Day’, will be a “New Member’s Night” and this is planned to take place on Friday April 29th commencing at 6.00pm. This again will take place in the Club pavilion, This is sure to be another enjoyable evening event, so why not pop along and try your hand at it? The Club’s Bowls teams will be playing their first away match the following day (April 30th) when they are at Biddenden. A “Fun Race Night”, which as always is shared with the Staplecross Bonfire Society, is planned to take place on Saturday April 30th at the Staplecross Social Club, again in Northiam Road, Staplecross, - adjacent to the Village Hall. This evenings’ entertainment begins at 7.00pm. There is free entry for all, but a choice of three (3) supper dishes is available at a miserly cost of £3:50 per person. On the menu tonight is “Moroccan Chicken”, - “Chilli Con Carne” and “Lasagne” - If you would like to partake of this delightful repast, then please telephone Brian Scowen on 01580~830570 with your choice(s), as all meals have to be pre-ordered. This is always a very enjoyable evening, so please try to come along and enjoy it with them. In the meantime, if you happen to be just passing their lawns, whilst a match is in progress, - These matches are always a pleasure to watch as we marvel at their skill and your support on these occasions is always most welcome.

ROTHER RAMBLERS: It’s very hard to believe that the month of April is almost over already but for the avid walkers of the Rother Ramblers walking group, - the months don’t matter, only the walks and where they take them to. Well, two (2) more walks have once again been arranged for your delight and the first is for Sunday April 24th and is entitled “ Searching for Bluebells from Stonegate” - how emotive is that ? The walk will cover a distance of 9 circular miles and the meeting point is at Stonegate Station car park. OS EXP 136. TQ658272. (SatNav TN5 7EU) at 10.00am. Sadly this station has a ‘Pay & Display’ rule. As usual, a picnic lunch is the order of e day and Adrian will be your ‘walk leader’ for this outing. You may contact him on: 01273~514336 or mobile: 07729~861854 for all further information. Walk No: 2 is a complete contrast as we head off seawards for an 8.5 spectacular circular stroll of Belle Tout Light Tower and Beachy Head. This dramatic scenery is breath-taking at any time of the year and the surrounding coastal area with it’s majestic cliffs and miles of glorious scenery in every direction really makes you want to just stand and stare. Whether you get the chance to do so on this particular meander remains to be seen. This walk has been planned for Wednesday April 27th. The meeting point is the Western end of Eastbourne sea-front (Dukes Drive) by the right-angled bend at the foot of the Downs, near the little kiosk. OS EXP 123. TV600972. (SatNav BN20 7RX) at 10.00am. There is generally free roadside parking available and as normal, a picnic lunch is suggested. Frances is to have the privilege of being your ‘walk leader’ on this trip and you may contact her on 01424~754548 for more details.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

STAPLECROSS STOOLBALL CLUB: Ready to take up their bats again and hurtle around the pitch as their 2016 fixtures begins anew, this energetic sports club will be doing battle once more as they play their 2nd match of the season. This will be on Thursday April 28th at 6.45pm. and this time it is an away match against the Civil Service. They will be back on home ground, at the Playing Field, Northiam Road, Staplecross for another Home match which is booked for Tuesday May 3rd at 6.45pm. This can be a fast but rather exciting game so if you can, just pop along to the field and watch it unfold. It’s an unusual game to see played, as it isn’t widely known or played throughout England, but hopefully this is now changing, - it’s also great fun to watch !.

CHURCH SERVICES: Church services for the parish of Ewhurst will commence at St. James the Great, Ewhurst Green, on Sunday April 24th. Easter 5. at 9.30am. This service will also include Holy Communion. (BCP) There will be NO SERVICE today at St. Giles church, Bodiam, but a service will follow directly afterwards at 11.15am. at St. Mark’s church, Northiam Road, Staplecross. This service will also include Holy Communion. Once more we welcome the return of Canon Richard Orchard, who will officiate at both of these services and we thank him for kindly continuing to do so. If there is any church matter on which you feel you may need further assistance, then do please get in touch. You may contact either of the churchwardens ~ Graham Peters -on [email protected] and telephone no: 01580~830203 for Bodiam church matters and for Ewhurst Parish church matters, please contact Jo Goodwin-on [email protected] and telephone no: 01580~830601. Help in some form or another, is always at hand, and so generously given, and nothing it too much trouble, so do please contact them.

PLEASE CONTACT ME: If you are arranging an event in the near future, --- however large or small and you’d like some extra coverage for it, then please get in touch. If it’s of interest to you, - it’s of interest to us. It’s never too early to send in your details and to tell us what you are planning, so please do contact me, as I’d love to hear from you and to help ‘spread the word’ on your behalf.........Thank You

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RyeandBattleObserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @BattleObs

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Rye and Battle Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.