Fairlight

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, February 10, there is a talk by Ian (Spike) Millington on the ‘Lighter Side of Policing’, with the lunch that follows consisting of cottage pie followed by trifle. Next Friday, February 17, sees another visit from the popular and regular guest star, Keith Osbourne, in attendance with his Music for Health. A lunch of roast chicken with lemon meringue pie with cream for afters will be prepared for the members’ delight.

Variety Night: Ken Hall and Wendy Hatch are the joint producers of the FRA’s forthcoming Variety Night, in the village hall on Saturday, February 25. It’s £6 a ticket, available from the Post Office, and the event commences at the earlier-than-usual time of 7 pm. Those appearing are rapidly being decided upon, though I haven’t unearthed who is to be compere as yet. A light snack buffet will be provided, included in the entry price. Proceeds will be distributed by the FRA to worthy organisations and causes in the village.

Gardening Club: On Monday last the Gardening Club had their first get together of 2017 at their Annual General Meeting, reports Club Secretary Karen Draper. Despite 14 members sending their apologies due to being struck down with the all too familiar cough and cold or hospital visits or holidays, the meeting still had a good turn-out with 32 members taking part. Chairman Sue Clarke thanked everyone for their help and support during another successful year which has seen the ‘Brightening the Village’ project celebrate its first anniversary, a very well attended and supported Summer Show and, very importantly, the renewal of the Gardening Hut lease for another 25 years! The necessary official business was followed by the popular and now traditional ‘bring and share’ tea, when the savoury and sweet goodies, in vast profusion, were as delicious as always and were enjoyed by everyone. There was also an opportunity to watch the slides from last year’s very successful Summer Show.

The Gardening Hut reopens for business on Saturday, March 4, from 10 am to 12 noon, and will have a full stock of all your gardening needs as all look forward to another year of sowing, planting and growing flowers and vegetables. Of course, you do need to be a club member to get the benefits.

The Club’s first talk of the hew year will be on Monday, March 6, when the Club welcomes a return visit of Wendy Bates from Rotherview Nurseries. Wendy will be explaining how they prepare their Gold Medal winning exhibits for Chelsea and Hampton Court. Not to be missed!

Bowls Club: The Club had its AGM last Saturday, and a report of what went on will appear here next week, together with some interesting details like the opening date of the green this year. No, the latest in the series of Whist Drives is not tonight, it’s next Friday, February 17.

The Wine and Social Club: will be having their February meeting next Monday, 13, in the village hall at 7.30m pm. Ian Rumley-Dawson will be speaking about Wildlife in the Arctic. The club has vacancies, and Membership Secretary Peter Jones is the man to contact.

The Pantomime Group: Yes, I know they’ve just finished their fun production, but their AGM is just over the horizon, on Friday, February 24 in the village hall at 7.30 pm. The whole point of mentioning it this far in advance is to remind you that the Group is seeking a Secretary to join their enthusiastic production team. They are hoping to formally appoint the new Secretary at the AGM. The post involves taking short minutes at their two or three meetings a year and keeping the membership list up to date. It’s a job for either a man or woman and if anyone is interested and would like to know more would they please contact Jennifer Annetts on 812476.

Increasing the light in the village: Before Christmas, it was the Parish Council, seeking to increase the lighting in the village with their enterprising new competition to find the best decorative lights, and a truly worthy winner was selected.

In several parts of Hastings and its surrounds, the Christmas lights are overwhelming through the sheer volume of light, the overpowering firepower. Whereas the effect in Fairlight, with the winner way down yonder in Lower Waites Lane, was acutely emphasised by the total absence of light pollution, so that the winner looked as if it were using some computer enhanced 3-D effect, which competition judge Andrew Mier rightly said appeared to draw you in to the arrangement.

Whatever – the competition continues thanks to my bugbear, temporary three way traffic lights at Battery Hill and Waites Lane, and at Waites Lane and Broadway. Today, Monday, the former set was allowing one vehicle at a time to proceed from Battery Hill into the village, but the timing was pared so fine that drivers waiting to get up the hill were already glowering when the solitary passee met them in Waites Lane. OK, BT, we know you’re beavering away on improving our IT facility, but don’t ignore the lights when their settings will cause at least frustration, and at most a nasty accident. You have workers there, and one of them probably knows how to adjust the lights, so if there is such an accident, BT will be solely to blame.

Meanwhile, in Broadway the proportion of attended to unattended hours on the problem does not improve. Having opened up the ground, they appear to be hoping that all the gas will blow away. The problem here is different from that at Battery Hill. There is often a selfish driver parked between the ‘When Red light shows…’ board and the light itself, which makes it impossible for waiting cars to get into a position where the sensor on the light can see they are waiting. In nthis example, there are no human beings about to assess the effect of their operations on the smooth running of the road network.

Don’t BT and SGN realise that all three roads mentioned have been put there for the legitimate use of residents, travellers and all normal road users (but not cold callers), and not in order that the utility services may have somewhere to dig and damage ad infinitum?

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

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 @RyeObs

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.