Ninfield

A Pancake Lunch!: On Tuesday 28th February, in aid of the refurb. of St. Oswalds’ Church, Hooe; everyone is welcome to go and drop into Hooe Village Hall between 12 midday and 2pm, and have Soup, Pancakes and a chat! There are no tickets, entry and the food is free, but there is a request for donations towards the ongoing repairs to the Church roof etc.

Ninfield Parish Council: Thursday 2nd March, 7.15pm at the Methodist Hall, Church Lane. There will be a full agenda, as usual, as well as updates on the response submitted by the Council to the application for the proposed building of up to 80 dwellings on land behind Manchester Road. All letters and reports submitted are available to view on the Wealden District Council website, and it’s really worth reading through the excellent, detailed response by Ninfield P.C. On Thursday there will be a report from the recent SLR meeting, which is held half yearly with representatives from ESCC Highways, County/District Councillors, plus the local Steward. The progress on the School lease and planned new classrooms will be reviewed, and, what has become something of a Monthly Mantra, the need for more residents to step forward to become Parish Councillors! There are spaces for at least two more members, and a leaflet is being constructed to try and stir up some enthusiasm! It is a fair bit of work and commitment, but, if you enjoy where you live and care about it’s environment and its residents, then becoming a Parish Councillor can be a very rewarding bit of volunteering! Do go to the meeting on the 2nd, or call the Clerk on 07725843505, email [email protected].

Hooe Parish Council: Saturday 4th March, The Great British Spring Clean comes to Hooe, and the event will start at 10am - meet at the Red Lion Pub. Everyone is invited to participate, and get involved in the clean up, in the same enthusiastic way as the Clean for the Queen day, so please bring bright clothing, a litter picker if you have one, and some gloves... plus a sense of humour and some coins for a pint in the Pub afterwards!

Ninfield Flower Group: Monday 6th March at the Memorial Hall, 7.30pm. The group will welcome Graham King with his demonstration entitled ‘I’ve had an Idea..’ Everyone is welcome, with visitors being charged a small entry fee of £4, which includes all refreshments. All flowers used in the demonstrations are raffled at the end of the evening, so no waste, just an added bonus of lovely blooms to take home! Also, on Saturday 11th March, the Flower Group hold one of their infamous Jumble Sales at the Memorial Hall, from 2pm; if you would like any further information on any of their forthcoming events or if you have some items to donate and need them to be picked up, please call Jennifer Collett on 892878, email [email protected] or have a look at their website.

Ninfield Carnival Association: The next meeting is Wednesday 8th March at 8.30pm in the Working Men’s Club, and there will be lots of lively discussion on all the forthcoming events. The Wacky Races, set for Sunday 28th May, to be held in Manchester Road with the BBq and stalls in the Blacksmiths Inn’s Carpark from 11am, will have further updates, as will the new Charity Auction to be held at the Memorial Hall on Saturday 29th April. The Carnival Committee decided at the last meeting that they would have a named Charity for this year, as well as raising money for local projects, and have agreed to support RaDAR- Rural Dementia Action Research. Tickets for the main Raffle will be on sale from the Auction right up to Carnival Day. The Entertainment for the Carnival weekend will suit all ages and wishes, with the Friday night seeing a Big Barn Dance in the main Marquee, and the Saturday evening rocking with ‘The Normans’, who have a fantastic set list, with music from the 60’s right up to todays’ charts, and a really good, professional sound. It’s all now getting exciting, events are taking shape, new ideas are coming to fruition. If you’d like to get involved with the Carnival, have a Craft stall, or help with the Auction, please come to the meeting on the 8th March at 8.30pm, or call me on the numbers at the end of the column, or email the Secretary, Helen Rawlinson at [email protected].

Church Services: Methodist Church - Sunday 26th February 10.30am Service of Worship and Praise with Revd. Tricia Williams.

Parish Church: Sunday 26th February at St Mary’s, Ninfield 9.30am Eucharist; St Oswald’s Hooe at 11.15am, Parish Eucharist.

Defibrillators: Can be found in the usual places, for 24/7/365 emergency use, Ninfield- Kings Arms Pub - front entrance wall, and the same at the Red Lion Hooe,

And Finally: The dreadful news last week of the pregnant ewes being scared by loose dogs, and then being run over on the road out of Ninfield, has really shocked everyone. PLEASE, if you are walking with dogs, or small children, respect the rightful occupants of the fields...THE ANIMALS...Keep to designated paths, don’t march through fields that have no public rights of way, and leave the Horses, Sheep, Cows alone.The devastation caused by the deaths is emotionally and financially draining for the Farmers; and all those who love animals.

Keep in Touch: There is a lengthy list starting to form, of all the events earmarked for Spring/ Mothers’ Day/ Easter etc., so please get in touch with your thoughts, ideas, anecdotes and diary entries for the next few weeks, call 8893699, text 07970650321, email [email protected]. Thank you!

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