Udimore

JOHN OWEN: When John's long and painfully debilitating illness finally came to an end last Friday, we can only be grateful for him that he was spared any further suffering, but for Anne and their family, and his wide circle of friends, his loss will be keenly felt. When he and Anne first settled in Udimore, at the turn of the century, John soon impressed everyone with his amazingly wide range of talents, both practical and artistic - his skilfully rebuilt section of our churchyard wall and his entries of pastels and carvings in local exhibitions for instance. With little previous experience of our local building materials, he soon became a most successful self-taught restorer of ancient timber-framed buildings, rescuing at least one of them from serious deterioration. Always to be relied on for good commonsense advice, and with a warm and friendly personality, John was a much respected member of the Udimore community. I hope to include details of the arrangements for his funeral in this column soon.

CHURCH SERVICE THIS SUNDAY: In St Mary’s there will be a Sung Family Eucharist at 11.15am, followed by refreshments in church.

SUMMER LUNCH: At the time of writing there were still a few tickets left for the Overseas Group lunch in the Hall at 1pm next Thursday (May 25). For a two-course meal, including a drink and popular music by Duncan Reid, they are remarkably good value at £10, available by ringing either Liz (01424 882657) or Judy (01424 882222) as soon as possible.

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