News from around the clubs - October 2

Bexhill 100 Motoring Club

ON Saturday, September 12 Bexhill 100 Motoring Club held its 10th anniversary party and classic and custom car show awards presentation evening.

With support from our show sponsor E&D Drays Ltd, the theme of the evening was set by displaying large signs and photos from the last 10 years of our wonderful club.

More than 100 hot air balloons in club colours also helped set the scene for a eye catching display.

Free Bexhill 100 packs were on the seats for everyone to take home and keep, also The Bexhill Observer newspaper's cuttings from over 100 years of motoring in Bexhill were placed about for all to read.

The chosen new venue for this years party was The Mermaid Bexhill, which, with help from the wonderful staff, worked a treat.

We have had lots of letters and emails from so many club members saying how much they enjoyed the dancing and great atmosphere on the night.

Awards were given out to winners from the Classic and Custom Car Show at the Polegrove a few weeks ago.

The club gave cheques to each of our local charities/organisations:

n Hastings and Rother MS Society '“ 1,500

n 1066 Specials Football Club '“ 1,500

n Emily Lawes (Para Horse Rider) '“ 1,500

All have expressed many thanks to us all.

n 4,500 in total '“ well done our club

Mr Brian Storkey became our first club president, and we also introduced a new award cup in memory of Mr Brian Hazell '“ a founder member of our club. This award will be for the best club photograph over the coming year.

Many thanks are due to Lee Dunn and the Bexhill 100 team for a lovely evening.

The disco and super buffet made for a great night, along with a raffle making over 180 for club funds.

We now look forward to another 10 years of the Bexhill 100 Motoring Club.

Bexhill Oddfellows

THE Jubilee Room at the Albatross Club was packed for the third Bexhill meeting of The Oddfellows friendly society on September 25. The speaker, St Leonards pianist and entertainer Mike Hatchard, got many a laugh as he illustrated reminiscences of his time in jazz, cabaret and comedy with anecdotes and fiddle solos.

Born in Poole, Dorset, Mike confessed he was an obsessive musician, who had decided to become a pianist at the age of 10, when he was so keen that his parents had to stop him practising. Later, a music teacher had given him four violins of which he had kept one. When it got smashed, he had found out it was worth about 2,000.

Mike said he'd worked with Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, Matt Monro, Frankie Howerd and Freddie Starr, to mention just a few well-known names. Yet 95 per cent of what he played was still played by ear.

The next Oddfellows meeting in Bexhill will be on November 28, when retired Bexhill Observer journalist John Dowling will be the speaker.

Details of the society are available from the branch secretary on 01424 210410.

Bexhill Probus Club

BEXHILL Probus Club enjoyed an outing to the Windmill on Windmill Hill.

This started with a carvery lunch at the nearby Horseshoe Inn. It happened to be the first day of the new management. I am pleased to say that the club is well able to cope with any situation and we left for the short stroll to the mill in a highly convivial mood.

The visit to one of the area's outstanding treasures was extremely enjoyable. To see the mill when within its own grounds is a truly awe-inspiring sight. Almost all of us climbed to the top; quite a feat when this was despite some physical limitations!

However getting to the top was well worth the effort.

We were taken round by a volunteer guide who entertained and informed us. The mill is a registered charitable trust, and the owners, Mr and Mrs Frost, can be very proud of their achievement in restoring what looked to be beyond hope to its present glory.

The next Probus meeting is at the Conservative Club in Amherst Road, October 22.

For further details phone 01424 219745.

The XYZ Club

LAST month our meeting was held on Friday, September 11. Members and visitors were delighted to welcome Miss June Cox, with her vast collection of costumes. June concentrated on Edwardian and Victorian undergarments (from the cradle to the grave). Her talk was laced with enthusiasm and a great sense of humour, enjoyed by everyone.

Our next meeting is on Friday, October 9 '“ this will be a quiz afternoon, along with a raffle, home made cards for sale, and of course tea/coffee and cakes. Come and join us! You will be made welcome.

The members, club visitors, and friends will be lunching out on Friday, October 16. It is all go with lots of fun and laughter at The XYZ Club (for the young at heart).

Contact Jeanette on 842605 or simply just come along. Meeting are on the second Friday of the month at 2.30pm in the main hall of The Sidley Community Centre, Sidley.

Little Common WI

LITTLE Common WI held its meeting on September 16 in the Community Centre.

President Pauline Rosner warmly welcomed everyone, including Mr GM Matthews, our speaker.

The August garden party was a great success, with over 50 members present.

Jean Griffin and her husband were thanked for hosting the event and for the use of their lovely garden.

Jean was presented with a plant at the meeting for her "special" birthday.

Members were asked to consider coming on to the committee at November's AGM.

Our speaker, Mr Matthews (Butchers) gave a most interesting and enlightening talk about his work.

He is well known for his delicious and award winning sausages, tasters of which were available, also of his own specially cured bacon.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 21 at 2pm. The speaker is Mr Alan Malpass with "The Highwoods Through the Seasons".

Contact phone number: 845668. G Milne

Bexhill and District CSMA Group

THE Horseshoe Inn at Windmill Hill was the venue for last month's Lunch Club on September 1. Many of us were a little disappointed with the fare and due to the holiday season, only 14 of us attended. We will be reviewing next year's programme.

This month's Lunch Club will be at The Three Oaks Inn at Three Oaks near Guestling and our evening speaker on Club night ,October 20 will be Mark Rothery who will be telling us more about our "New CSMA Club"

Our speaker at this month's evening meeting on September 15 was Lesley White from Pebsham's 1066 Brewery. Lesley told us how her husband had become fascinated by the brewing process and the steps they had taken to get this successful, small brewery up and running.

Lesley brought along a range of their beers and we were able to sample some of the excellent brews. Due to the fact that many of us were driving home, our intake of these was sadly restricted. We may be able make up for this when we visit the Brewery on Friday, September 25, as we shall also enjoy there, a ploughman's and a quiz. As well as supplying many licensed premises in the area, the Whites organise party night brewery tours and there is also a shop outlet, where 12 and 18-pint pint festival boxes of fresh beer can be ordered.

Our monthly raffle supports the charity, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, but we may also be able to help a new Hastings charity, the Emmaus Community Charity, which needs unwanted furniture.

Our CSMA special event, The Las Vegas evening, will be held at the Cooden Beach Hotel on October 10. Tickets are limited, so members are advised to apply early to avoid disappointment. The number to ring is 0845 365 6801.

Two issues of our "News from the Saxon Shore" have now been distributed . Members are invited to submit news of holidays, items of interest, amusing anecdotes etc to the editors, who will be doing their best to improve the format and make it an interesting and enjoyable read.

The diary of forthcoming events is as follows:-

Our Christmas Lunch Club will be held at The Wheatsheaf and is on December 1 at noon as usual. Our Christmas dinner will be at Di Paolo's restaurant in Bexhill on December 15 at 7pm.

A wide range of public and civil servants and their families are eligible to join the CSMA. For further information please contact our Secretary, Tony Calton, on 01424 434496.

Bexhill Philatelic Society

WE started our new season on Tuesday, September 29. We meet at the Friends Meeting House Albert road at 7pm for 7.30pm.

Our meeting is a members meeting where we entertain by displaying items from our collections. It is always interesting to see what other members collect.

Visitors and potential new members are always welcome. For more information please telephone 01424 731845.

Rotary Club of Senlac

AS part of the Rotary Club of Senlac's vocational programme, a visit was made to Ivyland Farm, Netherfield a site belonging to Plumpton College.

Host for the evening was head of centre Simon Bishop who was able to present the story of Ivyland Farm by way of large screen illustrated Powerpoint.

Ivyland Farm began to set up activities for the training needs of school learners based in the east of the county in 1990.

The college manages four other farms in the area '“ Netherfield Place Farm and Perch Hill Farm (agriculture and conservation), Homestead Farm (agriculture and butchery skills), Seven Fields Farm (agriculture), on behalf of the owners and benefit of learners.

Learners are encouraged to learn vocational skills while working on the farms as 'contractors'.

The Netherfield Centre for Sustainable Food and Farming, established in 2003, is for running projects and set up as an information and advice centre with a bespoke training programme for adults.

Projects include Get Skilled in Butchery, Growing Skills, Living Classroom and Sussex Breakfast.

The centre organises one and two-day training courses; farm visits to offer advice; also telephone and e-mail mentoring; marketing and raising awareness of farming, food and environmental issues.

Sheep flock courses, butchery skills and growing skills projects are popular.

The living classroom is an educational and training venue for ages 14 to 19.

A series of programmes for school groups has been developed over recent years.

Locally, students from Claverham College attend the centre to study for the Introductory Diploma in Land and Environment.

Bexhill High School students also attend a link course. There is also a mixed school release programme.

With learners of low self-esteem having had little success academically it is a story of celebrating success and creditable achievements.

At Ivyland Farm the emphasis and importance is of 'lifelong learning' and improving students employability and choice for an eventual career.

Rotarians were shown an experience which indictated how adult qualified care and encouragement could develop so many students in pursuit of purposeful employment and a future happy life contributing to the prosperity of the farming industry.

President John Relfe offered to Simon a sincere vote of thanks commending the work and training offered to so many students through commitment and dedication, which advanced the education and in many cases changed lives.

n To join Rotary call Peter Stiles on 01424 733692.