Fairlight

That special Male Voice Choir Concert at St Andrew’s: Over 70 people were comfortably accommodated in St Andrew’s Church last Sunday for a very enjoyable performance from the Three Valleys Male Voice Choir. While one may be forgiven for thinking that this was a Welsh contingent, they are actually based in Waltham Abbey, Essex and came to Fairlight following a concert given in Eastbourne the previous day. Their name derives from the three rivers around where the choir members live although some of their members are from further afield.

The programme on Sunday included: ‘A transport of delight’, Flanders and Swann; Sunrise Sunset, Jerry Bock; African Prayer, Enoch Sontonga; Drink to me only; Play a simple melody, Irving Berlin; Spanish Ladies and What a wonderful world. The renditions from the choir were enhanced by solo performances from Alicia Dine, flute, and Rowland Gallery who sang and played guitar and banjo, and the choir was accompanied by a bass guitarist and a very able pianist cum piano-accordionist. Alicia has performed in Holland, Germany and Switzerland and played for several orchestras at both the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. She is an outstanding flautist and accomplished pianist who also composes and arranges classical music with stories to perform to children in order to cultivate their interest from an early age. Rowland is a leading player in the field of guitar chamber music, as well as the leader of the English Guitar Quartet and he coaches highly gifted young guitarists from all over the world at The Purcell School. He is a well known arranger and has broadcast live on Radios 2, 3, and 4 and Classic FM and appeared live on TV.

So Fairlight was very privileged to host this group (and very impressed with the size of their

transport!) Audience members had a chance to chat with the choir over a cup of tea or coffee in

the interval and CDs were also available to purchase. All this made for a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon. I must say that I happened to be going down into Ore just as the choir’s coach was about to tackle the narrow hill adjacent to the stone wall. Easily a world record-sized conveyance, comfortably beating the continental biggies which often find themselves erroneously sat-navved down Lower Waites Lane. It is earnestly hoped that the choir will return to give Fairlight another performance in the not too distant future.

A Centenary Celebration at St Andrew’s: The next event at St Andrew’s Church will be the Centenary Celebration of the end of World War One, entitled ‘Voices of Victory’, will start at 7pm on Friday 9th November. This will not be a service, but rather an evening of music and entertainment to which everyone is invited.

A moving installation: Do take a look at the installation of silhouettes in the Church. These transparent, seated, military figures were granted to St Andrews by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust as part of a nationwide project. They represent the men who went to fight in the Great War but didn’t return. The installation has the title ‘There, but not there’ and the silhouettes will be sitting in the pews until Remembrance Sunday, representing the men of Fairlight, back in the community they left behind.

Mallydams Open Wood: It is Autumn Open Wood at RSPCA Mallydams Wood tomorrow, Saturday, October 20, from 11 am until 3 pm. Admission is free, but as there is no parking on the Mallydams site, there will be a shuttle bus running from Hastings Country Park, Lower Coastguard Lane, TN35 4AB so just follow the signs. Parking will possibly cost you £3 for the day. (Fairlight News ad quotes £2, Mallydams website says £3 for the day, while the Park website says £3 for 2 hours!) The event is organised by Anna Herrieven, who can be reached on 0300 123 0750.

Without wishing to pester, harass, nag or even badger you, I urge you to note that the final Badger Watch for this year will be on Thursday, November 22 from 4 until 5.30 pm. If you wish to attend, you must book, through [email protected]

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, October 19, Celia King entertains with her chair-based exercises, following which lunch will be chicken and bacon pie, with trifle for afters. Next Friday, October 26, the theme for the day is Halloween. Spooky! Lunch will be Sausage ‘Wellington’, followed by rice pudding.

This year’s Poppy Appeal: Don’t just be ostrich-like about John Pulfer’s heartfelt appeal for street collectors to help cover the British Legion’s poppy appeal. This is a commitment, but it will not take that long to complete. Training and support will be given to those willing to volunteer. John is not only Chairman of the Royal British Legion local branch but also their Appeals Organiser, and he’s available on 814866. Do give him a call.

The Panto auditions Friday: There was a reasonable and fairly predictable turnout for the auditions for Rumplestiltskin last week, with a few notable and expected performers absent on the night. Nevertheless, director Wendy Hatch will be quite happy with the cast she has been able to assemble, and she does have some time before rehearsals start during which she can repair any glitches there may be. The first read through is on Sunday, November 18 coming, as tradition dictates, after the Players’ autumn production has ended.

Parish Council: Residents are reminded that the Parish Council has its October meeting at the village hall on Tuesday next, October 23, commencing at 7 pm. There is plenty going on and the meeting should be interesting and enjoyable.

At the Post Office: The tickets for the Players production of The Vicar of Dibley, totally different from their earlier encounter with the Vicar and those Dibley villagers she engages with, are on sale now at the Post Office. The play runs from Wednesday to Saturday, November 7 to 10, nightly at 7.30 pm and with a Saturday Matinee at 2.30 pm.

The FRA Annual Quiz: Last Saturday, October 13, it was the FRA’s Annual Quiz, presented by past masters Bob and Dec, and an excellent evening was enjoyed by the capacity crowd. Winners – Brains of Fairlight? – were Andrew Mier and Carol Ardley, Roger and mandy Chisholm-Batten and their party, though names seem a little elusive at the moment. In addition to a rattling good quiz, there was a ploughman’s supper that was truly scrumptious as well as sumptuous. And don’t forget the FRA 2019 calendar. Lavishly illustrated and only a fiver, they’re readily available at the Post Office and Wakehams Farm.

100 Miles for 100 Years: We’ve received news that the Chairman of the Royal Society of St George, 65 year old grandmother Joanna Cadman, will be walking from Sandwich, north of Dover, to Newhaven, along a coastal path which links the major ports which were vital to the war effort. Starting on November 6, she will visit village war memorials on her way and is looking forward to meeting some of the 16 branches of the Royal British Legion in that area. Her walk will finish at the War Memorial in Newhaven at 11am on November 11. Joanna will be joined by veteran fundraiser, Jeffrey Long MBE who, at 86, has just completed a 100 mile walk to help celebrate the RAF’s 100th year. This paragraph is not simply news, but also an appeal. The event, which will raise funds for the Royal British Legion along the way, is being organised by Major Robert Peedle MBE, Chairman of the Seahaven branch of the Royal Society, who says that the walk on Thursday, November 8 ends at Fairlight. The walkers have been booked into b and b in Hastings, as they were unable to find anything reasonably priced near Fairlight on line. However, if anyone reading this would be prepared to do bed and breakfast for one double and one single on the night of November 8 at a reasonable price? This would save the party the detour drive into Hastings and back in the morning. Bob Peedle can be contacted at [email protected] if you are able to help.