Fairlight

First Responders… It’s a very big weekend for the Gang of Four – our own, trained, First Responders, as their Midsummer Open gardens event sees 14 gardens in the village open from 11 am to 4 pm on both tomorrow, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 (though not all the gardens will be open on both days) You’ll be able to work out which is which when you buy your map/programme for a mere £5 from the Post Office, and this will then gain you free admission to each of the gardens. This is in aid of a facility which should be dear to all of our hearts, as this is one of the principal organs for which the four are specially trained. Go on – be thoroughly nosey, and indulge in a few tempting extras, like teas, coffees, cakes, a barbie, soft drinks, Pimms, strawberries and cream, arts and crafts; the list is almost endless, as is the view from several of the volunteer sites.

It was the Players’ AGM… on Saturday last, and the business part of the evening saw Keith Miller elected to the Committee after resigning as Treasurer, and in his place Roger Chisholm-Batten was elected. Carol Ardley, who had to withdraw from the Secretary’s duties when unwell in April, is back, fighting fit, and has rejoined the Committee. The Chairman thanked Mary Stewart for standing in on Carol’s departure, and fulfilling the group’s secretarial needs in the meantime. The Chairman was sorry to have to report that Brian and Janet Winup would soon be leaving the village, and Brian was thanked for his 21 years of excellent and hard work in the set department.

The entertainment this year was a murder mystery featuring seven people well-known in the village – but none of them for their acting! Until now, that is. They acquitted themselves with great aplomb in a good, amusing puzzle. The seven were Roger and Mandy Chisholm-Batten, Norman Dengate, Val Gibbs, Stephen Leadbetter, Bill Sapsford and Mary Stewart. An excellent spread followed their efforts.

The Parish Council meets… on Tuesday next at 7.15 pm in the village hall. Among the financial considerations will be the replacement of the salt or grit bins, and a grant for Fairfest. There will be a follow-up discussion on Chairman, Andrew Mier’s report of the visit from the representative of UK Power Networks. The question of legal ownership for the clearance of vegetation in Channel Way is to be discussed as, indeed, is the state of the dog bins, which you can read about elsewhere in this Voice. The information section includes the less than pleasing note that Dist. Cllr Robin Patten is stepping down from the Preservation Trust/Rother liaison team, where he has long been that over-worked cliché , a tower of strength. The format and content, then, is much as we are used to, but there is always the unpredictability of the Open Forum to look forward to at the end!

The Trefoil Guild… meets next Wednesday, June 25, in St Peter’s Church from 10 am to 12 noon. Actually, it’s not so much in the church this time, as they will be going on a short, fun walk called Stop, Look and Get the Answer! Those who prefer not to do the walk will have their own puzzle to deal with without having to go outside

Fairfest announces that… once again they are lucky to have the Bayeux Bowmen demonstrating their Archery skills and allowing us to Have A Go under their careful supervision. If your name is Harold, you might be well advised to stand well back and keep an eye on things…

The organisers are still asking for mementoes, information and stories for the World War 1 Exhibition, which is being planned in conjunction with The British Legion. These will be on display in the main marquee, under close supervision at all times.

The Classic Car display promises to be as good as ever, so if you have a classic car you would like to enter please get in touch with Margaret Pulfer on 814866.

It’s still not too late to book a stall for the Festival but don’t leave it too long. Margaret Pulfer is your contact for this as well. News and info. about the RSPCA Dog Show will follow shortly, and details of the items throughout the whole day’s fun will be in the packed programme which will go on sale in the Post Office a few weeks before the event for 50p. Entry to the festival itself is free, gratis and for absolutely nothing. Talk about a bargain! It is hoped you will talk about it – get all your friends and neighbours to go along.

What’s up at MOPPs…? Today, there are chair-based exercises with Celia King, and lunch is steak pie, with fruit flan to follow. Next Friday, June 27 the entertainment is singer Carol George, and then there’s quiche and cheesy mash, and fruit crumble for afters. If you’re thinking of joining this very sociable gathering, but would like more details, then Robert Pasterfield, the group’s coordinator, is the man you need to talk to. He’s on 07860 414277.

Just a week tomorrow… on Saturday, June 28, when the Floral Club’s Putting on The Ritz, the special tea in fine style in the village hall, will be upon us. Tickets are still available in the Post Office at £8 each. It promises to be an especially pleasant afternoon, particularly as there will be the added pleasure of hearing the incomparable music of Fairlight favourite Iain Kerr while you sip, munch and natter. The Club’s regular meeting on Thursday, June 26 is to be an Open Meeting, when the details for the Saturday at the Ritz, albeit in the village hall, will be fine tuned. This will give those present a chance of a final rehearsal for the big event, chatting over a cuppa, but without the music and with fewer cakes!

The Cheese and Wine club… reminds all its members that they need to know who intends to go to their WW1 commemoration evening, which is on Monday, July 14. It’ll cost you £8 a head, which includes your fish and chip supper, probably wrapped in the Wipers Times. Oh, no – Elf and Safety wouldn’t like that. You might catch something – just as long as it’s not a whizz bang! Please call either Jill Lewing on 812340 or Frank James on 813756.

And they also want to know who would like a place on their projected trip to Wipers, sorry, Ypres. The date is Thursday, October 23 and, as this is in the week prior to the Half-Term week, it should be busy but not too busy. The trip is open to all comers, not just club members. An intensely moving experience is in store, and probably all the more so as the trip is exactly 100 years on from the fourth day of the First Battle of Ypres. The phone numbers to contact are the same as those above, and you have until the end of June to confirm your booking.

Big pile up in Fairlight… where the dog waste bins remain unemptied. One of the black refuse sacks someone has provided to stockpile the offending rubbish is printed with the legend ‘Eden District Council’. This council operates in the Penrith area of Cumbria, encompassing the Lake District. This bag is certainly not from the Garden of Eden District, as it is patently well past its smell by date. More seriously, we do pay, through the Parish Council, for the dog waste to be removed. Why is it not being cleared, then?

Keith Pollard

Brookfield, Broadway