Mountfield

ARCHAEOLOGY: We start with a local history event which, unusually, centres on Mountfield. The Robertsbridge and District Archaeological Society have announced their programme of winter meetings (put the Society into Google for the full programme) and it includes a talk entitled “Landscape Archaeology at the Gypsum Mines, Mountfield” by Vivienne Blandford on Friday October 9th at 7.30 pm in Robertsbridge Hall. As with all the Society’s meeting, the event is open to non-members. A slice of history right on our doorstep from a very distinguished local archaeologist.

REMINDERS: Mountfield Horticultural Society are holding their Annual General Meeting tomorrow (Saturday October 3rd) from 2.30 pm. Afternoon tea and cakes will be served. All welcome. And on Sunday (4th), it’s Harvest Festival at All Saints Mountfield at 10.00 am followed by Harvest Hospitality. Gifts of fruit, eggs, flowers and vegetables would be welcome, also packeted foods such as cereals, sugar, tea or coffee, can all be left in the church today (Friday 2nd) so they can be arranged to decorate the church. Afterwards, all produce will be donated to the St Nicholas charity in St Leonards who do such very practical good with local children and families.

MOUNTFIELD CLUB: Congratulations to Alex Gray who this week became the Club’s singles snooker champion beating jack Bromley 2–0 in the final. The holders of the snooker doubles, Kevin Gray and Andy Saunders, regained their crown by beating Steve Smith and Ashley Sutton 2-1 in the final. The snooker team have got of to a fair start in the Hurst Green Winter League, winning their first match at Hawkhurst 3–2 but then suffering a 4–1 home defeat to Benenden. Steve Smith is setting up a Mountfield Winter Snooker league, an individual tournament which is open to all members and non-members. The league will run from November 2015 to March 2016. For more information, please contact Steve on [email protected] or call 07720 298971. Steve Sutton is looking for more darts players to compete in the forthcoming Winter Darts League; please contact Steve on 07746 640 555.

A SLOW WEEK: So we can just mention two things that cheered Pete up recently. The first was while marshalling for the Ride the other Saturday. I was leaning on the stile beside Taylor’s Cottage watching the buzzards overhead, the sparrow hawk on the power lines, the swallows hawking over the Gold Field and the dragonflies snapping round the headlands when I became aware of an unusual sound: somewhere over towards Tunstall there was the unmistakable call of a turtle dove. A first for me. And the other thing was an email from a local resident I’d just written to about a problem that had been sorted. The response was,”Well done with such prompt action. MPC? Worth every penny!” I’m very happy to share that with Irene, Caroline, Sue, Jim, Mark, Steve and John.

CONTACT: As ever, if you have anything for the Village Voice, we can be contacted on 880614 or via [email protected]. We need copy/information by the end of Monday latest for Friday publication.

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