Fairlight

At Pett Methodist Chapel, the 10.45 am service for the First Sunday in Advent will be led by John Troughton.

MOPPs today and next Friday: Today, Friday, November 30, Keith Osbourne with his Music for Health will be providing the entertainment. There’ll also be a produce sale, plus the bi-monthly free hearing aid maintenance. Lunch today will be beef casserole, then fruit sponge cake to follow.

Next Friday, December 7, Celia King will be along with her chair based exercise, while Nicola’s Age UK toenail cutting service will be in attendance. Lunch will be sausage ‘Wellington’, and apple tart to follow

A Dann Good Show: The members of Tuesday Ladies Club enjoyed some fine flower arrangements by demonstrator Debbie Dann. Debbie did five easily copied Christmas arrangements using everyday vases and containers, one of which was a large Christmas cracker while another was a fabulous arrangement that could be hung on a door or fence. Several of Debbie’s creations included battery-powered lights and the flowers and foliage were all of the type found in your garden. The results of her labours were raffled at the end of the afternoon. A brief reminder that the December meeting will be the group’s Christmas Tea, which is for paid-up members only.

The Village Hall Winter Fair: This year’s Winter Fair is tomorrow, Saturday, December 1, from 12 noon until 3 pm. Many find the customary set-up compelling, especially the hot food, ready to eat from the opening, which is when Father Christmas will be there, too. Just about everybody you know in the village will be there, so do join them…

FRA Christmas party: The FRA’s Annual Christmas Party is only a fortnight away. The event is in the village hall on Friday, December 14, starting at 7.30 pm. East Edna makes a welcome return as guest star, and there’s to be a full bar and a boxed buffet. It’s £10 a head, with tickets, if any, available from the Post Office.

Wakehams Farm Development: The Parish Council is organising a drop-in session at the village hall on Thursday, December 13 from 3 to 7 pm concerning Planning application RR/2018/2726/P.

As you will already know, this is an outline planning application to build 150 homes, a convenience store and a GP surgery on the site of Wakehams Farm, south of Pett Level Road, which has been submitted by developers. At this drop-in session, you will be able to go along and view the plans, let the Council know your opinions, find out how to comment on the proposals, and understand what the planners will take into account when deciding the application. This is a major event for our village and it is critically important that everyone should have their say. Plans and documents will also be made available on the village website: www.fairlight.org.uk-Parish Council – Planning Committee Documents Planning Application for Wakehams Farm RR/2018/2726/P

Aspects on which you may wish to comment include the size of the application and overall impact on the character of Fairlight, the impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the access point to the site, plus the proposed road crossing and its proximity to a blind bend, the lack of public transport to serve a development of this size, the state of the road – Battery Hill / Pett Level road and whether it could cope with an extra 1000 vehicle movements a day (the planners’ figures), the inadequacy of the drainage and sewerage system with only a vague statement about upgrading it, whether the new surgery would be a suitable replacement for the existing one in Guestling, the risk to Post Office services in Fairlight from a new and unwanted convenience store the lack of nearby school places, services and employment opportunities generally, loss of productive agricultural land and any other point you think relevant. Because this application will not be resolved until it has come before the Planning Committee, probably in February, we now have until the Monday before this meeting to register our comments. This is useful, as the entries on the relevant Rother website are increasing rapidly. Of course, the prime contact should be your comments on the Rother Planning website. Numbers here are climbing very satisfactorily, with a minimal number of respondents agreeing compared to those who object. Whichever side you are on, please let Rother know, and read the others while you’re submitting your own views. There is a large amount of well stated opinion here, full of just-about-controlled passion. Could it perhaps be worrying that Rother Councillors who do not represent us could be tempted by this plan, which would (a) make their own patches safer from intrusion, and also (b) give them some £300K in Council Tax to play with?

Hastings Talking Newspaper: produces a sound recording of local news every week for distribution to people who have visual disabilities or problems in reading due to illness or other disability. This recording is delivered in the post, usually on a Monday, having been recorded on a Saturday. The service is completely free to anyone who qualifies, and the necessary equipment to listen is also provided free. We are very concerned that there are people in the community who may not have heard of this service but who might wish to receive it having learnt of it. Unfortunately such people are no longer automatically referred to the Talking Newspaper and despite their publicity they may have been overlooked. They are anxious to widen their publicity and would be grateful if you would advise anyone who qualifies by reason of disability who might benefit from this service to contact Peter on 01424 719939 or email to [email protected]

Fairlight Gardening Club: For its last meeting of 2018, the club welcomes back popular speaker, Colin Page, who will be talking about ‘Coasts and Islands’. To put members in the Christmas spirit, festive refreshments will be served and Colin will have his fantastic photo cards for sale. The talk starts on Monday next, December 3 at 2.30 pm in the village hall. Non-members are welcome for a mere couple of quid each.

Parish Council news: It is with extreme regret that we report that Cllr Nick Jones passed away on the Thursday of last week. We extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to his family. Nick, who had previously had experience of being a Councillor elsewhere, was a hands-on, get-stuck-in sort of representative, who will be sadly missed on the Council.

The History Boys: Many, or perhaps most, villages have a dedicated soul who has an interest and an ability in the researching and archiving of the history of the place where they live. Fairlight does not have such a person. It has two! In Haydon Luke and Paul Draper, Fairlight have won one of life’s special small lotteries and Paul has decided it is time for Fairlight to have a history society, in some shape or form. Speaking to people from time to time, most have said if you form a society, we will come along. Most people seemed to enjoy our exhibit last summer. So, the pair have booked the village hall for next Tuesday, December 4 at 2.30 pm and want to invite people to come along for an open chat to see what they might want us to do. The history duo has prepared a poster which has been put up in the bus-shelters and it has also been linked onto the village website, and is well worth a few minutes perusal to learn all that a new society could do and achieve. With so many villagers pre-occupied with the possible development of Wakehams Farm, this interesting diversion might well bring some welcome light relief. Meanwhile, here’s your History homework: The Year of the Great Planning Furore, and how it all ended!

Walking for Health: It soon comes round again, doesn’t it? The latest one starts at 10.30 am outside the village hall on Monday next. Be there, get the blood circulating and earn your cuppa at the end!

Do tell him, Pike: The number of signatories on the anti-Wakehams development petition at the Post Office is now on the 524 mark. There’s room for more. If you are an objector, please make sure your name is on that list – Graeme will be submitting it this weekend.