Winchelsea

New Hall AGM: The Annual General Meeting for the New Hall will be held in the New Hall on Saturday September 8th at 10am. During the meeting there will be elections for the new committee for the coming year. The present members of the committee are the Chairman Robert Holland who will stand down at the AGM but remain on the committee if elected, also Stephen Turner (Treasurer) Carol Scoines (Secretary) Jenny Lozano, Robert Mortimer, Rosemarie Roberts and Judith Payne. Winchelsea's New Hall Committee is answerable to residents in the town so all are welcome to come and hear about forthcoming activities and plans for modernising the Hall. A process is underway to complete the kitchen refurbishment between December and January and the kitchen design will be presented at this AGM in preparation for grant bids. In addition, the committee has been generously awarded a Lottery grant to provide some taster sessions in the New Hall. These sessions will be on a Monday from 1 to 3pm for adults and 3.30 to 4.30pm for children from October to April and the phone number is 07975 563798 for details.

Heritage Open Days: This weekend, September 8th and 9th, HOD will be in action in Winchelsea for all to enjoy, providing free entry to its English Heritage sites. Visitors are invited to free tours of Blackfriars’ cellar taking place at 11am on Saturday 8th and at 11am and 2pm on Sunday 9th. A newly opened site is the Stables which will be open from 11am to 12.30pm on Saturday 8th and 11am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 3.30pm on Sunday 9th. Winchelsea’s Methodist Chapel will be open on Saturday 8th from 10am to 4pm and light refreshments will be served. This also links with the Sussex Historic Churches Trust ‘Ride and Stride’ day when cyclists and walkers will be passing through Winchelsea as they visit churches throughout Sussex. The Court Hall will host an exhibition entitled ‘Men and Women and how they have shaped Winchelsea’s Heritage’ and the Museum is open both days from 12pm to 4pm. Throughout the weekend tea, coffee and cakes will be available in the Court Hall.

Scratch Band: After spending the day visiting the town’s heritage sites there is opportunity to relax at the free town social held at the New Inn from 6.30 to 8.30pm. All are very welcome this Saturday September 8th to come and hear live folk music from different traditions by the popular Sea Road Scratch Band.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

September Roadworks: Highways England has recently sent a letter to local homes informing of road closures due to the resurfacing of the A259 between Guestling Green and Guestling Thorn to Icklesham. These road closures will be overnight from 8pm to 6am, Monday to Friday, in two phases. Phase one is at Guestling Green between Mill Lane northbound and Church Lane Southbound on Monday September 10th to Friday September 21st. The second phase is at Guestling Thorn to Icklesham between Church Lane northbound and Goldhurst Green westbound on Monday September 24th to Friday September 28th. With the road still closed at Three Oaks due to continued work by Southern Water since October 2016, it is likely that this may not be a recommended diversion route. The only alternative route, as suggested by Highways for westbound traffic (from Icklesham, Winchelsea and Winchelsea Beach) will mean going eastbound into Rye and taking the B2082 Rye Road. From there onto the A268 then at Four Oaks taking the B2082 to Northiam for the A28 then the B2088 and finally the A259 at Hastings. A less accessible route is via Winchelsea Beach and Fairlight which ends near the busy junction in Ore.

Plastic Surgery in WW1: The Second Wednesday Society meets on Wednesday September 12th at 2.30pm in the New Hall for ‘Faces from the Front’. This talk is given by Dr Andrew Bamji who is a retired consultant rheumatologist and lives in Rye. He will be talking on the work of ‘the father of facial surgery’, Sir Harold Gillies and the origins of plastic surgery during the Great War. Andrew’s book “Faces from the Front”, published in 2017, describes WW1 facial reconstruction at The Queen’s Hospital in Sidcup and across Europe. All are invited and non-members pay £4 which includes the talk and homemade tea which follows.

Autumn Show: The Garden Society welcomes all to its annual Autumn Show next Saturday September 15th at 2pm in the New Hall. Admission is free and there will be a raffle, teas, vegetables, fruit, flowers, floral art and handicrafts. For those with entries in the Show these must be at Cleveland Place by 5pm on Thursday 13th so that they can be in place on Saturday morning by 11am ready to be judged. Although it’s been a challenging summer for gardeners and allotment holders it will be exciting to see the winning entries, so if possible submit an entry or two and do come along and enjoy the displays.

Rye Arts Festival: The Guided Cellar tours in Winchelsea during September are on Tuesday 18th, Thursday 20th, Saturday 22nd, Monday 24th, Wednesday 26th, Thursday 27th, and Saturday 29th. All these tours start at 10.45 for 11am and are 90 minutes long, meeting at the Town Well in Castle Street. As this is a Rye Arts Festival event you will need to book and the phone number for the Festival Box Office is 01797 224442 and tickets are £8.50 each. The Friends of the Ancient Monuments and Museum will be leading the tours and sharing their extensive knowledge of these 13th century cellars. This is also a chance for visitors to learn more about the history of Winchelsea which was once a leading member of the Cinque Ports Confederation. You will need to bring a torch and wear sensible shoes since access to the cellars can be difficult.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Pilates Classes: From Wednesday September 19th a new Pilates Class will be held in the New Hall and if you are interested in attending please contact 07932 525400 to book your place. Pilates is all about increasing muscle tone, improving posture and getting fit as well as meeting other like-minded people so do come along and have a go. All levels are welcome from beginners to advanced and classes will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9 till 10am.

Art Success: The annual Art Exhibition held over the Bank Holiday weekend was a great success with forty-one exhibits sold, an increase of 50 % on the previous year. Thirty-eight artists exhibited as well as four children from St Thomas’ School. The event was well attended and the raffle prizes generated considerable interest. The exhibition which was organised by the Winchelsea Millennium Artefacts Society raises funds for the maintenance of the Millennium Artefacts and these are: The Town Sign, the needlework tapestry and the Beacon. https://btmail.bt.com/cp/ext/resources/images/default/s.gif

Winchelsea Beach

Quiz Night: The WBCA are holding a Quiz Night for teams of 6 tomorrow September 8th in the Community Hall at 7.30pm. The cost is £10 which includes a Ploughman’s Supper and you will need to bring your own drinks. As there is only one day to go please email [email protected] to reserve a place for your team.

Fellowship Lunch: This monthly event will next take place on Friday September 28th at 12 for 12.30pm in the Community Hall. The Fellowship Lunches consist of a variety of home-made dishes and a donation is taken in aid of a specific charity. If you would like to attend the phone number is 01797 227168 for advance bookings, as caterers need to know numbers in good time.

Related topics: