Winchelsea

Fair in Winchelsea: There is only one day to go to the annual Christmas Fair taking place this Saturday November 10th in the New Hall from 10am to 2pm. For visitors the New Hall is on the A259 next to the Cricket Field and there is ample parking in the town. A festive fun occasion is promised and there will be a range of different stalls containing local produce, winter bulbs, wool products, jewellery, Christmas cards and much more. This year St Thomas' Primary School children will be selling their own items and singing carols to the visitors. Everybody is invited to come along and choose a gift and refreshments will be at hand plus a raffle and tombola. The funds raised from the Fair will go towards the refurbishment of the New Hall.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Nov 2018, 05:00 BST

Anniversary Concert: To mark the centenary of Armistice Day a special programme of music related to the war will be performed in St Thomas’ Church this evening Friday November 9th at 7.30pm. The musicians are Shelley Levy clarinet, Fenella Humphries violin and Mark Nixon piano. Local resident Ann Rachlin will narrate The Soldier’s Tale and guide the audience through the music and conflict. The music will include works by Khachaturian (Sabre Dance) Elgar and Debussy. This is a Winchelsea Arts production and tickets are on sale at the Farm Kitchen and any that remain will be on the door.

Remembrance Day: There will be an act of Remembrance and wreath laying at the War Memorial at 11am for Armistice Day this Sunday November 11th. A Remembrance Service will immediately follow in St Thomas’ Church led by the Rector Jonathan Meyer to remember all British and allied forces who fought and died for the freedom and defence of our sovereign nation. On Sunday evening there will be a lighting of Winchelsea Beacon, organised by the Millennium Artefacts Society with the support of the Corporation and the Guy Fawkes Society. This is one of a thousand such ceremonies held nationwide under the title ‘Battle’s Over – A Nation’s Tribute’ to mark the Centenary of the end of the First World War. For the lighting of the Beacon please assemble from 5.45pm at the New Hall. At 6.30pm a piper will lead to the Beacon for the Last Post at 6.55pm and at 7pm there will be the Firing of the Beacon ‘symbolising an end to the darkness of war and a return to the light of peace’.

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Miss Moneypenny: On Wednesday November 14th the Second Wednesday Society will be meeting in the New Hall at 2.30pm for the monthly talk. The cost for non-members is £4 for the talk followed by the home-made tea. ‘Knowing Miss Moneypenny’ (secretary in the James Bond series) is the title of the event by Christine Franklin who will be recalling the 18 years she worked in Winchelsea for former ‘spymaster’ Vera Atkins. During the second World War Vera was a British intelligence officer who worked for the Special Operations Executive in the French Section.

Literary Review: The Literary Society meets at the slightly earlier time of 7.15pm on Friday November 16th in the Court Hall. ‘The Perils and Pleasures of a Literary Review’ is the title of the talk given as a conversation by Gail Pirkis & Hazel Wood. Gail and Hazel are the editors of the quarterly literary magazine ‘Slightly Foxed’ which aims for a personal, slightly eccentric approach and introduces its readers to books that are no longer in fashion but have ongoing appeal. Non-members are invited and as usual there will be light refreshments on arrival.

Pirates of Penzance: The Winchelsea Singers are presenting the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, which has the popular tongue-twisting song ‘I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General’. The venue is the New Hall and the dates are Friday November 16th at 2pm and Saturday November 17th at 7pm. There will be refreshments served on Friday and a Bar is available on Saturday. If you would like to attend the tickets are £12 each and can be bought from the Farm Kitchen.

Town Clerk: Last Saturday Winchelsea resident Lorna Challand took over the duties of Town Clerk from Angela Hill in a short ceremony held in the Church. The Corporation and Freemen were present but it was also a public event welcoming all. This ceremony was an opportunity to wish Lorna much success and enjoyment in the role and also to record the gratitude of the Corporation to Angela who made a great contribution to its business matters in almost four years of service.

Winchelsea Beach

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St Richard’s: On Armistice Day which this year coincides with Remembrance Sunday November 11th the usual wreath laying will take place at the War Memorial by St Thomas’ Church at 11am and all churches in the parish are invited. There will be no Holy Communion at St Thomas’ on this day but it will be offered in St Richard’s Church on Sea Road at 9.30am.

Fellowship Lunch: These friendly lunches take place on the last Friday in the month and the next is on November 30th at the usual time of 12 for 12.30pm in the Community Hall. If you would like to attend please ring 01797 227168 as the caterers need to know numbers well in advance. The lunches consist of a variety of home-made dishes and there is generally a request for a donation towards a specific charity.