Winchelsea

Literary Society news: The Rye Bookshop is hosting a book launch with local crime author Chris O'Donoghue which will take place in the afternoon of Saturday 31st March. The author will be promoting his new book 'Blood on the Shrine'. Why not come along and meet him! His previous book 'Blood on the Tide' (April 2017) is a story set on the south coast during post-war France and Germany.

“He is risen”: This Good Friday, the congregations of St Richard’s and St Thomas’ are invited to the remembrance service of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion in Icklesham Parish Church at 2pm. On the following day March 31st there will also be a joint service at 8pm in St Thomas’ Church. The Easter Sunday service commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a descendent of King David in his earthly life ‘And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4) All are most welcome to St Thomas’ Church at 11am for the Holy Communion service on Resurrection Sunday. The Rector Jonathan Meyer will be leading the services.

Spring Show: Daffodils are currently in dazzling array along the grass verges of the town. This may be a sign that winter has stepped aside just in time for the Garden Society’s Spring Show next weekend. A mild 10 degrees C is forecast for this annual event on Saturday April 7th at 2pm in the New Hall. All visitors to the Show will be able to enjoy the plentiful variety of colour, scent and creativity in the form of violas, polyanthus, daffodils, tulips, hellebores, camellias, floral art, vegetables, pot plants, cookery and more, so do come and see. Admission is free and refreshments will be served throughout the afternoon.

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Folk Band: Winchelsea Guy Fawkes Society has organised a town social evening of live music taking place on Saturday April 7th at 6.30 till 8.30pm in the New Inn. Everybody is invited to attend and enjoy some popular down-to-earth folk music with the Sea Road Scratch Band.

PCC Elections: The Parochial Church Council met on March 17th in St Thomas’ Church for the Annual Meeting with the Rector Jonathan Meyer. Elections to join the PCC were held and a good number of members were re-elected. Those elected to serve for 2018-2019 are Sara Baker, Alice Bolton, Stewart Elms, Anna Hargreaves, David Jefferies, Pamela Jefferies, Celia King, Tessa Potts and Susan Taberer.

War stories: The novelist and screen writer John Howlett gave an intriguing talk at the Literary Society’s recent meeting in the Court Hall. He was born in 1942 to an Italian mother and an English father and lived in Croydon during the second World War. On one occasion the family were caught up in a bombing raid while John was just a baby sleeping soundly in his bedroom. Fortunately, his parents were able to carry him downstairs in time before the house was hit and his bedroom almost demolished. They hid under a Morrison’s table which was not an item bought in a certain supermarket but a solid iron and steel shelter with wire mesh sides assembled in the home. It was designed to be slept under at night and doubled up as a table the rest of the time. Nevertheless, it could not withstand a direct hit but only protected from the effects of a bomb blast. In the 1950s he attended a boarding school in Tonbridge where he met David Sherwin also a pupil at the school. They later co-wrote the original screen play for the film ‘If’ which satirised their own conventional boarding school experiences and was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem If – ‘If you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs’. This may have summed up how they felt at the time. It was the 1960s and civil rights movements were making headlines and the glamour of the dissident had its attractions. This probably led John to write a biography (first published in 1975) on James Dean the Rebel Without a Cause character in the film of that name. Since those days John has written on various subjects and war stories are amongst his favourite themes. These are six novels in the Harry Cardwell series which follow a group of families through the two wars and they include ‘Love of an Unknown Soldier’, ‘A Long Road Home’ and ‘When War Came’. ‘Alp Grum’ (2016) which concludes the series is an exciting post-war drama complete with ruthless banditry, conspiracy and betrayal. It may sound like the daily news but it makes for a good read!

Winchelsea Beach

Table Sale: This Saturday March 31st the Easter Table Sale takes place at 2pm in the Community Hall. If you are in the area do drop in, look around and make purchases from the range of items on sale. There will also be a tombola with great prizes and entrance cost is 50p which includes tea and biscuits. Please phone 07732 723096 if you wish to book a Table.

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Easter services: Today Good Friday the service will be in Icklesham Church at 2pm to reflect upon Jesus’s crucifixion and three days later the empty tomb; as revealed in 2 Corinthians 13:4 ‘For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power.’ Then on Saturday March 31st there will be an Easter Eve service at 8pm in St Thomas’ Church and both are Joint Benefice services. The first Holy Communion of Easter will be at St Richard’s Church beginning at 8am this Resurrection Sunday April 1st. There will also be a morning worship service in St Thomas’ at 11am and the Rector Jonathan Meyer will be leading the services.

IPC update: Concerning the building of a new bus shelter on Sea Road, Icklesham Parish Council is currently waiting to hear from East Sussex Highways. However, there may be initial work that needs to be completed before ESH agrees to go ahead with the shelter and this might take some time to resolve. If you would like to attend the next full council meeting this will be on Monday April 9th at the New Hall Winchelsea commencing at 7.15pm.