Fairlight

Church Matters: The worship in the village this Sunday, October 16, consists of a service of Holy Communion at 10.30 am at St Andrew’s. Rev Kay Burnett will be leading this service and John Relfe will speak about his recent trip and work with the Pokot people in Kenya. This week, too, it is time for farewells as Penny and Peter Button are moving to Burwash Weald. They are warmly thanked for all their service at St Andrew’s, where Penny was churchwarden during a particularly difficult time. She and Peter have also served in many other roles in the life of the church and, though they will be sadly missed, they are nevertheless wished well in their new home. I Join in the thanks, too, as Penny was particularly helpful in my early days on the Voice.

Shoebox Appeal: Many residents, who are not themselves regular church-goers, are well aware of the annual Shoebox Appeal, when shoeboxes are filled with goodies ready for despatch to cheer some desperately poor and underprivileged child at Christmas. Full details about what to put in the boxes are available on the web, at the address given below. The fillings are gender and age specific, so no one at the other end is disappointed! Take any filled boxes to the special service at St Andrew’s on Sunday, November 6. If you don’t want to fill a box, but would still like to make a donation to the Samaritan’s Purse shoebox appeal, you can donate online, or via the Church Treasurer, John Relfe, on 272012. A minimum £3 donation per shoebox is essential to cover UK transportation and overseas shipping. Full details on www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk

Today at MOPPs, and next week, too: Today, Friday, October 14, the ever popular Keith Osbourne will be along with his Music for Health, with lunch being pork casserole, and then gateau – a super pud to do you gud! Next Friday, October 21, there’s a chance to run your peepers over Bonmarché’s Autumn and Winter Collection, and also over Sandra Stunt’s Greetings Cards, which includes those for Christmas! And after that feast for sore eyes, there’s a very different feast – of chicken chasseur and then fruit jelly.

Gutted: There is certainly a new look for the insides of the Post Office and General Stores, although the project was uncompleted at the time of writing. Several construction changes are already well under way. The shop will be functioning in all its renewed guise by the time this appears, but the Post Office will not be running to the fresh schedule until the start of next week. It’s eagerly anticipated by all. Owners Graeme and Leonie have apologised to all of their customers for the inconvenience caused during these alterations. And as a gesture of their appreciation for the patience shown by all, they would like to invite all existing and new customers to join them at the new shop tomorrow morning – Saturday, October 15 - between 9.30 and 11.30 am for a cup of tea or coffee and to sample some of the delights on offer in the shop. It will not be until the Post Office re-opens on Monday next, October 17, that they will be allowed to offer the Post Office’s associated products such as the National and Euromillions lotteries and scratch cards.

And don’t forget the good news – when the Post Office does resume service it will be open from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm from Monday to Saturday inclusive, and from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm on Sundays. These hours will cover all Post Office services, in addition to the increased availability of general shop items.

The Residents Association Annual Quiz: It’s tomorrow for the Residents Association’s Annual Quiz in the village hall, starting at 7.30 pm. The cost is £6 per head, which includes your supper. There is no bar, but you are advised to take your own drinks and glasses. Quiz teams can include up to six participants each, but if you’re not part of a six, they’ll sort you out when you get there. Tickets have been on sale at the Post Office for some time now so, if you’ve just decided you’d like to go after all, the deadline for bookings was last Wednesday, to allow for the caterers to do their sums, so it may be best to give Trevor a call on 812340, and plead a bit, and promise you won’t eat much…

Fairfest table-top sale: Next Saturday, October 22, from 10 am until 1pm, it’s Fairfest’s first fund raiser in preparation for the next full-blown Fairfest in 2018, and it’s going to be a table-top sale in the village hall. You can hire a table if you’re so inclined – with small ones a fiver and large ones a tenner. Get on board, or rather – table, by calling Issy Horsley on 814196 or by sending her an email at [email protected].

It’s the real deal: Tonight, Friday, October 14, is the first whist drive of the new winter series, which will be held at the village hall at 6.30 for a prompt 7 pm start.

Further dates will appear regularly in Voice so you shouldn’t be able to forget which week is which.

The Tuesday Ladies Club: Bluewater is the destination of the Tuesday Ladies Club on Tuesday, November 1. Possibly there are some seats remaining unsold, at £10 for non-TLC members or free for members. If you’d like to go, it is probably worth giving Mary Stewart a call on 813031. The coach will leave the Circle at 10 am and return from Bluewater between 3 and 3.30 pm.

Of more immediate interest is the club’s meeting next Tuesday, October 18, in the village hall at 2.15 pm, when Bob Cooper will be talking about Wood Turning.

Showtime approaches: Fairlight Players have announced that tickets for their autumn production of Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Train will be on sale at the Post Office from this weekend. The play runs from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 November, at 7.30 pm each evening and with a 2.30 pm matinee on the Saturday. Ticket prices, which have not been raised for a long time, remain at £6, making the Players probably the best value am-dram around for Miles, and for everybody else, too.

Speaker’s Corner: Next week is the ‘in-between’ week of the group’s fortnightly cycle, but it is worth noting in advance that the second talk of the new season the following Wednesday, due to be delivered by Ken Brooks, has been scratched from the schedule. So in fact the next afternoon will be in November, and a proper preview will appear nearer the time.

The Club: The Club is the one that used to be Activate not so long ago, and they are running a Race Night to raise some funds on Friday, November 4, in the village hall at 7.30 pm. the cost is £5, which includes a ploughman’s supper. Book the date, or better still – your tickets, with Wendy on 812297 or by email to [email protected]

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal: John Pulfer is the local Poppy Appeals Organiser, and he’s still seeking a few people to cover the short routes at present unmanned. If that could be you, please give John a call asap. The collection period starts from Saturday, October 29 and lasts until Saturday, November 13, and involves just one or two hours of work to complete the route during this period. This is very rewarding work and all the information and guidance you could want will be given by John, so do contact him on 814866 or by email at [email protected]. They really do need You!

Fairlight Hall Lunch and Lecture: Coming up next Tuesday, October 18, is the lecture ‘The History of the Edible Garden’, to be given by the Hall’s Head Gardener Whitney Hedges. The event commences at 10.30 am, and finishes after lunch at 2 pm. Cost, including the two course lunch, is £40. Beginning from ancient Egypt, how the growing of food gave rise to gardens, and then later how they became spiritual retreats for monks, and a symbol of wealth and status. How such food-filled gardens helped us to win a war, and how we have returned to the edible garden to help save our sanity and the planet.

It has been pleasing to be able to report this item, and to spell Whitney correctly, which I signally failed to do twice last week. Sorry!

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