Udimore

Last Thursday there was to have been some carol singing around the village, but the evening turned out so wild and wet that the singers sensibly decided to stay by their own firesides instead. Better luck next year, perhaps?

This Sunday the morning service in St Mary’s Church will be Holy Communion, starting at 8am.

Udimore Wildlife Society’s 2014 programme is making an early start. In St Mary’s Community Hall, at 2.30pm on Saturday, January 11, Andy and Zsi Kendall, who run the Birds of Prey Rescue Centre at East Preston, near Littlehampton, will be putting on a show entitled “The Owls are Coming”. They will be bringing along some of the owls from their collection and telling us all about them, including where they can be seen (or heard) in the wild and how they hunt their prey. Besides owls of some of our own five native species, they will also be bringing owls from other parts of the world. Members of the audience will be allowed to handle and photograph the birds. After the talk, tea and cakes will be available. Tickets (@ £4 a head for adults, £1 for children) have already been allocated to many Wildlife Society members. Anyone else who would like to come should apply as soon as possible to Alex Boatwright-Smith (01797 230659).

The following Saturday, January 18, there’ll be another Udimore Quiz Night in the Hall. The last one (last February ) was a great success, so why not consider getting a table of 6, 7 or 8 together for this one? Tickets (@ £10 a head) include a fish and chip supper, which will be served at the start of the evening, 6.45pm. Bring your own drinks. During the evening there’ll be a raffle for joints of a local lamb. To book, or enquire for more details, please contact Frank Langrish (01424 882250, or [email protected] ). This will be a fundraising event, towards Hall running costs.

I’d like to wish all readers of this column a happy and successful New Year!