The next fundraising event for St Laurence Church will be the St George’s Day three-course traditional English dinner held in the Village Hall on Saturday, April 26 at 7pm. Tickets cost £15 each and are available from Sandra 01424 774708, there may be some still available so phone now to check.
The popular Christian Aid Plant Sale is being held in the Village Hall on Saturday, May 10 from 10am – 12pm, entrance fee 50p. The hall will be full of plants and bargains for the garden. Annuals, perennials, vegetables, indoor plants – all sorts! There will be an ‘All Things for the Garden’ stall, a wonderful Raffle, fresh coffee, tea and cakes available and even a re-cycling point for small flower pots (to enable our growers to produce more plants next year!) All funds raised are to go to Christian Aid. Donations are needed of plants, cakes, raffle prizes, and items for the garden stall please from 6.30pm on Friday evening. Also help that evening is urgently needed, to unload the plants etc into the hall – a huge job - so please come along and lend a hand, it would be most gratefully received!
Catsfield Ukealongians held their charity fundraising evening in the Village Hall on the 14th and as previously, it was a huge success. Family, friends and some local residents came along with at least thirty ukulele players who were accompanied by some fantastic drumming, bass and a flute. So many well-known songs performed with great gusto made a great sound and raised the rafters.
Grateful thanks go to the team who provided us with much-needed drinks and cake halfway through the evening. We were delighted to be able to pass on the wonderful sum of £480.71 to the Willow Tree Trust in Battle and our thanks to everyone who helped make this possible, all whilst enjoying a really good night out!
(The Willow Tree Trust provides group and individual support in primary and secondary school settings for children and young people impacted by family illness and bereavement. They cover Battle, Robertsbridge, Bexhill and surrounding rural areas in Rother.)
The AGM of the Hall Committee was very sparsely attended with many of the Committee members unable to attend and even fewer than usual of village residents. What a shame when the Hall is such a going concern and the refreshments were plentiful and delicious.
We heard that Jane Overall, a long time member of the housekeeping sub-committee and enthusiastic supporter had retired, together with Sarah our cleaner and another committee member. Victoria Crawshaw will stay on another year as the WI representative and Treasurer Carol Hodgson agreed to stay on until the new Treasurer can start in the autumn. Thanks were expressed to them all.
We are delighted that new Chairman Scott Lavocah agreed to be re-elected and we heard of his new plans for the way we wish the Committee to be run. He is supported by secretary Paula Barker and stalwart buildings man David Scott, without whom none of the recent improvements would have happened. The Hall has a new cleaner and it looked immaculate and welcoming to our hirers. Like all village organisations, the lack of volunteers is worrying.
Jan writes – Following on from last week’s Village Voice, where indeed have all the volunteers gone?Back in the day and continuing up to the present time, the same faces appear when needed for planning important occasions. Collecting from door to door, now a thing of the past, used to be a huge way to raise funds for charities such as Alexandra Rose, RNLI and of course the Royal British Legion for Remembrance Sunday. Not only did Gwen and Ernie Taylor deliver the collection tins and poppies to local businesses, they also did door to door collecting in their neighbourhood. It is an old adage but true – ‘Give a busy person a job and it gets done.’
Sport and more – from Ann - Our football side is also struggling with yet another away win being awarded, so we languish unhappily third from the bottom. Cricket starts soon, as does stoolball and we hope for some enthusiastic support.
I heard a bit about farm prices the other day and wondered why all the supermarkets were promoting English meat offers over Easter. Prices for live and dead stock paid to farmers are high and it seems supermarkets are selling below the price they paid. Obviously, these deals are loss leaders to get the shoppers in to buy all their holiday goods, such as hot cross buns, eggs etc. I imagine everybody gains since the major supermarkets can stand the meat losses.
I took the opportunity to interview the lost tortoise from Henley Down which exercised the neighbours and facebook, and this is what he said although he is difficult to understand and this is not necessarily verbatim. "I don't really know why I went awol. I've been with my owner for over 50 years and we've always got along. She talks to me and I don't have to reply, she takes me for walks around the garden and she gives me fresh lettuce and strawberries.
I suppose I just felt like a change, as you do. I made the mistake of turning the wrong way and ended up stuck in a neighbour's hedge overnight. I heard a helicopter go over which frightened me and then I thought 'why would a heat seeking helicopter be scrambled for a coldblooded creature like me?' Must have been a coincidence.
Anyway, the next day after having caused the maximum amount of worry and inconvenience, I was sniffed out by a dog and allowed myself to be captured, when I was told off and put back to bed. Have I learnt my lesson; not really but for the time being I'm going to behave. Where's my strawberries?"