VILLAGE SPRING CLEAN:The Village Spring Clean planned for last Saturday (April 26) has been postponed, look out for details of the new date. Full details will follow soon, or contact the Parish Clerk.
DUCK RACE: The Etchingham Duck Race took place last Sunday, April 27, on the fields opposite the Church. A sunny day of quacktastic fun was had as the annual Etchingham Village Duck Race made a splash once again. A quirky and quintessentially English sight to behold, the riverside field with kind permission from the owners, Mr and Mrs Ahrens. A perfect setting for a BBQ, Pimms, drinks, homemade cakes and tea. The event began with the judging for the best decorated duck. Revd Thomas Pelham alongside Nina Wybrow had the task of awarding first and second prizes within three categories. This year’s sporty theme in honour of the London marathon had some fierce competition with the Masters winner Rory Mcllroy duck with club and golf ball in wing winning first prize in the 12 + category and ‘Jimbo’ WWE Wrestler coming in at second, both imagined and created by the same artist- Sarah Capp!
In the 8-11 Category Greta skied into first place with her duck on the Etchingham Ski School slopes followed closely by Jack’s amazing creation. First and second prizes in the 7 & and under category captured the judge’s eyes; Ida and her brother Henry decorated their ducks as a cheerleader with sparkling pom poms and marathon runner complete with silver foil blanket.
Soon after the judging the race was on for the quickest quacker. Our race commentator Will Moore announced the start of the race as a garden bin full of ducks were thrown from the footbridge start line. As they jostled and bobbed along the 200 metre section of the Dudwell River through twists and turns, weeds and flotsam, there was always an element of surprise along the water’s course. Will provided nail biting updates over the tannoy as he wove his way along the spectator-lined river bank through cheers of excitement from young and old.
Carl Milton in waders, attended to any stragglers from the raft. He offered support and assistance to those struggling with the meandering bends. No racer was left behind with Henry the Cocker Spaniel working tirelessly on ‘banked’ or ‘weeded’ duck retrievals. What felt like an eternity for some, but was indeed just a few minutes, the final race positions became apparent.
Congratulations to the winners - First Place No.165 Jill Westwood - Second Place No. 191 Hillary Tidy - Third Place No. 132 Mary Philips. Yet again, everyone came together to make it a very successful and enjoyable event. Thanks to all who took part whether, selling ducks in the weeks leading up to the day - special thanks to Bistro @ the Station and Etchingham Post office for their continued support with this, Revd Thomas Pelham and Nyna Wybrow for the unenviable job of judging, Sid Barrow for opening up the field with kind permission from Mr and Mrs Ahrens, Carl Milton for bringing up the rear, EIC for the loan of BBQ, table and chairs, Colin Boylett for photography throughout the event, Alicja Clark for keeping a pristine entrance to the field, Will Moore for quick witted and humorous commentary, Peter Baldock for river clearance and hogweed removal, contributions of cakes, baked sausages, help with the stall set up and tidy up with amazing efficiency, serving refreshments, selling raffle tickets, counting coins and the notes – the list goes on. Great team work.
The Friends of Etchingham School would like to thank our sponsors and everyone that attended, without your support these events wouldn’t take place. The treasurers have been busy counting and it looks as though the event raised around £1600 which will be a great support to the children at Etchingham School.
2025 Etchingham Duck Race Sponsors; Salehurst Halt - Bistro at the Station - Maidstone Logs - English Heritage Gardens ltd - Etchingham Vets - DWA Fleet Services - Mr Turtle Cupcakes - Flower Shack - Commercial Roofing and Cladding. Photos from the event are viewable on line at https://www.flickr.com/photos/ttelyob/albums/72177720325589787
ETCHINGHAM FIREWORKS: The Etchingham Improvements Committee are pleased to announce that the Etchingham Firework Display is coming back this year. It has been a few years since we have had a display, so we are really looking forward to bringing this great event back. They are working on the details, and have a team of volunteers helping to arrange the event, if you would like to join the team, please let them know.
The display will be on SaturdayNovember 15. They have a fantastic new venue and full details of all the arrangements will follow over the next few weeks. One thing they would like to mention, they know many people are concerned for their animals and pets around this time of year, so they are planning something a little different, it will be a low noise display set to music!
Please put the date in your diary and we hope to see you there.
Etchingham Improvements Committee etchinghamimprovements@gmail.com
CRAFT FAIR: A new Craft Fair on Saturday September 27, open 10am till 5pm
Raising funds for Etchingham Trust for Sports and Recreation (ETSR) Reg. Charity No. 1076642, towards the upkeep and maintenance of the Village Halls.
Sorry, we can’t accept catering businesses but welcome a diversity of local artisan makers. Table, supplied, 6ft costs £20, set up from 8am.
Please register your interest with Paulette Barton admin@etchinghamtrust.org
with a brief description of your business.Do you have any ideas of events that could run at the halls to raise funds towards the upkeep and future maintenance, contact admin with details.
COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH: Can you help Etchingham Community Speedwatch (CSW)? Etchingham CSW always needs new volunteers to replace those that have to give up for personal or health reasons, or move out of the village. Speedwatch is NOT about getting drivers fines or points on their licence, it is designed as an educational tool to remind drivers of the speed limits in our villages. Yes, those observed exceeding the speed limit by a significant amount have the car details forwarded to the Police and the registered keeper of the vehicle will receive a warning letter, no further action will be taken unless the vehicle details are recorded by CSW groups on numerous occasions. Etchingham CSW has been operating since January 2014. Volunteers do not need to spend a lot of time at the roadside – half an hour a month is just as useful as several hours. Our sessions are normally half an hour but can be longer.
The first step is to visit the CSW website https://www.communityspeedwatch.org/ where you can find out all you need to know about CSW, to volunteer go to the ‘Register’ tab and select ‘Join existing’, then follow the instructions to register. As soon as the registration is complete the local co-ordinator will be sent your contact details, he will contact you to complete the joining process and get you started on sessions.
We are currently working on getting Hurst Green Speedwatch operating again, so if you live between the villages you might like to join Hurst Green instead of, or as well as Etchingham. Contact the Etchingham Co-ordinator; 01580 819532 etchinghamspeedwatch@gmail.com
HURST GREEN: If you are a Hurst Green resident reading this, we are in the process of getting the Hurst Green group operating again, please consider offering to volunteer. We will be holding the first two roadside sessions next week, with a couple of the Etchingham volunteers, if you see us out on the roadside you are welcome to come and talk to us if you want to find out more details.
VILLAGE FETE: The Etchingham Village Fete is on Saturday June 7, planning is underway, so watch the noticeboards and this column for updates, or join the Facebook Etchingham Fete group where updates will be posted. Are you interested in having a stall at the Fete to sell your products or crafts? The pitch fee for each stall will be £15, we are interested in getting more food related stalls. If you are interested in having a stall please contact Annette Childs achildsmistletoe@hotmail.com contact Annette Childs 01580 819382 achildsmistletoe@hotmail.com
PHOTO COMPETITION: There will be a Photo Competition at the Summer Fete, competition entries will be displayed in the Church and judged on the day. This year there will be just one category that anyone of any age can enter.
The theme this year is “My Village”. The photos can be of any subject, each photo just needs to be connected to Etchingham, it might be your favourite spot in the village, a prominent building, a landscape view, almost anything, be creative with your thinking. Each person can enter up to 3 photos, with an entry fee if £1 per photo. Photos can be any size up to a maximum of 8 inches x 10 inches (20cm x 26cm) full entry details and entry forms will be available soon, but now is the time to start snapping away with those cameras and phones.
DISPLAY OF OLD PHOTOS: In conjunction with the Fete I will again be putting on a display of old photos, postcards and memorabilia of Etchingham and neighbouring villages. The display will be in the Church Chancel and Choir Stalls, look out for more details.
HIRE THE HALLS: It is easy to hire the village halls for your next children’s party, celebration, club meeting or whatever else you have in mind. For all information about the halls please take a look at the updated website etchinghamvillagehalls.co.uk or contact the ETSR Administrator, at admin@etchinghamtrust.org.uk or 07855 239848.
CHURCH OPENING: The Church is open daily, 10am to 4pm, for visits and private prayer.
CHURCH SERVICES: Sunday Services are at 11am every Sunday, unless advised otherwise.
CHURCH CONTACT: For Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings and all Pastoral matters, contact Reverend Thomas Pelham 07856 256174 revthomaspelham@gmail.com , for other Church related matters contact the Churchwardens, Caroline Moore 01580 819272 and Mary Barnes 01580 819142
YOUR EVENTS: As soon as you have the details send them to me to add to this page, get the details to me as soon as you have them to get maximum publicity. Get information for this column to me as soon as possible. There are several ways to get your info to me, but email is preferred because there is less chance of errors during copying. I normally need information by 10pm on Sunday, Monday afternoon at the latest, to be sure it will be in time for inclusion. You can deliver to 2 Park Farm Close, telephone 01580 819532 or 07483 211838 or email colin.boylett@gmail.com