THANK YOU !! to ALL who came and danced, boogied and shimmied into Spring at the Disco Night last Friday. A Fabulous time was had by all..and it really does do 'what it says on the tin..'!! The next one will be after all the major events over the next few months; so look out for a September Harvest Bop till you Drop!
Luckily, every weekend now, for the foreseeable future, has something fabulous for folk to enjoy; to think that a small village can put on a Disco, a Market, a Horticultural Show, a Heart of Ninfield Event, a Quiz Night, a Rockabilly Band night, aPram Race, VE Day Celebrations...all in the space of 6 weeks is amazing. And, the events that follow that are even more extraordinary...so watch this space!!
NINFIELD COMMUNITY CAFÉ
Friday 21st March 10 - 11.30am Methodist Hall. Pop down to this fabulous Café and catch up with lovely friends and neighbours over a cup of your preferred beverage!
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY SPRING SHOW - Saturday 22nd March, Memorial Hall, doors open to the public at 2.30pm after all the exhibits have been judged. There will be a fabulous range of entries, from pot plants, flowers and floral art, to photography, handicraft and bakes. A children's section and something for teenagers, should encourage new entrants of all ages! Don't forget to come up at 2.30pm to have refreshments and cakes , while admiring and cheering on the award winners. Fingers crossed for everyone! See you there! (I'll also also be taking photos for this column!)
VILLAGE LITTER PICK: Saturday 29th March. This is part of the National Govt. Initiative and will start from Sparke Pavilion at 10am. All should be finished by midday, litter picks and bags provided, bring gloves and a sense of humour!! The aim is to clear as many verges as possible and beat last year's total of bags filled!.
HEART OF NINFIELD EVENT Saturday 5th April, Memorial Hall, 10-4pm All groups, clubs and societies, plus local businesses, will be in attendance, hoping to encourage you to get involved with all things Ninfield! Hosted by Ninfield Parish Council, there will be food and refreshments throughout the day. Look out for Heart Postcards coming through your letterboxes soon.!
QUIZ NIGHT: Saturday 12th April, Memorial Hall, doors open 7pm, Quiz from 7.30pm, Hot Supper at half time!! Tickets are £8.50 pp, tables of 6 can be booked, Cash prize, bring your own drinks and nibbles. Call or email to book in. 07970650321 ninfieldmemorialhall@gmail.com
NINFIELD BONFIRE SOCIETY FUNDRAISER.
ROCK & ROLL MUSIC & BAND NIGHT
Saturday 26th April, Memorial Hall Rockabilly Disco 7-9pm , Glen Dean Band live at 9 - 11pm. Bar, Food loads of fun and entertainment. Great 1950s vibe, great night out! Raising funds for the amazing Ninfield Bonfire & Fireworks Night on 1st November this year. Tickets £6 for Adults, £3 for children over 11, free under 11. Any special requirements, contact Sarah Seymour on 07809684488 or email ninfieldbonfire@gmail.co
NINFIELD CARNIVAL & SPORTS ASSOCIATION: Next Meeting 7th April at the Working Men's Club. 7.15pm. After a long, but really productive meeting on the 10th March, the Committee, and Helpers, have agreed that the Pram Races will be held on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May, and will have a V.E.Day theme running alongside the event. There will be a BBQ, Tote, Raffle, Tuck Shop, Fancy Dress, lots of races for different age groups, Cash prizes, Trophies and Medals to win, and everyone is encouraged to start making their Racing Carts now!!
Also, the 90th Anniversary Celebrations for the Solstice Carnival Weekend in June have been finalised: as hoped, it'll be a two day event, with NINFIELD'S GOT TALENT finals on Friday 20th June in the Marquee, with Pizza Leonati for food, plus Ice Cream, Milkshakes, Cakes etc. (Auditions for all Acts to take place on Friday 13th June in the Memorial Hall)
The Carnival Fête on the Rec. during the day on Saturday 21st. There will be a fabulous Raffle, Tea Tent, BBQ, Crafts, Games, Dog Show, Tug of War Competition, and the most exciting news is The FLOATS PROCESSION is BACK!
On Saturday evening, in the Marquee, it's BAND NIGHT with Danger-Zone- a great Covers band playing from 8pm, plus the Bar, on site Street food, BBQ etc. .
We will be having a stand at the HEART OF NINFIELD EVENT in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 5th April, where you'll be able to find out more about all the planned celebrations, and sign up for NGT!
Donna Powell has picked up the Procession baton, and is running hard with it!!! She will be adding her own rallying piece re Marshalls, Floats, Carnival Court etc.
Please come to see us at the Heart of Ninfield Event on Saturday 5th April at the Memorial Hall, or join us for a drink on Monday 7th April in the Working Men's Club, 7.15pm, at our next meeting.
In the meantime look out for all updates and information on social media, notice boards and in the press on all these fabulous #NCA90 celebrations!
DARK SKIES –report from Kaye: The end of February kept us busy with the Starcount and trying to see how many of the 7 planets we could see. For once the weather was kind to us and we had clear skies allowing us to see (although not all) of the aligned planets from the 24th through to the 28th February. Venus, Jupiter and Mars were clear as was Saturn and Mercury (for some), but Uranus managed to evade everyone. Thank you to the Working Men’s Club who opened their gates at 6.30pm on Friday 28th to allow a group of us to meet and up to look at the skies. Although there was some light pollution from Eastbourne, it was a very clear night and we were able to complete a Starcount as well as planet spot.
As I said, the weather has been kind to us and our first Starcount has been completed. This is counting the number of stars you can see with the naked eye within the constellation of Orion. We weren’t overwhelmed with responses, but it’s a start. Counts were between 11 and 15 stars which puts Ninfield in the ‘Light Pollution’ category according to CPRE star map (which is slightly at odds with their dark skies mapping).
BAT WALK – a date for your diary. The Bat Walk with Sussex Wildlife Trust has been booked for Thursday 15th May – probably from 8pm, but more information will be in the Village Voice and on Ninfield Community Facebook page
HOOE & NINFIELD OPEN GROUP
We met on Friday 14th March in the Methodist Hall in Ninfield.
We had a very enjoyable talk by Jonathan Ramsden who is the Education Officer for Cats Protection. He gave us an overview of the charity which was founded in 1927 and have helped and rehomed over two million cats and kittens. They have been great campaigners for cat welfare, after the Second World war there were many cats that survived the blitz so they championed neutering to control cat numbers. They also championed microchipping for all cats and eventually this recently became law. All cats and kittens who come to the centres are neutered, microchipped and vetted before they are found new homes. They offer a Lifeline which they offer foster care for cats that might be involved in a domestic abuse situation. Also a Cat Guardian service which you can join so that you know your animal will be cared for if you are unable to continue to care for your cat due to illness or death. They look after over 100,000 cats and kittens a year, so as you can imagine they are always looking for volunteers to help in their shops or raising money or maybe getting involved in fostering.
Next month we meet on Friday 11th April in the Methodist Hall at 2.00p.m. when we have invited Steve Squirrell back to give us a talk on a subject of his choice.
Don’t forget it is an Open Group so all are welcome.
Nicki & Heather
HOOES OLD MOTOR CLUB: The illustrated topic, some pictures being well over 100 years old, was of the HARRIS Fairgrounds that will have been operating in the area for the bet part of 250 years and are currently on the sixth generation with another generation trained up to take the reins. Fair grounds can be traced back probably to Saxon times and through to the frost fairs on the Thames as recently as Victorian times. Roundabouts were invented by the French , hence the name Carousels, to lower jousting accidents among children developing their skills. They sat on wooden horses and had to place a sword through a ring whilst revolving. Fairs are Prescribed by Custom, which are established Practices or Traditions. A most enjoyable evening.
Colin Lake- Chairman
NINFIELD BOWLS CLUB. Here's the message from Carole...
"The new Season starts soon and the men have been sorting out the Greens and some have been repainting the interior of the Pavilion
Our Open Day this year is on April 27. There are several Flyers around the Village showing details. Once again flat shoes only on the rinks". Carole.
SINGING GROUP - The Friendly Voices, the Mantra is - 'we'll try anything once!'. The group meets on Tuesday evenings at the Methodist Hall at 7.30-8.30pm and Thursday afternoons at Sparke Pavilion 2-3pm. Anyone is welcome to come along and at only £1 a session, it's cheap entertainment! Contact Kaye Crittell for more information,
NINFIELD WORKING MEN'S CLUB -
The Club’s AGM is on Thursday 24th April from 7pm.
Please get in touch with the Tin Hut Team if you'd like more information about joining the Club. It's only £10 a year, and it's a great little venue for a lovely, low price drink in front of a roaring fire!!! Find them on Facebook - Ninfield Working Men's Club. Or contact me for their number.
NINFIELD HEALTH AND WELLBEING GROUP :
Aims to promote the health and wellbeing of people in the local community. Established in 2018, the NHWG is an umbrella organisation supporting a range of activities.
NINFIELD LUNCH CLUB.
This is a very popular addition to the activities under the Health and Wellbeing umbrella! For more information, and to enquire about places/booking, please contact Maggie on: 07985588524 or email: maggiethecook@gmail.com
BOOK EXCHANGE AND COMMUNITY CAFÉ.
Methodist Hall 10 – 11.30 weekly on Friday.
First Friday monthly: Book Exchange and chat over tea/coffee and biscuits. Donations asked for books and refreshments. A good range of books and good company.
Community Café open on all other Friday mornings – you will be made very welcome.
For further details contact David on 07989729123 or email dj_swales@hotmail.com
WOMEN’S ’s CRAFTING & KNITTING CIRCLE.
Memorial Hall. Weekly 10.30 am – 12.30 pm. £5 per session. A well established friendly group.
For more information contact Jane on 01424 892428.
HEALTH WALKS
Every Thursday. Trained local volunteers lead a gentle walk of about an hour. Meet 11am at Sparke Pavilion at Ninfield Recreation ground near the main entrance off Church Lane. A few more walkers welcome. Part of the East Sussex Health Walks scheme. Please wear suitable footwear. Contact Robin for more details: 01424 892778 or robin@plowmate.plus.com
MEN'S SHEDS. Sparke Pavilion. 10 am last Friday of the month. Men putting the world to rights over free coffee.
For more information contact Dave: 01424 892883.
FILM MATINEES
Memorial Hall Tuesday afternoons. Doors open at 1.30. Films start at 2 pm. FREE entry and refreshments. Dementia friendly and subtitles.
HERE ARE THE FILM TITLES AND DATES FOR THIS YEAR! Make a note in your diaries and calendars...there's some fantastic films to see, with something for everyone!
2025 films
4 March: Swing Time 1936.
8 April: Billy Elliot 2000
13 May: Grease 1978
24 June: The Magnificent Seven 1960
2 September: Chicago 2003
7 October: The Lady Killers 1955
11 November: A Hard Days Night 1964
9 December: Arthur Christmas 2011
For more information or to book a place (to ensure enough cake!) contact Jackie or Rose: 01424 892422 or email: jackie.langley1@ btinternet.com
DANCE/EXERCISE CLASSES.
Samantha Hughes-Guard A.I.S.T.D (Hons)
Please call 07970650321 or email me at samanthaguard@btinternet.com for more information.
MOVEMENT 2 MUSIC - Monday mornings 10-11.30am at the Memorial Hall-
Chair based and Standing exercises for the Older but Still Active person.- great fun, lots of laughs and a sing along too -for improved fitness, balance and strength, and to enjoy a get together with friends . £6 per class, to include coffee and biscuits. Everyone welcome... Ladies And Gents!
DANCERCISE - Wednesday evenings 6.30pm at the Memorial Hall - great exercise, great fun and the chance to learn new styles of dance. £6 per class.
BALLROOM - Fridays (fortnightly) 6.30pm at the Memorial Hall - learn to Waltz, Cha Cha, Jive - chase the Strictly series!!! £12 per couple, £6 per person, per class.
BURLESQUE - Fridays (fortnightly) 7.30pm at the Memorial Hall - Show Dancing, -think Chicago, Cabaret... Fabulous fun and great for getting the mind and body uplifted! £6 per class.
SILVER SWANS BALLET CLASS : Thursday mornings 9.30am - at the Methodist Hall - the most serene, calm, glorious 50 mins of the week! £6 per class
CHURCH SERVICES -
METHODIST CHURCH Sunday 23rd March10.30am Family Worship & Praise Service with Christine Thacker.
Messy Church Wednesday 26th March 3.15 - 5.30pm.
PARISH CHURCHES
Sunday 23rd March
St Mary's, Ninfield - 9.30am Parish Eucharist
St Oswald's , Hooe -11am , Parish Eucharist.
AN UPDATE... Venue day/time still being decided.. but LOTS of, and ever increasing interest, which is brilliant!
The Ladies Lounge- for us to get together occasionally for afternoon tea, or a glass of wine...and 'offload'...?!
In this strange, and slightly scary world we're now living in...friendships, companionship and coming together to share and talk is becoming essential...
Keep in touch...always.
PLEASE REMEMBER! ALL DIARY ENTRIES, REPORTS & REVIEWS TO ME PLEASE BY MIDDAY ON A MONDAY
samanthaguard@btinternet.com
07970650321
FB Ninfield Carnival Events