PEWS NEWS This week at St Andrew’s, it is Palm Sunday and the 11 am service is Morning Praise. For their Palm Sunday on April 13, Pett Methodists’ 10.45 am service will be led by David Hanson.
Just prior to the above, Pett Chapel is host to a Coffee Morning and Auction on Friday, April 11 at 11 am. A chance to pick up a bargain and a cake and coffee and perhaps you could put in a bid or two for some of the amazing items in the auction. You can check them out on their website, and even bid there, too.
Café Refresh will be at St Peter’s on Thursday, April 17. That’s because it is the third Thursday of the month, when it makes its regular appearance from 10.30 am to 12 noon. What better place for chat and coffee. Why don’t you make a regular appearance there, too?
FAIRLIGHT FRIDAY LUNCH CLUB For lunch this week, on Friday April 11, there is steak pie with baby potatoes, with Swiss roll with custard to follow. For fun, there’s a quiz with Sue and Ron. For Good Friday on April 18, it’s fish and chips with Easter cake for afters. Singer Jade Chamberlain will be your entertainment that day.
FAIRLIGHT HISTORY GROUP The Group next meets on Wednesday, April 16 when they will welcome Lorna Vahey telling about the Vahey family of Pett. Her parents, Fred and Zoe, were a fascinating couple who built their own house in Pett and lived a life of self-sufficiency. The meeting, in our village hall, commences at 2.30 pm, with refreshments to follow. Give them a look.
FAIRLIGHT PLAYERS TICKETSPlayers’ Chairman Keith Miller reminds us that it’s less than a month to go before Gail Force 9 takes to the boards and that the tickets are, appropriately, going like the wind. In fact, if you dilly dally much longer, they will have Gone with the Wind. Sue Evans has the tickets at DISH on Mondays, or you can go online to Fairlight Players – Box Office, or use 07988 540 757. Red Arrows to get Charles and Camilla’s Italy state visit off to a flying start
FAIRLIGHT PARISH COUNCIL At the last full Council meeting, considerable attention was paid by District Cllr Andrew Mier in explaining some of the likely outcomes of changing Brighton and Hove and East and West Sussex to a Mayoralty. The chances of decreased services locally appears heightened, and Councillors will be fewer on the ground. An additional point comes with this week’s news, when the North Somerset Mayor remains in office unsanctioned despite being suspended from his position as an MP for legal reasons. One hopes the system will allow for those who can comment pertinently on the state of play will be able to get their points across before the whole is resolved in September. The cited savings seem seldom to materialise, but reductions in services appear to be a must.
The Council spent time resolving the Grant Applications for 25/26 as follows: Activate Youth Club £500 for repairs to decking Approved; FRA for DISH £1,600 for Hall hire. Not approved as apparently not all relevant financial information had been submitted; Fairfest £300 for seed funding Approved; Gardening Club £ 250 to maintain village sites Approved; Village Hall £2,000 for stage carpet and curtains Granted £1,000;
Art Club £240 to refurbish show stands Approved; Gardening Club £250 to Village Playgroup £1,100 for equipment and toys Approved; MOPPs £1,000 to help with running costs Granted £500; Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat £1,000 towards boathouse extension Approved, will be paid from the S137 budget; PCC St Andrew’s £1,500 for churchyard maintenance Granted £1,000; Riding for the disabled £200 to assist with the tea with a pony sessions Approved; Guestwell Scouts £2,000 for new equipment Granted £500.
It was agreed to purchase four new benches for just under £1,400, and noted that the Clerk will have to contact Rother for permission to reinstate the Battery Hill bench. It was resolved to apply for an extension to the Planning Permission existing on the Pavilion project, which expires in July. Cllr Smith said it would be a pity to close the project as £14,000 has already been spent. This apart from the time and study of Steve Stewart and Geoff Smith, successive project Chairs, and their committee members. Cllr Stewart reported that documents had been sent to a member of the public who has offered to help with the redesign of the project.
FAIRLIGHT GARDENING CLUB Between the items last week about the Gardening Club and What else is ‘on’ in the village? we omitted to remind you that the very popular Fairlight Open Gardenswill be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, each day from 10.30 am till 4 pm. Every year we have an Open Gardens event the village is thriving with people trying to remember who’s got the Pimms and the bacon sarnies, and where’s best for a crafty cutting or two. People truly come from all over the district as well as from within the parish. Make a diary note now to ensure that you will be among them!
FLING SPELLS SUCCESS Not literally, even in Noah Webster’s eccentric dictionary. It is well known that what was MOPPs and is now more commonly recognised as the Friday Lunch Club, is dangerously short of ready money, and some are forecasting the chance of a permanent closure towards the end of this year. Perhaps the amazing example set by the Residents Association last Saturday will assuage the doom and gloom somewhat. Their Spring Fling with a proper meal (thanks to Carol Sharpe and her helpers) and music from the highly regarded Kytes plus a busy-busy bar and then topped off with a donation from the FRA and the grand total on the cheque going to MOPPs was £1,500. Who would have thought a group of people enjoying themselves could be so charitably outstanding? Congratulations to all concerned.
THINGS ARE LOOKING UP FOR FAIRLIGHT ASTRONOMERS The members were mentioned in a recent Village Voice for the level of interest raised by this relative newcomer to the ranks of clubs and societies in the village. Appealing as it does to the deeply knowledgable enthusiast and equally to the novice, it has already turned out quite a high number of members on a cold winter’s evening and the alfresco events will be more attractive with the warmer weather, even if you have to wait longer for the darkness and the scarcity of light pollution. Their meetings are on the second Thursday of each month, and to check time and place please contact c rsmart1961@gmail.com
Keith Pollard, Brookfield, Broadway