Staplecross

[email protected]

At long last, and amidst much excitement and anticipation, the long awaited day has arrived, SATURDAY JULY.27th. 5pm sees the Official Opening of the new Arthur Herdman Pavilion. This superb Sports/Community pavilion at the Herdman Trust Playing Field in Ewhurst Green will be officially opened by the newly elected Chairman of Rother District Council; Cllr Ian Jenkins, who represents ‘Rother Levels’ ward. He will be ably supported by Mr. Hamish Monroe, Chairman of the W.A.R.R. Partnership, without who’s guidance on grants, etc. this much needed project would not have come to fruition so soon. Also attending this ceremony will be Rother District Councillor Mr.Tony Ganly together with members of the Ewhurst Parish Council and other local dignitaries, and last but certainly, not least, and perhaps most importantly, the people who actually made this project happen. Those who made not just a financial contribution but who gave up their time and energy to raise this amazing building from a paper blueprint to a fantastic building for all to enjoy and be proud of. This Opening Ceremony is open to all parishioners, so why not come along and see for yourself what a community can achieve. Following on from this milestone and commencing at 6.30pm, the annual Ewhurst Green Bar-B-Q will begin.This party like event will consist of a lots of yummy food, including a Pig Roast, burgers, sausages, salads, ice cream and a glass of wine. A superb raffle with great prizes is organised, a licensed bar will be available and lovely live music provided by the” Ballaregan Boys” will soon have you jigging along. Tickets to join in these festivities are £15:00 each (£8:00 for 6~12 year olds ) and may be obtained from Glenys on 01580~830491 or contact her at her emails address:[email protected] All monies raised here, at this celebration will go to local charities. So stop by, help local causes, join in with the fun and enjoy yourself.

Love them or Loathe them, cars are here to stay. “A Necessary Evil”,~ “Boy Racers” and “Tarmac Terrors” are just some of the titles allocated to them when they again hit the media headlines. Motorists are the bane of most peoples lives, whether as a pedestrian, a cyclist or a fellow driver using two, four or even twelve wheels. Speeding motorists are even more of a curse and a problem. It is with this subject in mind that the Sussex Police and supported by Ewhurst Parish Council are holding a Community Speedwatch Information Evening. This event is to be held on TUESDAY.JULY.23rd . in St. Marks Church Room, Northiam Road, Staplecross and starts at 7pm. Here you will be able to voice your concerns about speeding vehicles throughout this area and hopefully find out more about how you can help to reduce speeding. Please come along, pledge your support and see what you can do to help make where we live and work, a much better and safer place to be for us all

Staplecross Village Hall Committee have an announcement to make ~ after many years as the Booking Officer for these premises and doing a splendid job of it, a much loved and well known resident, Mary Baker, has decided that it’s time to hand this particular job onto some-one else. That some-one else is Cheryl Moss. With effect from THURSDAY AUGUST 1st. 2013. all future hall bookings and enquiries should be made through our new Village Hall Bookings Officer. Cheryl can be reached at 7, Cricketers Field, Staplecross, and her telephone number is 01580~831281.Enjoy your ‘retirement’ Mary, and Thank You.

Staying within this lovely village hall, last Thursday evening and repeated again on Friday evening, the Staplecross Methodist Primary School schoolchildren acted their socks off in their performance of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” The whole school gave the performances of their lives,and the audience, not just made up of proud parents and family members, but of residents and friends alike, responded in kind by raising the roof with their ongoing laughter and loud supporting cheers.This little adaptation of a well known and much loved play was proved a success from start to finish.The cast were word perfect, ~ well almost and when ‘bits went ‘missing’ carried on in true thespian style~ which made it all the more enjoyable. The cast sang their little hearts out, danced with delight and proved they were thoroughly enjoying it themselves by the smiles continuously shown on their faces. Every child had a part to play and played it with wholehearted joy and gusto. Many grateful thanks must be given to the Head Teacher, Liz Avard and ALL her magnificent team, ~ not just the dedicated Teachers, but the Teachers’ Assistants, all the parents, however involved, and the good friends of the school.I really can’t wait to see what fabulous offerings lie in wait for us all. If the great Bard himself had been privy to watch this production of this favourite storytelling, he,himself, would have cheered the loudest. A truly enchanting evening. Thoroughly enjoyed by one and all and what a magical way to learn Shakespeare. “ THANK YOU” to each and everyone of you. ~ ~ And so, our little ‘caretakers of the future’, this school year comes to a close ~ have a wonderful trip to Paris on the last day of term and enjoy those endless days of the summer school holiday, No-one deserves them more.

Out in the fresh air, along the road at the Clubhouse in Northiam Road, last Tuesday evening, Staplecross Bowls Club were very pleased to welcome Robertsbridge Scouts Group. In the summer, the Scouts are keen to try a variety of outdoor activities and bowls was on their list! Bowls, in various sizes, were provided and members of the Staplecross Club were on hand to help and supervise the youngsters, where needed. This very pleasant and satisfying evening concluded with refreshments in the Clubhouse, where everyone agreed that a great time was had by all. The Bowls Club would certainly welcome the Scouts Group back again in the future. TUESDAY JULY 30th finds this club in a more serious frame as they are away to Fairlight for a 4T match,which is part of the Mermaid League. On WEDNESDAY JULY 31st this busy club is back at home, as host to Clive Vale with a friendly game of 4/ST. Still,at home, on THURSDAY. AUGUST 1st. will see this Bowls club playing Alexandra Park for another friendly match of 4T. 0n SATURDAY.AUGUST 3rd ,once more at their home ground,they will again be hosts to Beckley for a 4T match of the Mermaid League.All these matches have a 2.30pm start. In case that wasn’t enough, SUNDAY AUGUST 4th the Club are holding their annual “Round Robin” competition at their Club ground. Beginning at 9.30am. this event lasts all day and members of the public are cordially invited to come and watch the action. Light refreshments, in the form of teas, coffee and cakes are available all day. Interested parties and potential new members are always warmly welcomed, so come and talk to any member of this active and friendly club then.

Just a little further South, along the road from Cripps Corner, but still enjoying the free, fresh air, comes another reminder of what’s going on within Brede High Woods.An ongoing ‘End of the Month,’ Volunteer Conservation Task Day approaches. This is on SUNDAY.JULY 28th between 10.am and 3pm. For more information on how you can be a helping part of this worthwhile and essential work please contact Sue at: [email protected] Other fun and very informative days out are the “Family Bushcraft Days” These exciting days out are planned for every Thursday starting with AUGUST 1st. and then AUGUST 8th. Commencing at 10am until 3pm, these unusual workshops will consist of a day of ‘Hands On woodland bush craft, encouraging you to learn new skills and put them into practise. An excellent day out for all the family and what will the children be able to report back at school, I wonder! For more information and to book please contact Martin Felstead at: [email protected] or telephone:08452~935734.

Community transport plays a vital role in helping people get to their destination. Schemes operate in nearly every town and parish across East Sussex and now, to keep these schemes running smoothly, the organisers need your help. The schemes are provided by not-for-profit organisations and can take a varity of forms. These include car schemes run by volunteers, dial a ride minibus services and local bus services. East Sussex County Council has been able to help by providing kick-start funding for training and support. Philip Ayers, Chair of the East Sussex Community Transport Operators Forum, said “The organisations that run community transport in East Sussex are always looking for volunteers. They need help with driving, administration, fundraising and professional advice. If you’re interested and feel you can help in any capacity, please get in touch with your local community transport scheme.” You can find Wealdlink and all other community transport schemes in their online directory. It lists all the providers and groups them together by area. You can telephone 0345 60 80 190 or visit eastsussex.gov.uk/communitytransportinfo.

Church services for SUNDAY JULY 28th. Trinity 9. Holy Communion (BCP) The service begins at 9.30am at the beautiful church of St. James the Great in Ewhurst Green. The Reverend Gordon Winchester will then take the last Church service in Staplecross for the month of July,at the charming little church of St Mark, in Staplecross. This service will commence at 11.15am Holy Communion (BCP) If you need to contact Gordon, for whatever reason, happy or sad, he will always be pleased to help. If he’s out, leave a message and he’ll get back to you, as soon as he can. His number is 01580~830268. Please though, do avoid calling him on a Wednesday, as that’s his day off, otherwise, ring at anytime.

Do you have an event, a party or gathering, a charity do,a club outing or an organisation that needs a helping hand or an idea you’d like more people to know about? If so, please contact me, either by ‘phone, post or email and I’ll do my best to spread the news and publicize your intended event.As always, please allow hopefully at least two weeks notice prior to your event to allow for full coverage.