Winchelsea

End-of-term: St Thomas' Primary School finishes today (Friday) at the start of the Spring Bank Holiday weekend for a well-earned break and will reopen on Monday June 5th. The Spring Bank Holiday is a secular replacement for the more memorable Whit Monday holiday, on the day after Pentecost known as Whitsunday. This day commemorates the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus Christ's disciples and enabling them to speak the Gospel in many different languages. It was from there that the church had its beginning. The event was described in Acts 2:1-3 as '˜a mighty rushing wind from Heaven that filled the whole house and tongues like flames of fire rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues'. As a church school St Thomas' maintains its Christian ethos, worship and RE teaching and last year was graded outstanding. The leadership continues to ensure that the Christian values are embedded in school life and this has resulted in the pupils feeling valued and keen to learn. Recently two new teachers and a classroom assistant were employed at the school and have all settled in well. The Governors are currently in the process of recruiting a new Headteacher for this September as Mrs Mary Westhead who is working for two days a week this year will be retiring completely in July after over fifteen years as Head. Mrs Gardiner the Deputy Head is the Acting Headteacher for this academic year.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th May 2017, 07:00 BST
Updated 4th Jun 2017, 21:53 BST

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Winchelsea & Winchelsea Beach newsWinchelsea & Winchelsea Beach news
Winchelsea & Winchelsea Beach news

Coffee Morning: The Mayor Cynthia Feast has organised a Coffee Morning in aid of ARRCC (Activities, Respite, Rehabilitation, Care Centres based in Rye and Bexhill) for Saturday May 27th. ‘Plants and other good stuff’ will be available and the opening time is 10.30am in the Lower Court Hall.

The Kingdom: Thursday May 25th was Ascension Day which celebrates Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven, forty days after his body was resurrected, and concludes his earthly ministry. The ascension is the connecting link between the past ministry of Jesus and His future ministry. On Sunday May 28th there will be an 11am parish Holy Communion service in St Thomas’ Church to consider these important events. The period between Ascension Day and Pentecost is May 25th to June 4th and churches are invited to join in a wave of prayer to encourage discipleship for God’s kingdom which He will build. Taken from the Lord’s prayer, ‘Thy Kingdom come’ is the theme and, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ is the key focus, relevant to our present times of change.

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Occasional Consort: Local choir from Rye, The Occasional Consort will be performing in St Thomas’ Church on Saturday June 3rd at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 each which includes a glass of complimentary wine, and are available on the door. The choir will be singing Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum, Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir, motets and other works as well as Buxtehude’s Magnificat ex D. Leader is Anne Whiteman, Accompanist Shirley Carey and Organist Nigel Howard with instrumentalists led by Peter Field. In 1995 Shirley Carey founded the choir from members of the Hastings Philharmonic choir and the Kingsland Singers and the repertoire is mainly early music and the Baroque period.

Tidebrook Manor: Tidebrook (near Wadhurst) is opening for the National Gardens Scheme from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday June 7th. The Manor contains a 4-acre garden with outstanding views and includes a hydrangea walk, kitchen garden and wild woodland. Members and friends of the Garden Society who came to the Winter Lecture will remember that Edward Flint, the head gardener cordially invited the Society to make a visit. So in order to fit in with the opening times a mid-morning visit would seem to be appropriate. Admission is £5 a head and everyone will travel in their own cars. If you would like to go, please contact 01797 226428 to co-ordinate lifts.

Safety matters: There could be thousands of wartime bombs waiting to be washed up on our beaches but it was quite a coincidence when two were discovered within a few days of each other. The first was found in Fairlight Cove last Thursday May 11th just after 7pm and was believed to be from the Second World War. A Royal Navy team was sent out that evening but because it was high tide the sea had covered it so they returned the following morning and detonated it safely. The second WW2 bomb weighing 500lbs was discovered in a construction site near a major road (A38) into Birmingham on Tuesday morning May 16th. The roads were closed in both directions and it was detonated later that day at the A38 Aston expressway. On that bombshell look forward to a peaceful holiday weekend with temperatures forecast around 23 degrees C and plenty of sunshine.

Winchelsea Beach

Table Sale: Tomorrow May 27th there will be a Table Sale in the Community Hall beginning at 11am. Lots of purchases will be on offer and you can look forward to a good tombola. All are most welcome to come along and the admission cost is 50p which includes tea and biscuits.

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St Richard’s: On the Sunday after Ascension day May 28th there will be a reflective Holy Communion service at St Richard’s Church. This will be at 9.30am and friends and visitors are invited to attend the service.

Open Gardens: Next Saturday June 3rd there will be eleven gardens opening in this seaside village close to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, from 10.30am till 4pm and admission is £5. It is a 2.1 mile walking tour from garden to garden in aid of St Michael’s Hospice and guide dogs are welcome. Refreshments will be served in the Community Hall. If you would like an Open Garden booklet, please phone 01424 457959. The open gardens on Morlais Ridge are 10 Harbour Farm, Dreadnought, Willow Cottage and Emsby. On The Ridge are the gardens Curlews, Rusthall which is Rachel Fawcett’s in memory of David, also Broadwater, Seashell, White Wings, Sea Mist at Front Ridge and El Indalo at Old Harbour Farm Lane. Cars are not permitted on the two ridges and there are w.c.’s available at two locations along the route.

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