Winchelsea

Literary meet: Darkly into Oblivion is the title of the talk given by the Rector Robin Whitehead this evening (Friday) at the Literary Society’s meeting, beginning at 7 for 7.30pm in the Court Hall. Robin will be reviewing some of the literature of the First World War in greater depth and awareness of that significant time. Light refreshments available and guests are always welcome at meetings and simply invited to make a voluntary donation on the night.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Oct 2014, 00:00 BST

Archives and Conservation: Tomorrow (Saturday) the Winchelsea Conservation Society will be meeting in the New Hall at 10am. All are invited to the talk entitled: ‘Winchelsea Archives; Their Importance, Survival & Conservation’ which will be given by author and historian Malcolm Pratt MBE. There will be a charge of £2 for non-members, new members pay £3 and it is free for members. After the talk there will be an opportunity for questions and coffee.

Fashion Show: A Charity Fashion Show in aid of Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital will be held on Wednesday October 22nd in Rye Town Hall at 6.30 to 8.30pm. The show is hosted by Niche, Bennetts and Herald & Heart in conjunction with The Rye Retreat. Tickets are £10 p.p. which includes a glass of bubbly and can be purchased from Niche, The Rye Retreat and Rye Hospital.

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Winchelsea’s Poor: On Saturday October 25th Malcolm Pratt, former Town Clerk of Winchelsea and author of several books on the history of the town will be giving a talk at the Methodist Chapel. The talk is entitled: ‘Winchelsea’s Poor – Their Lives Through Their Letters’ and links with his most recent book which is a compilation of the Winchelsea Poor Law Records. All are most welcome and light refreshments will be served at 10am with the talk starting at 10.30am.

Winchelsea Singers: Tickets are now on sale for the Winchelsea Singers presentation of Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach. The dates of the performance are Friday November 7th at 2pm and Saturday November 8th at 7pm in the New Hall. Refreshments are available on Friday and there will be a Bar on Saturday. The tickets are £10 p.p. and can be purchased from Winchelsea Farm Kitchen.

Winchelsea Loos update: Following last week’s mention (VV 10.10.14) of the appalling condition of the public toilets in Winchelsea, Mayor Stephen Turner has clarified that this is not the responsibility of Icklesham Parish Council but rather the duty of Rother District Council. As a Winchelsea Ward Councillor Stephen has made requests to the district councillors Paul Osbourne and Nick Ramus to urge RDC to inform Icklesham Parish Council when they are going to make the repairs to bring the toilets into full use again. As yet no report had been made to IPC but following a formal complaint to RDC this matter was discussed at the Parish Council meeting on Monday 13th October in Icklesham Memorial Hall. The update is that there appears to be a problem over the foundations of the building, e.g. tree roots as well as the possibility of an archaeological site which would make it too costly to have a full renovation. However the men’s toilet area which takes up half the building has been closed for a considerable length of time because it is in urgent need of repair. A proposal made at the meeting concerned some form of rebuild but that would be only on the men’s toilets in order to keep costs down. This would mean that the women’s toilets would continue in their present state as a health risk while waiting future consideration. In the meantime RDC is waiting to hear from the insurance company about the finances involved and IPC plans to write a formal letter to RDC to prioritise the matter. This is a concern for Winchelsea’s tourist industry as visitors to the town expect to use the toilets and so it is hoped the matter will be resolved by next summer before the next archaeological and cellar tours begin. The date and venue of the next full council meeting is Monday November 10th at 7.15pm in Winchelsea Beach Community Hall.

Theft of swings update: All five swings at Icklesham Recreation Ground were stolen during the week of 15th September. The police have been informed and an insurance claim has since been made.

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Back to Square One: After four years of dispute the supermarket stalemate could not be broken despite various attempts, including a summit meeting with MP Amber Rudd. The Directors of Tescoes’ and Sainsburys’ supermarkets have recently walked away from Rye leaving East Sussex County Council in the certainty of having failed in its duty to the town. A good supermarket would have helped raise standards as well as create more jobs but now 80% of the population will continue to shop elsewhere. So nothing has changed except that it is a big loss to the community. On the bright side Rye Studio School might well take back the site and there is also the prospect of starting all over again with another supermarket but this time choosing a more appropriate location.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve: As part of the Friends Winter Talk Series Dr. Patrick Roper who is a freelance ecologist will be giving a talk on Brede High Woods. Dr. Roper has known Brede High Woods for many years and still carries out much work there. He will be talking about the many aspects of the woodland that are largely unnoticed. This meeting is open to all, beginning at 2.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) in the Community Hall and donations towards the Reserve will be greatly appreciated.

Back in Time: Pub 31 on Winchelsea Beach Road is hosting the band ‘Back in Time’ tomorrow (Saturday) at 8.30pm. The music covers the 1960’s to 1990’s era so something there for everyone. Includes anything from the Animals to the Stones, Dire Straits, Madonna, Michael Jackson and plenty more.

Eyes Down: The fortnightly Cash Bingo evening is this Wednesday October 22nd in the Community Hall in Winchelsea Beach. Beginning at 7.15pm during the evening light refreshments will be at hand.

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Dance: Next Saturday October 25th Winchelsea Beach Community Association has organised a Dance with the live band ‘The Kytes’ in the Community Hall so do come along. The cost is £10 which includes a fish and chip supper.

Martial Arts: Every Tuesday in the Winchelsea Beach Community Hall from 5 to 8pm Martial Arts classes take place. The style is Wado Ryu Karate which combines Shotokan Karate and Jujitsu. Children’s Karate (4-11 years) begins at 5.00pm and Youth/Adult Karate (12+ years) from 6.30pm.

Abseil down, money raised: Congratulations to Joan Phillips whose abseil down Peacehaven Cliff on September 20th raised £1,120 for Family Support Work. It was an outstanding achievement and Joan who is a member of St Richard’s Church sends her grateful thanks to all at St Thomas’ Church Winchelsea and others who sponsored her in this venture.

Cindi Gogswell

31 Highfords, Icklesham