The sale of poppies for British Legion funds in Rye and District brought in £2,225 - 14% up on last year's figure, Bob Bowler tells us. This breaks down as follows: Camber £77, East Guldeford £21, Iden £191, Playden £137, Rye Harbour £49 Winchelsea £207, Winchelsea Beach £95, Rye house-to-house £965 and the flag-day in the town on 8 November, £481.
The Women's Section of the British Legion raised almost £150 at the top of the town on Poppy Day with a coffee morning in the Town Hall followed by ploughman's lunches at the FE Centre.
Called together by County Councillor Robert Bromley, a party of very useful people met for a working lunch at the Mermaid last week to talk about Rye's highway problems - not the rarefied subject of the bypass (where traffic still seems to be at a standstill) but at grassroots level. County Engineer Brian Kermode from Lewes and his Divisional Engineer from Bexhill Ralph Olesen, plus Assistant County Planning Officer Peter Masters, Rother's Chief Executive David Powell and our own Town Clerk all have an interest in the maintenance of the town's streets, and various possibilities were discussed and plans laid. Some need further ripening, but the first-fruits are likely to appear in the New Year when a two-man team attacks the Mermaid Street cobbles, starting at the bottom and re-laying the entire surface for 60/70 metres up the hill. They will them move up to the junction of West Street and Mermaid Street, which is also bad, and on to the corner of the churchyard at the top of West Street where wall and road alike are in a poor state. Ralph Olesen tells us that he hopes to see something like £50,000 per annum spent on the streets of Rye over the next three or four years, and this would include increased time on maintenance by the team which is at present working in the town - last week, replacing broken paving slabs in East Street.
One unexpected point raised is the colour of the traditional cobbles: the light brown ones are not local, but were brought over as ballast by ships returning empty from the Continent in the days of the wool trade. ESCC hopes to find a supply of them for use in the repairs instead of having to replace gaps entirely with the local blue-grey stones.
Anne Wood was taught to knit by her Norwegian mother, and she knits fast - fast enough to win the competition recently held by the wool shop in Icklesham as part of a national contest organised jointly by Patons and "Pins and Needles". Last Tuesday Anne represented Icklesham in the south-eastern regional heat held at the Crafts Council in London. Lest you should think that each south-eastern village sent an intrepid knitter into a melee of needles and wool, there were only 18 contestants altogether - supplied with identical materials and a chair, though some of the chairs (presumably collected up by non-knitters) had arms and had to be swopped hastily! The task was simple enough; each knitter cast on 30 stitches, and then at the metaphorical crack of the starter's pistol knitted madly, counting under her breath, until she had done 60 rows and cast off. The fastest time was 27 minutes; Anne finished in 40 minutes and was not the slowest. The completed squares will eventually be sewn into blankets for the Church of England Children's Society, who will also benefit from the 30p entrance fee for each heat.
The London heat was held on the press day for the new Crafts Council exhibition "Knitting - a Common Art". This has examples of knitting from 1595 to the present day, and the Council hopes it will be as successful as a similar quilting show which drew thousands of enthusiasts to its HQ in Waterloo Place, at the top of the Carlton House Terrace steps from the Mall (and very handy for Charing Cross station).
2.
Mr. George Shipton died suddenly at his home in Devonport House on Saturday night; he was 74, and leaves a widow, son and daughter and five grandchildren. Mr. Shipton had been in the fire service until his retirement - he served with the London Fire Brigade all through WW2. He and his wife (who celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary earlier this year) were the very first arrivals at Devonport House when it opened in 1982. They were newcomers to Rye, having come from Seaford, but it took no time for Mr. Shipton to establish himself as a popular member of local society by his enthusiasm for bowls (the Bowls Club was then just launched). Both as player and Secretary he gave the Club good service, and although illness put an end to his playing career this season, his name will be remembered as the donor of the George Shipton Trophy for older players. He was also a keen short-wave radio listener, and it is a sad coincidence that his death follows so soon after that of Norman Jennings, his friend and fellow-listener in the town. Mr. Shipton's sudden death has come as a sad shock, not only to his family but also to the Devonport House community and his many friends in Rye - who greatly admired the courage and cheerfulness with which he bore disablement, walking round the town with a smile and a wave right up to the day of his death. (Funeral details are not available as we print.)
Thirty people were present at the AGM of the Rye & District Branch of Mencap at the George Hotel on Wednesday, and heard Vickie Piper report with much satisfaction that the horticultural project really is likely to start in the spring. But final arrangements have yet to be drawn up - and she is keeping her fingers crossed and her mouth shut until they are all signed!
Mencap's national constitution means that branches all have to hold their AGMs in November (not a very practical time of year for country districts). So the financial statement covered the past 16 months, and shows that 0.4,106 was raised locally - over 02,000 from donations, for which the Branch is deeply grateful. The 1987 committee consists of Vickie Piper, Harold Pearce, Phyllis Shiers, Mary Walker, Ita Bligh, Daphne Hughes (representing Social Services) and Jim Wyatt (representing the County Mental Handicap Team). The Branch is most appreciative of the work done by Iris Laker, Sheila Beeton and Mary Carter, who are no longer on the committee. Jean Faulkner, from Brede, will represent the Branch on the Community Health Council.
The new minibus has been invaluable; since it arrived it has clocked up 6,300 miles in use by Hill House School or the Branch. "Use it", Vickie was told when it was given them by the Variety Club; "You're part of the family now" and next year it will be taking local mentally handicapped children to a real family party, a Sunshine Coach Rally in Hyde Park with 250/300 coaches, 2/3,000 children, and lunch eaten out of doors in (they hope) the presence of HRH the Duchess of Kent.
The Butlins holiday in April was so successful that they hope to go again in 1987, taking local children who couldn't go this year. The Rye Majorettes were largely responsible for the 1986 holiday; in the course of the year, Vickie has been talking to other groups of young people on the work of Mencap at both national and local level, including student nurses at Hastings, sixth-formers at Bexhill, and Thomas Peacocke pupils.
Having appointed Timothy Lees as Sports Centre Manager, Rother is now looking for further full-time staff there. The closing date for receipt of application forms (obtainable from the Personnel & Management Services Officer at Bexhill Town Hall, Bexhill 216321 ext. 296) is 1 December. The two postholders will be required to work outside normal office hours on a regular basis (including week-ends and Bank Holidays). The duties of the Recreation Assistant (c. £7,000 pa.) include staff supervision, general management and liaison with school staff, and two years' relevant experience is required. Previous experience with indoor sports facilities is also essential for the Sports Centre Supervisor (c.£5,500) who will assist the Manager and Recreation Assistant. Both jobs include attendance duties and some coaching.
3 THE RYE GAZETTE, 19 November 1986
A paperback containing fourteen ghost stories by EF Benson may come as a surprise to those who only know Rye's author-Mayor by his novels about Mapp and Lucia. But he wrote a number of ghost stories, and Cynthia Reavell has edited the best of them into "The Tale of an Empty House, and other ghost stories", with an introduction by Susan Hill. Mrs. Reavell's foreword describes Benson's own experiences of the supernatural, reflected in some of the stories; Susan Hill writes about his technique as an author. Both agree that "Pirates", the final story in the collection, is their favourite. (Your reviewer would really prefer not to think about any of them for too long; Benson, like his friend MR James, has a nasty habit of luring one into the story in a casual pleasant way - and then pouncing on the imagination from behind...) Black Swan, the publishers, should be congratulated on the moonlit cover, creepy without being horrific; the price is £3.59 and the book is of course obtainable from the Martello bookshop and elsewhere.
The Conservation Society is worried about the condition of the old town pump in Landgate Square. The brickwork of the low wall which surrounds the domed brick cistern needs rebuilding to prevent further damage. The cost could be between £500 and £700, and Rother is being asked to contribute £350 towards this; the Society is also contacting the Landgate Square householders. The project - with old photographs supplied by Peter Ewart - was set out on a display board at the Conservation Society's annual "informal gathering" at the Town Hall last week. Other photographs were from John Underwood's fascinating snippet views of Rye, which even on a second showing had some members puzzled. Brian Cook Batsford - Sir Brian, the Society's President - had given the original of his St. Mary's Christmas card to be auctioned in aid of St. Mary's and the Society; the final price was C110, and the buyer was Rye's Deputy Mayor Frank Palmer, whose collection of Rye material is rumoured to be unrivalled.
The Rye Group of WIs held its autumn meeting at Beckley, when chairman Mrs. Eileen Bennett reported on a busy and successful six months; reports from the individual Institutes provided a fascinating insight into a very wide variety of activities. Mrs. Bennett was presented with a pottery owl on completion of her term of office, and Mrs. Jones of Beckley succeeds her in the Chair. Also retiring is Miss Louie Cotton, Group treasurer for ten years, who was presented with a leather handbag in appreciation of her marathon spell of bookkeeping; her successor is Mrs. Jeanne Freeman. The speaker was Mrs. Gray, QC, who amused and instructed members with her account of a "Woman in Wigs"; Rye WI won the competition for a pincushion. Rye WI's sponsored knit-in is doing well and serving two charities - the sponsor money goes to the Hospice, and the made-up blankets to Rye Hospital. Rye members are among the team manning the new Hospice Shop in Wish Street. At the November meeting, Brian Hawkes's talk and slides of the wildlife of Alaska were much enjoyed, and Phyllis Smith demonstrated the making of unusual candles.
In view of increased national figures for the collection of glass cullet, it is disappointing that the glass left at Rother's bottle banks in the year until June is down by 20% on the previous year. 30 gallons of heavy fuel oil are saved by each tonne of glass collected - perhaps this is something the new Greenpeace branch might be concerned with? Anyway, Rother's 13 sites produced 329 tonnes of glass (and an income of £829). Rye's two Bottle Banks are fed with roughly equal amounts, almost 45 tonnes in all last year compared with 57 the year before. For both, August (almost 6 tonnes), September and December were the best months, with contributions dropping sharply to less than one tonne at each site in June. Are we getting lazier - or drinking less?
The Rye Can Bank produced just over half a tonne in its first six months; even Bexhill only managed 1.25 tonnes in the same period.
4.
• The Community Centre is facing a bill for over £900 to replace the period-piece heating system in the upper hall. The main heating system is (touch wood) OK, but to add on the upstairs room would mean that this couldn't be kept heated on its own - and it is frequently in use on its own. The committee is holding a jumble sale this Saturday morning from 10 to 12, and members are asking for jumble of all kinds. Goods may be left at the Centre on Friday morning between 9 and 12, or before 9.30 on Saturday; anything too large to carry can be collected by arrangement. Jumble sale proceeds in the town have been chancy lately, ranging from several hundred pounds to under a hundred; the hard-pressed Community Centre committee (who get nothing in the way of official grants for maintenance costs) hope very much that theirs will be a winner.
• A pair of Saturday Special adult education classes starting this weekend at the FE Centre are intended to help people with Christmas on their mind. "Marzipan, Ice and Decorate your own Christmas Cake" is the title of the course, two 10-to-4 sessions on Saturday 22 November and 6 December, price £9 for the two. Enrol with Anne Swaine at the FE Centre (Rye 222318 - Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 2 to 5) or leave a note for her there at other times.
• Parents of intelligent four-year-olds had better start thinking now of a plausible explanation for what is happening on Saturday week (29th)! The Rye Playgroup Christmas Fair at the Clinic from 2 to 4 will be honoured by the presence of Father Christmas in his magic grotto, and there will doubtless be a queue of young admirers; but at 3 the venerable gentleman suddenly duplicates himself and appears at Rye Station, where a vintage car will collect him for a tour of the town before he turns on the Christmas lights. The answer is, of course, that the genuine Father Christmas has called in his twin brother to help out - but which is the genuine Father Christmas? Anyway, one of them stays snug in the grotto while the other drives along Cinque Ports Street, under the Landgate and up Hilder's Cliff to the George Hotel. Here he switches on the Chamber of Trade lights which make the streets look so pretty, and then goes (on foot, presumably, since it is one-way down) up Lion Street to the Town Hall, where the Town Council's Christmas tree awaits his attention. We understand there will be carol singers to mark the occasion, and balloons have also been mentioned.
On the same Saturday in the morning, the Winchelsea & District Floral Group hold their Christmas Fair at the George Hotel; tea and coffee will be available and the raffle proceeds will go to Mencap. There is also the Craft Market the FE Centre from 11 to 5. (The Women's British Legion have moved their Christmas Fair to the following Saturday, 6 December, when the St. John Nursing Cadets are holding a similar event - and as far as we know, these two are the last of the season.)
• A girl of 15 from a well-known stage family takes the lead part in "Amahl and the Night Visitors" at St. Mary's on 10 December. The opera - if that isn't too intimidating a word for such a seasonal entertainment - is by the modern American composer Menotti, and tells the story of a crippled shepherd boy who is visited by the Magi on their way to Bethlehem. This new production is presented, in costume, by the New Sussex Opera Company; there are six leading singers and an amateur chorus of 29. Daisy Torme is a pupil at Benenden, where she studies music under Dennis Wicks, artistic director of the New Sussex Opera; she is the daughter of singer Mel Torme and actress Janette Scott, who are expected to be in the audience. The performance starts at 8, and admission is by programme at the door or in advance from EMBS (£2.50 for adults, children £1).
This is apparently the New Sussex Opera Company's first visit to Rye, and it is a great pity that they have chanced on one of the two nights of the Lower School production "The Selfish Giant" (there is a further clash with the WI AGM). The first night of "The Selfish Giant" conflicts with the AGM of Rye Festival Council in the Town Hall - it's all go here, the first two weeks of December!
5.
150 people crowded into the tiny Rye Harbour Church on Sunday afternoon for the annual Lifeboat Memorial Service, always held as near as possible to the date of the "Mary Stanford " disaster on 15 November 1928. The Rye Branch of the RNLI was represented by Dr. Geoffrey Hale, its president, and its chairman Roger Breeds. The Sea Cadets and British Legion were there, as were other organisations and the families and friends of those who died. The service was taken by Canon David Maundrell, and Canon Derek Landreth (Rural Dean) was the preacher. Tea was served afterwards in the village hall.
The GAZETTE always tries to have a lifeboat story the week of the memorial service. The Rye Harbour lifeboat made healines a fortnight ago; but another lifeboat with Rye connections is the heroine of a double-page story in the autumn issue of the RNLI magazine "The Lifeboat"...
The Alderney lifeboat, "Foresters Future", is one of the Lochin-built 33ft Bredes, and early in May she was involved in a successful rescue which led to a bronze medal for the cox and certificates of thanks to four of her crew. On Sunday, 4 May, she was launched at 1.30 am in winds which soon rose to gale force - one very heavy sea threw her 40 degrees off course and heeled her over some 60 degrees. "The lifeboat came upright readily" Lochin staff will be glad to know! When she reached the distressed yacht, ten attempts were needed to rescue the four exhausted and seasick crew members - a French helicopter hovered nearby to provide lights. "Foresters Future" towed the yacht slowly back towards St. Peter Port in Guernsey, initially at only two knots, handed her over to the harbour launch at 7.15 am and after a pause for refreshment and checking for damage they were back at their own station at Braye Harbour at 9.30. They had just refuelled when a call came to escort another yacht into the harbour. With a change of crew, the lifeboat also dealt with this, and finally moored at 11.30 am - after a very long morning.
The magazine also contains an account of a Rye Harbour launch on 15 June which we didn't know about at the time. The old D-class boat went out to rescue two children drifting out to sea off Camber beach on an inflatable; while they were there, the crew also rescued three children drifting in a canoe, the youngest only 18 months old. (Isn't it unbelievable!)
Finally "The Lifeboat” has a long list of services during March, April and May. Rye was only called out twice; but the list includes 40 services by the Rye-built Brede-class boats - and the Oban Brede went out 17 times!
When the Tilling Green Estate was built by Rye Borough Council just after WW2, it was on land given (or so we understand) by the late Eric Mason of Iden. Mason Field, the Estate's recreation ground, bears his name, as does Mason Road.
But why do the other Estate roads have their particular names? Pottingfield Road probably recalls the land on which clay was dug for the nearby brickyard. But why Marley Road? Cooper Road? Lea Avenue? Bankside speaks for itself, as does The Link; but who were Denton, Ferring, Henley and Nutley, for whom four of the five Closes were named (the fifth being simply The Close)? If any of the Borough Councillors of that period happen to know, or have documents which are relevant, it would be really interesting to have the facts on record now, before everyone forgets.
Kings (or is it King's) Avenue, on the other side of the town, was built before the war, and presumably named after King George V's Silver Jubilee or King George VI's Coronation. Someone, we feel sure, can tell us which?
Quite apart from the names, and information about the building of the two main Council estates - who the builders were, what the work cost - would be useful to record. (Even such major technical details as how deep the piling went can, it seems, so easily be forgotten...!)
(Talking of Cooper Road, Mrs. Tomich tells us that Rother is saying nothing publicly until the 15 December meeting of the full Council.)
6.
The League of Friends of Rye Memorial Hospital held its Annual Meeting at the Town Hall on 6 November. Chairman Ruth Lawson-Tait, surveying the 15 people in front of her, recalled the 1985 AGM, when there had been standing-room-only on the stairs to hear Alan Martindale talking about the possible closure of the hospital. Since then, she said, there had really been little definite news. The closure had, of course, been avoided by the Health Authority (and the accounts show the sum of £276 spent in connection with the League's fight to save it). There were "rumblings" about the possible closure of the casualty service at Rye, but Mr. Martindale had said in a letter that the position about both casualty and X-ray was still under review; Dr. Chishick, more encouragingly, wrote to report that a meeting of local doctors last month was reassured that neither service was likely to be axed for the next two years anyway. The League is still hoping to be allowed to provide an extra ward.
In his Treasurer's report, Brian Tuck said that the income from donations, collecting boxes and the proceeds of the Fete and Christmas raffle had increased from £3,738 in 1984/5 to £7,543 in the year to 31 March 1986. Interest on the various deposits was also up from £3,607 to £4,589. Outgoings, despite the £276 mentioned above, were down from £1,510 to £592 on administrative expenses, though £2,995 (£2,478 last year) was spent on hospital needs. Major items here included six special chairs and an ambulift, together costing over £2, 000. The balance of income over expenditure for the year was £8,544; £48,397 is now invested, to await the long-for permission to build.
The committee was re-elected en bloc, and the officers were also re-elected. They are: Mrs. Lawson-Tait (chairman), Mr. Cracknell (vice-chairman), Mrs. Pearson (secretary), Mr. Tuck (treasurer), and Mrs. Ashby, Councillor Chapman, Dr. Chishick, Mr. Phil Ellis, Mrs. Emus, Mrs. Daniel, Dr. Jeelani, Miss Pembleton, Mrs. Strong, and Councillor Mrs. Tomich. Mr. Tuck proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, who had seen the League through a very difficult year. Miss Pembleton expressed her personal thanks to the League for the many things which it had provided for her hospital patients, and in particular for its help over the trolley shop so admirably run by Mrs. Katy Harland and greatly appreciated by both day- and in-patients.
Raffle prizes at the League's Christmas event at the Town Hall on Thursday week (27th) include £25 cash, dinners-for-two at two local hotels, and two vouchers each of which will take two people for a day trip across the Channel. As well as the raffle, the social evening includes wine and cheese, and an auction of goods given to the Friends. The proceedings begin at 7, and tickets at £1.50 are available at the door. Items for auction will be gratefully received, either at the hospital or by any of the committee members; Phil Ellis tells us he will be happy to act as a collecting point for the Cadborough end of the town.
The leaves from the Gibbet Marsh conker trees have long ago fallen to form a squishy brown carpet on the pavement, but just along the road summer gardens bloom again. On Saturday, at his home at the foot of the Udimore Road, hill, Louis Turpin held a one-day exhibition of his current work. He is still knee- deep in gardens - one magnificent picture of Sissinghurst is not for sale, but is his perks for a year of hard work! - but he has been painting from photographs and notes made in the grounds of several famous country houses, playing with contrasting textures of tree and hedge and foliage, and the scarlet and mauve and gold of the traditional English herbaceous border. The results are memorable. Also on show were a pair of lily-pool portraits, two studies for what may one day be a painting of fishing-boats, and a very fine thistle - and the unofficial star of the show, Louis and Dav's new baby Theo, available for dandling while big brother Aaron got on with his own art-work. Louis shows regularly in half-a-dozen galleries round the country; his next big exhibition is in March.
• One of our over-60 readers is getting outstanding value from BR's November offer. One day last week she bought a £2 ticket; it took her via London to Sherborne in Dorset for a flying visit, then on via Salisbury and Southampton to Brockenhurst in the New Forest. Next day another £2 brought her back to Rye. Everything worked beautifully, she tells us, all the changes fitted, and the trains each way arrived two minutes early! This week, another £4 will take her for a couple of days to Kings Lynn in Norfolk. How are other Senior Citizen cardholders getting on?
• On 28 November the Editor goes to Ashford to meet BR management for our Area. We will be happy to pass on comments from readers about the trains locally, if people wishing to praise or blame would drop us a line by next Thursday.
• Eric Wetherill of New England Lane is a keen amateur archaeologist, and recently he had his reward. He was casting an eye over an excavation by SWA workmen opposite Playden Cottage in Military Road when something winked up at him - a small coin, not as big as a 1p piece and very worn, but unmistakeably Roman. It was on top of the spoil from a trench 4' deep, so it would have once have been dropped on what was then the sea-shore. Mr. Wetherill plans to take the tiny bronze coin to London for an expert opinion about its date.
• Mrs. Dora Colman writes to say how happy she is to have come home to Bexhill after many working years in Rye, Peasmarsh and Camber; she would like her friends to know that she is very happy there, and offers a glowing tribute to the Bournes team who "moved" her with such efficiency from Badger Gate.
• At Rother's Housing Committee last week, Pauline Tomich was worried that no mention was made of the staircase-lighting aspect of the recent fire. She raised the point, and is assured that the Housing staff are looking into the possibility of installing a new system - indeed, it seems likely that new lighting will arrive before a fire-escape does (the latter is still under discussion by Housing and Fire Brigade staff).
• The police station's press book records a leather-jacket-nicker at work at the Oasis on Wednesday night, 5 November; thefts of this kind seem to be a recurrent risk in clubs and pubs, but this time three vanished! The press book is less communicative now than it used to be, so otherwise we can only record that a shop door in Ferry Road had its glass broken on the night of 14 November and a cash box containing £100 was stolen from business premises in Wish Ward the following afternoon - in neither case is the exact location given.
• The current weekly planning list includes applications for a new vehicular access for 44 New Winchelsea Road, and for a new greenhouse at Lamb House to replace the existing dilapidated one - this application comes from the National Trust (rather than from Sir Brian and Lady Batsford personally worried about next year's tomatoes!).
• The Mayor was among those present at a recent meeting held to discuss in detail the setting-up of a Cancer Support Group in the town, based at the St. John Ambulance HQ on Conduit Hill. Linda Porter now feels that sufficient ground- work has been done to invite enquiries about the new project, and posters going up in the town suggest that anyone wanting information or offering help should contact Mrs. Porter on Rye 222982. Once the Centre is in operation, we shall of course be giving a full account of what it can offer.
• There is no doubt that Freight Express-Seacon's side window in Lion Street is proving a useful asset to the town - the management are generous in its use as display space, particularly for something with a maritime theme. We hope to see Andrew Manktelow's photographs there before long; and the Lion Street knotter has added a puzzle to his current display there. A mechanism incorporating six cotton-reels, three lead weights and yards of twine, it was taught him by a Victorian fisherman who used it to make part of his fishing tackle. What, says the label, is it called and what exactly does it do? Answers to the GAZETTE, please, or c/o Freight Express, for the anonymous craftsman.
Thrift Shop, Red Cross, 10 to 4 (and Friday, Saturday) National Trust sales table for Trust goods, with coffee available, George Hotel, 9.30 to 12
Museum Association talk, "More Aspects of Rye" (Alma Fabes), FEC, 7.30 - all welcome.
Community Centre jumble sale, CC, 10 (see page 4)
Scouts Christmas Fair, Scout Hut, 10.30
Sale of TEAR Fund goods (Third World), Baptist foyer, 2
Catholic Church Christmas Fair, FEC, 2.30
Social evening for Sussex Historic Churches Trust and Playden Church (slides, wine and buffet), TH, 7.30
The Scratch Band, Baptist Church, 7.30 (admission free)
Thrift Shop Half-Price Sale, Red Cross, 10 to 4
WRVS lunch club, 12.30
Community Centre Association AGM, CC, 7.30 (see below)
Raft Race cheque presentation to NSPCC, with brief talk by new Regional Organiser, George Hotel, 7.45 (all are welcome, invitation or not)
Round Table Bone Marrow Donor blood-sample session, Saltings, 6 to 9 (see below).
• Congratulations to Sandra Parker and Rudi Sarkies, of Winchelsea Road and The Black Sheep in The Mint, who were married in Crowborough on 1 November. Sandra's sister Annette Thorburn arranged the reception and did all the catering. The honeymoon was spent in Tunisia - and the shop may well reflect in due course some interesting ideas Sandra picked up there.
• Although organisations using the Community Centre have been specifically asked to send along representatives to the AGM on Monday, individuals who would be willing to help the committee run this valuable self-supporting asset would be most welcome too. The committee meets on the second Monday of each month.
• The Round Table's appeal for bone-marrow donors has not fallen on deaf ears, and the blood-testing session takes place today week. Appointment cards are being distributed to those who have already volunteered, but Round Table can still make room for more - if you haven't yet volunteered but would like to (and are aged between 18 and 50) call at Bennetts in the High Street and have a word with Frank May.
• The valedictory coffee morning fa. Muscular Dystrophy held at the George Hotel on 5 November raised a total of 0120 for the Association - some of it from outright donations. Gill Wood is most grateful to the George, to those who came - and to those who have helped the Branch in any way during its comparatively short life in the town.
• Thomas Peacocke School PTA jumble sale, on 8 November, raised about £150.
• The Ploughman's Lunch on 11 November at the CC raised £265 for the work of the Arthritis & Rheumatism Council.
• The NSPCC Christmas coffee morning will take place at the George Hotel on Wednesday, 3 December, from 10 to 12. The equivalent event in Winchelsea is four days earlier, on Saturday 29 November at Cleveland House - the same day as the Greyfriars Christmas Fair, which happens in the afternoon.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7DR (0797 222303), and printed by Cinque Ports Stationers of Rye. News deadline Monday afternoon for the issue delivered to subscribers each Wednesday (30p a week). A few spare copies and back numbers ma z be available from Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1986)