We have really bad news for senior British Rail travellers; BR are not doing the popular November cheap trips this year. For several years now over-sixties have picked next month to visit their far-flung relatives, and since these things need advance planning we rang the Southern Region Press Office at Waterloo on Monday to check on the arrangements. But - "Nothing in the pipeline at all this year", we were told; and if anything was planned, the spokesman said, they would have heard about it by now. Everyone will be sorry about this - including our shopkeepers, since it seems likely that Rye got November visitors who wouldn't otherwise have come here. Perhaps people who feel strongly might like to write to the Network Southeast Manager, Cedric Nott, at Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE; it probably won't do any good now for this year, but it just might serve as a spur to reinstate the offer in November 1988.
One of Rye's delights, for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, is the tiny jewel-box church of St. Anthony of Padua in Watchbell Street. Built in the late 1920s to replace the original neo-Gothic St. Walburga's, it has served Catholics not only from Rye but from a wide area round - indeed, sometimes it houses weddings where neither bride nor bridegroom has any particular connection with Rye, but both know a lovely church when they see one.
The church was officially opened on 30 June 1929, after having been in regular use for some nine months before that, so it is coming up to its Diamond Jubilee. However, celebrations are clouded by a C28,000 repair bill. The main problem is caused by Rye's regular edge-of-cliff bugbear, subsidence; the engineer doing the survey insisted that the retaining wall was in so parlous a state that it had to be shored up immediately. The wall will have to be demolished and a new one built; the flat roofs over the side chapels and sacristy need to be replace before the winter, and one wall of the sacristy will have to be underpinned. In addition, windows and doors need replacing and gutters and drainpipes need attention, while the exterior walls and woodwork all need the protection of new paint.
Although work on the most urgent problems begins shortly, the money has to be found if the parish is not to be burdened with a heavy overdraft. The church's normal income pays its normal outgoings, so the Restoration Fund will need to be over and above this. Since it was opened, some weeks ago, more than 02,500 has been raised; but Father David is hoping to raise a further 014,000 by the end of the year. The parish newsletter reminds worshippers that there have not been many recent calls on their generosity, so there is a good chance that local response to the appeal will be encouraging; but we feel that readers who now live away from Rye may be fond of St. Anthony's too and will wish to be made aware of the appeal. Donations should be sent to Fr. David at the Friary in Watchbell Street. Local supporters will have an opportunity to contribute at the Church's Christmas Fair on Saturday, 28 November, at the Community Centre from 11 am.
Daniel Owen of Cyprus Place, who has spent the summer vacation in the Togian Islands off Sulawesi (Indonesia) on a bat-hunting expedition, brought his four-strong team safely back to England on Thursday, in good order and with a mass of specimens to be analysed and identified. He would like his generous local sponsors to know that the expedition was a success in scientific terms as well as an enjoyable challenge to the group; as soon as they have settled into the new Oxford term, they will start work on a preliminary report to all the sponsors. The ultimate, fully-detailed report packed with scientific data may have to wait some months, since they will need a good deal of expert help in compiling it - and all four explorers are taking their finals in June. Anyway, welcome home!
2.
Mr. William John Luck of The Grove, who died in Rye Hospital on 30 September, leaves a widow - Alice, nee Bourne - a son John and two grandchildren. Bill Luck was born in Beckley in 1912, and followed his father's trade as a carpenter and joiner; but in the early 1930s he spent three years in the Royal Engineers and was called up in 1939, evacuated frorm Dunkirk, and invalided out in 1943. He and his wife (they had married in 1937) came back to Rye from Maidstone to take over a business which had been in the family for a century, Bourne's Stores in Tower Street (now the Gatehouse Restaurant). Mrs. Luck ran the shop, while Mr. Luck went to work for Ellis Bros, progressing over the next 30 years from joiner to general foreman; the front doors of the Methodist Church and its cross and pulpit are his handiwork. He loved to work with his hands, and for a while went back "on the tools" for Rysons at Camber, founded by one of his Ellis Bros apprentices. When the Lucks gave up the shop and moved to Udimore Road, he was happy working on improvements to the house and later on his son's new house in Winchelsea. After a lifetime of good health, he bore his recent illness with uncomplaining quiet good humour, and his family are grateful for the loving care provided by the staff of Rye Hospital during his last few days. Donations in Mr. Luck's memory may be sent to the League of Friends of Rye Memorial Hospital, c/o Ellis Bros.
Mrs. Celia Doyle, the wife of Mr. Ernest Doyle of Winchelsea Road, died suddenly last week while on holiday in the Isle of Wight. She was 66, and leaves a widower, three sons and three grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Doyle came to Rye nine years ago; she became a well-known and very popular landlady for bed-and-breakfast visitors, as well as making many friends in the town. The funeral takes place on Friday at 2 at Hastings Crematorium - family flowers only, but donations in Mrs. Doyle's memory will be forwarded to the heart unit of St. Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight, in gratitude for the kindness of the staff there. The family would like to thank all friends for the letters and cards of sympathy which have reached them.
Miss Flo Stace, of Greyfriars, died in Rye Hospital last week after a short illness; she was 87. Miss Stace came to Rye from Yorkshire to work for a family in The Mint, and lived at Mint Cottage until she went into Greyfriars four years ago. The funeral takes place today at Hastings Crematorium at 2.30.
The Rev. Stephen Ingham has received just under £700 given to Playden Church in memory of the late Rev. Noel Perry-Gore. This is to be spent on a communion rail (made by Burnhams) for the new chapel in the south aisle, and will also purchase a new alms-dish. A painting by Hans Feibusch is to be refrained before being hung in the church.
Show-jumping enthusiasts might like to make a particular point of watching the Horse of the Year Show on Friday, 9th (BBC2, 1.30 and 7) since they may well catch a glimpse of a former TPS pupil, Sonya Bragg of Iden. Sonya and her twin sister Sue are both expert horsewomen, and likely to go far in the competitive field; but it is Sonya who has reached the finals of the 1987 Horse of the Year Show. (We had hoped to speak to Sonya's family about this splendid achievement, but they were not at home on Monday evening - most likely in London, watching the earlier stages lives)
Last week's advance diary referred to the fund-raising event for Playden Church
at the Town Hall on Saturday evening, 24 October. This is likely to be a well- patronised social occasion, and the £3 tickets are already selling fast - from River Books and from the Rev. Stephen Ingham and Canon Maundrell; the number is limited to 70. Refreshments will be a finger-buffet and wine; Paddy Aiken's slides of Sussex churches will be presented by Stephen Ingham and introduced by Sir John Winnifrith, who has written the commentary. Finally, three rather special raffle prizes: paintings by John Owen, Richard Horner and John Ryan - who sets Captain Pugwash against a Rye background.
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 7 October 1987
It would be helpful to the Town Clerk, before the matter is discussed by the Town Council, to know what people think about a plan put forward by Town and Rother Councillor George Shackleton for a new hall on the Ferry Road site beside the Clinic, where the present elderly Civil Defence hut now stands.
This building is at present used only by Rye Playgroup, meeting five mornings and two or three afternoons a week. They are glad to have the two rooms (and the small playing area outside) rather than one big room; and at present, of course, they can leave all their equipment out between sessions - though if necessary they could clear it away into one room leaving the other free.
Rother has a plan to provide, with funding from other bodies, a multi-purpose hall to replace the Civil Defence hut. Rother would give the site, and would expect ESCC and the RDA to contribute - also the Town Council, and Councillor Shackleton's suggestion was that an extra rate of lip in the £ should be levied on the town "to help provide new premises for the Rye Pre-School Playgroup".
However, if the RDA contributes to the cost of a new hall it would mean that the room(s) must be available for the use of the whole community, not just one organisation. This would, in turn, mean loss of revenue for the Town Hall, FE Centre, Red Cross and Community Centre - who need every penny they can earn in lettings at present. It would also mean that although the playgroup has the use of a nice new hall, they would have to shift out of it after every session, or anyway stack everything out of sight in cupboards - or risk having their property and posters, etc., damaged by (say) an exuberant evening youth group.
Talking to one of the playgroup committee members, we discovered that they would much prefer to be given the existing building (with Rother continuing as ground landlords or not). They could then set about raising the money to refurbish it to suit their needs - not an impossible task, particularly if voluntary labour is offered. A new hall would almost certainly mean a serious rent, which in turn would increase the present fee to mothers of 75p a session - something the committee would be very reluctant to do.
So does the community really need more (probably expensive) meeting space? Do we really want to pay another lip in the £ on the rates to provide it, if the playgroup would prefer an alternative which costs ratepayers virtually nothing? Please let the Town Clerk know your views as soon as possible.
• Congratulations to Osma Jones of North Salts, called to speak at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton last week. Mrs. Jones was at the conference as a delegate (from the Hastings & Rye Branch) for the first time, though she had attended as a visitor before; and encouraged by a more experienced neighbour, she stood up and waved her programme when the time came for discussion of the Branch's motion on Central America - and was given three minutes to speak. And, she told us proudly, the motion was passed unanimously! (She was also interviewed for Channel 4 by the reporter covering the conference - but, alas, her bit was not shown on air.)
• Lower School Hall housed a varied and colourful display of produce on Thursday, when the pupils held their annual Harvest Festival assembly; the tiers of fruit and veg, flowers, jars and tins were arranged by Miss Lewis and were backed by the lifeboat scenery painted for last summer's combined arts project. The talk was given by Father Roy of Brede, ingeniously incorporating the eye of a potato, an ear of corn, a head of celery, a hand of bananas and the heart of a cabbage into his message; he reminded his young audience of the seven million children who are genuinely hungry and not just complaining about lunch being late. After the service, the gifts were packed and distributed by the children to elderly and sick people in the district.
• Paul Kennard and Mascotte sailed safely through the Bay of Biscay, despite meeting the tail end of a tropical storm, with Force 9 gales; Paul phoned home from Lisbon, and last week was heading for Villamaura in Portugal where he intends to winter the boat.
4.
Reporting the Lower School Christmas concert in 1984, even your non-musical reporter knew talent when she heard it: "Graham Slack's outstanding piano solo clearly marked the start of a musical career" (Graham was then 12). Since then he has passed his Associated Board Grade Eight music exams with merit, and won various cups in the Hastings Music Festivals in 1985, 1986 and earlier this year; his second instrument is the cello.
Ten days ago Graham, now 15, brought honour to the school, and to his teacher Mrs. Nancy Cordery of Fairlight (a former Head of Music at Christ's Hospital girls' school, who taught Mary Vincett many years ago). At Tonbridge, Graham won the Sussex heat of the Audi Junior Musician of the Year contest - which meant that on Saturday he was playing at the Cafe Royal in London as a competitor in the Southern Regional Final. We hear from all sides that he performed superbly - but all the other competitors were already Junior Exhibitioners at the Royal College of Music, with perhaps more platform experience, and the winner was a girl harpist who, we were told, well deserved her success.
Graham's family used to live in Fairlight, and he came to Thomas Peacocke from Guestling School; he now makes the daily journey to school from St. Leonards, where the family moved last year. His elder sister Julia will be remembered as a very talented dancer, and we hear there is a much younger sister coming up who is also likely to do well in dance. This presented a problem for the family on Saturday, since both girls were in a production in Hastings while Graham was playing in London - but he was well supported by Mrs. Cordery, Miss Benton, Mr. and Mrs. Fooks and his father, while Mrs. Slack applauded the distaff side at the White Rock.
• Ten days ago at Playden Church Debra, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Meldrum of Ferry Road, was married to Steven Hayler of St. Leonards - and the St. Michael's choir doubled as bellringers after the service. Debra wore a full-length Victorian-style ivory silk dress trimmed with antique lace and tiny peach ribbons; a circlet of silk roses held her shoulder-length embroidered lace veil in place, and she carried a mixed bouquet of cream and peach flowers. Her mother's outfit was in aqua silk with jade accessories. The service was taken by the Rev. Stephen Ingham, with Mrs. Dickinson at the organ; best man was the bridegroom's elder brother Stewart. Debra's elder sister Karen and her husband Lars flew from Sweden for the wedding, and Lars took the photographs. The reception was at Playden Oasts, the honeymoon was spent in Scotland, and the couple will live in St. Leonards, where Steven works as a laboratory technician and Debra is on the staff of Rix, the jewellers.
• Last Saturday there was another wedding at Playden - between Sarah, younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Bloomfield of Leasam Lane, and Nigel Bourne, formerly of Cyprus Place. Bridal transport was a horse-drawn open landau, which just had room to turn round in the angle of the path to the church after delivering the bride's mother and bridesmaids before going back for Sarah and her father. The service was taken by the Rev. John Bannister, who had taught Sarah at Playden School; Sarah's friend from music college, Claire Adams of Hastings, played the recorder during the signing of the register. Sarah's dress was a triple-hooped crinoline in white taffeta, and she carried white roses; her sister Belinda and Nigel's sister Sue were in water-marked ivory taffeta with blush-pink roses, and Mrs. Bloomfield wore pink with light grey accessories. The landau took the couple to the reception at Broomhill Lodge (with Sarah's veil billowing out behind in the breeze); their Mini had been suitably decorated by kind friends before they left for a motoring honeymoon in the New Forest. (The wedding cake was a masterpiece, we hear, made by a friend of Nigel's who is a catering lecturer at Hastings College.) The couple will be living on the Castleham Estate, and Sarah is reservations clerk at Exchange Travel's Hastings office; Nigel works at the Ironmonger's Extraordinary in the High Street here.
(continued)
• St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon saw the wedding of Mary, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Wills of Beckley and Serendipity, and Paul Beresford-Jones from Carlisle. Paul is a doctor and Mary a nurse, and they met while she was training at UCH; they will be living in Streatham until his hospital house job ends in a year's time, when he starts a year in general practice. Mary's dress was in White wild silk, with an apron front, heart-shaped neckline and full sleeves, the wide skirt flowing into a short train; her circlet of white silk flowers deepened into a handful of roses at the back of her head, anchoring a full-length mist of white veiling. The bridesmaids - Paul's sister Cindy and Mary's small cousin Claire - were in old-rose wild silk, a colour chosen to harmonise with the early autumn colours of the church harvest decorations; their crowns of flowers, posies and the bride's bouquet, in mixed pastel shades, were arranged by Rachel Sarrieddine (her final commission, she says). Mrs. Wills was in grey and white, with a black hat. At the organ was the bride's uncle, and the bridegroom's uncle read the lesson. The reception was at the George, and the honeymoon is being spent in Marbella, where the couple have been lent a flat.
• Joanne, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Tollett of Cyprus Place, and Kevin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Broocks of Mary Stanford Green, were married at Rye Harbour church on Saturday afternoon. The service was taken by the Rev. Edwin Wilkinson of Bexhill, a former vicar of Rye Harbour and a friend of the groom's family. Joanne wore a specially-designed dress in ivory satin overlaid with delicate cream lace, with a bustle and train; it was made by her grandmother, Mrs. Winifred Brett of Henley Close. Mrs. Brett also made the blue ballerina- length dresses for the bridesmaids (the bride's sister Barbara, her cousin Karen Brett, Kevin's sister Mrs. Beverley Gudgion and her daughter Ria) as well as the suits for the bride's three young brothers. Mrs. Tollett wore a jade-green dress and hat, with navy accessories. Best man was the groom's brother-in-law Keith Gudgion. The reception was at Rye Harbour Village Hall, with the catering shared between the two families. The couple will live in Hastings, where Keith's job is based; but Joanne will continue to work at Spar in Rye, as well as helping her parents with the family business.
• Saturday's fourth local wedding took place at the Friends' Meeting House in Hastings - where the bride's parents were married nearly thirty years ago. Wanda Bylake of North Salts and Trevor Foulkes of Watford were married in the Quaker manner - and Wanda's dress was in the traditional Quaker dove-grey. But her mother Elvier, who made it from watered taffeta, also embroidered a deep band of roses and freesias in applique and silks and beads all the way round the sweeping hem, to match the flowers which Wanda carried and wore in her hair. The result was an heirloom dress which those who saw will not easily forget. Elvier wore blue, as did her mother "Sister Wood" of Rye Hospital. The reception was at the Mermaid; the couple are spending their honeymoon in China, on what sounds a fascinating month's tour. They return to a house in Salisbury, where newly-qualified Wanda has just started a first job as a vet. She met Trevor when both were at Cambridge - he was reading electronics, and now works in the communications side of British Rail.
The current planning list contains an application for the erection of 7 garages in Saltcote Mews, in blocks of 3 and 4; for the change of use and conversion of 51 Winchelsea Road to a lower ground-floor flat and an upper maisonette; and for an internally illuminated projecting sign for Mizpah Guest House in Military Road.
The plans for Holloway House are now in the Council Offices. They show two dining-rooms and a bar on the ground floor, with a kitchen at the back of the house, appropriate toilet arrangements and a fire escape through the basement. Outside, there would be a sign on the portico reading Holloway House Hotel (black lettering on white) lit by two spotlights; a window-box over the door, and at each of the three ground-floor windows; and glazed display cases for menu, etc., on the door-frame behind the porch pilasters.
6.
A pleasant ceremony at the Stormont Studio on Saturday morning provided an opportunity for Rye's art-lovers to thank Mr. Kenneth Herbertson of Sevenoaks for his long association with the affairs of the Rye Art Gallery. Mr. Herbertson was Mary Stormont's solicitor - and, as Canon Maundrell put it when he spoke as chairman of the Trustees, was present not only at the Gallery's birth but also at its conception. He was one of the original signatories of the Trust Deed setting up the Gallery, and was chairman of the Trustees in 1985 and 1986; and before resigning as a Trustee in July of this year, he arranged for the Official Custodian of Charities to be responsible for the assets of the Trust. For almost exactly thirty years (the original Deed was signed on 4 October 1957 and Mrs. Stormont died in 1962) Mr. Herbertson continued to keep a benevolent and watchful eye on the affairs of the Gallery, while other Trustees and administrators came and went.
Canon Maundrell's thanks were echoed by the chairman of the Friends, Tim Bishop. He spoke of the problems of recent years, problems of reconstruction, of strained relationships between Friends and Trustees - Mr. Herbertson, he said, had shown them the way to work together, to ensure not only the survival but the success of the Gallery today. On behalf of the Friends Mr. Bishop presented Mr. Herbertson with a watercolour by Michael Renton of the Stormont Studio, as seen from the terrace looking up Ockman Lane.
Mr. Herbertson expressed his appreciation of the gift, and in his turn thanked all who had given their talents and time to the Trust over the years; to those who had given works of art fo the Gallery's permanent collection; and to the Friends who had brought public support to the Gallery. He mentioned the late Derek Bridgwater and Phoebe Merricks, both former Trustees commemorated in the Gallery gardens, and also Admiral Sir John Frewen and Mrs. Alice Binnie. Other former Trustees who still take an interest in the Gallery's affairs, he continued, include Dick Merricks, Joanna Le Fevre and Sidney Horniblow - and perhaps particularly Geoffrey Bagley and Ralph Wood. Margaret Mackechnie (the painter Margaret Barnard) had generously set up a subsidiary trust in memory of her late husband, and had given paintings to the permanent collection. Mr. Herbertson also refer- red to the work of the first Keeper, Derek Fooley; exhibitions which had been mounted then would not now be possible owing to the vastly increased cost of insurance, but Mr. Pooley had set a standard to aim at. Eric Le Fevre's skilfully integrated plan for the extension would greatly improve the Gallery facilities, and there was a most capable body of new Trustees to carry them out.
"I leave, very happy with what I know is going to be a bright future for you all" he concluded, amid applause.
The press book shows that two cars, stolen locally on the night of 21/22 September, were later found crashed: a Rover from The Strand on the road between Rye and Udimore, and a Fiat Panda from Springfield Cottage in Playden, at Beckley. The following night a VW Golf was stolen from Pontins and crashed between Rye and Camber. There have also been various thefts from unattended cars. Police warn elderly people to be suspicious of strangers calling at the house, and to ensure that doors and windows are locked - this follows the theft of E40 in cash and a gold locket, taken from the home of a very senior citizen in Fishmarket Road the thief slipped in by the back door while she was visiting a neighbour.
Dog owners are warned not to let their pets stray; a very bad case of sheep-worrying at the Beach had a follow-up on Monday - the same farmer found a dog worrying his sheep again and shot it dead.
Rye Specials stamped 44 local bikes at the Michaelmas Fair, and Inspector Peters tells us that they hope to carry out the exercise again, either later this year or soon after Christmas - when the Christmas-present bikes are on the road. The procedure takes less than five minutes, and simply involves stamping the owner's post-code and either house number or house name initials onto the frame of the cycle - so that if it is stolen and found later it can be returned to the right person without any argument.
7.
Pickles and syrups and ketchup and chutney, jams and curd, jelly and marmalade and a solitary bottle of sauce were enough to make anyone's mouth water at the FE Centre on Saturday afternoon, when Rye WI Group showed their skill at home economics. The autumn Produce Show always includes fruit and veg, wine and eggs (only two entries here, since foxes are flourishing!), flower arrangements, cookery classes, preserves, and the ever-popular cookery co-operative exhibits one from each Institute, with a set theme (this year, "Picnic"). At least one of the wedding-guests from St. Mary's couldn't resist popping in for a quick peep on her way to the reception; and there were plenty of members and their friends, keen to congratulate - or condole, because marking was very strict.
33 cooks entered plate apple tarts and there were dozens of different biscuits and however does one judge cooked beetroot? With the co-operative entries, points were awarded for each of the ten requisite dishes plus points for staging. Rye's "A Day at the Races" won the class with 195 points, Playden (blue and white) had 1714, Beckley (with conkers as decoration) 175;, Peasmarsh (red and white) 169 - and the one we liked, Iden's children's picnic complete with sting relief and sticky plasters, had 1663. So Rye won the cup, with one gold star among its ten items. Iden, however, distinguished itself in terms of preserves, winning the Ada Bannister Cup with 1671 and four gold stars; they also won the Challenge Cup for the most points in the fruit, veg and eggs classes, with 343 points and two gold stars. Beckley (552 points) did best in the cookery and wine classes, winning the silver rose-bowl. The Pottery Cup for flower-arranging went to Playden (3761 points and one gold star - runners-up Beckley had fewer points but five gold stars!). As usual, the miniature and pedestal arrangements caught the eye; the 20 4" miniatures contrasted strongly with the free-standing pedestals. Rye and Playden both favoured yellow for theirs, Peasmarsh won a gold star for its shades of mauve, Beckley picked varying tones of pink and Iden chose terra-cotta chrysanthemums set off with ferns. There was a notable plate of four huge apples from Beckley (whose vegetable trug topped its class); but we did feel that the 7 wine-bottle entries would have been improved by really pretty labels to match the contents.
Vegetables arranged like flowers, a newly-shorn fleece, sheaves of corn and specially-baked loaves, hops picked from a High Street garden, a lobster pot and fishing-nets, a glowing orange pumpkin and a prickly armful of hedgerow fruits all served to decorate St. Mary's for Harvest Festival, together with the usual beautifully-arranged flowers and a striking combination of ears of corn with scarlet (silk) poppies in the Clare Chapel.
We mentioned last week the Open Evening at TPS on Thursday, and now have more details. In Lower School all departments have displays of work and books, and there will be rehearsals for the History/Classics Drama Workshop (Room 58). In Upper, the Library provides an opportunity to look at the archives and the Prestel unit, or to sponsor a book purchase, or to buy a copy of the school's local history unit's first publication. All Departments are putting on displays, which will include the use of computers in curriculum subjects. In the Sixth Form area last year's Young Enterprise group will explain their prize-winning programme. The school magazine will be on sale, with the chance to meet the editorial staff - and the editorial staff of the GAZETTE wishes TPS a very successful and well-attended evening. (There will be no car parking, say5the programme - presumably Sports Centre customers take it all up nowadays?)
Rother Council is looking urgently for permanent part-time bar staff for the Sports Centre. Two people are needed, working evenings and weekends; previous bar and cash-handling experience is essential, and an interest in sport would be an advantage. The hourly pay rate of £2 is under review. Phone Bexhill 216321 (ext. 296) for an application form and further details, since the closing date for applications is 12 October.
Thursday, 8th TPS Open Evening, 6 to 9, Upper and Lower School (see page 7) Coin Club, Quiz (K. Wiggins), FEC, 7.30
Friday, 9th CSRF, "Travelling with a camera" (Mrs. M. Eley), FEC (4), 11
St. Mary's Harvest Supper, CC, 7
N.His.Soc., "Bees, Ants and Wasps (Dr. J. Penwell), FEC, 7.30
PTA Fun Quiz, TP Upper School, 8
FRAG, "A Celebration of Childhood", Studio, 8 for 8.30
Saturday, 10th Coffee morning for Cancer Relief, 67 Pottingfield Road, 10.30 Rye & District Flower Club, "Rye in Flowers", FEC, 10 to 4.30 Winchelsea Floral Group, "Colour in Autumn", George, 10 to 5 FRHNR, "Wildlife in Sussex" (Colin Page and Melvin Smith), plus other attractions, Upper School, 7.30 - all welcome
Rye Playgroup "Nosh Night" and dance, CC, 8 to 12 (open to all)
Wednesday, 14th Rye WI, "Badgers" (Captain Malins), FEC, 7
• Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Buckler (Cynthia, nee Gray) of Fair Meadow, who celebrated their Golden Wedding earlier this week.
• This week sees the NSPCC's annual house-to-house collection - they have no flag-day here.
• At Playden Church on Sunday morning, Ryesingers are to repeat the music which they sang in St. Mary's at the Rye Festival Service.
• Mrs. Playford's coffee morning (see above) will be a welcome diversion for people living at that end of the town. She and her helpers are arranging a raffle, and stalls selling cakes, crafts, nearly-new clothes, bric-a-brac... but not jumble this time, because she has no room indoors and doesn't trust the weather!
• Mencap gratefully acknowledges a donation of £250 from the Sussex Rural Community Council, via the RDA, towards the Friary Gardeners toilet block.
• In view of the pressure of events on 17 October, Ryesingers are helpfully moving their performance of "Elijah" in St. Mary's to Saturday, 5 December. This will mean that they are not also holding a Christmas carol concert.
• Train travellers are warned that on Saturday and Sunday engineering work between Ashford and London will mean diversions, sometimes buses, and delays.
• Condolences to Walter Stocks, one of whose windows was broken in an accident last Wednesday night. No vehicle was involved, but a lad - a visitor from Suffolk - had a badly cut arm.
• A big thank you from Joy Mockett to the kind person who found and forwarded to her mother her letter which had somehow embedded itself in a library book instead of the letter-box.
• Flying back from Switzerland, singer William Kendall heard the pilot announce that to the right was Rye. He looked down; the most striking feature was the shingle bar across the harbour mouth, followed by the North Point gravel pits. The two Council estates stood out clearly, but he couldn't make out St. Mary's at all. Looking down, it's all different!
• A party being shown round the town had paused in the High Street, looking down towards Rope Walk. Two Rye heads swivelled as one as the guide said airily to the group "You remember the Conduit in Holborn, London? Well, this street is named after the same bloke!"
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. Deadline is Monday afternoon for each Wednesday's delivery; subscriptions are calculated on the basis of 40p an issue, and are payable quarterly or half-yearly in advance. (Copyright Mary Owen 1987)