WADHURST TOWN IN FOCUS - July 2007

LAMBERHURST MUSIC FESTIVAL
An exhilarating evening of sight, sound and musical entertainment!  ‘Opera in the Open’ returns to Bayham Abbey on Saturday 4 August, at 7.30pm. Opera Frizzante will again be performing a selection of favourite moments from much loved operas, as well as items from popular 20th century composers.

Gates open at 5.30pm. Tickets cost £25 on the night, but £20 if bought in advance (children under 15 are free).  Bring a party, a picnic and chairs and enjoy the ambience.
Phone: 01892 891115  or post: Lamberhurst Music Festival, The Down House, Lamberhurst TN3 8ET

WADHURST ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Wadhurst Astronomical Society meets in the Methodist Church Upper Room - doors open at 7.15 for a 7.30pm start. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 18 July. George Satterthwaite will be giving a talk about "George Airy and His Contribution to Positional Astronomy".

OPEN CIRCLE
Living alone doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. You are warmly invited to join our Open Circle at Carillon Cottage for tea/coffee and a chat in a friendly, supportive environment, with people who understand that life doesn’t always run smoothly.

We meet on the fourth Friday of each month from 10.00am to 12noon at Carillon Cottage, so why not come along and find out more about us. Our next meeting is on Friday 20 July, 10.00am to 12noon. Do come and join us for a cup of tea / coffee, and a chat in a friendly, comfortable environment at Carillon Cottage. Don’t pass us by, give us a try!

MINI MARKET
will be held in the Methodist Church on Saturday 8 July, from 9.30 to 11.00am. All the proceeds this month will go to Diabetes UK.

WADHURST GARDENING ASSOCIATON
Dr Ann Kneif opened our eyes to the History & Life of Leeds Castle. She managed to enlighten us more with the clarity of her slides.

The 9 July is our Summer Show at the Primary School. Setting-up is 6.00 to 7.30pm. The main meeting starts at 7.45pm when the Judging takes place. The exhibits are for the Members only – BUT - we would welcome visitors, you could even bring along any gardening queries you may have for our Questions & Answers Panel. Just make yourself known to one of our members.     Mary Terry (01892 783154)

CARE FOR THE CARERS
Are you caring for a relative or friend? Would you like to meet other carers for a coffee and a chat? Then come along to our monthly meeting at Carillon Cottage, every third Thursday from 10.30am - 12noon. For further details please contact Sarah Burchett (01323 738390).

KENT & SUSSEX BORDER LIONS CLUB
The LIONS had a very successful Bewl Water Garden Show, on 2 and 3 June, and raised almost £5,000 for our charity trust fund. We also made over £400 raffling Easter Eggs in local pubs in March and would like to thank all those who took part.

Recently we have given donations to Sticky Fingers and Oasties, and The Wadhurst Scouts, groups who work hard to raise money for themselves. We will be supporting Wadhurst St Johns Ambulance who were very helpful at our Garden Show.

We meet every third Wednesday at Hurst Green Village Hall, all are welcome. Ring David Francis on 01580 200672 for more information.

WADHURST FOOTPATHS SOCIETY
The booklet "Walks around Wadhurst" published by the society describing a range of circular walks in the area around the village, has been completely revised and updated, with two additional walks bring the total to 17, and with suggestions for linking the walks to make longer outings.  The revised booklet is now on sale at Barnett's bookshop, price £3.

Members and friends meet on the last Sunday of each month in the car park behind One Stop, Washwell Lane, Wadhurst at 2.00pm. The next walk, on 29 July will be through Wadhurst Park, and will be led by J Bishop.

STONEGATE FARMERS MARKET
Saturday 14 July, 10.00am to 12.30pm in Stonegate Village Hall. Over twenty stalls selling wonderful local produce and refreshments. For more information call 01580 200386.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 2007
A big thank you to every body who gave so generously of their time and money. The magnificent sum of £4,610.36 was raised.

TREFOIL GUILD WADHURST
Thank you to our host at Russets, Balaclava Lane. Our next meeting is at 5 Courthope Avenue on 2 July, Bring & Share Picnic.

WADHURST INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHERS
WIP meets every second Tuesday of each month, at 7.30pm, upstairs in The Greyhound Pub, Wadhurst. The next meeting is on 10 July.

PARENTS AND TODDLERS GROUP
Meetings are held every Monday at St George’s Hall from 9.30am. Everyone welcome! For further details please contact Nina on 01580 201158.

THE MULLINS MEMORIAL FUND
invites you to find out about your hand-writing and what it says about you. Come and meet the graphologist, Erik Rees, on Saturday 22 September at Wadhurst Primary School. On Saturday 14 October, the Ashdown Singers will be presenting a concert of varied music in Wadhurst Parish Church. Do enter these two interesting and “different” evenings in your diary.

AFTERNOON FELLOWSHIP
Our next meeting will be at 2.30pm on Thursday 26 July at St George’s Hall with a Bring and Buy, and a talk on Mexican Adventure by Natalie Hart. If you have never ventured into Afternoon Fellowship, it would be lovely to see you: all-comers welcome.

WADHURST PROBUS CLUB
Apologies for the error in last month’s Focus. The talk on TS Brilliant by Sub Lt Mark Dunnings will be on Tuesday 3 July at 10.00am in the Wadhurst Social Club

FASHION SALE FOR MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
Country Style is holding a coffee morning and end of season ladies fashion sale, on behalf of Motor Neurone disease, (Reg Charity No 294354) at Dale Hill Hotel & Golf Club, Ticehurst, on Tuesday 17 July between 10.00am and 3.00pm. Admission is £2.00 to include coffee and biscuits. Delicious snacks/lunch available from the Hotel. Treat yourself to a leisurely day at this lovely venue and enjoy the innovative shopping experience for affordable, quality, well known, colour co-ordinated fashions for all occasions in sizes 10 to 20, plus a selection of scarves and jewellery.

Please come and bring your friends and help us to support this very worthy charity. For further details please telephone Val Garner on 01825 744131.

WADHURST WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
What a splendid meeting we had in June. One of the best. To begin with we had the good news that our four entries in the Craft section at the South of England Show had all received great marks and Gwen Tuck gained a Commended for her beautiful drawing of a calf with stunningly lovely eyes. Then Margaret Scarlett's entry in the evening stole category carried off the 1st Prize. It was made from silver/white cotton and embroidered with pearls. An  exquiste piece of work and a worthy winner. To mark the occasion Pat Aitchison had made a celebration cake decorated with strawberries and cream and Margaret was presented with a basket of flowers to mark her success.
 
The afternoon did not end there as we delightfully entertained by our Speaker, Mr Tony Bristow and his Theatrical Reminicences. He had a fund of funny anecdotes about touring with the Doyley Carte Opera including some odd lodgings and things which had gone wrong on stage.  There was much laughter. He also sang some Gilbert & Sullivan  and ended with a fine rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening." What a treat it was to hear his lovely bass voice.  He will be a hard act to follow. 
 
Next months meeting will be on Thursday 12 July. 2.00pm at St George's Hall when Mrs Romy McCabe will give us a talk titled "I Married the Vicar."

BABIES AND UNDER FIVES
Babies and under fives bring your parent or carer to St George's Hall at 2.00pm on the first and third Thursday of the month for Son Spot. Come and enjoy an hour of fun activities, Bible story, singing, craft and ‘tea’. (All finished in time for school pick-up) Very friendly, lots of fun, relaxed and welcoming. Tell the grown-ups that there is no charge, you can just turn up. For more info call Ruth on 01892 784117.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
The next Wadhurst and Sussex Police Surgery will be held on Thursday 26 July from 2.00 to 4.00pm and 7.30 to 9.00pm at Wadhurst Fire / Police Station Conference Room. Please come along and meet Wadhurst's PCSO Marc Simmonds and Wadhurst's Community Area N.W.Co-ordinator - Tim Page.

Normally Evening Surgeries Will Now Be Police Only. Tea and coffee available at afternoon surgeries only. There will be another room available for private one to one consultations

WADHURST & TIDEBROOK BRANCH - THE  ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
A Summer Concert in aid of the 2007 Poppy Appeal will be held at the Mount , Faircrouch Lane at 7.30pm on Thursday 19 July. The concert will be given by International soprano Rebecca Caine accompanied by Gerald Martin Moore and include Songs from the Shows and operettas. Tickets from Newingtons £7.00 including refreshments

WADHURST HISTORY SOCIETY
The WADHURST HISTORY SOCIETY thoroughly enjoyed its day trip to four churches of the Romney Marsh, organised as always with meticulous attention to detail by Rachel Ring. The Churches’ Trust had selected four varied churches to give us an overview of their diversity and several amongst the group were planning to revisit the area to explore further. The ploughman’s lunch was very appetising and the WI tea served at Ivychurch proved to be a gourmet climax to an extremely enjoyable and informative day.

On Thursday 12 July, Brian Short will be giving a talk in the Commemoration Hall on the Historical Perspective of the Ashdown Forest. Doors open at 7.30 pm and non-members are welcome for a donation. You can join the Wadhurst History Society at the meetings or by contacting Ian Adam-Smith on 01892 782835.

The annual Barbecue will be held on Sunday 29 July at The Colleens, Lower Cousley Wood, thanks to the generous support of Martin and Celia Turner. The event opens at 12.30 pm and tickets (£8 or £5 for 16 and unders) are available from Rachel Ring on 783455 or Heather Woodward on 783212. A Bring and Buy Produce/Cake Stall will also feature and all donations would be gratefully received.

On Saturday 29 September, the Association will stage its first History Quiz Night in the Commemoration Hall. Do not be put off by the title – think about it – everything is History once it’s passed so virtually all topics could be included – sport, geography, politics, science and Arts – you name it, it’s all History. Put the date in your diaries and come along for what promises to be a very enjoyable evening. More details later.

On Tuesday 16 October, Rachel has organised a full day-trip to visit the Houses of Parliament and then Eltham Palace near Bromley on the way home. The seat of government needs little introduction but the site of the important 14th to 16th century Eltham Palace may be less well-known. Only the magnificent Great Hall survives today, with its soaring hammerbeam roof and oriel windows. Stephen Courtauld in the 1930s constructed a modern house incorporating the Great Hall, and lavishly decorated it in a variety of styles, reflecting the influence of Art Deco and contemporary ocean liners. Explore the house and the delightful gardens in marked contrast to Pugin’s Westminster. Tickets are going fast so to secure them or for details, contact Rachel Ring on 01892 783455

Work continues its research on Wadhurst between the years 1936 and 1946. “Wadhurst” includes Shovers Green, Churchsettle, Cousley Wood, Sparrows Green, Durgates, Best Beech, and Tidebrook, and on Life in Wadhurst between the Wars 1919 to 1939. If you would be willing to lend us (or even give us) relevant documents or artefacts of the period, we should be delighted to be able to consult them. Please contact David James, Markwicks, Lamberhurst Road, Cousley Wood, Wadhurst, TN5 6HG (01892 890330).

We are very grateful to everyone who has provided information so far but we do need even more if we are to be able to give future generations a complete picture of Wadhurst during the critical periods of its nation’s history. These major projects will therefore be significant as our researches in other areas continue. Eventually all this work is for the benefit of the people of Wadhurst. Thank you in advance for whatever you can provide in order to help us.

HOSPICE IN THE WEALD
Forthcoming events include:
Sunday 8th July, Tour de France, Pembury
A family cycling event to coincide with the Tour de France, culminating with a street party and viewing of the Tour de France cyclists passing Pembury on their route.

For further information please contact Tanyia Ingham on 01892 820533.

Hospice in the Weald, Wadhurst Link
Please make a note in your diaries for Monday the 9 July when Ena Tincombe is very kindly holding a coffee morning to raise monies for Hospice. This will be in the form of a bring and buy and will be between 10.00am. and 12 noon at 2 Crittles Court. If there are any queries please contact Ena on 782444, Val Tunbridge on 782498 or myself. We look forward to welcoming you.     Linda Kings, Link Coordinator (01892 783461) 

FAMILY SUPPORT WORK
Maybe helped by the glorious weather in Easter Week, the overall total for the Knowles Tooth Sponsored Walk was in excess of £10,000.  Thanks to Tom Lawson for getting sponsors we were able to contribute £300 towards that  -  my sincere thanks.

At the recent F.S.W. Rotherfield Deanery A.G.M. we had a chance to meet David Dickson the new Volunteer Co-ordinator at Knowles Tooth, who talked about his role and aspirations. Ann Ward was also present and as she is about to retire, her many examples of the work she has done and is still carrying out, were deeply moving.   She will be honoured and thanked officially at the F.S.W. Annual General Meeting at Scaynes Hill on Tuesday 4 July at 7.30pm - all would be welcome.     Jill Brewster  (01580 830008)

WADHURST BRASS BAND - www.wadhurstbrassband.co.uk
French villages survive visit of marauding English band. Our visit to Aubers and Richebourg was a magnificent success and has strengthened the ties between the bands and the villages even more. Perhaps a little too much in the case of one young horn player and the schoolgirl population over there! We received a fantastic welcome and the two concerts were great fun. Playing with the Richebourg band was an experience in itself – so much so that we had to do it twice to let both conductors have a go. We look forward to returning the hospitality next year when the Richebourg “Big Bang Sinfonia” come here.

Band hits the big 50! There has been a brass band in the village since at least the 1890s, but around the time of the Second World War it had disappeared. Then fifty years ago in 1957 an eager young man came to Wadhurst with his trusty instrument, his only possession in the world, strapped to his back. Algy Hoare was his name and he had one aim in life – to follow in the footsteps of his wandering minstrel forefathers and bring joy and happiness to all through the magical music of the brass band. All his life he had heard amazing stories of wondrous, almost mythical creatures with names like “Black Dyke” and “Grimethorpe”, along with strange rituals such as “The Floral Dance”. (For the uninitiated Black Dyke and Grimethorpe are two of the UK’s top brass bands. Grimethorpe provided the music for the film “Brassed Off”).

At the school where he taught, Algy found fertile ground for his ambitions and in time a brass band was created, introducing a new generation to the intricacies of the cornet, the trombone, the tenor horn, and Algy’s weapon of choice, the Euphonium. Little did that intrepid group realise that 50 years later they or their successors would be part of what had become the Wadhurst Brass Band – continuing to spread the gospel throughout the land (this part of it anyway).

So you can see that the anniversary of Algy’s arrival could not pass unmarked (it also means we can blame him for everything that the band has got up to since!). He has been convinced to once again take up the conductor’s baton for a very special concert on the 28 July. We are being joined by many old friends who have played with the band in the past, and Algy has promised not to borrow Ken’s joke book!

So if you fancy an evening of entertainment and nostalgia please join us on Saturday 28 July at 7.30pm in the Commemoration Hall.

Contacts: Jenny Cooper Band Manager 01892 782247
Lydia Fuggle Secretary 01892 782308

(With apologies to Algy for any liberties taken with his story)     Andrew Scarborough

WADHURST TWINNING ASSOCIATION
held its Annual General Meeting recently and is well on the way to planning its next year’s activities.

On Wednesday 11 July, the maire of Marquillies, monsieur Bocquet, is coming over to give a talk in English about French Local Government System. M. Bocquet speaks immaculate English so no worries on that score. Those responsible for local affairs in France have much greater powers and financial influence than do our own local, district and probably even county councillors so this should be an excellent opportunity to find out the differences.
The talk will be given in the Sports Pavilion at the Recreation Ground in Sparrows Green and spaces will therefore be limited in number. To reserve a place, for which there will be no charge, please contact Brian Wheeler on 01892 782566. Donations towards the drinks and nibbles would be gratefully received. Non-members of the Twinning Association would be very welcome. 7.45 for 8.00pm.

The Biennial Visit of the Association to Aubers will take place on 1st and 2nd September. We are hoping that people who have not yet been over to Aubers will want to take this nervous at the thought of staying with a French family and perhaps not being able to converse with them in French.
If you would like to come over with the coach and join in any group activities but would like to stay overnight in a hotel, please would you contact Heather Woodward on 783212. There would be a slight extra cost for staying in a hotel but hotel prices are not excessive in France.
Everyone wishing to travel is asked to send a cheque, made out to the Wadhurst Twinning Association, for a deposit of £20 per head to reserve a place on the coach. This should be sent or delivered to Chequers, Stone Cross Road, Wadhurst, TN5 6LR.

For details about the Twinning in general, contact John McKenzie on 784342 or Heather Woodward on 783212. For membership, contact Janet Mcfarlan on 783291.

WADHURST UNITED JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB
Like most clubs Wadhurst United Junior FC is run entirely by volunteers who want to see the children of Wadhurst and the surrounding area have a safe and successful facility to play this much loved sport. We currently have over 150 children registered in 8 teams, and we are growing every week

At the moment we are in URGENT need of:

* A manager for the under 6’s team (full training and help provided).
* A grounds person, to advise and help with maintaining our pitches.
* Someone to mark the pitches on a weekly basis.

We also need: referees, coaches (training provided), helpers (training and events), fundraisers and sponsors!! If you are able to help please call 01892 785935 or e-mail

Join 100 Club one of the clubs fundraising initiatives open to everyone in the community.
The idea is to raise money for the club with a chance of winning some for yourself!!
£150 in prizes - every month and 5 chances to win.

The cost to enter is only £3 per month, (£36 per year), with the draw taking place at the Clubhouse at 10.00am on the last Saturday of the month (winners will be notified). All proceeds go towards improving our club, both on and off the field. For further details contact Trudi O'Neill on 01892 783573 or email trudi.oneill@homecall.co.uk.

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
In liaison with Crowborough CAB, Carillon Cottage now offers a fully trained CAB adviser every Wednesday morning, 9.00am to 12 noon. Please feel free to call in and ask to speak to the CAB person or else ring 01892 785658 to make an appointment.

WADHURST WEBSITE
coverage includes Ticehurst, Flimwell and Stonegate. The site can be found at www.wadhurst.info, www.ticehurst.info, www.flimwell.info and www.stonegatevillage.info Note that www.wadhurst.org.ukwill cease to be a working link later this year - so change your Favorites link now!.     Webmaster: Michael Harte (783 292)

THE VILLAGE DIARY
The Village Diary is available in Carillon Cottage. Please call in to check dates or to record Village events. The Cottage is open every morning from Monday to Saturday from 9.00am to 12 noon and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00pm.

Email addresses for Focus are now:
For advertising enquiries: focus_ads@vovi.co.uk
For editorial copy: focus_news@vovi.co.uk