STAPLECROSS VILLAGE VOICE.30th MARCH 2025.
COMMUNITY NEWS & REVIEWS –ROTARY CLUB of SENLAC -ST. LEONARDS. “The Castle Cycle Ride Challenge” – otherwise fondly known as the “On-Yer-Bike- Challenge” If you enjoy cycling and would like to see the local area, then it’s time to get those bikes out of winter storage and ready to help raise money for St Michael’s Hospice, Hastings RNLI and other local good causes. Three marshalled routes of 25 miles - 40 miles and 75 miles to choose from and are suitable for family rides.The ‘Castle Cycle Challenge’ is also popularly known as the “On-Yer-Bike’ ride is a fundraising event that takes place annually at the end of April. Organised by the Rotary Club of Senlac St.Leonards, it has raised nearly £350,000 in the event’s 30+ years history. The minimum donation is £15:00 for the 25 mile & 40 mile routes and the minimum donation for the 75 mile route is £20:00 (Under 16’s may enter the 25 mile route for just £5:00.) This fun and exciting cycle ride is planned to take place on Sunday April 27th and the start time is at 7.30am. Registration is on line – or in person – on the day, at The Stade Hall, Hastings, - from whence this ride will start. Applications are now open. Full details are on the website:www.senlacstleonardsrotary.org and enquiries may be sent to: rotarycycleride@aol.com This is another great way to be out in the fresh air, getting a bit (?) of exercise and knowing all your efforts will be for the benefit of other less fortunate. So...come on & ‘Get-on-Your-Bike’ and ‘pedal for people’!
V.E.DAY 80. – EWHURST PARISH COMMEMORATION TRIBUTE. -As many Parishioners areaware, May 8th 2025 will be a significantdate inWorld andBritish history marked as the 80thanniversary ofthe endingof WWIIin Europe.To mark thisoccasion EwhurstParish Councilare planningvarious eventsinvolving thecommunity. This is possibly the last time a major celebration of this momentous period in Great Britain and the World’s, historywill have with any veterans being able to attend. It will also once again acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice that so many thousands of men and women made during this horrific time of war, as well as to gently remind us that nine men from our own Parish also didn't make it home and it is pretty certain many more were badly injured. Local families helped the war effort in a number of ways, supporting the fight for freedom, by volunteering in the Observer Corps and the Home Guard, local women joined the Land Army. All did what they could.The least we can do is celebrate their lives and remember that without them and others throughout the World we might not have the families and lives we have today.Thursday May 8th 2025 is VE Day 80. At 11am residents of Ewhurst Parish will gather at Staplecross War Memorial for a short Remembrance Service. At 9.30pm the same evening, the Parish will light a Beacon in ‘Celebration & Honour of All’. Assisted by Ewhurst & Staplecross Bonfire Society a Torch lit Procession will leave the War Memorial at around 9.15pm and proceed to the Beacon for a V.E Day Tribute. We hope thiswill be followed by a cascade of fireworks at The Cross Inn to end the evening.A range of further Events are planned throughout the week-end,. In particular: Friday 9th will see a themed Quiz Night at Staplecross Social Club, which should promote intrigue and interest. It is also hoped this will help raise funds to cover costs and donations to Service Charities. Saturday 10th May: Various activities for both young and old are planned based around Ewhurst & Staplecross Village Hall culminating in a 1940s themed evening of entertainment with "Miss Holiday & The Swingtones" This will provide singing and dancing into the night and will give us a sneak peek into the world of ‘entertainment’ and relaxation of this long ago era. Many grateful thanks are extended to Guy and Janice Black of a local vintage aircraft restoration company "Retrotec" for sponsoring this group. Sunday 11th May more events are planned, again keep watching social media and noticeboards for details.It is essential that the youngsters in our community and elsewhere understand the past and appreciate the sacrifice that the previous generations made, so that they can hopefully follow these examples. Please keep an eye on local notice boards and Social media for details of these events. For further information on how you can help or get involved in this very special slice of history, please contact John on 07748~483823. Please support us and the Community. Please log on to: VE Day 80 Ewhurst - which will link to a Crowdfunder appeal to raise funds. Any money raised during these celebrations will go to Service Charities, one of which will be Scotty's Little Soldiers, who provide relief from the effects of bereavement to young people who have suffered the loss of a parent who served with the Armed Forces of the Crown. Your donations of any amount will help us achieve these goals. If you would like to help in any way please get in touch.Thank You "Lest We Forget"
Cllr.John.Lederer@ewhurstparishcouncil.gov.uk 07748483823.
COMMUNITY APPEAL -
CHURCHYARD MAINTENANCE HELP.-
An appeal for help with the simple maintenance of the churchyard grounds of St. James the Great at Ewhurst Green has been requested.
Canon Christopher once told me that every resident of Ewhurst Parish has the right to be buried or the option for their ashes to be interred - within the grounds of our much loved mother church here in Ewhurst Green and it therefore stands to reason that it's important that this much visited church and churchyard should be given proper due care and attention.
Many weddings and christenings also take place here throughout the year as St. James the Great church is a perfect choice for both precious and joyous celebratory occasions as well as the solemn farewell to a loved one.
This is not an onerous chore by any means. Most of the work is simply keeping the churchyard clean and tidy, such as raking up leaves, clearing pathways and general tidying up.
This little undertaking is usually done on the first Saturday morning of each month and from 9.00am onwards. The next date for this little “Tidy Up” will be Saturday 5th April. This is a friendly little get together - for people of all ages who work together for a few hours, to help keep the churchyard tidy, for the appreciation and benefit of all who visit here for whatever reason.
If you feel you may be able to help out please contact Brian on 01580~830570 for all further information. Any additional help will be most gratefully received ~ and Thank You.
W.I. “COFFEE MORNING and BRING & BUY” This is an invitation to all and sundry – whether you are a resident or not !. Please come along and enjoy our open ‘Coffee Morning and Bring & Buy Sale’ This has been arranged to take place on Saturday April 5th. at the Village Hall, Northiam Road, Staplecross TN32 5QG between 10.am and 12 Noon. There will be lots of Easter Gifts to choose from as well as many delicious cakes and of course, the ever popular Tombola stall. Entranceis by DONATION – which includes as much Tea and Coffee as you can drink !!!. Please come along and see what the W.I. do these days ~ Making Jam & singing Jerusalem is definitely not high on the list of this W.I. For all further information please contact President Pauline on 01580~830570 – or any WI member. ~ Everyone is Welcome
KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY -“125 YEARS’ CELEBRATIONS” - This month no less than two important anniversaries will be celebrated by all those who love and support this historic steam & diesel railway service.. The first will be marking the 125th anniversary of the opening of the line,The Rother Valley Railway which initially ran from Robertsbridge to Tenterden (or rather precisely - Rolvenden !) The line opened to goods on March 26th 1900 and passenger trains ran from April 2nd. The world of transport changed rapidly following the 1st World war, with the fast growth of road usage. Nationalisation arrived in 1948 and thousands of smaller railways started being closed down, and in 1954 KESR closed to passengers but goods continued until. KESR also succumbed in 1961. Preservationists saved the central section between Tenterden and Bodiam and gradually restored it as a Heritage Railway, re-opening to paying passengers in 1974 and finally reaching Bodiam in 2000. The Rother Valley Railway project is currently working to re-instate the last remaining ‘missing middle’ section of some 3 kilometres, With both ends of the new section ready for use and the station building advancing rapidly it just remains for the last engineering work to be completed – this is planned to start this year. Exactly 100 years after the 1st passenger train ran on 2nd April 2000 the line between Bodiam & Northiam re-opened as part of the Heritage Railway – which presents the second anniversary – which is 25 years of Bodiam Station being preserved.
The weekend of 5th/6th April both milestones will be celebrated with a variety of little events So for a full and varied itinerary of just what is taking place here, please check out the website.
ROTHER RAMBLERS -Eagerly looking forward to the weather changing to allow members to enjoy our countryside without downpours and freezing temperatures – and all , at last, promised by those clever folk in the Meteorological Office , the Walk Leaders of this popular walking group are busy arranging walks for us all to enjoy. This week we have 3 on offer – all in different directions, and mileage so should appeal to many.
Walk No: 1 This walk is entitled ‘Tenterden Clover Leaf Walk’ and is another easy walk to encourage more to try this pastime and come and enjoy fresh air and good company. This walk is planned for Sunday April 6th and is an easy 7.5 circular stroll. The meeting place is in the Bridewell Lane car park in Tenterden – which is free on Sundays. Grid Reference TQ883331. (Satnav TN30 6EY) What3Words:///vowed.crafts.blessing at a time to allow the walk to commence at 10.am. The walk notes state “This is a fairly easy walk, mainly on farm tracks and pasture, with very little road walking. It is a good walk for beginners as we will do 3 loops – similar to a clover leaf – hence the walk title! – returning to the environs of Tenterden upon completing each ‘leaf’! – thereby enabling anyone to return to the car park after completing 3 miles – or 5.5 miles, should they wish to do so. Well behaved dogs are welcome – but must be on a short lead as we will probably encounter livestock along the way. Please bring a snack and drink for a refreshment stop halfway. Toilets are located in Tenterden and Tesco- which is situated adjacent to the car park. Public Transport:- Bus No: 329 from Hastings arrives in Tenterden at approximately 9.55am. This walk is National Graded as Moderate. Your ‘walk leader’ for this pleasant and companionable walk is to be Graham (B) and you may contact him on Mobile: 07790~946316 for all further information. Walk No: 2 This is a slightly longer footfall being a 10 circular mile walk of Wittersham, the Rother Levels and Smallhythe. This walk is arranged for Thursday April 10thand to allow for the walk to start at 10.am.The meeting place will be outside the St.John the Baptist church, The Street, Wittersham. There is some parking in the church layby, otherwise on nearby roads. Grid Reference TQ897269. (Satnav TN30 7EA) What3Words:///jumped.geology.unite The walk notes state “ This walk was cancelled last autumn due to bad weather, let’s hope for better luck this time ! After ‘descending‘ from the village, we walk along the bank of the Rother River & Potman’s Heath Channel, then onto what is mainly a flat route across arable farmland (-please be careful not to trample crops !) A slightly undulating section will bring us to our lunch stop area at Smallhythe church – next to Smallhythe Place, where NT members might wish to take advantage of their picnic area. Additional Notes:- Dog owners, please be advised that part of our route follows the HWLT which has a fine selection of ‘dodgy stiles’- which appear only suitable for liftable dogs ! This walk is Nationally Graded as Moderate. Chris (H) is to be your ‘walk leader for today and you may contact him via Mobile: 07871~187057 or via the Ramblers website – for all further information. Walk No: 3 With fingers crossed and a hope for continued fine warm weather, this walk of a 7.5 circular mile wander of Guestling Wood circular is planned for Sunday April 13th. The meeting place is to be at Pett Village Hall car park. Grid Reference TQ867139. (Satnav TN35 4AE) What3Words:///serenade.drag.buildings at a time to allow the walk to commence at 10.am The walk notes state “ This is a wonderful circular walk with the fervent hope of discovering ‘bluebells on display.’ Leaving from the Village Hall car park, taking in Guestling Wood – with bluebells in bloom and a good part of the 1066 Trail.This is planned to be a two stop wander so please bring refreshments for coffee and lunch.This is also dog friendly & is graded as Moderate. Your ‘walk leader’ for this meander is to be Peter (C) and you may contact him on Mobile: 07762~966027 for further details.
CHURCH SERVICES –CHURCH SERVICES for the Parish of Ewhurst will continue with a Holy Communion service (CW) on Sunday April 6th.Lent 5- at 9.30am at St. James the Great church, Ewhurst Green. This will be followed by the Election of Churchwardens and the Annual Parochial Church meeting(APCM). This will be followed directly after at St. Giles church, Bodiam at 11.15am with a Family Service - followed by refreshments. There will be NO SERVICE at St. Mark's church Staplecross today. Please remember that ‘Food Bank Collections’ at St.James, Ewhurst Green are on the 1st of every month. Every donation is always gratefully received and warmly welcomed - even more so in these difficult and worrying times. Please also note the following: MORNING PRAYER will be held at St. James the Great church, Ewhurst Green, every Wednesday morning at 8.30am PRAYER REQUESTS; - Opportunities to leave requests for prayers – the ‘prayer basket' is available again at both churches to enable anyone who wishes to have a prayer said for a loved one - a neighbour, friend or just for humanity! If there is any church matter on which you feel you may need further guidance or assistance - however large or small - especially Baptisms - Weddings - and sadly - Funerals, then for the time being please get in touch with any of the Church Wardens. For St. James church Ewhurst Green ~ 01580~830601. For St. Mark's church, Staplecross ~ ~01580~830830 or St. Giles church, Bodiam ~ 01580~830203 or 830327. Messages can still be left on the Rectory telephone - 01580~830925 - and are dealt with daily. Help in some way is always at hand and always so generously given so please do contact them.
HAVE YOU NEWS FOR THIS COLUMN ?PLEASE CONTACT ME ~ Spring is definitely here so if you are arranging an event in the foreseeable future ~ whatever and however large or small it may be ~ and you’d like some extra, FREE coverage for it – courtesy of the (Sussex World) - Observer Newspaper – then do please get in touch. If it’s of interest to you ~ it’s of interest to us. It’s never too early to send in any of the details or to tell us what you are planning. So do please contact me and let me help spread your news........Thank You.