WADHURST TOWN IN FOCUS - June 2008

THE VILLAGE DIARY
The Village Diary is available in Carillon Cottage.  When organising an event, please call in to check dates or to record Village events.  The Cottage is open every morning from Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm and on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00pm.

Hospice in the Weald, Wadhurst
Coffee Morning
Hospice in the Weald Coffee Morning, 10.00am to 12 noon, Monday 2 June.  By kind invitation of Monica and David Lloyd, ‘Broadacres’, Townlands Road, Wadhurst.  Bring & Buy stall, handmade greetings cards.  For further information, or if any lifts are required, call Val Tunbridge on 01892 782498.
Sue and Pete Bridges are kindly going to open their lovely garden at Churchsettle Cottage, Churchsettle Lane, Wadhurst on Sunday 8 June from 2.00 to 6.00pm. All welcome - All donations for Hospice.
Linda Kings (01892 783461)

LAMBERHURST MUSIC FESTIVAL
June is a bumper month for the Music Festival, with two very different concerts.
Soloists of the Bavarian State Orchestra will be performing on Friday 13 June at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church, Lamberhurst. We are indeed fortunate to hear this oboe quartet during their brief tour of England. The orchestra is recognised as one of Europe’s finest.
Tickets £12.50 - children under 15 free.
Then in complete contrast the world famous Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band will be giving an open-air performance at Scotney Castle on Friday 27 June at 8.00pm. Gates are open at 6.30pm—please bring a picnic. Tickets for this concert cost £25.
Phone: 01892 891115. Post: LMF, The Down House, Lamberhurst, Kent TN3 8ET

POUNDING THE PAVEMENTS
The Unlock Sponsored Walk which took place on Saturday 19 April round part of Battersea & Chelsea was undertaken by Peter Dwyer and David Lloyd.  They raised almost two hundred pounds in sponsorship money and took part with thousands of others from all parts of the country.  Unlock does eminent work in promoting and supporting Bible Study Groups in many urban areas across the country.  Thank you for your support.

WADHURST FOOTPATHS SOCIETY
Members and friends meet on the last Sunday of each month in the car park behind One Stop, Washwell Lane, Wadhurst.  The next walk will be on June 29 – Elephants Head/ White Magpie/Forge Farm.  This is an evening walk starting at 6.00pm

Stonegate Farmers’ Market
Saturday 14 June, 10.00am to 12.30pm in Stonegate Village Hall.  Over twenty stalls selling wonderful local produce and refreshments.  For information call 01580 200386.

WADHURST WINEMAKERS’ CIRCLE
meets at the Sports Pavilion, Sparrows Green, on the first Friday of the month where we have regular speakers on various subjects and wine tastings. The next meeting will be on 5 June at 7.30pm. If you would like more information please contact Rose on 01580 200504 or Shirley on 01580 201250, or just turn up.

WADHURST GARDENING ASSOCIATION
Our next meeting is on Monday 9 June at 7.30pm in St George’s Hall, when Martin Newcombe will speak about ‘The Natural History of Gardens.’  The competitions are a pair of lettuce, and three flowers in a vase.    Mary Terry (01892 783154)

WADHURST BRIDGE CLUB
New Members are most welcome to join a group of friendly players of varying standards.
Help and some tuition is given. Friday afternoons 2.00 to 5.00pm at Sparrows Green Pavilion.  Telephone Margaret McAuley on 01435 867824 or 07964 347898.

Mayfield and District U3A
The next U3A meeting will be a talk on ‘The Magic of Mozart’, by Janet Cannetty Clarke, well known in music circles in Sussex.  It will be in Mayfield Memorial Hall on Thursday 19th June at 2pm. Visitors are welcome.

1st WADHUST BROWNIES
We would like to invite anyone who has ever been a Brownie in the 1st Wadhurst Pack (1920’s onwards) to join us in the Commemoration Hall on July 3rd 2008 between 5pm - 7pm, to celebrate 50 continuous years.  We would also like any memories of Brownie activities - including before 1950.
Please reply to Sally Hepburn 01580 200302, or brownies50@btinternet.com

THE WADHURST PROBUS CLUB
The Wadhurst Probus Club meets in the Ticehurst Social Club, once a month on the first Wednesday of the month at 10:00am.  The next two meetings are as follows:
Weds 4 June:  Dennis Williams speaking on “I can do ballet arms”
Weds 2 July:    Mike Miller speaking on “Gliding - now and then”

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
Crowborough CAB runs a confidential advice service in Carillon Cottage every Wednesday from 9.00am to 12 noon.  No appointment necessary.  Just drop in or call 01892 785658.

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 ROTARY CLUB OF WADHURST
Scarecrow Festival
The 2008 Wadhurst Scarecrow Festival promises to be better and bigger than ever.  For the weekend of 12th - 13th July, the village plays host to over 100 scarecrows lovingly built by local schools, organizations and individuals.  Past years have seen the appearance of such luminaries as Elvis Presley, Nicolas Sarkozy, Luciano Pavarotti and many more of the famous (and not so famous) on the streets of Wadhurst.  This year’s theme of ‘Cartoon Characters’ will provide plenty of creative scope for the scores of anticipated entries.
In addition to prizes for the best entries, for the first time there will be a special award for the scarecrow which makes best and most creative use of recycled materials.  This is being sponsored by the Wadhurst Rotary Club to encourage greater awareness of the importance of recycling and its importance in both conserving energy and our environment.
Over the two days, music will be provided by the Sussex Stompers, the Wadhurst Brass Band and Bob Bernard’s Jazz Quintet.  ACraft Fair and Farmers’ Market provide alternative attractions along with an ‘Organic Barbecue’, a well stocked ‘Wine Bar’, Funfair sideshows and plenty of opportunities for refreshment.
All monies raised will join the many thousands of pounds donated over the years to various local charities which have included Hospice in the Weald, The East Sussex Air Ambulance, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, The Wheelchair Foundation and many more.

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 June.

WADHURST SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL
This year’s Festival has four concerts in the Parish Church:
Sunday 1 June: Estonian vocal ensemble "Heinevanker" presents Renaissance music from East and West Europe.  8.00pm. Tickets £10 (£6 for children).
Saturday, June 21: Polyphony's Midsummer Concert, including Poulenc's Gloria (with soprano Ansy Boothroyd and organist Andrew Benians) and a selection of popular songs and spirituals. 7.30pm. Tickets £8 (£6 for children).
Saturday 28 June: 8.00pm, Jane Austen & Colette: Writers and Musicians, Tickets £10 (£6 for children) – see below
Saturday 12 July:  6.45pm, London Ripieno Singers
As well as two choirs who are familiar to our local audience, we are pleased to offer concerts by two visiting professional ensembles. The excellent young eight-voice ensemble "Heinevanker" from Estonia brings us a unique programme of Renaissance music, contrasting Western European sacred music with Baltic folk hymns.  This year for the first time, the Festival has a literary element – Jane Austen and Colette – see below.
Tickets for all events will be on sale at Newingtons.

‘JANE AUSTEN & COLETTE:  WRITERS AND MUSICIANS’    
Saturday 28th June, 8pm, Wadhurst Parish Church
“Three superb artistes... an enchanting evening”  The Guardian
Maggie Henderson, Maggie Cole and Jane Streeton have performed their concert of words and music to wide acclaim in both the UK and America and now look forward to bringing it to Wadhurst as part of the Summer Music Festival.
Both Jane Austen (1777-1817) and the French novelist Colette (1873-1954) were passionate musicians as well as writers – Jane Austen a keen domestic keyboard player, and Colette a flamboyant music-hall singer-entertainer.  The music of the first half of the programme comes from Jane Austen’s personal collection of works she knew well and loved – charming songs by English composers of her day.  These selections are interspersed with excerpts from her novels in which music and love are often hilariously intertwined.
The second half is devoted to Colette’s vivid pen portraits of her much admired friends: Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc.  The readings are juxtaposed with some of the most exquisite and sensual songs by these composers.  Colette created the story of ‘Gigi’ and the programme ends with songs from the musical film. 
Maggie Henderson, who came to live in Wadhurst last year, has had a long career in television and the West End theatre.  Maggie Cole is an international soloist on harpsichord, fortepiano and piano; she records for Virgin Classics.  Jane Streeton has an operatic career which she now combines with her work as Head of Singing at RADA.
Tickets from Newingtons from May 24th (£10 and Children £6), include interval refreshments.   If you would like further details please see the Wadhurst website or contact Maggie Henderson on 01892 785678.

THE LIFE OF CHRIST – An Open Air Play in Three Acts
This production is held on the Wintershall Estate near Bramley in Surrey, seven miles south of Guildford. Peter Hutley wrote the play in 1998 to celebrate the new millennium – to help spread the word that the millennium wasn’t just another date on the calendar but actually a celebration of 2000 years of Christianity.  It was only intended for the millennium but has been brought back by popular demand every year since.
As this year’s performance will be the tenth production, there is the possibility that the performers will thereafter take a sabbatical, so this could be your last chance to experience this wonderful event. It is being performed every day from Tues 24 June to Sun 29 June from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Churches Together in Wadhurst hope to get a group together to go on Thursday 26 June, possibly hiring a coach or minibus should numbers warrant it. If you have school-going children, why not consider taking them as a family outing on the Saturday or the Sunday?
It is an open air production and takes place regardless of weather.  We have usually been blessed with the most wonderful weather, but on the odd occasion that it has rained this has in no way detracted from the enjoyment of the day!  The three acts are performed at different locations on the estate so there is a little walking between the acts.  Bring blankets to sit on (or small fold-up chairs), and a packed lunch, although there is a stall where you can buy snacks and drinks.
It is a wonderful experience of Christ’s life, from His birth to His resurrection, an opportunity not to be missed. If you would like to join us, or if you would like any further information, please contact Colleen O’Farrell (784734), or Toni Buckley (01580 201057).

WADHURST DRAMATIC CLUB
“The Bourbons and Other Crackers” : Commemoration Hall : Saturday 28th June
Did you hate History when you had to study it at school?  Were you one of the many who simply couldn't remember important dates and which historical characters did what to whom?  If you've answered “yes” to either or both these questions, then read on as WYTKidz (aka Wadhurst Youth Theatre) believe they've found a unique and highly enjoyable way of learning and retaining historical facts and figures...
For one night only – Saturday 28th June -   WYTKidz will be presenting “The Bourbons and Other Crackers” by Sue Gordon at the Commemoration Hall; curtain-up at 7.30pm.  This light-hearted look at several centuries of history has been variously described as 'a comic stroll through history' or 'a complete history of Monarchy (with all the boring bits left out)' - and will not only be of immense help to history-”duffers”, but will  also be an extremely entertaining and amusing night-out for all!  No tickets will be sold for this one-off presentation : instead entry to the performance will by donation at the door, withall proceeds going to a charity to be nominated.  Do try and come – it's bound to be fun!
Club Coffee Morning : Saturday 7th June
A note for diaries: the Club's next Coffee Morning will be at Carillon Cottage, High Street, Wadhurst on Saturday 7th June (10.30 – 12 noon).  If you'd like to join the Club as an acting Member or in any other capacity, we'll be delighted to see you : just drop in for a cup of coffee or tea and let us know how you'd like to help.

Tea with Tigger
Bring your babies and toddlers for a chat over a cup of tea and biscuits on Tuesdays from
2.00 to 4.00pm at Carillon Cottage. For further information contact Carillon Cottage,
Tel 01892 785658.

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

MINI MARKET
Mini Markets will be held in the Methodist Church on Saturday, June 7 and July 5 from 9.30 to 11am.  Please see posters for the good causes to which the proceeds will be given. Everyone welcome.  Your support is very much appreciated.

WADHURST TWINNING ASSOCIATION
For general details about the Twinning Association or to join,  please contact the Membership Secretary, Janet McFarlan (783291), the Chairman, John McKenzie (784342) or the Secretary, Heather Woodward (783212).

AFTERNOON FELLOWSHIP
meets every month at 2.30pm in St George’s Hall.  For this month’s meting, on Thursday 26 June, we shall be at Westerleigh in Mayfield Lane for tea, thanks to the kind hospitality of Mr Michael Toynbee.  Recently we have been delighted to welcome some new members and it would be great to see even more.  Give us a try!

NEW WADHURST RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
Our next meeting is on Thursday 12 June 2008 at Fazan Court, Snape View, from 10.00 to 12 noon.  For further information Tel: 01892 782294 or 783843
 Regular users of the Beacon Link community bus from Wadhurst via Mayfield to Crowborough will be aware that funding for this facility was only for a 6 month period up to the end of June.  In view of the fact that 167 residents have registered to use this service and 70 use it on a regular basis we are quietly confident we can obtain continued funding with your help.  An individual letter to CTLA at Newhaven who operate the service indicating the need for this to continue would help tremendously.  Thanks.

WADHURST TREFOIL GUILD
Nine members enjoyed a guided walk, led by Martin Turner, through the bluebell woods, near Cousley Wood, in April.
The next meeting will be at 2.15pm on Monday 2 June in the Upper Room of the Methodist Hall, for a Craft Session.
The Trefoil Guild will be most grateful for home made cakes for the teas at the Scarecrow Festival on the 12 and 13 July in the Commemoration Hall.

BEDGEBURY PINETUM
Saturday 7th June - Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest.  Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra return to Bedgebury with their big band mix of boogie-woogie, swing, jazz and R&B and special guest vocalist Eddi Reader.  Tickets at £30 from 01842 814612 or www.forestry.gov.uk/music
Sunday 8th June - Bedgebury National Pinetum & Forest.  Fresh from cutting their third album in LA, top Liverpool indie band The Zutons are set to rock Bedgebury, supported by The Mystery Jets and Noah & the Whales.  Tickets at £26 from 01842 814612 or www.forestry.gov.uk/music

FAMILY SUPPORT WORK (Knowles Tooth) 
The Walk between our three churches to raise funds for the Children's Centre at Knowles Tooth was arranged for Saturday, 24th May.  Starting at Tidebrook Church to Wadhurst (2.2 miles) with a short break before proceeding to Stonegate (3.6 miles).  At the time of going to print there were around a dozen walkers and already I have a most encouraging number of sponsors.  It's never too late to donate and the final result will appear in July Focus.  Thank you for supporting this - every bit makes a difference.
The Rotherfield Deanery AGM for FSW is on Wednesday, 4th June at 7.30pm in Rotherfield Village Hall.   Everyone is welcome.
Jill Brewster (01580 830008)

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 - 12 noon.  For further details please contact Sarah Burchett (01323 738390).

THE MULLINS MEMORIAL FUND
The trustees remind Wadhurst residents that if you know someone who you feel might need their support in any way and could benefit from the efforts of this small local charity and the generosity of others, please pass the information on to one of the Office Bearers on 782181, 782835 or 783212.   Be assured that whatever we do is done in complete confidentiality.
For the rest of the year, the current plans of the Mullins trustees include the Farmers Market in October,  two dramatic performances in the Parish Church in November and, of course, the annual Christmas Quiz published on 1st December.  More details of each of these events will be published in Focus in the coming months and your support would be gratefully accepted.

OPEN CIRCLE
Too old for Sticky Fingers and OASTies?  Too young at heart for Cameo Club?  But in need of a bit of cheerful company, coffee and a chat?  We meet on the fourth Friday of each month.  Why not come along to Open Circle at Carillon Cottage on Friday 23 May, 10.00 to 11.30am?

WADHURST HISTORY SOCIETY
welcomes on Wednesday 11th June, Professor Jack Langton who has entitled his talk The Clearing of the Woods or the Running of the Deer.  On Wednesday 9th July, Judith Kinnisonm-Burke will talk about Tenterden Union Workhouse 1905 – 1926.   All meetings are in the Commemoration Hall, 7.30 for 8pm.

The Society has a coach visiting Winchester on Saturday 7th June and some seats still remain.  The party will be taken in small groups around the cathedral in the morning.  After a lunch break and a short ride there is a second conducted tour of The Hospital of St Cross Almshouses, said to be the most beautiful in the country.  The buildings are magnificent and date to the medieval period.  Depart from The Greyhound at 8am and leave for home at 4.30pm. Cost £24.  Please contact Rachel Ring on 01892 783455.

Besides the interest of the meetings and the wide range of speakers talking about such diverse subjects every month, a number of the Society’s members are busy discovering as much as they can about Wadhurst itself.   As quickly as possible and certainly before it is too late, they hope to accumulate a full picture of Wadhurst over the years.  People in their 80s now will have their own memories plus what they heard from their parents and grand-parents about life in the early 20th Century and even in the 19th Century when Wadhurst was still a farming community.  The task-groups are also about to start research about Wadhurst in the 1950s and 1960s.  That community changed greatly immediately after the war as we are all very well aware but then there came the international upheavals of the 1960s which must have had an impact upon the population of Wadhurst.  Buildings and land were lost as development impinged upon Wadhurst; the population changed also as jobs and businesses disappeared.
It is important to track those changes and their implications on our community so that future generations can understand when, how and why they happened.  Memories can be recorded by chatting to someone or they can be written down.  The important thing is to hear them and what a lot the future  generations will learn and understand.  Please don’t be shy!
There is so much to learn, however, that  the members of the History Society would appreciate some practical help.
Would you, therefore, be interested in helping?
Would you be willing to write down your memories, or dictate them to someone, or have them recorded for typing up later? 
If you would not be particularly interested in all that social history research, perhaps other areas catch your attention.   Could you perhaps contribute to the research which is going on about the Industries and Agriculture of Wadhurst,  or the Development that has so altered Wadhurst especially over the last 50 years, or the big Estates and the important Buildings and  Houses of the environs of Wadhurst,  or the History of the Families of Wadhurst.   
If you could contribute in any way to this on-going research, please would you contact David James on 01892 890330 or Heather Woodward on 783212.

WADHURST WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
At the May meeting members discussed Resolutions to be put forward at the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) AGM in Liverpool on 4th  June.  The first resolution concerned the inappropriate imprisonment of the severely mentally ill: “In view of the adverse effect on families of the imprisonment of people with severe mental health problems, this meeting urges HM Government to provide treatment and therapy in a more appropriate and secure residential environment”.  The second dealt with the practice of bottom trawling, defined as towing or dragging a trawl net in continuous or occasional contact with the bottom of the sea, described as one of the world’s most destructive fishing practices: “This meeting asks HM Government to urge the EU to ban bottom trawling which causes catastrophic loss of marine life”.  There was a show of hands after each reading with votes for and against, and abstentions, noted.  Votes from all Federations will be added together indicating how members have rated the resolutions.  Both will be discussed at the AGM and a final choice made.
At our next meeting on June 12th Mrs E Nicol will talk about The British Red Cross Society.  The competition will be ‘Grandma’s Favourite Remedy’, and the trading stall will offer costume jewellery.

WADHURST ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Meetings are held in the Methodist Church Upper Room - doors open at 19:00 and the talk starts at 19:30.  Come early and discuss whatever interests you.
Wednesday 18th June 2008: Because this is one of the shortest nights of the year, in recent years the Society has held a members’ evening when we can bring telescopes, binoculars and other aids to amateur astronomy and chat about their use and discuss problems.  There will also be a short video on an astronomical subject.  More information nearer our June meeting.
Wednesday 16th July 2008.  There will be a talk given by James Fradgley called "Orbital Oddities - Strange Goings-on with 3 or more bodies" covering Lagrange Points, Resonances, Roche Limits, and lots of odds and ends with simulations.  James is a member of the Bournemouth Natural Science Society in Dorset.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION – Wadhurst and Tidebrook branch
The Summer Show in aid of the Poppy Appeal will take place at The Mount on Thursday 17 July at 7.30.pm
In "A Clown's Story", Arthur J Pedlar, International Clown, will speak of and demonstrate the art of clowning with action and music.

WADHURST BRASS BAND - www.wadhurstbrassband.co.uk
Summer Season Off to a Tremendous Start
There are some days that work out just right and remind us what it’s all about and why we do this. Yesterday we played at the Pantiles.  The sun shone, the French Market was buzzing with a good crowd, and the band sounded terrific.  Later in the day a 12 year old trombone player won BBC Young Musician of the Year – proving yet again that brass instruments are superior to anything else that you strum, blow or hit to make music (that should get a few people going!).  The only blot on the horizon was Man U winning the title, but you can’t have everything!  So a great start to the season, and let’s hope our other events this summer live up to this.

Interested in Joining the Band?
If you play an instrument please get in touch.  Jenny’s number is below, or you can contact us through our website.  Our rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 8 o’clock.  Everyone is really welcome and if you happen to play cornet (maybe trumpet) then that is even better.

Learn to Play
We have spare instruments in our cupboard that are feeling neglected and unloved, waiting for someone to tend and care for them and make them sing again.  Every week they hear the other instruments being played and they live in hope that one day it will be their turn to come out and join in.  Our Training Band meets at 7pm on Thursdays and we would be really pleased to see you if you fancy giving it a go

Forthcoming Dates  –  see you there!

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

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