Ashburnham

17 Smith Close, Ninfield

• Land Rover owners are being warned about a spate of thefts both locally and across our region. Thieves recently targeted 3 vehicles in the Battle area, one of which was in Penhurst on Friday April 19. If you saw anything in relation to this theft, or see unusual behavior, please contact the Battle Neighbourhood Policing Team on 101.

• On April 9, a team from Ashburnham and Penhurst WI took part in the preliminary round of the East Sussex Federation Quiz. The team comprised Johanna Thompson, Nicky Bishop, Louise Roberts and Jay Ashworth and they called themselves ‘The Brownbread Street Bakers’. A total of 23 teams took part in this heat and Ashburnham and Penhurst honour was upheld as the team won, even beating the reigning champions by 1 point! The WI team was a bit surprised to find that they did particularly well on the sport and politics rounds! The final will be contested by six teams (3 heat winners and 3 highest scoring losing teams) and will take place on June 20.

•The Chapel are looking for a volunteer to mow the grass within the grounds. A lawn mower can be provided along with a small payment. If you are interested, please contact Fay Ramsden on 07860 113413.

• Ashburnham & Penhurst Evening Book Group meets on Tuesday April 30 at 8pm in the Green Room at Ashburnham Place. Refreshments available for a small donation. Contact Nicole 07583 433895 or Sara-Jane 07714 273083 for more information.

Books selected by the group for coming months include ‘The Uncommon Reader’ by Alan Bennett, ‘The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox’ by Maggie O’Farrell and ‘The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared’ by Jonas Jonasson.

• Pub Quiz at the Ash Tree Inn, Tuesday May 7, 7.45pm. £1 entry, £5 set meal. Please call 01424 892104 for further information.

• The East Sussex County Council Mobile Library service will next be in Ashburnham (by the chapel) on Thursday May 9 and 23, 9.50am - 10.10am.

• Ashburnham and Penhurst Gardening Club and WI are holding a Plant Sale on Saturday May 11, 10am - 1pm at the Sports Pavilion, Ashburnham Recreation Ground. Bedding and vegetable plants, herbs, annuals and much more. Freshly filled rolls, cakes, biscuits, tea and coffee. All are welcome to attend. • Ashburnham Local History Group are next meeting Monday May 13 at 7pm. They will be meeting at the Church Hall Car Park, Ashburnham Place. If the weather is fine they will have a short ramble visiting the sites of the Panelridge Furnace, the Ashburnham Furnace and wild flower meadows. (Stout shoes advised and some sharing of cars). If wet, an alternative programme will be held in the Church Hall.

• 2M@1 are meeting on May 13, 1-3pm. This month Rhod Jones will be talking about ‘Romania, before and after the fall of Communism’. All are welcome to attend.

• The Village Lunch is on May 15, 12.30pm in Ashburnham Village Hall. Lunch is cooked every month for any older residents in our villages who would like a bit of company and a delicious meal. Transport can be arranged if needed. For more information or to book a place, give Janet a ring on 01424 892311.

• The next Coffee Morning is on Mondays May 6 and 20 in the Church Hall, Ashburnham Place 10:30am - 1pm. You are welcome to go along for a good friendly chat. For further information, please contact Tina on 01424 843728.

• Ashburnham & Penhurst WI are meeting on May 20 when they will be visiting Ashburnham Place. They will meet in the main car park at 7.20pm. Their tour will take in the gardens and the house, followed by atalk on Capability Brown and hise design for the grounds.

• The Afternoon Book Group meets on Friday May 24 at 2pm. The group will be reading ‘God on the Rocks’ by Jane Gardam. “Young Margaret’s glorious summer between the wars hurtles towards drama, tragedy and a touch of farce.” They will also discuss other books they have been reading. If you would like more information get in touch with Nicky on 01424 892474.

• The Ashburnham and Penhurst Gardening Club are meeting on May 28, 7.30pm in the Church Hall. This month they are discussing lawn care. For further information, please contact Rhod Jones on 892689.

• The Evening Book Group meets on Tuesday May 28 at Ashburnham Place. The book they will be reading is ‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes. This is a bittersweet story of an unlikely couple, capturing the complexity of love, with a few surprises. It has been compared to David Nicholls’ bestseller, ‘One Day’. Contact Nicole 07583 433895 or Sara-Jane 07714 273083 for more information.

• Ashburnham Chapel will be holding a special celebration of their Anniversary Weekend and becoming a Non-Denominational Chapel on June 2. If you would like to join in with the celebrations, please keep the date free.

• Don’t forget that you can look to see what is going on in Ashburnham and Penhurst on the community website: www.ashburnham-penhurst.net.

• Church services for St Peter’s, Ashburnham, 10.30am unless otherwise stated:

May 5, Family Service

May 12, Morning Praise with Children’s Activities

May 19, Morning Praise with Children’s Activities

May 26, Communion Service with Children’s Activities

• Church services for St Michael the Archangel, Penhurst, 10.30am unless otherwise stated:

May 5, Rogation Service

May 12, Morning Prayer

May 19, Holy Communion

May 26, Morning Prayer

• Services for Ashburnham Chapel, 6.30pm unless otherwise stated:

May 5, Evening Service

May 12, Evening Service

May 19, Communion Service

May 26, Evening Service

• Prayer and Bible reading meetings on Tuesday at 2.30pm at the Chapel. Contact Fay Ramsden on 07860 113413 for further information.

• Anything that you would like included in the Village Voice for Ashburnham and Penhurst, please email the details to me: [email protected]