Herstmonceux

VITALITY VILLAGES: The next coffee morning will be held on Monday between 10am and noon at The Great Space, Herstmonceux Health Centre. There will be a talk on Victorian Workhouses. Do come along and join them in sipping coffee or tea with a biscuit or two and try and answer the questions to the fun quiz.

RAY AND SHELDON: At the meeting on Friday January 25 at 2pm, the over 60s club will be welcoming Nina, who will be talking about the Bowen Technique. All welcome. Enquiries to Anne on 01323 441244.

FUNDRAISING QUIZ: This is on Saturday March 2. The Friends of the Windmill at Windmill Hill will be holding their first fundraising event of 2019. It is a quiz to be held at Herstmonceux Village Hall. This will be a very enjoyable social occasion which I am sure you will want to support. Tickets are £5 per person but Supporters of the Windmill can have six tickets for the price of five. Please get a team together and reserve your places now. The quiz will be from 7.30pm until 10pm. There will be a raffle. A bar will be available for the sale of beer, lager and wine. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks will also be on sale. To reserve places, please email admin@windmill hillwindmill.org or call 01323 833033.

WALKING GROUP: On Sunday meet walk leaders Karen and Andy (01323 833040) at 10am at The Horseshoe Inn, Windmill Hill for a local walk in the area of Herstmonceux Castle. If you would like to go along, contact the walk leaders in the first instance to register.

CHRISTMAS MARKET: For the first time, this took place at a different time 5pm to 8pm in the village hall with a different format. There were lots of stalls, lots of people, and lots of laughter. Thanks to Trudy for all the work she put in the organisation of this, for Sue who helped her and for all the others who made coffee, put up tables and all the things that needed doing to make the day work. Thanks also to the choir and especially to the Scouts for cooking and serving food, outside in the poor weather conditions, they did a great job and it was a great day, even though there were other events on the same day.

MEN’S SHED: This group no longer meets at the EcoHub, New Road as the site has been closed. As a temporary measure, existing members and anyone interested in finding out more about the Men’s Shed are invited to meet in the lounge at the Free Church Chapel Row, Herstmonceux at 2pm on Wednesdays. Please come along for a cup of tea and help Men’s Shed move into its next phase. For more information contact Rhys on 01323 833022 or email [email protected].

HEARING RESOURCES: Sessions will be held in the Village Information Centre on the second and fourth Fridays of each month between 9.30am and 11am when maintenance on most types of hearing aids is offered along with replacement batteries. Please remember to bring your book. The next sessions are on January 25, February 8 and 22.

MASKED BALL: The High Sheriff’s Masked Ball in aid of the new Rye Harbour Discovery Centre takes place at Herstmonceux Castle on Saturday March 9. This is a gala evening in the magnificent Elizabethan Long Gallery. There will be a three-course dinner, glass of bubbly on arrival, dancing to a live band and the opportunity to win a night in the private astronomer Royal’s Apartment. The cost is £75 per person, tables of eight. To book contact Mike on 07463 793416 or email [email protected].

THE WINDMILL: After a successful test of the milling machinery at the beginning of December, including the making of an edible loaf from the flour that was produced, the team at the mill will be working very hard in the coming months to get to milling seriously. So, if you feel you want to get involved with a very exciting local project, now is the time to come along and see them. Weather permitting, work at the windmill is on Wednesday mornings. They will need help in getting the mill ready to produce flour as well as help to show it off to the public when the season starts at Easter. There are other ways you can support your Windmill by sponsoring a cog in the brake wheel, join the 100 Club with the chance to win cash prizes up to 6 times a year or become a Friend of the Windmill. For any news of events and updates, check the website and Facebook page. You can also contact Jenny, Friend of the Windmill on 01323 832329 or by email at admin@ windmillhillwindmill.org.

KIDS CLUB: There is a new venture starting on February 22 and on the fourth Sunday of every month at All Saints Church at 11.15am. All welcome. Parents of very small children are asked to stay. For details ring Richard on 833124, Pam 833079 or Pat on 833925 for more details or just turn up.

COFFEE MORNINGS: The first coffee morning of the year at Herstmonceux Church is from 10am to noon tomorrow, Saturday. Go along for a little time out, good refreshments and good company.

LIME CROSS NURSERY: Although January is the middle of winter, the days are starting to draw out and the garden starts to grow with the appearance of snowdrops, crocus and aconites to cheer us along. It is also a great time to plan ahead, plant bare root hedging and purchase winter vegetable and plant seeds and it is even possible to start growing an early crop of potatoes, in containers such as Charlotte which is an excellent variety, producing small, waxy, salad potatoes.