Fairlight Focus

Please join us THIS SATURDAY AT 2PM, Pett Methodist Church for an incredibly interesting talk about Fred and Zoe Vahey, an amazing couple who moved to Pett in 1938.  There is also a sale of artwork with local interest and by talented local artists past and present (we will accept plastic and cash!).  Naturally, home-made cake and refreshments will keep you energised.  Where else can you spend such an informative and social two hours on a Saturday afternoon?  

We are asking for £5 from non-members, but why not support what we are trying to do: build a local archive for the area that everyone can access and use.  Fifteen pounds a year helps enormously with our overheads and it frees our time so we can put our efforts into building the ARC and website.

Parking is free at the Pett Village Hall (but be mindful there may be other people using the Village Hall during that period).  The talk will start around 2:30 hopefully.

We look forward to seeing you.
Fran Rogers (ArchiveResourceCentre@outlook.com)

Dear Residents,

We will be laying the gas main to site on 29th April for 4 days. There will be some disruption to vehicular traffic, outside the site entrance, during this time but we will endeavour to keep access for pedestrians.

Regards

Piers Cowley (formermarketgarden@gmail.com)

Activate Y.C are holding a Fun Run in order to raise funds for this year’s camp!
Come, support & cheer on the youngsters as they run the course in fancy-dress!
If you fancy running too, there is nothing to stop you! See the poster attached.
More info from Wendy, familyhatch1@gmail.com

The Fairlight Preservation Trust are looking for any photographs of the first berm around the 1990’s to 2006. 
If you have any that we could borrow, would you let me know please. 

Many thanks,
Jill

Sadly we, Pett WI, are struggling with our locations for the boxes for the Food Bank in Fairlight Village. We have one at the Village Hall but it isn’t really being used and of course we have Wakehams Farm.

Is there anyone who lives in a fairly prominent position in Fairlight who would be willing to have a box outside their property. The boxes are not particularly waterproof so would need checking most days and items would need to be stored somewhere dry.

We have a WhatsApp group so if anything needs collecting we can usually get there fairly quickly to collect.

If anyone feels they are in a position to help would you please contact Sally Watson

07874686824 or sallywatson47@hotmail.com

Thank you in anticipation

In the meantime please don’t forget to keep donations coming to our existing boxes

Tinned, jars and packets of food suitable to go towards 3 meals a day for the families in need. They must be in date. We also collect toiletries.

You can also donate directly to Rye Food Bank online

Thank you

Sally Watson

Volunteer Organiser for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

East Sussex

Hi everyone

With just under three weeks to go before the opening night, there are now less than 50 tickets left across all performances of this play (and none for the matinee).

If you haven’t booked your tickets yet, then you should do so without delay.

You can do so online at Box office – Fairlight Players or call Sue on 07988 540757.

Whatever you do, don’t come along hoping to get a ticket at the door. You will almost certainly be disappointed.

Don’t miss it. It will be a lot of fun … except, maybe, for the victim!

With best wishes

Keith

Keith Miller (Chair)

The Fairlight Players

www.fairlightplayers.org.uk

For information

Heather and grassland management at the Firehills

A tractor with a cut and collect flail will be cutting the young gorse on the Firehills from the 2^nd of April until the 5^th of April.  This is part of the on-going management of the cliff top grassland and heather habitat on the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve

Kind regards

Murray Davidson

Environment and Natural Resources Manager

Hastings Borough Council

Muriel Matters House 
Breeds Place 
Hastings 
TN34 3UY

Hello

Just so you are aware, a command post has been set up and construction will be starting next week on the Ferric dosing installation at Fairlight Waste Water Treatment Works.(WWTW’s) 

The programme is due to be fully operational within 10 months, with works concluding by approx December this year. Ultimately, a kiosk and automatic dosing system will be installed to help treat the PH balance of the treated waste water leaving the plant, as well as aiding the sludge treatment etc.

 Large machinery will be in and out of this location slightly more than usual, so please take extra care when traversing sheep dip bend.

Thank you.
Maggie Sullivan

Following the fantastic pet service at
Pett Methodist Church
we would like to invite you to our
Amazing Fun Animal Quiz.

Fun for all including families!

At last we’ve had a call from Rescue 2 to say that they now have slimline waterbutts available for installation.

They have records of some residents who wanted them but unfortunately they are not complete.

If you haven’t already heard from them and you’d like one, or even more, please could you contact Rescue 2 and ask for one of the two following contacts:

Phone: 01903 871105

Ask to speak to either Mike Hodges or Lucinda

The more of these we can get installed, the more likely that our overflow problems will decrease, so thank you in advance for your help in getting Fairlight free of pollution.

Regards

The Lower Waites Lane – Fairlight Cove – Maintenance Association

Please see attached poster below.  This is the last quiz before our Centenary Celebrations in May.

Kind regards

Ian Mantel

Ian Mantel
Vice Chairman
Royal British Legion Pett and District Branch
22 Tilekiln Lane
Hastings
TN35 5EN
01424 421536  (Home – please try first)
07309 090814  (Mobile)

Dear resident

Please find attached the Parish Council newsletter for April 2024

Thanks
Pauline

Mrs P Collins
Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer
Fairlight Parish Council
Kerri, 35 Waites Lane, Fairlight, Hastings. TN35 4AX
Tel: 07487 822729  Email: fairlightparishcouncil@gmail.com
Working days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 

Dear resident,

I’ve been told that Rosemary Lane will be closed on 4 April to allow work on the electric supply.

Best wishes,

Andrew

Cllr Andrew Mier
Rother District Council 
Southern Rother Ward
(The villages of Fairlight, Guestling, Icklesham and Pett)
07941-693737

A MEETING OF FAIRLIGHT PAVILION WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY 4th April 2024 AT 7.00 PM THE FAIRLIGHT VILLAGE HALL.
Please see attached agenda below

Geoffrey Smith

Tel:        07534452346

Email: gs.thefp@gmail.com 

A MEETING OF FAIRLIGHT PAVILION

WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY 4th  April 2024 AT 7.00 PM THE FAIRLIGHT VILLAGE HALL

You are summoned as  committee members to attend the above Committee meeting where the following business will be considered.

Date:01/04/2024 

Agenda for Fairlight Pavilion 4^th April 2024

1. Apologies for absence

2. Code of Conduct and Disclosure of Interests
3. To receive any disclosures by members, of personal or prejudicial interest in matters on the agenda

3. An update since last meeting 

4. To discuss estimates received to date.

5. To discuss opening bank account issues 

6. To review initial work on business plan 

7. To discuss policies required for charity commission and business plan.

8. To discuss and agree time scales for projects publicity campaign.

9. Update on Webpage and Facebook page

10. AOB

11. Close the meeting.

Date of next meeting

Thursday 9^th May 2024 (to be confirmed)

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Fairlight Friday Lunch Club are looking for a kitchen assistant to work with the newly appointed Cook.

Would you like to work for a local charity?

Need work experience in catering?

The successful candidate would be required to work with the cook to prepare and cook a nutritious two course lunch, every Friday for members at Fairlight Village Hall.

All training provided.

8 hours per week

For further details and to arrange an interview or to chat about the opportunity:

Email  mopps.fairlight@gmail.com  or call Annette on 07703585329

Many thanks

Kind regards

Annette Holmes
Co-ordinator of Fairlight Friday Lunch Club
Marsham Older Peoples Project Charity
Mobile: 07703585329
email:mopps.fairlight@gmail.com

We are very fortunate to have made contact with Lorna Vahey, who grew up in Pannel Lane, Pett, with two very unique parents.  She has given us access to photos, artwork, documents, and newspaper clippings.  We invite you to come and hear their remarkable story.  Doors open at 2pm, there will be tea, coffee and cake to enjoy before the talk which we hope to begin by 2:30.

We will also be asking you to support our work by becoming a Friend.  Along with the support we get from our Parish Councils, your membership will help pay our monthly costs so we can continue work on our website and storing collections.  And to that end a few local artists are donating artwork which we will have on display for you to buy.

I hope you have been checking out our website as we continue to add new photos and documents.  And remember us should you happen to come across any old photos, programmes, documents, etc. which relate to Fairlight, Guestling and Pett!  

We try to open every Thursday afternoon (look out for our “tile” on the gate post) so do drop by.

Dear Residents

For those of you who would like to see the full results of our ‘Parking Matters Questionnaire’  please click here.

Best wishes,
Paul.

Good afternoon,

Please find attached the March 24 Southern Water Clear Rivers and Seas Task Force Fairlight update.

Many thanks

Jon

Jon Yates
Jonathan.Yates@southernwater.co.uk
Programme Delivery Lead – East
Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force

If you have not already done so, this is a reminder that the FRA annual membership subscription for 2024-25  is now overdue.  The subscription is £8 for the year.

You can pay either via online banking (preferable) or by cash or cheque. 

Online banking
Account:       Fairlight Residents Association
Sort Code:    60-10-15
Account No: 60707666

Ref :               ‘Your address’ ( house name / number & road name, not post code)

Cash or Cheque
Cheque payable to: Fairlight Residents Association. 
Post or deliver to Membership Secretary, Harlo, Hill Road, TN35 4AE.  Or you can drop it off at the Village Hall, during DISh (Mondays)
Please provide name and address details.

Thank you

Dear resident
Please find attached a Rother District Council notice of election for the election of two Parish Councillors for Fairlight Parish Council.  

Please also find attached the nomination forms for people to use if they wish to stand as a candidate at the forthcoming by-election.  The forms have changed slightly from those used last year, so if you have any older copies of the forms, please make sure you destroy them and use these going forward, as we may not be able to accept the older forms.  Forms are also available by contacting the Proper Officer (details below).

The nomination period for the by-election will run from Wednesday 27^th March until Friday 5^th April.  Nomination forms can be delivered between 10am and 4pm on working days during this period.  The forms must be submitted in person at the Town Hall in Bexhill-on-Sea, and we advise potential candidates to book an appointment in advance, to ensure someone is available to receive them.  Any forms that are posted to us will not be accepted.

Appointments can be booked either by phone on 01424 787826 or by email at elections@rother.gov.uk

Further information for potential candidates can be found on the Electoral Commission website at the following link: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-candidates-parish-council-elections-england

Thank you for your time.

Pauline

Mrs P Collins
Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer
Fairlight Parish Council Kerri
35 Waites Lane, Fairlight, Hastings. TN35 4AX
Tel: 07487 822729  Email: fairlightparishcouncil@gmail.com
Working days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Attached is a copy of the speech given by the Chair at the Parish Assembly. For those who were unable to attend it may be of some interest.
We are always happy to meet with people who would like to discuss Parish Council matters either at DISH on a Monday or by arrangement.

Issy Horsley
Chair

Welcome  All to the parish Assembly

I will give a brief resume of what the parish council has been up to in the last year.

It has been a year when the Parish council finances has been subjected to intense enquiries by a minority of the residents.  Most of these enquiries have been made in a civil way by residents interested in understanding how the precept is spent.  However some of this data relates to personnel and is therefore confidential, but the PC tries to be as transparent as possible. 

We welcome genuine questions and helpful comments made directly to us, 

We have recently had two Councillors resign which is regrettable, however the Parish Council will now work to re-establish a friendly working relationship within the council which can focus on the community and not on differences within the Parish Council.

I wish at this point to mention Pauline our Proper Officer, she is not just a clerk who takes minutes but is an officer with a wide range of responsibilities, many of them legal requirements. It is her role to advise councillors on what is and isn’t permissible:  receive all emails addressed to the Parish Council and ensure Councillors see what is relevant; she is our responsible financial officer; she organises tenders for projects and oversees implementation of them. She acts on behalf of and for the Parish Council and the community.

We thank her for her dedication.

The precept has increased this year from a total of £90,000 to £95,000. 

This equates to £104.30 per year for a band D council tax payer, this is a rise of £3 on last year less than 30p per month, so is £2 per week. We had hoped to not have to increase it but the cost-of-living increases have caused us increased costs generally. This has been most evident in the cost of electricity for the wells on the cliff, which last year increased from £6,500 to £12,000 some of the increase has been due to exceptional wet weather increasing the amount of water pumped.

We have also had to allow £5000 for an investigation by the external Auditors following an objection from one elector. The response to this objection has taken up a lot of time for the Parish Council and our Proper Officer/RFO. 

We are now awaiting their adjudication, ….and their bill!

The Parish council is trying to work with other village groups towards common goals. These are some of the projects where volunteers and groups work with the PC for the benefit of the village, including with the FRA on the new village map; the Knowle Wood volunteers; and speed watch to name but a few. We hope to expand this.

We have ordered the new slide and toddler swings for the play area and these will be installed as soon as Wood field dries out a bit.

New and established Parish Councillors work tirelessly on various aspects of Parish Council work 

Our tree warden has been busy advising residents who have concerns about large trees near their property.

Highway issues are routinely notified to ESCC with varying degrees of success.

The problems with CCTV have been addressed and we are progressing towards a solution. We are awaiting a license from ESCC to proceed.

The Parish council website is now time expired and a lot of work is being done to produce a new one.  In the meantime, the old website will continue but does have glitches from time to time.

DISH raises the profile of the Parish council in the village. We welcome people every Monday for refreshments, social interaction and information. It is popular and fills a gap in the interaction, all ages are welcome to drop in and see us. On April 1st DISH will be celebrating its first year, do come and join us. There will be cake!!

We also, through grants and donations, help local groups to achieve goals they might not otherwise be able to achieve.  Any constituted group may apply.

The new war memorial has now reached its target thanks to fund raising within the village and donations. The granite has been ordered, now we just have to wait for it to be finished before it can be dedicated.

Community Infrastructure Levy Money. The Parish Council has not, as has been suggested, tried to keep this private, we publicised it at the Facts and Finance meeting in September although at that time we didn’t know how much it would be and when we would get it.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a national levy on new builds that are built for sale. The money is collected by Rother and 15% is paid to the local Parish Council. When Rother notified us of the amount recently it was decided to announce it at the Parish assembly when many Residents would be present.  This is a one-off amount of money that the Parish council believes should be spent on a project or projects that residents as a whole wish to see that would not otherwise be possible within the normal precept.

We will be consulting widely to get ideas and then to publicise them for residents to have their say. We, as a village, have up to 5 years to spend this money so there is no need for a decision until consultation has taken place.

Can I make a plea for volunteers.

There have been some remarks about members of the Parish Council who are also volunteers for other groups and activities. These councillors are not bidding to take over the village but have simply seen a gap where their skills may be useful. If more people were willing to offer their time and expertise then there would be less need for some individuals to be so busy.

We especially would be grateful for someone with good IT and website skills to help keeping the websites up to date.

Other groups are needing volunteers, for example:

• Volunteers to give an hour or so of time to pick up MOPP participants and /or drop them home…it doesn’t have to be every week. 
• Speeding is big issue in the village, but we need some volunteers to help speed watch or to co-ordinate Neighborhood watch. 

If you don’t feel able, for whatever reason, to volunteer, you can still enjoy being a member of some of the many and varied groups that organise meetings and activities within the locality.

I could go on, but remember we are all part of the jigsaw that is Fairlight and need help to keep the pieces together so the bigger picture is obvious.

Due to one of our loyal supporters moving house, the Fairlight Players are in urgent need of storage space for items of scenery/props etc.

If you have some spare space in a garage or outbuilding, we would love to hear from you.

As an entirely voluntary community group, we can’t afford to pay commercial rent, but could offer a nominal rent if required (or free tickets to our shows).

The items to be stored are things like fireplaces and balustrades, and a few plastic storage boxes, things that we would use from time to time, but nothing of great value.

We would only need access to the space very occasionally, a couple of times a year to fetch out bits that we need, and a couple of times to put them back again.

We just need somewhere dry and reasonably secure. We’ll even help you tidy up a space if necessary.

If you can help us, you would be doing a great service to the community in helping this well-loved local group to continue to entertain the people of Fairlight as it has done for almost 75 years.

Please contact me at contact@fairlightplayers.org.uk or call me on 01424 812235 if you think that you might be able to help.

Thank you and best wishes

Keith

Keith Miller (Chair)

The Fairlight Players

www.fairlightplayers.org.uk

Hello everyone,

I hope my email finds you well..

Please find the attached poster for the St Andrew’s Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt.  

Thank you with all best wishes
Jayne 
Jayne Stevens
Parish Administrator
Fairlight, Guestling, and Westfield Churches

Last night at the Parish Assembly , we presented the John Lutman Award to Sue Clarke who was nominated by many residents. She is a worthy winner. We thank her and all those who work alongside her in any of her many roles. She enhances the horticulture of the village, and encourages others.

Below is the speech from last night, so you can appreciate the breadth of her involvement

Thank you Sue

From Issy Horsley

The winner of the John Lutman award is a well known figure in the village.

She is usually see either wielding a fork or spade or bending over a tub or flowerbed, but her skills go much further than that, she is an unsung hero who deserves a one big thank you from the village

Have you noticed how the flower beds on the circle come into bloom every year and change with the seasons?

Are you aware that the pots by the bus stops and the beds beside the village hall are always bright and cheerful, and even wear baubles at Christmas time?

Do you know that a group of volunteers beaver away in Knowle Wood on a weekly basis to make the area an accessible and interesting place to wander?

If you are a member of the gardening club you are probably aware not only of how hard she works, but also of her energy and enthusiasm.

She has a love of and for the village and works tirelessly, helping  with workshops for the nursery children and also helping more seasoned gardeners with a listening ear and advice.

She is a keen member of the Open Garden s group, which has worked hard over the years raising money for village groups.

Sue just gets on with this come rain or shine, but at the moment mainly in the rain, without seeking recognition.

Her response to winning this well deserved  award was typical…. It was a total surprise to her!

Sue Clarke thank you and keep inspiring people to give back to the community in which ever way they can.

Hello Fairlight Residents,

I am writing this message to express my gratitude to all of you who have joined our group. I am pleased to announce that we now have over 230 members and are continuing to grow. This week, we had a positive meeting with the Hill Surgery team, and I’m delighted to say that we’re finally making some progress and being heard.

Hill Surgery has asked us to communicate with them through their PPG group, but it has been difficult because they only have one person who is responsible for everything, and nobody else wants to be a part of it. It’s frustrating because we are a proper group with a constitution, and we only want to help patients. However, we are determined to drive improvements, and we hope things will change soon.

I am excited to announce that we have launched a website, hsag.org.uk, which provides more information about our group, including our objectives, officers, and minutes from our meetings. The site is designed to allow you to communicate directly and efficiently with the HSAG team. If you want to become a member or have already applied, please fill out the form on the site to make communication even easier for us. We will use your details only to communicate HSAG information and won’t share them with any third-party entities.

We have provided direct email options on the site. We value your feedback, questions, and suggestions to help us improve Hill Surgery’s service levels. We can’t get involved in specific patient details, but we will raise any items as ‘general’ concerns.

In conclusion, please visit our site and use the direct email options. We need your feedback and suggestions to help us make a difference. Lastly, thank you for your support, and please share the website details with anyone you think would find it helpful.

Sincerely,

Maxine, Vice Chair, HSAG

Fernbank, Shepherds Way.

Dear resident

Please click here for the agenda for the next Parish Council meeting to be held on Tuesday 26th March at 7pm in the Village Hall

Could you please note there will not be a Planning Committee meeting on this date as no applications have been received to be discussed.

Also, to note, the Finance and Administration Committee meeting has been cancelled on Tuesday 2nd April 2024.  

Members of the Public can attend these meetings and ask questions if they wish.

Thanks
Pauline

Mrs P Collins
Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer
Fairlight Parish Council
Kerri, 35 Waites Lane, Fairlight, Hastings. TN35 4AX
Tel: 07487 822729  Email: fairlightparishcouncil@gmail.com
Working days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 

Reminder: You are all invited to come along to the 

ACTIVATE YOUTH CLUB Annual General Meeting.

Thursday March 21st, 7.30pm.
Activate clubhouse on the Recreation ground.
Please come along if you have an interest in this facility available for the local young people or would like to find out more about us.

Dear All

Attached is a poster detailing the contributions to RFB during 2023 which were delivered on behalf of the local villages by Pett Women’s Institute.  We were second only to Jempson’s in terms of weight of donations, which is an incredible achievement. 

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone.  Please carry on the good work, it was all very gratefully received.

Kind regards

Sheila Fellows-Turnbull
Secretary, Pett WI

Hello,

Please find attached below minutes of the last meeting..

I also acknowledge the 40+ residents from Fairlight who have asked me to become members. I have all your details and will circulate the new members website details very soon. Email me if you wish to join the action group. 

Thank you 🙏🏻 everyone who is supporting our drive to seek improvements for patients who are struggling to access GP services. Feel free to share any concerns or questions and I will endeavour to provide answers at our next meeting with Hill Surgery PPG. 

Regards,
Maxine Green,
Fernbank, Shepherds Way.