National paper headlines last week about Government money being made available to offset medical pay increases sent us to the Hastings Health Authority looking for good news. They were "guardedly optimistic"; the news must be good rather than bad, but not all the press accounts went into the details, and the 2% increase over the rate of inflation could well be mopped up by existing commitments and the increasing number of elderly people in the District. There may well, we were told, be more to say in January after the financial team have gone through the implications and heard direct from the Ministry.
One piece of really good news did emerge from the conversation. The appalling proposal put forward in the second part of the Strategic Plan last February, that a new clinic for Rye should be built on the Hill House site at the top of Rye Hill, is now "not being pursued". There are various ideas, still very much in the air, for health care round here but that, thank Heaven, no longer appears to be one of them.
proposal going before the Health Authority at its meeting today backs up the County Council decision to site the new Day Centre in Ferry Road. The Authority is likely to give top priority to "providing day care facilities at Rye" (we checked that it was the Day Centre they meant) with joint funding amounting to L45,000 over the next two financial years.
And finally, a Brighton County Councillor was due to raise at yesterday's FSCC meeting the question of health authority cuts in the county (Eastbourne and Brighton have the same problems as Hastings) making particular reference to the proposed temporary closure of Rye Hospital. He suggested that all interested parties should get together to campaign for additional money, and to discuss with the Secretary of State the means of funding pay awards without the need for reductions in patient care. Good for him!
Readers are reminded that the League of Friends meeting about the hospital takes place at Upper School (The Grove) at 7.45 tonight; we are still unable to provide any enlightenment about its precise form.
Anyone still thinking of standing for the vacant seat on the Town Council must move swiftly if they have not yet sent in nomination forms (obtainable from the Town Clerk); these have to reach Bexhill Town Hall by noon on Friday. The posters announcing that there would be an election went up on Thursday of last week (14th), giving the statutory six working days' notice. There are said to be at least three candidates this time, so there will certainly be an election – and it will be held, at the usual polling stations, on 19 December! Six days before Christmas is an inconveniently busy time for everyone, and polling cards are not issued for "parish" elections, so voters will just have to remember. Councillor Simpson has obviously decided to hang on to his seat, despite his move to Bexhill; we trust he will be able to attend Council meetings and committees regularly from now until May 1987.
Neither the Harbourmaster nor the Warden of the Nature Reserve has noticed (touch wood!) any ill-effects in our reach of the Rother from the pollution by the timber works which was so devastating further upstream. When we asked George Roberts at the SWA Star Lock office the same question this time last week, we got the same answer; "Of course, we had a nice rain" he added - perhaps something of an under statement for what so dramatically washed out everyone's bonfires on 9 November!
2.
Mr. Dan Swaine, who died in hospital in Hastings on 11 November at the age of 79 after a long illness, had lived in Rye all his life. He left school at 13 and went to work for Ashbee's, the butchers - and continued to work for them, except when he was away at the war, for the next 52 years! During the war he served with the Royal Sussex Regiment and was at El Alamein; when he returned, he became a member of the Bonfire Boys in the Society's vintage period after the war, as well as being a member of the British Legion, a cricket fan and a keen gardener. For the past six years he had derived much pleasure from his visits to the Blind Club at Winchelsea - to which donations in his memory may be sent, c/o the Secretary, Mill Farm House, Winchelsea. Mr. Swaine is survived by his wife Cis - they celebrated their Golden Wedding three years ago - two daughters and three grandchildren; the family lived in their Mason Road home for more than a quarter of a century, moving there 27 years ago from Landgate Square. The funeral took place at Hastings on Friday.
Josephine, Alexander and Anna-Mercedes Wear would very much like to thank every body who sent donations (amounting to £126) to the Intensive Treatment Unit at RESH in memory of Victor.
The local Mencap Branch is very pleased to report that the Hastings Health Auth ority has generously agreed to let them use part of the Hill House site as the base for the horticultural training centre which the Branch hopes to establish for mentally handicapped adults in the area. This is the 1985/6 project which was discussed at the June AGM (GAZETTE no. 135) and the next step is to get planning permission; if all goes well they hope to be operational by the spring.
Mencap's Autumn Fair takes place on Wednesday of next week (27th) at the FEC from 10 to 12; goods for sale will include Christmas cards and wrapping paper, handicrafts and an excellent selection of toys. Contributions for the cake stall, raffle and tombola will be most welcome - arrangements to collect gifts should be made with Sheila Beeton.
"200 years of the Hastings Fishing Community" is the subtitle of Steve Peak's splendid book, recently published at £5.95 - there is a great deal of history in 200 years, and Mr. Peak does it full justice.
Handsomely produced with plenty of photographs (in an unusual glossy-paper-back A4 format) by the News group, the book is primarily about Hastings; but as there are nearly fifty references to Rye, the Harbour and the Bay in the extensive index we thought readers would like to know about it. Mr. Peak's knowledge of his subject is profound, and he includes a great deal of carefully researched material which make his book a valuable work of reference as well as a jolly good read. He deals with every aspect of the troubles and triumphs of the Hastings fishing fleet - the problems of 150 years ago, which persist today, over planning propo sals for the Old Town beach and the endless difficulties with the Council; the methods of boat-building; the way the fishermen and their families scratched a living (many of the women took in washing from the boarding-houses in the fashion able west of the town), wartime developments, the lifeboats, the various efforts to construct some kind of harbour on the open shore - it is difficult to think of any aspect of life in The Bourne over the past couple of centuries on which Mr. Peak has not touched. Your reviewer will not pretend that she has read the whole book, though she hopes to in due course; its scholarly nature is to a certain extent disguised by its pretty cover, but it is not something to be skipped through. It should certainly not be missed by anyone with an interest in the fishing indus try of our part of the world, either as it was or as it is now.
Just room here to say how much we enjoyed Pamela Oldfield's "The Gooding Girl" which covers something of the same ground as backdrop to a romantic family saga set in Rye's fishing community (GAZETTE no. 145).
3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 20 November 1985
• People from the Cadborough end of the town will be sorry to say goodbye to Bas Laurent, who is retiring on medical advice and giving up the Cadborough Post Office Stores in favour of a house at Westfield. He would like to thank all the people in the vicinity who have supported him in the business and given him their friendship - friendship perhaps particularly welcome after the sad and sudden death of his wife Wray a year ago. They in their turn will want to wish him well in his new home, and will hope to see him back in Rye from time to time. The new owners of the shop are Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Osborne, who come from Camber and who will be keeping the business, both Post Office and shop, as it is at present - to the great relief of people living in its catchment area, let alone those who come up from the town with their business parcels to avoid the evening queue in the main Post Office.
• Once again this year Woolworths is opening for evening shopping for elderly people and the disabled on Thursday, 5 December; transport and other help will be provi ded as usual - if you know of someone who would like to take advantage of this special evening, have a word with the shop. In fact Woolworths is staying open until 8 pm every thursday from tomorrow until Christmas; Ernest Wren points out that this gives an opportunity for families to shop together, having first been able to find a High Street parking space!
• Rye women who have shopped at Flair Separates in Robertson Street over the years may have already discovered that owing to the end of its lease the business there has closed. However, Hastings' loss is Rye's gain, anyway until January; with stock from the Hastings shop to dispose of, Flair has moved into the old Anglia premises between Longs and Serendipity, and is offering special prices on ladies' fashions in sizes from 12 to 24. They will be open during normal shop hours (and possibly Tuesday afternoons), and as well as selling garments off the rail they have an alterations service for wen's and women's clothing, not necessarily bought at the shop. It is very good to see a new service shop in the High Street, and we would like to hope that they might stay rather longer than at present planned.
• 17 pages of press release from British Rail recently outlined timetable changes due to take effect from next May. We can find no reference to the Hastings-Ashford line, so perhaps it is safe to assume that no major changes are planned for us; however, alteration to train times between London and Ashford may well mean that our cross-over time will be different (the actual timetables are published much nearer the time). Contrary to rumour, the journey time from Hastings to London will not be quicker than that from Ashford to London when the electrification is finished; the fastest peak-hour journey on that line will take 86 minutes, off-peak 90 minutes, while the Ashford service is only about an hour.
• An interesting development for people with business in the north-west of England will be the introduction of direct Inter-City services from Ashford (Dover, etc.) integrating with London Midland main-line services from Euston but avoiding the hassle of crossing London: three trains each way Monday to Saturday, two on Sundays.
Anyone who would like to look through the press release in search of more details is most welcome to borrow it.
The current planning list includes an application for a house and workshop at Church Farm, East Guldeford; the conversion of part of the Ladies at the Strand into a wheelchair loo (this is costing Pother £11,000); the repainting of Fletcher's House at the top of Lion Street, with the present black areas to be maroon with gold lettering, while the rest remains white; the removal of a pre fabricated summerhouse at the Old Customs House in Church Square, with alterations to the existing kitchen, etc.; and a new window in Jeake's House. This is in the east gable wall, on the first floor and overlooking the flat roof of the front of the Boys' Club - the casement window will have a brick surround, with woodwork painted white and rectangular leaded lights to match other windows nearby.
STOP PRESS - business readers should look at the foot of page 5 for an interesting announcement by Rotary and CoSIRA.
4.
The "informal gathering" (it may not have been called a party, but it was every bit as enjoyable) of Rye Conservation Society members at the Town Hall on 13 November was offered not one but two local entertainments. Both were beguiling; the choice was difficult, and we hope that both will appear again on separate occasions before long. Frank Palmer had assembled a selection of slides from his collection; some he has shown before, but some were chosen specially for people likely to be in the audience, and all concerned Rye. Frank has not yet given a public slide show in the town; perhaps he will now consider following the path trodden with such success by other photographers recently?
John Underwood also used his camera, but in a different way: he devised a quiz, asking guests to identify as many as possible of the 44 photographs, all taken from a public standpoint but illustrating perhaps a curious twist of brickwork, an unusual corbel or window, a colonnade which hinted at the Town Hall (but was in fact the station!). Almost all the pictures were familiar - but where ? Alan Dickinson got 30 right out of the 44, showing the value of a trained eye... Mr. Underwood will be glad to lend the photographs to other groups looking for an amusement for their members - contact him through Le Fevre Wood & Royle's office at 77 The Mint.
Some 50 people accepted the invitation from the Trustees of the Rye Art Gallery to an informal discussion about future developments at the Gallery; this was held in conjunction with the opening of the Winter Exhibition of pictures from its permanent collection. Four of the Trustees - chairman Kenneth Herbertson from Sevenoaks, Dax Copp and Fred Cuming (both appointed by the Royal Academy), and Canon David Maundrell who is a co-opted member - were there; the fifth, Geoffrey Bagley who represents the Town Council, was much missed and his absence puzzled members, who had wished to thank him personally for ten years of service before his retirement in December - "our senior guide, friend and fail-safe mechanism", as Mr. Herbertson put it. (Mr. Bagley was in fact nursing a nasty gash to his head, sustained when he caught his foot getting out of his car; he and Rosemary are so thankful that he was able to have the wound stitched very promptly at Rye Hospital instead of having to face a possible ambulance trip to Hastings - particularly as the dressing had to be changed on Sunday, ditto.)
Mr. Herbertson told members that there had been an alteration to the Charity Commission scheme for restructuring the constitution of the Trustees (GAZETTE no. 147); in view of a rise in the number of Subscribers, it had been decided to leave them with their own Trustee after all - but he hoped that they would attend meet ings regularly and continue their subscriptions!
Dax Copp reported that the 1985 accounts showed a healthier position than those for 1984, which in turn were an enormous improvement on the 1983 balance sheet. He spoke of plans for the Easton Rooms, with the possibility of a special committee to run it from 1987. A major appeal is to be launched next year, both locally and at big-business level when, he said, introductions and suggestions from members would be invaluable; we shall hear more about this later. A discussion followed on the future of both galleries, perhaps ultimately linked by a third building; there was talk of an Arts Centre, but it is too soon to report on this yet.
A report to Rother will particularly please environmentalists, supporters of Glynde Gap School, and probably the dustmen; what can these have in common? They all have an interest in the arrival, probably by mid-December, of a Can Bank at the Strand. This is an ESCC-promoted scheme, run by Taylors who already service our bottle-banks, to save steel and aluminium by recycling old cans/tins. "Wash 'em and squash 'em if you can" says the punning slogan; they take not only drinks cans but also 'traditional baked-bean-type tins. There is a small financial kick-back to a charity selected by Rother, which is where Glynde Gap School for handicapped children comes into the picture. The Can Bank will neighbour the bottle banks at the Strand, and Rother will be providing a larger litter-bin - with a possibly bird-proof hood - to stand beside them.
5.
The new Field Officer for the Rural Development Area, Leslie Bulman (GAZETTE no. 150) looked into our office last week to make contact and report progress. As we said when the project was first announced in June 1984 (GAZETTE nos. 87, 103 and 105) the RDA was set up by the D o E primarily to increase employment pros pects in the area - Mr. Bulman told us that in 1981, the last set of figures he has, 25% of Rye's under 24s were unemployed. But closely linked with employ- ment are housing and transport; if you can't get from your villas-'e to your job, if you can't house your family because all the village houses are bought by retired people or weekenders, job creation is no use. So he sees the problem as a triangle of employment, transport and housing, all interdependent. (Part of the housing difficulty, he said, is that all houses round here are expensive pro rata at whatever level; the equivalent in Lydd or Hastings, for instance, is a great deal cheaper.)
Mr. Bulman is still feeling his way and meeting local groups, but he is very anxious to get on with "putting heart back into the area". He finds a certain pessimism here, and particularly in the Marsh villages - a "We'll believe it when we see it" attitude which stems from an inheritance of being always at the far end of everything, as readers will be aware: So he is keen to have something going which people can see, and we hope to be reporting before long on a new development.
In the meantime, Mr. Bulman is taking over the CoSIRA "clinic" held at the Council Offices on Thursdays. He will hope to meet people who have new projects,to try, or who want advice on existing ones, and will act as a filter, passing tilem on to CoSIRA if he feels they are ready or suggesting further homework first if:it is clear that this is needed. Once a month he will have with him one of CoS/RA's specialists in a particular subject, and this will be announced beforehand so that appointments can be made accordingly; but in general, no appointments are needed - just look in and say hullo. The first clinic will be on Thursday week (28 November) in the morning, though Mr. Bulman is quite willing to spend all day here if demand justifies it.
What about this business of having to deal with two of everything, one in Kent and one in Sussex, we asked? In some ways, he told us, it does make things more difficult; but it also gives the opportunity of trying out on one side Qf the border something which has already been found to work well on the other instance, the "social car service" already flourishing on the Marsh.
If you want to see Mr. Bulman but are not able to come into the Thursday Clinic, he now has an office at the Guild Hall in Lydd. He isn't actually there all that often, because he's out on the job; but the robot which answers the phone not only takes messages but relays them to him in his car when he tells it to, so you will get an answer. He is at present living in Crowborough - but the 30-mile drive over last Thursday morning found him negotiating a road accident (not his) as well as a flooded road, so he is hoping to move rather nearer his "patch" before too long. Doubtless yesterday's snow will encourage him in this...
In conjunction with CoSIRA, Rotary are organising a business seminar with an eye on the RDA at the Saltings Hotel on this coming Tuesday afternoon (26th). It runs from 2 to 5, and is a sit-down rather than a wander-round event. Anyone interested will be welcome (admission £1.50) but should ring Alan Sinden at the Hope Anchor first so that the Saltings can be given numbers. This does not appear on page 8, since we only heard about it after that had gone to press.
Another new development, not quite ripe yet for a full report, is the Rye Marketing Group. This is being put together by the Hotel and Catering Association and the Chamber of Trade, with observers from the Town Council, and will be promoting tourism and visitors' facilities not only at Rye level but also by putting pressure on Rother and ESCC when necessary. More later; James Menhinick is the man who knows about it.
6.
Next month Rye says goodbye to one of its most senior and respected citizens, Mrs. Elsie Philpott of Russell House in Fishmarket Road. Mrs. Philpott will not be moving far from Rye and we shall certainly still be seeing her about the town. But she is leaving behind her a most valuable legacy.
From 1970 to 1972, Mrs. Philpott was Rye's first woman Mayor - in fact, the only woman Mayor of Rye Borough, since she was succeeded by Dr. Alec Vidler (whose deputy Mayor she was, and whose term of office coincided with Rye's final two years of Borough status). She was also, since it happened to be Rye's turn during her Mayoralty, the first woman Speaker of the Cinque Ports - a job later held on behalf of the town by Mrs. Joan Yates in 1978 and by Roger Breeds this year. Our subsequent women Mayors have chosen their daughters as their Mayoresses but Mrs. Philpott's husband was her "Escort" for her two years in office - though, as she once told a meeting, he had escorted her most successfully, in his private capacity,for some 25 years or so already!
During her very interesting four years as Mayor and then Deputy Mayor, Mrs. Philpott and her family preserved and mounted in a series of neat scrap-books all the invitations, programmes, etc., for events to which she was invited, as well as newspaper photos and cuttings covering things which happened in the town during her terms of office. These scrap-books she has now presented to the Museum. They are of great interest on two counts: first, they provide an astonishing picture of the number of events which Mrs. Philpott as Mayor was expected to attend, and secondly they are a record of all sorts of things going on in the town, now half-forgotten but making interesting browsing.
Mrs. Philpott was born a Caister at Rye Harbour; her husband, a Tonbridge man, worked on the administrative side of the railway, for some years at Rye Station. She has lived at Russell House for over 60 years. Monday, when she took time off from packing to talk to us, was her birthday - a date certainly not forgotten by her son Alan, his wife and the two grandchildren. We wish her, belatedly, many happy returns of the day.
Thomas Peacocke School PTA's last Fashion Show was a sensation, a memorable even ing; this year's has some different names in the list of firms taking part, but it promises to be every bit as good. Clothes will come from W.J. Bennett (men's wear, of course), Concoction in Market Road (young moderns), and Frank Golden and Golden Fleece, jointly showing ladies' outfits. In addition, Wards of Hastings are showing clothes for children, Martin Channon (Rye Market) suggests working gear, and two small new businesses are also contributing: Su Chen from Broad Oak (Christmas sweatshirts) and Fairytales (the traditional wedding outfits).
Once again staff at James Kimber in the High Street are doing the hair of the adult models, though not this time giving a stage display; Rye Dance Centre will entertain between scenes. There are 28 children modelling plus six men and six women, mostly pupils and parents and, again, some of the staff; compere is Graham Lee, showbiz partner of last year's MC Nick Hirst. Guest stars will be Miss Rye and her two attendants, dressed for the occasion by Rose-Anne.
Tickets are on sale at the participating shops, or from the school or PTA committee members, at £2.50 for adults, £1.25 for children and pensioners, to include wine and cheese. The event takes place at Upper School Hall at 7.30 on Friday, 29 November.
Urging all local groups to send representatives to the Community Centre Association AGM on Monday (CC, 7.30) the new secretary, Mrs. Yvonne Metcalf, lists the organisations which used the Centre in October: the Department of Employment, St. Mary's PCC, ARC, the Badminton Club, the Majorettes, the Ambulance Social Club, the WI, the Christian Lunch Club, bingo and disco evenings, the National Trust, the Bonfire Society, the British Legion, the Rye Dance Centre, the Guides, the WRVS, the Lions, Sea Cadets and Youth Club. Could this be a record, she asks? At least it proves the need for the Centre:
7.
• Welcome to Devonport House's new resident, Mrs. Elizabeth ("Bessie") Warner, who moved in last week from Poppyfields, Playden. Mrs. Warner will already have plenty of friends in Rye, since until her retirement she was working on the wards in Rye Hospital; but some readers may like to be reminded that she was the five-year-old Miss Haffenden who so grieved for the loss of her red velvet coat, burnt when she was a homesick little patient in the old Isolation Hospital at Udimore!
• The coffee morning at the George Hotel on Thursday of next week (28th) in aid of Muscular Dystrophy funds will have two unusual stalls as well as the familiar ones offering greetings cards and bric-a-brac: one will sell children's clothes from birth to 8 by Coco and Michael de Leon, and the other children's books from the publishers Usborne, fiction and fact from "starters" onwards.
• At Playden on 8 November, WI members were welcomed by the Group chairman Mrs. Eileen Bennett to the Autumn Meeting of the Rye Group of WIs. The secretary of each Institute reported on the year (though we are sorry to hear that Udimore has had to close for lack of members). The county's Denman College representative then spoke about the million-pound appeal to enable the College to survive. Entertainment was home-grown: a comedy sketch, solo and chorus singing, poetry readings, a comic fashion show and a hilarious mime were much enjoyed, as was the whole evening. Despite the loss of Udimore WI, the carol service this year will till be held there.
• The Open Meeting of the Rye & District Council for Voluntary Service takes, an unusual form tomorrow (Thursday, 21st) at the Town Hall at 7.30. Instead of the usual report, followed by several speakers on the activities of their particular local groups, the position of the Council itself will be under discussion. The Committee will be asking for views on how the Council can help voluntary organisa tions; for any criticisms of its activities; and for proposals for the future. Notices have been sent to all the local voluntary organisation, inviting each to send one representative to contribute to the discussion. We shall not be repor- ting on the meeting, but will record later the decisions which the committee comes to in view of what is said there.
• Winners in the Lower School House quiz on 24 October were Sanders House: Matthew Collison (1.2), Melissa Clements (1.4), Brett Looker (2.3) and Jo Hollands (2.7). Meryon House came second, with School and Rother equal third. The prizes were given by Rye Rotary Club.
• The Royal Navy Presentation Team visiting Rye on Wednesday evening (27th) has nothing to do with recruiting, but "is intended to provide the general public with a opportunity to form an opinion based on fact" says the press release. 400 people have been invited to Upper School, at 7.30 for 8; if you want to go and haven't had an invitation, ring the team on 01 921 2056. We are not entirely sure why they are coming here in particular, but doubtless Captain Patrick Rowe, ex-00 of HMS Liverpool and now leading this year's team, will be able to enlighten us.
• "Contemporary Sussex Ceramics", the exhibition at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, still has ten days to run (until 1 December) and provides an interesting contrast between the work of two generations of potters from Rye (among a good deal of other work on show in what we had not at first realised was a selling exhibition). In a room which also houses the Collyer-Nash "nostalgic corner shop" (on show to local people in its complete form for the first time, we think?), there are two displays facing each other, beautifully setting Wally Cole's preoccupation with shape against Tarquin Cole's fondness for colour. Tarquin's table distils summer into flower-bright dishes and tiles; Wally's terracotta and pale glazes pay tribute to all three dimensions. Both father and son are extremely successful both as studio potters and as designers; but how different...
• Rye Police have a number of bicycles (men's, women's and children's) which have been handed in as "found property"; if one has recently been lost by your family, it would be worth calling in at the police station to look them over.
Thrift Shop, Red Cross Centre, 10.30 to 4 (and Friday, Saturday) RCVS meeting, Town Hall, 7.30 (see page 7)
Nat.His.Soc., "Marine Conservation" (David Harvey), FEC, 7.30
Scouts Christmas Fair, Scout Hut, 10 to 12
Coffee morning for leprosy sufferers, 34 Fishmarket Road, 10 to 12.30 (see below)
Craft Market, FEC, 11 to 5
Ambulance Social Club jumble sale, CC, 2
Monday, 25th WRVS lunch club, Christmas dinner (no December meeting), CC,12.30 Community Centre Association AGM, CC Chapel, 7.30 (see page 6)
Tuesday, 26th Meeting to discuss foundation of Rye Branch of Multiple Sclerosis Society, Ma Beeton's, 7.30 (GAZETTE no. 154)
Mencap Autumn Fair, FEC., 10 to 12 (see page 2)
RN Presentation Team (invitations), Upper School, 7.30 for 8 (see page 7)
• Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard for the Catholic Church Christmas Fair at the FEC on Saturday afternoon - it raised a record £670-plus for St. Anthony of Padua funds.
• Zena Streeton has now brought home a second silver cup won in a St. John competition for Eastern Area cadets. At the weekend she came second out of 11 contestants in an individual first-aid test - she had to deal with someone having an epileptic fit. (Mrs. Mitchell tells us that the current "season" for these competitions is now over, so even Zena is not going to achieve an entire table-setting in silver - which did seem possible, the way she was going!)
• Sir Brian Batsford is due to be speaking on Radio Sussex on Monday at about 2 (in the "Hollis at Home" programme) about designing for the National Trust. Readers will remember the delightful painting of Lamb House under snow which he did for the National Trust and which was also used as one of the County Council's two cards in 1984.
• A gratifying £288 was raised by the Ploughman's Lunch held in aid of the Arthritis & Rheumatism Council at the Community Centre on 12 November.
• The hostess for Saturday's coffee morning in Fishmarket Road is a personal friend of someone working in a leper colony, so she knows the money raised will be well spent. As well as refreshments, a pleasantly nursery combination of home-made jams and teddy-bears will be on sale - separately packaged, of course!
• Janet Webb points out coldly that the Gas Board has not chosen the best of dates to dig up Lion Street (GAZETTE no. 153). Work is due to start on 24 March "for three or four weeks"; Easter weekend, the busiest in the whole year for the bakery and including two Bank Holidays, starts four days later... We certainly failed to check our diary; did Segas, we wonder?
• Ever since Margaret Houslander and her husband moved into Ferry Cottage they have wanted to find out more about its history and occupants. They know that the alteration of the course of the river means that it was once actually on the bank (but is no longer) and have seen a photograph to prove it; but Mrs. Houslander would love to hear from anyone who knew people who lived there.
• Next woek at Lewes ESCC and the oil companies are arguing over County Council policy over gas and oil development in environmentally sensitive areas; if you want to go and listen, we have the details.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, and published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye (Rye 222303). News items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon, Tuesday 9 am for emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday; a few spare copies are available from Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Ports Street, and back numbers from Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1985)