IS YOUR NAME TICKED? Quarterly subscriptions expire with next week's issue. For renewal details, see the foot of page 7. (Readers who collect from Squirrels, or buy spare copies there, should also be sure to read that section, as we are having to make changes.)
Congratulations to Peter and Rita Tyler, of RAF Uxbridge, on the birth of their first child Gemma Kate, born on 8 June and weighing a neat 6lbs 11ozs. Peter, who was in the ATC at Thomas Peacocks School, is the grandson of Mrs. Audrey Marwood of Military Road - and the new arrival makes Mrs. Marwood a great-grandmother six months before her sixtieth birthday on 19 December!
Mrs. Marwood, who has five daughters and one son, this week celebrates 25 years in the Post Office. Now we mostly see her with her mail-cart; but time was when she used to cycle out along Harbour Road in all weathers with a bagful of letters. She had been hoping that her daughter Doreen would be bringing sons Matthew and Nathan for a two-month visit from their home in America this summer, but sadly her husband's illness means that the family must stay in the States. Perhaps next year - and in the meantime, there is the very special baby.
Rye's team of bellringers had a busy, not to say traumatic afternoon on Saturday when a perfect June day saw two weddings at St. Mary's only an hour apart barely time for Peter Chillingworth's camera, making the most of the sunshine, to do justice to the first before the bridal Rolls Royce arrived for the second! (Traumatic? - there was apparently a "massive and worrying problem" with the tenor bell: the clapper got stuck, and the worry was primarily that it might fall off, but happily it didn't.)
Lorraine King, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. King of Mason Road, married David Mann, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Mann of Broad Oak, and half the town was there to watch. The bride was attended by the children of her three sisters: Stella and Sara Crisford, Joanna and Debbie Waters, and Emelye and Christopher Martin - Emelye is not yet three, but her only slightly older brother steered her firmly through the proceedings. The bride wore a full-skirted dress of white lace, flounced and trimmed with ribbon and lilies of the valley, and a white and silver wreath on her dark hair; her flowers, and those of the bridesmaids, were in shades of pink, red and cream. Her bridesmaids were dressed in pale green, the dresses (all made by Mrs. Janet Wood) with yokes of white lace and ribbon sashes; Christopher looked very smart in grey with a manly white carnation. The bride's mother wore a turquoise and white two-piece with a striking feathered hat, and Lorraine's sisters echoed the shades-of-green theme in their own outfits. The reception was at Winchelsea Beach. David works at Iden Pottery and Lorraine at Pontins; they will be living at Broad Oak.
Penny Edgar is the daughter of Mrs. Jane Edgar of Lion Street; she is a pharmacist - though she didn't look at all like a pharmacist on Saturday, when she and Neil Hickey of Orpington were married. There were some very elegant outfits and plenty of grey toppers around; Penny wore a full crinoline dress with hooped skirt and off-the-shoulder bodice, trimmed with frilling and big ribbon bows. Her bridesmaid was her sister Jillian - also coping most efficiently with a hooped skirt, in white tulle misting over apricot silk. Best man was David Shilling. The bridal flowers were the work of Rachel Sarrieddine, who also arranged the flowers for the reception at the Peacock Wine Bar - where the wedding-cake in the window was the admiration of passers-by. By removing most of the furniture, Mrs. Edgar made room for 90 guests, though they did tend to overflow onto the warm Lion Street pavement from time to time; she even managed to fit in the traditional post-wedding disco. The honeymoon is being spent in Lanzarotte, and Penny and David's new home will be at Biggin Hill.
2.
Mrs. Patricia Williams (Pat Orford), younger daughter of Rye's ex-postmaster, died peacefully in Rye Memorial Hospital on 13 June. Pat was an ex-pupil of Rye Grammar School. She had travelled extensively in the Middle East and had lived in Iran, Zambia and the West Indies. In recent years she lived at Broad Oak and was a well-known breeder of miniature dachshunds. She is survived by her daughter and two sons, and by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Orford of Cadborough Cliff. The funeral service will be held in Playden churchyard at 11 am tomorrow (Thursday).
Mr. Stuart Ditcher, of New Road, died in hospital on 15 June; he was 88. We shall have a full obituary notice next week. The funeral takes place on Friday (20th) at 1 at Hastings Crematorium.
Rother's Planning Officer, Leslie Robinson, writes to us about the apparent leap-frogging of some local applications by the Magdala House site plans (GAZETTE no. 180). As his recent report to the Planning Committee on 29 May makes clear, the Planning Section at Bexhill is inadequately staffed to deal with the increasing workload now coming its way. In 1982/3, after a relatively low level of applications for a couple of years, the staff was reduced by four to a total of 32. Promptly, the number of planning applications and other matters dealt with by the Section began to rise: applications up by 17%, appeals up by a massive 76%, and an increase in 28% in the volume of correspondence received. Appeals are a particular problem (the Deputy Planning Officer told us that these frequently take a staff member off his regular work for a couple of days); whereas the staff can cope, says Mr. Robinson, with 40 to 60 appeals a year on average, last year there were 89! The amount f enforcement work has also risen. Staff holidays are difficult to fit in, any long periods of illness would create severe problems, and the staff themselves "want to provide a good and efficient service and are frustrated in being unable to achieve a satisfactory level of performance". Mr. Robinson's report proposes various measures to improve things - and his suggestions are supported by David Powell, who was himself Planning Officer until he moved up into the Chief Executive and Clerk's chair. "In the meantime" says Mr. Robinson in his letter "I am afraid there will be some delays - and inevitably some anomalies or apparent unfairness".
He continues: "Applications are not and have never been dealt with in strict numerical order. Whilst the process begins in numerical order, some applications are processed quicker than others. There are many reasons for this, including the standard of submission, the speed of response to correspondence, the nature of the proposal, the extent of pre-application discussion and last, but by no means least, the workload and prevailing circumstances in the development control team dealing with the matter. In the past, the fact that some applications have been dealt with quicker than others has not been so noticeable, particularly with straightforward applications, because most applications received in one month went to the Planning Committee the following month; since more applications were dealt with expeditiously, individual differences were not significant and therefore less noticeable."
Mr. Robinson goes on to point out that the Magdala House site application was really not rushed through; it took, in all, 5/6 weeks from submission to permission - because all the work which would normally have to be done after submission for a development on that scale had already been done by the various Rother departments involved. (And, he adds, there were ten other applications on the 29 May agenda with numbers higher than 0919.) "The problem is not that some applications are being dealt with too quickly but that some are taking much longer than they ought" he concludes. We must all hope that the new measures will help staff and applicants alike.
Mr. Robinson's report is available at the Council Offices as Item 13 of the Planning Committee agenda for 29 May.
- 3 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 18 June 1986
... To Mr. Bert Polley, of Mill Road, who has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to the water industry. Mr. Polley has been the Mechanical Superintendent at the Southern Water Authority's Scots Float depot for 40 years - which takes him back to the Kent River Authority and even Kent River Board days, though perhaps not as far back as the Rother & Jury's Gap Catchment Board which preceded both of them.
... To Mr. Ernie Stevens, who is really having a good year: a recipient of the Royal Maundy at Chichester Cathedral at Easter, he has just heard that he is to be invested as a Serving Brother of the Order of St. John at a ceremony in London later this year. This is the first stage of the St. John Order of Chivalry (the top end is a Knight of St. John), and is a considerable honour, given to those who in one way or another have served the Order well.
(Mr.- Stevens, of Kings Avenue, served with the St. John Ambulance Brigade for years until he retired just before his 75th birthday two years ago.) Alan Webb is also a Serving Brother; as far as he knows there are only a handful of others (including Serving Sisters) in the Rye area.
The NSPCC Summer Fair raised the princely sum of £1,113 - the first time the net profit has gone over £1,000 - from a well-organised sale with lots of everything and excellent quality at that: delicious refreshments, a huge cake-stall, white elephants and nearly-news well up to the NSPCC's usual high standard, plus raffle, tombola, books, toys, plants - The Lot. Congratulations to Beryl Rixon, Anne Wood and the rest of the hardworking committee!
In view of this it seems near-miraculous that anyone else raised anything at all on Saturday. However, the Bowls Club event at the Town Hall brought in over £90, and the Action for the Crippled Child coffee morning at the Red Cross, £66; both groups were well content.
Hilda Nelson-Barrett would like to thank her committee and the 40 or so collectors in Rye and Winchelsea (and Rae and Conrad Posting for the generous use of their porch), whose combined efforts over the house-to-house collection raised 610-plus for the Blind Association/RNIB. The next event for this cause is the coffee morning and sale on 18 October at the FE Centre.
Michael Saunders of Ferry Road was much surprised when he opened an "odd" letter from a neighbour about his recently erected amateur-radio aerial tower - and even more surprised when the neighbour showed him a much odder letter purporting to be from Mr. Saunders himself, which Mr. Saunders never wrote! Several people in Ferry Road received this far-from-reassuring typed letter last week, describing the structure as a sonar energiser/high frequency transmitter which would give off a humming sound and cause bare skin to tingle in damp weather; it was signed in Mr. Saunders' name, but not in his handwriting, and he would very much like to know who the writer is. In fact the structure, in Mr. Saunders' back garden, is simply intended to carry the aerials which had been much nearer the house, and will be replaced eventually by a telescopic pole. Mr. Saunders hadn't realised that he needed planning permission for this, but an application has now gone in to Rother; the tower, we were told, was 50' high - but it really doesn't hum or make the neighbours tingle!
When BR put up the coach parking charge in the Goods Yard by £1.50 to £5 for the summer, rumours of grumbles from tour operators reached the Chamber of Trade: many coaches only call here for a couple of hours and don't want to pay for all-day parking anyhow. So the Chamber's chairman, Clifford Wall, wrote to BR asking them to think again. They did, and the Chamber is very satisfied with the new arrangements: £3.50 for coaches staying less than four hours, and £5 for those staying longer.
David Blake, Rother's Director of Entertainments & Tourism, has replied to our query in GAZETTE no. 179 as to why the Bexhill tourist office apparently costs so much to run compared with those in Rye and Battle. He tells us that the figure in his recent report includes all salary costs for running the Bexhill tourist office and all other publicity work connected with Rother - which makes the reason clear, since this work includes general enquiries for places throughout the District and reparation of all the Rother publicity material and advertising.
Mr. Blake goes on to say: "I wonder why you choose to foster discontent within Rother tourism activities when, with the Rye Gazette, you are in a position to invite constructive proposals for alleviating the many deficiencies which I have highlighted, eg.
(a) Would Rye Hotels Association and Chamber of Trade like to be involved in carrying out a Tourism Survey? (This is perhaps something that TPS pupils might be asked to help with - Editor.)
(b)Whether Rye can cope with an increase in summer tourism. The effect that increased/decreased tourism will have on existing businesses and future development.
(c) What effect the Channel Tunnel will have on Rye, particularly the rail link with Ashford, and should Rye hotels and businesses be developing "packages" to encourage its use?
(d) Would greater advertising support from Rye businesses result in a really noteworthy Rother Guide?
(e) Would Rye like the new brown/white tourism signs used in conjunction with its attractions?"
We hereby, as requested, invite constructive proposals - perhaps primarily from the Rye Marketing Group, if it is now off the ground?
Speaking generally with Rye shopkeepers earlier in the month, it seems that anyway this year we could cope with an increase in summer tourism - the free-spending Americans are much missed (though many people could do without the endless coach-loads of foreign teenagers who clutter up the streets). The "package" idea is already under consideration by the Hotel & Catering Association - though not specifically with an eye on visitors arriving by rail. The Channel Tunnel still seems a bit far off; Rother, as we reported recently, is keeping an eye on it as far as the District in general is concerned.
Only Rye businesses know why they don't advertise in the Rother Guide, and they may or may not care to tell us (or Mr. Blake, direct) their reasons. This year's edition is a very handsome production - full-colour cover, 8" x 10", with 42 fact-packed pages - and introducing it on Radio Sussex earlier this year Mr. Blake said some very nice things about Rye in particular. Certainly the town is under-represented in the advertisements; we counted 7 from shops and 12 from catering establishments in Rye and the immediate villages, plus one from the Hotel & Catering Association and one from the Town Model. The Museum has no ad, though it is mentioned in the list on the Museums page.
As for (f), it would be easier to answer if we could see one of the signs (perhaps in the Town Hall foyer?). The present blue-and-white ones are very pleasant, but maybe the others are even better.
Plans to transfer commercial Boot Sales next year from the Salts to Rye Harbour car park seem likely to founder at the Harbour end; a report to Rother next week will set out the position not only at the Harbour car park but also at other Rother car parks, as regards commercial events.
The Conservative Association has cancelled the Boot Fair booked on the Salts.
5.
For the second time in three years, Paul Hacking, elder son of Robert Hacking and grandson of Mrs. Anne Hacking of Cadborough Farm, is the leading Gentleman Rider in the SE Area Point-to-Point season; Paul, still only 20, also shares with two other riders the Hacking Cup for the rider of the most winners in the season. Since he left Thomas Peacocks, Paul has been a pupil assistant trainer with Josh Gifford at Findon; he now plans to stable point-to-point horses at Pelsham in Peasmarsh - not a trainer in the full sense, says Mrs. Hacking, but a step in the right direction. His younger brother Nigel is also no mean horseman; and both follow in the footsteps of their father, who was leading Gentleman Rider in the South East more times than not, and has ridden a total of 170 point-to-point winners before retiring in favour of his sons.
Janice Gill of the Old Brickyard had a place of honour at the recent Guide service at Brighton: she was chosen to carry Princess Margaret's personal standard! Janice, a teacher at Guestling Primary School, is the Rye District Secretary of the Guides and also helps with Brownies. Ten Guides from the Rye District were in the church (quite independently, presumably, of the local 50 in the choir under Lois Benton); Paula Bourn of Udimore Road was one of the two Escorts for the Rye Division standard.
The Mayor, herself an ex-Guide (but once a Guide, always a Guide really), has been talking in her official capacity to a group of 1st Rye Guides working for a local history badge; for extra impact, she took along the video film of the Mayoring ceremony, so now they all know just what does happen inside the Town Hall once a year.
Playing strictly fair, Mrs. Oliver also went to a Scout event - on Sunday, she and other Mayors and Mayoresses found themselves on a hay-baled trailer being towed round the camp site at Broadstone Warren, near East Grinstead, where the East Sussex Scout Movement was celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Cubs with a Rainbow Weekend. This was supported by Cubs from all over the county (were any of ours there? Mrs. Oliver thinks not) - and she enjoyed it vastly.
Five Rye Scouts and two Leaders had a super time last weekend at the Hastings District Scouts water activities weekend out at Wittersham. Using the Rother, they enjoyed canoeing, dinghy sailing, swimming, raft building and a raft race!
• The Women's Section of the British Legion celebrated their actual 50th birthday on Tuesday (10 June) with a pleasant social evening at the Legion Club, when Mrs. Joan Camier cut a big birthday cake with the sword from over the bar (to be honest, that was for the benefit of the photographer - what actually sliced up the cake was a perfectly ordinary knife!). She was "supported" by two senior WBL members, Mrs. Alice Boreham of Badger Gate and Mrs. Eva Britt of Mason Road, both over 80.
• On 31 May, Badger Gate residents and their guests enjoyed a cheese and wine party in their big reception room, held in aid of WBL funds. A good time was had by all, and a particular thank-you goes to Percy Turk for the loan of some of his "golden oldie" tapes for dancing.
• Saturday, 7 June was a special day for Mrs. Lily Sinden: 20 years ago she moved into the still unfinished Badger Gate building as its first (and, of course, only) Warden.
One aspect of the railway route for the Winchelsea bypass which has not been mentioned so far is the question of farm crossings. The Hacking family have land both sides of the railway at the Rye end of the line, and another farmer straddles it at the Winchelsea end; both have farm crossings over the railway line which are in regular use. If the bypass goes that way, there will have to be four little concrete bridges over it to enable the sheep, tractors, etc., to cross in safety!
6.
Kathleen Stegeman and Susan Behar had always been in the travel industry until January of this year, when they bought the Mariners Hotel. They had not run a hotel before; but they had stayed in them, all over the world, and they did know what they liked: It took them two years to find Rye, and the Mariners; then the builders moved in; and on Monday we went along to talk to them about the new look there. It sounded pretty straightforward at first - redecoration inside and out, 11 letting rooms (9 with en-suite bathrooms), morning coffee and afternoon Sussex teas, and dinners for non-residents on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (the menu is displayed outside). Then - "And breakfast, of course" said Mrs. Stegeman. Breakfast? Yes, indeed, English-style or American; and American-style breakfast includes waffles and blueberry muffins (they import the blueberries specially) served to non-residents from 9.30 to 11.
Mrs. Stegeman's daughter Melissa helps out when she is on holiday from boarding-school; Mrs. Behar's three children are perhaps rather less help, since Megan and Ian are at playgroup, and Marc at Freda Gardham. The real expert in the two families is Mrs. Stegeman's elder daughter Pamela, assistant manager at the New York Plaza; she came to advise when they opened - with armfuls of literature not really scaled down to Rye:
"Have you seen the garden?" we were asked. Expecting just a pretty wisteria-clad terrace, we found a rolling lawn the full width of the hotel, running a long way down to a screening cypress hedge. (Rye is full of surprises!). Ian's tricycle went lickety-split down the slope; but in more sedate circumstances there would be plenty of room for a reception with a marquee, and Mrs. Stegeman and Mrs. Behar are certainly hoping to house functions, with the dining-room closed to the public (there is also a lounge bar downstairs). It would be a lovely domestic setting for a summer wedding...
...though not such a grand wedding as the one which will be occupying Mrs. Behar's husband Patrick on 23 July! Based now in Rye, but not often here, he is a professional photographer specialising in motor-racing, and has just won the 1985 "Grand Prix Martini de la Meilleure Photo Sportive" for a sensational picture (taken from his parents' balcony) of a very nasty moment in the Monte Carlo Grand Prix. This summer he is following the Grand Prix circuit, but taking time off from it for a special assignment to photograph the Royal Wedding for the Sunday Telegraph colour supplement - so we can all have the opportunity to see his work in due course.
Mental Handicap Week is being marked in Rye by a big coffee morning at the Town Hall on Saturday, 28 June, from 10 to 12. Both upstairs and downstairs will be in use, and as well as refreshments there will be stalls selling cakes, books and magazines, nearly-new clothes, cards and wrapping-paper, and some really super handicrafts. Contributions for any of the stalls can be delivered to the Town Hall from 9 on the Saturday morning - or ring Vickie Piper (224228) or Hill House School (222624) for collection; Mencap and the school are combining to make this a really worth-while event.
Always keen to find extra parking space in Rye, Rother are now looking again at the land between the railway and Thomas Peacocke School. British Rail were refused permission to build there because the D o T pointed out that it was a possible bypass route; but there was no objection to a car park. The ground includes a small area belonging to Rother on which there are four allotments, and hearing that the holders had been given notice we asked Chief Executive David Powell if this had bypass implications. No, he said, they were only thinking about a car park, and giving the occupants the statutory long notice; if they like to remain on a short-term basis until the land is actually needed that would suit Rother very well. Two of the allotment-holders said sadly to us that they wish they had known that before they started to let the weeds take over - one family had cultivated land worked by their father and grandfather, and were very sorry to have to give it up.
7.
• The body of a 60-year-old Hastings woman, Mrs. Agnes Walsgrove, was taken from the Rother near Monkbretton Bridge on Thursday evening. The inquest takes place in Hastings tomorrow; police say there are no suspicious circumstances. The body was spotted floating in the water by two boys fishing in the river.
• The July issue of "Country Homes and Interiors" contains a six-page article about Linda King and Paygate Cottage - the photographs do full justice to the little house, though perhaps not to Linda's flamboyant hair.
• The Rye of 1944 appeared briefly on Coast to Coast on Friday, when old doodle-bug film showed a convoy of lorries coming under the Landgate and travelling along South Undercliff beside trees very considerably smaller than they are now!
• Only one Rye application in the current list: for the use of an extension built four years ago to 40 Udimore Road as a separate dwelling. The Council Offices have an amended plan for the 12 houses at the Harbour (near the Coastguard Cottages); the original plan is not attached, so we can't describe the amendment.
• Rye Racers like to have a four-strong committee. But one member has moved away, and now Pat Murray, nee Thompson, is busy in Fishmarket Road with her baby, and can't really spare the time; Gus Gale says she has been marvellous over the past five years, primarily visiting party guests and making sure that transport arrangements, etc., will work out right. The committee now consists only of Gus and Dennis Leeds George of East Guldeford; if anyone feels able to replace Pat, Gus (c/o Town Hall) will be very pleased to hear from him or her.
• The members of Rye WI - writes Jeanne Freeman - will doubtless be fitter and more lovely after a talk on "Diet, Health and Beauty" at their June meeting. President Mrs. Hodgson welcomed three new members; outings to the theatre and to London were voted very successful; the County Archivist has confirmed that Rye WI was founded in April 1929; the Institute has entertained 44 people to tea from the Red Cross at Brighton; treasurer Mrs. Page reported a satisfactory financial position, and delegate Mrs. Freeman reported on the Albert Hall AGM. The evening concluded with an hilarious auction, conducted by two husbands borrowed for the occasion, which produced much laughter and a satisfactory sum of money for WI funds.
• Ken Warren, MP, has sent us five pages of information about the current position at Dungeness - he is, he says, "extremely concerned that the public should not be frightened by misleading information". As we said recently, the GAZETTE is just not qualified to cope with nuclear matters; but anyone who would like to borrow the material will be most welcome - it includes letters from the Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of Energy, and a letter and press statement from the CEGB, plus a covering statement from Mr. Warren himself.
If your GAZETTE is not ticked beside your name this week, your subscription is about to expire. For the coming quarter (2 July to 26 September, with two weeks off in August) we shall need £3.30 in cash - not a cheque, for such a small sum by 28 June at latest (Saturday week), with your name and delivery address on the envelope. All receipts will go out on 2 July. Subscriptions can be put through the letter-box at 2 Cyprus Place or handed to the Editor on her rounds.
From the beginning of July, Squirrels is likely to be shut on a Wednesday; and Veronica Briggs prefers that copies shall not be collected on Thursdays, when the shop is busy. So only subscribers prepared to wait until Friday for their GAZETTE can continue to use Squirrels as a pick-up point; the rest should contact the Editor as soon as possible to make new arrangements. From 2 July spare copies will only be available from 2 Cyprus Place on Wednesdays from 2.30 to 5 and Thursdays from 8.30 to 9.30 am; we shall only print a very few anyway, so if you want to be sure of a copy the only way will be to subscribe (see above). The Editor is most grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Briggs for their help and support since the start of the paper; the production of spare copies was entirely due to Veronica in the first place - "perhaps half a dozen?" she suggested, and it has now built up to 40!
Thrift Shop, Red Cross, 10.30 to 4 (and Friday and Saturday) Coffee morning for summer playscheme, George Hotel, 10 (GAZETTE no. 181)
Hastings Jobcentre visits Rye Community Centre today and tomorrow (GAZETTE no. 178)
Rye Conservation Society AGM, TH, 7.30 (speaker, Peter Parish, Chairman of the Federation of Sussex Amenity Societies)
Rye Dance Centre jumble sale, CC, 2 - also refreshments, cake stall, etc. (jumble gratefully received in the morning) Concert by Rye Harmonic Society and Stowmarket Band, St. Mary's 7.30 (GAZETTE no. 181)
Thrift Shop Half-Price Sale, Red Cross, 10 to 4
Local History Group (Clifford Bloomfield on Rye's harbour and coastline), Library, 7.30
25th FRAG Bloomsbury Group outing (fully booked)
• Congratulations to Long Bros, whose window proudly displays the Bradley Cup for Confectionery, and two "First Prize" cards, one for Hovis bread and one for almond goods (Congress tarts and macaroon biscuits, in fact) - all won at the Kent County Master Bakers and Confectioners Association's recent show.
• Ringo Chapman was overwhelmed to receive a donation from a local resident of £100 towards the footpath fund, bringing the total to over £700. He now awaits the result of the tenders sent in to the County Highways Department.
• Congratulations to Mrs. Molly Howlett of Point Hill, who was presented with the Red Cross Badge of Honour by Mrs. Greenfield, Deputy Branch President of Sussex, at a private ceremony recently.
• Three Ferguson video recorders, two worth £460 and one £549, were stolen from the Seeboard showroom at 4.25 on the morning of 9 June.
• Bowls: Rye played two away matches last week and lost both, to Alexandra Park on 12 June and to Hastings Local Government Officers on the 15th.
• A reader who regularly drives into Rye from Peasmarsh points out that people who so diligently placard the entrances to the town with posters saying "Coffee Morning", etc., are really wasting their time unless they add in equally large lettering the time and place; small type is simply not legible to passing drivers.
• Another reader asks us to remind car-owners not to leave their dogs inside the car for any length of time in hot weather, even with a gap at the top of the window. The same appeal, we feel sure, applies to babies...
• Now that she is no longer running Little Saltcote (of which Mr. and Mrs. Terry Osborne are the new proprietors), Barbara Mckenzie is looking for a job secretarial, shop or hotel, full-time or part-time, she doesn't really mind which. She is very experienced in dealing with people - particularly Americans, she tells us! Until the new bungalow is finished, contact Mrs. McKenzie at White Cottage, Playden.
Many thanks to the kind person who produced a camp-bed for Daniel; he is also (thanks to several readers) well provided with mouse-proof trunks!
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye, TN31 7DR (0797 222303), and printed by Cinque Ports Stationers of Rye. News items for inclusion are always welcome – deadline Monday afternoon (Tuesday 9 am at latest and only for real emergencies). The GAZETTE costs 30p weekly and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday. A few spare copies are available at Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Ports Street (but not after next week, see page 7), and back numbers from Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1986)