Don't plan to be away the third week in June if you have any interest whatever in the route of the bypass. The Department of Transport has booked the Community Centre that week for the public consultation stage of the planning (the equivalent of the exhibition at Winchelsea in November 1983), and we understand that the exhibition will be open to the public on the Wednesday and the Thursday, 19 and 20 June, with a preview for Councillors, etc., on the Tuesday. There will of course be literature nearer the time; but KEEP THE DATE.
Two Rye couples celebrated their Golden Weddings on Saturday, and we were surprised to find that not only had both husbands had the good sense to marry Rye girls fifty years ago, but both had served in the Royal Signals.
Norman and Phyllis Jennings, of Udimore Road, were married in Beckenham on 20 April 1935, and all three bridesmaids and the best man were at the Saltings Hotel to help them celebrate this very special occasion. Their son and daughter and three grandchildren were of course present, with a large number of other relatives and friends - relatives particularly on Mrs. Jennings' side, since her maiden name was Hickman and she is the grand-daughter of George Hickman, once chairman of Rye Cricket Club. Mr. Jennings was a warrant officer in the Royal Signals; he was posted to Malaya in WW2, and witnessed the ceremonial entry of the Japanese commander into the Fortress at Singapore before being taken prisoner. He spent most of the next 3i years on the infamous railway, and was wounded in a US raid on the bridge over the River Kwai - a chest wound which still troubles him. After the war he became a clerk on the Stock Exchange, and came to Rye on his retirement ten years ago (he will be 76 next month), where he decided to revive an old interest in international short-wave radio listening and now has friends all over the world - he even programmes a computer to monitor transmissions (we wrote about this fascinating hobby in GAZETTE no. 21, but Mr. Jennings was less sophisticated in his equipment then). Mrs. Jennings sticks to more everyday occupations; she is one of the regular Market members, and also a regular cook for the WRVS's Meals on Wheels.
Another former member of the Royal Signals, as it happens, is Mr. Archie Boots. His wife Eva (nee Page) was born in Church Square, and moved as a small child to South Undercliff, the house where Mr. and Mrs. Boots now live and which has been in her family since 1916. They were married in St. Mary's on 20 April 1935, and except for periods of service abroad with the Army have lived in Rye ever since. Mr. Boots, a Brighton man, was a regular soldier before the war, but came out of the Army in 1951 and was employed at the Ashford railway works until he retired. He was actually born in Alaska, where his father was working as a radio operator, and their daughter was born in Germany, so they are quite an international family. One of their four sons was unable to be at the party at the Community Centre since he had to be at work - he is captain of a Shell tanker - but another returned with his wife and two of his sons all the way from Tasmania for a three-week visit to coincide with the celebrations. Mr. and Mrs. Boots have fourteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and they were all among the hundred or so guests enjoying Saturday's very happy reunion; all Mrs. Boots had to do, she tells us, was to book the hall - everything else was done for her, including the catering (and the Hastings band, Hammond Plus, whom she asks us to plug because they were so very good).
Hearty congratulations to both families!
2.
Dr. Francis Kelleher, of Winchelsea, died at his home on 17 April after a long illness. He was 70. Dr. Kelleher leaves a widow and a son. The funeral takes place today (Wednesday) at noon at St. Anthony's.
The late Mr. Bob Hickman, who died recently at Kingsnorth, near Ashford, in his early seventies, had spent his youth at the old Ship Inn at Winchelsea Beach and had always had a great deal to do with the Harbour.His widow, Thelma, had asked that instead of flowers for the funeral, donations should go to the Lifeboat House Appeal, and his brother Ken, of Ferry Road, now tells us that the Appeal has received £17.5 from family and friends. This is to be spent on overhauling and updating two vital pieces of equipment, the wind speed indicator and the wind direction indicator, and Mr. Hickman's name will be commemorated on a small plaque in the lifeboat house. New equipment of this kind would have cost £500, so the committee are most grateful to the family for this generous gesture.
Following a reference to the Goods Yard car park in-an obituary notice last week, Mrs. Polhill of The Link tells us that her late husband Ted was in charge there at the end of its administration by Rother - indeed, he died the day after he had been on duty there for the last time, eight years ago.
A second British Tourist Authority Commendation has come to Rye. Simmons Restaurant at 68 The Mint was started three years ago this week by Keith and Susan Simmons as a new venture - both gave up other jobs to run the sort of restaurant they wanted. Clearly it was the sort of restaurant other people wanted too, since it now appears in four national guides - Egon Ronay, AA, Good Food and the new Mood Food. Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were recently invited to apply for a BTA Commendation, and at the beginning of this month - almost as a birthday present - the plaque now beside the restaurant door arrived. Only 400 of these awards have been given over the whole country, so Rye is much honoured to have two: one to Simmons Restaurant, the other (as we reported at the time) to the Old Vicarage guest house in Church Square.
Despite hot rumour in the town, there is definitely no official tenant yet for the supermarket development, though developers' agent Andrew Beggs of Butler & Hatch Waterman assures us that there will be an announcement very soon now. He also says that construction work on the new British Rail car park between the railway line and the market is likely to start in June, with the park available for public use in August if BR are ready to open it by then. The next stage is. the new bus garage (August/September - but presumably depending on the car park); and we hear that work on the main site is due to begin in October. The contractor: have agreed to allow Local History Group members to keep an eye on the excavation, in case anything of interest is turned up on the site - this was of course all salt marsh once: might we hope for another Cyprus Place ship, or even a body from the bog?
The planning list contains an application from R & E Engineers in Rock Channel for a new workshop on the site of their present one. The Tollgate Garage plans to rearrange its sales space, office and stores. And two people are proposing to move, literally, up in the world: there is an application to build a second floor on the present Central Garage building and to use that and the first floor rooms as a new dwelling; and a two-storey extension is planned at the back of 57 Winchelsea Road - the frontage, the pair of bay windows which were once the front of Mr. Axell's laundry, will not be altered.
Scaffolding went up round the Mill last week as a prelude to the marathon task of repainting it, a condition of the planning permission to turn it into a guest house. Down at The Strand, ESCC have set mini-bollards round most of the tongue of cobbles beside the Grist Mill as a further deterrent to parking under the shadow of the anchor.
3.
Andrew Jempson, of Peasmarsh and Thomas Peacocke School Lower VIth (he is still only 16) has come second in the 1985 Young Business Award sponsored by Barclays Bank and organised by East Sussex County Council. Andrew was the school's only entrant, and it is the first time that Thomas Peacocke has entered the competition; both he and the school win £50. (Top prize went to a Brighton Poly student, and third came a girl from Pevensey.)
Andrew's prizewinning project - in theory only at this stage, of course - was to set up a small baker's shop within 20 miles of Rye, selling products bought from the family bakery. "He could expand this into a grocer's business" says the press release from ESCC, "but his eventual aim is to use his experience at running his own small shop to become the manager of a large superstore."
It was Andrew's grandfather, Mr. G.T. Jempson, who founded the family firm in Peasmarsh in 1935; fifty years later, it is the vast supermarket where most of us must have shopped at one time or another, and which is now run by Andrew's father and uncle. Andrew takes his Maths A-level this term, and then leaves school to take a short course at the College for Distributive Trades in London. After that, he will be joining the family business; no prizes for guessing which large superstore he hopes to manage one day!
Speaker at the AGM of the Rye and District Ratepayers and Residents Association at the Town Hall on Friday at 7 will be the Treasurer of Rother District Council, Mr. Albert Willis. He will be talking about the Rate Act 1984, and government control over local government expenditure as it affects Rye and district. Your reporter may not make a very good job of summarising what he says, as the rating system is always a mystery to her; much better come along and hear Mr. Willis for yourself. There will be an opportunity for questions. Everyone is most welcome, not only members - though membership only costs £1 a year (£5 for life membership), and the Association does keep a very careful eye on the town's affairs, as its 1984 report shows.
The Ryesingers Spring Concert in St. Mary's on Saturday includes the first public performance by the Young Ryesingers, the newly-formed choir about which we wrote earlier this year. Its members will be contributing two pieces to the second half of the programme, and joining in the Hallelujah Chorus at the end; the concert celebrates the Handel tercentenary, and the first part consists of his "Dixit Dominus". Tickets £1 at the door.
Not much information is available in advance about the Rye Majorettes' Caledonian Market on Saturday, since it is being run by an out-of-town parent who is not on the phone. But goods on sale will include jumble, and there was a mention of some things being sold by auction. Anyway, proceedings begin at 2, and cakes will be on sale in the morning from 10.30 (outside the CC if fine, foyer if wet).
Tickets are now available from Adams of Rye for the Rye Methodist Choir's evening of music at the Methodist Church on Saturday week, 4 May, at 7.30; the £1 price includes a light supper. The choir will be singing oratorios by Handel and Mendelssohn. The Rye Methodist Choir's reputation stretches back a very long way indeed, and it is bound to give its audience a memorable evening.
The Sussex Trust for Nature Conservation is hoping to set up a local branch of its junior section "Watch". The group has been given two ponds at Cackle Street, Brede, and it will be meeting there for the first time on Saturday, 4 May, at 2.30 at the Garden Centre; anyone who knows anything about messing about in Ponds will realise what interesting possibilities are offered.
The Watch group is intended for children from 8 to 15, but they also want adult helpers and leaders with some experience in this sort of work. If you or your children are interested, either turn up at Brede on the 4th or contact Mr. Geoff Stapley or Mrs. Maggie Pearce for further information.
4.
Those inconvenienced by the closure for the past week of the Town Wall car park and there are a lot of you, because it has a big turnover - might like to know the reason. When the contractors resurfaced it in March, they did the job in well under contract time, which was much appreciated. However, they used a rapid hardener on the concrete for the drainage gullet' which runs across the entrance; and unfortunately, Peter Bridges from Rother's Technical Services tells us, this was a failure. The work has had to be done again (at no cost to Rother, ho assures us), and in order to make quite sure that this time the concrete is "cured" right through, it is important that there shall be no vibration over it for some days so even a steel bridging plate would not serve. To do it in two halves would have meant extra expense plus a join which could have led to trouble later.
Rother expects the work to last for 25 years, so they want it sound. Mr. Bridges is sorry about the loss of parking, but assures us that it really could not be helped; they looked at all the options before deciding to close the car park entirely. By the time you read this, we hope, it should have reopened.
Colin Hudson at Rother's Parks Department tells us that work starts this week on the mound of earth in the corner of the children's playground which forms a base for one of the slides. They have been trying for nearly a year to get it turf the summer's drought, the wet autumn and then of course the winter weather maa work necessitating the use of a tractor on the grass almost impossible. The first stage is to lay the slabs for the steps up to the top; then the bank will be turfed.
At the same time the workmen will be filling in the various pot-holes where the water lies worst in wet weather.Drainage in the area generally is of course a problem, since the Salts lie below high-tide level and were indeed once an anchor age for ships. Rother would also like to put a proper fence round the whole area in order to keep dogs off, in view of new bylaws; but this does cost money, and is not is the estimates for the current financial year. We wonder if regular users of the playground might do a little fund-raising for this? - or perhaps regular Salts dog-walkers, as a public relations gesture!
On the other side of the road Mr. Hudson has a different problem: rabbits. They live in the river bank and in the waste ground along the railway, and have been creating havoc on the cricket square. If anyone wants a quiet evening’s ferretting…?
The Press Book records two cars stolen from Rye car parks recently: a Ford Escot (JRN 404Z) from the Market on 8/9 April, and a Ford Cortina (NKR 380P) from Strand 411.ay on 13/14 April. A boat at the Fishmarket was broken into and a marine radio, tools and flaeres stolen; 100 clay hip tiles were removed without the owner's nermiszion from a garage roof at Houghton Green; a wallet disappeared from the pocket of a jacket draped over a chair in a High Street-shop; and a shoulder bag was stolen from a car left unlocked in the High Street on the evening of 17 April.
The police are asking parents yet again to warn their children of the dangers of going off with strangers; please, they say, make sure that you know where your young children are.
The ?police station is being repainted. We are very glad to say that the painters have been instructed to paint round the house-martins' nests which snuggle so picturesquely under its eaves!
Both our London Marathon runners finished the course. Greg Adamiw, still not back to peak form after his canoe spectacular at Easter, took 3 hrs 46 mins, well outside his best time. George Cumming, running for MS, finished in just over three holies, a big improvement on_last year; eight local MS sufferers, two in wheelchairs, were up in their ambulance to cheer him on, and Kath Elworthy tells us "we were treated like Royalty" - allowed to park in the Fire Brigade's private area, with a good view of their hero going strongly after 23 miles.
5.
Brian. Morris of Vidlers and his wife Pauline have been on holiday in Australia - a first visit for both of them.They were staying with cousins of Mrs. Morris near Sydney, and over five weeks they drove some 4,000 miles visiting relatives in New South Wales. This is only the second occasion over the years when Brian has missed one of Vidlers' sales; the first time he was taken to hospital with appendicitis.
Maurice and Elizabeth Ellwood, of Udimore Road, have been celebrating their retirement with a six-week trip to New Zealand, Mr. Ellwood's home country. Because of the demands of their television business, Mr. Ellwood had not been back for 38 years, and Mrs. Ellwood had never been there. They hired a car and drove across both islands - and, we gather, might not have minded staying there!
Another Bank"Holiday weekend looms ahead: BR are running a'Sunday service on Sunday and Monday, 5 and 6 May - but extra trains throughout the region include an hourly service (between 10 am and 8 pm) on our line instead of the usual two-hourly Sunday timetable.
Graham Watson of Church Square, writing about the recent railway story, says that "whilst avoiding the graffiti in the up waiting-room" he sometimes wonders why all the platforms on the Rye-Ashford line are staggered instead of being opposite each other? (A wag on the station staff once assured him that it was to let the sea-water run away easily when the line was flooded in its early years...!) He asks, further, whether it is true that until relatively recently there was a through train from Rye to London carrying a dining car - (not to the Editor's knowledge, but does anyone remember this?) - and why is it impossible to run a through train to Brighton without having to change at Hastings? If a change is really necessary, he adds bitterly, why are the timings cleverly arranged so that one always misses the connection?
Geoffrey Bateman says that local papers of the 1860s mention a through train from Rye to the former St. Paul's station in London, and at much the same time there was a through route from Deal to Brighton via kshford and Rye. Mr. Watson would doubtless agree that if they could do it in 1360, they ought to be able to do it now;
We doubt if any book on the Marsh with such lovely pictures has appeared at an equivalent of the £4.95 price of Paddy Aiken's "Churches of Romney Marsh" just published by Birlings (Kent) Ltd. Conveniently fitting in an A4 envelope, this would make a beautiful present for an expatriate Marshperson or indeed any lover of this still secret area - which for the purposes of the book is contained by the Military Canal from East Guldeford to Burmarsh. But prospective donors should buy two copies, because it will be difficult to part with; Sir John Winnifrith, KCB, well known as a Kent historian, has written the admirable text; and each double-opening has two, or occasionally three, delightful colour photographs of the church described. Brenzett (St. Eanswith, a Saxon princess) has a superb tomb of John Fagge, both father and son, described as being "of Rye", who died within five years of each other in the mid-1600s. There are some lovely country exterior shots - sheep, nesting rooks and cowparsley at Old Romney (St. Clement), summer skies and elder-flowers framing St. Mary in the Marsh, and snring-time views of All Saints at Burmarsh and St. Augustine's at Snave. The sun filters into the vast interior of St. George's at Ivychurch, while Fairfield (St. Thomas a Becket) stands tiny and remote. Other churches pictured are our own East Guldeford (St. Mary), Brookland (St. Augustine), Dymchurch and Newchurch (both St. Peter and St. Paul), Lydd (All Saints), New Romney (St. Nicholas), and St. Dunstan's at Snargate - 14 in all. Copies of the exterior views are available to order at Paddy Aiken's current show at the Easton Rocs until 7 May; but to have all 31 pictures you must treat yourself to - and treasure - the book.
6.
In Rye last week, Anthony Wade of the Community Health Council talked about the various proposals affecting Rye contained in the District Health Authority's strategic plan (GAZETTE nos. 119 and 120).
Hill House, he said, is one of three places still theoretically under consideration by the Authority for one hospital for mentally handicapped people to serve the whole District, but it seems virtually certain that it will not be chosen if only because it is not central enough. (As for Hill House School, we hear that the Governors are as much in the dark about its future as they were in February; the FSCC people who administer it had not even heard about the strategic plan until they were told about it from this end!)
Mr. Wade entirely appreciated the strength of local opposition to the proposal to build a new clinic on the Hill House site, and the position about the two adjoining public sites in Ferry Road had been drawn to the attention of his Council - they were pressing for consultation between ESCC, the Health Authority and Rother about its development before matters go too far. It was pointed out that if the Day Centre does move permanently to the old telephone exchange (GAZETTE no. 126) the space on the Rother half of the site at present allocated for a Day Centre room could perhaps become available for clinic use if the authorities could get together over the plans.
On the future of Rye Memorial Hospital, Mr. Wade was surprisingly optimistic The proposal to close this was in the second section of the document, which means that it is still only a proposal with plenty of hard work to be done before any decision is taken. It was, he said, much to early to worry, and indeed the Chairman of the District Health Authority had given it as his personal opinion that "a hospital presence" would be needed in Rye anyhow until well into the next century.
Sussex Express readers will have seen a long letter from the chairman of the hospital's League of Friends, Mrs. Lawson-Tait of Pett, pointing out that the hospital is used for outpatient clinics, physiotherapy, minor casualties and of course day care for the town's elderly. However, it is undoubtedly true that a site at the top of the hill is extremely inconvenient for these facilities, and always has been. If we do get a new clinic in Ferry Road, they could much more usefully function down there - indeed, all day-care work might well move to Eagle Road anyway if the Day Centre deal goes through. This would still leave the hospital for the purpose for which it was intended in 1920 - to give in-patient nursing care to local people. At present, it looks after patients who have had treatment in Hastings and are not yet quite strong enough to return home; peopl whose caring relatives need a break; and, as we all know, people who may not have very long to live. Mr. Wade mentioned this last need with great sensitivity: it is, he said, clearly a very good place to die in. A view with which local people will certainly agree.
If the GAZETTE is still going in five years' time, we shall of course be campaigning for the retention of Rye Hospital in one form or another for in-patients.
But equally we shall hope to see all out-patient facilities moving to a new building making full use of the Ferry Road site. We shall look forward to dropping in (though still not on a Wednesday morning!) to an expanded Day Centre in Eagle Road. And if Hill House School remains Rye-based, we> would hope to see it sited on the Freda Gardham field, conveniently placed for co-operation with the primary school and with anyway space for a training workshop nearby. (The £11,000 which the Town Council paid ESCC for the field, though an important sum for the town, is little more than peanuts for the County Council; but if Lewes really couldn't afford to buy it back, they could presumably take it on a long lease?)
This last paragraph is by way of a personal opinion on the part of the Editor. Others may see the future differently. We will be glad to put their views in the GAZETTE too, though it may be necessary to condense letters for reasons of space.
• The recent annual dinner, dance and prize-giving of the Rye Artisan Golf Club held at Thomas Peacocke School was an extra-special occasion this year, since the Club has won the National Cancer Relief Fund Competition, contested by artisan clubs around the country. The team's winning score was 24 under par, and the trophy was presented by Rye Golf Club President, Captain M.V. Evans. Own Club individual winner was David Rodgers of Iden, with John Wickens of Landgate as runner-up.
• Mrs. Lesley Scammell, the Town Clerk's assistant for more than two years, has been appointed Acting Town Clerk until Mr. Baker is well enough to resume his duties. She tells us that she visited him on Friday, and found him very much better than he had been the previous week. He is still at St. Helen's (ward 2a), but likely to be visiting the Limb Fitting Centre at Roehampton before very long.
• The youth of the town turned out in force on Sunday for the St. George's Day service at St. Mary's - only the ATC, off on a course, were absent, and there was a strong contingent from Thomas Peacocke School and a group of fourth-year pupils from Freda Gardham. It is apparently the International Year of Youth, which was why the Women's British Legion had waipped up particularly strong support - though they are hoping to make this service a stronger symbolic act of dedication future years as well. The Town Council was of course short of its Clerk and also of seven of its members for various reasons mostly connected with ill-health, but the scarlet robes and shining maces made a brave show nonetheless. Maundrell was out of Rye, and the Rev. Stephen Ingham took the service, employing four cubs, a packet of balloons and a pin to illustrate the effect of the Holy Ghost on the human spirit. Cubs and Scouts present renewed their Promises, and the company left the church to the strains of Walton's Coronation March, a birthday tribute to Her Majesty.
• Mrs. Mary East of Udimore Road is looking for host families in the area for her Visit Britain organisation. This is not a language school, but places overseas visitors individually in private homes, and arrangements are made with each hostess as to what is to be provided for her guest. Most of those wanting to come are teenagers, so Mrs. East would prefer families with teenage members; but there are sometimes younger children, and some adults. The period most in demand is July, when their schools are closed and ours mostly aren't. If you are interested, Mrs. East would be very glad to hear from you; the best time to phone her is in the evening.
• A happy outcome from the house-to-house-collection complications on which we reported in GAZETTE no. 121. The local branch of the Arthritis and Rheumatism council has now been able to make a much more suitable arrangement for its flagday and house-to-house than the original allocated dates a fortnight apart. The National Deaf Children's Society has kindly relinquished its rights, not due to be exercised in Rye anyway, over the week of 2 to 8 June, and Pother has helpfully allowed ARC to switch their flag-day from 1 to 8 June; so it is now up to us to support ARC's enterprise during the first week in June and make cure they get a good collection, after all that! In fact the branch's next event is on 7 May, with one of their excellent Ploughman's Lunches at the Community Centre from 12 to 2; £1.40 provides soup, bread and cheese, cider and coffee; and there will be an array of stalls as well.
• Mrs. Benge, of Nutley Close, feels that Pother could make a saving on electricity costs on her part of the Estate; would it not be possible, she wonders, to alter the timers for the staircase lights, so that five hours' electricity is not wasted as the nights grow shorter?
• The Theatre Organ Club concert on Sunday afternoon was sparsely attended by local people, though there was a strong contingent of Club members who had travelled some distance to hear two professional organists getting the best out of Thomas Peacocke School's Wurlitzer - the second ever imported into this country, and famous in organ circles. It was agreed among those with carefully tuned ears that the quality of the sound was much better than in 1984 - but then Nigel Spooner has been doing a lot of work on it in the interval.
Ratepayers Association AGM (speaker, the Treasurer of Rother District Council), TB, 7 - see page 3
ATC wine and cheese evening, Upper School, 7.30 to 9
Freda Gardham School Spring Fair (to coincide with the netball and football tournament, but inside if wet),
New Road, 10 Craft Market (first of the year), FEC, 11 to 5
Rye Ambulance Social Club jumble sale, Ambulance Station (top of Rye Hill), 2 - see below, and GAZETTE no. 126
Rye Majorettes' Caledonian Market, CC, 2 (see page 3)
Ryesingers Spring Concert, St. Mary's, 7.30 (see page 3) Silver Dollar Club (country-and-western), CC, 8 to 11.43
WRVS Luncheon Club, CC, 12.30
BRCS Hearing Circle coffee morning, Red Cross, 10.15 to 12
• The Open Evening at Thomas Peacocke School planned for tomorrow has been cancelled.
• We were at fault last week in suggesting that the Ambulance Social Club jumble sale on Saturday would give a chance to see round the ambulance station. The firemen can have an Open Day, the ambulance-men apparently can't; the jumble sale will be held in the station's garage if the weather is unkind.
• Congratulations to Vera Funnell of Lea Avenue who, on Sunday at Hassocks, won the singles darts cup and the cribbage trophy for the British Legion, playing for the County. This follows Mrs. Funnell's recent success when she won the cup for the Area singles.
• Congratulations, too, to Jo Shephard of Winchelsea and Thomas Peacocke who has passed her grade 8 piano examination with distinction. Like Jane Bowler and James Cruttenden, she would like to make a career in music - but as an oboist! Jo is a pupil of Carolyne Simpson. (Gentle hint: next year, would our local music teachers like to get together when these results come out and give us one joint press release?)
• Rye appeared in the national press again last week - this time in a feature article in the Evening Standard, dealing primarily with Lamb House (now open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons for the summer) and whether or not it should carry a Benson Bros (EF and AC) plaque.
• Results: the Scouts made about £70 at their jumble sale on 13 April, while the Berle afternoon the CND cleared over ZI24 at the Methodist Hall. The Day Cent coffee morning last Wednesday produced some £30. On a very chilly Saturday theWomen's British Legion sold 11 dozen roses at the Town Hall, resulting in a Trefit of around £70.
• Tony and Pauline Meyer at the Decorator's Warehouse in Cinque Ports Street have found a hoard of chrome skirt/trouser hangers which date back to the days when nrs. Meyer had the children's-wear shop. They are, she assures us, excellent for their purpose; and the Warehouse is selling them off at Z1 for 10, with half the proceeds going to Mencap.
• 42 RAFA members and friends much enjoyed the coach outing to the RAF Museum at Hendon on Sunday.
• A reader asks if anyone knows what became of Mr. Morgan Dean, thought to have been a Post Office employee, who lived in Rye in the 1950s?
• The Red Cross Thrift Shop would be glad, as always, of plastic carrier bags, and also clear plastic bags large enough to take a pair of shoes for display.
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)