Fairlight village voice

At St Andrews, at 10.30 am, there is to be Morning Praise, led by Lay Reader Ken Holmes. Then, at 6 pm, there will be an Informal Communion service, led by Rev Kay Burnett, at St Peters.

Fairfest, for the second time of asking… is finally here! On Sunday, August 26, from 12 noon to 9.30 pm the organisers of Fairfest 2012 are looking forward to welcoming you to their second Music & Arts Festival. They want everyone to come and have a wonderful day – and hopefully more than the 2,000 estimated to have attended in 2010. There is so much going on this year it should prove to be a great day out for all the family, with something for everyone. Why don’t you take along a picnic and stay all day or have your Sunday lunch at the BBQ stall with a beer or a glass of wine, or perhaps some fish and chips a bit later? Rebuild your stamina at tea-time with one of the delightful home-made cakes and finish up dancing at least part of the night away until 9.30 pm with the ever-popular Kytes. During the day you’ll have a chance to win a coconut on the Coconut Shy, wander around the 20 or more craft stalls and admire the classic cars and motor cycles. The children can have their faces painted and enter the mini-Olympics, watch the Magicians or the Punch & Judy show and bounce as hard as they like on the bouncing castle. You can even enter the family dog in the RSPCA fun dog show, with registrations for the RSPCA-managed event commencing at 12 noon and the event itself starting at 1 pm. You may care to take your own chair and relax while watching the Acromax gymnastics team or the Belly Dancing or listening to the Salvation Army or the Village Choir, not to mention the wealth of other local musical talent which is to follow them.

Programmes will be for sale at both entrances, the main one being from Commanders Walk, and the other from the Meadow Way twitten. Better still, get yours in advance at the Post Office or Wakehams Farm Shop, so you’ll know in advance what time everything is happening, for an outlay of a humble 50p. There’ll be lots of cars about so, please, if you are parking on the roads near Commanders Walk and Meadow Way make sure you park with care and consideration. Parking on the field itself will be limited because there will be so much going on. However, there will be parking space for stall holders, the elderly and the disabled. Where possible, it will make sense for everybody else to walk or share lifts. If you’re in need of a lift please contact Jennifer Annetts on 812476. Of course, the actual start is at 11.30 am with the Marching Band, Fancy Dress and the Parade up Commanders Walk, and it is then that you’ll discover who has been invited to be King and Queen of Fairlight as they progress in their crowns, costumes and carriages.

Mea culpa… A damaged manhole mistake by me last week, when I knocked East Sussex Highways for not effecting a repair at the bottom of Waites Lane. I know it’s no excuse, as they are often an easy target over potholes and various road misdemeanours, like white lines, hedges, verges and so on. But the villains here were Southern Water who, commencing on Monday last, at last began their repairs, taking advantage of what became a warm and cloudless afternoon to get out of the office and stop discussing the next hose-pipe ban for a few hours. Thanks, anyway!

Still with Southern Water, the temporary traffic lights on Battery Hill opposite Grangewood, promised to remain for two days but already in place three weeks, are there for the water company to construct a new pumping station, and replace some of the reservoir lids, and this will carry on for the next four weeks or so. The lights are not used during night time periods, nor if they are not essential during the day; thanks for this helpful attitude, Southern Water.

The Market Garden site … warrants a mention this week, as each section of the temporary perimeter fence has a laminated notice on it forbidding trespass, as part of an increase in site security. Some of the notices also forbid fly tipping, though to get anything onto the site, you would need the help of a Belorusian shot putter on drugs, if such a character existed. They also state that the ban includes garden waste, though I’m not sure how they could ever know that green waste had been fly-tipped there. A further warning notice says Wildlife Monitoring Site, but there’s a little ambiguity here. Does this mean a site for the monitoring of wildlife or, surreally, a site which is monitored BY wildlife? Trespass here at your own risk – of being badgered by badgers, or sussed by snakes!

MOPP’s today… features Life in a Victorian house, while next Friday will see, and hear, Brian Howard at the keyboard. Sounds good (geddit?)

After Fairfest… There’s an excellent fixture on Saturday next, September 1 when, from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, local artists from Fairlight Art Club will be exhibiting a variety of art work, realistically priced to sell. This event will be in the new Boat House of the Pett Level Rescue Boat in Pett Level, and you are recommended to support this initiative, which is aiming to raise further funds for the Rescue Boat.

Commercial break… A little while ago, we made mention of the timing of the Jempson’s bus, which provides a useful service for villagers each Friday. But fair’s fair, and a couple of influential members of the Fairlight public have reminded me that, apart from outlets for houses and hair, plus a pub, Fairlight does have its own two ‘native’ shops in the Post Office and General Stores, and Wakehams Farm Shop, neither of which is restricted to one morning a week, each being open seven days each week, including most Bank Holidays!

All roads lead to - maintenance… May Gurney will be carrying out essential road maintenance from Ore Village through to Winchelsea Beach to include our village. These works will start on Monday, September 10 and last for approximately 5 nights, starting nightly at 7 pm till 6 am the following morning. During this time the entire road section will be closed to all traffic, with the exception of the Fairlight Community Responders and all emergency vehicles will have priority over the works.

All other traffic wishing to enter or leave the village will have a waiting time whilst workmen clear a section to allow traffic to pass safely.

The purpose of the works is to replace the centre carriageway white line and all junction markings from Ore to Winchelsea Beach, including up Waites Lane/Shepherds Way, to encompass remarking the roads in the village - and a new line round the Circle roundabout. All the cat’s eyes will be replaced with a new version which is visible over 360 degrees. At the same time the new 40 mph road markings will be laid on Battery Hill, and when this is completed it will make Battery Hill officially enforceable by law to a maximum speed of 40 mph on the hill. None of these works will affect the bus service.

There is one drawback to these works, which is that all the existing white lines are to be hydro-blasted off the road surface, to prevent them from burning back and forming shadow markings. This machine doing the blasting will be used at night - and will make a noise! The good news is that it doesn’t take long to clear an area. Carriageway patching will also be taking place prior to the laying down of the new markings.

Our Parish Council, and in particular their Highways and Transport Officer, Cllr Richard Pollard, have been campaigning for the past three years to have new road markings and brighter cat’s eyes, and they are to be congratulated on this highly satisfactory conclusion. This is the start of the complete ‘C’ road in Fairlight being upgraded from Ore to Winchelsea Beach, for a sum that must add up to many thousands of pounds. Plaudits, then, to East Sussex County Council for coming up with the goods.

Praise for ESCC Highways and Southern Water in the same week? I must haste me to the solace of a darkened room…!

Keith Pollard, Brookfield, Broadway