Category Archives: Pigeon Post

This category applies to all and only those posts whose content is also available in Pigeon Post (October 2014 onwards).

Bobservation No. 32: Farewell to Tony and Doris

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Tony and Doris Brooks at Hillbrook May 2017

Tony and Doris Brooks outside Hillbrook in May 2017
 
Tony and Doris Brooks came to Fulking to live at Hillbrook in 1970 and built the existing bungalow themselves in 1975.They then successfully ran Hillbrook Nursery until 1998 when they retired.

In the 47 years they lived in Fulking they have been stalwarts of all village activity and will be much missed. Tony has been a councillor and chairman of the parish council as well as one of the driving forces of the Social Committee. His authorship of the two volumes of The Changing Times of Fulking and Edburton which he published in 2007 & 2015 is an historical gem so far as the village is concerned and remains the important source of village information. Incidentally the proceeds of the sale of this work were, most generously, donated to the St Andrews church restoration fund.

Personally, I have been fortunate to come into contact with Tony over village matters many times and his honest and direct approach has been a great asset. I regret to say that their departure virtually brings to the end the era of a particularly dedicated type of villager, many of the recent arrivals to the village do not seem to me to be as interested or committed to Fulking.

Please join me in wishing Tony and Doris much happiness in their new home in Hassocks. We shall miss them.

Fulking Parish Council – Annual Meetings 11th May

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ANNUAL MEETING of COUNCIL and ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
at Fulking Village Hall, Thursday 11th May 2017 at 7.30 pm

Agenda: Annual Meeting of Council
1. Chairman’s Welcome
2. Election of Chairman & Vice Chairman
3. Meeting Closed

Agenda: Annual Parish Meeting
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Approval of minutes APM 12/5/2016
3. Chairman’s report
4. Reports from District & County Councillors
5. Approval of 2015-16 Annual Return documents
6. Guest Speakers
Rob Ainslie, Development Manager, SDNPA
Paul Boichat, Senior Project Manager, BT Group
7. Date of next meeting
8. Meeting closed
Refreshments

The public and press are cordially invited to attend.

Derek Blackhall, Clerk to Fulking Parish Council
01273 846186, parishclerk@fulking.net
22 Kymer Gardens, Hassocks, W Sussex, BN6 8QZ

Old Time Music Hall Singalong

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Music Hall posters
To be held at St. Andrew’s on Friday 29th September at 7.30pm. The singing will be led by The Pyecombe Village Choir and tickets, priced at £10, include supper of bangers, beans and baked potatoes and a welcome drink. Numbers will be limited. To buy tickets, or for more details, please email StAndrewsEdburton@yahoo.co.uk, or phone 07812-465-559. Tickets available now.

Bobservation No. 31

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Bob's pinboard
This year Fulking Fair and the Call my Bluff evening will be held on the North Town Field. The Fair will be on Sunday 30th July from 12:00 noon until 5:00pm and Call my Bluff on Friday 28th July at 7:00pm for 7:30pm.

The Fair will have hot and cold food including fish & chips, Rushfields Pies and Punjabi Street Food. The Shepherd & Dog have kindly donated the hire of the marquee and will have a bar there during the fair. Live music will be provided by Sold as Seen and other local groups throughout the afternoon. There will be over thirty stalls with demonstrations, crafts, food and drinks. Children’s entertainment will include face painting, pony rides, bouncy castle, stocks, a puppet show, Bubble Pop and other games. Teas and cakes will be served in the Village Hall. Along the Street there will be a number of villager operated stalls including ice cream and burgers. Admission and parking will be free. The latest news is that there will be tug-of-war competitions including a response to a challenge from Poynings.

The Call my Bluff evening will consist of twelve tables of eight participants pondering over eight wines and sustaining themselves on superior nibbles. Places are £15 per head and the expert panel delivering the descriptions of the wines will include an aged parishioner and a well-known landlord. To reserve a table (or individual seats) please phone Emily at the Shepherd & Dog on 857382.

Both of these events are in aid of refurbishing the village hall and deserve your wholehearted support. The Fulking Social Committee have given a great deal of their time to the preparation of both days but still need helpers at the Fair itself. If you can spare a bit of time on the Sunday please give me a call (271) or email. We need you.

Lastly there will almost certainly be some disruption to the movement of traffic through the village on 30th July. Please do your best to assist by avoiding driving in the Street between 11:00am and 6:00pm. Apologies and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Newtimber Place Gardens

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Newtimber Place NGS
The gardens at Newtimber Place will be open as part of the NGS (National Gardens Scheme) on Sunday 23rd April between 2pm and 5.30pm. The gardens are lovely at this time of year with stunning daffodils and beautiful fritillaries. Beautiful Grade I listed C16/C17 moated house (not open). Gardens and woods full of bulbs and wild flowers in spring. Herbaceous border and lawns. Moat flanked by water plants. Mature trees. Wild garden, ducks, chickens and fish. Tea and home made cakes in aid of the church. There are ducks, chickens and guinea fowl wandering around so dogs need to be kept on a lead. Admission £4.00, children free.

Saddlescombe Farm Open Day

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Dew pond at Saddlescombe Farm
The National Trust writes:

Tours of the 17th century buildings, the surrounding downs and the walled garden. Displays and demonstrations of traditional work including hurdle making, shepherding, carpenters’ workshop and more. Watch out for newly born lambs and the sheep dog Belle. Tea and home-made cakes available.

Sunday 23rd April, 10:30am–4:00pm, adult £5, child £2, family £13.

Bobservation No. 30

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Stylised images of government websites and logos

Hats off to Central Government for proposing that District Councils should extend the ‘bedroom tax’ to private properties and raise additional Council Tax by imposing an extra band to cover unoccupied bedrooms in properties rated at bands F and above.

I understand that the amendment will not take place until 1st October 2017 and Council Tax bills will be amended as necessary on that date. The sums raised will be earmarked for the improvement of social care for patients leaving hospital and this should in turn relieve the pressure on hospitals by freeing-up bed space.

It is proposed that the necessary information regarding what bedrooms are or are not occupied will be by written submission from the immediate neighbours, who will be invited to disclose the necessary details to the District Council in the strictest confidence. I suppose there will be some who may consider this a ‘snoopers’ involvement but fair minded villagers will realise what an important step this will be to relieve pressure on the NHS.