COMMUNITY NEWS

Post Office Services: All the usual Post Office facilities are available in The Charter Hall Hop Pocket on Tuesdays, 12.30-2.30pm; and again on Fridays, 2-4pm.

Mama Mia Night: The Charter Hall, Saturday March 21, 7.30-11pm, to raise money for Breast Cancer Kent and the South East London Breast Cancer Trust. There’s a cheap bar and bring your own nibbles. A Tribute act is booked to join in the fun. Please help support two charities that make a big difference to those living with a diagnosis of breast cancehttps://www.ticketsource.co.uk/south-east-london-breast-cancer-trust

PARISH COUNCIL Shared Ownership Housing: Moat Housing will be marketing the shared ownership properties that are being developed on the site at The Street in Smarden. They are keen to offer as many as possible to people with a connection to Smarden and the surrounding villages. They have therefore advised that they will advertise the properties stating that, where possible, those with a local connection will receive priority, dependent of course on the applicant fulfilling the usual shared ownership criteria as well. The properties are due for completion at the end of the year, and haven’t been marketed yet, however, they want to give people time to look into the shared ownership scheme to see if they are eligible. The properties will be marketed on the Help to Buy site https:// helptobuyagent3.org.uk/ and also on Moat Housing’s own one https://www.moathomes.co.uk/. Anyone who is interested MUST register on the Help to Buy site but it is suggested you register on both.

Walk the footpaths: Bob is leading the next walk on Saturday March 14, leaving the Flying Horse Car Park at 2pm. He has planned a longer walk (5.5 miles) circumnavigating the wartime American airfield of RAF High Halden, Haffenden Quarter, Omenden Lane, Haffenden Barn, Wagstaff and then returning to Smarden via Hamden Grange farmland.

Charter Hall Quiz: Advance notice to all groups who want to enter teams for the Annual Challenge Trophy. The event will be held in

The Charter Hall, Friday April 17, 7pm. Teams of 6, paying £6pp, payable at the door. Bring your own food, but please support the paying bar for drinks.

Book your table by contacting Lea on 770610, or email learandolph@hotmail.co.uk

West End House: Sonia

Rollo is currently exhibiting her artwork in The Gallery. Do take time to stop and look at the wonderful animal drawings and etchings displayed in the windows. Karen and Patricia are planning their new spring show, opening Saturday March 21. It will consist of a collection of new work from gallery artists, and also some guest artists.

St Michaels

Correspondent: Sue Ferguson sue@mytenterden.co.uk Wealden Business Group: Wednesday 18 March (and every Wednesday morning), 7am for business networking breakfast, Little Silver Hotel, St Michaels. Contact 01580 767117 Justin Nelson, Secretary.

Stanhope, Ashford

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Stone-in-Oxney

Correspondent: Susan Lowrie, Rose Cottage, Stone-inOxney Tel: 01233 758560 richardandsusan@btinternet.com

Church Graveyard Working Party: Saturday March 14, weather permitting, some volunteers are planning to carry out maintenance work and tidying up to the churchyard at St Marys.

Any help that can be given will be greatly appreciated. We will be assembling about 10am and will finish by midday. Hot drinks will be provided. Please bring secateurs or similar tools and garden gloves.

Jumble Sale: Memorial Hall, Saturday March 21, doors open at 10am. All proceeds to Stone Church. Drop jumble off from 8.30am on the morning.

Stowting

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Womble Day: Saturday March 14, The Tiger, 9am for refreshments, before taking to the lanes in search of litter. Equipment provided. Hot cross buns afterwards. No need to wear a Womble costume!

Stubbs Cross

Correspondent: Daisy Cumming Tel: 01233 635491 daisycumming@gmail.com Men’s breakfast: Continental style breakfast takes place on Saturday March 14, mission hall, 8am. Russell will give a talk entitled: social work - reflections on a helping profession. Phone Arthur Waters on 01580 761835 for details.

Coffee time: Wednesday March 25, mission hall, 10-11.30am, in aid of the MacMillan Nurses.Raffle, book stall, bric-a-brac table and used clothes rail. Free admission. Last year the coffee mornings raised £1,011 for charity and £637 for the mission hall.

Tenterden

Correspondent: Sue Ferguson sue@mytenterden.co.uk Coffee Morning Concert: Saturday March 14, coffee from 10.30am, Recital from 11am, Tenterden Unitarian Meeting House. Coffee morning and organ recital. John Wilkins, organist. No charge. Collection for RNLI. Programme: Prince of Denmark’s March - Jeremiah

Clarke (1674 -1707) Arranged by Desmond Ratcliffe; Ave Maria - Bach/ Gounod Arr. James Preston; Offertoire “La St. Francois” -Michel Corrette (1707-1795); Elevazione No.1- Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726); Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring - Johann Sebastian Bach (168S-1750) Arr. Bryan Hesford; Festal March -George Elvey (18161893) Arr. Francis Cunningham Woods.

Charity Quiz: Friday March 13, 7pm, Homewood School Sports Hall. £30 per table, £5 a head. A general knowledge quiz for teams of up to 6 people, live music and a silent auction too. There will be a cash only bar and a food truck on-site to keep you refreshed. Presented by Homewood School for the Sport Relief Charity. Tickets via The Sinden Theatre Box Office 01580 763 826 and online from www.ticketsource. co.uk

National Trust Lecture: Thursday March 12, 2.30pm, St Mildred’s Church Hall, Church Road. Lecturer Heather Woodward, ‘Sir Winston Churchill of Chartwell’. The welcome return of Heather Woodward who will talk about the great man at home. Tenterden District National Trust Association Lecture.

Craft Market: Saturday March 14, 10am-4pm, Highbury Hall. The Craft Market features a wide range of Art and Craft from local Stallholders. Free admission, Café open all day offering freshly made sandwiches, home made cakes and other treats. Pop in for a browse and find unique, beautiful gifts, toys, clothes and cards. The Market is held on the 2nd Saturday of every month

Bereavement Support Group: Saturday March 14, 10.30am-11.45am, The Vine. Coffee at the Vine Bereavement support group is held on the 2nd Saturday of every month. An opportunity to meet with others who have been bereaved and find additional support. You are warmly invited, please arrive and leave when you like. For details, or to come along, please contact Irene 07743 093075.

Parkinsons Cafe: Monday March 16, 10.30am-12pm, Highbury Hall. Join us for a friendly social gathering for people affected by Parkinson’s. Partners, family and friends welcome. Every third Monday of the month. Christine Endersby, Parkinson’s Tenterden Support Group, Parkinson’s UK

Kent Police Awareness: Tuesday 17 March, 6-8pm, Sinden Theatre. Free Awareness Sessions for Parents and Guardians. Find out about knife crime, gangs and county lines. Kent

Police training to protect your child. Book NOW for this free session www. eventbrite.com (search

‘Kent Police’)

Tenterden Mens Shed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10am-2pm, Glebe Hall.

Take part in activities, woodwork, share interests and experiences, learn new skills, teach and create in a friendly atmosphere, work on projects for the community, or just make and meet friends with a chat over a cuppa.

Museum Association AGM: Thursday March 19, 7pm, Tenterden Social Hub, Church Road. Please note change of venue this year.

VE75 Dutch Choir: Saturday April 18, 7.30pm, St Mildred’s Church. ‘Tenterden Remembers’ commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the VE Day. The Dutch Choir Mingd Koar Grou (Mixed Voice Choir of Grou, Netherlands) will be performing the World Premiere of Song Cycle “Frede” (Peace). Music – Sipke Hoekstra. Poetry/Lyrics – Baukje Wytsma. Additional music performed by Wealden Consort Buckswood Pipe Band. Tickets £10 (£5 Students) available from Webb’s Ironmongery Store, online from TicketSource and at the door on the night.

Electro Acoustic Night: Wednesday March 18, doors open 6.30pm, Sinden Theatre. Tickets £10pp. Table and nibbles plus £5. Chester is a young man who has helped with a lot of musical community work in Tenterden including supporting the Dementia Singing for Health every week. He is currently between Homewood School and University where he will be studying Performing Arts. This concert is to raise funds for WWF Australia.

Warehorne

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Westwell

Correspondent: Sue Wood, 14 Sandyhurst Lane, Westwell, Ashford Tel: 01233 623902 susanwood@uwclub.net

Art group: Parish hall, Monday March 16, 1.30pm. All levels of ability and choice of media are welcome.

Annual Parish Meeting: Parish hall, Monday March 23, 7pm. Come along to hear what the local clubs and societies have been up to. The evening opens with refreshments and we hope to have a guest speaker to give a talk on local wines.

Residents Association

AGM: The Sandyhurst Lane Residents Association AGM, due to be held on March 25 at Sandyacres has been postponed, due to the coronavirus situation.

Mothering Sunday: Family communion service, St Mary’s Church, Sunday March 22, 11am, and flowers will be distributed to everyone.

Willesborough / Newtown

Tel: 01233 502440 j.donovan230@btinternet. com

If you have an item, please contact the correspondent above.

Wittersham

Correspondent: Jennifer Maynard, 4a Swan Street, Wittersham, TN30 7PH Tel: 01797 270804 jennifermaynard55@gmail. com

Queen of the May: Saturday

May 11, 11am-3.30pm on the Sports Field, the Church are holding a traditional Village May Fair with stalls and displays. The Revd. Judy is looking for potential May Queens, and would like to hear from girls aged between 8 and 13.

Plant Sale: Saturday May

23, at the Church. The

Revd. Judy would very much appreciate your plant donations. If you are sowing seeds, please remember the plant sale and leave a few, or if you are dividing up a clump of perennials, remember it could be sold on. All profits will go to Church funds.

Spring Clean: Saturday March 21, 10am-12pm, spring clean inside the Church. Volunteers are very welcome to come along and help. Hot drinks and biscuits provided.

Save the Date: Saturday April 4, 7pm, an evening with Damien and Carla, with the Rhythm of Life Choir and Friends Concert, Wittersham Church. Funds raised to be shared between the Church and primary school. Adults £10, children £5.

Woodchurch

Correspondent: Peter and Sandra Marmara, 122 Front Road, Woodchurch Tel: 01233 860603 spmarmara@btinternet.com Film Society: Memorial Hall, Friday March 13. Red Joan (Cert. 12A). Joan Stanley is a widow living out a quiet retirement in the suburbs when, shockingly, the British Secret Service places her under arrest. The charge: providing classified, scientific information, including details on the building of the atomic bomb, to the Soviet Government for decades. As the interrogation gets underway, Joan relives the dramatic events that shaped her life and her beliefs. Starring Judy Dench and

Ben Miles. 7pm, admission £4.50 for members, £5 for non-members. Hot and cold drinks plus home-made cakes for sale during the interval. Sorry, no unaccompanied children admitted.

Hall Coffee Morning: Saturday March 14, 10am-12pm, Memorial Hall. Admission is £1.50 for tea/coffee and home made cake. Produce stall, hand-made greetings cards, second hand books and a raffle. Proceeds to the upkeep of the hall and annex.

Woodchurch Yard Together: The next volunteer gardening weekend this year to tidy up the churchyard is on Saturday and Sunday March 14/15 10am-3pm in the churchyard. Please come along and join us – jobs for all. To find out more and/or to register your interest in volunteering, please contact Philippa: 07774608281 philippa.nick@btinternet.com

Woodchurch in Bloom: Volunteers’ ‘Open Morning’ and 2019 Winners SSEIB

Gold Award Ceremony will be held on the Green on Saturday March 14 between 11am and 1pm. Lots to see including workshops for our younger residents. Do come along and talk to our village volunteers to make our village beautiful together. For further information contact Joyce on 01233 860297 or email: jnash@nashweb. net or Linda on 07795383945 or email: linmbaker@gmail. com

Scouts’ Quiz: Sunday, March 15 at 7.30pm at The Bonny Cravat. Teams of 2-6 people. £2.50 per head. Grab some friends and just turn up on the night. Or come along and they will aim to put you with a team. Includes a raffle (prize donations always welcome). Proceeds go to Woodchurch Scout Group.

C.A.R.M: Fancy some cheerful company, a chat and a cuppa? Then do join us at the Woodchurch meeting point of C.A.R.M. (Caring all together on Romney Marsh) at the Bonny Cravat on Monday, March 16 from 10am12pm. Further details from Margaret on 01233-860512.

All Day Breakfast: In the Memorial Hall on Saturday March 21, 8.30am-1.30pm. Tickets £6 available from Townland Stores or Woodchurch Hub. This is a fundraiser for the Hall kitchen refurbishment so please do come along.

Sports’ Clubs’ Lottery: This month’s lottery draw was made on Thursday February 27 by Mr Denis Paine, former President of Woodchurch Cricket Club and supporter of Woodchurch Sports Clubs. The results are as follows:

1 - £35, No. 420, Miss R Weir. 2 - £20, No. 234, Mr N Brann. 3 - £15, No. 620, Mr T Bugden. 4 - £10, No. 308, Mr D Bradley. Many thanks to all who are participating.

April Quiz: Saturday April 18, Woodchurch WI will be holding their ever popular annual quiz in the Memorial Hall in Woodchurch. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start and tickets are just £5 per person for tables of up to six players. There will also be a very good raffle. Please bring your own food, drinks and glasses and book your place by phoning Josie on 01233 860363. Look forward to seeing you there.

Wye

Correspondent: Jane Burnham, 13 The Close, Wye, TN25 5BD Tel: 01233 812042 ja.burnham@btinternet.com Outing to Hastings: Friday 20 March leaving at 10am on the Woodchurch Wagon community minibus.

All seats are free for Wye residents, but they must be pre-booked. For more details and to book a seat call 07934 129123.

Lent Lunches: Join in a simple lunch on Fridays March 13, 20, 27 and April 6, from 12.30pm at the Methodist Church Hall, supported by all the local churches. Donations will go to the local charity Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN).

Wye Arts Association: Monday 16 March at 7.30pm in the Small Village Hall. Recent Archaeological Discoveries in the Ashford area. Paul Cummings and Wendy Rogers from Kent County Council’s Heritage Conservation team will outline what has been learned from important discoveries and how they have changed the understanding of the areas past. Tickets £5 (£7 for non-members) available from committee members or pay on the door.