The Villager Piddinghoe, East Sussex
April 2019 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136
EDITORIAL
We often start our editorials with references to the weather. Hardly surprising really since in the space of just over six months we have been through sweltering heat, the most icy conditions, and recently, tremendously high winds. Fences faltered and blew down; flower pots were flung to the ground and smashed; and our homes were seemingly invaded by the sound of whistling kettles as the wind forced itself between tiny cracks in door frames. Pictures of Newhaven Harbour, with massive waves crashing over the breakwater, have featured on the front of national newspapers. Otherwise, does anyone ever give much thought to Newhaven Harbour apart from it being the place where Lord Lucan abandoned his car when he made his escape to the Continent? At last, however, there is more of a hint of Spring on its way. Piddinghoe is particularly lovely in the Spring: the daffodils, everywhere, dazzled, and blossom is following in abundance.
We progress, and the Hole in the Village is becoming a house at last. It is not often that one can watch a building rising day by day, but now at last we can see the outline of rooms and of Mansard roofs. History is being made in a way, as this is possibly the very last piece of ground in the Village on which a new building can stand. You can, however, purchase another piece of history because some copies of Valerie Mellors’s Portrait of Piddinghoe, 1900-2000 have been found. Valerie, who lived in the Old Post Office, was devoted to the Village and captured its history with enthusiasm and love. Many of you will have bought your copies when the book first appeared, but if you didn’t, or are a relative newcomer to the Village, and would like to know much, much more about Piddinghoe, see page 28 for details of how to purchase it.
The Piddinghoe Players have been hard at it again! After ‘War and Peace’ they presented us with ‘Le Hoe de Pidding’. One cannot fault them for eye-catching titles. Anyone making their way towards The Hoe, and catching a glimpse through the windows of the Village Hall of the rehearsals taking place, would
1 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 have wondered what on earth they were up to. Most intriguing. The word must have been spread, as it was a sell-out weeks before the performance. See page 13 for our review.
In May, we have local elections. Do spare the candidates questions about Brexit. We have suffered enough, although as you will see from the review of ‘Le Hoe de Pidding’, there is some light relief to be squeezed out of this uncommon predicament. Battle hardened (completely cynical?) we may have become thanks to countless votes in the Commons and threats of Referenda and General Elections, nevertheless, our votes must count. No governments (national, local of parochial) are perfect, but this is the best way to try to ensure that our representatives do speak for us.
The team: Sheila Redman, Gill Davies, Bill Pierce, Sue Massey, David Aicken.
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Piddinghoe Parish Council 2019
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held at the Village Hall, Piddinghoe, on Tuesday 26 March 2018 at 7.30pm (DRAFT)
Present: Councillors, David Aicken, Nick Woolger, Debbie Mills, Angela Ridge.
Julian Peterson (Clerk). 1 Member of the public.
Apologies for Absence: None.
Minutes: The minutes of the Parish meeting of 8 January and 2019 were AGREED by Council and signed by the Chairman.
Disclosure of Interests: None
Public Participation: 1. None
2. The Chairman introduced an Emergency Item.
Reporting Agricultural Smells
Smells from agricultural activities are common causes of complaints to local councils. Councils investigate all complaints and can treat the smell as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA).
It is often difficult to determine whether a smell constitutes a statutory nuisance. That depends on intensity, frequency, whether it is injurious to health and whether it lingers long enough to affect the reasonable enjoyment of property.
Report online link: www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/ environmental-problems/odours-and-smells
Councillors reported there had been a foul and noxious odour emanating from around the new barns on the west side of the C7. It was reported that the odour was similar to that of rotting
3 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 corpses. Many people had complained of headaches and nausea. The clerk was asked to report the situation to Environmental Health.
AGENDA 1. Council accepted the accounts as up to the date of the meeting as prepared by the RFO Cllr Debbie Mills. Current Account:...... £4,898.57 V. Mellor’s Bequest: ...... £25,539.81 Reserve Account:...... £3,008.53 Total...... £33,446.41
2. The Chairman is waiting for a reply soon from the contractor when the tree survey can start.
3. Report a pot hole: Villagers are encouraged to use East Sussex highways website to report a pot hole. It is a quick and efficient way of reporting potholes. The details will be posted on the village website and the Villager magazine.
4. Neighbourhood first: Council recommends villagers to report minor problems like litter and persistent dog fouling and many other village issues to the Neighbourhood First team at Lewes District Council. The details will be posted on the village website and the Villager magazine. Contact: Colin. [email protected].
5. The Chairman reported that the lamppost has been taken away to be repaired and restored. It should be returned and placed by approximately the 21st April. As the matter was considered by Council as a severe health and safety matter this meeting confirmed its determination. It appears that a vehicle hit the lamppost dislodging and cracking the concrete base (apron). The lamppost was being held vertical by an internal pipe protecting the electrics. The lamp was also filled with rainwater. It was agreed to pay the quote of £817.44
6. There were no outstanding planning applications to consider.
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7. The rat run and speeding research group has nothing to report until the meeting on Wednesday 27th March when it is meeting with the Speedwatch coordinator
8. SLR: Cllr Ridge reported the success of the Report a Pot Hole scheme.
9. Polo: There was nothing substantial to report.
PROGRESS REPORTS 1. Councillors met Peter Dunsby of Ecomatters which specialises in heat pumps.
Heat pumps are non-polluting and provide a renewable and sustainable energy source. Peter Dunsby is going to write an article for the Villager and is offering to arrange a grant funded feasibility study into heat pump possibilities for individuals or communities. The Village Hall could be used as a test bed. This is in the initial fact-finding stage and Council will report back.
2. Exclusion of the Public and Press. Was discussed after item 3. To consider, under section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), excluding the public and press from the meeting during discussion of the above, on this Agenda. Due to the disclosure of sensitive commercial interests of the Council and the persons that have tendered is not in the public interest. Council went into Private session to discuss NALC’s recommended salary for the clerk. The recommendation was accepted.
3. Date of the next meeting: Due to the electoral cycle the Parish meeting has been postponed. PPC meeting 28th May. Future meetings will be arranged by the New Council
Julian Peterson, Parish Clerk, Piddinghoe
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Useful contacts
Report a Pothole Villagers are encouraged to use East Sussex highways website for a quick and efficient way of reporting potholes: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/roads/ maintenance/potholes
Neighbourhood First The Parish Council recommends villagers to report minor problems like litter, fly tipping and persistent dog fouling etc. to the Neighbourhood First team at Lewes District Council: www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/environmental-problems/ neighbourhood-first
Reporting Agricultural Smells Smells from agricultural activities are common causes of complaints to local councils and may be treated as a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), depending on intensity, frequency, whether it is injurious to health and whether it lingers long enough to affect the reasonable enjoyment of property. Report online link: www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/environmental-problems/ odours-and-smells Some residents have experienced problems with the website failing. If you have similar problems don’t give up; you can submit your complaint by phoning Lewes District Council on 01273 471600.
6 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 This is a picture postcard sent to the Parish Council recently. It appears to be a school class but no other information information no other but class a school be appears to It recently. Council Parish the to sent postcard This is a picture been may have liketo whenthepicture to guess as or anyone recognise anyone Does card/letter. the with came [email protected] contact Please taken?
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GRASS ROOTS
Concerning Wildlife Verges and The Broadwater Road verges cover a large area, amounting to 212,000 hectares in Britain. Road verges link habitats and act as vital corridors for wildlife. They represent a remnant of our native grassland which has suffered catastrophic losses over the last century. Since World War 2, 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows have been lost. Traditionally verges were cut for hay, grazed or scythed by Parish Lengthmen. This sympathetic management encouraged a wealth of wildlife. East Sussex County Council maintains a schedule of Wildlife Verges,* and where possible, these are managed to protect the wildlife interest and are marked with wildflower markers.
In case you missed the note in February 2018’s edition of The Villager, ESCC sent an email to Piddinghoe Parish Council confirming officially that the area known as The Broadwater has been added to the list of designated Wildlife Verges in the County. This is very good news, especially to those of us who are alarmed at the countrywide loss of insects, birds and wildflowers in recent decades, and who celebrate this government initiative. In my Grass Roots article in the September 2017 edition of ‘The Villager’ (available on the Piddinghoe website) I announced the Broadwater’s candidacy for this award, and listed some of the wildflowers and wildlife I have been monitoring on the site over recent years. The wide verge and Broadwater ditch, is part of my land, and borders the Highway’s strip and The Street. We maintain it jointly. These wildlife verges are mown only once a year by the Highway’s gangs. In November 2018 the Broadwater was cleared. Many plants had set seed early and withered owing to the very hot summer conditions. To ensure the visibility of the roadside posts, I keep the strip mown and clear throughout the year.
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New Piddinghoe residents may be interested to take a look at the onsite Information Board that reveals the history of the original, agreed four years of village involvement in the site in the year 2000. It is nearly 20 years old now, and a bit scruffy, but an interesting read nevertheless. I am aware that some villagers consider the Broadwater site to look unkempt at times. I sincerely appeal to you all, however, to embrace with me the principle behind my and ESCC’s efforts to allow a natural wilderness to thrive in this small area, for the benefit of the flora and fauna that inhabit it.
Thousands of wildflower seeds were sown on the area in the autumn of 2018, so hopefully many new plants will appear in the Spring and Summer months of 2019. Cow parsley grows vigorously there, but it is beloved by hoverflies. The nettles and brambles provide food for butterflies and berries for the birds. Wildflowers, like garden varieties, do not all appear and flower at the same time, so each month brings new surprises of all colours and heights.
In 2016 there was a show of cowslips on the site for the first time.
Angie Ridge
* Google Wildlife Verges in East Sussex for more information.
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VILLAGE HALL EVENTS
What’s gone: Saturday, March 30 Le Hoe de Pidding If you think the current BREXIT situation rather bizarre, the Piddinghoe Players presented their even more bizarre take on it, with added local flavour. Read all about it below.
What’s coming: Saturday June 22 TEA with BIG BAND Luscious cream teas on the Hoe, to the accompaniment of Seaford Silver Band. More details to follow.
Sheila Redman
LE HOE DE PIDDING
An entertainment presented by the Piddinghoe Players
If you weren’t there, you missed a treat. The audience (full house) did not know what to expect. A satire? Surely not on village life! The story line, however, nicely sidestepped anything that might cause offence by placing Piddinghoe plum in the middle of the current Brexit mess. The plot: briefly, Piddinghoe had discovered it was not listed in the Doomsday Book and was still owned by France. Sacre bleu!
There was much debate and many arguments about what to do about this. Stay or Leave? The Parish Council therefore decided to hold a referendum. Concern was expressed about crucial things, including the future of Piddinghoe’s economy. Would the river, perhaps, act as our own Dover to Calais trade route? The audience was asked to mark voting papers and place them in a ballot box during the interval. At the start of the second act, we were told that the result was, allegedly, a tie. Pragmatism ruled
10 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 and on certain days of the week, we would drive on the left and the other days, on the right. The same applied to the use of French and English, and to the Euro and the Pound . And nobody was happy.
In a series of changing scenarios, we were addressed by Theresa Maybe and Jeremy Corblimey; by dog walkers, swimmers, and allotment holders; by supporters and political activists representing both sides of the referendum; and by the Parish Council. Occasionally, the latest TV news on Piddinghoe was read to us by Evan Evans, and Laura Carlsberg appeared to give us political analysis of events. Somehow the scenery and setting reminded me of a play being performed in a basement somewhere in Berlin before the Second World War. Would Liza Minelli appear (dragging in the Germans) singing ‘Cabaret’? There was a gritty and inventive ad hoc quality to it, thanks to David and Marcia Wilkinson, the designers.
It was often very funny. My favourite ‘laugh out loud’ came up in the discussion at the Parish Council as to whether Brexit would mean a hard border between Piddinghoe and Newhaven! The cast were marvellous. All of them. Rowena Weald continues to be a rising star. Isla Sitwell somehow convinced us he could be both a bus driver and a bus at the same time. David Hallett was concerningly good as Jeremy Corblimey. Sheila Redman was an implacable Mrs Maybe. And those two stalwarts of Am Dram theatre – Angie Ridge and Jim Harvey – stole every scene they were in. It was a hoot, folks. Many congratulations to all involved. When did you last have a laugh about Brexit?
Gill Davies
In the inerests of fairness, and to give our readers some idea of what life would be like under the Referendum stalemate, as vividly enacted in the Village Hall on March 30, the 50/50 version follows on page 12.
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Le Hoe de Pidding (2)
“Un triomphe!!” “Magnifique.” “Tour de Force.”
Hier soir j’ai vu la premiere de the satire ‘Le Hoe de Pidding’ au Village Hall de Pidding. C’etait un complete sell-out.
Scrivait by M. ‘Allette, Mme Sheila et Mme Angie it told the story of the tied result of The Referendum in Piddinghoe and the Village’s decision to then be in France every other day with Sundays shared 50/50.
Star performances were given by Mrs Theresa Maybe and Mr Jeremy Corblimey as les leaders politique. M. Isla shone as le bus 123 et le conducteur de la bus... complete with sound effects. Le political parties nouveau - Peoples Republic Of Piddinghoe (PROP) et United Piddinghoe Independence Party (UPIP) were stirringly led by Mrs Mouse and Mr Donald Pluck dressed stunningly in turquoise glasses and Che Guevara T-shirt respectively. (Ils ont un petit nod a la film ‘The Mouse that Roared’). La person du Chaise de la Parish de Piddinghoe Council was ably played by Mme. Melanee et Mme. Joannna etait une trilling chien-walking Sloane Ranger avec M. Denis and Mme. Wendy giving stirring performances as as un allotment ‘older et une Swimmeur. Ils ont eu a script topicale et locale avec mentions of Le Way de Egret et l’arbre de pooh bag. Le Finale Act was a clever et grande surprise that left the audience in fits of laughter. Le Directeur etait M. ‘Allette in this, his production seconde in Le Pidding.
Encore et Bravo!
Julie de Pidding
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PIDDINGHOE PEOPLE
MELANIE MORGAN of JASMINE COTTAGE (with a few words about Dave)
Melanie was born the eldest of four children in Penarth. Her father was the ‘hands-on’ proprietor of the largest departmental store in Wales. He was also a ‘hands-on’ father of a very happy family.
Mel attended boarding school at the age of 8, but missing home life, she opted for a day school when she was 11 where she excelled at French. That seemed to be an obvious choice of subject when she started at Sussex University at 18.
Soon after arriving she had a light bulb moment and switched subjects to International Relations, doing her final year in Strasbourg and her dissertation on ‘Human Rights’.
University finished – now what? Mel decided it had to be a career in various aspects of social work.
She began training as a volunteer for the CAB.
About this time, a young man called Dave came into her life and happily decided to stay – and stay. Dave had graduated in psychology at Brunel University. He decided he now wanted to take control of his life, ( accepting he might have to consider input from one other important person ) and he envisaged working for himself and preferably outside. Building, painting and decorating came to mind and a very successful business was created.
As far as Mel was concerned, volunteering was good experience, but the need actually to earn some money was pressing, so she moved on to manage an unemployment centre in Brighton and the associated problems experienced by her clients prompted her to train as a counsellor in substance abuse. She then moved on again to work for the Brighton Housing Trust.
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Dave and Mel married in 1996 and daughter Ffion was born in 1997. They decided by then a family house would be more appropriate than their rented house and fortunately for Piddinghoe they discovered, and were able to move into, Jasmine Cottage in 1998.
Mel then decided to concentrate on motherhood and staying at home after experiencing a late miscarriage. Fortunately, they were able to celebrate the arrival of son Jethro in 2001.
Staying at home was not really her forte and she was hit by the urge to expand her horizons. Mel began a course in Adult Literacy at Sussex Downs College and attended University one day a week. This was a two year course resulting in a PGCE for over 18s. Then it was back to Sussex Downs College to teach adults with low literacy levels.
Now for a complete change. A too-good-to-miss opportunity was spotted and as a partnership, she and Dave purchased the Old Workhouse in Newhaven and set about the exciting and interesting challenge of converting it into 18 units. Mel was to project manage the venture whilst Dave got on with the nitty gritty of reconstruction. This meant everything from obtaining planning applications and administering a business employing 12 people to negotiating a way through a myriad of restrictions and obstacles that constantly got in the way.
When construction was finally completed and the units were ready for sale, came the job of kitting out the first show house. This involved frequent shopping trips to IKEA and consequent assembly of flat pack furniture – not easy. Really good news when the house was sold but then another trip to IKEA and a repeat performance.
When that project was completed, Mel returned to working for charities, one of them Fair Share which recycles 500 tons a year of food waste collected from restaurants and supermarkets. This
14 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 is distributed to 100 other charities making sure that it gets to the mouths of those in need within 24 hours.
She still had some spare energy and took a course in Food Safety qualifying her to inspect kitchens serving food to the public.
Still not being satisfied, she went back to teaching – action tutoring at Seaford Head School to disadvantaged students to enable them to pass English to GCSE standards.
Mel also taught literacy to O level standards at a training centre administered by the charity Furniture Now.
Yet another course enabled her to teach English as a foreign language to visiting school children and she has recently had French children staying with them to help them improve and hopefully perfect their English, which also gave Dave the opportunity to practice his French.
Around the village, Mel is a very enthusiastic tennis player, being secretary of the Tennis Club. She is also Chair of the Village Hall Committee.
It is said that if you want a job done, ask a busy person, but not Mel for the moment. She already has her hands very full.
Sheila Redman
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FILM NIGHT STARTS TO PULL IN MORE FANS
What with the recent ‘Piddinghoe Pong’ pervading the air and the arrival of unwanted little four-legged guests (no, not dogs) in my loft, it has been nice to distract myself from mundane irritabilities with thoughts of future Film Nights at the Village Hall. First, however, a look back at the two most recent presentations which were both tiny triumphs in their own way. Bert Cutts, a regular visitor from Seaford, asked for La Dolce Vita for February, a sixties film noir from Italian director Federico Fellini, depicting declining standards in social morals – not normally a subject you would call a cast-iron guarantee of a full house. However, because attendances had been so low in preceding months I decided to indulge him even though I envisaged maybe just Bert and me sitting there to the bitter end of this near three- hour marathon. Bert, who still plays tennis in his eighties, remembered the film from his youth and said how he longed to see it again, mainly for the atmospherics and the classic Roman scenarios rather than Anita Ekberg’s prominent bosom. And, surprise, surprise, TEN people made it to our auditorium. Admittedly, just seven made it past the interval but two more from outside the village later told me they were on their way only to suffer a car break-down. I found it a fascinating watch, provided you had enough time on your hands, of course. Indeed, afterwards, I briefly considered putting on the long-winded but brilliant Ben Hur an epic tale of The Crucifixion (the Charlton Heston version, not the recent and shorter remake starring people I have never heard of and which is not an epic at all) for an Easter treat - but only briefly. Instead we will have, on April 19, an outstanding performance by actor/director Rupert Everett in the 2018 Oscar Wilde biography, The Happy Prince. There are some slightly controversial scenes but also, as with Wilde, many comedic moments of wit and wisdom. It is to be hoped that it will build on the success of something not entirely as different as it might first seem, Bohemian Rhapsody, the
16 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 story of Queen and particularly lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, which attracted 18 film fans to the Village Hall on March 22. This was another recommendation from Jill Hentschel, who unfortunately had to miss it in the end through another commitment. Still, going on a lovely adventure to India was probably always going to be favourite! Thanks are due to Bill Weir for coming up with The Happy Prince, but looking further ahead we will have another Hentschel offering in late May with the fascinating but probably little-known ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, a fascinating true story of a veteran land-speed record chaser, starring Anthony Hopkins in one of his finest stand-out roles. I also have the biographical Stan and Ollie about the declining years of madcap comics Laurel and Hardy on order and may show it in June or wait for autumn. Either way this a not-to-be-missed tale full of fun and pathos that cuts surprisingly deep.
Bill Pierce 1 Cedarwell Close T: 07971 611431 E: [email protected]
PIDDINGHOE BOOK CLUB Date: Thursday May 16 at 7.30 pm Venue: Halyards Host: Vanessa Giles Book: The Sympathizer Author: Viet Thanh Nguyen New members are very welcome. If you would like to receive details by email of the Book Club and selected books, please contact Christine Bentham on 07944577774 or email her at [email protected].
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ST JOHN’S CHURCH, PIDDINGHOE
You will find a report on the Bells of St John’s elsewhere in this magazine, following a wonderfully thorough inspection by Nicholson Engineering, ‘Church Bellhangers of Distinction’. A fortnight later, Colin Humphrey and Son, Gavin (both architects qualified to survey Grade 1 listed buildings) arrived in the Village to conduct the Quinquennial, as it is called - the five-year report on the structural condition of our Church. This too was detailed: twenty-four pages including colour photographs and a list of those essential jobs required both for health and safety reasons and to ensure the future of this Norman building. I have a copy and am very happy to lend it to those interested in learning more, but, basically, ‘we’ must tackle much-needed remedial work, some of which is relatively inexpensive and simple and some of which is neither of these!
An immediate problem was the path leading from the side gate which had been lifted in several places by old tree roots. Dave Hooker has raised the paving, cut away the dead wood and re-laid the tiles in the original pattern, leaving a smoother and safer access route. Then, helped by Chris Richardson, Isla has managed to open the outer door to which that path leads, so that the Church now has a viable fire exit.
The sun that has been streaming through this newly opened door, warming the Chancel and lighting the east end of the Church, seems to be a heartening sign of an awakening, perhaps opportune given the imminence of Easter, when we move from the penitential, purple Season of Lent, to the golden Resurrection Festival and the celebration of new life. But first, the quiet of Maundy Thursday evening, when the Altar is stripped of all its hangings, its wood laid bare and then the silence, to permit contemplation of the awfulness of the following day and the boundless Love which Good Friday evidences.
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Please come and join us on Easter Day for the 9.30am Service of Holy Communion, followed by coffee and biscuits, at about 10.20am in Church, or outside if the weather is wonderful and where there will be an Egg Hunt, for those children who have already registered to participate. I am extremely grateful to Hannah Hanratty, Marilyn Gould’s daughter, who is organising this.
Looking further ahead, there will be a programme of Sunday afternoon short concerts in the Church, during the Summer, as part of our fund-raising for the bells. Please keep an eye on both the Church and Village Notice Boards for more information and do let Isla know if you are keen to perform. No one is to hide their light, please, under a bushel (Matthew 5.15).
Services continue, as usual, on Weeks 2 (8.00 am) and 4 (9.30 am), with the Easter Service on Week 3 at 9.30. And remember that on June 23, there will be another special service when the Fine Arts Report is presented to St John’s. Please join us for any or all of these Services.
Mary Sitwell Chambles
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RESTORATION FUND FOR THE BELLS
The bells of the Church of St John, Piddinghoe bear the inscription 1713. They are older than anything else in the village except the Church in which they hang. The bell tower is said to date from the early 12th Century, but could be earlier. The bells were made in the foundry of Samuel Knight, in Southwark. Over 300 years later, they are still up there, and still being rung, although time is running out. There have been concerns about safety for the enthusiastic gang of ringers (known as The Clangers). Are those bells ready to fall on us! Isla Sitwell has been engaged, with great determination, in trying to repair the bells. He has been very ably helped by David Hallett, James Stevenson, and David Wilkinson. All of them have been prepared to climb up an impossibly ancient ladder, squeeze through the small hatch that leads to the bells, and then persevere with the ironmongery that holds them in place, using oil, spanners, and bare hands, to ensure the bells are hanging safely. As a result, two of them can still be rung, but alas, not the third.
There are signs that over the years, some basic remedial work, not of a high quality, has been done but the time has come to put the bells back into first-class order. With this in mind, a firm of bell hangers from Dorset was asked to give them a thorough examination and produce a report. You can imagine how rare companies like this are these days. We have heard of three. The bell hangers came and have produced their report. It is very thorough and at times bewilderingly technical (especially in relation to the tuning of bells), but we now know that to have the bells thoroughly overhauled, retuned and rehung, the cost will be about £25,000. That is a lot of money, but it is for highly specialist work, and the bells will be fit for another 100 years.
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Furthermore, they will be rehung in such a way that they can be rung in what is known as ‘full circle’. This will result in a more complex and attractive ringing than the single ‘clang’ that each bell makes now.
The Village’s Parochial Church Council has given its full backing to the restoration work. Permission now has to be obtained from the Diocese of Chichester to undertake this work. Some rather important people from the Diocese will be visiting the Church before the go-ahead can be given. Sadly, the Diocese will not provide any money! We need to raise funds and will do so by applying to the few charities that are interested in church bells. Applications will be prepared by Isla Sitwell, Brigid Simmonds and myself. We shall also hold events from time to time, to raise money, which we hope you will support. People often say how much they love the sound of bells, and bell ringing is almost always requested by people who hold weddings and funerals at the Church. The bells were also rung, along with others throughout the land, on Armistice Day. With effort, enthusiasm, support and some luck, in time, we hope to have a set of bells that befits our beautiful, and rare, Church.
Anyone who would like to know more about the restoration work is welcome to contact me or Isla Sitwell. The other ‘clangers’ are: Christine Bentham, David Hallett, Mel Morgan, and David and Marcia Wilkinson, with occasional help from Jill Hentschel. All of them, I am sure, will be happy to talk to you enthusiastically about the ‘Joy of Bells’.
Gill Davies (‘Bell Captain’)
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ART JOTTINGS
Stephen Jones Hats at the Royal Pavilion (On show until June 9, 2019)
I had the joy of visiting Brighton Pavilion recently to see milliner Stephen Jones’s exhibition of hats. Stephen Jones is hat-maker to the stars and has taken over the Royal Pavilion in amazing style. The 160 hats are all displayed amongst the permanent collection. Walking into the Pavilion you are greeted by a bust of the former resident, George IV, wearing a Galliano - a natural choice some may say. In the grand banqueting room hats are positioned around the table on stands making it look as though the dining guests are sitting on chairs waiting for supper to be served. Some of those guests included Rihanna, the Duchess of Sussex, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger and Tilda Swinton. The seats are turned to face each other or away from each other, depending on whether the hats’ wearers would get on in real life. One wonders what kind of conversations would have taken place if they had been under their hats! The music room displays the six headpieces Jones made for the 2015 exhibition ‘China’. Along one of the corridors is a collection of both rainbow and Chinese-inspired hats - a nod to Brighton’s LGBT community and the Pavilion’s opulent interior. In the kitchen, food-inspired hats are on view such as Eggs and Bacon from 1984 and a red swan positioned as though coming out of the fireplace. The Games Room Gallery, meanwhile, features Stephen’s Autumn/Winter 1997 collection ‘Murder by Millinery’, based on a game of Cluedo. The Royal Pavilion has long been an inspiration to Jones and many of his hats reflect the wonderful, whimsical and radical nature of the Royal Pavilion - specifically his 2012 collection ‘Chinoiserie-on-Sea’. Stephen Jones burst onto the London Fashion scene during the late seventies. His first millinery salon was open in 1980 in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. It became a place of pilgrimage as everyone from Boy George to Princess Diana became fans of his designs.
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One cannot but think that King George IV would highly approve of his former pleasure palace, which pays homage to the sense of freedom and frivolity, holding this exhibition there. Also if, like me, you have not visited the Pavilion for many a long year, you will be stunned at the quality of conservation which has taken place. I had forgotten the complete joy of the building! It is a wonderfully curated exhibition and I recommend it strongly. Gill Autie
NEWCOMERS
A very, very warm welcome to a number of people and pets who have recently joined us. There are others that we haven’t managed to greet yet – we hope to catch up with you in time for the next issue. In February at No. 1 Purnell Cottages, the birth of a small person named Tilly was announced by proud parents, Mikaela and James Quirke. Mya and Josie were thrilled to have a baby sister. A four legged member also joined the family, a lurcher called Bonnie who quickly integrated with her two existing companions. In January, Ashley Billington and Holly Knight and black and white puss Miaow settled in at 1 Oak Cottages. Holly is a district nurse and Ashley is a landscape gardener with a particular interest in building and repairing flint walls. Rod Sadler at Riverside Cottage has been joined by daughter Gaby and her partner George. Black retriever Gus has also moved in and it’s very good to see Rod out dog walking again. We think Piddinghoe is a great place in which to live and we hope you’ll all be very happy spending time amongst us. Sheila Redman
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CREATURE FEATURE
The importance of brushing your pet’s teeth A trip to the vet for your pet to undergo a dental procedure can be a rather costly event, particularly as many insurance policies won’t pay out for dental work. But whilst we are aware of the importance of dental hygiene and regular dental checks, the pet owner often tends to forget about the dental health of their pet, even though dental disease in the dog and cat is very similar to that of our own.
The key is to start young. A puppy or kitten should have their mouth checked and gums touched regularly as they grow, so once tooth brushing can begin (after the 42 adult teeth in dogs and 30 in cats have come through at around 6 months of age) they are already well acquainted with the process and do not become fearful, leaving an owner who equally finds the situation far too stressful and time consuming.
Whilst a scale and polish is relatively simple, the problem we face in the veterinary practice is that by the time owners have noticed that their pet’s breath smells or they may be off their food, often due to pain, the teeth are by then in bad if not awful condition. Years of tartar build up through absence of brushing have left the gums prone to painful gingivitis, ulceration and recession, and the teeth themselves may be wobbly, fractured, contain cavities, exposed roots and even abscesses. The back molars are often so covered in tartar that they are difficult to distinguish individually.
These patients are often older, and as dental procedures require a general anesthetic, this leaves them more susceptible to the risks associated with anesthesia. No wonder you leave the surgery with a bill often to the sum of £500 plus. You may have
24 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136 been advised pre anesthetic bloods to check organ function before continuing with anesthesia, fluid therapy to maintain blood pressure and support the body systems throughout the procedure, additional costs for individual teeth removal, which can be time consuming for the veterinary surgeon, often involving the use of local anesthetics, drilling and suturing, and finishing up with a scale and polish of the remaining teeth, along with post operative anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories. Trust me, no one in the veterinary industry enjoys a dental due to the time they can take.
Most veterinary surgeries offer free dental checks provided by a veterinary nurse. They can demonstrate how to brush the teeth effectively, particularly the hard to reach back carnassials, and discuss dental products available. Always use veterinary toothpaste as fluoride is poisonous to dogs and cats, and try to avoid replacing tooth brushing with dental chews as this is by no means as effective as brushing. Now, get brushing, and I hope to see some shiny smiles when I next bump into you along the river.
Rowena Weald
25 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136
BIRDS
The Dunnock or Hedge Sparrow, Hedge Accentor Prunella Modularis In my garden, there is an unassuming, unobtrusive little bird about the size of a house sparrow who does not join in with the gangs at the feeders, but potters about on the ground with a shuffling, creeping walk, picking up the seeds that the sparrows and starlings have tossed aside. This is the dunnock or hedge sparrow, once a woodland bird, but now to be found almost anywhere: gardens, parks, hedgerows, in town or the countryside. It is a small brown rather drab looking bird, which at first glance could be mistaken for the house sparrow. Look again and you will see that it has some rather nice markings – blue/grey head and breast, rich dark brown streaky back, flanks of pale streaky brown, pink legs and a thin black beak, perfect for eating insects and worms and seeds.
For most of the year the dunnock is a solitary bird going about the business of living alone, occasionally singing sweetly from the topmost branch of a bush. In spring and the breeding season, it becomes more gregarious and displays some unusual behaviour.
Instead of the usual pairing there can be all sorts of different family arrangements. The female may mate with two males or a male may have two or three females, and yet some are monogamous and others have more complex arrangements. The nest is built of moss, dead leaves and feathers by the female in April and can be found in bushes, hedges or ivy. Eggs are bright greenish blue and four to five are laid. The female incubates the eggs and the various males help to rear the chicks. This may be something to do with the fact that dunnocks’ nests are frequently targeted by the cuckoo, who likes to lay her huge egg in a dunnock’s nest and ejects some of the existing eggs to make room. The dunnocks then obligingly rear the young cuckoo chick. Nature has some amazing adaptations.
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The oldest ringed dunnock found lived to nine years. There was a slump in their numbers in the 1970s, but they have subsequently recovered and do not seem to be an endangered species – not here in Sussex anyway. John Clare (1793-1864) the Lincolnshire poet, pretty well sums up the dunnock in this poem which I rather like.
Hedge Sparrow The tame hedge sparrow in its russet dress Is half a robin for its gentle ways And the bird loving dame can do no less Than throw out a crumble on cold days In early March it into gardens strays And in the snug clipt box-tree green and round It makes a nest of moss and hair and lays When e’en the snow is lurking on the ground Its eggs in number five of greenish blue Bright beautiful and glossy shining shells Much like the firetail’s but of brighter hue Yet in her garden home much danger dwells Where skulking cat with mischief in its breast Catches the young before they leave the nest.
(Nothing has changed!)
Julia Clayson
27 The Villager • April 2019 • Issue 136
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO ‘THE VILLAGER’?
Articles, letters, snippets are all welcome. If you want to contribute an article, please try to make it about 550 words or less. Due to space and time restrictions we can’t guarantee inclusion in the magazine, but we'll do our best to accommodate everybody.
If possible please send articles as Word documents, attached to an email addressed to either [email protected] or [email protected]
The deadline for contributions to the next Villager is 7 June.
PORTRAIT OF PIDDINGHOE
By Valerie Mellor Many villagers will have bought their copy of this very interesting history of Piddinghoe between the years 1900 and 2000, written by Valerie Mellor who lived in the Old Post Office. Valerie was committed to Piddinghoe and a very enthusiastic historian of the village. In recent years, it has proved difficult to track down copies of the book to buy, but thanks to the sister of the late Don Burdett, I have seven copies in my possession! Don had bought many. Anyone who would like to buy a copy, please contact me. The cover price is £7.99. First come, first served. If you missed buying a copy when the book first came out, or are relatively new to the village and would like to know much, much more about Piddinghoe, this is your chance. The book is illustrated with photos throughout. Proceeds will go to the Bell Restoration Fund (see page 20). When regular ringing of the bells resumed after many years, Don always expressed his delight at hearing them when he arrived for Sunday services.
Gill Davies [email protected]
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