News from around the clubs - June 18

Highwoods Preservation Society

What's about in June

The weather has been colder than average and we look forward to some warmer days because summer is the time for insects.

An oak tree is home to near 300 different species of insect. If the weather is warm there should be plenty of butterflies about. Look out for the yellow brimstones around the alder buckthorn bushes, which is the main food plant for their caterpillars.

Other butterflies around are commas, orange and brown with scalloped wings. The bright orange/black/yellow small tortoiseshells, the beautiful peacocks, the delicate orange/brown small coppers. The beautifully marked painted ladies and the familiar red admirals, are migrants having flown all the way from the Mediterranean.

Unfortunately recent Junes have been wet and windy, the worst weather for butterflies. More species of British butterflies have a brood emerging in June that any other month, so the weather in June is crucial for future generations, lets hope its hot and dry this year. If it is the result will be many more butterflies for the rest of the year.

Dragonflies and damselflies should be come more common as the month nears its end. Damselflies are the smaller more delicate insects, which generally fold their wings along their bodies when at rest. Dragonflies are more robust and hold their wings at 90 to their bodies. These spectacular insects have a most unusual life cycle. Their larvae are totally aquatic and this stage may last for two to four years depending on the species, but as soon as they emerge (by climbing out of the water up vegetation) the adult cycle only lasts a few weeks.

In most dragonfly species the male and female are different colours. So far 12 species have been identified in the woods. Look for them around the ponds but also in the open rides as they search out insects for food.

Bexhill Conservative Club

IT is with great sadness that we have to notify members of the death of our President, Mr Bernard Goodwin.

Bernard had been a member of our club for many, many years. During this time he served on several committees, was a keen snooker player, and he even joined the darts team.

He could always be seen at our musical evenings, dancing with delight.

A true gentleman in every way, he will be missed by everyone.

Little Common RBL Women's Section

Our vice chairman Mrs K Murphy welcomed 82 members to our meeting on a lovely sunny evening.

Our spring fair raised 670 and we thanked all those who once again supported this event. This money becomes part of our benevolent fund for the support of our serving troops and their families. We are again asking for a member to be our standard bearer. Our present one is not able to continue.

The outings to Chartwell in July and Maidstone Market in September have proved very popular and few seats on the coach remain.

A Royal Military Tattoo and concert at Ardingly is being held on Saturday September 4 called Tunes of Glory. There will be bands from several regiments and a guest appearance of Hayley Westernra and Blake. A coach has been arranged by the Royal British Legion for members to attend the event.

Our speaker on Wednesday was from Wigs and Hairpieces. Julie opened her first business five years ago and now has a shop in Little Common.

The speaker described why people have a need for wigs mainly as a consequence of health problems and also for less serious purposes. Wigs can be made of natural hair which can be quite expensive or synthetic materials which are easier to maintain. Earlier wigs were heavy and like helmets but nowadays they are based on a stretchy mesh which make them light and easy to wear.

Members were invited to examine the wigs and several were helped to try on the different styles and many colours. This caused much admiration and amusement. We were reminded of the need of some to wear wigs often as a result of sad circumstances.

A most interesting talk which dealt with the wearing of wigs in a most responsible manner. Our next meeting is on Wednesday July 14 when we welcome members and their guests to our friendly club.

Bexhill Labour Party Women's Section

At our recent meeting there was obviously discussion post General Election about the disappointment locally regarding the good campaign by our candidate James Royston in light of the fighting between Greg Barker and Stuart Wheeler and our sadness that Michael Foster lost his seat in Hastings and Rye.

However our focus returns to local campaigns and concerns and we will be actively supporting charities and community groups in the next few months.

St Jude's Women's Refuge holds its well-established strawberry cream tea on Saturday July 24 at 2.30pm at Lolesworth in Old Town Bexhill, to catch customers from the carnival that day! We will be running a tombola and cake stall in support of the charity.

We are also involved with the Fairtrade Ccmmittee and feel this year was a mammoth success for those involved as they work again to maintain Fairtrade status for the town. We also support Friends of Rother District Citizens Advice Bureau in their work - which we feel will become more and more in demand over the next year.

Also we shall we watching the 'coalition' between Tories and Lib Dems on Rother District Council. Will the friendship at Westminster extend to Bexhill Town Hall?

Finally we held our own leadership election in light of the known candidates already standing to replace Gordon Brown. Interestingly our quick vote concluded with the Miliband brothers - David and Ed - both equal in scores! Could this be the sign of things to come?

Our meetings are held on the third Friday each month at 12.30pm at 10 Magdalen Road, Bexhill. Friendly and lively - new members welcome. Contact the secretary on 220337.

ATS/WRAC Association

ON June 3 it was time for our usual monthly meeting - and Clifford Jones was coming to give us a talk on Elements of Chemistry, a mysterious subject to most of us, but we had enjoyed two previous talks by him on disparate matters so settled down to do our best to understand.

Well, he made it easy for us by keeping up the flow of computerised illustrations, backed by well rehearsed and solid verbal explanations on everything that we saw. He has a gentle sense off humour and there was just a touch of "tongue in cheek" at times to set us thinking. We know him now and like him and he stayed for tea. He also brought with him some paperback novels donated by his wife for us to put on our sales table, which was thoughtful of her.

We heard that a few seats remained unsold on a local day trip going to Portsmouth, so four of us have put our names down to join that. Perhaps we'll go on the Spinaker. Maybe there will be other occasions when we can fill spare seats.

Our next meeting will be on July 1 when we shall be having our strawberry cream tea. The competition on this occasion will be judged for the best tea cosy. See you then.

Bexhill Gardens and Allotments Society

LEONARDSLEE Gardens near Haywards Heath have long been a favourite with lovers of horticulture.

This year there has been an added incentive to visit the gardens in their late

Spring-early summer glory as they are about to close to the public after more than a century.

It was no surprise to members of Bexhill and District Gardens and Allotments Society, therefore, that when the coach party arrived at Leonardslee they found themselves in the company of many other admirers.

The visit had been organised as usual by society chairman Dick Lancaster.

Leonardslee boasts some of the finest rhododendron, azaelia and camellia displays in the country.

Visitors were able to roam the 225-acre gardens at leisure, admire the exquisite rock garden with its kaleidoscope of colours, purchase plants from the nursery, see the collection of Victorian cars and the dolls' house, roam the beautiful woodlands and enjoy the incongruity of wallabies grazing in so English a setting.

The gardens close to the public for the last time on June 30 following the sale of Leonardslee by the Loder family.

NHS Retirement Fellowship

The chairman and committee of the NHS Retirement Fellowship would like to welcome all members and friends to our annual strawberry cream team and social afternoon which will take place on Monday June 21.

There will be excellent prizes to be won on the raffle and a selection of books and puzzles in the library to be bought or borrowed.

Very many thanks go to Mr Paul Lendon, our speaker for May, for a very interesting and entertaining afternoon On The Buses and members all enjoyed a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane. Next month (July 19) will be the annual outing.

This year it is a visit to the Shipwreck Museum in Hastings. If you have ever worked for the NHS and would like to know more about our ever growing friendly group of the National Fellowship of Retired NHS employees, please contact the secretary on 222246 or 210934,

RBL Women's Section, Bexhill

Our meeting on June 1, which was our strawberry tea, was opened by our chairman.

We stood for the exhortation.

Our president, Florrie Cox, is on holiday, and we look forward to hearing about her time away. Jenny Nye was welcomed back after her recent travels. Betty and Iris were thanked for doing the shopping for our tea. We said how much we had enjoyed last month's talk about the Bluebell Railway.

We listened to the various reports of our group. Daphne and Iris thanked everyone for their birthday cards.

While Joyce, Betty and Rae prepared the tea, Gillian wrote out the list for the outing to The Powder Mills Hotel for afternoon tea on July 6.

Members were reminded that Armed Forces Day is on June 26, and that Mais House fte is on July 10. We can be at Mais House from 10am on the day. It is hoped that our stall at the fte will do as well as last year.

Over tea Jenny told us about her time in Cyprus.

Birthday cards were handed to Betty and Rhona, who received a round of applause, as she will be 101 on June 27.

We had a raffle. Daphne entertained us with jokes and a bit of a singsong.

Our next meeting is on August 3. Sue Smith from Thank the Forces will be our speaker, telling us about the parcels she and her group send out to Afghanistan for our troops.

Please bring with you some items that Sue can put into the parcels.

New members are always welcome.

For further details and our programme for 2010, contact Joyce Chapman (01424) 731200 or Gillian Bull (014240 845130.

Bexhill Art Society

The Society held its regular meeting on Saturday, June 5, at St. Augustine's Hall. Chairman Leni Turner opened the meeting and introduced three new members.

Doreen Swannell also brought us up to date on the various workshops which she has organised.

The scheduled speaker was unable to come , but fortunately, Jane Hook, of Introspective, in Bexhill, was able to step in at very short notice , and ,in spite of this , was able to give us a very interesting talk and demonstration on Abstracts in Pastel.

This was greatly appreciated.

She also offered to come back at a future date to talk to us about the huge range of art materials ,etc, now available . We shall hope to take her up on this before too long.

The artist of the month was Ella Hodson, and Pamela Cruise won the monthly competition.

The next meeting will not be until September 4, after our summer recess, when the guest demonstrator's subject will be Oil Painting Expression and Techniques.

Society of Bexhill Museums

On Friday June 11 an outing to the South of England Agricultural Show at Ardingly Showground was only supported by 22 members and friends. This number has been reduced from 27 due to five cancellations. However, although the day was dull and cloudy, the rain kept away and our small group enjoyed a very varied day, with something to interest everyone.

In addition to the judging of various classes of cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, poultry, dogs and rabbits, there was show jumping and musical entertainment. There was also flower arranging, numerous craft stalls, and stalls and shops selling just about anything you could think of.

It was a different day out to our usual venues, but seemed to be enjoyed by those who went.

We returned home at 5pm.

Hastings and Rother Decorative and Fine Arts Society

Curtsy First and then leap into bed '“ Royal Mistresses and Paramours '“ this is the subject of our June lecture to be given by Frances Feldman on Monday June 21.

This is a romp (with a well-researched

historical background) about the beautiful women, and even the flamboyant men

who each, when kept within the confines of their particular purpose, might be said to have contributed towards a more successful reign.

Frances began her career as a guide in the Johannesburg Art Gallery and in 1983 co-founded the Decorative Arts Society

there.

For seven years she organised the society and arranged lectures and is now a patron. Frances also organised art/antique courses for Phillips' and Sotheby's. She was also a partner in a Bond Street shop dealing in Early Portrait miniatures.

She is particularly expert in the work of Dutch artists.

Visit: Tickets will be available at this meeting for the visit to Leeds Castle on Thursday June 24.

Reminder: There are no lectures during July and August and the committee wishes all members a pleasant summer break.

The next meeting will be on Monday September 20 starting with the AGM at 2pm,

followed by The Case of the Vanishing Duchess, the life of Gladys Deacon, second wife

of the 9th Duke of Marlborough by Jane Kelsall.

We meet at the Arthur Easton Centre in the grounds of St. Michael's Hospice, Upper Maze Hill, St. Leonards-on-Sea, on the third Monday in every month (except July and August) at 2.30pm.

Visitors (5 per visit) are always welcome. For further details please telephone Glenis Malone on 01424 435629, e-mail: [email protected] or visit our website: www.nadfassussexarea.org.uk

Bexhill Rotary Club

PRIMARY school children tackled falconry, rowing and tractor rides in Knockhatch Park thanks to Bexhill Rotary Club.

Twenty-six youngsters from Sidley Primary School visited the Hailsham adventure centre on national Rotary KidsOut Day, supervised locally by Raouf Oderuth, from the Youth Service Committee of the Rotary Club of Bexhill. The eleventh trip of its kind, KidsOut days aim to give a boost to disadvantaged children. The school's deputy head James Freestone said the seven to 11-year-olds were chosen by a system where points were awarded for behaviour and positivity, rather than solely academic achievement. Around three pupils were chosen from each class with a "few more" from year six.

Helping out on the day were parents Fran Picknell, Glenda Persaud, Marian Penfold, Nicky Turner and Louise Murphy.