A Wheelie Good Idea!
By Liz Coleman & Jayne Seymour

At short notice, on Saturday 8 January, wheelbarrows were unearthed and fancy costumes donned for a wheelbarrow race around Lyminge. Jayne Seymour and her brother, Steve Hall, were behind this fantastic, fundraising idea for the Tsunami Appeal. Word of mouth was very effective because quite a crowd had developed before Eileen Hall started the race. The circuit started and ended at Haxton's Estate Agents and before you could blink, the winner was back! The race was covered by Gary Browne for the Kentish Express, so there was a double-spread of photographs, including a fabulous snap of Dylan Calderbank with his Mum, Helen, and Pam Wooding with Jimmy Robinson - definitely one for the album! The crowd was entertained by "String and Bone", whose music could be heard some distance away! There was also an impromptu "Pancake Parlour" run by Linda Willcox and Liz Coleman, with help from Honor Hunt-Cook, Andrew and Will Coleman and Richard Willcox. Many thanks to Lyminge Food and Wine who contributed some of the ingredients. The Pancakes on their own raised £59 - but the overall total was terrific - £660! The village's skateboard group contributed £30 and there was a £250 donation from Thoroughly Wood. Congratulations to everyone who took part and thank you to everyone who donated to the Tsunami Appeal; demonstrating yet again, what a caring community we live in.
 

Girlguiding Lyminge Style                                
February is a very special month for all the members: On the 22nd it is THINKING DAY ... not a day when our brains are put through gymnastic hoops but an occasion when we 'think about', remember and celebrate with all members across the world. Our Association is the largest women's organisation in the world and has extensive links to other organisations, such as the United Nations where it works to directly influence world youth policy and women's rights. Worldwide guiding currently has nearly 10 million members in 144 countries. In all these countries, despite wide differences of race, creed, culture and economic background, Guiding shares the same traditions and aims.
Lyminge is therefore a special place - because it can cater for for all sections of the movement; from the youngest Rainbow to the oldest Guide.
In particular watch out for the Guide section in the local community: did you spot them helping Santa as elves; or perhaps you were in Safeway/Morrisons on 22nd December when they were helping people to 'bag-pack'; or will you spot them helping the Lyminge Association Committee at the Charities Trade Fair - or perhaps doing other 'Good Turns' within our village?
If you have a daughter who is over 10 years of age - and who has not been a Brownie - there could still be a place for her: contact Linda (862699); Pam (862205 or Debbie (863192) for details.

 

You might have noticed Taylor's Restaurant has reopened. Let's give them a warm welcome because it is good to not lose our shops, and a restaurant in the village is certainly something we need. I haven't tried the food yet, but somebody was telling me the other day how impressed she was with both the friendliness of service and the food.

The word Tsunami' has sadly entered our daily vocabulary. The number of people affected by it is still unimaginable to me and, judging by the wheelbarrow race described on the front page, it is obvious how the community feels. I would like to thank Liz Coleman and Jayne Seymour for taking the trouble to report back. I also thank Mike Foxon and Tom House for writing related pieces. Coincidently I also interviewed Cheryl Bedford about the Lyminge CE Primary School's Environmental Club, which follows a similar theme.
It is heartening to know that more and more of you believe this Newsletter is yours and something you can contribute to -if you want to contribute and are not quite sure how to, just write down your ideas ' in a letter send it to me and I can put it into newsletter format for you. Our club contribution comes from Mike Lead better, who shares good news about the Cricket Club.

Focus Club Status for Cricket Club
by Mike Leadbetter

It was announced at a meeting at the St Lawrence Ground on January 12th that Lyminge's Cricket Club, Sibton Park, will be one the first cricket clubs in the country to be awarded Focus Club status. Kent is pioneering the ECB focus club scheme and Sibton Park is one of the first 10 Focus Clubs in Kent.
This means that the Club will be participating in a much closer relationship with the Kent County Development team in coaching and developing young players. In December 2004, the club achieved Clubmark, Sport England's inter-sport seal of approval. Clubmark is awarded to sports clubs that are committed to providing a safe, effective and child friendly environment. It forms one element of a unique, national development strategy for sports clubs. Sibton Park was the third cricket club in Kent and the first sports club of any kind in Shepway to be awarded the Clubmark. The club has a five year development plan to improve and extend its facilities, extend its membership, its playing areas and increase its integration into the Lyminge community. In 2004, Sibton Park coaches (one from Australia) ran Kwik Kriket sessions on games afternoons in Lyminge Primary School.
Now the club has been further singled out by the Focus Club scheme, adding success for its management team to the success it achieved on the field in 2005. The First XI were promoted to Division 1 of the Shepherd Neame Kent League in 2004, which places them amongst the Top 20 Clubs in Kent, only one promotion place away from the Premiership. Next season you will be able to stroll down to The Park on a Saturday afternoon and watch a very high standard of cricket (from the opposition anyway!) as top teams like Blackheath, Canterbury, Lordswood and The Mote come to visit. You can follow the cricket, see the all results and even join in club discussion on our website, www.sibton.com, which is one of the busiest club websites in the country.
Sibton Park is one of Kent's friendliest clubs and has some of the best playing surfaces and facilities in the county, though only one in four members actually plays cricket. The rest of us are social members, either with a child in one of the youth teams or simply a fondness for a nice pint of Harveys or Stella Artois in a beautiful setting on a sunny afternoon. Social membership can cost as a little as £5 and the clubhouse has a great bar which is open every Saturday and Sunday and three evenings a week throughout the season. Please come and join us and our guests from HPB. You'll be made very welcome and even if you're not a member you won't have any difficulty finding one to sign you in. And there's plenty of interesting jobs for anyone wanting to become involved with the work of running and improving the club. Focus Club status will provide the platform for investment in all sorts of new development activity. So come and join in!
 

The Environment
By Mike Foxon

People have been shocked at the effect of the Asian Tsunami. This may have been one of nature's effects but just stop to consider the cause or effect of the recent floods in the UK, last year's forest fires (some were arson), and lots of hurricanes reported.
Having just seen the Horizon programme on Global Warming and Global Dimming plus the film "Day After Tomorrow" maybe the scale of this Asian disaster is a wake up call for everybody to think about their actions.
Do you stop to consider the energy and pollutants caused to make the item you are about to buy and how will it recycle or bio-degrade at the end of its life? If you still need to buy it, could there be a more environmentally friendlier alternative?
Equally consider your transport. Do you need to take the car to the local shops, school, local activity or meeting? Are you buying smokeless fuel? Do you need to have a garden bonfire? as Shepway DC provide a fortnightly garden refuse collection. Do you recycle your domestic refuse?
Could you do better? Could you be smarter in your daily choices to safeguard this planet for our children to grow up and enjoy and teach good habits for the longer term future?

Saturday 19 March - from 9.00am
Garage Sale Safari
Does your household need a "Life Laundry"?
Is it time to Spring Clean and edit your belongings?
Why not become part of Lyminge's first "Garage Sale Safari"?

Actually, you don't need to have a garage - a trestle table in your front garden will do. All you have to do is complete a form, put it in an envelope with £5.00 and put the envelope in the Newsletter Box in the Library, or bring it to Sunny Cottage, Canterbury Road by Saturday 5th March - LATEST. BUT if you register by 15 February we will mention your sale in the March issue of the Newsletter (free advertising!). So, sort out what you want to sell -just like a car boot sale - and wait for all your customers to come! The Lyminge Association will collate all the Garage Sale Safari addresses and create a map showing their locations. The map will be on sale (50p) at the Hardware Store on Monday 7th March or from each Garage Sale location on the day. Any queries to Liz Coleman on 863197.

Fun in the Environmental Club

Say 'Environmental Club' and it sounds like an interesting idea. This after schoo! club at Lyminge Primary School is that and more. Organised by Mrs Bedford, whose enthusiasm for the subject is infectious, the club has 27 children signed up to this club and more wanting to join. So I visited Mrs Bedford to ask exactly what they do.
'All sorts,' she answered. 'A typical afternoon starts with an introduction, and then we get kitted-up in boots and wellies. We split into groups, each named after an insect, and go with a key-worker to discover, study, draw or collect things from within the school grounds mostly but also Tayne Field. And, at the end, we come back inside the class and each group talks about its findings. That's the best bit - reporting back about what we found interesting.... What makes it are the children. They're so enthusiastic, and have a thirst for knowing so much more.'
Often the children bring show and tell items to the club from what is happening in their own gardens or visits they have been on to the zoo and wildlife parks. They can bring in anything of interest to them which they wish to share, even items in books or encyclopaedias.
Mrs Bedford gave an example of a girl coming up to her and saying, 'I've got an article on hedgehogs. Can I bring it in next week?' From that Mrs Bedford asked if the whole group would like to support this girl's interest, and they ended up studying hedgehogs and building homes for them within the school's grounds. 'And I'm pleased to announce we have two occupants for our five hedgehog homes.'
Over the winter the Environmental Club hibernated because of the short afternoons, but it resumes this month. Mrs Bedford stressed, 'It could not happen without the team of workers, who are Sara, Rowena, Frances and Mr Sullivan.' This year, inside the school grounds, they hope to set up a butterfly sanctuary, rejuvenate the pond and install squirrel boxes. She told me the purpose of the club is to foster an awareness of our environment and appreciate the changes around us so all of us can make a small difference to the world. She added, The children love the club, because it's their ideas.'
Mrs Bedford suggested a way we can all help support this club. At the moment Lyminge School is taking part in the Tones 4 Schools' recycling campaign. Old mobile phones, working or not working, can be handed to the school reception desk, and if the school collects 200 it will receive £300, half of which will go towards the Environmental Club. The phones will be repaired and/or sent to developing countries for doctors and other key-workers to improve communication, which, hopefully, will benefit local communities. This is just a small way in which we can support the club at the same time as contributing to a cleaner environment. So get those old mobile phones out of the drawer and drop them in.

Poem of the Month
Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami

Rain comes down, rain comes down,
Floods the houses, they sink,
Everyone runs away from their,
Homes, and there's not a drop to drink.

Walls of water come crashing down,
Killing and killing some more,
Drawing those who cannot swim,
At the bottom of the sea they lie.

Those who lie on the beach shore,
Their lives have been taken,
Waiting to sink into the sand,
Knowing the have regrets.

Hoping their loved ones have,
Achieved what they wanted,
Asking what will happen now,
Their body is dead, but their mind is still alive.

Losing family and friends,
Knowing broken hearts will never
mend,
Torn, that no glue will fix.

By Tom House (Yr 6)

Charities' Trade Fair
Saturday 5 March, 9.00am -
12.00pm at Lyminge Village Hall
Don't forget to support our local charities when the Lyminge Association hosts the Charities' Fair. Goods on offer may range from bric-a-brac & cakes to chanties goods, e.g. pens, pencils, notepads and so on. It is also a good place to meet up with friends for a coffee and natter! Ring Mary Bennett on 863057.

Your Letters

Dear Editor: I enjoy the New Year celebrations as much as any one else, and with that in mind I am careful to keep an eye on my pets on New Years eve in case fireworks are used. Unfortunately, somebody decided that at 9:40pm on Sunday 2nd January to let off some rather loud fireworks from the direction of Brady Road. Not only did this startle my wife and i, our neighbours and all the pets in the area, but must have been extremely frightening for the elderly of the village and ail the young children who were in bed fast asleep. I thought the Government had introduced strict guidelines that restricted the times when fireworks can be used. I hope the offender/s will have a little more courtesy for their fellow villagers in future.
Paul Marsh

Apology: I would like to apologise to Tessa Box for the typing errors in her letter last month; these were entirely my fault. Sorry!

Both Jean and I appreciate your feedback. I like the idea of a Gossip Column and will include one if people write in and tell me the gossip.

RHODES MINNIS EVENING CIRCLE

Wednesday 16th February 2005
Members Evening – ‘Beetle Drive’

Our meetings are held in the Rhodes Minnis Village Hall at 7.30pm
A warm welcome is extended to any visitors
The competition this month is ‘A Craft Item’

Please telephone Eileen on 863081 if you would like any further information
 

FEBRUARY BEETLE DRIVE

Come & Join us at
Rhodes Minnis Village Hall

Saturday 26 February

Starts at 7.00 pm.
Adults £2.00, Children 50p

Tuesday 1st March
 
LYMINGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
TALK on METHODISTS IN EAST KENT

The Society is honoured that the Rev’d Colin Telfer is to give a talk on the evolution of Methodists in East Kent to open the 2005 Season. Methodism figured largely in the development of this area during the last two Centuries when four Meeting Rooms or Chapels were created in Lyminge alone to meet its expansion. The Talk will be held at the Lyminge Methodist Church Hall which will be open fron about 7.05pm. Members and Visitors should arrive between 7.15 and 7.45pm 2h3n proceedings will commence. Non-Members and Visitors are always welcome to attend our Meetings at £2 per person. As usual, tea and coffee will be available after the Meeting when time is available to talk to the Speaker and for discussion. Any questions to Bob Gay on 862574.

Our Spring production will be “The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Drama Society’s Murder Mystery” – certainly the longest title for a play we have put on! Written by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr, the play focuses on the ladies of the Farndale Estate as they attempt to put on their annual play, a murder mystery. The ladies are earnest in their attempts but incompetent and backed by a chaotic production crew, the play goes anything but smoothly. The play runs from Wednesday March16th to Saturday 19th at Lyminge Village Hall. Tickets will go on sale at Haxtons Estate Agents in Lyminge from Saturday 28th February. Don’t miss what promises to be a hilarious production.

We are very sorry to announce that owing to unforeseen circumstances, we are now unable to restart the Dramatic Society's Youth Group in January. We still hope to make a start later in the year so please watch this space.

MOTHER’S UNION – SUNDAY TEAS

OUR NEXT TEA WILL BE HELD ON SUNDAY 6TH FEBRUARY IN NAILBOURNE COURT LOUNGE, FROM 3 – 5 PM.
 

RHODES MINNIS METHODIST CHAPEL

This small Chapel situated in beautiful countryside surroundings
Holds a weekly Sunday Service, normally at 9.30am Followed by coffee and biscuits.
A very warm welcome is extended to any visitors
The preachers for February are:
6th - Mr. Michael Dallin
13th - Mrs. Carole Jenkins
20th - Mr. David Foreman
27th - Rev. Colin Telfer with Holy Communion.

Food for Your Soul

Audio tapes of messages from Grace chapel in Folkestone available free of charge by post.
The messages deal with the main themes of the Bible in an easy to follow manner and are suitable for all.
Tel: Tom Drion on 01303 252527 (ans/phone) 07834 227307 (mobile) to request a tape

LYMINGE METHODIST CHURCH

A warm welcome to any who wish to share our family worship at 11am every Sunday
Challenges for young people every Sunday at 11am

Monday fellowship every week 2.30 – 3.30pm
A variety of speakers including, slides of Japan and a visit to India.
Friday 4th March – Women’s World Day of Prayer Service at Parish Church

For Baptisms, Weddings or Funerals please contact the Minister the Rev Colin Telfer
01303 278525
Hall/rooms available for hire.
Tel: Joan Strange 01303 863029