Parish Cake - Spring 2020

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newsbites News and views from Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Let There be Light – and There Was! Farewell to Outgoing Chairman THE DEDICATION and hard work of former parish council chairman, Bridget Veitch, has been recognised with a special presentation. After nine years on the council, more than four as chairman, Mrs Veitch was presented with a painting of Cranbrook, a town she loves, by Cllr. Kim Fletcher who has taken on her role. He thanked her for her commitment to the council, especially her enthusiasm for the town’s planned community centre. She devoted the project to her late husband and former Kent County Councillor Thomas Veitch. TF THE LEVEL of artificial light in St Dunstan’s church was widely recognised as being abysmal but no longer!. In August 2018 the Parochial Church Council decided to rectify matters and Mr Jeff Barker, a chartered engineer parishioner, voluntarily took on the job as project manager. Today, with the rewiring nearing completion and having raised and spent more than £130,000, the situation is very different with a brightly lit church available at all times of the day and night Thanks to the leadership of the vicar, the Rev. Ann Pollington, and Nye Jones, a PCC member as fundraiser, the generosity of the community at large, the congregation and a number of local and national charitable trusts, funds steadily built up throughout the year enabling work to start last September. Rev. Ann said: “Let there be Light was the slogan for fundraising for the new lighting and rewiring of the church. I am extremely pleased to be able to tell everyone, with your help over the past 14 months, we have raised the total of £134,000 and by the end of February the project should be completed. “Then I will be able to say, Let There be Light and There was Light. Thank you to one and all, to our project manager, chief grant applier, all who have generously given a donation and, of course, to our wonderful contractors who have done such a great job.” TF Minimising Traffic Disruption A MAJOR project to replace Victorian cast iron gas pipes with plastic will affect traffic in and around Cranbrook until July. The work, which is being carried out by Southern Gas Networks (SGN) began in February in Hartley Road. KCC councillor Sean Holden convened a meeting with Kent Highways, SGN, the contractors and the parish council to work out how to minimise disruption. By re-routing and re-engineering, SGN has brought the road closure time down from 12 weeks to two. However, there will be traffic lights for several weeks around the town. Traffic lights will be on stretches of Hartley Road until 14 April and the High Street will be closed at the junction of New Road. A diversion will run through Wheatfield Way, by the fire station, with HGVs diverted to Waterloo Road. Traffic lights will control traffic while houses are connected to the new pipe. From 11 May for seven weeks lights will control traffic between the war memorial and Wheatfield Way on the Angley Road. From 10 July there will be traffic lights at Baker’s Cross, by Rammell Field. Most of the gas pipes on the Frythe and Dorothy Avenue are being upgraded this year but the timing has not yet been announced. TF 10 Parish Cake • Spring 2020
news God Speed the Plough AN ANCIENT plough took pride of place inside St, Dunstan’s Church, Cranbrook, for a special service in January. The vicar, the Rev. Anne Pollington, revived the annual Plough Sunday service for the second year running, this time the machine having been successfully manhandled into the church. The service included blessing the plough, which had been loaned by Staplehurst farmer Terry Offen. He had spent the previous months restoring the machine which was decked with flags. The vicar also blessed gardening tools brought along by parishioners. She said: “Blessing the plough appears to be a very ancient festival, revived by the Victorians. Traditionally it is celebrated on the first Sunday after Epiphany, 6 January. “Often the plough was feted and drawn through the streets to be blessed in church. This was thought to ensure food for the coming year. Plough Monday was the first day that work in the fields commenced after Christmas.” TF Cranbrook Literature Festival THE CRANBROOK Literature Festival (a biennial event) is back this year, taking place on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September. The programme for the two day cultural event is really taking shape with authors Tessa Hadley and Deborah Moggach booked to attend as well as Great Dixter gardener and chef Aaron Bertelsen who will be talking about his books The Great Dixter Cookbook and his soon to be released Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots. Children’s authors are being added for the schools events on the Friday as well as writing workshops and poetry. Take a look at the festival website for up-to-date information and additions to the programme. www.cranbrookliteraturefestival. com Snowdrops to Brighten Churchyard AS PART of the ongoing of rewilding of St. Dunstan’s churchyard, the vicar the Rev. Ann Pollington, assisted by parish warden Ivor Hatcher, planted snowdrops in January. TF MP in Rat Pack Pic ON A visit to Cranbrook our MP Helen Grant couldn’t resist having a picture taken with Tarot Rat lead singer Tim Hill. When the Maidstone and Weald MP visited the Hub in Stone Street, she jumped at the chance to have a selfie taken with Tim. The Cranbrook-based contemporary blues-rock band Tarot Rats released their first single Only the Brave (Will Remain) last summer. TF Parish Cake • Spring 2020 11
Page 1 and 2: IN ASSOCIATION WITH Parish SPRING 2
Page 3 and 4: Parish Cake YOUR SLICE OF CRANBROOK
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Page 7 and 8: comment CHAIRMAN’S VIEW A LETTER
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Page 13 and 14: Premier Property Maintenance Painti
Page 15 and 16: Your Country Lifestyle Department S
Page 18 and 19: British-made gifts, art exhibitions
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Page 22 and 23: feature Cranbrook Centre: We Need t
Page 24 and 25: feature History Made as First Mayor
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Page 28 and 29: YEAR 7 ENTRY SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED E
Page 30 and 31: sponsored feature Qi - From Bush to
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Page 36 and 37: feature Absolutely LAMBTASTIC! A yo
Page 38 and 39: INTERESTED IN GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
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Page 43 and 44: Let’s Cook! In the Garden CEPHALO
Page 45 and 46: sponsored feature NURTURE YOUR SOUL
Page 47 and 48: out & about legal From our Friendly
Page 49 and 50: development, but is much broader in
Page 51 and 52: out & about An extra pair of hands

Parish Cake - Spring 2020

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