East Dean with Friston Parish Magazine May 2020 online edition

The Bulldog Spirit
On May 8 th as a nation we will be celebrating the 75 th anniversary of VE Day, the end
of almost six bruising and terrifying years. Who would have dreamt that at the same
time we would be wondering if the grim ‘war’ in which the whole world is involved
will end in the foreseeable future. When the last magazine was produced, I dared to
suggest that the next issue might be an electronic one, provided enough of you did
the ground work and submitted articles to replace the usual reports and promotions.
I should have known you would rise to the challenge! So here we are, breaking new
ground. For the first time ever, and hopefully uniquely, the magazine is being
distributed online.
The magazine first appeared as a regular village publication in 1904, and has appeared
continuously since 1947, when paper shortages and wartime restrictions lifted. There
have been changes, of course: from A4 to A5 after the war, from single sheet to
multiple pages, from black and white covers to beautiful colour photographs. (Thank
you, Carol Starr, for this month’s view down Hobbes Eares.) And now, for the shortterm,
we are producing something different yet again.
There is one problem, though. Not everyone in the village is online, and so if at all
possible please show the generosity of spirit for which the village is renowned. Print a
copy for your neighbour! I hope that they, and you, will enjoy a very different
magazine drawing on the rich talents of our village.
Some articles have been held over for future issues; they are no less valued. I would
like to think that this is a one-off, and I can’t guarantee to do the same every month.
But what we can all be thankful for is that we really are all fighting the same war, with
the same resolve shown all those years ago. Christine
Staying at home, taken by Christine Holliday
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