Netherfield

New Year Disco: The Village Hall has been suggested as a possible venue for Netherfield’s 2015 New Year’s Eve Disco. Just think, hoppin’ and a-boppin’ until the early hours; taking pictures of your friends making fools of themselves on the dance-floor, which you can then post on your favourite social media website page next day; what more could you want. If you have been inspired to support this idea, then your help is needed. As you can imagine there are logistical headaches which accompany this suggestion such as licences, possible catering requirements and a sound system. However, all you have to do is see Ann in Netherfield Village Stores and tell her you are interested. Alternatively, email “[email protected]” and I will pass your comments on.

Battle Neighbourhood Plan: This programme will set out for the villages of Netherfield and Telham, and the town of Battle, how the land making up our neighbourhood, will be utilised in the future. It is a community led framework, not only dealing with development, regeneration and conservation, but also includes social, economic and environmental issues. It potentially includes, as a whole or part, housing, employment, heritage, transport, leisure and health. In other words, the well-being of all the residents in the designated area. The meeting of the forum took place on Wednesday 22 July at the Almonry, Battle. It put in place the parameters on which the plan will be based. For Netherfield, the residents were represented by Matt Mitchell, Dene Leyland, Steve Portch and yours truly, Maurice Holmes. It was chaired by Richard Jessop, Battle’s Planning Officer and the speaker was Tom Warder from Action in Rural Sussex. That organisation has vast experience in dealing with neighbourhood plans. It was explained to all present that there are many hurdles to overcome before the plan reaches fruition and can take up to two years to achieve. As we go through the process I will keep the residents of Netherfield informed of our progress via the “Village Voice”.

Netherfield Church Garden Party: The idea was to have a lovely afternoon tea garden party to raise funds for Netherfield Church on a beautiful sunny afternoon in July. The reality was a lovely afternoon tea on probably the wettest day of the year so far! We had a last minute change of venue and moved everything up to the school hall. This was fantastic as it meant we were all under one roof and dry! Thank you to Barbara Gill for offering us the school hall venue, it worked out really well. A massive thank you to everyone who came along and spent a relaxing few hours eating sandwiches, scones and cakes. Thank you to Barbara Kersey for baking all of the scones and delicious cakes, we had lots of compliments about the baking. Thanks also to Gillian and Marian for their baked delights. Thank you to Margaret Palmer for making beautiful table decorations and a flower arrangement for the raffle. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle, Robert Pilbeam, Netherfield Hill Farm, Noble Hair Design, Jon, Melanie & Gemma Avery, Zara Endersby, Netherfield Stores, Peter Lawrence, Andrea Relf and many others who I did not see putting prizes on the table!) Thank you to Gillian for arranging the quiz and providing a prize for this. It was a tricky quiz but well received. Thank you to Jon, Simon and Melanie for all their hard work in the kitchen and to Maddie & Gabbi for selling raffle tickets. Finally a thank you to Richard & Peter for helping pack away the tables and chairs in the rain!! All in all a lovely afternoon of fun and fellowship in aid of the church and a total of £275 was raised, which is fabulous. Thank you all once again. Emma Kersey

Book of the Month: We have received only one recommendation this month for a read which will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is entitled “The Death of a Mafia Don”, by the renowned Italian crime writer, Michele Giuttari. No, there is no need to panic, it is not written in Italian. It was a bestseller in Italy and across Europe. Written by a former Florence police chief, with an air of authenticity not found in many novels of this genre.

Stay safe at festivals: Sussex hosts a large number of festivals, concerts and gigs at many venues and locations throughout the year. Make sure you stay safe with our handy checklist below.

• Always purchase tickets before you travel to an event. Don’t buy from ticket touts outside venues.

• Keep your personal belongings with you at all times.

• Keep your wallet and phone in a front pocket that you can zip or button up if possible.

• When entering larger venues, always decide on a meeting place with those you are with just in case you get separated.

• Know your limits. Consuming too much alcohol can land you in trouble and potentially leave you very vulnerable.

• It’s easy for people to get disorientated or knocked off balance in large crowds. Look out for those around you and offer a helping hand.

You can register your property and get advice on security marking items via the Immobilise website. This is the UK National Property Register that is supported by us locally and by other police forces across the country.

If you are a victim of crime you can report offences at your local police station, online

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