Otford, the village in Kent, South East England

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the village in Kent, South East England

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29 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Open Studios runs this year from June 6-22 and Otford is lucky enough to have four participants within a close geographical area. They are: Sarah Cunnington at 65A Pilgrims Way West, Kim Rowlands at the same address, Jaqueline Allen at 11 Rye Lane, and Angela Bishop at 5 Broughton Road, Otford. The free guide, giving details of all South East Open Studio participants is available from the library, Ellenor’s in the High Street and the Otford Medical Centre. Flower painter Jaqueline Allen’s studio will be open every day from 10am until 5pm except Mondays June 9 and 16, and Tuesdays, June 10 and 17. As well as her paintings, Jackie will be selling a range of small, handmade evening bags to raise money for VIVA, the animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop duck farming.
29 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Evening WI is holding another afternoon tea at 2.30pm on Saturday, June 14, in the memorial hall. This event was such a resounding success last year that the larger main hall has been booked. You are invited to go along and take your friends. Local pianist and music teacher, Tony Wiltshire, will again be playing your favourite songs as you eat the scrumptious refreshments and chat to your friends. Admission is by ticket from 01959 524887 or 01959 522229 at £2.50 each.
29 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Gardeners’ Society meets at 8pm in the memorial hall on Tuesday, June 3, to hear Hilary Newman talk about Vertical Gardening. This will be an illustrated talk on choosing and maintaining climbing plants. Admission costs 50p and includes refreshments. For more details, call 01959 523760.
29 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Open gardens includes one at Cottage Farm, Cackets Lane, Cudham. It’s open from 2pm until 5pm on June 8, 15, 22 and 29 in aid of Harris Hospice. Ellenors, in Otford High Street, have a free booklet of the gardens openening in aid of the Ellenor Hospice at Home charity, so please call in to collect a copy.
21 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Listen to Gardeners’ Question Time on BBC Radio 4 (93-95FM or 198LW) on Sunday and Sunday, July 6, at 2pm, repeated the following Wednesdays at 3pm. This programme was recorded in the memorial hall on a lovely May evening when Otford Gardeners’ Society were fortunate to be hosts to a capacity audience. Guest chairman, Julian Pettifer, kept team members Matthew Biggs, John Cushnie and Bob Flowerdew busy answering questions from the floor posed by many society members, including one of the youngest members, aged nine. The Otford society were also glad to welcome representatives from Chevening, Chipstead and Sundridge and felt very honoured to host such an auspicious programme.
21 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Village Fete, on bank holiday Monday, May 26, starts with a street procession at 12.15pm which arrives at the recreation ground, off the High Street, at 1pm. This promises to be a great day out for all the family with circus displays, a fancy dress competition, bouncy castle, giant prize draw and tombola, pony rides, charity and commercial stalls and much, much, more. All proceeds go to local charities and organisations . Admission is free to children under 14 and costs just £1 per adult and £1 per car. There will be a selection of food and refreshments available all afternoon and the organisers look forward to seeing you there.
21 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford and District Wine Club is running the ice cream stall at the fete and all members are invited to go along and help sell ice creams from 12.30pm. The club is holding a games evening on Wednesday, May 28, at 8pm in the memorial hall. You are invited to go along for some fun and games and they promise that there will be nothing too taxing or intellectual! Cheese and biscuits will be provided, but take along your own liquid refreshment. Visitors are welcome for a small fee.
21 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Footnotes will be playing some lively music for barn, square, and folk dancing with callers Eddie and Morris at Otford Folk Dance Club meeting 8pm on Thursday, May 29. All welcome. The first visit is free, then there will be a £1.50 admission charge. The club meets in the Church Hall in the High Street and further details are available from 01959 522355.
21 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Evening WI is holding an afternoon tea on Saturday, June 14, so make a diary note and look out for more details.
19 MAY	OTFORD' SOCIETY May Newsletter issued, with minutes of previous AGM, committee reports, Palace Field details, Betty Jenkins war-time memories ... can you recognise people from the Home Guard photo? A Street Party is being planned for Saturday, 19 July in place of the normal Summer Garden Party, more details to come. If you are not a member yet (over 1,100 in Otford), please consider joining the Otford Society, contact otfordsociety@otford.net .
14 MAY	GARDENERS' SOCIETY Gardeners’ Question Time is something of an institution and Otford Gardeners’ Society was lucky enough to host the recording of two programmes recently in the Otford Village Memorial Hall. It was a lovely May evening so we threw open all the doors and windows to keep the capacity audience cool. Guest Chairman Julian Pettifer kept Matthew Biggs, John Cushnie and Bob Flowerdew busy answering questions from the floor. The questions were posed by many of Otford Gardeners’ members including one of youngest members aged 9. We were also glad to welcome representatives from other Societies including Chevening, Chipstead and Sundridge. The programmes can be heard on Radio 4 (93 – 95 FM, 198 LW) on Sunday 25th May and Sunday 6th July at 2 pm, both are repeated on the following Wednesdays at 3 pm.
14 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Society’s AGM takes place in the memorial hall at 8pm tonight (Thursday) and everyone is cordially invited to attend. The group’s annual St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday lunch on Wednesday, April 23, was a sell out and proved very successful.
14 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Leaders are sought to join a friendly team at Otford Scouts for their Beaver and Scout Groups. You only have to give the time you can afford and they promise you will find scouting enjoyable. Full training and support is available. If you are interested, please ring Ray Groom on 01959 525413.
14 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Cricket coaching started at 10am last Sunday, at the memorial recreation ground. Around 40 girls and boys, between the ages of seven and 15 had a great morning with Otford Cricket Club coaches. If you would like to join the junior section of the club, just go along on a Sunday morning at 10am, or call Angie Stevens on 01959 523881 for more information.
14 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 This Sunday will see members of the Otford Folk Dance Club, together with other dancers from all over Kent, performing at the Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells between noon and 3pm. It will be an event to watch or join in with and will include English and Scottish country, folk, square, barn dancing and songs. If you prefer you can join the club’s regular Thursday night meeting in the Church Hall from 8pm. All dances are walked through first, and called, and your first visit is free. No regular commitment is required so just go along and join in the fun. Call Morris Larkin on 01959 522355 for more details.
14 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Tennis Club’s summer programme is in full swing and members are reminded of the Spring Lunch and American Tournament on Sunday, May 25. The lunch is at 12.30pm and the tournament starts at 2.30pm. For further information ring Anthony Shea on 01732 458968. For membership enquiries ring Joyce Shaw on 01959 522736, or visit the club website at www.otfordtennis.org.uk
13 MAY	PARISH COUNCIL - NEWSLETTER The May edition of the newsletter is now on-line, with update on the planned High Street closure from 23 June - 29 August plus details of forthcoming Village Fete 26 May and St. Bartholomew's Church Fair 21 June. Also, South East Open Studios from 6 - 22 June, other events, reports from local clubs and societies and more.
12 MAY	NEWS POSTING Accountancy & Tax Assistance Ltd is a new practice at Otford station. We offer all aspects of accountancy & tax for the self employed and small businesses. We are a small friendly practice with small friendly prices! We are offering free first interview as our introductory offer. We are a group of accountants who have all been trading as self employed accountants individually in the local area. We have decided to amalgamate our different skills to offer all our existing clients and new business a more versatile service. Our office hours are Mondays 8.30 to 2.30 (evening by appointment) Tuesdays 4.00 to 6.30, Wednesdays & Thursdays 1.30 to 5.00 and Fridays 9.45 to 4.00. You are welcome to visit or call us on 01959 524150 or e.mail us on ata.sea@tesco.net
1 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 An antiques and collectibles fair will be held in the memorial hall between 10am and 4pm on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5. Entrance costs £1 with a large donation being made to Hospice in the Weald. For further information please contact Eileen Smith on 01732 451064.
1 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Cricket Club is considering the formation of a second XI because it is facing tougher opposition this year with its entry into the Kent County Village League. The new season started on April 26 and during the winter the club attracted as many as 15 members to the indoor nets. The club wants to recruit new members to make a second team a practical proposition allowing it to build on last year’s success as joint winners of the Bat and Ball Village League. Within two or three years, it hopes to be able to call on players in the burgeoning junior section, which was started two years ago. Coaching for that begins on May 12. The challenge is not confined to playing members as the club is planning a number of improvements including a new sight-screen and a permanent all weather practice net. It will, therefore, be looking for sponsorship and raising money in other ways. If you are interested in joining, sponsoring, or would like more information, call John Lewis on 01959 522887.
1 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Next Tuesday’s Gardeners’ Question Time at 6pm is expected to cause congestion in the car park, especially around 9pm when everyone leaves. Additional parking is available at Otford Builders Merchants and in St Bartholomew’s Church car park, by kind permission of OBM Management and the Rev Pat Hopkins. All tickets for the event have now been allocated and Otford Gardeners’ Society is looking forward to this very special occasion in its history.
1 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Methodists Church is holding a coffee morning from 10am until noon on Saturday, May 10, in the church hall to support Christian Aid. Stalls will include cakes, plants, crafts and books and you can also have your car washed whilst enjoying your coffee. Admission is 25p and includes a cup of coffee. You are warmly invited to go along or call May Hills on 01959 524195 for more details.
1 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Villagers, shops and societies are reminded that there is still room for participants in the circused theme village fete parade on May 26. Please contact John Roberts on 01959 522521 if you are interested or can lend a vehicle that can be used.
	VILLAGE NEWS ARCHIVE 2003 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2002