Otford, the village in Kent, South East England

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the village in Kent, South East England

Otford Village News [post your own Otford Village News item]
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Bank Holiday Monday (30th) sees a nautical theme to Otford village fete on the recreation ground at 1.00p.m. The Fete procession starts from Hale Lane at 12.20p.m, progresses up the High Street, through the car park, and onto the recreation ground. Although the procession and fete have a nautical theme this year children of all ages are being encouraged to enter in any form of fancy dress for the Fancy Dress competition which will be judged in the main arena at 1.30p.m. Please support this annual, major, fund raising event by bringing along your children in fancy dress and entering them for this fun competition.
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford allotments association gardeners are enjoying getting all their seeds sown and look forward to a summer of lovely fresh salads, vegetables and fruits particularly for National Vegetarian week (23-29 May). Lots of plot holders grow flowers too and the allotments look really colourful as well as productive. The Association is running a stall at the Fete on Monday where you will be able to buy flower and vegetable plants, as well as raffle tickets for some superb prizes. If you want to find out what is involved in having an allotment do go along for a chat. There are some plots available at the moment so this could be your chance to get involved with this most enjoyable hobby.
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Local Glaucoma Association support group is holding a coffee morning between 10.00a.m and 12.00 noon in the Club Room of the Memorial Hall on Friday 10th June. Anita Hinchcliff the speaker is from the West Kent Association for the Blind and she will be bringing a display of lighting and other aids to assist reading and communication. This will be helpful to anyone with sight problems as well as those with Glaucoma. Coffee and biscuits will be available and there will be a fund raising raffle and a bring-and-buy stall. Enquiries to Hilary 01959 522917.
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Sevenoaks Embroiderers’ Guild will hear an enlightening talk by Priscilla Lowry entitled ‘Silks for celebrations, kimonos, hanboks and saris’ at their meeting in the Memorial Hall, 2.00p.m. Saturday (28th). This event is open to both members and visitors so please go along or for more details telephone Pat Curtis 01959 523484 or Jane Barratt 01732 833588.
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Folk Dance Club invite you to their club night tonight (Thursday 26th) at 8.00p.m. in the Church Hall dancing to live music provided by ‘Footnotes’ band, with Eddie calling. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be provided and the entrance fee is just £1.50. The range of dances will cover folk, square, country and barn dancing of English, American, Scottish and Irish origin and all dances are walked through first. You will be made very welcome by this friendly club and if you would like more details please ring Peter George 01959 522105.
26 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Society is urgently seeking a venue for their Annual Summer Garden Party - can you help? If so please ring Jean Gunderson 01959 522709.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Society held its AGM at the end of April with about 70 members present. Ken Gunderson agreed to stay on as Chairman, until a volunteer for the post comes forward, and the committee was re-elected. New residents in the village are invited to join. During the meeting a discussion developed on the public meeting with SDC planning representatives on the 20th April and general dissatisfaction was expressed. The Chairman was instructed by the meeting to convey to our two District Councillors a resolution expressing no confidence in Mrs J Davison who holds the portfolio for Transport and Planning. The Society are urgently seeking a venue for their Annual Summer Garden Party – are you the generous resident willing to offer their garden? If so please ring Jean Gunderson 01959 522709.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Oast WI will be discussing and voting on the Resolutions put forward by the NFWI at their meeting today, (Thursday) at 9.30p.m. in the Memorial Hall. Everyone welcome.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Exercises for all abilities of fitness are offered at the Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road, on Thursday mornings at 9.00a.m. and at St. Johns’ Hall, Bat and Ball, on Wednesdays at 10.00a.m. All ages, all abilities catered for please ring Kay Lilly 01732 458249 for details or simply go along.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Methodist Church members would like to thank all those who supported their Coffee Morning last Saturday as part of Christian Aid week and especially those who gave their time to man the stalls, wash the cars, and donate items for sale.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford & District Wine Club are holding a Games Evening in the Memorial Hall at 8.00p.m. on Wednesday 25th May free to members but visitors pay a small fee. The games require no brain power or energy whatsoever, but are great fun with pairs moving from table to table until they have played all the games and the two overall winners receive a prize. There will be a raffle and bar snacks but please bring your own drinks and glasses. If you have an hour or two to spare to help run their Ice Cream stall at the Fete on Bank Holiday Monday, 30th May, please ring 01732 761359.
19 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Welcome to PC Jon Wilkinson the new member of the Sevenoaks’ Neighbourhood Police Unit who will join the team covering Otford, Shoreham, Well Hill, Kemsing, Halstead and Knockholt. He will be based in the town police office and joins PCSO’S Dave Birchall and Dennis Glasspool being responsible for safety in the six villages.
17 MAY	PARISH COUNCIL - MAY NEWSLETTER The May edition of the newsletter is now on-line, with news of the recent public meetings on planning issues, the imminent 'Nautical' village fete, VE Day displays, sightings of 'Jaws' on the pond, events for the St. Barts 'Building On' project, advice on using water wisely and much more. You can contact the Parish Council at The School House, 21 High Street Tel: 01959 524808, e-mail parishcouncil@otford.net with office hours 08:30 - 12:30 Mon to Fri.
12 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Methodist Church is holding a Coffee Morning this Saturday between 10.00a.m. and 12.00 noon on behalf of Christian Aid. There will be a Stalls for Cakes, Plants, Bric-a-Brac, Books and a Car Wash and you are invited to go along and support this worthy charity.
12 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford & District Wine Club invite you to a Games Evening in the Memorial Hall at 8.00p.m. on Wednesday 25th May. The games, such as snakes and ladders, beetle drives etc, are all played on tables, require no brain power or energy whatsoever, but are great fun. Pairs move from table to table until they have played all the games and the two overall winners will receive prizes. As usual there will be a raffle and bar snacks but please bring your own drinks and glasses. This event is free to members but visitors will be charged a small fee. On Bank Holiday Monday, 30th May, the Club are running an Ice Cream Stall at the Otford Fete and half of the proceeds from this go to charity and the other half help to fund Wine Club functions throughout the year. Please do go along and help for an hour or so during the day, if you can, as selling ice cream cones is an extremely labour intensive operation, although very satisfying. Please also pray for good weather!
12 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Society held their annual celebration of St. George’s Day and Shakespear’s birthday with a dinner in the Memorial Hall on April 23rd. With the cross of St. George playing on the green a fine meal, including roast beef of old England, was served to the 50 people present having been cooked on the premises by a team of volunteers led by Maureen Bolton. The traditional toast was said by Jim Leicester of the Royal Society of St. George and as a past President of the Boswell Society, and vice-President of the Johnson Society, he spoke about the English language and Dr. Johnson’s incredible production of his famous dictionary exactly 250 years ago. Ray Russell, of the Sevenoaks Shakespeare Society, gave his usual stirring interpretation of lines from Shakespeare. Tony Wilsthire was at the piano with a nostalgic medley of English songs and the evening ended with the whole gathering singing ‘Rose of England’ and Marian Will’s rendition of ‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke, the poet who died on his way to the Dardanelles on St. Georges’ Day 1915.
12 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford WI Boot Fair is this Saturday (14th) in the Memorial Hall. Don’t forget to go along as there will be a wide variety of goods on sale and you might find just what you are looking for. Buyers at 9.30a.m, entrance 50p, children free.
12 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 It is very sad to report an incident of vandalism that occurred in the Parish Car Park recently to the car of a local charity volunteer. Her car windscreen was smashed and her car was dented and scratched. Please be vigilant and report any similar behaviour to Dave Birchall our Community Police Officer or Sevenoaks Police Station.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Good news – Darren of Otford Post Office has extended his Saturday opening hours to permanently to 9.00a.m. to 1.30p.m. In addition to post office services he has added Helium Balloons to the large range of cards, stationery and confectionery on offer.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Hospice of Hope Romania will benefit from the opening of ‘Trees’, Bishops Down Park Road, Tunbridge Wells on Saturday 14th May between 2.00-4.00p.m. This is the garden of the founder of this Otford based charity, Graham Perolls and his wife Carolyn, and consists of a semi-wild garden with plenty of bulbs, azaleas and other shrubs giving late spring colour. A secret path leads from the garden to a 9 acre park which is shared with 19 other residents. There are plenty of mature and unusual trees, grassy areas, rhododendron banks and a lake. As parking is restricted please park in Molyneaux Park Road or Culverden Down.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Folk Dance Club, which meets in the Church Hall every Thursday at 8.00p.m, would like to invite you to join them for dances covering Folk, Square, and Barn Dances of English, American, Scottish and Irish origin. Your first visit is free, and therefore it costs just £1.50 per night, including tea or coffee and biscuits. Further details from Peter George 01959 522105.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 The next Police Surgery is on Saturday 21st May between 9.00and 10.30a.m. at The School House where Dave Birchall, our Community Support Officer from Kent Police, will be available to talk through any problems you may have.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford WI Boot Fair at 9.30a.m. on Saturday 14th May in the Memorial Hall is now sold out but they would like to encourage everyone to go along to browse and buy.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 Otford Fete committee are making a plea for donkeys or ponies to offer children rides at the Fete on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May on the Recreation Ground. Can you help, or do you know someone who can? Any offers please to Debbie on 01959 522354 or John 01959 522521.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 It is very sad to report an incident of vandalism that occurred in the Parish Car Park last Tuesday afternoon when a group of boys, as young as 10 years old, threw bricks and stones and broke a car windscreen and inflicted dents and scratches to the car in question. Unfortunately the children involved are too young to be prosecuted but please be vigilant and report any similar behaviour to Dave Birchall our Community Police Officer or Sevenoaks Police Station.
5 MAY	VILLAGE REPORT - KAY DRAKE 522727 The meeting between Sevenoaks District Council personnel and the Councillor holding the Portfolio for planning and transport, Mrs Gill Davison, held last week proved very unsatisfactory for the Parish Council, Otford Society and local residents. It was made clear that decisions by SDC could only be challenged by the applicant for the development and in the opinion of many some of the approval decisions reached by SDC reflected the idiosyncrasies of councillors from other wards rather than the wishes of those who have to live with the results. The recent Planning Green Paper assumes councillors have to justify their decisions before ‘their electorate’ although this clearly does not happen. Time will tell but the unwanted buildings will remain.
1 MAY	ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S The May edition of the Parish Magazine is now on-line, with details of various celebration services in May for Confirmation, Pentecost and the Community, formerly the Civic Service. Christian Aid week begins on the 8th May. News too from the many other village groups and the first article in a series about 'Otford Parish Records'. St. Barts Church Office and the Vicar, Rev. Pat Hopkins, can be contacted at st.bartholomews@otford.net or 01959 523185.
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