Mountfield

M&W SCHOOL: Peter writes: The fate of Mountfield and Whatlington School was on the agenda for the Parish Council Meeting on November 10. We report briefly on the meeting below but there was one item which produced a veritable bombshell. MPC and local residents have been concerned for some time about the school site and buildings. The general neglect is increasingly pitiful to see with weeds growing up through the upper playground which is also a war memorial to those from the two parishes who lost their lives in the Great War. There was a period last winter when there was evidence of drug taking in the car park so that it was added to the late night patrol route for police cars. Above all, there was concern that everything had gone very quiet about the future of the land, the buildings and the exceptional resources. I started by reporting to Council following my having seen the surviving original land transfer deed dated 1st October 1874 but it then emerged that the land and buildings, which had been entrusted to the incumbents of the two parishes and their churchwardens, had, apparently, been gifted to East Sussex County Council!
By Peter and Valerie Miles
Published 19th Nov 2015, 23:00 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

MPC has written to the Mountfield’s current priest in charge seeking clarification. For a start, is it true? I would not normally go into print without confirmation but it soon became clear that this ‘deal’ is quite widely known about. What was the basis of any transfer? And who transacted the transfer: the trustees, who are all local people, or the Diocese? Indeed, is it a done deal?

Watch this space.

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY: Vicky Staley writes: Hurray! It’s nearly Christmas and time for the Mountfield Christmas party and this year it is a Winter Wonderland theme with snow and, of course, a special guest.

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All children living in the Parish that are primary school age or younger are invited. The party is on Saturday December 12, 4pm to 6pm in the village hall. As ever, any children from outside the village but with strong Mountfield connections are invited too for a nominal contribution. We’ve lots of recent arrivals in the village, so do spread the word.

This is a free party provided and organised by the Village Hall Committee (with a little financial help from the Parish Council). Please feel free to forward this email to other friends living in the parish, the more the merrier. If possible, please RSVP by Tuesday 8th December either by email ([email protected]) or phone Vicky on 01580 882147. We look forward to seeing you there!

CHRISTMAS GATHERING: Also on December 12 in the Hall, the Mountfield Village Christmas Gathering will take place from 10am till 2pm. There will be mince pies and mulled wine (courtesy of the parish council), tea and cake (courtesy of the usual church stalwarts), kids’ activities, carols, raffle, stalls for local producers and businesses, local volunteer and sports groups, updates on Southern Water’s plans for the grand works, meet your Parish Councillors and have your say, the official launch of the Kids Film Club, and the unveiling of the first of our new defibrillators. Above all go along for a good natter with neighbours.

The event is organised by the Village Hall Committee. If you would like your business or club to be represented on the day, please contact Caroline (880111) or Amy (881282)

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PARISH COUNCIL: The PC meeting on November 10 had a very full agenda and the schedule was tested even further by the school news. As ever, much of the business is mundane stuff such as hedges and planning but there were a few newsworthy items. MPC will be writing to Southern Water about the fact that the delayed start is beginning to cause a few problems such as people holding off on maintaining existing arrangements. The lighting at the railway crossings was discussed further and it was agreed that although the initial light levels had been brought down significantly (from 70 lux to 40 lux) there was room for further improvement, principally by reducing the height of the lights, as they still represent the biggest intrusion of light into the environment for miles around. The refurbishment of the swings in the playground is currently in hand (courtesy of British Gypsum). And Irene Marchant, our Clerk, was asked to set up a Parish Diary on the website to try and avoid local events clashing. Arguably most important of all, councillors discussed the fight to get and protect adequate broadband; the campaign continues and has seen some very positive steps recently.

MOUNTFIELD CLUB: There was a disappointing turn out for the quiz night, mainly due to the bad weather. Those who did turn up had an enjoyable evening with the First Losers narrowly beating Harry’s Boys to top spot. Another quiz night will be arranged soon.

The snooker team let a 2-0 lead slip at top side Benenden and eventually lost on the black ball in the fifth frame to lose 3-2. Colin Elmes and Alex Gray won the frames for Mountfield.

FINALLY: In an attempt to offset the effect of this week’s first two paragraphs, we bring you our own Local Hero. In case you missed it, there was a Snooker report in the sports pages a couple of weeks ago: ‘Staplecross A stay fourth with a game in hand after winning 4–1 at bottom side Battle A’. But it wasn’t a whitewash over Battle; they had their very own local hero who pulled one match back. As Roger Cole reported: ‘…Dave Wadeson claimed the scalp of high break man Neil Sivyer with a stunning 51–29 victory’. So, next time you meet Dave the Post, that’s your cue (geddit?) to ask him how he did he following week. (We can be contacted on 880614 or via [email protected].)

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Related topics:East Sussex County Council