* CLICK HERE *
FOR THE LATEST
EDITION OF THE
PARISH MAGAZINE

FLETCHING BONFIRE SOCIETY

Fairly Boring Stuff
Some of you will already know about the unfortunate weather which hit our fete. Despite this, the day seemed to be enjoyed by all. The cake stall was a particular hit, but that might have just been the small amount of shelter it provided during the downpour! The weather obviously impacted turnout, so we would be grateful for extra support at the Rum & Reggae night to make up for it – everyone keep your fingers crossed for the weather, please!

Fabulously Busy Schedule:

August 30th - Rum and Reggae @ Fletching Recreation Ground
September 13th – FLETCHING BONFIRE NIGHT!

For more information about upcoming events, please see the members’ newsletter, the FBS Facebook page, the FBS website, or just ask us! If you are a member and are not yet receiving the newsletter, please email fletchingcommunications@gmail.com and I will look into it for you.

Further Briefing Section:

The Rum & Reggae night will be held on August 30th at Fletching Recreation Ground. We will be starting at around 7pm. There will be a bar, rum cocktails, delicious Caribbean food, dancing, a raffle, and more as we bid a fond farewell to the summer and brace ourselves for the onslaught of bonfire season!

For Benevolent Supporters:
1. Donations of tombola or raffle prizes, or damaged/unwanted crockery are always gratefully received. Please email Will at fletchingchairman@gmail.com to arrange collection/delivery,
2. Come along to our events! If you would like to go the extra mile and help run a stall or event, we can always find you something to do.
3. Get involved! I’d love to hear ideas for things you’d like to see FBS do. Drop me a message at fletchingcommunications@gmail.com and let’s chat!
4. Join the 100 Club! There are still numbers open – your lucky number could be one of them!

Final Brief Sentiment:
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer, and as always we are all incredibly appreciative of all the support we are receiving from the local community and hope that we are doing our bit to help make the atmosphere in the village vibrant and welcoming. See you around!

Tor o/b FBS

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity (DVLCC) support children under 5 with cerebral palsy and other motor learning impairments. Through early intervention and specialist care, they help them to build the foundations for a brighter future.

They support children like Albert. Born at just 25 weeks, he faced a really tough start, suffering a brain bleed at two days old and undergoing several major surgeries, including one that saved his life. By the time he was two, Albert had spent more time in hospital than at home, but thanks to the support of DVLCC, Albert’s story took a joyful turn.

You can help more children like Albert by joining Walk Together, a fun, family-friendly event where every step makes a difference. Choose between a fully accessible 5km walk or a more adventurous 15km trek across mixed terrain.

Sign up today or make a donation at www.dvlcc.org.uk and help transform a child’s life, one step at a time.

The Friends of Fletching Parish Church
are hosting ‘A Forest for the Future’
An evening with Tom Forward,
Ecologist and Ashdown Forest Guide
9th October, 6.30pm, Fletching Church

Victory in Japan (VJ Day)
80th Anniversary
15th August

After the memorable VE Day 80 commemoration, the Parish will be marking VJ Day 80.

For some members of our community, the war in the Far East of the “Forgotten”
14th Army or the prisoners of war represent their war. It also marks the final chapter
of the Second World War.

As the indomitable Captain Sir Tom Moore put it,
“We must always remember the sacrifice of those who served in the Far East – they gave so much, often with so little recognition.”

As many veterans said about VE Day:
"We were still fighting while everyone else was celebrating."

Some in the Parish will remember Bruce Hayllar who fought at the critical Siege of Kohima and whose story is told in Fergal Keane’s book, “The Road of Bones”.

A short commemoration will be held at 6 pm in the Church Yard near the Memorial. There will also be a special Service in the Church at 10.00 a.m. on Sunday 17th August.

Royal British Legion, Fletching Branch

Produced by Murray Dagleish and featuring Peter Wigan

Support our village cafe!

Fletching Music & Arts Festival

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

We’re Charlotte Scott & Isabelle Peters who live in the village, and we are pleased to be able to share some exciting news with you.

This October, our small village will play host to the very first Fletching Music & Arts Festival— three unforgettable days of world-class classical music and spoken word, here in the heart of our community.
World-renowned artists will descend on our village for a series of intimate and inspiring performances, with programmes spanning from Purcell to Britten, with something to captivate every music lover.

Audiences can expect breathtaking chamber music featuring string players and singers, woven together with poetry read by celebrated actors of stage and screen, creating a rich tapestry of discovery, deep feeling, and atmosphere. We’d love to involve the community and are looking for volunteers to help on concert days— from ushering and the ticket desk to lending a hand at the drinks reception. We are also reaching out to see if any kind-hearted locals might be willing to host an artist during the festival weekend—any help would be truly invaluable.

Our extraordinary line-up includes cellist Nathaniel Boyd, actors Marc Elliott and Clive Francis, violinists Charlotte Scott and Emma Parker, sopranos Kate Royal and Isabelle Peters, viola players Gary Pomeroy and Jon Thorne.

If you’re interested in getting involved, please do get in touch with us at info@fletchingmusicartsfest.com.

With warmest wishes, Isabelle & Charlotte

Is Your Dog Quite Well?

Dear neighbours, dog walkers, dog owners, and concerned locals,

Unfortunately, we have recently lost a calf to neosporosis. This is understandably upsetting to us as cattle farmers, but it has the potential to become even more upsetting for the wider animal community.

Dogs are the only animals which can pass on Neospora caninum. For most middle-aged dogs in good health, there will be no symptoms, but that doesn’t stop them from catching it or passing it on to other dogs and cattle. For puppies and older dogs, the parasite will likely cause them huge amounts of suffering. Symptoms in dogs include: paralysis, muscle atrophy, difficulty breathing, and skin sores.

There is no cure for Neospora caninium. However there are two key preventative measures to stop the spread which can be taken by anyone who finds themself in charge of a dog:

1. Prevent access to dead animals and aborted material – keep your dogs on leads at all times when on land which is shared by cattle and other dogs.
2. Clean up after your dog – do not kick faeces into hedges, do not leave it in fields, bag it and take it with you!
*And if you are not in charge of a dog you can still help by reminding people of the preventative measures!

Letting dogs roam freely or leaving their waste behind can also be risky for those of us working on the land. Being chased by off-lead dogs is neither fun for the people nor the cows who are working in the fields! All of the grass we grow is intended to feed our livestock, so we have to do everything we can to keep the land as free from diseases as possible – including handling abandoned dog faeces on occasion, which is not a pleasant or productive use of our time!

Following these preventative measures will not only protect our wonderful hard-working ladies, but will also protect your beloved companion animals. Nobody wants this parasite (or any other transmissible disease) becoming endemic in the local area. So, please, on behalf of all the dogs, cows, other dog owners, and farmers locally, do your bit to protect our animals.

Atheralls Farm

A Huge Thank You – Fletching Open Garden Trail

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the Fletching Open Garden Trail such a fantastic success. Organising and delivering an event of this scale truly is a labour of love, and with your incredible support, we were able to raise an outstanding £10,460.89 to support our wonderful school.

The gardens were absolutely stunning – each one a unique and beautiful hidden gem that continues to amaze us year after year. We know how much time and energy goes into preparing them, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who opened their private spaces to welcome over 1,000 visitors.

A special thank you also goes out to all of our wonderful volunteers – from baking cakes and donating raffle prizes to helping with food stalls, parking, organising, and offering a warm welcome to everyone who came through the village. So many of you gave days or hours of your time and your contribution made the day truly special. We simply couldn’t do it without you.

We’d Love Your Feedback ….
Now that the bunting’s come down and the last crumbs have been swept away, we’d love to hear what you thought of the day. What did you enjoy most? Is there anything you feel we could improve on for next year?

The Open Garden Trail is about so much more than fundraising – it’s a celebration of our community, and your insights are vital to helping us make it even better. Please share your thoughts with us at ptafletching@gmail.com – we’re all ears!

Emma and the Fletching PTA

Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity

BACK to the TOP