Down Your Way—

^{STORY SOURCE : KEITH BELCHER : EASTBOURNE HERALD : 4 AUGUST 2010}

WANNA buy the pub? The Royal Oak and Castle is being advertised for sale leasehold at £55,000.

The agent’s details say: “Well presented and character open plan trading areas: Lounge Bar, Dining Area. Quaint Conservatory Area.
“Lovely mature beer garden, Patio Area and Front Seating. Two Ensuite Letting Rooms and 2 Bed Living Accom.”

The pub is said to have had a turnover of around £125,833 (inc vat) to year and March 2009, split 50 per cent wet, 50 per cent dry, 18 years left on a lease with a rent of £31,000 on a partial tie agreement.

THE LEVELS Lions have been joined by a whole host of other animals at Sheik Abid Gulzar’s now named Lions Farm on Wartling Road. To give him credit, he is providing employment for two local shepherds and usefully stocking the marshy land with cattle too. The leisure-ground he has created is covered with model animals, all as native to the levels as his lions. I saw a hippo, a giraffe, an okapi, a seal and a panda before losing count. The otters and marsh raft spiders must think they’ve been transported to Africa or China! A neighbour comments ‘It’s an interesting place in a sort of Michael Jackson Neverland way.’ There are picnic tables and boarded areas for disabled people and it is definitely worth a peek if you get the chance.

CARAVAN and campsite people I have spoken to have been revelling in their packed properties with the gorgeous weather coinciding with the start of the school holidays for a change. Believe it or not, but until recent boundary changes, none of the sites were actually within the borders of Pevensey Bay. The pinching back of a chunk of land from Westham parish council means that all those along Eastbourne Road are now within the parish area. A share of their rates should be a welcome boost to village finances.

PEVENSEY and Pevensey Bay Down Your Way is written a week in advance, so I wasn’t able last Wednesday to congratulate the organisers of Pevfest for a smashing event which attracted thousands of visitors. You couldn’t move in the Bay Village centre for happily dawdling crowds, and the roads were lined with parked cars for a half mile out of the village in every direction. Great music, too. In the pubs, on the beach, along Eastbourne Road and all over. The only tiny clash was for residents of Pevensey who found the outside band at the Royal Oak in the evening competing with the baroque music from St Nicolas church’s concert. Everyone to his or her taste, but I was happy to mix baroque and roll in Church Lane.

MOTORISTS parking on Pevensey Town Square are being warned that Pevensey Town Trust can ban them at any time, without notice.

Parking vehicles have chewed up the surface of the square making it a tricky place to walk for the not-so-nimble and the Trust believes it could cost up to £20,000 to be attractively resurfaced.

Even giving it a fresh coat of tarmac, which is the most likely short term solution, will cost thousands. Lest we forget. It is not a car park. It is Pevensey’s ancient and historic town square where once Roman and then Saxon and Norman warriors gathered before the castle walls.

HOPE you’ve booked your place in the sun for the Haven Players garden cream tea party on Saturday between 3pm and 5.30pm. It’s at Neil Beck’s home, Ivymead on Castle Road, just around the bend from the east gate. Tickets are £3 from Neil, at 460174, so don’t miss out on the tea and cakes and maestro Michael Johnson tinkling the keyboard ivories (do keyboards have ivories or plastickies?). There’s bottle tombola, a book stall and a raffle to keep you amused.

NOT DOING much tonight? Then turn up at St Nicolas’ church at six and try out for the choir. New voices are wanted. Arrive half an hour early and you can join Churchwarden and Reader Owen Visick and friends for Evensong reading at 5.30.

ADVANCE diary dates: August 20 and 21 at David Abbey’s place, 114 Coast Road. For the second time the Abbeys are hosting a fund-raising gig in support of Macmillan Nurses.

There’ll be stalls with loads of arts and crafts and other interesting and tasty stuff both days from 11am. The similar event two years ago raised £300 and even in these hard times we know you can better that! Saturday, August 28 – the riddle of where the Rectory garden bank holiday fete will be is solved. It’s in and around the memorial hall, down past the rectory and the fire station, with all the usual fun and games and this year the 1066 falconry birds of prey display. And August 28, 29 and 30 the St Nicolas flower festival, this year on the theme ‘Let the Coasts and Islands Rejoice!’ And the imaginations run riot.

GREAT boost for our teens! Community cop Jamie Harwood has a bunch of vouchers which he hands out to any of who seem to be at a loose end in the village. Each voucher can be given in at Glacier Bay for a cut-price drink or ice-cream. And there are laptop computers with internet access which they can use. Good team-work.

^{STORY SOURCE : KEITH BELCHER : EASTBOURNE HERALD : 4 AUGUST 2010}