A community website for the residents of Dallington in East Sussex
Gwen and Peter Westwood were at the heart of the Dallington community for many, many years – running the Post Office Stores.
Their granddaughter, Emma, very generously donated this beautiful bench to Dallington in their memory. The perfect gift for us all, including those who did not know Gwen and Peter, to sit and remember what is precious to us.
For anyone not the the local Facebook pages…
This is copy and pasted from Rother Police this evening –
Police are urgently trying to locate three aggressive dogs which are on the loose in Dallington, while also looking to trace their owner.
Officers were called to Buckholt Farm at 7.35am on Thursday (October 28) by a resident concerned about three stray terrier-type dogs on their land which were acting aggressively.
Following extensive attempts by police officers and the RSPCA to capture the animals, they fled the farm and are currently unaccounted for.
Anybody who sees the animals should not approach them, but call 999 immediately quoting serial 222 of 28/10. Similarly, if you are their owner please also urgently get in touch with us.
Owners of livestock and other animals are also advised to be vigilant, as the dogs could pose a threat to their safety.
https://www.facebook.com/RotherPolice/photos/a.493826270658292/6805870906120432/?type=3
Very pleased to let you know that the Battle Ramblers have started their walks programmes again.
Click on this link to see their latest 3-month walk programme
For more information you can contact Battle Ramblers on their website at
17th September 2021
7.00pm for 7.30 start
At Dallington Old School Village Hall The Street
All welcome. Entry £5.00 to include refreshments
(Please bring your own wine if you wish)
Many of you will remember with great affection, Peter and Gwen Westwood who ran the Dallington shop for around thirty years.
I have just heard from their granddaughter that Gwen passed away last Tuesday.
When Freddie and I moved to Dallington and our friend Ken Putt took over the shop, so many people had very many kind and affectionate memories of Peter and Gwen and the tremendous work they did for the Dallington community, I think they were involved in practically everything that went on.
Their granddaughter hopes to have a memorial plaque or bench in their memory, more on this later.
Irene – Parish Clerk
Dallington is home not only to beautiful woodlands but also many talented photographers so we should have a good local showing in this year’s AirS photography competition.
The theme is Sussex’s Wonderful Woodlands and how people enjoy and get to know the woods. Whether your focus is on beautiful wildlife or on people, AirS say, “our judges will be looking for imaginative, beautiful images that capture the vibrant woodlands within Sussex and the community spirit that weaves throughout these areas. We want to see you out there getting involved with nature and the woods!”
Entry is free, and the competition will be open until Sunday 28th November 2021. There will be three age categories to enter: under 10s, 11-17 and 18+, and some great prizes.
For full details, see the website at https://www.ruralsussex.org.uk/photography-competition/
As most of you know, we were finally able to reopen the hall towards the end of July after prolonged closure due to Covid. Our regular weekly activities – art club and the library café – have resumed and it’s been a joy to see old friends meeting up for the first time in over a year. The monthly Villagers group normally takes place on a Thursday afternoon, but this month hosted an entertaining evening talk open to all, about Vivien Drake, a former Dallington resident with theatrical connections. Another well attended talk took place in August on the wartime history of Dallington Forest and other woodlands, and as you can see we have a full programme lined up for September.
Events in September
(Please note no Art Club or Library Café on Bank Holiday Monday 30th August)
| Saturday | 4th | 10-12 | Library Cafe |
| Monday | 6th | 10-12 | Art Club |
| Monday | 6th | 2-4 | Library Cafe |
| Thursday | 9th | 2-4 | Villagers Group Games afternoon |
| Friday | 10th | 11-12 | Chair Yoga New weekly beginners course, starts 10th September More details at https://www.living-yoga.co.uk/classes |
| Monday | 13th | 10-12 | Art Club |
| Monday | 13th | 2-4 | Library Cafe |
| Friday | 17th | 11-12 | Chair Yoga |
| Friday | 17th | 7-9 | QUIZ NIGHT 7pm start Entry £5 to include refreshments (bring your own wine) |
| Monday | 20th | 10-12 | Art Club |
| Monday | 20th | 2-4 | Library Cafe |
| Friday | 24th | 11-12 | Chair Yoga |
| Monday | 27th | 10-12 | Art Club |
| Monday | 27th | 2-4 | Library Cafe |
Please note that we are retaining some precautions to keep the hall ‘covid safe’, including provision of hand sanitiser, extra ventilation and limiting numbers for each event.
In order to encourage more people to come forward with new ideas, the Management Committee have agreed to use some grant money to enable us to waive hall hire fees until the end of the year for groups or one-off events that are of potential interest and benefit to the community as a whole. Please get in touch with the booking secretary Karen Gillingham on 01435 831563 if you are interested in booking the hall.
St Giles Services in September
| Sunday | 5th | 11 am | Congregation-led Service of the Word |
| Sunday | 12th | 6.30 pm | Evensong |
| Sunday | 19th | 11 am | Holy Communion |
| Sunday | 26th | 9.30 am | Holy Communion |
Forestry England are starting coppice work in September in Darwell Wood. The details, from Forestry England, are below
I am writing to inform you of the coppice work that will be starting in September at Darwell and should run through until December.
Here’s a summary of what we are doing and what we are trying to achieve.
The coppice rotations are based on small coupes (< 2ha) being felled each year, using a ‘little and often’ system designed to create rotational open space which will benefit a number of species of butterfly and other invertebrates across the woodland. Birds which benefit include nightjar in the open stage, and once the natural regeneration matures to thicket stage, it will provide quality habitat for Schedule 41 species such as nightingale, turtle dove, cuckoo and willow warbler.
Brash will be cleared (raked and put into neat dead hedges or chipped and removed from site) to allow light to the forest floor and reduce the nutrient content encouraging the growth of wildflowers amongst the sapling stage natural regeneration.
Veteran trees and standing deadwood identified within the operational area will be retained for their conservation value. The ride management rotation will start to bring connectivity to the woodland which will be particularly beneficial for butterflies.
The areas selected for this year’s work have been prioritised as they are populated with dead or dying Ash as a result of Hymen scyphus Fraxinus (Ash dieback). It is important to remove the trees in the interest of safety as well as ensuring they still remain a marketable crop.
The intention is to stack the timber at roadside in small quantities – 30 m3 or 60m3. This will allow for greater competition in the market, enabling offers from buyers who may only be able to purchase in small quantities. Sales will take place as and when adequate quantities have been put to roadside.
Due to the site being Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland the approach to restocking will be natural regeneration.
In regard to safety. I have informed the Rights of Way team about the work and the footpaths likely to be affected. Warning signs will be at entrances to the site. Site users are asked to follow the safety instructions and to keep well clear of harvesting machinery.
If you would like any more information, please get in touch with [email protected]
Rother District Council have sent this notice to all residents signed up for their email alerts.
Dear Resident
In common with many other local authority areas across the UK, waste and recycling collections and street cleansing services in Rother are being affected by high levels of staff absence.
As the local Covid infection rate increases, Track and Trace instructions to isolate, combined with a general shortage of HGV drivers, means that collection services could soon be suspended for a period until the situation improves.
Several actions are being taken to maintain services, including early morning and late evening work, so residents are being asked to regularly check their local council website, register for information bulletins and look out for communications in local media regarding their local services.
We are asking residents to refrain from using the local bring sites as reduced staffing levels means they will not be emptied frequently; please use your household recycling collection or take recycling to the Heathfield, Pebsham or Mountfield Waste Recycling Sites.
Click on this link to sign up for email alerts from Rother District Council