What will be a fascinating talk by local livestock farmer Frank Langrish takes place at Udimore Hall on Saturday 21 February at 2pm: How Farming Created the Local Landscape.
It costs £10 per person, which includes tea afterwards, and will help to raise money for the upkeep of the village church. Elizabeth Dean from the Friends of St. Mary’s Church in Udimore explains more about the charity’s vital role in preserving the building.
We are a small group of about 40 members with a committee of eight. We raise funds for the upkeep and maintenance of St. Mary’s Church and churchyard, the bricks and mortar.
St. Mary’s dates from the Norman times and was recorded in the Doomsday Book. It is a little church much loved by its parishioners.
There are always bills to be paid on such an ancient monument, and over the years the Friends have been asked to contribute to the rebuilding of the churchyard wall blown down in a gale, repairs to the roof and tower, the acquisition of new hymn books and the installing of beautiful new blue cushions to make the church more comfortable for worshippers when they attend services.
We have about two to four functions a year for that purpose, usually a talk in the early spring and a function later in the year. Last year we had a very successful summer fair, another year we had an excellent quiz, a concert, and talks on all manner of subjects like local archaeology, local farming, hedgehogs, the possible site of the first landing of William the Conqueror before the Battle of Hastings and much more. Most of these functions take place in our Udimore Community Hall just across the lane from the church.
Image Credits: Elizabeth Dean .