Have a great fete: splat a rat!

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The Rye, Winchelsea & District Memorial Hospital fete returns this year on June 7 and promises an afternoon of fun and amusement, including the much-loved traditional game of Splat the Rat.

The fete will be held from 2pm to 5pm at Rye’s NHS Community Hospital, located at the top of Rye Hill, and will be opened by local MP Amber Rudd. There will be lots of exciting things to see and do, with various sporting displays, donkey rides and live musical attractions as well as stalls selling plants, books, jams and jellies and bric-a-brac.

The hospital is here for the benefit of the community and benefits from the generosity of donations from the public
The hospital is here for the benefit of the community and benefits from the generosity of donations from the public

The 2014 Grand Raffle will be launched with prizes that include an iPad mini, a hamper of food & wine, a Kindle ebook reader, £100 of garden vouchers and many other desirable prizes.

To amuse the kids there will be face painting, a bran tub, lots of games and a bouncy castle as well as boxing displays by the Rye Boxing Club. The Music Well, a local group of music therapists, will be performing alongside the Main Street Trio whose music is close harmony contemporary jazz. Entry to the fete is free and there will be a Rye community bus running a shuttle to and from Tilling Green, via Jempsons in Rye, to the hospital.

As well as enjoying cream teas and cakes, visitors will be able to enjoy guided tours to see just what is happening at the hospital and to look at the plans for the future of Rye’s vital health and community care resource. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view the show unit at St Bartholomew’s Court, for which the waiting list opens in September, and Local Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) will be present.

As PPG National Awareness week runs from June 2-7, this will be an ideal opportunity to find out what PPGs do, and how PPGs and the community can influence the quality of primary care provided in the NHS by working together with GP surgeries to improve services and to promote good health.

All donations of bric a brac, toys, plants or cakes will be most welcome, and local collection can be arranged by ringing Ann Hostler on 01797 223810 during office hours.

Photographs by Tony McLaughlin

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