June 2019 NEWSLETTER
Membership Cards
Membership cards for 2019-2020 are being distributed with this newsletter. We hope that members who have not yet amended their Bankers Order to the new rates of £10 /15 joint, payable on March 1 will do so promptly. We would like to have the email addresses of everyone who is online; if you haven’t yet given your email address, please send it to the Membership Secretary at:dotdenby@gmail.com. The Society’s privacy policy is set out on the website.
Financial Matters
At the AGM on April 17 the Treasurer reported a healthy reserve of funds, but the subscriptions were no longer covering the monthly speakers and hire of the hall, so it was essential to raise them.
The Society is offering to help local organisations to improve the amenities in Steyning. Last year we gave money towards the Steyning Community Day and made a generous donation to a ‘Welcome to Steyning’ sign with flower beds, a joint project by The Horticultural Society and Steyning in Bloom, to be erected outside the Catholic Church. We propose to help to fund new wooden posts at the Tearoom corner. One of the key objectives of the Steyning Society is to help improve and maintain local amenities and to achieve this we invite applications for grants from local clubs and societies. Application forms are on our website and should be sent to our Treasurer before May 1 and November 1 each year for consideration by the Committee. We do urge members to let local people know about these grants.
Community Plan
As stated in the Chair’s report at the AGM, we object to any building in the National Park. The Society’s position is that there is no space in Steyning for major new housing, but recommend that any developments should be social housing. Although Clays Field is in Bramber, what happens there would have a big impact on Steyning and it is felt that the Society should object to house building on the land. The Society believes that the environment should be a priority in any new development, with a 20 mph speed limit throughout Steyning.
Website
The Society website has been refreshed and revamped and contains up to date information. It is well worth looking at.
Church Flower Festival, August 24, 25, 26
The Society has undertaken to create a display based on the film “Christopher Robin”. We shall welcome all offers of help, not just in flower arranging. Please contact a committee member if you can help on any of these dates. The Church Flower Festival Committee are looking for volunteers to help on 24/25/26 August, acting as stewards in the church or manning stalls and helping with refreshments in Penfold Hall. The shifts would be the same at both venues: 10.00-12.00, 12.00-14.00, 14.00-16.00. If you would like to help, please contact Chris Fitton on 01903 816946 or fittonchris13@gmail.com for Penfold Hall, or Sarah Leigh at sleigh1180@gmail.com for stewarding in the church.
Outings
Two outings have been arranged, one on July 17 to Selborne, to visit the home of Gilbert White , the pioneering 18th century naturalist, gardener and author of “The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne”, a book published in 1798 which has never gone out of print. Also there is the Oates Gallery, with an exhibition commemorating the South Pole explorer who died on the ill-fated Scott expedition in 1912.
Cost is £ 25 for coach, entrance and gratuity. Meet at Steyning Centre car park at 8.30 a.m.
The second outing is on September 18 to Oxford and ‘Talking Maps’, a celebration of maps and what they tell us about the places they depict and the people that make and use them. There will also be plenty of time to visit the city independently. More information about this fascinating exhibition can be found at www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Cost is £20 and the coach will set off from Steyning Centre car park at 8.30 a.m.
A booking form for these outings is below.
To Jane Oxley, 56 King’s Stone Avenue, Tel. 812334 email: mike.jane@btinternet.com
Name(s) ____________________________________Tel. No_______________
Address __________________________________________________________
____ Tickets for Selborne @ £ 25 £
____ Tickets for Oxford @ £ 20 £
Total: £
Cheque payable to The Steyning Society
