“Some sort of periodical is an essential life-line in village such as ours”

Welcome to West Farleigh’s own

LIFELINE
Distributed freely in October 2018 Edition no 504 Upcoming Events:
Editors: Stephen Norman, Helen Swan and Jacky Taylor See back page
Website: www.thefarleighs.co.uk Email: editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

REMEMBRANCE In this Lifeline

SUNDAY Pastoral newsletter……….. 2
SUNDAY 11TH NOVEMBER 10.45 am Church notices & events….3
Parish Council report..…… .4
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th View from the Garden…… 5
month there will be 2 minutes silence, to Farleigh Feathers…………. 6
remember those who died in the First and View from the Scoreboard..7
second World Wars.
Organisations ………………. 7
As you will know we are commemorating Events………………………. 8
the 100th anniversary of the end of the First
World War. We would like to invite you to Don’t forget to look at our
come along to All Saints Church for a website for much more
special Service to remember those villagers information about our village
who died in both wars. The Parish Council www.thefarleighs.co.uk
and other village organisations will lay
wreaths of remembrance on the altar. Please contact the editors if you
would like an article in Lifeline or
There will also be an opportunity for villagers to remember family or friends on the Website – Email
who died in either war or as a result of the war, by placing a poppy(s) on the editor@thefarleighs.co.uk
altar. Email the editors or phone Helen (814445) and we ensure we have
enough poppies. They are 8cm diam and we will be getting them from the
British Legion for a donation of £3 each.
Follow us on Facebook
www.kentfallen is an extraordinary website. Enter it and search (for
example) for West Farleigh to see brief biographies of those who fell in both
wars, including where they grew up, their profession, family and children
and last resting place. Thought provoking.

Friday Nov 2nd: Farleigh Fireworks, bigger than ever!

This November’s firework display will be every bit as spectacular as before,
Do look at our website and
but this year’s finale will be EVEN BIGGER. The pyrotechnics people have look at weekly activities.
had to hire in the launcher and especially train the people who will set it off!
You will amazed what goes
There will be the usual on and off-stage music, entertainers, huge bonfire, on.
Best Guy Competition, bar, stalls and so much more. There will be an even
wider range of hand-picked food stalls, to satisfy your appetite! (Yes, last Deadline for Nov issue of
year the vendors struggled to cope with demand - we got that feedback!). LIFELINE: 20th October 2018

It all kicks off at 6 o’clock. Entry to the (free) car parking closes at 7.45pm
but please come early and walk if you can. The event will end at 10.30pm.

Page 1 of 9
Tickets from www.thefarleighs.co.uk or call Paul Baines on Maidstone 720810 or on 07730 43 55 65.

Page 2 of 9
Pastoral Newsletter
My car has developed an intermittent fault. It is currently in the repairers who are
trying to diagnose it. (If you are interested, or care, the automatic gearbox suddenly
loses gears 2, 4 and 6). I have tried to provide as much information to help the
repairers find the fault, and hope that the onboard computer has logged the errors
when they occur (the fault goes away when the engine is restarted) because it is
incredibly frustrating, and difficult to repair. When I was a computer repair
technician in the dim and distant past, when the systems I repaired had moving
parts as well as electronics, I prided myself in having the most reliable systems in my
area. I worked hard to repair faults quickly and to carry out regular preventative
servicing to keep it all under control. The bugbears were the intermittent faults that
never showed up when I was actually working on the machine. Swapping parts and cleaning connections,
probing the operators for as much detail as possible to find a clue, I did my best to reproduce the problems
so that I could deal with them. Consistency, care, attention to small details and a dogged determination
usually helped me to overcome the challenge, but there were always those that I just couldn’t pin down. It
was all down to circumstances and conditions that I had no control over. My car usually goes wrong on
motorways when pulling up hill under load – so at least there is a clue there for the technician.

When we live our lives in ways that mean we find our satisfaction from our circumstances and conditions, we
live life with intermittent pleasure, and intermittent peace of mind. When the stock market is doing well, when
people like you, when you are in lovely surroundings, things are good. And we find peace of mind. When
things are not going well, when we aren’t so popular, when the markets are down, when the job is stressful,
peace eludes us.

Just before Jesus died, he told his friends that he offered a peace that was not dependent upon
circumstances at all. His message to them – and to us – is ‘believe in me, and believe in God, and receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit, who will bring a peace beyond your understanding.’ He went on to say that he doesn’t
offer peace as the world does – transitory, contingent, intermittent peace – but a constant, persistent
peace. Christian writer and preacher Tim Keller describes it thus: The world’s peace is intermittent based on
transitory circumstances. Christian peace is constant, based on the never changing love of God.

May you find God’s peace today, whatever your circumstances.

Many blessings,
Peter Callway
Rector

Services at All Saints

Sunday 7th October 8.00 am Holy Communion (Traditional)
Sunday 14th October 9.30 am Morning Prayer
Sunday 28th October 9.30 am Morning Prayer

Our Ministry Team

Rev Peter Callway, Rector: 01622 747570 Call for Baptisms, Weddings & Funerals, not Fridays
Rev David Jones, Hon. Associate Rector 01622 741474. Not Fridays
Rev Eileen Doyle, Associate Rector 01622 204241. Not Mondays and Tuesdays
Becky Parnham, Children and Families Worker 07949 646885

West Farleigh in Bloom We won a bronze medal! Simon Ellis and Jackie Cizmic went along to the
presentations in Brighton and were thrilled when West Farleigh’s name was called out.

Page 3 of 9
 Ride and Stride

Thank you, all those who turned out to man the church for the Ride and
Stride event on Sunday 9th September. There were lots of visitors to the
church, some on 2 wheels and some on 4!

Thanks also to Larry and Stuart Johnson, and Simon Ellis (see picture) for
their magnificent 24 church tour (yes, Simon, 25 for you) and to Peter
Baggott and his granddaughter Mae for theirs. Between them they raised
£407 of which £203 goes to All Saints.

QUIZ NIGHT at All Saints: A new event at the church! The quiz was led by Pete, ably assisted by his
assistant Den. About 50 people came along to enjoy the quiz and the piping hot fish and chips, including
new faces from outside West Farleigh, and the Church Mice won the quiz! We raised £342 pounds towards
church repairs. Wonderful, many thanks to Sue O’Donnell, Jacky Taylor, Helen Swan and all the helpers.

Pilates too hard? Or too easy? Then try these!

This month sees the start of two new classes down at All Saints. Nikki Norman 07968 149 111 (no relation – Ed)
has recently arrived in the village. Her ‘Mum’s Boot Camp’ is an indoor keep fit class, 10am on Friday
mornings. And Josie Blacket (07915918551) is teaching a new Hatha Yoga class, Thursday evenings 7.30pm to
9pm, also at All Saints. You can see details of ALL weekly activities on the website, www.thefarleighs.com –
click on Weekly Activites on the front page.

Barn dance
Sat 20th October
7.30pm ‘til midnight
West Farleigh Church
Tickets £10 from Helen 01622 814445

The Hatted Hens will be with us to play and

lead the dancing. You don’t need to be able
to dance! The caller will give all the
instruction you need. Everyone goes wrong,
but it is always fun! You don’t need to dance
all the evening, the band will entertain
between dances. There will be refreshment
break, when a Ploughmans Supper will be
served. There will be a well stocked
donations bar.

West Farleigh litter pick: Sunday 7th October 2018

If you plan to join us, please meet on the Green by the Good Intent at 9am on the day.

Just one hour of litter picking will be rewarded with hot coffee and a bacon buttie!

Please phone Tel on 815267 or Brian on 812341 (brianc@hotmail.com) or just turn up. We
hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you.

Page 4 of 9
Parish Council Report

Ten villagers were present for some or all of the proceedings.

The PCSO allotted to our village (along with many others!) confirmed that there had been no crimes in West
Farleigh. Concern was expressed that there was so little police presence around our villages. HGVs are driving
round lanes and over bridges unchallenged and causing damage and disruption. Although more officers are
being recruited, this will not make up for the number that have left the force in the recent years.

Two villagers, again, came along to raise their concern that the money (held in trust by the Parish council)
that was raised 30 years ago to build a village Hall, had not been invested well and that any plans to use the
money had not been shared with those who raised the money. It was explained that, after discussions with
the Sports Club, it was hope to build a Parish Room onto the Football building in Charlton Lane. However, this
requires the consent of the landowners, which has not, so far, been given. The Parish Council would like more
time to pursue this before other plans are made to spend the money.

It was reported that drains and kerbs need cleaning. This has been a Highways job in the past, but it is now
not being done effectively. Highways are to be contacted again.

Speed Watch is now “on hold”. Very few sites were approved. None on Ewell Lane or Lower Road. The two
approved sites in Charlton Lane saw very little traffic. During 7 hours of observation, 85 cars went past and
only 2 vehicles exceeded the 30 mph limit.

Work to replace more wooden posts on the Green is to be done and 2 new signs listing the By-Laws on the
Green are to be bought and erected. The present sign is so weather damaged it is difficult to read.

Representatives of the Village in Bloom team came along with the Bronze Award the village received. They
were congratulated on their success in their first year. It was agreed that The Parish Council should lay a
wreath in the church on Remembrance Day.

Geoff Martin offered to host a Lambing Day again on Sunday 17th March 2019.

Page 5 of 9
View from the Garden by Jon Fenlon

October brings a mixture of shorter days and the start of overnight frosts.
As the frosts begin keep an eye on your dahlias as the foliage will begin to
blacken. When this begins they will need lifting and bringing in.
To lift dahlias, cut the stem
down to about 3-4 inches and
remove all the soil so you can
check the tuber for signs of
damage or disease which
could infect your other dahlias
if not detected. After lifting the dahlias ensure that
they are left to dry for a few days before placing
them in pots with bark or woodchip and stored
somewhere frost free over the winter.

Once the frosts has eased and spring arrives, give your dahlias a little water and put them
somewhere light and wait for new growth to appear. Keep them stored and watered until the
frosts have past and the new shoots appear, then they can be replanted.

If your soil is very free draining and does not sit wet over the winter you may be able to mulch
your dahlias and avoid the need to lift and store them. Results vary with this method depending
on soil conditions, weather and thickness of mulch applied.

Autumn vegetables such as garlic and onions are

ready to be planted now, and hope for the best
next year, (2018 crop photo right!). Potatoes or
carrots should be lifted and stored along with any
beetroot. Leave a small amount of soil on to help
to delay the risk of decay.

Before the frosts start harvest pumpkins and

squashes as they will quickly turn to mush! We
have had a brilliant crop of pumpkins this year.

Now that the birds have finished nesting, spend some time getting hedges
cut before spring returns. It is time to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs for the
spring in flower beds or naturalising in grass.

If you need to re-seed or lay turf on your lawns, this will be your last
opportunity. The weather will help. The mixture of showers and sunshine
and the soil still being warm the seed or turf should take well. Before
reseeding, the lawn should be scarified, hollow tined or solid tined. Finally
top dress uneven patches within the lawn. Be careful to select the correct
seed mixtures for the type of lawn required such as hard wearing or fine
lawn.

See Jon’s blog in full colour on www.thefarleighs.com

Page 6 of 9
Farleigh Feathers by Ray Morris

Wise Up On Owls
As the nights draw in and there is a nip in the evening air, now is the
time we start to notice tawny owls around the Farleighs. This year’s
youngsters are dispersing from their natal territory to find mates of
their own, while their parents begin the process of re-establishing
pairings for the coming breeding season – tawny owls start early, with
eggs from February, even January, onwards.

We are fortunate that the villages still retain mature trees to provide
the cavities for their nests, although they will use a nestbox if no cavity is available. They have a
catholic diet: small birds, rodents, frogs, even large insects and worms – so don’t be surprised if
you see one on your lawn on a damp night.

Although famed for being able to see in the dark (their eyesight is not that much better than
ours and they certainly can’t see in total darkness) they need to get to know the layout of their
territory to find their way around, hence they tend to ‘stay put’. Owls hunt mainly by sound, so
rain and wind can make it difficult for them. Although we can’t see their ears, they are situated
asymmetrically on the bird’s head, enabling it to pinpoint tiny sounds with amazing accuracy.

The well known ‘twit – twu’ call is actually two owls

duetting. The female calls ‘keewik’ and the male
responds with the lower hoot. From my garden I can
often hear two competing males hooting at each other;
one is resident in the gardens along the lane, with
another in a belt of trees across the adjoining fields. A
walk outside soon after dusk could reveal quite a few
more territories in and around the villages.

Like most of our birds, owl populations are in decline, so

why not take part in a national scheme aimed at
helping them. The British Trust for Ornithology is running a
simple survey to establish where the owls are calling. Just
stand in your garden and listen! Find out more at
https://www.bto.org and follow the link. The site has
recordings of the calls of all the owls likely to be heard
locally – tawny, barn, little and long-eared. Have a listen
– and next time your insomnia kicks has you lying
awake, you may be pleasantly surprised to find you
have an unexpected garden visitor.

Ray

For an extended and illustrated version visit www.thefarleighs.co.uk

Page 7 of 9
View from the Scoreboard by Terry Baines

CRICKET Congratulations to both our sides this season, as our 1st XI secured second place
in the league thus getting promoted yet again! The 2nd XI finished about halfway down the
league but as this was their first season and they did not concede a single game, this was also
a fine achievement. For the record our two remaining 1st XI fixtures were against Sennocke
and Linton Park, both of which we won, while our 2nd XI beat Luddesdown but lost their final
game against Bearsted. There are just a couple of friendlies to come, to wrap up what was a
very successful season.

FOOTBALL Our footballers fresh from another successful tour in Ringstedt have also started
well in their respective leagues. Our 1st XI kicked off with a fine 4-0 victory over Bearsted. This
was followed by an unlucky 2-1 defeat against Snodland and finally this month a terrific 6-1
victory over Ashford.

Meanwhile our 2nd XI started their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Titan Tigers! This was
followed by a 2-1 home defeat against Orpington. Finally however we got our first win in the cup against
Boro’ Lane 5-3 after being 3-2 down in extra time. Finally our Vets have had one game and a fine 2-2 finish
after being 2-0 down.

Our lucky TON UP WINNERS Paul Martin - £30 Greg Snipe - £20 Jill Morgan - £10

Yours in sport,
Tel (815267)

Lovely evening for our WI Meeting. We started with a speaker from R.A.B.I, I must admit
that I had not heard of this charity. It stands for Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, a
welfare charity which changes lives for the better. They offer financial support to farming
people in hardship of all ages. Very interesting talk and it is good to hear support for our
farmers. In the October Meeting we have a competition, where members can bring their produce for
judging (only produce detailed by the committee.) Good luck to all. Every week there is Keep fit class for
members, Art Classes, and Craft Classes. We play darts, tenpin bowling, petanque and much more We are
a friendly WI. We welcome new members. We meet monthly on the second Wed in the month at 7.15 for
7.30, at the WI Hall Forge Lane, East Farleigh. Contact me Pam Lindon for details. 01622 726337. We have
our own hall which is available to hire, please contact Karen Malins on 01622 920258.

Evergreens

At the first September meeting, out speaker was unable to attend.

What should we do? We hadn’t taken a quiz or a game. As it happened

the Evergreens had been asked to lay a wreath at West Farleigh Church on
Remembrance Day. As it was being decided who should lay the wreath and idea
formed……….lets ask the members what they remember about the last war.
Most members were prepared to say a few words. There were anecdotes about doodlebugs,
air raids, dog fights, soot and one members spoke about having polio and been in isolation and
waving to his parents through a window, being on an iron lung which was operate by a relay of
medical students and the horrific electroconvulsive treatment, which they thought might
stimulate his muscles. It did not work. All this when he was 2 and 3.

It was shame we did not record what was said, the younger generation would have been
fascinated and horrified with what we went through.
There will be a meeting at 2.30 on 9th October in the WI Hall.A representative of the Samaritans
will be coming to talk to us and on the 23rd at 12.30 we will be having Fish and chips and Pete
and Co will be entertaining us with songs from the past.

If you would like to join us, ring Helen 814445 or Terry 814561. Transport can be arranged.

Page 8 of 9
Village Events

Sun 7th October West Farleigh in Bloom - Bulb Planting – The team would like a mass bulb planting.
9am to 4 pm Daffodils bluebells, crocuses etc in gardens and in various nooks and crannies around
the village. Do join in – contact editor@thefarleighs.co.uk

Sun 7th October Farmers Market at East Farleigh

10am – 12noon Quality meat, veg, bakeries and numerous stalls.

Sat 20th October Barn Dance Dancing to the Hatted Hens in West Farleigh Church
7.30pm Don’t worry if you can’t dance, the band will entertain you!

Sat 20th Oct Coffee morning with the Parish Council at the Good Intent.
10am to 12noon Come along and meet your councilors, coffee and cake provided.

Sat 27th October Halloween Party at the Good Intent with Pete n’ Co.
8pm onwards

Sun 11th November Remembrance Sunday, All Saints

10.30am Parish Council, WI, the church and other village charities and organisations come
together to remember the fallen, 100 years after the end of WW1.

Sun 16th December Carol Service will be held at West Farleigh Church. Holly, candlelight and all the
6pm traditional Carols. Including the Fareighs Choir

Offering a range of complementary therapies to ease your

aches and pains and soothe away the stress and strain of life:

McTimoney Chiropractic Massage Reflexology

Page 9 of 9