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To keep our members and the village informed of the activities of the society, herewith our first Newsletter. We intend to publish twice a year to keep everybody informed about local issues and events. Any feedback will help for the next issue and gradually we are sure it will help us all to get to know each other better!
Editors: Denise Henderson and Chris Blevins
You may have noticed over the years how our copses have all suffered from neglect and diseased elms? Well the Itchenor Society with the technical and financial support of The Chichester Harbour Conservancy have a programme to replant a number of plots.
Plot 1 was simple and the conservancy planted some specimen trees along the edge of the field fronting the main road opposite “The Old School House” up to “The White House” and they all seem to be doing very well.
Plot 2 is opposite Glebefield Road on Itchenor Road and planting is planned during 2006.
Plot 3, at the junction on Shipton Green was planted during 2005 with 500 saplings of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Field Maple, Holly, Spindle, Hazel and 25 Oaks.
Let’s hope the trees survive, no doubt the rabbits will do their worst but in fact when a working party returned to cut out some weeds most of the saplings were doing well. We’ll take a picture next year to record the progress.
Volunteers are always needed so please contact a committee member if you’d like to be involved. Working parties to clear weeds from the copse that was planted a few years ago by the old telephone box, are taking place on Mon 9th Jan and Sat 15th Jan. Contact: Peter Dean 513624
With thanks to local landowners and the Harbour Conservancy, the Salterns Way cycle path was completed just a few weeks ago. It is fantastic to be able to whizz along to West Wittering and Birdham in just a few minutes from our Village Hall and we are sure it will be well used.
The Itchenor Society has agreed to fund a project to conserve the pictures of historical Itchenor scenes that are displayed in the Village Hall. The water colours painted by Ethelwyn Duckworth are to be reframed and titled.
Last years carols around the village raised £500 which was much appreciated by The Sussex Snowdrop Trust. It was well attended and a great success as an Itchenor Society event.
Despite the cold wind blowing away the Christmas Tree at the Hard a great evening was had by the 100 or so who attended the procession through the village to the Church and Hard. Singing carols for charity was ably led by Clare Goddard and the event was rounded off with a warming supper at Itchenor Sailing Club.
Di Levantine and Kate Shaw, Co-Chairman & Founders of the Snowdrop Trust were absolutely thrilled with our collection.
Please join us for the carols again this year when we hope to exceed the generosity of last year. The format is similar with a progression through the village with singing at key locations.
We plan to have 2 trees this year, one at the church and one safely secured down at the Hard platform.
Your voices are needed:
Please encourage all to attend the carols, the more the merrier and do not forget children and grandchildren and parents and grandparents..
Carols 2005 Itinerary
6 p.m.-Meet at Glebefield Road for mulled wine & mince pies
6.30 p.m. - Walk to the Church for carols outside
7.15 p.m. – Walk to the harbour for more carols .
7.45 - Meet at the Sailing Club for more singing, mince pies and mulled wine.
8.00 p.m.– Bangers & Mash if you like.
Supper Tickets will be £5.00 adults and £2.50 for children and can be bought from either
Mike Goddard Tel: 01243 511134 or Denise Henderson Tel: 01243 512341
Carols in the village -16th Dec - see the itinerary.
Carol Service at St Nicholas’s Church - 18th Dec beginning at 6 p.m.
Carols at The Ship - 21st Dec 8 p.m. onwards
Working Parties - 9th & 15th Jan 06 Meet at 10 a.m.
Winter Lunch 19th March 06 at Itchenor Sailing Club
Summer Party - date to be confirmed
Rounders match against Harbour conservancy Jul/Aug 06
The Itchenor Society, Harbour Conservancy and Parish Council gain lottery funding for the maintenance and husbandry of the village pond.
The work done here over the last couple of years has been a real talking point! The conservancy advised that it needed dredging to help with the water levels and this finally happened with support from the Parish Council and again the Harbour Conservancy. The damage caused by the contractor was unavoidable and now that the area has settled, we can think about its maintenance. The silt pit has dried out, the posts have been removed and we intend to re-use the posts to shore up the edges and reinstate the bank.
After the dredging came the coppicing behind the pond in Blackhouse Lane, this necessary work had not been carried out for several years with the result that many of the Alder Carr had died, leaving the tree surgeon no option but to remove these before they fell. The trees that have been successfully coppiced will regenerate very quickly and we are reliably informed that any new saplings rising from seeds will not take long to take root either. Further coppicing was due to take place over a 3 year period and the work was divided into three phases for that purpose. However, as the first phase has left quite a hole, the conservancy have decided to delay the coppicing of the other two phases for another year or so, to give the first phase time to recover. Therefore phase two, at the top end of the copse towards The Spinney and Chalkdock Lane will be coppiced in the autumn of 2007. Phase three will follow on as appropriate. All of this work has only been possible because of Lottery Funding and we should be very grateful to the Harbour Conservancy for putting forward our case.
Our coppice of Alder Carr is a rare sight according to conservationists and so we must take care with its maintenance.
We are very grateful to Philip Edwards who has released about 140 fish including Tench and Carp into the pond, this may have helped the mosquito problems in our immediate gardens but we are not sure how that will help the whole village! Philip has been keeping the verges mowed through the season which is much appreciated.
Maintenance of pond banks and mowing of verge.
The Revd John Williams held the Itchenor Society AGM enthralled by his talk on Boats Planes and Trains as the guest speaker for the event. It took but a few brief references to the first two items before we were allowed to share in his real passion trains! Always a wonderful raconteur in church it was fantastic to hear him talk of his love both for model railways and full - size trains.
Prior to the talk not many of us knew that a railway link had been planned in the early 1900s to East and West Wittering with a Terminus at St Richards Church in East Wittering,
His model Maple tree without leaves and his boat for the Canadian lake railway were beautiful and will be well worth seeing in the completed model when it is exhibited in East Wittering.
How to get involved with the Itchenor Society:
Contact any member of the Committee.
Ideas for Itchenor Society events?
Please let us know.
The Commodore, Jim Hartley, as in previous years has kindly invited all members of The Itchenor Society to use the facilities of the Sailing Club this winter, November to end of March. The bar and dining room will usually be available from 12 noon to 2.30 p.m. on Sundays with the bar only on Saturdays. |
