Remembrance Sunday started in bright sunshine as villagers and visitors gathered at the War memorial to pay their respects to the war dead of the parish.Rev. Stephen Allsop lead the congregation in the act of Remembrance. They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them or the years condemn, we shall remember them and their ultimate sacrifice to regain freedom for our country. Mr Brian Yabsley, co-ordinator of the village Poppy Day Appeal, read the names of the fallen and placed the Royal British Legion wreath at the foot of the Memorial.Mrs Mary Hodder representing the W.I.and newly elected Parish Council chairman Mr John Brooks also laid their poppy wreaths. Everyone then entered the Church for the conclusion of the service. It was a truly moving and great occasion for our village and it was also good to see some famillies with their youngsters attending the service.
Staying with the theme of Poppy Day, last Saturday a coffee morning was held down in the Fishermans lower bar. Organiser Maggie Skeates wishes to thank all those who came to help her run the stalls and refreshments, with particular thanks to Annie, Libby and Athena who helped with the organising and setting up of the stalls. The event raised a staggering £290 for the Poppy Appeal, many thanks to all from Maggie.
Switching to the touchy subject of the flooding that has plagued our village over the last 18 months or so, I can report that the work to improve the bridge and culvert is progressing well and the old culvert has now been removed, when the work has been completed,it should go a long way towards alleviating the problems experienced at the Tree Corner end of the village. A new group has been formed to try and come to terms with the flooding crisis. The Aveton Gifford Flood Resilience Group will try and identify Hot Spots and vulnerable areas. The first meeting was held this week and was well attended and discussed all the issues involved. New members of the group would be most welcome and their next meeting is on 25th November in the Village Hall at 6.30pm.
The new village website is now up and running thanks to the hard work of Amy Clayton.The address is https://www.aveton-gifford.co.uk. The Parish Council also wishes to thank Larry Alen for running the previous website for many years.Well done to you both.