Otford says thank you to Stan the Barber for almost 60 years of service

STAN THE BARBERS picnic bench is on order and when it is delivered will be sited on the High Street Recreation ground for the benefit of all village, and visiting, children.  Full details of the handover will be printed in a future edition but in the meantime Stan, and his family, would like to thank everyone for their support over the years and for their generosity in donating to his retirement present.

His retirement party at the Otford shop on Saturday 30 June was attended by more than 100 people throughout the day all of whom went along to thank Stan for over 59 years of barbering service to the village and wish him well in the future.  The village community collected nearly £700 for a retirement gift and Stan decided that he would like to use this to purchase the picnic bench

1940s SOCIETY meets at 8pm on Friday July 27 in the memorial hall when Alan Williams will give a talk entitled  ‘If War Should Come’.  Alan will explore examples of British film production and show a selection of British documentary and feature-film extracts from British cinema between 1936 and the early 1940s.

From the mid 1930s British commercial film producers, the documentary film movement and the government sought to predict and explain to the British cinema-going public what impact war would make to life in Britain.  Films and film extracts to be shown this evening include, ‘Things to Come’ (1936), ‘If War Should Come’ (1939), ‘The Front Line, Dover’ (1940), ‘Miss Grant Goes to the Door (1940) and ‘London Can Take it’ (1940). Meetings begin at 8pm and tea, coffee and cake are available during the evening.  Admission £3. All are welcome to the informative, entertaining and often thought-provoking evenings.  Arrive early to get a good seat.  You can find out more about the Society and see the programme on the web site: www.1940.co.uk 

TONBRIDGE & MALLING RAMBLERS will be starting their walk in the Otford High Street Recreation ground car park at 10am on Sunday 29 July and walking to Shoreham and back, a distance of 5.5 miles.  They aim to finish at 1pm after a leisurely circular walk with one steep climb at the start and a few stiles but the views over Otford are well worth it.  Dogs are welcome but on short leads, there will be a nibble break, and a pub at the end.   If you are interested in joining them contact Graham on 07716 170900 or 01732 446101.

BART’s church is holding a churchyard working party from 9am on Saturday August 4 and invite you to join their regular team. Just turn up with any useful tools and give them a hand.

FAMILY FUN DAYS are back and four weeks of action are planned throughout the school Summer holidays and they will be at Otford High Street Recreation Ground between 10am and 2pm on Wednesday August 8.   The days include everything from crafts to games and sport in a friendly, safe environment, and best of all they are completely free.  No booking is needed, simply turn up and have fun but children must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.  Activities are aimed at children under the age of 12, although may not be suitable for very young children.  Take waterproof clothing and sunscreen and perhaps check the website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/summerfun before setting off as the programme may be subject to change at short notice, especially if there is poor weather.

OTFORD GARDENERS’ SOCIETY is holding its Autumn Flower and Craft Show in the Memorial Hall from 2.15pm on Saturday September 1.  They promise a marvelous display of late Summer flowers and harvest from the vegetable garden, with floral arrangements, preserves, cookery, photographic, art and handicraft classes.  Teas will be available until 4pm and there will be a sales table.  Their gardening tips for August include keep picking tomatoes and peppers to encourage more flowers and do not cut the grass too short in this dry weather!

HEDGES.  It’s that time of year again when all the leaves and foliage of hedges are rampantly growing and, if your property is adjacent to a footpath or pavement, this can cause a hazard to those with sight difficulties and those pushing wheelchairs, prams and pushchairs.  So, it would be really appreciated if you could check your boundaries and trim any overhanging foliage hard back from the footway to make it easier for those who walk past.

ADVANCE NOTICE.  Otford Evening WI will be holding their annual Table Top Sale on Saturday October 6 in the Memorial Halls between 9am – 12noon.  You can book a table at a cost of £10 each by ringing Chris on 01959 522485.

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE. There is still time for your children to join Kent Libraries Summer Reading Challenge which runs until 15 September.  Each year Kent libraries run a Summer Reading Challenge which involves encouraging children aged 4-11 to read six books during the school holidays, collecting stickers along the way and finishing by getting a medal and a certificate.  This year the theme is ‘Mischief Makers’ celebrating the 80^th anniversary of the Beano comic.  Otford Library would welcome all primary school aged children to go along and join the library, if they have not already done so, and participate in this annual Summer Reading Challenge which, over the years, many children have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in and, as a result, have developed a love of reading.   Do pop into the library and Librarian, Lorraine, will be happy to tell you all about it and join you up.