A Swinging Sixties Murder Mystery evening in aid of local community organisation Encompass Care was hosted by Judith Blincow, proprietor of the Mermaid Inn in Rye.
The Tudor Room was packed to capacity, guests were greeted with glasses of multi-coloured prosecco, disco lighting and Herman’s Hermits music to set the mood. Inspector Calls (Councillor Mike Boyd, the mayor of Rye) introduced the cast and set the scene:
“My name is Inspector Calls, and it’s my duty to inform you that there are certain characters here tonight who might just cause trouble. It’s my business to know about these things, you understand… besides, I’ve seen the script. Some of the jokes that you will hear tonight were first used in the Mermaid by William Shakespeare when he visited in 1597!
“Firstly, Serge Thrust, the heart-throb rock star who is currently number one in the charts and is accompanied by his latest bit of fluff – Miss Dimples Thighblast. Unbeknown to them, Serge’s rival in the charts, Miss Minnie Pyckupp is also staying here. She was at number one before Serge. She is accompanied by her husband, the society photographer Len Scapp and his old pal, the talent scout for Medical Records, Sid Gnomeclencher.
“Next, we have the landlady of the Stoat & Bedpan pub in Camber, Miss Babs Lustgirdle, who has heard that Serge is staying here.
“Now we have Serge’s driver Jack Handel, whose consumption of ‘herbal cigarettes’ is only matched by the entire population of San Francisco!”
The guests then took part in a fun-packed evening while enjoying a delicious Sixties-inspired three-course dinner. A number of local ‘celebrities’ willingly joined in the fun to play a part, with the jokes more Carry On than Agatha Christie.
Mayor Mike Boyd generously made the time in his busy schedule to write the script, and to produce and direct the cast, while playing Inspector Calls.
Judith Blincow proprietor of the Mermaid and her team spent many hours transforming the Tudor Room back to 1965. At the end of the evening Judith Blincow announced that the total raised was £2,210, this also included funds raised from the raffle of a stunning ‘Rock n Roll’ cake made and donated by the Mermaid.
Encompass Care will be celebrating its six-month birthday on Thursday, November 8. The group is based at Tilling Green Community Centre on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 4pm. Encompass is fundraising towards transporting physically disabled clients into the community centre, to be able to enjoy outings and shopping, as well as giving clients’ partners and carers some much-needed respite.
Image Credits: Encompass Care .