Here’s a roundup of some of the other stories making the news in Rye this week.
May election
A general election may have been ruled out for now, but there is a vote on Thursday, May 2 in Rye. It’s for the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, currently held by Katy Bourne for the Conservatives. Nominations for the role, which pays £86,800, close today Friday, April 5.
A full list of candidates should be available next week. Rye News hopes to interview all those standing to hear their priorities for local policing. Rye’s polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.
Cables down
Military Road in Rye has been closed again, this time because of emergency repairs to power cables which has also led to properties losing the electricity supply on Thursday April 4. East Sussex Highways say the the road could stay closed until Wednesday April 10.
Lifeguards
The RNLI has confirmed how the charity will patrol the beach at Camber this summer. From now until May 19 there will be lifeguards on the beach each weekend and on the May Day bank holiday. From May 20 there will be patrols 7 days a week until September 29.
New figures show that last year across Rother and Hastings lifeguards responded to 234 incidents, aided 250 people, and saved five lives.
Fundraising appeal
Air ambulance charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) has launched an appeal to raise the £1 million it needs to pay for the second helicopter it currently leases. The charity says owning rather than leasing the helicopter gives it a more secure future, saving half a million pounds a year, and allowing it to fly for six more hours every day.
David Welch, chief executive of KSS, said: “Demand for our service has been growing year-on-year and has never been greater. Last year we made a record number of over 3,300 missions to people in urgent need of our lifesaving care. We must continue to respond to this growing need, now and into the future.”
You can find more about the “Buy It For Life Appeal” here.
Funding for tree planting
A scheme to help fund the planting of orchards around Rye opened on Monday, April 1. The Coronation Community Orchard Grant Scheme supports people in the Rother district who want to to plant and cultivate fruit and nut trees. £49,024.50 is available from the Coronation Living Heritage Fund which aims to create green spaces and connect communities with nature as a permanent reminder of the coronation of King Charles III,
Applications are invited from non-profit organisations for grants from £500 to £5,000 towards the capital costs of planting at least five fruit or nut trees in a new or existing community orchard. Projects must be completed, with trees planted and grants claimed, by March 1 2025. More details here.
Ryecast recognised
Our podcast – Ryecast – has been nominated for the second year running for an Aria, the audio and radio awards scheme run by the Radio Academy. Ryecast is one of nine shows up for the best local show category, along with BBC and commercial radio programmes and two other podcasts.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on Tuesday, May 7.
This link takes you to the latest episode all about The Wrestlers of Winchelsea Beach.
Emergency training
There are two courses to learn how to use one of the many public defibrillators around Rye next week. Rother Responders are running two sessions at Camber village hall on Thursday April 11 7pm – 8.30pm and Saturday, April 13 2pm – 3pm. The courses are free and help participants understand how the machines can be used to save a life during a heart attack. There’s more information about Rother Responders on their website.
Get in touch
If you see anything happening in and around Rye our email is info@ryenews.org.uk.
Catch up with breaking Rye News on Instagram and Threads @newsrye. On Facebook follow Rye News, and we are now on Twitter or X search for @NewsIRye.
Image Credits: Geograph CC , Office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner , East Sussex Highways , Diamon Geezer CC , Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC , Natasha Robinson .
It is a shame that the Orchard Picture at Icklesham shown .Is sadly no longer there, there are also two Orchards near that could benefit from some pruning and tender care, before we spend money on new trees ,we need to look after the Orchards that exist, the Apples quite often just rot , fine for the wildlife , but seems a shame as the Food banks could benefit from this fruit.
FOOD for Thought.