The recently established charity Friends Altogether in Rother (FAiR) highlighted its cause in spectacular fashion on Saturday when fifty five people attended a murder mystery lunch (a lunch to die for!) at the Mermaid Inn. This very enjoyable event was one in a series of initiatives that aims to engage people to develop friendship, fellowship and fun.
Rye Players did the honours with the lunchtime murder mystery, set in the 1920s. Billingsley, the sous chef, was found stabbed by a Fabergé letter opener and the suspects included the Russian ambassador, a French antiques dealer and a random German to further test the actors’ accent skills. Enter Inspector Clueless of the Surété and… look, you had to be there! The nameless culprit ended the luncheon in handcuffs but very well fed. The Players were thrilled once again to be able to help support a local cause.
The charity’s founder and CEO Chris Pollard welcomed the guests who came from our Rother communities. He described the evolution of the charity from its inception. With new staff and volunteer resources in place, FAiR is set to go from strength to strength in 2024 and Chris shared his excitement about the befriending service being developed for a soft launch in June.
Another initiative, Tilling, Tea and Cake, held at Tilling Green Community Centre, launched last November. The monthly event provides advice on health and wellbeing initiatives, in addition to a social space, with advice on how to improve the quality of life for so many people across Rother. GP Dr Sarah Jacques is a trustee for FAiR and founder of Sussex Outreach Support (SOS). Sarah attends every event and her valuable insights mean that many guests are benefitting from Sarah’s expert advice and with the reassurance that they can follow up with her the following month should they wish to do so.
Chris impressed upon the audience the importance of FAiR collaborating with other organisations to provide information and opportunities for people of all ages.
He looks forward to getting more people engaged in supporting and delivering similar essential services as the charity grows.
To find out more, check out FAiR’s news and event page at www.fair.org.uk email: info@fair.org.uk / telephone : 01797 453382
Enquiries to Rye Players can be made over social media or by emailing ryeplayers@btinternet.com.
Image Credits: Rye News library , Rye News Library , Chris Pollard .