Vandalism on the South Undercliff, a huge lottery award for Little Gate Farm, the Rye News get together, Harbour Road changes, and consultation closes next week on the Rother District Plan.
Smashed by ball bearings
Windows have been damaged at two houses on Rye’s South Undercliff after ball bearings were fired. A front window was cracked on Monday July 8 at 15.35pm, with a nearby upstairs window smashed a day later.
Louisa Jennings says the damage to her front window was caused by a 9mm steel ball bearing. “I was shocked. It sounded like a gun shot. It’s left a hole in the outside glass but luckily didn’t get through the second pane. If it had and had hit someone it could have been far worse. It’s £500 to repair and we can’t afford that now.”
As well as the damage, Louisa Jennings says the vandalism has made her angry about how the town is policed. “I just don’t feel safe here anymore, which is sad for somewhere like Rye. You never see the police.”
The Sussex Police crime reference is 472 305 34.
Lottery win for Little Gate
Little Gate Farm at Beckley is thrilled to announce it has secured a £300,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities fund, providing 3 years of support.
This funding will run the farm’s Supported Apprenticeships programme helping young adults with learning disabilities and autism gain valuable work experience and qualifications. Many of the apprentices move on to paid employment making it truly life-changing.
A spokesperson for Little Gate said: “Huge congratulations to Little Gate colleagues and everyone involved in making this programme a success. Your hard work has created an outstanding initiative that the National Lottery is proud to support. Thank you to the National Lottery and the Lottery players for enabling this transformational work to continue. Three cheers for Little Gate!”
The National Lottery Community Fund
#CommunitySupport #Inclusion #LittleGate
Skatepark to be repaired
At the town council meeting on Monday July 15, councillors agreed to ask Fearless Ramps, the original installer of the Rye skatepark, to refurbish the facility. As the council is committed to being given a head lease on Rye Leisure Centre to support the transfer of its management to the Rye Recreation and Wellbeing charity, as well as re-opening the town’s toilets closed by Rother District Council, the skatepark refurbishment will need to be phased.
It is intended to start phase 1 this year, hopefully during August. The starting point will be the resurfacing of the tarmac base. The items of equipment to be refurbished (with slate-coloured Skatelite), or new items to be provided, have not yet been decided.
Rye skatepark was one of the first to be created by Fearless. The company says it is delighted to have been asked to rejuvenate it. The Skatelite will be supplied by local firm, Surface Matter, on Harbour Road.
Rye News get together
Thanks to everyone who came along to the Rye News meeting on Monday July 15 at The Queen’s Head. The back room at the pub was rammed with people keen to find out more about Rye’s local paper. We heard story ideas, suggested features, and met future members of the team. Plus lots of discussion about what Rye News could and should do. And plenty of local gossip…
If you couldn’t make it on Monday and want to know more about getting involved with Rye News, do get in touch – our email is info@ryenews.org.uk. We’re looking for people to write stories, contribute ideas, preview and review events, and follow up leads and news items.
We’ll be offering training in writing and photography at our base at Rye Cricket Club too.
Details of the September event to follow. Venue suggestions welcome.
It was a busy night in the Queen’s Head, with the Chamber of Commerce also hosting its monthly People Planet Pint gathering. Sarah Broadbent from the Chamber says everyone is welcome. “The social events are simply a way of sharing ideas and best practice when it comes to making your business more sustainable. No prior knowledge is required – the evenings aren’t for science experts. The evenings are sponsored by Krystal (an ethical web host company) and the first 33 drinks are free. This month the Chamber joined up with another great local sustainability initiative Green Drinks – which is run by Transition Rye for double the chance to make some good contacts.”
Harbour Road parking changes
New parking restrictions at Rye Harbour are set to come into force after proposals gained the go ahead from county councillors. On Wednesday July 10 East Sussex County Council’s Planning Committee sign off on plans to update traffic restrictions, including new double-yellow lines at the junction of Mary Stanford Green and Harbour Road.
The council received four objections on the grounds that the restrictions would extend too far west from the junction and remove a parking space. Another objection suggested the proposal should also include a no waiting sign opposite Seafarers.
Officers argued the change should go ahead as it was “considered necessary to aid driver visibility” but said the proposals could be amended to retain the parking space. The amended version was agreed.
Future plans
There’s a meeting of Rye Town Council’s Planning and Townscape Committee this Monday July 22 at 6.30pm. The council’s response to the Rother District plan is on the agenda at the town hall. Details here
Meanwhile consultation on the Rother Plan is open for a few more days. It closes at 5pm on Tuesday July 23. There are hard copies of the proposals in Rye Library or you can view it online here.
From the Rye News What’s on diary
Image Credits: Louisa Jennings , Little Gate , James Stewart , RDC .
It is worrying that the police are conspicuous by their absence in Rye. What happens to the money supposed to fund policing?
An update on the Skatepark: The plan for this year is to re-tarmac the base, modify and refurbish (with Skatelite) the largest item of equipment – and then to repair the remaining items of equipment so that they can continue to be used until funding is found to refurbish them as well.
I’m curious to know why the Skatepark exists. Very few serious skateboarders use it. Most kids use it to hide from view, vape, and smoke whatever else. All around it there’s debris such as plastic bottles, smoking paraphernalia, crisp packets, and intentional destruction of items found in the vicinity. No doubt when the Skatepark is refurbished it will only be a matter or hours before it’s covered in graffiti again. I’m not suggesting there should be nothing on the site. But perhaps something more inclusive that doesn’t attract such needless vandalism and anti-social behaviour would be preferable.
What “more inclusive” something would you suggest? I’ve seen loads of kids using the skatepark for skateboarding. You get the occasional supermarket trolley riders but hey we were all teenagers once weren’t we!
Popping a video camera could be an option!!
It’s good to see a town with a skate ramp or three. Sure it’s a place to hangout, but that’s part of the skater lifestyle. It could help those folk who didn’t skate as a teenager understand where the request for this skate park is coming from. Is there a community champion for it who is linked to youth groups for example?
Neil Archer has a point,
Questions of as to why we have a skate park but no suggestions about what would replace it.
I grew up in Rye in the 50’s when places to hang out were few and far between but our favourite haunts were the various lookouts, the Gun Gardens, Hilders Cliff and even under the railway bridge by the windmill etc
Kids will always gather somewhere what appears to be a problem won’t go away because you remove a focal point.
I’m not defending criminal damage or drug use just saying that if they don’t gather there then someone else will inherit them.