News in brief March 8

Here’s a roundup of some of the other stories making the news in Rye this week.

#Election24

The Hastings and Rye constituency is likely to be what political journalists call a “key battleground” in the coming general election, so it’s not surprising to see senior MPs visiting.

Last week Stephen Kinnock, the shadow minister for immigration, attended a fundraiser for Helena Dollimore, the Labour Party candidate for Hastings and Rye. The MP joined local supporters at Rye Community Centre for an evening of discussion, music, a raffle, and food laid on by councillor Simon McGurk. Mr Kinnock is the second member of the shadow cabinet to visit Rye in recent months. In November, Steve Reed, shadow secretary of state for the environment, food and rural affairs, visited the Thursday market to talk to local businesses.

Earlier in February, Sally-Ann Hart was joined in St Leonards by MP Lee Anderson as part of National Apprenticeship Week. His visit came three weeks after Mr Anderson resigned as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party.

Scammers target Winchelsea

Several people in Winchelsea have been targeted in an email scam, leading to fears a contact list has been hacked. The scam comes in the form of an email which appears to be from a friend explaining they have been locked out of their Amazon account and cannot buy the present they want to get for their daughter / friend / brother’s birthday. The emailer then asks the recipient to buy the gift for them saying they will pay the money back “the next time I see you.”

The advice is never to click on any links and never to be tempted to engage. Delete the email, before checking with your friend to confirm the message was in fact a scam.

Time stands still in Rye

March amnesty for missing library books

Rye Library says anybody who returns an overdue book this month won’t be fined. East Sussex Library Service, which loaned out over a million books across the county last year, is waiving the charge until the end of March.

Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member responsible for libraries, said: “Our previous amnesty led to the return of hundreds of books, including one due back in 1975, and we hope that we have the same success this year.”

Dates for the diary

There’s an Auction of Promises in Winchelsea this weekend. It’s taking place on Saturday, March 9 at the New Hall to raise funds for the restoration of the hall and will be led by former London auctioneer Reverend Jonathan Meyer of St Thomas’ Winchelsea. There are 50 lots including: afternoon tea at The Ritz, yoga lessons, bridge tuition, a historic guided walk around Rye for 10 people, and and wine tasting at Charles Palmer.

It’s the first meeting of Rye Chamber of Commerce in 2024 next week. Members and non-members are invited to the networking event at Waterworks Brewery and Taproom on Rye Road on Wednesday, March 13 between 6pm and 10pm. Special guest Lucie Bolton, Rother District Council’s climate strategy officer, will be providing an update on Rother’s new climate plan for the district and what that means for businesses operating in Rye. The bar is open throughout, food is from Wild Flame Pizza, and there’s music from Logan Wilson and Matt. More information here.

Get in touch

If you see anything happening in and around Rye our email is info@ryenews.org.uk.

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Image Credits: Natasha Robinson , Ophtek CC , James Stewart .