Calendar of Meetings 2024
Planning Meeting on 21st February is cancelled
Meetings subject to change to check please contact 01732 844546
Dear Neighbour,
Helping Ukraine people is the most important thing we can be doing right now.
Many people have asked how they can help.
The most direct and effective way to help is to give money to the Disasters Emergency Committee. The government has promised to match donations (which can be made at dec.org.uk) and you can be sure your donation will be spent on what is really needed. Some private small collections are being held up at Dover because they don't have the proper paperwork which is now necessary because of Brexit. Many local centres, and in Poland, have closed to clothing donations due to overwhelming size of donations already received.
Trudy
County Councillor for Larkfield, East and West Malling
The Downsman
Bulletin of The Royal Society of St. George, North Downs Branch
Spring Edition, 2022
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – to be celebrated at our St. George’s Day dinner HM Queen Elizabeth ll is the first British monarch to have reigned for 70 years – a tremendous milestone in our history, and one to be celebrated on Saturday 23 rd April atour Branch’s St. George’s Day dinner. The Covid pandemic has prevented us from holding so many of our usual events, but now we feel able and confident to reconvene our normal schedule as a Branch, beginning with St. George’s Day (an event not celebrated by us for two years).
This year, our dinner will be held at The Spitfire, Kings Hill, near West Malling. The menu will consist of two courses, with – of course – the Roast Beef of Olde England as the centerpiece! The price of the meal, per person, will be £18.95 – the dress code, lounge suits or blazers. Just prior to dinner, we will be holding a short ceremony at the RAF memorial at King’s Hill (the site of a wartime aerodrome) to honour “The Few”. It is
anticipated that this will begin at 6.45pm.
To book your place, please complete and return the form at the end of this newsletter.
We look forward to rekindling our Branch spirit, and to welcome new members.
Jubilee weekend
On Sunday 5th June, the Branch will be fielding its outdoor team at this year’s East Malling Picnic in the Park. Our gazebo, complete with fluttering flags, will act as a recruitment point of the Society, in addition to offering a sale of plants and flowers – theproceeds of which will be given to local charities, including the Heart of Kent Hospice.
Our Deputy Chairman, Wing Commander Mike Sutton, has been working tirelessly for this and other causes – and he tells The Downsman newsletter that the Branch has also been able during the pandemic to make a donation to the Kent Wildlife Trust.
If you would like to take part in the June event, please contact us on: 07956 035821.
English Music Festival
So many events and organisations across the country have been affected by the pandemic. The arts have particularly suffered, but this year we are pleased to announce that the English Music Festival is returning to its famous old home of Dorchester Abbey in Oxfordshire, complete with an appearance by the BBC Concert Orchestra, which will play Vaughan Williams’s ballet music to Old King Cole – the story of an ancient, legendary British monarch – and the Violin Concerto by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Mrs. Em Marshall-Luck, the founder and director of the Festival has appealed to The Royal Society of St. George and its members to support the EMF, especially its valuable work in promoting the activities of younger musicians. If you would like to help, please contact Em via the Festival website: www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk
Battle of Britain Memorial Trust
Another charity with which we are closely associated is The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. Group Captain Patrick Tootal OBE, informs us that July’s Memorial Day at Capel- le-Ferne, near Folkestone, will be going ahead – but that priority is being given to the families of RAF personnel. At the impressive ‘Wing’ – the visitor centre at Capel – an art exhibition is being held this year, which will certainly help to raise the profile of this
vital charity, reminding us of the importance of the events of 1940 and the RAF’s role in securing Britain’s continued freedom and independence. For further details, please contact Patrick on: 07802 428662.
Archaeology in East Malling
Archaeologists have been hard at work this year in East Malling, uncovering Roman remains close to the village railway station; and artefacts (from the Roman period) and from the 17 th -century at the Church of St. James the Great. On Saturday 14 th May, at 7.30pm, the Friends of the Church will be hosting a talk by the leading lights of Darnley Archaeological Services, who will give an overview of their work and findings. For
further details, contact us on 07956 035821 – and we will pass on your details.
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Booking form for the 23 rd April.
Yes, I/we would like to attend the Platinum Jubilee, St. George’ Day dinner at The Spitfire, Kings Hill. I/we would like to order ….. ticket(s) at £18.95 per head. I/we enclose our cheque, made payable to: The Royal Society of St. George, North Downs Branch.
Name:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Address/email/telephone:
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Please return this form, with your cheque, to: The Royal Society of St. George, North Downs Branch, 52 The Rocks Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6AU.