Ramblers celebrate milestone

They met at Centre Stage in London Road to mark their anniversary by holding a garden party in the warm sunshine of Sunday afternoon.

Chairman Sally Moore gave a speech in which she welcomed honorary members Dennis Cole, Chris Kennedy, Margaret Good and Beryl Murrell as well as past members.

Committee members present included Ann Piper, Pearl Adams, Shirley Witham, Ann Bevan, Frank and Sheila Baker.

The club has always maintained a steady membership of around 100 and now has approximately 125.

It was founded in 1969 by Councillor Ron Stone and had its inaugural meeting at Sidley House.

The original programme was one short walk a month which started at Cooden Beach, the Turkey - now Rose And Crown - or Sidley.

There was a one day walk in August to Telham, with lunch at the Black Horse, and back via Cobbs Hill Farm in Watermill Lane for a Cream Tea.

It was this that prompted club member Edith Britton to write her book of walks which was published in 1983.

Edith's photograph appeared in the Observer, and when she died she left the profits from her book to the Ramblers Association, and this money was used to way-mark Bexhill's link into the 1066 Country Walk. The Bexhill-Battle link was inaugurated on August 29 1998, and was the brain-child of rights-of-way officer Dennis Cole.

"This is a particularly memorable event in the Club's history of which we should all be very proud," said Sally to members.

There were other milestones of club activity to look back to such as the torch light procession from the De La Warr Pavilion to Galley Hill for the 1077 Silver Jubilee, a wet evening which involved one of their group breaking a leg and being recovered by helicopter

Other casualties have included Eve Reece who fell on an icy walk near Bodiam and broke her wrist and Alice Head who fell down a rabbit hole near Battle, as well as other falls into water and even a slurry heap.