A magical experience awaits you in Otford High Street this festive season, with stalls selling everything from handmade gifts and arts and crafts goodies to fudge, gin, and cute stocking fillers. When your shopping ventures have worked up an appetite, dig into a bag of hot roasted chestnuts and get well and truly in the Christmas spirit with a cup of mulled wine. In addition, there will be a range of craft activities for young and old taking place in The Memorial Hall, with festive music to add to the atmosphere. And Father Christmas! Christmas Markets have long been a tradition in German speaking countries, the first dating from 1434 when Dresden held one on Christmas Eve. In the UK the first city to host one was Lincoln, in 1982. Otford is slow to catch up; 2022 will be our first ever but hopefully not our last. Our village pubs, coffee shops and restaurants will be serving an array of Christmas treats so be sure to book a table and enjoy the Otford Christmas Fayre.

Back in May we were delighted to present our very first award to Sue Stephenson. Is there someone you know who really deserves it this time around? A neighbour, a local businessperson, or even someone who until recently was a complete stranger – that person who goes the extra mile to support our community. It’s not too late to send your nomination to communitystars@otfordsociety.org.uk. In a few sentences, tell us what this individual has done for Otford. We’ll be announcing the winner at our next general meeting on November 10th and, with their consent, publicising their story in the local press and on social media. And don’t be discouraged if your nominee doesn’t get the award this time around, as we plan to repeat this twice a year from now on.

The Otford Craft Guild and the Friends of Otford Station are delighted to announce a new scheme to support local craft businesses. There will be two individual craft stalls popping up in the station building between 3.30pm and 6.30pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month: September 8, October 13, November 10 and December 8. Please pop by, say hi and support your local crafters.

Thank you so much to all of you who have volunteered to join the "Friends of Otford Station" group which is managed by The Otford Society working in close collaboration with the Darent Valley Community Rail Partnership.  We now have 19 volunteers and you may have noticed some of the changes that have already taken place.  Following on from the new planter on platform 1 there are lovely new wooden window boxes freshly planted with flowers at the front of the station.  The horticultural team, led by James Holdak, are co-ordinating the watering of these through the hot weather to keep them looking their best. Huge thanks must also go to Coolings Garden Centre for donating plants.  There are further plans to plant spring and summer bulbs down the length of platform 2 to follow on from the autumn planting scheme in the window boxes. A talented team is working on posters showing the history of the station which aim to be informative, attractive and fun.  Look out for these in the coming months! Do follow us on our blog, and if you'd like to get involved email us at station@otfordsociety.org.uk. 

It was brilliant to see so many of you join us at our annual Garden Party behind the gates of The Old Parsonage in Otford High St on Saturday. Courtesy of Tom and Anita Watson we enjoyed an evening of drinks, canapés, sunshine and great company, with our own violin duet playing. The raffle raised £205 in aid of the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, while  proceeds from ticket sales will go towards our village projects. Thank you to everyone who attended, to the team of volunteers who made the event possible and most of all to our kind hosts. Here's some of the lovely feedback we've had from those who attended: "What a grand occasion!  Our thanks to yourself and to everyone who helped organise such a lovely event.  It made me realise all over again what a wonderful place Otford is to live in!" (Alan) "Just a word of thanks for a delightful evening yesterday at the Garden Party... We spent a very entertaining time chatting with people we know and some we didn’t – but do now! Very well organised all round, and a delicious range of edible goodies was constantly on stream. So again, thanks to you all and to your helpers and of course our gracious hosts. Such a perfect setting, too. Another corner of the village that we don’t usually get to see!" (Jeff) "Many thanks to the generous hosts for letting us into their lovely garden. A very enjoyable evening!" (Jo) "Thank you Otford Society, Tom and Anita. A lovely evening with excellent company." (Sarah) "It was a lovely evening! Thank you!" (James) "A really lovely occasion that we thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to all who worked so hard and to our generous hosts." (Betty)

Have you bought your ticket for the Otford Society's Garden Party yet? And have you ever wondered what lies behind the beautiful Old Parsonage in the High Street? You may not know that the garden was laid out in the early part of the last century by the famous garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Although little of her original design remains, it is still perfectly beautiful. We are delighted that the current owners have kindly allowed us to use it for our party from 6-8pm on Saturday August 6th. Tickets (for Otford residents only) cost £20 and can be purchased here . They include a welcome drink, delicious canapes, and some excellent company. But hurry, as numbers are strictly limited!

to the annual Otford Society Garden Party, on Saturday 6th August from 6-8pm at The Old Parsonage, Otford High Street. Tickets (for Otford residents only) are priced at £20 per person but numbers are strictly limited, so order soon here. The ticket includes a welcome drink, delicious canapes and great company in a beautiful setting. We look forward to seeing you there!

What a wonderful day! The sun shone and the people of Otford turned out in great numbers to celebrate her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee. Thank you so much to everyone who came to the Great Village BBQ for making it such a wonderful event. Huge thanks go to the large team of volunteers who made the day happen - we genuinely couldn’t have done it without you! Also thanks to St Barts for all the help and support; to the Evangelical and Methodist churches for the wonderful activities for children; to Emma and Richard for the lovely cakes, teas and coffee; and to The Rising Sun for the tasty Hog Roast, burgers, sausages and vegan meals. The wonderful musical entertainers did an amazing job and it was really helpful that so many people put their rubbish in the bins or took it home. What a brilliant and fun event - well done to the whole village!

Once again the crowds flocked to the Wheel of Fortune at the Otford Village Fete on May 28th. As well as providing a lot of fun and some great prizes for everyone who took part, 26 spins of the wheel raised a terrific £460 for the Otford Society. This will go a long way to funding our projects and events for the next year. A big thank you to everyone who came along to support us.

Chairman Rod Shelton was delighted to present the Otford Society's first Community Star Award at our Annual General Meeting on May 26th. Sue Stephenson is well known to residents for her work in the Parish Office, and for her unstinting support of so many community initiatives. Congratulations Sue! And do keep telling us who in the community deserves recognition; this is to be a quarterly award. It was wonderful to see so many in the village hall for our first AGM since 2019. We are grateful that more people stepped forward to volunteer for our village projects - THANK YOU. Roger Gough’s talk “Otford - into the Future” gave great insight into the challenges that we face and there were numerous helpful questions and suggestions that we have noted. Finally, if you haven’t yet signed up for the Society and made your annual donation of just £10 per household, you can do so here.