OUT IN THE FIELD: Sad death of Eastbourne baker Cliff Bennett and surviving the lockdown with a teenage girl
Week two of having the Little Princess and Himself at home 24/7 and surprisingly I haven’t yet had the urge to start digging a six feet deep plot in one of my raised vegetable patches. While my colleagues and I are still working from our own homes to keep everyone informed of all the latest news, views and sport on our website and in our newspapers, the two other incumbents at Chateau Field are out every day shopping for neighbours, collecting prescriptions and cleaning the house around me. After my early morning ramble around Pevensey, Westham, Hankham, Rickney and Stone Cross, daily video calls have now become the norm here. Every day I put on a work shirt and make-up for the aforementioned video ‘hang-outs’ but little do the other callers know that from the waist down I have on my jim jams and pink fluffy slippers. With no school and only the odd online assignment towards her GCSE qualifications, teaching the Little Princess life skills continues apace and I am trying to convince her to make her own readies by picking up the manure from the two horses we have at the bottom of our garden and selling them to the little passing traffic there is on the roads. That idea has not gone down well thus far but we live in hope.
Finally this week some terribly sad news to report following the death of former Eastbourne baker extraordinaire Cliff Bennett. Cliff worked at Bondolfi’s before setting up Saffron’s Patisserie in Grove Road. He worked tirelessly as a baker and trained many young people who went on to be successful in their own right. When he finally hung up his baker’s hat, Cliff and Maureen’s daughter Karen and son Mark took over the business and opened Cavendish Bakery in Cavendish Place. Cliff was also a huge supporter of the Special Olympics Eastbourne and Eastbourne Borough Football Club. He had a wonderful sense of humour and a warm smile to match and will be sadly missed.
Until next week, stay safe.