The Village of Wark

Wark Notes- 24 July 200

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that a number of people were going to spend some time cleaning up and cataloguing the books in the Victorian Library in the Town Hall.  I know the collection of books could be seen as a bit of a millstone: hundreds of Victorian books need looking after and it is not as if there’s been much call for the complete works of Sir Walter Scott and everything that’s ever been written about the man- everything that is until about the end of the 19^th century.    You can however also see it as an essential part of the history of the village, a collection that’s worth cherishing.  I’m pleased to be able to report that all books have now been cleaned and that the recording of everything there is will continue over the next few weeks.  Perhaps one of the most interesting things that came to light in the cleaning, were the minutes from meetings in the 1860 which established the reading room.  It details the publications that were to be bought and eventually a plan was hatched to build a Mechanics Institute for the village.  The minutes record the appointment of the architect, tenders for the work and much more.  A fascinating read and actually not that different from the things the Town Hall Committee discussed just a few years ago when the Hall went through its refurbishment.

Pride in the village seems to be flavour of the month with a group of men having a go at cleaning the bridge of vegetation last week.  If the Council won’t do it, there is no reason why we, collectively, can’t put some effort into it ourselves.  The work has been much appreciated and the team was ably supported in the efforts by refreshments from the surrounding houses.  Thank you very much everyone concerned.  I understand the path from the bridge to the school is next and that there are further plans afoot.

It is not yet too late to book yourself a place for the Birtley Village barbeque which will take place this coming Sunday, 26 July 2009 on the playing field in the village.  There will be live music from local; band Landermason, face painting, games, tombola and a raffle.  Tickets are £3 to include salads and entertainment, and under 12s go free.  Expect to pay a bit more for the barbeque meats.  You’ll need to book tickets to allow the organisers to plan the amount of food they need.  You can do so by contacting Ann on (01434) 230464, Liz on 230612 or Bob on 230728.

You’ll have noticed that the work at the Sportsclub got underway this week with the car park being dug up for the installation of the ground-source heat pump.  It looks a bit of a mess while the work is going on, digging things up never looks pretty, but the end result- a sustainable heating system for  the building – will be worth it in the end.  There’s plenty more work to come over the next couple of months, so watch this space for further updates.

Finally a big ‘Thank You’ to Mrs Edwards, Headteacher at Wark School for the past 15 or so years.  Lots of things have happened over that time and many, many children have come through the school.  Like in virtually all rural first school, there are fewer  children in the school now than 15 years ago, but the facilities are infinitely better, the care for preschool children is much more closely integrated in school life and the profile that the school has achieved through a bit range of awards is very impressive.  Most importantly, the children seem to be very happy there.  So this week was one of farewells, with the  summer art exhibition providing an opportunity for family and friends to see the art work that the children have made and to say goodbye to Mrs Edwards.   We hope that Sheila and her husband John will enjoy a long and happy retirement.

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