The Village of Wark

 The fourth Wark Apple Fair had people from all over the district flocking to the Town Hall again last Saturday. With the current interest in growing your own food  and things like food miles, more and more people realize that those fruit trees at the bottom of the garden might be worth finding out more about.  Trevor Rogers, the apple expert who’d travelled up from Lincolnshire, was kept busy throughout the day with a whole lot of challenges.  This year for instance, there seemed to be more Lane’s Prince Albert apples than in previous years.  One very interesting apple was one brought in from Ovington.  Locally known as the Ovington Apple, it has a very distinctive long shape and Trevor was very clear that the only known variety like that is Lady’s Finger of Lancaster and the colour was all wrong for it to be that.  On the while, the hall was full of families doing fun activities like making apples out of felt or having a go at nestbox building and trying a huge array of different varieties of apples. The Apple Fair was again generously supported by a number of people in the village who had made their favourite apple-related cakes for the teas and coffees and any takings for the ID and sales go to help offset the costs of running it.  The feedback on the Apple Fair has again been very positive so perhaps we’ll have another one in 2010.

If you’re interested in quizes, you are still in good time to get yourself a team together for the Quiz Night at Birtley Village Hall on Friday 16^th October 2009.  Tickets are £5 per person with under 16s being just £3.  For that money you’ll not just get a great night of entertainment and competition, but also soup and a roll.  There will of course be prizes and a bar and you can also expect a raffle.  If you want to come, please reserve a ticket by contacting Lesley on (01434) 230210, Andrew on (01434) 230970 or Bob on (01434) 230728.  The quiz starts at 7.30 for 8 p.m.

The group that many of you will know as Mothers and Toddlers which meets in the Town Hall in Wark every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. would be very keen to make contact with any adult looking after small children at home, whether you’re a mum, dad, gran or granddad or any other relation.  The group provides a welcome point of contact, a bit chat and a coffee for the adults, while the little ones have an opportunity to play with some different toys from those at home.  You’d be made to feel very welcome.

Word has reached me that the Stonehaugh Community Hall is at last nearing completion.  The original social club will soon be closing its doors and will be reopening in the new building.  The transition will happen at the end of October with a farewell part on Friday the 30^th followed by a Halloween party on Saturday the 31^st.  Both old and new buildings will be open.  It would be lovely to see anyone with connections to the village and the social club, be they past or present and you’re even welcome if you want to develop those connections for the future!  If you have any questions about the transition or the parties, you can contact Anne Bulman on (01434) 230624.