The Village of Wark

Archive for March, 2010

Those of you who have been reading these ‘Notes’ for a while, will know that I, like many in the area, keep an eye on the returning of particular birds on our patch.  After a long winter the singing of a blackbird can help lift the spirit.  One of the birds that I always look (or listen) out for is the curlew.  I’m pleased to be able to report that I heard my first one on the 16^th.  This is a bit later than normal, but only by a day or two.  In the mean time kingfishers have also been spotted on the river and I also spotted a yellowhammer singing away near Blindburn last weekend.  Is spring on its way?

In news from Wark First School, I’ve been told that all parents, family and friends have been invited to attend a musical fundraising afternoon on the last day of term, Thursday 1^st April from 2pm until 3pm organised by the children to raise money for the Haiti disaster. This will be an afternoon of music and song with whole school, group and solo performances. Entry fee will be £1 and refreshments, cakes, biscuits (made by the children), tea and coffee will be available. The school newsletter had a reply slip attached which you should complete and return if you can.  If you don’t get the school newsletter, I’m sure you’d still be welcome, but please let the school know that you’re coming.

Also in the school, Miss Coulthard is needing plastic bottles, any size, but especially 1 litre. I think the idea is to create a plastic bottle greenhouse for the new school allotment.  You can send these bottles into school at any time.

You’ll have spotted the article in last week’s Courant about the bridge and the assurance from the County Council that there are no plans at the moment to close it to traffic.  One thing you might have missed it that someone set up a Facebook page to save the bridge which achived a fantastic following in a very short time.  Within just a few hours there were more than 100 people who’d signed up and the number linked to it last Sunday was more than 470.  That’s a great achievement. 

If you get to read this column on Friday (or even on Thursday night) you might still get yourself to Stonehaugh fro the official opening of the new Community Hall on 26^th March 2010.  The official ribbon cutting will be done by Kathryn Tickell at 2 p.m. and the Community Hall will be open all afternoon for anyone to come and have a look at.  The celebrations will continue with an evening of music with Landermason.

The rain last Saturday showed up a number of places where water was coming into the Town Hall.  The theft of the lead flashing had made this almost inevitable.  I’m pleased to be able to report that the two quotes for the repair have been submitted to the insurance company and the Town Hall Committee hopes to be able to get on with the work sooner rather than later.

Word has reached me that a petition is underway in Wark and surrounding villages to try and get the powers that be to take notice of the tragic state of the bridge over the Tyne.  Last Friday night both our County Councillor Edward Heslop and the Conservative Parliamentary candidate Guy Opperman attended a meeting in the Grey Bull initiated by George Tait. You can find copies of the petition in various locations round the village, so please add your signature it.  We’ve got to keep trying to get the bridge repaired or replaced.

Some 50 people came together in the Town Hall last week to celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the Wark branch of the Women’s Institute.  There was an evening of entertainment by Eddie Milligan, Mike Tickell and one or two others.  Mike used an old WI cookbook as the inspiration for one of this pieces which was a very nice touch.  There was a wide range of old programmes of WI events on show, including one of the very first year of the Wark branch, 1920. The birthday cake was cut by the oldest serving members present, Stella Robson and Norma Coulson.  Both started their WI careers in other branches in the area but are now members at Wark.  There is one older current member, but unfortunately Mrs. Babs Pattison can no longer attend the meetings although she remains a member.

Preparations are now well underway for the next big event organized by the Wark Local History Group.  You’ll remember the tremendous success of the Yesteryears event in June last year and this year the group will be holding VE Day Celebrations on Saturday the 8^th of May.  You’ll have had a flyer through the door a few weeks back encouraging you to contact the organizers with any war time stories, any artifacts you might be willing to show and anything else relation to World War II which you think might be of interest.  The group is particularly keen to find out if anyone has pictures of the original 1945 celebrations on the Green.  There are a couple of pictures in the collection that the history group scanned a few years ago, but there might well be more.  You can contact Fransje Samsom, Philip Wanless, Ged Short or any other members of the Local History Group

Monica Munzinger of the Building Research Establishment (BRE) visited the Sports Club recently to have a look at how they have managed their renewable energy installations and how it is all working.  I understand from Philip Wanless that she is likely to use the club as a case study showing best practice in this type of work, which would be a very nice bit of recognition.

I mentioned the official opening of the new Community Hall in Stonehaugh a few weeks ago, well, that opening is now fairly imminent. The date set for this event is Friday 26^th March 2010 starting at about 1.30 p.m.  The official ribbon cutting will be done by Kathryn Tickell at 2 p.m. and the Community Hall will be open all afternoon for anyone to come and have a look at.  The celebrations will continue with an evening of music with Landermason.

The Northumberland Theatre Company managed to pull off that almost impossible feat, to present a play that was funny while at the same time giving you lots of important things to think about.  With just 5 actors and someone on lights and sound they presented a packed Town Hall with no fewer than 12 characters in the fictional village of Aldale.  ‘A Village Life’ is based on conversations that the writer Mary Cooper had with bus drivers and post men, farmers and business people, young people and councilors  and many more during 2009 and she managed to lift from those conversations truths that we’d all recognize. Moments of hilarity were mixed with extreme tension- everyone must have felt the loneliness of the farmer struggling to keep his farm viable, while moments later having to smile at the approach of the ‘Wellburn-Tofts’, the Lord of the Manor and his very posh wife.  I’m afraid this writing can’t do justice to the piece itself or to the performances of the actors.  If you missed it I can only recommend that you try to get to see it at Newbrough Town Hall on 26 March 2010.  With regard to our own performance in the hall last weekend, I can report that thanks to bar, raffle and a full house the Town Hall committee made a small profit.

The school field was also the scene of much activity, when a group of parents, children and one or two school staff created a brand new school vegetable garden.  Thanks to the generous support by Johnson Controls in Washington, where one of the parents works, all the materials for the veg garden- fencing, boards for raised beds and geotextiles to keep the weeds down- was paid for through their Blue Sky Initiative.  Over the next few months the beds will be planted up and the hope is very much that some of the vegetables will be ready for the summer holidays.  You might even see an entry or two in the Leek Show in September as well.  I understand that the children are already excited about growing their own vegetables.

If you missed the bingo this week or if you fancy another one, you need to know about the bingo in aid of St. Michael’s Church which will take place in the Town Hall next Tuesday, the 9^th of March.  Most of you will know the form, just turn up by 7.30 when the fun starts.

Finally a quick word about the Stonehaugh Community hall. Firstly, there is an election on.  This time we’re not talking about the General Election, but the election of committee members.  There are 10 people on the list to fill five vacancies on the committee and according to the governing document all residents over the age of 18 living in the parish of Wark are eligible to vote.  To get an election form you can contact Anne Bulman on (01434) 230624 or from wark Parish Council.  Forms need to be returned by Wednesday 10 March 2010.  The Community Hall in Stonehaugh will be officially opened on Friday 26^th March.  More details will follow later this month.