The Village of Wark

Archive for May, 2010

The small army of volunteers at the 21^st Wark Charity Lunch last Wednesday deserved to put their feet up after their effort to feed two sittings with one hundred people per sitting.  As I have said many a time before, the Charity Lunch is one of those fantastic village institutions that show what a generous place this is.  No less than £3800 was raised for this year’s chosen charity, Tynedale Hospice at Home.  This is again up on last year and the money just keeps on coming.  On the day itself, there wasn’t just the food, but a stall with home produce and a fantastic raffle with 28 prizes.  I understand that a reporter from the Hexham Courant helped out during the day and got a real insight of the inner workings of the event.  I’ve been asked to especially thank the Co-op and the Battlesteads for providing some of the food and drink and the Mart in Hexham for allowing a couple of our retired farmers to set up camp there on Tuesday and sell raffle prizes.  A truly Herculean effort and something that all those involved can be justly proud of.

The WI will be having a cake stall on the Green on Saturday May 29^th starting at 10 a.m.  As we all know the quality of the WI cakes is such that you really can’t afford to arrive 15 minutes later as you can be fairly sure that everything will have been sold by then.  I suppose one hopes for nice weather on those occasions, but you can be fairly sure that it will be a success whatever the weather!

This weekend, on Friday 21^st of May to be precise, Birtley Village Hall will be hosting an Antiques Night with Andrew McCoull. Antique nights never fail to amaze me: every time some new gems turn up from people’s collections and you get to hear some fascinating stories.  Like with the Antiques Roadshow on TV, the value of most items is really of a secondary nature, it’s the stories attached to them that make it interesting.  The Antiques Night starts at  7 p.m. for 7.30 and tickets cost £5 per person (cheese and a glass of wine included). Valuations are £2 per item.  Please reserve tickets in advance by contacting Liz on (01434) 230612 or Lesley on (01434) 230210.

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According to the guys who brought the classic military vehicles to the VE Day last weekend, ours was the only village in Northumberland marking the day in any way.  That alone would be something to be proud of, but there was very much more than that. Whether it was the contributions from the children in the school, the wonderful display in the Town Hall, the great tea or the excellent dance in the evening, they were all memorable and worth remembering for many years.  I was particularly struck by the personal things that people generously lent out for the exhibition, photographs, uniforms, very small items like a tiny spoon with the image of the Dutch queen, or food coupons; all contributed to a very touching and personal way of marking 65 years since the end of World War II. The dance in the evening brought together about 70 people.  I was really interested to see the great age range and the tremendous lengths people had gone to to look the part.  The music was brilliant, the dancing entertaining and a good night was had by all. Days like that don’t happen without a huge number of people playing their part and it is just about impossible to thank everyone who’s made a contribution, in the months of preparation, by providing memories, mementos or exhibits from the war, by providing food on the day, giving of their time on the day, donations for prizes, sorting out the evening entertainment, providing dancing tuition or making the Green car-free on the day. They all played an important part and deserve heartfelt thanks.  Like last year, there were quite a few people taking pictures and I dare say they will become available before too long.

You will remember that I mentioned the book sale in St Michael’s Church last week.  I bumped into the Rev. Michael Thompson at the weekend and he told me that the sale raised over £800 for church funds, a tremendous achievement.

And finally, this week the Hall will be filled to the gunnels, not once but twice on one day. Yes, it’s the day of our annual Charity Lunch.  Booked up weeks ago and looked forward to by many, many people. Another event that depends on many people working together and requiring lots of planning. Look out for the full report next week.

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Well, this weekend see another big history event with the celebrations of the 65^th anniversary of VE Day.  Members of the Wark Local History Group have been preparing for months, going through various ups and downs, but here we are, ready to roll.  I’ve been asked to point out that, contrary to what was published last week, you’re asked to bring a contribution to the Victory Tea on the Green.  It is also worth reminding you that there are competitions for ‘Best dressed family’ and ‘Best Dad’s army lookalike’ and a tug of war competition, all happening after 3 o’clock on the Green.  It’s not too late to get tickets for the dance in the Town Hall in the evening.  You can get them on the door at £3.50 each.

About 50 people were treated to an absolutely wonderful event at the Town Hall last week, when Hugh Lupton and Chris Wood brought their ‘On Common Ground’ to the village as part of the Highlights programme.  ‘On Common Ground’ tells the story of the poet John Clare, who lived through a wholesale change of the English landscape, in the first half of the 19^th century when the area that he lived and grew up in, Helpston between Peterborough and Stamford, was enclosed. What the performance brought out more than anything else, was that for Clare, the land and the landscape were part of his being, so that, when that all changed , he lost himself.  The CD that goes with the performance (as is customary on these occasions) says: “This is a performance that explores the porous boundaries between language and place, madness and exile, love and loss.”  If you ever get the chance to go and see, and especially hear the performance, do so.  It’s brilliant.

Word has reached me that 4 people from the village will be doing an epic sponsored walk at the end of the month.  Robert Baty, Mary Robinson. Jim and Linda Famelton will join another 4 from Bellingham and walk from Carter Bar to the Anchor at Kielder in aid of the Northumberland Air Ambulance on May the 30^th.  You can find sponsorship forms in the butcher’s or at the post office and support this very good cause.

At the time of writing, there is still a full day to go at the Big Book sale at St. Michael’s Church.  I found some gems when I called in earlier and I understand that a fair number of people came through the doors on Saturday.  I dare say I’ll find out later this week how much was raised over the three days and will report in due course.  It’s worth mentioning that many people contributed to its success, ranging from people donating books, making biscuits, cakes and preserves to sell or doing a stint in church.  Special thanks go to John and Cyril Cooper who have been responsible for getting all the books together and sorted.

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