The Village of Wark

Archive for December, 2010

With Christmas day being on Saturday this year we’ve been asked to submit the village notes a bit earlier this week and as a result I’m writing this just as the cold weather has returned for another wintery blast.  Pavements iced up again and what remains of the earlier load of snow is not likely to melt for a few days yet.

Christmas services for this year will be as follows.  Midnight Communion for Wark, Humshaugh and Simonburn, will be at Simonburn, on Christmas Eve starting at 11.30 p.m.  St. Mungo’s is a lovely church for any service at any time, and especially for Midnight Communion. Then on Christmas morning there will be a Family Communion at St. Michael’s at Wark starting at 10.30.  Then on Boxing Day, the normal pattern of services in the Benefice will be put aside for the day and there will be one Communion Service at St. Peter’s at Humshaugh, also starting at 10.30. 

Just briefly going back to Christmas Eve, there will of course be the carol singing on the Green at 6.30 p.m.  ‘Crisp and even’ might be quite nice if perhaps a bit cold, but I’d be happy for it not to be too ‘deep’.  However, it’s amazing how you can get warmed up with some decent carol singing. I hope you’ll all be in good voice.  And you never know, Santa might make an appearance and he could even turn up in his sleigh.  Rests me to wish you a very merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.

As many of you will know, Wark is the nerve centre for the Poppy collection in the North Tyne Valley and I have now been told, just what a fantastic amount of money has been raised in this year’s effort.   The collectors brought back a whopping £3,836.15 from the nine villages which form our part of this National collection.  It’s clear that people continue to recognize the importance of the work that the British Legion do.  Of course none of this would happen with all the volunteers to do the collecting and organizing.  Thank you to you all.  Also on Legion matters, I’ve been told that there will be a dinner for members in the Town Hall on January 12, 2011.  Cost will be £13 and if members wish to attend, could they please let Judith Weir know, together with their choice of menu, by January 6^th.

If you’re quick off the mark, you might still be able to join the school’s Christingle Service on Friday 17^th December at 2.15pm in St. Michael’s Church.  The service forms the very last part of their school term for 2010 and the Christmas holidays start straight after. Children will be back in school on Wednesday the 5^th of January 2011.

There’s rather a lot going on at St. Michael’s this weekend. On Saturday the 18^th the North Tyne and Redewater Choral Society will be performing their Christmas Concert there.  They’ll be performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (parts 1 and 2) together with music by Buxtehude, Holst and Rutter, in what sound a very interesting programme.  The concert starts at 7.30 p.m. and tickets are £10 and £8 for concessions.

Then on Sunday the 19^th we come to the fourth Sunday in Advent, which is the date that St. Michael’s tend to have its Carol Service.  Carol services form an integral part of the preparation for Christmas and I reckon they’re a very welcome break from all the rushing around that seems to happen in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  The Carol Service at St. Michael’s starts at 6 p.m.

I know that the organizers of St Michael’s Christmas Bazaar were a bit worried about the effect to wintery weather might have on the turn-out on Saturday afternoon, but when I called in on Saturday, the Hall was full of people and there was a lovely buzz.  Perhaps people had taken the opportunity to get out of the house and there was just a little bit of a thaw making a trip to the Hall a touch easier.  There seemed to be a good trade in raffle tickets and all stalls seemed to be doing well.  I haven’t yet heard the final tally for the afternoon, but I understand that the total amount of money raised was somewhere in the region of £700 which is a pretty good result.  Thanks to all those who helped out on the day. 

The inclement weather has meant that the Christmas production at the school has had to be postponed and it will now take place on Tuesday 14^th December at 6 p.m.  If you can’t make the evening performance, you would also be welcome to come and see the dress rehearsal on Friday 10 December at 1.30 p.m. The performance on the 14^th will also have a raffle in aid of the Friends of Wark School and a cake stall. 

The school Christingle Service will be on Friday 17^th December at 2.15pm in St Michael’s Church. Everyone is welcome to join that event. I’m told that the children may go home at the end of this service at about 2.45 but only if an adult is present. School buses will pick up from the church at about the same time, which will mean that those kids will be home early.  After that it’s the Christmas holidays and the children won’t be back until Wednesday the 5^th of January 2011.

It seems hard to believe that at the time of writing (Sunday) it’s still November with roads covered in snow, birds crowding round the feeders in the garden and water freezing over everywhere.  And we seem to be better off than people further east!  It seems only a short while ago since last winter’s snow disappeared and here we go again.  The first casualty of the snow is the Town Hall Christmas Bingo, which was due to take place on Tuesday.  The group organising it decided to cancel the event for now and rearrange sometime in the New Year, as people travel from far and wide to attend this Bingo.

I trust the St Michael’s Christmas Bazaar will go ahead as usual this weekend, on Saturday 4 December. If you haven’t yet bought yourself a Christmas wreath, this might be a good opportunity.  You’ll also find some fabulous cakes (although you’d really have to be prompt to get one of those) or a few Christmas gifts.   The raffle is always worth having a go at, as is the tombola.  Of course there will be tea and biscuits.  Entry is just 50p, the proceeds go to support St Michael’s Church and the Christmas Bazaar opens at 2 p.m.

The Town Hall Committee has now heard what Highlight events will come our way in the New Year.  The first one will be on January 29^th when the show “Further Along the Wall” will be in the village.  The show will feature three musicians: Julie Mathews, Kate Fox and Ruth Notman.   Then towards the middle of March you can expect Ro:Toro, an Estonian band playing traditional music on some very intriguing instruments.  We also know that there will be a Quiz Night in February, a Murder Mystery Night in early April and the Committee is trying to finalise an evening of folk music with some fabulous young performers from west Northumberland.  Plenty to look forward to!