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Wark Notes 24th June, 2011

admin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:33:49 +0000

It’s now only a week until we’ll be seeing our annual fete on the Green. St Michael’s Church Fete will be taking place on Saturday 2 July 2011, on the Green from 2 p.m. onwards. There’s always something of interest, a new-to-you book to discover, a good-looking plant to fill that gap in a border or a handy little gadget from the bric-a-brac stall. If ‘chance’ is your thing, have a go at the tombola and it’s always worth buying a few raffle tickets. The cake stall is legendary and you’ll have to be prompt if you want any, but if the worse comes to the worse and you miss the cakes you can always retire to the town hall for tea and cakes. I’m looking forward to it already.

You’ll have to have a bit of a rest afterward, ‘cos you might want to join the ceilidh in the evening, also on Saturday 2 July and again in the Town Hall. Miss Coulthard has organised the event to raise funds for the gardening project at a school in Mae Juu in Tanzania. What I hadn’t appreciated until recently is that the band for the night, the Hexham Village Band, is one that Emily plays in herself! The caller for the evening is David Oliver, so not knowing the steps is no excuse; you’ll be given instructions and you can be guaranteed to have fun. Tickets are £5 and they are available from the school, Wark Post Office, Core Music in Hexham and Stonehaugh Village Hall. There will be a shared supper and you’re encouraged to bring a bottle for your own consumption.

Before then, on Thursday 30 June, a new class will come to the village. Zumba, the exercise that seems to sweep the nation will start in the Town Hall on that evening, at 7 p.m. The poster says: “The Latin inspired, easy to follow, calorie-burning, dance fitness-party. Feel the music and let loose.” Zumba was ‘invented’ in the mid-1990s in Colombia and the Zumba program is now taught in gyms and studios all over the world to millions of Zumba enthusiasts. The Zumba class will cost £4 per session and for more information you can contact Shelley Murray-Hill on 07824 449731 or by email on

she_dev@hotmail.com.

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Wark Notes 13th May, 2011

admin — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:42:58 +0000

You’ll remember that a few weeks ago I told you about the Bingo in aid of Wark Methodist-United Reformed Church. Well, I have now been told that that event raised a magnificent £360 for the church. The organisers have asked me to extend a special thanks to all of you who supported the Bingo.

Many of you will have been involved, either as organiser or as participant in the Charity Lunch this week. I didn’t have to give this annual event any great publicity this year as both sittings seems to have been booked up almost immediately. As you know, this column is being written before the Lunch so I have to trust that everything has gone according to plan.

This weekend, on Sunday 15 May, the Birtley & District Gardening Group will have its Plant Sale on at 2.00pm at Birtley Village Hall. There are some great gardeners in Birtley and their plant sale is always worth a visit. Those of you living in Wark will know all about the bridge closure and the organisers of the plant sale will try to arrange lifts from the bridge car park. If you want to make use of this service, please ring (01434) 230204 the let them know. For those of you coming from further afield, please use the Barrasford/ Chipchase road or the A68.

Next weekend there will be two events in the parish which might tickle your fancy. First there’s the Acoustic Music Night at Stonehaugh Vilage Hall on Friday 20 May 2011. The event is being organised by Emily Coulthard, one of teachers at Wark School, and is to raise money to build a school garden at in a partner school in Mae Juu in Tanzania. The night will feature a range of artists from the North East and starts at 7.30 p.m. There will be home-made curry and a licensed bar.

Then on Saturday 21 May Wark Town Hall is holding one of its popular Quiz Nights, also starting at 7.30 p.m. You can enter team of up to 6 people in team and tickets are £4 per person. There will be a shared supper and a bar. You can get tickets from Judith Weir on (01434) 230250.

Finally a mention for the weekly raffles at the Westacres coffee mornings. They have raised no less than £300 for the Chrysalis at Tynedale. This is a local group for active people with dementia. They do lots of activities with expert tuition and great volunteer support, so this is a very worthwhile cause.

Wark Notes 1st April, 2011

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:04:55 +0000

On Thursday of last week I spoke with someone who’d seen Ro:Toro somewhere else and was very excited by their performance. Well, the Estonian band didn’t disappoint. With two women bagpipe players, an electric guitar, a percussionist and an alto sax it was always going to be interesting and that did indeed prove to be the case. The audience soon learned that much of the traditional music of Estonia had died out and had just survived in archives. The break-up of the Soviet Union led to a re-investigation of these old tunes, but Ro:Toro had done their best to give them a modern slant. I’m always excited when traditional music is reinvented by a new generation. It was interesting to hear that many of the traditional tunes in the Estonian archive had no title, although it is probably more likely that they did have a title but that these had not been recorded. The percussionist was perhaps the star of the show. He played a fantastic array of implements, ranging from washing up bowl to a bicycle wheel and he by using everyday objects he made it look very easy. As I have said before, the Highlight programme really gives us some fantastic bands and provides rural communities of access to music that we’d never be able to find ourselves. After having paid costs to Highlights etc. The Town Hall made about £120 in the bargain.

I need to give you a bit of a correction with regard to the Service for Mothers which is being held on Friday 1 April. Last week I said it would take place at St. Michael’s while in fact the service will be held in the school. The start time is 2.30 p.m.

Also last week I mentioned the issue of school meals. I understand that other schools in Northumberland have offered Meals on Wheels and have encouraged the community to enjoy a meal at school on a monthly or weekly basis. Any increase in the number of meals taken will help to reduce the deficit . You can contact the school if you would be interested in supporting the school in the way.

Eleven people came out to help spread the Whin chippings on the road round the Green last Saturday and I’ve been told that the whole job was done by 11 o’clock. Thanks to the support from Tarmac providing the materials, various bits of machinery from local people and the volunteers, the road looks fit for purpose again. You might well find a picture elsewhere in the Hexham Courant.

Wark Notes 23rd April, 2010

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 09:57:03 +0000

Our County Councillor Edward Heslop, has asked me to let you know that the petition to urge the Council to do something about our bridge over the Tyne was presented to the Council last week. Northumberland County Council is expected to provide an official response to the petition within a month. After we’ve received that response there will be a meeting in the Town Hall to discuss the issue and an opportunity to ask questions etc. I suppose we will just have to be patient for now.

I’ve been asked to mention to you that there will be a bingo evening in the Town hall to raise funds for the Methodist/ United Reformed Church on Tuesday 27 April 2010. The bingo will start at 7.30 p.m. and of course you’d be made very welcome.

A couple of days later, on Thursday 29^th of April ‘On Common Ground’ with Hugh Lupton and Chris Wood will be in the Town Hall. Broadcaster Verity Sharp said of the show: “It’s rare to hear work as powerful as Chris Wood and Hugh Lupton’s. With beautifully sculpted prose and carefully honed music they seduce the minds of those who listen, skillfully drawing on the past to make sense of the present… This is welcome nourishment for those who like to think for themselves” Tickets are going very well but a few are still available and cost £6.50 or £4.50 for concessions and are available from Judith Weir on (01434) 230250.

Wark Notes 16th April, 2010

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:20:18 +0000

With the wonderful weather last weekend, a good few gardening jobs will have been carried out, I suspect. It was just lovely to be out, enjoying the sunshine. If you happen to be awake early, you’ll have heard the dawn chorus, and you might just have spotted the sandmartins back over the river. I also suddenly started hearing the song of the chiffchaff again, not just in one place, but all over, as if they’ve all migrated back to our part of Northumberland in a big group. I’ve been told of swallows back just to the south of Hexham, but haven’t seen or heard them yet. You never know, they might have arrived between me writing this and you reading it.

A group of about a dozen people got together in the Town hall last Sunday morning to have a go at a couple of 40s dances. Under the expert guidance of Liz Stringer and some extra help from Margit Stoksted and Tony and Jane Abrams, they practiced the quickstep and the foxtrot. All this is in preparation of the VE Day celebrations in early May, when a 40s band will play in the Hall. I suspect the group would not make it onto Strictly Come Dancing just yet, but it was good fun all the same. If you want to have a go at those two dances, and perhaps try a jive too, you can join the group this Sunday, 18 April, starting at 11 a.m., again in the Town Hall. Tickets for the dace on the 8^th of May are available now from Fransje Samsom on (01434) 230605. They are £3 or £1.50 for concessions if you buy (and pay for) them in advance, and £3.50 on the night itself.

I mentioned last week, the next Highlights event on Thursday 29^th of April. At 7.30 p.m. Tickets for ‘On Common Ground’ with Hugh Lupton and Chris Wood are still available and cost £6.50 or £4.50 for concessions and are available from Judith Weir on (01434) 230250. It is the only performance in Northumberland and will be well worth it.

On the Bank Holiday weekend, between May 1^st and May 3^rd, there will be a Big Book Sale in St. Michael’s Church. If you have any surplus clean books in good condition which you’d be happy for the Church to sell, you can contact Cyril or John Cooper, Ann Bell or Rev. Michael Thompson. The Book Sale itself will be open between 10a.m. and 5 p.m. are there will be refreshments and home produce on sale too.

Finally a quick reminder of the Town Hall AGM on Monday 19^th April. The AGM will be held in the Town Hall and will start at 7.30 p.m. You’d be very welcome to attend.

Wark Notes 9th April, 2010

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:17:57 +0000

In just a few weeks time we’ll be having another fabulous Highlights event in the Town Hall. Musician Chris Wood and storyteller Hugh Lupton will be bringing ‘On Common Ground’, an evening of stories, songs and music exploring the life and times of the poet John Clare. Clare’s story is told within the context of the Enclosures Act which left many poor people without access to land and began the shift of the working class from the countryside to the factories of the Industrial Revolution. In this programme of story, music, poetry and song Chris Wood and Hugh Lupton put their ears to the ground and tell the story of poet John Clare. You can order tickets for this performance on the 29^th of April from Judith Weir on (01434) 230250. If you fancy hearing one of Chris Wood’s songs you can find him on YouTube.

A little nearer in time are the sessions in the Town Hall to help you prepare for the VE Day dance in early May. These practice sessions start this coming Sunday, the 11^th of April at 11 a.m. Liz Stringer and Margit Stoksted will help you get to grips with dances such as the foxtrot, jive and waltz. The next one will be on Sunday the 18^th and both sessions are free.

Monday the 12^th of April promises to be a busy evening with a Local History Group meeting in the Hall and the Sports club AGM at the club both starting at 7.30 p.m. The Town Hall is also holding its AGM in the very near future. That one will be held in the Hall on Monday the 19^th, also starting at 7.30 p.m. Both Town Hall and Sports club depend on the help and support of volunteers who keep these valuable organizations going and if you want to help with that, please come to the AGM and put yourself forward to join the Committee.

Wark Notes 2nd April, 2010

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:40:12 +0000

I know some of you will have joined the Queen and thousands of other people across the UK and the world in switching off your lights, TVs gadgets and such like to mark ‘Earth Hour’, WWF’s campaign to raise awareness of global climate change. The fact that so many people across the world took part suggests that plenty of people continue to be convinced that climate change is something we need to take seriously. Whether it’s the biomass heating system at the Battlesteads, the ground-source heat pump at the Sportsclub or the solar heating on one or two roofs in the village, they all help moving us towards a lower carbon system, less dependent on fossil fuels.

I noted from the school newsletter that Wark First School has joined the Great British Elm Experiment by planting an elm tree in the grounds. Children will log their tree’s progress over the years on a conservation website. Height, girth, biodiversity and any signs of Dutch elm disease will be recorded and it is hoped that with time – and luck – a new generation of elms will become established throughout the country and a new generation will be encouraged to have an interest in this iconic British tree.

The new school allotment is also moving forward with the garden gate being fitted last week (and the rabbits being excluded in the process). I understand the children will be planting onions and shallots the week, which I think, will be the very first crops going in. Exciting times!

You should be getting a programme for the VE Day celebrations on May 8^th through your door in the next few days. In addition to all the activities on the day itself, there will be a couple of events in the run-up to help you learn a few of the dances that were popular in the 1940s. Liz Stringer and Margit Stoksted will teach you to foxtrot, jive and waltz on two Sundays in April, the 11^th and the 18^th. Both sessions are in the Town Hall, they are free and they start at 11 a.m.

Finally, you will be aware that this weekend is Good Friday and Easter, the most important festivals in the Christian calendar. Our churches welcome you at any service, but even more so this weekend. There will be a Holy Communion at Wark on Maundy Thursday at 7.30 p.m., a Devotional Service at 2 p.m. on Good Friday and two Holy Communions on Easter Sunday, at 8.15 a.m. and 6 p.m. We wish you a happy Easter.

Wark Notes 5th March, 2010

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:44:45 +0000

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.