The Village of Wark

Archive for the ‘Wark Notes’ Category

The shock news that the County Council is going to do work on the bridge a few weeks ago will by now have sunk in and if everything goes according to plan the first bits of work will begin to happen this week.  The idea to spread the work (and the cost) over a number of years is a pretty crafty one and County Council staff deserve recognition for this creative bit of thinking.  It’s also clear that the persistence of our County Councillor Edward Heslop, the Parish Council and the people in and around Wark is beginning to pay off.

The Jumble Sale in the Town Hall a few weeks ago raised a whopping £400.  I understand that there are not many second hand sales at this time of the year which means that buyers were queuing to get in.  It’s amazing to think that collectively we continue to find stuff to donate to jumbles sales and I sometimes wonder where it all comes from.  I suppose one shouldn’t knock it: this is £400 for the Town Hall that it didn’t have before.

Also in Town Hall news, I’ve been told that the little room upstairs, next door to the library/ snooker room has now been replastered and that it will be painted once the plaster is properly dried out.  That will make the whole of the upstairs properly useable and the Town Hall Committee will set its mind to organizing an official opening of the library at its next meeting.

On the events front  the Hall will host its first Highlights event of the season on Thursday 16 Spetember with a performance by Tim Dalling. Tim, who is a member of the popular New Rope String band, will perform ‘The Unhappy King’ a strange fable where the hunt for happiness turns the nation upside down.  In the second half he’ll perform songs, showing of his excellent accordion playing and his very comic tendencies.  Tickets are now available from Judith Weir on (01434) 230250 and the performance starts at 7.30 p.m.

A few members of the Town Hall Committee gathered in the Hall last Saturday to clear out the little office/ meeting room upstairs. That room has been used as overflow storage for quite a number of years, but now that the Library has been fully restored it seemed to make sense to get this small room next door refurbished as well. The intention is that the walls and ceilings will be re-plastered in the next few weeks. It is amazing how much rubbish had collected in that room over the years. Vicky and Steve Herod had already sorted the paperwork from the Mid Tyne Community Trust, but most of the rest was destined for the tip. One thing worth having is a whole series of lever arch files, box files and manazine storage boxes. If you’re interested in having some of those free of charge, you can contact Vicky herod on (01434) 230180.

The Town hall will host a jumble sale on the afternoon of Saturday 14^{th August 2010. Always popular, this must surely be the cheapest entertainment in the region: for just 50p you get a chance to have a nose through and perhaps spot a great bargain, and for that money you get a cup of tea or coffee as well. The Jumble Sale starts at 2 p.m. and is in aid of Town Hall funds.}

You’ll remember that I mentioned the Ofsted report for Wark School a couple of weeks ago and I have now received a little additional information which I would like to pass on.  The report mentions a number of outstanding aspects of the school, including the contribution to the local, wider and global community, the care, guidance and support provided by the school, the promotion of equality and diversity, the exciting and rich curriculum, the enthusiasm and excellent attitude of our children, along with the excellent relationships with staff.  As you know Mrs Henry, the head teacher has now left the school to go to a new job.  In her last newsletter she said: “I would like to thank everyone for their support. I have really enjoyed my year at Wark C of E First School. The children are an absolute delight – so enthusiastic, polite, and keen to share their ideas. This is down to you as parents and families, the staff and the local community who all play a major part in the education of our children. The school is truly is the heart of the community. The staff and governors of Wark C of E First School are an extremely hard working, supportive and creative team and it has been a pleasure working with them all. Thank you for all your support and I wish the school and the children every happiness and continued success.”

Next week you’ll have an opportunity to attend a whole series of coffee mornings, starting with the Birtley Village Hall coffee morning on Thursday the 5^th of August. This is the second in a series, every first Thursday of the month.  The coffee morning at Birtley runs between 10.30 and midday.  Hard on its heels, the usual coffee in Wark Town Hall on Friday morning. Of course I know this is a regular occurrence, but it would be unfair not to give it a mention in this context.  Then on Saturday 7 August we have a coffee morning in the Community Room on Westacres, this time in aid of the MURC church in the village.  The coffee morning at Westacres starts at  10 o’clock. 

Finally, a short update on the saga that is the bridge.  You’ll have read the extensive article in the Courant a few weeks ago and our Councilor on Northumberland County Council, Edward Heslop, has asked me to tell you the latest. We are still awaiting the results of the recent survey – you’ll remember the yellow container at the end of the bridge a few weeks ago.  When the results of those investigations are available Edward will be looking at what we need to do to improve things. He anticipates that the Mid Tyne Communities Forum will host a public meeting towards the end of August.   It is then that we will decide the next steps.

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On Wednesday last week, Wark School hosted a visit from 12 Libyan academics. The group of university staff from across Libya met pupils and staff and talked to them about life in Libya. The head of the group, Prof. Hussein Ageli was very excited by the opportunity to see how a British school operate and how the children learn. Once again, the Wark school gave the visitors a wonderful reception.

In further news about the school, you might know that the school had its Ofsted inspection in late June and the report, which was published last week, made very good reading.  Once again the school achieved ‘good with outstanding features’ and I have been asked by the Governors to thank Mrs Henry and the staff for all their hard work. The result was all the more pleasing given the new, tougher, assessment framework. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the academic year and to say goodbye to Mrs Henry who leaves the School at the end of this term. It is also a nice way for Mrs Lewis, who joins the school as Headteacher in September, to start her new role.    

I understand from talking to Ann Hutchinson, the Chair of the Parish Council, that the Parish is preparing to organise work to improve the road round the Green.  As many of you will know, the road is a long-standing issue: it is not an adopted road and most of it doesn’t have a known owner.  The plan is to scrape the top and then to lay a new layer of stone and roll it.  A newly-laid surface will definitely an improvement and with a bit of luck it will last for a good while.

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Wark Fete, last Saturday was another wonderful village affair and blessed this year with cracking weather. I know sometimes people wonder how they might spruce up the things on offer on the fete, but I think one of its strengths is the fact that it changes only slowly and that there is a slightly genteel feel to the whole thing. I understand that the total amount raised at the Fete this year was just over £1750, which is about £100 up on last year. This money goes to support St Michael’s church. As always the stalls vary a bit in how they do on the day: I heard the book stall did very well and that more money was taken on the teas, but that some of the other stalls were down a little bit. The bottle stall seems to have been a real success and Cyril Cooper produced a wishing well were you were encouraged to guess the number of coins in the well. This activity alone raised about £50 and the well was eventually won by Ann and Tot Hutchinson from The Haining. In a time that everyone is watching their spending the organisers can be very pleased with the results and huge thanks are due to all the people who helped make the Fete such a success once again.I understand the family Barbeque at Birtley last Sunday afternoon also went very well. The playing field provides a lovely safe location and as a result people can happily bring their small children. I understand there were people there ranging in age from toddlers to people in their eighties!

Also relating to St Michael’s Church, but the Broadsheets this time, there is an opportunity of someone to deliver some of the Broadsheets in the village. As some of you may, know Pauline Rawe and Stephen Fry moved to Hexham a few weeks ago and Pauline used to deliver about 20 of the Broadsheets along Hexham Road and the Stonehaugh Road. If you can spare about half an hour a month to deliver these Broadsheets and have a wander round the village at the same time, please contact Peter Samsom on (01434) 230605. Splitting the ‘round’ is also an option, so please contact Peter, even if you want to do a smaller number.

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Suddenly I find it’s July and I must admit, it’s rather crept up on me. That means that I probably haven’t given enough early attention to St Michael’s Fete, which will take place on the Green tomorrow, Saturday 3 July 2010. I’ve been told that the fete this year will be opened by our new MP Guy Opperman, so as well as supporting the fete, you’ll perhaps have a chance to have a chat with our representative in Parliament. The fete itself will include bric-a-brac, nearly new clothes, a book stall, garden plants, homemade sweets and a tombola. Of course there will also be a great raffle, a fantastic cakes stall and scrumptious teas in the Town Hall. It is not too late to donate contributions to any of the stalls by contacting Cyril Cooper, Ena Ridley, Millie Murray or Margaret Davison, or by dropping them off on the day itself. The proceeds of the fete go to support St Michael’s Church and opens at 2 p.m. Let’s hope for a cracking day.The school newsletter tells me that there will be a workshop for parents of early years children on Wednesday 7 July 2010 at 6.30 p.m. Over recent years there have been a number of significant changes to the Early years Foundation Stage Curriculum and this meeting allows parents to find out more about these changes. The workshop will be led by Janice Grieveson, a Local Authority Early years Consultant. If you’re interested in coming to that evening, please let the school know. Other events coming up in our school include a whole school trip to Tynemouth on the 13^{th of July and the school sports evening on the 15th. The summer holidays will start on Friday 23rd of July.}

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This week I have some good news and some bad news and we’ll start with the bad. The guy who has been strimming the grass round the school and along the Dene Burn by the surgery has given up the job because he can no longer stand being covered in dog dirt. That’s a pretty poor situation to get to. I have over the years highlighted the problem of people not cleaning up after their dog and maybe I should mention it again. If you have a dog and you don’t yet clear up after it, can you please start doing so. It is not difficult, it’s not expensive and you’re doing everyone a favour when you do.Top North East storyteller Chris Bostock and musicians Ken Patterson and Richard Scott have collected stories from the north east and turned it into wonderful show. Local band Whapweasel doesn’t really need much introduction. All I can say is, get your bookings in early..

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The good news that’s come my way this week, is that the Town Hall will be hosted not one but two Highlights events this coming autumn. We’ll be getting ‘Doon the Waggonway’ on October 1^{st and a concert by Whapweasel on December 2nd.}

In news from our school, I understand that governors have appointed a new head. As meny of you will be aware, Mrs Henry who has been at the helm during the past year is moving to a new job in Gateshead and governors have been in discussion with another school in the North Tyne valley to have a shared head. It looks like those discussions have been very successful and we should be able to welcome our new head teacher in the autumn. In the shorter term, children in the school will be visited by Monsieur Gaston this week. As the names suggests, this is a performance which focuses on French and the whole school will participate in French activities. That sounds like fun.

Finally a reminder of the barbeque at Birtley this weekend, Sunday 27th June. There will be food (as you’d expect at a BBQ), music and games to suit all ages. I understand that can just turn up and pay on the day. The whole thing takes place on the Hall Field in the middle of the village and starts at 2 p.m.

Those of you who cross Wark Bridge regularly will have noticed that we had the benefit of another inspection last week.  No fewer than three days worth of tests to see if our bridge is still sound enough to be used.  Despite trying a few times, I couldn’t get the engineers to express an opinion about what the Council might do, and I suppose they wouldn’t know anyway.  I did get the distinct impression that the tests were not particularly encouraging, but the guy I chatted to explained that they just provide the test results to the County and that they will decide on a course of action.  I dare say our Councillor Edward Heslop will keep his ear close to the ground and will continue to fight our corner in County Hall.

Sally Napier, who coordinates the Christian Aid collection in Wark, has asked me to tell you that the collection a few weeks ago raised just over £460 this year.  This is substantially more than last year, which is a credit to all those who donated money.  Everyone is careful with their cash, but collections and events to help others continue to do very well.  Sally asked me to thank all those who collected the envelopes and of course all those who donated money.  Thank you very much!

I have had a bit of prior warning that the Local History Group will be holding an open evening on Monday 5 July 2010 in the Town Hall to look back on the Wark VE Day celebrations at the beginning of May.  There will be a chance to watch a presentation of a video made of the day.  The open night will start at 8 p.m., entry is £1.50 (which includes your first drink) and everyone is welcome.

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Having enjoyed some absolutely fantastic weather during the half-term week, our area was treated to some soft rain, just when the Birtley Fete started last Sunday afternoon. I suppose there are pros and cons to those situations: on the one hand people might get tempted away from their gardens by the wet, while on the other hand sitting outside enjoying a cup of tea didn’t quite work out.  All in all it was a very nice occasion, with our new MP Guy Opperman opening the fete, with some excellent plants, a great raffle, a cake stall which just about sold out in minutes, tombola, books, bric-a-brac and clothes, and of course those fantastic teas.  I hope the organisers felt the occasion wasn’t let down by the weather; as a visitor, I really enjoyed it.

I’ve been asked to mention a couple of things coming up in Birtley over the summer. Following last year’s enjoyable afternoon, there will be another Barbeque on Sunday, June 27^th starting at 2 p.m. on the Hall Field.  There will be food, music and games to suit all ages.  I’ll let you know how to get tickets for this event a bit nearer the time.  Then, on the first Thursday in each month, beginning on July 1^st, there will be a coffee morning in the Village Hall.  You’re all invited to join for fresh coffee and home baking any time between 10.30 and midday.

The Art Tour started coming to Wark last weekend with Bill Weightman opening his studio on Mote Hill.  In the brochure Bill said: “I am painting landscapes of the two places in my life: the North Tyne Valley, where my family have lived since the Border Raiders in the 15^th Century, and the hills of Andalusia, Southern Spain.”  If you’re curious to see Bill’s paintings, you can still visit the studio this weekend, 12 and 13^th June and on the 26^th and 27^th of June. You can visit between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.  And of course there are plenty other artists to visit too; there are no fewer than 58 locations to visit across Northumberland and close to 90 artists ranging from water colourists like Bill, to sculptors and felt makers.  Well worth an outing.

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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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