The Village of Wark

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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Visitors to St Michael’s Church were treated to a whole series of settings of Martin Luther’s “Christ lag in Todesbanden” in the first half of the Spring Concert of the North Tyne and Redewater Choral Society last Saturday.  They ranged from an instrumental version by Pachelbel to a setting by the four soloists.  The first half of the concert was rounded off by Bach’s Cantata No. 4 for the whole choir, orchestra and soloists.  We’re well accustomed to having the choir come to Wark and they are always wonderful to listen to, but this concert was extra special because of the four young soloists.  All four study or have studied music at the University of York. Andrew Passmore, the organist on the evening also studies at York and you can see a bit of a pattern emerging.  The second half of the evening was filled with the performance of Haydn’s Missa Cellensis Mariazellermesse, again featuring the choir, soloists and orchestra, ably conducted by John Roper.  All in all an excellent evening.  I understand from the programme that the choir will be back in Wark just before Christmas.  If you fancy singing yourself, you’d be made very welcome at the choir practices in Bellingham starting again in September.  You can contact Cherry Money on (01434) 240061 for more details.

You’ll remember that this weekend sees the Big Book Sale at St Michael’s Church on Saturday, Sunday and Monday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.,  There will be lots of books on offer as well as refreshments and some home produce.  You’d be very welcome to come and have a browse. 

Next weekend, Saturday 8^th of May, is the VE Day Celebrations, with lots of activities on Saturday afternoon.  Members of the Local History Group have been gathering local people’s war-time stories which you’ll be able to see and read about in the Town Hall.  There will be a tug-of-war (have you got a team yet?), a Victory tea on the Green and children’s games and songs.  There’s a competition for the Best Dressed 40’s Family and a special VE Day dance in the Town Hall in the evening.  Tickets for the dance are just £3 if you buy them in advance, and £3.50 on the door.  Tickets are available from the Post Office or from Fransje on (01434) 230605. 

Something most peculiar is going on with the numbers draw of the Leek Club.  As many of you will be aware, the Leek Club runs a weekly numbers draw which helps raise funds for the club.  All members have their numbers and quite a few non-members have too.  Usually you wouldn’t expect to win, but very now and again your numbers will come up.  It may be hard to believe but Peter Samsom has been on a completely random winning streak for the past few weeks, having won four times in 6 weeks.  He’d now quite embarrassed about this run of luck but is contemplating whether he should perhaps use some of the same numbers for a Lotto ticket this week!

I had a chance to watch a large flock of sand martins getting re-acquainted with their nest site in the sandy bank along the river near Blindburn.  It was a very busy coming and going with at least two different areas being explored by the birds.  In previous years I have wondered whether the bank would eventually become to overgrown for it to be a suitable site, but this year there seem to be plenty of nice sandy cliffs to have their nest holes in.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.