В Гексхемшире открыли исторические ставни приходского дома и анонсировали осенние мероприятия

THIS is the latest edition of the village notes for the Hexham Courant newspaper. Hexhamshire Ruth Marlee I had a wonderful historical reminder the other day! I seem to recall five different vicars working in Hexhamshire and living in The Vicarage. So when I was shown the inside of one of the Vicarage window shutters I was delighted to see messages, signatures and dates of residents from way way back even before my time! "These shutters were closed up by S.J.Blackburn in the year 1923". Then "Reverend S C Boyson Vicar and tennant" without a date. Then "These shutters opened up by D.Lee in the year 1952" (I remember that name and as a school child, seeing him give his sermon from the pulpit!). "I opened these shutters I. Davison 1986". On the other shutter, in large script "I opened these shutters" but no signature, then "These shutters were opened by Anne Catherine Moore in the year December 29, 1974. Merry Christmas" (Peter Moore was a lovely vicar!). Lastly, on the right-hand shutter "These shutters were last opened 1929. S.J.Blackburn". There is one clear panel on the lower edge of the right-hand shutter. This is the perfect opportunity for the last vicar and his family to note down when the shutters will indeed close for the very last time a vicar will live in the beautiful historic vicarage of Hexhamshire. Fortunately, some other things in life are still the same - like the WI pop-up cafe on Friday, September 4 between 11am - 1.30pm selling the most delicious soup and cakes. Haydon Bridge Tuesday Library Thursday, September 3 – Uketeers at the Havelock, 7pm. Friday, September 4 – Friday Lunch is back! 12 noon at the Community Centre. £5 for soup, sandwich, sweet, hot drink, good craic. Saturday, September 12 – Dog Show on the Village Green. 2pm, in support of the New Year Fireworks. Sunday, September 13 – Model Train Displays in the Community Centre, Ratcliffe Road. Presented by the Hornby Collectors’ Association. 11am–3.30pm, Adults £3, Children Free. Tuesday, September 15 – Pie and Pea Quiz Night at the Methodist Church, 7pm. £8 per ticket, proceeds to Disadvantaged Children in Nepal. Thursday, September 17 – Film and Food Night at the Havelock, “Rose of Nevada” at 7.30pm. Film £7 + Food £18. Calling all village bus users. Have you seen the new “better bus network” survey? Visit northeast-ca.gov.uk/haveyoursay for more info. Closes September 28. Mah Jong is happening every Tuesday afternoon from 2pm, everyone welcome. Fresh Produce arriving daily on our stall. Veg, plants, flowers. All donations pay for the running costs of the Bridge. Many thanks to all who entered the GITS Flowerpot competition, I spied the Bluey group, Dennis the Menace and the golfer amongst others. Let’s make it even bigger next year. Upper North Tyne Sarah Hallberg On Saturday, September 12, Tarset Village Hall’s Car Treasure Hunt is happening in and around the area. There are forty separate clues to be found and the OS Landranger Map No 80 is essential to be able to complete the hunt (copies of the map are available from the Heritage Centre at Bellingham or from the Post Office in Bellingham). Different clues have different values and you can decide your own route round. Sign in is at 1pm at the Village Hall and there is a four-hour time slot for completion of the hunt – though it’s important to state that this is NOT a race – you will need to drive considerately! There is a small entry fee to join in, and all monies raised will be in aid of Village Hall funds. After the event finishes, prizes will be awarded for first and second places, and you will need to bring your own supper. If you would like any further information, please contact Malcolm, John or any other members of the committee for details. The next collection for Great North Air Ambulance will be at the usual locations on Wednesday, September 16. Tarset Village Hall will be open from 10.30am - 12 noon. Alternatively, you could either drop off boxes/bags earlier in the morning, leaving them outside on the ramp OR if you are in the hall a couple of days prior to the collection, you could leave any donations stacked tidily on the stage. If you go to the GNAAS website, there is a full list of what can and cannot be donated. Thanks for your continuing support and if you have any queries, please contact Megan on 240426. Times for other collection locations will be circulated locally. Finally, don’t forget that the Tarset and District Leek, Flower and Vegetable Show (Tarset Leek Show) is this Saturday (September 5) at Tarset Village Hall. Entries to the flower, vegetable and industrial sections are free and even if you aren’t able to enter or exhibit, you can still come along to buy some of the exhibits in the end-of-show auction. All exhibits need to be staged by 10.30am, when the doors will close ready for judging. Doors and bar re-open to the public at 3pm and the auction starts at 5pm. If you would like a copy of the programme, entry forms, timings or any other last-minute information, please ring Jeff on 07800 898169. Matfen and Great Whittington Jean Conteh It’s the Great Whittington coffee morning this Saturday, September 5, from 10.30am - 12.30pm in the village hall. As usual, there’ll be unlimited tea and coffee, and delicious homemade cake, all for only £5. Come along and enjoy a chat with your friends and neighbours. And the Quiz Night returns to the Queen’s Head in Great Whittington on the evening of the 5th, a change from its usual Thursday slot. It will be led by Dr Bill, from 7.30pm onwards. The pub will open at 5pm, with food served from 5.30pm. To find out more, get in touch by email on [email protected] or phone: 0191 691 0838. Great Whittington and Matfen former WI are now happily reconstituted as the GWM Friendship group within Tynedale U3A, with 24 members. You can see the details here: https://tynedale.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/great-whittington-and-matfen-friendship-group/ New members are very welcome. Following U3A principles, the group is open to everyone, regardless of gender. As with all groups, you need to be a member of U3A to join. Get in touch if you would like to know more. Ovington and Ovingham Malcolm Cairns Get ready for a fun packed weekend at Ovington. Starting on Thursday, September 3, the Social Club hosts the annual "Leek Show". The leek entries are for members only but there are many other classes of vegetables, flowers and home baking for all to enter. All entries to be "on the bench" 6pm-7.30pm. On Friday, September 4, the show is open to viewing and then the prize giving and raffle draw, 7pm-9pm. For those of you wanting a snack the pizza van will be on site. Following on to Saturday, September 5, the Village Fete, 2pm-4.30pm, will be held on the green when all the produce from the show will be auctioned. Live music from the Hexham and Ponteland Rock Choir, free event. In Ovingham on Friday, September 4, it’s Film Night in the Reading Room. Doors open at 7pm for the screening of "The Choral" 12A, written by Alan Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Dr Henry Guthrie, played by Ralph Fiennes, takes over a Yorkshire choir that has been greatly depleted as most of its members have gone off to fight in WWI. A moving and touching story, licensed bar and refreshments. Acomb Julie Foster The Chapel at Acomb is having its monthly coffee morning on Saturday, September 5 from 10am-11.30am. There will be a produce stall, with cards and books. Everyone welcome. To all crafters, bakers and growers, get ready, your show needs you! It’s the annual Acomb Floral, Horticultural and Industrial Society show on Saturday, September 12 at the Village Hall. All entries to be submitted on the day of the show between 10am and 12.30pm. Then the show is open for public viewing from 4pm with presentations at 5.15pm followed by the lifting of entries and a sale of flowers and produce from 5.30pm. So, whether you bake, craft, grow, photograph or preserve, there’s bound to be a class for you. Entrance is free for all classes this year. Why not give it a go! Allen Valley Robert Philipson There will be a Coffee Morning at Allendale Methodist Chapel this Saturday, from 10am-11.30am, with Cake Stall and £1 Stall. Everyone welcome to join them for a chat and a cuppa. On the same day, Allenheads Fair will take place as well from 11am. High Forest Praise will take place this Sunday at 2.30pm at Sinderhope. With refreshments afterwards all are welcome. The following Saturday, the 12th, Lifestream are holding a Community Praise and worship in the Heritage Centre in the Allenheads Heritage Centre between 7pm and 8pm followed by light refreshments and everyone is welcome. Lifestream are local Christians from the southern Northumberland valleys, across to Cumbria and into Weardale. Allen Valley and Kings Head Leek Club Annual show will take place on Saturday, September 12 in Allendale Village Hall. Open flower and vegetable classes entries to be benched by 11.30am, open to the public at 4pm, bar, tea and coffee, also tombola and raffle. Sale of vegetables and flowers at 7pm with admission at 50p. The September Exhibition in The Forge Gallery in Allendale is Our Coast. This exhibition presents a selection of work by East Durham Artists' Network (EDAN), a collective of professional and amateur artists working across a wide range of media and subjects. Founded in 2004, EDAN is dedicated to promoting arts and culture in East Durham. The network organises a regular programme of exhibitions and events at the EDAN Gallery in Seaham which is the only dedicated art gallery in East Durham. EDAN artists have the East Durham Coast on their doorstep and it is often the inspiration behind their works. In more recent times, they carried out some in-depth studies exploring the Magnesium Limestone Cliffs and Meadows and Sea Kelp as a defence against Coastal Erosion. Some of these artworks will be a part of “Our Coast” exhibition and will include a broader look at the North of England Coastline. Artwork will be in a range of media and incorporate Paintings, Photography, Textiles, Sculpture & Jewellery in abstracted and expressive styles. For any contributions for the Notes please telephone 01434 685266 or email [email protected]. Bellingham Birtley Nail IT’S all been happening at the Station Yard over the last few weeks – and not only with the arrival of the second Heritage Centre railway carriage. There was a day-long cacophony coming from the yard one day last week, which many assumed was linked to the restoration and installation of the new carriage, but it transpired the noise was generated by the felling of half a dozen trees at the far end of the site following the sale of a strip of land to a local resident. The machinery was buzzing again the following day, but this time it was for the installation of three large signs at the yard advertising the new houses for sale at the contentious Ascent Homes Hareshaw Falls estate between Briar Hill and Noble Street. Ascent Homes – an offshoot of Northumberland County Council – has established a sales office for the estate in the yard. Building work is proceeding well at the site, where prices for the two, three and four-bedroom properties start at £279.995 and go up to £415,995. Another noticeable change at the yard has been the repositioning of the bottle bank from its long-established site close to the yard entrance to a less obtrusive distant corner of the car park. DESPITE the late cancellation of the entire sheep section as a precaution against the spread of the bluetongue virus, Bellingham Show was yet again a great success, with the sun shining on large crowds for much of the day. Hot on the heels of one crowd puller comes the Bellingham All Acoustic Music Festival which takes place this weekend at Brownrigg. More than two dozen acts will be performing at the three-day event, which runs from today (Thursday) to Sunday and there will also be various workshops and student performances. The vast majority of the performers hail from the North East and are well worth a listen. For further details ring 01434 220646. DOG fouling is a constant headache in Bellingham, with frequent complaints about people failing to pick up after their pets in many parts of the village. It’s therefore heartwarming to share my experience the other day, when a young girl knocked on my door to apologise for the fact that her huge dog had just left a monster deposit on the grass outside the back gate. She hadn't got a poo bag and asked if I could spare one, which she used to good effect. Too many folk wouldn't have bothered, so well done to Rowan Bell. Redesdale Emma Anderson THE next Redesdale and North Tyne collection, in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), takes place on Wednesday, September 16. The collection times at Otterburn and Falstone will be limited to 45 minutes, allowing vans to be used elsewhere if required. At Otterburn, the Memorial Hall will be open from 9am, allowing donations to be delivered ahead of and during the new collection slot. At Falstone, the collection coincides with the village’s popular monthly coffee morning, again in aid of the GNAAS, which starts at 10.30am. Donations can be delivered to the Matthew Ridley Memorial Hall from 10.30am or left in the car park shed. The collection times for each community are as follows: Otterburn: between 10.30am and 11.15am; Byrness: between 11.45am and 12.45pm; Rochester: between 1.15pm and 1.45pm; West Woodburn: between 11.45am and 12.30pm; Kirkwhelpington: between 10.30am and 11.15am; Wark: between 10.30am and 11.30am; Bellingham: between 10.30am and 11.30am; Lanehead: between 11.45am and 12.30pm and Falstone: between 10.45am and 11.30am. LAST Thursday’s Prize Bingo Evening, held at Otterburn Memorial Hall and in aid of the Hall, raised a remarkable £700.50. There was a great atmosphere among the more than 60 attendees. The Hall’s committee wishes to thank everyone who supported the event in any way. Special thanks are due to Billy Lewins, the caller, and the helpers. THE Afternoon Tea, held at Corsenside Parish Hall on Saturday, August 22, in aid of Breast Cancer Now, raised an “amazing” £415. The organisers would like to thank North Tyne and Redesdale Community Partnership for financial support, and everyone who contributed to the event’s success in whatever way. Newbrough Rob Tindall Saturday is a busy one. The Produce Show is in the School - open to the public from 2.30pm - whilst there is an important concert in the Town Hall at 7.30pm. The Guitarist Jonathan Ross Parkin will be playing guitar music from Spain in the Hall, promising an atmospheric evening of Spanish tapas and great music. Jonathan is highly versatile and has performed at prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Barbican, Palau les Arts (Valencia), and L’Auditori (Barcelona). He has been successful in many major international competitions. Sons (and daughters) of the soil, kitchen and fireside chair, go to the show first and join the guitar aficionados in the evening. A sure sign that autumn is just around the corner is the restarting of crochet workshops in the Hall. These workshops are for people who want to learn basic crochet skills and are limited to four people to enable 1:1 teaching. The fee includes teaching, refreshments and a kit to take away. The session is scheduled for Monday, September 14, 10am - 12.30pm. Contact Anne on [email protected] to enrol or for further information. For those already skilled, the monthly Crochet Cafe meets on Mondays in the Hall. The Senior Citizens’ Trip to Staithes and Saltburn was an unqualified success. The weather called the forecaster’s bluff, it being cloudy but warm and dry throughout. The adventurous descended and scaled the cliffs like mountain goats, the less able enjoyed their coffees, fish and chips and ice creams on level ground on top of the slopes. Thanks to our two parish councils and the Red Lion who financed the outing. Humshaugh Herbie Newell The Dodgy B's informal evening of entertainment in the Village Hall last Thursday was well attended and much enjoyed. Performances by members of the audience were excellent; many thanks to the Dodgy B’s for arranging these occasional events. Residents have asked about the Housing Needs Survey being undertaken by arc4 on behalf of Humshaugh Parish Council. This is an “official” survey being conducted to full data protection standards; information provided is confidential. The survey is at www.humshaugh2026hns.co.uk or on freephone 0800 612 9133; deadline Monday, September 14. The survey will help ensure that future housing development meets the needs of local people; residents are strongly encouraged to complete the survey to make their voices heard. The Annual Leek Club Show with raffle in the evening is the Saturday September 5 at the George Hotel with viewing from 10am. The September Village Hall Coffee Morning and Car Wash in aid of the Playing Field Trust is this Sunday, September 6 from 10am to 2pm. Please note – Sunday not Saturday. The September meeting of Humshaugh Parish Council is next Thursday, September 10 at 7pm in the Village Hall. The agenda is at: https://humshaughparish.gov.uk/ and on the Parish Council noticeboard. All residents are encouraged to attend. The Humshaugh Net Zero Film Meeting – “People’s Emergency Briefing” is on Friday, September 18 at 7pm in the Village Hall. All residents are very welcome. There is no service at St Peter’s Church this Sunday, September 6. Services at other local churches are in the September Broadsheet. Slaley Sandra Innes On Tuesday, September 8 the Rose & Crown is having a Thai evening, offering a three-course banquet with welcome drink for £39.95. You might still be able to get a table - ring 673996. The Leek Show is now just over a week away on Saturday, September 12. And it’s not just about leeks! Bring your fruit, veg or flowers - children can make a vegetable creature. Schedules are in Slaley News or in the shop. Exhibits are due by 12 noon, the hall is open from 3pm. Have you filled in a customer survey for the shop? They’re keen to hear your views, which will be shared at the AGM on Wednesday, September 30 at 7.30pm. Pick up a copy in the shop or scan the QR code in the shop or Slaley News. Also in Slaley News is a request to make your views known on what to do with money remaining from Slaley Community Trust. There’s an online survey or you can email [email protected]. Looking ahead, a couple of dates for your diary. Film night starts again on Friday, September 18 at 7pm for 7.30pm, the third Friday of the month. On Monday, September 28 at 7.30pm the Local History Group talk is on Metal Detecting & Historical Research, with lots of finds on display. Finally, could you spare a few hours to support one of our village organisations? The Commemoration Hall is looking for a caretaker and a social media guru. The Leek Club would welcome new committee members. And the Whist Club is looking for new members. Volunteering is a great way to connect with others in our community. It can be very rewarding and great fun!