April 2007
OVERTON ORACLE
Overton’s Free Newspaper - issued
monthly to over 600 homes in Overton
April 2007
The Editorial Team David Burton - Euan Stevenson - Sean Clarke - Jackie Maskall - Cynthia Davies - Maxine Palmer Our reporters cannot be everywhere. EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO
EDITOR@OVERTON-ON-DEE.CO.UK |
Exclusive
- Village in Crisis, mystery deepens. The Oracle Team have been piecing together unusual reports that have flooded in to the office. Local farmers have reported missing livestock, village youths have complained of being watched and residents are reporting eerie noises echoing from the fields late at night. The Team began its investigations in earnest and whilst eliciting witness statements, several ‘sightings’ were divulged. A number of residents reluctantly described incidents when they had been frightened by a large dark figure whilst on their way home from the club. They were either too embarrassed or fearful of ridicule to report the matter to the authorities. Older readers may recall previous sightings in July 2001 of a Puma or Lynx roaming the banks of the Dee although the most recent claims seemed to point toward an upright two legged creature. The apparition is also said to stand about 9 foot tall and smell of a strong musty odour. A dossier has been compiled and passed on to The Wrexham Environmental Response Project. Once the evidence had been analysed a delegation of T.W.E.R.P.S set up surveillance equipment near the Crossed Foxes. An unnamed source from the T.W.E.R.P.S confirmed that they had managed to collect some hard evidence and that had led to a working label of Yeti or Troll for the animal which they have nicknamed “Erbi”. It would seem that Erbi has been sheltering under Overton Bridge and has been blamed for a variety of incidents ranging from squatting, pavement fouling, making the foxes cross and rejection of planning permission. Several opportunistic locals are also said to have cited Erbi as the harbinger of misfortune following a day at Bangor races. Not to be outdone, neighbouring villages of Bangor and Penley are also claiming to have residents Trolls nicknamed Pat(troll) and Con(troll). Our intrepid editor David Burton tried to obtain a photo but had a traumatic experience. He is still being de-briefed by the T.W.E.R.P.S There is growing evidence of Erbi’s existence and movements are now being passed on to The Foundation Of Observed Life-forms for further analysis. Further details are expected in April 2008. St David’s Day celebration at Overton School
Twins
Haf and Aoife Edwards of the Nursery class and Tom Hollingsworth
and Alex Kokic from the Reception class joined in the fun at St
Mary’s School Eisteddfod and St. David's day celebrations. Easter
Ramblings From the Rectory Dear Friends, A young man went out to China to serve as a missionary doctor. He was soon sent inland because of sickness among the more senior staff and found himself on his own in an isolated hospital with little knowledge of the language. To his horror a terrible epidemic then broke out in the region. He was still too inexperienced in tropical diseases to diagnose the sickness, let alone treat it! What he needed was advice from Shanghai, but none of his patients would survive the journey. If only he had someone newly infected, then there was a chance they could reach Shanghai and allow the more experienced Doctors there to diagnose the illness. So he took blood from one of his infected patients and injected it into his own veins, before setting off to Shanghai. He took the sickness upon himself so that his patients might be healed. In effect he laid down his life that they might live. On Good Friday we remember that is what Jesus did for each one of us. He died on a cross so that we might know the healing love of God in our own lives. He laid down his life, so we might live. It
is my prayer this Easter time that we might all experience the
love and joy that God offers each one of us. Kelvin
Davies It is with sadness that we report on the death of Kelvin Davies, a loved and much respected member of our village. Kelvin hailed from Tanyfron and his first contact with Overton was as a visitor to the dances held in the 1960’s in the village hall. There he met, and later married Ingrid Gamble, daughter of the man who first brought electricity to Overton. Kelvin wrote articles for the Oracle a few years ago, telling this story. Kelvin was a plumber by trade, but after a spell in the water industry, he decided to go down the academic route, took a B.Ed degree, and became a lecturer in NEWI technical college, settling in “Electricity House”, the Gamble family home, where his daughter Julie was born and brought up. Kelvin became head of the plumbing department in the college, and all of the plumbers and heating engineers in the area would come under his tutelage. The standard and methods of tuition introduced by Kelvin at NEWI were the highest in the U.K. and he frequently travelled to countries all over the world to give advice on setting up training standards and methods. In his private life, Kelvin’s great love was golf, and he played regularly at Hill Valley, Llangollen and Henlle Park. Kelvin was on the first committee of Overton Sports and Social club where he enjoyed a beer, a chat and a laugh, and also, one of his other passions – a game of chess. He had played chess at county level and was soon encouraging others in the village to play this wonderful game. Kelvin
will be sadly missed, not only by his daughter Julie and family,
and by Iola, his loyal partner of the last 10 years, but by all
who knew him and enjoyed his company. Kel’s motto “I’m
not a rich man in money but a millionaire in friends” reflected
how he lived his life in our community.
Hello everyone! Hey everyone, this month my column is about braces! Q. I am having braces fitted next week and I am really worried that people might laugh and call me names like brace face! What should I do? Help! A:
Chill! There is nothing wrong with braces, my friend has them
and she looks really cool. You can choose between lots of different
colours so they don’t have to be grey. Also at the end,
when you take them off, you will have beautiful straight teeth
and everyone will be jealous!
It is based around one gang of Meerkats called The Whiskers. Their leader, Flower, has an electronic tag around her neck which tells us where they are. All the gang has very unique personalities, which makes them very lovable. But the Whiskers do have enemies like every Meerkat gang does, who often get into mischief with the Whiskers. I
think the reason that this is such a good programme is because
the Meerkats are described like people. I would strongly recommend
this programme, as it is funny, sad, exciting and nerve racking,
but above all these Meerkats are soooo cute!
View from the Village Vets. Tubby or not Tubby!!
The launch of a drug licensed to assist with weight loss in dogs
has sparked considerable debate. As with the human population,
obesity in pets is on the increase and in the same way that excess
weight can lead to heart and joint problems and diabetes in humans,
the same is true in dogs and cats. In
response to the article (March issue of the Oracle) of suspicions
that the dog fouling near the Church, Pharmacy and Doctor’s
Surgery ‘may be due to pets having their bowels emptied
on the way to the vets’, we would like to point out that:-
We have been very pleased with the welcome we have received from
the village and the positive comments made about the presence
of a veterinary practice in Overton. We would be very disappointed
if our presence was thought to be having a negative impact on
village life Pets: Welcome to Jojo a Jack Russell pup who has become part of Sally and Cliff Greens lives.also welcome (but hope we don't see it) a pet rat which was given to Russell Simon as a Birthday present from his children. We must also say a sad farewell to Micky a much loved Jack Russell of Pearl and Derek Edwards
There cannot be many people in Overton who do not know or have heard of Monsignor Webb. He came to the village in the early 1950’s and has since then endeared himself not only to his Parishioners, but to others of various denominations. On 29th April 2007 he will reach the grand old age of 90, and though he now needs a walking-stick, and his hair has turned white, he is still ministering to his flock. He must be the oldest actively serving priest in Wales if not the whole of the UK. From those early days of saying Mass in the Caravan in the grounds of Pendyffryn to the present day, he has been an inspiration to us all. His hard work and dedication has transformed his congregation from just a handful to its present strength of about 120 drawn from Overton itself and all the surrounding area. Once
he was familiar figure driving his van to take children to and
from the Catholic schools in Wrexham, or perhaps ‘labouring’
for the Builders when the Church was built. Although those days
have long since past, he has lost none of his enthusiasm for his
Calling. He has requested ‘No Fuss’ for his Birthday,
and we respect his wishes, but we all wish him the Happiest of
Days, and hope for many more. The
Maelor School Tapestry As you can see from the photo the Overton piece of tapestry which is going to be part of the large one to be exhibited in the Maelor School from November is almost complete. These 8 people have put hours of work into its production. We are so grateful to them and they deserve our grateful thanks for volunteering to help. 18 months ago I personally could not see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ but here it is finally - a piece of work of which we are all justifiable proud.
The new Methodist minister is Una McLean, and she actually started serving in Overton last September. She serves 4 churches in the area, of which Overton is 1. Despite Una’s Scottish name, and English upbringing, her Dad was in fact Welsh. He was a professional footballer, capped several times for Wales and played in the same Wolves team as Billy Wright and Ron Flowers. Una has come from Lincolnshire where she spent her first 6 years as a Methodist minister. Prior to the ministry, Una spent many years as an occupational therapist and at one time was the National president of the Methodist Association of youth clubs. Una was delighted to find a strong sense of community in Overton and this has helped develop a “prayer for the streets” programme. She does not like being called a preacher, but prefers to be regarded as a leader of worship. She loves being in North Wales close to the hills and delightful scenery, and is looking forward to getting to know the village and its people much better. Overton extends a warm welcome to Una and her husband. Your Letters... Dear
Editor, Dear
Editor,
Dear All, My name is Luke, or if you would prefer my official title; PC 1842 HUGHES... I think I prefer Luke. As published in last month’s article you will no doubt be aware that I have now replaced PC Darren King as your Local Officer. This is a position I took up on March 1st 2007 and a position I hope to occupy for the foreseeable future. I would first like the opportunity to introduce myself and give you a brief history of my career with North Wales Police; I’ll try not to bore you too much and keep it as brief as possible; I have been a Police Officer for what is now fast approaching 7 years. My first posting was as an Area Car Officer working in Wrexham town, this is the core police role that all officers must spend a least two years doing before completing their probation period. In June 2003 I took up the post of Community Beat Manager on Caia Park AKA "Queens Park" in Wrexham. I considered this as a challenging and exciting role and during my time there I was responsible for the "Queensway" Council Ward. It was a satisfying role as it gave me the opportunity to help improve the quality of life for the residents and tenants that live in the community, as well as allowing me to take a pro-active response when dealing with a number of issues in the area whilst gaining skills and abilities that will benefit me greatly during my police career. In July 2005 I also took up the post of Wildlife Crime Officer. This post saw me become a designated point of contact when dealing with all manner of Wildlife Crime Offices (More on this next month).2006 saw me move from Caia Park and start work at Overton Police station, at this time I took over the "Bronington" Council Ward which includes the villages of Cross Lanes, Bangor on Dee, Tallarn Green, Worthenbury, Bronington and all the bits in between. I haveenjoyed the last nine months working in such a fantastic and beautiful areaI am really excited about taking over the "Overton" Council Ward and I’m looking forward to the challenges it brings. Enough about me.... We all lucky to live in such a fantastic part of the county, the area is rich with natural beauty and we also benefit from a low level of crime and anti social behaviour, however we do have a number of problems that I am determined to address, one example would be that we have far too many preventable accidents on the roads in the area, the majority of these accidents can be attributed to driver error, normally caused by lack of experience, too much speed and driving on unfamiliar roads. I will be working closely with the local community councils and Wrexham Highways Department to address this issue. However you can also help by slowing down, ALWAYS wearing your safety belts and NEVER using a Mobile Phone whist driving. I
will also be trying to have regular Open Mornings at Overton Police
Station, this will givethe opportunity to call in any discuss
anything that may be on your mind, I will also be offering Crime
Prevention Advice, Advice on Local Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
and Farm Watch Schemes (would you like to help set one up?) and
I will also be conducting Free Cycle Marking on all bikes that
you bring along. The first of these Open Mornings will be on Saturday
14th April 2007 between 10am – 12 midday. OVERTON MEDICAL PRACTICE We
do seem to come in for criticism regarding closing the surgery
for training purposes. There is a very active policy within the
NHS to keep staff well informed and up to date with procedures
and techniques. Perhaps if we published the dates for the next
quarter it would give patients more notice, i.e. on the afternoon
of Tuesday 17th April and Wednesday 16th May, the surgery will
be closed. Shropdoc will provide the cover for these dates. FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Belated March Birthdays: Happy Birthday to James Morrison 13,
Charlotte Cusworth 16, also a Very Happy 50th Birthday to Russell
Simon, a Very Happy 60th Birthday to David Burton. |
