A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS

Pudsey Bear gets his revenge
by Sean Clarke

Robin Wason, local proprietor of Overton's Village Londis has been growing his locks now for the last two years in a successful attempt to wind up his long suffering wife Caroline. He has been compared to Billy Connolly by a number of people and he revelled in the comparison.

Caroline and Robin’s grand-daughters, Lizzy aged three and Pippa aged four, believed that he was frightened of getting his hair cut and offered to take him to the hairdressers and hold his hand! They had also offered him their hair slides and bobbles to improve the look but sadly he declined.

Robin before the hair cut.

Tina Williams, a regular customer of Londis, suggested Robin cut his hair to raise money for Children in Need and Robin acceded to pressure. Residents of the community rallied around, making contributions, turning up for event, and generally taking great delight in Robin's discomfort. Dianne Rodenhurst from Style Salon and Robin Langley from Ego Xcentric Hair and Beauty Salon offered to cut it free of charge in the shop with an audience. I'm not sure who was braver, Robin for having the cut or the hairdressers for working in public.

A small crowd gathered to watch the event on Friday 17th in the Londis shop and the insults flew faster than the feathers. Comparisons to Samson and Rapunzel were made but were taken with good humour. In total over £600 was raised.

All those that attended are hoping for a repeat next year, looking to raise more money, although I’m not sure it would grow back in time. Let’s hope it does as otherwise Robin is threatening to ‘do’ a calendar!

Diane from Style Salon and Robin from Ego Xcentric perform the first cut.

COUNTRY BEAT
by Constable Darren King

As you will be aware, collisions on these rural roads are a common occurrence, even more so at this time of the year due to slippery conditions and longer hours of darkness. The majority of incidents are caused through speeding, not necessarily exceeding the speed limit, but travelling too fast for the conditions I have just mentioned.

As highlighted by the Marcher Sound radio station, you are 3 times more likely to die in a collision on a rural road than on an urban one. This is obviously as a result of the higher speeds reached.

Please, please, please drive carefully. Remember to increase your stopping distances, keep your lights and wipers in good working order, and always ensure that your windows are fully de-iced and demisted before driving off. As any good motorist will know, it is not just your own driving you have to be aware of, but the driving of others who may not be up to standard.

I do not mention this just for your benefit; I admit I have a self interest in highlighting the above. The reason for this is that I naturally would not enjoy having to tell family members, many of whom I have got to know well during my 4 years here, that their loved ones may have just died. Please consider how your family would feel having me turn up on the door step to deliver such news next time you are speeding due to you either being late for work or taking the children to school. Slow down, keep a look out for other drivers not as good as you, and take care.

On a separate issue, please be aware of this scam. If you receive a phone call on your mobile from any person, saying that he or she is a company engineer, or telling that they're checking your mobile line, and you have to press #90 or #09 or any other number, end the call immediately without pressing any numbers. There is a fraud company using a device that once you press #90 or #09 they can access your "SIM"; card and make calls at your expense.
Thank you.
Darren King, Constable 1360.

Overton Community Beat Manager.
The Police Station, Station Road,
Overton, Wrexham. LL13 0EF.
Telephone: 0845 607 1002.
E-mail: darren.king@north-wales.police.uk.

New Year Ramblings From the Rectory
by David Lewis

Dear Friends,

I often think of this famous piece of writing at the turn of the year. It is by Marie Louise Haskins:

"I said to the man, who stood at the gate of the year,
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown’.

And he said:
‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way’.

So I went forth and finding the hand of God trod gladly into the night.
And he led me towards the hills
And the break of day.”

I always find New Years very strange as we look to the future as well as remembering the past. I have to admit I can feel rather sad at this time of year.

None of us knows what 2007 will bring. I am sure it will bring times of joy and happiness, as well as testing times and moments of sadness.

But whatever it brings, we can trust God to be beside us.

So whatever this New Year brings, may we take Marie Louise Haskins advice seriously. May we all step out into this New Year putting our hand into the Hand of God. May he give us his light of safety as we tread into the unknown

And may he lead us all towards the hills and the break of day.

Happy New Year

David

KID’S PAGE !
by the Overtinions and our mascot Lucy!

Happy New Year everyone!
Hope this year is just fab
and exciting as 2006!

Jen’s reviews
Hi guys,
To start the year off my review is on James Bond, Casino Royale”.
Well I thought it was fantastic! A well thought out plot, good special effects, great characters and some good comedy.
One warning, this is a 12A and I would not recommend this to anyone younger as there is some strong violence in certain parts. Not many were sure that Daniel Craig would fit the part of 007 but I think that this film proves that he is worthy of the part!
Rating:10/10!
Funny, Exciting, Edge of your seat thriller
My second review for this month is on the theatrical production “Mama Mia” which I thought was fab! The plot : Sophie is getting married in 24 hours and is trying to find out which of the three men she has invited to her wedding is her dad! Based on the songs of ABBA this musical is funny and will have you out of your seat and joining in. At the moment it is in Manchester until January 27th, at the Palace Theatre so if you have the chance, go see it!
Highly recommended!
Rating: 9/10

Agony Aunt
Hey everyone! Thanks again for all your letters, here’s one of them.
Q: I really like this boy at school, so I asked him out. He said no and is now spreading horrible rumours about me. HELP!
A: Calm down! This boy isn’t worth worrying about if he is going to be so immature as to spread lies, and sooner or later people are going to realise he is making them up and then who will look stupid! If he does start to upset you though, tell a trusted adult and they will be able to help sort it out. Try to keep your head held high and show that you are not bothered, This way he may realise that he is not having any effect and will stop. Good luck!
Remember if you have any troubles then just send them into the
Corner Shop!

Year 7 Review
Hi everyone! We both hope you had a great Christmas This month we are going to tell you about a really serious subject, bullying. Bullying is a big problem in Britain but DON’T worry, all those rumours about being bullied or tormented are not a very big issue in Penley.
If you do get bullied, the most important thing is to tell someone you trust and remember if you have any worries drop them into the corner shop and we will help. Remember, try and stay out of the older students way and don't give them a reason to tease or bully you. Treat them with respect and they will not bother you.
From Lucy and Rebeccs

Your Legion Needs You

The British Legion was set up mainly to give care and succour to wounded ex soldiers and the widows of those who made the supreme sacrifice. As the Second World War generation approaches its final sunset, one has to ask what is its relevance today? Well the work continues because since the end of WWII there has only been one year in which a British soldier did not die on active service and the Legion continues to help those families stricken by war. The funds to help families is generated by the British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal and members of the Legion put in thousands of hours work in support of this fund raising. There are also local fund raising events and these are distributed to needy ex-servicemen and their families in our own parish.

So why does the Overton Branch of the British Legion need you? Well if you went to St Mary’s Church on Rememberance Sunday you may have noticed that our numbers are dwindling and the work of the Legion is falling on fewer and fewer shoulders. The Legion is open to people who have never been in the armed services, both men and women. (Our ladies section laid up their standard two years ago and we miss them!)

At our recent AGM the Overton Branch of the British Legion have started on a recruiting campaign to increase membership with both men and women, so if you feel you can make a contribution please contact our membership officer, Gerry Owen on Overton 710792 or e-mail us at the Oracle and we will pass your details on.

Come and join us – Your Legion Needs You!

Calor Village of the Year - Judges’ Feedback

Category: Community Life
Overton has an active community which embraces everyone. The judges found evidence of a wide range of activities and groups catering for everyone's needs. The village hall, library and social club were all in one building and all three well supported. Events were circulated through the monthly newsletter, public notice board and website. New comers were made welcome and encouraged to join in. There are thriving clubs for football, cricket, bowls, tennis which all age groups attended. Well done.

Category: Business
Overton has a strong business community in and around the village all employing local people. The High Street is well serviced for community needs with a general shop, post office, chemist, butcher, beauty salon and doctors’ surgery. Lots of businesses are home grown and family run. The business community works well with village life, supporting village activities and this was evident in the number of businesses attending the presentation in the village hall and those who were unable to attend sent letters of support

Category: Young People
Overton on Dee has a thriving village school that is well supported by the community. All youngsters are encouraged to join the local recreational clubs. Overton has a strong Scouts troop and a well equipped scout hut. The Scouts and Brownies are actively involved in village life. However the youth club had been closed by the withdrawal of funding by the local authority. The Community Council, together with the youngsters are actively trying to resolve the situation. Good luck.

Category: Older People
Facilities for the older people include a sheltered housing scheme, the Thursday Club, and Rainbow Centre. There is an active W.I. as well as outdoor and indoor bowls

Category: Environment
The judges saw evidence of environmental projects including a wild flower meadow, a picnic area, village walks, an Ancient Yew Tree (7th Wonder of Wales) and many old and listed buildings.

Additional Comments i.e. Written Application, Presentation, Visit.
This was a well-written application and an excellent extremely professional presentation. Everyone of the community was represented.

View from the Village Vets.

Happy Neutering Year!

Whilst we humans (and no doubt some of our pets) are contemplating diets to remove our Christmas excesses, now is the time to also think about neutering any of last years kittens before the spring breeding season begins. Cats are prolific breeders. They can produce up to 4 litters of 4-5 kittens in a year which in turn can also start breeding from around 6 months. Very rapidly a single female can produce a large number of offspring and don’t be fooled into thinking that if there is not an entire tom cat just around the corner, that your sweet she cat will be safe – toms will roam for several miles to seek out new girlfriends!

Male cats should also be castrated at around 6 months of age before they start to spray and make your house smell revolting. Castration will reduce the tendency to wander and fight which in turn reduces the risk of contracting some of the serious feline diseases such as Feline Leukaemia or Feline Immunodeficiency virus. Help is at hand with the cost of neutering with two local organisations currently offering vouchers to cover the cost of neutering your cat: The Cats Protection League in Wrexham and in the Ellesmere area Shropshire Cat Rescue (they have a charity shop in Scotland Street towards Ellesmere Post Office) both have agreements with a number of local veterinary practices and issue vouchers to cover neutering costs.

There are new opening times at Maelor Vet Centre in Penyllan Street, Overton. After a successful first year opening between 1pm and 3pm each weekday, we are pleased to announce two additional surgery times at Overton:
Tuesday 5-6pm
Thursday 5-6pm
We hope that these additional surgery hours will help those at work at lunchtime and if there is sufficient demand, we also hope to start morning surgeries later in the year.
Mark Spurdens

OVERTON MEDICAL PRACTICE

Well hard as it is to believe, another year is over. It’s 12 mths since the automatic booking-in system was introduced in the Overton surgery and most patients seem quite familiar with it now. As a receptionist is no longer out in the front all the time, we can use the back office to make and receive calls and ensure confidentiality. We do have a bell to ring and we have positioned the office furniture to give a better view of reception.

We need to remind everyone who is eligible that we have a supply of Flu injections and if you are over 65 or in the ‘at risk’ categories there is one here waiting for you and we will arrange a suitable appointment.

Patient expectation continues to rise year, on year, and whilst we try our best to accommodate everyone we have to put some firm guide lines down to keep the practice working as a stable unit. We do not have a ‘walk in’ policy, yet more and more patients turn up just wanting to see a nurse or a doctor with the words ‘it will only take a couple of minutes’ being exchanged over the reception desk. All these ‘minutes or two’ add up and it is grossly unfair to those patients who have gone through the correct channels and made their appointments to then be left to wait even longer so that others who come in unannounced can be seen. In the past we have probably been too lenient trying to see to everyone’s needs but in future you will be asked to go home and the triage nurse will speak to you in the normal manner. It may mean that you have to make the journey back to the surgery at a later, pre-arranged time but unless it is considered to be an absolute emergency that is what will happen.

The same firm line will be taken with regard to prescriptions, 48 hours is what we ask to process the paperwork needed to generate a script and that is what we will adhere to. If you run out of medication you must take the responsibility for your own actions, there will be no shortcuts as it causes undue disruption to the surgery. Paperwork which the doctor needs to sign or fill in will be 10 working days and Sick Notes, whether repeat or initial requests 72 hours – please don’t take the attitude that we are being harsh, we are just trying to run the surgery in a professional and efficient way.

Even though we have not experienced any really cold weather yet do remember to look out for elderly neighbours who may be on their own if the weather does turn very severe. Hypothermia can set in very quickly with fatal results, we would hope that in a close knit community like ours, we are caring enough to keep an eye out for our elderly citizens and be aware of potential problems.

Next date for your diary, Monday 22nd January 2007 at 6pm, your very own Practice Patient Participation meeting, see you there!.

So all that really remains is to say that we wish all our patients a ‘Peaceful New Year’, we look forward to being of service to you in 2007 and with your help and co-operation we can continue to be a Medical Centre to be proud of.

Your Letters...

Dear Editor,
Early in December I picked up a copy of the Medical Practice Newsletter from the Surgery. I have noticed over the last few months that it has a very dictatorial ring about it. ‘You must do this’, ‘don’t do that’ and very little about what they can do for us. The practice does not seem to understand the principle of serving its customers! This month it concentrates on the lack of a friendly receptionist and the success of the electronic booking in system. Fine for them, not so easy for those who are technologically challenged or of failing eyesight! No problem – ring the bell they say – but you will have to wait whilst they take all those telephone calls first! In the meantime you may well have missed your slot.

Also don’t you dare walk in to the surgery off the street, your heart attack will have to wait whilst they sort out someone’s in-growing toenail. Oh, and have you tried phoning? At peak times you just cannot get through to tell them you cannot make the 9.30 appointment. Then you end up as a damning statistic and on a non-attendance black list. Most of us go to work and the only time we can ring is in the lunchtime, but “no surgery calls accepted between 1 & 2pm” . What customer oriented business (other than a one-man business) closes for a lunch hour in these modern times?

Sometimes you think it would be helpful if you called out of hours and left a message? Nope, you can’t do that because the answer machine will tell you V E R Y S L O W L Y and deliberately how you can get in touch with Shopdoc or NHS Direct, but not how to get in touch with your own doctor. By the time you get to the end of the message you will probably have forgotten to cancel that appointment you can’t make – that is if you have ever got to the end to see if you can leave a message - to date I’ve not managed it! At least they haven’t outsourced the ‘call-centre’ to Bombay – yet!

Come on Overton Medical Practice – start thinking about your long suffering patients, your customers! After all if we weren’t sick occasionally you wouldn’t have any customers and therefore no jobs!

Name and address supplied

Dear Editor,
Reading with interest in last month’s Oracle the letter from Brian Jones who used to live in School Lane, I would like to get in touch with him as we all grew up together. I will send some pictures etc. of the changes in the village over the recent years.
Frank Lloyd

Dear Editor,
Does Overton still have a memorial tree railings and brass plaque in memory of the wrens who died in 1941 on board SS Aguila ?
David Bush (Warrington)

Dear Editor,
Just a brief note regarding the village’s presentation. This year the high street looks particularly attractive with the matching trees displayed above the premises. Even the surgery has started to blend now that it has become more established and the general look of the thoroughfare is aesthetically pleasing. One small issue is the ‘No Parking’ notices prominently displayed on the gates near to the butchers shop. They really do detract from the overall presentation. I wonder, given that it is the season of goodwill, if the person who owns them may see fit to review their need to remain or possibly tone them down. The gesture, although small would please dwellers and visitors alike and I’m sure would be greatly appreciated.

Name and address supplied.

School News

Anastasia Kudryashova, a pupil in year six at St. Mary's Primary school has been awarded with an art's bursary after successfully applying to Catriona's Fund.

The fund has been set up in memory of Miss Catriona Myres, daughter of Paul and Jayne, a former pupil at St. Mary's school, to encourage and enthuse children to express themselves through the medium of art. The money is set to develop and enhance the school's playground design over the winter months and all the children involved with putting together the 'bid' are absolutely thrilled with the result!

Anastasia with her certificate

A warm sunny day in July conjured a vision of wonderful adventures in the woods! The exciting idea and the beginnings of an outdoor classroom and learning environment at St. Mary's Primary School was alive! Over the past few weekends, staff, pupils, parents and grandparents have been working hard to clear the neglected 'conservation area' within the school boundary and have begun to plant new trees such as beech, sweet chestnut and oak.

The area is set to encompass a story telling chair, an area for children to learn about and experience making fire and woodland mammal boxes to encourage hedgehogs and bats to come and stay. Staff and members of the group involved in planning this project are hoping to invite other community groups such as Playgroup, Cub Scouts and Brownies as well as other schools to utilise the area in the future. We can't wait for spring to come so we can share it with you and begin our spring vegetable planting! Watch this space!

Picture of Alex and Frazer Kokic of Knolton who gave a helping hand
and Jack Aplin, (who appears to be asleep!)

FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Happy Birthday to
Carol Morrison & Sean Clarke

THANK YOU
Thank you to Eastwick Nurseries for providing the plants and flowers for the Overton Cenotaph throughout the year.
And thank you to Knolton Nursery for the planting and
care of the plants outside the Village Hall.

ADULT EDUCATION
Yale College Faculty of Life Long Learning.
“FLOWER ARRANGING FOR SPRINGTIME”
Classes commence Monday, 15th January for this 10 week course at Overton Village Hall . 1.15 p.m. to 3.15 p.m.
This is a leisure course for beginners to learn basic flower arranging skills and for improvers to build on what they have already learned. You bring flowers etc., each week.
Fees for 10 wks are:-Adults £37 Concessions £25
For further information and a list of materials
to bring on the first day, please contact Belinda Owen, Community Development Officer at Penley Adult Centre, Maelor School, Penley Tel: 01948 830291 or enrol on www.yale-wrexham.ac.uk.

Lydia Briggs age 8 says this poem by Michael Rosen represents her feeling about changes in the park.

In the playground at the back of our house there have been some changes.
They said: the climbing frames not safe.
So they sawed it down.
They said: the paddling pools not safe.
So they drained it dry.
They said: the seesaw’s not safe. So they took it away.
They said: the sandpit’s not safe. So they fenced it in.
They said the playground’s not safe so they locked it up.

sawn down, drained dry, taken away, fenced in, locked up
How do you feel?
Safe?

All articles and advertisements in the Overton Oracle are published in good faith and without prejudice.
Space constraints mean that submitted articles may be edited or not published.