January 2008
OVERTON ORACLE
Overton’s Free Newspaper - issued
monthly to over 600 homes in Overton
January 2008
The Editorial Team David Burton - Euan Stevenson - Sean Clarke - Jacky Maskall - Cynthia Davies Our reporters cannot be everywhere. EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO
EDITOR@OVERTON-ON-DEE.CO.UK |
| Oh
Yes It Is ! - It’s Overton Panto !
Friends of St Mary’s
The formation and objects of The Friends of St Mary’s was described in the September edition of The Oracle and it might be of interest for people to hear of the progress to date. The team of Margaret Samson, Michael and Avril Lawrenson, David and Jill Burton with Peter Rosselli actively started to seek support from early in October, At that time we hoped but by no means were sure that the initiative would be welcomed by the community so it was with some trepidation that we started knocking on doors soliciting support – we reasoned that anything was better than nothing! In the event we need not have worried. I can speak for all of us when I say that we have been overwhelmed by the attitude of all those who we have visited. Even if for good reasons some did not wish to be involved, we received nothing other than support for our initiative and it was really enjoyable talking to people whom we would not meet too often on a day to day basis – so this was a bonus to the team. The village enthusiastically shares our determination to keep St Mary’s in good condition for the next generation. Financially, the results were far above our modest expectations. During the first year, we will raise over £4500 which with Gift Aid declarations will aggregate to in excess of £5000, highly satisfactory for the initial year. This may be improved by those who indicated support but who have not had time to put their intentions into practice! This will greatly assist not only to pay for some of the costs in keeping the Church, the Churchyard and the Old Cemetery in good order but start to build up some reserve against the future. It is important, however to put this into perspective – everybody knows the expenses of maintaining a house and the size and complexity of the church makes it inevitable that a lot of money will be needed to continue keeping it in pristine condition – so we will be approaching everybody next year! The campaign was carried out by personal visits and we could never hope to cover all the community on the first round There must be many who might like to become a Friend but who were not approached – for this we apologise and hope that on reading this update they will contact any of us. Also if any Friend knows somebody who would be willing to support, would they point them in our direction? Ramblings
From the Rectory Dear
friends, And yet if we take the Christmas message seriously, then it should fill our lives with joy and hope, long after the Christmas decorations have been boxed and sent back to the attic. The Christmas message of God loving us so much that he came to earth in the form of a human Baby, is a message of love for all the year round. There is a wonderful poem by Ian Cowie entitled New Year Blessing that speaks of us carrying the Christmas message of love into the new year and beyond: “We
stand to face the future. Thus armed, guided and protected we face the New Year
Now we arise and go forth on the journey before us, With
Jesus beside us, may we all travel into this New Year in faith and
hope and love.
COUNTRY BEAT At sale time when the shops are crowded, the pickpocket has more chance to steal from you. If you can't arrange to shop during less busy times, make sure you stay alert and be extra careful with your wallet or purse. If you have too many bags you will be too busy trying to hold on to these to be aware of anyone stealing from you. You could try to make smaller shopping trips rather than do it all at once and carry too much. Have your purse/wallet close to your body and don't carry too much cash. The same applies to travelling on crowded buses or trains. If you travel by car, make sure you park in a well-lit area, lock all doors and windows and do not leave presents in view. Try not to return to your car to leave purchases in the boot before continuing with your shopping trip as thieves may well watch car parks for just such a chance. Arrange to collect heavy items from stores when you have finished all your shopping. Keep your chequebook and cheque card separately. With the extra Christmas presents you have received you may well find you need to check your insurance to make sure you are covered for the value of goods in your home. Take the frame numbers of new cycles and the serial numbers of new electrical equipment for future reference. Remember, empty boxes left outside advertise that you have new goods inside - dispose of packing carefully. Strangers at the door - genuine delivery personnel usually have uniforms and liveried vehicles and should not need to come into your home. Charity collectors will have identification, ask to see it. If you are not sure but want to make a donation, ask whether these can be made in other ways, perhaps through a bank. Happy New Year. Luke Tel: 0845 607 1002 KID’S
PAGE !
Hey Everyone! Happy New Year! Hope you have a wonderful year! Jen’s Reviews Hey everyone.
This month I will be reviewing the film ‘Enchanted’. Agony
Aunt Q: All of my friends had wonderful Christmases and I did too but their mum and dad got them the latest toys and CD's, my mum and dad didn’t have as much money as my friends parents and I find it hard because I feel left put when they talk about what they got for Christmas. A: I can see how this could be hard, but you have to stop thinking that Christmas is all about the presents, what’s more important is being with your family and enjoying their company. Presents are for Christmas, family is forever! Rebecca and Lucy Riddle
- What's the least number of chairs that you would need around a table
to fit four fathers, two grandfathers and foursomes? Answer to December Riddle : CARTOON Maelor Pupils Old and New To Celebrate 50 years of The Maelor School, Penley, commemorative mugs are for sale. The price of these mugs are £5.00 each. Anyone wishing to purchase one please contact the Young Enterprise group on 01978 781134 Overton Recreation Ground, Proposed Youth Facility With reference to the proposed youth facility at the recreation ground, North Wales Police and Overton Community Council proposes to improve the provision of facilities on the existing public open space at Overton. A consultation event has been undertaken with local children, and their views have been fully considered when designing the new youth facility. The proposal consists of providing a Youth Shelter. The proposed new facilities are to be for the use of children and young people within the local area. You are invited to comment on this via a petition which will be put in all shops around the Overton area before the scheme is progressed any further. The aim of this informal consultation is to seek to identify potential problems or conflicts of interest and take into account any concerns you may have at an early stage. The petition is also to gather a number of signatures that agree with the scheme. Feel
free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Happy New Year for the Rainbow Centre
After years of fundraising the Rainbow Centre, a facility enjoyed
by many older Overton residents, is to look forward to a new building. St. Mary’s School News
Mr William’s class visited Chirk Castle in December to find out what Christmas was like in 1889. The children helped the servants in the Servants Hall with their preparations, working with the cook make peppermint creams, helping the nursery maid get ready the Victorian toys, and the housemaid prepare traditional decorations. The Butler then escorted the children to the Drawing Room to meet Her Ladyship. They sang a Christmas carol and received a gift from the huge Christmas tree.
THANK YOU Thank you to all those people who sent information for the correspondent in the December Oracle who was seeking information about Canister Hall where her ancestors lived in the 1830s. Your information has been forwarded on to Ann. "Canister Hall” was 4 cottages joined together with one central chimney which they all shared. The name came from the shape of the building which was said to resemble a tea canister. It was owned by Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. The cottages were approached by three steps, but in 1895 when the Wrexham to Ellesmere railway line opened, the road at the bottom of Canister Hill was raised by 18 feet to assist traffic to Overton station. OVERTON MEDICAL PRACTICE If we had one wish for the New Year I think it would have to be that patients tried to make sure they kept their appointments or else rang and cancelled them in time to allow us to re-allocate to other patients. The figures show that missed appointments for the first 10 months of 2007 equated to 651, the number for the same period in 2006 was 642 so it would appear that there has been no improvement, regardless of the fact that we mention the problem on a regular basis. Please note that since 1st September we now have a policy whereby any patient missing 2 appointments in a 3 month period will have their details reviewed by Doctors with a view to contact being made with them. Further missed appointments could result in a patient being de-listed. Recruits to the new ‘Online Access’ seem to have slowed down, this service is to help you with booking your appointments. We hope to be able to offer a service for repeat prescriptions soon which we feel will help those who don’t physically pass the surgery door and find dropping off a written request rather a chore. Ask at either Overton or Bangor-On-Dee reception for details if you are at all interested. Patients do have a better understanding of medicine these days and can identify fairly quickly when they are unwell. There is a tendency for patients to bring in a urine sample and ask if it can be dipped to find out if an infection is present. These will not be accepted by the reception staff unless a clinician has requested one. If you are unwell you need to either make an appointment to see or speak to a doctor who will then instruct you as to the procedure they wish you to take. We have been informed of the decision by Rowlands Pharmacy that the service they provided to the Bangor-On-Dee Post Office has been stopped. This was a voluntary gesture and Mark at the Post Office has been very helpful in allowing it for the past 16 years. They are putting in place an option for home delivery, most likely for those who have mobility problems or are house-bound. As soon as we know the details we will publish them in both surgeries. The first Practice Patient Participation Group for the new year 2008 will be held on Monday 21st January at 6.00pm – come along and contribute, do something different, you might just enjoy it. We can only conclude by wishing all our patients a ‘Very Happy and Peaceful New Year’ . Award
of Merit for Overton Scout Leader Overton Scout Leader Tony Grice was awarded the Award of Merit at the Wrexham District Carol Concert in St Giles Church Wrexham on Friday 7th December. Tony joined 1st Skegby St Andrews Cub pack in 1965 aged 8, later becoming a scout with the same group. He went on to be a Venture Scout at the 2nd Sutton-in-Ashfield Group where he gained his Queen’s Scout Award and Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. 16 years later when his eldest son Martin had joined Bangor Cubs Tony became a helper and then Cub Scout Leader in 1992 a position he held until 2002. Cub Scout Leaders usually adopt a name from Kipling’s Jungle Book, typically Akela. Tony adopted the name ‘Tiger’. In 1996 he joined Overton Scouts as a helper, becoming Scout Leader in 1997. In 2002 he handed Bangor Cubs to a new leader to concentrate on Overton Scouts. He still helps out at Bangor as Assistant Cub Scout Leader, which is beneficial to the older cubs who know Tiger when they come up to Scouts in Overton. His recommendation for the award stated, “Tony has shown great skill and dedication in his work for Bangor Cubs and Overton Scouts and fully deserves this award.”
Your Letters...
Dear Editor, THE
SURGERY NEEDED IN OVERTON
So may I suggest a different approach,
Each morning when all doors are open,
At two o’clock hand round the scones,
As this system becomes tried and tested Hazel Matthews Dear
Editor, Ed: Thanks for the info, although the item was for the Kids Page. Dear
Editor, ANSWERS
TO DEC. QUIZ Recycle your Christmas Cards Christmas cards can be recycled in the Wrexham branches of WH Smith, Tesco, Marks and Spencer and T.K.Maxx from January 2nd to 31st, all organised by the Woodland Trust. THANK YOU Thank you to the Corner Shop for being the Oracle drop-off point for contributions and adverts. FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS Happy January Birthdays to Dan Hunter, Sylvia Ogden, Micki Blair, Raymond Austin and Ronnie Foster December Birthdays: Happy Belated 60th Birthday to Sue Glover and Happy Birthday to Carol Morrison. Sincere condolences to family and friends of Mrs Fan Foulkes who passed away at the beginning of December. |
