The Editorial Team Maxine Palmer - Sean Clarke - Wally Wilton - David Burton - Lesley Pugh - Euan Stevenson Our reporters cannot be everywhere. EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO EDITOR@OVERTON-ON-DEE.CO.UK
|
Overton Fete 2005 A word from a visitor…
Didn’t we have a lovely day the day we went to the Overton Fete……isn’t that how the song goes? Well maybe not, but I did have a great day out. I thoroughly enjoyed battling with the crowds to win a prize on the number of Tombola stands, got over the shame at demonstrating a truly girly throw at the coconut shy, took great pride in naming a bear Zena (I don’t think I won!), and even recovered from seeing the bizarre yet delightful image of a 4ft Dennis The Mennis pass my window. But the greatest thrill of the afternoon had to be, (no not the beer tent) sitting in a police car and sounding the blues & twos!. Everyone who I spoke to seemed to be having a great time and even the rain held off. The whole event was very well organised and on a much larger scale than I had envisaged.
But enough of my rambling a picture paints a better story so I hope you enjoy the montage of images that go some way to capturing the event.
A word from the organiser... Firstly a huge thanks must go to Katherine Crockford who right from the start when I suggested a fete, was enthusiastic and supported me all the way as well as putting in a huge amount of work slaving over a hot computer. She was responsible for all the “printed” work, letters, stickers, insurance, advertising etc, as well as many other “jobs” and moral support!
John our grounds man also put in many hours not only in presenting the fields in immaculate condition, but also in marking our the arena, stall postions and car park, and many other tasks which he took on to make the venue and the day a success. Pam Palin and Helen Fernee for all the help they gave with posters, bunting, planning and all they did on the day.
Pam Lynch who helped Helen plan and run the children’s sports and activities. Mike Done and family for the vital help they gave in transporting and setting up the tables and chairs. Our sign painters, Claire Rosselli and Linda Done, I’m sure that their superb signs were appreciated by everyone who passed through the village. To all the stall holders, entertainment and refreshment providers for all their hard work.
And last and not least for all the hundreds fo people who came. We hoped for an event which would get the village community together and enjoy themselves and I think that’s thanks to all the above we did it!..............Same Place, Same Time, Next Year!!
We
would like to thank Joanne Kember on behalf of all our readers
for organising the event COUNTRY
BEAT
“You won’t catch anyone stood there. They are all flashing their lights to warn each other”. This was a comment made to me recently whist I was carrying out a speed check on the High Street outside the pharmacy. The lady airing her views seemed to take great pleasure in telling me this judging by the broad grin on her face. It was then that I realised that she did not understand the principals of speed reduction and I explained the process to her, and have decided to mention it here should other local residents wonder why I continue with a speed check after the ‘flashing’ has started. As you know, all the access roads, and the majority of other routes through the village suffer from speeding drivers. Some of these are totally disregarding the 30 mph limit, whilst others are not actually travelling in excess of 30 mph, but are travelling way too fast for the conditions. By this I refer to going too fast whilst overtaking parked cars, trying to fit through the ‘gaps’ left by other vehicles, or travelling too fast down narrow streets and through areas where children congregate. During community council and public meetings, it has been highlighted that residents are fed up with the drivers who have no regard for others by speeding through the village and potentially putting lives at risk. That is why my colleagues and I are engaged in carrying out speed checks. The main principal is getting drivers to slow down and respect the speed limit. With regard to the lady’s comment above, I certainly achieved this as each driver was warned that there was a ‘speed trap’ ahead and obviously slowed down. This resolved the problem of peeding immediately.
I make a point of standing at the edge of the kerb wearing my
florescent jacket and my ‘big pointed hat’, so that
drivers cannot complaint about ‘sneaky tactics’ etc,
but if a person continues to speed, then the only option left
is to prosecute. As the majority of ‘offenders’ caught
so far have been either locals or people who use these routes
regularly, the attempted excuse of “I As residents in all areas of the Maelor have asked for speed checks to be done, I will try and spend every ‘spare’ minute doing them. Officers are not doing them to raise revenue from fines, but to try and get people to obey the speed limit. If we catch you speeding, you only have yourself to blame.
Darren King Constable 1360. Ramblings
From the Rectory Dear Friends Parishioners at St Mark’s, Biggin Hill were alarmed when they read their church magazine. An article about the third world informed them that giving to a well-known charity “was equivalent to giving to poverty and dope”. They were however soon reassured that their contributions would not go into the pockets of drug barons and the article should have read “equivalent to giving to poverty and hope.” New copies of the magazine were later sent out, much to the relief of the vicar whose phone had been ringing constantly with complaints. Much
time has been given recently in the news to how we deal with the
dreadful poverty that exists in the third world and in Africa
particularly. Bob Geldof is seeking to recreate the momentum that
Live Aid precipitated in 1985 with his Live8 concerts to influence
the world leaders at the G8 summit. There is massive interest
in people. Fans desperate for tickets sent more than 1.5 Geldof is also hoping for a world poverty march in Edinburgh, called “The Long Road to Justice” and for Dunkirk style flotilla of boats to join in the campaign by heading to France. Dame Ellen McArthur said “at dawn on July 3rd I want to see thousands of boats heading for France for a friendly invasion. I believe that if we can make our world leaders take on this campaign to help third world countries, then we should. Geldof has said that “we live in a world of timidity and this is no time for that now. Be bold and brave like the people who die daily in Afirca.” Whether you agree with Geldof’s methods or not, it is a scandal that in our so-called modern civilised world, millions die daily from the effects of poverty, starvation and war. We can do little things in our own lives to help the Third World by supporting charities and by seeking to ensure that we buy fair trade products, where profits return to the African farmers, planters and co-operatives. St Mary’s Church is open every day. Why not pop into the Churches in our village during the G8 summit and the Live8 concerts in July and make a special prayer for those who face death and hardship everyday of their lives because of third world poverty. We can all be a light of hope in our world Your friend and Rector. David The Overton Oracle welcomes contributions from all faiths The Chips are down….at the Playing field On Saturday 21st May, 10 TONNES of play-chips were delivered on the playing field car park to distribute under the play equipment. Thank you very much to everybody who helped move it all – It was a massive task, (literally moving a mountain!) and all the help was given completely voluntarily - although some unfortunate dads were press-ganged into helping on Sunday! I
think you will all agree that it has made a big difference to
the park, and hope that you (and the kids!) enjoy visiting it
even more. Parents bring their children from miles around to use
our playground, and we are really lucky to KIDS
COLUMN Just a little note ….Hey! Not much has happened this month, but I was reading a really touching article in a magazine last week and thought it was worth writing about! It was about a little Jack Russell puppy named Freebie, who was found abandoned in the middle of a main road. A woman driving past saw Freebie and took her to a vet. Everyone was really worried about Freebie, but she got much better in just two days and is now looking for a new owner! Animal
Cruelty Facts:
Last months answer:
1 if the B mt put:
This months riddle You have scales which you may only use ONCE for weighing (and you may not add bars to get multiple weighs) How do you find out which machine is faulty? If
you have any idea what the answer is, please e-mail me at: info@overton-on-dee.co.uk
. If you got it right, I will print your name and age in next
months issue! Village
Fete…….I
was really glad to see so many people at the Fete on Saturday
25th (I think I saw Maxine hanging around the coconut shy!) I
especially enjoyed seeing every one in their costumes. I think
that the fete was an amazing success for the stall I don't think we could have asked for better weather after being told by the BBC it was going to rain all week! Anyway, I’d like to say thanks to everyone who came, the stall holders and a massive thank you to Joanne Kember and every one who helped organise the fete. Horoscopes
for this Month
Thanks …….. Thanks from the Marathon Man ……. Brian Pugh would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming generosity in sponsoring him to run in the London Marathon on the 17th April. With your support the sum of £942 was raised in aid of the Torch Appeal, for the children’s unit being built at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen specifically for children with cerebral palsy.
Brian is a newcomer to running and despite suffering ill health during his training regime he completed the Marathon in an impressive six hours. Brian had wanted to run in the London Marathon for some time. Until the 17th April never understood certain athletic terminology such as the phrase “hitting the wall”….when I enquired as to whether or not he would be running again next year the response was a definite NO WAY….that wall must have been extremely painful! Once again he would like to express his sincere thanks to all who supported and sponsored him. Overton Medical Practice News We held the inaugural meeting of the Practice Patient Participation Group in May and very interesting and positive it proved to be. Eight patient members attended and apologies were received from two others. It was suggested that we could really do with a young Mum and perhaps a teenager to give a broader cross section of opinions so, if you think you fit the bill and could help, why not give it a try. We know that many of you are sorry Dr. Breese is leaving us and have expressed a desire to give your thanks to him. To this end there is a book on reception for your use should you wish to send him a message or make a comment. We are also making a collection for a leaving present – please ask at reception. We have seen a rising trend lately of patients not attending for their appointments or canceling at the last minute. You are all aware that seeing a Doctor at short notice is not easy and whilst we are striving to do the best we can, having had 196 appointments not kept over the last 4 months is very disheartening. Please keep your dates somewhere very obvious and do cancel in good time – just consider that you could be that person on the telephone anxious to be seen as you have a problem. Help us to help you!! On behalf of Nightingale House Hospice many, many thanks to all those generous friends and supporters who contributed both goods and cash to Nightingale House Hospice Funds at the Summer Fete on Saturday 25th June 05. Raising a total of £80.29. Again our thanks Lilian and Paula. Ancient
Order of Foresters Banner...
Pride of the Force These photographs of Overton’s Police Force were taken in the e 1920’s when Overton’s population was a lot less than today’s. I wasn’t around then I might add, but I do remember three Policeman being stationed in the village and I know many Oracle readers will too. My grandfather, Inspector Owen Jones is seen with his colleagues making use of the Jubilee Pump, to have a photograph taken. Note the old gas streetlight, which can be seen outside the Police Station, currently the venue of the “Gift Baskets” gift shop.
In the top right photograph note the Police House alongside the Police Station. When the new Police House was built on the site of where it is today. The old Police House was used as Council Offices until the 1950’s, then this building was demolished and brand new Council Offices were built on an allotment site, adjacent to St Mary’s Church. The Council Offices became redundant after centralization and the building became Overton Surgery and this is were the Medical Centre now stands…...Overton keeps moving on but it’s Police force has shrunk!
School
Sports Day at Overton St.Mary’s
Some of our most enduring memories of school are of “school
sports day”. We can all recollect something about these
special days, whether it was falling over in the sack race, dropping
the egg in the “egg and spoon” race or perhaps some
more The afternoon events for the older children were also keenly contested. These events were for years 3,4, 5 and 6. It would be a particularly poignant day for year 6 – their last Overton St. Mary’s sports day. Many weeks of training had gone into preparation for the day and some competitions, for example throwing and long jump, were completed during the preparation weeks.
The events held on sports day comprised sprint and distance races,
skipping and obstacle races, and ending with the inter –
house relays. There was a lot of cheering, and some triumphant
fists in the air, with the atmosphere particularly At the end of the day, honors went to Alyn (The red team) and the “House” cup was presented by Mrs. Clarke to the captains of the winning Alyn house : Cassandra Adelmann and Stewart Nelson. When all the points for the individual events were added up, the individual sports champions for 2005 were :Victor Ludorum - Adam Williams, Victrix Ludorum - Rachel Quayle Congratulations to Adam and Rachel for their achievement, but also to all the children who competed so enthusiastically. The day was not yet over – afterwards there was a “Summer Fayre” (cakes, refreshments, bounCy castle, barbeque etc.) This not only entertained children and spectators, but raised over £800 for the school. Many thanks to the PTA and friends of St.Mary’s for their efforts, and to Mrs. Clarke and her staff for making this year’s sports day one to remember.
New arrivals……... There were one or two new visitors at this year’s St Mary’s School Summer Fayre and pictured below are Mathew Pritchard and Heather Jones with their handsome addition to the family, Teague Drew Pritchard. Teague was born on 8th March, at home, naturally and this is his first public photo-call.
Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Jeff Williams on the birth of their Granddaughter Caitlin Haf Jones Born 3rd June. Pictured Below.
Tales
from the Trade……... Richard and Julie Done are synonymous with one of Overton’s favourite products-Woodlands luxury ice cream. The company was formed around thirteen years ago by Richards brother Micheal who, like many farmers with an eye to the future, was looking to diversify. At the time he was working 150-acre estate and considered a number of ventures before deciding on ice cream production. Richard was working in London at the time that the business was launched and through a combination of circumstances, found himself joining Mike and his father.
In the beginning, the company produced around six thousand litres and looked for sales in local shops and other small businesses. After a couple of years, the family reconsidered it’s viability and it was at this time that Richard and Julie decided to invest their future in the concern and bought out the rest of the family. Ice
cream is a notoriously difficult area to trade in and there have
been a number of ‘turf wars’ over selling rights in
Scotland and the Midlands. Fortunately these have involved mobile
vans - a quite different venture than Woodlands. The company makes
thirteen different flavours with Vanilla significantly outselling
the second and third choices of honeycomb and Woodlands
is sold across the North West of England and mid Wales and has
gradually moved from retail towards a wholesale venture. The product
is made from the milk on their farm and double cream sourced from
Minera and Richard Colin’s big boost for Chantelle’s Disney Trip….. Colin Evans has raised £200 after arranging a fundraising barbecue for Chantelle Faulks’ proposed Disneyland trip. Colin was so touched by the plight of the two year old, who suffers from the rare Leigh Syndrome, he decided to do his bit to help make her dream trip to Disneyland a reality.
Colin held the barbecue on the 28th of May at his home. He said that “I have done lots of charity work and when I saw this little girls story in the Evening Leader I knew I couldn't resist” Residents of Overton rallied around to raise the money towards the brave toddlers holiday of a lifetime. Can you Google yourself? As an experiment type your name into a search engine and see if your name appears. If you have you name published as say a member of something ie the Oracle, it could well appear. Very spooky Big Brother! A
Memorable Day Out European Revolution Technically, this ‘Day Out’ article was actually a report back of an evening out, but is was the culmination of a lifetime of hope and aspirations. The 26th of May 2005 was a night to remember for a number of reasons. As a precocious nine-year-old boy I had watched the end, or last twenty minutes of many a Liverpool home game. As the gates are opened to allow for early departures from the ground, so there is an influx of opportunistic children. Occasionally we would be rewarded with a goal and would walk home amongst forty thousand other fans as though we had enjoyed the whole spectacle. For some reason Stevie Heighway was my favourite player before I moved allegiance to Alan Hansen. This might sound strange seeing him on TV. now, but back then he was cool personified. Nobody went near him and he seemed to spend as long as he liked striding up somewhere near the half way line and stroking the ball forward before he developed a nosebleed.
As
I grew older I managed to convince several different family members
to take me along and took my place in the ‘family paddock’.
Listening to the wry comments from the Kop-usually debating the
referee’s parentage, ability to The
late seventies and early eighties were a great time for Liverpool
and I was lucky that my local team were doing so well, but the
end of that decade brought tragedy and decline, not to mention
the John Barnes era and the fashion disaster of the white F.A.
cup final suits. As time wore on, other, more dominant forces
emerged, and Alex Ferguson propelled another Premiership Team
to the fore. I was never convinced with Roy Evans stewardship
and although he was a ‘backroom boy’ he seemed to
lack the objectivity required to capitalise on the indubitable
skill of the highly paid players. Rumours of cocaine snorting
in Liverpool nightclubs led to the Spice Boys image that the players
enjoyed and the fans fretted over. The period was encapsulated
by an image of striker Robbie I
first saw Rafa Benitez at Wrexham’s ground in a pre-season
friendly and was surprised by his unremarkable appearance. He
came with an excellent pedigree but didn’t appear to possess
the obvious charisma that someone like Jose Morinho The European Cup will remain at Anfield now. As five time winners, Liverpool has also won the right to retain it forever. Many things happen in the course of your lifetime but some memories are etched indelibly. Hugh Price-Jones. Many in the Village will have been saddened to hear about Hugh Price-Jones who died at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital on Tuesday 21st June. Hugh, who lived at Overton for many years. He is survived by his wife Kathleen, daughters Carol and Gaye and son David who continues to farm at Overton. Never Work with…. Children or an animal is the well known adage. Angela Tennant the Phlebotomist at the Overton Medical Practice was in the the annual musical at Cefn Mawr during May. This year it was their versioni of “Annie” and Angela played several parts. She was a servant, one of the Boyling Sisters (singers in large blonde wigs) and a down and out tramp—in her own words “on and off the stage like a blue a***d fly” On top of all this she was assigned to look after the dog that featured quite prominently in the production. Whilst enthusiastic to start with, the canine became increasingly lethargic as the week wore on and had to be pushed and shoved onto the stage. He was fairly large dog and Angela was sprawled on all fours on more than one occasion at the side of the stage having pushed with all her might to ensure he arrived on cue. Perhaps she could take a Vampire role next year! Recycle
– The Possibilities Are Endless In her letter last month Nadine asked several questions about local recycling in the village, as there is only paper recycling on the car park behind the Medical Centre. Only a few years ago Wrexham Borough Council approached the Council with the proposition to increase the amount of local recycling, and could the Community Council suggest a suitable location for such a facility. In principle most of the Councillors felt this would be a good thing, but chose to invite those householders opposite the car park for their views. It was clear that they did not favour an increase in recycling at that location. In fact their experiences were generally negative. There was a mess as people left piles of papers adjacent to the skip when it was full and these blew across the road into their gardens. The worst problem was that people delivered their papers to the skip at all times of the day and night and at 2.00 am the noise of the steel flap opening and closing was deafening. The Council also considered the playing fields car park, but the same objections applied and additionally Councillors felt that the inevitable glass fragments if bottle recycling was included would be dangerous in an area where there were lots of children playing. It was also felt that there were adequate facilities within a reasonable radius. The Council were also concerned about the tidiness of the facility, a point that Nadine touched on in her letter, and whilst she is right that kept clean tidiness isn’t a problem – who would keep it clean? Wrexham were not prepared to pay the wages of someone to look after the facility and Overton Council could not afford it without a massive increase in local Council Tax. The Council decided not to take up Wrexham’s offer of extended recycling facilities. We don’t believe that situation has changed. So let us look at what facilities exist in the area and how hassle free are they? All of us shop and most of us shop at local Supermarkets. Sainsbury's, Tesco’s and Asda all have facilities in their car parks, which you can drive right up to on your way in to doing the shopping. They all have glass re-cycling, although you have to separate your glass into green, brown and clear. They all have can, paper, clothes and shoes re-cycling. Tesco’s also have book re-cycling, but your local National Trust properties, Erddig and Chirk (opening July 2005), both have 2nd hand bookshops and would welcome whatever books your are disposing of. Stan’s shop has similar facilities although there you don’t have to separate your glass and they also have plastic bottle and plastic bag re-cycling. Then there are two excellent Civic Amenity Sites at Plas Madoc and on Wrexham Industrial Estate which take paper, clothes, shoes, cans and glass (Plas Madoc in three separate skips, mixed at Wrexham Industrial Estate) as do the supermarkets. In addition they will take all types of household waste, green garden waste, timber, rubble, cardboard, metal, fridges, cookers, tyres, car batteries, asbestos and plastic bottles. The
Plas Madoc site is signposted off the Ruabon to Cefn Mawr road
and is open from 9.00 am until dusk (I have even used it on Christmas
Eve and Boxing Day!). The Wrexham Industrial Estate site is on
the Ring Road Red, between CPL Petroleum and the Kellogs factory
and is open similar hours to the Plas Madoc site and has been
purpose built for the convenience of its customers and for the
A
History of Penley Hospital There is a natural interaction between Penley and Overton both historically and currently. Which is why over the next few issues we will be serialising Mary Hiltion-Jones accounts of the History of Penley Hospital, we hope you enjoy it……..here is the first part. Maelor has been the scene of border warfare and invasion from remote times but the last invasion, a peaceful one, happended as a result of World War II Both Iscoyd Park and Penley Hall have historical associations. Iscoyd was buit by William Hamner who took up residence e there after his marriage in 1737 to his cousin Elizabeth Jennings of Gospal and he then demolished his former home, FennsHall. (The reason for this move was the unsuitable water supply at Fenns, which even today has a peculiar taste) In 1855, a bronze ago axe head was found in Iscoyd when digging the foundations for a new terrace. The parish of Penley – site of the present Polish Hospital, has a long and complicated history. Penely Hall stands on the site of at least one earlier house, which was protected by a wet ditch to the south, part of an older moat, a portion of which has been filled-in a considerable time before the present building was erected. The farm buildings can be safely dated as early 17th Centruy and there is another moated site at he north of Penley Hall referred to as “the moated garden”. Penlye was the home of the ancient Dymock family or to give the family their correct mane, the family of Dafyddd Madoc. The Dymock Arms which keeps the family name alive, with its excellent Inn sign, was originally two early 17th Century cottages with later additions. The
following brief notes cover the history of Penley Hospital from
the time it was used as a military hospital up to recent times.
Described as a village within a village, the hospital had its
own Church, Nursery School and many other faculties as well as
well – equipped hospital wards…….continued next
month |
