This is a request that Webmaster, Pat Farnaby, has received via the Local’s Corner on www.heddon.co.uk
"My Father, John Robertson, was born in Heddon in 1925. His parents were Ann Walton Robertson and John Robertson. He had a sister, Mabel Robertson. He recently passed away and my Mother and I are creating a Memory Book for his grandchildren. We are looking for people who may remember him."
If you remember the Robertson family please get in touch either directly with Pat Farnaby by email Pat@webink.demon.co.uk by telephone on 852355, or with me, Ann Lockey, on 852832. Hopefully, someone will be able to make a contribution to the family’s Memory Book.
Remember the Patchwork quilt which people in Heddon contributed to and then bought raffle tickets to try to win it …. Unfortunately, the winner was not in Heddon. The quilt was won by a lady living in Whitley Bay who really loved it and appreciated all the work that had gone into it.
A magnificient sum of £997.50 was raised which all went to the St. Oswald’s Hospice Jigsaw Appeal 2001. A big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who helped from the organiser, Hazel Skipsey.
You will have another chance to win a Grandmother’s Garden Quilt in 2002 because Hazel had a massive response to her appeal and has enough ‘flowerbeds’ to made another quilt.
June and Dennis Neale would like to say ‘thank you’ to all our friends and neighbours in Heddon who sent cards and messages of condolence on the death of our dear friend, Ron Curtis.
Ron was the treasurer of Heddon in Bloom for a number of years and cared a lot about the Village. He was a gentle, kind and loving friend with great intelligence and an enormous sense of humour. His passing has left a huge gap in our lives.
ST. ANDREW’S FOOTBALL CLUB, HEDDON ON THE WALL. A MEMBER OF THE CHURCHES TOGETHER (NORTH EAST) FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Village football club continues to grow.
St. Andrew’s Football Club goes from strength to strength as the number of players continues to grow brought about by the success of our teams. The Club attracts local players from the age of 9 to 16 years, many of whom have been registered for the last three seasons. The Club has recently purchased training equipment thanks to a grant provided by Castle Morpeth Council.
1st Division – Blue Team
White Team
Premier Division
Blue Team
Premier Division
White Team
LIL CRUICKSHANK
I have lived in Heddon since 1960. For several years I was Chairman of Heddon Neighbourhood Watch (which is now sadly defunct). I have helped raise funds for various good causes in the Village. I also work part time at the Swan and now I am enjoying being a member of the Heddon Parish Council
I am now feeling much better and thanks to everyone for their good wishes.
The Jumble Sale in October and the Soup and Bun Morning in November were both well attended. They provided additional income which is needed for our on-going alterations. "Tuesday Teas" continue until 11th December then re-start in January.
During the coming Christmas Season we have our Christmas Party on 3rd December. The entertainment is to be provided by our own Drama Group. 7th January is "Members Night", but don’t be put off by the title – all are welcome, again our Drama Group will be entertaining us.
Do watch the local Notice Boards for future W.I. events in February and March. The ever popular Pancake Day is on 9th February.
Seasons greetings to all our readers.
Joyce Laws
As the evenings draw in and the days get colder members of the choir can be seen on Tuesday evenings eagerly gathering for practices at the Methodist Church Hall. New Carols are being learnt and old favourites are being re-rehearsed to ensure that our stand for the Christmas Concert is as high as possible.
The Choir committee has met to finalise the programme for our concert and we are confident that it will be an enjoyable evening for anyone who appreciates festive music. Our Chairman, Stan Hall, is pleased to have secured the services of Sheila Nicholson to enhance our programme with some solo items and there will also be appropriate readings given by members and friends of the choir.
The Christmas Concert will be performed in the Knott Hall on 15th December at 7pm. There will be ginger wine, squash for the children, and mince pies served at the interval followed by a Raffle organised by the Knott Hall Committee. Look out for publicity in the usual village sites. This will tell you the price of tickets and where they can be purchased.
We look forward to entertaining a full hall at this traditional village event and, on behalf of the Ad Murum Singers, I take this opportunity to wish our readers the "Compliments of the Season".
Chris Rand
Church Events for your diary
December
3rd Coffee & Chat 10.30am-noon
16th Christmas Nativity Service 3pm
(No 6pm service)
17th Coffee & Chat 10.30am-noon
23rd United Christmas Carol
Service at Methodists 3pm
(no 10.30 or 6pm service)
25th Christmas Day Family Service 9.30am
30th United Christmas Carol
Service at St. Andrews 6pm
January
7th Coffee & Chat 10.30am-noon
21st Coffee & Chat 10.30am-noon
30th Pathfinders Walking Group 10am
Please see our Notice Board or Newsletter for more details
METHODIST CHURCH NOTES
A special welcome is extended to everyone to join in one (or all) of our Christmas Services. Children are especially invited to join in the fun. Both St. Andrew’s and the Methodist Church unite for each other’s Carol Services and we have our own Nativity Service and Christmas Day Service – details are in the diary above.
A new 12 week Alpha Course is due to start in January, but exact details of time and day are yet to be finalised. This popular video based course is designed for anyone who is seeking to understand the Christian faith. The course requires no previous knowledge about the church or Jesus or God. Watch out for details on the Church Notice Board or contact Myrna Luff (o1661 852659) or Robin Brooks (0191 2746057)
Our weekly 7.30pm Thursday evening Bible Study continues until 13th December. Everyone is welcome to join in this informal meeting to study our faith in Christ and the Bible.
On the first and third Monday mornings of the month between 10am and noon the Chapel is open for anyone to drop in for a Coffee and Chat (or Tea & Chat!). Why not come along? December and January dates are in the events diary.
The Pathfinders Walking Group walks have been spasmodic of late due to the Foot and Mouth situation. By January we hope to be back to normal. For up to date information please contact John Banks (01661 852317) Anyone who enjoys an easy walk with good company is very welcome. Don’t forget to bring a packet lunch.
The Mums and Toddlers Group meets every Wednesday between 1.30 and 3.30pm during school term time and loves to welcome new mums, grandmas or carers with their toddlers.
On the Weekend 2nd-4th November the Methodist Church held a special weekend of events entitled ‘Together in Faith’. A student team from Cliff College joined members in exploring their faith through coffee mornings, meals, social events and special services. Everyone agrees that the weekend was well worth the effort and many seeds of faith were sown.
Firstly, a warm welcome to all the new PTA members and many thanks to everyone who has already donated raffle prizes for our Christmas Raffle.
The PTA will be hosting a CHRISTMAS CRAFT AND COFFEE MORNING in the school on SAT. 1st DECEMBER, from 10am-12noon. Coffee or Tea and a slice of cake will be available for £1, together with traditional crafts for children to make. Everyone is welcome. You will also be able to purchase Raffle Tickets for the Christmas Raffle which will be drawn after the evening performance of the school play on 11th December.
Raffle tickets will be available for Lix in the shop and are priced at 20p each or £1 for a book. Prizes include a Christmas Hamper, Christmas Cake, Whisky and many other prizes.
As always, we thank you all for your support and with you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Diane Howorth, Chairperson
SANTA’S SLEIGH will be in Heddon at the Swan at 6.30pm on 23rd December. It will then tour the Village. Proceeds will go to renovating the school grounds and to a local charity
THE CHURCH AT WORK
During the Interregnum the church will be open from 11.30am – 12.30pm on Monday to Fridays for
visitors or private prayer. During this time the Churchwardens will be available for anyone wishing to see them on Church matters, or at any other time by appointment.
Throughout the Interregnum we would appreciate it if we could be kept informed of anyone who is ill or wishes to have home visits, or if there is any other way the church can be of help. Communication is even more important at this time and nothing can be done if we don’t know about it.
We look forward to your co-operation in these matters and ask your forbearance at this difficult time.
The Church Wardens
HEDDON ON THE WALL EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRUST
This Trust has been set up by St. Andrew’s Church, Heddon on the Wall, as a result of the sale of the Old School and School House, for the benefit of the people of the Parish.
THE OBJECT OF THE TRUST IS
Anyone fulfilling these conditions may make application to the Trustees.
Application forms may be obtained from the Secretary –
Miss F.M. Phillipson, Ivy Cottage, Townegate, Heddon on the Wall. Tel. 01661 852287
HEDDON ON THE WALL EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRUST
The Old School and the School House at Heddon on the Wall were both built in 1851. By a Trust deed dated 31st December, 1853, the site comprising the School and the School House was conveyed to the Vicar and Churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the parish as trustees.
Heddon on the Wall Church of England Controlled School was transferred to a new site on or about September, 1963
On 13th January, 1989, the School House was sold and later the school was also sold. The Trustees invested the proceeds and then set up a charitable trust to benefit the people of the parish.
During September/October, 2000, the Trustees repaid in full to the Education Authorities the money they had spent in Building the present school. Finally, the remaining funds created the Heddon on the Wall Education and Training Trust.
Eddie Tingate
Heddon on the Wall was the host for the Fungal Village 2001
More than 50 people of all ages, including the Ovingham Brownie group took part in a weekend of free events including guided walks, talks games and art projects held in and around the village. These activities were used to demonstrate the often-unnoticed environmental roles that fungi play around us.
Walks were held at Close House (courtesy of the University of Newcastle), and on Heddon Common local nature reserve. Expert guidance was provided by Gordon Rutter (Edinburgh) and Mariano Quintana (Madrid, Spain) who showed all present how to recognise the major groups of fungi (morels from an ink cap, and brackets from a slime mould), and explain what fungi do in our woods, fields and gardens. Fascinating finds included a razor strop fungus used in the past as a sharpening tool and the common earth ball apparently used to bulk sausage meat during food rationing, although it did not look appealing at all! Back at the Knott Hall we were shown how to properly identify fungi, including using microscopes and spore prints.
Simultaneously, games for the young, and young at heart (organised by Sue Assinder, Bangor) included "mycelial maze", "build a tree" and "murder in the dark" showed us how and what fungi do all around us, often overlooked – until now.
And if all those activities weren’t sufficient, Jo Coupe – a local artist specialising in fungal art helped members of the group construct fungal spore lantern. For the nimble fingered amongst us, origami fungi could be folded into shape with guidance from Andrew Curtis.
To relax after a hard day’s fungal fun a barbecue supper was provided with liquid refreshment from the local Wylam Brewery, the spore lanterns were put to good use and lit the hall garden.
The weekend was greatly enjoyed by participants and organisers (who included Heddon villagers, Age Concern and BTCV) alike. We hope to build upon the success of the Fungal Village at Heddon on the Wall in future years, and with your help this can be achieved. If you would like to join in, please contact Ian Armstrong.
Hola Espana! - The Fungal Village has been transported to Spain!
Some participants from the event at Heddon on the Wall have travelled to mountains North and South of Madrid to sample the stunning scenery, food and of course fungi with a Madrid fungal group. Accommodation has been in self-catering cottages and a lively time is assured.
In spite of the fact that global warming seems to have already changed our climate to warmer, wetter, winters it can't do anything about the fact that we have very short daylight hours for many weeks and it is those short days that make life much harder for the birds who need to use that time to put on enough body fat to see them over the hours of darkness.
All those blue tits and others who deserted the gardens in September when wild fruits, seeds and nuts were plentiful in the nearby fields, hedges and woods are back hoping for free and easy meals in the village gardens. We are lucky here in Heddon to have the Common right on the edge of the village and a good mix of habitats on the other boundaries of the village, all of which attract an excellent range of species. Many of them, particularly the seed eaters, can be persuaded into your garden by putting out the right food.
Peanuts are the perfect energy source for a number of them but are particularly liked by blue tits, and they are easily served up for them in wire baskets or plastic hoppers in a variety of designs now widely available in shops. A good wild bird seed mix will pull in lots of house sparrows ( and sadly these days they are a species which do need our help ), while small balck sunflower seeds will be sure to bring coal tits to feed on them. Once they find them they seem to spend all day zipping back and forth taking them one at a time. They do that because they carry them off to a favourite spot where they cache them and they can eat them at their leisure. Grated cheese is a big attraction to birds like robins and blackbirds and they like scrunched up cornflakes as well! You can be inventive with what you put out for them and only put bread out if you can't come up with anything better but completely avoid anything salty, particularly salted peanuts.
Apart from the common garden birds you will attract to your garden, you may be lucky and get little specialities like nuthatches, or the shy but spectacular jays, and the wonderful great spotted woodpeckers. These species all breed around the village and I know have been seen in village gardens. Of course the other bonus to putting out food for the birds is that you may well attract red squirrels as well.
One thing to remember hang the feeders well above the ground out of reach of ground predators. and the same applies to a bird table, either hang it from a tree or put it on top of a decent sized pole. Finally try to supply them with fresh water to drink and bathe in. A daily bath allows birds to keep their feathers in good condition to give them the body insulation they need on cold nights. Incidentally you don't have to go far to get all the variety of seeds and peanuts you will need, just pop across to Hall's of Heddon who have a wide variety of winter bird food and feeders.
Enjoy your winter birds.
IAN ARMSTRONG
Just a quick comment this month. We have agreed the design for the area at the entrance to the Butterfly Haven with a local artist who works in stone. It will comprise a design using a variety of different coloured stone including slate, and will have as its centre piece a large sandstone dragonfly. Quite appropriate in many ways because within hours of the earth moving machine arriving on site right at the beginning of the project I found emperor dragonflies hunting along the edge of the gap created in the trees.
It will be after Christmas before work starts on this stone feature but there will be an opportunity for the butterfly team, with tutoring from the artist, to help put the whole thing together.
IAN ARMSTRONG
Heddon’s new Youth Group is out there and pleased to meet you:
-At our first set of discos (one for juniors, one for teens) on Saturday 17 November in the Knott Hall, featuring Jestez mobile disco and a competition to find the best name for the newly formed group.
-At a New Year’s Ceilidh featuring Robin Dunn and Fiddler’s Elbow at the Knott Hall on 19 January 2002. Bar and Pie & Pea supper. Tickets £6 per person will be available in the village shops and from committee members Tom Bates, Karen Hoare and myself nearer the time.
-At meetings in the Green Room of the Knott Hall at 7.30pm on the last Tuesday of each month when local young people can drop in to hear what the group is planning and to tell us what they would like to see.
-At a meeting towards the end of January (date, time and venue to be confirmed nearer the time), when any residents who are interested in fostering links and promoting greater understanding and co-operation between the younger and the older residents in the village can come and meet the Youth Group and discuss ideas. Anyone unable to attend the meeting but with constructive ideas to share can send them to me at 18 Trajan Walk.
For those of you who haven’t yet met them, the two suspicious looking characters who have been lurking around on our street corners on many a Tuesday evening are Dave Cooksey and Martin Gibbon, our local Youth Workers. They have been invaluable in helping to organise the discos and in attracting young people, (6 so far), to our committee meetings. Guest of honour at our most recent meeting was PC Stobbs, from the mobile police office, who was able to give us information on issues in Heddon from the police perspective and to take away information on the views of local young people.
Look out for more from the young people themselves in future issues!
Janet Incecik
Hall closes its doors for the last time ??????
During the last few years the Knott Hall Management Committee has worked tirelessly to ensure that the Hall has staged interesting, varied and divers events throughout the year. They have continually strived to maintain and improve the Hall internally and externally as well as manage the day to day running of the Hall.
Two members of the Committee in particular have spent untold hours pursuing grants and extra funding so that the Hall may, in the future, benefit from new toilets and disabled access as well as other more mundane but never the less just as important improvements.
At this point you are probably wondering if all is going so well why the headlines. The answer is simple. In an ideal world the Hall would be managed by a committee of at least twelve (young and old but definitely enthusiastic) members, however, over the last twelve months we have struggled with a nine strong committee that has now been drastically reduced to six making the running of the Hall a near impossible task.
While regular users and events organised by others may not be affected by this some, if not all, of the big events such as the pantomime, Grand Christmas Draw (already scaled down this year) and ceildh (cancelled last month) have and will continue to be adversely affected by the situation. If you care about your village Hall and would like to help in any way with the running of it please contact Hazel Thompson on 01661 853684 or Robert Young on 01661 825208
PLEASE DON’T LET TODAY’S HEADLINES BECOME TOMORROW’S FACTS
As a former PTA member and governor of Coates Endowed Middle School, I wish to inform all friends, parents and former pupils that it is intended to recognise the dedicated work of the Head Teacher by a presentation in appreciation of his many years of service to school and students alike.
As soon as details are formulated I will ensure that the information is widely disseminated. Meanwhile, we send our best wishes to Peter Wolfenden on his retirement.
Jim Merridew.
Heddon Stitchers are still enjoying it’s ‘self-help’ meetings on a Monday afternoon, and members are progressing to bigger and more testing projects. A number of Speakers and Demonstrations are in the planning process for the new year. The Group enjoyed an informative demonstration by Jan Earl from Jiggery Pokery in November. Watch the Village Notice Boards for future events and you will be given a warm welcome at the Monday meetings the last one this year being on 10th December at 1pm.
I would like to thank the people of Heddon for their response to the Poppy Appeal. £326.52 was raised in the village. This, together with Albemarle Barracks means that from our area £527.57 has been sent to help the Appeal. The final total from the Newburn Area which includes Heddon is over £1,000.
These thanks do not extend to the ‘lady’ who helped herself to a poppy then announced that she does not give any money. I hope that no members of her family ever need to ask for help from the British Legion!
Hazel Thompson. H.P.O. for the Newburn Region
A Lovely way to round off the Christmas Festivities . Go to see a CHRISTMAS PLAY …
No travelling – No Hassle Parking – No Parking Fees
Come and see THE SINGING RINGING TREE performed by the very popular Northumberland Touring Theatre Company in the Knott Hall, Heddon, at 2.30pm on Saturday 5th January, 2002
It is particularly suitable for anyone from 7 years upwards. It is a mystical Moral tale with original inspiration from the classic East German Folk Tale which was a series on TV in the 1960’s.
It is a magical story of morals, myths and monsters set in a fairy tale kingdom. The beautiful but shallow Princess Thousand Beauties sets an impossible quest for her suitors. They face unimaginable dangers to capture the legendary singing ringing tree in exchange for her hand in marriage. One love struck Prince accepts her challenge with disastrous consequences ….. through many adventures of good versus evil, wicked goblins, giant fish and enchanted beasts, the cursed prince and greedy princess learn the value of friendship and trust.
Tickets are £5 adult and £2.50 child and are available from Heddon Shops or ring 853684, 852832 or 852591
TEN YEARS IN BUSINESS - Ken and Liz Burdon
It is hard to believe that we have been General Dealers in Taberna Close, Heddon, for TEN YEARS ….. time flies.
We would like to thank all our customers for their support over the years and we look forward to serving you all in the future.
Lots of events to suit everyone going on in Heddon this festive season - enjoy them. For convenience I have tried to summarise them, my apologies if I have missed any. Thank you all for your support and COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON TO EVERYONE. Ann Lockey, Editor
A quiet few months in the garden but HiB are not quite in hibernation. We have invested in 6 new replacement tubs. Bulbs have been planted in a number of areas. If you are looking for an active outdoor New Year’s Resolution - let us know. More news in the next edition - David Chambers
Following our Annual Exhibition, some of the paintings were hung in the Library for four weeks during October. We then resumed our regular meetings, working on a still life with an autumn theme, painting an "interesting corner", and trying to depict a figure with character. We shall end the year on 5th December by painting a winter scene, followed by Christmas drinks and "nibbles". Our meetings in 2002 will commence with our Annual General Meeting on 20th February. We are always happy to welcome new members, and from comments made at the exhibition several people are interested in painting, so why not come along and give it a try with a group of others of similar interest. We all find it helpful to work with a tutor on occasions, exchange ideas and help each other when problems arise.
MONEY GREATLY RECEIVED - THANK YOU.
On Wednesday 17th October, 18 students and 2 teachers from Ponteland High School set off on journey to Morocco, which would turn out to be a life changing experience. The trip was very nearly cancelled two days before we left due to the unfortunate troubles in America but thankfully the trip did go ahead.
Our first day was spent in Marrakech, where we were taken round the city in a horse drawn carriage, being allowed to take in the sights, smells and sounds of a city with a totally different culture to what we were used to. We visited a shanty town, a leather tannery, an apothecary and the souk markets, having our first experience of haggling that very afternoon.
The weekend of our trip was spent in Imlil, a village in the high Atlas Mountains, the highest mountains in Africa. This was where we carried out our community work, and where some of your gratefully donated money went to. We cleared irrigation ditches, built a wall to prevent footpath erosion and we also improved the mule track up to the Kasbah, where we stayed. The residents of the village were all very grateful so to say thank you for our work they came up from the village on our last night to sing and dance for us. We all had to join in, and a brilliant time was had by all.
The third part of the trip was in Zagora, an oasis town on the other side of the mountains in the Sahara desert. There was a ten hour bus trip over one of the top ten tourist routes in the world. While in Zagora, we trekked into the desert on camels and camped out overnight in a typical Berber tent, sat round a campfire, and sang songs and ate bread baked on stones in the sand. A few people, myself included chose to abandon the tent and sleep under the stars in the desert before riding back to Zagora the following morning.
Our last night was spent back in Marrakech before our long journey back home. Everybody on the trip had an amazing time. Even though some of us came back feeling a bit ill we now have memories that will last a life time and feel very lucky to have experienced a completely different way of life and to have had the opportunity to take part in such a trip.
The money donated at the fun day at The Swan earlier this year was greatly appreciated and has been paid into The Association of the Valleys of Imlil . It has not yet been decided what the money will be spent on but some will definitely contribute to the running of the ambulance our school provided for the area last time they went on an expedition to Morocco. Other options are to build a Hammam (a steam bath). It is an important part of the religion in the area, that before going to prayer everyone is clean and cleansed by entering a Hammam. Also, there is the thought of running some sort of maternity care for women in the village. Whatever is finally decided, the money donated will make a vast improvement to the quality of lives for people in the village of Imlil and the surrounding area. A big thank you to everyone who contributed. If you wish to find out more about what happened to your money, and to find out about the village of Imlil, the website is www.kasbahdutoubkal.com
As you have probably noticed elsewhere in this issue of the Gossip the Heddon Youth Group is holding a ceilidh to welcome in the new year. It is on 19th January and will be in the Knott Hall. The musicians for this event are new to the village. Robin Dunn the Caller and band leader is a prominent local musician. He writes a lot of his own music and is an accomplished violinist. Hence the name of his band – Fiddlers Elbow. He is an excellent caller with a humorous, approach Tickets will be available at the beginning of December from the Youth Group Committee and the local shops The event will be widely advertised and it will prove very popular so, GET IN EARLY AND BUY YOUR TICKET, for what promises to be a very good night
St. Andrew’s Church Christmas Fair
17th November, 2001
A very big thank you to all who organised and manned stalls and activities or donated prizes and items for the event. And, last but not least, thank you to all who attended and supported the Fair. It was a very successful and enjoyable event. To date, we have raised £1,129 … many thanks for all your help and support.
David Potts