LETTERS

Horses using the cut through Trajan to Butterfly Haven.

I am not in favour of this at all. Horses and riders can use the entrance at the bottom of Heddon Banks so they don’t have to use the main roads. Horses spoil the paths around the common as it is. A pity we could not have two paths through the common fenced off. One for pedestrians and one for horses. The elderly villagers of Heddon need somewhere pleasant and easy to walk.

To my owner who walks me near and far

You’ll know by the description who you are

You walk me round the village and to pastures new

I love going for a walk, just me and you.

I have a problem of which I need to tell you

I’m embarrassed to say it’s about my poo

You dispose of yours by flushing the loo

But leave mine lying around to stick to folks shoe

It’s not my fault if I’m caught short on the street

But it’s not designed to adorn your feet

I couldn’t help it, and it’s not a sin

All you have to do is lift it, and put it in the bin.

It doesn’t look nice and hygienic it’s not

And if all poos are left it’s really a lot

So save my embarrassment and save my face

And make the streets a much cleaner place.

So next time we go out, make me happy not sad

Lift a pooper scooper or placky bag

So if I have an urge and really can’t wait

I’m not leaving my poo at somebody’s gate

Thank you owner, I know you’ll understand

No why dogs best friend will be man

So between us we’ll keep the streets of Killin (Heddon) clean

I’m sure you love me and know what I mean.

DOG FOULING

The Parish Council has been carefully considering installing dog bins in an effort to keep the streets and recreation grounds free of dog dirt. Observation of places where such bins are already installed has shown that it is crucial that the bins are reliably and frequently emptied.

Otherwise people drop their used plastic bags on the ground around the bins and these are not picked up by the organisation emptying the bins. Then someone has to pick up all the loose bags, not a nice job on a warm day.

In addition, the bins are expensive to buy and install and very expensive to empty. An annual emptying cost of £400 per bin is likely. There are two alternatives for the installation and maintenance of the bins; one is a private company and the other is Castle Morpeth Borough Council. We are awaiting firm quotations from them and firm guarantees of reliability of collection.

Obviously, every dog walker will need to carry a plastic bag with them when they exercise their dog and use it. Many villagers already do this and then take it home for disposal. Of course, if everyone did this we would not have a problem and we would not need expensive bins and, as a village, we would save a lot of money. What do you think?

Brian Selman, Chairman, Heddon P.C.

HEDDON IN BLOOM

Is it that time of year already. Time to take stock of all the hard work that has gone into making the village look its floral best.

Many people have commented on how nice the Memorial Park looks, the new tub displays opposite the garage, the Overhill Steps, the corner next to Abacus Teaching Nursery and the other displays throughout the village.

So many thank you are in order. To Halls of Heddon for supporting us so much and this year donating a number of plants (next to Abacus) and contributing to the cost of new tubs. Also to the Parish Council for funding the bedding displays in the Memorial Park. A particular thank you to all who contributed to the Jubilee Tree appeal, £160 in all, with £100 being allocated to the Jubilee weekend celebrations themselves. The actual tree will be planted later in the year. Thanks also to the Swan Leek Club and others for various donations without which Heddon in Bloom would not be able to operate.

Many people also enjoyed the display of paintings by school children presented in the Methodist Church and later on show in the library. Thanks kids. And of course a big thank you to all the volunteers and helpers who cut grass, look after displays, tidy up and so much more.

This year the village is entered into the usual Northumbria In Bloom competition and also, for the first time, Best Voluntary Group category. The best kept garden and business competitions are also well advanced and winners will, as ever, be announced at the Heddon Village Show Day in the Knott Hall in September.

So all in all another busy year. We do hope the whole village appreciate and enjoy the hard work and floral displays which contribute greatly to making the village such a pleasant place to live.

AD MURUM SINGERS

Having performed two successful concerts in rapid succession, the choir is now having a well earned rest!

The members of the choir met for the General Meeting on 11^th June. After reports had been read and approved and the members of the Choir Committee had been elected the members repaired to the Three Tuns for supper and liquid refreshment!!!

Members of the choir are reminded that the date for recommencement of practices is Tuesday, 10^th September in the Methodist Church Hall at 7.30pm. After the break we will begin learning some new items to present at our forthcoming Christmas Concert.

Any ‘Gossip’ readers who are not members but may feel inspired to join will be warmly welcomed. Why not give it a try?

THE WELFARE FIELD A SHORT HISTORY

The Heddon Welfare field was bought in 1924 under the Miners’ Welfare Scheme to provide recreational facilities for the miners and their families living in Heddon. It was bought at auction at the sale of Sir James Knott’s properties in Heddon for £220. The trustees of the Welfare Association at that time were Ernest Stephenson, William Keir, John Brown and Jonathan Rowland.

Swings and a roundabout were built for the children and a pre-fabricated wooden hall was erected on the south western corner. This was used for dances, lectures and concerts, etc. White the pit was working, the Welfare was financed by a levy of a penny per ton of coal produced plus contributions from the miners With the closure of Heddon Pit the Welfare at Heddon became a liability, so in 1937 the Welfare Field was transferred to Heddon Parish Council with the consent of the Charity Commissioners, on condition that it would "for ever thereafter be used as a public park and recreation or pleasure ground for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Heddon on the Wall and the neighbourhood."

The document also states that in the event of the field being sold, the proceeds should be held in trust and used " for such purposes connected with the social wellbeing, recreation and conditions of living of workers in or about coal mines as the Charity Commissioners may approve." These days, these last conditions would be difficult to meet.

The wooden hall was dismantled and removed in 1937 and the lower part of the field was levelled in the early 1960’s using surplus soil from the Village estate which was being built at that time. Little has changed subsequently on the Welfare Field other than the replacement of the playground equipment and the planting of trees along the western edge. We look forward to the next chapter in the history of Heddon Welfare Field.

A NOTE FOR YOUR DIARY

Those residents who attended the ceilidh last January will be pleased to learn that another one has been arranged for October 12^th 2002. It will be a different band to last time. The band is called Joint Stock and the caller with them is a lady called Dotty Siddle. Dotty is an excellent caller with a good range of dances. This band and caller are again new to the village, so a new experience for everyone. The arrangements will be the same as for the January ceilidh and the numbers will be restricted to 120 as before. This restriction on numbers is so that there is enough room for dancing. Any more and the floor becomes restricted due to the number of tables, and the problem is compounded by having extra dancers on a reduced floor area. The cause to which any profit will be donated has not yet been finally decided. It will be either the youth group, as before, or it may go into the Welfare Field improvements. In either case the people of Heddon will benefit. So come along and enjoy yourself. For how to obtain tickets keep an eye on the Gossip and the notice boards nearer the time.

THE COST OF VANDALISM

Residents who regularly walk through the village will have observed that of late that there has been a concerted attack on the various facilities in Heddon.

The most obvious targets have been the litter bins in both the Memorial Park and the Welfare Field. There appears to have been a huge outbreak of pyromania in these locations as the litter bins there have been completely destroyed by fire. The Memorial Park shelter was re-painted just before the Jubilee celebrations. That same night it was vandalised. Mud was thrown onto the newly painted walls and the floor of shelter itself was covered in soil and plant debris. In the very recent past one of the swings has been stolen from the Welfare Field. As ever there is the constant problem of litter. This is vandalism in its way.

There seems to be a concept that the items which are damaged and destroyed do not belong to anyone and that some one else with a bottomless pocket will pay the bill for replacement or repair. This is of course nonsense. All the street furniture, swings , the Memorial park shelter and the children’s playground all belong to YOU, the people of Heddon. The people with the bottomless pockets are YOU, the people of Heddon. The litter bins which have been destroyed will cost YOU something approaching £1000 to replace. If a new swing has to be bought it will cost something like £150. The Cleaning of the Memorial Park shelter cost money as does the constant clearing up of litter. The Parish Council will have to bear these costs. and the money eventually will come from the Parish Precept and out of YOUR pockets.

As you will see in another part of this publication a new initiative has been started by the Parish Council to improve the facilities for children in the village, starting with an improvement to the Welfare Field. However at the back of everyone’s mind who is connected with this project is the thought "is it worth it." Inevitably the question is asked about how long any scheme will last. Costs are increased by the necessity to make any installation as vandal proof as possible.

If the Welfare Field improvements go ahead it will be up to you, the residents of Heddon to try to ensure that vandalism on the scale we are currently seeing does not happen and that the facilities are preserved in good condition. THEY WILL BELONG TO YOU AND REPAIRS WILL HAVE TO BE PAID FOR BY YOU EVENTUALLY.

THE JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

What a wonderful weekend we had in Heddon to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. It all began when bunting was hung around the village from one end of Towne Gate to the other, not forgetting the front of the shops. People on buses coming through must have passed many favourable comments about it.

On Saturday night, when we held the concert in the Knott Memorial Hall, the weather was gorgeous and the audience was able to spill out into the car park for their interval refreshments. All the performers put on an excellent show to a packed hall. Beryl Amos, with her Rule Britannia, was especially good. Incidentally, she lost her voice the next day!

Sunday was disappointing when the Picnic in the Park, organised by the Three Tuns, was rained off. However, people still enjoyed their picnics on the hall floor.

Monday, a cold but fine day, was the turn of the Swan. Again people turned out for the show and barbecue. It all ended with a spectacular firework display.

I would like to thank all of you who helped in any way and all who joined in the Wonderful celebration, making it a most memorable weekend.

A post script. Why cannot the Hall and indeed all village activities be as well supported as this one was? It can be very frustrating for the organisers of events to find them poorly attended. Come on Heddon people keep up the enthusiasm!

We look forward to not only seeing you but also seeing all your entries at the Village Show on Saturday, 7^th September.

HEDDON SHOW ... SATURDAY, 7^TH SEPTEMBER

The Show Schedules should now be out, if you have not received one they are available from Heddon Post Office. Also in the Post Office are the pattern for the Oxfam Child’s Shorts and the Children Under Five’s Picture to Paint.

The continuation of the Heddon Show depends on your entries so …. Get growing, sewing and cooking.

WELFARE FIELD IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE

Heddon on the Wall Parish Council has formed a committee to improve the Welfare Field.

The recent survey showed that all those who voted wanted to see the area improved to ensure that it can be enjoyed by far more people than at the current time.

Various options have been submitted and the Committee is in the process of assessing these.

Rest assured that all the suggestions will be carefully considered and advice taken where appropriate But do not expect to see things change in the short term as preparation is needed and any improvements will be expensive. Various ways in which the improvements may be financed are being looked at.

As with all Parish Council meetings, members of the public are permitted to attend. The minutes are circulated after agreement and copies are available in the Library and on the Heddon Website. Regular updates will be given in the Gossip newspaper.

The Committee members are – I.Armstrong: A.Avery; M. Furlonger: M. Jackson, E.King: D.Mullarkey; I. Scott; B.Selman; G.Stewart and A. Watson/

ST. ANDREW’S FOOTBALL CLUB, HEDDON ON THE WALL.

A member of the Churches together (North East) Football League

The success of the club continues with all the places for next season quickly taken. No doubt helped by the number of trophies won by the Club last season. There is even a waiting list for places but, due to the shortage of leaders, no further teams can be formed.

The Club now owns some excellent training equipment and is soon to purchase training goals from the money raised at the Easter social event held in the Knott Hall

Details of the Club will soon be updated on the Heddon website giving even greater information.

FLOWER FESTIVAL 2002 ….CHANGED FROM GLORY INTO GLORY – A celebration in Flowers

By the time this edition of Heddon Gossip is delivered to your door the Flower Festival will be in full swing. We do hope you will be able to come along to support this charitable event.

Our final fund raising event was a Garden Party which was held at Heddon Hall on Saturday, 22^nd June

We were very grateful to Mrs. Brims who allowed us to use her lovely home and gardens for the Garden Party. The weather was favourable and we were thrilled that over £600 was raised. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way to make this occasion so successful.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to the residents of Heddon for any inconvenience caused by extra traffic in the village for the duration of the Festival. We hope you will be tolerant and remember that the more visitors to the Flower Festival the more money will be raised for St. Oswalds’s Hospice and other local charities.

Thank you in anticipation of your support. The details of the Festival are as follows –

Venues –

St. Andrew’s Church

Methodist Church

Knott Memorial Hall

Thursday….. 1^st August …….10am-6pm

Friday …….. 2^nd August ……10am-6pm

Saturday ……3^rd August ……10am-6pm

Sunday …… .4^th August …….11am-5pm

Refreshments available.

Entry by programme which covers all venues - £4: concessions £3: Children of school age free.

HEDDON STITCHERS is a group of dedicated, enthusiastic ‘stitchers’ producing some lovely work. Such is the enthusiasm that for at least the first half hour we are all keen to look at each others work. We all contribute suggestions and ideas as to how a piece of work could be enhanced then, after listening to all the information put forward the owner of the quilt, cushion, table mat, etc., ‘does her own thing’!!!

Check out the variety of work we do it will be displayed on the Heddon Stitchers table at the Flower Festival.

We meet at 1pm every Monday afternoon in the Knott Hall. Why not pop in and see us.

Elsie Liddle

Charity Quilt

You may remember last year a number of people in Heddon contributed hexagons towards the Grandmother'’ Garden Quilt being made by Hazel of North Shields to be raffled. Nearly £1,000 was raised which was given to St. Oswald'’ Jig Saw Appeal.

Hazel received so many contributions of hexagons that she had sufficient to make a second quilt.

The second quilt has now been completed and is again being raffled for the Jig Saw Appeal.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY A RAFFLE TICKET TO WIN THIS BEAUTIFUL QUILT please contact me – Ann Lockey, Tel. No. 01661 852832.

The winning ticket will be drawn at the

THE FUNDING OF HEDDON BUTTERFLY HAVEN

For one final time and at the request of the Editor in response to one or two letters which have appeared in the Gossip I am going to explain the background to the making of the Butterfly Haven and the way it has been funded.

First of all the whole of Heddon Common which is in the ownership of the Borough is a Local Nature Reserve, that includes the area which is now the Buterfly Haven.

The area in question was for many years, up to the year 2000, covered in rosebay willowherb and was basically inaccessible apart from the two bridleways which run along the east and west sides of it. The cut through from Trajan had a concrete post in the middle of the entrance so that it was impossible to get a push chair through to say nothing of a horse!

As part of the overall management of the Local Nature Reserve ( which has a Management Committee and a published Management Plan ) the Committee had been looking at that area in particular as being in need of some serious management. The opportunity came with funds being made available through Millennium Awards offered by the Millennium Commission. These awards were offered for a whole range of community and other activities and were administered by a number of nationally based organisations. From contacts I had made ours was administered by Age Concern and their partner organisation in environmental schemes The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. It needed me to get a group a people in the village who would be interested in improving the site to get together with BTCV and come up with a scheme which the Millennium Commission thought worthy of funding. The scheme we came up with was the Butterfly Haven. Having gone through all the hoops and answered all the questions to their satisfaction I ( as the leader of the group) was one of 660 people chosen from all over the United Kingdom for an award.

Because we had presented them with a well thought out and properly ( and sensibly ) costed scheme the Commission gave us £10,000 to produce the Butterfly Haven. That covered hiring a large earth moving machine for three days, and contouring the land to our satisfaction as well as getting rid of the rosebay willowherb, planting up the surrounding banks which were created, buying the large amount of stone which was needed, laying new paths on the site and completely seeding the area with a wildflower and grassland mix. As part of the conditions we had to make the site wheelchair accessible which meant removing the concrete post at Trajan and forming a low gradient ramp as well as re-surfacing the cut. In addition to all that we had to pay for the time of the full time staff members of BTCV who were involved in the project. The cash flow was monitered by the Commission on a month by month basis. You get nowt for nowt so if anyone thinks we have paid over the top for what we have got I would respectfully suggest that they don’t know what they are talking about.

The Butterfly Haven has cost Heddon £666 which is the sum which the Parish Council agreed to pay for the stone mosaic at the entrance to the site as part of their contribution. The remainder has been paid for as I have already explained.

Just to summarise,

The money for the Butterfly Haven was provided by the Millennium Commission.

That particular money was not available for any other purpose.

Anyone who has bright ideas for projects in the village is free to form a group and apply for money, just bear in mind they don’t give the money away without a very comprehensive breakdown of what it is needed for.

Finally my very grateful thanks to the wonderful group of folks in the village who have stuck with the project through thick and thin. We set out to create a wild area that would be attractive to butterflies and lots of other wildlife as well and we have certainly succeeded and it will continue to get better as the years go by. On the other hand if we took too much notice of the few we could always let it go back to a rosebay willowherb jungle!

This correspondence has now closed !

Ian Armstrong

HEDDON ART GROUP

We have spent several of our recent meetings practising water colour techniques with our tutor, Barbara Clayton. We all found it beneficial to be reminded of the basic use of water colours, and once more to try out simple washes, tones and still life subjects.
In complete contrast, Yvonne Ellison again guided us through a class in silk painting.
Yvonne's talent in this medium is apparent in her work and her enthusiasm inspires us to achieve some interesting results - if not to her high standard!

Following the success of Walter Holmes' demonstration last year we have arranged for him to come again; we hope to have a good attendance as previously, to make his visit worthwhile. For those who have not seen Walter Holmes at work, you can be assured of a memorable evening. All are welcome in the W.I. Hall from 7pm to 9pm and everyone present contributes £2 towards the cost of the evening.

Mary White (01661) 852749

HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

As usual, food has featured high in the activities of the W.I. during the last couple of months.

At the Jubilee Concert on 1^st June, W.I. served tea and juice to over 200 thirsty cast and audience members. We seem to remember it was one of the few sunny warm evenings we’ve had this summer! "Tuesday Teas" have been served regularly since January, and we would like to thank all those who support this event. "Teas" are now having a break, to recommence in October.

The June meeting of W.I. was a talk on "The Bero Cook Book" (food again) and a charity coffee morning held at Joyce Laws’ farm raised over £100 for Leprosy Mission. As a change, our July meeting was a talk about Newcastle Silver, with the opportunity to handle these rare and valuable objects of our North Eastern heritage. In August we are visiting the Nature Reserve at Ladycross Quarry with supper at Slaley.

At the beginning of August we shall be putting a display in the Knott Hall as part of the Flower Festival, which is entitled "From Glory To Glory." At the end of August we are having a cake stall at the Village Fair. This is held in the field behind The Swan. If you have never sampled our cakes we can guarantee that they are good! We are preparing for the Village Show at the beginning of September where W.I. will supply and serve the refreshments. Of course we will also be putting in our competition entries!

Our regular meetings start on the 2^nd September with a light-hearted talk on "The History of Beads." You will be made most welcome if you join us.

Aileen and Joyce.

KNOW YOUR PARISH COUNCILLOR - Robert Young

I moved to the infamous Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall when I was 3 years old then to Allerburn when I was eleven so have been in the Heddon area all my life. I have been a Parish Councillor since 1995 and can honestly say that I find the duties of a Parish Councillor very interesting, especially the Planning aspect.

I would like to see more continuity and consistency in the planning process not only in Heddon but throughout the area.

THANK YOU

Heddon in Bloom and helpers have been evident in and around the village as usual and I consider a big THANK YOU is in order for the amount of work they have put in and the difference they have made – tackling the Memorial Park is a major job in itself and it is looking very colourful at the moment.

An individual THANK YOU to Barry who has cleared the footpath on the east side of the village which has considerably increased its width.

Yes, it would be nice to win awards which would acknowledge the all the year round work but the colourful village we have is appreciated. THANK YOU.

A SPECIAL BUTTERFLY EVENT FOR HEDDON CHILDREN

Children aged 6 to 11 are invited to take part in a four-day Summer School, to be held at the Knott
Memorial Hall from Tuesday 27 August to Friday 30 August. The project will involve children in making Butterfly masks, costumes and kites. and in devising and rehearsing a performance which will take place on the Friday afternoon at the Butterfly on Heddon Common, weather permitting, or at the Kontt Memorial Hall if the weather is inclement.

Four to five year olds are welcome to take part in the Friday workshop and to be part of the Friday afternoon performance.

Please ring Rose Furlonger on 01661 853156 for further details, and to book places on the Summer School.

Many thanks to everyone who braved the cold and wind on Saturday 29th June to attend the summer fair. We raised over £500, which will be put towards the playground appeal. Many thanks to: the Swan Inn, Brockbushes Farm, the Chronicle and Journal, and the Original Mason's for their generous raffle prizes and to Honey the pony for her stamina!

We have had a busy year, both fundraising and providing treats and trips forthe children.

This year we are concentrating our fund raising efforts on the school playgrounds. We have nearly £2500 raised towards our target of £5000 to resurface the playgrounds and provide play equipment and paint all the fences. We are also applying for grants to match our fund raising. As always, we would not have achieved any of this if the parents and residents of Heddon had not been so generous, both with their time and money. Many thanks to you all for your continuing support.

Kind Regards
Diane Howorth

Have you been to the Butter recently?

At the entrance is the Dragonfly in the pathway made from different coloured slate. It is impressive and incorporates the date, 2000, when the project was started.

Many different kinds of wild flowers grow in the body of the Butterfly , including delicious wild strawberries.

I made my way up to the seat via the stepping stones hand-carved by Heddon residents. In years to come it will be nice for them to go back and say, ‘I carved that one’.

The seat sited on a high point overlooks the Butterfly, the two meadows and right across the valley.

It is fitted into the bank side which makes it sheltered spot. The seat itself is made from a massive piece of stone from Ladykirk Quarry at Slaley.

The trees planted on the bund surrounding the Haven are doing well – the Budlia is flowering attracting many butterflies.

One of the purposes of creating the Butterfly was to attract Butterflies and insects and it is certainly doing that.

It is a lovely view, sheltered and peaceful sitting here this Sunday afternoon (or any time). There is still some finishing off to be done and timber to be cleared away but that is a minor detail when considering what has been achieved in a relatively short space of time.

Have a walk and spend some quiet time at the Butterfly, you will be surprised at the number of different bird songs you hear, butterflies and moths you see and the number of different wild flowers you can count.