Elsie Carr and family would like to thank everyone for their cards and condolences sent after Peter’s very sad and sudden death on 10th August.
Also, a big thank-you to all who donated to the Motor Neuron Disease Fund.
Elsie Carr
For the past 43 years Heddon ladies have been meeting twice monthly to enjoy each other’s company and listen to the great variety of speakers we have learnt from over the years.
Some of our members were founder members for the then Young Wives. We are now known as Heddon Ladies’Fellowship.
We meet in the W.I. Hall on the second and fourth Wednesdays of most months at 7.30pm
The Annual Fee is a modest £5 with a meeting charge of £1. These amounts cover the cost of the Hall and the speakers.
We also give to charity each year. As well as an excellent variety of speakers we enjoy the occasional social evening and twice yearly we look forward to meals out.
Perhaps you are new to the village and would like to come along and test the water or maybe you are a lapsed member and would like to renew old friendships.
Future speakers include Pam Newman who is known to many. There will also be talks on Old Postcards, the History of the Pantry, Amusing Anecdotes of a Fireman’s Life and a film show of Woodhorn Mining Museum.
For further information ring Dorothy Murray, Honorary Secretary, Tel. No. 01661 853438
Another success for Heddon Show.. Sir Ian Wrigglesworth opened the Show and presented the prizes and although the weather was mixed a good crowd came and enjoyed the many exhibits and enjoyed the two performances by the Hexhamshire Lasses
All classes produced interesting and high quality entries, even the gardeners, after a season of such mixed weather produced some very nice vegetables.
The children’s classes are always interesting - their imaginations run wild especially when creating vegetable animals. Thanks to all who entered. The Committee looks forward to seeing you next year. The Cup Winners were –
Vegetables – Les Young
Garlic – Mrs. A. Lockey
Flowers – Dahlias – Mrs. H. Simpson
Sweet Peas – Mrs. M. Young
Floral Art – Mrs. S.F. Watson
Wine & Beer – Linda Hawley
Photography – S. Armstrong
Cookery – Mrs. S.F. Watson
Crafts – Mrs. D. Hankey
Special Craft Award – Daniel Anderson
Children’s Trophies
5 and under – Robbie Crowe
6-9 years – Stephanie Lynch
10-13 years – Rachael Smith
Cup Winner – Stephanie Lynch
There are still two unclaimed raffle prizes – Yellow Ticket No. 354 … Green Ticket No. 418 (Bloomfield)
Please contact the Show Secretary, Anne Elliott, on 01661 853223 if you have either of these tickets.
The Better weather in August and the rise in the temperature really brought the best out of the Butterfly Haven. When we set about designing this somewhat different wildlife area we were aware that though we would call it a butterfly haven if it worked properly it would be a great attraction to a wide range of wildlife and that is just the way it is turning out.
On the warmest and sunniest days it is absolutely alive with all sorts of insects besides the array of butterflies. The sounds they all make as they busily forage for nectar on the wild flowers in the meadow are a pleasure to listen to.
Tyne Teas Television have just filmed a piece at the Haven with me for their Wildtrack programme which goes out early in the New Year.
On the day we did it the place was alive with activity and apart from the butterflies and other insects we had toads in the long grass and at one point I had a weasel screaming at me to get away from a shrew it had just caught.
It was also nice to see the workshop and stage production in the Knott Hall inspired by the Butterfly and run by Rose Furlonger.
The children who took part made some wonderful costumes and acted like true professionals when they wore them in the colourful stage show that afternoon. Well done to everybody who took part.
Ian Armstrong
Heddon Ramblers meet on the first Sunday of each month for a 7 to 8 mile circular walk lasting about 3 hours. We rendezvous in the Three Tuns car park at 9am and travel together by car to our starting point.
This year we have returned to our countryside walks after a series of town and coastal rambles. So far we have done walks around Blaydon, Hexham, Penshaw Monument, Hawthorn village, High Force and Alwinton
We walk in all weather but prefer dry and clear conditions and have been lucky with most of our rambles this year, February south of Hexham being the soggy exception.
If you fancy joining us you will need stout boots or shoes, waterproof coat and a love of the countryside.
For further information call Joy and Les Kirby on 01661 853722
Last season was most successful with 2 junior members (the two Daniels) Anderson and Redpath being selected to represent the County of Northumberland on several occasios following regular training sessions with the County Coaching Team at Benfield School.
The senior team also managed to maintain their league position in the Tyneside Mixed A Division, no mean feat with injury problems and few reserves to draw on.
Many thanks go to Mervyn Hogg from the Heddon Club for gallantly acting as Tynedale League Secretary for the season and for running the tournament at the Wentworth Sports Centre in February.
Badminton is a fantastic game. It keeps the mind alert and the body fit. It can be enjoyed by the young and old alike.
Heddon has had a Badminton Club in the Knott Hall for many years and would like this to continue. In order to do so we need some ‘new blood’. Although as previously said, all ages can enjoy competitive games, remaining competitive in the League is a different matter as some of the older members will tell you.
So, if you would like to join us on Monday nights … 7.30 – 10pm for the seniors and 6pm – 7.30pm for junior, you would be more than welcome.
If you do not think you are up to it COME ALONG ANYWAY we all need to start somewhere and there are plenty of people willing to give you some coaching.
Les Kirby
A Celebrarion in Flowers
THANK YOU ….To everyone who helped in any way to make the Flower Festival the tremendous success it was.
So many people helped in so many ways that it would be impossible to name everyone. However, a special mention must be made –
To Anne Codd who co-ordinated all the floral aspects of the event.
To the talented ladies from local Flower Clubs who created the ‘works of are’ in both Churches
To the representatives of local Clubs and Organisations who arranged the displays in the Knott Hall
To everyone who helped with baking and serving refreshments and sho manned the Churches and the Hall every day
To the hardworking Committee for tireless fund raising spanning three years and at our last two fund raising events
To Claire Young for the ‘Simply Flowers’ evening
To Mrs. Brims for the Garden Party at Heddon Hall
The Flower Festival was opened by Bishop Martin at a Preview Evening on Wednesday, 31st July. Over £4,500 was raised during the event for the Jigsaw Appeal and local Churches and Charities.
Despite the atrocious weather for the first two days, Saturday and Sunday saw over 1,000 visitors to Heddon on the Wall, travelling from all over the North of England. Without exception everyone who visited the Flower Festival was impressed by Heddon Village, the venues, the refreshments and , of course, the spectacular flower arrangements.
Linda Henderson
Originally built by Brown and Bell for their workers from the pits around the Heddon/Throckley area, one of their pits was the Margaret Pit at Heddon.
Bell lived at Woolsington Hall and Brown lived at Wallsend. The houses were named Heddon Square, Throckley, although they were registered in the Heddon area and in later years when I was born there we were registered as living in the Wansbeck area.
The original buildings had steps and a gallery outside. Before the workforce could live there the first ‘Policital Refugees’ were brought over from France. They were exiled Huguenots (Catholic Priests) who fled the revolution.
The Mayor of Newcastle appealed to local families to help house the refugees and Bell and Brown offered accommodation in the houses they had built. The priests were given 1/- per day to help them maintain themselves.
When the priests returned to France in 1802 the houses were turned into poor houses until 1849 when the workers from the pits were given them.
When the priests left for France they left a Sundial with the inscription ‘QUAM SIGNARE PITS GAUDES GENS HOSPITA DONIS PROSPERO SIT SOMPER QUAE LIBOT HORA FIBI 1802 which was a latin translation thanking the people of Newcastle for their hospitality.
The first record I have is of one of my cousin’s great-great- grandfather living at No. 1 in 1844. He was William Shipley the local shoemakers. The house at No.1 had an extra room was used as a workshop. The family still have eyelets and leather from his workshop. His son moved into No. 3 and three more generations were born there.
I, myself, a niece, was born in Frenchman’s Row in 1933. There was a room downstairs and a large bedroom upstairs where large families would sleep, a scullery at the back and in the back lane was the ‘Middens’ (for the uninitiated these were dry closets. Not a subject we will dwell upon!)
It was a happy neighbourly street with the local ‘The Frenchmans’ conveniently at the bottom of the street.
The local milk man and grocer came down the back lane with their horses and carts and there was also a hardware seller who paid a regular visit.
In 1957 the local council decided to demolish these buildings. They were damp and without electricity but it is a shame that they could not have been renovated and modernised and parts of the original buildings retained. When the houses were demolished my uncle was given £100 compensation. Fortunately, the council decided to keep the Sundial which although commemorating an historic fact is on a modern building. Olive White
E. Note. The Heddon History Society has a copy of the long letter of thanks from the refugees to the people of Newcastle thanking them for their hospitality (these were the days of flowery language when many words were used to say "Thank You")
ARTICLE FOR HEDDON - Ray King (Methodist minister)
When I first came to Heddon last January, to meet the people and see if I would like to serve the church here it was snowing for most of the day. I knew it would be very different from sunny Kent, where we had lived for the past five years. But I am a northener and I am living a little closer to my old home in York. Prior to that we had spent a number of years in Ohio, USA. My wife, Sheila grew up there and after my training I was sent for a short time to a small village in the south of the state near Cincinnati. Apart from that we had never before been country people but from childhood I always had a love of the countryside of the north riding of Yorkshire. In America my parishioners were fascinated to know that I came from close to where James Heriott, the world-famous country vet, was working.
While living in Heddon I will also be looking after the Methodist church communities in Wallbottle, Milbourne and Scots Gap. Luckily we have a good supporting team of lay people to take some of the Sunday services as you cannot be everywhere at once. The folk in all of these places have been very welcoming, as have our neighbours in the village. You will see Sheila and I around quite a bit, and also her father who lives with us. Our children will be here from time to time but they are just now both away at University, one down south and one back in America. We are now looking forward to a long and happy stay in this area, and are already enjoying some of the pleasures of a quieter country life.
Ray King (Revd)
Once again Walter Holmes drew a good audience for his pastel demonstration in August. He proved that we can find subjects for our work wherever we are, by simply looking out of the W.I. Hall window towards Calvus Drive and drawing what he saw - cars and all - and producing an attractive painting from it, followed by another of the bridges over the Tyne
We are now working towards our 27th Annual Exhibition to be held in the W.I. Hall on Saturday, 5th October from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome to drop in, look around and vote for the painting they like best; the member whose work receives most votes will be presented with the Reg and Edna Hewling Memorial Rose bowl at the close of the exhibition. Tea and coffee will be available, with home made cakes, and there will be a raffle.For final details see the posters around the village. We are always happy to welcome new members and find that our exhibition is an ideal opportumity for anyone interested in joining us to make contact. Don't be shy, remember that we all had to start from scratch - and we do not exhibit our failures!
Will present "BASINFUL OF THE BRINY" a comedy in three Acts by Leslie Sands, in the W.I. Hall, Heddon on the Wall on Thursday and Friday, 24th and 25th October, 2002. Curtain Up 7.30pm.
Tickets will be available from either Sadie Elliott, Tel.No. 0191 2676834, or Edith Hartle, Tel.No. 01661 852168, at prices of ADULTS £3 and CHILDREN £1.50
To support the Shoe Box Appeal there will be a COFFEE EVENING with CAKE STALL in the Methodist Church on 2nd October, 2002, at 7.30 pm
After our August meeting, which was a most enjoyable visit to Ladycross Quarry, we had a brief Summer break. But W.I. is up and running again!
We came back with great enthusiasm to The Village Show. Several of our members had successes with their entries. In fact three cups were presented to W.I. members!! One received a Highly Commended certificate from Castle Morpeth for her garden entered in the Village in Bloom competition, - she was very surprised. Jean Amos and her team provided delicious "home made
teas" for those attending.
On the 14th September we had a "Ploughman's Lunch" at 11-30, and "Soup and Bun" returns on 9th November. W.I. soup is a treat too good to miss!!
A Jumble Sale will be held in the hall on Saturday 12th October. If you have any jumble to be collected, give your name to either of us, and we will gladly pick it up on the Friday. Otherwise bring your jumble to the hall from 9-30am on the Saturday morning. The sale begins at 10-30 am. On 11th November C.J. Fashions return to give us a Fashion Show, with an opportunity to "buy" afterwards. This event starts at 7-00 pm.
Our September meeting was an interesting talk on the "History of Beads." October's meeting on the 7th, is a talk by a Newcastle City Guide on "Bridges of Newcastle" and the November meeting is to be "Neo-natal care in the North East" Do join us, you'll be made most welcome! We meet on the first Monday in the month, at 7pm.
Joyce and Aileen.
P.S. Many W.I. members have been ill or hospitalised recently. We wish them all a speedy recovery.
After a well earned break, the choir re-assembled on September 10th in the Methodist Church Hall.
The choir committee had previously met to plan a programme of Christmas music to be mastered before our popular Christmas Concert. The date of the concert is Saturday 14th December and it will be at The Knott Hall at 7-00 pm. Proceeds from the sale of tickets is divided between the Knott Hall and The Ad Murum Singers. A raffle will also be held during the evening.
As a choir we are always keen to enlarge our repertoire, and our programme will include some new pieces which we hope you will enjoy. The traditional and popular Christmas music will also feature.
The choir would also like to encourage anyone reading the Heddon Gossip, who has an interest in choral singing to "come along and join us!" The welcome is warm and friendly, the group is enthusiastic, the venue is handy, and music is generally easy to learn!!
Chris Rand.
The last ceilidh which was held in Heddon (that was in January for those who have short memories) was a great success. Well now is your chance to come to another one. There will be a different band this time with a different selection of dances. This band is called the Joint Stock Ceilidh Band. I can tell you from personal experience that they are Good – very good. Unusually the caller is a lady and she is really nice.
Tickets are on sale in all of the local shops at a price of £6.50. As before there will be a bar and a pie and pea supper. The last dance was a sell out. In fact some people who left it too late couldn’t go. This is mainly because the number of tickets is severely limited in order to allow space for dancing. So the moral is GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY. Remember this dance is being advertised outside of Heddon and there is already a demand for tickets
PARKING IN TABERNA CLOSE
Some queries have been raised over parking in Taberna Close outside of the shops. Residents can be assured that there is no restriction on parking in this area.
A VACANCY ON THE PARISH COUNCIL
A vacancy has arisen on the Parish Council. Applications are invited from the residents of Heddon to fill this vacancy. The Parish Council carries out an important function in the village. No qualifications are necessary o be a Councillor, but applicants need to have sound common sense. If you are interested please write to the Clerk to the Council, Mr T. Bates, 12, Antonine Walk, Heddon on the Wall. Alternatively ring 01661 852682 for more details
MORE VANDALISM - A REQUEST TO PARENTS FROM A GROUP OF HEDDON RESIDENTS
We are as aware now as when we moved here years ago that we live close to a school with a playing field and that children and young people will be playing ball games on that field. We have no wish to curtail these games at all BUT we would like these young people to have respect for ourselves and our property.
During the Summer we have been constantly plagued with balls being kicked into our garden …. The ball being followed by a young person jumping straight over the wall and trampling the rockery to retrieve the ball. On occasions the ball has been kicked so hard that when it hit the car it set off the alarm.
And, what is now well beyond a joke is the very bad language we hear from these young people.
We have spoken nicely to them and said that the problem could be alleviated if they moved their goal posts further down the field. We have spoken firmly to them. We have spoken to the parents of the young people we know.
ALL TO NO AVAIL.
The last straw came when we returned home recently to find that all the gravel in the centre of our drive had been kicked out and our lawn had cycle marks all over it.
Are you the parent of a young person who rides a bicycle or the parent of a young person who kicks a ball around on the school field? This could be your child who is making a nuisance of themselves
We ask you to speak to your child about what is happening and stress that this is UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVOUR.
PARENTS …… YOUR HELP IN SORTING OUT THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE APPRECIATED
A WALK FROM HEDDON TO BURNSIDE FARM AND BACK ABOUT 5½ KM OR 3½ MILES ALTOGETHER
From the petrol station take the road curving off towards the A69 bypass for Newcastle. Just before the curve ends turn left along Mill Lane (Heddon Mill disappeared in the opencast mining which finished about forty years ago). After 500 metres go through the metal gate on the left at the fingerpost "Heddon Birks 3/4". Head across the field diagonally for a stile. Continue in the same direction in the next field to another stile. Cross the bypass and turn down the tarmac path at the fingerpost "Throckley Common 1". After the stile aim half-right for the bridge over the burn just to the right of a bush. Continue (northwards) with a fence on your left. After three stiles cross a farm track to yet another stile, this one with ladders. In the next field aim a bit to the right, making for the top corner of the field. Here cross the wooden bridge and continue in the same direction as the bridge (this is a new right of way) to a gate and stile into a road. Turn left and continue along the road past Heddon Birks to where it tuns sharp left. Here there is a path on the right signposted "Black Row 3/4". The path is to the east of the hedge, follow it with the hedge on your right. Continue through the next field with the hedge still on your right to a stile. Keep going and at the bottom corner of the field cross the stream by a wooden bridge and go over the vestiges of a stile. The sheds on your right contained the pigs where the recent foot and mouth epidemic started. Cross the field diagonally to a gate and stile just to the right of the willow trees at Dewley Burn.
EITHER turn left, go under the bypass, and take the first road on the right (at Black Row) to return to Heddon.
OR, for a closer look at Burnside Farm, turn right along the road through the farm and follow it to the bottom of a dip. Here take the farm track on the left and at the end of the track cross the stile (this is a very stilish walk) on the left. From here return by the way you came.
W.H. KING
HEDDON IN BLOOM ….. CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
As seen on T.V. - we’ve done it again! Heddon on the Wall has earned a third place ‘Certificate of Merit’ in the 2002 Northumbria In Bloom Large Village Competition for the second year in a row. This year’s awards ceremony, hosted by Stockton on Tees, featured BBC Radio and Look North and many other leading regional organisations.
All other entrant are striving to improve their environment and be serious contenders for the top awards. This means our own extra work this year has kept us up there with the best. But working harder can sometimes mean we just keep pace with the others. So guess what? Yes you’ve got it, we’ll have to try even harder next year! So any and all extra help will be appreciated.
Aycliffe were again first place and Walkworth second. The judges paid particular attention to out efforts and support throughout the village from so many individuals and organisations. So a big thank you to Halls of Heddon, the Swan Summer Fair and Leek Club and to everyone else who contributes in so many ways towards making the village such an attractive place in which to live and work.
In our own keenly contested competitions there was again a high number of entrants. At the Village Show the winning shields and cup plus certificates and prizes donated by Halls of Heddon were awarded. This year was special with a new award in memory of the late Jim Patterson who had been a long time supporter of Heddon in Bloom. A special presentation by his wife Audrey was greatly appreciated at the Show.:
So once again, a very big well done to all the prize winners and for everyone who took part whether they won a prize or not. It takes all of us in our own ways to make the big picture.
As a final commendation, the ever-green Les Young rightly won Castle Morpeth’s overall Best Front Garden Competition. Yes, that the very best garden in the whole of the Borough. Is there any limit to this mans talents? Well done Les, your a credit to us all.
Last month (August) after a prolonged period of poor health I decided it was time to do something I’d been looking forward to for some time, visiting the butterfly garden on the Common. Dennis and I collected the dogs and set off through the Welfare Field and over the common. As we approached the place where I thought the garden was I felt that we had somehow taken the wrong path but Dennis said that we were right. Nothing seemed to have changed, suddenly I saw the opening. We went in and my heart sank. It was smothered in weeds, not a flower to be seen and not a single butterfly, we had more in our front garden. It seems that a lot of hard work and a lot of money have been allowed to go to waste and it is such an awful shame. It could be a real visitor attraction. It seems that apathy has once again reared its ugly head. Other people I have spoken to have agreed with me.
June Neal, Mithras Gardens.
Ed. Note. I have been involved with the Butterfly Haven (not garden) right from the start and would like to say that there is a time, a season and a reason for everything, and apathy has not raised its ugly head again. The Butterfly Haven has now been cut and the reason why it was left until this time of year was to ensure that all the flower seeds had ripened and dropped into the ground ready for next year.