Best laid plans etc…!  A few technical hitches meant putting the move date back but we do hope to be in the new premises by mid January.

 

There are some changes to routine.  Dr. Breese has now trained as a GP Appraiser and will be working away from the Practice one day a week on a Tuesday.  Dr. Vibhishanan will be taking over the Tuesday morning surgery in Marchwiel.  Dr. Linney will hold surgery in Bangor on Dee on Tuesday afternoon in place of Dr. Vibhishanan who will be working in Overton.  Dr. Linney will have an extra surgery in Overton on Thursday mornings.

 

 In December we began trialling a new method of dealing with requests for urgent appointments; this is to see if we can ensure more of those who need to see a doctor on the same day can do so and reduce unnecessary delays.  If you telephone on a Monday or Friday morning for a same-day appointment, your name and ‘phone number will be asked for.  A doctor will ‘phone you back within 30-90 minutes and discuss the problem with you.  Some urgent problems can be dealt with over the telephone avoiding the need to come to the surgery.  This system has been successful in other practices and we hope it will improve patient access for urgent problems.  Non-urgent appointments will be available in the usual way.

Overton’s Footpaths By Ken Farrell

 

What used to be called hiking or in modern parlance rambling or simply walking has been one of my favourite pastimes for as far back as I can remember.  Perhaps it all started through being brought up in Marchweil.  Old-timers like me will still remember the twice –weekly bus service into Wrexham run by Williams and Hodson whose depot stood next-door to the Post Office in Marchweil.  If you missed that bus and did not have a bike or car you simply walked.

 

So when I moved to Overton in 1989 and bought myself a walking map I was delighted to see some 40 miles of Public Footpaths running round the village.  There was only one snag – you simply could not get at them.  The stiles were certainly there, many of them lovely old oak ones with carefully crafted mortice and tenon joints fixed with wooden pins, but were buried deep in the hedgerows and were quite inaccessible.

 

I contacted Gordon Emery, local represtentative of the Ramblers’ Association and, over a twelve month period starting in the summer of 1991 we first surveyed the whole area, walking every footpath and bridleway and then got down to rebuilding or replacing the whole network of stiles, bridle-gates and foot-bridges under the auspices of the Clwyd County Council and Wrexham Maelor.

 

While we were working on the stile in Argoed Lane at the top of the Red Ash Path which runs parallel with the Avenue two ladies, both keen walkers, asked us “Why don’t you show us where all these restored footpaths are, now that you have almost finished them?”  From this developed weekly Monday evening walks which ran throughout the summers of the early 1990’s some of which were very hot.  Starting with perhaps half a dozen walkers we soon reached 20 to 30 members.  They were great times!  Here in June 1993 are five stalwarts by the Dee opposite the Boat Inn at Erbistock – Brenda Farrell, Jenny Bellis, Alan Edwards, Kath Hamilton and Alan Jones.

St. Mary’s Nativity Play

  By Vanessa Williams.

The School nativity play is something of a ritual for our family having attended for the last eight years. Like the arrival of Santa’s Sleigh it’s a sign that Christmas is nearly upon us and is an event that we really look forward too. Our Children Ethan (aged 11) and Ellie (aged 8) had both started rehearsing their parts several weeks before and were keen to ensure that they performed well.

I went along with my brother in law, his wife and her father and found the Church to be as packed out as usual. This year was particularly special for us for a number of reasons; Ethan had volunteered to read and it was also the last time he would be participating, as he will be starting High School next year.

There was a really nice atmosphere in the church; the children all looked happy and excited. I hoped that they would remember the words and not get too distracted by the large audience- fortunately, everything went really well and all of the children were a credit to the school. My nephew Alex performed his shepherdly duties without falter and the readers, choir, musicians and characters all executed their parts with gusto.

The teachers and children had obviously spent a lot of time and effort preparing for the play and the proud parents enjoyed and appreciated the celebration.