Youth Drama group gives a professional performance On 25th and 26th February, the Youth Section of Overton Amateur Dramatic Society presented "The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe" by C.S.Lewis. This was performed "in the round" in Overton Village Hall to a packed audience on both days, including the matinee performance. Produced by Sue England, it was an ambitious task by any means to direct a cast of over 30, most of whom were children aged six and above, but the performances were without doubt some of the finest the village has seen. Rehearsals started in August last year in the Overton Playcentre, and all the children showed total commitment throughout, with nobody dropping out at any stage. Because of the work to the village hall, the cast only had three weeks in which to practice before the 3 performances. Everyone was very impressed with the way Gareth Overthrow, Charlotte Dexter, Riccardo DeRosa and Lucy England, handled the roles of Edmund, Susan, Peter and Lucy, four leading roles in the story of good against evil as they disappeared through the wardrobe into the land of Narnia. All the Animals and the Rabble also played their parts brilliantly. Sue England said "Throughout the rehearsals the children showed commitment and enthusiasm which resulted in very professional performances of which I was very proud"
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On Saturday, 15th April the wedding of Timothy Rosselli and his fiancée Claire, will take place at St Mary's Church, Overton at 5.00pm in the afternoon. This will be followed by a private reception in a marquee which is to be erected on the Bryn y Pys estate. The following day, Timothy and Claire, a teacher from Spurstow in Cheshire, will be flying from Manchester to an undisclosed location for their honeymoon, but believed to be somewhere very warm, and one with fine sandy beaches and clear blue water, where no doubt they intend to do some scuba diving, having both recently gained their diving certificates. Ed. We wish them both all the very best of health and happiness for the future. |
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"Defying the Church - Parishioners hold service outside hall" "Congregation are locked out of Church" "Bishop bars worshippers" "Worshippers locked out in the cold" and most surprisingly "Worshippers trespass warning" . These are some of the amazing headlines that have appeared in the Press recently concerning Knolton Bryn Mission where the locks have been changed to bar entry to a congregation who continue to claim that it is their Mission, funded and built by their predecessors and maintained by local worshippers for over a hundred years without help from St Mary's Church in Overton. On Sunday 12th March, the story was featured on BBC Midlands T.V. In the programme, Owen Paterson M.P., who continues to give the congregation maximum support said: "It is common land and the Hall was never consecrated. There is doubt on two grounds whether the Church in Wales has the right to own it and shut it." Mrs Ann Williams, the campaign organiser, again challenged the much repeated figure of £40,000 for repairs to the building and said: " We had a builder to look at it, who went through our structural engineer's report and said it will cost £1,168 plus VAT." Mrs Dorothy Moreton, the relief organist said: "It is a dreadful thing because the churches are suffering and emptying without anything extra like this" She strongly urged the Bishop to "Think again and think again" To many people, the sad but dignified behaviour of the congregation worshipping outside the Mission as portrayed in the newspaper photographs and in the TV programme contrasts sharply with the action of the Church and also, if what was said in one newspaper is true, the warning made by the Rector, the Rev Valerie Jones that, "The matter is in the hands of our legal people, and if anyone were to trespass, they would definitely take some action" Comments like this have angered the worshippers at Knolton and they can hardly believe that the Church would change the locks and close the doors until the legal argument was settled. Owen Paterson M.P. called the lock out insensitive and Ann Williams said "The whole matter has dented people's ideas of what the Church is all about" Amazingly the notice of closure affixed to the door of the Mission refers to the building as a church, contrary to what the community has been told by the Church Authorities. For those who have a computer and access to the Internet, and would like to see a similar story with a happy ending, log on to www.hants.gov.uk/bartleytinchurch This is a fascinating story which runs along similar lines, but common sense prevailed and the building continues to be a focal point of community life. |
The future of sport in the Maelor district On the 13th March, twenty representatives from the Maelor community attended a meeting hosted by the Maelor School in partnership with the Maelor Sports Association, to discuss the shortage of suitable sports facilities in the Maelor district. The meeting was chaired by Eddie Edge, who set out the joint view of the Maelor School and the Maelor Sports Association that a new sports hall and all-weather pitch are essential not only for the use of the Maelor and its feeder schools, but for the whole Maelor community. Increasing numbers of people are attending clubs and training sessions in the school gymnasium, resulting in some of them having to wait to use the facilities, which causes disruption and raises safety concerns. As a result, a number of local sports clubs have moved to other sports facilities, which means that local people have to travel long distances, sometimes out of Wrexham County Borough. A sub-committee has been set up to assess and analyse the need for better sports facilities in the Maelor district. It intends to publicise the current problems and concerns, and encourage local groups, schools, Community Councils and individuals to voice their feelings on this subject to the LEA and Wrexham County Borough Council. Belinda Owen, Community Development Officer at the Maelor School said " If anyone wishes to be involved in shaping the future of sport in the Maelor district, they are welcome to join us at the meetings or if they wish they can write to us and tell us about their current sporting activities, and what facilities they would like to be available for the Maelor community in the future." Belinda may be contacted at The Maelor School on 01948 830291 |
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Overton Twinning Association is making plans to receive 25 French visitors from La Murette as part of the continuing exchange visits between the two communities. The visit will take place from the 22nd - 29th July, when a full itinerary will ensure that at the end of their visit, they will have some very happy memories of the friendships they have made and of our beautiful country. Mrs Dilys Parkinson, Secretary to the Association said: - "If anyone would like to join in the Association or who would like to help in any way during the visit, they are welcome to contact me on 01978 710376." Several names have been received from those wishing to accept the British Consul's invitation to attend an air show north of Lyons on the 10th September to commemorate the Battle of Britain of 60 years ago. This is being staged with the co-operation of the Royal Air Force. If anyone wishes to attend or would like more information, contact Ken Farrell on 01978 710392. You do not need to be a member of the Twinning Association to attend. |
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The Community Council has reconsidered its decision to fell two holly trees at the entrance to the Avenue, Wrexham Road. The decision follows the submission of a 400 name petition and representations made at its meeting on the 14th March. The application has now been amended to that of formal pruning. The Community Council now proposes to meet with officers from Wrexham County Borough Council, and specialist tree surgeons, to ascertain the best way of carrying out the work, which in any case will not take place until the autumn and well after the nesting season has finished. POSTBAG Dear Editor I would like to thank everyone who took part in the petition to keep the Holly trees at the entrance to Bryn-y-Pys Park. Thank you to all the shops who helped and to the villagers who took the time to listen. I would also like to thank the Community Council for coming to a compromise to trim the trees and not remove them. It is now up to the trees to prove themselves after their trim which I am sure they will. Yours sincerely |
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On Saturday 1st April, the Mayor of Wrexham, Ron Davies and the Mayoress Hilda Davies, officially re-opened the Overton Village Hall following the recent improvements. After the ceremony, the Mayoress was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Alice Eardley of Overton Brownies. This was the followed by a presentation of a further bouquet to Debbie Jones, who retired on the 31st March after four years as caretaker of the Hall. One of the delightful moments of the afternoon, was the Millennium Baby award made on behalf of the Community Council by the Mayor to the proud parents of Isabella Rose Matthews who was born on the 13th January 2000. Isabella Rose was the first baby to be born in Overton in the new Millennium.
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