Roman Extravaganza a roaring success Over 130 "Romans" took part in a Roman extravaganza in Overton Village Hall on Saturday 9th March, organised by Overton Amateur Dramatic Society and Overton Playschool. Feasting on Olives, Fruit, Nuts, and such exotic dishes as Lurchio's Lasagne, Nero Salad and Fromaggio, the gathering was entertained for over 3 hours with a variety of sketches, poems, and music. Senators, Centurians and their ladies, including half a dozen "lions" took their seats at tables tastefully decorated in green and white and after being welcomed by the Emperor and his lady (Geoff and Davina Pritchard) there followed an address in Latin (or something that sounded convincing anyway) from Senator Stephen Sorfleet, who later took part in some hilarious sketches.
Throughout the evening, the multitude was entertained with 16 individual performances, all of which were staged by various organisations and clubs from Overtonious, near Wreximium, proving the diverse range of talent that exists in the community. As one Roman said: "There does seem to be something special about making your own entertainment - to get together like this with your friends and have an enjoyable evening at very little expense is something that most people have forgotten how to do". Indeed such was the success of the evening, many stayed behind after the close, quietly savouring the atmosphere and tasting the excellent wines which they had brought with them. Apart from the entertainment, several fund raising events were held during the evening to raise funds for both the organisations who had spent months planning the Extravaganza.
Members of the Overton Amateur Dramatic Society and Playgroup, and other individuals are to be congratulated for staging yet another successful event. As Jim Glover said: "You don't think they can get better - but they do, which is a credit to everyone involved" Of course, there is also work to do after the event. It took several helpers over 4 hours to take down all the decorations, remove the stage flats, clear the hall and sweep through. Over 300 empty bottles were taken to the bottle bank the next day!! Edward and Lesley Pugh from Lightwood Green said: "We thoroughly enjoyed the Roman Banquet and would like to offer our thanks and congratulations to everyone involved." Jubilee Committee firms up its plans for June 3 At its meeting on the 20th March, the Jubilee Committee put together a draft programme for the Golden Jubilee Celebrations which are to be held on the 3rd June at Wrexham Road playing fields. The Committee decided that the celebrations should commence at 4-00 pm, which will give the community the chance to have street parties beforehand if they so wished. This will be followed by a Hog Roast at 5.00 pm and Karaoke events at 7.00 pm. There will be numerous stalls and sideshows, creating a carnival atmosphere, including children's races, bouncy castle, tug of war competitions, face painting and many others. At 10.00 pm it is hoped to light a beacon, to be followed by a superb firework display, expected to cost in the region of £1,000 which will be organised by Mike Lawrenson of Willow Street. The Committee is requesting numerous clubs and organisations in the community to stage fund raising events beforehand and donate the sums received to help with the cost of the whole event. If you can help in this way or feel able to offer a donation towards the cost of the celebrations, or would like to have a stall, please telephone Louise Morcumb. A full souvenir programme will appear in next month's issue. YOUTH CLUB
NEWS This month Overton Youth Club has been thinking about a logo and name for the Club. We have decided to call it plain "Overton Youth Club Inc" (Inc. has been taken from Monsters Inc.) Some of our members have come up with a bold but catchy logo. No trips have been finalised - but we did have a great time Ice Skating at Deeside on the 22nd March. Also as soon as the weather improves we will be organising our weekend away.
The club's opening times have changed - we now open at 7.00 pm and close at 9.30 pm. Venue and day (Tuesday) remain unchanged. We are in the process of making I.D. cards for all the members. One of the benefits will be a 50p reduction in the admission to Overton Youth Discos. The next discos will be held on Friday 19th April, 17th May, 21st June and 19th July. Ed: At a recent meeting of the Community Council, P.C.Pat Burns, Community Beat Manager for the Maelor said he was very impressed at how well the junior discos are being run. Coronation
Memories My brother David and I, then aged 15 and 13 respectively, decided to travel to London to join in with the Coronation celebrations. We arrived by train from Bedford in the early evening and joined the throngs of people making their way to the procession route. We decided that Hyde Park would do and, using my father's old gas cape to sit on, claimed a place on the pavement. My mother had given us a flask of tea and a supply of jam sandwiches packed in brown paper (this was pre-Tuppaware days), all of which were stored in our school satchels that were also used as our pillows. Little sleep was to be had however; there were lots of revellers and Police on the prowl calling people down from the trees. Some came down to cheers from the crowd but others climbed even higher thus gaining even louder cheers. Some time late into the night, Paper Boys caused further patriotic outpourings when they shouted: "Read all about it, Everest conquered!" By first light we all had to stand up as the crowd were pushing from behind and it began to drizzle. My brother and I were hungry and thoughts turned to the remaining jam sandwiches. However, after a night of being squashed in the satchels and a good soaking, they were beyond even our healthy appetites. The Coronation pageantry was exciting and colourful and we were so pleased we had come to see it, becoming quite caught up in the patriotic fervour. But my most lasting memories are of Queen Salote waving to us all from her open carriage while the by now heavy rain, made all the Blanco on the soldier's webbing straps, run down their uniforms. ED: What an incredible story - I wonder how many parents today would allow their children to take such a trip, even more so knowing that they would sleep rough in Hyde Park with nothing but a waterproof cape and jam sandwiches!! How times have changed. Extending the hand of friendship For six days every July, Llangollen becomes the cultural centre of the world, attracting choirs, musicians, folk singers and dancers from all corners of the earth to the International Eisteddfod - the world's leading festival of music and dance. Nowhere else in the world do more than 6,000 participants from over 50 countries gather together in such a spirit of friendship. This year the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will be held from July 9 - July 14. The Eisteddfod Hospitality Committee needs your help in providing accommodation in Overton for a team of overseas visitors who will be competing this year. Hosting is a very rewarding experience, and many lifelong friendships with folk from all over the world have been made from this one week. While there are some wonderful hosts and hostesses in the village, more are needed. You will certainly appreciate and enjoy being with the visitors when they are here, as they explore our village in their colourful costumes, perform at the local Primary School and stage impromptu concerts throughout their visit. Lightwood Green residents furious over proposed Wood Chip factory Residents of Lightwood Green and beyond are furious that a storage building on the Lightwood Green Industrial Estate is being used for the chipping of wood. Individual letters of objection and a petition running into hundreds of names are to be submitted to Wrexham County Borough Council, which is currently considering a retrospective planning application for a change of use from storage to general industry submitted by Armstrongs E.S Ltd., the company now operating from the building. Many who live within a short distance of the site say they are being subjected to continual thumping noises and obnoxious fumes from the wood chipping machines which, according to one resident, are being fed with off-cuts from Kronospan in Chirk. Recent noise readings in the hamlet of Lightwood Green show a threefold increase over the ambient noise level. Another resident said: "The noise is just unbelievable and can be heard indoors, even with all the windows shut, and of course the Banger racing will be starting again soon. We've just about had as much as we can take". A spokesperson for the company was unavailable for comment. The Community Council has lodged strong objections to the proposal on the grounds that the use of the site for general industry is an inappropriate use in a countryside location, and in particular will create a serious loss of amenity which the residents of Lightwood Green could reasonably expect to enjoy, on the grounds of increased noise, fumes and smell, and general disturbance created by the proposal at all times. A decision on the application will be made by Wrexham County Borough Council in due course. COUNTRY
BEAT Since my column in last month's Oracle, I have received nothing but praise from those who feel it is a good idea for their "local" officer to contribute a feature of this kind. For this I must thank the editorial staff of the Oracle for giving me the space and the opportunity to reach out to the community of Overton. When I took it on board the one thing I was not expecting was "DEADLINES". How the Oracle team do it month after month, goodness knows. Something else I did not expect was a brick thrown through the back window of the Police car, which I found on Saturday March 9. I then became a victim of crime, joining you out there, but the good news is that our "Countryside Watch" members have contacted me with information, and I am hopeful of an arrest in the near future. So these schemes do work, and although there has been a slow start to "Countryside Watch", I am looking for quality, not quantity. Please ring the number below and join the scheme and make Overton a safer place to live. Together we can fight crime - indeed a good "Watch" scheme can be as good as any CCTV, so pick up the telephone and ring me now - it costs nothing to join. Remember S.N.I.P See it, Note It, Pass it on The Police surgeries in Hanmer and Bronington got off to a fine start, with an offer in the pipeline for Bangor-on-Dee. Please see local press for times and details of forthcoming surgeries. From time to time in every village we have a certain number of young people who are too old for the Youth Club, cannot be bothered with Scouts and too young for the pub. They have nowhere to go, nobody understands them, especially parents, and advice is the last thing they want to hear. I call these "juvenile waves" and we have such a wave in Overton and Penley and the makings of one in Hanmer. If only they could realise 10-15 years ago their parents were probably doing the same thing. They are therefore no different, and perhaps as adults we should think back to some of the things we used to do when we were younger. Were we really that different? I hope some of our younger readers will see this article and maybe, just maybe with a bit of thought and consideration all round, everyone will be kept happy this summer. TEL: 01978 290222 Extn 5420 OVERTON CLUB QUIZ TEAM FACES FIERCE OPPPOSITION The Overton Club Quiz team is currently enjoying success as it reaches the final stages of the season. With only a few games to go, Overton are lying in third position in Division One (of 5 Divisions) of the Wrexham and District Quiz League sponsored by the Evening Leader. Third place in Division One would be a "best ever" for the Overton team - at the start of the season the objective was simply to avoid relegation! The team is also in the quarter final of the knockout cup, but faces a tough tie against the "The Hole in the Wall" from Bersham who recently defeated the mighty Gresford's "Yew Tree", previously unbeaten for several years. The Squad members are Keith and Jane Morris, Jenny Bellis, Euan and Val Stevenson, Phil Malam and Nigel Evans. All were saddened at the recent loss of one of their founder members, Jane Wynne. Overton Recreational Club is eager to expand its activities and would welcome any contact with the Club to discuss ideas for more Sports Teams (Darts, Pool, etc.) For further information, please contact Brian Cockford, or any other committee member. Heritage
Centre for Overton? Eunice Taylor, of Hanmer Close, Overton, recently wrote to the Community Council about her ideas for a Civic Society and a Heritage Centre and she is looking for volunteers to help her. The sort of things she has in mind are planting bulbs in the hedgerows on the approaches to the village and persuading us all to take more pride in where we live. More hanging baskets and generally improving the look of the place. This could well have been in response to the article that appeared in a recent issue of the Oracle calling for ideas on how we could improve the look of the village some months ago or purely her own idea. Either way it's a good one! She thinks that the Old Police Station would make a good Heritage Centre. When questioned why do we need a Heritage Centre, Eunice said: "For many visitors to Wales, especially those from the Potteries and the East Midlands, we are the first significant place in Wales they come to. We should try to make them welcome." One Councillor said there was nothing to stop for, only a few shops and no Tea Rooms, etc. Eunice's response was: "The businesses would follow the demand created". The Oracle and the Community Council would welcome the views of the parish. Ed: I wonder if the owner of the Old Police Station could be persuaded to make the Old Courthouse available to the village at a reasonable price? Neighbourhood recycling site gets thumbs down The neighbourhood recycling site proposed by Wrexham County Borough Council at the Church Road car park and reported in last month's Oracle has received a thumbs down from local residents. Overton Community Council, who had been consulted by Wrexham Council, heard representations from residents whose properties directly overlook the site. Objections were raised on the grounds that the scheme would result in noise being generated at all times of the day and night and would be a target for vandalism. As one resident said: "Would anyone really like to be looking out at a row of large wheelie bins from their lounge window?" They also felt that the scheme would devalue their property and would result in the loss of several car parking spaces adding to congestion on the highway during funerals and other events. They also pointed out that the site is surrounded by several listed buildings, is within the conservation area, and used by a lot of visitors to Overton. The Community Council agreed to support the views expressed by residents and will be asking Wrexham County Borough Council to look at an alternative location by the football pavilion at the Wrexham Road playing fields. A lady in Wrexham had a sharp experience recently when she received a £25 fixed penalty fine for allowing her dog to foul a grass verge. She claimed that she was unaware of what her dog had done, believing that it had merely "wet" on the grass. She reluctantly paid her fine but felt she had been "made a scapegoat" - her words not mine. Judging by the pavements in Overton and the footpath through the Millennium Meadow, she is far from alone in being unable to distinguish between various canine bodily functions and we do indeed seem to have a substantial number of potential "scapegoats" in our midst. The Dogs Act (Fouling of Land) 1996 makes it an offence to allow this to happen unless the owner clears up the mess and takes it away for disposal and, indeed, many owners carry with them a bag and trowel for this express purpose. I just wish there were rather more of them in our village. Poop Scoops can be obtained free of charge from Wrexham County Borough Council, Londis and the Corner Shop. Wrexham is currently employing a team from the Public Protection Department with powers to issue fixed penalty notices to offenders. Failure to pay the penalty can result in a court appearance with the possibility of a fine up to £1,000. Any member of the public who witnesses such an offence, or would like the Protection Team to pay their neighbourhood a visit should ring Wrexham County Borough Council. |
