The Editorial Team Alan
Edwards - David Burton - Ken Farrell - Lesley Pugh -
Christine Stead Our reporters cannot be everywhere. If you have
a story contact any team member or ring 01978 710422 |
Overton Thespians triumph again! Last month, Overton Amateur Dramatic Society staged a brilliant performance of "Bedroom Farce" by Alan Ayckbourn. Although written almost thirty years ago, the characters and dialogue are as much alive today as they were then. Playing to a packed house on two of the three nights it was performed, the cast gave a very professional performance of a play which demands perfect timing, not only by the actors but by those working behind the scenes. The action took place in three bedrooms, with three couples and a fourth couple straight from their wildest dreams. Delia, played by Joanne Kember and Ernest, a bumbling ex-army type, played by Alan Edwards, found themselves eating pilchards on toast in bed after their planned wedding anniversary dinner went horribly wrong. Any thoughts of having an early night were dashed by Susannah,played by Linda Done, who climbed into their bed for a review of her marital problems, much to the annoyance of Ernest who was banished to the bathroom, from which he later emerged puffing and huffing demanding that he be allowed to go to bed. The party which Malcolm, played by Roger Moore and Kate, played by Catherine Eve, held was brought to an abrupt end by the escalating animosity between Susannah and Trevor, played by Michael Done.
Meanwhile Malcolm attempts to construct a flat-pack dressing table as a surprise for Kate, despite her calls for him to join her in bed, wondering if their sex life might be too boring. And what a surprise, as it collapsed upon the slightest touch by Trevor. Meanwhile Nick (Stephen Sorfleet), was claiming to have a bad back, and writhed in agony all night as his partner Jan (Sue England) was kissing Trevor at the party.
Mike Redworth, who directed the play, said: "It was fun to direct and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. However, the play could not have been produced without the help of The Bed Factory, Wrexham, who kindly loaned the beds." North Wales Police Arrive Alive
Campaign
When North Wales Police came to the last meeting of the Overton Community Council to talk about their Arrive Alive Campaign, I was prepared to be sceptical. As someone who has spent a large part of his career behind the wheel of a car driving thousands of miles, I've had my share of speeding fines and like many other drivers have come to believe that the current Government policy was targeted more at raising revenue rather than reducing fatalities on the roads. Inspector Alan Hughes the North Wales Police Project Manager for Arrive Alive was prepared to challenge my view! The statistics are very compelling. Of all the road traffic accidents in North Wales, 1 in 3 were caused by excessive speed. The government is committed to reducing deaths on the road by 40% by 2010. On North Wales roads between January 1998 and December 2001 there were: - * Over 10,631 personal injury collisions * 222 people were killed * 1,503 people were seriously injured * 15,908 people received slight injuries * 2,333 children were killed or injured THE RESEARCH SHOWED THAT: - * Speed influences casualty severity - a 1mph reduction equates to a 5% reduction in casualties. Cameras influence casualties THE STRATEGY North Wales Police aim to achieve the Governments 40% reduction by targeting roads, which have a history of speed-related collisions and casualties. The routes are selected by analysing collision data. (To be continued next month) Overton's Youngest Thespians Overton's youngest thespians are staging a short play entitled "What's for Christmas" at the Playcentre, School Lane, Overton on Saturday 13th December at 10.30am. The cast has been drawn from Overton Playgroup and Toddlers, and promises to be a very moving experience for both children and parents. The play is to be followed by the Christmas Fayre. Tickets are £1.00 per adult - children free. Overton Community Church News By Eunice Taylor Folk have still been on holiday even in November, but we have had some good times. It's amazing how we can open up the Word of God and still find new insights into things! We've had some excellent teaching from Arnold Black who manages to bring the Bible alive and very much into present day situations. Some of us went to the "James Bond" night at the Village Hall and had a very entertaining evening, listening to fantastic music and singing, and enjoying a wonderful feast! it would be good to have these musicians back in the village some other time, they were excellent! This event raised funds for work in Africa. Programme for December Thurs 4th Teaching - Arnold Black "God, in the midst of Christmas" Thurs 11th Evening of prayer Thurs 18th Christmas social / get together Sunday 21st, Carol Service in The Community Church, Prices Lane, Wrexham at 6 o'clock. Churches from Chirk, Chester, Liverpool, Overton, Warrington and Wrexham will all be meeting together to celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour. Everyone is welcome. Programme for January Thurs 1st NO MEETING Thurs 8th Praise and Worship Thurs 15th Key-note speaker Thurs 22nd Teaching with Arnold Black Thurs 29 Social Evening (night out?) For more information or if you need prayer for anything or just maybe someone to listen, feel free to e-mail eunice@overton-on-dee.co.uk Community Carol singing cancelled In view of the imminent demolition of Overton Surgery, when the whole site will be fenced off, the annual Community Carol Singing which is normally held on the Overton Surgery car park has, for this year, been cancelled by Cytun. For the same reason, Overton Community Council had no option but to cancel this year's Christmas tree. Cecil T Clarke celebrates his 100th Birthday! Congratulations to Mr Cecil Thomas Clarke on reaching his 100th birthday on November 26, which he celebrated at a special function at Rossett Hall, Rossett. Mr Clarke was born near Wellington and came to Plas-yn-Coed, Overton from a farming background. During the General Strike of 1926 he saw an opening for motor transport at a time when the railways came to a standstill, and bought an old First World War lorry and started collecting milk from local farms and transporting it to Liverpool. His business continued to grow from strength to strength, and he set-up premises in Wrexham, from which he later sold and serviced cars before retiring some 20 years ago. About 1996, he bought Overton Hall opposite St Mary's Church (where he played the organ) and redeveloped the site with a number of dwellings known today as Sundorne. He now lives in Pendine Nursing Home after a fall some three years ago. STARGAZER A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS A jungle expedition by very learned explorers, employed native uneducated savages as they described them, to act as porters and guides. They also had the use of an interpreter. All was going well until they came to a vast gorge. After much deliberation, the explorers declared it was impossible to cross without major engineering work, so they must turn back. The natives understood that the gorge needed to be crossed and decided to build a rope bridge using jungle material as they had down through the ages. They did this as a surprise and gift for the explorers. The interpreter told the explorers that the gorge could now be crossed by a bridge. The explorers far from being grateful as expected, were angry saying they had already said that it was impossible to build a bridge. The natives begged forgiveness from these educated men saying that they were but uneducated savages and could not therefore be expected to know that what they had just done was impossible to do. Which reminds me of something Henry Ford once said: "One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. " And on another completely different track altogether - why is it that when at home, teenage girls always turn the heating up, then they go out with bare arms and mid-rifts. Beats me! Overton Methodist Chapel Carol Festival Overton Methodist Chapel is holding a Carol Festival on Wednesday December 17, commencing 7.00pm. A Carol Service is to be held at 2.00pm on Sunday 21 December. All welcome. Maelor way re-opened The Maelor Way is a 24 mile long-distance footpath and runs from Grindley Brook, near Wrexham to Bronygarth, near Chirk. One of the prettiest sections passes through Overton, entering the village by St Mary's School and leaving by St Mary's House in the High Street. It follows the banks of the Dee as far as the river Shellbrook where it crosses into England via a long wooden footbridge. Some twelve months ago when returning to Overton along this path I found the footbridge lying at an angle of 45 degrees, making it very difficult to cross. I duly reported it to Wrexham County Borough Council who promptly told me that it was Shropshire's bridge and therefore their concern. I then phoned Gordon Emery, the Ramblers' Association representative for this area - the one in fact who originally helped to create the Maelor Way in 1991. Gordon, who had received similar reports from other walkers, then contacted Shropshire County Council, but, sadly, they did nothing until, in exasperation the Ramblers' Association, through Gordon, decided to taker the matter to the Magistrates Court. The case was due to be heard in early December but in the nick of time Shropshire righted the bridge and it is now safe to cross. It seems sad that it needed this kind of pressure to oblige a Local Authority to carry out its statutory duties. Ed: This is great news. This is a popular and very important long distance path. Overton FC climbs to second place Overton Recreational Football Club play in division 2 of the Welsh National League. They have had an excellent start to the season climbing to second in their league. After struggling last season with player interest and commitment, they have finally got a reliable team together, consisting of older and younger players. Photo here A new local sponsor has been found in the 'Ancient Raj' restaurant and a new kit was presented to Mike Cornes (Secretary) in August. IN BRIEF
YOUR LETTERS Dear Editor, After seeing a cutting in the Oswestry Advertiser dated 12 November 2003 - these are extracts from the archives of the Advertiser from years gone by. This particular one is from August 1933, the year I was born. I myself had heard something like this before as I live in Poethlyn Terrace. I do believe this pond was in the field where Poethlyn Terrace now stands. The name Poethlyn came from a horse named Poethlyn who won the Grand National well before the houses were built. I was wondering if there is anyone who could shine a light on this in any way. I am sure someone will know about this event - if so please contact me on 01978 710608. (Name and address supplied) August 1933 "One sunny Sunday morning left an Overton man saying a huge thank you to one heroic boy scout. The group of Overton men were bathing in the Cemetery pool, which was believed to be 20ft deep in some places when one of the party, a 23 year-old man was seen to be in trouble. His brother attempted to rescue him but only managed to get himself into trouble as well and he too had to be helped from the water. Then with great promptitude a boy scout who had been camping nearby dived into the water, went under for what seemed like a long time and resurfaced along with the man. As a result of the boys quick action the man made a full recovery and could not thank the boy enough for his extremely brave act." COUNTRY BEAT By the time you read this article, some of you will have already met the new, very welcome addition to Overton Police Station, PC 2143 Martin Jones. As you will be aware, since I came to Overton I have had to cover the two policing sections of the Maelor and Ruabon. However on the 17th of November 2003, Martin took on the role as community beat manager for Ruabon, thereby making it possible for me to concentrate on the problems in this area. Martin joins me from Rhos police station where he has worked as an area car officer for almost two years, giving him a wide knowledge of this district. The placing of another officer at Overton will now ensure a greater police presence, and I look forward to us having a long and successful partnership. I would like to thank the community council for all their efforts in making sure that the above was made possible. Whilst on the subject of police cover, I would like to 'clear up' some confusion about how to contact the police, as some of you are telephoning Overton Police Station direct, and getting very upset when no one answers the phone. The reason for this is that Overton Police Station is unfortunately not staffed 24 hours a day, and when I, or now Martin, are on duty, it is very rare that we are in the office as we need to be 'policing the streets'. To combat this problem please follow the steps below. 1. If you require an immediate police response for an emergency, call 999 and ask for the police. 2. If you need to see/speak to a police officer and it is not an emergency, call the police area control room on (01978) 290 222, and they will either deal with you direct or dispatch an officer to your location depending on the type of enquiry/ incident involved. 3. If you need to see/speak to me or another named officer in particular, call the area control room on (01978) 290 222 and state that you wish to leave a message for e.g. 'PC 1360 KING'. This will ensure that the officer in question will contact you as soon as he/ she is either back in the office or when next on duty. If you wish to speak to either myself or PC 2143 Martin Jones, you can also leave a note through the station letter box which will be treated as confidential. 4. If you wish to E-mail any details, my address is: darren.king@north-wales.police.uk 5. If you wish to produce your driving documents at Overton Police Station, please follow step 3 above. I hope this makes it easier for you to contact us, please do not use any other telephone numbers that you may have been given in the past as this may delay you getting through. Thank you. Finally, as the dark nights are now well and truly upon us, please wear something light at night, and that if you are using a pedal cycle, make sure you have lights that work. This in particular is aimed at the various 'paper deliverers' in the village. Parents, please ensure that your children have sufficient light clothing and working lights when undertaking this task. Not only are children on cycles hard to see when pedalling away in the dark, but the wet roads make stopping a vehicle even harder. Remember, 'BE SAFE, BE SEEN'. On behalf of myself and my family, we would like to thank you for your continued support, and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Darren King, Constable 1360. Community Beat Manager for Ruabon and Maelor Section. Telephone: (01978) 290 222 ex 5420. Fax: (01978) 294 771. E-mail: darren.king@north-wales.police.uk The Police Station, Station Road, Overton, Wrexham. LL13 OEF. OVERTON IN TIMES PAST A Brief History We continue this month with the serialisation of a book entitled "Overton in Times Past" written in 1992 by Brian Done (Asney Lane) and Betty Williams (Deva Terrace) to coincide with the Village Charter Celebrations of that year which commemorated 700 years since King Edward 1 granted Overton Borough Status in 1292. Both Brian Done and Betty Williams have kindly consented to the book being serialised in the Oracle. The Year of The Charter In 1292, the year of the granting of its Royal Charter by Edward I, Overton, then a totally Welsh community or 'Maerdref', would have been little more than a collection of mud huts standing on marshy ground in a forest clearing overlooking the River Dee. There is some doubt as to its exact location at that time. One factor is that the River Dee, down the years, has changed its course on a number of occasions. It is possible that the village grew up around the castle, which is widely believed to have been behind the present Asney Cottage. On old maps, giving the ancient divisions of Overton this area was an enclave of Overton Villa completely surrounded by Overton Foreign. This is confirmed by the fact that the road known in medieval times as 'The King's Road' ran through Maesgwaylod towards Asney Farm and led to the ancient crossing point of the River Dee at Dutford, finally coming out on the Wrexham Road opposite Eyton's Manor Farm. There was also reputed to have been a mill situated just off the 'King's Highway' which does suggest an ancient settlement in the Maesgwaylod area. Medieval Overton is however, more likely to lie beneath the present village for even today there is evidence in the street plan of the 'grid system' layout of the streets, a system favoured by Edward I in his colonisation of Wales. Looking at the derivation of the name Overton a number of explanations come to mind. One suggestion is that it is the 'town overlooking the then more important Bangor' with its large monastic community. Another that it could mean Overton or 'town above Maesgwaylod or lower field' i.e. the ancient settlement around the castle. Howson in his nineteenth century history of Overton suggests that the name could have come from Wlphere, King of Mercia in the eighth century who was a great benefactor of Saxon churches. To support his theory he cites the Saxon gravestones which have been found around the Parish Church. Again, he suggests, it could have come from Bryn Over, now called Bryn Hovah, after the hill between Bangor and Overton. Though early Welsh history is confused, to say the least, it is important to remember the significance Edward I placed on the need to establish an English settlement in Overton, rather like the American stockade settlements in Indian territory. As we know a murage grant was given to the early Overton burgesses to build a wall round the town but this was never taken up. Could this have been an early example of 'corruption in high places'? I did find, however, in a document dated 1553 that David ap Madoc ap Meredith was given land in what was then known as Wall Street in the villa of Overton suggesting that a wall may have been started. As well as this grant, Overton burgesses had freedom from tolls in all Crown boroughs, it had its own Merchant's Guild together with a number of other favours. All these privileges were renewed by each successive Monarch until James II. King Edward I visited Overton in 1282, 1284 and 1295, most probably staying in the castle. He gave Overton Madoc together with Macclesfield to his wife Queen Eleanor. Queensbridge gets its name from her. The Hanmer family owned land in Overton in 1292 possibly the only family to have a continual local link to the present. The first to assume the name was John the youngest son of Thomas de Macclesfield who was Constable of Caernarfon Castle. This John de Hanmer was the grandfather of Sir David Hanmer, Judge of the Kings Bench in 1383, whose daughter Margaret was the wife of Owain Glyndwr. It was during his uprising in 1404 that Overton was sacked. COMPUTER VIRUS SCAM REVEALED A mass-mailing worm W32.Swen.A@mm is a particularly virulent virus which attempts to kill anti-virus and firewall programs running on a computer. It can arrive as an e-mail attachment. The subject, body and From: address of the e-mail may vary. Some examples can take the form of delivery failure notices from qmail, but the most convincing and dangerous is an e-mail that looks as if it has come from Microsoft and claims to be a patch which will stop the virus spreading. However, by following the on-screen instructions, it actually loads the virus into the computer system! The spoof Microsoft e-mail carries the following text: MS Customer This is the latest version of security update, the "November 2003, Cumulative Patch" update which eliminates all known vulnerabilities affecting MS explorer, MS Outlook and MS Outlook Express as well as three newly discovered vulnerabilities. Install now to continue keeping your computer secure from these vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could allow an malicious user to run executable on your computer. This update includes the functionality of all previously released patches. Always make sure your anti-virus program is up-to- date
St Mary's Church in Wales Aided School will be holding their nativity presentation in St Mary's Church on Tuesday, 9th December at 6.30pm St Mary's Singers Wrexham will be giving a concert in St Mary's Church on Monday 15th December at 7.30pm. Services for Christmas December 21st Crib and Christingle Service 11.15am December 21st Carols by candlelight followed 6.30pm by Mulled Wine and Mincepies December 24th Midnight Mass 11.00pm December 25th Holy Eucharist and carols 9.30am A warm welcome is extended to all |
