Father Christmas checks his list Father Christmas dropped by on the 12th December to carry out some last minute checks to his list, so that he could make sure that the right presents were delivered on Christmas Eve. He toured the village in his sleigh, assisted by members of the Ellesmere Round Table, who also made a collection for those in need. Despite the torrential rain, he managed to speak with a number of children, and is seen here with William Evans (9), Thomas Clifford (9), Joseph Clifford (10) and Sammy Clifford (10).
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Rain forces Community Carol Singing to be held in St Mary's Church It was Thursday 16th December and the carol singers were all wrapped up against the cold. But it wasn't cold - it was wet - again! Unlike last year when they were able to stand by the Christmas tree in the surgery car park, they scurried into the warm and beautifully decorated St Mary's Church to be met by members of the Maelor School Band festively attired in Santa hats and tinsel tiaras. Over 60 people of all ages sang heartily to a selection of favourite carols selected by bandleader Michael Sproston intermingled with requests. Tea and mince pies were served afterwards. Pictured below: The Maelor School Band in full swing inside St Mary's Church
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He's behind you. Oh no he isn't! Yes folks, it's pantomime time again, and this year Overton kicks off with a rip roaring pantomime which is set in Old Shanghai and aptly named "THE WOK + ROLL PANTOMIME". Produced and directed by Sue England, with a mixed adult cast and over 25 children from age 6 upwards, it promises to be another great show with lots of audience participation. Stephen Sorfleet plays the evil Ebanazar, and there will also be some surprise guest appearances. Music will be provided by the resident soul band, directed by Cerys O'Hare. The Pantomime will take place on the 25th and 26th January 2001 at 7.30pm and on Saturday 27th January at 2.00pm and 7.30pm. Tickets for this "not to be missed" event will be on sale at the Village Hall on Saturday 13th January from 10.00am until noon. Tickets are priced at £2.50 per child and £5.00 per adult. Pictured below: Children rehearsing for the January Pantomime
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Overton Playschool receives £400 Last October Tina Williams from Sundorne, Overton, jogged non-stop from Overton to Ellesmere to raise funds for Overton Playgroup. The sponsored run raised £400 and Tina is seen here presenting the cheque to Alison Birch on behalf of the children. Two of the children on the front row were so amazed at the size of the cheque, they could not take their eyes off it! Tina wishes to thank all those who contributed to her appeal, which means the Playgroup can now go ahead and purchase much needed equipment for the children.
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The highways department of Wrexham County Borough Council has included the re-surfacing of the A539 from Overton to Lightwood Green in its current resurfacing programme. A spokesman for the highway authority said: "There is a resurfacing programme currently in force and the A539 in Overton has been included in it. It is anticipated that the work will be completed by the end of January, but it is very much dependent upon the weather conditions over the next few weeks". Councillor Phil Humphreys, who lives in Station Road, welcomed the proposal. He has campaigned for some time to get Wrexham Council to re-surface the road to alleviate the problems of vibration caused by heavy goods vehicles clattering over the dropped manhole covers. |
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The following planning applications have recently been granted by Wrexham County Borough Council in the Overton area. Gwaylod House, Wrexham Road, Erbistock. Demolition of existing kitchen extension and replacement with new kitchen. Land adjacent to Trotwood Cottage, Cae Dyah Lane, Overton. Conversion of agricultural building to single storey dwelling Land opposite Musley Farm,Musley Lane, Overton Construction of pigeon loft for breeding pigeons(in retrospect) |
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"Where's our civic pride?", asked Councillor Humphreys at a recent meeting of the Community Council. Councillors were appalled at the amount of litter strewn about the village streets in addition to the amount of dog mess that is being found on grass verges and footpaths. This is still a problem despite numerous articles in local newspapers and a change in the local byelaws, which enable fines of £1,000 to be imposed. One of the ideas which came from the meeting, was that we all ought to take some responsibility for our own environment. It was not just good enough to complain - to say "it's not my job, it's not my litter or wouldn't you think someone should do something about it". We ought to be taking pride in our environment, and not allow it to be a dumping ground for someone else's rubbish. Councillors heard that in some western European countries, people are legally obliged to keep pavements clean and free of rubbish immediately outside their property. It was felt that a start could at least be made if we all had some sense of civic pride, and improved the quality of our environment by picking up rubbish outside our homes or business premises from time to time. Ed: An interesting topic and one upon which we invite your comments. |
Maelor School receives Arts Council Grant The Maelor School, Penley has been successful in obtaining a lottery grant of £9,390 to improve the ageing lighting of the school hall. Belinda Owen, Community Development Officer at the Maelor School said: "Before applying for this grant, anyone using the hall, including the school itself, would have had to hire lighting equipment from a third party. This made the hall a less than attractive proposition, and meant that local groups often went outside their immediate community. Hopefully the new lighting will be installed in January, after which we will be inviting local groups and the press to come and view the new facility." The grant, which represents 90% of the total cost of the scheme, will be used to strip out the old lighting system and replace it with a fully up to date facility. If anyone would like to use the Hall for a fund-raising event, or would like to bring a production to the Maelor Community, please contact The Maelor School, Penley. |
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Last month we asked if anyone had been photographed with a famous person. To start the ball rolling we feature the following photograph of Brian Pugh from Plas Madoc, Overton, with Jimmy Saville OBE, taken when Brain visited one of Jimmy Saville's homes in Glencoe, Scotland.
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Public Conveniences saved from Closure Overton Community Council has stepped in to save the Public Toilets in School Lane from closure during the winter months. David Burton, Chairman of the Community Council said: “The Community Council argued that there was a case for keeping the toilets open throughout the year, based on a number of factors, not least that the flow of visitors through Overton is sustained at a very high level throughout the year. Despite these arguments however, the Borough Council went ahead with its proposal to close the facility during the winter. The Community Council has successfully negotiated the costs of keeping the toilets open throughout the year, resulting in the local Council appointing a cleaner, Mrs Janene Austin. The Community Council will then re-charge the Borough Council for 50% of its annual labour costs”. The Borough Council will still be responsible for the maintenance of the building. |
Did you know.................. There was less power in the computer that put the men on the moon than in the average home computer today The internet did not exist until 1990 when the first two computers were able to communicate with each other. In 1996, there were only 230,000 websites One year later, this figure had risen to one million In 1998 only 5% of the UK had access the internet This year 50% of the UK has access to the internet. It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million people, the TV 13 years and the internet 4 yrs. |
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"Overton Tennis Club is a small friendly club with teams in the local league. But it also has Club nights where anyone, member or not, can turn up and play", says Secretary, Jane Peel Cross. In 1999 the Club began coaching sessions for local children using Lawn Tennis Association coaches from Wrexham Tennis Centre, and last season had about 50 juniors involved. The Club has two mixed teams in the Chester League and one ladies team. It started the ladies teams a couple of years ago, and because of its popularity, now wants to start a men's team. As Jane said, "If anyone is interested, please come along to the AGM and let us know . Don't be put off if you think your tennis is a bit wobbly-the main reason for starting the team is to give those who have not played in matches the chance to see what it's like-and take it from a convert, it's great" The Club is holding its AGM in the Recreational Club, above the Village Hall, on Monday 15th January 2001, commencing 8.00pm and welcomes both members and those who would like to become members. |
Football Club receives cash boost Overton Recreational Football Club received a cash boost of £100 from the proceeds of a recent Karaoke Night held on the 2nd December at the White Horse Inn. Bal and Sindy Matharu, who organised the evening, would like to thank all their customers and friends who generously contributed to the event.
Pictured above is manager Will Jones receiving the cheque from Sindy Matharu. |
Mindless vandalism spoils Christmas cheer Vandals attacked the Christmas tree in Overton and tried to uproot the electricity supply to it. Apart from the extreme danger that they put themselves in, they had no thought about spoiling the pleasures of Christmas for others in the community. And while there were some kind folks who decided to give some cheer to the festive season this year by stringing fairy lights on trees in their gardens, other stupid souls decided to smash or steal the bulbs in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Do we really have to tolerate this gross stupidity? |
