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Peldon Village Festival 2013

peldon-festival-2013The annual Peldon Village Festival will be held on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June, promising a great weekend for all the family.

Fair & fun

The Festival fun kicks off on Saturday 15th June at 11am with our traditional fair and family fun day in the village hall and its grounds, including a wonderful array of craft stalls, plant and homemade cake stalls, the ever-popular Professor Poulson’s Punch and Judy show, the Owl Man, with his amazing collection of owls, and Animal Experiences, enabling you to get close to many other fascinating creatures. In addition, there will be a bouncy castle and Kidzone to keep the children entertained, and for the adults a tombola, a beer and Pimm’s tent and our fabulous Grand Draw (First prize £100). Refreshments will be available throughout the day: Ploughman’s lunches or burgers and hotdogs served between 12 – 2pm, and delicious cream teas between 2.30 – 4pm.

Exhibitions & displays

As usual over the Festival weekend, St Mary’s Church will be open between 11am – 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday for viewing Festival flowers, our Art and Photographic Exhibitions and the Friends’ pictorial display of events and improvement projects. The Church Tower will also be open for spectacular views over to Mersea, Langenhoe and way beyond. It also affords views over the changing landscape created by the very nearly completed Abberton Reservoir development.  Oh, and be sure to look out for the scarecrows – this year on parade in the churchyard. We are hoping to make this the biggest and best Scarecrow Competition of our Festival history. There is no particular theme; just come and stage your scarecrow on Saturday morning: the more the merrier!

Pet Service & Open Gardens

On Sunday 16th June, there will be a special Festival Pet Service at 9.30am in the church. So why not bring along your pets? Old or young, large or small, God will welcome them all! Following this service, light refreshments will be served in the church café throughout the day, the tower will be open, exhibitions can be admired and scarecrows viewed and judged.

Also on the Sunday between 11am – 4pm, Peldon once again hosts its Open Gardens event with nine gardens in the village open. Programmes (£3) will be available from the church from 10.30am.

Song Cycle

Then, for the finale of our Festival weekend: our Festival Concert at 7.30pm in the church, featuring Song Cycle, the all singing, all cycling male voice quartet. Their style is a la King’s Singers and the concert promises a wonderfully varied programme of traditional, sacred and modern pieces – ‘from Bach to The Beatles’. Not to be missed! Tickets £10, including light refreshments, from the Festival desk or Bill 01206 735770.

All proceeds of the Festival will go to the Friends of St Mary’s Peldon, who are currently raising funds to install running water and much needed toilet facilities. (www.friendsofstmaryspeldon.org.uk)

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Road closures week commencing 15th April 2013

road-closure-april-2013We have been advised by Essex County Council’s Highways team that the following roads will be closed from Monday 15th April for a period of 5 days:

  • Abberton Road Layer de la Haye, 
  • Layer Road Abberton, and 
  • Oxley Hill Abberton, Colchester

… from the junction with Bounstead Road to the junction with Mersea Road B1025 (see map).  The closure is to facilitate urgent road repairs.  Access to property will be maintained during the closure.

If this affects you, ECC advise an alternate route is recommended via:

  • B1025 Mersea Road Colchester, 
  • Berechurch Hall Road Colchester 
  • Bounstead Road Colchester, and vice versa.
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Essex Folk Tales

Peldon History Lecture 2 – Tracking Down Essex Folk Tales

Essex Folk Tales - a book by Jan Williams
Essex Folk Tales – a book by Jan Williams

The Friends of St Mary’s are hosting a talk by Essex storyteller, Jan Williams on Wednesday 17th April starting at 7:30pm.

Having completed the editing of the new History Press book of Essex Folk Tales, Jan Williams will be talking about some of the stories she discovered during her research , as well as telling some of her favourite stories from the book.

The Essex coastline has endured invasion by plundering and bloodthirsty Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and this mysterious landscape is still haunted by their presence. Their spirits, and countless others, have oft been reported – not least by smugglers determined to keep intruders away from their secret hideouts.

Even more dramatic stories of the supernatural lurk inland: accusations of witchcraft have been screamed around many picturesque market towns, dragons have terrorised the community, and a violent White Lady has struck at Hadleigh Castle. Indeed, it is the women of Essex who have stirred the imagination most – from brave Boudicca and beautiful Edith Swan-neck to the adulteress Kitty Canham. Amid the county’s infamous pirates, highwaymen and desperados, Essex can even boast a lady smuggler.

These lively and entertaining yarns will be vividly retold by Jan Williams     Jan is a professional storyteller and member of the Essex Storytellers. Her passion and dogged determination have uncovered Essex’s hidden treasure trove of tales – tales which reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of this fascinating county and its people.

Tickets are £8.00 and can be reserved in advance from Bill Tamblyn (01206 735770) or Jane Anderson (01206 735505) or purchased on the door.  Refreshments will be available.

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Colchester’s Archaeological Heritage

Poster for Peldon History LectureThe Friends of St Mary’s, Peldon will be presenting the first in the 2013 series of Peldon History Lectures on Wednesday 13th March, 7.30pm in the church. Entitled ‘Asset or Liability – Colchester’s Archaeological Heritage’, this talk by Mark Davies promises an interesting insight into Colchester’s Roman history and how this might be preserved in the future.

Following on from the talk, the Colchester Archaeological Society will present their recent findings from excavations at St Mary’s.

Tickets £8.00, including a glass of wine, available from Bill Tamblyn 01206 735770 or on the door. All proceeds to the Friends of St Mary’s Peldon.

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Highland Fling

peldon-highland-fling-2013Why not join the Friends of St Mary’s at their annual Highland Fling on Saturday 2nd January, Peldon Village Hall, 7 for 7.30pm.

Enjoy a traditional Burns’ Night supper of haggis & neeps (alternatives available – see below) and Scottish dancing so get out your tartans and dancing slippers for a really enjoyable evening!

Everyone is welcome Tickets £8.00 Adults and £5.00 for under 12’s from Sally Abbott 01206 735931 or Email: [email protected] please state if Haggis, Chicken or Veggie required.

Bring-your own wine and glasses

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Chairman’s report January 2013

Chairman’s report – January 2013

The committee has decided to place a short regular commentary of its activities in the public domain (notice boards, Village Newsletter and Parish Council website) so that the residents know what is happening.  Following the 2011 questionnaire and the 2012 AGM the Committee is looking at a number of possible projects which might provide for the community of the Wigboroughs benefits equivalent to those originally made available when the old School was purchased for use as a Village Hall and a Trust was set up.

A structural survey has established that the old building is past repair.  Raising the money to build, equip and maintain a replacement Village Hall which would be financially viable is beyond the reach of our small community.  At the 2012 AGM an agreement in principle was reached that when the time is right the School Lane site will be sold and the proceeds used to provide alternative benefits for the local community.  This can only happen with Charity Commission approval and with the continued agreement of the residents when more detailed plans are available.

In preparation for that time we are currently talking to professionals who will guide us through the process of maximising the return from the site by selling it with outline planning permission.

Of the various projects suggested for re-investment of the proceeds we are talking to the Church about the possibility of using the nave of St Stephen’s Church as a virtual Village Hall and there will be similar parallel conversations about potentially using facilities at Abbotts Hall Nature Reserve and/or Peldon Village Hall.  Another project under investigation is the purchase of land within the Wigboroughs to provide a village green area and a recreational area for children and young people.

A detailed business plan must be produced for each of these projects and any more which are suggested.  Plans will show the set-up and ongoing costs, the likely usage and income, the legal relationship with any partners or associates and arrangements to protect the legacy resource.  Full details will then be submitted for approval by the Charity Commission who will want to see that the terms and objectives of the original Trust Deed have been complied with as far as is possible.  Surviving projects will then be presented to residents who have the casting vote in which project or projects are progressed.

Jinny Gale
Chairman WVHMC

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Christmas Bazaar

121129 - peldon st marys xmas bazaarThe Friends of St Mary’s, Peldon, are hosting a (free entry) traditional Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 8th December.  Doors open at 11am and will be open until 3pm offering:

  • Craft stalls
  • Cake stall
  • Book Stall
  • Raffle
  • Lucky dip
  • Seasonal Refreshments and
  • Children’s Christmas Cards

All proceeds go to the Friends of St Mary’s Peldon.

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Friends make it a pint

pewter-pot“History Through Beers Brewed in Essex” is the title of a talk being given by the Rev Keith Lovell in aid of the Friends of St Mary’s, Peldon.  

Having just tried to count the number of modern breweries in Essex and failing dismally after running out of fingers & toes with many more still tripping off my tongue this should be a fascinating talk.  Be nice if there are some clues for modern brewers to try some new flavours.

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