The Village Voice Page 1

Issue No 11 Volume 13 For contact information, see page 2Lanchester, November 2012

LIONS’ FIREWORKS DISPLAY

The crowd enjoying the Lions Fireworks Display

Some of the spectacular fireworks

Our youth organisations with Lanchester Brass Band, ready for the

Remembrance service

Royal Marine, Sergeant Michael Gent, marches

to the War Memorial to lay a wreath on behalf

of his regiment.

The group from the Anglican Church await the laying of the wreaths

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

On a beautiful Autumnmorning, November 11th,people gathered on ourvillage green, to rememberthose who died in twoWorld Wars, and StuartLaing who died in theFalklands War. Theugliness and devastation

‘We Will Remember Them’

of war seemed completelyincongruous against thebeauty of our villagegreen on such a beautifulmorning. So many imageswere there for us to see.Autumn leaves fluttering

continued page 5

Story page 4

The Village Voice Page 2

DearVillage....

The views expressed in lettersto the editor are not necessarilythose of the newspaper, theeditor or persons working forthe newspaper. The editorretains the right to cut orotherwise amend any letterpublished. Letters must containyour name, address andtelephone no., all of whichmay be withheld at yourrequest.

THE

VILLAGE

VOICE

IT'S ALL

ABOUT PEOPLE

To advertise:Contact John Hurran,Advertising ManagerTelephone: (01207)520288Email: villagevoiceadverts@talktalk.netGeneral and newsenquiries: (01207)520559By email:lanchestervillagevoice@yahoo.co.uk (pleaseinclude Village Voice inthe Subject line).By post:The Village Voice, c/oLanchester CommunityCentre, Newbiggen Lane,Lanchester, DH7 0PB.

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Dear Village VoiceThe proposed 95houses on CadgerBank is probably aconfidence trick. The “developer”wants 30 houses, butLanchester doesn’twant any, so anoutrageous figure isproposed and thevillage is up in arms.The Council wins a“victory” by reducingthe number of housesfrom 95 to 30 (which iswhat the developerwanted in the f irstplace).This is a similar scamto a company thatwants r id of 100people , so theyannounce 300 to go. After a fight “only” 100are out .   Everyoneclaims a victory -except the 100 whohave been dumped on.So-called “developers”do this for a commercialliving, they are goodat it, and they are muchsmarter than ourelected officials.The best result is nohouses at all.Yours faithfullyColin TippingWest DriveLanchester

Dear Village VoiceI am researching thehis tory of LangleyClose in Maiden Law,in particular a brickbuilding that is to theeast of the main house.I have been informedthat during the 1970’sthis was used as aresidence for staff thatworked at theequestrian centre.Do any readers haveany information orphotographs ofLangley Close? If so, Iwould be extremelygrateful if you couldassist me in my littleproject.Please contact theVillage Voice if youcan help.Yours sincerelyJames Bullivant

The winning number inthe Community Draw forOctober 2012 is 45. Thedraw was made by KimArmstrong of the Gym.

COMMUNITYDRAW

APOLOGYThe Village Voice wouldlike to retract the captionunderneath thephotograph of the hugehole in the road outsidethe Queen’s Head in theOctober issue. The holewas nothing to do withBritish Gas and we aresorry we printed incorrectinformation. The holebelonged to Northern GasNetworks who areresponsible for the pipesunderneath roads. ThePublic RelationsDepartment of the latterhas now been informed.

The Village Voicecommittee would like toextend gratitude toJennifer Macdonald andPatricia and Ken Jose whoretired from delivering theVoice after many yearsservice. Many thanks forservice in all sorts of

THANKS TO OLD AND NEWDELIVERERS

weather and I am sure therecipients on your roundwill join in with theappreciation for all youhave done.New deliverers are SueHill who will take overon the AldersideCrescent round and Jim

Morgan who will deliverto shops and privatehouses in the villagecentre. It is due tovolunteers that the Voicereaches all in the villageso spare them a thoughtwhen it next dropsthrough your door.

Jen and Ron Irwin ofCroft View are delightedto announce thesafe arrival of their twingrandchildren onSunday 14th October.Born five weeks early,Benjamin Jamesweighed 6lb 7oz andOlivia Rose 5lb 12oz. A

TWINS

beautiful son anddaughter for proudparents Caroline andKeith Stephen andwelcome cousins for avery excited Catrionaand Caitlyn.Mother and babies areprogressing well.Many Congratulations!

Beautiful babies Benjamin James and

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The Village Voice Page 3

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Big-hearted people whohave made a difference intheir communities arebeing sought asnominations are made forthe Chairman’s Medal. Itis presented toindividuals and groups torecognise significantachievement andoutstanding effort in allwalks of life.Durham County Councilis looking for individualsor organisations that

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHODESERVES A MEDAL?

have done somethinggreat for their community.It’s the council’s highesthonour and Area ActionPartnerships (AAPs) arelooking for nominationsfrom across the county inthe run-up to a majorpresentation event nextyear.There will be 14 winnersthis year, representing allAAP areas across thecounty. Anyone cannominate an organisation

or individual for a medal.The deadline fornominations is 4thJanuary 2013. Completedforms should be sent tothe Chairman’s Office,Durham County Council,County Hall, Durham DH15UF.For more information logon to: www.durham.gov.uk/aap, emailc h a i r m a n s o f f i c e @durham.gov.uk or call0191 372 5298.

Colin Burton, Lanchester Parish Councillor, receiving last year’s

Chairman’s Medal

Olga Walker, cutting the birthday cake

Olga Walker has justcelebrated her60th birthday. She wasborn in Shincliffe and nowlives in Sedgefield. She iswell known as the TowerCaptain in All SaintsParish Church. She and

60 - NOT OUT!her late husband, Alan,who was Nancy Walker’sson, shared a love ofringing bells and whenAlan died, Olga took overthe position of TowerCaptain from him. Shetravels from Sedgefield

every Sunday morningand evening to ring bells,and on a Friday eveningfor the weekly practice,as well as weddingswhenever possible. Sheis dedicated to ringing thebells and is a popular

leader of the bell ringingteam.Olga’s fellow bell ringerscelebrated her specialbirthday with a surpriseparty in the Bell Tower atthe Friday bell-ringingpractice, when pizzas andcoke were on the menu.The party carried on atthe King’s Head. Awonderful time was hadby all. This was also trueof the big party Olga hadarranged for her familyand numerous friends onOctober 20th in the SocialClub. A delicious buffethad been prepared by thefamily and a discocompleted a lovelyevening.Olga asked for donationsto the Tower Fund insteadof presents and raised£689 for the fund which

was set up in memory ofthe late Harry Thompson.Olga has recently takenover our work forTraidcraft at All Saints Cof E Parish Church. and itis certain that she will dothis with the same senseof dedication andenthusiasm that she givesto her role of TowerCaptain.Congratulations Olga and‘Many Happy Returns’.Brenda Craddock

The Village Voice Page 4

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A cold Saturdayevening November 3rdwith temperatures atabout 3 degrees wasperfect for the traditionalFireworks Display. Thisyear for the first time itwas organized by aprofessional locallybased company,Reaction Fireworks. Thesetting of the field wascompletely differentfrom the norm of the last40 years or so and, ofcourse, sadly, there wasno bonfire because ofhealth and safetyreasons. The sameamount of money was

spent on fireworks by theLions Club as last yearbut the display, althoughspectacular, finishedmore quickly than inprevious years.It is difficult to judgenumbers, but the fieldwas fairly crowded.However, because of thechange of layout thereprobably seemed lesspeople than usual.The Lions’ Ladies andfriends worked extremelyhard on the hot dog stallbut there were somestocks left at the end,which has not happenedfor a long time. This could

have been something todo with the differentlayout of the event orlower numbers attendingor perhaps austerity.For the first time theCricket Club had theirown stall selling soup,coffee and snacks,adjacent to the displayarea.Although it was anexcellent night somepeople did expressdisappointment at thelack of a bonfire whichdid take away some ofthe atmosphere and thephysical warmth and glowwhich people have cometo expect.The Lions would like tothank: the Parish Councilfor the grant of £400;Lions’ Ladies and friends;all those who attendedand gave so generously;Annfield Plain Scoutswho sent four members tohelp; four members ofDerwentside RoundTable who lent a hand,and the fourteen membersof the Cricket Club whodid most of themarshalling.The final profit was£1100 which was about£1000 down on last year.However, there wasplenty of competitionwith other displays inthe area which probablyaffected the attendanceto some degree.

LIONS’ FIREWORKS DISPLAY

Ladies hard at work on the hotdog stalls

The Village Voice Page 5

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and scuttling lightlyalong the grass; theoutlines of the almostbare trees, with the sunstreaming through theirbranches and beyondwhich the Parish churchwas just visible; themany young peopleproudly representingtheir organisations; thesincerity of theLanchester people fromall three denominationsand other village people,as they listened intentlyto words spoken by ourthree clergyman andsang hymns to theaccompaniment of

Lanchester Brass Band;the awesome silence, asvarious representativesfrom our village walkedforward to lay wreaths onthe war memorial. All ofthis etched a peacefulpicture for us, so differentfrom a war torn scene.‘The Last Post’ playedsuperbly by Mr MarkDraper, followed by thetwo minutes silencegave us time to reflecton the futile nature ofwar and remember ourarmed forces today whoare striving to bringpeace to our troubledworld especially thosefrom this village and

others known to uspersonally. It also gaveus time to thank God inour hearts for the peoplewho gave their lives forus so unselfishly andalso to thank Him for allthe blessings whicheach of us has and forthe peace to be found inour beautiful village.A special touch to thisservice was the presenceof Michael Gent, who is aSergeant in the RoyalMarines. He was in fulluniform as he walked tothe War Memorial withhis wreath, and lookedvery smart and splendid.Brenda Craddock

Once again Scouts fromthe 2nd Annfield PlainScout Group attended theRemembrance Service onthe village green. TheScouts and Cub scoutswere joined by ExplorerScouts from the District.The wreath was presented

by Abbie and James, aCub Scout and Scout fromAnnfield Plain. The LastPost was sounded by aScout Leader from theGroup.Scouts from Darlington,who took part in theDerwentside Scout

District Gang Show lastweek, were due to attenda rehearsal in Croft ViewHalls. As they could notattend a RemembranceService in Darlington,they arrived early inLanchester to join ourScouts for the service. 

For a change we had adry day with sunshine,in place of wet, fog andwind.A short service was heldfrom 10.45 to 11.00 am atthe memorial, afterwhich most people came

to the church service,led by our MethodistMinister Rev G Hume.People have told me howmuch they enjoyed thetime of remembrance. Itwas also nice to see afew new faces.

‘WE WILL REMEMBER THEM’continued from page 1

SCOUTS PAY THEIR RESPECTS

WAR MEMORIAL SERVICE,BURNHOPE

The offering for BBL was£54.95. The Roll of Honourwas read by Mrs DoreenPark and Mr S Collins.Many thanks to all whomade a job worth doing.Stan Collins(Burnhope Methodist)

Scouts at the Remembrance service on the Green

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The Village Voice Page 6

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LANCHESTER PARISH COUNCIL

Mike Allum and MichelleRobinson, DurhamCounty Council PlanningOfficers gave apresentation on theCounty Plan and how thisrelates to theNeighbourhood Planningprocess.Members raised thefollowing comments:* There is a need toconsider the whole of theCounty Durham Plan andhow it relates toLanchester.* Concerns of the currentinfrastructure and how itwill cope with proposeddevelopments.

Planning Meeting held on 9th October 2012* Particular concerns ofthe proposed housingsite off Cadger Bankincluding; access,increased traffic on theroads and in the village,flood concerns,archaeological concernsof the site.It was agreed that a formalresponse to the CountyCouncil on the CountyDurham Plan PreferredOptions document wouldbe agreed at a futuremeeting of the ParishCouncil.The meeting was openedto the public for theircomments.

The results of a ‘Survey ofHouseholds in Lanchester’was presented to theCounty Council and theParish Council regardingthe proposals for a housingsite off Cadger bank. Thissurvey had beenundertaken by 22volunteers with 1186houses visited. Of thosehouseholds whoexpressed an opinion(673), 96% were against theproposal and 4% in favour.Many members of thepublic spoke and raisedthe following issues:* Have the recentplanning applications ofMaiden Law andLynwood been taken intoaccount in proposedhousing allocations?* The Cadger Bank siteneeds to be thoroughlyassessed.

This Special Meeting wascalled to decide the ParishCouncil’s response to theCounty Council’sPreferred Option Plan forthe future development ofthe County and inparticular the proposal bythe County Council tobuild 95 houses at the topof Cadger Bank; theresponse had to be lodgedbefore 2nd November.The Meeting wasattended by about a dozenresidents.A letter from DerwentsideDistrict Council dated 1988was read, refusing accessto this site for certainreasons, in particular theaccess and the nearbyarchaeological site. Otherconcerns were mentioned,namely the sodden groundat the site and risk offlooding, the villageschools alreadyovercrowded and variousproblems due to increasedtraffic. It was pointed outthat if all these problemscould be overcome, thenbuilding would be possible,

Special Meeting held on 29th October 2012

but there was doubt thatthe infrastructure of thearea would be suitablyimproved. It was agreed,however, that the Countyhas to expandeconomically and thatdevelopment may have totake place in the village.Residents then had theirsay, comments includingthe need for affordablehousing in the village(promised by the CountyCouncil on this site), thenumber of houses for salein the village, the questionof sustainability of thisparticular site and the factthat there is alreadyplanning permission forapproximately 100 housesin the village, ie the King’sHead, the LanchesterArms, Lynwood Houseand executive houses onMaiden Law bank.A proposal for non-approval was made andaccepted and it was agreedthat the County Councilbe asked to remove thisproposed housing sitefrom the County Plan.

The Neighbourhood Planwas then discussed. Theneed for an improvedinfrastructure wasreiterated, particularly withregard to relief roads roundDurham. It was pointedout that if more housing isbuilt in Consett andLeadgate and moremanufacturing takes placein that area, then theamount of traffic throughLanchester would vastlyincrease. Housing aroundSniperley and Pity Me willincrease congestion. Theprovision of superfastBroadband is consideredvital to help the economyof the County to improve,hopefully producinginward migration.Members agreed that theLead Officer should writeto the County Councilsaying that the ParishCouncil appreciates thescope and vision of thePlan but also has manyconcerns includinghighways, drainage,sewage, education, health,parking, etc.

* The two schools in thevillage are at capacityalready.* Parking is a problem,what will it be like withadditional housingdevelopment?* Flooding issues.* If new houses are builtwhat will be the affect onexisting housing in theevent of flooding?* The Cadger Bank site isnot an infill site and willextend the village rightup the hillside.* The Cadger Bank sitehas a history of miningand is an unsettled site.* The Parish Plan andVillage Design Statementwith its development limitshould be taken intoaccount.* The proposed housingat Cadger Bank would beunsuitable for older

people due to its locationon a steep hill.* The draft plan hasmoved the Cadger Banksite from long term toshort term timescale fordevelopment.* Concern that the site isbeing put forwardbecause a developer iskeen to develop.* A similar developmenton the Cadger Bank sitewas refused in 1988 andthe planning report atthe time identifiedproblems with roads,access, archaeologicalconcerns, affect oncountryside.The Chair thanked MikeAllum and MichelleRobinson from DurhamCounty Council alongwith the members of thecommunity for attendingthe meeting.

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The Village Voice Page 7

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Police Report - received(see separate article).Members discussed thehigh levels of anti-socialbehaviour incidents in thelast month and agreed toask the police to make thisa PACT priority.Correspondence

(1) Durham CountyCouncil - National TreeWeek Grant 2012.Members agreed to applyfor a grant to provideadditional trees atKitswell Park.(2) Durham CountyCouncil - Warm HomesCampaign. Membersreceived the informationand asked that it bedisplayed in the ParishCouncil notice board.(3) Durham CountyCouncil - Council TaxSupport Scheme -consultation. Membersagreed the response sentto the County Council.(4) Durham CountyCouncil - Winter SaltingRoutes - informationreceived.

Notes from the Ordinary Meeting held on 13th November 2012

Area Action Partnership

& Parish Councils

Committee - Membersreceived an update.Hollinside Play Area -Members agreed torequest permission fromthe owner of the land toinstall a bench in thisarea.Grassed Area -

Lanchester Valley

Railway Path - betweenStation Road andNewbiggen Lane. TheCounty Council havestopped cutting the grassin this area which theyown and have asked theParish Council if theywould take over thisresponsibility.Members discussed arange of issues andconcerns about theculvert, stream and costsof grass cutting.A number of residentsattended the meeting andalso raised a number ofconcerns.Members agreed that theyneeded further

information from theCounty Council before adecision could be made.It was agreed that a letteris sent to Durham CountyCouncil seekingclarification onm a i n t e n a n c er e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s ,ownership issues andlegal costs.Members discussed therecent work undertakenby the CountrysideRangers and a group ofvolunteers and agreedthat a letter of thanks issent to the volunteers.Christmas Tree Lights -

Village Green. Memberswere informed that themaintenance work to snagand test the existing lightson the Village Greenwould take place as soonas the ground conditionsallowed. In addition thenew LED lights to replacethe lights on the centretree had arrived and againthe County Council werewaiting for suitableground conditions to

undertake the work.Members were informedthat arrangements for theChristmas Light switch onevent were progressing.Financial report -discussed and receivedAccounts for Payment -approved.The Chair informedMembers that MavisDatta would not be

attending futureCouncil meetings in thecapacity as the VillageVoice reporter. TheChair formally thankedMavis for all her hardwork over the years.The next Ordinarymeeting of the Councilwill be held on Tuesday11th December 2012 at7.15 pm.

Reporting period:26/09/2012 to 20/10/2012Number of calls for area:52Alcohol seizures 0Burglaries 0Bogus callers 0Anti-social behaviour 11(Youths congregating inLee Hill Court alleyway,grassed areas nearLanchester Valley Walk,Percy Place/Crescent,

The results for the Durham Constabulary are below:

POLICE REPORTWoodlands. No offencesdisclosed.)Criminal damage 3 (Librarywindow smashed on 2occasions, vehicle doorsscratched in Deneside.)Thefts 2 (Centre capsremoved from wheels ofunattended vehicle inManor Grange; HarrisHawk stolen fromsecluded cage in DurhamRoad.)

POLICE AND CRIMECOMMISSIONER

ELECTIONS

Candidate Party First %

Preference

Ron Hogg Labour 36,171 51.6Kingsley Smith Independent 18,813 26.8Mike Costello UKIP 8,257 11.8Nick Varley Conservative 6,900 9.8

The turnout was 14.4%.Please see page 11 for details of a public consultationevent to be hosted by Ron Hogg.

The Village Voice Page 8

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This month I have spentmuch more time than Iwould like or can sparesitting on the SmallCharitable DonationsBill Committee.  MPs aregenerally reluctant to siton Bill Committeesbecause they take up somuch time - two full daysa week for up to 8 weeks.However, the work of BillCommittees is invaluablein line by line scrutiny ofnew legislation prior toit becoming law. Thisgives MPs a degree ofexpertise in very detailedlegislation that they canuse later in the Houseand to support theirconstituents.The Small CharitableDonations Bill isgenerally a good billbased on goodintentions.  Its purposeis to provide tax relief on

small donationscollected by charities incash. For example,bucket collections orchurch plate collections.What is not so good isthat civil servants havetaken the intention andwrapped it in complexlegal language, meaningthat the resulting billmakes it difficult andu n n e c e s s a r i l ybureaucratic for smallcommunity basedcharities to benefit fromit. Nevertheless this is anopportunity for charitiesto recover up to £1250per year on small cashdonations.  Given mynewly acquired expertisein this area, I intend tohold a workshop in theconstituency forcharities to help raiseawareness of gift aid ingeneral and otherschemes which may help

A MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE …charities and churchesin North West Durhamto maximise what help isavailable to them.If you are involved in acharity or church, PTA,scout or guide group,youth group orluncheon club and youthink you may benefitfrom this scheme pleaseget in touch with myoffice to make sure youare on the list for theworkshop and updates.I am always keen to hearfrom constituents so ifyou would like tocontact me or need myhelp with any issue ofconcern, please write tome at Pat GlassMP, Gledstone House,26 Newmarket Street,Consett, Co DurhamDH8 5LQ, email me atp a t . g l a s s . m p @parliament.uk, or phonemy office on 01207 501782.

Durham RuralCommunity Councilwho are based in ParkHouse, Lanchester, areworking on a newcampaign with ActionFraud, known as theSpot it Stop it campaign.It’s aimed at trying toraise awareness offraud in the local area,helping to bet teridentify what to lookout for and what to doif you suspect it.The project is targetedat women aged over 55years; these have beenident i f ied as beingparticularly vulnerableand more likely to be avictim of fraud.Key facts:* 62% of women agedover 55 have experiencedfraud once or more.* 31% of people inDurham are aged over55 years and these could

FRAUD AWARENESS -SPOT IT STOP IT

CAMPAIGNbe particularly at riskand perceived as aneasier target forfraudsters.Fraudsters are cleverand manipulative, oftenusing the approachesthat sound official andlegitimate. Help preventyourself or othersbecoming a victim bygetting to know thewarning signs andknowing when to say no.Staff from DRCC aregiving informal talks toraise awareness of fraud,either to a group ofpeople or individually.If you would like amember of staff to comealong and have a ‘chat’with you or your group,please contact Barbaraor Lauren on 01207529621.Please note that theservice is only availableuntil December 16th.

The Village Voice Page 9

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fundraising function

A Coffee Morning washeld at the MethodistChurch for ChristianAid on Saturday, 27thOctober.

There were a fewfundrais ing tableswhich included cakesand bric a brac. It wasa convivial time with

people from al lchurches attending.The total raised forthis worthy cause was£178.53.

CHRISTIAN AIDCOFFEE MORNING

A Table Top Sale was heldat the Methodist Churchon Saturday 17thNovember. There wereabout half a dozen tableswith clothes, cards, bric abrac, toys and items forChristmas etc. The sale

METHODIST TABLETOP SALE

was well attended as aremost functions on aSaturday coffee morningsat the Methodist Church.Money was raised forvarious charitiesincluding Children inNeed.

A large gathering of people and children near the

Bric a Brac Table including some familiar faces

Another busy table

The Village Voice Page 10

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On 25th October, the‘King’s Head’ Hotelwelcomed folk to theirHalloween celebrations.Local poet ChristopherShort composed an essayin rhyme which cleverlydescribed the origins ofHalloween, and listedideas associated with thenight.Spooky cobwebgarlands, ghostly hands

and pumpkins decoratedthe restaurant, and staffdressed as scarycharacters. A specialHorrid Menu wasavailable, with WitchSoup and other devilishdelicacies to temptdiners.Another ‘Theme Night’is being planned - detailscan be obtained from the‘Haunted Hotel’.

KING’S HEADHALLOWEEN

Leeanne and Beth will show you to your table

Catherine bares her teeth to frighten us, Alice has a good laugh, Matthew is

now bored with all this Halloween nonsense and hits the bottle!

HALLOWEEN VISITORS

Quiz winners at the Lions’Carnival were:Adults: Jill Ramsey andGavin Mankin; Young

People: Chloe, Felicityand Olivia. Well Done!

PARTNERSHIPOLYMPICS

QUIZ

LANCHESTERLIBRARY

NEW OPENINGHOURS

From Thursday 3rd January 2013, the new hours forLanchester Library are as follows:Monday 2.00 pm - 5.30 pmTuesday 2.00 pm - 5.30 pmWednesday ClosedThursday 9.00 am - 7.00 pmFriday ClosedSaturday 9.30 am - 12.30 pm

CHRISTMAS ANDNEW YEAR OPENINGAND CLOSING TIMESThe Library will close at 1.00 pm on Saturday 22ndDecember 2012 and reopen at 9.00 am on Thursday3rd January 2013.Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2013.Monica

The Village Voice Page 11

Kids Club volunteers,Margaret and Alisonorganised theHalloween Party at theCommunity Centre thisyear as Vicky Brownwas unavai lable .However, Vicky lent

her support bysupplying var iousitems and also securedMargaret Cooper ,once again f ree ofcharge, to run the discowhich the chi ldrenloved.

It was a wild afternoonwith the 70 or so childrenenjoying dancing andgames wearing somefabulous Halloweencostumes. Lots ofadults joined in thedressing up as well. The

food organised byMargaret and Alisonfrom the CommunityCentre with volunteerswent down really well.Both ladies would like tothank everyone whomade it such an

enjoyable party. Themoney raised from theevent was £216.00 splitevenly between theKelly Casher fund,nominated by VickyBrown, and theCommunity Centre.

HALLOWEEN PARTY

One of the mums, dressed ‘to kill’?

POLICE PUBLICCONSULTATIONRon Hogg, Durham’s newPolice and CrimeCommissioner, is hosting apublic consultation day onThursday 13th Decemberat the Dolphin Centre,Darlington (morning) andat Durham Town Hall(afternoon). He will beconsulting the publicabout his Police and CrimePlan and the police budget.The event is free and placeswill be allocated on a firstcome, first served basis.If you would like to attend,please visit www.durham-pcc.gov.uk and provideyour details. Alternativelytelephone 0191 383 5511,email: enquiries@durham-pcc.gov.uk or write toOffice of the Durham Policeand Crime Commissioner,County Hall, Durham, DH15UL.

The Village Voice Page 12

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Once again a sell-outLanchester audience waspresented with aninnovative piece oftheatre by NobbyDimon’s North CountryTheatre Company.

‘The Lighthouse onShivering Sands’ wasloosely based on a shortstory by ‘Yorkshire’sMost Prolific Writer’,J S Fletcher, a writer whois now out of print andwould probably havebeen forgotten but forsecond hand bookshopsand internet downloads.Nobby used this vehicleto explore in his usualhumorous way ‘truth, liesand the unreliablenarrator’.The best part of the playfor me was theremarkable scene whereMark Cronfield playingMordechai Chiddockand Simon Kirk playingJezreel Cornishseamlessly swap goodguy/bad guy roles. Theyre-enact the same storygiving a different slantto show themselves in agood light and theopposite character asthe epitome of evil.

Remarkable acting and amasterpiece of scripting.I like the way Nobby andthe cast break down thebarriers between actorsand the audience by theirpre-show banter. OnlyVivienne Garnett whoplayed the selkie (amythical seal-woman)was kept in the wings. Itwas interesting that inNobby’s pre-play chat heremarked that the furthernorth they play the morepeople had heard of aselkie. He was also quiteopen about his use ofVictorian melodrama.“You are allowed tolaugh”, he instructed theaudience (and they did).Last year the companyfaced a crisis as their ArtsCouncil grant wasremoved. Fortunatelyhundreds of ‘Angels’have come to the rescueso we can look forward tomore visits in future fromthis excellent company.

THE LIGHTHOUSE ON SHIVERING SANDS

Nobby Dimon with Simon Kirk on ‘Shivering Sands’

What an incredibleoccasion this was! Lessof a concert and muchmore of an experience onso many levels! Stuartshared so much more thanhis music. We have beensinging his worshipsongs and hymns formany years now and theyare such a Blessing,however the insights heshared with us in relationto his music wereinspirational. We wereable to participate in manyof his songs and heintroduced us to his morerecent creations. The wayin which we were enabledto worship with him andfeel the very presence ofGod was an incredibleexperience. He gavetribute to the old hymnwriters and shared howso many of them hadprovided him with somany thoughts and ideas.One example of this is oneof his more recent songs

‘It is well with my soul’.He also explained how heused the bible material to‘tell the story’ of thenature of Jesus, forexample ‘The man whocalmed the sea’. Thetheme which we are soused to exploring throughhis music is, of course,the nature of the sacrificeof Jesus and the price hepaid to give us theopportunity of a life freefrom sin. This led us intothe familiar Easter oneswhich we also sang, “O to

STUART TOWNEND CONCERTsee the dawn’ and ‘InChrist alone’. If you wantto hear some of thesesongs, come to theChurches Together EasterWitness in the village,which is now an annualevent.He is a truly a man of Godand, in humility andobedience, has used hisamazing talent to make ithis life’s work tocommunicate to us God’sgrace and love. Thankyou Stuart for an eveningwe will never forget!

Stuart Townend

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The Village Voice Page 13

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The Art Exhibition isalways an event which issomething to look forwardto towards the end ofOctober when autumnoften begins to seem likewinter. This year,however it was a lovelysunny weekend, not quitean Indian summer, but theattendance was excellent.It is incredible to learn thatthe Art Group whichoriginally met at the GreenSchool started in 1982!Those thirty years haveflown and themembership which beganwith seven aspiring artistsnow has a membership of

LANCHESTER ART EXHIBITION40 accomplished artists,36 of whom exhibited atthe current event. A newexhibitor this year wasMary Patterson, fromConsett, who has onlybeen a member for a veryshort time and producedsome wonderfulwatercolours of wildlife.The waiting list of fivehas now been closed.The busy halls made for agreat atmosphere asviewers walked aroundthe exhibits chatting tofriends about the fineworks on display. Peoplecame from all over theregion to visit the

exhibition, such has itsreputation grown overthose thirty years.Superlatives to describesome of the paintingshave now been used somany times - how does itkeep on improving?Suffice to say that itcertainly does. The talentfrom people in and aroundthis village is enormousand much appreciated.Many people help on theweekend and therefreshments andatmosphere in the smallhall enhanced the visit.Long may this fineexhibition continue!

Pat and John Wills

(foreground) looking

intensely interested in

the works of Margaret

Walters, alongside

Kathleen Bilclough

from Winlaton and

Sylvia McPhail from

Rowlands Gill.

The November meeting ofthe History Society tookplace on the eve of thevillage fireworks and,appropriately, the talkgiven by Arthur Doddswas on the GunpowderPlot.The basic details of the17th century terrorist planare fairly well known but

LANCHESTER HISTORY SOCIETYthe members were told ofthe lesser-known eventsleading up to the arrest ofGuido Fawkes, a man ofYork. The full story wasone of intrigue, betrayal,arrest, torture and brutalexecution. The audienceheard how the nation-wide schism in religiousbeliefs had its origins in

Zachary Glendinning, ateenage kickboxer, haswon his first belt. 13 year-old Zach from Lanchesterdefeated the Scottishchampion, Harry Carlin,in his home town ofMotherwell. The StBede’s pupil is now theholder of the Bantamweight Commonwealthgolden belt. Zach trainsunder Wes Fagan with theNorth-East KickboxingAcademy at BurnopfieldCommunity Centre.

KICKBOXING SUCCESS

Germany, Paris, York, andDurham, and howmembers of the well-known northern familiesof Neville, Lumley andPercy suffered martyrdomfor their beliefs during thereligious persecution inTudor times.The next meeting will beon 1st February 2013.

Zach celebrates after winning his first belt

The Village Voice Page 14

Thank you Lanchesterfor all your support with newproperties & good wishes.

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I became interested inholistic therapies whenmy daughter tried earcandles for her sinusproblems. It made such a

IN HARMONY HOLISTICSdifference that I decidedthat I would learn how todo it. I enjoyed it so muchthat I decided to learn moretherapies. Having workedin the Construction/Facilities Services foralmost 30 years I decidedthat I needed a completechange. I've beenpractising on friends andfamily for over 18 monthsand I've finally taken theplunge and opened myown holistic therapy roomin Westlands DentalStudio in Lanchester.Holistic therapy aims towork on a physical,emotional and spirituallevel and helps the body

Maria, a colleague at Westlands, prepares for her

holistic treatment by Janet

to heal itself. All mytherapies are deeplyrelaxing and can alleviatestress, aches and painsand improve generalhealth and well being.Therapies include: HotStone Massage; SwedishMassage; Indian HeadMassage; CrystalTranquility Massage;Holistic Facial; NaturalLift Facial Massage, EarCandles and AyurevedicFoot Ritual (KansaVataki). With a 25%discount in December(applies to Gift Voucherstoo) it's a great time togive holistic therapy a try.Janet Middleton

Paul Morgan wasproud to open his newbusiness surroundedby a large number offamily and friends onSaturday 20th October.Paul who originatesfrom Consett has livedin the village for some23 years. He has spent20 years working as

ALEXANDER SALES & LETTINGS OPENS

The opening of

Alexander Sales

& Lettings. Sam

cuts the ribbon

surrounded by

many relatives

and friends. Paul

is at the back

(centre).

Regional Director for alarge Estate Agency inCounty Durham so hecer ta inly has theexperience toaccomplish his aimsand give an excellentservice to hiscustomers.The opening ceremonyand function was great

fun with a wonderfulwarm atmosphere andlots of laughter. Therewas plenty of wine andsome nibbles whichgreatly enhanced theoccasion. Paul’sdaughter, Sam, did thehonours by cutting ther ibbon and af teradjourning inside,

Paul’s Dad made amoving, emotional ,tribute to Paul who hadobviously experienceda couple of difficultyears.Paul is keen to useother businesses in thevillage to help themthrough difficult times,and hopes that this will

be reciprocated by thoseand the general public inLanchester. He invitesanyone who needs advicere sales, letting, or buyingproperty to call in fora friendly chat.Alternatively pleasephone 01207 529900 orvisit www.alexander-lettings.co.uk.

The Village Voice Page 15

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Alan and Dorothy of AlanMadrell Coaches haveannounced that they areretiring at the end of theyear, though Alan ishoping to do some workwithin the tourismindustry. Alan MadrellCoaches have beenproviding coach holidaysand day trips for 12 yearspicking up in local villages

to places from Scotlandto the Isle of Wight. A lotof fun and many newfriendships have beenenjoyed by so manypeople.They would like to thankeveryone who hassupported them over theyears and wish everyonea very merry Christmasand a happy New Year.

ALAN MADRELL RETIRESincluding Lanchester.Many people haveenjoyed the trips and toursover the years and Alanand Dorothy haveenjoyed meeting thepassengers and providinginteresting places to visit.It started with Sundayafternoon mystery tripsand day trips andprogressed to tours going

Dorothy and Alan with one of their coaches

Eight people assembledat the CommunityCentre on Monday 12thNovember for a two hourtraining course in FirstAid. It is essential thatstaff at the centre keepup to date with this tomake sure someone ison hand in case ofemergency. It is even

FIRST AID AT THE COMMUNITY CENTRE

more important now thatthere is a thriving, busygym where accidentscould possibly happen,though not many haveoccurred so far.Nicky Willis from The RedCross gave an excellentlecture with frequentintermittent times forquestions and answers,

all of which was not onlyinteresting, but veryvaluable in terms of lifeskills which could savelives.Those who attend thecentre for whateverreason will no doubt bepleased that their safetyis of prime importanceto the management.

Arthur Maughan, Chairman of the Centre, demonstrates CPR to other

participants on the First Aid Course

The Village Voice Page 16

LANCHESTER SOCIAL CLUB

NEWBIGGEN LANE LANCHESTER DH7 0PF

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NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME

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Medomsley Road, Consett

9.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Saturday

Christmas has arrived at

We have an abundance of new and unusual gifts,unique artwork and beautiful seasonal decorations.

So come and visit us and end your worrying as towhat gifts to buy for family and friends.

Maralyn and Ron wish you all A VeryMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Visit our online shop on Facebook- The Glass and Art Gallery

The Big Skills Share ispart of the UK OlderPeople’s Day celebratedon 1st October to coincidewith the UN InternationalDay of Older Persons. Themain aim for the UK OlderPeople’s Day is to be anational celebration ofthe achievements andcontributions that olderpeople make to our societyand to the economy.At the beginning of themonth, six of St Bede'sYear 12 Health andSocial Care studentstook part in Age UK

County Durham‘s BigSkills Share Day atBeamish Museum. Theyworked alongside agroup of older peoplefrom Chester-le-Street totry a range of traditionalactivities, includingmaking wooden modelengines, baking scones inthe pit cottages andexploring behind thescenes and in the storesof Beamish. It was awonderful day, not leastbecause the students andolder people workedtogether so well.

BIG SKILLS SHARELAUNCH AT BEAMISH

MUSEUM

The six students of Year 12 at Beamish

Vice president Ann Carrwelcomed members toour 87th birthday mealwhich this year was heldat Yannis. Before ourmeal was served Anngave out entry formsfor a free to enter poetrycontest to find the bestlocal poem aboutLanchester (these willalso be available at theDecember meeting).June has booking formsfor the County holidayat Lille for those who areinterested.We then sat down toenjoy our Greekevening, a lovely socialtime with very good foodand company. We

would like to thank thestaff at Yannis formaking our 87thbir thday night sospecial.We had a very busymonth in October withmembers joining SatleyWI for their birthdaynight, going to BishopAuckland for theAutumn CouncilMeeting and attendingthe Derwent JubileeGroup meeting hostedby Edmundbyers. Therewe not only enjoyed adelicious supper andtwo very good speakersbut Maureen Clarksonwon the cup for herflower arrangement.

Members alsosupported a concertgiven by Annfield PlainWI concert party forHelp the Heroes whichwas excellent. We alljoined in singing wartime songs beforeenjoying anotherdelicious supper.Members had donatedaccessories for our stallat the group fair inSpennymoor town hall.Ann, Heather and Jeanleft at 8.30 to set up andthey were joined byladies from Consett andEbchester WI's. Over£160 was raised forcounty funds just onour stall. Thank you

to everyone whocontributed items.Ann and June laid thepoppy wreath on behalfof Lanchester WI.

Maureen Clarkson who won the Derwent Jubilee

Group Meeting Cup with her beautiful flower

arrangement.

If what we do interestsyou, why not come nextyear as a visitor - youwill be made verywelcome.

W I NEWS

The Village Voice Page 17

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November saw St. Bede'sSchool celebrate theirsecond annual LiteraryFestival, with a full andvaried programme ofevents to inform andexcite their students.Within a week packedwith good things, one ofthe highlights came whenmany of the students andstaff dressed ascharacters from literature.Little Red Riding Hoodchatted with St Trinianschoolgirls, while Oliver

BRINGING BOOKS ALIVE

Harry Potter meets Oliver Twist!

Twist and Dorothysearched for the YellowBrick Road, helped bysmurfs and Peter Pan. Adashing James Bond wasthere, along with Tiggerand some OompaLoompas, and HarryPotter listened toProfessor AlbusDumbledore.A group of students hadwritten to Daniel Blythe,inviting him to attend theFestival and they weredelighted when the

acclaimed author of threeof the official "Dr Who"novels agreed to spend awhole day talking tostudents, conductingwriting workshops andsigning books. Hepresented an interestingan informative session onthe history of "Dr Who",from its genesis in the1960's, when WilliamHartnell played theDoctor, through thecharacter's variousregenerations, until theseries in the present day.His audience werefascinated with thejourney back to the timeof black and white TV,when special effects hadyet to be enhanced bycomputers.Former student Andy Leeoffered studentsinformation and help withaspects of journalism andsong writing. Andyserved as Chief Reporterfor the Northern Echo and

the Advertiser Series inTyne and Wear and isalso an accomplishedsongwriter. ProfessorSimon James, SeniorLecturer in VictorianLiterature presentedthought provokingseminars to students, andSheree Mack, Writer inResidence at theprestigious Literary andPhilosophical Society inNewcastle conducted

exciting writingworkshops, and studentsare eager to work with heragain. Sue Spence, avolunteer at Willow BurnHospice demonstratedthe beauty and power ofpoetry, used ascomplementary therapyto great effect.A really exciting andinformative week for thestudents of St Bede'sSchool!

This was a four weekcharitable expedition toBotswana and Namibia.There was a team of tenstudents, two teachersand an expedition teacherthat went. Each studenthad to raise £4000 to goover a period of 18months. This fundraisingwas part of the challengeand there were variousevents that took placesuch as bag packing, StBede's Strictly ComeDancing and a RaceNight.The 4 weeks themselveswere incredible. Thestudents were in charge ofthe trip. They chose theitinerary and the project.The main focus of theexpedition was the

ST BEDE'S WORLDCHALLENGE

project in Hippo Primaryschool in Namibia. Ourstudents spent their timepainting the students’dormitories which werejust bare brick. Theyalso helped the studentswith their school workand language skills,even delivering somelessons. We taughtthem about the Englishculture and acted outBible stories and sangsongs in the evenings.I can safely say that wewere all very differentpeople when wereturned. We have hadour eyes opened to thepoverty and suffering inthe world, but also thehappiness that havinglittle can bring.

Some of the students together with their local

‘hosts’ from the Primary School

The Village Voice Page 18

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The odds were on for agreat meet at the All SaintsCatholic Parish Race Night,on 15th November inLanchester Club.An excited group ofpunters of all ages studiedthe form, fancied a flutterand placed their £1 bets!Under starter’s orders,they were off,accompanied by exuberantcheers from the goodhumoured winners andlosers. Throughout therewas a wonderful friendlyatmosphere, a bit likeplaying a giant boardgame, encouraged by thedry witticisms of the

GOLDEN JUBILEE RACE NIGHTcommentator. It was all justa bit of good, clean fun. Afitting climax was thebidding for ownership inthe last race; with aninteresting combination ofcompetitive tension,banter and generosity.Thanks to Tricia andRichard for the concertroom, Hilary of BarclaysBank who ensured fairplay, all the sponsors ofraces and horses, and allwho bought tickets.All profits will go towardsthe Golden Jubilee Fund ofCanon Spence’s priestlyordination to be celebratedin 2013.

Hilary pays out to the lucky winners

After the HalloweenParty on Sunday 28th,Kids Club continuedtheir activities on theMonday with a FilmShow featuring Wallaceand Gromit, ‘The Curseof the Were Rabbit’. Thethirty or so children whoturned up for thisthoroughly enjoyedthemselves.On the Wednesday,Halloween day, about

KIDS CLUBtwenty to thirty adultswith their children metat the CommunityCentre for a‘ C r a f t e r n o o n ’ .Jacqueline Turnbull,Treasurer of theCommunity Centre,guided them in makingvarious crafts with aHalloween theme.This was followed on theFriday with an equallysuccessful afternoon

making crafts with anAutumnal theme, whichincluded owl bags andleaf masks. This sessionwas also led byJacqueline. It was alovely week at half termfor some of the youngerchildren in the villagewhich kept themoccupied in an enjoyableway and also gave theirparents a pleasantsocial occasion.

Jacqueline, children and parents making leaf masks and owl bags for the

Autumnal theme

The Village Voice Page 19

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LADIES WHO LUNCH

The Gourmet Girls

Last time out we paid areturn visit to the ‘BlackHorse’ at Beamish’. Nottoo far from Lanchester itis set in lovelycountryside and the placeitself is most welcomingand accommodating,especially for a large partywho hadn’t booked.  Wewere especially pleasedwith our table, a lovelyoval shape which is ourfavourite allowingeverybody to easily joinin with the conversation.They have a special setmenu at £11.95 for a 2course meal and £14.95 fora 3 course, alongside anextensive a la carte - plentyof choice for everyone.

We sampled for starterssmoked trout en croutewith dill and capervinaigrette, chicken liverparfait with red onionmarmalade and melbatoast. Main courses wereroast loin of pork andblack pudding mash withcider sauce and greenbeans, baked haddocksteak on a pear andparsnip puree with newpotatoes, and BlackHorse Beamish beef andBombardier ale pie withcreamy mash andseasonal veg.  Puds weresticky toffee puddingwith butterscotch sauceand cream, pear andalmond tart with crème

anglaise and rhubarbbrulée with petticoat tailshortbread. The pudswere deemed to be veryrich (so not for the faintedhearted watching thecholesterol count) butalso lovely and light. Also one of our numberopted for a ‘light bite’(making sure there wasroom for the decadentdesserts obviously) thesmoked bacon, brie andrich tomato chutneysandwich served withfries was evidently ‘quitedelicious’.  Indeed wefound all our meals to bemost enjoyable.We love the Black Horse!

Saturday 26th Octoberwas an historic day in thelife of All Saints’ ParishCentre. For the luckyticket holders, the ParishCentre was transformedinto a very upmarket Thairestaurant. Chef GeoffreyRedfearn, well known inthe parish and village,arrived on the first trainout of King’s Cross toprepare a three coursemeal for 56. Quite achallenge for any masterchef. In London ChefGeoff works at the‘Angela Malik School ofAsian Cookery’ where

JUBILEE CURRY BANQUETAs a postscript, Geoff hadbeen interviewed byMichel Roux the previousweek and on the Tuesdayafter the ‘Curry Banquet’,he received the great newsthat he had landed theprestigious job as ChefDirector of ‘CactusKitchens’ soon to beopened above the CactusTV studio which producesBBC’s Saturday MorningKitchen. Geoff will bepivotal in organising

opportunities for thepaying general public to“cook with the nation’sfavourite TV chefs” in avariety of unique “star-studded cookingexperiences”.So as he rubs shoulderswith the Master Chefs,may we offer ourcongratulations andthanks to Geoff, our veryown celebrity chef, fromyour many friends upnorth.

he specialises in Thaicuisine.Not to outdo our veryown Gourmet Girls, whoare so often out and aboutas the ‘Ladies whoLunch’, let me just hint atthe truly wonderful meal:marinated steak salad,chicken, beef andvegetarian curriesprepared with thewonderful unique blendof spices, herbs andingredients such asaubergines, sweetpotatoes, red chillies,green beans, peas andpeanuts, then finally

topped off with mangoand lime meringue withfresh pineapple.But of equal enjoymentto this feast, was theconvivial company andexotic ambience, createdby Mary’s art club andAvril’s attractive andattentive front of houseteam.All profits go towardsthe Golden Jubilee Fundof Canon Spence’spriestly ordination whichwill be celebrated in July2013. Watch out fordetails to be publicisednext year.

Left to right: Canon Spence, Michael and Avril Quigley

and Chef Geoff Redfearn

The Village Voice Page 20

CROSSWORD 79

There were 16 entriesin las t month’scrossword competition,though several haderrors.Congratulations toR Chris ton ofWoodham Court whowas the winner in thedraw and will receivethe £10 prize.

CROSSWORD 78

Please send your entries (by deadline date on backpage) to The Village Voice, c/o Lanchester CommunityCentre, Newbiggen Lane, Lanchester, DH7 0PB.

There is just one simple rule in Sudoku. Each row and each column must containthe numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box. See next month for answers.

SUDOKU

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The Village Voice Page 21

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH

250g/8ozs good qualitypork sausages1 tbsp olive oil1 onion, chopped1 large carrot, grated150ml/1/4 pint red wine150ml/1/4 pint vegetablestock2 tbls tomato puréeFor the sauce

25g/1oz butter25g/1oz plain flour½ pint milkfreshly grated nutmeg250g/8oz rigatoni or penne100g/4oz fresh spinach70g/3ozs mature cheddarcheese, grated1. Slit the sausages andremove them from thetheir skins, then chopthem into small pieces.

Rigatoni Sausage BakeHeat the oil in a pan, addthe onion and fry for 5minutes, until softenedand lightly browned. Stirin the sausages and fryuntil lightly coloured.Add the carrot, then stir inthe wine, stock, tomatopurée, and season.2. Bring to the boil, thensimmer uncovered forabout 15 minutes untilthickened. Taste andseason. Set aside.3. Put the butter, flour andmilk in a pan. Gently heat,whisking, untilthickened and smooth.Add a sprinkle of freshlygrated nutmeg, season,then simmer for 2minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to190c/gas5/fan170c.Bring a large pan of saltedwater to the boil. Add thepasta, stir well, then cook,uncovered, for 10-12minutes, until tender.Remove from the heat, stirin the spinach and whenjust wilted, drain well.5. Tip half the pasta intoa shallow ovenproof dishand level. Spoon over thesausage sauce, then coverwith the remaining pasta.Pour the white sauceevenly over the top andsprinkle with the cheddar.6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutesuntil golden brown.Leave for 5 minutesbefore serving.

What was I doing inLondon? I was acontestant in the TimesNational CrosswordChampionship.How did I get there? Bysubmitting one of the fiftyfastest times taken tocomplete correctly acrossword set earlier inthe year specifically forthose wanting to qualifyfor the championship.Three are set at monthlyintervals.What happens on theday? Two groups ofcontestants are given

A CRUCIVERBALIST IN LONDONthree puzzles to solve inone hour and the twelvefastest in each group todo so correctly qualify forthe Grand Final whichtakes place in theafternoon. No dictionariesor reference books areallowed, the large room isset out like an examinationhall and if your mobilephone rings, you aredisqualified. It is mentaltorture!This is a newer format andtakes place on only onedate in London. When Ifirst took part, there were

regional rounds all overthe country. You wereallowed thirty minutes forthe first puzzle, then thirtyfor the second and thenthirty for the third. If youfinished before the end ofthe session, the numberof unused minutes wasadded to the number ofclues you had solvedcorrectly. After the thirdpuzzle there was a teabreak during which aprovisional order of meritwas worked out beforecrossword number four.This was so much harderthat I believe its purposewas to separate those atthe top of the list. Thewinners of the regionalrounds then competed inthe final in London.A wide general knowledgeis necessary as well as theability to recognise quicklyan anagram or a hiddenword. Gone are thequotations fromShakespeare. Nowadaysfamiliarity with computingis required: for example, thefirst syllable of an answerthis year was "app".I didn't come last. Notquite!Jill RamseyJill Ramsey with a Crossword Puzzle

The Village Voice Page 22

WHAWHAWHAWHAWHAT’S ON?T’S ON?T’S ON?T’S ON?T’S ON?

“LADIES”Come Dancing

Every Monday 1.30 - 2.30 atLanchester Community Centre

Dance to the exciting Latin AmericanBeat (and many more)

Dance trained - Qualified Keep Fit Teacher ofover 20years

CountryMarket

On Saturday 1stDecember, 10 am - 12noon, come along to theCountry Market in theCommunity Centre foryour fresh produce, cakes,pies, jams, chutneys,eggs, plants, etc, maybesome Christmas presentstoo.

FamilyFundraiser

Come along to LanchesterMethodist Church onSaturday 1st December at6.15 pm till 9 pm (approx).KoGs are holding aFAMILY FUNDRAISINGevent for Help For Heroesand KoGs. The eveningwill include:Broth Supper (included inticket price), MulledWine/Hot Chocolate,Gingerbread men andMince Pies.Live band playingChristmas songs, Guestsingers, Sketches,Christmas trivia quiz(prizes to be won), SantaDrive ( prizes to be won),KoGs craft stall, Meet &greet Santa and also TOPSECRET, SPECIALGUESTS ... NOT TO BEMISSED!Money raised will bedonated to Help ForHeroes and KoGs. Ticketsare priced at £3 per personor £10 family of four ticket.For tickets or moreinformation contact LauraCole - 07411721529,Mervyn Burdon - 01207237161, or email: Kidsofgod@hotmail.co.uk

Social ClubEntertainment

Saturday 1st December,EDDY,Fabulous VocalistSunday 8th December,JACEY TAYLOR, ExExtraordinary LadiesSaturday 15th December,GAYNOR MARIE,Superb VocalistSaturday 22nd December,KAREN KENNEDY,Clubland's LeadingFemale SingerSaturday 29th December,CHRISSEY, ExcellentFemale Entertainer

Canon Spence -Forthcoming

Jubilee EventsSunday 2nd December,Jubilee Coffee after Mass(Organisers - SVP Group)Sunday 9th December,Family Christmas Party(Organiser - JoanneGraham)Sunday 23rd December,Jubilee Coffee and Carols(Organisers - Choir)

Sunday BridgeCome and enjoy a relaxedafternoon playing Bridgein the Community Centreon December 2nd from2.00 pm. Only £3.Everyone welcome.

Paradiso ClubThe next Social will be onSunday December 2nd,7 pm - 9.15 pm, in theCommunity Centre. Aswell as the usual Raffle,Refreshments and filmthere will be anopportunity to buy DVDsthat we have shown overthe last season. The BigScreen film beingshown  this time isTHE BEST EXOTICMARIGOLD HOTEL.This film boasts anacclaimed cast including

Judi Dench, Bill Nighy,Maggie Smith, TomWilkinson and CeliaImrie who light up thisromantic comedy fromthe Director of'Shakespeare in Love'. Seven cash-strappedBrits journey to aretirement resort inIndia.  Friendship andromance blossom asthey touch each other'shearts in unexpectedways.  In the end, theywill all discover that lifeand love can begin againwhen you embracetoday and let go of thepast.All are welcome.  Annualmembership of the clubis £5 pa (worth it if youexpect to comeregularly!) as membersthen pay £2.50 per entry. Occasional visitors arewelcome and would pay£3.50 for the Socialwhich includes theraffle, refreshments andfilm.  

WIOur next meeting is ourChristmas party whichwill be held in the smallhall of the CommunityCentre on Monday 3rdDecember starting at7.00 pm.This is always a nightfull of fun and laughterand after we enjoy adelicious faith supperprovided by themembers. TheLanchester Male VoiceChoir will entertain usand there will be aChinese raffle.This is always a lovelystart to Christmas andto those members whocannot join us we sendChristmas greetings andlook forward to seeingyou next year. We alsowish a Merry Christmasto everyone who hashelped and supported usthroughout the year.Will members pleasebring items for the faithsupper and a prize forthe Chinese raffle ifpossible. Thank you.

Open HouseEveryone is welcome atOpen House onThursday 6thDecember in theChapter House of theParish Church, when alight lunch is servedfrom 11.30 am - 1.00 pm.

Short CircuitWalks

December 8th, a t10.30 am, ShiremoorMetro to Percy Main,4.5 miles, including arailway museum. Meetat Shiremoor Metro,NZ318715.December 29th, a t10.30 am, NewcastleQuayside to Newburn,6 miles. Meet under theTyne Bridge,NZ252638.

Wildlife GroupThe December meeting,on Tuesday 11th at7.30 pm in the CommunityCentre will be the AGMand social.

Santa’s PostBox

Santa’s Post Box willbe situated outside theRed Cross Shop from12th December until22nd inclusive. This iscourtesy of LanchesterLions Club who havethis very specialarrangement withSanta Claus.

Mothers' UnionThe meet ing onWednesday 12thDecember, 7.30 pm inchurch (meet inChapter House first) isthe Advent Evening -hymns, readings andprayers for Advent,fol lowed byrefreshments.

PlaygroupCoffee MorningLanchester Playgroupwill be hosting a coffeemorning on Saturday15th December from10 am until noon.  Wewill be selling cakes,crafts and toys and therewill be face painting forthe children.  Pleasecome and join us.

Lilydale PetSupplies

Please vis i t theLanchester store onSaturday 15thDecember and bringyour children with youif possible for a mostenjoyable experience.Whilst there you willbe able to see thesearch and rescue dogsfrom the WeardaleSearch and RescueTeam for which fundsare being raised at theshop. The dogs will beon duty between10.00 am and 2.00 pm.We look forward toseeing you.

LanchesterMiners' Banner

GroupThe next meeting of theGroup will take placeon Wednesday the19th December at4.30 pm at Park House,Lanchester.The group has beenestablished toco-ordinate the worksand raise funds toundertake the necessaryrestoration andconservation work on theFenhall Drift Banner.If any members of thecommunity areinterested in becomingpart of the workinggroup please contactSally on 01207 521957or simply come alongto the next meeting.

LanchesterPartnership

All members and non-members are invited tocome to the CommunityCentre Dining Room onThursday December20th  at 7.30 pm forwine, nibbles and a chatabout what we aredoing, what you thinkwe should be doing,the tes t score ,whatever.Please come. (It’s free!)

The Village Voice Page 23

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Thursday ClubDecember 20th will be ameeting for members toget together beforeChristmas, to sing carolswith Pam Bygate andreminisce on 'WhatChristmas means to me' at1.30 pm in the CommunityCentre.  £5 deposit + menuchoice for our New YearParty at Deanos onJanuary 17th 2013 need tobe in to Eileen or Liz bythe end of November.

New Year's EveCeilidh

This popular event will beheld again in LanchesterCommunity Centre onMonday 31st Decemberwith the Angels of theNorth ceilidh band.Tickets £7.50 or £6.50 forunder 16s. Contact ElaineWilliams on 01207 520063to reserve a place.

Willow BurnEvents

The  Tree of

Remembrance will onceagain be located in thefoyer of Matalan, Consettevery day from 10am - 7pm(Sundays 10am-4pm)from Saturday 1st toMonday 24th December. For a small donation,baubles bearing your ownpersonal message inmemory of a loved one,can be hung on the 10 -12ft tree, which is beingdonated by LanchesterNurseries again.  Therewill be another tree locatedin the hospice lounge andat the Charity Shop inStanley. Many, manythanks to Matalan foraffording the hospice theopportunity again.  The2011 Tree ofRemembrance raised over£3,000 for the hospice.The Shotley Bridge

Victorian Extravaganza isagain fundraising forWillow Burn in 2012.  Theevent, primarily to profileshops and services,community organisations

and village amenities, isorganised by ShotleyBridge Village Trust andlocal businesses.  Thiswill be the fourth year thatWillow Burn has beenchosen as the namedcharity which receives allproceeds from theweekend of festiveactivity. Apart from theall-day goings on, on theSaturday including coachrides around the village,the Friday night isparticularly enjoyable forall the family, with churchbells, lighting of the tree,carols and late nightopening of many shopsand businesses to pickup that special Christmasgift.Willow Burn’s LUAL

(Light Up A Life) service

will be held at 3pm onSunday 9th December atSt Bede’s School,Lanchester, representinga time to be comforted andto share hope with others.Messages can bededicated in memory of aloved one, candles are lit,and names of thosespecial to family andfriends are recorded in abook of remembrance. The service is open toeveryone.  For furtherinformation contactClare Chillingworth on(01207) 529224( c c h i l l i n g w o r t h @willowburnhospice.org.ukSanta’s Little Helpers’

Run is a fun way for localschools to get involvedin a fundraising activityfor Willow Burn duringDecember.  Schoolsdesignate a suggestedindoor or outdoor courseof an appropriate distanceand ask that childrenobtain sponsorship forrunning one or a numberof laps. When the hospicereceives the funds, acertificate is sent out toschools and each andevery child receives asticky ‘Santa’s LittleHelpers’ Run’ badge.  Formore information contactClaire Ross on (01207)523296.

WHAWHAWHAWHAWHAT’ST’ST’ST’ST’SONONONONON The senior presentation

night was held on 20thOctober and the followingplayers picked up awards:First team Batting GrahamBrinton; Bowling KieronTaylor; Catches LeeMurray. Player of theYear Kieron Taylor.Second Team Batting, PaulBurn. Bowling, AndyAllen. Catches, Stephen

LATEST FROM THE CRICKET CLUBMurray. Player of Year,Tony Dumighan.Third Team Batting NeilGraham. BowlingStuartBeaumont. Catches TimKennington/Craig Smith.Player of the Year NathanSomersall.The second team were theonly trophy winners takingthe Division B titleremaining unbeaten

This was an enduranceevent to mark the 11yearssince the start of theAfghanistan campaign.Sergeant Sonia Clamp andI ran a mile for every BritishService person that hasbeen killed during theconflict to raise money forthe Army BenevolentFund, the Soldiers' Charity.We each ran 434 miles.

throughout the season.Captain Steve Murrayretired after completingthis impressive feat.We have a quiz night onThursday 29th Novemberand the Feast is set for22nd December. A handfulof tickets are still availableat £18 which includes athree course meal and somegreat entertainment.

continued from page 24

host to TantobieCommercial running out4-0 winners with a hat-trick from Stu McPhail.The next week LanchesterLads were away topromotion favourites theScotch Arms. Lanchesterplayed their best of theseason to record a 4-1

AFGHAN MEMORIAL RUNThe Soldiers' Charity givesa lifetime of support tosoldiers, former soldiersand their families in timesof need. Over the pasttwo years there has beena 30% rise in peopleseeking help and this isexpected to increase withthe continuing operationsin Afghanistan.I would like to personally

pass on our thanks for yourassistance with raisingmoney for this amazingcharity which is extremelyclose to our hearts. Thedonations are still comingin but we know we havereached our target of£11,000 and this is mainlydown to the kindness ofpeople like you.Nicky Jefferson (Captain)

victory, goals comingfrom Paul Atkinson, PeterEdgell, and two more fromMcPhail. Lanchester thenplayed Blackhill anddespite coming from agoal behind to leading 2-1at half time Lanchesterwent on to lose the game5-2. The team haverecently signed Daniel

Punton from Beamish andhave signed Lanchesterlad Kieron Day. The Ladsare often down at theCricket Club after gamesand are usually therewhen the premier leaguegames are on. Anybodywishing to get involvedor come along will be mostwelcome.

FOOTBALL UPDATE

The Village Voice Page 24

EARLYDEADLINEPlease send any articles

for the next Village Voiceby Tuesday 11thDecember. The deadlinefor adverts is 9thDecember.

Published by Lanchester Publications Ltd, 49 LintzfordRoad, Rowlands Gill, NE39 1HG and printed by DurhamCounty Council, Design and Print, Comeleon House,Tanfield Lea Industrial Estate North, Stanley, CountyDurham, DH9 9NX. Tel: 01207 217167.The views expressed in this periodical are not necessarilythose of the publishers. Whilst all efforts are made tocheck the authenticity and accuracy of all articlessubmitted for publication, occasionally something isbound to be printed incorrectly. Please let us know andwe will endeavour to correct the mistake.

Members of Lanchester Bowling Club who received trophies in 2012, presented at the annual dinner held in the King's Head.

Left to right: Paul Monaghan, Alan Wharton, Liz Smith, Foster Johnson (Secretary of Bowls Durham and County Representative

for Bowls England who presented the trophies), Mike Stoddart, Anne Hurran, Joe Newton, Malcolm Rose and Derek Graham.

BOWLS PRESENTATION EVENING

This is a postcard foundon Durham Road in aprotective cover. Thecard is dated 1964 and isa picture of CorkHarbour featuring theship M V Inisfallen.

POSTCARD FOUND

The card is addressed toIan Tattersfield,Dewsbury, and signedby Christopher. It lookslike a collector’s item.Ring 01207 520559 if it isyours.

The Allen brothers wouldlike to thank everybodywho sponsored them forthe Kielder Marathon onOctober 7th. We haveraised approximately£1200 which will be goingto the Stroke Association.Kevin was the first onefinished in 4 hrs 32 mins,followed by Tony in 4 hrs51 mins. Andy finished in5 hrs 2 mins. We were alldelighted to complete themarathon and there areno plans to run a marathonever again.

KIELDER MARATHON SUCCESS

It has been a mixed bag ofresults since the lastfootball article, with thenew look LanchesterCCFC team sitting 5th inthe 2nd Division. The teamhas currently played 7,won 4 and lost 3. Theyhave found themselves

picking up the pointsagainst teams at the topof the division anddropping points againstteams from lower downthe league. They are stillcurrently playing atOakies Fields at Stanleywith the re-development

of the football field stillon-going. Lanchesterhave played away toLeadgate Coach and lostnarrowly 4-3 with 2 goalsfrom Stephan Smithsonand 1 from Richard Pearce.The Lads then played

FOOTBALL UPDATE

continued on page 23

The three brothers after the end of the Marathon - but with no plans for a repeat!