Community, Parish Council & Village
Writing this article I couldn’t, first of all, decide if it should be about Cherry Trees, Oak Trees, Pear Trees or Bluebells; it transpired they all had their part to play along with many others. The Cherry trees graced Orpen Hall for decades; however, as they had become elderly and diseased, they had to be removed last year.
Continue reading “Botanical Shenanigans”
The first guided walk at Hillhouse Wood since 2020 takes place on Saturday 26th February when Steve Hallam leads the Winter Bird Walk 2022. Walkers should meet at the Old Church at 10 am (weather permitting), wearing stout footwear and warm clothing & with a warm drink in a flask. They can expect to see a range of resident woodland and meadow species as well as some winter visitors, the Woodland Trust lists the following as the top-15 winter potentials:
Continue reading “Winter Bird Walk 2022 – will you see a Waxwing?”
West Bergholt Gardeners didn’t meet in January so the first meeting of 2022 on 21st February has speaker Neil Ludmon talking about the “History of the use of Herbaceous Perennials. On 21st March they will be learning of “Current Trends in Garden Design” from Steven Digby.
Their trips out have always been popular so this year they have provisionally booked a self drive visit to Utling Wick in September and coach trips to East Rushton in July and RHS Hyde Hall “Glow” in November. Guests are welcome to join them on these visits.
Further meetings to take place at 7.30 pm in the Orpen Hall will be:
Continue reading “Garden Design & Herbaceous Perennials”
The next Local History Group meeting will learn about the impact of the Daniell Family on West Bergholt’s development. Peter Noakes will lead this meeting which will take place on February 9th starting at 7:30 pm. As ever, all are welcome for a modest charge of £2 for members and £5 for visitors. The JUMBO meeting report is below.
On January 12th, the Group were planning to invite members and visitors to investigate their village archive. Because of the current COVID-19 situation they have decided to CANCEL this meeting. Instead, they hope to be able to spend some time after their AGM in March discussing the archive. In lieu of this meeting, they plan to add an extra outside visit in their Summer Schedule.
St Mary’s are running Booster sessions every Tuesday & Friday between 9:30 am – 2:30 pm. Nik, from the pharmacy, is leading these sessions with help from a steady band of volunteers to keep traffic flowing. Check on the NHS website to see availability although note that St Mary’s will only show up if there are slots available. If you want to take a chance, you could also pop along late in the session in case they have spare doses left over (often advertised on the Hub).
Some example nativity windows from last year
St Mary’s December newsletter provides details of this years, advent trail and a Christmas message. It also, of course, has the usual listings of services (and they look forward to welcoming you for their Christmas Services in both the Old Church & St Mary’s), and contacts.
It’s that time of year, when we are bombarded with Christmas advertising, but one advert in particular has caught my attention, probably because it has generated the most complaints in 2021 so far, the Tesco’s advert.
It begins with a lady standing outside a Tesco’s store being asked, ‘Do you need a little help’ and she responds, ‘Don’t worry my love, this year, nothings stopping me.’ Queens ‘Don’t stop me now’ providing the soundtrack to the advert.
Continue reading “St Mary’s Advent Trail Edition”
The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 11th November 2021 with topics including:
Not normally known to go together, enjoying Mulled Wine & seasonal treats followed with a visit to Active Essex’s website. Why not?
The next Local History Group meeting focuses on Colchester’s Victorian water tower, Jumbo. Andrew Crayston, a Trustee of the Colchester & North East Essex Building Preservation Trust, will lead the talk. You will hear about the past & future of the Balkerne water tower, affectionately referred to as Jumbo. There are some useful links below to find out more about Jumbo.
UPDATE: read the meeting report here.
The meeting will take place on November 10th in Orpen Hall starting at 7:30 pm. Members & non-members are welcome for £2 and £5 respectively (membership £10 per year). Please email the group at [email protected] if you want to attend; the group will then be able to keep you informed if there are any last minute changes to the meeting.
The Environment & Highways Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council met on 14th October 2021 with topics including: