News

If you have an item of local news that you would like to add to this section, then please contact Dick Walton on SueDickWalton72@aol.com Items may be of general public interest or might also be about individual villagers and their achievements.

Evacuee Allan Ebbrell returns to Norton-in-Hales to be reunited with Lloyd family member

On Tuesday 10 August 2010 wartime evacuee Allan Ebbrell made the journey to Norton-in-Hales with his wife Linda to join in the Samuel Owen event and met up again with David Lloyd the only surviving member of the Lloyd family from Bellaport Road. Allan and Linda live in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, from where they journeyed to be present for the unveiling of the Samuel Owen plaque and they were warmly greeted by David Lloyd, now of St Chad's Way, who was just one year old when Allan arrived in the party of evacuees from inner city Manchester on 1 September 1939. Allan's moving memoirs may be read in our History pages. The pictures show Allan shaking hands with David Lloyd in front of the Jubilee Hall and with Parish Council Chairman Ron Lucas and his wife Cynthia.

In Bloom judges witness unveiling of plaque.

Britain in Bloom judges Roger Burnett and Jon Wheatley were among the people watching the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Samuel Owen, by Arne Sundstrom, at Norton in Hales Village Hall on 10th August. This was the culmination of a tour of the village that the Royal Horticultural Society judges had made, examining the village’s floral displays and meeting villagers.

Click here to read the full report and see a slide show that illustrates some of the events of the day.

Norton in Hales Parish Council’s Best Front Garden Competition 2010

The judging for the Best Front Garden Competition 2010 took place during the evening of Wednesday 4 August 2010, when Andrew Humphris, Head Gardener, Wollerton Old Hall, near Market Drayton, accompanied by Parish Council Chairman Ron Lucas, inspected all the front gardens of the village including those in Betton, Brownhills, Ridgwardine and Bellaport.

Click here to read the full report and see a slide show that illustrates some of the lovely gardens inspected around our parish.

Norton in Hales Village School Website Launched

The Norton in Hales Village School website has just gone live at the beginning of August 2010. Please click here www.nortoninhalesschool.org to have a browse around this impressive new addition to our village's presence on the Worldwide Web!!

We want to promote various activities.

Dear villagers,

In line with the Parish Plan we would like to promote various activities such as language courses, art and craft sessions, discos for young members of the village and even a potential youth club.
In order to provide a portfolio that has the potential for success we need your cooperation:
Could you please let us know what you would like to see happening at the Jubilee Hall

Please click here to download questionnaire.

Local resident Daren Peacock would like to thank everyone who supported him in his fundraising effort at the recent London Marathon. Daren completed the course in 4 hours and 4 minutes and in the process raised £1,167.50 towards the Community Sports Pavilion.

Well done Daren and a big thank you from all Norton in Hales villagers!

The Norton in Hales Parish Plan was produced and distributed to villagers in May 2010.

To download an electronic copy - click here

At Norton in Hales the Bells and Clock with its unique Carillon are all now fully working.

Readers will be pleased to know that at Norton in Hales the Bells and Clock with its unique Carillon are all now fully working.

Work has been going on in the St Chad's Bell Tower since early April to replace the worn and rusted wires which connect the bell hammers to the 1868 Carillon and the later dated Clock. As well as chiming the traditional quarters and hours, the Carillon plays a well known hymn tune at 9, 12, 3 and 6 each day. Carillons like this one are quite rare in England and usually found only in City Halls or municipal buildings, whereas in Continental Europe they are much more common.

The work has been funded with help from Norton Parish Council , The Shropshire Association of Church Bell Ringers, and the Tower's own funds.

The Bell frame, which supports a total weight of 27 cwt (about 3 tonnes) carries the 8 bells at the top of the tower behind the louvres. Its made of cast iron and steel and itself weighs about 2 tonnes. Its just been cleaned and repainted. The bells are hung for traditional "full circle" ringing by a local team and you can hear them ringing for regular services at St Chads. These bells vary in age but the oldest is dated 1636, and the ring was last augmented & rehung in 1967, when 2 further bells were added. They are a popular venue for visiting ringers.

Anyone interested in learning to ring is welcome to join us any Sunday morning 10 30 am.

Hind Head Pub - New Pub Menu

Download Page 1 and Page 2

ARCHIVES for years 2009 to 2004

Click here

Norton in Hales Fun Day - May 2010

The Norton website quiz, part of the fundraising at the recent Village Fun Day, attracted much interest, boosting the already impressive traffic that visits the site on a regular basis. Over the last month, the website has attracted over 400 visits from 10 different countries. Many congratulations to the competition winner, Hilary McDonald. If anyone would like a go – click here to see the quiz (though the prize has already been won).

Norton in Hales united on Sunday 2 May to enjoy our second annual fun day. The event raises money for community organisations within the village. This year £4,096 was raised after incidental expenses. The monies will be shared out as follows:

£1,000 each for the Church, School and Playing Fields.
£275 each for the Village in Bloom, Village Hall, Village Website, and Napley Nursery Woodland Project

New this year was the scarecrow competition based on a children’s TV character, which was won by Norton in Hales youngster Rosie Stead-Brennan.

A tug of war tournament, won by Norton in Hales cricket club also proved popular.

We would like to thank the following sponsors for the generous sponsorship received:

Gordon Warrender, Ian Platt, Charlie Lambert, Jeff Harrall, John Forsyth, Philip Smith, John Lovat, Sian Walkden, Joe Hurley, Goldstone Hall, Swan with 2 Necks, White Lion Pub, Hillary McDonald and H Orwell & Son

In addition we would like to thank you all those who supplied prizes for their stalls and all those who worked so hard to make the day a success.

The website bottle tombola stall with Dick, Sue and their son Ben Walton in attendance	Wendy's daughter Rosie Stead, face painted, and holding her tombola prize in front of one of the scarecrows	Jim Rowley manning the skittles competition
Chairman of the Playing Field Committee (and of the Fun Day) local farmer Philip Smith in the stocks for which £50 had been raised
.		.
.	Mr and Mrs John Mayer judging the scarecrow competition	.
Click on photograph to see an enlargement

Bloomers make an April splash!!

The group organising the Norton in Hales entry into the Britain in Bloom competition held a Duck Race on the river Tern on Saturday, 24th April.

Malcolm McDonald reported that it was a fantastic success, helped enormously by the beautiful weather. Five races were planned, but two extra ones had to be added at the last minute to meet demand!

Refreshments were available and people sat around drinking tea, eating cakes and enjoying the lovely setting by the river. Thanks have to go to Mr and Mrs John Lovatt for hosting the event in their garden.

All money raised, which was over four hundred pounds, will go towards the village entry into the Britain in Bloom competition which will be judged in August. Having won the Heart of England competition last year, they are hoping for great things in 2010.

Duck Race photo 24 April 2010 - Click here for a larger picture

Daren Peacock is running in the 2010 London Marathon on 25th April to raise funds for the new Community Sports Building at Norton-in-Hales.
If you would like to sponsor Daren please Click here and complete the attached form.

Daren’s contact address is:

52 Main Road, Norton–in–Hales, Nr Market Drayton, TF9 4AT

Norton's bells will fall silent for the next 2 to 3 weeks

Norton's bells will fall silent for the next 2 to 3 weeks as important maintenance work is undertaken. The work has been jointly funded by Norton in Hales Parish Council, by the Shropshire Association and by the bellringers themselves. The project entails important maintenance work to the bellframe itself and also total replacement of the wires connecting the bells to the carillion, work that should keep the bells ringing and the carillion operating for the next 50 years or more.

There is an outside chance that the bells will be ringing again by Easter but if not, normal service should resume shortly afterwards.

Another message From Australia

Having left England 40years ago, it is pleasing to read up a web-site like your's. When you leave an area which, as a child you romped around in the fields and spent all day building `houses' with twigs and straw. The rustle of the wheat and how it waved long patterns in the wind. It all helped in making children self inventive and improved social interaction with one-another. Picnics across the fields with neighbouring families. It is very rare to find an environment such as that today or indeed those with time or inclination to practice the art of natural enjoyment.

It is only with the aid of Web-sites such as that of your group, help us recall those days and the times that went with them.

Thank you, Maureen and Gordon Roberts, Adelaide, South Australia.

Message From Australia

Our village website truly has global reach! We have been contacted by the Venerable F A Morrey of Victoria, Australia who writes as follows

"I have just discovered your excellent Website. My father Harold Martin Morrey (decd.) left the Village in about 1923 and migrated to this country, where he bacame a very successful dairy farmer, establishing the "Bellaport" dairy cattle stud. I have often wondered if "Bellaport" had any connections with the Village or surrounding area. I entered the Anglican ministry in 1955 and whilst retired still exercise ministry in this area".

The website committee is now in communication with the Venerable F A Morrey. Many thanks indeed to any correspondents we have from faraway places - always most welcome!

The following item has been supplied by Norton villager Terry Palmer, to whom many thanks!!

To all residents of Norton-in-Hales

This is an open letter advising you that your surface water (i.e. rainwater primarily) may not be draining into the public sewer maintained by Severn Trent Water but into a soak-away. As a consequence if you are paying for this service you are entitled to a rebate from Severn Trent Water. You can identify the charge on your current water bill and claim back only the excess back to the 1st April in the current billing year.

If you believe you are connected to a soak-away, complete the attached form using the URL below and submit to Severn Trent. They will arrange for a company inspector to visit your property and make an assessment.

I was successful with my claim and have made a saving of £84-42 per year.

You can try to claim back a maximum of 6 years over payments under statute law, Limitations Act 1980 but when I tried it was refused on appeal by the Water Consumer council that confirmed water companies are exempt from this act after the court of appeal considered the issue in the case of Yorkshire Water v John Hall in 1994.

That being said it well worth arguing the case, if futile.

http://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/publications/your_home/drainage_water.pdf

Good luck

Terry Palmer

Amelia Guest, aged 8 years old, a pupil at Norton in Hales Village School, is one of the proud top prizewinners in a special Christmas Card design competition. The competition, initiated by Market Drayton Town Mayor, Cllr. Roy Aldcroft, prompted a huge response locally. The cards from the 5 top prizewinners have now been commercially printed and are available for sale, with the proceeds going to 3 locally based charities.

Amelia is pictured on the right, with some of her fellow entrants, along with an image of her winning design.....click here to view.

Edward Gill is well known to many villagers, as one of the evacuees who came to Norton in Hales at the outbreak of World War 2. He has already published a book about his reminiscences of the time he spent in the village over 60 years ago.

Edward (pictured here) now lives in South Wales but still keeps in regular contact with the village all these years later. Most recently, Eric has written some more of his memories of the time. To read these latest memoirs, click HERE.

The Hinds Head is now fully open for business again and is also serving food. Click below for details of their snack and full meal menu.

[Pic 1] [Pic 2]