Slaley, Northumberland

The Rose & Crown re-opens!

The Rose & Crown finally re-opened again this last Friday, April 25th, after a long wait. The new tenants are Joanne and Peter, helped by Jon and Tania (seen left and right below on the opening night:

The first pint being served to a customer (click an image for a larger picture):

Community Trust news

The Community Trust AGM at the end of last month was attended by around eleven people, who heard how the Trust has managed to continue its efforts to support the community and to work with the Parish Council in achieving some of the goals of the Parish Plan. The current chairman (Michael Elphick) and treasurer (Nicky Jeffrey) were re-elected, and the four remaining committee members (Reg Corbidge, Jean Elphick, Christine Hanley and Peter McKendrick) were joined by Jackie Green. However we only have a temporary secretary at present.
The chairman thanked Janis Irvine for serving as secretary following the previous AGM, and also thanked the Council for awarding an annual grant of £100 towards running costs from this coming year.

The annual report presented to the meeting follows below:

SLALEY COMMUNITY TRUST

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2006 - 2007

Slaley Community Trust has now completed its second year, having been established in March 2005. Despite some problems along the way we have managed to continue our efforts to support the community and to work with the Parish Council in achieving some of the goals of the Parish Plan. During this time we have welcomed Nicky Jeffrey as our new Treasurer and extended thanks to Christine Hanley who had previously served in this role.
The present Committee and Officers have only served since July 2006, a matter of eight months, but progress has been made in several areas, adding to the work already underway then.

• The successful opening in May 2006 of Slaley First School field for community use is due to the efforts of Nigel Sanger, Reg Corbidge, Keith Dyson, John Melvin and other members of the Trust. We recognise the cooperation of the school governors and staff in achieving this, and thanks to Andrew Coney at Slaley obtained funds for the purchase of a sturdy bench (now in place on the school grounds) that can be used by both the school and community. In addition, Trust volunteers have taken on the task of maintaining the popular Willow Dragon in the school grounds.
• Following the example of Hexhamshire, the Trust Committee is now planning the publication of a brief pamphlet combining reports from the Parish, District and County Councillors with other reports from the many local organisations and clubs. We hope that this will be published in May of this year, and then distributed by volunteers to each household in the Parish.
• The major project still under way is the design, production and placement of an information or interpretive board, displaying a map of the area and local places of interest. Preliminary discussions on design have taken place and possible locations for the board are being investigated.

The financial position of the Trust is still not secure. The Treasurer’s report will give details of income & expenditure, but the main funding received has come from Tynedale District Council through the efforts of Susi Goncu, Community Development Officer. An initial grant of £100 and the sum of £500 as a restricted grant, has provided the funds needed for the School Field Project. The residue of the initial grant of £250 from the Joseph Rowntree Trust, given to the Trust as start-up funding and provisionally held by the Commemoration Hall Committee, has now been transferred back into our account.
The Slaley Parish Council precept is to include an annual grant of £100 towards our running costs from the coming year. The Council has also earmarked the sum of £2000 towards the cost of the interpretive board. However, this sum is unlikely to be sufficient for the full costs of the board, and the Trust will need to seek further outside funding for this and any future projects. In this respect the Trust will need to have a proper business plan to support applications.
The present Committee would like to thank all who have given their time and skill to support the work of the Trust over the past twelve months. We very much hope that this help and support will continue in the year ahead.

Michael Elphick
Chairman of Slaley Community Trust
27th March 2007

Film Club news for 2007

Slaley Film Club has now completed its third year of monthly shows in the Commemoration Hall. We have attracted audience numbers from 11 to 25, and have ended the year with a reasonable balance of about £65 (we started in January with almost £92).

For our next season we are starting the year with another film from the team that made "The Tale of the Weeping Camel" (one of our most popular choices in 2005).

The full programme up to May 2007 is:

Jan 19th, 2007: "The Cave of the Yellow Dog" (Certificate U)

A simple, touching, unpretentious film about a Mongolian girl who finds a puppy and keeps it in secret, despite her father's objections, to become her best friend.

Feb 16th, 2007: "The Bridges of Madison County" (Certificate 12)

Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in a classic love story about two people who find the promise of perfect personal happiness, and understand, with sadness and acceptance, that the most important things in life are not always about making yourself happy.

Mar 16th, 2007: "The Shipping News" (Certificate 15)

Set in Newfoundland, this film of Annie Proulx's novel features Kevin Spacey as local reporter Quoyle, who has come to make a new start with his daughter.

Apr 20th, 2007: "Cold Mountain" (Certificate 15)

In the midst of the American Civil War, a wounded soldier embarks on a perilous journey back home to his sweetheart.

May 18th, 2007: "Howl's Moving Castle" (Certificate U)

Another amazing animation from Japan, featuring a young girl bewitched as an old crone, and a magician’s moving castle, propelled by metal chicken legs!

As usual, the film titles above are linked to entries in the Internet Movie Database - the most comprehensive source of information about films, directors, actors and so on.

Our charges remain unchanged for the films above: £5 (£3 under 16) gets you both the film and your supper!

Future Computer Use in the Hall

Many people have used the computer equipment in the Commemoration Hall since it was installed in March 2003, and have benefited from the support given by Tynedale Council. They have paid the costs of the broadband connection, and helped with the maintenance of the computers, printers and other equipment. This has been managed locally by Michael Elphick (initially with assistance from Pat Wilson and others).
From January 2007, however, this support will cease. The equipment will be handed over to the Hall, for the use and the benefit of the community, but all running costs (including the cost of the broadband connection) will have to be met by us.
Earlier this year a number of people volunteered to take part in the “First Time Online” programme, and in this way raised the sum of £1165. This will be enough to pay the running costs for the next 2 or 3 years or so. There are plans to put on some more short courses, including digital photography.
The Hall Committee, and especially Michael, would like to know whether there is general support for the continuation of this service, or whether the money raised should be used for other activities in the Hall. You can make your views known in a number of ways:

• By completing the questionnaire you will find in the December Parish Magazine (distributed free to every household)
• By telephone (01434 673443)
• By email to editor@slaley.org.uk
• Leave a comment on this entry (at the bottom of this section)

Slaley's shopkeepers are the "Pride of Tynedale" !

If you haven't already heard, Margaret and Roy Ward are the winners in the Retailers section of the "Pride in Tynedale" awards! As the Courant said this weekend, they were "nominated for their unique service to the people of Slaley, Healey and Hexhamshire". We are sure that everyone will join in congratulating them.
At the awards ceremony at the Racecourse, which they were unable to attend (being busy in the shop!), Slaley Notes correspondent Jean Elphick received the award on their behalf. Following the ceremony, Jean then handed over the trophy and framed certificate to a surprised Margaret [click on the image for a larger version]:


Later next week, the Hexham Courant will be publishing their own pictures of the winners, including Margaret (together with Roy, we hope).

Slaley Community Trust

The Community Trust is still active! Following the earlier AGM, the resumed meeting (on July 18th 2006) elected the following officers and Committee members to serve until the next AGM in 2007.

• Chairman: Michael Elphick
• Secretary: Janis Irvine
• Treasurer: Christine Hanley

The Committee includes the 3 officers above, with:

• Reg Corbidge
• Jean Elphick
• Peter McKendrick
• Moyra Riseborough

The Committee has met once, and has decided to investigate anew the requirements and contents for a Parish Information Board. The sub-group involved in establishing public access to the school field will continue to undertake regular inspection of the field, and report to the head teacher. In addition, as a small token of appreciation to the School and governors, three members have undertaken the repair of the willow dragon on the school field, which had become overgrown and badly needed a haircut. Here's the result of the "cut and trim" operation:
The Trust will later investigate arrangements for the regular maintenance of this feature.

Slaley Community Trust AGM

THE SLALEY COMMUNITY TRUST

NOTICE OF THE SECOND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the Second Annual General Meeting of The Slaley Community Trust, to be held in the Slaley Commemoration Hall on Thursday 18 May 2006 commencing at 7.30pm to conduct the business set out in the Agenda.

4 May 2006

AGENDA

1. Notice of Meeting

Note: It is provided by the Constitution of the Trust that an AGM should be held in the month of March or as soon as practicable thereafter and that at least 21 days notice should be given of the AGM. Due to circumstances not within the control of the Executive Committee, it has not been possible to provide 21 days notice. The Chairman will seek the agreement of Members attending the meeting that this notice is sufficient so that the Meeting might proceed. However, if any Member to whom this notice is addressed and who is unable to attend should wish the meeting to be delayed so that appropriate notice is given then would they please advise the Honorary Secretary without delay.

2. Apologies for absence

3. Minutes of first AGM held on 11 March 2005

4. Matters arising therefrom

5. Report and Accounts for the year

6. Election of Chairman

7. Election of Secretary

8. Election of Treasurer

9. Nominations for Executive Committee

Note: It is provided by the Constitution of the Trust that nominations for the Executive Committee shall be in the hands of the Honorary Secretary of the Executive Committee at least 14 days before the AGM. No nominations have been received. The Chairman will seek nominations or volunteers for membership at the AGM and who might be co-opted to serve within the terms of the Constitution. Not all of the current members of the Executive Committee are willing or able to seek re-election.

8. Any other business

9. Date of next AGM

Slaley Baby & Toddler Group

Slaley Baby & Toddler Group is always in need of new members so please come along to the Commemoration Hall on Monday afternoons during term time (1.30 to 3.15 pm).

Claire Lumley (673594) hopes to find a new key holder for the group by September, as this will be her last term at the helm, so please come forward to keep your toddler group going. It is a much valued community resource & helps the little ones get to know each other before they start school, as well as giving us busy Mums, Dads, Grannies & Nannies a well earned break!

Our next major fundraiser will be an adults 70's & 80's Disco on the evening of the 1st July, following the school fair, so please put that date in your diaries & search out your old groovy gear!

Thefts and precautions

The Revd. David Irvine asks that Slaley parishioners take note of recent events in Tynedale:

“From local press articles most parishioners will be aware of a number of thefts which have taken place in churches in the Tynedale area, and of the latest occasion when the Revd. Roger Cutler was attacked when locking his church at St John Lee.
In the light of these happenings it is right and proper that all parishes should take stock of their own situation and be proactive in taking care of their own parish church. Each of our parish churches is open during the hours of daylight and it is my fervent hope that this shall remain the case – a closed church does not best serve people. In addition our church insurers’ own guidelines state that the safest way of protecting a church and its contents is by keeping it open during daylight hours.
It is in this connection that I ask for help from all people in our parishes. The best way of protecting a church is by using it. In this respect I do not refer only to Sunday worship but to the use of the church on a daily basis. Please could I ask you to pop into your church as often as is possible – perhaps when going past to fetch the paper or to post a letter, when out for some jogging exercise or when walking the dog. When visiting the churchyard perhaps you could also pop into the church for a few minutes.
A final word of caution: at all times I would ask that you have due regard to your own safety and if at all possible visit the church in company. Use the church in a normal way, and let it be known to all that yours is a well-loved and well-used church where people are going in and out on a frequent basis. This is the best we can do to protect our churches. "

As another worry, two cars were left overnight in a field near Slaley as a result of an accident, but were found the following morning to have been vandalised. Do please take care when leaving cars unattended, and certainly remove anything valuable or precious from the vehicle – even children’s car seats can be taken.

A picture of Slaley from 20 years ago!

Some may still remember the BBC Domesday project, which in 1986 produced a record of life in Britain in the 1980's in the form of two videodiscs and a special BBC microcomputer. The information was collected and submitted by over one million children and adults from over 14,000 schools, hundreds of branches of the Women's Institute, scores of scout troops and many other voluntary bodies throughout the country.
Copies of the BBC Domesday Project videodiscs survive but very few videodisc players and microcomputers remain in working order, so a web version, Domesday 1986, was developed in 2004, which recreates much of the original project.

An extract from this for Slaley (shown below) gives a picture of life in this area in the early 1980's which you may find interesting (especially if you were one of the contributors listed at the end of the extract). A few spelling errors have intentionally not been corrected, e.g. "Slaley Hall Eastate has recently been sold."
To view the original text & photographs, go to the website, and search for 'Slaley'.

The BBC Domesday Project: Slaley in 1986

General View Of The Area.
This remote rural area is about 700 feet above sea level and the weather can be harsh in the winter. It consists of farmland and forestry, a significant feature being the Slaley Hall Eastate. The area is unspoiled and the special feature is the countryside itself, plus the wild life it hosts.
To the north, the village of Slaley is a typical "long village", consisting of one row of houses on either side of the road, nearly a mile in length. Building is not permitted outside the line of existing houses and recent years have seen considerable filling of the gaps. Modern houses outnumber the traditional farmhouses and cottages. House names such as High Clear and Curlew Cottage indicate distictive features of the area.

Employment.
Whilst the largest single group of people actually work within the Slaley area on farm, road haulage, forestry and related services, a large number are employed in Hexham, the local market town. However, it is significant that this number has been overtaken in recent years by residents who commute to Newcastle.
Actual unemployment is insignifcant, although transport problems are a restriction on choice for some and on housewives wanting to take up part-time employment.

Farming.
The farms in this area range in size from about 30 acres to 500 acres and cover a range of enterprises, the most common being milk production for the Milk Marketing Board. The average size of the dairy herds is 50 cows. Several of the farms have a flock of sheep, producing fat lambs for market in autumn. Pigs are the only enterprise on one farm but they are secondary production on 3 of the other farms. The dairy farms all produce silage as winter feed for their herds and 50% of the farms grow corn, mainly barley for home stock consumption. The remaining farm produces beef for sale at the local town marts. Calves are both home bred and bought in for this purpose. Each of the farms is owned and farmed by the same family with one exception - Colpitts Grange, where a manager has been employed.

Slaley Parish Council.
The area is immediately served by Slaley Parish Council, consisting of 5 members, who traditionally stand as independent of any political party. The Parish Council meets 4 to 5 times each year with additional meetings to discuss planning applications or immediate problems.
Residents have close contact with their councillors and rarely attend meetings, although items are raised at the Annual Parish Meeting. The Parish Council can deal with any matter of concern by referring to the appropriate service or higher authority. The District Councillor attends meetings and the present Chairman is the elected County Councillor. The Parish Council employs a part-time clerk who has been traditionally the village headmaster.

Education.
The area is served by Slaley County First School, which is a modern building of three classrooms and a hall, surrounded by ample grounds and playing fields. The school identifies closely with the community. Children join a nursery class held in the mornings when they are three years, transferring to school when they are 4+. The headmaster has full-time responsibility for a class of 20 and there are two other classes of 18 and 14. The school serves the general area of Slaley, Blanchland, Healey and Minsteracres, children beyond 2 miles being transported by minibus. Children from the school usually transfer to Corbridge County Middle School at 9+ and then to the Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham at the age of 13+.

A Day In The Life Of Rachael
My name is Rachael and I am 8. I get up at 7:30 a.m., dress, go downstairs and have Rice Krispies wth milk. Afterwards I wash, comb my hair and dress my doll. I feed our two cats, then at 8:30 a.m. mum takes me to school in he car. I have to open two gates on our lane before we reach the road. School starts at 9:00 a.m. with assembly. I have lunch at 12:00 a.m. then play with my friends in the playground. School finishes at 3:15 p.m. and I travel home on a minibus. Mum meets me and we take a short-cut home across fields and through a wood. I play on my bike, feed my pony and watch television until my dad comes home at 5:30 p.m. when we have dinner. Mum takes me to Brownies at 6:30 p.m. and my auntie brngs me home. I have milk and biscuits and get ready for bed at 9:00 p.m.

Religion.
St. Mary's Church dates from the 13th century. There is one service weekly: Sunday 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Holy Communion is held on 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays, Matins on 2nd and 4th Sundays, with additional services on all Holy Days. There are 42 adult members of the Church and 15 Sunday School members. 1985 saw the first woman Church Warden.
The Methodist Chapel holds two services weekly: Sundays 10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., with additional services Easter, Harvest and Christmas. The Chapel is in the Corbridge section of the Hexham Circuit. There are 35 adult members and 6 Sunday School members. During the winter, Fellowship meetings are held in the Chapel or members' homes.
A joint service is held once per month.

Transport.
The area is fairly remote and 80% of households have at least one vehicle. There is only a limited bus service and most people find a car essential for both work and leisure. The households without their own transport are usally retired people, and in the main women. Having a vehicle becomes a high priority for young people in order to enjoy leisure activities both within the area and Hexham.

Slaley Show.
1985 will see the 127th Slaley Show held on Townhead Field. Over 50 people have organized 270 competitive classes including flowers, vegetables, flower arranging, cookery, handicraft and children's classes in two marquees. Outside over 200 sheep will be judged in classes for Suffolk, Blue-Faced Leicester, Mule and fat lambs. There are classes for goats, terriers and lurchers together with pony sports and a clay-pigeon shoot. Special attractions have been Police Dog Displays, a Parade of Heavy Horses, a Highland Pipe Band and Foxhounds.

St Mary's Church.
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin stands on the eastern slope of the village hill, about 700 feet above sea -level. Various buildings have adorned the site, while the original of the name belongs to the 13th century. The building was thoroughly restored in 1832. In 1907 the Church was further restored and embellished with much of its present furnishings. In 1921, the Lych Gate was erected as a memorial to the Fallen of the First World War. The stained glass windows show the dates and dedications, apart from the West window, which was given by a member of the Hunting family of Slaley Hall. The Parish Registers date back from 1703 and record the names of several great families in the village and illustrate the occupations of parishioners, such as Clogger, Weaver, Miller, Smelter, Husbandman and Farmer.

Slaley Hall.
1985 is significant for the area in that, following the death of the owner, the Slaley Hall Eastate has recently been sold. Planning permission has been granted to develop a 140 acre golf course using the Hall as the clubhouse. The farm and other parts of the property are for re-sale.

Birds
The area consists of foresty and farmland with hedgerows. Whilst farmland birds (curlew, lapwings, snipe, skylark, meadow pipit, cuckoo, barn and little owl) are decreasing, the hedgerow and woodland birds (dunnock, yellowhammer, chaffinch, greenfinch, bullfinch, goldfinch, blackbird, song thrush and mistle thrush) are increasing. Carrion crow, rook, magpie, jay, sparrowhawk, kestrel, crossbill, siskin, redpoll and tawny owl are stable with fluctuation mainly due to the accessibility of food. The merlin is rare but does occur.

Wild life
Mammals are numerous. Roe deer, red squirrel, badger and fox are increasing. Common and pygmy shrew, bank and field vole, stoat, weasel and hedgehog are stable. Water vole and water shrew are decreasing. Reptiles (adder and slow worm) are stable.
Amphibians (common frog, toad and palmate newt) are stable to decreasing. There are 6 species of bat in the area.
Brown Trout and eels are seriously decreasing due to polution.
Most plants and hardwood trees are under pressure of modern life but an increased awareness of the importance of conservation means that most of the wild life and countryside is just past the worst.

Shopping.
The majority of families purchase the bulk of their groceries from supermarkets in the local market town of Hexham, supplementing this with purchases from the local shop. Some make occasional visits to the large hypermarkets in the Newcastle area. Others, mainly elderly people with transport problems, make the bulk of their shopping at the local shop or from travelling shops which visit them at their door. Whilst the older residents usually purchase specialist items such as clothing and furniture in Hexham, the remainder tend to visit Newcastle at some time to seek a wider range. The local shop is also the post office and nearly everyone makes some kind of purchase there at some time.

Credits.
Mr. Barry Robson, Paul Kendall
Mrs. Joan Jewitt, James Gibson
Mr. Collin Jewitt, Lee Rudderham
Mrs. Pat Wilson, Rachael Hall
Mr. David Baynes, Amy Melvin
Mrs. Shirey Baynes, Wayne Hillier
Mr. Alec Bissett, Paul Baynes
Mrs. Karen Melvin, Michael Ogle
Mr. Allen Ogle, Matthew Atkins
Mrs. Margaret Ogle, Rowland Bone
Miss. Gillian Robson, Ben Rutter
Miss. Susan Weatherley, Justin Cule
Andrew Robson, Julie Robson
Jeffrey Makepeace, James Wilson
Georgina Barclay, David Robson
Iain Craig, Carina Evison
Stephanie Gledhill, Andrew Patrick

Linnels Bridge repairs

As most people who regularly travel to Hexham from Slaley will know, Linnels Bridge has suffered in an accident. The visible damage is to the parapets on the North, and there is a prominent gouge in the stonework as shown here.



The Bridge is now officially closed from August 16th for at least a month, to allow environmental, transport and other interested parties to make a thorough assessment of the bridge. However, work has now started on the repair of the stonework. We have to be patient, as it is a Grade II Listed Building, and a scheduled Ancient Monument. Because of this, all stonework repairs have to be made using lime mortar rather than cement.

The Parish Council will keep asking for updates on progress, and both Slaley Notes and the Slaley website will report details as they become available.

STOP PRESS (August 22nd 2005): Linnels bridge is now open again . . . but the marks on the parapet will be there for some time!



It appears that the Linnels Bridge is not the first bridge at this location. In 1581 a bridge was constructed here, replacing a ford, but had fallen into disrepair by 1684. Fragments were incorporated into the current bridge. The northern parapet bears a tablet inscribed: 'GOD PRESARVE WMFOIRA ERENGTON, BELLDETE THIS BREGE OF LYME AND STONE 1581' , which is believed to have come from the earlier bridge.

This information comes from a page on the SINE Project website, which you may like to look at.

The making of "Bill the Sheep"

Last Wednesday (July 27th) saw the start of Slaley's first home-grown film, when Marc McKiernan and Vicky Jones of the Haltwhistle Film Project brought together 20 young people from Slaley (and as far afield as Chipchase) to make "An Advert in a Day". The original suggestion for this event came from the Queen's Hall Arts development group, who have provided support and initial funding for the regular film club sessions here.

The group soon decided on a short advert promoting Slaley, from the point of view of "Bill the Sheep".

Guided by Mark and Vicky, they developed a storyboard, wrote gags, created a soundtrack and voice-overs, filmed live action sequences around the village, and made some short animations. Each of these tasks were managed by small groups, often working on their own.

Finally everyone got together to look at the sequences and to decide which sections would be included in the final version. However five hours was never going to be enough to complete the whole job! The final editing and production will be completed by Mark and Vicky back in Haltwhistle, who will then deliver the finished film on DVD for distribution to anyone interested. It will also be shown on the next film night here in Slaley, so put that date (Friday September 16th) in your diaries!

STOP PRESS! The DVDs have now arrived, and the result is a great success for everyone involved (especially the sequence in the bar of the Rose & Crown)!
Get in touch with Michael Elphick if you would like to have your own copy.

Anyone who took part (and indeed anyone else) can also add comments to this item: just click on the link labelled "Comments" at the foot of the page . . .

Progress (or lack of it) with broadband for the Hall

Some more news about the long awaited conversion of the Hall computers access to broadband. Back in September 2004, the news was that "it might not come as an utter surprise to you that BT announced, as late as yesterday, that the Slaley exchange upgrade will not be happening today. The new target date is October 8th." This did in fact happen, and like several others our own broadband connection became active shortly after.
However since then, the promised conversion of the ISDN line for the Hall computers has been a long saga of delays, starting in November 2004 ("both orders have been delayed due to incompatible products on both lines"). So far this year, we have heard in January that "BT are not processing orders because the postcode is not correct", in March that "at present there is not enough space at the exchange to upgrade your line to ADSL", followed by "BT say that they can not convert the line due to the fact that it has a PBX switchboard on it."
Finally a message to say "the conversion is now scheduled for Tuesday May 3rd", only to be told at the end of April that "The earliest date that they can come to Slaley Hall is the afternoon of 24 May." We're still hoping to have something to announce by the end of May ...

Charity Auction success!

Last Saturday (April 16th) dawned on a snowy, wet Slaley, but that did not put off visitors to the Charity Auction at the Commemoration Hall one jot. In the previous weeks Albert Weir’s team of helpers had been busy finding, storing and itemising everything offered to them. The list was varied, to say the least – from a tiny tin-opener to the offer of a free day’s work from a certain villager.
Bacon butties and other goodies kept the show going, and Maurice Reed’s talents as an auctioneer (as shown in the accompanying picture) soon had the money rolling in.

The atmosphere was great, and Slaley is becoming known as “that friendly place” – one person is even thinking of moving to the area on the strength of her welcome that day and on other occasions.
At the moment, the total amount raised (including contributions from catering and the white elephant stall) is about £4130. Albert is delighted and would like to send his thanks and best wishes to everyone in the area who have helped and supported this third charity auction in so many ways, from donating items, fetching, carrying and storing them (often in awful weather) to providing refreshments and finally clearing up. He and many others feel that this has been the most enjoyable of the three auctions.

A personal view of Slaley

This article was taken from Slaley Parish Magazine, a monthly magazine produced by St. Mary's Parish Church, Slaley. I have posted it on this site, not just to reach some who might not read the magazine, but also because I think it discusses many questions about life in a rural parish like Slaley. My own view is that there is not a great problem about "incomers" in Slaley, but that what is important is to deal with others with respect for their experience and their way of doing things (even if you think you have better ideas!).
We would welcome comments on this: just look for the word "Comments" at the foot of this section, and follow the link to read others' views or add your own.

If you haven't yet seen the Parish Magazine, do look at it sometime. The magazine tries to include all events and activities, matters of concern etc. relating to the parish and the editor is always happy to include other events and activities being staged in neighbouring parishes. Subscriptions are £5.50 and if you would like to receive a copy please contact The Vicarage, Slaley, Hexham, NE47 OAA (telephone 01434 673 609).

"I recently attended a public meeting called by Slaley Parish Council to update the community on the progress of the parish plan. One of the key words bandied about for part of this meeting was the word "incomers" and it started a train of thought. The word generally had a negative tone - some used it in a slightly defensive or threatened context, some used it in an apologetic way. It made me wonder why people felt they had to apologise and what did we mean by the word anyway.
I am a Scot born to Scottish parents. My parents emigrated to Tasmania in 1951 on the £10 Government-assisted emigration scheme. Australia is a new country in the sense that it has comparatively recently been settled by white man. It was first a penal colony in the early nineteenth century; soon others arrived, free pioneering people from Britain and Ireland; later others settled from old Europe and Scandinavia. By the 1950's the country had a white history of only 150 years or so and yet at school I was known as the Scots girl by 'true' Aussies. In that 150 years there had been time for people to settle in this new country and have families who in turn had families and so on. In the 1950's the post-War emigration scheme brought a fresh influx of people from the old country who would now be a minority within the Australian population. I had classmates and neighbours who were English, German, Lithuanian, Polish, Hungarian, Italian - we were all part of the minority, we were 'incomers'. We would never be true Australians; this term was confined to those born in Australia or even second-generation Australians.
But Australia is vast and in order to advance, the country needed a greater work force and skills to develop its infrastructure and so she encouraged thousands of immigrants, but these people could quite easily be labelled with derogatory terms such as "jocks", "poms", etc. by 'Australians'. Odd really, isn't it, when you think they were from the same stock of people as those who had settled over the previous 150 years?
And then I came back to Britain in the late '60's and was known as "that Aussie girl"; once again to some I was an outsider. I lived and worked for a time on the island of Mull and was party to a movement I would later see replicated in other parts of Scotland. For those who don't know it, Mull has all the advantages of life on a Scottish island but with fewer of the disadvantages. It is cut off from the hustle of town or city life but is a comparatively short journey from the mainland, it is beautiful, it is quiet and its weather is influenced by the Gulf Stream. It was also often the retirement home of choice for many leaving the armed services. These people had served their country and wished to retire to a more peaceful environment for their latter years. Because of this, Mull was known as "The Officers' Mess". These 'incomers' could afford to buy the properties which came up for sale and eventually they would be accused of taking houses from local people who couldn't afford to buy at the now escalating asking prices. And while this may have been true for some locals who might have wished to stay, it was also true most young people would leave the island anyway. Secondary school would see them staying in hostels on the mainland during term time which gave them an early taste of independent living. From there it was an easy step for them to go on to college or to find work on the mainland. The truth was that jobs were limited and few on the island. And what I experienced of life on Mull in the '60's would be replicated throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and continues today in rural areas all over Britain. The jobs aren't there for young people - in the main jobs are found in the larger towns and cities. It all started with the industrial revolution which took people away from the countryside and into cities and has been greatly exacerbated in recent decades by the rapid change in farming. Numbers of farms and farmers have declined greatly. Mechanisation means fewer farm hands are needed whilst the agricultural policies and economics of late have seen farmers leave the industry in droves. A year or two ago the average age of farmers was 58.
It is this change which has resulted in many country properties becoming available for sale and naturally those selling wish to get the highest price possible, putting country properties out of range for those young people who do wish to stay in rural areas. And those people from elsewhere who buy country properties become 'incomers' and somehow then carry the stigma for the changes in agriculture and the loss of a way of life. But is this stigma justified? In the Highlands and Islands it is the 'incomers' who are often keeping rural communities alive. Population numbers are dropping rapidly in Highland rural areas whilst the capital, Inverness, is one of the fastest growing cities in Britain. Rural Highland living can be tough unless you have an adequate income which will pay for the extra costs of rural transport, heating for the long Winter, or perhaps your own generator, etc. etc. People who move in do so because they choose to adopt a non-mainstream, or 'alternative', way of life and/or because they can afford to do so.
A similar pattern is surely now true for much of rural Britain. Slaley is not unlike most other rural villages with a farming background. Quite naturally, its social life revolved around its working life. Agricultural shows were a way for farmers of finding out what breeds were available, what qualities they had and whether they were adapted to local conditions. Competition helped foster a pride in one's farming skills and added a bit of interest in what could be an isolated and harsh full-time life's work. The social side of shows was vitally important, as much for farming wives and families as for farmers themselves. But now there are far fewer farmers coupled with ease of travel plus computer technology which have together changed the farmer's reliance on the local scene. Local agricultural shows are struggling because there are fewer farming people around to stage them even if they have the spare time to do so. Like Slaley's, Blanchland & Hunstanworth's Show is now also struggling. Is there a case here for amalgamation?
What is true is that a certain number of people is required to run any interest group, whatever it is. This is true of churches, sports clubs, agricultural shows or whatever. The bigger the operation, the bigger that certain number must be i.e. critical mass. Perhaps a village of Slaley's size can only support one or two larger operations. It has a school to support, itself a key element in keeping a rural village alive. It has two churches, both of which are struggling. It has a village hall, a parish council and stages an agricultural show. It has a number of small clubs and provisions. Smaller rural interest groups usually only survive because of the input and dedication of one or two of their members. When these people go, the group may often disband. With these smaller interest groups it is perhaps worth noting that members should not count on a large amount of following - the limited number of people in the parish is unlikely to realise large numbers. There is simply too much on offer and easily attainable outside the parish. The only times I have seen Slaley come together as a whole parish was at the occasion of the Millennium and for the Queen's Jubilee. These two factors touched everyone, whoever they were, whatever age they were and whatever interests they pursued. Away from these, the Medicine Run is possibly the only voluntary community provision which works well and which involves a good number of the population irrespective of personal interest.
Slaley has a parish plan and its outcome has given a quantity of factual criteria. One pertinent fact is that within a total parish population of 600 the majority of people lie in the more mature age bracket. Is this perhaps the starting point for looking at provision within the parish? Of that mature number there is a considerable number of elderly people who have little in the way of provision, such as opportunities for social interaction, exercise classes etc. They have served society and now need someone else to be their voice. Perhaps in view of the parish's limited numbers and availability of people's time, there needs to be a shift of emphasis from "what do I want out of this community" to "what wilt best benefit this community as a whole"? Where there are smaller population numbers, it is perhaps important that whatever is undertaken is achievable and done well. (Seeing something done well often encourages others to offer help which in turn helps strengthen the community). Whatever is undertaken also needs to be something that can be relatively easily maintained and sustained. (This is why the Medicine Run works so well). What is also true is that of the numbers running many of the interest groups within the parish you will find a good proportion of 'incomers' doing their bit for the community and that without their numbers some groups would be difficult to sustain and some would probably have to fold. It poses the question, when is an 'incomer' not an 'incomer'?
As a child in Australia, I used to love January. The joy and expectation of Christmas was followed by a month-long school Summer holiday. At the end of January there was Rabbie Burns Day on 25th which allowed us to celebrate part of our Scots heritage. The 26th brought Australia Day and we could then take part in the celebrations of our adopted country. The 27th was my birthday so personal celebrations and excitement ruled again. However, a few years ago the 27th January was designated World Holocaust Day. Knowing you share your birthday with this Remembrance Day adds a sobering dimension. My background of being born in Scotland, living in Australia, living in lowland, island and highland Scotland, and living in England whilst never living in any house in any of these areas for more than 8 years has given me an insight into suspicion of the outsider and of labels, albeit in a very minor way. But however minor, it is nonetheless the same type of suspicion that was instrumental in causing and nurturing the Holocaust.
We now live in a global environment, a global village, and in Britain we live in a time of rapid work-related and social re-location. For daily life we perhaps no longer need to employ suspicion and the 'fight or flight' skills needed by our ancestors to repel the-Vikings or other conquering races. Britain is in fact a melting pot of different peoples, and always has been, just as Australia and the United States have been in the last two or three centuries. Perhaps it is now time to drop words like 'incomers' and just accept people, and be accepted, as folk who are new to the area who have come to join our community, whether from the next parish, town, city or country. Surely what really matters is how we can best help one another to live as members of our communities in rapidly changing times, and what we can do together as caretakers of our natural environment. This latter point is surely a cause really worth getting het up about. "

Janis Irvine

Slaley Community Trust

THE SLALEY COMMUNITY TRUST

In anticipation of the setting up of the Community Trust the Shadow Committee, after taking legal advice, have drawn up a draft Constitution (set out below) which, provided there is support for the project, will be put up for adoption at the first AGM to be held on 11 March 2005.

THE SLALEY COMMUNITY TRUST

adopted on the ............... day of ............... 2004

A Name.

The name of the Association is The Slaley Community Trust ("the Association")

B Administration.

Subject to the matters set out below the Association and its property shall be administered and managed in accordance with this constitution by the members of the Executive Committee, constituted by clause G of this constitution ("the Executive Committee").

C Objects.

The Association's objects ("the objects") are to help promote the quality of life in the Parish of Slaley… ....................................................................................
....................................................................................

D Powers.

In furtherance of the objects but not otherwise the Executive Committee may exercise the following powers:

i. power to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions provided that in raising funds the Executive Committee shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law;
ii. power to buy, take on lease or in exchange any property necessary for the achievement of the objects and to maintain and equip it for use; power subject to any consents required by law to sell, lease or dispose of all or any part of the property of the Association;
iii. power subject to any consents required by law to borrow money and to charge all or any part of the property of the Association with repayment of the money so borrowed;
iv. power to employ such staff (who shall not be members of the Executive Committee) as are necessary for the proper pursuit of the objects and to make all reasonable and necessary provision for the payment of pensions and superannuation for, staff and their dependants;
v. power to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objects or of similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them;
vi. power to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for all or any of the objects;
vii. power to appoint and constitute such advisory committees as the Executive Committee may think fit;
viii. power to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects.

E Membership.

(1) Membership of the Association shall be open to any person over the age of 18 years and living within the Parish of Slaley interested in furthering the objects and who has paid the annual subscription laid down from time to time by the Executive Committee.

(2) Every member shall have one vote.

(3) The Executive Committee may by unanimous vote and for good reason terminate the membership of any individual: Provided that the individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the Executive Committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made.

F Honorary Officers.

At the annual general meeting of the Association the members shall elect from amongst themselves a chairman, a secretary and a treasurer, who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting.

G Executive Committee.

(1) The Executive Committee shall consist of not less than 6 members nor more than 12 members being:

a) the honorary officers specified in the preceding clause;

b) not less than 3 and not more than 9 members elected at the annual general meeting who shall hold office from the conclusion of that meeting;

(2) The Executive Committee may in addition appoint co-opted members but so that no-one may be appointed as a co-opted member if, as a result, more than one third of the members of the Executive Committee would be co-opted members.

(3) All the members of the Executive Committee shall retire from office together at the end of the annual general meeting next after the date on which they came into office but they may be re-elected or re-appointed.

(4) The proceedings of the Executive Committee shall not be invalidated by any vacancy among their number or by any failure to appoint or any defect in the appointment or qualification of a member.

(5) Nobody shall be appointed as a member of the Executive Committee who is aged under 18 or who would if appointed be disqualified under the provisions of the following clause.

(6) No person shall be entitled to act as a member of the Executive Committee whether on a first or on any subsequent entry into office until after signing in the minute book of the Executive Committee a declaration of acceptance and of willingness to act in the trusts of the Association.

H Determination of Membership of Executive Committee.

A member of the Executive Committee shall cease to hold office if he or she:

(1) is disqualified from acting as a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of section 72 of the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision);

(2) becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs;

(3) is absent without the permission of the Executive Committee from all their meetings held within a period of six months and the Executive Committee resolve that his or her office be vacated; or

(4) notifies to the Executive Committee a wish to resign (but only if at least three members of the Executive Committee will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect).

I Executive Committee Members not to be personally interested.

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-clause (2) of this clause no member of the Executive Committee shall acquire any interest in property belonging to the Association (otherwise than as a trustee for the Association) or receive remuneration or be interested (otherwise than as a member of the Executive Committee) in any contract entered into by Executive Committee.

(2) Any member of the Executive Committee for the time being who is a solicitor, accountant or other person engaged in a profession may charge and be paid all the usual professional charges for business done by him or her or his or her firm when instructed by the other members of the Executive Committee to act in a professional capacity on behalf of the Association: Provided that at no time shall a majority of the members of the Executive Committee benefit under this provision and that a member of the Executive Committee shall withdraw from any meeting at which his or her own instruction or remuneration, or that of his or her firm, is under discussion.

J Meetings and proceedings of the Executive Committee.

(1) The Executive Committee shall hold at least two ordinary meetings each year. A special meeting may be called at any time by the chairman or by any two members of the Executive Committee upon not less than 4 days' notice being given to the other members of the Executive Committee of the matters to be discussed but if the matters include an appointment of a co-opted member then not less than 21 days' notice must be given.

(2) The chairman shall act as chairman at meetings of the Executive Committee. If the chairman is absent from any meeting, the members of the Executive Committee present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting before any other business is transacted.

(3) There shall be a quorum when at least one third of the number of members of the Executive Committee for the time being or three members of the Executive Committee, whichever is the greater, are present at a meeting.

(4) Every matter shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members of the Executive Committee present and voting on the question but in the case of equality of votes the chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.

(5) The Executive Committee shall keep minutes, in books kept for the purpose, of the proceedings at meetings of the Executive Committee and any sub-committee.

(6) The Executive Committee may from time to time make and alter rules for the conduct of their business, the summoning and conduct of their meetings and the custody of documents. No rule may be made which is inconsistent with this constitution.

(7) The Executive Committee may appoint one or more sub-committees consisting of three or more members of the Executive Committee for the purpose of making any inquiry or supervising or performing any function or duty which in the opinion of the Executive Committee would be more conveniently undertaken or carried out by a sub-committee : provided that all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committees shall be fully and promptly reported to the Executive Committee.

K Receipts and expenditure.

(1) The funds of the Association, including all donations contributions and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Executive Committee in the name of the Association at such bank as the Executive Committee shall from time to time decide. All cheques drawn on the account must be signed by at least two members of the Executive Committee.

(2) The funds belonging to the Association shall be applied only in furthering the objects.

L Property.

(1) Subject to the provisions of sub-clause (2) of this clause, the Executive Committee shall cause the title to:

a. all land held by or in trust for the Association which is not vested in the Official Custodian for Charities; and

b. all investments held by or on behalf of the Association;

to be vested either in a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee or in not less than three individuals appointed by them as holding trustees. Holding trustees may be removed by the Executive Committee at their pleasure and shall act in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee. Provided they act only in accordance with the lawful directions of the Executive Committee, the holding trustees shall not be liable for the acts and defaults of its members.

(2) If a corporation entitled to act as custodian trustee has not been appointed to hold the property of the Association, the Executive Committee may permit any investments held by or in trust for the Association to be held in the name of a clearing bank, trust corporation or any stock broking company which is a member of the International Stock Exchange (or any subsidiary of any such stock broking company) as nominee for the Executive Committee, and may pay such a nominee reasonable and proper remuneration for acting as such.

M Accounts.

At any time when the Association is a registered charity, the Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to:

(1) the keeping of accounting records for the Association;

(2) the preparation of annual statements of account for the Association;

(3) the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Association; and

(4) the transmission of the statements of account of the Association to the Commission.

N Annual Report.

At any time when the Association is a registered charity, the Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual report and its transmission to the Commission.

O Annual Return.

At any time when the Association is a registered charity, the Executive Committee shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Commission.
P Annual General Meeting.

(1) There shall be an annual general meeting of the Association which shall be held in the month of ............. in each year or as soon as practicable thereafter.

(2) Every annual general meeting shall be called by the Executive Committee. The secretary shall give at least 21 days' notice of the annual general meeting to all the members of the Association. All the members of the Association shall be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting.

(3) Before any other business is transacted at the first annual general meeting the persons present shall appoint a chairman of the meeting. The chairman shall be the chairman of subsequent annual general meetings, but if he or she is not present, before any other business is transacted, the persons present shall appoint a chairman of the meeting.
(4) The Executive Committee shall present to each annual general meeting the report and accounts of the Association for the preceding year.

(5) Nominations for election to the Executive Committee must be made by members of the Association in writing and must be in the hands of the secretary of the Executive Committee at least 14 days before the annual general meeting. Should nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot.

Q Special General Meetings.

The Executive Committee may call a special general meeting of the Association at any time. If at least ten members request such a meeting in writing stating the business to be considered the secretary shall call such a meeting. At least 21 days' notice must be given. The notice must state the business to be discussed.

R Procedure at General Meetings.

(1) The secretary or other person specially appointed by the Executive Committee shall keep a full record of proceedings at every general meeting of the Association.

(2) There shall be a quorum when at least one tenth of the number of members of the Association for the time being or ten members of the Association, whichever is the greater, are present at any general meeting.

S Notices.

Any notice required to be served on any member of the Association shall be in writing and shall be served by the secretary or the Executive Committee on any member either personally or by sending it through the post in a prepaid letter addressed to such member at his or her last known address in the United Kingdom, and any letter so sent shall be deemed to have been received within 10 days of posting.

T Alterations to the Constitution.

(1) Subject to the following provisions of this clause the Constitution may be altered by a resolution passed by not less than two thirds of the members present and voting at a general meeting. The notice of the general meeting must include notice of the resolution, setting out the terms of the alteration proposed.

(2) No amendment may be made to clause A (the name of clause), clause C (the objects clause), clause J (Executive Committee members not to be personally interested clause), clause V (the dissolution clause) or this clause without the prior consent in writing of the Commissioners at any time, whilst the Association is a registered charity.

(3) The Executive Committee should promptly send to the Commission a copy of any amendment made under this clause.

U Dissolution.

If the Executive Committee decides that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Association it shall call a meeting of all members of the Association, of which not less than 21 days' notice (stating the terms of the resolution to be proposed) shall be given. If the proposal is confirmed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting the Executive Committee shall have power to realise any assets held by or on behalf of the Association. Any assets remaining after the satisfaction of any proper debts and liabilities shall be given or transferred to such other charitable institution or institutions having objects similar to the objects of the Association as the members of the Association may determine or failing that shall be applied for some other charitable purpose.

V Arrangements until first Annual General Meeting.

Until the first annual general meeting takes place this constitution shall take effect as if references in it to the Executive Committee were references to the persons whose signatures appear at the bottom of this document.

This constitution was adopted on the date mentioned above by the persons whose signatures appear at the bottom of this document.

Signed ………………………………………………………….……

……………………………………………………………….

Orders for Reaston Hill Beef

James Wilson wishes to remind customers of Reaston Hill Beef that the next batch of fresh quality pure Highland beef will be available on Saturday, February 12th. Orders can be taken now to avoid disappointment (ring 673 116 or visit the website).

The Slaley Toddler Group

* Do you live in the Tynedale area or are you visiting the North East?

* Do you have pre-school age children that are driving you crazy, or are you pregnant and just need to meet a friendly face?

* Are you a grandparent or carer who needs to occupy the children on a Monday afternoon?

Then come and join us at the Commemoration Hall at 1.30pm on Mondays throughout the year. We will be open rain or shine for interesting play in a safe environment.

When: Mondays, 1.30pm to 3pm

Where: Slaley Commemoration Hall

Reopens: Monday 10th January 2005

New members always welcome!

Notes:
The Toddler Group works on a democratic system where all members are encouraged to help set up the toys, make the tea & juice, wash up and tidy up, etc. It is not run by anyone in particular, and all ideas & suggestions are welcomed and any decisions discussed with the group.

The group needs a certain amount of commitment to cover the hall fees etc., if less than 6 members turn up on any occasion we will need to begin fund raising.

Any new ideas and previous experience from other groups will be greatly appreciated.

A monthly programme of activities will be developed and publicised locally in the village shops and on notice boards, we also hope to use the Slaley web site at www.slaley.org.uk

Contact CLAIRE LUMLEY (673594) or KAREN EMMOTT (675234) for more information.

Slaley Community Trust

The formation of a Community Trust was one of the key actions of the Parish Plan endorsed by the Parish Council. An informal group of volunteers met in April of this year and since then it has been agreed within the group at subsequent meetings that it would be more sensible in the first instance to form an Association but with a Constitution modelled on requirements of the Charity Commission. When it is desirable to do so such an Association could relatively easily be converted into a formal charitable trust. This decision was taken in the light of advice and the experience of other community groups that have been contacted.

Draft objectives of a Slaley Community Association have been created by the group as “An Association to maintain, encourage and promote social diversity and enterprise in Slaley Parish”. It will be proposed that membership of the Association should be voluntary and will be open to all residents of the Parish aged 18 years and over. Initially, it will be managed by a group acting as a “shadow” board until the first annual general meeting when the proposed constitution will be offered for agreement by the membership and a management committee formally elected.

Further meetings of the group are scheduled for the next two months to agree the wording of a constitution, the promotion of membership and the date of a launch upon which the community can be fully consulted. It is anticipated that an Association could be up and running in the early part of the New Year.

Current members of the group are Ian Clarke, Mike Darrington, John Flynn, Christine Hanley, Vickie Hutchinson, Peter McKendrick, Nigel Sanger and Moyra Riseborough. They would welcome any views which people might have as well as suggestions as to how an Association might fulfil its role, identified in the Parish Plan, to raise resources to protect existing services, to help provide new ones and to keep a weather eye on opportunities and options for the whole community.

More film shows for Slaley!

Three film enthusiasts (including this one) went along to an enjoyable get-together in the Queen’s Hall last week, to meet representatives from other villages giving film shows.
Thanks to continuing support from the Queen’s Hall film group, we are now able to have regular monthly shows in the Hall. The first of these will be on October 22nd, when we hope to be showing “Troy”; after that the programme will include “Amelie” on November 19th and Walt Disney’s “Cinderella” on December 17th (this one starting earlier, at 6.30 pm. In 2005, we will be showing "Love, Actually" on January 17th. So from November film shows will be a regular event on the third Friday of each month, with a break from June until August.
Send us your suggestions for films you’d like to see!

More on Broadband

Over 30 people turned up on Wednesday night to hear about the plans and choices for broadband in Slaley and Hexhamshire. Although David Haley (BT North East Regional Manager) was unable to come, Neil Smith (Regional PR Manager) stood in for him, and answered the wide range of questions asked with aplomb.
After a brief introduction by Michael, Neil pointed out that having made an investment in enabling an exchange for ADSL, BT were keen to have as many people as possible signed up, and would do their best to ensure that any problems were overcome; he apologised to those who have encountered difficulty in getting through on BT's call centres! He confirmed that October 8th was still the date for activation of the ADSL service.
The sort of problems that might be encountered by some people could be:

* The distance from the exchange (the 0.5 Mbit service should be OK for most within 6 kms, and it's worth trying for others). The higher 1 Mbit rate should be accessible for many as well, and in general the advice is to ask your ISP and try it.

* Some lines include aluminium rather than copper, and won't support ADSL (which they are he couldn't say). Also some houses may be on a line-sharing setup, which will need to be replaced by separate lines. Again, BT will do their best to iron out such problems.

The SDSL (Synchronous DSL, with the same speed for both up- and downloading) service is NOT going to be an option for Slaley yet; only around 300 exchanges throughout the UK (where sufficient demand is expected) will provide this.

All in all, a successful evening. Neil Smith has offered to field queries, and you can email him at:

To find out more about broadband in general, and to investigate different ISPs, go to the ADSL Guide.

New equipment for the Hall

Users of the Commemoration Hall may like to know that they can now have the use of two new pieces of equipment:
A laminator, and a trimmer (both capable of dealing with A3 sized sheets).
Together with the A3 sized colour printer, these will allow you to produce, trim and laminate posters up to A3 (97 x 420 mm) in size.
Computer users may also be interested in trying out another recent acquisition, a voice dictation package (IBM ViaVoice Pro). Based on my recent trials, you will need to spend some time training the system to recognise your voice with any accuracy, though.
These items are stored in the locked roll-front cabinet in the Committee room, so you will need to ask someone with keys for the computer cabinets to open up; try Michael Elphick, Pat Wilson or Keith Robson.

Broadband for Slaley and Hexhamshire!

Come and hear about the latest developments on Wednesday 29th September 2004, at 7.30 pm in the Commemoration Hall.
BT, thanks to funding from OneNorthEast and EC funds, are now installing equipment in our local exchange that will allow most (but not necessarily all) of us that would want it to access the Internet at higher speeds. This will also offer a flat rate service that is always on (no need to dial up) and allow simultaneous telephone conversations.
The date for the Slaley exchange to be activated has now been put back to October 8th 2004, but many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) including BT are already accepting registrations.If you would like to investigate the options, a good starting point is the ADSL Guide at:
www.adslguide.org.uk
There will be a short introduction by Michael Elphick, and then BT's Regional Manager for the North East, David Haley, will answer your questions about the broadband service. There will also be a brief handout.
To assist David Haley, it would be useful if you could send any questions that you would like answered in advance to Michael:
by phone on (01434) 673443
or by e-mail to elphicks@colpitts.u-net.com

Broadband is coming to Slaley!

BT, thanks to funding from OneNorthEast and EC funds, are now installing equipment in our local exchange that will allow most (but not necessarily all) of us that would want it to receive Internet access at higher speeds. This will also offer a flat rate service that is always on (no need to dial up) and allow simultaneous telephone conversations.
The latest advertised date for the Slaley exchange to be activated is October 8th 2004, and many ISPs (Internet Service Providers) including BT are now accepting registrations.

In order to provide more information, and to answer some of your questions, we have arranged a meeting on Wednesday 29th September 2004 in the Commemoration Hall, at 7.30 pm.
There will be a short introduction by Michael Elphick, and then BT’s Regional Manager for the North East, David Haley, will answer your questions about broadband services. There will also be a brief handout.

To assist David Haley, it would be useful if you could send any questions that you would like answered in advance to Michael:
by phone on (01434) 673443
or by e-mail to elphicks@colpitts.u-net.com

Ladycross Nature Reserve

WINTER TALKS PROGRAMME

After last year’s successful talks programme the committee has decided to repeat the format for the coming winter. We are, however, moving to more luxurious accommodation at the Slaley Commemoration Hall, situated in the middle of Slaley village. The talks will start at 7.30pm but there is no need to book in as all can be accommodated. There will be a small charge of £3 per talk to cover costs.

1. Wed. October 27th. The work of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the North of England by Pat Thompson (RSPB)

2 Wed. November 24th. The work of a Police Wildlife Liaison Officer by Paul Henry (Northumbria Police)

3 Wed. January 26th. Geology of the North Pennines by Brian Young (National Geological Survey)

Speakers for Wed. February 23rd, Wed. March 23rd and Wed. April 27th will be confirmed later. The committee look forward to seeing you.

THIS MONTH'S PICTURE :
The ponds at Ladycross are ideal for dragonflies and damselflies. Here is one of the common ones, photographed in August - the blue-tailed damselfly.

Click the thumbnail for a full-sized photo.

A new banner for Slaley Show

Here's a sneak preview of the new banner for Slaley Show; created by the children (and teaching assistants) from Slaley First School, new bunting and this banner will feature in the 2004 Slaley Show on Saturday, August 14th.

Ladycross Nature Reserve

MOTHS

This month's picture shows the pretty and charmingly named little moth, the True Lover's Knot, which is one of the most common moths on the reserve at this time of year.

Bill Monck has been surveying the moths at Ladycross since 1998, and we now have a very good picture of what is around, and when. However, there are always surprises, such as the "Slender Brindle" moth that turned up in 2002 - one of the first records in Northumberland and the herald of what seems to be a fast northern spread of this species - another sign of climate warming?

The Millenium inscription

The stone slab commemorating (and covering) the Millenium time capsule at Townhead has now been inscribed. Both the slab and the date plaque have been beautifully carved by Ray Wetherell, shown below.

New signs for Slaley!

You may have noticed some new road signs around the parish: thanks to the Parish Council following up on the parish plan, some 60 of the highway signs are being renewed.

One of the signs still awaiting renewal is this one. Visitors might well be confused by this reference to a hospital that ceased to exist some 28 years ago - built in 1916 for first world war gas victims, and later a sanatorium, Wooley Hospital closed down in 1976.

The Northumbrian flag

This month's picture shows the Northumbrian flag, said to be "probably the oldest known flag design in Britain. The Venerable Bede, England's first historian, records a banner of purple and gold which hung over the tomb of St Oswald, the 7th century king of Northumbria.
The flag for this ancient kingdom is now generally regarded as having 8 alternate stripes of red and gold. Later, in medieval times, the colours were adopted by the first Earl of Northumberland. The present pattern was granted to Northumberland County Council as its own banner in 1951." See the County Council's page for more about the flag.

Action Plan update now available!

The April 2004 Minutes of the Parish Council referred to an appendix giving details of progress with the Parish Plan. This Action Plan update is now available as this PDF file. You can view it on screen, or print it, provided that you have a version of Adobe Acrobat (which comes with most PCs nowadays).

Ladycross Nature Reserve

Dates for your diary :

Circular evening walk, Baybridge (Blanchland) to Riddlehamhope, Tuesday, June 15th, led by Colin and Ken. For start time and details please phone Colin Jewitt at 10434 673302 (day) or 10434 602916 (evenings).

July 25th. Annual ragworth cull at Ladycross. Your help would be greatly appreciated. More details next month.

This month's picture : clubmosses, a Slaley Forest speciality. Please read on ....

Clubmosses are a speciality of hills and mountains in the north and northwest, and are very choosy about where they grow. We are fortunate in having three species growing close together in and close to the Reserve. This gives a rare opportunity to compare them, particularly at this time of year when the stagshorn clubmoss is developing its "antlers" and the other two types are not yet burried in other vegetation. Look for them on unstable shale banks beside the tracks. Click the thumbnail to see photographs of them taken in Slaley this week.

Report from the BOATs Sub-Committee

Another of the annual reports to the Parish Council comes from the Sub-Committee set up by the four parishes of Blanchland, Healey, Hexhamshire & Slaley.

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The 4 Parishes BOATs Sub-Committee
Report to the Annual Parish Meetings of Blanchland, Healey, Hexhamshire & Slaley

The discussion of Byways Open to All Traffic at Slaley Parish Council meetings was becoming longer and more complicated. A new application in 2003 affected two of the Councilors rendering them unable to take part in any discussion. It was decided to ask for interest in forming a separate group from the neighboring Parish Councils to provide support for the lawful use of BOATs and to restrict their use to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders only

The first meeting of the new group was held on February 23rd 2004 when Maggie Keyte was invited to address the meeting. Maggie is the well-known voice at Allen Valleys Action Group and an authority on all things connected with BOATs. It was agreed to forge ahead with a new group represented by people from Blanchland, Healey, Hexhamshire and Slaley. Not necessarily Councilors but include parishioners with specialist knowledge to assist the cause.
The second meeting was Monday March 22nd and the third was Monday April 19th when the guest was Sergeant Keith Leach from Corbridge. A fifth meeting is planned for June 21st and a member of the Ramblers Association has been asked to attend.
As a group we are continually producing a case history of illegal use and damage to our green lanes – a photographic record has begun. Two of our members are fully paid up members of GLEAM and the group is hoping to become affiliated to The Yorkshire Dales Green Lanes Alliance. Correspondence has been entered into with the Lake District Management Group and we keep Dukesfield Woodland & Forest Enterprise abreast of our research.
Our expanding archives include media coverage, both for and against motorised vehicles, this has produced some informative printed articles and a video of TV documentaries.
We have replied to NCC regarding Byway 44 through Slaley Hall (March 10th); as a group made representation to DEFRA on its consultation document ‘Use of Mechanically Propelled Vehicles on Public Rights of Way’ (March 10th); responded to The Planning Inspectorate, John Greenslade, for the 16th September 2003, Public Inquiry (April 16th); been a consultee to the NCC consultation paper ‘A Framework for the Management of Byways Open to all Traffic’ (April 30th 2004); written numerous letters with questions and concerns to MP’s, NCC, English Nature, CPRE, DEFRA, DeVere Slaley Hall etc.

Public Awareness is the most difficult to address, we have a page on the Slaley Community Website and are in the process of producing a ‘statement of support’ leaflet with space to record damage to our green lanes. These forms will be made available in each parish with a confidential venue for completed forms. A return slip through the Slaley Website is also under investigation. Hexhamshire Parish Magazine carried an article in its March issue with a follow up under Parish Council in April.
Initial funding is promised from the four Parish Councils’, however we now wonder if external funding will need to be sought. To follow this avenue we would need a separate bank account and a constitution. Separate Audit arrangements would automatically follow, as would insurance cover.
We are witnessing a huge increase in activity by motorized vehicles throughout Slaley Forest and the adjacent byways and paths of the neighboring parishes. This is not an acceptable situation. It causes great discomfort and inconvenience, not only for those who live and work in the area, but also, for those who visit our wonderful countryside with the objective of enjoying the peace and tranquility.
I would ask all parishioners to support our cause.

Richard Ferguson. Chairman (May 2004)

More Slaley Notes

Here is the full entry for the Slaley Notes column that failed to appear on Friday May 7th.

Once again, Albert Weir's and Vicky Pepys' artistic talents turned the Commemoration Hall into a dance hall for the Slaley Show May Dance. The boogie-ing began with local duo, Signature, who made a change from performing their own songs to doing their own versions of pop hits. Guest correspondent, Vicky Pepys (who describes herself in this instance as 'Alarmed Onlooker' ) reports that "Lesley and Jed Woodhouse started the evening's proceeding's brilliantly, warming up the audience with Pet Shop Boys, Kylie and Madonna hits to name but a few; a great set of songs recognisable to everyone whether 16 or 60. With all the electronic gizmos on stage, it was interesting to realise that this full orchestra sound was actually the effort of just two people! Lesley, in fondant pink sporting a trendy matching trilby is a pretty good mover on stage and soon got everyone dancing; and we've got pictures to prove it! (I don't know if that is a good thing or a threat!)"

After a lovely buffet supper, provided by Vicky Coates, and the results of the silent auction, the crowd were brought back to their feet by the silver soul voice of T J King, who sang songs ranging from Elvis to Enrique Iglesias.T J also showed us that he wasn't a bad mover either!
"I have not had time to count up all the money raised," says Albert, "but I would like to thank Vicky Pepys and Vicky Hutchinson for their help in the organisation, Vicky Coates for the catering, Henry and Alistair Cane for manning the bar, everyone who gave donations to the Silent Auction and everybody who came!" In particular thanks go to auction donators Ian and Jacquie Clarke, Slaley Hall, Roddy Stobo (Corbridge greengrocer), Errington Reay Pottery of Bardon Mill, Mark of Lincoln Flowers, Paula Darrington, and Living North. All in all it was a wonderful evening for all, enjoyed by both the audience and performers alike. Ian and Jacquie Clarke donated two weeks in October in their Minorca apartment to the Silent Auction at the Show Dance. The good news for all those who could not go to the dance is that only one week was bid for, leaving one week still available. Albert will take bids for the second week up until the end of May. You can contact Albert, to bid or for more information, on 673534.
The Show committee met last week, and more exciting events are being planned. More helpers will be welcomed, or you could subscribe as a member (only £5 for adults, £2.50 for concessions). Not only will you be supporting your local village show but you also get reductions on events like the dance throughout the year. Ring Albert (673534) or Vicki Hutchinson (673782) for further details.
Last Friday Pat Wilson did her litter pick on the B6306 from Townhead to the U8078 junction. Pat says "Thank you to everyone who waved encouragement to me, and to those who did not, I am not an eccentric old tramp scavenging the roadsides. It was a very satisfying experience to know that my stretch of the parish was litter free. Apart from innumerable drink containers, crisp and sweet wrappers, fast food containers, bits of packaging and cigarette packets I was surprised by the following:
A carton for 6 eggs (without the eggs), a wage packet, a tube of cream, a broken off part from a blue car, some wallpaper, assembly instructions on A1 paper (that's four times the size of the average piece of paper) and a Volvo wheel trim. (The latter is left by my entrance gate if you find you are one missing)."
Weather permitting, and with kind permission of the Slaley First School Governors, the Parish Youth Club will take place on Wednesday 19 May from 7pm on the School Grounds. There will be activities such as rounders, football, netball and of course the beloved 'Parachute' to name but a few. Youth Club members are reminded that they must have given in their consent forms to a volunteer to be able to participate in the sessions on the School Grounds, otherwise your child will not be covered, and the volunteer in charge will have to refuse them entry.

Ladycross Nature Reserve

Spring is at full pitch in the nature reserve now. All the usual summer visiting birds have arrived. Chiffchaffs and willow warblers arrived several weeks ago, and the first crossbills were sighted earlier this week. A cuckoo has been calling in the plantation nearby. Exciting visitors just passing through have been a great grey shrike (a regular drop-in for many years) and a marsh harrier. Ladycross seems to be on an important local migratory route for birds of prey - this prompted the construction of the raptor watch-point at the quarry.

One of the most obvious results of recent climate warming has been the arrival of comma butterflies in our part of the country. These are now seen regularly at Ladycross and in at least two other sites in Slaley at this time of year. This month's picture shows one photographed locally. We are very interested in the distribution of these beautiful insects. If they visit your garden please let us know - you can reply as a "comment" on this web site. Click on the thumbnail below to see the full photograph of the butterfly.

EVENT
Colin Jewitt is involved in a long-term study of owl breeding in nesting boxes in the area. There is an opportunity to join him in a walk to visit the nest boxes to see how hatching is progressing. Obviously, the size of the party is limited, so please phone him on 01434 673302 (daytime) or 01434 602916 (evenings) if you are interested. The walk is at 6.30 pm on Wednesday 12th May, meeting in the Travellers Rest car park.

Movie shows for Slaley?

What we would have to do would be to set up a 'film club'. As they say, "Membership is compulsory in order to be eligible for non-theatrical screenings, but it is also very useful, providing a good database of contacts for publicity. It can be free, or can include the price of tickets for a season of films." Once this has been done, we can decide on a film programme, book it through Queens Hall Arts, and arrange a date for screening. They will then bring the film and the kit over to Slaley to run the show.
I'm quite enthusiastic about this (as are a few other people I’ve talked to) and would be willing to act as organiser (with help). We’ll keep you posted on developments. but meanwhile let us know what films you might like to see, and whether you would be willing to help . . . add your comments below!

BOATs Update

BOATs
My uncle recently asked what on earth these BOATs were everyone kept talking about? Well, “B = byway”, “O = open to”, “A = all”, “T = traffic”, and the small “s” at the end simply makes a BOAT into BOATs.

On Monday 22nd March 2004 members or representatives of the four parishes (Blanchland, Healey, Hexhamshire & Slaley) got together to form a special committee especially to deal with BOATs issues. The new name is The 4 Parishes BOATs Sub-committee (although this could change if we could think of a really good acronym).

BOATs
My uncle recently asked what on earth these BOATs were everyone kept talking about? Well, “B = byway”, “O = open to”, “A = all”, “T = traffic”, and the small “s” at the end simply makes a BOAT into BOATs.

On Monday 22nd March 2004 members or representatives of the four parishes (Blanchland, Healey, Hexhamshire & Slaley) got together to form a special committee especially to deal with BOATs issues. The new name is The 4 Parishes BOATs Sub-committee (although this could change if we could think of a really good acronym).

It rather looks like the 1996 BOATs application will be confirmed on April 16th this year. Councilors and interested parties have fought through two public inquiries July 2002 and September 2003 to no avail. The only significant reason for these byways being turned down as roads would be for proof to be found that they had been altered through the law from a public highway to something else. Eight years has been a long wait for the Trail Riders Fellowship and the various 4 x 4 groups to use these tracks for their trail bikes and various motorised vehicles. We can all expect to see greater use of our Countryside and although we now have the right to roam over the moors between Slaley and Blanchland there will soon be a 60 foot wide route for these off road vehicles to use at their pleasure. Health and Safety will be the order of the day rather than enjoying a peaceful and quiet walk in Slaley Forest.

The latest application to develop more of our small roads and green lanes into BOATs affects the U8081 & U8080, which is basically the 2.5 m road past East & West Cornerfield and then continuing up past Slaley Hall to the Espershields Road. The route crosses the main road and continues through Espershields Farm in Healey Parish. At the same time two new applications have been made for BOATs in Hexhamshire. The group is presently collecting evidence of illegal use of these routes or of discourteous behaviour towards other users.

The work of the group over the coming months will be to provide evidence to Northumberland County Council, who will eventually authorise a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). The aims of the TRO will be to regulate the amount of traffic using these Byways in an attempt to protect our countryside from overuse and environmental damage.

Daffodil Day at Slaley School

As an end-of-term celebration Slaley school are holding a Daffodil Day on Wednesday 31st March, from 2 to 3.30 pm. The aim is to be able to send a cheque to Korongoni primary school in Tanzania, to help them buy the kind of basic materials that we take for granted. Our school already corresponds with Korongoni and this last Wednesday two Tanzanian teachers visited Slaley. It is hoped that children will wear something yellow (they don’t need to wear uniforms).
There will be a cake stall, so please send a cake (or buy one) and something for the bring and buy stall. Please support this worthwhile event: if anyone needs a lift or further information just ring Christine Milligan on 673592.

News on broadband

Many of you will have seen in the Hexham Courant that BT’s exchange in Slaley is now scheduled to be upgraded to support telephone line based broadband access from June. Naturally we are delighted that this is happening in just a few months time, when it could have been left as late as the spring of 2005 under the terms of the contract awarded to BT by our Regional Development Agency, OneNorthEast (ONE) in January (see last broadcast message).  Those on 60xxxx numbers should already be able to obtain a telephone line based broadband service from the Hexham exchange. You might already be aware that although BT own the exchange and the lines, you have a choice of suppliers of the actual broadband service running over those lines.

Last week Michael Elphick and Greg Finch met Ed Brown, who ran the ONE project. This meeting provided some interesting additional information which we want to pass on to you.

Firstly, as expected, everyone on a 673xxx and 676xxx number within a roughly three mile radius of the Slaley exchange (more or less opposite the shop and church) should be able to obtain a broadband service from June onwards. This should cover virtually all of Slaley parish and extend into the ‘Shire as far as Juniper, Whitley Chapel, and Rawgreen. However, it is possible that the rest of the Shire could also obtain broadband because the distance limit from an exchange is greater as long as high quality copper cable has been laid.  In parts of Scandinavia the same technology reaches more than 5 or 6 miles from exchanges. Lines in the High Quarter of the ‘Shire were renewed relatively recently. This could, for example, bring Lillswood within range. We won’t know for sure until after the Slaley exchange has been upgraded, at which point individual lines can be checked.

It is also becoming clear that the telephone exchange upgrade will support higher speed access than the current ADSL service – which provides high speed internet access (512kbps), but a slower outbound connection (tho’ still faster than over a dial-up line). Ed told us that BT will equip the exchange to provide higher speed SDSL access, which will support even faster inbound speed (eg. 1mbps+) and much faster outbound speeds, which will probably be attractive to those of you running small businesses and needing fast internet and email access. In fact, they would be interested in gaining an idea of the potential level of demand for these faster services. Please respond to this message by using the 'Comments' link at the bottom of this article. We will then send an overall indication of potential demand back to ONE – without mentioning individual names.

ONE’s original aim of providing 100% broadband coverage of the county remains intact. Their plan is to trial wireless access in one part of the region early next year, as the BT exchange upgrades are completed. If we find, following the Slaley Exchange upgrade, that many potential subscribers remain beyond the maximum radius for DSL access, then we could become a pilot area for wireless coverage. In earlier broadcast update messages we mentioned the wireless network that Horizon Wireless are installing in Corbridge.  They still intend to proceed with this, but with BT’s planned exchange upgrades it’s now not realistic to see this being extended as a commercial venture into our parishes ahead of ONE’s own pilot plans for next year.

In summary, from June we should see a real difference in the availability of broadband services in our area. With a following wind this will reach the vast majority of those of you who have expressed interest in obtaining broadband access, and wireless/satellite based access remain as options for the rest. If you have any further questions, please respond to this article
by using the 'Comments' link, or (as before) you can email Greg at
.

Heritage Initiative

A group of interested people are forming a Local Heritage Initiative group, under the umbrella of the Parish Council. A grant pack (offering between £3,000 & £25,000 grants) has been requested. Anyone interested in joining this group and is committed to lots of unpaid free time should contact Pat Wilson on 673388, etc.