This morning the Trust’s volunteers planted the summer bedding in tubs and planters, within the conservation area. Thank you to those that helped and Beveridge’s for supplying and delivering the plants.
We are trying out a more experimental mixture of plants this summer, in the hope of adding more variety. We hope you like the difference.
On Friday, volunteers from the Village Trust were maintaining the sustainable beds in the village centre that the Trust has adopted. The spring bedding in some of our tubs was in full bloom, too.
Thank you to the 15 Trust members who collected 20 bags of litter this morning, during our annual Spring litter pick in the village.
Last October volunteers from the Trust planted 5000 purple crocus bulbs on the verge opposite Rumi’s. They had been provided by Consett Rotary Club to raise awareness of its ‘Purple for Polio’ national campaign.
A couple of weeks ago just a handful of crocus were visible, but the warmer weather following the ‘Beast from the East’ has led to the start of blooming. A bit more sunshine over the next few days should ensure a wonderful Easter display, provided children and dogs don’t trample the flowers.
Last Friday morning a group of 5 volunteers cleared overhanging branches, debris and mud from the well used tarmac path between Briary Gardens and Peile Park. It is also known as the ‘Chicken Run’, as there used to be a chicken coup in the field beside the path. The stream was also cleared of debris.
The Trust has been given 5000 crocus bulbs by Consett Rotary Club, to plant in the village.
It was decided to plant them along the grass verge opposite Rumi’s, in front of the daffodil bulbs which the Trust planted a few years ago.
Over half were planted yesterday by seven volunteers from the Trust and another working party has been arranged for next Friday to finish the job.
The Rotary’s Purple4Polio initiative in 2016 was a huge success with nearly 7 million purple corms being planted across Great Britain and Ireland resulting in a carpet of purple in communities during spring 2017. This year, Rotary is aiming to go even further and plant 10 million purple crocus corms!
The purple crocus is a symbol of Rotary’s worldwide campaign to eradicate polio, with its colour representing the purple dye used to mark the finger of a child to indicate they have received their life saving oral polio vaccine.
More information can be found on the Rotary website.
Thank you to the 10 Trust members who helped remove litter, moss & weeds from the pavements and ‘triangle’ in the village centre yesterday morning. Everywhere looks much tidier now, after only a couple of hours work.
Working parties are being held on the first Friday morning of the month. Next month we are bulb planting, daffodils & croci along the main road.
The Heritage Initiative are holding another Exhibition next week in Consett, which will include ‘now & then’ photos of Shotley Bridge.
The next exhibition organised by the Consett & District Heritage Initiative is being held in a months time. The Trust will be putting on a display of old photographs of Shotley Bridge at the event.
The Trust’s latest publication on the history of Shotley Bridge is still on sale at Harrington Brown Estate Agents, in the village centre.
There are 10 chapters in the 36 page booklet with a map and photographs of sites and buildings referred to.
It is also possible to buy the booklet on-line from eBay with PayPal …
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291978953083
The construction of the brand new play equipment at the Snows Green Playpark is nearing completion.
There is a separate fenced area for toddlers.
Consett & District Heritage Initiative are holding another exhibition in October. The Village Trust will have a display of old photographs of Shotley Bridge and the Shotley Bridge History booklet will be on sale.
Despite not entering Northumbria in Bloom this year, the Trust’s tubs, barrier baskets and sustainable beds are looking colourful.
Thank you to all the volunteers who planted and maintain them. Thanks also to Durham County Council for planting the barrier baskets to match our colour scheme this year.
Thirty two members and local residents attended the AGM & Open Meeting held on 21 June. As the Trust’s Chairman was away on holiday a summary of his report was given by Garth Johnson, acting Chairman. Have a read of the Chairman’s Annual Report to find to what the Trust was involved in during the last year.
As Garth had decided not to stand for re-election as Treasurer, but remain on the Executive Committee, Andrew Thompson was elected to fill the post. The other committee members were also re-elected.
Unfortunately, the guest speaker Grace McCombie was unable to attend. Instead, Jeff Singleton [Secretary] gave an illustrated talk based on “The History of Shotley Bridge”, a 32 page booklet that had been researched and recently published by the Trust’s Heritage Working Group. Copies were available for Trust members to purchase.
The Consett & District Heritage Initiative exhibition is now on at the Methodist Church, Station Road, Consett. It will be open tomorrow from 10am until 8pm and on Saturday from 10pm until 4.30pm. There are three rooms full of photos and paintings.
The Village Trust has a couple of exhibition boards devoted to the Origins and Growth of Shotley Bridge. [Click on an image to enlarge.]
Look out for the illustrated booklet about the History of Shotley Bridge that has been researched, is being printed and will be available to buy and view on-line later this year.
This lunchtime the replica of the Pant that originally stood at the corner of Front Street and Snows Green Road was “officially” unveiled by Durham County Council. Representatives from Storey Homes, Classic Masonry, Beamish Museum, the Stakeholder Group, the BBB&SB Partnership, Durham Police and the Village Trust were invited to the ceremony.
It was the culmination of over four years commitment by the Village Trust, working in partnership with the Shotley Bridge Stakeholder Group, local councillors and officers from Durham County Council to bring to fruition a range of environmental improvement projects in the centre of the Shotley Bridge Conservation Area:
These projects were prioritised by the Stakeholder Group, supported by Local Councillors Stephen Robinson and Peter Oliver and paid for with Section 106 funding from the Storey Homes Housing Development on the hospital site, with a contribution from the Public Transport budget and help from the Benfieldside, Blackhill, Bridgehill & Shotley Bridge Partnership.
See also the press report in the Northern Echo.
The Trust’s next Open Meeting is to be held on Tuesday 21st June, after its AGM.
Grace McCombie, Buildings Historian, will be giving a talk on ‘The Buildings of Shotley Bridge’.
She is a researcher, lecturer and writer about sites and buildings and the development of settlements in the North East. She has contributed to many architectural-historical conferences, books and journals, especially the Pevsner series.
The meeting is open to both members and residents.
Next week, the Consett & District Heritage Initiative is holding a 3 day exhibition at the Methodist Church Hall in Consett. There will be displays of old photos of the local area, including Shotley Bridge.
If you are in Consett at the end of next week, come and find out about the history of the area. The exhibition is also open on Friday evening, if you cannot attend during the day. There is ample parking nearby in the Sherburn Road car park.
Today a new replica pant was erected near the Crown & Crossed Swords PH, to commemorate the bringing of a piped water supply to the village 130 years ago, in 1886.
The original is at Beamish Museum, following its removal in the 1950s to allow for improvements to the junction of Front Street and Snows Green Road.
Funding for the replica has come via the Story Homes housing development near Shotley Bridge Hospital. It is part of the S106 project for ‘urban realm’ improvements in the village centre.
Durham County Council are organising an ‘unveiling’ event after lunch on Thursday 12 May, which will mark the completion of the project.
Daffodils and tulips planted by the Trust were in full bloom this week in the conservation area, giving a colourful display. The violas are flowering too, which will hopefully give colour until the Trust’s volunteers plant up the tubs with summer bedding at the end of May.
Shotley Bridge Village Trust 