C of E School Christmas Fair, 9th December 2016

The head, teachers and pupils of Esh CofE Primary School would like to invite all Esh residents to come to their Christmas fair on Friday 9th December 2016, from 2pm in the school hall. There will be refreshments and plenty of festive fun for adults and children alike! 

Christmas Carols in Esh

The festive season is upon us, and Esh has a host of activities over the coming month to enjoy the Christmas spirit.

With any luck, the village tree will be up any day now, thanks to a generous grant from our Councillors and kindly sourced by friends from Blackburn Farm in Langley Park.

A few dates for your diary:
- Monday 5th December, 4pm: Carols around the tree with the children from Esh CofE and St Michaels Primary Schools. All welcome; hot drinks and mince pies in St Michaels afterwards.

- Sunday 4th, 2.00-3.30pm, Sundays 11th and 18th December, 2.30-3.30pm: Rehearsals for the village carol service in St Michael and All Angels church.

- Tuesday 20th December, 7.00pm: Esh Village Carol Service.

- Wednesday 21st December, 7.30pm: Carols around the tree.

Esh Village Play Area Refurbishment - Consultation

Groundwork NE & Cumbria have been working with Esh Parish Council to secure £27,000 to refurbish the play site in Esh Village.  

Groundwork will be in the Esh Village Community Hall from 3pm till 5.30pm on Friday 16^th December with copies of the design proposals put forward by companies who would like to carry out the work.  

We are inviting children, parents and residents to drop in and help us to choose the final design alongside Cllrs from the Parish Council.  Please pop along for a few minutes and help us choose the right play area for you. 

Coffee Morning: Saturday 3rd December

The next village coffee morning takes place on Saturday 3rd December 2016, 10.30am-12pm.

Hosted by Vanessa Tyres and held at Kirdavane, Front Street, the morning is a great opportunity to catch up with friends old and new over lots of homemade cakes and fresh tea and coffee!

All proceeds go towards St Michael and All Angels Church n Esh.

Charity Concert: Esh Gospel Choir

Charity Concert

Esh Gospel Choir and Friends

Saturday 19th November, 4.00pm

St Michael's RC Church, Laude Bank, Esh, DH7 9QN

All are invited to the Esh Gospel Choir charity concert: admission is free and donations will be collected in aid of Maggie's, an organisation which provides free practical , emotional, and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends. For more information, visit www.maggiescentres.org. Maggie's is a registered charity, No. SC024414.  

16th November 2016: Singing for Remembrance

On 16th November 2016 at 1.15pm the children of St Michael's R.C. Primary School will gather around the poppy carving at the entrance to St Michael and All Angels C of E Church to sing in remembrance of those who gave their lives in the line of duty.

St Michael's C of E church is the site of a commonwealth war grave: that of 552228 Trooper William Francis Leopold Scott, who died in 1940 whilst serving with the Royal Armoured Corps.

All are invited to join the children at the carving. 

The next wine tasting event, hosted by EVRA and The Pip Stop, takes place on Friday 14th October, 2016 at 7pm in the CofE school. 

The tasting will focus on white and red wines from the New World and tickets cost £15 each (to include all wine and nibbles). 

Tickets are available from Mandy (07930932306) or Vanessa (07949038446), although limited tickets will also be available on the door. 

Hope to see you there! 

Esh Harvest Supper

Come and join the Esh Village Harvest Supper on Friday 7th October 2016, from 7pm in the village hall.

All are welcome: it promises to be a great evening, with live music, games, and competitions as well as homemade food and drink included in the ticket price. The proceeds will go towards the Friends of St Michael and All Angels Church to support the work they do to maintain the church.

For more information and details of how to book tickets, please click on the poster to the right. See you there!

Esh Village Area Action Plan and Council Budget Survey

As regular readers of the blog will know, the Mid-Durham Area Action Partnership has been working the residents of Esh village since 2013 on a wide range of community issues including traffic speeding and congestion, the local environment, and the provision of council services. You can see an updated report on progress made to-date by going to the Village Action Plan tab at the top of the page.

As part of our work with the County Council, Esh residents have been asked to feed into a county-wide consultation concerning how local government funding is best allocated and spent. Over the last five years, the County Council has had to make savings of more than £180 million; this figure needs to reach £250 million by 2020.

To hear more about these budgetary changes and to have your say in guiding the council in how to streamline their budget over the next three years, please join us at the next EVRA meeting, 6th October at 7.30pm in The Cross Keys. Andy Coulthard from the Mid-Durham AAP will be on hand to talk us through the process so far and to survey residents.

Heritage Open Day in Esh

On Sunday 11th September, St Michael's and All Angels C of E church and St Michael's Roman Catholic church will open their doors to the public as part of the national Heritage Open Days scheme. Free admission to both buildings will be available between 1pm and 5pm, whilst refreshments will be available at The Cross Keys pub.

St Michael's and All Angels originally dates to the 13th century, although it was extensively remodelled in the latter half of the 18th and first half of the 19th century as part of a refurbishment by Temple Chevallier, the celebrated theologian and astronomer.

St Michael's RC Church, meanwhile, is a Grade II listed building and one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Built to resemble a farm steading so that it blended in with the surrounding buildings, it features beautiful stained glass windows and was the mother church for the Lanchester area.

Follow the links above to find out more about the Heritage Open Days in Esh.

This year's Summer Party takes place on Saturday 16th July 2016, from 2pm on the village green.

There will be a great range of games including volleyball, rounders, and quoits and lots of free tea, coffee and juice on offer throughout the afternoon.

Feel free to bring blankets and picnics - let's hope the Great British weather is kind and that the sun shines!

Esh Village Wine Tasting Evening, 3rd June 2016

Aragonez? Barolo? Chablis? Dobričić? On Friday 3rd June, 7pm, Esh is hosting it's first village wine tasting eve in partnership with The Pip Stop, the speciality wine and beer store just outside Lanchester. 'An Introduction to Wine Tasting' promises to be fun for everyone and will include a range of classic and more unusual wines from around the world as well as the option to purchase bottles on the night. Ben from The Pip Stop will be on hand to share his knowledge and give handy hints on tasting and pairing wines.

The event will take place at the Esh Cof E (Aided) School - although this is strictly adults only! - and tickets cost £10 each. To buy or reserve a ticket, please contact Mandy (07930 932306) or Vanessa (07949 038466). Cheers! 

Free Dog Poop Bags from the Parish Council

Dog walkers of Esh: good news! The Parish Council is supplying dog poop bags to dog owners and walkers in an effort to cut down the amount of dog mess on the village foot paths and through the fields.

You can collect your free bags from The Cross Keys - just ask at the bar.

Spring Coffee Morning

All are warmly invited to the next 'Friends of Esh Church' Spring Coffee morning, hosted by Kay and Claire at Esh Hall on Saturday 2nd April, 10.30-noon.

There will be a book sale, a raffle and a tombola, as well as lots of homemaking and preserves to enjoy and take away, as well as a range of gifts and cards on sale from Phoenix Trading. All proceeds will go to St Michael and All Angels CofE church. 

Contributions for the tombola, the cake stalls or the homemade jams and preserve stands are very welcome. Entry costs £2 for adults, 25p for children, and includes plenty of tea, coffee, squash and biscuits! 

Sad news: Audrey Wilkinson

Audrey Wilkinson, of Esh Leaves, Hall Road, sadly passed away on Wednesday 16th March after a long illness. Her funeral will take place on Thursday 31st March at Kibblesworth Methodist Chapel at 10.30am, followed by a cremation service at Durham Crematorium at 12.00.

'Spring into Style': Evening Style Consultation with Jenny B

'Spring into Style' With Jenny B and Give Yourself a Fresh Look For the New Season! 

Looking for a fresh new look for Spring or just wanting to get some new ideas on how to make your wardrobe work for you?

Come and join us for drinks and canapés on March 18th, 7pm, at Brancepeth Village Hall and enjoy an entertaining evening with Jenny B, Style Consultant, as she updates us on how we can look our best every day or on those special occasions! 

Admission £10.00, to include wine and canapés; Raffle, stalls and cakes. All proceeds will go to Dorothy's Well Project, Tanzania (Reg. Charity No. 1131744), a charity dedicated to providing clean water to poor communities in rural Tanzania. 

For tickets and more information, please contact:

Sheena Murray - 0191 378 1097

Diane Hedley - 07872 928 359

Linda Larnach - 07711 087506

Jean Atkinson - 07979 663129

Brancepeth Village Hall, Durham, DH7 8DD:

Happy St Valentine's Day!

Happy St Valentine's Day! One village resident was clearly feeling amorous... captions welcome!

Esh Residents' Association AGM 2016

Everyone is very welcome to join this year's Residents' Association AGM, which takes place on Thursday 11th February, at 7.30pm in the Cross Keys.

The first half of the meeting will include a review of EVRA's activities over the past year and provide an opportunity for people to voice their thoughts for projects for the months ahead.

We are delighted that the second half of the meeting will be led by Steve Barella and Giles Gasper, both from Esh, who will give short talks about local residents (and in Steve's case, a family member) who saw action in the two World Wars. Hope to see you there!

Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends programme is the biggest ever initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia. It aims to transform the way the nation thinks, acts and talks about the condition.

Come and find out what it's like to live with dementia and turn that understanding into being able to help those affected by the illness on 8th March 2016 at Aldin Grange Lakes Cafe (DH7 7AR). Trained Dementia Champion (and Esh resident!) Gemma Roberts will be running an interactive session open to all residents from 7.30-8.15pm; tea and coffee are kindly being provided by Broompark WI. To find out more, and to book a place, please click here. 

St Michaels and All Angels has a new website!

St Michael and All Angels C of E church in Esh might date from 1283, but a new website puts it firmly in the twenty-first century! http://www.stmichaelandallangelsesh.btck.co.uk provides details of service times, baptisms, weddings and funerals, the Parochial Church Council, and how to get involved with the Friends of the Church initiative, as well as much more! 

Temple Chevallier, 1794-1873

St Michael's has a rich history: King Edward I attended Mass there on 10th September 1306, and the celebrated astronomer, scientist, mathematician and theologian and clergyman, Temple Chevallier,
famous for his work on sunspots, as well as translating the works of several Church Fathers. Chevallier is buried in the churchyard, which is also the site of a Commonwealth War Grave, that of 552228 Trooper William Francis Leopold Scott, who died in 1940 whilst serving with the Royal Armoured Corps. All are welcome at the church: check out their website for details of how to visit, worship, and get involved! 

Burns Night Celebration

Esh will be celebrating the life and poetry of the great Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) with a Burns Night supper on Friday 22nd January 2016, at 7pm onwards in the Parish/ Sports Hall.
Entertainment will be provided by 'Just Us, and tickets (£5.00 adults; £1.00 children) include a buffet supper and a glass of wine or soft drink. All proceeds to St Michael and All Angels Church.

For more information and to buy tickets, please see Gillian (14 Green Court) or Evelyn (7 Front Street).

Esh Village Residents' Association Monthly Meeting

Happy New Year! A quick reminder that the next EVRA meeting will take place tomorrow night, Thursday 14th January 2016, at 7.30pm in The Cross Keys. Items on the agenda include a report on the recent Esh speeding survey compiled by Durham Constabulary and Durham Council Council and planning for the AGM. Everyone is very welcome to join us, whether you've attended a meeting before or not... the more the merrier!