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!