Esh Carol Service, 19th December 2017

The Esh village Carol Service will take place on Tuesday,19th December at 7.00pm at St Michael and All Angels church. All are welcome- it's always lovely occasion and will be followed by mulled wine and mice pies in The Cross Keys.

Esh Village Defibrillator Installed!

After many months of fundraising, we are delighted to announce that Esh has its own public defibrillator which is installed and ready for use.

It is located next to the post box in the centre of the village, outside the CoE primary school. Should you need to use it, please dial 999 and give the postcode DH7 9QR. The operator will then give you the code to access the defibrillator, which is fully automated and will talk you through how to use it on the patient whilst help arrives.

The Esh Village Residents' Association and the two schools are working to organise defibrillator and CPR awareness and training sessions in the new year so that you can familiarise yourself with what to do in the event of an emergency. Watch this space for more details...

A huge thank you to everyone to helped to fundraise, organise, and install the defibrillator and ensure that it is compliant and linked in to the North East Ambulance Service. Local residents, the Esh Women's Institute, the parish council and our County Councillors have given their time, expertise and energy to achieve this - a real community effort! Thank you.

Halloween Party, Friday 3rd November 2017

Dust off those fangs, hone those apple bobbing skills and join the Esh Village Residents for the spookiest night of the year!

We'll be holding a Halloween Party on Friday, 3rd November, from 7-9pm at Whitefield House (just off Front Street).

There'll be a prize for the best fancy dress costume, quizzes and raffles and plenty of drinks and nibbles...

All are welcome: tickets are available in advance from 2, Whitefield House or 24 Green Court, or on the door.

See you there... if you dare!

Heritage Open Days, September 2017

Esh village will feature twice in the national Heritage Open Days festival this year, opening both of its historic churches to the public in September 2017:

Old Esh - St Michael’s RC Church

Esh Laude, DH7 9QN    

A Grade II Listed Church. St Michael's is one of the oldest churches in the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. Built to resemble a farm steading to blend in with surrounding area the church was constructed in 1798 and features listed stained glass windows. St Michael's was originally the mother church for the Lanchester area and served the growing population of miners and workers moving into the area. Volunteers will be available to talk to visitors about the history of the building and the surrounding area and history leaflets will be available.

No booking required

West side of Esh Village, 1 mile from Ushaw College

Sunday 10 Sept: 13.00-16.00

Additional Information:  This site is not normally open to the public; the event is especially put on for Heritage Open Days 2017; full wheelchair access; on-site disabled parking; on-site accessible toilets; pushchair/pram friendly; hearing loop; assistance dogs welcome; parking; baby changing/breastfeeding area; refreshments; toilets on site. 

Old Esh – village church and inn

Front St, Esh Village, DH7 9QR

The Church of St Michael and All Angels (13th century) was rebuilt in 1770 and improved in 1850 to current appearance by the remarkable Temple Chevallier (Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Durham University) incumbent from 1835 to 1873.

A village trail will point visitors to other areas of interest in the village.

Volunteers will be available to show visitors areas of interest in the church.

Refreshments and toilets are available at the nearby Cross Keys Inn, a historic drovers inn.

1 mile from Ushaw College, opposite the Cross Keys Inn

No booking required

Sunday 10 September: 1300-1600

Keys to be included: event specially put on for hods; refreshments, toilets, public convenience disabled; partial disabled access

Do you need help with transport in the local area? Meet 'Supportive'...

A Public Access Defibrillator for Esh Village

Exciting news! After months of research, campaigning and fundraising, Esh Village Residents' Association can confirm that a public defibrillator will soon be installed in a central and easy-to-access location in the village.

Defibrillators are devices which deliver a high energy electric shock through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. Public access defibrillators (PADs) are becoming increasingly common sights: in train stations, shopping centres and towns and villages across the country. As emergency services become ever-more stretched, being able to begin a life-saving process whilst they are making their way to the scene is a crucial step in the chain of survival.

Thanks to generous donations from our County Councillors, the kindness of Esh village residents in donating to our door-to-door collection and attending recent fundraisers, and the Parish Council, EVRA has now purchased a top-of-the-range defibrillator. We've been liaising with NEAS (the north east ambulance service) and with the local authorities to ensure that it is safely and appropriately installed and that training is given to as many people as possible in case it needs to be used.

Mid-Durham AAP: Esh Village Drop-In Session, 21st June, 16.00-18.00

Would you like the chance to win £500 for Esh and help bring in £millions for Mid Durham?

The AAP, County Councillors and Parish Councils are working together to create 16 new Village Action Plans for 2017/20. 

The last village plans for 2013/16 helped bring in £2.6 million into the area, (you can find out more about the last Esh Action Plan here) so the AAP would love you to pop into their drop in session in the village on 21st June, 16.00-18.00, in the village hall, and tell them about our village and if you have any ideas on how together we can improve it.  

As an added incentive they are also giving those residents who belong to a local community group the chance to come along and put their groups name into a draw to win £500! 

'Sapphire Scones & Tea': Celebrate H.M. The Queen's 65th Jubilee on 16th July

An evening with John Grundy, historian, broadcaster and author

We would like to invite you to an evening with the historian, BBC broadcaster and author John Grundy, who will be giving a talk about local history and unveiling our new banner at St Michael and All Angels Church, Esh, on Monday 3rd April. The evening starts at 7.30pm - entrance is free, but all donations will be gratefully received and will be in aid of raising funds for the village defibrillator and the Esh Leaves WI.

For more information, or to ask any questions about the event, please contact Gillian Wesson (tel. 0191 3731415) or email gillianwesson@hotmail.co.uk

Thank you from the Friends of St Michael and All Angels!

A huge thank you to everyone who came to support the village Burns Night supper in Esh last Friday.

Despite the cold and the rain, over sixty joined the celebrations and helped to raise £505 in aid of St Michael and All Angels CofE church, which will go toward the maintenance and repair of the building. Please take a look at the church's new(ish!) website, which has a lovely description of the evening and the works planned for the church this year:http://www.stmichaelandallangelsesh.btck.co.uk/NewsEvents.

Esh Village Residents' Association Annual General Meeting 2017

This year, EVRA will be holding it's AGM on 9th February at 7.30pm in The Cross Keys pub. As in previous years, the meeting gives us a chance to let people know what we've been up to this year, to present the accounts, and to open up opportunities and ideas for getting involved in the year ahead.

We'll also hear from a speaker from St John's Ambulance on first aid and resuscitation. This links in with our hopes to have a village defibrillator installed in the village in the next few months and should be a great evening.

All are welcome - the more the merrier!

Esh Burns Night - Friday 27th January 2017