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.

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.

Important Meeting at St Michael's Church, Tuesday 29th September, 7.00pm

St. Michael and All Angels' Church, in the parish of Esh with Hamsteels.  

A public meeting will be held at 7 pm on Tuesday 29th November in the hall of Esh Church of England School to discuss a matter of serious concern and the future viabilty of the church.

All within the parish are warmly invited to attend. 

EVRA AGM: 12th February 2015

A quick reminder that the Esh Village Residents' Association will be holding its Annual General Meeting tomorrow night, 12th February 2015, at 7.30pm in The Cross Keys.

Everyone is welcome: items on the agenda include traffic and speeding (with input from our local police officers), the development of the new village playground, and planned events and new clubs for 2015. Our invited speakers are Father John Marsland and Peter Seed from Ushaw College, who will be introducing the new plans for Ushaw as it opens its doors to the public. To see the full agenda, please click on the image to the left. See you there!

Esh Village Play Area Meeting TOMORROW

There is a meeting tomorrow, Thursday 6th November 2014, to discuss the planning and construction of a new children's play area in Esh village. The drop-in session runs between 4 and 6pm in St Michael's Parish Hall; refreshments will be provided, so if you have a strong feeling about whether Esh should be sporting a slide, a swing, or a seesaw, or a combination of all three, please do go along!

Area Action Partnership: Esh Village Update

The Esh village Action Plan, an ongoing programme of improvements to village life jointly implemented by Durham County Council AAP, the Parish Council, Durham Constabulary and the Esh Residents' Association, has been updated to illustrate the great work and continuing progress being made on issues such as road safety, overgrown verges, and blocked drains. Click here to see the latest version of the Action Plan.

Action-Stations!

Following a very productive meeting with the mid-Durham Area Action Partnership and members of the Parish Council earlier this month (see post below), the AAP have written back to the Residents' Association with a comprehensive action plan designed to highlight specific local concerns and the intended means by which to address them. 

Issues raised by village residents included road safety (stationary traffic blocking main access routes through the village, speeding, road crossings, and overgrown verges obscuring road signs), dog fouling and horse manure on pathways and the road, the regeneration of the children's play area, and ideas for opening community-run initiatives such as a village shop. 

The action plan has its own page on the blog so that all residents can see what is planned and the partnerships involved - indeed, rumour has it that the drains are due to be cleared imminently... do watch this space!