Gospel Choir Concert

The Esh Gospel Choir will be performing at a concert on Saturday 23rd November, 4.00pm, at St George's Church, Cullercoats, NE30 4NS.

 Their repertoire includes lots of gospel classics, including Wade In The Water, Amazing Grace, Steal Away, and Oh, Happy Day.

All are welcome; for more information, please contact Steven Bradley, s.p.bradley@durham.ac.uk.
The Gospel Choir's rehearsal dates for the coming year are now featured on the Village Calendar. Rehearsals take place in the village hall twice a month; please contact Steve if you would like to get involved. 

2014 Village Calendars Now On Sale

The Esh Village Calendar 2014 is now on sale for £7.00 per calendar, featuring the winning photographs from the summer photography competition, as well as some super shots that didn't quite win, but came very close!

The calendars are A4 -size, wall hanging with a tough plastic cover, and contain all major UK holidays and religious festivals. They fit snugly into A4-sized envelopes and jiffy bags, making them excellent stocking fillers!

Our first run sold out within days, but we're happy to report that another delivery is due next week... To order, please email the Residents' Association (eshresidentsassociation@gmail.com) or pop a note through the letterbox of 11, Front Street, stating your name, the number of calendars you'd like to order, and your contact details.

We'll deliver them to you, and are happy to take cash or a cheque (made payable to Esh Village Residents' Association, please). We are not making any profit on the calendars but if the project is a success, we'll be featuring more Esh stationery - note cards, post-its, billboards... ideas on a postcard, please!

Litter Pick

Apologies for the late notice; a village litter pick will be taking tomorrow morning, Saturday 9th November, starting at 9am from the village green.

Everyone is more than welcome to come and join us. Just wrap up warm and bring some gloves and we'll provide the rest. Fingers crossed the weather holds...

REMEMBER: the clocks go back this Sunday!

Just a reminder that the clocks go back an hour this weekend... What will you do with the extra hour in the day?

Your Village, Your Voice

A quick reminder that the mid-Durham AAP, County Councillors, and Parish Council will be holding a meeting on Saturday 19th October, 2-4pm, at Quebec Village Hall for residents of Esh and Quebec to drop in and discuss the recent developments on the Village Action Plan. Although the Your Village, Your Voice money for Esh has been allocated to redevelopment of the children's play area, the AAP are keen to hear residents' views about the County Council Budget allocation.

Esh Village Residents' Association Monthly Meeting

A quick reminder that this month's EVRA meeting will take place tomorrow, Thursday 10th October, from 7.45pm in the Cross Keys.

Items on the agenda include the traffic issues in the village, the winter planting of the flower tubs, and, since it creeps up on the the best of us, plans for the village Christmas tree, lights, and carol services. Everyone is welcome to come along - meetings usually last about an hour, and the pub makes for a cosy gathering as the nights draw in!

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for details of the next litter pick. Now that EVRA owns its very own litter picking equipment, I feel one coming on...

Your Money, Your Village, Your Views... Your Vote

You may remember the mid-Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP), the Parish Council, and the County Councillors coming to Esh as part of a region-wide project to hear residents' thoughts on life in their villages. Each village came up with an Action Plan to get to work on some of the issues highlighted by residents (you can see the Esh Action Plan by clicking here) and now the Partnership has dedicated £5000 to each village in mid-Durham to help move things along even further. 

The AAP is holding a joint meeting with Quebec village in the Quebec Village Hall on Saturday 19th October, from 2-4pm. They ask that as many residents pop in as possible to contribute their thoughts to how the money could be best spent. 

Of the projects flagged by Esh residents, the only project currently eligible to receive the funding is the renovation of the children's play area but the AAP are keen to hear what we might like to see developed on the site. They are also working together with the two village schools to collect their views. Further funds to support and maintain the project are in the pipeline and one of the objectives of the October meetings will be ask for residents' input into how Durham County Council shapes their budget allocation in the coming years. 

For more information, please see the village noticeboard, or contact the AAP team at mdaap@durham.gov.uk or telephone them on 01207 529085/ 529844.