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!