Essentials Mag February 2016 Bangor

MAG FEBRUA RY 20 16 • DELIVERED FREE

YOUR MONTHLY INSIGHT INTO LOC AL LIVING COVERING BANGOR ON DEE, OVERTON, CROSS LANES AND SURROUNDING AREA S

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AT A GLANCE Text

NOT JUST FOR GIRLS

Careers Fair for women at North Wales Prison

POLICE ADVICE

Community Speed Watch (CSW) launch

JOIN THE BROWNIES

Spaces at 1st Overton-onDee for girls aged 7-10

HEDGE CUTTING Cut your hedges before the nesting season begins from March to August

MARCHWIEL VILLAGE HALL Grand Opening

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essentialsMAG www.essentialsmag.co.uk DISCLAIMER

The opinions and views expressed in articles and advertisements published in this issue of essentialsMAG are not necessarily the views held by the editors All facts and figures are correct at time of going to press Whilst every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in this publication, we cannot accept any responsibility for any error or omissions that may have occurred Registration No. 08947483 Printed by EWS Colourprint www.ewsprint.co.uk 01244 545 829 Design & Layout by Victoria Lee www.victorialee.uk.com Front cover image of a field of Mayflowers

by Rev Frederick Hugh Linn

GRAND SALE! CLOSING DOWN FOREVER

£500,000 STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE DISPOSAL

A unique range of quality lounge, dining, bedroom & occasional furniture & accessories from G Plan, Buoyant, Morris, Cintique, Wade, Sutcliffe, Old Charm, Gallery, TCS,Ultra, Furniture Link, Old Charm, Gallery, Parker Knoll, Vale, Gola, Yeoman, Stuart Jones, Welcome, Rossmore, Ambercraft, Kingtown, Berry's, Julian Bowen, Alstons, Sherborne, Limelight, Gainsborough, Gardi, Call Salotti, Sleepwell by Kelcol, etc..

It's been a privilege to serve so many special customers since the company was founded back in the 1890's by my great-grandparents, and we'd like to thank you for your valued custom. Now, I have decided to retire from the retail furniture business and we will therefore close down our Gwersyllt, Wrexham showroom. We must clear the entire stock without delay and so will hold the greatest furniture sale ever seen in the area. The showrooms are presently closed to reduce prices and prepare for the launch of our £500,000 CLOSING DOWN FOREVER SALE!

MASSIVE 3 DAY PUBLIC SALE! STARTS FRIDAY 12th FEB at 10 AM

PRICES WILL BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED! THIS IS OUR BIGGEST SALE EVER! ALL GOODS WILL BE CLEARLY MARKED FOR SALE ON A FIRST CLAIM BASIS. EVERYTHING .. INCLUDING NEW FACTORY ORDERS ..WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU WITH BIGGER SAVINGS THAN EVER IN OUR HISTORY! We must urgently sell off all of our stock including: Suites (fabric & leather), sofas, armchairs, recliners, (traditional & modern), dining sets, sideboards, bookcases, desks, wardrobes, chests, beds, mattresses, headboards, sofa beds, coffee tables, TV/HiFi units, mirrors, etc, etc...

Absolutely Everything Must Be Sold Out a.s.a.p!

PARRY'S SPECIAL EVENT HOURS Fri 12th Feb 10 -6 / Sat 13th Feb 10 -6 / Sun 14th Feb 11 -4

© GR 2016

RETAIL FURNITURE WAREHOUSE

MOLD ROAD TRADING ESTATE, MOLD ROAD, GWERSYLLT, WREXHAM LL11 4AQ

SHOWROOMS CLOSED WHILE WE COMPLETE ALL SALE PREPARATIONS

Telephone 01244 571602 email jill@essentialsmag.co.uk

Welcome

editor’s LETTER Well I've survived January and now just need to get through February and March before I see the start of some bright, cheerful and hopefully warmer weather.

A lovely young lady called Eve wrote to me this month about her local brownies group and asked if I could help them advertise their group in Overton. I have fond members of the brownies as a child, especially being picked up by my grandparents afterwards and being treated to a bag of chips on the way home! It was great fun, we played lots of games, met new local friends and learned a lot too. So look out for Eve's page on the brownies and go and give it a go.

I think I'm too old now, but only just!

But thankfully I'm not too old or forgetful in the main, and specifically remember my complaints of hedges being cut during the nesting season of April to August last year, and my pleas to help nurture wildlife. So please remember to cut

your hedges before the end of March and then not to touch them until the end of August. I did notice a local farm doing their hedge cutting last month, taking advantage of the mild weather and showing respect for the local wildlife.

That made me very happy!

What with me jumping on the 'cut your hedges at the right time', band wagon and Lynne, our local police getting grumpy about dog poo in the local area, you'll be pleased to hear it's not all doom and gloom this month. Indeed there is a lot to look forward too as you will see; including the kind invitation I had to the opening of the newly refurbished Marchwiel Village Hall. What a transformation into a light and airy modern and functional space. I wish it many years of success and hope that it will indeed be used a lot.

Have a great month of February, don't forget Valentine's Day and look out for those daffodils.

All the best, Jill

Commercial,Agricultural & Equestrian Insurance Unit 2a Hampton Industrial Estate Hampton Malpas Cheshire SY14 8LU t 01948 820000 m 07803 195712 e jane@janechewins.co.uk w www.janechewins.co.uk

The Kitchen Makeover Workshop Telephone: 01978 780113 Mobile: 07703 422416 Email: dianegdavies@btinternet.com Upcycle your Kitchen Units For a fraction of the price of a new kitchen We can paint your kitchen units in a colour of your choice, supply and fix new worktops, wall tiles and flooring giving a complete kitchen makeover.

Give your kitchen an updated look without a hefty price tag.

Michael G Lamb Painter & Decorator mldecorators@yahoo.co.uk

ML Decorators Home: 01978 780 036 Mobile: 07484 625 821 Smithy Cottage, Whitchurch Road, Bangor-on-Dee LL13 0AY See my customer reviews on: www.yell.com

Wrexham News

Local Development Plan Wrexham Local Development Plan 2013 - 2028

Wrexham County Borough Council is in the process of preparing the Local Development Plan (LDP) which will replace the current adopted Unitary Development Plan. The LDP is focused on achieving sustainable development and will provide a long-term strategy for land use and development in the County Borough throughout the plan period.

The LDP will:

• Guide development for housing, employment, retail and other uses; • Set out policies that will be used to decide planning applications; and • Safeguard areas of land requiring protection or enhancement.

As part of the development plan process the Council is preparing a Preferred Strategy Document. The Preferred Strategy will set out the strategic approach to managing growth and development with Wrexham County Borough and will indicate the levels of growth that need to be accommodated and the strategic locations where new growth will be directed.

In addition the Preferred Strategy will set out the general policy approach towards meeting the following themes: • • • • • •

A prosperous Wrexham; A resilient Wrexham; A healthier Wrexham; A more equal Wrexham; A Wrexham of cohesive communities; A Wrexham of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language; • A globally responsive Wrexham.

A seven week public consultation on the Preferred Strategy is planned from Friday 12th February 2016 to Friday 1st April 2016.

It represents an opportunity for everyone in the Wrexham area and beyond to think about how the places people live, work, learn and visit should develop in the County Borough over the Plan period.

If you want to know more about this consultation including dates of public drop-in events, view copies of the relevant documents and provide comments on the Preferred Strategy please visit the LDP website at: www.wrexham.gov.uk/ldp.

Terry Davies

A sparkling little Sunbeam

Watching a motoring programme on T.V. the other day, I was simply amazed at the millions of pounds some people are prepared, and even able, to pay for certain vintage and classic cars. I was also pretty impressed by the lady who bought the famous 1930 ex- Barnato ‘Blue Train’ Bentley for her husband’s 50th. birthday at a cost of a cool £350,000! Then there was the man who had a long list of vintage cars in his collection- and a Sunbeam Stiletto! A bit of a contrast that!

Mind you, the little Sunbeam Stiletto coupé of the ‘60s was a stunner. It was one of the Rootes Group’s Hillman Imp derivatives, such as the Super Imp and the Singer Chamois, but it looked far sexier than the others, with its vinyl covered roof, four headlamps and stylish wheel trims. It was also a bit nippier to, as the 875 c.c., four cylinder, overhead camshaft rear mounted engine ( derived from the Coventry Climax racing engine) was fitted with twin Stromberg carburetters, which produced 55bhp, giving it a top speed of 90mph, acceleration to 60mph in 11 seconds, and the ability to exceed 40mpg with ease. With its light controls

and precise steering and handling due to its all-independent suspension, it really was a delight to drive- and the ladies loved it! Its feminine charm could be traced back to1888 when John Marston founded a company to produce bicycles.

He showed one of his shiny new ‘bikes‘ to his wife, and she was charmed by the sunshine sparkling on the frame. ‘Call your company Sunbeam’ she said- and he did! Then in the ‘50s, Pat Moss (Stirling’s sister) had many rally successes with the Sunbeam Talbot 90 and Sunbeam Alpine, so when the Rootes Group decided to call their Sunbeam, ‘Stiletto’, emphasising its femininity with visions of fashionable high heeled shoes, the aura was complete.

In 1968 it cost £794-6s-1d, which was a very reasonable price for such a stylish model. A smart young lady I knew at the time already had a charming little Riley Elf, but simply yearned for a Sunbeam Stiletto.

“Oh, it’s such a chic little model.” she used to say. Come to think of it, so was she!

Fiat Panda Hatchback 1.2 Easy 5dr Personal lease from £103.84 incl VAT per month (36 months) Initial payment: £311.52 incl VAT

Viv Lavis Jones

Bangor on Dee History Penny Readings ' To improve the mind' During the nineteenth century in Victorian England there was a great thirst for knowledge and many people had a desire to learn about such things as politics, poetry, history and religion and there was a movement to educate people from all walks of life and social classes to 'improve the mind'. Many towns and villages like Overton built Reading Institutes or Reading Rooms for cultural and educational activities, run by committees made up usually of local people, where the general public could read newspapers, magazines and have access to books.

In towns eminent speakers were invited to give talks on their specialist subject and members paid an annual fee, which gave them the use of a library and other facilities such as perhaps a games room or even a music room. In small villages such as Bangor or Overton in place of eminent speakers local people such as Harold Lees of Pickhill or Ambrose Sutton of Althrey would read a chapter of a special book, recite their favourite poem, play the piano or sing a song. These meetings were often held each week in towns but every two weeks or monthly in smaller communities with the charge to the public being one penny, hence they became known as the 'penny readings'.

The first penny reading in Bangor was held in the girl's schoolroom in 1868 and was instituted by the Rev. JF Harris, curate of Bangor and soon proved very popular. The sixth meeting took place in the Girls School the first week in January the following year

when there was a very good attendance.

The chairman for the evening was Dr Price and the programme for the evening's entertainment commenced with singing

by Mr Batterbee and Mr E Jones of Malpas followed by a reading given by Mr Morris of Worthenbury and then a piano recital by Miss McGill, the rector's daughter. Others who contributed to the evening's entertainment included Mr Wharton, Miss Danily and Mr Johnson who gave a reading of Macbeth's soliloquy. At the conclusion of the evening the chairman entertained those people who had contributed to the evening's programme to a supper at the Star Inn.

Two weeks later the schoolroom was crowded for another penny reading when the chairman was Mr Ambrose Sutton and again the programme of a mixture of readings, music and song entertained the audience. The meetings became monthly and when education became compulsory the penny readings were gradually phased out. When they finally ceased is not known , but, if they had not already ceased, they would have been yet another casualty of the First World War.

Come and Join

1st Overton-on-Dee Brownies JOIN 1ST OVERTON-ON-DEE BROWNIES! Monday 5.45pm - 7pm Overton-on-Dee Scout Hut All 7-10 year old girls welcome Play games, go on trips and do fun activities! Contact Sunny Owl if you’re interested on: 07947 614 530

If you do and you’re a 7 - 10 year old girl then you should be coming to Overton Brownies! Every Monday evening we meet to play games, do activities and have fun amongst a friendly group of girls.

Do you want to make new friends? Do cool activities? Learn new skills?

When you join Brownies you’ll have the chance to talk to other girls your age and make your promise. When you’ve completed your promise we will hold a special ceremony for you and then you can start earning your badges! We complete some badges at our meetings, like artist, cook, cultures and hostess, but you can also do them on your own or at school, like cyclist, swimmer, or book lover.

When we do our badges we have lots of fun sessions where we do some baking, some painting, or go outside to see what we can discover. Sometimes we’ll even go on trips out, maybe to the theatre or to meet with other Brownie groups, where you can meet even more new people! Once we even went to Cardiff to have a massive sleepover with hundreds of other Brownies at the Millenium Stadium.

So, if you’re interested, pop into the Scout hut on a Monday night at 5.45pm to see what we’ve got going on!

Even bring your friends, the more the merrier!

Eve Barber

NEW WREXHAM BEDSTORE NOW OPEN!

We are open 7 days a week, Mon- Fri: 9-5pm, Sat: 9-4pm, Closed on Sunday The Carpet & Bed Warehouse Wrexham, 36 - 39 Chester Street, Wrexham LL13 8AH Telephone: 01978 291500 www.thecarpetwarehousewrexham.co.uk

Wrexham News

New Displays Unveiled Local school children attended Wrexham County Borough Museum this morning to unveil their new Community Case Displays.

The local schools: • St Christopher's School • Bwlchgwyn Community Primary School • St Chad's Church in Wales • Barker's Lane County Primary Schools • Brynteg Community Primary School • Ysgol Cefn Mawr The schools created their own displays of ‘shops’ with objects taken from the museum's collection.

Each school chose their own theme which consists of sports, electricals, men's outfitters, shoes, toys and newsagents.

The pupils themselves decided on what information should be written on the museum labels and undertook further research on their chosen objects which has been included in an information booklet to be given to visitors.

Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, Cllr Hugh Jones, said: "This has been a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to view behind the scenes of a museum and to see what actually goes into making a display. Well done to everyone involved."

Eleri Farley, Assistant Learning and Access Officer who helped the children throughout the process, said: "All the schools involved have worked well to produce new displays for our community cases. I would like to thank them all for their hard work and encourage everyone to come and see the results of their work."

The community case displays are changed annually.

Police Advice I would firstly like to introduce and welcome our new member of the team here at Overton Station. His name is PCSO 3020 Mike Simister and he has replaced PCSO Robina Ahmed who has moved up to the Brymbo area. Mike is a well-respected team member and has been a PCSO in Brymbo and surrounding areas for over three years now, so he is very experienced and proactive. He will be an asset to the area.

Now, onto a not so nice subject, DOG FOULING. It has been brought to my attention once more, that the dog fouling issues are still around and seem to be getting worse again. The top of Elwyn Drive, Marchwiel, has been mentioned together with other areas of the village, the riverside footpath in Bangor on Dee is apparently disgusting, and also outside the school in Overton. This is unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated. Anyone who sees this happening please contact Environmental Officers at Wrexham Council on 01978 292040 / 298989 and report this ASAP. It is everybody’s responsibility to keep the villages clean and tidy and to consider other persons using the pavements. So PLEASE DO IT – NOW! This offence carries a fine of £75.

Community Speed Watch (CSW)

This is an opportunity for members of the public, with the assistance of North Wales Police, to form a Community Speed Watch (CSW) group to monitor the speed of vehicles where and when they perceive there is a problem. A CSW group will comprise of six to ten people aged 18 or over who’s activities will be co-ordinated by a Police Volunteer CSW Co-ordinator. The group will conduct two hour sessions of speed monitoring at a time. The make, colour and registration numbers of vehicles exceeding the limit will be noted by the group and passed to the Volunteer CSW coordinator at the end of the session. The coordinator will then forward the details to the Police. North Wales Police will write to the registered keepers for the vehicles and retain a database. This will allow for further police intervention in the event of recurring letters being sent to the same individual/s.

How do I join or form a group? If anyone would like to join and become a Police Volunteer Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator please contact CSW@nthwales.pnn.police.uk.

I have received a poster which I will put in all the village notice boards if anyone is interested. Otherwise call in and see us.

CONTACT NUMBERS PCSO 0151 Lynne Maurice Blackberry 07854 352 815 PCSO 2858 Phil Jones Mobile 07854 389056 PCSO 3020 Mike Simister Mobile 07880 156956 Overton, Hanmer, Bettisfield, Horeseman’s, Green & Penley Overton Police Station 01978 348 425 CALL 101 which is a 24 hour number for non emergency calls ie. threatening and abusive behaviour, drunk and rowdy groups, drug related anti-social behaviour.

Linda Hallett

BSc(Hons) Acupuncture RGN RHV

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine PAIN RELIEF: INFERTILITY: STRESS:

Back Pain, Joints, Sports Injuries, Migraine, Muscular Pains etc...

Period problems, PMS, Menopause, PCOS Anxiety, Depression, Post Natal Depression.

I.B.S, Chrone's, Parkinson's, ME, Fibromyalgia

Conditions with no Western diagnosis

Clinic Open Tues, Thurs-Sat 9am to 6pm 07599 813077 / 01948 830277 www.hanmerholistichealing.com hanmerholistichealing@gmail.com

Finance News with Hadlow Edwards

Time in, not timing is the key to investing For stock market investors 2016 has been a grim time with the news that markets were in ‘bear market’ territory - a drop of 20% since the last peak especially painful.

It’s the sort of news that provides the perfect ammunition for those who argue that investing is a fool’s game, and that a savings account paying 0.7% interest a year is much better.

It also tempts people to try and ‘time’ the market, that is, try and get in and out of investments at the right time to consolidate a gain or buy at a cheaper price. Statistics don’t necessarily back that point of view and when it comes to investments, doing nothing is often best. The sharpest falls and the largest gains are quite often concentrated in short periods of time and if you try to time the market to avoid the falls you are highly likely to miss the gains.

Let’s say you put £10,000 in the FTSE allshare index in July 1995, in 20 years’ time it would have been worth £42,534. But if you had tried to time the market and missed the best 10 days it would be worth £23,016 and missing the best 20 days would have brought it down to £15,915. In fact if you missed the best 40 days the value would be £7,708 – source: Financial Express, Analytics data as at 31st July 2015.

Missing the best days in the market can

Warren Hadlow

Medwyn Edwards

therefore have a substantial effect on your overall return. With the best days following quite swiftly on the bad days it’s better to stay in, and close your eyes than worry about getting out of the market before it falls further. In fact the opposite should be the case and take the opportunity to go in to the market.

Despite the recent falls in the market longer term investors have made much better returns than savers if they hold for the longer term and trying to get in and out at the right time can go very wrong. As it says at the top, its time in the market not timing that is the key to investing.

Source: FTSE International Limited (“FTSE”) © FTSE 2016. “FTSE®” is a trade mark of the London Stock Exchange Group companies and is used by FTSE International Limited under licence. All rights in the FTSE indices and / or FTSE ratings vest in FTSE and/or its licensors. Neither FTSE nor its licensors accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the FTSE indices and / or FTSE ratings or underlying data. No further distribution of FTSE Data is permitted without FTSE's express written consent.

Please be aware that past performance is not indicative of future performance. The value of an investment with St. James's Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested. Equities do not have the security of capital which is characteristic of a deposit with a bank or building society.

Contributed by Warren Hadlow & Medwyn Edwards, Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management Limited.

Telephone: 01978 311 611 - e-mail: hadlow.edwards@sjpp.co.uk Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management Limited represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products

Retirement Planning Specialist Tax Planning

Investment Planning

Mortgages

At Hadlow Edwards we offer a distinctive approach to our clients and their financial affairs. You get all the benefits of personal attention and years of experience from an approachable, friendly team of professionals. We take care of the details and take away the frustration of financial planning.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

63 - 65 Regent Street, Wrexham LL11 1PF

Telephone: 01978 311 611 Fax: 01978 311 633 email: hadlow.edwards@sjpp.co.uk www.hadlowedwards.co.uk

Hedgerow Maintenance

Advice on Hedge Cutting Trimming is the commonest form of hedgerow maintenance. When undertaken correctly, trimming is an efficient form of management.

However excessive trimming has been linked with hedgerow dieback and annual trimming greatly reduces the availability of food resources for wildlife. To ensure the continued health of hedgerows and to enhance their wildlife value it is recommended that trimming is undertaken in accordance with the following guidelines.

1. Where possible, avoid trimming annually. Trimming every two or three years can be cheaper and is better for the long term health of the hedge.

There is often no good reason for annual cutting other than 'tidiness'. Most hedgerow plants fruit and flower more freely on two or three year old wood.

Cutting more frequently than this greatly restricts the availability of food resources for wildlife and has been linked to hedgerow decline.

2. Where a hedge has to be trimmed annually, consider whether the whole hedge needs trimming or whether the top or one or more sides can be cut less frequently. For example, a roadside hedge is likely to require annual trimming, however the field side and possibly the top could be managed every other year.

3. Never cut hedgerows during the nesting season (March to August).

Late winter, avoiding periods of very hard frost, are the best months for hedge trimming. All wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law. You are liable to contravene the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) if you cut during the bird nesting season. Farmers participating in agri-environment

schemes or in receipt of Less Favoured Area payments are not permitted to trim hedges between 1st March and 31st July. Delay cutting until late winter (January & February) to leave fruit and nuts for wildlife. If it is not possible to get on the field at this time of year, trimming can be brought forward to early winter.

4. The shape to which a hedge is cut is of less importance to wildlife than the size at which it is maintained, however, there are advantages to cutting hedges with sloping sides. Hedges cut into an A, flat topped A or cut with a chamfered top are able to shed heavy snow falls.

These are less likely to be damaged than parallel sided hedges. They also allow more light to reach the lower sections of the hedge helping to keep the base dense.

5. Plant any gaps in the hedge with native species using shrubs such as blackthorn, and holly with the occasional crab apple and hazel.

This provides alternative food sources for wildlife. Holly is the best option where shading from adjacent plants is likely to be an issue.

To obtain further advice on this issue please contact the Housing and Public Protection Department: Telephone: 01978 298989 Email: contact-us@wrexham.gov.uk

MALPAS FABRIC ARTS GROUP

Patchwork & Quilting Exhibition High Street Church, Malpas Frida ay & Saturda ay, 18-19th March 2016 10am³4pm m

Entrance Fee £3.00 Includes Prize Draw

Donation to Air ir Ambu ulance lanc lance

Wrexham News

Sign up to Alert System

Wrexham Residents are advised to take advantage of a council alerts system as poor weather looks set to impact on a number of services. People living and

working in Wrexham are encouraged to sign up to Wrexham County Borough Council’s email updates alerts system, which will help them stay ahead of changes to scheduled services - including school closures and gritting action, as poor weather approaches.

The service allows residents and council service users to sign up for a number of useful and important alerts, which can advise customers on changes to services such as bin collections, severe weather, school closures and upcoming planning applications, as well as providing regular updates on council social media activity.

Customers can sign up to alerts in English and Welsh and subscribe to topics which they feel would be important or useful to them. To sign up, simply visit: www.wrexham.gov.uk/register and enter your e-mail address.

Cllr Bob Dutton, Lead Member for Corporate Services and Health & Safety, said: “It is very important to us that wherever possible, residents are kept up-to-date with any changes to all council services, so that we can keep any possible disruption to a minimum. As such, we urge all residents to get connected with our update service and keep themselves one step ahead of any changes to services which may affect them.”

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La Murette & Overton Twinning Association

Evening Buffet with Wine Tasting

La Murette and Overton Twinning Association present their famous Evening Buffet with Wine Tasting SATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2016 AT 7PM FOR 7.30PM OVERTON SCOUT HUT

Join us for a gourmet evening with delicious home-made food and a Wine-Tasting challenge. No need to be a wine buff, it's all great sociable fun. You just try to guess which wine goes with which provided written description. All wines come from different regions of France.

Tickets cost ÂŁ10pp and are available from Cath Starkey 710233; Georgina Mason 710486 or from anyone active in the Twinning.

Everyone most welcome but numbers are limited so it's first come first served!

PLUMBING, HEATING & RENEWABLES Local family firm with 30 years experience

Timber Direct Ltd Fencing & more at competitive prices

10 year parts and labour warranty for new boiler Longest warranty from any local company

No job too big or small Boiler installation, service and repair • Plumbing repairs • Landlord certificates • Renewable energy installation GAS, OIL, LPG, SOLID FUEL

www.awrenewables.co.uk Tel: 01978 806075 • 07860 563827 We will beat any like for like written quotation

Decking Fencing Sleepers Gates For all enquiries please ring:

01978 710802 Overton Sawmills, Lightwood Green industrial Estate, Overton on Dee, Wrexham

Essentials Mailbox

Overton Amateur Dramatics Hi Jill.

Sending you the photo of the cast of ‘See How They Run’, our November production for you to share with your readers.

Stephen Sorfleet

Maelor Music Society Hello Jill, Here is the Maelor Music Society’s current programme. To subscribe and to get further details ring 01948 770633 or 770394. Or just turn up on the night.

Five concerts £37 or £10 each concert on the door.

All concerts take place in the Maelor School Hall on Wednesdays at 7.30pm.

February 3rd 2016 - Rhos Male Voice Choir the ever-popular local choir. Not to be missed!

February 24th 2016 - Anne-Laure Lasseaux French pianist on her first visit to Penley.

March 16th 2016 - The Galliard Ensemble Wind Quintet. Former BBC New Generation Artists who have played in the Wigmore Hall, the Bridgewater Hall and many other venues both at home and abroad.

May 18th 2016 - AGM at the Hanmer Arms July 2016 Summer Supper Evening (separate charge) with the best talent from the Music Department of the Maelor School.

Georgina Mason

If you have a comment about any local news/information please email: jill@essentialsmag.co.uk

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Marchwiel Village Hall

Grand Opening Marchwiel Village Hall formally Piercy hall, has successfully obtained grants totalling £370,000 from Big Lottery, Wren and Cory’s. These funds have allowed the hall to have a wide-ranging redesign and modernisation. The principal to the design is to the old entrance, this has been bought to the front of the hall allowing a more appealing entrance and foyer. Other new features have been added or enhanced such as new toilets with an up-to-date disabled toilet. The kitchen and bar has been relocated, allowing a new seating area to be added within the bar area, the kitchen is totally new with new ovens and cooker hobs and more work surface allowing for larger events to be catered for such as the lunch club.

The main hall has had a fantastic makeover with the ceiling being removed, extra windows being added allowing more light to flood the hall. With the bar area being removed from the rear of the hall this has allowed another seating area to be added further enhancing the main hall area.

Next, the stage area has been removed allowing this area to become a smaller meeting allowing smaller groups to hire just this area, giving the hall more options for hiring and holding larger events. With all this going on we manage to purchase more heating and lighting throughout the hall.

We also succeeded in obtaining several Smaller Grants such as from Williams Family Foundation, Asda (Carrier Bag Fund) Trafford Hall to name just a few. These extra funds have allowed us to install separate hearing loops for the main hall and the main meeting room. Smaller equipment was also able to be purchased, such as new cinema equipment, new notice boards, more chairs & tables. An enhance front allowing us to plant these areas with plants so creating a village hall to be proud of.

My thanks go to all members of the community who helped us with the shutting down of the old hall and then reinstalling the items back into the New Village Hall.

Fitting and installing all the new equipment and many other issues that we came across allowing the hall to be opened on time and budget.

Mr Gary K Sage Chairman of Marchwiel Village Hall Management Committee

Ysgol Sant Dunawd

Become a School Governor?

Ysgol Sant Dunawd in Bangor-on-Dee has a vacant Community Governor position and would like to give you the chance to make an important contribution to your local school.

Governing Bodies are accountable for the strategic direction of their school and for the quality of education provided. The Governing Body consists of parents, teachers, support staff, Local Authority representatives and members of the community and meets at least 5 times per year.

If you have an interest in education, have time to commit as a volunteer, willing to learn and welcome being part of a team then please consider this position.

If you are interested in becoming a Community Governor then please send a written expression of interest of approximately 150 words stating why you are interested in the position and how your skills, attributes and experiences will help Ysgol Sant Dunawd’s Governing Body.

Your expression of interest should be emailed to: Timothy.Burke@wrexham.gov.uk Or, alternatively it can be posted to: Timothy Burke, Governor Support Team Wrexham County Borough Council 3rd Floor Lambpit Street Wrexham LL11 1AR Applications must be received on or before: Monday 15th February 2016.

Wrexham News

Not Just for Boys

A Careers Fair for women and girls looking to get in to the construction industry will take place at the North Wales Prison Site. The event, entitled ‘Not Just for Boys’ will give participants the chance to chat with representatives from organisations and role models within the industry; find out how to build a career in the construction sector and discover a range of careers they may not normally have considered.

When?

18th February 2016 Drop in between 12:30 - 3:30pm Where?

North Wales Prison Site Wrexham Industrial Estate, Bridge Road South, Wrexham, CF5 6XB. What to expect: • Chat with organisations and role models from the industry sectors; • Find out how to build a career within the industry sectors; • Book a construction site tour of North Wales Prison; • Discover a range of exciting careers that you might not have considered.

This event will be opened by: Professor Julie Williams CBE, Chief Scientific Officer, Welsh Government.

To book your place please contact Anne Howells anne.howells@chwaraeteg.com Tel: 029 2047 8900 www.cteg.org.uk/not-just-for-boys-2016

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Overton Village Hall

Blues Roots and Rock'n'Roll 2016

After the success of last years festival we are pleased to announce the date for 2016 and also our headline acts who will be complimented by some fantastic local and national bands. all combined with a good selection of local real ales. Put it in your diary!

Friday and Saturday 6th and 7th May 2016 at Overton Village Hall.

Three of the bands not to be missed are: Jo Harman and Company Jo is a stunning young lady with an amazing soulful voice and who has rocketed to the top of the UK blues world in the last few years. She is destined for great things having recently appeared at the London Blues Festival at The O2 Arena alongside Tom Jones and Van Morrison.. Very lucky indeed to have her appear at The Overton festival Leo "Bud" Welch 83 year old guitarist Leo is one of the last of the original old Mississippi blues men

and this will be his UK festival debut. An amazing character and fabulous entertainer, he will be appearing with his Mississippi drummer girl, Dixie Street.

The Revolutionaires Good old fashioned 50s style Rock'n'Roll and R'n'B from one of the UK's favourite festival bands. Twanging guitars, blaring saxophones and great vocals guarantee to get your feet moving. Will finish off the night in style.

"The Blues Band" are coming back to play at Overton Village Hall on Friday February 19th, 8pm doors for a 9pm show. They have told us that they regard it to be their favourite venue in North Wales. The lineup is still the same with Paul Jones (ex Manfred Mann) vocals and harmonica, Tom McGuinness (ex Manfred Mann and McGuinness Flint) guitar, Dave Kelly (Britain's top blues guitarist) Rob Townsend drums (ex Family) and Gary Fletcher on bass guitar. Tickets are ÂŁ22 from the Corner Shop in Overton or by ringing Pete Evans on 01948 770215.

Celebrate this Mothering Sunday Sunday 6th March 2016 The perfect setting to spoil your mum!

3 course lunch ÂŁ23.50 per person 2 course lunch ÂŁ19.95 per person

Easter Sunday

Sunday 27th March 2016 The perfect setting to relax this Easter Sunday!

Enjoy our traditional carvery.

The Inn at The Lanes Cross Lanes Hotel & Country Inn Bangor Road, Wrexham

Tel: 01978 780555 www.crosslanes.co.uk

Essentials NOTICEBOARD

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more information

Please contact Clare, Jo or Pam Pam at y our local Homeyour Home-Start Start to find out how we we can use your your skills and experience to support vulnerable families in Wrexham el : 01978 366660 36 or m moreTTel information bout bou Home-Start visit: HomeStart County Borough of Wrexha Home-Start Wrexham www.home-start.org.uk www Salvation Army Building R oad 068 63 68, Road orr freephone fre Garden0800 r contact your Wrexham local Home-Start: co Rhosddu, Start LL11 2NU

R Registered egistered charity no. 1105325

Holt Flower Club

Produced UK, a limited by company 5382181. ch it i

Marchwiel Photographic Club Marchwiel Photographic Club, currently one of the leading photographic clubs in North Wales, are mounting an exhibition of their members photographs.

by Homecompany gu no.

Registered England

Holt Flower Club hold their meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (except August & December)

We have a Free Meeting in March which I hope would be of interest to more people.

Coffee Morning Overton On Dee WI

They will be hung in the gallery of Wrexham Library throughout February of this year.

We are holding our annual Coffee Morning on the 5th March at Overton On Dee Parish Hall at 10:30am

Further information on the Club can be accessed on their website:

We will have our usual Cake Stall, Tombola and raffle.

www.marchwielphotographicclub.co.uk

£1.00 entrance fee includes a coffee.

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Text Many health benefits ÂŁ5 per session BEGINNER QI GONG CLASS

Thursday evenings 7.30pm-9pm Penley Rainbow Centre Further details Linda 07599813077 Text www.hanmerholistichealing.com 0DHORU %HOOHV :,

February 12th Meeting

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7.15pm for a 7.30pm start @ Rainbow Centre Penley

Marchwiel Church events in February 2016 Please join us in the North Aisle on: Crochet Masterclass! Learn to Crochet its easy and fun. The NFWI is a founding member of The Climate Coalition (TCC), a group of over 100 organisations and over 15 million people working for action on climate change. One of the TCC core campaigns is IRFXVVHG DURXQG 9DOHQWLQH V 'D\ DQG LV FDOOHG )RU WKH /RYH 2IÂŤ 7KLV FDPSDLJQ aims to show people that climate change is affecting the things in their life that they love, such as chocolate, bees, and beaches, and it asks people to wear and share green hearts to show that they would like to see action on climate change.

During the evening we will look at Valentine's origins, traditions and fun facts.

If you want to contribute in anyway feel free.

Competition - Bring along a Heart!

Years Membership from February is ÂŁ37.50

Tuesday 2nd Coffee Morning 10am - 12 noon, admission free.

Tuesday 9th Pancake Coffee Morning Special 10.30am - 12.30pm ÂŁ2 for a drink, pancakes and a chat

Visitor ÂŁ5 For more information Website: www.maelorbelleswi.wix.com/maelorbelleswi Email: maelorbelleswi@gmail.com

Tues. 16th Coffee Morning admission free.

Facebook: Maelor BellesWI Tel: Mrs Cupit President 07926572394

Volunteers Needed Could you...

Support families under stress with children aged 5-11yrs?

WORTHENBURY WI Worthenbury W.I. will meet on Tuesday 9th February at 7.15pm in the Village Hall.

Have 2-3 hours a week to spare?

Attend our training sessions to develop your skills?

If the answer to the above is YES and you would like to find out more and join our team then please contact Mary or Julia on 01978 366115

Tallarn Green Chapel Quiz Teams up to 4 people

February 19th at 7.30pm Tallarn Green Village Hall ÂŁ5 per head, includes refreshments To reserve a table call: 01948 830249

The speaker will be Mr David Culshaw on the art of Beekeeping.

Visitors welcome.

The March meeting will be on Tuesday 8th March when Mr William Witter will talk about the Antique trade, and we invite you to bring an item to be valued and find out what is the next collectable.

Wrexham News

Kids Take Over Day

Kids Take Over Day at Wrexham Library and Wrexham Family Information Service.

Young people aged between 10 - 12 (years 6, 7 and 8) are invited to apply to take over Wrexham Library for the day on Tuesday 16 February.

The kids take over day is organised by museums, galleries, arts organisations, archives and heritage services across the UK who welcome young people to run their service for the day. In Wrexham young people can apply by letter for the following positions at the library: • • • • •

Caretaker, Reference Librarian Library Assistants x 2, Early Years Librarian, Businessline Librarian Information Assistant

Those interested should send their letter stating what position they are interested in to: Mrs Shan Cooper, Wrexham Library, Rhosddu Road, Wrexham LL11 1A

For further information contact Wrexham Library on 01978 292090 or email library@wrexham.gov.uk If you are interested in the Information Assistant position please send your letter to Alma Belles, Family Information Service, Wrexham Library, Rhosddu Road, Wrexham LL11 1AU

Or telephone 01978 292094, email fis@wrexham.gov.uk.

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“My life should be filled with wonder, discoveries and adventure. Take me outside.

Let me get to know and love nature. I will remind you what it’s like to see with a child’s eyes and an open heart.”

For further information about the wonderful Little Scholars Nursery and to check availability for your child contact BECCA or CATRIN on 01978 314 912.

Little Scholars Day Nursery The Centre for the Child Glynd r University Mold Road Wrexham LL11 2AW