New Ferry Village Hall & Windsor Close Community Centre Annual Report 2011/12

New Ferry Village Hall & Windsor Close Community Centre

ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - 2012

New Ferry Village Hall Grove Street New Ferry Wirral CH62 5BA Tel: 0151 643 1393 Windsor Close Community Centre Windsor Close New Ferry Wirral CH62 5BZ Tel: 0151 643 1393 Charity Number 1000019

New Ferry Village Hall Community Association Our aims are as follows:-

• to support and encourage the development of a wide range of community based activities.

• to ensure the Centre is managed for the benefit of the local community.

• to ensure that all services are accessible to all sections of the community without discrimination.

• to provide equal opportunities in all services.

Chair’s Report The year saw the completion of the refurbishment of both the Village Hall and Windsor Close. On the completion of the Windsor Close refurbishment we held a very successful re-launch with many club members attending, our friends from the Police and the Fire Service in attendance, as well as senior managers from Wirral Partnership Homes who now own the building.

The Windsor Close refurbishment has been appreciated by all the Centre’s users and it goes to show you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!!!

The Community Rooms at the Village Hall were refurbished and we await the work to be completed as part of the asset transfer process as it will see new furniture and a new carpet being installed.

The Delamere Centre had been financially managed by the JMC for a number of years although none of the groups were part of the JMC. As part of Asset Transfer we transferred the funds we were holding for it to the Council for them to manage.

The year also saw the sad loss of Sam Cant our Vice Chair. Sam was a staunch supporter of the Hall and Windsor Close for many years and was a stalwart of our NFGR Table Tennis Club as well as being the Bingo Caller for the Community Bingo.

Pam our cleaner at the Hall and Doris our cleaner at Windsor Close both retired and were replaced

by Karl our new Cleaner/Caretaker.

I would also like to thank all the members of the JMC and C/A for their work and their support for the past year.

The JMC were successful in an application for a grant for a new laptop, projector and two automatic projector screens – one for Windsor Close and one for the Community Rooms at the Hall.

Asset Transfer stalled during the year with uncertainty as to whether the funds would be available to bring the Village Hall up to scratch and ‘fit for purpose’. After many months of waiting it is back on track and there have been a string of contractors visiting to re-price jobs as the figures were two years old. The hard work of organising the myriad of repairs and upgrades required to make the Hall 'fit for purpose' will have to be planned to cause the minimum of disruption to Hall users.

Inevitably there will be disruption and there will have to be closure of the Hall on a short term basis whilst things such as the Hall strip lights are changed, the kitchen replaced, the store room wall rebuilt and the Ambi-Rad Hall heaters replaced.

The JMC will endeavour to keep this disruption to a minimum to ensure that the Hall is only closed for the minimum possible time.

Hall users will have noticed that our Treasurer, Margaret Price, and I have been taking on a more ‘hands on approach’ over the past year. Looking forward we will be taking on the exciting challenge of managing the Hall and hope to continue to increase the number of groups that use it. We are confident that this can be achieved as recently there has been a large increase in the number of oneoff bookings for children’s parties and new groups coming along to use up time slots that were empty.

Projects for the future include refurbishment of the kitchen and a new floor at Windsor Close where we also hope to make the garden a usable space at Windsor Close.

Steve Niblock Chair 1

Bebington Archers Meets:

Saturdays (Winter only)

7.00pm – 10.00pm at the Village Hall

Bebington Archers is a 'target archery' club that was established in 1969.

Our members can shoot longbows, barebows, recurve bows or compound bows.

We have archers of all levels of experience from those fresh off one of our Beginners Courses, through to those who represent Cheshire in our County Team.

We shoot here at the New Ferry Village Hall along with Birkenhead School Sports Hall during the winter months and on the Birkenhead School Sports Field during the summer.

Some of our members also take part in 'field archery', often on a course near Delamere Forest and also 'clout archery' where the aim is to get as close to a flag in the ground at distances up to 185 metres away.

If you would like to know more about our sport or to enrol on a Beginners Course, we can be found at www.bebington-archers.co.uk

2

Bebington Hard of Hearing Club Meets:

Mondays

2.00pm – 4.00pm at Windsor Close

Bebington Hard of Hearing Club meets weekly on a Monday afternoon at Windsor Close Community Centre. Unfortunately the evening meeting on a Wednesday has had to close due to high transport costs. We were very grateful for a grant from the Wirral Farmers’ Market for transport to and from this evening meeting which enabled the club to remain open for a longer period. We are very pleased to say that the Monday afternoon meeting has continued to do well. The members have enjoyed a good social programme of Bingo, cards etc as well as enjoying a Halloween afternoon.

Our Christmas festivities went well, these included Christmas Lunch at The Manor Restaurant. We welcomed the New Year in with a cheese and wine afternoon. We are proud to say that this year the club celebrated its 60th birthday and we received a message of congratulations from Buckingham Palace. Members celebrated at the Manor Restaurant and at a combined party at the club to celebrate our birthday and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The lovely buffet was provided by Margaret and Steve who also cooked a hot pot for members in September.

We belong to the North West Federation of Hard of Hearing Clubs and throughout the year we have attended their three events held in different parts of the North West, Our team did very well in the Federation’s Lip Reading and Clear Speech Competitions. Some of our members attended and enjoyed the monthly Community Bingo and we were very grateful for the proceeds of the raffle when it was the club’s turn to donate prizes. Thanks go to the ladies who organise the event each month.

We would like to welcome anyone interested in coming along and giving us a try as we are a very friendly group.

Our thanks go to Margaret and Steve for their help throughout the year, and also to the committee of the New Ferry Village Hall and Windsor Close.

Beryl Irving (Hon. Secretary) 3

Bebington Sovereign Majorettes.

Meets:

Tuesdays Fridays Sundays

7.30pm – 9.30pm at the Village Hall 5.00pm – 7.00pm 1.00pm – 5.00pm (winter only)

We currently have forty girls/boys divided into sections depending on their age group. We train in New Ferry Village Hall on Tuesday 7.30pm – 9.30pm for the Seniors, Friday 5.00pm – 7.00pm for Babies, Tots and Juniors and Sunday 1.00pm – 5.00pm for all sections.

Our aim is to provide a fun and friendly environment and activity for young children. It helps to build their self confidence, respect for oneself and others around them. We have lots of support from family and friends within the troupe.

Our season runs from April to December during which we dance with the C.C.A. (Cymru Carnival Association) and the G.B.B.T.A.(Great Britain Baton Twirling Association). We also compete in the Battle of the Batons at Blackpool Tower Ballroom and we have won this competition for two years on the run. This year we also won the “Best Baton Work”, “Best Entertainment” and “Most Impressive Troupe” categories.

We are always looking for new comers to come along.

We have a presentation evening for all dancers to receive the trophies and medals they have earned for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

We are very proud of all our trainer girls/boys and their families who play a big part in Bebington Sovereign Majorettes.

Pam Moore Principal

4

Belly Dancing Class Meets:

Thursdays

7.30pm – 9.00pm at Windsor Close

This new adult belly dance class is aimed at anyone with a love of dancing. We are currently a small group but would welcome new members – no previous dance experience is necessary. We meet on a Thursday evening at Windsor Close from 7:30-9:00pm. Each session costs just £5. You only pay for the sessions you attend, although if you wanted to book a block of sessions, discounts are available.

Your teacher, Susie , has been dancing for over 20 years and has performed at a number of shows throughout the country. She currently performs as a soloist in the North West and Yorkshire, but also runs her own Egyptian and North African Dance troupe called Ya Raqs. She is always on the lookout for potential new members for her troupe!

In each class you learn about the different styles of dance including Egyptian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Bedouin, Nubian and some dances from the Gulf.

Not only do you learn how to dance these different styles, but Susie can tell you about the culture behind many of these dances.

So, whether you want to try some dancing that is a little bit different from aerobics, just to keep fit, or if you want to learn more about different belly dance styles, this class is for you – come on why not give it a try?

We very much hope that you will be able to join us.

Susie White

5

Big Book Club Meets:

Fridays

7.30pm – 9.00pm in the Village Hall Community Rooms

We are part of the wider worldwide organisation Alcoholics Anonymous.

Attendance at meetings is 'closed' which means that only people who consider themselves to have a problem with alcohol may attend. This includes the people who run the meeting, setting it up, providing tea and coffee etc.

The meeting is from 7.30pm till 9.00pm.

We study a section of text from one of the books of our literature also entitled 'Alcoholics Anonymous' and then the meeting is 'opened' for anyone to 'share' their thoughts, feelings, experiences on the text we have read, or something it has opened up in them, or perhaps more generally how their life is going.

The express aim is for people who have identified themselves as having a problem with alcohol to live their lives in the outside world and amongst their families without resorting to alcohol consummation.

Members attending the meeting are not forced to speak and we also refrain from commenting on what another person has said.

We are also asked to refrain from speaking about any details that another person shares outside of the meeting.

6

Boxercise Meets:

Tuesdays

6.30pm – 7.30pm at the Village Hall

Instructor: Barbara Murray (Fully qualified and insured instructor providing quality training) Boxercise classes take place every Tuesday evening and are for all levels of fitness and ability.

Classes have been running once a week since May 2012 and have seen many new faces who show an interest and come along to give it a try.

The class is mainly aimed at women from the local area, but men are more than welcome to come along and we have ladies coming over from Liverpool each week to take part.

Boxercise fitness consists of going through the 8 main punches and incorporates some partner work using focus pads and boxing gloves and mitts. You will also learn how to move about safely whilst working out and also incorporate other moves including the 'bob and weave'. The classes are suitable for ALL levels of fitness and ability and you don't need to have had any previous experience to take part and enjoy the workout experience, meet new people and enjoy yourself.

By ensuring the correct posture and safety is maintained at all times it is a sport that is a great stress buster while also getting you fit and working at your own level of fitness without feeling intimidated or pressured.

Classes are priced at £3.00 per session and the 1st session is free to allow new people to see what it is like.

Please feel free to come along to watch or participate in a safe, warm, welcoming environment with excellent facilities.

Community Bingo Meets:

Wednesdays 7.30pm – 9.30pm at Windsor Close rd (only 3 Wednesday of the Month – no Bingo in August).

A loyal band of Bingo players meets throughout the year on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, except August. It’s very much a Community effort as everyone helps out, be it cleaning down tables, selling bingo and raffle tickets, calling the bingo numbers, checking tickets or helping with refreshments.

We play ten games of bingo for prizes and two games for money, and we break halfway through for refreshments and a raffle.

Each month a Village Hall or Windsor Close User Group provides the prizes for the raffle to raise money for their group and these raffles are very well supported.

Thank you to Margaret for all her help behind the scenes, and to everyone for turning up every month, especially during the dark winter months.

If you enjoy bingo and fancy coming along, then you’ll be made very welcome. We look forward to seeing you.

Jo Large

7

Craft Club Meets:

Mondays (term time only)

11.30am – 1.30pm in the Village Hall Community Rooms

If you are interested in knitting, sewing etc why not come and join us? You would be most welcome.

We are a happy, friendly group and enjoy making many lovely items.

At present we are making a quilt and we have made many articles of clothing to donate to the Women’s Refuge.

Our thanks go to the Joint Management Committee/Community Association for the use of the Community Rooms and thank you to Steve and Margaret for their help.

Elsie Carvell

8

Fanshaws Badminton Club Meets:

Mondays

5.45pm – 6.45pm at the Village Hall

We are a small group of enthusiastic badminton players.

We are a friendly group, both young and old, and would welcome new members to come along and join in the fun.

If interested please contact New Ferry Village Hall.

Rob Harper

“Ferry Rocks” Ladies Community Choir Meets:

Tuesdays

6.45pm – 8.45pm at Windsor Close

We are a new women's choir, “Ferry Rocks”, brought together with funding from Community First.

Without the funding the choir would never have started, our aim was to offer a women's choir that was friendly and had no barriers, no audition to attend, and unlike some of the other commercial choirs no cost to its members.

Five weeks into the project, and with a growing number of members, we are starting to sound good!

We already have our first 'gig' booked, the Wirral Farmers’ Market on Saturday 8th December 2012, followed by another concert in the local community.

We try and make the sessions fun and the choir have been introduced to an eclectic range of music.

The choir is lead by Christine Spriggs, who has much experience in working with choir groups and is accompanied by Anita Kelley.

The choir is run by local volunteers who make sure that everything is organised for the sessions.

The choir will continue to work together after Christmas with the aim to perform at venues and events, including the official opening of the Marie Curie Field of Hope in New Ferry Park.

We will also be recording our work so all members will have a copy of their work.

The choir has been funded to run for 25 weeks, so if anyone is interested in finding out more, the choir is still open to join and we especially welcome mums and daughters who would like to attend together.

Please contact Sarah on 07722460878 or speak to Margaret in New Ferry Village Hall.

9

Friendship Club Meets:

Thursdays

1.30pm – 3.30pm at Windsor Close

The Friendship Club is the place to go to if you fancy an afternoon of bingo and socialising.

The Club has been meeting for many years now and although our numbers have dropped this year, we still have a loyal band of members who attend regularly and continue to support the Club.

At our meetings we play bingo, have a weekly raffle, enjoy refreshments and look forward to our planned days out.

The Club is run by a very dedicated committee and thanks must go to each and every one of them, as well as to our loyal members for their continued support.

We are looking forward to Christmas at Hulme Hall this year as well as our traditional lunch at the Club at the end of the year.

We are a very friendly Club and we welcome new members, so come along and visit us one afternoon. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Jo Large

Grove Street Primary School Meets:

Regularly uses the Village Hall throughout the week during term time.

At Grove Street Primary School we are very pleased to be able to use the New Ferry Village Hall for P.E. This enables all children in school to have the two hours of P.E. that is a requirement of the National Curriculum. The New Ferry Village Hall gives us a large space where children can move about safely.

This year the school also benefited from being able to use the Village Hall for a full day cookery day when outside visitors demonstrated “Tudor cooking” to Years 3 and 4. The children thoroughly enjoyed being able to cook and then eat the stew and pudding.

We also used the Village Hall for a parents’ Boxercise class and due to inclement weather we were able to site the Bouncy Castle and “Beat the Goalie” in the Hall for the Summer Fete.

Mrs. Marshall and the Governors welcome the partnership between the New Ferry Village Hall and the school.

M. Marshall Head Teacher 10

New Ferry Bowling Club Meets:

Wednesdays

12.00noon – 3.00pm at the Village Hall

The Indoor Bowling Club meets every Wednesday afternoon at the New Ferry Village Hall and has continued to flourish.

We are a very friendly group and have enjoyed playing bowls throughout the year and having a cuppa and a chat.

We enjoyed our Christmas Lunch at the Village Hall which consisted of a hot pot and apple pie and custard made by Margaret and Steve, who also provided a lovely buffet to help us celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. This was followed by a pairs bowling competition.

We enjoyed another buffet from this talented duo to celebrate our seventh birthday in October.

We have appreciated the proceeds of the Community Bingo raffle and our thanks go to the girls for their hard work in organising the monthly Bingo.

Our thanks to Margaret, Steve and Karl for their support and working so hard to keep the Village Hall going.

Beryl Irving

11

New Ferry and Gautby Road Table Tennis Club Meets:

Sundays Mondays

10.00am – 12.30pm at the Village Hall 7.00pm – 10.00pm

General information about the club The club currently has 44 members consisting of 26 adults and 18 juniors but since the Olympics we have had quite a few adults and juniors visiting the club to try their hand at table tennis. We normally give a few weeks before they are invited to join the club. We always welcome new members whether they are new to the game or players that just want to play again.

The club has 7 teams currently playing in the Wirral League. Two teams play in division 1, two teams play in division 2 and three teams play in division 3.

On a sad note I must mention the death of Sam Cant who died last February. Sam had been involved with the club for many years and along with Les Jones brought a lot of success to the club.

Achievements last season.

Our 1st team won division 1 and the Lonsdale cup and our 5th team were runners up in division 3 and were promoted to division 2, they also won the Hepple Cup and were runners up in the Rafa cup.

Jonathan Taylor who plays for our 1st team won the Ellesmere Port Closed, the Wirral Closed and the Preston Guild cup which is only played every 20 years.

Our 1st team which consists of Jonathan Taylor, Gemma and Gavin Lloyd and Rob Wylie won the 2nd division of the County League where Jonathan won 10 out of 10 matches. The same players won division 3 of the British League.

Steve Cragg 12

New Ferry Rangers Football Club Meets:

Various evenings at various times at the Village Hall (Winter only)

New Ferry Rangers FC have been in existence since 2006 and are part of New Ferry FC. We started with one team of Under 8s and have grown into the major club for junior football in the New Ferry area.

We now have under 7’s, 8’s,10’s, two under 11 teams, under 15’s, under 10 and under 12 girls and an adult team.

We have over the years had a lot of support from the local community and groups such as NFRAG and Wirral Farmers’ Market have helped us with funding.

We have also had support from local business.

Without this support the club would have struggled, but we thrive and provide football for over 80 local children.

We hope the groups will continue to provide support and the club will go from strength to strength.

Every team in the club uses the Village Hall for football training activities. Most groups use it early evening from Monday to Thursday. We use it as it’s local for the children and provides an excellent affordable facility and is a credit to the area. It’s vital for our club as a training facility as many parents don’t have access to transport and we are also a self-funded club relying on the paying of subs by children.

We are lucky to be able to use the hall and when I tell other Managers and members of other clubs about the facility and the cost they tell us how “lucky” we are.

We hope the Village Hall will continue to provide an excellent affordable facility and we as a club will continue to support the Hall and the Committee.

Simon Crabtree Chairman/Manager U15’s

13

NEW FERRY VILLAGE HALL Day Monday

Time 9.50am – 10.50am 1.00pm – 2.00pm 4.30pm – 5.30pm 5.45pm – 6.45pm 7.00pm – 10.00pm

Group Tone-Up’s exercise over 50’s Grove Street Primary School New Ferry Rangers U10 girls football Fanshaws Badminton New Ferry/Gautby Road Table Tennis

Tuesday

11.00am 12.00noon 1.00pm – 3.00pm 4.30pm – 5.30pm 5.30pm – 6.30pm 6.30pm - 7.30pm 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Grove Street Primary School Grove Street Primary School New Ferry Rangers U11’s football (fortnightly) New Ferry Rangers U10’s football Boxercise Bebington Sovereign Majorettes

Wednesday

9.15am – 12.00noon 12.00 noon – 3.00pm 3.15pm – 4.15pm 4.30pm – 5.30pm 5.30pm –6.30pm 6.30pm – 9.00pm 9.00pm – 11.00pm

Grove Street Primary School (fortnightly) New Ferry Bowling Club Grove Street Primary School New Ferry Rangers U12 girls football New Ferry Rangers U8’s football Wirral Premier Table Tennis Wirral Whipiteres Roller Derby

Thursday

9.40am – 10.40am 1.00pm – 3.00pm 4.30pm – 5.30pm 5.30pm – 6.30pm 5.30pm – 6.30pm 6.30pm - 7.30pm 7.30pm – 8.30pm 8.30pm – 9.30pm

Tone-Up’s exercise over 50’s Grove Street Primary School New Ferry Rangers U7’s football Community Patrol football (fortnightly) New Ferry Rangers U11’s football (fortnightly) Zumba New Ferry Rangers U12’s football New Ferry Rangers Open Age football

Friday

1.00pm – 3.00pm 5.00pm – 7.00pm 7.15pm – 8.15pm 8.15pm – 10.15pm

Grove Street Primary School Bebington Sovereign Majorettes Wirral Shotokan Karate Wirral Whipiteres Roller Derby

Saturday

2.00pm – 4.00pm 7.00pm – 10.00pm All day on 2nd Saturday

Riverside Rebels Roller Derby Bebington Archers Wirral Farmers’ Market

Sunday

10.00am – 12.30pm 1.00pm – 5.00pm 6.00pm – 7.00pm 7.30pm – 8.30pm

New Ferry/Gautby Road Table Tennis Bebington Sovereign Majorettes St. Mary’s Netball St. Mark’s Football

14

VILLAGE HALL COMMUNITY ROOMS Day Monday

Time 11.30am – 1.30pm

Group Craft Club

Wednesday

6.15pm – 8.00pm

Farmers’ Market Committee (monthly)

Friday

7.00pm – 9.00pm

Big Book Club

Saturday

12.00noon – 4.00pm

Narcotics Anonymous (monthly)

WINDSOR CLOSE COMMUNITY CENTRE Day Monday

Time 12.00noon - 4.00pm 6.30pm – 9.00pm

Group Bebington Hard of Hearing Club Swift as a Bird (Bird Sale – 2nd Monday)

Tuesday

6.45pm – 8.45pm

Ferry Rocks Ladies Community Choir

Wednesday

1.30pm -3.30pm 7.30pm – 9.45pm

Widows of Windsor (except 3rd week) Community Bingo (3rd Wednesday monthly)

Thursday

9.00am – 1.00pm 1.00pm – 4.00pm 7.30pm – 9.00pm

Windsor Close Luncheon Club Friendship Club Belly Dancing

12.00pm – 4.00pm

Royal Onyx Majorettes (Winter only)

Friday Saturday Sunday

15

New Ferry Rangers Football Club (Under 10’s) Meets:

Tuesdays (Winter only)

5.30pm – 6.30pm at the Village Hall

New Ferry Rangers U10 boys is part of a local community football team based in New Ferry, providing opportunities to local youngsters (age 9) to get fit, learn different tactics, feel part of a team and play competitive games against other teams from all over the Wirral, whilst also keeping these young boys off the streets.

The team also acts as a meeting point for the parents or M.A.D.S (Mums and Dads) as we call them, who support the team whole heartedly.

Training is usually 5.30pm -6.30pm on Tuesdays on the Mayfields during the summer months or alternately in the New Ferry Village Hall during the winter months/bad weather days.

Match-day's are on Sundays when we are at home (Mayfields). Away games are set by the opponents home preferences so could be either Saturday or Sundays.

Team Manager: Stu Bond Assistant: Keith Colley 16

New Ferry Rangers Ladies Football Club (U12’s) Meets:

Wednesdays (Winter only)

4.30pm – 5.30pm at the Village Hall

We are a girl’s only football team playing in the Wallasey Girls League. We now have two girls’ teams. The majority of the girls come from New Ferry and the surrounding areas.

We started a girl’s football team in 2011 and finished league runner’s up in our first season!

We train in the Village Hall every Wednesday during the winter 4.30pm – 5.30pm and are very grateful for the Village Hall for letting us use their fantastic facilities at an affordable price and we will continue to support the Village Hall.

Manager: Steve Turner

17

Royal Onyx Majorettes Meets:

Sundays (Winter only)

12.00noon – 4.00pm at Windsor Close

We are the Royal Onyx Majorettes; we are a group of 45 girls aged from two to thirty.

Majorettes is a sporting hobby that we believe keeps the children off the streets and teaches dance, discipline and self confidence.

We practise in Windsor Close Community Centre every Sunday from 3 hours to 6 hours depending what time of the year it is.

This facility is invaluable to us as without a place to practise that is clean and safe we wouldn’t be able to take part in the many competitions we do every year.

We won the overall Championships for the whole season at the Premier Dance Association. We took part in the ‘Battle of the Batons’ in the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.

The season starts again in April when we take part in weekly competitions throughout the North West.

Sue Sutton

18

St Mark’s Football Club Meets:

Sundays

7.30pm – 8.30pm at the Village Hall

Sunday evenings at 7.30pm, 5-a-side football for an hour.

Actually, 4-a-side is a better number for the pitch size - makes the game faster and easier to attack than defend. We go for first team to 10 goals is the winner, before changing teams.

If we get 10 players, we squeeze on for 5-a-side. All the better if we get 12, and make up three teams. Then it's first to 2 goals or 4 minutes and the winner stays on.

Last season we entered a team into a league at Eight4Sport and did pretty well - came second in both league and tournament.

Numbers fluctuate, and interested players can turn up on the night. One or two "not quite 20" players, most in their 20's and 30's and one or two pushing the half century mark! All good fun, blows away the weekend cobwebs with some activity, and Monday morning start the week with suitable muscle aches and pains!

Occasionally we take a week off (half term, Christmas etc. More info from andy@macvicar.org.uk) Andrew Greenhough

St Mary’s Netball Club Meets:

Sundays (Winter only)

6.00pm – 7.00pm at the Village Hall

We have three teams who play in the Birkenhead League in Divisions 1, 3 and 4.

Last year one of our teams got promoted from division 2 to division 1.

We play regularly in competitions and are linked to St Mary’s Catholic College in Wallasey. Many of our players are teachers, parents and children in the school.

We pride ourselves on being a real community club, where all abilities are welcome.

Training costs £2 per session If anybody is interested in joining the Club they can email me at nickylam@hotmail.co.uk Nicola Lam

19

Tone-Ups Meets:

Mondays Thursdays (term times only)

9.50am – 10.50am at the Village Hall 9.40am – 10.40am

The Tone Ups meet for an hour at 9.50 am on Monday and 9.40 am on Thursdays for a time of aerobic floor exercise, followed by chair exercises, especially geared to the needs of the over 50s.

Pam Sands our instructress keeps our bodies and minds active as she guides us through our paces with a lot of laughter and good humour.

We are a friendly mixed group and always welcome new members to join our class.

Recently we have seen our numbers increase considerably but there is always room for more!

If you think it is time to get more active, you are very welcome to come along to any of our sessions. Just wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes. We charge £2.50 per session to cover our costs.

20

Widows of Windsor Meets:

Wednesdays 1.30pm – 3.30pm at Windsor Close (except 3rd Wednesday monthly) We pride ourselves on being a very friendly Club and do our best to make new members feel very welcome In October the Club was seven years old we celebrated with a roast dinner in Windsor Close.

Throughout the year we have various activities, such as playing cards, dominos, quizzes, bingo and outings for meals etc.

For our “Summer” outing this year, because of the bad weather we went to see a show at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. The show “Remember When” with music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, was a great success. Everyone enjoyed the show and singing along with many of the nostalgic songs.

For Christmas this year we are planning a celebration meal, with prize bingo and a secret Santa draw.

Brenda McGibbon; Secretary.

Windsor Close Luncheon Club Meets:

Thursdays (except August)

11.30am – 1.00pm at Windsor Close

The year began with a late Christmas Party for fourteen people, free of charge. We had the usual menu plus a glass of wine and chocolates – a good time was had by all.

We carried on until Easter when we had a roast dinner (again free of charge) and everyone was given an Easter Egg to take home.

It was very sad to lose Rose Lewis – my right hand man. She was a valued member of the team and is very much missed. Thanks go to our regular team of volunteers Joan Hutchins, Sheila Williams and Maggie Underhill.

We continued to serve fluctuating numbers until July when we all had a welcome break. We started back in September.

Val Heaps 21

Wirral Community Patrol Football Meets:

Thursdays (fortnightly)

5.30pm – 6.30pm at the Village Hall

Wirral Community Patrol have been using New Ferry Village Hall for over 15 years.

We use the venue to play football on a Thursday fortnightly.

This is to help keep fit and for a social basis. In the time we have used the hall the facilities have always been excellent.

The fact that the hall can be used all year round is especially advantageous in the winter months when a lot of outdoor pitches are unplayable.

We have always found the staff to be friendly and helpful and Steve and Margaret have been especially so since taking over responsibility for the premises.

Paul Kenney Wirral Community Patrol

22

Wirral Farmers’ Market Meets:

Saturdays (2nd Saturday monthly)

9.00am – 1.00pm at the Village Hall

Wirral Farmers' Market continues to use the Village Hall on a monthly basis for its regular Farmers' Market and we are now in our 12th year! The market is an important part of the local community and offers local food producers a chance to sell healthy produce with low food miles and offers a choice of produce not available in the local shops.

We believe the Market brings in additional footfall to New Ferry businesses on Market day. Despite the economic climate we have seen both the number of stalls and the customer footfall rise this year. We have had positive feedback from traders about the venue and customers appreciate the free parking and Hall's facilities. We would like to thank Grove Street School for the use of their premises as an over flow and traders parking area.

The Market's main investment this year has been in gazebos that are used outside the Hall and this has added a new dimension to the Market. As an additional resource the gazebos are available for hire by our traders and other groups as a community asset. We have also purchased extra tables for use by ourselves and other groups that hire the Hall.

We continue to reinvest the profits from the Market in to the local community including grants to children's football teams and a new mat for the Indoor Bowls Club. The cafe, which uses the hall kitchen, is an important part of the Market offering and we appreciate the efforts of the volunteers in making this a success and generating profits for Grove Street School.

We have sponsored a bench outside the Hall in memory of Amy Brady who set up the Market and her family came to the inauguration earlier this year.

On behalf of our charity collectors (primarily St John's Hospice and Claire House) we would like to thank the shoppers for their generous support as this is one of the most effective charity collections they run on Wirral.

Finally the WFM Committee would like to thank the Hall Committee for their support during the year and their efforts to maintain and improve the facilities and for the use of the meeting room for committee meetings and our AGM. 23

Wirral Premier Table Tennis Club Meets:

Wednesdays

6.30pm – 9.00pm at the Village Hall

We offer table tennis coaching for everyone and can cater for all abilities from beginners to those who want to play seriously.

We have young enthusiastic coaches who make our sessions enjoyable and fun.

This season we are entering two teams in the National Cadet League and one in the National Junior League.

We often run fun/training sessions and all are welcome.

So if you fancy trying a new sport whether you want to play socially or at competition level come along and let us help you improve your skills.

For more information contact Janette 0151 201 2729.

Wirral Shotokan Karate Club Meets:

Fridays

7.15pm – 8.15pm at the Village Hall

We have had Friday night as our club night for the people of New Ferry and other parts of the Wirral since the hall opened.

We still find this venue popular with our members and we are extremely grateful to you for letting us use this facility.

The club insists on good behaviour and promotes discipline and citizenship as part of its instruction.

We enjoy using the hall and would like to continue using the facilities in the coming years. If possible we would like to see more people from New Ferry joining our club, as we believe we can offer them a place to come and benefit from a healthy sport. Learn a discipline that encourages respect for other people and a respect for the community.

When becoming a member of Wirral Shotokan Karate Club the members can train at other venues during the week if they wish and are encouraged to do so.

There is training on four nights a week and on a Sunday morning at the Oval Leisure Centre. Times and venues can be accessed from our website = http://www.wirralshotokan.co.uk/ 24

Wirral Whipiteres Roller Derby team Meets:

Fridays 8.15pm – 10.15pm at the Village Hall (except 2nd Friday monthly)

The Whipiteres are the Wirral’s flat track Roller Derby team.

Roller Derby is a fast, sassy, full contact sport played by people aged 18+ on quad skates.

The Whipiteres promote positive relations within the Roller Derby community, giving both fellow team members, and other derby teams respect and support.

Our aims and objectives are to enable and empower our team members, encouraging personal growth, optimise health, fitness, well being and ability within a supportive environment whilst becoming a respected and successful sports team.

Our team ethos is 'For the greater good of all' - in all our endeavours we strive to have an inclusive positive impact on all our members, Roller Derby, our community, and society.

The Wirral Whipiteres were established in March 2011 by Lily Spry who is currently managing director, head of a board of directors of departments - training, personnel, treasurer, marketing and operations.

Presently we have around 80 skaters at four levels of ability and we have just begun to compete (bout) against other teams. All levels train twice a week, at venues depending on their level; Seacombe United Reformed Church Tuesday evenings, New Ferry Village Hall Friday evenings, and Leasowe Leisure Centre Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoon. We are currently in the process of introducing recreational ‘free’ skate at New Ferry on Wednesday evenings at New Ferry also.

A democratically organised social team, the Whipiteres support local, national and international causes and charities, as well as holding regular fund raisers to support our team’s growth and success.

We have enrolments approximately every 6 weeks and welcome men and women over 18, no experience is necessary and we can loan kit.

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Zumba Meets:

Thursdays

6.30pm – 7.30pm at the Village Hall

Zumba® is currently one of the World's fastest growing fitness programmes.

It fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away.

Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out and to get hooked.

All my Zumba® classes are for all levels of fitness. So what are you waiting for why not try Zumba® today!

Ditch the work out ladies join the party. Zumba® is a fantastic way to get fit while having fun.

NEW CLASSES / NEW DANCES / NEW YOU COME AND JOIN IN GET FIT WHILE HAVING FUN ZUMBA WITH PHILLIPPA PAUL EVERYONE WAS A BEGINNER ONCE DON'T LET NOT DOING ZUMBA BEFORE PUT YOU OFF COMING TO CLASS. WE BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN AND YOU TAKE IT AT YOUR OWN PACE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU WILL BE SHAKING YOURSELF TO FITNESS. Phillippa phillippapaul2@aol.com

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Joint Management Committee Members 2011/2012 Chair

Steve Niblock

Vice Chair

Marian Sloan

Secretary

Margaret Allen

Treasurer

Margaret Price

User Group representatives Simon Bell

Reg Irving

Dot Griffiths

Jim Latham

Val Heaps

Brenda McGibbon

Beryl Irving

Don Rimmer

Playing Fields Association Larry Maxwell Co-opted member Julie Fitzgerald Council Appointees Joe Walsh

Irene Williams

All the above members of the Joint Management Committee can be contacted at; New Ferry Village Hall, Grove Street, New Ferry, Wirral CH62 5BA or telephone 0151 643 1393

Additional Groups that use the Centres

• Swift as a Bird on Mondays

6.30pm – 9.00pm at Windsor Close

• Narcotics Anonymous on Saturdays (monthly)

12.00noon – 4.00pm at the Village Hall

• Riverside Rebels Roller Derby on Saturdays

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2.00pm – 4.00pm at the Village Hall

Occasional Centre use: • Numerous Children’s Birthday Parties from ages 1 to 16.

These parties have taken on a variety of forms. We have seen a large range of ‘Bouncy Castles’ including ‘Princesses’, ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ and ‘Cars’.

More adventurous parents have researched even further and sourced a scalextric track, an inflatable fun house and a giant inflatable slide for which the height of the hall had to be measured to ensure that it fitted in! We have seen a race track for go karts and mini cars.

Guests to the Village Hall have included Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Spongebob Square Pants, Peppa Pig and Upsey Daisy to name but a few!!

Musically, the range has varied from using the Hall’s small CD player to a full, very loud, disco/karaoke with all the flashing lights!

Equally the diversity of food has been, from simple sandwiches, crisps and drinks to Chinese and Indian starter platters. On all occasions there has been ‘The Birthday Cake’ sometimes weird but always wonderful.

The main benefits of hiring our facilities for Children’s Birthday Parties have been that the children have thoroughly enjoyed themselves and their parents have not had the upheaval in their own homes.

• The Council and The NHS We have hosted an assortment of meetings, courses and larger public events on behalf of Wirral Council and the local NHS Trust.

This is a new use of the Hall by these organisations and we hope that they continue to consider the Centres for their work with the local community.

• Charity Fundraising Another development has been the use of the Village Hall as a venue for Attic Sales to raise funds for local charities.

Charities also hold monthly meetings in the Community Rooms upstairs.

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NEW FERRY VILLAGE HALL Grove Street. CH62 5BA

Two great venues for hire at reasonable rates for parties, meetings, meetings, sports and events. events.

0151 643 1393

WINDSOR CLOSE COMMUNITY CENTRE Bebington Road, Road, New Ferry.

CH62 5BZ