Whatlington

Keep your Fridays free for the next few weeks as there is a lot going on in our village! Tonight (Fri 25th) is Irish Music Night at The Royal Oak which is a very popular evening when over a dozen musicians meet in the bar for a jamming style session of traditional Irish tunes. Always a busy evening and worth popping in if you haven’t experienced it before. The following Friday (1st) is 60s Night at The Village Hall when you can let your hair down (or just put flowers in it) and bop away to all those groovy tunes whilst enjoying a drink and a great night out with friends and neighbours. Tickets are just £10, include a light supper and are available from Angie on 01424 870492 or The Royal Oak. And if you are into a little more culture and missed the film of the year, The Film Club will be showing Les Miserables in The Barn from 7.30pm on Friday 8th November - cushions will be provided!

The Village Hall Committee organised a Jumble Sale last week on a very wet and windy Saturday morning, but there was still a good turnout and the money raised will go towards the maintenance of the Hall - a big thank you to Angie and everyone who helped to set it all up and man the stalls on the day. If you would like to be a part of the Village Hall Committee please call Angie Moore on 01424 870087 as helpers are always appreciated and it’s a great way to meet people in the village and get involved in all the village events.

We now have a date for the next Psychic Night at The Royal Oak hosted by Master Palmist Robin Lown and his guest tarot card reader and clairvoyant Avril Price. Tickets are just £10 each and these nights are always absolutely sold out, so if you would like a ticket, get in early and call 01424 870492 to reserve your place.

Quiz Night is still every Thursday night at The Royal Oak for teams of up to six people for just £1 per person. Always a fun evening, and it can get quite busy, so if you know your team is coming up it’s wise to give me a ring and reserve a table on 01424 870492.

If you are looking for a venue to hold a Christmas Party, don’t forget The Barn is available and can hold 32 people for a sit down meal, and we can also provide a buffet and organise a disco. Christmas menus are available at www.royaloak-whatlington.co.uk, or call 01424 870492 for more details.

Thank you Jeffrey for sending in this news regarding progress at the Church:

During the past week various stored items of furniture have returned to the church, these were things salvaged after the fire, such as the Altar, Oak Angels, a couple of tables and some other items. The largest piece, the Victorian Pulpit would not fit back through the door and is thus stored locally pending some dismantling to allow it to fit back inside! All these items have been conserved to mitigate the smoke and water damage, but further re-finishing will be necessary in due course.

The PCC hope that the building will return to limited use for services towards the end of November, although the restoration works will not be fully completed. Christmas services will be held in the church, but the formal re-opening will now be into the New Year as such an event requires that everything is finished and the run up to Christmas is simply too busy a time all round to maximise such an important event - so watch this space for details as plans unfold.

In the meantime services continue in the Village Hall, with Parish Communion at 08.30. The next All Age Service will be on the second Sunday of November, the 10th, which is also Remembrance Sunday, so there will be a combined service for this, as always everyone is very welcome to join us.

If you have any village news you would like to include in this column please email me on [email protected].