We saw 2018 out with our usual cosy Christmas gathering at the Cross Keys Inn above Uppermill with hot food, big fires and good company. Peter Taft’s musical quiz clearly showed that most of the company had misspent their youth and weren’t going to change. Our crazy raffle which requires us to provide the presents and buy the tickets raised over £70 for Dr Kershaw’s, our local hospice; once again many thanks to our members for their kind generosity.
Our 2019 programme is now under way. In spite of glutinous mud and bitter cold our two Practice Meets in January and February have been well supported with the usual good humour and amusing banter throughout.
Sometimes it is just not possible to get enough clothes on to keep warm AND move!
The elders who meet on Tuesdays have missed twice as a result of lying snow but otherwise they have been fully engaged and today (February 26th) in shirt-sleeve order beneath cloudless skies commenced another big section of gapping at Burnedge Bent Farm.
Burnedge Bent is our base as it was the farm belonging to Bryan Hough which is now farmed by his son Darren and the place where some of us were first introduced to the finer points of walling by Bryan himself.
A Tale For The Times We Live In
One of the gaps we have repaired at the farm was huge and it was caused in an unusual and scary manner.
While out feeding the sheep one morning Darren came across two young men who looked suspicious and he asked them what they were doing. They took offence and immediately became aggressive, one pulled out a knife and threatened to stab Darren. He was on his own in a remote location confronted by two lunatics but fortunately in the cab of a big tractor. No way of knowing how genuine their threat was but they were sufficiently set on mischief to push down more than 10 metres of wall, most of which was almost 2 metres high, as they cleared off. Yes it was leaning and in need of repair but even so……….Sad times!
This year we will have something happening most weeks for members to take part in as they wish; there will be Practice Meets every month and we will run four training courses between now and October.
Our training course in May will take place at Gorse Hall Country Park, Stalybridge under the auspices of Tameside MBC whose warden service render great support. This location is splendid with fine Pennine views. In the 19th Century it was the home of John Leech a wealthy industrialist who in 1835 built a mansion on the site with formal gardens and an orchard where he and his wife Jane brought up their 8 children. Their daughter Helen was to become the mother of Beatrix Potter and it is thought that Beatrix would have made visits to her grand-parents at Gorse Hall long before her move to Cumberland. The ‘Friends of Gorse Hall’ will celebrate their 20th year in May and our training course has been timed to coincide with the occasion.
As ever we will continue to provide affordable homes to all the critters that inhabit our walls and add great interest and enjoyment to our walling activities.