Marton Adverts

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24

Babysitters List Please contact the people below if you need a baby sitter (negotiate price

with the individuals). If you wish to offer your

services as a babysitter (£1 for the year) con-

tact Sharon on 632645.

Lily Aaron: 01926 633705 or

07795485057

Harry Batt: 01926 632100

Annie Lummis: 01926 632777

Ben Oliver: 01926 633326 NB This list is for village use only and only

includes village babysitters

Marton Diary

Diary Dates

Every Week

Tuesday

Brownies 6.15 - 7.15

Wednesday

Line Dancing for

Absolute Beginners

6.30 - 7.30

Line Dancing 7.30 -8.30

NB

Deadline for the May

Newsletter is Sunday

17 April 2011

April

3 Family Service for Mothering Sunday 11.00

4 Last date for handing in Nomination Papers

8 Bingo 8.00

10 Heartbeat 11.00

11 Monday Group 7.45

14 Mobile Library 3.05

19 Coffee Morning 10.30

19 Annual Parish Meeting 7.30

17 Special Heartbeat for Palm Sunday 11.00

Followed by APCM 11.30

17 Marton Walkers

22 Bingo 8.00

24 Easter Day Communion Service 11.00

26 Marton Local History Group 7.45

29 Royal Wedding Celebrations

May

1 Family Service 11.00

5 Mobile Library 3.05

6 Bingo 8.00

8 Heartbeat 11.00

9 Monday Group (Walk)

10 Parish Council AGM 7.30

15 Communion 11.00

20 Bingo 8.00

22 Heartbeat 11.00

22 Marton Walkers

24 Marton Local History Group 7.45

26 Mobile Library 3.05

29 Joint Feldon Group Service 11.00

1

Marton’s "Race to

Infinity" - Super Fast

Broadband

BT Openreach are in the process of undertaking a survey and engineering analysis to enable the Marton exchange villages to be connected to the superfast broadband network. BT Retail, who are picking up a very considerable tab for providing our Super Fast Broadband, have confirmed they are completely committed to setting us up on a non commercial basis to provide the best possible coverage. But they have emphasised that this may not necessarily reach 100% of residents, particularly in the more remote areas – so presumably not Marton village! The expectation based upon discussions held

between us and BT's Director of the

Marton’s News Marton Broadband

2

'Superfast High Speed Broadband Project' is that the enablement should be in the high 90% region. It is expected that Openreach will complete their provisional report by the end of March. Once available, and before it is set in stone, it has been agreed that the 'race team' will have the opportunity of further discussions with BT and also Openreach at which time we expect to have a clearer understanding of the roll out plan, the technologies to be deployed and, hopefully, the anticipated service speeds by post code throughout the area. The roll out of fibre optic to the Marton exchange villages is technically challenging. There are difficult issues to be resolved i.e. long runs from existing cabinets (the green roadside boxes) or connections

direct to the exchange itself. The way broadband-by-fibre works is very different to existing copper wire base ADSL which we currently use and certainly in the Marton exchange situation it requires some thinking outside the box for BT. The stark reality is, that had we not won this competition, the villages in the Marton exchange would, in all probability, never have received this sort of upgrade. Government quango reports on fibre enablement for the Marton exchange based upon on the traffic light system concluded as Red to 2016 (i.e. not a prayer), Red to 2021 (prayers still unanswered) and, at best, Amber beyond 2021 (i.e. prayers being considered but not necessarily answered). It should be noted that so far BT has responded towards us as Runners-Up / Winners beyond the 'call of duty' which is something we should all be grateful for and trust that it continues. Super High Speed Broadband remains on target for 2012. If you have any questions please direct them to Michael Koch who, with a couple of others, has been kindly doing the negotiating with BT.

Marton Adverts

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23

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22

Marton Adverts Local Display

Marton News

Marton Events Long Itchington Young Farmers Club. You don't have to be one to be one!! We hold our meetings most Wednesday evenings at The Green Man, Long Itchington, at 7.30. We have had an excellent start to the year with coming 2nd in the County Ten Pin Bowling Competition, and we have had some very interesting guest speakers at our club meetings, with local Wild Life from Graham Robson, Road Safety and Road Awareness from Warwickshire Police, Fancy Dress Aerobics, (the boys excelled themselves)!, Valentine Card Making and with more to come! We have recently held a Valentine Disco which was a tremendous success with lots of other local Young Farmers Clubs coming along to enjoy the fun! Over the next few months we will be entering Fencing, Quad bike and cycling, sport competitions, and getting

ready for the County Rally. If you would like to know more about Long Itchington Young Farmers do give me a call, Lottie Dronfield, on 01926 633371.

3

Progressive Dinner – A Note from Sheila Once again this proved to be a very enjoyable evening for everyone involved. Judging from the feedback, 'a good time was had by all' - all 88 participants enjoying the generosity and excellent food supplied by the hosts. There is always an element of panic for the organiser -

one small mistake and there would be chaos! but all was well and it is an excellent fund-raiser for Church Funds. With the employment of Gift Aid this year it is hoped that the total raised

will be in excess of £900 - a magnificent effort by everyone. The greatest help is the willingness of villagers to respond in a crisis and cater at the last minute - an enormous help to the organiser and much appreciated. Without so much goodwill none of it would be possible, so thank you to everyone who took part and here's to next year! Sheila Needle A note from the Village: A big thanks to Shelia for organising the evening and raising the grand sum of £900!

Marton News

Newsbites

Annual Parish Meeting Tuesday 19 April 2011 Ever since the 1890s it has been a legal obligation for villages to hold an annual parish meeting, hosted by the parish council. It is an open meeting where the parish council and other village groups give their annual reports. Exceptionally this year, a meeting of the parish council will follow that of the APM, consequently village representatives have been asked to restrict their reports to just five minutes. Hopefully there will be fuller versions as a supplement to a forthcoming Newsletter Pavilion Damage The substantial damage caused to the Pavilion by a burst water pipe in December is on the way to being rectified. With the start of the Cricket season in April there is a sense of urgency. Delays have been caused mainly by the uncertainty of how long the process of drying out would take. Now that dehumidifying has been completed the process of replastering and general refurbishment can take place. However, the Parish Council’s insurance company has to first approve the quotes gained. There has been a lot of work going on in the background by Roy Hitchman from the parish council; and Brent Hodgson from

the Playing Fields Committee. 4

A Message from Rod Isaacs On Sunday 17

th April, 22 sixth form students from

Princethorpe College and four adults including myself and Craig Brewster, a former Martonite, will take part in the annual 40-mile walk around the perimeter of Coventry. It is a fantastic experi-ence, but gruelling - especially the last 10 miles. However, we believe the charity we are support-ing is so deserving. Mary’s Meals, which began in 2002 providing school meals for 200 children in Malawi, is now giving over 500,000 children a daily meal in their place of education in countries such as Tanzania, Liberia, India, Ukraine, Haiti as well as Malawi. The vision is simple but effective, helping children learn at school by keeping hunger at bay and encourag-ing children to come to school in the first place. The cost of providing a child for a daily meal for a year costs on aver-age just £9.40. Just a little goes a long way. Thank you to those of you who supported us in the past. If you would like to do so again, please go to http://www.justgiving.com/princethorpe-marysmeals All the money raised this year will go to provide school meals for the children at Betsy Williams School in Bomi County Liberia for the entire academic year 2011-12. Liberia is the sec-ond poorest country in the world. Thank you! Rod Isaacs, (Cobbler’s Cottage, Marton) rodi@talktalk.net). For more on Mary's Meals www.marysmeals.org.uk

21

Marton Adverts

Local Display

20

Marton Adverts

Local Display

PLUMBING/

CARPENTRY ETC

NO JOB TOO SMALL

Contact Graham on

07974 155986

GRAHAM

CLEAVER

much valuable work around the village – he has promised to continue to make his agricultural equipment available to us!. Vaughan Owen, who has now moved to Coventry set up the Neighbourhood Watch scheme before joining the parish Council twelve years ago. He has been a representative for the Warwickshire Association of Local Councils as well as chairing that body, bringing valuable expertise to the council. Warwickshire Community Awards (Best Village Competition) Exhibition On Saturday 26 March we hosted the Warwickshire Rural Community Council’s (WRCC) Community Awards Roadshow. This was organised at three venues this year to promote the awards to all Warwickshire communities. As the winners of last year’s community awards (under the guise of the Best Village Competition we were asked if we could provide a venue for this area. As well as providing space for the WRCC’s exhibition we had been asked to reprise our own exhibits and volunteers to offer first hand advice on what was involved in our own entry. . We will not be putting in an entry this year as last year’s entry was a mix of retrospective and prospective projects so we are all projected up at the moment! Maybe

Marton News

Newsbites News from Southam College Southam College has had a very busy month with an excellent start following an Ofsted visit, the college was awarded Outstanding, (this was the highest grade possible and places the college in the top 13% of schools nationally). One comment made by the inspectors was due to the school encouraging the pupils to experience different countries and promote extra curriculum activities all helped contributed to Southam College achieving an overall rating of Outstanding! Following on from that the schools equestrian team organised their first Inter-School Show Jumping Competition on the 5th February at Moreton Morrell. Some 285 pupils from 31 schools took part. Pupils organised entries and arranged sponsorship and prizes from local businesses around Southam, this was ideal for those who were studying GCSE Business Studies, as they were able to use this as part of their course work. The event was very well supported with an enormous amount of help and encouragement from teachers and parents, and was hugely successful with a great atmosphere. Most recently a group of 42 Sixth Form students have just been on an amazing trip to New York, educational as well as a little retail therapy was included in the trip! The main sights visited were Top of the Rock, Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, Soho Galleries, Ground Zero, a ferry trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Times Square, Central Park and sightseeing in mid-town Manhattan. It was a fantastic trip and an incredible experience. Elections & Retirements We do not yet know whether there will be elections for the Parish Council on Thursday 5 May (nominations close on 4 April) , though there will definitely be a referendum on the Alternative vote on that day. We do know that two parish councillors will be stepping down. Ian Dronfield has represented the parish council since the 1990s and as well has carrying out the role of chairman at one time, has done

5

Marton Groups

Local History Elkington. Henry was one of the photographers that

David

moved on

to discuss.

Henry

Elkington,

1845-1918,

lived in

Broadwell

and had a

photographic business there and in Nuneaton. He

seems to have been most productive in terms of

local postcards in the period 1904 to 1906. Henry

was responsible for the 1905 photograph of North

Street depicting William Carey a local lengthsman

(maintainer of

roadside verges and

drainage) with his

horse-drawn “tip

cart” (which had a

hinged body so that

the contents could

be tipped out without

unhitching the cart

from the horse)

outside the “Eathorpe Stores” (a branch of the

Eathorpe Co-op in Marton). This photo also features

the shop owner and saddler James Berry standing

between the cart and the shop.

M J Tunnicliffe was the next photographer David

spoke about. This woman had a “General Dealer”

shop in Rosefield Street, Leamington, which, apart

from groceries also advertised “photos taken, copied

and enlarged” amongst its services. It is not totally

certain whether “M J” was the photographer herself,

given the weighty equipment involved, and it would

be a rare example if she was. One of her photos

was of a much-photographed view of “the roman

bridge Marton”, with St Esprit in the background.

6

Marton Local History Group February Meeting – Edwardian Photographers in the Marton Area The largest audience of this

season was at the village hall

to hear David Fry give an

amusing and knowledgeable

talk on the subject of

photography and

photographers. As usual

Martonians were joined by

people from neighbouring

villages and many of the

audience were able to give

valuable contributions to

the evening’s topic.

One of the reasons for the

popularity of photographic

postcards in Edwardian times

is that the reproduction of

photographs was very poor in

newspapers. In May 1913 the

“Coventry Graphic” weekly

paper carried a story about a

fatal accident at the Shakers

Lane crossroad; Winifred Betts

aged 11, a Marton shepherd’s

daughter was the victim. The

story had no accompanying

photograph; however, a

postcard with a photograph of

the scene of the accident was

produced by a local

photographer, Henry

Marton Adverts Local Display

19

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Marton People

Hazel Johnston

16

developed a range of work that expressed her

lovely character, refined and elegant in its form

and texture. Hazel never publicised herself or

her work, it was not her nature, but she was

well known and respected in the ceramic

community. Her work is all over the world in

both public and private collections.

Cancer was diagnosed in 2000. An immediate

operation and treatment effectively stopped

further pottery work because of its physical

demands. She took to painting and working in

pastels, especially enjoying her Lake District

landscape. Secondary cancer developed over

two years ago and eventually treatment could

not cope.

She died peacefully and in no pain at home

with her family. All the nursing staffs and

doctors, in the hospitals and in local practice,

for the ten years of her condition have been

marvellous.

Hazel was a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of

Arts and a Fellow of the Craft Potters

Association. A book of her life’s work, written

by her graphic designer son was published in

November 2010. This is a wonderful tribute to a

woman who has contributed much as a wife,

mother, sister, friend and potter, she will be

missed.

Joan Sherratt

Marton Groups

Local History She also produced a series of postcards depicting life at

Birdingbury Hall, providing a valuable record of life in

Edwardian

times.

The work of a

number of other

photographers

who operated in

the Marton area

was also

covered. If you

would like to know more, a full coverage of the talk,

together with additional pictures can be found in the local

history section of the Marton Village website.

The topic for the Tuesday 26 April meeting will be on

Items from Marton Museum to be given the Marton

Museum Volunteers Group. All are welcome to attend

the Local History Group meetings, which start at

7:45pm in the village hall.

7

Marton Playing Fields Association

Dates for your diary:

12th June – Marton Charity Big Breakfast and Family Walk Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the Pavilion and Playing Field, followed by a gentle walk – planned with the support of Marton Walkers.

This year we are raising funds for ‘Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy’ in memory of Candy Spriggs.

2nd July – Marton Sports Day and Fete Lots of stalls, sporting activities and entertainment for all!

If you are interested helping with the organisation of this event, or if you would like to suggest an activity or a stall, please email martonpfa@gmail.com or call Helen Preston on 632777

Further details on both

events to follow next

month.

Marton Museum Volunteers

At a meeting of the Museum Volunteers on 26 February 2011 Lindsay Souter from Warwickshire Museums reported the results of the environmental monitoring which she had been supervising. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, this showed huge variations in temperature and humidity in the building, caused by the lack of any heating or adequate insulation. These variations in climate are very damaging to the artefacts in the Museum, especially the more delicate items such as clothing. This has just reinforced the need for remedial works on the building to be carried out as soon as possible. With a view to using all means possible to obtain funding to achieve this the Museum is going to join

AIM (Association of Independent Museums)

Marton Groups

Marton Museum

8

which would provide access to professional advice (up to a value of £5000) on such matters as environmental control and display issues. The Volunteers are also going ahead with making a "pre-application" for funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This will trigger a visit from a representative of the Fund who should also be able to offer advice. Without this expert input it could be difficult to make a meaningful application for funds. It is also hoped to raise some money by staging a social event for the village - so watch this space! Marton Museum at Compton Verney Compton Verney Art Gallery are staging an exhibition entitled “What the folk say - contemporary artist interventions” from 26 March 2011 to 11 December 2011 and Marton Museum is very proud to be part of this. The Gallery have borrowed one of our items – a straw crown – and this will form part of the exhibition. For more details see http://www.comptonverney.org.uk/modules/events/event.aspx?e=70&title=what_the_folk_say_ _contemporary_artist_interventions (and the article elsewhere) Local History Group Presentation On Tuesday 26 April 2011 the Volunteers will be making a presentation to the Local History Group meeting .Several people will talk about some of their favourite or most curious items which they have discovered during the classification work and will be showing them to what is hoped will be a large audience. The last time the Museum Volunteers made a presentation for the History Group it was a great success so we are hoping for a repeat performance.

as a body that could be

thrown on a wheel. Soon, on

the advice of a very

influential and knowledgeable

gallery owner, she was

advised to stop making

domestic ware and to

concentrate on individual

pieces. Her first one-man

exhibition was in his gallery.

Moving to Marton in 1976

came about because the

property in North Street

provided the opportunity to

build a good studio in the

stable block. In 1977.she was

asked by the village to

produce silver jubilee mugs

for all the children.

During the next twenty-five

years and with much

experimentation Hazel

Marton People

Hazel Johnston Hazel Johnston: 1933-2011 Hazel was born in

Penrith, Cumbria

and educated at

Queen Elizabeth

Grammar School

before going to

Manchester

College of Art at a

very young age in

1949.

She was there for

five years

graduating with a

first in Ceramics in

1953, followed by

the year of specialist Art Teaching Diploma. Her

first post was as a teacher of Pottery at the

School of Art in Leamington. Here she met

Roger who was also a member of staff. Roger

tells how his very male oriented life full with

teaching, rugby, and a lot of cold war soldiering

slowly changed as he fell in love with Hazel, a

beautiful, quiet, intelligent Audrey Hepburn look-

alike. They married in Penrith in 1956. Sarah

and Simon were born in the next few years.

From their first house, a cottage, they moved to

Radford Semele where the garage became a

small pottery. Hazel made slipware, which was

much in demand from friends and neighbours.

She moved on to stoneware for domestic use

and then began experimenting with porcelain

clay, which at this time had only just been made

17

Marton Church

Church

Flowers April: No flowers for Lent All decorate Easter Saturday Please Easter Lilies At Easter time we give families the opportunity of purchasing lilies to decorate the church in memory of loved ones. The lilies cost £2 each and if you are interested in purchasing one please contact Jenny Cessford, The Village House, 632366 before 12 April Thanks for Floodlights April: Mr & Mrs Oliver and Mr & Mrs Jenkin Coffee Morning March coffee morning will be on Tuesday 19 April at 10.30am, everyone welcome.

Other News Church Family The church was full for the recent memorial service for Hazel Johnston and over £400 was sent to Myton hospice in her memory. Thanks! The Newsletter is very well read in the village as no sooner had I delivered my copies than we received a phone call to say the green bin had taken up temporary residence in Shepherd Street - thank you Dave for returning it to the churchyard the same evening. All we need now is someone to fill it by cutting the churchyard grass!!

16

Vicar’s Letter From Hunningham Vicarage

So April arrives with daffodils and birdsong and lambs in the fields. And sunshine we hope! April brings many celebrations, Mothering Sunday on 3rd April and Easter Sunday on 24th, not to mention a royal wedding to end the month! So there is much for us to celebrate in April. And yet we can't ignore what is

going on in the world. As I write, in Libya and Bahrain, unrest and fighting are spreading. Earthquakes have caused much damage and tragic loss of life in Christchurch and the terrible disaster in Japan is still unfolding. What a world of contrasts we live in. And so it has always been. As we celebrate those special days this month, as we give our flowers on Mothering Sunday we all know that mothering is about pain as well as joy and that the new life we celebrate as we eat our chocolate eggs at Easter came through Jesus's suffering on the cross on Good Friday. Life is like that. Good times and bad jostle together in our lives. We may be going through a hard and difficult time at the moment but at the same time, we are enjoying the Spring. The cycle of growth, new life and renewal that we see happening every year in the natural world is echoed by the message of Easter and it is a message for us all. John reminds us in his gospel that 'God so loved the world that he sent his only Son' - Jesus came for the world not just for the church. He came because he cares about us all, so much so that he died for us rather than let us down, and his message of love is for us all. It offers us hope for the future and gives us courage to face present sadnesses and difficulties. In all the ups and downs of life the local church is there for you and you can be sure of a welcome. And may I wish you all a Happy Easter! Diane Patterson

Marton Monday Group

A representative of the Red Cross gave us an overview of first aid methods to be applied in the event of most common emergencies. A lot of lively discussion ensued and we really felt better equipped should any such problems arise. Arthur was a willing patient and he looked very comfortable in the recovery position. As no one volunteered Resuscit Annie was used to demonstrate chest compression and rescue breathing. Thank you to the Red Cross and to Sheila who contacted them. April Meeting Ladies it is bargain night, you are all welcome Monday the 11th £3 as usual, 7.45pm in the village hall. Per Una and Next seconds will be on sale. Come prepared to try on, as you will not be able to take them back and only cash can be used for payment. This will be the last meeting in the village hall until September. Sue is organising the May Walk, all details will be published in the

newsletter and e-mail. Please do not forget about the village visit to the National Memorial Arboretum and Lichfield.

Marton Groups

Marton Village Hall Marton Village Hall Pinocchio: Friday 24 June Think ahead to a summer’s evening with a picnic, a beer or a glass of wine, sitting in the meadow behind the Village Hall, the river and the cows in the background. Imagine the brilliant Heartbreak Productions putting on the story of Pinocchio for you and your friends. That’s the sort of night you’ll always remember. Well, it’s happening on 24 June, and well worth the ticket price of £16 a head, or £13 for the under 13s or over 65s. Cheques to “Marton War Memorial Hall” should be delivered to Cate Cooke at 10 Oxford Road. .

‘Marton Night Out’‘ – 30th Anniversary, should we change the format? We have been doing the same type of show for a number of years and the Marton Memorial Hall committee would like to hear from you if you have a strong desire to do something different. All ideas are welcome. We would especially like to hear from those who would like to help in implementing their idea, should the committee decide to try something different. The topic is going to be discussed at the next committee meeting on Tuesday 3rd May at 9.00pm. If you would like to come and put forward any ideas you have then you would be most welcome! If you can’t come to the meeting, but want to discuss and idea, then please contact Ian de Courcy on 01926632055 or email: decourcymarton@aol.com.

9

Marton Groups

Marton 100 Club

10

200 Club Winning Numbers: 31

December 2010 to 18 March 2010

So, if you are a newcomer to the village and would

like to join in the fun, or if you are already a

member and would like more numbers, please

contact either your local collector – Sally Stewart,

Ann Foden, Karen Cresswell, Janet Lloyd, Mike

Johnson, Martin Woodhouse, Anthony Hillier or any

committee member for details.

Wine Tasting: 26/03/11 Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances

the Wine Tasting event was cancelled, no doubt

disappointing a number of you. The Village Hall

Committee would like to apologise and will

consider putting on the event some time in the

future.

Congratulations to all the above winners. Your collector should have delivered your winnings, by the time you read this newsletter. The Village Hall committee would like to thank all members of the 200 Club for their continued support and also remind you all that there are a . . . . . . . FEW SPARE NUMBERS AVAILABLE NOW: 10, 13, 34, 51, 57, 70, 100, 149, 171, 183, 185, 189.

Draw

Date Winner No: Prize Winner No: Prize

311210 R Calvert 14 £5 Muj 299 £5

070111 T Stanley 24 £5 M Oliver 169 £5

140111 J Cessford 90 £5 C Hodgson 86 £5

210111 M Taylor 83 £20 W Taylor 11 £10

280111 E Stewart 117 £5 M Clark 97 £5

040211 I De Courcey 161 £5 G Robson 126 £5

110211 C De Courcey 176 £5 W Hillier 77 £5

180211 E Hawthorn 127 £20 J Fox 148 £10

250211 H Palmer 154 £5 C Hodgson 44 £5

040311 D Fox 9 £5 R Calvert 62 £5

110311 J Holroyd 157 £5 M Clark 98 £5

180311 S Osborne 19 £20 M Johnson 180 £10

Marton Art Group The Day Workshop was very well attended and we managed to work round the all-important Rugby Match, (perhaps we should not have

bothered!) I think that most people were pleased with their efforts and we can all look forward to viewing them at the Marton Art Festival the first weekend in October. The children’s workshop will probably be the second Saturday in September. If the people who are interested could get back to me we

could confirm the date.

Marton Groups

Marton Art

Calling all crafty people of Marton, I have a passion for making things and would like to start a regular crafty get together for an evening of knitting, crocheting or any form of crafting that you can bring with you. The idea is for like minded crafty people of any ability from beginners to experienced crafters to get together and pursue their favorite hobby. Meet with friends who share their interest, relax as they work on their latest project, share ideas and help each other. Does this sound like something you'd enjoy

being a part of?

Come to a meeting at my home at 6 The Orchard on

Thursday 14 April from 7-9pm to discuss the craft group, bring a project if you wish and enjoy a cuppa and some

homemade cake!

For more information please call Helen Keeves on 633338, or email

helen.keeves@hotmail.co.uk

15

Marton Groups

Marton Walkers

Marton Walkers The walk in February started from the Plough in Eathorpe, now under new ownership. The group also welcomed two new members from Birdingbury. We started the walk by heading out of the village, over the river bridge, before turning right to cross fields which eventually took us to the back of the Woodhouse Hotel in Princethorpe. It was here that we met up with the Rugby walking group, a much larger band of walkers who crossed our path. As we started our way up Burnthurst Lane, past the Warwickshire Air Ambulance HQ, the rain started to fall and for the first time in a couple of years we had to pull on the wet weather gear. The group then turned into the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust woods and crossed another field to the road, meeting up once again with the Rugby Walkers. As the rain continued to fall heavier and heavier, the hardy walkers decided to continue the original walk across fields to Wappenbury Hall, whilst the “break away” group took the shorter route straight up the hill towards Eathorpe and back

to a dry vehicle. Hopefully the rain hasn’t 14

put off our two new recruits! The dates for the next two walks are 17 April and 22 May. Please contact Mike Johnson if you would like to receive details of where to meet: mikeofmarton@hotmail.com or tel: 632960. All walks are on a Sunday and start at 10.00am from a local pub. The route takes 2 hours and is about 5 miles. A meal afterwards is optional. Details of all walks will also appear on the new Marton website –www.martonvillage.com

Last year a small group of us had our first go at

Fattening geese for Christmas…

We produced some great birds and learnt a lot in the process, so that hopefully we will be even better this year. We kept the whole thing fairly low key last year, but would like to invite anyone who's interested to join in with us this year...we

should be starting around late June / early July...

If interested in finding out a bit more - give me a

call, or drop me an email.

Andrew (07774 106998)

andrew.cooke@zen.co.uk

turning down a meat share this time, proving once again that the club’s rewards are not only found on a plate. To those with that end in mind, however, the return to the Berkshire breed is not the only change. A different abattoir arrangement has been made so members can get their own butchery organised separately, not least to provide opportunities to use the

club’s new array of sausage and bacon making equipment. But that is still a long way off and, for now, the pigs are more important as a focus for village-wide opportunities to socialise and ‘muck in’ in

addition to being a friendly diversion on westward walks.

Pig Club

The sixth herd of Marton pigs arrived successfully on 5 March, just in time to provide the focus for a hangover walk for many a villager after the Progressive Dinner.

And what a focus they are; 17 Berkshires of a surprising range of sizes and personalities. This round has brought together the largest number of members yet, reaching an impressive 10% of the village, with 23 households in total taking a share of the feed and care rota. Special thanks have already been given for Alan Naylor’s guttering, Brent Hodgson’s water pump repair and Simon Chambers’ feed unloading, to say nothing of the on-going efforts from chairman Andrew Cooke, accountant Nick Webb and rota guru Karen Cresswell. In fact previous members, the Browns, have also offered to help despite

Marton Groups

Marton Pig Club

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Marton

Marton Nature

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Marton Nature 2 April is now with us and our valley has survived the winter surprisingly well. The farm crops look to be in good shape largely because of the blanket of snow which, believe it or not, acted as insulation for the leaves and roots. However, some garden shrubs such as Bay and Ceanothus were not so lucky and will need replacing. The provision of our daily pint of milk has again come under scrutiny because of the availability of cheap imports and the only way that dairy farmers can counter the supermarket is to build up larger and larger herds, which is not good for the environment. Nearer home the barn owls seem to be very well and I should see eggs in four to five weeks time now that mice are breeding again to ensure their food supply. As some of you will have noticed, I have planted one and a half acres of broadleaved woodland trees (and a few larch) to enhance the pond area, I am now waiting to see how many grow. The first butterflies are flying when the sun shines so spring is here but don’t put your summer clothes on just yet!

Marton Cricket Club The new cricket season is fast approaching and the players are all geared up for another

Marton Nature 1 During April creatures which have been hibernating during the winter months will start to make an appearance, and these include our only venomous snake – the adder. The male adder leaves his hibernation about a month earlier than the female, who obviously enjoys a lie-in! Mating takes place in late April and rather than laying eggs the female adder gives birth to about 8 live young who are born in a membrane. Although venomous an adder bite is rarely dangerous for humans, although it will be very painful and require medical

attention. But the adder is very placid and shy and only tends to bite when handled. The adder has a distinctive “zig- zag” stripe down its back and favours heath land and open sunny spaces in woodland for warmth.

Marton Groups

Cricket Club enjoyable year, we have a full fixture list with 11 home matches and 10 away. Work has already started on preparing the wicket and despite the hard winter its looking good, thanks to all the dedicated work put in by

Alan & Stuart. Over the past few weeks the players have been honing their skills in training sessions down at Princethorpe College and by all accounts are raring to go. The club has had some success during the close season in recruiting new players which thankfully will assist in overcoming the player availability problem we encountered during 2010. Our first challenge is sorting out the logistics of making teas for the players as word has it the pavilion flood damage may not be repaired in time for the start of the season, however being resourceful, contingency plans will be made by the time you read this news item, so don’t worry we will still be serving up those wonderful teas. Those of you in the village who are interested in cricket do come along and support the team, we really do appreciate local support, bring your friends and family and of course enjoy our scrumptious teas. Our early fixtures are: April 10 - Bishops Tachbrook at home, Marton

starting at 1.30pm April 17 - Harbury at home, Marton starting at 2.00pm April 24 - Easter Sunday - we have no fixture May 1st - Priors Hardwick at home, Marton starting at 2.00pm

Plans are well under way for our first fund raising event of the year, our annual golf day at Stoneleigh Deer Park

Golf Club, this is an open event so all you golfers in the village who would like to enter a team of four players please get it touch, it promises to be a great days golf, contact Mike Fox on 01926 633101 or visit our web site where all the entry forms and details are posted. For more fixture information and much more visit our new look dedicated web site; www.martonvcc.com where you will find how to contact us and join MVCC, or contact us via admin@mvcc.com.

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