Well, last weekend was not exactly what you would call relaxing - Friday night was marked by the appearance of Santa in the village as he rode around on his sleigh for all the children to see.
We attended the village fete on Saturday afternoon at the Fulford village hall and came home laden with teddies and bottles from the stalls on offer - I think judging by the number of teddy bears at that fete, everyone had had a clear out to make room for Santa.
The Sunday was then the local village walk - a gentle stroll around Fulford and the surrounding countryside - abot 8 people and 5 dogs decided to join in. We made a mottly crew as we donned our Wellies to set off across the fields and paddled through the streams to head for the Sandon Road. We turned back just before the infamous Hunter public house and headed for Saverley Green - across many old rickety styles and bridges (including one bridge which was about 5 feet short of the bank!).
We all waded through the mud (2 of us even got stuck in it), and arrived back in the village after a couple of hours, exhausted, but happy and ready for more (well ready for a relaxing drink at the Shoulder of Mutton).
Bring on the next walk!
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Even the dank weather of mid November cannot dampen the spirits around the village.
This weekend, we have had visits from both Elvis and Meatloaf, belting out old favourites at the village hall and the Shoulder of Mutton - they might be tribute bands to the greats, but I have to admit that they put on one hell of an act (excuse the pun).
Santa is also visiting the village and having a ride around for the youngsters - I wonder how many villages still put on that sort of treat for the children? Apparently for years, his role was played by someone who looked the part with his own white beard !
This weekend, we have had visits from both Elvis and Meatloaf, belting out old favourites at the village hall and the Shoulder of Mutton - they might be tribute bands to the greats, but I have to admit that they put on one hell of an act (excuse the pun).
Santa is also visiting the village and having a ride around for the youngsters - I wonder how many villages still put on that sort of treat for the children? Apparently for years, his role was played by someone who looked the part with his own white beard !
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Bulb Planting
Well, yesterday was the second hectic day of planting bulbs around Fulford to help improve the look in the spring - with only 6 people, 5 children and 800 bulbs, a lot of holes seemed to be dug through the heavy clay soil everywhere. Passers by gave plenty of encouragement, but despite the sun, it was a shame that more people did not get involved. Still, that is the chance you take, particularly with it being remembrane Sunday, when the church should be busy with people paying their respects to the many soldiers, family and friends lost in conflict over the years.
Still we managed to get it all done - just one more bag of 400 daffodils remain, from the original 2500+ bulbs to be planted, so well done to everyone involved - fingers crossed that we get a good display early next year.
I also have to say thankyou to the Shoulder of Mutton for putting on free chips and soup for the workers at lunchtime, washed down by a pint or two of ale of course!
Working With Teens
It was nice to hear yesterday about the steps being taken by some of the villagers to interact positively with the local youth, by providing badminton, table tennis and snooker tournaments in the village. This is helping to bring down barriers and get the youth to take more pride in the village and its facilities. Certainly there has been a downturn in the small amount of vandalism that there has been over the past few months, with even a reduction in litter. It provides an opportunity for teens to meet and talk with villagers on an equal footing and to show that they are not all a bunch of hoodies out to cause mischief.
Long may it continue.
So, what is coming up next in the village?
Well there is the Wednesday night quiz at the locla pub which is always popular, and an Elvis tribute on 20th November at the village hall, followed by a Meatloaf tribute on 21st November at the pub, so these should bring some interest. The best kept village family quiz night is also coming up, as is the Christmas fair on 5th December followed by another walk around the village on 6th December.
Who says that village life is dull ?
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Where now for the Shoulder of Mutton
It is a shame that the local village pub is fast going the way of many other local pubs in Britain, where people no longer use what was once the hub of all village activity. I would hate to see the Fulford pub (the Shoulder of Mutton) disappear and be replaced by more houses, following the fate of the post office and the local shops.
Can a community survive with only its church and village hall? Not exactly the places to take friends and family out when they come to visit! However, the less people that use it, the more difficult it is to afford to run the pub, particularly when it is a tied house and not free to purchase its beers and spirits on the open market.
The Best Kept Village committee, as small as it is, is trying to breath life back into the pub - a small questionnaire was distributed to the houses in the area (around 1000 properties), asking what people would like to do to try and save the pub and what facilities could be brought in. Alas with only 20 responses, you have to wonder what impetus there is in the village, if anything to saving it.
However, some of the feedback was very positive, with the main ideas being based around the need for the pub to provide food on a weekend - however, with the current state of the kitchens, that requires capital expenditure by the landlords, Enterprise Inns - who will only realistically spend money if they can see sufficient support from the locals.
Other ideas would be for the village to purchase the pub and run it as a community enterprise venture, which is similar to a charity but can make profits. However, the issue there is the need to raise sufficient capital - ideally to purchase the pub outright, so that it can become a free house and build on its reputation for real ales and promote the fact that the cellar at the Shoulder of Mutton is in fact an underground cave which keeps beer at the right temperature naturally without the need for expensive cooling.
Around £400,000 would need to be raised to purchase the pub and set it up as a community pub - this has been done elsewhere in the UK successfully, but it needs celebrity backing, a real draw to get people visiting and using the pub, and who knows, maybe even some American investors wanted to keep a bit of old blighty by investing in a traditional English Country Pub.
It will be interesting to see where this goes - SAVE OUR PUB - and if you live in Fulford, USE IT!
Can a community survive with only its church and village hall? Not exactly the places to take friends and family out when they come to visit! However, the less people that use it, the more difficult it is to afford to run the pub, particularly when it is a tied house and not free to purchase its beers and spirits on the open market.
The Best Kept Village committee, as small as it is, is trying to breath life back into the pub - a small questionnaire was distributed to the houses in the area (around 1000 properties), asking what people would like to do to try and save the pub and what facilities could be brought in. Alas with only 20 responses, you have to wonder what impetus there is in the village, if anything to saving it.
However, some of the feedback was very positive, with the main ideas being based around the need for the pub to provide food on a weekend - however, with the current state of the kitchens, that requires capital expenditure by the landlords, Enterprise Inns - who will only realistically spend money if they can see sufficient support from the locals.
Other ideas would be for the village to purchase the pub and run it as a community enterprise venture, which is similar to a charity but can make profits. However, the issue there is the need to raise sufficient capital - ideally to purchase the pub outright, so that it can become a free house and build on its reputation for real ales and promote the fact that the cellar at the Shoulder of Mutton is in fact an underground cave which keeps beer at the right temperature naturally without the need for expensive cooling.
Around £400,000 would need to be raised to purchase the pub and set it up as a community pub - this has been done elsewhere in the UK successfully, but it needs celebrity backing, a real draw to get people visiting and using the pub, and who knows, maybe even some American investors wanted to keep a bit of old blighty by investing in a traditional English Country Pub.
It will be interesting to see where this goes - SAVE OUR PUB - and if you live in Fulford, USE IT!
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Best Kept Village - congratulations to all those involved
I would just like to raise a glass to all those involved in Fulford's entry into the Best Kept Village competition this year (2009) - Fulford was highly commended in the end which is a great achievement, considering that the decision to enter this year for the first time in many years, was first mooted one evening at the village pub when a lot of people suffering from the effects of the wine and beer that was flowing, agreed to get involved, not really knowing what was entailed.
A great village clear-up was held in the Spring to get rid of some 20+ years of clutter, mainly around the hedgerows and forgotten corners, followed by planting of flowers and bulbs in October, ready for the Spring next year. Two new flower beds have been put in, along with raised beds at the entrances to the village.
Even the flower beds outside the local pub (The Shoulder of Mutton) have been cleared of weeds and planted up to give a veritable mass of colour next year.
Today has seen the first of a series of village walks - despite the inclement weather last night and early this morning, an intrepid band of people and dogs turned out for the walk, leading up behind the church to nearby Stallington and then cutting across the fields to take in the old quarry and the farms to the west of the village, finishing up at the village green. Not only did we get to look at the new bit of hedgelaying which has been started, but also learnt what to do when being chased by a herd of cattle across the field! The sun even managed to show its head and we all enjoyed this walk and hope it will be the start of many.
If Fulford is to remain a vibrant village, we need to work together to ensure that events like this continue to happen and be supported, and that the local pub can continue as a viable business so that it can remain the hub of village life.
A great village clear-up was held in the Spring to get rid of some 20+ years of clutter, mainly around the hedgerows and forgotten corners, followed by planting of flowers and bulbs in October, ready for the Spring next year. Two new flower beds have been put in, along with raised beds at the entrances to the village.
Even the flower beds outside the local pub (The Shoulder of Mutton) have been cleared of weeds and planted up to give a veritable mass of colour next year.
Today has seen the first of a series of village walks - despite the inclement weather last night and early this morning, an intrepid band of people and dogs turned out for the walk, leading up behind the church to nearby Stallington and then cutting across the fields to take in the old quarry and the farms to the west of the village, finishing up at the village green. Not only did we get to look at the new bit of hedgelaying which has been started, but also learnt what to do when being chased by a herd of cattle across the field! The sun even managed to show its head and we all enjoyed this walk and hope it will be the start of many.
If Fulford is to remain a vibrant village, we need to work together to ensure that events like this continue to happen and be supported, and that the local pub can continue as a viable business so that it can remain the hub of village life.
Are there any real villages left?
Well, having been brought up to respect the countryside, and having actively been engaged in physical environmental conservation all around Britain for the past 20 years, I was lucky enough in 2007 to move to the small rural idyll of Fulford in Staffordshire.
I knew the area fairly well from the conservation work I had undertaken on the nearby Staffordshire Moorlands and who can forget those memorable holidays at the tiny village of Barthomley, where even when the work was cancelled due to heavy snowfalls, we were made to feel welcome by the local village pub and the church - even with the local villagers popping into the village hall to check that we were OK and warm enough with plenty of food to keep us going.
Fulford struck me as a similar style of village, with the housing set against a backdrop of well managed farms (mainly dairy, but with some sheep), and the only amenities, a local village pub, the church and village hall. I was even lucky enough to be able to purchase a house overlooking the local paddock.
Having been here for a couple of years, it is a far cry from living in the suburbs - the local children and teenagers are friendly, open to a chat and when you see them stood waiting for the school bus, they're not fighting and pushing each other into the road, or smoking, or damaging the local bus shelter.
It is nice to just sit and watch the world go by here, people riding past on horses exploring the countryside around, and all the people out taking their dogs for a walk. When you open your door on a night, the most noise you hear is the local cattle mewing and maybe the tractors (or milk wagon) coming past your door as they go about their business. In fact, it makes a very pleasant change to see the driver of the milk wagon slow down to a snail's pace as he comes past you if you're out walking the dog, so as not to cause alarm.
I do wonder just how many villages in the UK are now like this....
I knew the area fairly well from the conservation work I had undertaken on the nearby Staffordshire Moorlands and who can forget those memorable holidays at the tiny village of Barthomley, where even when the work was cancelled due to heavy snowfalls, we were made to feel welcome by the local village pub and the church - even with the local villagers popping into the village hall to check that we were OK and warm enough with plenty of food to keep us going.
Fulford struck me as a similar style of village, with the housing set against a backdrop of well managed farms (mainly dairy, but with some sheep), and the only amenities, a local village pub, the church and village hall. I was even lucky enough to be able to purchase a house overlooking the local paddock.
Having been here for a couple of years, it is a far cry from living in the suburbs - the local children and teenagers are friendly, open to a chat and when you see them stood waiting for the school bus, they're not fighting and pushing each other into the road, or smoking, or damaging the local bus shelter.
It is nice to just sit and watch the world go by here, people riding past on horses exploring the countryside around, and all the people out taking their dogs for a walk. When you open your door on a night, the most noise you hear is the local cattle mewing and maybe the tractors (or milk wagon) coming past your door as they go about their business. In fact, it makes a very pleasant change to see the driver of the milk wagon slow down to a snail's pace as he comes past you if you're out walking the dog, so as not to cause alarm.
I do wonder just how many villages in the UK are now like this....
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