Short History of the Shropshire Union Canal
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USEFUL FACTS & NUMBERS Contents Page Useful Facts And Numbers POLICE 2 (non emergency) 101 Cover Story 3 ROADS, PAVEMENTS AND STREET Lockdown Poem LIGHTING ISSUES 3 report online at: Back To The Future Meetings www.staffordshire.gov.uk/reportit 3 Village Voice 4 STREETSCENE Ministry Matters Methodist (litter and dog mess) 01785 619401 5 (Page 8) St Lawrence Church News GNOSALL SURGERY 6 01785 822220 Quote Of The Month 6 Letters & Announcements GNOSALL PHARMACY 7 01785 822228 Gnosall Methodist Church 8 GROSVENOR CENTRE Gnosall Catholic News 01785 822685 9 Remembrance Sunday GNOSALL VILLAGE HALL 10 01785 823303 (L Malone) Gnosall St. Lawrence C.E. Primary Academy RBL 10 (Page 11) Royal British Legion GNOSALL & DISTRICT VOLUNTARY 11 CAR SCHEME Short History of the Shropshire Union Canal 12 Co-ordinator: Jenny Hodkinson Face Coverings During Covid-19 Pandemic Contact 01785 823425 13 The Mercer Of Gnoshall Mobile 07583 390363 14 only between 9am-5:00pm The Best Kept Village 15 VET - SHIRES VETERINARY PRACTICE Healthy Walk No 9 01785 823713 16 or emergency only Eccleshall 850218 Gnosall Writers 17 Shropshire Union Book Review Canal PEST CONTROL - STAFFORD 17 (Page 12) BOROUGH COUNCIL Gnossword 0845 505 7378 17 Gnosall Towpath Restoration STAFFORD RECYCLING CENTRE 18 Macmillan Cancer Support St Alban’s Road - Opening Times 18 Santa Arrives Every Day 9am to 5pm 19 (Except over the Christmas Period) Wishing You Bellycheer Close: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 19 New Years Day GLRC 20 BKV EMERGENCY SERVICES Gnosall Parish Council (Page 15) 21 Jambusters WI • Police:Telephone 999 in emergency 22 where there is a danger to life or a Beautiful Tree Poem crime is in progress. 22 Telephone 101 for non - emergencies Gnosall Library where police attendance is required, to 23 report any other incidents. Call to 101 Gnosall Footpath Friends have a fixed cost of 15p per call. 23 Index of Local Trade Directory • Fire & Rescue Service: 0300 330 1000 23 • Ambulance HQ: 01785 253521 Local Trade Directory • Electricity: 0800 6783105 or 105 23/43 Santa Arrives • Water: 0800 7834444 Victorian Christmas Market Past (Page 19) • Gas: 0800 111999 44 HOSPITALS CONTRIBUTIONS • County Hospital ( Stafford ): Contributions for the GPN must be received by the 15th of each month by 5pm for inclusion in the 01785 257731 next edition, please send details to the Editor. • Cannock Chase: 01543 572757 EDITOR - Joyce Rowe Tel: 822579 email:[email protected] • St George’s: 01785 257888 DESIGN & PRINT PRODUCTION - Keith Kinsella Tel: 0772 512 6333 • University Hospital of North DISTRIBUTION - Bob Colman, Holly House, The Rank. Tel: 823955. email: [email protected] ADVERTISEMENTS - Olive Wakefield email: [email protected] Staffordshire: 01785 715444 WEBSITE - Bob Alker - www.gnosallparishnews.com TREASURER & CHAIRMAN - Pat Tweed. Tel: 822523 email: [email protected] 2 Cover Story, ! BACK TO THE FUTURE MEETINGS When you think of Christmas, one of the first images to spring to mind is probably a Christmas tree, covered • Gnosall Writers every first Thursday of the in twinkly decorations, lights and tinsel. month, 7:00pm, at the Library. • Gnosall Memorial Village Hall Committee Meeting - 3rd Tuesday of the month. Contact But where did the tradition of having a fir tree in Mags Yeo on 01785 822862 for details. our house and decorating it like this come from? All welcome. • Newport Chess Club every Thursday at Many people think the tradition of Christmas trees 7.30pm at the Royal British Legion Audley in Britain started with the Victorians. This refers to Road Newport, call Daniel on 01785 82332 the time when Queen Victoria was on the • Gnosall Lions 7.30pm, Fire station 1st Monday throne, from 1837 until 1901. in the month • Gnosall Handbell Ringers Grosvenor Centre Tuesdays 8.00 - 10.00 p.m. Contact 822592 Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert • Bowling Monday 3pm, at Gnosall Village Hall were known to be very big fans of Christmas! also Thursday 3pm and 7pm • Bingo Friday 7.30pm at Village Hall However, the tradition actually dates back • Bridge at the Grosvenor Wednesday 7.20pm further than that.It originally came from Germany, where contact Pat & John on 824203, Prince Albert was actually born, and was introduced to England during the • Phoenix at Grosvenor Friday 10am -12noon Georgian period, when King George III was on the throne. • Gnosall Players, 7.45pm Tuesdays at the Youth Club Cabin, Grosvenor Centre. • Healthy Walking Group Wednesday & Sunday He had a German wife called Charlotte, who it is thought used to decorate a tree for 10.30am her family in the 1790s. • Military Whist, Grosvenor Centre 7.30pm Wednesday Starts at 7.45pm But Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are said to be the ones who made it extremely Contact Hilda 824984 popular and fashionable to decorate a tree at Christmas like this, which is why a lot of • U3A Newport. Meetings are held on the third people think that they started the tradition in Britain. Tuesday of the month at the Royal British Legion Club, Audley Road, Newport. • Gnosall Painting Group Friday afternoon At first, people used to put their trees on tables, as they were smaller. But when it sessions 1.30pm – 3.30pm at the Methodist became possible to get bigger trees from Norway, people began to put their trees on Church. contact Carol Perry tel.824917 the floor, with presents underneath. • Gnosall Toddler group Every Thursday 9.30- 11.30 School Room in the Methodist Church The reason that fir trees are traditionally used is because they are evergreen, which Contact 07816 100 068 means they are still bright green with lots of leaves - even during the winter. • Church Bell Ringers Practice Friday evenings from 7.30-9pm at St. Lawrence & ring at 9.45am most Sundays. Ever since 1947, Norway has donated a tree to London to say thank you for helping Contact Phil on 07913 757512 them during World War II. • Gnosall Jambusters WI 1st Wednesday in the month GMVH 7.30pm A special ceremony is held in Norway in November, when the tree is cut down in the • Gnosall Grosvenor Youth Club – GG’s Youth forest in Norway. Then, it comes over to the UK by sea, before being driven to London Club is open on Wednesday Evenings on a big lorry. It is then put up in Trafalgar Square in London using a special crane. It is 6 -7.30pm for Children in School Years 4, 5 & decorated in the traditional Norwegian way, with strings of lights going down the tree, 6 and 7.45 - 9.15pm for Children in School Years 7, 8 & 9. The Youth Club Building is rather than criss-crossing it. located behind the Grosvenor Centre, contact Jordan on 07715 392345 for any information. SC • Royal British Legion Gnosall Memorial Village Hall 1st Tuesday in month • Gnosall Art Class, Gnosall Grosvenor Centre, Lockdown Poem Thursday 7 pm – 9 pm • Bradley Mixed Media Art Class, Bradley Village This amusing ‘lockdown’ poem was found on the internet. Hall, Mondays 10 am – 12 noon. For further No author’s name was attached, but credit is surely due to Yeats, Kipling, details contact: Debbie Chatfield, 01785 781075 or 07727216523; and Wordsworth….. and readers, who else? debs@ debbiechatfield.co.uk • Newport Photographic Club every Tuesday at I won’t arise and go now, and go to Innisfree 7.45pm Baptist Church, Water Lane Newport I’ll sanitise the doorknob and make a cup of tea. more information at www.newportphotoclub.com I won’t go down to the sea again, I won’t go out at all, • The Friday night youth groups at Gnosall I’ll wander lonely as a cloud from the kitchen to the hall. Methodist Church are now enrolling. The junior club is on from 6.15-7.45pm. There’s a green-eyed yellow monster to the north of Kathmandu The senior club is for young people in years 9, But I shan’t be seeing him just yet and nor, I think will you. 10 and 11 and doors open 8-9.30pm While the dawn comes up like thunder on the road to Mandalay • The opening hours of Gnosall Community Library are: Monday 4:00 - 6:30 pm Tuesday I’ll make my bit of supper and eat it off a tray. 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Wednesday 3:00 - I shall not speed my bonnie boat across the sea to Skye 7:00 pm Thursday 2 - 4pm Saturday 10:00 am Or take the rolling English road from Birmingham to Rye. - 12:30 pm phone No. 01785 895750 • Gnosall Singers Wednesdays 10.30 to 12.30 About the woodland, just right now, I am not free to go Methodist Hall. To see the Keep Out posters or the cherry hung with snow Contact Anne Robotham, Tel: 01785 822423 • Gnosall Over 55s Friendship Group 2nd And no, I won’t be travelling much, within the realms of gold. Wednesday of the month 2.00 - 3.30pm Or get to Milford Haven. All that’s been put on hold. Community Rooms Impstones. Give me your hands, I shan’t request, albeit we are friends Tel: 0800 111 4554 Nor come within a mile of you, until this XXXX show ends. 3 Life In Lockdown I have heard some people trying to draw a comparison between life in the present lockdown and war time. I'm old enough to tell them there is very little similarity. I grew up from five years old with wartime controls and rationing. During our current lockdown we have the benefits of 75 years of technological development to help us, the world seems a smaller place. Communication is instant with the internet and TV and our mobile phones, access to the most recent news is available to all.