Matfen Jean Conteh Another quiet week in Matfen village as the temperatures plummeted and the weather conspired with the lockdown to keep people indoors. I’m planning to put together the next Matfen Community Newsletter soon, the first one of 2021, so get in touch via jeanconteh@waitrose.com if you have anything you’d like to contribute. It will appear every two months this year. It’s meant to be a round-up of what’s been happening in the community, as well as plans and ideas for the future. It’s a space for anyone in the community to publicise events, ideas and activities, or to share positive thoughts and reflections about life in Matfen over the years. Since it started last year, it has been distributed through Rev Rachel’s email list. If you haven’t received it so far and would like to do so, get in touch on the email above and I’ll ad you to the list.
Sarah Hallberg St Peter’s, Falstone, needs help from all knitters in the North Tyne area. The church would like to have a large display of knitted poppies for Remembrance Sunday 2021, and it has wool and patterns available for anyone who would like to contribute. Please contact Jill Swaile if you would like to get involved on alanswaile@aol.com or 01434 240168. The annual subscription fees for The Meeting of the Waters (the North Tyne and Redesdale’s Parish magazine) are now due, and the annual fee of just £6.50 will get you 11 issues per year. Please contact Jill Swaile for further info.
Horsley Maurice Holliday National lockdown restrictions have brought about some changes for businesses in the village. On a positive note the antiques centre in Horsley is accepting orders using the internet. Similarly Hearth artists are doing the same and some artists can post work to customers. Check the websites for further information. The construction work continues at a pace at the water treatment works and many units are open at the South East Farm business park. The Hearth cafe is open for take away food and drinks. Please note that the weekday opening times have changed to 9.30am - 2.30pm. Weekends remain as 10am to 3pm. It has produced a new menu to start the year on a high with winter warmers.
Humshaugh Herbie Newell A reminder that opening hours for the village shop over the Christmas period are: Christmas Eve – normal hours, Christmas Day – closed, Boxing Day – 9-11. For takeaway meals from the Crown Inn, please check: https://www.facebook.com/humshaugh/. A huge thank you to everyone at St Peter’s Church for the excellent Christmas 2020 Carol Service DVD that has been distributed free of charge in the parish. The readings, singing by our first school children, and festive scenes of St Peter’s and Humshaugh bring much-needed cheer and joy at the end of a very challenging year. Some hopeful news on the George Hotel which is planning to reopen in April 2021, depending on the situation with hospitality and Covid-19 tiers. The George has reverted to its owners, who have appointed Bespoke Hotels to manage and operate the business.