Clara Vale Village Hall bookings@claravale.org.uk www.claravale.org.uk

NEWS

Our magnificent new kitchen is almost ready to use!While many of us were locked down in our homes, the transformation of the village hall kitchen was quietly taking place. Once travel restrictions eased, craftsmen and tradesmen were able to come and go, working individually or in distanced groups to carry out the refurbishment safely.There are beautiful new units and worktops, stylish lighting and special acoustic panels to make it easier to

hear each other. The new equipment includes a large oven, a dishwasher and a special bottle fridge, all of which will make catering for parties and special events much easier.As you can imagine, co-ordinating this work under lockdown conditions has been a major logistical problem that has been elegantly solved by the hard work and dedication of John Lowes who must have contributed a vast amount of time and volunteer hours to this project,

liaising with Trustees and craftsmen, ordering white goods and ensuring their timely delivery as well as ensuring that the hall was open and closed at the right time, plus sorting out the hundreds of minor snags and setbacks that beset all such work. Thank you, John! You have been brilliant.Now we can all look forward to a time when the hall can reopen safely and we can all enjoy our beautiful new kitchen. Let’s hope it’s not too long! Kath Patton

AUGUST 2019

Village Hall NewsHall reopening and Covid-19 safetyWe are busy making the hall a Covid-19 safe environment. Things will look quite different when you arrive. For instance, there will be 2 metre markings outside and inside the hall for social distancing. There will be a one- way system in place, the main door will be the entrance, the business centre the exit. One toilet and one wash basin will be open for use one at a time. Windows will remain open when the hall is in use to allow fresh air into the building. There will be hand sanitising stations, tissues and bins at the entrance and exit. There will be an isolation point in the disabled toilet should someone become ill whilst at the hall. Extra cleaning regimes are in place and we may use the marquee and grounds regularly to provide more space outdoors. We will advise you when we have more details of classes restarting and of any events. There are a few things we ask of you to help keep yourself and others safe when using the hall. Rachel Kirkman

Signs are displayed at the entrance and exit asking that: 1. You must not enter if you or anyone

in your household has COVID-19 symptoms.

2. If you develop COVID-19 symptoms within 7 days of visiting these premises alert NHS Test, Track and Trace by calling 119. Alert the hall cleaner on 07846 526 689 and alert the organiser of the activity you attended.

3. Maintain 2 metres social distancing as far as possible: Wait behind the marked lines as you go through the entrance hall to your activity and observe the one-way system marked.

4. Use the hand sanitiser provided on entering the premises. Clean your hands often. Soap and paper towels are provided.

5. Avoid touching your face, nose, or eyes. Clean your hands if you do.

6. “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”. Tissues should be disposed of into one of the rubbish bags provided. Then wash your hands.

7. Keep surfaces, taps, sinks and toilets clean. Cleaning checklists with the date and time are displayed throughout the hall. Check the organisers of your activity have cleaned other equipment before you arrived. We do our best to clean all surfaces at the hall between each hire.

8. Take turns to use confined spaces such as corridors, kitchen and toilet areas. Standing or sitting next to someone is lower risk than opposite them. Briefly passing another person in a confined space is low risk.

9. Keep the hall well ventilated. Close doors and windows on leaving.

Money matters Anyone admiring the magnificent new kitchen in the Village Hall might be forgiven for assuming that the Village Hall Association was rolling in cash. Not so! The kitchen refurbishment was made possible by grants from the Garfield Weston Trust and ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England), both of which could only be spent on very specific development outcomes. To meet the ongoing costs of paying our bills, maintaining the building and making it safe and comfortable for all users, we rely on regular income from our tenants, our users and our day to day fundraising events and activities, as well as direct financial contributions from residents and friends of the village via our Individual Giving Scheme. Thanks to everyone for their continued financial support which has been a godsend during the difficult months of lockdown when most other sources of income dried up.Over the coming months we will need your support more than ever as cleaning costs and social distancing requirements are bound to have a negative effect on our monthly cash flow. If you would like to contribute to our Individual Giving scheme and haven’t already signed up, please fill in a Standing Order and Gift Aid form which you can get from Rachel or any of the Trustees, and we will do the rest. The scheme is voluntary and there is no set amount and donations can be anything from £2 or £3 a month upwards. Kath Patton

Welcome Councillor Helen HaranHelen Has recently joined our Committee, in an advisory capacity, to help us through these difficult times and to keep us to date with Gateshead Council policy and support. Helen’s support in the past has been invaluable so it is a pleasure to welcome her to the Committee in a more formal role. Gill Hale

Get well soonBest wishes to Christina our caretaker for a speedy recovery. After a short spell in hospital Chris is back home. Whilst Chris is recovering, thanks to John McLetchie for stepping in and covering as caretaker. Gill Hale

Security updateIn order to secure the Village Hall during recent renovations, we have installed a camera system covering the inside of the hall and covering the main entrance. The external lights have been left on all night as an extra security measure and to enhance the quality of the camera images. Pictures from the external camera have been forwarded to Northumbria Police to help them investigate the recent spate of garage burglaries within the village. No decision has been made yet on the long-term use of these cameras. Village Hall Committee

Electric vehicle charging pointsOur electric vehicle charger grant for the Village Hall has now been approved and 2 chargers have been installed. They are available for public and business use once we have a policy in place. Please get in touch if you are interested in using a car charger on a regular or infrequent basis. John Lowes

Annual General MeetingThe 2020 AGM was due to be held during June. However, due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Committee has agreed to defer consideration of the AGM until late August/early September. Based on the Charity Commission’s website, the latest we can hold the AGM is 30 September, so our approach allows us to gauge the viability of holding it as a face to face meeting. If this is deemed as inappropriate, a Zoom based event will be considered. We appreciate, however, that this may restrict those members with IT access difficulties. Whatever the date agreed (subject to any further government updates), details of the AGM will be advertised in good time. Bill Coburn

Fundraising eventsFund raising events like the Christmas Fair, the Jumble Sale, the breakfasts, lunch club and coffee mornings will need a complete redesign to see if they can be adapted to the new normal. Maybe you have some ideas for other fundraising activities suitable for the changed environment? Please let us know, all ideas welcome. In the meantime, you can book the outdoor space, including the marquee. Please only use the outdoor areas after getting in touch as they may already be booked. Gill Hale

New doorsAt what seems a lifetime ago the Village Hall was awarded a grant from the Land of Oak & Iron, (you may have been to their centre at Winlaton Mill), for a heritage project involving the transformation of our external doors.

After talking to various hall users and groups, people asked for images that reflected our past, children and nature. That is quite a lot for 2 doors, so I borrowed the iconic image of the pit boy that is displayed in the hall and went from there. Together with Veronika

I have been working to produce vinyl images for our glass doors that that we are at last close to finalising. The vinyl images are being produced by AAA signs and should be installed in the next month or so. Gill Hale

Village Hall News

MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR BUSINESS CENTRE DOOR

A library of thingsThe sharing of stuff, or indeed time, over lockdown has been a joy to behold – the fact that you can pretty much put a call out for anything and someone has it and, not only that, is willing to share it, got me thinking. Sharing the things we only use now and again cuts down on clutter, is more affordable, brings people together, and is kinder to our planet. So, do you have useful items that you use occasionally and would be happy to share with others in the village? Do you wish you had something but, in our small Clara Vale houses, have nowhere to store it?

A Library of Things offers a sustainable way to get access to everything from DIY equipment and camping gear to kitchenware and gardening items. This isn’t a new idea but is a global movement with a growing number of Library of Things in the UK www.libraryofthings.co.uk. If the world consumed like the UK, we’d need 3.5 planets of resources, and yet 80% of household items are used less than once per month. Our homes are becoming cluttered, we’re spending money on things we hardly use and this isn’t a great use of our planet’s resources.With this in mind I have started to put together a spreadsheet of things that people are willing to share. This isn’t

likely to be an actual library stored in one place but a catalogue of stuff, listed by category, owner and location. The concept is in its infancy, we might pay a small fee into a central pot to cover costs or repairs, but we would save money and space in our homes and the benefit to the environment in waste prevention would be enormous.If this is something you would like to support, either as a sharer or a borrower, or an idea you’d like to get behind and help make happen, then please contact Karen Hudspith. You can email Karen at karenhudspith@gmail.com contact her on 07789 871 083 or drop a note through her door at 8 Tyne View. Karen Hudspith

Produce stall

Growers from the village would like to share their surplus produce from their gardens. Every Saturday 10am to 12 noon, during the growing season, produce will be available outside the entrance to the allotments. Please come along to browse the wonderful fruit, vegetables, preserves, flowers, plants and seeds. You can help yourselves, barter your own produce, or if you’d like to make a donation this will be given to West End Food Bank. There will usually be someone there to share growing, cooking, and vegetable identification tips! Come and enjoy the harvest, get inspired, and reduce food waste and food miles. Rene Dunlop Helen Haran

Face masks

Face coverings are now mandatory on public transport and in shops and are likely to become increasingly important in every-day life. In order to reduce waste, and express your own style, why not make your own re-usable one? A great sewing pattern can be found on you-tube called Quick and Easy Pleated Face Mask with Nose Bridge and Filter Pocket, by Kim’s Kitchen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K4dH3-LHLQ) If you would like one of these ready-made in a choice of fabrics and sizes please ring 0191 413 2705 and leave your name and mobile number and I will text you with the details (or your landline and I will call). If you feel you’d like to make a donation, money is being collected for The Angelou Centre in Newcastle. Rene Dunlop

Support during the pandemicResidents in Clara Vale who need support due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will continue to get support over the summer from Gateshead Council. With the Government scheme to provide food parcels or help with prescriptions to those registered as extremely vulnerable due to end on 31 July, the Council has agreed that we will keep supporting those residents who need help until September. Since lockdown began, the Council together with a number of voluntary sector partners including Age UK Gateshead, Gateshead Mutual Aid and Citizens Advice Gateshead, as well as faith groups and local volunteers, have helped more than 4,500 households.

Residents that need support with food, routine shopping and other essential items can register for help online at: www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/15182/I-need-help or they can call: 0191 4337112. Alternatively, you can refer someone for help using the same contact details. If you need help the village is running a local mutual aid group. Ther,e are 43 local members signed up to support each other and anyone in the village who needs help due to the current crisis. If you need anything, please don’t be shy, contact Rachel Darby on 07837 062 774 or 0191 340 9022. Helen Haran

CONSERVATION GROUP NEWSThe Covid-19 lock-down has meant the Reserve has had many more visitors than usual. The flowers and the birdsong and peacefulness provided an escape and a refuge for people. Hopefully the reserve has also helped and inspired parents with their home-schooling during lock-down.Nature continues, unaware of the pandemic. Birds such as chiffchaffs and willow warblers arrived from Africa as usual, just as the last of the winter migrants, the redwings and fieldfares, left. The first flush of spring flowers, cow parsley, primroses, yellow rattle, is over and the summer flowers are now coming into their own. The nest boxes have been well used again, although not as well as last year This year, so far 8 pairs of tree sparrows have had 14 broods and have raised at least 50 young. This is well down on last year when most of the 21 boxes were occupied by tree sparrows and they had 30 broods produced at least 96 young but there is still time for them to raise more young. It is possible the very wet February may have had an impact. Great tits did better this year.

They occupied 5 nest boxes raising 15 young compared with last year when they used only 2 boxes raising only 3 young. Blue tits this year used 3 boxes raising 15 young (last year, 4 boxes with 9 young). Tree sparrows have declined nationally by 95% since 1970 so we’re doing our bit to conserve them. Many thanks to Richard Barnes of the Northumbria Ringing Group for monitoring the nest boxes. To further help the tree sparrows, the Dickinson Memorial Fund through the Natural History Society of Northumbria has given us a grant to buy 10 more nest boxes. We will place them around the Reserve in the autumn.

Swift nest boxes Despite more than 46,000 swifts seen on one day along the east coast, at the end of June, disappointingly, the nest boxes on the Village Hall once again failed to attract swifts this year. This is their third season. This is not unusual. It can take several years for them to be used. We must be patient.

Bird hides We advised not visiting the hides at the outbreak of Covid 19. We are unable to clean them and they are small spaces, making social distancing difficult. Despite the easing of restrictions, we still advise against using the hides but it is for individuals to make their own decision about this.

As is our usual practise we have stopped feeding the birds over the summer. We will start winter feeding around mid-October If you want a key for the hides (and all the hides in Gateshead) contact Gordon on 413 8287. Keys cost £5. For more information from the nature reserve visit www.cvcg.org.uk. Gordon Pollinger

DRAWINGS SHOWING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE TREE SPARROW, TOP AND MALE HOUSE

SPARROW, BOTTOM

WHAT’S ON IN THE VILLAGE HALL

CLARA VALE VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEEGill Hale, Chair, 8 East View, 0191 413 5435William Coburn, Secretary 33 Bracken Way, Crawcrook 0191 4139761, 07960 016652Steve Hilton, Treasurer 10 South View, 0191 413 1535Martin Church 4 Edington GardensJohn Kelly 20 South View, 0191 413 3247Veronika Richter 14 Maryside Place, 0191 413 1186Ben Thomas 1 Edington CottagesJess Lloyd 15 North ViewMary Hughes 15 East ViewHelen Haran 13 North View, 0191 4131973Val Murray, Safeguarding Offcer ‘Norbreck’, Stannerford Road

KEYHOLDERSRachel Kirkman Clara Vale Village Hall & Business Centre Manager 07543 281 301 bookings@claravale.org.ukChristina Bainbridge, Caretaker 0191 4137600, 07443 005 889John McLetchie, Relief Caretaker 07846 526689Gill Hale 0191 413 5435

CLARA VALE VILLAGE HALL ASSOCIATION IS A REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1154652

We will advise you of any upcoming events or activities as soon as we have details Classes are currently suspended except for:

Karate Fridays 6.30-8.30pm Contact Joe Robson on 07519 009 874

Dru Yoga Contact Rachel Orange on 07545 865 009 for details of 1:1, group, kids, teen and family sessions outdoors safely distanced

N-Core Pilates Contact Nicola on 07583 202 529 for details of 1:1 sessions via Zoom or What’s App or a possible group Zoom Pilates class.

Table tennis The table is available for hire

BOOKINGSNB Use of outdoor space at the Village Hall should be booked to ensure safety. Email bookings@claravale.org.uk or contact 07543 281 301. Thank you.

Further information

Councillor Surgeries Currently postponed. If you need any assistance with a Council issue please contact your councillors directly.

Conservation Group Committee Meetings are currently suspensed.

Village Hall Committee Meetings are currently held via Zoom, please contact Gill Hale, Chair, 0191 413 5435