Half term trails

With a two-week half term holiday underway and families being unable to travel, Montgomery children and parents will be able to exercise both their bodies and their brains by taking advantage of the Montgomery Trails in the forthcoming week.

A suite of free Montgomery Trails cycling and walking routes, which set out from and return to Montgomery, are available from Bunners, Ivy House and The Cottage (when open) and the Tourist Information Box at The Pound.

These can also be downloaded in pdf format from https://www.montgomery-wales.co.uk/tour/trails.html, where you will also find a couple of small updates to the route details found by volunteers checking the Trails recently, or montgomery-waw.org.uk. Alternatively, look for the posters in Montgomery displaying the QR code, and download from there.

In addition, Montgomery Trails family friendly quiz cards can be picked up for £1.50 from the Post Office. Each quiz comes with a Montgomery Trails dragon pencil and a prize draw entry.

There are two choices, each designed to be completed on foot. The Town of Little Cars Quiz is based on the collection at Cloverlands Model Car Museum, and takes place around the centre of town.

The Historic Town Quiz takes in more of the town and is suitable for older children. Both quizzes are also enjoyed by adults looking for a bit of something extra to do as they take some exercise.

Harvest event

St Nicholas’ Church in Montgomery celebrated their Harvest Festival this year with an outdoor service in a church member’s garden. Thirty people gathered for the service, with live music and a dance contributed by children’s church members.

Congregation member Lydia Bassett said: “It was a beautiful service and a real joy to bring people together outdoors to celebrate the harvest. We shared stories of harvests gone by, and informal music and dance, in a beautiful garden. We even had a rainbow and the drizzle held off.”

While the church has been open for Sunday worship, some congregation members have preferred to stick with online services delivered via Zoom. Sharing celebration and fellowship is all the more appreciated in the current times.

Artists’ donations

Montgomery’s Emma Bailey-Beech, Church Warden at Middleton Church, has been delighted by the response from local artists donating pieces for a “Secret Art and Craft Sale” she is planning, which will raise funds for churches in the Chirbury Hills group of six parish churches.

Montgomery artists, including members of the Montgomery art group, have been quick to offer their support, with items already entered for the sale including an acrylic painting on canvas by Josette Gresty, giclee prints of Montgomery views by Cheryl Leach, engraved slate from Dragon Slate and macramé hangings by Alex Boyd Jones of lark & line.

Emma Bailey-Beech said: “We are blessed to have such creative and clever individuals in the area, so I really hope it’s a huge success, even within the current restrictions. I am currently appealing to artists and crafters to donate some of their work, and to help spread the word.”

Once enough items are sourced, tickets will be sold at £10 each and people will win a piece of art or craft. The pieces are randomly allocated rather than chosen by each ticket holder, which makes it quite exciting.

A date for the secret sale hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the organisers hope to hold an exhibition and event at Chirbury church once this is allowed.

Artists and artwork will be publicised widely, and there’s even talk of getting a few celebrities to join in and sketch something. If you’d like to donate something, Emma is looking for a range of items in different media and can be contacted on 01686 669971 or eatmorecakes@hotmail.com

Advent Calendar

A Montgomery teen is creating an online advent calendar for Montgomery to help bring the town and community together when we have to be apart this Christmas.

The digital advent calendar is being organised by Catrin McDougal (aged 14) for the benefit of the community and will also contribute to her silver Duke of Edinburgh volunteering. She is being supported in the technical aspects of the challenge by Adam Cusack, who looks after the Town website.

The advent calendar will be available on the Montgomery Wales website, with a “door” opening each day.

Catrin said: “We hope that it will be fun to watch and that people will log on each night as we reveal a new video message from some familiar faces.

“The idea was inspired by the live advent calendar two years ago, when many people from all over the town and surrounding area came together to celebrate the countdown to Christmas each night.”

If you live in the area and would like to volunteer to contribute a video please send your initial ideas and contact details to news-events@montgomery-wales.uk for attention of Catrin.

Diary dates

  • Thursday - Montgomery Market (outdoors)
  • Friday - Friday morning prayer online
  • Saturday - outdoor fruit and veg stall
  • Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday - Yoga and somatic movement classes online see www.creativeyogamotion.uk/www for details
  • Tuesday - Clwb Eiddew, Welsh language book and chat group online (contact: julie.pearce5@btinternet.com)