Week beginning November 3rd 2003

Bonfire Spectacular at Paull : on Bonfire night - November 5th – there is to be a grand bonfire and fireworks display at Fort Paull. Besides the obvious attractions of the fire and the fireworks there will be other entertainments, refreshments on sale and the Fort’s bar will of course be open. Admission will be by ticket, available from Paull Post Office on Main Street or the office at the Fort itself. There is ample parking available at the fort, and this promises to be an excellent family night out. The bonfire is due to be lit at around 7.00 p.m. with the fireworks to follow. To get to Paull Fort from the Hull/Hedon Road direction, turn right at Salt End roundabout and follow Paull Road as far as the village. Take the left-hand fork at the entrance of the village and follow that road through; just as it leaves the village, and before coming to the church, the lane down to the fort is on the right and well signed – you really can’t miss it! Do come along and have a safe and enjoyable night.

Friendship Circle meeting in Hedon : Hedon Methodist Friendship Circle hold their next meeting on November 5th in the Methodist Hall, Church Lane, at 7.30 p.m., when the speaker will be the new Minister, Rev. Terry Porter. Visitors and new members are always welcome to attend, so if you are looking for somewhere away from the bangs and flashes of the night, this could be the place for you!

Appeal launch in Hedon : It has been clear for some time that St Augustine’s Church is in need of repairs. Inside there is plaster falling off the walls, paint is peeling and many cracks exist in the stonework of the walls. There are buckets in the vestry to catch the rain as it pours in from the roof every time it rains, and one of the North Aisle windows has shown such an alarming bulge that shoring has been necessary for the past two years. During a storm in late 1999 one of the pinnacles at the top of the tower fell onto the tower roof and causing damage to the bells, and an inspection has revealed further problems with the stonework and roofing. Now three years later that remedial work is under way. However the last report on the church fabric showed the extent of work needed and it was clear that an appeal was going to be needed to fund restoration.
The current feeling is that the building also needs to be open and accessible and so a Development programme for St Augustine’s is being instigated, to incorporate toilets, a kitchen, office, meeting room and shop. Development of the interior would make the building more usable, giving the town of Hedon a venue full of history and character that would be able to host events such as Concerts and Exhibitions.
A Restoration and Development Committee under the Chairmanship of the Rev. Bill McLaren, a former Vicar of the church, will be launching this appeal on Friday 7th November at 7.30pm in the Alexandra Hall, St Augustine’s Gate, Hedon. Anyone interested in helping or wanting further details about the appeal would be most welcome to come along to the Alexandra Hall for the launch.

Remembrance Day Parade at Paull : the Paull War Memorial Committee have organised a Remembrance Day Service for Sunday, November 9th at the Paull War Memorial (at the junction Town End Road and Back Lane.) Any individuals or organisations wishing to take part in this parade are more than welcome, and the Village Hall will be open for their convenience so that bags, coats etc., can be safely left there. The parade will assemble outside the hall and will set off for the memorial shortly before the service is due to commence at 3.00 p.m. The service will be inter-denominational and all are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served in the village hall afterwards.

Forthcoming Tribute Concert in Hedon : Tickets are now going on sale for a concert to be given by the Humberside Police Band in Hedon’s Alexandra Hall on Sunday 23rd November. The concert, which will commence at 2.00 p.m., has been organized by the Hedon Scout Group and is being held as a tribute to the late Mary Carr, to remember her and say “Thank you” for all the dedicated hours she gave voluntarily to the community. Tickets cost £2.50 , which includes refreshments, and are available from ‘Nutmegs’ in the Market Place or by phoning 01482 896482 or 01482 899478.

Salt End Flyover – again! The complaints are still coming in : the other morning I was woken (at a rather unearthly hour, I might add) by an irate citizen who was, to quote him – minus the adjectives – “fed up to the back teeth” with the traffic chaos at the new Salt End roundabout and flyover. Now, I don’t make a habit of driving in rush-hour traffic unless I absolutely have to but I thought this merited a bit of personal investigation, so the next day I went to have a look. Yes, chaos is the only word for it! To my unqualified eye it seems that the problem lies in the continuing presence of the cones : usually where a slip road joins a two-lane road, the traffic on the slip road can get in when traffic on the main carriageway moves over to the right-hand lane to allow it to filter in. This would appear to be the intention with the flyover, if it weren’t for the fact that one of the lanes is coned off and the slip road is diverted to join the (now single-lane) flyover at right angles with a give-way sign. So everything has to stop. Traffic on the flyover, having been held up already by the single-lane traffic, is loath to let anyone else in (although there are still a few gentlemen around, I’m glad to report) so the traffic on the roundabout itself, coming from Preston, Paull and Salt End grinds to a halt and the tailbacks ever lengthen. On Paull Road the end of the queue was back well beyond the Haven and I have it on good authority that the Staithes Road queue, from Preston, was still back beyond Acey Lane at 9.20 a.m.. I understand that the flyover is to be officially opened some time during the week commencing November 17th so I can only hope that the current unsatisfactory situation will be resolved then.

Church Services for Sunday November 9th
Hedon : St. Augustine’s Parish Church: Holy Communion 9.30 a.m., Remembrance Service 11.00 a.m.
Hedon Methodist Church, Church Lane: All Age Worship at 10.30 a.m., evening service at 6.30 p.m.
Saints Mary & Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Baxtergate, Hedon : Daily Mass times : Sunday 10.30 a.m., Monday 9.15 a.m., Tuesday 9.15 a.m., Wednesday 7.30 p.m., Thursday 9.15 a.m., Friday 7.30 p.m., Saturday 6 p.m.
Hedon Pentecostal Church meets every Sunday at 10.30 a.m. in the Jubilee Room of the Alexandra Hall, St. Augustine’s Gate; a Sunday School is also held at 10.30 a.m. every Sunday.
Paull : St Andrew’s Parish Church : United Remembrance Service at Paull War Memorial at 3.00 p.m.
Paull Methodist Church, Main Street : United Remembrance Service at Paull War Memorial at 3.00 p.m.
Preston: All Saint’s Parish Church : United Remembrance Service at 10.30 a.m.
Preston Methodist Church : United Remembrance Service at 10.30 a.m.