Charity
Pant Armistice artwork plans to be revealed
Pant residents are being urged to have their say on plans for a new sculpture on Pant Memorial Hall which is being commissioned to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice and the end of the First World War.
Pant Memorial Hall is working with artist Neil Dalrymple to design the memorial artwork.
In March, Neil was in Pant to find out about the local area and spoke to residents to find out what they would like to see in a sculpture.
Following this consultation, Neil has now drawn up a design for the sculpture and will be visiting Pant Memorial Hall again to present his proposals to local residents.
The new artwork will create a permanent visual memorial on the outside of the hall to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. This will allow passers-by to find out about the hall’s role as a war memorial, even without going inside.
Speaking about the artwork Neil said: “The mural will be made as a Ceramic Stoneware Sculptural Relief which will give it texture and definition and features images from Pant and the local area.
“Local residents were keen that the sculpture was a celebration of the area, rather than one that depicted war. I am looking forward to meeting residents to hear their feedback about these initial designs.”
Pant Memorial Hall will be looking to raise funds for the new artwork through grants, local business support and individual donations, so if you can help, please get in touch on 07940 108624.
Pant Memorial Hall was set up after the First World War to be a memorial to the suffering endured by soldiers and civilians and now plays a central part in the life of the village.
Residents who would like to see the designs for the artwork or who would like to have their say about the designs, can come along to Pant Pop-Up Café on Sunday 20th May in Pant Memorial Hall between 2.30 and 4pm.
Ceramic sculpture for Pant Memorial Hall moves closer
Plans to create a brand new ceramic sculpture for Pant Memorial Hall took a step forward following a recent meeting at the hall.
Pant residents met to discuss the plans for the artwork and Ruthin-based sculptor Neil Dalrymple outlined the type of sculpture he could envisage for the hall.
Neil spent an afternoon in Pant and Llanymynech before the meeting to get a feel for the area and the type of thing that could be included in the new artwork.
At the meeting – held following the AGM of Pant Memorial Hall – local residents outlined their thoughts for what could appear in the artwork. The overall feeling was that this was a very worthwhile project and would not only add to the look of the Memorial Hall but would also be a fitting memorial to mark 100 years since the Armistice at the end of the First World War.
Neil has undertaken similar commissions in the past, including a ceramic war memorial for the community at Ffrith, in Flintshire.
Pant’s Memorial Hall was set up after the First World War to be a memorial to the suffering endured by soldiers and civilians and now plays a central part in the life of the village.
Due to issues of woodworm in the entrance hall, work is planned to update the front of Pant Memorial Hall in the next 12 months and the addition of a sculpture beside the entrance hall could take place at the same time, resulting in a striking new entrance to the hall.
Speaking after the meeting, Shaun Fisher, one of the hall committee members, said: “Tonight’s meeting was very positive and residents expressed their views about what sort of memorial they would like to see.
“Essentially, the feeling of the meeting was that the memorial should be positive and reflect the environment around Pant including its natural and industrial history.
“Knowing the type of artworks Neil has produced in the past, we are confident that, subject to raising the necessary funds, we can commission a stunning piece of work which will be an asset to the community.”
The cost of the project will be around £4,000 and Pant Memorial Hall is seeking support from local people to raise the funds, as well as grants and sponsorship from local businesses.
Speaking about the commission Neil said: “I had been through Pant in the past and hadn’t realised the breadth of local history and its wildlife. One of my earliest memories is of seeing Llanymynech Rocks one evening lit up by the sun and I am sure that will be a feature in our new artwork.”
If you could pledge to help raise the target of £4,000 or could help in any other way, please contact the Hall’s secretary on secretary@pantmemorialhall.org.uk.
Guide Dog named thanks to Cross Guns quiz goers
Regulars at the Cross Guns Inn in Pant have now raised enough money through their monthly quiz to name a guide dog.
At the quiz on 19 January, locals at the pub decided on a name for ‘their’ puppy. After a number of possible names were put forward by the teams at the quiz, a show of hands at the full pub led to the name being chosen as Dougal.
Chris and Jayne Richards have been organising the monthly pub quiz at the Cross Guns for the past four years and have seen the popularity increasing. Each month they raise around £80-100 and they have now collected £2,500 for Guide Dogs.
Said Chris: “We are really glad that the quiz has become so popular with villagers over the past few years and it’s a real milestone being able to name our first dog – Dougal.”
But the work doesn’t stop there, Chris and Jayne are carrying on fundraising for Guide Dogs and the next quiz date is already in the calendar – 23rd February 2018 at 8pm.
Fundraising has already started for the next dog!
Latest news from Pant Memorial Hall
Pant Memorial Hall is a key part of the local community. Here Helen, secretary to the committee that manages the hall, highlights some of the current issues.
WHAT GOES ON IN THE HALL?
We host everything from tango classes to digeridoo sessions, children’s birthday parties to kids’ dance. The hall welcomes anything that fits inside and doesn’t scare the neighbours. We have lots of bookings in the diary and are always happy to take new ones.
WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR?
The two big changes are the removal of the coin meters for heating, and the replacement of our kettles with a state of the art boiling water tap. Our hire cost remains one of the cheapest around.
Meanwhile we’ve done a lot of decluttering, got our hiring forms and health and safety procedures up to date and are working on some smart new signs. The Facebook page is now active and the website is up to date.
WHAT IS NEXT?
The big one for 2018 is to revamp the entrance lobby to make it warmer and smarter. This will need fundraising and the right expertise, it will be quite a job.
CAN I HELP?
Yes please! The hall is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom have been involved for decades –they’ve more than done their bit and it is time for reinforcements.
Village halls work best with a good cross-section of the community on the committee. We are (and want to be) a wide mix of ages and backgrounds, both long-time locals and new arrivals. There are four evening committee meetings a year (including the AGM). You can do as much or as little as you want, it all helps.
WHAT NEEDS DOING?
As well as general committee members, we need a new booking secretary, to liaise with our users and manage the hall diary. The committee chair and vice-chair are also retiring at the AGM, so new incumbents will be needed for these positions.
You’ll use your skills and learn new ones, while keeping this vital village asset in good form. We’re a lively, friendly and varied bunch – come along and meet us so we can prove it! New members will be elected at the AGM on 15th March 2018, so there’s plenty of time to find out what you need to know. Please get in touch!
More information on www.pantmemorialhall.org.uk/get-involved, call 07913 565708 or email secretary@pantmemorialhall.org.uk
Third Pant Autumn Bazaar deemed a success
Pant Autumn Bazaar held on Saturday 7 October this year raised more than £450 towards the upkeep of Pant Memorial Hall and saw over 170 people attend.
The Bazaar, was supported by a number of local stallholders and charities including Oswestry Country Markets, local Pant beekeepers Chris and Jayne, the Restore the Montgomery Canal campaign and Cae Post. These stalls were joined by a number of individuals and stalls organised by volunteers from Pant Memorial Hall.
Pant Memorial Hall was founded as a resource for all the people of Pant and the Autumn Bazaar was an ideal opportunity to showcase its facilities as a community hall in North Shropshire and a focal point for the village.
Thanks to the generosity of individuals and local businesses, the Memorial Hall was able to raise over £450, which will go towards the maintenance of the hall.
Speaking about the event, Helen, Secretary of the committee said: “The Memorial Hall is an asset for the whole village and we are grateful for all the hard work put in by the committee and local businesses to make this year’s Bazaar a success. Among many sponsors and donors, the Cross Guns Inn donated a meal, Cambrian Heritage Railway donated a free train trip and lots of Oswestry businesses donated prizes to the tombola which all meant we could raise over £450 for the hall. We’d like to thank everyone who made the event such a success again this year.”
Just one of the prizes at Pant Autumn Bazaar
This is the third year that the memorial Hall has held a fundraising bazaar and together they have raised over £1400 for the Hall’s upkeep.
The committee at Pant Memorial Hall will be considering whether to hold a similar event in 2018 but in the meanwhile will be looking at the possibility of putting on more events in future.
You can find out more about Pant Memorial Hall here.
Not long until Pant Autumn Bazaar!
This year’s Pant Autumn Bazaar takes place on Saturday, 7th October 2017.
This is the third year that Pant Memorial Hall has been the venue for an Autumn Bazaar and the last two bazaars attracted a good turnout and helped to raise a significant amount of money for the upkeep of the hall. We would like to invite you to come along this year and support your village hall.
The bazaar takes place from 2pm to 5pm, and will build on the success of the last two bazaars, with a mixture of stalls from local craftspeople, activities for children and stalls raising funds for the Memorial Hall. The organisers hope that the success of the previous events, which saw hundreds of people from Pant and the surrounding area come to the hall, will be repeated.
Stallholders will include a wide selection of local craft-makers and businesses, offering a unique opportunity to find bespoke products and a wonderful opportunity for an early spot of Christmas shopping. From cakes to candles and cards to crafts, once again there will be something for everyone and plenty to look at and buy. A tombola will take place and there will be a children’s corner with games and other activities for kids.
Click here to find out more and we hope to see you there!
Confirmed stalls and attractions
| Children's Corner | Teas and Coffees | Digital Artworks | Handmade Crafts and Knick-knacks | Cakes and Local Food | Tombola |
| Oswestry Country Markets | Plant Stall | Bran Tub | Games | Bric-a-brac Stall | Candles |
| Book Stall | Snacks and Refreshments | Christmas Gifts | Massages | Poppy Clock Saltdough Crafts | Unique Greetings Cards |
| Bowen Therapy | Pumpkins from Llynclys Hall Farm | Restore the Montgomery Canal campaign | |||
Donated items wanted by Pant Memorial Hall
Organisers of this year’s Pant Autumn Bazaar are asking local residents if they have any bric a brac items that they could donate to Pant Memorial Hall.
Plans are well underway for the bazaar in the Memorial Hall, with stalls from a variety of local businesses and charities. The event is the main fundraiser for the hall and, this year, organisers are hoping that a bric a brac stall will help raise vital funds.
Local people with any table top sized items that they are willing to donate to the hall can drop them off on Friday 29th September between 7pm and 8 pm as volunteers from the Memorial Hall will be on hand to accept them.
During the evening of 29th September, volunteers will also be in the hall to give it a late Spring Clean in advance of the bazaar. All are welcome to come along for a cuppa and a chat while helping get the hall as spic and span as possible for its annual showcase event.
This year will be the third year that Pant Autumn Bazaar has taken place and organisers from the Memorial Hall are hoping that the event will prove popular with locals and visitors alike.
As well as a number of craft stalls, a tombola and bric a brac sale, the bazaar is a great opportunity for local people to get together and enjoy a cuppa and slice of cake, with plenty of tables and chairs this year for a sit down and a chat. As well as promoting local craftmakers and businesses, and raising funds for the hall, the bazaar also aims to provide an enjoyable social event for the village.
Any items left over after the bazaar will be retained for future events or donated to charity.
Date set for third Pant Autumn Bazaar
Note the date: Saturday, 7th October 2017 sees the third Pant Autumn Bazaar taking place in Pant Memorial Hall.
Pant Memorial Hall has been the venue for an Autumn Bazaar for the past two years and the committee of Pant Memorial Hall have agreed to hold the third Pant Autumn Bazaar this October.
The previous two Bazaars attracted a good turnout and proved to be significant fundraising events for Pant’s village hall.
To be held on the first Saturday of October, from 2pm to 5pm, organisers hope that the success of the previous events, which saw hundreds of people from Pant and the surrounding area come to the hall, will be repeated. The Bazaar in 2017 will build on the success of the last two bazaars, with a mixture of stalls from local craftspeople, stalls raising funds for the Memorial Hall and a continued focus on activities for children.
Currently, plans for the Bazaar are well underway and many of the stalls have already been allocated but it might still be possible to accommodate new stallholders. If you are interested, please get in touch with us using our contact form.
Stallholders will include a wide selection of local craft-makers and businesses, offering a unique opportunity to find bespoke products and a wonderful opportunity for an early spot of Christmas shopping. From cakes to candles and cards to crafts, once again there will be something for everyone and plenty to look at and buy. A tombola will take place and there will be a children’s corner with games and other activities for kids.
Upkeep of Pant Memorial hall costs several thousand pounds each year and the Bazaar is an important way of raising much needed funds, for repairs and other investment in the hall.
To find out more, visit this page which will be updated with more information as it become available.
Go ahead for removal of railway embankment at Pant
Shropshire Council has now granted planning permission for the removal of the railway embankment at Pant.
This means that, later in the year, the removal of the railway embankment at Pant will go ahead, making the canal towpath accessible once more.
Here, Bob Dewey, one of an army of volunteers working on the restoration of the Montgomery Canal gives a brief history of the canal and the campaign to restore it.
The canal in Pant started life as the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal. This was the project to link the Mersey at Netherpool with the Dee at Chester and then to the Severn at Shrewsbury. The canal was completed from Netherpool (which was renamed Ellesmere Port) to Chester and a section from Trevor to Weston Lullingfields near Wem. The branch to Llanymynech was built and later extended by the Montgomeryshire Canal to Newtown. The section from Welsh Frankton to Newtown is all now known as the Montgomery Canal. The part from Chester to Trevor was never built.
After many years of use, the canal passed into the ownership of the LMS Railway Company. With only limited traffic, it was not making money and when the canal bank breached near Welsh Frankton, the company decided to abandon it even though it would only have cost a few hundred pounds to repair.
The campaign to reopen it started in the 1960s and work has progressed slowly and currently about half the canal has been made navigable. The dry section between Redwith and Llanymynech is about 2½ miles long and is one of the main separations of the restored section through Welshpool from the 3,000 mile national canal and river system. It will need a new waterproof lining to ensure it holds water.
Work is progressing south towards Crickheath where the canal was wider and boats will then be able to turn there. A recent award from the Heritage Lottery Fund will pay for those works and the provision of an extra nature reserve at Aston to protect some of the rare plant life in the canal.
The next obstruction is the School House Bridge which was demolished some years ago and replaced by an embankment. We hope to replace the bridge in the next year or so. If anyone has any old photos of the original bridge we would love to see them.
In Pant, the former Cambrian Railway line crossed the canal by an iron girder bridge but, in the early 1950s when the canal was derelict, it was replaced by an embankment. This also blocked the towpath. We have recently done several exploratory digs to check the state of the original stone abutments and we were pleased that they appear to be in good order.
All being well, in July we intend to remove the embankment so that the towpath can again be walked without having to negotiate the current wooden steps. A group of volunteers from across Wales and England will undertake the works. We expect to achieve this in a week, so apologies in advance whilst the work is done. Relining of the channel should follow in the next few years which will then link Llanymynech to the national canal system.
Of course this all costs money, even with volunteer labour, and we have recently lodged an appeal for funds to enable the restoration to progress. We have already raised about £120,000 and this will help with the £200,000 estimated cost of rebuilding School House Bridge. Part of this money has come from a £70,000 legacy.
We are fortunate in having a generous donor who has offered to match pound for pound money we raise from the public (capped at £60,000 over five years). As small donations qualify for 25% tax rebate via Gift Aid, this means that a £20 donation with the tax refund becomes £25 which then doubles to £50. So a £20 cost to you (or, say £5) is worth £50 (or £12.50) to us.
I am one of those who will be giving up my time to help restore the canal. Will you please help me with the costs of materials and plant hire?? Please look at the donations tab on our website at www.RestoreTheMontgomeryCanal.uk
Or you can send a cheque to Restore the Montgomery Canal, Crowther Hall, Pool Quay, Welshpool SY21 9JU.
Free outdoor concert at Llanymynech Wharf
Free concert at Llanymynech Wharf.
Llanymynech Wharf on the beautiful Montgomery Canal will be ringing to the sounds of choirs, bands, string quartets and drama on Sunday 4 June.
‘Musicians on the Wharf’ will feature performances from seven groups on stage between 2pm and 5pm. The free outdoor concert has been promoted by the Canal & River Trust, which manages 2,000 miles of the nation’s waterways, as part of the Heritage Lottery- funded project to restore the Montgomery Canal.
The Odd Bods, Morton Choir, Café Lola, Penndragon, Oswestry String Quartet, Roleplay Theatre and local youngsters promise to keep the audience entertained for three hours in the idyllic rural setting next to the canal. The Wharf visitor centre will be open and refreshments available.
Sylvia Edwards, Montgomery Canal community development officer with the Trust, explained: “This is a marvellous opportunity to showcase local talent in this beautiful waterside location. It is one of a number of free community activities being organised as part of the canal restoration project. We want people to get involved with their local
waterway and what better way than through the power of music.”
Free parking is available close to the event site, which can be found following the postcode SY22 6EA. Follow the local Canal & River Trust on Twitter @CRTNWalesBorder.
To find out more about this free concert at Llanymynech Wharf or the Trust’s work on the Montgomery Canal, please go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk or ring 0303 040 4040. You can also find out about volunteering opportunities or ways to donate to the Trust’s vital work.
The Canal & River Trust is the guardian of 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and Wales, caring for the nation’s third largest collection of listed structures, as well as museums, archives, and hundreds of important wildlife sites.
We believe that living waterways transform places and enrich lives and our role is to make sure there is always a place on your doorstep where you can escape the pressures of everyday life, stretch your legs and simply feel closer to nature.
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