Author: Richard

Remembering Ken Dodd

How many of our viewers / users remember that ‘Doddy’ visited Wollerton back in Jan 1972 – to present a ‘Perfect Pub’ award to the erstwhile Squirrel Inn?
The picture below was used by the Shropshire Star last week in their ‘Pictures from the Past’ item and is reproduced here courtesy of the Shopshire Star Newspaper.

Do you recognise anyone? maybe the photo includes you? – in either case we’d be pleased to hear from you with any further information / reminiscences. Contact us using this form
In the meantime, the webteam contacted Steve Howell-Jones, the then licensee of The Squirrel, and who is still ‘of this Parish’, and he kindly provided some further information for us:

I was fortunate enough to win the Perfect Pub award for 1971 having taken over the tenancy in 1969. The whole idea was sponsored by the Shropshire Star and promoted by Shirley Tart, one of their reporters (still going strong!). I was told by her there were 104 entries that year, the highest ever.

Ken Dodd was appearing at the Granada Theatre in Shrewsbury that bitterly cold January day and having rehearsed his act in the morning, went on to sign books at a shop in Shrewsbury before coming to The Squirrel to present the award. He spent ¾ hour in the bitter cold, signing autographs for the kids and mums who gathered in great numbers to see him, after which he came inside and did an impromptu ‘stand up comic routine’ from behind the bar.

His entourage included Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson (the British entry singers of the very first Eurovision Song Contest) an ITV television crew (who were filming ‘a day in the life of’ type programme), staff of a woman’s magazine, and others. The pub was packed to the gunwhales and after an hour he went outside again and continued to sign autographs. Truly a real professional.

He then went to appear in an ice cream commercial, before dashing back to the Prince Rupert Hotel in Shrewsbury for a quick kip before his appearance at the Granada Theatre. He told me this was a typical day!

NEW – Mid-Week Walk (HFG) 21st March

This is to notify you about Hodnet Footpath Group’s next public walk – where we’re experimenting with a mid-week morning start.
Details are as follows:
**Weds 21st March, meet at High Hatton Club ready for an 11am start**
We plan to follow the route of our new [draft] Walk 8 leaflet, pausing to admire the stiles with dog
gates recently fitted by our workparty team !
The meeting point is marked on this map, and there is roadside parking by the club house:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=361195&Y=324528&A=Y&Z=120&lm=1
Please come equipped with suitable footwear and remember that all dogs should be on leads in fields containing livestock, particularly during the lambing season – although this walk is largely expected to be over arable land plus some lanes.
It’s a largely level walk over easy terrain, and should be completed within 1.5 – 2 hrs.
We have designated the following day (Thurs 22nd) as our reserve, just in case the weather is so bad that we can’t go ahead on the Weds, but we hope it won’t be necessary to change the plan.

Any queries on the day, please ring Steve: 01630 685697

How to keep warm – the HFG way!

On Jan 26th 3 members of the Hodnet Footpath Group (HFG), fed up with the bad weather that has cancelled many past planned workparties, decided to go ahead with a workparty to replace two stiles near long lane [on walks 6 & 7] , even though sleet was forecast – later. We were very pleased to find we were assisted by a new recruit [thanks Dave] and a volunteer [thanks Alex].
Little did we know that the Met office’s ‘later’ would turn out to be ‘now’! – but once you have taken down a stile [we had] you really have to re-erect it [we did, despite rain, sleet, snow and seeping cold]. However, the end result was two new stiles with added dog gates, and despite the outward appearances we managed to work hard enough to stay warm.
Anyway, we hope people enjoy using them, and we’d be even happier if this little tale of adversity inspired you to join us or otherwise give us a hand (now and then) in such work, and other general footpath improvements we carry out.

BEFORE – Woodside stile, damaged and wobbly step

Woodside stile – half done
AFTER – Woodside stile complete with dog gate – to right

 
The woodside crew – wet but satisfied!  – L to R: Alex, Derek, Richard
– and not forgetting our Chairman Steve who was behind the camera between rebuilding the other stile with Dave.
 
 
 
 
 
 
See our webpage for more details of who we are, what we do and how to get in touch.
Here’s to the next workparties (Feb 24th and April 4th] – hopefully with much better weather.
 

Dave’s baptism of fire, halfway through now!                                                                                      The job (well)  done

Public Walks for 2018

Hodnet Footpath Group have set dates for next year’s public walks.
As weekend walks have often had a poor turnout in the past but evening walks have often been better, we have opted for evening walks through the coming year, and will also try some daytime mid-week walks too.
Noting that we seem to have a knack for choosing some of the wettest days of the year for our walks – and then having to cancel them, this coming year we are going to try and cheat fate by having a reserve date [shown in brackets below]. So, if the weather renders the first date impossible we will try again at the same time on the reserve date.
Anyone is welcome to join us on these walks, so feel free to make a note on your coming year’s calenders/diaries.
Full details will be posted on the website nearer the time.
WALKS
Weds 21st Mar: 11am [Thurs 22nd Mar]
Fri 4th May: 7pm [Fri 11th May]
Fri 29th June: 10pm – Glow Worm Walk [Fri 6th July]
Fri 27th July: 7pm [Fri 3rd Aug]
Fri 21st Sept: 7pm [Fri 28th Sept]
Weds 14th Nov: 11am [Thurs 15th Nov]
For more info on Hodnet Footpath Group
see Web page – hodnet.org.uk/fpg; Facebook – hodnetfootpathgroup2016
Email – footpaths@hodnet.org.uk
Or phone Steve on 01630 685697

Public Walk – Cancelled

Please note: this walk has been cancelled due to wet weather.

Hodnet Footpath Group have been drafting a new walk leaflet for a nice route connecting Peplow Chapel and Stoke on Tern Church, and we plan to ‘road test’ this with a public walk on Sunday 5th November.
We shall meet by Peplow Chapel [roadside parking] at 10am and do the walk – there and back, but if folk wish to do just the outward part they could arrange to leave a ‘spare’ car at Stoke on Tern Church. We should be back by 12.30 – 1300.
Children and dogs welcome, dogs on leads please.
Suitable footwear advised – this is a walk largely passing over hardcore tracks and fields.
We hope that it won’t be necessary to call off the walk due to bad weather, but should it be pouring with rain the event will not take place.
We hope that you can join us.

Country Walk: Sun 3rd Sept

With the weather improving (at least slightly!), Hodnet Footpath Group invite anyone who would like to join them to come along on Sunday Sept 3rd for a circular walk (Hodnet Walk Leaflet 6) from Hodnet to Fauls and back.
Note. If you only wish to do half of it, you could leave a car at Fauls in advance (By the Church) to enable you to drive home from there.
Meet in the Lyon Hall (Hodnet) car park for a 10.00 AM departure. This walk should take about 2.5 – 3 hrs return and requires a reasonable level of fitness – as it has a fair number of stiles, but in return is a pretty/varied walk through a bit of countryside you’d never really see from a car.
Suitable/sensible clothing advised, children and dogs welcome – the latter on leads. Feel free to bring a drink/snack with you.
In the event of appalling weather the walk will be cancelled, call Steve on 01630 685697 around 09:30 if unsure on the day – or otherwise for more information.

You're invited out for an Evening Walk

HFG invite you to join them for their annual evening stroll on Wed 12th July.
Meet at the Hodnet Social Club car park at 7.00 pm, from were we will walk down Station Road and pick up the route outlined in our local walks 1 leaflet.
The walk is about 4 miles long and not strenuous. Part is along country lanes. We should be back at the start by 9pm at the latest, where the ‘night owls’ amongst you may wish to round the evening off with a quick drink at the club.
Children and dogs welcome, dogs on leads please.
Suitable footwear advised.

Phone HFG chairman (Steve) 01630 685697 with any queries.

 
 

Good News – New Public Footpath created for Hodnet/Wollerton

Hodnet Footpath Group [HFG] is very pleased to announce that Shropshire Council [SC] have designated the ‘old railway line’ path from Hodnet to Wollerton a public right of way [PROW] with immediate effect.
In practical ‘walking’ terms nothing will change, but the change of legal status protects the route for the future as it replaces its previous ‘permissive use ‘ granted by SC – which could have been removed at any time.
In due course this route will appear on official maps as a PROW [and on ordnance survey, etc, as a public footpath] and in the short term SC will be adding some finger post ‘public footpath’ signs.
This change has only come about as a result of a formal submission made by HFG to SC for a change of status, which in turn was only possible because many people completed the relevant question contained in Hodnet Parish Council’s [HPC] last Parish Plan Questionnaire. Our submission was also formally supported by HPC and Karen Calder, local SC Councillor. So, a big thank you to all who took the trouble bring this about – local democracy in action?
And a final big ‘thank you’ to the Outdoor Recreation team at SC for taking the action they have.
If you value some of the work HFG does, why not get involved and help ensure it continues?
See our website page for details or phone the current Chair [Steve] on 01630 685697.

Come and see Hodnet's famous glow worms

You may have seen some publicity for Hodnet Footpath Group’s upcoming glow worm spotting walk in the Messenger or the Advertiser? If not read on, if ‘yes’ then this post confirms the details.
It takes place on Friday 30th June at 10 pm – yes ten at night, as the glow worms only glow in the dark!
Meet by the old railway bridge in Station Rd, Hodnet. The plan is to walk towards Wollerton (1 m approx) by which time it will hopefully be dark enough to see the main glow worm colony on our way back.
Sensible footwear and a torch are advised. Children welcome, with those accompanying them taking responsibility for them. Dogs on leads, please.
If the weather remains warm and dry, the conditions are ideal. Should it be pouring with rain the event will be cancelled without further notice and, if possible, a suitable notice added to thewebsite.
Phone HFG chairman (Steve) 01630 685697 with any queries.

Public Walk Sun 7th May

Hodnet Footpath Group invite anyone who fancies a country walk to join them on Sunday May 7th for a walk from hodnet to Marchamley and back.
Meet in the Lyon Hall car park at for an 11.00 AM departure, the aim being to walk most of the route shown in our Hodnet Walks no 3 leaflet. This walk should take about 1.5 hrs, so we should return in time for a lunchtime drink at The Bear Inn.
Suitable/sensible clothing advised, children and dogs welcome – the latter on leads.
In the event of appalling weather the walk will be cancelled, call 01630 685697 if unsure on the day – or for more information.