Press Releases

Malpas Times – NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Press Release Number 7 – July 2018

Don't forget to book your tickets to a performance of "The Armed Man" by Nantwich Choral Society in St Oswald's Church, Malpas at 7 pm on 9th November 2018

Festival of Poppies for "Malpas 100 Years On"
A spectacular Festival of poppies will adorn St Oswald's Church in Malpas when the village remembers the First World War this November.
Visitors over the weekend and those attending "The Armed Man" performance by Nantwich Choral Society on Friday 9th November, will be able to share with the Church's congregation the splendid and respectful commemoration of 1918

'Malpas 100 Years On" committee member and Chair of Malpas Flower Club, Janet Blake, is delighted with the huge response to an appeal to knit a range of poppy heads to be used for the memorial showcase.

"We want to thank everyone who has knit poppies for us," says Janet, "their amazing response means there will be around a thousand poppies in designs to commemorate the armed forces and volunteers as well as featuring the role of animals during the First World War."

Nifty fingers for delicate wiring by members of Malpas Flower Club continues to progress the detailed work required to fulfil floral displays planned for the entrance and interior of St Oswald's. The work is part of preparations for the three-day commemoration event taking place in the village on 9th, 10th and 11th November to mark the 100th Anniversary of The Armistice.

Tickets and all enquiries to Committee Secretary 01948 830333 or email editor@malpascheshire.org

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Press Release Number 6 – June 2018

Malpas Times – NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Don't forget to book your tickets to a performance of "The Armed Man" by Nantwich Choral Society in St Oswald's Church, Malpas at 7 pm on 9th November 2018

Festival of Poppies for "Malpas 100 Years On"
A spectacular Festival of poppies will adorn St Oswald's Church in Malpas when the village remembers the First World War this November. Visitors over the weekend and those attending "The Armed Man" performance by Nantwich Choral Society on Friday 9th November, will be able to share with the Church's congregation the splendid and respectful commemoration of 1918

'Malpas 100 Years On" committee member and Chair of Malpas Flower Club, Janet Blake, is delighted with the huge response to an appeal to knit a range of poppy heads to be used for the memorial showcase.

"We want to thank everyone who has knit poppies for us," says Janet, "their amazing response means there will be around a thousand poppies in designs to commemorate the armed forces and volunteers as well as featuring the role of animals during the First World War."

Nifty fingers for delicate wiring by members of Malpas Flower Club continues to progress the detailed work required to fulfil floral displays planned for the entrance and interior of St Oswald's. The work is part of preparations for the three-day commemoration event taking place in the village on 9th, 10th and 11th November to mark the 100th Anniversary of The Armistice.

Tickets and all enquiries to Committee Secretary 01948 830333 or email editor@malpascheshire.org

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Press Release Number 5 – April 2018

Locally Designed Logo Commemorates "Malpas 100 Years On"
"Malpas 100 Years On" committee are proud to share a logo personally designed for them by Jean Ashley, a talented local artist. The logo wistfully depicts a soldier standing in the foreground of ploughed fields stretching back to St Oswald's Church on the horizon. The logo symbolises the enormous tribute Malpas pays during 2018 in their commemoration marking the 100th Anniversary of The Armistice.

The design will be displayed throughout the year on signs and promotional materials to raise awareness and provide a keepsake. Community spirited, Jean Ashley has lived in the Malpas area for over 37 years regularly supporting local activities and events and kindly agreed to design a logo to encourage interest in the three-day event taking place in Malpas on 9th, 10th and 11th November. A drinking cup using the logo will be available for purchase in the lead up and during the commemorations.

"We want to say a big thank you to Jean for giving her time to help us," says Richard Hoffman, Chairman of Malpas 100 Years On committee. "The logo Jean has designed perfectly reflects our message to encourage participation in our commemoration of Malpas in the First World War."

Jean Ashley is more widely known for her impressive dedication to health and fitness. Jean is currently taking on her own challenges to support a modern battle against disease. Affectionately nicknamed "The Fairy Quadmother", Jean has taken on a three-stage challenge for her 60th Birthday in aid of the charity BEAT. The first tranche took Jean and her kayaking partner Adele along The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race in April. Jean is now training for an Ironman Quadrathlon in Germany on 3rd June and concludes her birthday battle with a 26km run in Austria on 4th August. Follow the Fairy Quadmother Blog https://jeanthefairyquadmother.wordpress.com and donate to BEAT on https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jean-ashley

The next event for "Malpas 100 Years On" will be at 7 pm on 29th June in the Jubilee Hall, Malpas when award-winning world war one speaker Nigel Meyrick will be joined by experts to value local world war one artefacts. Free entry and refreshments. Logo designed drinking cups will be available for purchase.

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Press Release Number 4 – March 2018

A spectacular three-day event for "Malpas 100 Years On" is to take place in Malpas village on 9th 10th and 11th November 2018 marking the 100th Anniversary of The Armistice.

Aiming to rejuvenate an understanding of the impact of the Great War activities and events for Malpas 100 Years On will focus upon commemoration. A dedicated team are already planning educational resources to involve local schools in historic research of local heroes listed in Malpas Roll of Honour. A world war one trench network will be prepared and used to demonstrate the burdens placed upon our soldiers fighting for their country. A military field hospital will be set up.
Local and former residents are being encouraged to share family photographs and memorabilia from the period for a great exhibition. Schoolchildren are being asked to help in providing what will go on display by finding out what contribution, military or otherwise, their families made in the First World War, gathering photos and memorabilia and writing up their family histories both for display and for reading out in a live entertainment.

Shop windows, period costume and re-enactments are set to transform Malpas village back in time. Working alongside the one-hundred-year anniversary of the foundation of the RAF on 1st April, a launch event could take place as early as April and be repeated in June to inspire the search for first world war artefacts to display in November.

Aiming to appeal to all ages the wartime weekend is still evolving and presently includes a production of "The Armed Man" in St Oswald's Church. Following a Parade of period vehicles, horses, carts, carriages and attired residents to the recreation ground, there will be re-enactments to portrait key war events and their impact on village life. Some refreshments served may even be available at 1918 prices.

The Remembrance Parade will march from the High Street to a service commencing in St. Oswald's Church at 11am on Sunday 11th November Sunday. Wreaths will be laid at the war memorial and with military precision, the retiring parade will be decommissioned on the High Street. Exhibitions will remain open until 5 pm.

The weekend will culminate as Malpas assemble to light a beacon outside St Oswald's Church. The church choir will sing evening service. A canon gunshot will be fired and a bugler will sound the last post and the beacon will be lit.

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Press Release Number 3

MALPAS 100 YEARS ON – POETRY COMPETITION

"Malpas 100 Years On" Committee are inviting entries for poems written to commemorate The First World War. The poetry competition launches activities in preparation for a three-day event taking place in Malpas on 9th, 10th & 11th November 2018. Poems will be selected for display during the commemoration weekend and an overall winning entry taken to Menin Gate in April.

Committee member Sharon Jones is visiting schools to encourage youngsters locally to develop their knowledge and understanding of The Great War. Liaising with Malpas Alport, Bickerton primary schools and Bishop Heber High School, Sharon is introducing colouring/drawing and poetry competitions to all ages. Engaging history learners in local/family research she hopes the young people of Malpas will gain a wider understanding of the impact The Great War had on their community, friends and family.

"We hope the whole community will get involved, the key message is to broaden the appreciation of 'Those That Gave All' for their country," says Sharon.

Open to local schools and the wider community the poetry competition is free to enter. *Entries close on 26th March. The selected overall winning entry from "Malpas 100 Years On" poetry competition is to be put forward for display by The British Legion Riders Branch at Menin Gate during their visit in April. The Menin Gate Memorial is dedicated to British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient who have no known grave.

*Entry Conditions for Malpas 100 Years On Poetry Competition March 2018.
1. Entry categories: Junior ages 7 – 10 years, senior ages 11 – 17 years, Community 18 years and over.

2. Maximum length, excluding title and any blank lines: Short Poem -10 lines.

3. Each entered poem, including its title, should be clearly written or typed single-spaced in a standard 10 or 12 point font on one side of a single A4 sheet. Include your name and entry category and school/year details if appropriate. Community entries to include contact details.

4. Entries close at midnight (local time) on 26th March 2018. Entries should be submitted through your school, via e-mail editor@malpascheshire.org or delivered in an envelope marked "Poem" to the red Parish Council post box in Londis Shop on the High Street. – Entries after deadline cannot be accepted.

5. Poems must be the original work of the entrant, unpublished, and must not have won a prize in any other competition. Only one entrant per person.

6. Please keep a copy of your work, as we cannot return entries. Please check your entry before you send it, once submitted it cannot be changed.

7. The judge's decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into. Results should be available on http://www.malpascheshire.org after 15th April 2018.

8. Copyright remains with the author, but "Malpas 100 Years On Committee" reserve the right to display entries on this website, and to display, broadcast, or use them in promotional literature for a period of twelve months after the competition's close. *Judges reserve the right not to consider submissions which do not comply with conditions outlined above.

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Press Release Number 2 – February 2018

The Malpas Times – Latest news from the home front.

11 o'clock on the morning of 11th November will mark 100 years since an Armistice came in to effect, formally ending the First World (Great) War.

A Malpas 100 core committee, has been formed to commemorate this centenary in our village, and they are now working hard on a project, which will result in a full programme of related events over the weekend of 9th – 11th November 2018.

The aim of the project is to provide current village residents, with a glimpse of what life was like for individual living through those times, both the soldiers fighting for their country and their families who endured the hardships on the home front.

Saturday 10th November will host a village parade with individuals dressed in attire from the 1914's era, and vehicles and other forms of transport relevant to that time period in history. The parade will terminate on the Recreation Ground where there will be relevant events to entertain the children.
To support this event, it is hoped to have the High Street and the shop windows decorated in an authentic manner.

Sunday 11th will be held over for the Remembrance Service in St. Oswald's Church, supplemented in the evening with readings, Choir singing, sounding of the last post, and cumulating at 7:00pm with the lighting of a beacon on Castle Hill.

Exhibitions of both military and domestic equipment, and supporting information are planned for both the Jubilee Hall and the High Street Church.

The committee are now looking for artefacts, memorabilia or photographs from the period and would be interested if individuals are willing to loan them for the event.

If you are interested in getting involved then contact the secretary 01948 860333.

Richard Hoffman
Chairman – Malpas 100 Years On Committee

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Press release number one

At 11 o'clock on the morning of 11th. November 1918 an Armistice came in to effect as a result of which ' the guns on the Western Front fell silent' and the First World War (or The Great War) ended.
Every year since, we have remembered that Armistice on 11th. November (or the Sunday nearest to that date) with Church services and ceremonies at The Cenotaph in London and War Memorials throughout the country. In recent years, if it has not fallen on a Sunday, we have observed an additional two minutes silence on 11th. November.

With the aim of arranging a programme of events (to be called "Malpas 100 Years On") to mark the 100th. Anniversary of The Armistice a committee has been formed.
The emphasis of the programme will be commemoration not celebration. Central to the programme will be The Remembrance Service in St. Oswald's Church (at 11a.m. on 11th. November 2018 which will be a Sunday).
Through this magazine the committee will keep you informed about the programme. The intention is that it will include a variety of events to appeal to all residents of Malpas and District whatever their ages.

Amongst the events being planned is an exhibition in The Jubilee Hall. Schoolchildren are being asked to help in providing what will go on display by finding out what contribution, military or otherwise, their families made in the First World War, gathering photos and memorabilia and writing up their family histories both for display and for reading out in a live entertainment.

If you have family memories of the First World War which you could write down for display and/or memorabilia or photographs which, nearer the time, you would loan to the exhibition, please could you let the committee secretary know NOW on 01948 860333.
It would greatly assist in the planning.

Thank you very much.

Richard Hoffman
Chairman
Malpas 100 Years on Committee