Marton Village, Warwickshire

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY AT MARTON MUSEUM

Written by Bobbie Bolam

For the first time for many years the Museum will be open to the public on a regular basis during the summer.  From June to August inclusive it will be open every Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 4pm.  It will be free for Martonians but a charge of £2 will be made for everybody else.  On Saturday 1st June the Museum will be represented for the first time at the Kenilworth Show in Stoneleigh Park.  A few items from the Museum are being taken there to form part of a wider display.  Why not go along for a great family day out?  Further information on http://www.kenilworthshow.co.uk// .  Finally, plans are afoot for the Museum to take part once again in the Heritage Open Days event which falls this year on 14th/15th September.  This has been an incredibly successful event in the last two years, attracting literally hundreds of visitors from all over the county.  Admission is free and refreshments will be available in the cricket pavilion.  Do tell all your friends about it!

The Museum volunteers would like to give their heartfelt thanks to the three hunky men who, at very short notice and following a plea for help, came forward to help us shift two large bookcases kindly given to us by Southam Library following its temporary relocation.  These will be used for storage during our building alteration works.  These three fellas have asked to   remain anonymous, but they know who they are!

Marton Emergency Plan Meeting 7.00 Wednesday 20 March 2013

Written by David Fry

Hopefully by this Wednesday, 20 March, you will have received your copy of the Marton  Emergency Plan.  At 7.00 on Wednesday evening, in the Village Hall, there will be a meeting attended by a panel of experts.  They are there mainly to listen to you and answer your questions about issues affecting the village. Clearly the matter of flooding will be an important issue, but with a main road running through the village disruption due to accidents or snowfall have also been experienced in the past.  But emergency planning is not just about issues affecting the whole village, they can be ones that have a great impact on individual households such as frozen pipes, power cuts or fire.

Representatives from the Police, Severn Trent (one responsible for sewerage in the area, the other from Draycote Water), the Environment Agency, Council Emergency Planning Officers and Robin Hazelton, our local Borough and County Councillor. Whatever your concerns, or if only  to be better informed, do come along on Wednesday night - limited room available!

If you haven't got a copy of the plan spares will be available and a copy can be downloaded by following this link.

Marton Mile 2013 update

Written by Michael Koch

Come and take part in Marton Mile on Sunday, April 14th, 10:30am (Registration 10am)

It’s up to you: Walk or Run 1, 3 or 5 Miles
Just like in 2012, the Marton Playing Fields Association (MPFA) has organised a walking / running event for all ages. Registration for the 1, 3 or 5 mile events can be made on the day or by emailing admin - at- martonvillage -dot- com. There will also be an online registration form, soon.

Entrance fees are £3 per person or £10 for a family of four (prices include one bacon bap per person). Further refreshments will be available. Half of the proceeds go to charity, the other half will be in aid of the refurbishment of the Marton Play Area.

Please help us to make the day a success - bring along friends and family !

For further infos, please contact the MPFA by emailing admin - at- martonvillage -dot- com.

See you on Sunday, April 14th at 10am !

New under 5s Playgroup

Written by Faye Chambers

Calling all parents, grandparents, child-minders and carers!

On Tuesday Cawston Children’s Centre is going to be running a ‘stay and play’ taster session in the village hall to see if there’s interest for a regular playgroup here.

Everyone with under 5s from surrounding villages is very welcome and they’re going to be asking people exactly what they’d like from the group – if they do decide to do it regularly - so as well as a great play morning it’ll be a good opportunity to have a say.

The details are:

Stay and Play taster for under 5s

Tuesday 5 February

10am-12pm

Marton Village Hall

I think it’s free, though sometimes the children’s centre suggests a £1 donation per family at its sessions.

More details: Cawston, Wolston & Dunchurch District Children's Centres 01788 817723

It’d be great to have lots of people there showing how much we’d like a new local playgroup – a really valuable community resource - run by the children’s centre.

MPFA Prize Draw a fundraising success!

Written by Michael Koch

Thanks to the committee of Marton's first Cider Competition, we couldn't have wished for a better stage to host our first fundraising event of 2013. We have also been very fortunate in receiving generous prize contributions by companies and individuals from inside and outside of Marton. In particular, the MPFA committee would like to thank Broad Lane Leisure, Mainline Timber, Faye Chambers Photography, Tescos Southam, Hilltop Farm, Blaze Hair and Alan Naylor for contributing prizes for our draw.

The list of winners is as follows:

1. £100 Cash  - Issy  (c/o Rob Lummis, ticket no 196), donated by MPFA
2. Food Hamper , Callaghan, (ticket no 293), donated by MPFA
3. Selection of wine, N. Fraser (ticket no 393), donated by Broad Lane Leisure
4. Port, J. & M. Auld (ticket no 162), donated by Mainline Timber
5. Photo Voucher, M&S Watson (ticket no 342), donated by Faye Chambers
6. Tesco Voucher, Hodgson (ticket no 822), donated by Tesco's Southam
7. Hilltop Farm Voucher, David B (c/o Rob Lummis, ticket no 724), donated by Hilltop Farm
8. Blaze hair Voucher, J. Westrope (ticket no 570), donated by Martin Osborne
9. Bottle of Wine, M. Sharples (ticket no 628) donated by Alan Naylor

The draw raised a total of £692.82 and all proceeds will go towards the MPFA's "Village Playground and Adult Exercise Equipment" project. Other fundraising talks and applications are currently progressing well and we will provide further updates using the Village Newsletter and Marton Email group in the near future.

Finally, the MPFA Committee would like to thank everyone who purchased prize draw tickets and supported our important project.

Marton Floods November 2012: twice in one week!

Flooding across the main road has returned to Marton for the first time since 2007. The exceptional amount of rain that has fallen in the Midlands since the Spring has finally made itself felt. The rivers rose gradually over Wednesday and started seeping onto the road after midnight such that it was officially closed by the time people were leaving for work on Thursday morning. Apart from the bow waves from  selfish HGV drivers who had tried to get through, most properties on the main road were unaffected. The waters came close to the other flooding hot spot in Church Street, but did not enter properties. The road was open again by mid morning.

Sunday brought a similar picture, though this time the flood waters encroached on the road from around midday reaching their peak by 4.00 pm (see pictures). Fortunately, again, water stayed out of most properties, though the pub had to work hard to keep it from entering. The police were about by the bridge, which was fortunate as one 4 X 4 thoughtlessly ploughed through the floodwater, soaking bystanders and pushing water towards properties. The police officer stopped the vehicle and detained the driver. With the traffic diverted at Princethorpe, few other vehicles tried to get past from that direction, though after the police left a couple of 4 X 4s again came through as well as a Fine Lady Bakery HGV. The numbers of vehicles were noted and photographs taken to inform the police (and in the case of the HGV, the company). The flood water began to subside after 5.00 pm and was gone by morning. Fortunately the prospects for more flooding in the near future are also subsiding. 

The parish council are currently working on an Emergency Plan for the village and some additional issues were raised by this week's events. There will be a village meeting arranged in the new year as soon asthe relevant officials can be tied down to a date. In the meantime if you have any thoughts on the flooding issue or general comments that could be of values please contact the parish council via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

A new, modern play area for Marton Playing Fields

Written by Michael Koch

At its last meeting the MPFA committee decided to focus efforts on raising funds to modernise and renovate the play area next to the Marton Playing Fields Pavilion. Our aim is to create a modern, safe, responsible and fun play area for a slightly larger age group than covered by the current playground. In addition, the committee is also exploring options to establish a "trim trail" for adults around the playing fields. The committee has started reaching out to Rugby Borough Council and other parties for advice and guidance in this matter. The project is in its early stages and further details will be communicated over the course of the next weeks and months. Please contact the MPFA committee members for any questions.

In order to kick-off our fundraising for this big project, the MPFA will hold a raffle at the Marton Cider Event in January 2013. Please support the MPFA in this project. The new play area will be a big benefit to our community. More details about the raffle will follow soon.

Marton Olympics

Written by Michael Koch

The Marton Playing Fields Association (MPFA) has decided that this year's summer sports and village fete event will be all in spirit of the London Olympics. The committee will therefore boldly go where no one has gone before and hold the Marton Olympics on Saturday, June 30th 2012.

Read more: Marton Olympics