The Chapter 13th May 2005

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NO SURPRISE IN COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

There were no surprises in last weeks County Council elections, with both the areas sitting councillors being convincingly returned to County Hall. The County Council elections took place on May 5th, the same day as the General Election. In Ferryhill Labour’s Charlie Magee convincingly shrugged off a challenge from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives to take him safely back to County Hall with almost double the votes cast for the other two contenders. Down in Chilton and Ferryhill Station Labour’s Cllr George Porter also had a massive majority over the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in an extended seat which now takes in Kirk Merrington and North Close in Spennymoor.

Results:

Ferryhill

Charles Magee (Lab) 2728, Paul Mountford (Lib Dem) 1156. Patrician Anne Whan (Con) 243

Chilton:

George Porter (Lab) 2516, Christine SprOAt (Lib Dem) 890. William Leslie Turner (Con) 453

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DOWNPOUR DIDN’T STOP V.E. DAY ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

A tremendous downpour that left inch deep puddles in the Market Place didn’t dampen the spirits of a huge crowd that gathered on Sunday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VE Day, the day that signalled the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. Representatives of many local organisations joined veterans from the war in the market Place, where they were led to St. Lukes by Ferryhill Town Band for a special commemorative service, led by the Venerable Stephen Conway, the Archdeacon of Durham and Ferryhill’s vicar, The Revd. Keith Lumsdon.

Following the service, entitled “Looking Back, Looking Forward”, the congregation lined up once again to march back to the Town Hall. There, Cllr George Porter, The President of the local British Legion and Cllr. Christine Woods, Ferryhill’s Mayor, both laid wreaths at the foot of the war memorial, after which there was a two minute silence. After the parade dismissed, those attending the event picked their way through the puddles back to St. Lukes for a welcome cup of tea and a buffet. The occasion was attended by a number of war veterans, including 81 year old William Johnson and his wife Violet. Mr. Johnson was a member of the 21st tank regiment during the war and took part in the Normandy landings. He was in one of the first tanks that liberated Brussels.

Another veteran attending was 86 year old Joel Aldred, a former desert rat who was captured during the campaign in Crete and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in the harsh conditions of a prisoner of war camp in Austria. Fred Welch, now aged 85, was also a desert rat with the D.L.I and, like all the veterans who attended, proudly wore the medals he won over 60 years ago. The parade and service is the first of a series of commemorative events to take place in Ferryhill over the next few months. \The next event is in June.