Don’t forget to check our Events Diary for more information on events in all our villages and surrounding area.

CREATON WALKING GROUP

The June walk coincided with the glorious weather and 11 walkers and 2 dogs set out for a 9+ mile walk from Sywell over the fields to Mears Ashby and towards Hardwick before returning to the Horseshoe pub in Sywell for some much needed refreshments. It was good to welcome a new walker along with many regulars. The countryside was blooming with the corn and oats growing rapidly, lambs still with their mothers and the odd hare bounding around.

In July the walk started and ended in Ravensthorpe, so that after a 3 hour walk to West Haddon and Coton, the walkers were able to find sustenance at the Ravensthorpe Beer Festival! A lovely, local festival with much fun had by all!

If you enjoy walking, come and join this friendly group who walk on the second Saturday of the month for about 3.5 hours followed by an optional pub lunch. Meet at Creaton lychgate at 10am. Bring walking boots and water.

Next walks are on:

Saturday 9th August

Saturday 13th September

Creaton Singers

Creaton Singers were delighted to perform twice at Creaton in Bloom and were very pleased to receive so many favourable comments afterwards about the quality of singing and the variety of songs. We hope you enjoyed the performances as much as we did singing for you.

Attention has now turned to learning new songs for the concert on Sunday 5th October at 2:30pm in the URC, Creaton High Street, in aid of HFT, a charity that helps adults with learning difficulties to lead lives that we take for granted. Ollie Perrins-May is running the Athens marathon in aid of this charity. Tickets, which are available from Creaton Village Shop, cost £7 each and include delicious home-made cake and a hot drink. Please come and support this very worthy cause as well as your local singing group.

If you think you might be interested in joining the Creaton Singers, why not come along on a Tuesday evening from 7:30pm to 9pm in the URC, for a trial session. You will be made very welcome.

Creaton WI

Strange as it feels in the midst of a heatwave, we are now planning our autumn and winter meetings! From October to March our meetings will be held in the afternoon, which we hope will be a more accessible time, rather than going out in the dark, cold wintery evenings. The programme for the next 3 months is below, please do come along to any of the talks, all held in the United Reformed Church:

September 10th (7.30 p.m.) a light-hearted look at the history of fashion “From Crinolines to Tracksuits” with Patricia Heed.

October 8th (2.30 p.m.) “The Repair Shop and Me” with WI member and popular speaker, Christine Farmer.  An interesting insight, perfect for fans of the television programme.

November 12th (2.30 p.m.)  Jo Parish from Past Alive reveals the secrets of “Queen Victoria’s Wardrobe” from the Royal drawers up!

For more information, please contact President, Daphne Clark, 01604 505546 or email wicreaton@gmail.com.

CREATON PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION

The playing field continues to benefit from the dedication of our hard-working volunteers. Recently, the border surrounding the play area was replaced, and the posts around Tellytubby Hill have been carefully chamfered and sanded for improved safety and appearance. We’re also hopeful that new play equipment will be added to further enhance the space.

AGM

The AGM was held on 28 May 2025 and was well attended. Rod Goldberg has been re-elected as Chair, Mark Woollven as Treasurer, Ian Watson as Field Manager and Kate Tyrrell as Secretary. Dorian Sanchez continues to serve the Association. We extend our thanks to all outgoing and continuing officers for their commitment and service. In particular, we wish to acknowledge Sue Martins, who stepped down this year after many years of dedicated support. Thank you, Sue!

Curry Night

After previous years’ success, another Curry Night will be held at The Jomidar Lounge in September. Please look out for further details closer to the time.

Creaton in Bloom

Our thanks go to Creaton in Bloom for their generous donation.

St Michael and All Angels

Creaton PCC is delighted to tell you that our beautiful Victorian pipe organ has now been fully restored by Cousans Organs Ltd and has been reassembled in the organ chamber. It was played for the first time since restoration at a Confirmation Service in June taken by Bishop John, and sounded magnificent. We are extremely grateful to the trustees of the Dennis Yardy Charitable Trust for paying for the full cost of the organ restoration. This was only possible because of their most generous grant.

We are also very pleased with the refurbishment of the belfry which is now complete. The ringing chamber has a completely new floor finished with lovely oak floor boards, and the oak and heritage glass half screen has been erected and looks super. The local bell ringing team and also visiting teams have enjoyed ringing our bells in the refurbished tower.

Do call into the Church, which is open every day, to admire the changes we have made to make the Church a more comfortable and welcoming space for worshippers and also for social events.

Over The Counter….

The summer has seen sales continue to increase, due partly to our ever-extending range of products. The increase in the temperatures has also brought customers in search of everything for your summer parties and barbeques.

Did you attend the AGM on 24th July and learn about how the shop is doing? Did you hear from Sally and Jerry Fell, our supplier of home-made meals, about their story to success? If you are not a member, pop into the shop and collect a Shareholder Form. It only costs £20 and you will then be part of our community shop.

One of the Post Office staff, Archie, will be starting his degree this September in Accountancy at Northampton University; we all wish him good luck.

It is great to see our younger volunteers coming back to work in the shop over the summer holidays. If you are interested in volunteering, pop into the shop and have a chat. It is a great way to meet new people, and 2 hours per week, or more or less, is good fun!

Creaton Village Shop was proud to support Creaton in Bloom in many ways, especially supplying the bar, barbeque and teas.

An Every Day Story of Country Folk

An Archers fan for 50 years, I am really happy to suspend disbelief and enter completely into my parallel universe that is Borsetshire!

When the newly broadcast Archers Podcast started airing, chaired by the lovely Emma Freud, I heard they were asking for ideas and feedback. Now Ambridge has a village community shop and Creaton has a village community shop with which I am involved as a volunteer; strangely goings on in the shop in Creaton seemed more dramatic than those in the shop in Ambridge and so I emailed the producer with some ideas.

I was slightly smug when a story line concerning the village shop started to emerge a couple of months later but surprised and completely delighted when I got a phone call asking me to be a guest at a recording focused on ‘The Village Shop.’

My journey to Broadcasting House was complicated by the fact that I was actually on a family holiday in Portugal on the week of recording. However this was not to be missed!

It was fantastic. Emma Freud was as natural and friendly as she appears on television and I sat in the studio with Archers’ royalty, Susan Carter (Charlotte Martin) and Jo Toye, a longtime script writer and producer. Nothing was rehearsed but it genuinely felt like hanging out with friends so the conversation flowed seamlessly.

I was so excited that when later asked what I had said, I simply couldn’t remember, so when I listened to the podcast when it aired on 6th of June it was all a bit of a surprise.

It was probably a bit insensitive to tell my husband that the experience was more exciting than my wedding day, especially as he rushes out of the room on hearing the opening bars of the theme tune.

Claire Morrell

You can listen to The Archers Podcast episode 35 on BBC Sounds by clicking here

History notes

Thank you to those of you who provided names for the little group shown in the last issue enjoying themselves at the evening entertainment at the 1977 Silver Jubilee celebrations. From left to right, May (?), Betty Mynard, Charles Mynard, and Grace Dunkley.

The photograph this time (below) is from the collection of Bob & Rosie Farmer, again from the Silver Jubilee of 1977.

A group of children possibly

waiting for an event to

start? You will also find

these pictures and more

on their website.

You might need to see a larger image by clicking on this one!

Highgate House Reopens: A historic venue for faith and community

We’re delighted to see Highgate House in Creaton come to life again. Officially opened in July last year, this splendid 17th-century manor is now a Christian conference venue owned and run by us at Christian Conference Trust. We already look after two other long-standing centres, The Hayes in Derbyshire and High Leigh in Hertfordshire, both of which have welcomed guests for over a century.

Its history is equally captivating. The house dates back to 1663, built on the site of an old inn just three miles from where a Civil War battle once took place. In those early days, it served both as a farmstead and as an inn, offering hospitality to weary travellers. When the turnpike improved in 1721, Highgate House flourished as a coaching station where visitors could rest, dine and stable their horses. Later, in 1785, Reverend Thomas Jones made the house his home and founded Northamptonshire’s very first Sunday school, as well as charitable initiatives for clothing and food to support those in need. Over the years, successive owners have extended and modernised the property. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Eyre-Coote made significant alterations in the early 1900s, and more recently the Chudley family established it as a hotel and conference venue.

Fast forward to today, and Highgate House is equipped to meet the needs of modern Christian gatherings. We offer 16 dedicated conferencing spaces to accommodate groups of varying sizes, all fully catered, and 82 ensuite bedrooms that combine comfort with character. Whether it’s a weekend church retreat or a larger denominational conference, Highgate House provides a warm, welcoming setting in which to grow in faith together.

For village residents, Highgate House is more than just a venue; it’s an opportunity. We’re keen to welcome warm, caring and positive individuals to join our team across a range of roles. From casual food and beverage assistants, night porters and kitchen hands to housekeepers and receptionists, we frequently advertise vacancies. These roles offer flexible hours, making them ideal for students, parents or anyone seeking part-time or full-time work. If you’ve ever fancied working in a beautiful historic building surrounded by rolling Northamptonshire countryside, now is a marvellous time to get in touch.

So, whether you’re searching for a fresh role or your church is in need of a friendly venue with character, Highgate House is ready and waiting.

For more information visit: cct.org.uk/highgate-house

FOSM History

Members of the History Group spent a warm and enjoyable evening on a guided tour of  the gardens at Canons Ashby. The trip came after a talk in the 24/25 lecture series about the history and renovation of the gardens and it was good to follow it up with a visit.

The next season of the History Group starts on September 19th.

CREATON IN BLOOM

A huge Thank You to everyone involved in whatever way with Creaton in Bloom 2025. It was another very successful year, thanks to you and the weather! Due to your efforts, we raised £8,508 for:

£6,657 St Michael & All Angels Church

£750 Creaton Playing Fields

£500 United Reformed Church, Creaton

£300 Creaton Village Hall

£100 Fire Fighters Charity

£137 Creaton W.I.

£64 Ducklings