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AUGUST '09 - The Jazz Picnic  Ray Shenton and the Victory 'V' The 14th Great Whittington Jazz Picnic with the Victory 'V' Jazzmen took place in the SUNSHINE in the beautiful village hall garden! The last 3 years have seen the picnic take place indoors due to inclement weather, so at last, we could enjoy this superb traditional jazz band outdoors again!
Over 100 people were treated to some wonderful music, (and some great dancing from the village youngsters!)
Bill Shenton, at the grand old age of 84 played a couple of old favourites on his sax, much to the delight of the picnic-ers, and then up stepped Jack Shenton (his great-nephew), at the grand old age of 13 to play his sax with the band for the first time. He did a great job, and is invited back for next year!
Our thanks go to Ray Shenton, who gets all the fabulous lads together each year, and to the Victory 'V' lads themselves for travelling all the way from the north-east and Cumbria to our little village to give it some BIG music! See you next year!
(Check the photo gallery for more pics of the day!) JUNE '09 - Barbeque and Band Night The summer mist rolling in from Whittington Mill didn't deter over 100 people from coming to enjoy the barbeque and band night in the village hall garden. It was great to see so many familiar faces from the village turning out for this event. Over £1,000 was made, which is a fantastic total - and we thank all those who came. Eddie Robson's field, as well as playing host to the trailer for the band, was also turned into a mini-Wembley for the dozens of kids who came with their families. Next year promises to be even better - with the 'Proper Boys' booked as the main act. DECEMBER '08 - The Christmas Social Night Yet another memorable evening - packed out again! A delicious Northumbrian supper was served - turkey, ham, pease pudding, mince pies etc. followed by entertainment that was as Northumbrian as you can get. From the lovely witty poems and stories provided by Donald Clegg, to the uplifting Northumbrian pipes and fiddles of Paul Knox and Ruth Ball to the ever popular local lad, Richard Dodd who once again entertained us with some fine songs, some dodgy Whittington tales and a mad rendition of the 12 days of Christmas.
Hope to see you all again in 2009! DECEMBER '08 When Santa Claus came to Great Whittington Village Hall...What a wonderful time was had by all - please check out the gallery, as pictures speak more strongly than words in this case! NOVEMBER '08 - Sunflower Presentation and Fireworks Night! Most of the youngsters who took part in the Sunflower Competition way back in March turned out to receive their certificates and prizes. Winners for the tallest sunflowers were Robbie (Under 8's) and Charlotte (Over 8's.) We'll be running the competition next year though, so watch out for details! Meanwhile, the fireworks night was well attended, and the pyrotechnic team in Eddie's field did a splendid job with their display! The girls in the kitchen coped well with the demand for delicious mulled wine, hot dogs and hot chocolate on a damp but not-too-chilly evening.
Many thanks too to all those who provided us with fireworks! AUGUST '08 - The Jazz Picnic For the 3rd year in a row, the Jazz Picnic was held indoors due to our fabulous English summer! Torrential downpours and bright sunshine were the order of the day, and so we played safe by bringing everyone inside.
The weather didn't deter anyone, however, and there was another great turn out, with many people from the village AND visitors from afar who had seen the event advertised on this website.
Superb music once again from the Victory V Jazzmen and guests. Maybe some sunshine next year?...  Jazz Picnic - Indoors again! JULY 18th '08 - The Great Whittington Car Treasure Hunt After last year's torrential rain and thick fog, this year's treasure hunt took place on a cool, clear and DRY summer evening!
13 cars entered the competition, mostly from the village, and last year's winners were unable to compete - so there was a chance for a new team to win the prestigious trophy!
Treasure hunters were taken to the beautiful village of Wall, to Fourstones and Newbrough before returning via Heavenfield to the welcome sight and smell of the fish and chip van!
As competitors relaxed with a glass of wine and scoffed their delicious fish supper, Lisa and Julie marked their answers and checked that they had collected the right treasure!
It was EXTREMELY close this year - and even first time treasure-hunters scored well. (Definitely need to make it more difficult next year!) However, after a couple of tricky tie-break questions, the winners trophy had to be shared between 2 teams - 'Wrecked' and '4-1,' who, after YEARS of trying finally did it!
In second place were a brilliant father and daughter team, and in third came 'The Rainbow Trouts.'
 Joint Winners!  1st Time Treasure Hunters!
Thanks to all who supported this event - including our lovely fish and chip van who worked their socks off to provide a delicious supper for over 50 people. Thank you!
JUNE 28th '08 - The Great Whittington Village barbecue featuring 'SNAGSBY.'
Anyone driving through the village on this particular evening may have been forgiven for thinking that they'd taken a wrong turn and had arrived in Glastonbury!
 Enjoying a GREAT night!
A record barbecue attendance of well over 100 people were treated to a brilliant performance from Snagsby - a superb band featuring Paul Marazzi from Brit award winning band A1. With the beautiful backdrop of Whittington Mill and our lovely countryside, the lads performed on a huge articulated trailer to a delighted audience of all ages.
 Paul Marazzi from Snagsby  Snagsby on the trailer
Once again, the barbecue nosh was delicious - and the weather...PERFECT! GW Village Hall Committee would especially like to thank Eddie for the use of his field and Sarah for her gorgeous food for the barbie - and to everyone who helped organise, set up, make food and clear up! For those of you who would like to see Snagsby again, you can check out their gigs on their website www.snagsby.co.uk There are loads of photos of this event on the 'village life' photo gallery - check them out! APRIL 13th '08 - Chocolate Bingo!
This event was completely organised and run by three youngsters from the village - Jamie, Tom and Jake. With eyes down and pens at the ready, a group of villagers took part in 8 exciting games of bingo, with chocolate bunnies given as prizes for a 'line' and big chocolate eggs awarded for a 'full house.'
 The Bingo Callers!  Bingo Winners!
Jamie, Tom and Jake did an excellent job calling out the numbers and are to be congratulated for their efforts - not only did they manage to make a tidy profit for the village hall funds - they provided an entertaining and enjoyable afternoon for all those who took part. WELL DONE LADS!
APRIL 4th '08 - Live Music - The Longsands - Charity event for Cystic Fibrosis The Longsands
This event, organised by Chris Bryce from the village, was held in order to raise awareness and vital funds for cystic fibrosis. Over 100 people packed into the hall and were treated to a brilliant acoustic performance by 3 members of the band, The Longsands. They covered tracks by the Beatles, The Stereophonics, Oasis and much more - including some of their own compositions.
It was an excellent night and it was great to see so many people from the village supporting the event, which raised an impressive £500 for the charity. Check out the gallery for more pictures! MARCH '08 - Sunflower Competition Planting sunflower seeds
A large group of youngsters from the village took part in the Sunflower competition on a cold but dry March afternoon. They planted their sunflower seeds, then decorated their pots beautifully before taking them home. Hopefully, the seeds will grow into gigantic flowers ready to be judged in the summer. If youngsters couldn't make it on the day but would still like to take part then its not too late! Please contact us on
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for details. The more the merrier! You can view all the Sunflower competition photos in the gallery. DECEMBER '07 - Christmas Social Night A FANTASTIC night was had by all 80 people at this year's Christmas social evening. The superb entertainment on the evening was provided by Ernie, Eddie Milligan and Richard Dodd. Jokes, songs and Northumbrian tales were greeted with much laughter - particularly the audience's version of the 'Twelve Days of Christmas-' conducted brilliantly by Richard. With ham and turkey supplied and cooked by East Farm in Great Whittington, delicious home-made pease pudding and other tasty Christmas fayre - this event was a truly traditional Northumbrian evening!
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