Marton Village, Warwickshire

Remembering Her Majesty The Queen

In response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, there will be a minute’s silence at the start of the Marton Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 13 September and another at the Great Marton Get Together on Saturday 10 September.

In addition, a book of condolences is available at St Esprit Church. There are also books of condolences you can sign and read online, including one hosted by the Church of England and another soon to be on the Royal Family website.

World cyclists in Marton

Ovo Energy Tour in MartonOn 5 September some of the world’s top male cyclists – including Olympic and World Champions, and Tour de France winners – sped through Marton in glorious sunshine on the fourth stage of the Ovo Energy Tour.

On the way from Nuneaton to Leamington (on a north, south, north route via Chipping Camden) the cyclists were heading towards the end of a punishing 183.5km day, the second longest stage in the 8-day race. Residents put out bunting and flags to make the competitors feel welcome for the first time the male tour has included a Warwickshire section.

Large groups of residents and enthusiasts, who travelled here especially for the race, cheered encouragement as they raced on by at speeds of around 40km/h. Others may have been cursing their luck of being stuck behind the main road closure, which at least only lasted about 15 minutes. This was to accommodate the field of more than 100 cyclists, which included three of the top five-ranked riders in the world:

• Britain’s most successful Grand Tour rider Chris Froome (world number two and 2018 Giro d’Italia winner)
• Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (world number four)
• Welsh hero Geraint Thomas (world number five and winner of the 2018 Tour de France)

Marton was also treated to seeing Slovenian Primoz Roglic, Colombian Fernando Gaviria and Germany’s Max Schachmann and many others in a breath-taking blur of lycra.

This video captures some of the action.

See all the results on www.tourofbritain.co.uk

Pig club update

Marton Pig ClubMarton’s latest pig cohort seem to be doing well, growing quickly and making the most of their field in the warmer days we’re starting to enjoy. The only glitches so far have been with the human side of the club, with former members accidently called on to feed the pigs from across the globe and youngest members learning about omnivores the hard way.

In the first case a couple was called in Australia and told to feed the pigs the following day, causing temporary confusion but no harm to the pigs who didn’t notice or mind the quick-thinking rota switch-around. In the second case a valuable lesson was learnt: put food in the field before you put small children in the field. The half-asleep parents (one of whom might actually be writing this, ahem…) had to do a rapid rescue when the pigs’ eagerness for breakfast hastily went from welly sniffing to leg nibbling. No harm done, though, and once snouts were happily in troughs of food, the children and pigs got on harmoniously as usual.

There could be further opportunities for creature encounters to come, as the club might be building on its success, with the idea of raising geese for Christmas already on the table (pardon the pun). The suggestion of a home brew club is also being floated, for those with a thirst for more…