Marton Village, Warwickshire

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

Marton Museum inspires young authors

Museum objects in school Mrs Amos-Simpson with young authorsBook launch puppet showMayor of Rugby & David Fry with young authors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children from Knightlow School have published a book of short stories and poems inspired by local heritage, including many curious objects from Marton Museum of Country Bygones. Working together as authors and illustrators, pupils aged between 4 and 11 made the pocket-sized book to send to children in some of the poorest regions of the world.

Objects from the museum were loaned to the school to help children use local stories and history as a basis for their creative writing. The results include time travel adventures, unexpected discoveries in old suitcases and even marriage thanks to a dusty hat.

The paperback is being sold – at £6 per book – to pay for copies to be gifted to children globally, with an emphasis on sending them to under-resourced schools in developing nations. Appropriately titled ‘Knightlow to the World’, it has already been sent to schools in four continents.

This is the fifth year in a row Knightlow pupils have worked with the charity STORIES4SCHOOLS but is the first time every child in the school has contributed to one book. To celebrate this achievement, the whole school organised a special book launch, attended by Cllr Sally Bragg, Mayor of Rugby, and representatives from Marton Museum.

Copies of ‘Knightlow to the World’ are available from www.stories4schools.com or from Faye at 13 North Street. Profits from each £6 sale will support the charity’s work to promote reading, creative writing and global education.

School display

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…