Audlem in Gossip magazines

Each month, the AudlemOnline team sends a 500-word article about the village to the publishers of the Whitchurch Gossip and Market Drayton Gossip magazines.

These excellent publications are widely (and freely) distributed in North Shropshire and many in Audlem see a copy, particularly of the Whitchurch magazine. Many of our readers, however, are outside their distribution area.

We thought you might like to read what we said about the village this month:

Audlem sings to raise money for cancer victim

Audlem has been involved in an amazing community effort in recent weeks – all to raise money to pay for a local resident's cancer treatment as it isn't available on the NHS.

This summer, Berni Cliffe's two daughters started a fund-raising website called Mend our Mum. Ideas started to flow in as well as donations and sponsorships. A mass fancy dress walk, special meals, quiz nights and so much more have been underway and have raised a third of the target of £100,000.

Then, in one of Audlem's pubs, up popped the idea of a DVD that could go on sale before Christmas and, hopefully, go much wider via social media, YouTube etc.

The Audlem Music Festival team jumped at the idea and since mid-November, they have been filming groups and individuals, all singing the well-known song 'Amazing Grace'. Well over a thousand singers are involved.

The words and music have been distributed via AudlemOnline and its seems as if virtually every community group in the village has come forward to sing: the local W.I., the uniformed groups including the fire service, the children's groups such as the cubs, brownies, scouts and guides, local folk musicians, teenagers, drinkers in the pubs, the bell ringers, coxswains, walkers, the school, church congregations, popular rock musicians as well as local businesses and more.

There's even been a contribution from an ex-Audlem resident recently moved to USA who had a film clip sent back from the States.

The effort has brought all ages together culminating in a mass singing on the church mound on Saturday 29th November.

Editing is now a massive task as the DVD is scheduled for release on 10th December. And it's not just the finished main item that will be available, the out-takes are being edited too and should prove popular. – and amusing!

Printing of the DVD cover has been undertaken free by Audlem Printers. Pressing of the disc is being done at minimal cost by Downstream.Co

As well as local shops offering the DVD, it will be on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc as all involved hope it will go viral!

With producer Ralph Warburton encouraging all involved, filming and editing has been by John Gunstone while sax-player Alisdair McKenzie has laid aside his normal instrument and has acted as Audlem's very own Gareth Malone, making sure each vocal contribution is spot on with its timing. Also. Alan Duncan is producing the out-takes film.

It's been very hard work for the team but great fun for everyone involved – and all for such an important cause.

Audlem is well-known for its community spirit – a decade ago, when Defra ran a nationwide competition to find the most community spirited village, Audlem was the outright winner for the whole of England.

In the past month, the village is showing that its community spirit is still alive and well. All are keeping their fingers crossed that the money will be raised and that Berni's treatment will be successful.

And to show the village has a sense of humour too, we are showing in the photo one of this year's new Audlem Christmas cards, from a photo by Geoff Smethurst.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.