When he is not working hard as a trainee chef at The Bridge at Wilton, Tina's son Mike, or Kev as his friends know him, likes nothing more than to let off steam and develop his skating skills at the Skate Park at Wilton. (Other than spend time with his girlfriend Kirsty, of course!). We have heard a lot about Kev's skating ability from various quarters so, as it was a nice afternoon on Saturday, Tina and I decided to go and see for ourselves what Kev and his friends were up to.

How do those boys do it? They race up and down ramps, twisting and turning, spinning their boards round and landing on them again without falling off. (Well, mostly without falling off1). I'm sure that there is a technical term for these 'tricks'. Perhaps a little more research is needed. All I can say is that the skate park gives the young people in Ross a place to let off steam in a creative way, and is now attracting visitors from other towns to do the same.

I made a short Ross Sk8 Park film on Saturday and edited it to a tune from the CD recorded earlier this year at Ross Y-Zone. My own knowledge of 'sk8ing' is extremely limited I am afraid as it was roller skates in my day and I was too much of the 'clumsy oaf' type at that period of my life, so I hope this short film has not turned out too bad. If the local skate boarders do not like it, it is entirely my fault due to lack of 'sk8ing' knowledge.

I can always tell when winter is approaching. The genealogy letters start flooding into the 'Wyenot News' in-tray. It would seem that a lot of people pass the dark evenings researching their family.

It may take a few weeks, sometimes longer but nine times out of ten, local enquiries published as letters on Wyenot News' bring some kind of result. Over the years, 'Wyenot News' has reunited families, long lost friends who have not heard from one another since the war and its readers have put names to people in photographs.

If you are trying to trace a long lost local friend or find information on a ancestor, it is always worth sending a letter to 'Wyenot News'. The only thing I would stipulate though is, please do not expect me to do the research (as many do). I cannot do this for several reasons - the main ones being lack of time and the fact that other people's genealogy is not exactly my 'cup of tea'. Although I ended up compiling my own family's tree (Alan will do it - he knows about computers) I actually found doing the job utterly boring and I always struggle to stay awake at Wood family gatherings when the 'genealogist aunts' turn up. I am always willing to publish a request for information here though for other readers to solve.

Published below are two 'results' which have come about within the past week . . .

Following Rob Counsell's recent letter to 'Wyenot News', requesting information about the Counsell family, Gordon Amand has come to the rescue.

Gordon Amand, who has since been put in touch with Rob via 'Wyenot News' wrote,
'Rob Counsell may be interested to know that I have a lot of info on the Counsell family in Victorian Ross. Apart from his business in clocks and watches J W K Counsell owned the Ross Gazette after The Man of Ross shut down. I believe he bought Archenfield Gazette which also became the Ross Gazette. Mr Counsell was also the local representative for several fire and life Insurance offices. In one of Fred Druce's books there is a good picture of an Insurance office opposite the Market House, which was probably part of his business. There appears to have been a large family of Counsells in Ross who were very active RC church people. I have copies of church records going back to the early 19th century in Ross and are very interesting to read.

I would guess there must be a lot of info in the town about this family, who appear to be entrepreneurs in 19th century Ross. For example I have recently found out that Thomas Counsell owned the Prince of Wales pub in the 1860s. The 1891 census shows 14 Counsell names in this area.

Whittaker - Much Marcle

In issue number 163 of 'Wyenot News', Alisan Greeff from Namibia wrote:

'I don't know if you can help me or point me in the right direction. I have traced my great grandfather, Richard Michael Whittaker, to Much Marcle, Herefordshire. Born 1872, he married an Eleanor Anne Lloyd, daughter of William Lloyd (b.1855) I would like to find out more but have reached a possible dead end.'

Dorothy Harrison was able to help Alisan and wrote . . .

'My grandfather, Robert Whittaker was Alisan's great grandfather's brother. We can trace our family at Much Marcle through Thomas Whittaker, then a succession of Richard Whittakers as far back as Richard Whittaker bn 1625 who married Sarah Apperley. We can then follow the Apperley line even further back.

My grandfather Robert and his brother Jack, took their two young wives, Maud and Elsie, to Breconshire where they settled. Elsie and Jack did not have any children, but my grandparents had seven. My grandfather, gave the first motor tractor in Brecon its first test drive. I have a photo. He also won the British ploughing championships. He was Churchwarden of the church in Pencelli and rescued a boy from under the ice in the canal, wearing his best Sunday suit and bowler hat. My father left Breconshire to work in Scotland, then when war broke out, joined the RAF and met my mother in Stoke-on-Trent, where I now live with my husband and children. My cousin Geoffrey Powell, a grandson of Robert, is currently Mayor of Crichowell.

I have heard so much of Much Marcle over the years and having visited there, as recently as last summer half term, am deeply fond of the lovely, charming village and its gentle people.

I have much information to give Alisan. Please give her my email address.'

Having put both parties in touch, I received the letter below, from Alisan on Monday. I hope both parties have lots of good times discussing their mutual ancestors.

Dear Alan,

You are very very kind! I am so excited at the prospect. Things had reached a dead-end. I was excited recently to trace my husband's grandmother through the 18320 settlers to South Africa all the way back a further 3 generations! I shall get on to Dorothy asap!

Blessings!

Alisan

Guitar Teacher

This is a request I receive an awful lot from news readers, so if there is a local guitar teacher out there looking for work, it would almost certainly pay dividends to advertise on 'Wyenot' in general or specifically on 'Wyenot News'!

Hi Alan, I am hoping you can help me out…….. I read Wyenot News every week and enjoy it. I have also seen that you seem to spend a lot of time with people of a musical persuasion. My husband would really like to learn to play the guitar and I have had no luck tracking down a local guitar teacher! Would you happen to know of anyone who is either a “proper” guitar teacher or who would informally do lessons?

A strange request I know but I’m hoping if anyone can help it’ll be you!

Regards,

Sam

If you are a guitar teacher able to help, whether you advertise or not, drop me a line and I will put you in touch with Sam.

I like playing the guitar and as much as I would like to help personally with guitar lessons , the reason I cannot do so - even though I play guitar myself and can busk stuff 'by ear' quite easily is that I have never been taught how to play it. I've never even read a book on the subject. My real instrument is piano and I just picked up basic guitar stuff from years of trial and error. I am nowhere near good enough at it to be able to give lessons.

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