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8<br />
I LOVE WHERE I LIVE<br />
I love where I live…<br />
Shirenewton<br />
Glynis MacDonald, stalwart of Shirenewton village panto, tells Sharon<br />
Chilcott that ‘Oh yes it is’ a great place to live!<br />
Apparently, Shirenewton is famous for having a Christingle<br />
with live donkeys! That’s according to research reported in<br />
The Telegraph, which named our village as one of the most<br />
desirable in the UK. I have to admit to having something<br />
to do with those donkeys! We used to have a Christingle<br />
in the church on Christmas Eve, but after Covid a friend<br />
and I came up with the idea of a walkabout Christingle.<br />
The children visit the kings, the angels and the shepherds<br />
around the village and then go to see Mary and Joseph, who<br />
will have taken up temporary residence in my garage. And<br />
the lovely little donkeys are a great pull.<br />
Donkeys apart, what else makes<br />
Shirenewton a desirable place to live?<br />
I have lived in here for the past 30 years and I have found<br />
it to be a village with a really strong community spirit. Also,<br />
the countryside around here is beautiful.<br />
For you, what’s the best thing about living<br />
there?<br />
When the chips are down, people in the village are<br />
tremendously kind. I am surrounded by great friends and<br />
there is always lots to do. The village church organises<br />
quite a lot of things; there is a thriving bell ringing group,<br />
which I am part of and really enjoy. I am also the director<br />
of the Shirenewton Operatic and Drama Society (less of<br />
the operatic and more of the dramatic), which puts on<br />
an annual panto in Earlswood Village Hall. SODS was<br />
resurrected to do a panto for the year 2000 and we have<br />
been doing one ever since, with an interruption during<br />
Covid. There is a lot of talent in and around the village!<br />
What sort of people does Shirenewton<br />
attract?<br />
Well, it is particularly popular with families because of the<br />
reputation of the primary school. There is also a playgroup,<br />
lots of social groups that meet in the recreation hall and<br />
a recreation ground with a playground, tennis courts and<br />
green space. The recreation ground is also used by junior<br />
football teams.<br />
Is there anything which spoils the place for<br />
you?<br />
Noisy motorbikes on the Usk Road, which shatter the peace<br />
of our usually beautifully quiet village.
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