Covering Upper Wensleydale from Wensley to Garsdale Head, with Walden and Bishopdale,Swaledale from Keld to Gunnerside plus Cowgill in Upper Dentdale.

THEUPPER WENSLEYDALE

NEWSLETTERIssue 235May 2017

Donation please:30p suggested or more if you wish

Cowslips, by Karen Jones

Covering Upper Wensleydale from Wensley to Garsdale Head, with Walden andBishopdale,

Swaledale from Keld to Gunnerside plus Cowgill in Upper Dentdale.

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By Jonathan Woolley

Barn, Carperby, by Adrian Loveless

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PLEASE NOTEThis web-copy does not contain thecommercial adverts which are in the fullNewsletter.As a general rule we only accept adverts fromwithin the circulation area and no more thanone-third of each issue is taken up with them.

Advertising

Boxed adverts: £6, £12, £18

There is a big reduction for six issues or more,so for six issues the totals are:

£25, £50 or £75

Greetings etc. £2.00What’s ons (non-commercial) are free

Contacts for adverts:

For Hawes area and westward:

Barry Cruickshanks, Ashfield, Hardraw: 667458

For elsewhere:

Sue Duffield, Fellside,Thornton Rust: 663504

Upper WensleydaleNewsletter

Issue 235 May 2017

FeaturesCompetition 5____________________________Best Foot Forward 6________________ ____________‘Rich Seam’Award 12____________________________Inheritance Tax 9____________________________Notes from Thorney Mire 19____________________________Doctor’s Rotas 16____________________________Chronic Pain 15___________________________Bainbridge Dig 18____________________________What’s On 14________________________Plus all the regulars

Whilst we try to ensure that all information iscorrect we cannot be held legally responsiblefor omissions or inaccuracies in articles,adverts or listings, or for any inconveniencecaused. Views expressed in articles are thesole responsibility of the person by-lined.Articles by committee members carry justtheir initials. We appreciate being askedbefore any part of the Newsletter isreproduced

THE JUNE ISSUE WILLBE PRODUCED ON

MAY 22nd-23rdDEADLINE FOR COPY

THURSDAYMAY18th (earlier if

possible in case we are full

Published byThe Upper Wensleydale Newsletter

Ings House, Ings HousesHawes DL8 3QT

Tel: 667061Email for submission of articles, what’s ons, letters

etc.:uwnlinput@gmail.com

Newsletters on the Web, simply enter“Upper Wensleydale Newsletter” or

‘‘Welcome to Wensleydale’Archive copies back to 1995 are in the Dales

Countryside Museum resources room.

Committee: Alastair Macintosh,Barry Cruickshanks (Web),

Sue E .Duffield, Karen Jones,Malcolm Carruthers, Neil Piper, Karen Prudden

Janet W. Thomson (Treasurer),Peter Wood (Archives)

Final processing:Sarah Champion, Adrian Janke, plus committee

membersPostal distribution: Derek Stephens

Alan S. Watkinson (Founder editor)

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Role Over!A.S.W. writes: After 21 years with this Newsletterit has become apparent that my involvement with theadministration and organisation has to terminate andpass on to other very capable committee members, aprocess which has been going on for a while.

You will be delighted, distressed or hardly awarethat as far as possible I will continue to muse oversome editorials, produce longer features, and to thedismay of many, set some competitions! Needless tosay, this has been a considerable task, and thesupport of so many people up and down the Dale hasbeen enormous.

What can be said is that to be so involved insomething like this is a wonderful diversion fromthree years of cancer and chemotherapy!

My grateful thanks.

ChangesYou may have noticed that the contact details for theUpper Wensleydale Newsletter, shown on the backpage of each edition, have changed.

Postal correspondence should be sent to IngsHouse, Ings Houses, Hawes, DL8 3QT; emailsshould be sent to uwnlinput@gmail.com; please feelfree to speak to any of the committee members listedon the back or phone 667061.

Sue Wood in the Laundrette on Main Street,Hawes has kindly agreed to be a drop off point forgreetings, competition entries and the like.

The Committee are committed to continuing toprovide you with a Newsletter to the very highstandards which Alan has set over the last 21 years.

A.M.

Restoration Fundraising atSt Margaret’s, Hawes

Tea and Scones in St. Margaret's Church in aid ofthe Restoration Fund.

on Bank Holiday Mondays, May 1st and 29thand every Tuesday through-out May between

1.00pm and 3.00pm.

Concert on Friday May 19th at 7.30pm inSt Margaret’s Church with

Askrigg Ladies Singing for Pleasure with EastWitton Male Voice Choir

Tickets on the door £7.00.

Eunice the EweI was in the Bear Cottage advert on page 37 and

the winner of the £10 prize isLuke Reeves, Romford, Essex

Where am I now? To enter for the £10 prize,please include your postal address if replying by

email.

THE NEXT ISSUE WILL BEPRODUCED on MAY 22nd/

23rdDEADLINE FOR COPYTHURSDAY MAY 18th

(earlier if possible in case we arefull)

Submission of articlesPlease note that all submissions should complywith current copyright legislation. If submittedarticles are not the original work of the personsubmitting them, then all relevant permission

should be sought and granted for reproduction.

WantedSomeone with a few spare hours a month to helpconvert Newsletter input from MS Word andsimilar products to MS Publisher ready for input tothe Newsletter.Must be comfortable with computers and ideallyfamiliar with Microsoft Word and Office products.We will supply the Publisher training.Please contact Alastair on 667061 or Barry on667458 to discuss.

Wanted — a Courier.Is there someone who works in or regularly visitsHawes, but who lives near Muker, who would bewilling (once a month) to take a small bundle ofnewsletters to the Muker shop. Please contact Peter

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April Competition Answers1. Private property - please keep out. 2. Bull in field.3. Mind the gap. 4. House and gardens open.5. Please order and pay at the counter. 6. Disabledparking only. 7. Unsuitable for motor vehicles.8. Mud on road. 9. Unfenced road beware of animals.10. Oncoming vehicles in middle of road.11. Steep hill— low gear now. 12. Light vehicles only.13. Beware of the dog. 14. National Nature Reserve.15. Dual carriageway ahead. 16. Heavy lorriesturning. 17. Private property— residents only.18. Duck or grouse.

The winner of the £20 prize donated to theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution was HeatherPearson of Long Preston ( who got 15 correct).

May CompetitionFruit and vegetablesAfter a few quite hard months, some of these answerswill leap into your mind! Several are “sound likes”and not a single anagram!

1. Vehicle erosion2. Monarch’s deformed lump3. Viking4. Excelled itinerary5. Hope it’s better than it looks6. They are in the rivars (correct)7. Attack evils— no ’D’

8. Father’s little cut9. Soon? I only popped in. In

10. Solid fuel accompanies Hebrew teacher11. The opposite of ’buyery’12. A spare inch or two; fist seven odds13. Gold, ice lump with twisted maths ratio14. “Try a saloon” Do!15. Wide, sprinter, renal or Parisian16. Old gym shoe of relation17. Rhymes with older cubs18. People of Zurich burntSend in as many as you can find. You might win!

Church Coffee Club atBolton cum Redmire

10:30am-NoonWednesday May 3rd

The Old Police House, Redmire

Heavens AboveJupiter still lords it over the evening sky this month. Ithas faded slightly since its closest approach in Aprilbut still shines brighter than any of the stars. You'llfind it reasonably high in the south in the constellationof Virgo where it’s visible nearly all night long. OnMay 7th there's a close conjunction between the giantplanet and the Moon. Look due south around 11.00 pmand you'll see the pair separated by a mere 1¼ degrees- a fine sight in binoculars.

The nights really begin to shorten now and soon wewon't get proper darkness again until early August.There's still plenty to see, however, if you're preparedto venture out just that little bit later. High in the south-east around 10.00 pm you can spot the closest giantstar to our solar system – Arcturus - in theconstellation of Bootes the Herdsman. It’s the fourthbrightest star in the sky and has a distinct orangecolour which shows up well in binoculars. A little toits east lies a compact semi-circle of stars formingCorona Borealis, the Northern Crown. Not very brightbut still fairly easy to pick out. Well over in the south-west you'll find another curving line of stars – TheSickle – outlining the forequarters of Leo the CelestialLion. Leo's brightest star, in the sickle's handle, isRegulus, the King's Star.

Almost overhead in late spring, the sinuousconstellation of Draco the Dragon, snakes its waybetween the Great and Little Bears – Ursa Major andMinor. Its head points towards the stragglingconstellation of Hercules the Strongman whose torsois outlined by a 'wedge' of four stars often dubbed‘The Keystone’. Hercules is home to the great globularcluster M13, a dense ball of around a million stars – abeautiful sight in a modest-sized telescope. A goodswathe of the eastern sky is filled by Hercules and twoother fainter groups, Serpens the Serpent andOphiuchus the Serpent Bearer. Serpens is the onlyconstellation split into two parts.

We get our first taste of the summer stars later thismonth when Altair over in the north-east joins Vegaand Deneb to form the famous Summer Triangleasterism. Its re-emergence in the early morning sky isa sure sign that warmer weather is on the way. Aftersuch a duff spring – bring it on! Have clear skies!

Al Bireo

Aysgarth Drop in for Coffee10am-Noon

Tuesday May 2ndBlades Cottage, Aysgarth

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Best Foot Forward:- Crossing the Ure 2

The last Best Foot Forward following theRiver Ure ended at Thwaite Bridge.Some of you might have noticed roadworks there during April and after

passing through traffic lights four times in threedays I decided to have a chat with the guys workingthere. It seems they were inserting two movementjoints to allow the bridge to better withstand thevibration created by heavy lorries. Apparently thiswill extend the life of the bridge.

From Thwaite Bridge there is a good trackrunning beside the river but this is not a publicfootpath. It leads to Fall Rigg Farm besideMossdale Beck, a major tributary of the Ure. It alsogoes to the Moorcock show in early September.Our walking route needs to climb (steeply at first)over the spur of land south of Thwaite Bridge toreach Mossdale Head. Here a fine waterfall is seen,backed by a railway viaduct over the beck. Now afootpath makes its way through the fields not faraway from the river. The footpath becomes a trackand after Birkrigg Farm we find the next crossingpoint of the Ure, just a short way above theconfluence with Cotterdale Beck. It is a single archbridge with metal railings. Back on field paths wenow encounter one or two steep banks where theriver is cutting into the hillside before reaching thenext crossing point, New Bridge, below Appersett.

This carries the A684 and brings to an end thelongest section of the river (about two miles) southof the main road. New Bridge is actually a mid-nineteenth century construction. It has a fine singlearch span and is a listed structure.

It’s not easy following the river downstream fromAppersett. Walking along the A684 beyond thevillage is decidedly hazardous with no grass vergesto escape the traffic and lots of blind bends. Itmight be a bit of a detour but I would suggestwalking up the back road to the railway viaduct,then following the field paths to Halfway Houses.A short walk down the road then leads to a footpath

beside the Ure, which goes all the way to HaylandsBridge. This is a justifiably popular route, wellknown by the people of Hawes. At this time of yearthere are lots of interesting birds nesting near theriver (sandpipers, redshanks and sand martins onmy visit) and it is interesting to watch the skyline ofHawes evolving beyond the old railwayembankment as you progress downstream. For mostof us, picturing the views of the town and the riverfrom a passing train is pure imagination but someof our older readers may have recollections of thereal thing (the line was closed to passenger trafficsixty three years ago).

Haylands Bridge is also listed, probably lateeighteenth century and it has two arches with acentral pier. There is a certain elegance about itand, unusually for the main part of Wensleydale, itis a west-east crossing as the river swingssouthwards in a huge meander. Nearby Gayle Beckjoins the river just above the bridge. This is all wellseen from the road on the north side as it followsthe meander.

To complete the circle back to Thwaite Bridge itis possible to follow the Pennine Way to Hardraw.After a mile or so of climbing up the Great ShunnerFell track a footpath peels off left and cuts acrossthe hillside to Cotterdale. From there a path leadsback over the ridge, crossing Lady Ann Clifford’sWay, to reach Thwaite Bridge. The round tripwould be nearly ten miles. Taking the Little WhiteBus on its way to Garsdale Station would halve thatdistance to make quite a short walk, which hasactually only discovered three crossing points.Naturally as the river gets larger the crossings haveto be more substantial so they become less frequent.Next time we’ll be introducing some steppingstones. N.P.

The Wensleydale SocietyOn Tuesday May 2nd, Rural Britain on Film, anevocative exploration of the countryside of the UK,taking in the diverse and beautiful landscapes of theUK. This event is part of the Wensleydale Society'sSummer Visits & Events Programme and is atLeyburn Arts & Community Centre, at 7.00pm.Tickets £6, £5 for concessions.

There is also a visit to the National Coal MiningMuseum & Yorkshire Sculpture Park on TuesdayMay 23rd, leaving Leyburn at 9.00am returningat approx. 6.00pm. The cost is £15, contact624246.

The film and visit are open to non-members. TheSociety also has a walks programme for members.Membership is £5 per year.

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Wensleydale Decorative and Fine ArtsSociety

Tuesday May 9th, 2.00pmTITLE : Treasures of the Turf: The Fine and

Decorative Art of Horseracing

MIDDLEHAM KEY CENTREChristopher Garibaldi, cur rently Director of theNational Horseracing Museum in Newmarket, willlook at the collections of the Museum and how theyillustrate the history of both Newmarket and the‘Sport of Kings’ across the UK from the early 17th

century to today.He will map the development of horseracing using a

wealth of paintings, archive material and decorativeobjects associated with the sport.

He will also outline the exciting development of themuseum in partnership with the Retraining ofRacehorses Charity which will accommodate livehorses as part of the visitor experience.

We welcome non- members to this lecture and toany future lectures of interest. The cost is £8 perlecture. It would be helpful to inform theMembership Secretary beforehand if possible, on01765 635244, rosalindhigson@btinternet.com.

Wensleydale Sport and Leisure Centre.60s, 70s and 80s fundraising event

Come and join us at our 60s, 70s and 80s night at theKing’s Arms, Askrigg on Friday May 5th from 9pmonwards. Choose the music on a retro jukebox.Prize for the best fancy dress of the era (optional).Free entry to the Kings Arms. Buffet ticket £6.50.Charity auction and tombola. Tickets available fromKings Arms, Sykes Shop, Wensleydale Sport andLeisure Centre and committee members. For moreinformation contact Jan on 650060 or emailadmin@yorebridge-sport.co.ukNew fitness classesWe have started two exciting new fitness classes onWednesday evenings. Supple Strength is from6.00pm-7.00pm and costs £4 and Kettlebells isfrom 7.30pm-8.30pm and is £5. Zumba classes arealso starting on Thursdays from April 27th at 7.00pm-8.00pm and cost £4.50. Just turn up to classes orfor more information contact us as above. For detailson all our fitness activities including bootcamp,running, high intensity training, gentle exercise,cycling (in partnership with Stage 1 Cycles), tennisfacilities as well as gym membership details pleasecontact us or visit our facebook page: WensleydaleSportLeisure; or Twitter: WensleydaleSport@yc_leisure or our website www.yorebridge-sport.co.uk

Upper Dales Family History GroupMarch’s speaker was Kate Hurst on the priests andnuns in her family tree. Kate had always been awarethat a great uncle who died before she was even bornhad been a priest but when she began to research herfamily she had discovered several others going backinto the early 18th century.

Kate began with an overview of Catholicism andsome of the restrictions which had been applied topractising Catholics over the centuries, ranging fromfines for not attending Anglican church services toextra taxes and bans on travel, inheritance and entryinto some of the professions such as law – she alsohad examples of some of the ingenious ways in whichfamilies had got round these laws.

Her own family had lived in Lancashire forcenturies and had sent sons abroad to be educated forthe priesthood as, at the time, there were no Catholicschools in England but English speaking colleges hadbeen set up especially on the continent to fulfil theneed.

This month’s meeting is on Wednesday, May 24th,at 2.00pm in Fremington Sunday School nearReeth, when Dr Joan Heggie will be speaking on‘Women and Property in the North Riding’. DrHeggie has been carrying out a pilot study using theregister of deeds at NYCRO to explore women’sinvolvement with property in the North Riding ofYorkshire in the 18th and 19th centuries.

For more details contact 07432 677783 oremail: moverley.yorkshire@outlook.com

Tracy Little

L.V.A. Annual Charity Bike RideThis year’s ride will take place on Wednesday June7th, star ting in Leyburn at 10.30am and finishingin Hawes and is sponsored again by The Black SheepBrewery, Masham.

Anyone wishing to cycle as an individual or as ateam, MUST collect their sponsor forms from theirlocal public house as they are all numbered forsecurity. Sponsors are asked to collect a minimum of£50 each.

To make it an enjoyable day for everyone, this year,all riders MUST WEAR A HELMET and anyone,who turns up on the day without one, will be turnedaway. This is a stipulation from our insurers and thepolice.

Last year, we raised over £11,500 which was allgiven out to local causes.

May I apologise now for any inconvenience thatmay be caused to motorists on your morning orafternoon travel on the day.

Angus McCarthy

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Dalesplay now offers the 30 hours governmentfunded provision for children aged 3 and 4 yearswhose parents are eligible. We continue to provide2 year funded provision and a range of private daycare packages at very reasonable rates to meet theneeds of families in the dales.

At present we have put the pickup service fromBainbridge nursery on hold because the Bainbridgeschool nursery is in a position to offer the extendedentitlement. Dalesplay would like to thank the‘Little White Bus’ for working with us in the pastto offer this service.

Earlier this year we had a visit from Ofsted. Theywere very pleased with the quality of care andlearning provision provided and awarded Dalesplaya grade ‘Good’. The inspector herself said; “Staffare excellent role models who have highexpectations of children. They help children todevelop good social skills. Children of all agesbehave exceptionally well.”

We would like to welcome all the new startersthat have joined us recently. This month we will bebusy planting vegetables and flowers to brighten upour outdoor area. We have lots of exciting, funactivities planned to enhance learning. Don’t forgetDalesplay offers holiday care at discounted rates. Ifyou need care in the holidays get in touch and wewill send you information, please call 667789 oremail dalesplay1@btconnect.com

Greece not Grease!Not another youth theatre production of a 1970’smusical but The North Country Theatre SummerSchool scheduled for August at the DalesCountryside Museum in Hawes. The company hasreceived applicants from young people up anddown Wensleydale, over the top from Richmondand Swaledale and even as far away as Seamer andStokesley. There are still a small number of placesavailable for this great opportunity to work for aweek with local professional actors to produce anopen air, in the round, production using GreekMyths and the DCM’s Auction Mart facility as anancient Greek amphitheatre. Applications can stillbe made at www.northcountrytheatre.comn or pickup a form from the DCM, the Community Office inHawes or just call North Country on 017488252288.

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Inheritance Tax ChangesIt has been well publicised over the last couple ofyears that the Government wished to increase theInheritance Tax allowances significantly. The flagshippolicy has been to increase the threshold to £1 million.

In these times of austerity the Government has foundit incredibly difficult to follow through on this policy(in its last two manifestos). What we have ended upwith is rather a cobbled together arrangement wherebythe estates of a married or civil partnership couplecould benefit from, in total, £1 million of InheritanceTax allowance on the second death. The way in whichthe new allowances will be calculated are nothingshort of complicated. Even married couples who thinkthat they will benefit from the collective £1 million ofInheritance Tax allowances because of what theymight consider to be fairly straightforwardcircumstances, may not in actual fact benefit. It isimportant to ensure that you can benefit if possible.

In very simple terms, each person will continue tobenefit from the current allowance known as the NilRate Band (NRB) of £325,000. If a spouse leavestheir estate or a proportion of it to the survivingspouse, the spouse on his or her death will have thebenefit of their own NRB and also their spouse’s NRB(termed the Transferable Nil Rate Band) (TNRB).This will mean that as at the present time, a survivingspouse could potentially have the benefit of £650,000of NRB plus TNRB.

As from April 2017 in addition to the NRB and theTNRB, if you own your own home and otherqualifications to this relief are not applicable, theneach spouse will receive a further allowance of£100,000 described as the Residence Nil Rate Band orResidence Nil Rate Allowance (RNRB).

Therefore, theoretically on the second death thesurviving spouse’s estate could benefit from theNRB+TNRB+RNRB+TNRNRB. In simple terms,£325,000+£325,000+£100,000+£100,000 =£850,000.00

The £100,000 RNRB will increase annually by£25,000 until 2020, when the RNRB will amount to£175,000 thus giving spouses a collective £1m ofallowance for Inheritance Tax purposes until thesecond death or £500,000 for an unmarried person.

There are significant hurdles that have to beovercome:-

1) You have to have owned a property which youhave occupied at some point as your own home so thatproperty can be used for the basis of the claim.

2) The property must pass to a direct descendent. Insimple English this means the property must pass to a

child or grandchild. There are further categories ofpeople including foster children who can be included.This will not necessarily however include stepchildren.

The size of your estate will restrict potentially theamount of allowance received.

The fact that you have owned a home but have soldthis might not be fatal to a claim if the property wassold after a certain date in 2015. There are provisionsallowing for a claim where a person has subsequentlymoved into a care home or have simply downsized invalue.

The way in which the calculations will need to beundertaken at the time of death are at the momentincredibly complicated and there are so many hoopswhich have to be jumped through. It is going to beinevitable that many estates which might be subject toInheritance Tax where Residence Nil Rate Bandclaims should be made will need to be considered andcalculated extremely carefully.

It is also vital that the way in which wills havehistorically been drawn be considered. Current willsmight be quite satisfactorily deal with an estate so as toensure that there is no loss of this extra tax allowance.However, many arrangements that have historicallybeen used to provide protection to estates andultimately for beneficiaries might unintentionally leadto the loss of these tax allowances.

It is therefore important that where Inheritance Taxis a concern, that wills are considered and possiblyrevised. This might mean a wholesale change or asimple tinkering.

In any event, I would strongly urge that wills shouldbe reviewed without delay.

This article is only intended to bring the tax changesto mind and to ensure that anybody concerned aboutInheritance Tax realises that the new reliefs are not ablanket but a very specific claim in individual cases.

One set of circumstances which must be incrediblycarefully considered is where a parent is now co-habiting with a new partner but wishes to leave thatpartner protected and then for the house or other assetsto pass on to children on the partner or co-habitee’sdeath. The reason for this is if the surviving partner orco-habitee has a right to occupy a property or inherits ashare of the property with the intention that part willpass on to one side of the family and the other to theother side, one tax allowance may well be lost.

My recommendation would be that guidance shouldbe taken from your solicitor as soon as possible.

Michael McGarryMcGarry & Co Solicitors

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Prunings May“Till April’s dead, change not a thread”. This oldsaying came from a Paul Simons article in “TheTimes” and I had not heard it before. In line with“Ne-er cast a clout…..” meaning don’t put awaythe winter woollies too soon, it makes sense asApril is a transition month between winter andsummer and temperatures can swing wildly as wesaw on the April 9th when many records werebroken. The bursts of warmth have given us amemorable show of spring colour. There has beena spectrum of yellows through the bulbs andshrubs followed by fields of oil seed rape and nowthe trees are springing into life. I would not like totry and count the spread of greens, but there arehundreds.

Shakespeare, in Sonnet 98 wrote“When proud-pied April dress’d in all his trimHath put a spirit of youth in everything.”

How much better can it feel?Looking at the buddleias which are sprouting like

mad makes me itchy with the secateurs. They needanother chop. Ideally aim for cutting back to threebuds. An old friend of mine liked to leave them talland stately, but if you do, the bulk of the flowerswill be at the top. I like them better at eye-level,the scent is greater and it is much easier to get aclose look at the butterflies when they visit. To me,that is the whole point in having buddleia in thefirst place. There are hundreds of differentvarieties (the RHS lists 400+). My favourite is“Dartmoor” because the head is looser andbroader, but I suspect that our winged visitorsprefer the more magenta shades as that is where Iusually see them.

Spring is a good time to take cuttings fromshrubs. Use the trimmings when you cut themback. Ideally 3” to 5” lengths, about the thickness

of your little finger, taken just below a bud. Cut thetop with a slope and the bottom straight. There aretwo reasons why this matters: rain will run off thetop more easily so they are less likely to rot, andyou are less likely to put them in wrong way up!Scrape the bark with a sharp knife to expose thecambium (the layer where roots will form), spacethem round a pot of cuttings compost and water into settle the rooting medium. With luck (and aminimum of TLC) by the end of the year or nextspring you will have new plants.

Lots of articles recently have discussed beardedirises and how to treat them. I must confess I havenever had any success with them. On the otherhand the Iris Sibirica seem to love our conditions(less sun and more rain). I no longer beat myselfup about what I can or can’t grow. It is enough toknow that those plants which thrive here in theNorth will always be beautiful if I treat them well.I shall continue to let unexpected successes delightme. On the subject of surprises, If you did not seethe wonderful show put on by the Magnolia nearthe Green Howards Museum in Richmond, youmissed a treat! Good luck! And whateveryou grow, take time to enjoy it.

Rose Rambler

Dales Young RangersThe Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority(YDNPA) has set up a new “Young Rangers”group, open to all 11 to 16 year olds. YoungRangers offers exciting opportunities to workalongside National Park Authority Rangers,other organisations and land owners. Membersdiscover new places and gain valuableconservation and land management experience andskills, while having fun outside with friends.

The North Young Rangers group (there are alsogroups in the West and South of the Park) meetsonce a month. If you are interested or wish to takepart in any of the upcoming Spring 2017Programme, please contact Rachael Alderson on652366 to book a place orrachael.alderson@yorkshiredales.org.uk

On Saturday May 20th we will be joining theYDNPA Historic Environment team and localexperts and doing some real archaeology to helpwith this brand new archaeological project. Seepage 30. We will meet at 10.00am at YDNP Officein Bainbridge and finish at 1.30pm.

Rachael Alderson

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Starting up Right - Getting AdviceIf you’re starting up in business this month’sadvice to you may sound obvious.Before you start, talk about it – get advice.

In my work as an insolvency practitioner,helping people sort out their finances, I find thatoften things have gone wrong because they’vemissed out some very basic things in theirbusiness setup. I also find that people often leaveit too late in asking for help – the sooner you askthe better.

Does someone in your family, or a friend, or afriend of a friend, or someone else in the Dale,do what you are planning to do? Talk to them.Write down things you’re not sure about and askquestions. Include questions like “what mistakesdid you make?” and “what will help me tosucceed?” I’ll guarantee you that the vastmajority of people you ask for help will want tohelp you.

The more you know the more you will feelconfident about what you are doing and the morelikely you will get it right first time.

Find out whether there is a local businessnetwork who will provide advice.Search the internet for “new business setup” andyou will find loads of help.

Some basic professional advice is free, such asfrom an insurance agent or an estate agent or abank. Remember that these people will bewanting to sell you their services, so feel free tosay “no” to signing up until you’ve had anopportunity to go away and think and talk tosomeone else about it.

You may well get a free advice session with asolicitor or an accountant if you are consideringusing their services, and depending on the sizeand type of your business you may want to payfor more advice from a solicitor or accountant.

But remember, if you don’t know, ask, and ifyou’re not sure, ask.

If you’ve got no one to ask, email me and I’lltry to help - mikereeves@freefromdebt.org.uk

Next time I’ll look at “making plans”.Best wishes with that new venture.

Mike Reeves

Help Save Ash Trees in the NationalPark

National Park residents are being urged to takepart in “Ashtag”, a project to help combat ashdieback fungi. They are needed to report thespread of the fungi and, most importantly, findtrees that are resistant to it.

Acting as ‘citizen scientists’, they’d be taskedwith putting a metal tag on a mature ash tree,marking its location on an online map, ideallywith some photos, and checking the tree forsigns of the fungi once a year. The YorkshireDales National Park Authority (YDNPA) canprovide the tags and nails, along with step-by-step instructions and any other help and advice.

Ash Dieback fungi has already been confirmedin the National Park in Kelco Wood inGiggleswick and other locations. Trees andWoodlands Officer Daniel Atkinson said: “Tomy knowledge a tree showing signs of resistancehasn’t yet been found in the Park. But it’s beenestimated that there are approximately 1.2million resistant trees nationwide. Surely thatmeans there must be some in the Dales, whichwas historically an ash woodland.”

If and when a resistant tree is found, it could bepropagated with another naturally immune ash tocreate new, healthy stock. The YDNPA has 100tags available. Each volunteer would get onetag, provided they don’t live in the same area, asthe aim is to get the best spread across the parkas possible.

For more information or to get involved pleasecall 01756 751648 or email

Gayle Mill EventsCome and join our Demonstration Tours on thefirst Sunday of each month. A two hour tourwhere you get to see the original 1879machinery running and working! Includes lightrefreshments. Join us for tours on SundayMay 7th 2017 at 11.00am and 2.30pm. Adults£12, children 16 and under free of charge.

Gayle Mill Summer Fayre and Beer Festival –Saturday June 10th 2017. Put the date in yourdiary and look out for more details next month.

To book or for more information email:admin@gaylemill.org.uk or telephone: 667320.

12

“Rich Seam” Project Receives LotteryCash

The Dales Countryside Museum (DCM) in Haweshas been awarded a grant of £90,600 from theHeritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to re-house andexhibit one of the country’s most fascinating leadmining collections. A total of 860 objects, includingmining wagons and tools, were given to the DCMby the Yorkshire Dales Mining Museum in Earbywhen it closed in 2015. The award means that theartefacts can now be re-examined and displayed,while the stories of miners and of the members ofEarby Mine Research Group, who assembled theobjects over 50 years, can be told.

The project is being called, “A Rich Seam: LeadMining and Textile Heritage in the YorkshireDales”. As well as bringing the lead miningcollection back to life, new exhibitions will becreated from the DCM’s extensive textile holdings.The lead mining and textile industries were oncevital to the Dales, especially in the 19th

century. They went hand-in-hand, with miners oftenknitting on the way to work to supplement theirincome.

“A Rich Seam” will run over the next 18months. Significant building work will take place atthe DCM, which is owned and run by the YorkshireDales National Park Authority (YDNPA). Amezzanine floor will be extended to create morespace, while the lighting, electrics and decorationwill be improved. Designers will be commissionedshortly.

A team of around 20 volunteers will be recruitedto work alongside staff on the re-interpretation anddisplay of the lead mining collection. One of themost challenging tasks will be to reassemble whathas been described as the most complete waterwheel and double roller ore crusher in thecountry. The wheel was rescued from theProvidence Mine near Kettlewell in Wharfedale andwas transferred to the museum in pieces. Fourformer trustees of the Yorkshire Dales MiningMuseum have agreed to tell the stories which liebehind each of the artefacts. Objects range frompersonal items, such as hats and bottles leftunderground by miners, to tools and ventilationequipment.

The project will include a raft of creative andlearning activities. The DCM will work with NorthCountry Theatre, as well as local schools and dramagroups, to create performance pieces inspired by thecollection. The money from the Heritage LotteryFund covers 82% of the project costs. Otherfunding has come from the YDNPA (£10,000); the

former Yorkshire Dales Mining Museum (£6,000);Friends of DCM (£2,000); and a private donor(£1,250).

DCM Manager Fiona Rosher, said: “We arethrilled to have been successful with our applicationto the Heritage Lottery Fund. We’ve been given awonderful opportunity to highlight the importanceof lead mining within the Yorkshire Dales. Themoney means we will be able to display ourcollections in a way which reflects theirsignificance. In the past whole families in the Daleswould be involved in both lead mining and knitting.Women and children worked at the mine top,processing the ore, while knitting was a constantactivity. We have an iconic collection of knittingsticks, which were often made as love tokens.”

Hawes Methodist CemeteryMany will be aware that the Methodist burialground, on the outskirts of Hawes, is nearingcapacity, when allowance is made for currentreservations. Towards the end of 2016, committeemembers undertook a review of reservationsregistered and would now request that individuals,(or next of kin) who are aware they hold areservation at the Methodist Cemetery in Hawes,confirm their continued interest in retaining theirreservation.

Please could anyone (or their next of kin) whounderstands they have made a reservation in HawesMethodist Cemetery, prior to January 2014, leavetheir current contact details, along with the nameand number in which the plot is reserved, in thelarge envelope at the Community Office at theirearliest convenience. A member of the committeewill then contact you to confirm the details held arecorrect and our records can be updated if required.

Many thanks for your assistance with this review.Hawes Methodist Cemetery committee

The Providence Mine water wheel lying inpieces outside the DCM

13

Upper Dales Health WatchA meeting has been held to discuss the possiblethreat to Darlington Memorial Hospital’s A&E andMaternity services.

Letters have been sent to:- a) Rishi Sunak MPwho has agreed to visit the Central Dales Practice.;b) Edmund Lovell, Better Health Programme, whoreplied that our concerns would be noted; c) Cllr.John Blackie; d) Leyburn PPG and Reeth MedicalPractice inviting them to work with UDHW on thisissue; e) Richmondshire Today.

The public consultation has been postponed untilthe autumn. It was therefore agreed it was too earlyto start a poster campaign. Copies of the blankletter to Rishi Sunak MP are available at bothsurgeries.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service’s views on STP*plans and the risk to services at Darlington to besought. An invitation to visit the Upper Dales to besent to one of the decision makers / cliniciansinvolved with STP planning with an offer to visitStockton in return. The view of The King’s Fundon rural health issues to be sought.General points;-

1) Most mothers want to have their babies in aconsultant led unit. 2) James Cook’s helipad haslanding lights. 3) Clinicians want one perinatal unitfor the STP area – this would inevitably be at JamesCook. 4) There is unlikely to be any funding fornew capital works as a result of any reconfigurationof NHS services in the STP area. 5) £900K+ hasbeen saved across HRW 2016-17 through changesin prescribing.

A discussion on what the community could do inthe way of self-help took place. Transport, supportfor Step up/ Step down accommodation and supportfor GP practices were mentioned. A charity calledthe Health Accommodation Trust (HAT) to supportthe Step up / Step down rooms across theHRWCCG area is being set up.

It was agreed we need to focus on issues thatare critical for our communities, so it may bethat the Ambulance Service provision will turnout to be our “red line”.

*STP is an NHS planning area or ‘footprint’covering the Durham Dales, Easington, Sedgefield,Darlington, Teesside and Hambleton,Richmondshire and Whitby.

Jane Ritchie

Middleham and Dales Local HistoryGroup

9th John Rettie Memorial LectureTuesday May 16th, 2.00pm.

MIDDLEHAM KEY CENTREThe Archaeology of the A1 Upgrade: Recent

discoveries at Scotch Corner Speaker:David Fell

Road construction works associated with theupgrade of the A1 to motorway status aroundScotch Corner have exposed an extensive 1stcentury AD settlement that was focused around amajor road junction of the same period. Newevidence demonstrates that Scotch Corner has beenthe meeting point of a north-south route and theroad over Stainmore for almost 2000 years. Thesettlement, which was occupied by native Britonsand Romans, stretched along the roads for adistance of at least 1.3km.

David Fell will discuss the archaeological work,which began in autumn 2014 and uncovered animpressive assemblage of finds including rare andunique objects. These consist of part of an amberstatuette, a miniature sword, Roman brooches andrare imported pottery and glass vessels, but also themost northerly and latest evidence for gold andsilver coin production during the early Romanperiod.

David is a Senior Project Officer at NorthernArchaeological Associates (NAA) and isresponsible for the fieldwork at Scotch Corner andother sites along the A1. NAA is undertakingarchaeological works for Carillion Morgan SindallJoint Venture on behalf of Highways Englandduring the A1 Leeming to Barton motorwayupgrade scheme. Members and visitors arewelcome, annual membership is £10, or £3 permeeting for visitors. Contact Tony Keates for moreinformation,: 640436, dotandtonyk@btinternet.com

Elaine Frances

Thoralby Village Hall‘The Landscape History of Bishopdale’An illustrated talk by Steve Moorhouse

with supper and a bar7.00pm for 7.30pm, Saturday May 6th

Tickets £8 from 663076 or 663875

14

May 20171 Bank Holiday1, 29 and every Tuesday. Tea and scones

at St Margaret’s, Hawes. See p. 41 Castle Bolton Plant Sale. See p. 182 Wensleydale Society film show at 7.00pm

Leyburn. See p. 63 Wensleydale Chorus. Registration and

Rehearsal. Leyburn. See p. 184 Local Elections5 Wensleydale Sports Fundraising

Night, King’s Arms, Askrigg See p. 76 Talk Thoralby Village Hall. See p. 136 Thornton Rust Institute 7.00pm

Pie & Peas Evening See p. 197 Gayle Mill Tours 11.00am and 2.30pm

See p. 119 Decorative and Fine Arts Society talk.

2.00pm Middleham Key Centre.See p. 7

9 YDNPA Planning meeting. 1.00pmat Yoredale, Bainbridge

12 Filling Station meeting 7.00pmat Middleham Key Centre

13 “The Journey” – Filling StationSeminar. West Burton Village Hall.10.30am-9.00pm See p. 8

13 Piano Concert. 7.30pm. AysgarthChurch. See p. 16

14 Holy Communion,St Andrews 10.30am16 Local History Group talk. 2.00pm.

Middleham Key Centre. See p. 1317 Penhill Ladies. Northallerton Handbell

Ringers Carperby Institute, 7.30pm18 Bainbridge W.I. talk 7.30pm

Bainbridge Village Hall. See p.1719 Concert, St. Margaret’s Hawes.

7.30pm. See p. 420 Wensleydale Chorus workshop. 10.00am

Hawes Market House. See p. 1820 Folk Concert at Carperby Village Institute

7.00pm for 8.00pm, See p. 2021 Table top sale. Market House, Hawes22 Bainbridge W.I. Lunch. See p.1723 LASS Meeting Thornborough Hall

7.15pm Quiz and Film 62325723 Wensleydale Society visit to National

Coal Mining Museum See p. 624 Family History Group talk. 2.00pm.

Fremington Sunday School. See p 725 U3A AGM Leyburn Methodist Hall

10.30am. See p. 16

25 Concert Reeth Memorial Hall 8.00pm26-29 WensleyAle Festival. See p. 2027 Swaledale Festival starts. See p. 2127 – 2 June Gaping Gill Winch Week

See www.bpc-cave.org.uk28 Strawberry Fayre, Cocketts Hotel,

Hawes 2.00pm See p. 2128 Penhill Children’s Church at Wensley

Village Hall. 9.30am-11.00am29 Bank Holiday & West Burton May Fair29 Castle Bolton Plant Sale. See p. 18

5 April – 21 May. Flora and Dales. Gill Kirkuses print, mixed media and stitch toillustrate the fascinating complexityof plant life in hay meadows.

7 Mono Printing Workshop. 10.30 am to4.00pm Join artist Gill Kirk to usedried plant material and acetate sheetsand experiment through an etchingpress using specialised printing ink. £50including lunch. Charge for materials.

14 Machine Embroidery Workshop10.30am to 4.00pm. Guided by artistGill Kirk, create a mixed media pieceusing fabric, gesso and paint, throughapplique and layering of fabric andthreads. £50 including lunch.£5 Charge for materials.

19 Dales Village Dances and their Music at7.30pm. A talk by Bob Ellis. Part of theFriends of the Museum annual lectureprogramme. Free but donationswelcome.

20 Rails in the Dales. 11.00am. See p. 2028 Traditional Knitting Demonstration.

2.00pm to 4.00pm. Join Dales kni t t ingexpert Kate Trusson for a demonstrationwith 4 needles and knitting sticks usingtraditional patterns.

30 Drystone Walling Demonstration,11.00am to 3.00pm. See the traditionalcraft of drystone walling - one of themost iconic features of the National Parklandscape.

For information and booking phone 666210

Wednesday Club Afternoon Tea2.00pm

Wednesday May 17thRedmire Village Hall

DCM WHAT’S ON

MAY WHAT’S ON LISTING;please add these dates to your Diary

15

Wensleydale School NewsThe summer exam seasonThe exam season for all secondary schools begins inMay and finishes at the end of June. At theWensleydale School and Sixth Form we have bothGCSE and A level students working incredibly hardin their revision and exam preparation.

We should share a thought for our students at thistime, many of whom are facing the largest number ofseparate exams in years. For example, a studentstudying three single sciences will face nine separateexams during May and June just for science! This isin addition to three pieces of science courseworkwhich have already been completed.

This year, all students across the UK will sit thefirst of the new GCSE English and Maths exams witha more challenging focus on analysing texts andproblem solving skills. Although as teachers we seethis as a positive move, the lack of past papers to usefor practice does place additional challenges onstudents.

At The Wensleydale School and Sixth Form weprovide an extensive package of support for all ourYear 11 and Year 13 students to help them to preparefor their exams. As I write this article, there is aprogramme of Easter revision sessions taking place.Students have been offered individual 1-2-1mentoring since Christmas. We have had a dailylunchtime revision programme running sinceSeptember. All students have access to high qualityonline resources such as ‘GCSE Pod’ and‘MyMaths’. We have had visits from motivationalspeakers and even ran a training workshopspecifically for parents on how they can help theirchildren revise effectively. As we approach theexams, we will open the school at 7.45am on themorning of each exam to run ‘walking-talking-mocks’ where teachers will model how to perfectlyanswer past papers. I could go on! We are doingeverything we can to make sure that our students getthe grades they deserve so that they can move ontotheir next steps, whatever they may be.

Many of you reading this will either employ 15 to18 year olds or be used to going to local pubs andrestaurants and being served by them. Our studentsneed to revise for at least a couple of hours everynight and more at the weekends and we know thatsome of our students worry about asking for reducedhours at work in order to revise. We know that someemployers already offer very flexible workingarrangements for our students. We would ask thateven if they have not asked for a reduced workload

that employers check to see if students are gettingenough time to revise and alter working times tosupport them.

By the end of June they will have finished examsand be able to go back to working the business hoursrequired – plus they will be more focused on theirwork rather than worrying about exams.

Mr A. Wilkinson, Deputy HeadteacherMr M. Ashcroft, Assistant Headteacher

The Wensleydale School and Sixth Form

No-one likes pain! Pain is considered chronic if itpersists for three months. Chronic and acute painsare very different and can mean different things;would it surprise you to know that pain is not relatedto tissue damage? Pain is not created at the site of thepain or injury? Pain is ALWAYS created by thebrain. And pain is contextual. If you sprain yourankle while running from a bull you won’t feel theseverity of your injured ankle until you’ve got out ofthe way of the bull! Your brain decides that youwon’t die from a sprained ankle...but the bull...! Ifyou believe that your pain may be linked to a moreserious underlying cause you will feel more pain thanif you believed it was a superficial injury.

Just as our musculoskeletal system adapts when wetrain for a sport, so our nervous system adapts toproducing pain. When we have persistent pain,changes occur within the nervous system andgradually the threshold at which you feel painbecomes lower and the pain you feel often becomesstronger with less provocation. Most of us take oneof two attitudes to pain: I’m going to do it anyway –it’s not going to beat me; or I’d better not in case Ihurt myself. With both of these approaches whatusually happens is that gradually your activity levelsdrop - you cease being able to ‘push through it’, thepain becomes more frequent and intense and you feellike you’re grinding to a halt. The pain feels like it’staking over.So what can you do? Take more pills? Surgery?Give in...? I’ll talk more about that next time.

Jo LadeReflex Orthopaedic Massage 07975 999 373

CHRONIC PAIN

16

Wensleydale Concert SeriesOur next concert is at 7.30pm on Saturday May13th. We arevery pleased to welcome Alicja Fiderkiewicz back toAysgarth Church for a piano recital. This is a change to the

programme published last yearand includes works by Bach,Brahms, Franck, Debussy andChopin. Alicja is a firm friendof the concert series havingbeen one of the first artists tosupport us and she has becomea favourite of all who haveheard her playing. She is alsolooking forward to returning toAysgarth after her mini-tour ofSingapore and Malaysia.

This is a lovelyprogramme for an earlysummer's evening. You can see

full details and buy tickets via the websitewww.wensleydaleconcertseries.co.uk (£12.50 inadvance) or £15 at the door and £3 for under 18s andfull time students.

We are also pleased to announce that this will be thefirst concert after the series was granted the status ofCharitable Incorporated Organisation by the CharitiesCommission - so we are now UK registeredcharity 1172472. We will publish more about our plansas a newly formed charity in a future article.

Leyburn and District U3ALeyburn & District U3A are holding their AGM at10.30am on Thursday May 25th at LeyburnMethodist Hall. Non-members are welcome but will beunable to vote. Entertainment will be provided by thethriving U3A Ukulele group. Information will beavailable about all the other interest groups nowrunning. If you are interested in joining the Committeeplease phone 623813. New members will be able to joinon the day.

Luxury Tea on the TrainThe Wensleydale Railway has successfully run anafternoon tea service for a number of years and 2017will see the launch of a further luxury offering which

will be served within a1912 built London andNorth Western Railwaydirectors saloon. Thesaloon once carriedBruce Ismay, thechairman and managing

director of the White Star Line who famously survivedthe sinking of the Titanic whilst others perished.

This exciting new offering will launch towards theend of May and will be run as a joint project betweenthe Wensleydale Railway and the award-winningUpstairs at Institution café in Bedale.

The new service will depart from, and return to,Bedale Station, affording spectacular views overWensleydale while you travel and dine in style. Thedirectors’ saloon will also be available for specialevents and corporate hire.

Watch the website www.wensleydalerail.com orphone 01677 425805 for further details and timing

Youth Project LeaderRequired to develop, manage, facilitate and deliver aYouth Social Action Fund Project in conjunction withLeyburn Arts and Community Centre.

Hours flexible within the project, but approximately 8hours per week over 40 weeks.

Should have experience of working with youngpeople. Would suit a self-employed person.

For further information please contact the ArtsCentre 624510 or emailadmin@oldschoolhouseleyburn.com.

Doctors’ Rotas as supplied by the Health CentreHAWES SURGERY ROTA Wb - week beginning

Wb May 1st 8th 15th 22nd 29thDayMon C FB FB FB CTues F F F F FWed P P P P PThurs B P B P B

Fri P P P P P

Doctors: B- Brown, F - France, P– Pain , C - Closed

Morning Surgery: 8.45-10.15am Tues till 10:45am; no appts

Afternoon Surgery: 5- 6.00pm Tues 1.30-4.00pm; appts only

For appointments and all enquiries ring 667200

AYSGARTH SURGERY ROTA Wb - week beginning

Wb May 1st 8th 15th 22nd 29thDayMon C P P P CTues PB PB PB PB PBWed F F F F FThurs F F F F F

Fri B B B B B

Doctors, B- Brown, F - France, P– Pain , C– ClosedMorning Surgery: 9.00 - 10.30 am no appointmentsAfternoon Surgery: 4.00 - 5.30 pm appointment only

For appointments and all enquiries ring 663222

17

Windows Vista – end of lifeBy the time you read this article Windows Vistawill be no more. Microsoft has now withdrawnsupport for the operating system that was prettymuch a dead duck from the day they released it.Windows 7 was rushed out shortly after WindowsVista and Vista was largely forgotten by Microsoftfrom that point onwards. Now the ailing operatingsystem has reached the end of its life as far asMicrosoft is concerned and will no longer receiveany updates (even for security issues). A particularconcern is (as with Windows XP) if you useMicrosoft Security Essentials for your antivirusthen support for that is being withdrawn for Vistausers too – if you are using Vista you will haveseen the pop up notices.

If you need to replace your antivirus make sureyou uninstall the current one before doing anythingelse – then I suggest you download the freeversions of either Avast (www.avast.com) or AVG(www.avg.com) and install it to remain protected –but no one can say how long these will continue tosupport Vista.

Other concerns are that Internet Explorer on Vistais very out of date and should no longer be used(and it won’t work properly with many websitesanyway). Depending on your hardware you mayfind Google Chrome is no longer supported andcurrent versions of Mozilla Firefox do not install onVista (though existing versions will get securityupdates for the time being).

The upshot of all this is that, like Windows XPbefore it, it is now time to start thinking aboutupgrading to Windows 10 and realisticallyhardware running Vista is now quite old so it mightbe more cost effective and sensible to upgrade to anew computer. If on the other hand you do want tocontinue to use your existing computer the upgradeto Windows 10 will cost approximately £100 butyou may also have to upgrade the hardware tosupport it – I recommend a minimum of 4GB ofmemory - a lot of Vista machines came with 1Gbor 2Gb installed.

Upgrading may or may not be straight forward. Itwill mean backing up your data and performing aclean installation of Windows 10 on a blank harddisk, hoping that drivers are available during yoursetup for all the hardware devices inside yourcomputer - the biggest stumbling block I have

found is wireless connection support of old devices.If the upgrade is successful you will need to copyyour data back to the new operating system andreinstall all of your programmes (many might needupgrades and old printers and other plug in devicesmay or may not work – certainly the original CDsshould not be used – go to the manufacturer’swebsite and see if you can download new driversand software).

I feel a bit a like a doom merchant but I havebeen asked about this recently by a number ofcustomers and thought it worth sharing thesethoughts.

Any questions or comments please feel free tocall me on 663798 or preferably email me (Iam struggling to keep up with the number ofphone calls and messages) atcarol.haynes@dalescomputerservices.com

News from the VetsWith the weather improving and most of ourgardens starting to look beautiful again I thought itwas a good opportunity to warn people about theplants in our gardens that are potentially toxic toour pets. Puppies can be particularly at danger dueto their inquisitive nature and small size.Depending on the plant, symptoms can vary fromdrooling and vomiting to more severe symptoms.

The list of plants includes (but by no means iscomplete): Daffodil bulbs (my dog’s favouritealthough luckily she only carries them rather thaneats them), Lupins, Aconitum, Amaryllis bulbs,Asparagus fern, Azalea, Cyclamen, Day lilies,Delphiniums, Foxgloves, Hemlock, Hyacinth,Hydrangea, Ivy, Laburnum, Lily of thevalley, Morning glory, Nightshade, Oleander,Rhododendron, Rhubarb leaves, Sweet pea, Tulipbulbs, Umbrella plant, Wisteria and Yew.

If you suspect your animal has ingested a toxicplant please contact us the surgery.

Davinia Hinde

Bainbridge Women's InstituteBainbridge WI meet on the third Thursday in themonth at Bainbridge Village Hall. The meetingsstart at 7.30pm.

The meeting on May 18th is a talk "UtterleyHooked !" by rug maker Claire Uttley.

The May Soup and Sweet lunch will be onMonday May 22nd at Bainbr idge Village Hall.

18

Community to Dig Bainbridge VillageGreen

The Lords Trustees of the Manor of Bainbridgehave given permission for an archaeological digon the village green this summer. The YorkshireDales Young Archaeologists Club, local schoolsand community groups will be involved in thethree-month long project, which could shed freshlight on the period of Roman occupation ofBritain.

The dig, which started on April 22nd, willinvolve at least 25 test pits measuring a metresquare being dug by hand on the village greenand in private gardens. Each test pit will beexcavated by a team of six people to amaximum depth of 1.2 metres. Earth will besieved, photographs taken and findsrecorded. Any pottery, metal objects and animalbone will be examined by specialists.

The Roman fort of Virosidium lies immediatelyto the east of Bainbridge and while that has beenexcavated, the village itself has not. Bainbridge isone of the few definitively Roman sites within theYorkshire Dales National Park. The currenthypothesis is that the Romans occupied this partof the Dales in order to mine lead for theirplumbing systems.

The test pitting will come to an end on July 30th.Post-excavation analysis of finds will be carriedout during August and September, and the resultsdisplayed at an open evening in the autumn. Anarchaeological report will be produced by theend of January 2018.

The project is being managed by the CommunityHeritage Officer at the Yorkshire Dales NationalPark Authority (YDNPA), Rebecca Cadbury-Simmons, on behalf of the Yorkshire Dales YoungArchaeologists Club. Volunteers are beingactively recruited through Bainbridge ParishCouncil and the YDNPA volunteernetwork. Primary school children fromBainbridge, Askrigg, West Burton and Hawes willbe taking part in the project.

If you are interested in taking part in theBainbridge dig, please ring 652353 to contactRebecca Cadbury-Simmons orrebecca.cadbury-simmons@yorkshiredales.org.uk.

Wensleydale Chorus Spring 2017For the 2017 Wensleydale Chorus season we willbe singing the Mozart Requiem and Vivaldi'sGloria.Soloists:For the 2017 season we have invitedJolyon Dodgson - BassTracie Penwarden - SopranoEmma Wardell - AltoAndrew Murday - TenorGreg Smith - Organist

Registration and collection of scores will star tat 7.00pm on Wednesday May 3rd in TheMethodist Church or Methodist schoolroomsdepending on availability.

Charges are to remain the same as 2016, £20.00if paid in advance or £22.00 if paid on or after thestart of rehearsals.

Rehearsals are in the Leyburn MethodistSchoolrooms starting at 7.30pm on WednesdayMay 3rd. The fir st rehearsal will stop at9.00pm to enable choir members to socialize andto ask questions. Usually rehearsals end at9.30pm.

During concert weeks the rehearsals take placein the concert locations with an additionalrehearsal with the soloists on Friday July 14th.

There will be two Saturday workshops at HawesMarket House on May 20th from 10.00am to3.00pm and West Bur ton Village Hall on June17th also from 10.00am to 3.00pm.

Bring your lunch or use local facilities if youwish. A contribution of £1.00 for refreshmentswould be appreciated.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate tocontact me: gilda@fosnet.co.uk or phone622942 or13 Thornborough Crescent, Leyburn, DL8 5DY.

Castle Bolton Plant SalesThanks to everyone’s generosity, and particularlyNoel’s selling technique, we raised £385 in theEaster sale to be divided between mission partnersMission Aviation Fellowship and St George’sCrypt, Leeds.

We have good perennials but so far no annualsfor the remaining two sales on May 1st and 29th.10.00am to 12.30pm. Robert Hall

19

Notes from Thorney Mire

SpringIt arrives every year, sometimes it’s early,sometimes it’s late, but whenever it comes we arealways pleased to see it. I’m talking about Spring,when rooks raucously fly above the trees beforesettling on their nests, chaffinches are singing theirlittle hearts out, coltsfoot appear on the verges,followed by primroses and celandines and buds arebeginning to fill out. Cock pheasants are having astand off and likewise a pair of thrushes in thegarden. Curlews return from their Winter holidaysby the sea, lambs are taking their first breaths ofSpring air, weeds are springing up and the grassneeds cutting, but we will forget about that last bit.On a walk along the lane on March 5th, I heard andsaw a curlew for the first time this year; we alsocounted about twenty lapwings which were callingand wheeling in a field, they didn’t stay but headedoff in a southerly direction. A red squirrel ran alongthe wall in front of us and a flock of redwings flewand twittered close by and we saw the firstcoltsfoot, all three of them.

Pheasants may be attractive to look at but theywill never be candidates for M.E.N.S.A. I have yetto establish why they square up to each other. If it isfor females then why do they fight when there areno females around? I don’t think it is for territorybecause once they have finished their aggressivedisplays towards each other, they carry on eatingtogether as though they are the best of friends.Female pheasants make poor mothers. We oncefound a nest of about fifteen pheasant eggs behindour barn. A few days later it was abandoned. Wethen found a second nest in the wood and that wasalso abandoned. It takes 23 days to incubatepheasant eggs in the wild, so evidently femalepheasants have a low boredom threshold.

In the latest squirrel survey taken in February, redsquirrels are still active in the wood and can be seencoming to the squirrel feeders. The results from theR.S.P.B bird count in January said that the tenthmost common garden bird was the long tailed tit.This surprised me as we only see themoccasionally, usually a fleeting visit once a year.We have an abundance of goldfinches this year, onecouple are nesting in the cypress tree in the frontgarden and we are having frequent visits fromsiskins. The wrens are back, pulling the moss fromthe hanging baskets. The true sign of Springarriving is seeing the lambs in the fields and

watching them play together is more entertainingthan any television programme.

If you have ever been counting sheep when youare in bed in an attempt to go to sleep and it is notworking, then that is probably because you arelistening to the sheep outside. And if ever you havewondered why a lost lamb in the dark can find itsmother when all sheep sound the same, believe methey don’t. All sheep have their own distinctivesound, I discovered this in the early hours of onemorning. So imagine the relief when the plaintivecry of a lost lamb, heard on the far side of the field,gradually comes closer and closer until it is finallyreunited with its anxious and very vociferousmother who just happens to be standing beneath ourbedroom window. Don’t sheep sleep?

Sylvia Turner

Aysgarth Railway Station Open DaysPlanned

April 30th and May 1st; May 28thand 29th

Open days are planned for the two bank holidaysduring May by a group of volunteers to show theirprogress to convert an old abandoned railwaystation into a railway heritage site and museum.

The Aysgarth Station Group (TASP) was formedin April 2011 with a programme to refurbish thesite in advance of Wensleydale Railway’s 3-mileextension of the railway from Redmire.

Although there are no train services from thisdelightful Victorian station the enthusiastic band ofvolunteers, led by Neil Barker, intend to lay a shortlength of track over the site within the next year toprovide rides for passengers in a BR brake van.

The group believes the site offers an interestingdiversion for an hour or two for visitors to AysgarthFalls which are only 100 metres from the site.

On the 28th. and 29th May open days (Spring BankHoliday) there will be an Arts and Crafts exhibitionfeaturing creations produced by local artists etc.

Thornton Rust InstitutePie and Peas Evening

Saturday May 6th at 7.00pm£7.00 Bring you own drinks

Please book in advance 663504

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WensleyAle FestivalAfter successfully hosting two real ale festivals theWensleydale Railway are delighted to announce athird real ale & music festival taking place in May.Passengers will once again be offered the splendidviews of the Yorkshire Dales as they journeyalong the Wensleydale Railway from Leeming Barto Redmire Station. Visitors can then continuetheir day enjoying the real ale and live music onoffer in our marquee with spectacular viewsoverlooking Penhill.

The WensleyAle Festival 2017 will take placefrom Friday 26th until Monday May 29th withtrains operating between Leeming Bar andRedmire, servicing Bedale, Finghall Lane andLeyburn. The 2017 festival promises to be evenbigger and better than the previous two years withsponsors including Leeds, York and TreboomBreweries; music acts from near and far such asThe Yum and Fargo Railroad and quality foodstalls including Brymor ice cream.

Prayer Fellowship7.30pm

Monday May 22ndMission Room, Thornton Rust

Railways in the Yorkshire DalesRailway historian David Joy, a former editor ofThe Dalesman magazine, will launch his newbook, Railways in the Y orkshire Dales (whichincludes the Wensleydale Railway), with anillustrated talk in Hawes on Saturday, May 20th.The one hour event is open to all and will be heldat The Dales Countryside Museum in the oldstation yard, starting at 11.00am. Immediatelyafter the talk the author will be available to signcopies of his book.

The bus service from Leyburn arrives in time forthe talk, as does the Little White Bus fromGarsdale station, which meets trains from Leedsand Carlisle (but please check return times for dayand date of travel with care!) Why not invite afriend from elsewhere to join you for the talk and aday’s visit to Hawes!

Ruth Annison 650349.

Rising Folk Star to Perform forCarperby Concerts

Carperby Concerts is thrilled to present one of thebest young talents on the folk scene on May 20that Carperby Village Institute.

Luke Jackson is a singer/songwriter from Kentwith an extraordinary voice and style. A BBCRadio 2 Folk Awards double nominee in 2013, hewas also winner of Fatea’s “Male Artist of theYear” in 2014 and again in 2016. The Carperbygig will be a special night as Luke will beperforming with drummer Connor Downs andbassist Andy Sharps.

He has built an enviable reputation through hissolo shows, festival appearances and as an openingact for such luminaries as Show of Hands, MartynJoseph, Seth Lakeman and Glen Tilbrook fromSqueeze. His recent album, “Tall Tales andRumours”, received universal critical acclaim and5-star reviews.

Don’t miss what promises to be another greatnight in Carperby. Tickets are £13 in advance and£15 on the door. Doors open at 7.00pm for an8.00pm concer t star t. Call 663808 for tickets orfurther details. All profits will go to YorkshireCancer Research.

Steve Sheldon

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Swaledale FestivalThe Swaledale Festival this year runs fromSaturday May 27th until Saturday June 10th.The events taking place in the Newsletter area inMay are:27 Muker Silver Band in Muker Public Hall

at 7.30pm.29 Bammental Gramar School Symphony

Orchestra from noon to 1.00pm atSt. Oswald’s, Askrigg.

29 Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the ShekuKanneh-Mason trio at St Andrew’s,Aysgarth from 4.00pm to 5.00pm.

29 Northern Monkey Brass Band at St.Oswald’s, Askrigg at 7.30pm.

30 Hut People at Gunnerside MethodistChapel from 4.00pm to 5.00pm.

30 Leyburn Brass Band at St Oswald’s,Askrigg at 7.30pm.

31 Jess Gillam, saxophone and AnthonyHewitt, Piano at St. Andrew’s,Asygarth from 4.00pm to 5.00pm.

31 Arch Sinfonia plays Wagner and Brucknerat St. Oswald’s Askrigg at 7.30pm.

For the complete festival programme and bookinginformation see www.swalefest.org.

National Park Guided WalksThese walks are led by an experienced volunteer orby a National Park Ranger.

Sunday May 14th and Wednesday May 17th“Spring Flowers of Wensleydale” 11.00am to3.00pm. Meet at Aysgar th Falls NP Centre foran easy 6 mile walk through ancient woodlandswith their wealth of plants and animals. . Adults£5.00, Free to 16s and under. Booking advised.Ring 666210

Tuesday May 30th - “Red Squirrels and otherwild life of Snaizeholme” 2.00pm to 4.30pm.Meet at the DCM (car share to site) for a 1.5 milewalk ending at the Red Squirrel viewpoint. Part ofthe Swaledale Festival.

Adults £7.00 under 19s £3.00.Ring 01748 880019 to book

Mystery pictureLast month’s was an aerial view of

Carperby. Where’s this?

Drop-off points and contactsfor news, articles, reports, letters, What’s Ondates, competition entries, suggestions andcomments:Hawes: Sue Wood,

LaunderetteGayle: Sarah Champion

23, Little Ings 667006Bainbridge: Sylvia Crookes,

3, Bainside 650525Askrigg: Rima Berry,

8 Mill Lane 650980Carperby: Margaret Woodcock,

Bella Cottage 663488West Burton: Nadine Bell,

Margaret’s Cottage 663559Aysgarth: Hamilton’s Tearoom 663423Redmire: see Carperby aboveThoralby: Sandra Foley, Shop 663205

Hawes Christmas LightsStrawberry FayreSunday May 28thCocketts Hotel2.00pm—5.00pmTickets: £5 from Whites of Wensleydale

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Looking across West Burton, by Neil Dyson

Looking across Semerwater, by Jonathan Woolley

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Towards Redmire, by Adrian Loveless