CAUSEWAY NOVEMBER 2020 Why Poppies? Remembering Tom Smithson Handmade Christmas Gifts
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Serving the communities of Thorp Arch and Walton Advertising Index Accountants Gillbeck Assoc Peter Howard Alarms PGK Security Animal Care Clifford Moor Farm Architects McNicholas Architects Bed & Breakfast Four Gables Building Materials Kirbys Carpet Cleaning Wetherby Carpet
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Cars/MOT Westmoreland Cars
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Chimney Sweep Mooring Brothers Chiropody Boston Spa Chiropody
Contact: Emma Shellard, 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com
Curtains, Furnishing Lou’s Threads
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Hardware Douglas Yeadon
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Holiday Cottages Priory Cottages
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Kitchens Aberford Interiors
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Decorators Mark Hatfield Oliver Willard The Decorating Centre
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Elderly Support WiSE
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Newsagents Supershop
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Electrical Services P Collier Edmunds Electrical
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Opticians Andrew Morgan Cameron Beaumont
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Estate Agents Beadnall & Copley
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PA/Secretarial Concierge David Bransby 27
Flooring Services Thorner Flooring
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Funerals Tony Barker
Plumbing and Heating Peter Norman 30 Thorp Arch Plumbing 28
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Gardening Lawn Keeper MK Landscaping
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Hairdressing Ian Blakey
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Restaurants Fox and Hounds
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Retail Parks Thorp Arch Retail Park
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Tree Services Bardsey Tree Services
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Front Cover - Photo by Mark Gowlett Causeway - Chair Ian Hall. Editors Lisa Sherratt and Victora Etherington. Designer John Pendleton Advertising Emma Shellard. Distribution (Thorp Arch) Jane Clayton (Walton) Gay Childe and David Spencer. Big thanks to the entire distribution team. Please refer to the Contacts Page for contact details. The Editor and Management Committee do not endorse any content of articles or advertisements in this magazine nor shall they be liable directly or indirectly for any damages which may arise from information or views contained in these pages. 2
From your Editors causeway.editor@gmail.com
Dear Readers
And so the year of Covid drags on...and on...Leeds is currently in tier 2, but who knows what the restrictions will be by the time you read this! Whatever they are, we hope you are safe and following the current rules. We appreciate how difficult it is, especially for those of you who live alone, but the only way this will ever end is if everyone follows the guidelines. If you can, check in with your neighbours, it is likely we are all going to have to isolate, and perhaps need a bit of help and support, at some time. For further information or help go to www.leeds.gov.uk/ coronavirus. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this month’s Causeway. We have a sourdough recipe from Anne for you to try on page 20; we are currently wondering what inducement she might take to share the sourdough chocolate cake recipe next month. For the organised among you we have some local shops you might like to try for Christmas gifts; or if you are bored at home try making some of your own, we have shared some ideas on page 24. For those of you who enjoy striking exhibitions, you will enjoy Pandemic Inspired Art on page 13.
Contents
Although we have fantastic content again this month, it is taking much encouragement and cajoling from your editors. Please
Editor’s Letter Why Poppies? News from our Churches Clergy Letter Sunday Services Thorp Arch Parish Council Local News A Good Life - Remembering Tom Smithson
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consider sending us your contributions, we are sure that others would enjoy reading them. If you have any contributions for the magazine or would like to join the team please email us at causeway.editor@gmail. com Blessings
Now available online at issuu.com/ causewaymag and LARGE PRINT VERSION AVAILABLE BY EMAILING CAUSEWAY. EDITOR@GMAIL.COM. Causeway is a voluntary community magazine which is published 10 times a year (monthly except for January and August). Contributions are considered by our Editorial Team and are invited to be emailed to causeway.editor@gmail.com by 10th of the month prior to publication.
Pandemic Inspired Art Shop local this Christmas Online Events Christmas Gift Donations Heavenly Sourdough Handmade Christmas Gifts The Birds in your Garden Village Contacts
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Available online at issuu.com/causewaymag and LARGE PRINT VERSION - EMAIL CAUSEWAY.EDITOR@GMAIL.COM. Causeway is a community magazine produced and distributed by a team of dedicated volunteers which is published 10 times a year (monthly except for January and August). Contributions are considered by our Editorial Team and are invited to be emailed to causeway. editor@gmail.com by 10th of the month prior to publication. 3
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A Symbol of Remembrance Why Poppies? My grandfather fought in the First World War. Like Baldrick, he was a batman, but more intelligent and certainly a better cook, although lacking the cunning plans!
In Flanders Fields by John McCrae
He was invalided out following a shrapnel injury and it remains a great source of sadness to me that he never wanted to speak of his time in the trenches. Although I went to the Remembrance Services each year with him, it was only as I got older that I really began to appreciate the depth of the suffering that these men (and the women who volunteered as nurses, drivers and other support roles) really went through. It was not only the threat from the German guns, but the deprivation, the hunger, the cold and the wet; and the grief as their friends and comrades literally died in their arms. In a time before we understood the unseen mental damage that warfare inflicts, the brave survivors were expected to return to civilian life once the war was over, almost as if nothing had happened. It is really no surprise that my grandfather chose not to remember this time in his life.
In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place: and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders’ fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high, If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders’ Fields.
Although for most of my life he was quite a distant and somewhat intimidating figure, poppies are a poignant reminder of his softer and more emotional side. In the spring this rather gruff man would get quite upset over the sight of a cornfield with a swathe of red running through it; and poppies in my back garden could move him to tears.
If you wish to donate to this years poppy appeal visit www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/waysto-give/donate Remembrance Sunday
That we use poppies as a symbol of remembrance is thanks to Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. He was a Canadian doctor, who after burying a friend noticed that the red poppies were the only plant to flourish in the mud and destruction of trench warfare. He was moved to write the now famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’. Through two women, Moina Michael and Anna Guèrin, it came to the attention of Earl Haig, founder of the Royal British Legion. Poppies were sold for the first time in 1921, raising £104,000 to support veterans find houses and jobs.
There will be an online service at 10am on Sunday 8th November with contributions from local schools, parish councils and others in our village communities. Restrictions permitting, there will be a 9.30am Holy Communion service at St Peter’s Walton and then a sociallydistanced act of remembrance on the memorial on the green at Thorp Arch as usual. To join in the online service, go to facebook.com/ bramhambenefice at 10am on Sunday 8th, or look on the Online Services page of www. bramhambenefice.org
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News from our Churches This Christmas is inevitably a bit different.
“The idea is to use Bible stories to show how people of faith have faced the ups and downs of life, and how the values and ideas in the Bible can give us firm foundations for the rather unsettling times we’re living in” explains the Rev’d Morgan.
There will be an online Christingle Service on Sunday 6th December at 10am. Children can order a Christingle Bag in advance, to be collected from St Mary’s, Boston Spa or All Saints’, Bramham which will contain everything needed to join in with the service.
The videos last less than 10 minutes - much shorter than collective worship usually lasts - but this gives class teachers time to have a discussion with pupils. “The format is simple,” says Rev’d Trish, herself a former primary teacher, “and includes a Bible story, then a bit of a chat about it, then a time for everyone to think about something in their own life, from their own experience which might be related. One of us brings these thoughts together at the end with a simple prayer.”
Rev’d Nick explains, “We’ve found that quite a few families have enjoyed the flexibility of joining in our services from their own homes. It means that the household can join in together, but press pause if it turns out that now isn’t quite the right moment to join in! While there will be a live service to join in with at All Saints’, Bramham on the day to which people are welcome, space will be limited, so we are encouraging people to join in online wherever they are as well.” We also hope to bring an online Christmas service featuring contributions from a number of local schools. This is still in the early stages of planning, check the Bramham Benefice Facebook page nearer the time for details. There will be services on Christmas Day and details will be available in time for the December magazine.
How our churches have continued work in schools Primary schools have, understandably, not wanted physical visits from our collective worship team this term. Undeterred, Rev’d Nick Morgan, Rev’d Trish Anslow and Phil Baraniak from The King’s Church have been sending videos for teachers to use in their classroom bubbles with pupils.
The Collective Worship team also had a fourth member, The Reverend Ellis, who is a clerical church mouse who usually lives in the vestry of St Mary’s Church, but who manages to hide in the background of each storytime. “We can’t wait to actually get back into school and see the children and staff again,” says The Reverend Morgan, “but we hope that we’re helping the school communities to face these uncertain times in this small way, and to encourage them by smiling out of the screen and joining the life of the school as best we can. It’s great that the three of us are recognized in the street still by families, and we hope this is another way we can get the message out that our churches are still very much there for people and finding new ways to support our schools.”
Lady Hastings in Thorp Arch, St Mary’s in Boston Spa, Bramham Primary School and Harewood C.E. Primary School have all enjoyed joining in with these slightly different acts of worship. “We’ve had a lot of fun putting these together,” explains Rev’d Morgan, “though the changing nature of lockdown restrictions has meant we’ve had to think on our feet, and a few of these had to be recorded as a Zoom conversation between the three of us.” This term’s series of Collective Worship videos are called Firm Foundations. 7
Letter from the Clergy Welcome to November!
God’s creation was made for us to live alongside each other, God has taught us the language of divine love that is common to all who have faith, wherever we live. The countries of the world are bound together with this common bond.
The nights are well and truly drawing in. I don’t know about you, but I find the change in the hour quite a signal to dig myself in and settle down to all those things that can be done indoors and preferably round the fire.
Perhaps on these dark days of the autumn and winter months, as we communicate with many friends and family via the electronic media we can think of other ways to traverse the airwaves instantly. We can pray to God each day on any subject and know that we can be heard and listened to. Prayers do not depend on good broadband connections, an electricity supply, or someone else in possession of a computer. God with infinite love can hear us all, whatever language we speak, without the need to press keys.
A friend of mine introduced me to jigsaws online and I find them quite absorbing and somewhat addictive! I can find myself thinking I just have time to do just one more before tea. Over the last seven or eight months of this pandemic, the laptop has played a much larger role in my life. I have checked emails and Facebook pages every day and ‘Zoomed’ into meetings several times a week, and we won’t talk about the online shopping I have done.
One day in the distant future, long after your time and mine, God’s children will be able to investigate the wider creation of the universe and maybe communicate with other beings. God made heaven and the earth for all humanity, wherever they are and maybe we will discover that faith in the Creator has stretched much, much further than the World Wide Web.
My apologies to those readers who have not got access to computers, but my ramblings have taken me to the World Wide Web (www). As I sit at my laptop, I realised that it was just as easy to order a book from any other country as it is to do the same in the UK. Without moving from my study, I am connected to all those countries that also have access to the www. The earth now does seem to be a smaller and well-connected place, with people able to bridge the miles/ kilometres at the press of a key.
As you put your electronic words out there into the ’cloud’ ( a technical term I am only just beginning to wrap my head around) remember to put your prayers into the infinite creator of the universe, knowing the comfort that comes from instant communication with the one who listens.
My musings move on to think that in the big picture of the earth’s place even in the solar system, these connections are really small.
REV TRISH
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Sunday Services
ALL SAINTS’ THORP ARCH
9.30pm
1st Nov
Patronal Service with Holy Communion
2pm
4th Nov
All Saints AGM in Church
9.30am
8th Nov
Holy Communion Joint @ Walton
10.50am
8th Nov
Remembrance Service @ War Memorial Thorp Arch
9.30am
15th Nov
Parish Worship
9.30pm
22nd Nov
Parish Worship @ Walton
10am
29th Nov
Benefice Holy Communion @ St Marys
9.30pm
6th Dec
Holy Communion
ST PETER’S WALTON
9.30pm
1st Nov
Holy Communion @ Thorp Arch
9.30am
8th Nov
Holy Communion
10.50am
8th Nov
Remembrance Service @ War Memorial Thorp Arch
9.30am
15th Nov
Parish Worship @ Thorp Arch
9.30pm
22nd Nov
Parish Worship
10am
29th Nov
Benefice Holy Communion @ St Marys
9.30pm
6th Dec
Holy Communion @ Thorp Arch 9
Thorp Arch Parish Council Thorp Arch News - Oct 2020
Have guests inside your home
Speeding Vehicles in Thorp Arch
Go inside someone else’s home (in or outside of Leeds) Meet people you do not live with inside any other indoor venue, such as a pub, cafe or restaurant (in or outside of Leeds)
The Parish Council continues to be concerned about speeding vehicles in the village. Despite their efforts to slow traffic with the purchase of two speed indication devices (SIDs), speeding remains a problem. Cllr Nicola Midgely has been regularly collating data downloaded from the SIDs. The data provides evidence of the excessive speeds some vehicles travel through the village at. The data shows that there is a significant problem on Church Causeway with around 80% or more of vehicles speeding.
Meet with more than 5 other people outside If you do not follow these rules you will be breaking the law and could be fined. In some circumstances it is not illegal. For further information including exemptions, please see the local government website: www.leeds.gov. uk/coronavirus/local-rules You can still meet up to 5 other people outside, including in a private garden but you should stay 2 metres apart. Please protect yourself and protect our community. If you have symptoms, book a free test at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirustest If you have a positive test, remember to isolate.
Councillors have written to Leeds City Council with a view to exploring additional traffic calming measures and improved signage within the Parish. Please see the website to view data tables for Church Causeway and Walton Road. Housing Developments The Chartford Homes/Homes England application (18/07278/FU) for 26 dwellings continues on site. The development is well underway with four homes now occupied. Homes England/Lovells (17/07970 for 119 houses). Ongoing discussions and consultation by Cllrs and local residents continue with Lovell Homes. It is expected that development will commence in the early part of 2021. Parish Cllrs are in discussions with Ministry of Justice Estates (HMP Wealstun) regarding community issues relating to the cycle path.
Police Report Two crimes reported for September: An incident of harassment via a messaging app, suspect identified. Theft of motorcycle stolen from a farm premises on Moor Lane. Register for a community alert: For daily crime updates in your area please register for community alert. Here you will receive updates about crime in your area, and crime prevention advice. Visit www.wypcommunityalert.co.uk Newsletter Sign Up
Thorp Arch needs you!
The Parish Council now produce their own electronic Newsletter. This can be accessed via our website: www.thorp-arch.org.uk If you would like to receive the newsletter and other information directly from the us, then please sign up via the website. The Newsletter sign up box can be found on the Homepage.
We are still looking for volunteers to help the village looking good all year round. If you think you could lend a hand now and again or just want to find out what it might involve then we would love to hear from you. Even something small like watering plants would be helpful. Please get in touch with any of your Parish Councillors or contact clerk@thorp-arch.org.uk
Date of Next Parish Council Meeting The next meeting will be held remotely on Monday 9th November 2020 – 7pm to 9pm. If you would like to join the meeting, please contact the Clerk on clerk@thorp-arch.org.uk
Coronavirus in Leeds – Tier 2 High The rules in Leeds changed on 14th October. If you live in Leeds it is now against the law to: 10
Thorp Arch News A Fine Piece of Work Gentlemen
of England, Diocese and Benefice, together with the correct wording, font styles and colour tones.
All Saints Church Thorp Arch now has a smartly refurbished notice board at its entrance gate where, for over thirty years, it has withstood the full force of Yorkshire sun, wind and rain.
Following competitive quotes, the resulting graphics computer file was sent to screen printers and a new header board produced. This too ended up being caught by the COVID lockdown, and sat at the printers for several weeks until collection was possible.
Somewhat battered, with wood and paint flaking and doors warped and leaking, the time for action had arrived.
Eventually, in early September and before restrictions were reimposed, the big day arrived. The refurbished notice board was installed - and very fine it looks.
In the spirit of ‘repair rather than replace’, and mindful that the cost of supplying and erecting a brand new notice board could well run into four figures, the PCC enlisted the help of volunteers Tony Dyer, Brian Paine, Cedric Snodgrass, Graham Biggs and Peter Harris - AKA ‘The Fettlers’. You may have seen the television programme ‘The Repair Shop’. The Fettlers would more than hold their own in that august company. The first task, undertaken on a chilly February day, was removing the notice board to The Fettlers HQ for this particular project - the location being within a few miles of Thorp Arch but otherwise a closely guarded secret.
Our sincere thanks to The Fettlers for their invaluable skills, tremendous efforts and perseverance. Their time was given free of charge and the only cost to All Saints has been the materials and the replacement sign. The notice board should stand for many more years as testament to their craftsmanship.
The aim was for the refurbishment to be completed in six to eight weeks, in time for Easter or thereabouts. Then came COVID, so ‘twas not to be. Like many of us, The Fettlers are of a certain age and fell into the vulnerable category.
We are greatly indebted to The Fettlers for agreeing to take on this project for our community. They carry out just one or two a year. An example of their work is the rondel holding the stained glass plaque on the pergola at Bridgefoot in Wetherby, and a while ago they completely renovated a trap (as in pony and …).
In due course over the summer, and suitably distanced, progress resumed. The notice board was stripped back to its carcass, doors and hinges off and treated, timber and panelling replaced where woodworm had done its worst, a fine new oak canopy made and new tanalised posts purchased and cut to size. Even the lock, which had not worked for years, was fettled back into play.
For now, and with constraints on meeting together sadly back with us, The Fettlers have let it be known they are taking a well-earned rest over the winter, with feet up by the fireside and the occasional mug of Horlicks or something stronger.
The header sign needed different treatment. Here another of Rev Nick’s many talents came to light with some highly professional graphics incorporating the current designs for the Church 11
Tom Smithson 1927 - 2020 A Good Life; Remembering Tom Smithson
board for HM Prisons; did a seven week sponsored walk from Caen to Montpellier, to raise money for sufferers of multiple sclerosis; was a member of the Thorp Arch village society; served as Deanery Synod representative; sat on the committee of Causeway until 2012 and sang in the choir at Thorp Arch until 2019.
Even though I never met Tom Smithson, I feel the warmth and force of his personality as I talk with Diane, his wife of more than 60 years. Together they contributed hugely to the life of Thorp Arch and the wider area.
Diane told me that when she gets cards recalling some of the things Tom did, her first response is to go and find him to tease him about it. She and the family would like to thank everyone who has sent cards and who came along to the funeral. Listening to her talk, I suspect that Tom is much missed by many.
After leaving the Royal Navy in 1947, Tom became involved in a printing company in Leeds, and it is here that his history intersects with that of the Causeway. Tom was a part of the original group that founded the magazine in 1983, and for a long time it was his company that printed the Causeway.
Tom Smithson 1927-2020
In 1968 Tom joined the Leeds Lions club, later becoming their president, and their motto of ‘We Serve’ expresses Tom’s approach to life. Diane told me how he set up exchange visits with a ‘daughter group’ based in Germany. For more than 30 years there has been an annual exchange for disabled young people, offering them the opportunity to travel. At the time it was rare for people with disabilities to travel as many of the support systems needed were not available. Although travel with a disability is still a challenge, thanks to Tom the situation is improved. His experiences led him to team up with disability campaigner Baroness Masham and together they successfully campaigned for the provision of purpose designed and built disabled toilets in English service stations. More locally Tom and Diane have lived a life committed to their community. In July 2000 they organised a ‘Victorian’ weekend in Thorp Arch, the streets were lined with straw, cars were banned, Tom dressed up as Mr Brown and Diane as Queen Victoria. Their hospitality is legendary; Diane told me how in the long hot summer of 1976 they had lost a huge beech tree in the garden. What do you do in that situation? Get a stump grinder in? No, you hold a weekend long BBQ to get rid of it! Tom was retired for more than 30 years, but instead of taking it easy, he sought out ways to serve the village and the wider community. He was a member of the independent monitoring
Some of the information in this article comes from ‘An Interview with Tom Smithson’ Causeway March 2012, the rest from conversations with Diane Smithson.
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2 Metres Apart - Diptych Pandemic Inspired Art in Church
Susannah was dealing with in the artwork.” says The Rev’d Morgan. “Some people may find these impassive, monochrome, masked faces disturbing, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Art has an important role to play in helping us grapple with our own feelings about the ongoing challenge of living with emotional and physical distance from other people. Alongside the piece, to help people in their reflections on the issues and challenges which the artwork raises, we have offered some Bible verses and a prayer.”
A new piece of art by a Thorp Arch-based art student, Susannah Morgan, is currently being exhibited in St Mary’s Church, Boston Spa. 2 Metres Apart - Diptych features two large, monochrome oil paintings on canvas together with social distancing hazard warning tape, and is a reflection on the experience of social distancing and the wearing of masks. ”In this diptych I wanted to show how hard it is to have any real human connection in the strange world we now live in.” explains Morgan, an art student at Leeds Arts University whose artwork portrays two young people in masks, separated by social distancing tape. “We can’t physically touch and often we can’t even read people’s facial expressions due to the prevalence of face masks.” She says, “Although all of these measures are put in place for our own health and public benefit, there is no denying that it creates additional barriers to making friendships and having meaningful conversations. The text on the tape then has a double meaning, not only showing our physical distance from one another, but also our emotional distance.”
2 Metres Apart - Diptych is installed as a temporary exhibition in St Mary’s Church Boston Spa (open daily 9-3) until the end of November. Visitors to the church must wear face coverings and follow public health guidelines which include using hand sanitizer, observing oneway directions around the building, and either checking in with the Serco Test and Trace app, or recording their name and contact details as they enter. Entry to the church is free of charge, but donations are most welcome. Susannah Morgan is a member of the congregation of All Saints’, Thorp Arch. The following prayer, written by The Rev’d Morgan, accompanies the work: Heavenly Father, at this time of isolation, diminished human contact and lack of fellowship,vmay we know your loving embrace and abiding presence with us.
The piece is described by The Reverend Nick Morgan as a helpful addition to the church environment for those who pop in to pray. “The way the work cuts across the intimate “mother & son” windows featuring Mary and Jesus really does highlight the theme of lack of intimacy and emotional distance which
We are not alone, for you are always with us. Help us to draw near to you, knowing that when we do, you draw near to us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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Shop Local this Christmas As shopping local is even more vital this year than ever before with so many small businesses struggling to get the usual exposure at fairs and markets. We have put together a list of local businesses who do lovely gifts so you can shop local ahead of Small Business Saturday on 5th December.
SoapYard has the answer to packaging free, fabulous soap to suit all skins and personalities. Their soap bars not only smell delicious, the soap is very good quality and only uses the best quality ingredients - local when possible.
Lioness Creations By Clair - Clair makes lots of handmade bespoke items from Christmas memorial baubles, fairy lanterns, soaps,candles, wax melts and so much more. All proceeds are donated to charity.
The soaps are vegan by default. All the soaps are triple or quadruple milled and cold pressed, with essential natural ingredients added cold to retain their properties.
www.facebook.com/lionesscreationsbyclair
https://soapyard.com
Yorkshire Plants and Flowers
Clayfever Ceramic Studio in Tadcaster - If you would like to make your own gifts or buy gifts or vouchers for others or just make something to add to your Xmas decorations then Clayfever is great fun with lots of Xmas gift ideas.
Yorkshire Plants and Flowers have Christmas trees and real holly wreaths, Christmas tree bases and accessories. They will be selling at Wetherby Markets every Thursday from 26th November; they also do online sales to the local area via their Facebook page.
www.clayfever.co.uk
www.ypafchristmastrees.com facebook.com/plantsyorkshire
LEAF
Raceink - Do you have any runners/cyclists you’re struggling to buy for?
Leaf Candle Company - premium candles and diffusers that are made from vegetable wax, essential oils with a cotton and linen wick. The diffusers are made with a clean sustainable oil and essential oils.
Raceink have a really unique idea of mapping their best run or race - Creating high quality personalised prints to commemorate that epic day in the saddle, that first marathon, a day trekking in the Alps or when you crushed the competition in the local criterium race.
The blends are created individually, with a purpose in mind. Concentrating on wellbeing and filling a room with beautiful fragrances as well as having mood enhancing properties.
It’s your event, you choose and they create your print.
www.facebook.com/LeafCandleCoEng/
www.raceink.co.uk 15
Local Businesses Need You!
El Kantina - Get the foodie in your life some Mexican condiments or sauces or even a gift voucher to spice up their meals!
Sobelle is a small family business specialising in preloved vintage and antique jewellery. Charlotte and her father Brian, repair and relove treasures from years gone by to sell via their online shop. Located in Boston Spa, their website displays pieces from the 1800s all the way through to the 1990s! With over 20 years combined experience in the jewellery industry, Charlotte and Brian pride themselves on exceptional customer service with a passion for restoring old jewellery back to its former glory. If you’re looking for something in particular, please get in touch at info@sobellejewellery.com. We love to source pieces for our customers.
www.elkantina.co.uk
www.sobellejewellery.com Wetherby Brew Co offers a fantastic range of gifts and gift vouchers starting at just £3 (available to order online).
Sunny
https://wetherbybrewco.com/product/giftbox-3-click-collect/ MINI CASKS and ‘BREW YOUR OWN BEER’ EXPERIENCE https:// wetherbybrewco.com/brew-your-own-beerbrewing.../
Bunting
If you’re looking for something exclusive to give a loved one this Christmas, Walton based mixed media artist, Rachel Bentley, has a range of framed and unframed original paintings available for local delivery. View her online gallery.
They will also soon be launching a range of ‘merch’ including T-shirts and beanie hats! wetherbybrewco.com
SunnyBunting.co.uk
Wetherby Cinema - For £50 a year you get exclusive discounts on all of our snacks and drinks, 2 free tickets and drinks, with further discount on every other ticket purchased. It would be perfect for regular customers and avid cinema goers! Available to purchase online.
First Clifford Guides are selling handmade knitted items, Ferrero Rocher covers, chocolate orange covers and lavender bags to raise funds for their trip to France next year, to buy contact:
www.wetherbyfilmtheatre.com/membership
Firstcliffordguides@outlook.com 16
Village Diary
Xmas Special
Notice Board
Swishmas Coming Soon!
Sadly the Fireworks are cancelled, but the park is reopening...we will bring you details as soon as we have them!
b 200 Clu r Winne l w & Va Andre r Rodge
Add some sparkle to your festive shopping this year with the SWISHMAS Fair, an online shopping extravaganza which runs from the 1st - 15th of November and brings together the best collection of indie retailers and small brands. Discover beautiful gifts you just won’t find on big brand websites, find the funniest stocking fillers no one else has and get all those hard to buy for people crossed off your Swishforit list! Plus, there’s the last minute SWISHMAS Fair too, which runs from the 11th to the 14th of December and is ideal for snapping up the last few bits and bobs! swishforit.com
Online Christmas Party Sandra from “Big Events Entertainment” has two events to join in 1. Santa virtual experience for 20 minutes. A personalised recording with child’s name, best friends, parakeets, animal, photo of them. Mrs Santa Claus also pays a visit. Includes storyline questions, chat, jokes, dancing and sing a long.
2. A virtual Live Christmas party for all ages on 19th December with a pre-recorded santa visit included. www.ticketsource.co.uk/big-eventsentertainment-with-sandra or her Facebook page www.facebook.com/partiessandra
A Facebook Christmas Market is being held for the last two weeks of October, the product details will then be available afterwards on a Facebook group - https://www.facebook. com/groups/1137589403303851 lots of local businesses showcasing their products for Christmas gifts. We’ll put a link on our Facebook page as well so you can find it there! 17
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3 Simple Ingredients... Heavenly Sourdough
My new sourdough starter is much more active than Gary Creer’s ancient one. I do use it once or twice a week, so it gets frequent feedings, and it seems to take only 2-3 hours for the fed starter to be ready again, bubbling and smelling great, as opposed to taking overnight as my old one used to do. We must be blessed with some fairly frisky wild yeast in our neck of the woods.
Most aspects of cooking involve a degree of alchemy. You take base ingredients, you apply your cooking skills, and pretty soon a delicious meal is on the table. It seems particularly true for baking, where some butter, sugar, eggs and flour, maybe a bit of baking powder, can morph into a cake in not much more than an hour. But that’s nothing compared to the magic of sourdough bread.
My sister and I were discussing sourdough again (she had also made a new starter), and she mentioned a no-knead version of bread, baked in a Dutch oven - a heavy aluminium pot with a lid, the kind you use on a campfire to make stew.
Sourdough has been around for thousands of years. My sister gave me a starter about 40 years ago from a batch that was reputed to be over 100 years old by then, along with Gary Creer’s recipe for bread and pancakes. I kept it going for several decades (sourdough chocolate cake used to be my pièce de résistance). The bread I made was a wholewheat version which required about 20 minutes of robust kneading – it was satisfying when the dough finally had the desired satiny consistency, and the freshly baked bread was delicious – but it didn’t rise all that well and didn’t seem to age well either. To be honest, I don’t think I did that sourdough starter justice.
So now comes the magic. This bread has just three components - flour and water and a little salt. You stir together flour, a little salt, warm water and some sourdough starter until it clumps into a rough lumpy dough.
Well, when lockdown came along and the word ‘sourdough’ kept popping up, I found a method for making a starter from scratch on the King Arthur Flour website. It’s not difficult, and within 4 days I had a nicely bubbling starter, with a fruity-yeasty, almost beer-like bouquet. A sourdough starter is nothing more than flour and water which has fermented with the aid of naturally occurring wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria from the flour. It seems to me that such wild yeast is likely to vary from one place to the next – which was how I explained why San Francisco Sourdough bread was so much tastier than the variety I produced in Los Angeles.
You put it in a warm place (I use the oven with just the light on) and an hour later it has turned into a smooth, damp glop.
I used to think that there could hardly be a bread more delicious than San Francisco Sourdough - big round loaves with a crispy crust and a soft interior with an open texture and a delicious, slightly sour taste. I would not have left San Francisco Airport without picking up a loaf. It had to be the cool fog and sea breezes of the San Francisco bay that produced such a unique sourdough. 20
...Never Tasted So Good! All you have to do is pull and fold it a few times, once an hour, three times. Each time the dough rises higher and becomes smoother and more pliable; it is an organic entity, gaining in character with each simple manipulation. After the final pulling and folding it goes in the refrigerator until the next day, by which time it will have risen impressively yet again. A final shaping into a round loaf, and that’s it. By now the dough is so completely transformed – it feels almost alive, with a soft, velvety surface not dissimilar to soft skin. You put this little guy in your Dutch oven and let it rise again for 2-3 hours. You cover the pot, put it in a hot oven…. and an hour later you have the most amazing loaf of bread. Does it sound complicated? No, it’s very simple and takes almost no effort – considerably less elbow grease than my old version; all you need is time.
crust, and the soft spongy chewy slightly sour inside – well, it can’t be far off whatever bread they serve in heaven. It gets even better. It turns out that sourdough bread is healthier than the versions made with commercial baker’s yeast. Wild yeast is more resistant to acidic conditions than baker’s yeast, which allows it to work together with lactic acidproducing bacteria to help the dough to rise, and it has lower phytate levels, making it more digestible and nutritious. The prebiotics also help to keep your gut bacteria happy, and it’s likely that your blood sugar levels won’t spike as much – you won’t be hungry again as quickly. I’ve been making a loaf a week for some time now - I keep it in the freezer and take slices out as needed.. In addition to the Dutch oven, I invested in an electric carving knife, which sure makes slicing the bread easier. Thanks to our amazing wild yeast, we may never go back to Morrison’s Best!
And here’s the truly magical aspect. This bread is even better than the San Francisco version. Of course it is rather more fresh than the loaf you buy at an airport. But the flavour – the crispy
ANNE WATTS
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The Personal Touch Handmade Christmas Gifts
Bath Bomb
As we’re into our November issue we’ve given ourselves permission to openly talk about Christmas - we think we deserve it after the year 2020 has been!
Rather than buying ‘smellies’ as Xmas presents, it’s much more personal to give something homemade, this bath bomb recipe is quite fun to make and you can put your own spin on it!
As quite a creative pair we decided we’d look at options for making your own Christmas presents and crafts. First up is a really easy recipe for truffles that you can’t go wrong with, although when you taste them you might not want to give them away! Equipment Bath Bomb Moulds/Cupcake Tray Water spray Cup Cake Cases Decorations (e.g. glitter, sprinkles)
Chocolate truffles 5oz/150g Plain Chocolate 2oz/60g Butter 6oz/180g Nestles Milk 4oz/115g Icing Sugar
Ingredients 300g Bicarbonate of Soda 100g Citric Acid Essential Oils (e.g. lavender, peppermint, cinnamon) Water A few drops of food colouring
Addition options Vanilla Essence Raisins soaked in Rum Sultanas soaked in Grand Marnier + Orange Zest Rum only Apricots soaked in Apricot Brandy
Combine the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid in a large bowl. Add a few drops of your essential oil* and stir well. Stir in some glitter if you are using it.
Method Soak your dried fruit if you are using - overnight works well! Melt chocolate Add butter Add condensed milk Add icing sugar
Carefully add your colour a drop or two at a time, combining well with each addition until you get your desired colour. You must do this gradually to avoid the fizzy reaction between the bicarb and the citric acid from happening in your bowl rather than your bath!
Mix in any of your additions, chill in the fridge for 2 hours or more. Pipe the mixture into paper cases, or shape into balls - you could put them in a nice box, a jar, a tin - whatever works for you!
Once you are happy with colour and scent you can begin to add water. Again it is important to do this gradually. The water spray means that you aren’t adding water too quickly to one part of your mixture and setting off the reaction. Stir after each addition. Your bath bomb mixture is ready when it will just hold together when pressed in your hand. It mustn’t feel damp and it is far better for it to be too dry and not work in your moulds at first than 24
Your Very Own Gift Box too wet. You can always add a bit more water, you can’t take it away!
have an X. Fold one corner up to the centre of the X. Being careful to keep the corner on the line, unfold and then refold the same corner to the resulting crease.
Press your bath bomb mixture into your mould, one half at a time (or straight into a cupcake case and tin.) Pile extra mixture into each half so that it is overflowing and then press the two halves together firmly brushing away the excess as it crumbles out.
Keeping the corner in the folded position, fold the card again. Then fold again, so that it touches the centre line. Make four cuts on the creases as shown below.
Carefully remove one half of the mould and then the other and gently place your bath bomb into your pie tray. Leave to dry and firm up.
Fold the pointed tip of one of the triangular tips down and then fold again. Fold the tab in and stand the card up. At this point a dab of glue in the centre of the box can help. Repeat with the other tabs.
Origami Gift Box Once you have made these, you need a gift box to put them in! This origami gift box can be made with craft card of any size, or why not use last year’s Christmas cards?
Repeat the steps with the back of the card to make the base of the box Hints and tips
Separate the front from the back of the card by cutting down the fold. Trim the front of the card so it is square. The front will become the lid of the box. To make the bottom use the back of the card, making the square 2cm smaller than the front. Don’t worry about the writing, it will be folded inside the box.
It is really important that you work with a square of card – so it is worth taking the extra time to make an accurate square Plan your box top, the central area will be the part that you can see. Try and have the most interesting bit in the centre of the square when you start
Flip the card over, place a rule diagonally on opposite corners and lightly draw a line between them. Repeat for the other two corners so you
You can line the box with felt or other fabric to make it extra special.
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The Birds in your Garden The treecreeper is an intriguing little bird and a joy to watch. It can be seen in gardens where, as would be expected with such a name, it creeps up and around trees, often being described as mouse-like.
solitary during most of the year, they will join flocks of tits in autumn and winter, roaming woodlands and parks seeking food. As I said, Treecreepers are quite common, but rather hard to spot. Usually it’s a movement that gives them away – look out for them on tree trunks or even fence posts, but approach quietly. When disturbed they freeze, their mottled plumage blending into the pattern of the bark. They also have an annoying habit of avoiding you by moving quickly to the other side of the tree the minute you spot them.
Despite it not often being spotted it is a lot more common than you might think, with over 200,000 breeding territories in the U.K. Although about the same size as a Wren, it looks larger because of its long down-curved bill and its much longer, stiff tail feathers which it pushes against the tree for extra support. This means that, unlike the Nuthatch, it can’t go back down the trunk, it has to fly down. They forage up one tree in a spiral around the trunk, then fly to the next one to repeat the process. A bird seen scuttling down a tree is almost always a Nuthatch.
They are more usually seen in gardens between November and April, probably because they are more conspicuous when there are no leaves on the trees. Their song does not help in locating or identifying them either, being a very quiet ‘seesee-see’ sound easily mistaken for insect noise.
Treecreepers are vulnerable to cold weather of a particular sort. If wet snow or rain is followed by a hard frost, ice can encase the trees, sealing in their food, and they can be in trouble. These conditions rarely affect the sheltered interiors of woods, so Treecreepers in such a habitat should be less likely to suffer. However, birds which rely on a network of more exposed trees, often those that typically visit gardens, can be vulnerable. Being so small, they do need to be able to feed during all the available daylight hours in winter.
If you find the lives of our garden birds to be of interest, and would like to join in and count the feathered occupants of your garden, please contact the BTO Garden BirdWatch website (www.bto.org/gbw) or email me gbwmike@gmail.com.
The Treecreeper’s diet is made up of insects, insect larvae and spiders, but they will eat some small seeds, mainly pine and spruce, if they are really hungry in the winter months. They do not usually take supplementary bird food, though in recent years there has been an increasing number of reports of them feeding on peanuts in a mesh feeder. The population is stable, with no long-term trend up or down, though their numbers do fluctuate from year-to-year, with a negative trend being especially noticeable after cold, wet winters. They are sedentary birds only leaving their breeding territories in autumn, and even then, usually going no further than a few kilometres. Once a treecreeper establishes a territory, it tends to stay within its boundaries. Although 26
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CONTACTS FOR THORP ARCH & WALTON ORGANISATIONS THORP ARCH All Saints’ Church Rev. Tricia Anslow 844789. Priest In Charge for Bramham Benefice, Rev. Nick Morgan 849471, 07387 728009, revnjmorgan@gmail.com. Parish Office 844402
WALTON St Peter’s Church, Village Church Council Clergy: See All Saints’. Church Wardens: Doreen Lister 842344, Bill Kilby 842561. Secretary: Anne Kilby 842561. Treasurer: Fiona Robinson 843338, fionarob@outlook.com. Flowers & Cleaning: Liz and Geoff Harrison 845978
All Saints’, Parochial Church Council Church Wardens: Kathleen Sanderson 844818. David Spurr 842772, david@mulberrycroft.me.uk. Secretary: Georgina Squires 849747, Treasurer & Covenant Secretary: David Spurr 842772. Flowers: Margaret Smyth 841181
Walton Cricket Club Chair: Caroline Hobson 07860 615154, caroline.hobson@btinternet.com Walton Parish Council Chairman: David Aspland. Vice Chair: Brodie Clark CBE. Clerk: Helena Buck, secretary@walton-pc.gov.uk. Members: Stephen Sharp, Edward Simpson, Mark Wake, David Taylor.
Lady Elizabeth Hastings School Head: Michele O'Donnell, secretary@thorparch-leh.co.uk Friends of the School Chair: Hayley Cullen 07712 175178
Walton Village Hall Booking: Brian Eldred info@waltonvillagehallwetherby.org
TABS Cricket Club Chair: Adam Gough 07725 047555 Thorp Arch Community Association Secretary: Ian Hall 842665, ian.m.hall1@gmail.com
THORP ARCH & WALTON Wetherby Ward Councillors Norma Harrington 01133 788 557. Alan Lamb via The Fox and Hounds. Linda Richards 0113 3788557 linda.richards@leeds.gov.uk
Thorp Arch Parish Council Chair: John Richardson, Clerk: Tina Wormley 0113 289 3624, clerk@thorp-arch.org.uk. Members: Ian Grainger (Co-opted), Steve O'Loughlin, Nicola Midgley (Co-opted), Charlotte Dyson (Co-opted)
Causeway Magazine Chair: Ian Hall ian.m.hall1@gmail.com. Secretary: Jane Clayton 843153. Editors: Lisa Sherratt and Victoria Etherington causeway. editor@gmail.com. Design: John Pendleton jlp@proportionmarketing.co.uk. Advertising: Emma Shellard 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com.
Thorp Arch Tennis Club Chair: Neil Brooks. 07960 934497, brooksneil@hotmail.com. Secretary: Jill Tarr. 07709 893046, tarrhigh@hotmail.com. Treasurer: Rob Seldon 541797
Yorkshire Countrywomen’s Association (YCA) Chair: Judith Symonds 541799. Sec: Fiona Spence 520271 tawyca@ outlook.com, Treasurer: Fran Bowers 01423 880112
Thorp Arch Village Society Chair: Gaby Morrison 843376, gaby.morrison@outlook.com. Secretary: Sue Clayton 843181. Treasurer: Shirley Davies 541976.
Leeds City Council general.enquiries@leeds.gov.uk
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