Over Wyre Focus Magazine - Dec 2020 by Focus Magazines

FOCUS MAGAZINE 'The Green Book'

OVER WYRE - Knott End - Preesall - Pilling - Stalmine - Hambleton

Issue 252 December 2020

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Welcome to Focus Magazine... Santa Claus is Coming to Town..................4 Church of England Services........................5 Pilling Methodist Chapel...............................7 Churches Together in Pilling........................8 Pilling Advent Windows.................................11 Hambleton URC..................................................12 St Oswald’s Preesall.........................................13 OWSAC....................................................................14 Stalmine Wednesday Club...........................14 Pilling Lane WI....................................................14 Christmas Parking Free in Wyre................15 Wyre Villa Football Club................................15 Preesall Bowling Club.....................................15 Knott End Railway.............................................16 1st Pilling Scout Group...................................16 Jack Baines...........................................................18 Lancashire West Trefoil Guild.....................18 Wyre Juniors Football Club..........................19 Royal British Legion..........................................19 Garstang Quakers..............................................22 The Inner Wheel Club.....................................22 Over Wyre Medical Centre...........................24 Knott End Library...............................................27 Silence of Suicide..............................................28 Garstang & District Lions...............................30 Ben Wallace MP.................................................32 Cat Smith MP........................................................34

Preesall Town Council ....................................35 Hambleton Parish Council............................37 Stalmine with Staynall Council..................38 SSRA..........................................................................42 Charity Calendars..............................................44 Natural Mood Boosters..................................45 Soroptimists..........................................................48 RSPCA......................................................................51 Garstang Speakers Club................................53 Garstang Camera Club...................................53 St Aidan’s High School....................................55 Fleetwood’s Charity School.........................55 Carter’s Charity School...................................57 Pilling Band 200 Club......................................58 Christmas Grey Matter Test..........................59 Champion Bowland..........................................60 Additional Funding for Leisure...................60 Out Rawcliffe Over 60s...................................63 Wyre Flood Forum............................................64 Christmas Crossword.......................................65 Cardiac Risk in the Young..............................68 Over Wyre Probus Club..................................69 Help Beat Cancer...............................................69 North Fylde Photographic Society...........69 Harmony & Health.............................................70 Pilling Band...........................................................70 Quiz Answers........................................................71

JANUARY 2021 DEADLINE DATE

The January deadline for editorial and adverts is 5:00pm on Monday 14th December Deliveries of the January edition of Focus Magazine will commence Thursday 7th January Over Wyre & Garstang Focus Magazines www.focusmags.co.uk | (01253) 813433 | www.facebook.com/focusmags Event Advertising & Editorial: editorial@focusmags.co.uk Business & Commercial Advertising: helen@focusmags.co.uk Postal submissions: Focus Magazine, 132 Highfield Rd, Blackpool, FY4 2HH Cover design by Phil S Clarkson | Printed by Moulton Printing | © Focus Magazines 2020 While every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine to ensure accuracy, Focus Magazines cannot be held responsible for editorial content supplied by contributors. Our acceptance of an editorial item or an advertisement does not necessarily indicate our endorsement of the products, services or views contained within it.

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! We’re delighted to announce that despite the pandemic, Santa and Mrs Claus have agreed to take time out from their busy schedule to visit Knott End and Preesall. On Sat 12th Dec from 3:30pm the merry pair, their ‘reindeer’ and elves will tour the villages bringing some well needed festive cheer. Their tour will start at the Bourne Arms, Knott End taking in the Esplanade, down Lancaster Rd to Park Lane, up to Fordstone Ave, around the Crescent, back up Sandy Lane, right onto Pilling Lane, left at the roundabout and up Grasmere Rd, back along Lancaster Rd to Hackensall Rd, turning right onto Quail Home Rd then back to the Bourne Arms. Santa is keen to ensure that we all have a healthy and safe festive season and is very well informed about the current Covid situation. Both he and his elf helpers will be taking all appropriate precautions to ensure that only festive cheer is spread around the

community. The elves will be handing out a few goodies along the tour and will all be wearing their festive masks and gloves. Please look and listen out for the arrival of the sleigh and feel free to come out and wave but please make sure you stay in your family group and follow social distancing. On behalf of Santa, the Community Christmas Events Committee would like to express their sincere thanks to Preesall Co-op, Preesall One Stop, Knott End Co-op and Knott End Spar for their kind donation of goodies. Also, an enormous thank you to VCL Bars, Out Rawcliffe and all the hardworking elf volunteers who have made this event possible. Follow the daily countdown to the tour on the Knott End and Preesall Santa Sleigh Tour Facebook page! See you on the 12th! Community Christmas Events Committee

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND SERVICES Advent & Christmas 2020

St John the Baptist, Pilling

The Church of England, Over Wyre looks forward to celebrating the coming to Earth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

• •

This year continues to be unlike any other and the usual services for Advent and Christmas have had to be reduced significantly. The information below is correct at the time of writing but please check individual church noticeboards, websites, or Facebook pages nearer the time.

•

Despite all the uncertainty, we hope that you will all have a happy and holy Christmas and we invite you to come and join us in our special seasonal services. Please contact me if you wish to know more. Wishing you all joy, hope and peace. Holding you in my prayers.

•

Rev Andy Shaw t: (01253) 799895 e: pillingrev@btconnect.com

•

Sun 6th Dec 10:30am: Toy Service Sun 13th Dec 10:30am: Advent Morning Prayer Sun 20th Dec 10:30am: Advent Worship Thurs 24th Dec 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Open for Crib Visits 11:00am: 1st Holy Communion of Christmas

St Mark, Eagland Hill

•

Sun 6th & 20th Dec 9:00am: Holy Communion Fri 25th Dec 9:00am Holy Communion

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Hambleton • • •

Sun 6th Dec 10:30am: Toy Service Sun 13th Dec 10:30am: Holy Communion Sun 20th Dec 10:30am: Advent

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Worship Thurs 24th Dec 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Church Open for Crib Visits Fri 25th Dec 10:30am: Family Holy Communion

St James, Stalmine • • • •

Sun 6th Dec 10:30am: Holy Communion Sun 13th Dec 10:30am: All-Age Advent Worship Sun 20th Dec 10:30am: Holy Communion Thurs 24th Dec 4:00pm – 6:00pm: Church Open for Crib Visits 11:30pm: 1st Holy Communion of Christmas

St Oswald, Preesall • • • •

•

Sun 6th Dec 10:30am: Advent Morning Worship Sun 13th Dec 10:30am Holy Communion Sun 20th Dec 10:30am Advent Morning Worship Thurs 24th Dec 4:00pm – 6:00pm Church Open for Crib Visits 11:30pm 1st Holy Communion of Christmas Fri 25th Dec 10:30: Holy Communion

St John the Evangelist, Out Rawcliffe • • • •

Sun 6th Dec 9:30am: Advent Morning Prayer Sun 13th Dec 9:30am Holy Communion Sun 20th Dec 9:30am - Advent Worship Thurs 24th Dec 11:30pm - Holy Communion

Rev Andy Shaw t: (01253) 799895 e: pillingrev@btconnect.com

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PILLING METHODIST CHAPEL Carol Singing Around Pilling During this strange year, there have been many events that have not taken place. As we approach Christmas, the carol singers from chapel (and friends) would normally be preparing to go out spreading the Christmas message and collecting money for the North West Air Ambulance (over £1700 last year)! This year, as we are not able to do this, we thought it would be good to produce a booklet about the Carol singing (which has been going on for over sixty years). This would enable us to still support the work of the NWAA. It contains a variety of interesting information and stories including the best loved and most requested carols and the answer to questions such as ‘What do we do with all these wrappers from the sweets that people give us?’ The booklet will be available from Tues Dec 1st from John Savage (01253) 790707 or john.rivendell@hotmail.co.uk for a donation to the NWAA. Advent Bible Study Rev Ruth writes: It is my usual practice in Advent to suspend normal bible studies and to do a weekly Advent study. Now this year we will, like with so many other things, need to be creative. So, I intend to do the study on Zoom every Mon from 30th Nov to 21st Dec at 3:00pm each week. We will be looking at resources provided by Roots: 1. Waiting in the dark 2. What happens in the wilderness 3. Mystery of the Messiah 4. God’s ridiculous plan Each session will have a short act of worship followed by a study/discussion. The sessions will be recorded so that they can be put on Why not keep it local and support our advertisers?

PILLING METHODIST CHAPEL (cont) Facebook or emailed to people for further use. Christmas Messy Church Takeaway Bags Our lay worker Jess is organising Christmas Messy Church takeaway bags with the idea of them being available from the first week of December. These will be similar to the Creative Craft bags given out for last month at half-term. They will contain some crafts / fun worksheets and other items to keep you amused. For more information have a look at the Pilling Methodist Chapel page on Facebook. Bedtime Stories with Stripes Jess has also started reading ‘Bedtime stories with Stripes’ at 6:00pm each Sunday evening and these are available on the Chapel facebook page. Jess, assisted by Stripes (a large friendly Tiger), is reading stories from a book of Bedtime Bible Established over 14 years

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Stories. If you cannot make it on the Sunday, you can still watch the recording which will be available on the Pilling Methodist Chapel Facebook page. Special Services at Christmas Assuming that we are able to be back in Church after the current lockdown is hopefully eased, the following are two special services that will be held in addition to normal Sunday morning services: Thurs 24th Dec at 7:00pm Christmas Eve Communion. Fri 25th Dec (Christmas Day) at 9:00am Family Christmas Service. Both services will be led by Rev Ruth Simpson Andrew Bell

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN PILLING Advent is a time of waiting in expectation. A time of increasing excitement and joy as we approach the awe and wonder of Christmas. This year our Advent services and our Christmas celebrations will be different, many traditional services will either be changed or cancelled, as will many community activities. So much so that we can’t, even in midNovember as this article is written, predict with any degree of certainty what these things will be like. What we can say though is that the message and meaning of Christmas is unchanged and Jesus Christ remains at the centre of it and our lives. So, as we cannot give our usual joint message and prayer at the village tree lighting this year, we are sharing it here. Have you ever wondered what could be being represented in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas? Have you ever thought that… The partridge in a pear tree might be Jesus. A glorious bird or a glorious man?

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CHURCHES TOGETHER (cont) The two turtle doves might stand for the two sections of the Bible, the Old and New testament?

The eight maids a milking may be referring to the Beatitudes when Jesus gave guidance on how we should live?

The three French hens could stand for faith, hope, and love, the things that Jesus stood for?

The nine ladies dancing could be the fruits the Bible talks about - love, joy, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (watch out for the chocolate tin!)

The four calling birds might be the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The five gold rings may recall the Torah, sometimes the name used for the first five books of the Old Testament? Could it be thatâ&#x20AC;Ś The six geese a laying may be for the six days when God created the world and everything on it? The seven swans a swimming might represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? They are prophesying, serving, teaching, praising, sharing, leading, and forgiving. Is it possible that â&#x20AC;Ś

The ten lords a leaping? Maybe the Ten Commandments? The eleven pipers piping might be the eleven disciples of Jesus? And is it possible that The twelve drummers drumming may be the twelve points of the Apostles Creed, the things that all Christians pledge to believe in? So that may all be true, it may not, but, what we do know to be true is, Christmas is all about Christ. God coming to Earth as

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CHURCHES TOGETHER (cont)

PILLING ADVENT WINDOWS The villagers of Pilling are creating their own living advent calendar in the windows and gardens of local residents.

a baby, growing and living among us. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about love and care for our fellow human beings. The prayer from our homes to yours is one of peace and joy. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re singing the above song, maybe you will think about its possible meaning, but above all we pray you feel the presence of God in all that you do. Lord Jesus Christ, your birth in Bethlehem draws us to kneel in wonder at heaven touching earth; accept our heartfelt praise, as we worship you and invite you into our homes and our lives, our saviour, our friend, and our eternal God. With love and Christmas blessings. Rev Ruth Simpson (Methodist) & Rev Andy Shaw (Church of England) Churches Together in Pilling

Volunteers around the village have agreed to decorate the 24 windows and reveal them to the general public throughout December. Families can walk around the village spotting the different numbers displayed in each window and admire the decorations illustrating the Christmas story. If you are passing through Pilling any evening on the lead up to Christmas, why not stop and spot the windows yourselves? Katrina Bell

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HAMBLETON URC Well the year of 2020 is drawing to a close and I am sure a great many of you will be happy about that. However, I feel that although the year has, at times, been challenging on many different fronts within our lives, it has also brought a great many wonderful qualities. I, for one, have seen nature flourish. With less polluted modes of transport being used, the sky looks so much bluer. The church, on the instructions of NW Synod, has had to remain closed, which at a local level has been incredibly sad and at times frustrating. Personally I find the church building a place of solitude and it offers an opportunity to have moments of quiet reflection. As we are the church at the centre of our wonderful community village, we still believe in continuing our commitment of outreach we want those in our community to know that we are here for you. For our Advent season, we are holding Taize prayer group meetings, which will be held every Sunday throughout December and will take on place at 1:00pm on Sun 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th Dec. These will be broadcast on Zoom. Details will be advertised on the Hambleton URC Facebook page, do please join us. All General Plumbing Work Repairs - Maintenance Leaks - Bursts Bathroom Installations Tiling - Cladding Guttering Central Heating incl. Unvented

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If you have a relative or friend who is ill in hospital then please let us know, so we can try to arrange a chaplaincy member to pop in and have a chat with them if possible, at visiting hours. This is open to all members of our community. Contact Chris Lamb. If you do not attend church but would like a prayer said for either yourself or someone you know, then please do not hesitate to contact us by dropping a note through the letterbox or emailing us. We will be more than happy to include it in our services. Finally, we wish all within our community and

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HAMBLETON URC (cont) beyond a safe and happy festive period

due to the numbers that attend), we invite you visit church for a short time to see the crib and decorations. Carols will be playing in the background (alternatively consider coming to one of our other services instead.) 11:30pm: First Communion of Christmas .

Merry Christmas everyone. Chris Lamb t: (01253) 811252 e: hambletonurc@gmail.com

ST OSWALD’S PREESALL Assuming at the time of writing that we will re-open for public worship on Sun 6th Dec, Advent/Christmas services will be as follows. Sun 6th Dec, 10:30am: Toy Service - bring a used toy in good condition or a new toy, which will go to the Kensington Foundation to give to needy children in the area. Sun 20th Dec, 10:30am: Carol Service with singing by our socially-distanced choir. Thurs 24th Dec (Christmas Eve), 4:00pm - 6:00pm: Open Church - instead of our usual Crib service (which can’t be held

Fri 25th Dec (Christmas Day) 10:30am: Holy Communion Sun 27th Dec 10:30am: Holy Communion There will be a limited amount of singing at services by choir members only. Unfortunately, congregational singing is not allowed due to Covid restrictions. Track and Trace and social distancing operate in church at all services and Open Church. Face coverings are mandatory. Best Wishes for Christmas from all at St Oswald’s in these difficult times. Elizabeth Charles

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OWSAC To all our friends at the Over Wyre Social Activity Club, we send you our good wishes for the forthcoming festive season. We know this year is going to be very different, so let us try to count our blessings and remember just what it is we are really celebrating. When all is back to normal ‘we will party’! A happy healthy Christmas everybody, from all the OWSAC helpers. Penny Drabble

STALMINE WEDNESDAY CLUB Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. It is hoped that sometime in 2021 we will be able to meet once again and enjoy each others’ company. In the meantime take care and stay safe. The Committee

PILLING LANE WI Remembrance Sunday Last month we were unable to pay our respects in the usual way. However, Eva collected the wreath from the British Legion and with the support of Glen and Hazel, placed it on the memorial in a private ceremony which took place on the Thursday before. I would like to say thank you to them, on behalf of us all. All our elaborate Christmas preparations have come to nothing with both the December meeting and the Christmas Party at Ryecroft Hall unable to go ahead. However that doesn’t mean that Christmas itself will be completely cancelled. We can still find ways to make the day special even if we cannot have the large celebrations we are used to and I am looking forward to a quieter, more personal Christmas this year. I wish you all a happy Christmas and a healthy New Year. Janet Astley

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CHRISTMAS PARKING FREE IN WYRE

WYRE VILLA FOOTBALL CLUB

To support local businesses following the end of national lockdown on Wed 2nd Dec, Wyre Council will be offering up to four hours free parking per day on pay and display car parks on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout December in the run up to Christmas.

The West Lancashire Football League

On these days, users may park free of charge for a maximum of four hours per day (two hours on Rough Lea Road in Cleveleys) and no ticket is required. Free parking is limited to one visit per day, per user. Anyone returning to a car park on the same day or wishing to park in excess of the free time limit will be required to purchase a ticket to cover the additional time of parking. This offer will be available up to and including Christmas Eve. www.wyre.gov.uk/news

Football at the Villa As a result of COVID, there are no fixtures published as yet regarding the hopeful return in Dec. For further information on our fixtures or any club matters please contact the club secretary. We wish you all a merry Christmas and very happy New Year. Mike Holland - Club Secretary t: 07958 222 245

PREESALL BOWLING CLUB Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to all members. We hope to see you all, plus any new members in 2021 for a good season’s bowling. Any enquires during the close season for current or prospective members please contact the club secretary. Mike Holland - Club Secretary t: 07958 222 245

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KNOTT END RAILWAY

This year has been both a sad and bad year all round. October saw the sad passing of one of our honorary celebrity members, Marc Bolan-lookalike, Bobby T of TooREX, who sadly passed with cancer.

Parrox Hall with all proceeds going towards the construction of the railway. Our thanks to Mr Elletson for his help and support, which will be a business sponsorship and family event. If you have a business and would like to come along and support the railway, please let us know. There’s also ‘Adopt a Brick or Sleeper’ appeal, plus trains will be running in the shape of 5” gauge locomotives.

Bobby had promised to headline a charity fundraising concert in aid of the railway and as well as having footplate lessons he always looked forward to reading our exploits in this magazine from his home in Kent.

1ST PILLING SCOUT GROUP

Our prayers and thoughts are with both his family and band members at this sad time.

We have been very busy getting together virtually on Zoom in November.

Fundraising events and galas at other railways have had to be cancelled until we all get the all clear. Next year will, however, see our first major event within the grounds of

With experience gained from our Executive Meeting and AGM on Zoom we have been able to have our Wednesday evening group meetings and sub-meetings for our girls and boys to have fun and learn life skills virtually. We intend to continue like this until we can meet face-to-face.

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The meetings have been met with enthusiasm by our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. A big thank you to all our leaders, helpers and parents that have worked hard to make this a success and thanks for the help from Wyre District Scouts for their support. We cater for boys and girls aged six to 14: • • •

Beavers - six years to eight Cubs eight years to 101/2 Scouts - 101/2 years to 14

As the festive season approaches we wish all our members and readers of Focus happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. We would welcome any interested adults who wish to become leaders or helpers to enquire in the first instance to the contact number below. Stay safe and well. Rod Robinson - Chairman t: (01253) 790692

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JACK BAINES It is with great sadness that Elsie and her children, Karen and Stephen announce the death of Jack Baines, a dearly loved husband and father who passed away peacefully in Lancaster Infirmary on Wed 4th Nov. Jack was 90 years old and had lived all his life in Knott End and Preesall. We would like to express our sincere thanks for all the kind messages, cards of condolence and generous donations to Trinity Hospice. Also thank you to all friends, neighbours and members of St Oswald’s Church for their support over the past few months. Jack will be sadly missed by us all. Elsie Baines

LANCASHIRE WEST TREFOIL GUILD Due to Covid, it is now nine months since we have been able to meet with our members and enjoy all the friendships and happy times

together. We have, however, been very busy. Various crafts, quizzes and bingo etc. have been taking place virtually by Zoom across the country at the different guilds. Many phone calls have been made to make sure we are in touch with everybody and some of us are busy knitting ‘angels of kindness’ which will be distributed for Christmas. I hope these will be a symbol of hope for the future and bring some joy after a very difficult year. We are a very caring organisation. We look forward to meeting face-to-face one sunny day. We wish all our members and readers a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. If you require any further information do call on the number below. Stay safe and well. Elaine Robinson t: (01253) 790692

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WYRE JUNIORS FOOTBALL CLUB Things are at a stand still for the teams at Wyre Juniors. We are hopeful that December will allow everything to spring back to life and we will have football at the park again. All of our teams are really looking forward to coming back. Saturday Morning Football Club When we are able to play football again our Saturday Morning Football Club will be on at Preesall Park but due to being unable to play indoors, the sessions each week will be dependent on the weather. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates. If you have a child looking to start playing football, do get in touch and we will put you in contact with the correct team manager. Angela Lawson t: 07799 110146 fb: @wyrejuniors

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Over Wyre Branch Remembrance Sadly, the Remembrance service had to be cancelled due to the Covid restrictions and, of course, there was no parade. However, we were able to hold a Remembrance service where about 80 people attended, all suitably masked and socially distanced. Several wreaths were laid from the Town Council, TRBL and other organisations. I know that some in the community would say that it shouldn’t have been held but on some occasions you have to give the people what they want and all respected the current safety guidelines. Unfortunately this year we were unable to involve many members of the younger

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ROYAL BRITISH LEGION (cont) community but, in saying that, young Chris, the bugler, was note-perfect. Indeed he was commended and praised by the Warrant Officer, in uniform who stated that in all his years of attending Remembrance Day services or wherever the Last Post and Reveille was played he had rarely heard them played with such clarity and perfection. Well Done Chris. Thanks, again, must go to Councillor Philip Orme for providing the microphone and speaker so that the reading of the names on the memorial â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Exhortation and Kohima epitaph and the prayers etc from Reverend Pam Wilding could be heard by all. One other addition to the wreaths and Remembrance crosses that were laid was the painted Remembrance stones done by the pupils at Fleetwood Charity School. I apologise for moving them from where the pupils had placed them on the steps of the

Memorial and laying them between the World War 1 commemorative stone and the flagpole where they could be seen by all who laid a wreath or cross and other members of the public. It is hoped that we may be able to cement them into a permanent place in that position at some time in the future. They are beautiful and a fitting tribute to those to whom they commemorate. Well done and thank you. 11-11-11 This event was held at the Battle of Britain Memorial on Wed 11th Nov and was well attended, in the circumstances, by about 40 or more members of the local community. It was very windy stood there facing the attendees but thanks to the provision of a microphone and speaker I am sure that all could hear what was being said. Again, a wreath was laid by Preesall Town

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ROYAL BRITISH LEGION (cont) Council Mayor as well as one for the Royal British Legion alongside several wooden remembrance crosses that individuals laid in remembrance and commemoration. All was followed by a short service and prayers given by Rev Pam Wilding who turns up at all occasions with her wise words. Thank you Pam. I would like to thank all those members of the local community who turned out on both occasions. You really do fill me with pride to be a member (interloper from the NorthEast) of such a wonderful and thoughtful community. Thank you and be safe. Poppy Appeal Well I think the communities of Knott End, Preesall, Stalmine, Hambleton and Pilling have done themselves proud in raising £3174.48 for the 2020 Royal British Legion

Poppy Appeal. Some may have realised that there weren’t as many poppies around this year but with the lockdown and rulings by TRBL it wasn’t possible to deliver to all the usual places but we did the best we could in the circumstances. It is felt that special thanks should go to Ray – our 92 year old who sat in his buggy outside the Knott End Co-op every day and, even though we told him he shouldn’t, his words to us were: ‘If I peg out during Covid whilst doing something that gives me great pleasure then I will die happy’. There just is no stopping him and he, alone, raised £957.70p – magnificent! Other notable amounts collected were Knott End News - £183.45; Preesall CoOp £111.29; St. Aidan’s College - £176.10; Hambleton School - £109.89; Premier Shop, Pilling - £118.39; Spar Shop, Hambleton -

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ROYAL BRITISH LEGION (cont)

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£153.19. We also had unexpected donations from the two Lindas - Warwick and Ireton who raised £350.00 from the making and sale of Lest We Forget and Poppy Masks as well as a further £160.00 from Elaine Midgeley, who we believe hails from Thornton way. She raised £160.00 from the sale of remembrance masks that she had made.

We hope you will join us for Candlelit Meeting for Worship at 5:30pm on Christmas Eve, 24th Dec. You are welcome to join us on Sunday mornings too, 10:30am. Writing this at the beginning of November, I don’t know whether we will be meeting in person or online in December. Please contact me for more information.

To all those who had collection boxes as well as every member of the community who donated to this year’s appeal – thank you.

Woodbrooke also holds several online meetings for worship throughout the week. You can find details at www.woodbrooke. org.uk/about/online-mfw

That only leaves me to wish everyone in the Over Wyre community a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021. Here’s to hoping that we will soon be rid of the dreaded Covid. Bill Burn t: 07715 784 128 t: 08088 028 080 (RBL Contact Centre) e: billburn.rbl@talktalk.net

Julie Valentine t: (01995) 601863 e: garstangquakers@gmail.com

THE INNER WHEEL CLUB Garstang & Over Wyre You may have noticed that our club has not contributed to Focus Magazine for some time. We really believed (naively) that we would be meeting long before now, but alas this was not to be. When Lancashire went into Tier 3 we realised that we needed to be more proactive. We decided to try Zooming. After a few hiccups this has been very successful and really enjoyable. We have decided to meet once a month on what would be our usual meeting night with a programme of speakers happy to join us on Zoom. Club President, Maureen Garstang continues to keep in touch with us all via her cheery emails twice a month, so all in all we feel connected with each other. Fundraising continues to be a problem for us, but we continue to support our sponsored child, Lucky, at the Happy House in Kenya. We will also try to give donations locally including to Bowland Mountain Rescue.

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THE INNER WHEEL CLUB (cont) Hopefully with vaccine research looking extremely promising we will be able to meet physically before too long. We wish you and your loved ones a very safe and happy Christmas and a New Year full of optimism and good health.

novel and lifesaving vaccine to our patients locally. Nationally, GP practices are grouped together into networks. One practice per network is to be a designated site providing the vaccination to patients over a larger area.

Mary Mason t: (01995)603447 e: marytmason@icloud.com

For Over Wyre, this central hub was set to be Garstang Medical Centre. We felt that the travel and inconvenience that this would have caused our patients was unacceptable.

OVER WYRE MEDICAL CENTRE

We have managed to put forward a strong argument to our network and the CCG for vaccinating at Over Wyre Medical Centre and we are delighted to say that this has been agreed. The result is that Over Wyre Medical Centre has now been given the status of a designated Covid vaccination site.

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Lots of details are still to be clarified but we can keep you updated on our Facebook page. Watch this space!

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OVER WYRE MEDICAL (cont) How will Over Wyre Medical Centre deliver the vaccination? NHS England estimates that there will be 1,000 to 1,500 designated Covid vaccination sites. There will be two vaccinations to be given with an interval of 21 or 28 days depending on which vaccine. The vaccine needs to be kept at very specific temperatures and has a limited shelf life. Although this does raise some logistical challenges, we are very excited to be involved, bringing this vital vaccination to our local residents. When will practices start vaccinations? This remains unclear and depends on when vaccines are approved and ready. But it is looking likely following Pfizer’s announcement that the first cohorts will start to be vaccinated pre-Christmas. How will patients be notified? Patients will be sent a letter by the national call/recall service telling them they are eligible for vaccination and that they have a choice of where they can get their vaccine. Meanwhile, Over Wyre Medical Centre will also be expected to contact patients eligible for vaccination, using nationally agreed wording. Will practices have to open on Christmas Day, as well as evenings and weekends? Potentially we may have to undertake this as a designated site. There is a requirement that we must ‘be able to deliver a vaccination service seven days per week including bank holidays between 8:00am and 8:00pm’. In this case, ‘be able’ is the relevant phrase. NHS England has clarified that the vaccination sites will need to open in extended hours ‘only if necessary’. So, if a vaccination site can fulfil the necessary number of vaccinations – 975 in a week – then this can all be done in routine hours.

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OVER WYRE MEDICAL (cont)

KNOTT END LIBRARY

As a designated vaccination site, Over Wyre Medical Centre will be compliant with NHS England requirements. We will be expected to be operational in a short period of time and remain available for the duration of the vaccination campaign.

With winter on its way and the evolving situation we are finding ourselves in, people are relying more and more on services available locally within the villages of Over Wyre and we at Knott End Library are on hand to help.

The Festive Season

In line with the new national restrictions libraries are allowed to offer a collection of pre-ordered books from the door, and for prebooked essential internet access sessions.

That leads us onto the topic of the festive season. It has been a very unusual year, difficult for many of us in different ways. Many of us will be looking forward to new beginnings in 2021. Let’s hope that 2021 brings happiness and hope to us all. I wish you a very merry Christmas and all the very best for the New Year from all the staff at Over Wyre Medical Centre. Dr Vicky Simpson t: 01253 951165 fb: @overwyremc www.overwyremc.co.uk

The following services will be available up to and including Wed 2nd Dec (please check on our website for the latest information after this date). • • • •

Six of the Best collection of books from the door Collection of reservations from the door Return of books at the door Use of computers for people who have no internet access

Pamela K. Johnson Solicitor

Residential Conveyancing Specialist Concentrate on the important things in life and let Pamela, with over 35 years’ experience, take care of the legal side. Based in Preesall, Pamela offers a local, comprehensive, friendly and efﬁcient professional service, with advice and guidance every step of the way. Providing legal services in: • Property Transactions • Wills – Probate • Lasting Powers of Attorney - Affairs of the Elderly Home visits included – Competitive rates Contact Pamela direct on 01253 812400 Email pamela.johnson@taylor-rose.co.uk All legal services provided via Taylor Rose TTKW

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KNOTT END LIBRARY (cont) Hours will be limited on our usual opening days to 10:00am to 12 noon and 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

card. Free daily newspapers and magazines as well as eBooks and eAudio books are available

You can order a Six of the Best collection:

Home Library Service

• • •

By completing a request form online By asking staff during the hours above By phoning 0300 123 6703 Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

You can book a computer session: • •

By asking staff during the hours above By phoning 0300 123 6703 Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm

Please remember you will not be charged for the late return of any items until further notice. We will continue to review this on a regular basis. We are still offering our free digital download services called Borrowbox and RB Digital which are available by downloading the Apps and signing in using your library membership

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For those in the community who are unable to visit the library because of poor health, we offer the Home Library Service, where we pack a choice of books and our volunteers will deliver to the door. Again, this is a Covid secure service where strict measures are in place and which is proving more vital than ever before, so if you would like to be part of this service, do please contact the library. For the most current and up to date information on the library service and our offers, please go to our website www.lancashire.gov.uk or telephone 0300 123 6703. After such an unprecedented year we wish you all a healthy and safe Christmas as we all look forward to a more normal 2021. The Knott End Team Knott End Library t: 0300 1236703

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GARSTANG & DISTRICT LIONS Donations Despite there being no meetings held since March, the Garstang and District Lions Club have still managed to allocate £5,450 to various charities and good causes so far this year. About half of this amount has gone to specific local or area Covid related activities or projects. Recently a sum of £250 has been given to the Wyre Arts Group to help them to move into a new location. Another £250 went to Team Hamlets in support of their highly successful sky dive to raise monies for the Men’s Minds Matter charity. A sum of £100 has gone in support of the Little Princess Trust, with a local girl prompting this donation by having her long hair cut to help create ‘real’ wigs for cancer patients. Monies have also been pledged to allow us to complete the Oaklands Care Home Memorial Garden project and to provide our usual Christmas gifts to be distributed to various refuges managed by Fylde Women’s Aid. Events National guidance and local restrictions meant that this year there was no large scale Remembrance Service or Parade, but two of our members did lay a wreath on behalf of the Club. Advice is being sought and discussions are being held about the possibility of trying to organise a Santa visit to local care facilities instead of our usual Community Christmas Lunch. We have to remain optimistic that we will be able to hold our meetings sometime soon in 2021. Further information about the range of activities and projects we have been involved with is available on the web site or you can just speak to any of our members about what it is that we do. Chris Wilkinson www.garstanglions.co.uk

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Tell them you saw it in the Over Wyre Focus

BEN WALLACE MP Well here we are with Christmas fast approaching. It has been a strange and challenging year for us all. Christmas may look different this year due to Covid 19, but it is still a special time of year. I think that the threat of Covid has made many of us appreciate our loved ones all the more. Covid Update As I write we are half way through the second national lockdown to help curb the accelerating spread of Coronavirus. I know many families are really hoping that the restrictions can be lifted on 2nd Dec and that they will be able to spend Christmas time with family members who live outside of their households. I do hope this is the case, although it is clear that this will not be a

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normal Christmas with all the usual festivities and gatherings which normally take place throughout December. As of today (Thurs 19th Nov) Lancashire has experienced a slight fall in infection rates but they still remain too high. I do hope that by the time you read this the number of cases will have come down further still. As always, I ask you to follow the government guidelines so we can control the virus and support the NHS. Regular handwashing, the use of face coverings and maintaining a safe distance are crucial. After the current national lockdown ends, we will return to a regional tiered approach, which is still to be developed and confirmed. For up-to-date information on the pandemic see: www.gov.uk/coronavirus and www.nhs.uk. Please do remember your community hub, Wyre Together (01253) 891000. Also, the Department of Health and Social Care helpline for any on-going Covid 19 queries 0300 303 2713 - lines are open from 7:00am - 11:00pm daily. If anyone is showing symptoms of Covid 19, they will be able to arrange testing. Christmas & Mental Health Christmas is often a difficult time for many people who feel isolated and alone. I think these feelings will be heightened this year as we have to restrict the level of in-person contact we have with others. This year has been tough for everyone and many people have been suffering from enhanced levels of anxiety or loneliness. We all have different methods of coping. Do take a moment to think of others and pick up the telephone to check on friends – a friendly voice and a chat could make all the difference. If you or someone you know are struggling please do seek help and support. The charity, Mind has lots of helpful information on its website (www.mind.org.uk) and also operates an information line (0300 123 3393).

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BEN WALLACE MP (cont) Flooding

Get in Touch

I know flooding has affected people in the area recently, so I wanted to repeat the message: if you are flooded you should report it in the first instance to the Environment Agency Floodline on 0800 80 70 60, but if there is an immediate risk to life or you are trapped by flood water call 999.

I am always keen to hear from constituents especially during these difficult times. It is important for me to understand how people are coping, whether in their business, work or home lives. I’m here to help. The most effective way to contact me is by email with a brief description of the issues you wish to raise, along with your contact details. You can also ring my office or write to me at the House of Commons

If you are concerned about flood risk, the lead flood authority is Lancashire County Council, so for help and advice go to lancashire.gov.uk and follow the links for reporting flooding and drainage or call 0300 123 6780. For United Utilities related issues, go to unitedutilities.com and follow the link for Emergencies and Flooding. Another risk as we enter the winter months is the impact bad weather may have on our roads. If you would like more advice about travelling safely and other general winter advice, visit: lancashire.gov.uk/winter

I wish you a happy Christmas. Let’s hope 2021 sees us defeat Covid - the recent news about possible vaccines is certainly promising and brings hope. In the meantime, stay safe. Ben Wallace MP t: 0207 219 5804 e: wallaceb@parliament.uk a: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

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CAT SMITH MP Well what a year this has been. For some of us December will be a month when we have a holiday to look forward to – hopefully with some of the people we love and care about. For many others, Christmas will be a time of intense sadness – the first Christmas without a loved one lost to Covid. To those of you who have lost someone you care about this year, I send you my heartfelt thoughts and prayers. We’ve talked a lot about mental health this year and how the pandemic has affected all our lives from juggling family responsibilities, to working from home, to not working at all. I’m sure many of us will be happy to put this year behind us and look forward to a more hopeful and happier future. But if you are struggling, please get help. There are mental

health charities ready to support you or please visit your GP. You are not on your own - experiencing low mood is very common and can be effectively managed through talking therapies and medication if appropriate. The end of a year is often a time for reflection and when I look back I’m proud of the work my party has done during the pandemic. Many of the government U-turns have been down to Labour’s dogged persistence in persuading the government to do more – from having daily public briefings at the beginning of the crisis, to extending free school meals for children during the holidays, caring for the homeless, extending the furlough scheme, demanding improvements to test and trace, applying pressure for a circuit breaker, supporting the self-employed with funding – the list goes on. It’s often difficult being in opposition but this year I think we’ve proved why it’s so important to have one. LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESS SINCE 2008

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CAT SMITH MP (cont) Locally myself and my team have worked tirelessly in getting the help and support everyone needs and deserves. I’ve received more than 11,000 emails in the last 12 months from constituents looking for help and support and my team and I have dealt with more than 6,000 cases. I know this work will continue in the new year – a vaccine is hugely welcome but the impact of this pandemic will be felt for a generation. I’m committed to supporting as many people as I can during the challenging times ahead. As always if you need help you can contact me using the details at the end of the article. I’m so pleased there will be some joyful moments – like Santa agreeing to visit Knott End and Preesall on Sat Dec 12th where he’ll tour the villages in his sleigh pulled by his ‘reindeer’. He’ll also be accompanied by some helpful elves who’ll provide bagged sweets donated by the local Spar, Co-op and One Stop – obviously whilst observing social distancing. There are more details on the Facebook page – just search for ‘Knott End and Preesall Santa Sleigh Tour’. Congratulations to the team who have organised this event and I hope it brings some family festive cheer. At the time of writing we are still in lockdown. I do hope that its safe for us to come out of this soon and enjoy a little bit more of normality. We have some lovely, local independent shops - many of whom have struggled over the last six months. I hope you’ll join me in shopping local to support businesses as they try to get back on their feet. Thank you to all the NHS front line workers, the care workers, the cleaners, delivery drivers, public transport staff – to all those who have helped to make this last year more bearable than it would have been without your commitment and sacrifice. We are deeply grateful.

be, I wish you health and happiness. Lets hope 2021 brings light and love to all of us. Cat Smith MP t: (01524) 566551 e: cat.smith.mp@parliament.uk

PREESALL TOWN COUNCIL Council Meetings The council is still holding meetings on Zoom. Details can be found on the council’s noticeboards and websites. Members of the public can raise matters or view proceedings. Anyone wishing to join the meeting should contact the clerk on the number below. Audit Approved Along with other councils, Preesall Town Council must submit its financial accounts for independent scrutiny by an external auditor. The council attaches great importance to

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PREESALL TOWN COUNCIL (cont) running its financial affairs responsibly and transparently, so it is pleased to confirm that its accounts for the year ending Sun 31st March have been confirmed to be in order. Flag Design The council has expressed thanks for a resident’s excellent work in creating the templates for the flag design. A £20 voucher is to be awarded. Pavement Worry Councillors have discussed the dangers posed by the lack of pavement at the southern end of Park Lane and a request for action has gone to Lancashire County Council. Climate Change A working group is to be established to consider steps taken by other councils and obtain advice from Wyre Council and Lancashire County Council.

Fordstone Avenue Bench Area The new noticeboard has been delivered and should be in place before Christmas. Thanks go to a member of the public who has kindly volunteered to look after the planting area round the bench. Next Meeting Preesall Town Council will meet next via Zoom on Mon 14th Dec at 7:00pm. This is a public meeting and residents are welcome. An opportunity to raise matters is available. Log-in details can be obtained from the clerk by 3:00pm on the day of the meeting. Please keep an eye on the council’s website and noticeboards for updates. For further information contact the clerk, Alison May. e: clerk@preesalltowncouncil.org t: 07739 868212 www.preesalltowncouncil.org

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HAMBLETON PARISH COUNCIL Facebook Page The Parish Council have a Facebook page HAMBLETON ( Wyre ) PARISH COUNCIL – send a friend request and keep in the know with Parish Council events and village developments. Parish Council Next Meeting The next Ordinary Parish Council meetings will be held on Tues 1st Dec via Skype starting at 7:30pm. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. Please contact the Clerk for joining details. If you are unable to join, but have an issue you would like the Council to consider, please let the Clerk know so it can be added to the agenda. Flooding Lancashire County Council (LCC) maintain over 300,000 roadside drains, also known as

gullies, on the roads. As there are so many, they can’t service them all regularly. Very often when they respond to a call out for a blocked drain on the road, they find that the grate is just covered by wet leaves or grass, which act like a plug and stops the water flowing down it freely. If you notice that a gully on your street has become blocked by leaves which can be easily brushed away, without putting yourself or others at risk, brush the blockage to one side. Gather up the leaves and dispose of them in the same way you would dispose of leaves from your household gutters and drains. Clearing the leaves regularly helps the water to flow freely into the drain next time we get heavy rain. If you can’t clear the blockage yourself, you can report a non-urgent blocked roadside gully by completing the LCC Online tool

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HAMBLETON COUNCIL (cont)

STALMINE-WITH-STAYNALL COUNCIL

found on their website at www.lancashire. gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/report-it/ or you can ring LCC Highways on 0300 123 6780 and they will clear it as soon as they are able to.

Council Meetings

Clearing gullies is only part of the answer. United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Lancashire County Council and Wyre Council are all working together to address the issues within the main drains in Hambleton. Information from their findings are discussed at Hambleton FLAG (Flood Action Group) Meetings and Parish Council Meetings.

The council continues to hold its meetings via Zoom video conference. Details can be found on the councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s noticeboard and website. There is still an opportunity for members of the public to raise matters of concern. Anyone wishing to join the meeting should contact the clerk on the number below before 3:00pm on the day of the meeting. Christmas The council would like to take this opportunity to wish residents a happy, healthy and peaceful festive season.

Coronavirus Support

Road Closures

If you are confined to your home and need any practical help (shopping, prescription collection/delivery etc) or just someone to have a chat with, the Parish Council, along with a local army of volunteers are here to help.

There is a temporary road closure on Union Lane, Out Rawcliffe until Sun 13th Dec or until completion of the works. Tree Work The woodland survey undertaken by Wyreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Please ring the Clerk to discuss your needs in the first instance. Huge thanks go out to all the people in the village who have offered their help during this time. Please, everyone, keep safe. Village Christmas Lights Unfortunately we are unable to hold a switch on event this year but the lights will be shining from the end of November to early January. Christmas Wishes from the Council 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone but the councillors of Hambleton Parish Council would like to wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and peace, health, happiness and prosperity in the coming New Year. Yvonne Walton - Clerk e: hambletonpc@yahoo.co.uk t: 07703 773 785 fb: @hambleton (wyre) parish council Tell them you saw their advert in the Over Wyre Focus

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STALMINE COUNCIL (cont) tree officer has now been published. Areas of work for the next six to twelve months have been identified, particularly in respect of the Ash die back which has taken hold in the western part of the wood over the past twelve months. Stalmine Council is to seek quotations for a five-year management plan for the wood, looking at both tree planting and forest vegetation in order to improve the ecology of the area. Work this winter will also see 1,700 native buffer/hedgerow species and 56 trees planted around the perimeter. This is part of a wider tree planting initiative by Wyre Council as part of its climate emergency work. Plantsman The plantsman has planted the beds and planters along the A588 with winter flowering pansies.

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Next Meeting of the Council This will be on Tues 8th Dec at 7:00pm via Zoom. Stalmine-with-Staynall Councillors • • • • • •

Cllr Terry Williams (Chairman), By The Way, Brickhouse Lane, t: (01253) 702734; Cllr D Booth, Wardleys Cottage, Wardleys Lane, t: (01253) 701711; Cllr F Cardwell, Meadow Cottage, Carr Lane, t: (01253) 700150; Cllr A Morton, t: (01253) 702156; Cllr Sue Pelham, Eldersfield, Brickhouse Lane, t: (01253) 700750; Cllr Jean Wilson, Premium Farm Cottage, Sower Carr Lane, t: (01253) 701119.

For further information contact any councillor or contact the clerk. Alison May - Clerk t: 07880 657 761 e: clerk@stalmineparishcouncil.org www.stalmineparishcouncil.org

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Stalmine with Staynall Residents’ Assoc. Peter Swarbrick, our vice-chairman, has sent a SSRA document to Wyre Borough Council opposing more housing on Carr End Lane. View our SSRA Facebook and Stalmine Chat sites to read the document with photographic evidence of local flooding. Please add any relevant photos or comments you may have to our SSRA Facebook flood albums. We shall refer the relevant agencies to these. We are also looking into a suggestion received to help form an Over Wyre joint action group against further large developments. You may wish to join? Watch this space! We are rapidly approaching Christmas and hope for some joy and relaxation at last after a sad and difficult year. It’s time to light up our homes and gardens and we look forward to presenting our SSRA gifts to our lights competition winners. Our SSRA Christmas tree should be at the top of Smithy Lane when you read this and we have many people to thank for making this possible: Doug Smith and the Seven Stars Charity Committee for donating the tree; Gary Coleman, electrician and committee member, for the lights and lighting; Neil Roskell of N & D Civils & Groundworks Ltd, for the safety fencing; residents and committee members for helping site the tree; Graham Huck and of course Mick Bradshaw, our lead organiser. Thank you all. We wish everyone a peaceful and merry Christmas and a better, happier New Year. For further information on any SSRA details please use any of the following contacts: • • • •

Pauline Andrews 07808 058 097 Ann Ralph 07713 852 639 Peter Swarbrick (01253) 702675 Chris Hyde 07949 590 897

Pauline Andrews fb: @Stalmine with Staynall Resident’s Association (SSRA)

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NATURAL MOOD BOOSTERS What a year it has been. Everything has happened and yet nothing has. It feels like the pause button was pressed in March and we have yet to make any further progress. Alas, it seems there is no end in sight as I write this in the latest lockdown. I am baffled by what has happened this year and cannot work out why it has happened, I suspect a lot of experts feel the same way. This crisis is still causing confusion and I suppose we will only know the rights and the wrongs once the dust has settled. For now we are in the midst of the problem and have to find ways to get by. One thing that is a big problem is all the conflicting information: masks work, masks don’t work. Lockdown works, lockdown doesn’t work. Even the top bods in the land aren’t sure what to do next so how can we mere mortals figure it out? My sister told me how in the Philippines, a o We als ton s g lo in supply of logs & ets bags, n ﬁregrates g, n e kindli h mor m & uc

third world country of 106 million people, they are now back to normal and only saw 7,700 deaths from Covid. She goes over there to a manufacturing base her company has. I’ve not looked into what they have done but shall be doing so soon. There is a virus and it must be treated with respect. It seems to be more potent than the flu but the hysteria whipped up by the press is helping no one. Just last night I heard a news presenter sign off with the phrase, ‘... the horror of Covid’. We do need to hold onto our sense of perspective for our sanity. Did you know, prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in the US and Western Europe and nobody appears to bat an eyelid at that frightening fact. However, we cannot pursue the workplace machismo of going into work feeling a bit off colour anymore. If you are unwell please stay

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NATURAL MOOD BOOSTERS (cont) Mood Boosters I thought I would flag up a few things you can do or try to boost your mood, especially as the days get shorter.

at home. I always found this ‘stoic’ attitude odd since working yourself into an early grave seems rather counterproductive to me. Never underestimate the power of rest, recuperation and staying hydrated. Yet this situation has taken a huge toll on people’s mental health with fear and isolation being a bad combination. I suspect this is may prove to be at least as harmful as the virus itself with people disconnected from the love and support of their families and community.

•

Firstly, go outside and observe nature. Even in winter there is natural beauty all around us. You do not need to wear a mask in the open air and you cannot pick up the virus from sitting on a park bench enjoying the view.

•

Have gratitude for the things you do have. Just a few moments taken every day to appreciate all that you do have can have a powerful effect on your mental health. The Buddhify app is wonderful for short and sweet meditations that can help induce peace and calm into your day.

•

Exercise to help dissipate stress hormones and lifts mood. Avoiding

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NATURAL MOOD BOOSTERS (cont) processed foods is also important since such ‘dead’ foods bring you no vitality and actually drain your body of energy and good health. •

Supplements that can help too. St John’s Wort is well known as a mood lifter and so is lemon balm. Higher Nature do a lovely supplement called balance for nerves which also contains B vitamins and magnesium, both of which have been shown to be vital in lifting mood.

•

There are some rather lovely teas that are also excellent. Any containing chamomile or valerian are good. Heath and Heather do some really nice combinations such as chamomile and peppermint whilst Dr Stuarts do a delicious tea called Tranquility as well as a Valerian tea that is useful for sleep problems.

•

You can also try 5HTP which is a precursor to serotonin which is vital for lifting our moods and the big hitter that covers a myriad of issues is good old CBD oil. There is now a lovely milled cannabis powder called Hatcha that can be added to smoothies, yoghurts, made into salad dressing or eaten raw that, when I have tried it makes my heart feel like it ‘lifts’.

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Do not take a low mood passively – you can tackle these problems and in these unsettling times one thing you can do that is immediate is pick up the phone and talk to someone. Do not suffer in silence. You’d be surprised how many feel the same and how we can all still help each other get through this. I wish you joy in the festive season, a merry Christmas and may your world open up to peace and prosperity in the coming year. Nick Tofolos t: (01995) 602833 Tell them you saw their advert in the Over Wyre Focus

SOROPTIMISTS Women Inspiring Action, Transforming Lives We’ve had a very busy month since we last spoke – we’ve had our Federation Conference from Belfast, our remote Regional AGM and meeting, a social meeting on support dogs, lots of planning for Christmas and we welcomed a new member to our group – Gail. We seem to be busier now than when we actually meet in person! Belfast Conference No, we didn’t all set off for Belfast in person – this was turned into an online conference hosted by the Belfast Conference Centre. Over two afternoons at the end of October, delegates tuned in to see the Federation board present their reports and make awards KILN DRIED ASH LOGS FROST PROTECTION SMOKELESS FUEL SEASONED LOGS SNOW SHOVELS COAL DOUBLES DEICING SALT KINDLING

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for the best projects over the last year in various categories. We also had talks from four inspiring speakers. Lady Hale was the most senior judge in the United Kingdom until her retirement this year, and gave a talk ‘Celebrating Women in the Law’. Professor Susan Black OBE has been named in the list of top 50 women in tech in Europe and one of the leading tech personalities in the UK today. Her talk ‘If I Can Do It, So Can You’ showed just how much you can really achieve despite a very tough start in life. Dr Alison Gardner lead the Communities and Society research programme at the University of Nottingham’s ‘Rights Lab’, a global research programme which aims to contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goal 8.7 of ending slavery and forced labour by 2030. Her talk on ‘Building Communities that are Resilient to Modern Slavery’ gave some new

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SOROPTIMISTS (cont) insights into the troubled topic of modern day slavery. Jane Garvey is one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and gave a very interesting talk on ‘Speaking Up’. Whilst nothing can beat the buzz of meeting others and seeing the presentations in person, it was well worth attending and food for thought going forwards. Regional Meeting For our regional meeting, which also took place online, the organisers asked all the groups in the region to put together a short piece on what they’ve been up to during the pandemic and how they’ve adapted. Well, what a chance to show off our IT skills and put together a recording based on the ‘different hats’ we’ve had to wear in these strange times. Each of us decorated a hat based on what

‘specialist area’ we’ve devoted our time to – communications, IT, card/letters to keep in touch, sewing of masks, petitions, friendship, send a cow, L plates for our newest member, the environment and meat-free, backpacks, plant life/verges, the food bank – and each gave a quick 20 second presentation.What better way to be there at the meeting? Every club approached this in a different way and did something different, but what linked all of us was the wonderful ways in which we have kept going and do some really great work during these challenging times.

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SOROPTIMISTS (cont) 16 Days of Activism 2020

in domestic violence reporting, at exactly the time that services, including rule of law, health and shelters, are being diverted to address the pandemic,’ stated the UN SecretaryGeneral’s report, ‘Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the socioeconomic impacts of Covid’.

The 16 Days of Activism against Genderbased Violence takes place between Wed 25th Nov and Thurs 10th Dec. The theme for 2020 is ‘Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!’ As the world retreated inside homes due to the lockdown measures, reports showed an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women.

Send a Cow A hard part of our year was losing one of our founder members, Jennifer. Club members were saddened that they were unable to attend her funeral due to Covid restrictions but responded by having their own private collection and raised £250 towards Jennifer’s favourite charity – Send a Cow. As a dairy

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Soroptimists all over the world will be doing our best to draw attention to these issues during the 16 Days, although this year much will have to be electronic only rather than the more public face of previous years.

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SOROPTIMISTS (cont) farmer, she understood the importance of women being able to support their families both financially and nationally. She will be greatly missed. Garstang Christmas Lights

animals looking for new homes, please visit our website. We hope to re-open on Thurs 3rd Dec and return to allowing visits using an appointment system.

On a local level, as we can’t support Garstang with our customary hamper which raises funds for the lights, we simply put the cash in place and sent £150 in towards the appeal. I know the steering group for the lights will gratefully accept any donations you wish to make – just pop into Carr’s in Garstang. We need as much cheer as possible for our mental health this year.

Trustees Needed

And Finally…

You must be available to attend monthly meetings and play an active role on the board.

It’s Christmas and as a group, we will be celebrating with a Zoom party! Hats will be worn, crackers pulled, and we’ve been counting down with our Fairtrade advent calendars – nothing stops us. So Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you for all the support you’ve given us throughout this year.

We are looking to expand our board of Trustees and are seeking those with the time, expertise, enthusiasm and vision for the continued and future development of our animal centre and charity shops. Applications are particularly invited from individuals with experience in management, marketing and fundraising.

To apply, please complete a volunteer application form and return it to the Animal Centre.

Stay safe, take care everyone. Interested in What we Do? Drop us a line or give our membership coordinator, Muriel Burnham-Airey a ring. We’ll be happy to answer your questions. t: (01995) 606604. fb: SoroptimistsGarstang twitter: GarstangSoropt www.sigarstang.org.uk

RSPCA National Lockdown Following the government announcement of a second national lockdown, the animal centre has been closed to members of the public. We are however continuing to re-home remotely wherever possible. To view all of our Tell them you saw their advert in the Over Wyre Focus

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RSPCA (cont)

GARSTANG CAMERA CLUB

Shoebox Appeal 2020

We are three months into our online meetings which have proved to be very successful.

Could you donate a shoe box full of goodies for the animals spending Christmas in our care? Shoe boxes can be filled with any type of toys, food, treats etc. and can be dropped off directly at the Animal Centre and placed under our Christmas tree or at one of our three charity shops. Please note our charity shops are closed until Thurs 3rd Dec so drop-offs can be made after this date (please don’t leave any donations outside charity shops when they are closed).

The style/content of these meetings has thrown a new light on the programmes. Pre-covid, presenters needed to be drawn from areas within reasonable travelling distance to and from Garstang. Now, our net can be cast much wider without the need to pay expensive travelling expenses and possibly even accommodation.

Don’t forget to label your box so we know whether it’s for a dog, cat, rabbit or one of our small animals.

Our thanks for the excellent choices of presenters must go to John Moxham who has trawled the net and come up with a variety of interesting choices. Well done John - the phrase ‘job for life’ springs to mind readily!

Hannah Kirrane - Animal Centre Manager t: (01253) 703000 w: www.rspcablackpool.org.uk

Our membership is quite healthy, it being in the mid 30s with one or two wanting to test the water.

GARSTANG SPEAKERS CLUB

Rather than list all meetings for the next year,

The club has been unable to meet in the normal way since last March. In November that all changed with some members getting together over the ubiquitous Zoom platform. It has enabled us to carry on in a limited way and to have face-to-face sight of our friends and colleagues. What also changed was the removal of the word ‘ladies’ from our title. Be assured we are still the same group and will continue to welcome new and regular members wholeheartedly. To all members old and new we wish you a happy Christmas and particularly a safe and healthy 2021. If you are interested in finding out more then please contact us. Sue Hubbard t: (01253) 701019 (Sheila Croft) e: barleyfold@madasafish.com or garstangspeakersclub@gmail.com www.garstangladiesspeakersclub.org Tell them you saw their advert in the Over Wyre Focus

GARSTANG CAMERA CLUB (cont) I will restrict future presentations to the coming month. Anyone wishing to look further ahead, please go onto our website. The details for December are as follows (all meetings on Wednesdays at 7:30pm).

a quiz by H.Emmett plus the presentation of 2019/2020 competition winners which should have taken place in May of this year. On reflection, our club’s past year could have been a disaster and I say that seriously, however, our leaders have steered us through a rough sea, but the waves have not yet subsided. Thank you captains.

Wed 9th Dec: Peter Milsom presents ‘The Power of Sport’.

I am putting this report together and it is early November and so it seems a little strange (what else is new?) to be wishing you all a happy and more important, healthy Christmas and to keep your cameras at the ready on Fri 25th Dec. you never know who you may bump into especially those of us who use Lightroom or Photoshop! Keep safe please.

Wed 16th Dec: Our final meeting of 2020 and all it has brought us will take the form of

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Wed 2nd Dec: The Environmental Cup Competition judging.

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ST AIDAN’S HIGH SCHOOL We are now a whole half term into a new sort of ‘normal’ and we are so grateful to be back in routine. Our new Year 7 pupils no longer seem very new and we are finally on the countdown to Christmas! With the government guidance forever changing, each week seems a little bit different at the moment. We have now implemented the use of masks in corridors and queues to keep everybody as safe as possible and lessons are a little bit different, but still fun where possible! Our new Year 7 pupils started off the year well by collecting animal food and treats for the RSPCA at Longview Animal Centre. I am so impressed at how much was collected! There are many animals at the rescue centre that need re-homing but COVID-19 has slowed the process down. Additionally, due to the RSPCA charity shops being forced to close for some time, they have not been able to raise the money to buy food for the animals. Hopefully our donations should keep the centre going, but they are always keen for more if you have any spare animal food. We have also been collecting food for the Autumn Harvest Collection, in which all forms bring in food for the local food banks. Layton Churches Together, Salvation Army Blackpool, Saint James’ Stalmine and Helping Hands were our chosen food banks this year. It is always wonderful to do the final drop off at the food banks and to see our hard work help those that need it the most. Our new Year 7 pupils are currently in the process of applying to be part of the Student Leadership Team, so that is exciting! It will be great to see who would like to be one of the many voices of Saint Aidan’s and really make a difference to school life. The applicants have written speeches, which they will read out to their year group, before they are elected. We look forward to hearing new ideas!

As we get further into the new half term, I am sure we will have plenty more news to share. For now, keep an eye on our Twitter page Chloe Butler twitter: @SaintAidansCEHS www.st-aidans.lancs.sch.uk

FLEETWOOD’S CHARITY SCHOOL This has without a doubt been one of the strangest terms, but I am so proud of our staff team and pupils for how they have coped and done absolutely everything possible to keep each other safe. We still managed to celebrate Harvest – Year 6 held their service in church; we ‘remembered’ for Remembrance Day – you may have noticed our painted pebbles at the cenotaph and we raised £183.31 for Children in Need with a ‘spotty’ day and fun activities – very different to how we would normally go

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FLEETWOOD’S SCHOOL (cont) about it but if nothing else, we have learnt to be adaptable. As you are reading this, our classes will be planning their own mini Christmas productions which we hope to share with parents online, and our pupils will be looking forward to Christmas parties and school Christmas lunch in their class bubbles. At Preesall Fleetwood’s Charity School, we are always looking for ways to help and support others, particularly those in our local community. In November we launched a whole school project which we called ‘Lighting Up the Faces and Hearts of the Community this Christmas’. This followed on from a challenge I set the pupils where I asked them to write letters or make cards to send to people in the local area who lived alone or who are elderly, whilst we were under Tier 3 restrictions. Members of St. Oswald’s Church helped to connect us with members of the

community who they thought would benefit. Our pupils were delighted when they started to receive letters and messages back. Then a second lockdown arrived and we wanted to do more - we recognised that for many people, the run-up to Christmas - which is usually so full of joy - was going to be really difficult, not being able to see family and friends. Our pupils came up with all kinds of wonderful ideas for how, as a school, we can connect with the local community and offer people a little bit of support in these difficult times. I can’t say too much more just now as it will ruin the surprise but if you find a small gift on your doorstep or something pushed through your letterbox, we hope it brings a smile to your face. It means that we, at Preesall Fleetwood’s Charity School, are thinking about you and want to offer you hope that better times will soon be here.

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FLEETWOOD’S SCHOOL (cont) If you know someone who you would like us to connect with, who lives locally, please give us a call. Wishing everyone in the local community our very best wishes and we hope you get to see loved ones this Christmas. Victoria Gladwin - Acting Head Teacher t: 01253 810324 www.fleetwoods.lancs.sch.uk

CARTER’S CHARITY SCHOOL As this magazine is published, we will be heading towards the last three weeks of term and the excitement that builds towards Christmas. This year more than most we need and deserve the fun and enjoyment that comes with this season. We have lots of fun and festive events and activities planned that will help all our children enjoy the run up to Christmas including: •

A virtual pantomime performance in every class – oh yes we can!

•

Annual Christmas craft day

•

Virtual Christmas shows for all classes to share with families

•

Special Christmas dinners

•

Class Santa dashes

changing guidance with determination and a true sense of partnership. The children love being in school, our high attendance shows that, and are giving so much towards their learning and development. I mentioned earlier that we have planned some ‘Community Buddies’. This is a scheme that some of our children had the idea for – to share our time with others who have very little contact with family of friends. We do not want anyone to be lonely, especially at this time, and are developing connections to partner classes up with care homes, charities and individuals. While we can’t visit or be visited in person, we can share our lives virtually. If you know of someone who lives near you and they are on their own, please let us know and we will reach out. I do believe that the best thing to come out of this pandemic crisis will be the growth in unconditional kindness and selfless actions.

Community Buddies We have already held a competition for the design of our school Christmas card which will be coming out to all of our friends, partners and our wider school community. This term we have made lots of changes to school to ensure the whole of our community is kept as safe, healthy and happy as possible. We have been blessedly lightly touched by this dreadful virus and we are desperate for that to continue. I must say that everyone in school, children, families and adults alike, have been amazing: adapting to the constantly Tell them you saw their advert in the Over Wyre Focus

CARTER’S SCHOOL (cont) Christmas Cards

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Starting School in 2021? I am aware that the current situation is making it difficult for parents of children due to start school in September 2021 to make their choice. If you would like to have a look around school before the closing date on Fri 15th Jan, please do give the office a ring and we can work something out for you to have a tour and a chat.

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We are also asking families not to send in Christmas cards this year, but to contribute a couple of items so we can make some food parcels for those families and the wider community that could do with some help and support at this time.

In the meantime, have a nosey at our website, especially the section for new families: www. carters.lancs.sch.uk/information-for-newfamilies-1 Christmas Wishes from Carters I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of our whole school community to wish you and yours a very happy and healthy Christmas and share our hope for a fabulous New Year. Take care. Brendan Hassett www.carters.lancs.sch.uk

PILLING BAND 200 CLUB November Results 1st

£50

No. 18

Ken & Pat Harrison

2nd

£30

No. 25

Lynn Preston

3rd

£10

No. 186 Emily Till

4th

£10

No. 101 Peggy Carter

Alan Danson (01253) 811889

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CHRISTMAS GREY MATTER TEST (ans page 71) 1. Which designer Vivienne is famous for her outrageous clothes? 2. What were the names of the 3 Wise Men? 3. What is the national emblem of Scotland? 4. What object celebrates Jesus Christ as the “Light of the World”. 5. Which Agatha Christie play has run in the West End for over 60 years? 6. What Christmas themed ballet premiered in St Petersburg in 1892?

21. Which group of islands were the first discovery for Columbas in 1492? 22. Christmas Island is in which ocean? 23. What does ‘mono’ mean as in ‘monocle’ or ‘monorail’? 24. Who wrote the children’s book ‘The Snowman’? 25. Who starred as Harry Potter in the film adaptations of JK Rowling’s novels? 26. What stick is put into mulled wine?

7. What type of animal was used for the first successful adult cloning?

27. Which animals starred with Sigourney Weaver in a biopic of Dian Fossey?

8. The film ‘Miracle of 34th Street’ features which real life department store?

28. Who or what are Magi?

9. Which Alpine Peak’s name means ‘White Mountain’? 10. What traditional Christmas decoration is actually a parasitic plant? 11. Which wild animal is the domesticated dog descended from? 12. In what film did Jack Skellington kidnap Santa? 13. Which boy’s name derived from Greek means ‘stone’ or ‘rock’?

29. What is the official residence of the French President? 30. If you are born on Christmas Day what is your star sign? 31. Miranda Richardson played who in the second ‘Blackadder’ series? 32. Christstollen is a traditional bread of fruit and spice from which country? 33. Which flap of cartilage prevents food from entering your windpipe?’ 34. Which angel visited Mary?

14. What would you be drinking if you has ‘Gluwein’?

35. Robin Hood and his Merry Men operated during the reign of which King?

15. Which Chinese city is home to the Terracotta Army?

36. Which Christmas word means ‘turning of the sun’?

16. Who in history cancelled Christmas?

37. What name was given by the Vikings to the city which eventually became York?

17. Which comic featured Minnie the Minx? 18. When do the Royal Family exchange Christmas gifts? 19. What nationality was the Duchess of Windsor? 20. Who originally sang ‘White Christmas’?

38. What Christmas decoration was originally made from strands of silver? 39. Which cockney actor was a part owner of Langan’s Brasserie? 40. Who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on 25th December 800AD

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Sea Bank House

A special home for special people Sea Bank House is a residential home for elderly people who are unable to live independently in their own homes. Or philosophy of care is based on the belief that it is the right of any resident in the home to be respected as an individual, and that everyone has the right to be allowed to live as full and active a life as both their mental and physical condition allows. We endeavour to provide an environment which is not only comfortable and homely, but gives the warmth and understanding normally associated with family care but supported by specialist equipment and well trained care staďŹ&#x20AC;. Needs are met maintaining personal dignity, privacy and encouraging independence where possible. Activities, passive and active are encouraged throughout the day by trained care staďŹ&#x20AC; under the guidance of the Home Manager. Each care plan takes into consideration the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs, in order to create a care plan that is relevant to individuals. Recognising, nurturing and encouraging the residents remaining skills and ability to communicate is or paramount importance to the quality of care given at Sea Bank House.

Call Joanne and her team on 01253 810888 E: info@seabank-house.co.uk www.apexhealthcare.co.uk

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CHAMPION BOWLAND energy, dedication and vision will make a huge difference. We greatly look forward to working with him for the benefit of all those who live, work or visit our beautiful Forest’. William, 16th Lord of Bowland

Welcoming Lord Bowland William, 16th Lord of Bowland, an active and longstanding champion of the Forest of Bowland, its people, landscape, heritage and rural economy, is to become a Trustee of Champion Bowland. Champion Bowland is a grant-making charity that helps fund local projects which benefit the environment, local communities and visitors within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The notoriously camera-shy Lord of Bowland has a track record, dating back to 2009, of schools visits, sponsorship of business awards and local heritage, the commissioning of music (‘Songs of Bowland’, an original choral composition by Lakeland composer Christopher Gibbs), and even the ceremonial unveiling of the occasional road sign. He also hosts the Annual Lord of Bowland Lecture at Browsholme Hall, a much-loved local history event due to celebrate its 10th anniversary this year (2020) but postponed because of Covid-19 restrictions. William Bowland said: ‘I am honoured to be invited to become a Trustee of Champion Bowland, an outstanding charity that does so much for the Forest of Bowland, its people, landscape and visitors. I look forward to contributing to its important work’. Mike Pugh, chairman of Champion Bowland, said: ‘I’m delighted William Bowland, a committed champion of Bowland, is joining the ranks of Champion Bowland. William’s

William Bowland, 60, succeeded to the Lordship of Bowland in 2008. Since then, he has worked tirelessly with the Forest of Bowland AONB to celebrate and promote Bowland, its people, landscape, heritage and rural economy. For further information, contact: Margaret Wright t: (01282) 776285 e: publicity@championbowland.org.uk www.championbowland.org.uk

ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR LEISURE Ensuring Leisure Provision in Wyre Wyre Council has put forward a report to recommend additional funding of £340,165 in 2020/21 to enable Fylde Coast YMCA to continue to provide a leisure service in Wyre. This funding is in addition to the previously agreed £636,345 and brings the total funding package to support Fylde Coast YMCA to just under £1million. The pandemic continues to have a profound impact on the leisure sector and it is hoped that this funding will support the sustainable economic recovery of leisure centre facilities within Wyre. This additional subsidy will allow the gyms and fitness classes to re-open at Thornton and Garstang leisure centres once restrictions are lifted, including the swimming pool at Garstang. Councillor Lynne Bowen, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Health and Community Engagement at Wyre Council explains, ‘Whilst ideally we want to be able to reopen all the centres, without the level of demand we were

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ADDITIONAL FUNDING (cont) seeing before coronavirus, and the fact that no central government funding has been confirmed for the leisure sector, we have to find the best way forward. ‘For some time now the YMCA centres have been competing against private sector gyms and pools as well as online fitness provision. Unfortunately, Covid has further impacted financial performance. ‘We are of course committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities and together with the YMCA we have identified that Thornton and Garstang are the two most viable centres to reopen. They have the highest number of members and since the pandemic began they have retained more memberships than the other centres. By reopening a centre in the rural and urban areas of the borough, residents will be still be able to access facilities within a reasonable travel time.’ £100m of government funding for leisure centres has been announced but no details on the application process or criteria have yet emerged. John Cronin, CEO of Fylde Coast YMCA said, ‘Without additional funding from Wyre Council we would not be able to open any of our centres and this further injection of money will allow us to re-open two centres, one in the urban area and one in the rural area. The other centres will be kept under review. ‘We urge local communities to make full use of the facilities on offer and we will be in touch with our members soon. Since reopening centres in the summer after the first lockdown, we have introduced strict measures to ensure that our users feel safe and that the centres continue to remain Covid secure. This has been done to great success and we would like to thank the community for your continued support.’ The report published today also seeks approval for £30,000 to bring in external

support to help with the development of a longer term strategy for sustainable leisure provision in Wyre. Details of Fylde Coast YMCA’s centres and the Covid secure measures put in place can be found at www.ymcayactive.org Wyre Council

OUT RAWCLIFFE OVER 60’S Unfortunately, as you know, after our one and only meeting in March, the Over 60’s had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic. I hope you are all managing to keep well and safe. Many of you are having to stay isolated which can be a lonely existence, but I hope you are keeping yourselves occupied and are in touch with family and friends. I am sorry to say the health of some of our members has not been good. This is upsetting to hear. Let us pray that improvement will be made and we send them our very best wishes for a speedy recovery. We will get through these challenging and difficult times. Winter is fast approaching and the colder weather is upon us. Getting out into the garden is not as enticing as it was. Although Autumn gave us a spectacular display of colour, we have to suffer the fallen leaves. What a job collecting them! Our Autumn Tints coach trip was always a favourite with our members and many have expressed their sadness that it had to be cancelled, along with the other monthly trips we’ve had to cancel this year. What a situation to be in. How do we plan for the future of the club not knowing what the restrictions may be in the future? As we move towards the festive season I wish you peace, joy and love to you and your families. Let us hope for a more positive and happy new year. Merry Christmas to you all. Jane Webster (Treasurer/Secretary)

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WYRE FLOOD FORUM The autumn has been untypically wet with frequent heavy showers and clear evidence in the shape of waterlogged fields throughout the Wyre borough area. Looking back in my inbox, I note a frequent receipt of weather warnings emanating from the 24 hour a day Engineers Weather Watch stationed at the Civic Centre in Poulton and the stand by Emergency Team. From where I dwell in Winmarleigh, a short walk along Island Lane towards Pilling is transferred from a view of acres of arable land to a huge water feature stretching for

in the Ba k r t a

miles and now home to waders, dippers and gulls with birders and twitchers taking post with field glasses in lay bys large and small. On Mon 16th Nov I took a regular walk along the river at Garstang Sports Field and noted the East Flood Basin gate in the process of being raised. The engineers on duty explained that a surge was expected together with a high tide and they were testing the gates to see that they were fully operational. I watched as they drew perfectly into place and on returning from the old railway line they were snuggly back in the river bed. Thankfully, the conditions bore out the council officer’s prediction that they were not expecting issues that night but nevertheless it was good to know that the settlements down river could expect protection from Garstang. The river is running peacefully and the heron keeping watch, as he frequently does, on the top weir by the old railway bridge; what a majestic sight.

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It was only a short time ago that the gates were being topped with consummate ease by a very angry river anxious to get to the sea. The rugby fields were six feet in water and the earth bunds comfortably holding back the water being stored. The change in circumstances is remarkable but the good news is that there has been no inundation, touch wood. You may remember that last month I gave a taste of the natural flood management projects and I would like to follow up on the work being done by Wyre River’s Trust but before I do, perhaps some of you saw a piece on the North West News in mid-November about Winmarleigh supporting the UK’s fight against climate change. The Lancashire Wild Life Trust is heading a scheme to grow water retention plants on Winmarleigh peatland. Contact lancswt.org. uk or (01772) 318372.

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CHRISTMAS CROSSWORD (ans p71)

Across 1 Golden delicious, for instance (5) 4 Italian food (5) 7 A very long time (3) 9 Bird of prey (9, 6) 10 Tower of London guard (9) 11 Early age (5) 12 Meat shop (7) 14 Where cows deliver milk (7) 16 Northern Scandinavia (7) 18 Types of knives (7) 19 Implicit; silent (5) 20 Egyptian queen (9) 22 British novelist (The Razor’s Edge) (8, 7) 24 Our star (3) 25 Sudden winds (5) 26 Too quick (5)

Down 1 Snake (3) 2 Flawless example (7, 8) 3 Bird of prey (5) 4 Breed of dog; indicator (7) 5 Guided (7) 6 Examining (9) 7 Unshared use or licence (9, 6) 8 One in nine (5) 10 Biblical multilingual tower (5) 13 Mat by the fireplace (9) 15 Japanese food (5) 17 Animals ridden at the seaside (7) 18 Badmouths; denigrates (7) 19 Elephant’s teeth (5) 21 Not smooth (5) 23 Fifth month (3)

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WYRE FLOOD FORUM (cont) Investing in Nature: Wyre Catchment Project An environmental project in Lancashire has been selected as one of first schemes to receive grant funding to encourage sustainable private sector investment for the benefit of the local community and the surrounding environment. Defra, the Environment Agency (EA), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) and Triodos Bank UK have formed an innovative collaboration to support environmental projects to create sustainable funding models. Having been sourced and evaluated by Triodos Bank UK, The Rivers Trust’s work on natural flood management in the Wyre catchment is one of four projects that will receive grant funding from Defra, the EA and EFF to support their development, complete business plans to attract private sector investment, and deliver long-term environmental benefits and sustainable financial returns.

and certainty of a variety of natural flood management solutions. This will help prioritise investment in solutions which offer the greatest social, economic and environmental return for the catchment and its community. The use of natural flood management, including the building of leaky dams, the creation of bog, and the rewetting of peat, on 70 hectares of the River Wyre catchment by the Rivers Trust would help to reduce the frequency of flooding for a large number of ‘at risk’ properties identified in a village in Lancashire. At the same time as reducing flood risk, these natural flood management schemes will create new habitats for wildlife and help to mitigate climate change through the storage of greenhouse gases in the newly created wetlands and peatlands.

Emma Howard-Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency said, ‘The Environment Agency is as committed as ever to protecting and enhancing our environment, but if we are going to become the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it, then we need all parts of society to play a part. ‘We know that there is significant appetite in the finance sector to invest in the environment and restoring nature which has long term benefits for society. We hope that providing support to these pioneer projects will not only help them to attract investment, but also help us to develop models that can be used by other schemes.’ What will the project do in the Wyre catchment? The project will evaluate the effectiveness Tell them you saw it in the “Green Book”

WYRE FLOOD FORUM (cont) Who else is involved? The seed funding will allow us to work with the Wyre Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, United Utilities, Triodos Bank UK, Co-op Insurance and Flood Re, to develop a financial instrument that would allow upfront investment from the private sector to be reimbursed by the beneficiaries of a healthier environment. Mark Lloyd, CEO from The Rivers Trust, said, ‘We must find new ways to invest in recovery of the natural processes that protect and support us, at a scale and

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pace that can make a difference. Hard engineering alone will not address our future flood risk challenges and must be supplemented by natural solutions. ‘We expect this pilot to lead to future natural capital investment and build a credible case for green investment to restore our river landscapes.’ Roger Brooks

CARDIAC RISK IN THE YOUNG Matthew Hesmondhalgh Memorial Fund Thank you to all who have donated jigsaw puzzles. They may just be a small thing but I know that they have brought comfort and enjoyment to others during this bleak time. Congratulations to our latest prize winners on the lottery. We’re still waiting for one of you to win the big one (£25,000)! Thank you to all who have supported us this way and if you’d like to take part, or maybe give someone a gift of a lottery ticket, go to www. wyrelottery.co.uk and search for CRY. If you sign up before Sat 19th Dec you will also be entered into an extra draw to have a chance at winning an entertainment bundle that includes an Amazon Echo Show 8, Echo Dot and Tablet. Good Luck! As the last vestiges of this most difficult of years come to an end, we wish all our supporters the gifts of peace, friendship and love at what will be a very different Christmas. Thank you for your gracious and generous support over 2020. Like so many, we will keep alive the hopes that next year will be better and that we can enjoy each other’s company once again. Here’s to your good health in 2021. Keep warm, keep safe. Paula Hesmondhalgh t: 07785 106 976 e: paulahez.ph@gmail.com fb: @The Matthew Hesmondhalgh Memorial Fund

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OVER WYRE PROBUS CLUB

NORTH FYLDE PHOTOGRAPHIC SOC

Meetings of the Over Wyre Probus Club have been suspended over recent months and will be resumed only when it is considered safe to do so.

Due to Covid our club meetings are held on Zoom for now. We are still having lectures, competitions and talks on how we can take better pictures with constructive ideas from our club members, all in all it work very well without have to drive!

Membership is open to all gentlemen, resident in or adjacent to the Over Wyre district who have fully or partially retired, or are about to retire from professional, business or other similar occupations. Meetings are normally held on the first and third Thursday in each month at The Shovels Inn at Hambleton. If anyone is interested in finding our more about the Over Wyre Probus Club or would like to attend a meeting initially as a guest, then please telephone (01253) 810148. Stewart Lyell

HELP BEAT CANCER Fundraising Group

November Programme • • • •

Tues 1st Dec - ‘Covid Hell!’ by Phil Hodson DPAGB EFIAP BPE1* Tues 8th Dec - PDI Competition Focus on Fylde Tues 15th Dec - Results Night - Results of 2nd Seasonal PDI Competition (Judge: Rebecca Entwistle) Tues 22nd Dec - Christmas Social On Zoom, Party Fun!

Neil Pascoe t: (01253) 734243 fb: North Fylde Photographic Society www.northfylde-ps.co.uk

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well at this difficult time. Unfortunately, all our fundraising events have been put on hold for the time being but if there is anything, we can do to help in any way please do not hesitate to get in touch. We have a stock of Christmas cards, also if you would like to check out the Cancer Research UK online shop (link below) we will happily place an order and deliver them to you (no delivery charge). May we wish you all a very happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year. Looking forward to meeting up again and continuing with our fundraising events. Stay safe and well. Jean Horner - (01253) 700555 Val Southward - 07895 431 948 fb: @Help Beat Cancer – Wyre https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org Tell them you saw it in the “Green Book”

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HARMONY & HEALTH Online Singing Sessions Our sessions are held on Tuesdays from 1:30pm - 2:30pm and Wednesdays from 10:00am - 11:00am. You are not committed to attending for a specific number of sessions. You will need to have a device with internet connectivity and my husband and I will fully support you, if you are unfamiliar with the technology. Words and music are provided through your computer/tablet/laptop and there is no cost for joining in. There will be no sessions in the week beginning Mon 28th Dec but will resume on Tues 5th and Wed 6th Jan. If you are interested, please get in touch. Ann Cameron t: 07966 126 999 Alan Cameron t: 07825 271 344

PILLING BAND Well what a year. It has been so strange for us all at Pilling Band with no rehearsals, galas, songs of praise and most recently not being able to take part in parades for Remembrance Sunday. A few of our cornet players did manage to play ‘The Last Post’ at a few venues but it really did feel very odd not to be marching down the high street at Garstang.

fro m e v e ry o n e a t

FOCUS MAGAZINE A big ‘thank you’ to our readers, advertisers, contributors & deliverers for supporting ‘The Green Book’ throughout such a turbulent year. We hope 2021 brings everyone good health & prosperity.

We had hoped that we may be able to partake in some carolling to spread some festive cheer, but as we do not know what restrictions will be in place, this may not happen or might be very spur of the moment. On behalf of all at Pilling Band can I thank those of you who nominated us for the Co-Op community fund over the last year. It helped the band raise a large amount of money. We really appreciate the community’s support. We hope you all have a lovely Christmas, however big or small celebrations may be, and we look forward to seeing you all in 2021. Emily Duke

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GREY MATTER ANSWERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Vivienne Westwood Melchior, Caspar, Balthazar Thistle Tinsel The Mousetrap The Nutcracker A sheep Macey’s Mont Blanc Mistletoe Wolf A Nightmare Before Christmas Peter Mulled Wine Xian Oliver Cromwell Beano At teatime on Christmas Eve American

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

Bing Crosby The Bahamas The Indian Ocean Single Raymond Briggs Daniel Radcliffe A cinnamon stick Gorillas Wise Men The Elysee Palace Capricorn Elizabeth I Germany The epiglottis Gabriel King John Yuletide Yorvik A Christingle Michael Cain Charlemagne

Across

Down

1. Apple

1. Asp

4. Pasta

2. Perfect specimen

7. Eon 9. Peregrine Falcon 10. Beefeater 11. Youth 12. Butcher 14. Dairies 16. Lapland 18. Daggers 19. Tacit

3. Eagle 4. Pointer 5. Steered 6. Analysing 7. Exclusive rights 8. Ninth 10. Babel 13. Hearthrug

20. Nefertiti

15. Sushi

22. Somerset Maugham

17. Donkeys 18. Defames

24. Sun

19. Tusks

25. Gusts

21. Rough

26. Hasty

23. May

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