Hillam News

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The voice of Hillam village, North Yorkshire. Delivered free to all residents. Volume 23, Issue 3. June—July 2011

Grand opening of new cricket pavilion

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his promises to be a great day for the cricket club after all the hard work in funding and building the new pavilion.

It will be opened on 24th July by Nigel Adams MP and hopefully there will be a few famous sporting faces around from Yorkshire CCC and Leeds Utd.

NEW PAVILION GRAND OPENING SUNDAY 24TH JULY FROM 12 NOON ONWARDS At the ground in Stocking Lane, Hillam MC FOR THE DAY IS LOOK NORTH’S JOHN CUNDY PAVILION TO BE OPENED BY MP NIGEL ADAMS T20 CRICKET (TBC) STALLS AND CRICKET TEAS BARLBY BROWN COW BREWERY SPONSORS’ MARQUEE HOG ROAST BOUNCY CASTLE AND GAMES Volunteers needed – please contact: Hon Secretary Kate Vaks, 3 Keswick Lane, Bardsey, West Yorkshire, LS17 9AG Tel 07747 045060

Also in this issue…

Signpost to Hillam - Falkland Islands’ connection with Hillam

Arson at the Cross Keys? - Police investigating: see details in crime report

Antisocial behaviour at the Post Office - your Postmistress explains

Rural news - food miles and local milk

Community Association -

Wind farm - latest on the 22 Megawatt

Revealed event to be held in St Wilfrid’s Church on Friday 24th June

approval given for two projects costing over £70,000

Valley wind farms

Village Fete - this year’s Village Fete

Parish Council - meeting minutes and

Uncontrolled development -

find out how Hillam residents brought a halt to a road across a field off Hillam Common Lane

Local history - second Monk Fryston

for Hillam and Monk Fryston will be held on Sunday 26th June

feedback from survey

Birding - from Red Kites to Kingfishers and Corncrakes: observations from Graham Todd

Editor for this issue - Rob Preston HILLAM NEWS is financed solely by advertising revenue and the generosity of contributors, photocopiers and distributors. The Editor is solely responsible for the paper’s contents. If you have a view you would like published, or if you wish to advertise, phone David Atkinson on 684577 or email at dsa99uk@yahoo.co.uk.

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UNDER SURVEILLANCE Hillam road building scrutinised Selby getting tough on illegal and uncontrolled development appeal, the owner has been instructed to Swift action by Hillam remove the road. residents has brought a halt to a road being built across yet another field near to the village. Some might call it hobby farming Just before Easter a JCB was seen preparing the way for a road across a field on Hillam Common Lane. Several villagers, including Councillor John Mackman, wrote to Selby District Council expressing concern, and Planning Enforcement paid a visit almost immediately. Work has stopped, pending further investigation and clarification.

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These two cases show that Selby is getting tough on illegal and uncontrolled development, which over the last twenty years has led to random developments in fields around the village, many of them in green belt. The process is always very similar. The field is used for grazing by ponies or other livestock on a small scale – some might call it hobby farming. The next step is to put up a shed, usually at the far end of the field, which then needs a road. A serious farmer would minimise the waste of land by putting any structures close to the field entrance.

the back from a lorry or an old shipping container. Whatever it is, you can guarantee that it won’t be an attractive structure. At some point water will be laid on and maybe a connection will be made for electricity.

To complete the first stage of the process the owners then move onto the site with a larger caravan, and eventually start the process of applying for planning permission. As we all know, the final house construction stage can itself take many years. Meanwhile the village is saddled with an eyesore, which can easily be such for fifteen years or more. This is a long game, and once it is started it does The field in question is about 1 km from appear to run an almost standard course. the village along Hillam Common Lane, The next field which is a candidate is out by the edge of Pighill Nook Lane. A short towards Burton Salmon. As we reported in distance further along there is another the last Hillam News, it failed to sell at field where a similar road was constructed Next is the arrival of the caravan – used auction – but has since been sold by without planning permission, and initially to provide facilities to make a cup private treaty. Watch this space. following the rejection of a retrospective of tea and give shelter on site for the planning application and subsequent owner. Then follows another shed, maybe

Ethel Shaw 1922 to 2011 Ethel Shaw of Hillam knew sign language because of her parents’ deafness. She was born in Featherstone, but grew up in Hillam and went to school locally.

During the Second World War, she worked in munitions – at Hazlewood Castle. Then she worked at Gateforth TB Hospital for many years.

Ethel was well known in Chapel Street, where she lived, and was buried in Monk Fryston Cemetery after a service in St Wilfrid’s conducted by John Hetherington.

The collection was shared between St Wilfrid’s and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

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VILLAGE NEWS Are you interested in local history?

The second Monk Fryston Revealed event will be held in St Wilfrid’s Church on Friday 24th June. Doors will open at 7 pm and the presentation commences at 7.30 pm.

Tickets which cost £3.50 (including refreshments) are available from the Post Office, the Church, Monk Fryston Time Team members, or Ray on 01977 682084.

Local archaeologist Simon Tomson will present an illustrated talk on monastic and feudal life in the 14th century. There will be new displays showing discoveries about our village made

by Monk Fryston Time Team over the past year.

Simon Tomson will lead an Introduction to Archaeology course, which the Time Team is running over the next year. It will include topics such as interpretation of aerial photography, test pit digging, above ground archaeology, field walking and finds identification.

Congratulations to Charlotte Wells and Jason Thompson, who were married on 20th March at Hazlewood Castle, near Tadcaster.

After honeymooning in Thailand, they are now settled in a cottage in Hillam Square.

Hillam international Information about Hillam has been accessible through our village website and Wikipedia for several years now, so we are used to the fact that people around the world know about our village.

To add to our fame, courtesy of Ian Wright’s recent deployment there, we now have a marker on the totem pole in the Falkland Islands. This locally significant tourist attraction has developed over recent years, mainly through the contributions of servicemen and tourists.

Village Fete - 26th June Make a note in your diary of this year’s Village Fete for Hillam and Monk Fryston. It is to be held on Sunday 26th June, free admission.

Full details will be posted around the villages nearer the time.

Come along and support your local community.

Hillam Lights100 Club The winners of the 100 Club March draw are as follows:

1st (£20) - Julie Taylor (no 74) 2nd (£10) - Pauline Styles (no 27) 3rd (£5) - Shirley and Neil Sutcliffe (no 35)

BURTON SALMON METHODIST CHURCH Minister: Rev Wayne Grewcock, tel 519496 Church Steward: Peter Wadsworth, tel 676188 Sunday Worship 10.30 am, followed by coffee

The winners of the 100 Club April draw are as follows:

1st - Carl Naylor (no 7) 2nd - Mr S G Timson (no 29) 3rd - Darren and Lisa Iliffe (no 20)

Sunday Club 10-11 am, for children aged 3+ years: Sandra Sargent, tel 679541 Coffee Mornings: Thursdays 10.30-11.30 am Everyone welcome for a friendly chat

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POSTMISTRESS’S PERSPECTIVES AND PERCEPTIONS It was with both shock and disappointment that I viewed our security cameras recently to see some of our more valuable stock being shoplifted.

Shock because, being new to and relatively naive about retail work, it’s not something that you ever expect to see happening, particularly to a business that you yourself work seven days per week so hard to maintain and develop (with an average working week of some ninety hours or more). Disappointment because it’s certainly not something that one expects to see in a comparatively affluent and traditionally low-crime area, and in a village where I have friends and extended family, and happy childhood memories of what now seems a much more innocent age.

I am told to ‘expect’ this sort of thing to happen regularly in a retail grocery business. Indeed it may well have happened before and gone unnoticed.

Perhaps we should expect that it will happen, but do we have to accept it also?

The amount of distress for all concerned, the amount of police time and money spent on this one incident, is out of all proportion to the value and worth of the

item taken. Let’s hope that any further thefts are few and far between.

On this note, I need also to mention what have been growing concerns over the behaviour of a few young people when in and outside the shop. As a mother of a teenage boy, I am all too familiar with teenage high spirits, pranks and sometimes lack of thought about the effect of actions on others. We have therefore so far been as understanding as possible over the actions and attitudes of particular groups of youngsters.

It is when those actions become overtly challenging in terms of type of behaviours, type of verbal retorts when told that behaviour is unacceptable, and in terms of deliberate repetitiveness of said unacceptable behaviours, that we have been forced to take action. One of those actions is, unfortunately, to request that youngsters arriving in groups enter the shop in groups of two only, make their purchases and leave. (This rule came into being following the shoplifting incident when there were so many people in the shop together that it was difficult for staff to notice the said offence taking place.)

I am of course writing this from the perspective of one whose shop also forms part of my family home as well as a treatment base for my independent speech

and language therapy practice, and of course is first and foremost a village service – with young families coming and going all the time. I therefore expect behaviour and language used to be at a socially acceptable level and that others respect my home, property and privacy.

Perceptions of some young customers appear to be that the shop is some sort of ‘public property’ or to treat it as though it is an anonymous inner-city type property where therefore ‘anything goes’.

Hopefully I am not alone in feeling that this attitude requires change as soon as possible?

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued customers for their ongoing support. Their company and regular visits to the shop do make our work very enjoyable.

Now we have new flooring and lighting in place in the shop, our next job is to find space to house a much more extensive range of deli items. Other news is that plans for the B&B have now been passed, and hopefully work on that will begin as soon as we can find a builder!

Faye Coles

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COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Major developments at the Community Centre At its meeting on 18th May 2011 the Community Association gave approval to two projects costing over £70,000.

The Committee accepted a tender from a local builder for the long-awaited Community Centre extension, which will provide not only additional floor space in the Centre but also improved kitchen and storage facilities, as well as improvements to the ladies’ toilets. It is anticipated that work will commence on the extension at the beginning of July, with the internal works being undertaken during the school summer holidays.

In addition, the Committee agreed to accept a tender for the upgrading of the children’s play area, which will include the replacement of some equipment, the provision of new exciting play features and the erection of fencing around the play area to enhance safety.

Tony Hudson, who has been involved with the Community Association for over forty years, said: “The decision to proceed with the extension and improvement of the Centre is a dream come true – over the years many Community Association members have worked tirelessly to raise funds in order to extend the Centre and provide improved facilities. I’m sure that the enhancement of the play area will be well appreciated, not only by the children who will use it but also by their parents.”

Monk Fryston Time Team, two years on Our members have been extremely busy. We have set up the Monk Fryston Tribal Pages on the Internet. We have continued to gather information on the development of local transport systems and land ownership. We have enjoyed healthy debates about the origins and the routes of the A162 and the A63, which we still have to resolve. One of the joys of our society is an open-minded and inquisitive approach to discovery and the developing of understanding.

During the year we have interspersed meetings with visits to the Towton Battlefield and guided tours of St Wilfrid’s and Selby Abbey towers. Lesley Lambert told us about the Princes in the Tower, and we combined our Christmas Social with an illustrated talk from Eric Houlder on Coaching Days in Yorkshire.

Cornerstone of our monthly meetings is ‘Show and Tell’, when members bring forward items of general interest. We have no rules about what can be presented and as a result get lots of pleasant and interesting surprises.

We have a solid method of storing and retrieving information, courtesy of Julian Driver who has set up our ‘Drop Box’. We are becoming more confident in placing items on the system to share with others. We are thinking about producing a newsletter, creating a DVD and running an ‘Introduction to Archaeology’ course. A busy and interesting time lies ahead.

Having a drink and a natter has turned individuals with an interest in history into a group of friends who are happy to support each other in research and rediscovery of Monk Fryston’s history. New members are always welcome.

Edited extracts from chairman Ray Newton’s annual report

Recycling at the Community Centre Income from the recycling bins at the Community Centre over the last year was £688.

This is a valuable source of income for Community Association funds.

May 31st, June 14th, June 28th & fortnightly

A big thank-you to all who bring their recyclable items to the banks.

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Précis of PC Minutes for the Meeting April 2011 Matters arising:

Correspondence in: D Lorriman - re organising of a gritting Responses re the article in Hillam News team of volunteers for winter months. deferred to next meeting.

Stuart Twidale - re funding for the war memorial.

Chair welcomed NYCC affordable housing Tony Hudson / CA - thanking PC for grass representative to explain rationale behind cutting 2012. local affordable housing schemes. NYCC CA - thanking PC for the £500 donation partners including PCs were approached to towards the new roundabout. establish whether affordable housing MH Walton - invoices for salary claim required. Proposition is for PC to and expenses. investigate whether there is need for small B Wright - leaflet printing costs. no of properties to be built in the village, NYCC - confirmation of Public Bridleway Order for Dunce Mire Rd. for both sale and rent, to accommodate Mrs B Hurrion, Miss J Scott - concerns people who have a connection with the about the future housing development in village. Scheme would be developed and the village. managed by a housing association. PC decided to take no action at this time.

Correspondence out: NYCC Highways - requesting one drain Two residents have expressed interest in the casual vacancy on the PC. This has to gully clearance and general inspection be deferred until outcome of May elections through village.

Barclays Bank - 3 new mandates. is known.

Finances: Current a/c £367.35 High interest a/c £2,752.96 Cheques drawn B Wright £36.00 - printing MH Walton £2,700.00 - salary MH Walton £88.05 - admin expenses Came and Co £680.01 - insurance £3,500 to be transferred from the high interest a/c.

Environment: Wind farms – E.ON have applied for a wind speed mast at Byram.

Showpeople’s site - Cllr Wright briefly summarised the report commissioned

by MF PC. SDC will remove fly-tipped conifer tree prunings on Lowfield Lane.

Footpaths Officer made aware of damaged dyke-side fencing bordering footpath on Betteras Hill Rd. Site allocation consultation was discussed: the overall views of residents indicate that they do not wish any further development to take place in the village.

Hillam PC will not join with MF PC in a response. A document stating Hillam PC’s understanding of the situation will be printed and distributed throughout the village.

Reports: Burial Committee. Working party at the cemetery had cleared the area. The Chair thanked those who had taken part, and Planning matters: SDC - advising of rescheduling of advised a further working group day to be arranged. New contractor to refurbish the planning appeal to 31st May: T Masser, gates is to be appointed.

Lowfield Rd. CA. Cllr Robertson advised the bonfire SDC - notification of appeal decision re access hard-core roadway Honey Pot Field. raised a profit of £845 for the CA. Planning permission for the proposed Appeal dismissed.

Mrs Batty - application to prune beech tree extension works has been received.

CEF. Next meeting 11th May. Awaiting at High Gables. No objection raised. minutes of previous meeting.

Next PC meeting Wednesday 4th May.

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Précis of PC Minutes for the Meeting May 2011 Correspondence out: A McMillan, SDC - re SADP planning proposal.

Yorkshire Water - re hydrant repairs on Betteras Hill Rd. HM Revenue - VAT reclaim £140.92.

Planning: No applications or notices of decision.

Matters arising: Subject to PC member agreement, Cllrs Robertson and Sheppard eligible for consideration for co-option to the PC June when the three existing vacant positions to be discussed.

Finances: Current a/c £78.35 High interest a/c £8,400.46 Cheques drawn: CA £72.00 - hall hire MH Walton £180.00 - April salary B Wright £36.00 - printing Clerk now paid monthly.

VAT returns for the year £140.92 now credited to current a/c.

Correspondence in: Report of faulty street lamp; contractor advised.

HM Revenue - re VAT. Came and Co - confirming receipt of insurance premium.

SDC - precept remittance advice £5,647.50, credited to high interest a/c.

SDC - acknowledging concerns of PC re alleged unauthorised development of a roadway in a field off Hillam Common Lane.

Tony Hudson / CA - re financial support from PC. Discussed under Environment.

Environment: Wind farms - no significant developments.

Show people’s site application - no update info.

Cllr Lorriman reported removal by SDC of fly-tipped conifers on Lowfield Lane.

Cllr Tuddenham suggested the potential for more imaginative use of land owned by the village. With this in mind, current PC members to be made aware of which land this is.

Cllr Collinson reported that the field opposite the brick pond on Betteras Hill Rd through which the public footpath passes is to be used for hay. Dogs should be kept on leads and not allowed to roam freely.

The letter from Tony Hudson on behalf of the CA will be responded to orally by Cllrs Wright and Robertson.

Reports: CA. Three tenders received for the prospective works at the Centre.

CEF. Meeting deferred until 24th May. Sherburn High School is proposing to close the swimming pool facility.

Sherburn PC is seeking support to keep it open.

Date and time of next meeting: Next meeting Wednesday 1st June at 7.30 pm, preceded at 7.15 pm by the AGM, when the election of officers will take place.

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WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR PARISH COUNCIL? 3. a. I am in favour of a small increase in the precept to support this facility. I understand the annual core running costs are approximately £7,500. Shared or even a grant towards this by the two Parish Councils would surely only amount to a moderate increase in parish rates. b. The present Management Group of volunteers works diligently and always in the best interest of the village community.

However to ensure the Association continues it is necessary for the Parish Councils to take part in the day-to-day running of affairs. I would suggest a structure of: Here are the four personal replies 2 Monk Fryston Parish Councillors 2 Hillam Parish Councillors we received.

Up to 16 other members Total 20 1. The Community Association Possibly the School could appoint a initiates, finances and supports many member, also the Church. I would stress facilities and activities which hugely the attendees from the Parish Councils and enrich diverse elements of village life.

These voluntary group’s efforts should be other groups would be expected to be full members of the Community Association lauded, applauded and judiciously and and take active part in the running. specifically financially supported by the Parish Council. Their accounts are audited As happens at the moment, all persons on the Management Group would retire and open to public scrutiny. All these annually and they could offer themselves factors justify and validate financial for re-election, but all positions would be support from the Parish Council. advertised locally.

2. One of the roles of the PC is to support c. If members of the Parish Councils are also active members of the Community responsible groups which promote Association, the possibility of misuse of community endeavours; both the PC and the CA are run by volunteers; both bodies public funds should not arise. d. It is part of the Parish Councils’ have residents’ interests at heart; both need community funding; can there be any responsibility to promote village dichotomy? The most efficient procedure development. is surely to increase the parish precept by Put simply, 100% of any money raised for a small amount, which the CA can use as the Community Association by adding to the parish precept will be spent on this it sees fit for villagers’ benefit. community. No waste, no service charges, no pay to public officials.

In response to an article in the January issue of Hillam News, the Parish Council invited debate, in the March issue and through the Neighbourhood Watch system, about the role of the Parish Council in relation to the Community Association. We thank you for your involvement.

4. RE: Allocation of Parish Council funds.

We are replying to your invitation to make suggestions on the above topic. We feel that the earmarked £500 potential contribution should indeed be given to the Community Association to help maintain facilities within the Community Centre and the surrounding play area. Since the current government is supporting local groups as part of the Big Society to undertake local functions, this would seem to be a reasonable allocation of funds in line with current policy. It is not fair to expect a voluntary group to constantly work financially unaided to supply and maintain facilities which are part of the Parish Council responsibilities and which enrich the quality of village life. Beyond the Community Centre there are no other facilities of this kind, both for the youth and the wider community including the elderly, who may not have the scope to travel and otherwise could become very isolated. It provides a focal point and meeting place to build the community.

And in response to the query we also received: This isn’t a view – really a query I have had – which might aid my understanding of how the PC / Community Association works, and hence my view.

Who made the decision to spend money (whose money I don’t know – another question) on picnic tables on the green?

We respond: The picnic tables were bought by Monk Fryston Parish Council using S106 money. This is raised from developers through conditional planning agreements.

The money is designated to enhance provision within the community.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD CRIME REPORT Beware calls from “PC Technical Support”

High visibility policing in Hillam

Tony Hudson

Dion Wood

Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator

Police Community Support Officer

I have received a telephone call from a foreign-sounding man who says his name is Gary from PC Technical Support, informing me that there is a problem with my broadband, and that he has a team of Microsoft engineers who will sort the problem out. Failure to act will mean that my computer will be open to receive viruses via my broadband connection.

We have recently increased patrols in Hillam and Monk Fryston.

We have concentrated on evening patrols, and some residents may have seen us.

He wanted me to turn on my computer so he could tell me how to hand over control to the “Microsoft” engineers, who would do the necessary before handing me back control. I had already heard of this possible scam two days previously from a Hillam resident.

I asked Gary for a Microsoft telephone number so that I could verify his company’s authenticity. He gave me the number 02030 049300, which he said would connect me direct to him. At this point, having got as much information out of Gary as I could, I ended the call.

The other person in Hillam, an elderly lady, was kept talking for about 30 minutes by, presumably, Gary and she became very confused. He also wanted to get control of her computer.

Fortunately the lady cut him off before any harm was done.

If you receive a call from Gary or others purporting to be from PC Technical Support, either get as much detail as you can or terminate the call straight away.

Burglary at the Church Hall Yet another burglary, this time at the Church Hall late on a Friday afternoon, when a mobile phone and cash raised by the Playschool for Red Nose Day were stolen.

I have lived in Hillam all my life and have never seen a period of criminal activity like that taking place in the two villages at the moment. Crimes are being committed in daylight under our very noses, and yet no one sees anything suspicious. The police are doing what they can by increasing patrols, etc, but it is really up to us to be vigilant and watch out for suspicious characters and activities, and not be shy about reporting to the police.

I have received a report of a burglary which took place in Betteras Hill Road whilst the owner was visiting relatives.

Valuable sentimental jewellery items were stolen, and the police have been informed. Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the evening of 1st April in the Betteras Hill Road area, please contact the police on 0845 6060247.

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This will hopefully have deterred criminals entering our villages and committing crime.

There have been high visibility foot patrols and also mobile patrols of the area. We are running an operation where we check suspicious vehicles seen in the village at unusual times of the day and in the evening. This will hopefully have deterred criminals entering our villages and committing crime.

Recently a known offender has been convicted and sent to prison for six weeks for a number of offences that were committed in the Sherburn area. There may be a link with crime in surrounding villages. Investigations continue into other crimes committed in Hillam and Monk Fryston.

Suspected arson at the Cross Keys Police are currently investigating a suspected arson at the Cross Keys public house in Hillam. The fire occurred at approximately 23.30 hrs on Sunday 15th May 2011.

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact Selby CID office on 01904 669659.

Helping the police with their enquiries Sherburn Police Station front office reopened in September 2010 and is staffed purely by volunteers.

We are looking for new volunteers so that our hours can be extended. Anyone interested please contact Nigel Drayton on 07775 947660.

Sherburn-in-Elmet Police Station current opening times Monday 10:00 am to 12:00 noon Tuesday 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Wednesday 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Thursday 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

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RURAL FOOD AND DRINK Food miles and local milk At the last Hillam News meeting we had a discussion about milk and the difference between the milk bought in a supermarket and that delivered by a local milkman. We are lucky in Hillam to still have a local delivery service, and even luckier that the milk is actually produced within a few miles of the village.

The two local producers are Parkins at Hambleton, who have 300 head of dairy cattle, and Hickmans. Milk produced by Parkins is also available in the Post Office.

The question we had was, “Why did milk from the supermarket seem to keep longer than that from the local milkman?” Several of us thought this was the case. The great benefit of having such a local producer is that you can go and ask them. A visit was made and we found out that the milk on the farm travelled no more than a few metres between milking and processing. The milk is processed immediately, and so we know that the milk in a supermarket cannot possibly be as fresh when it goes onto the shelves. In the future more supermarket milk is expected to be imported, for which a bulk processing plant is being built near to Dover. This milk will travel even further and need to keep even longer.

The farmer was surprised by our observation, but said he would investigate, which he did by asking a contact in the company who supplies the machines that are used to pasteurise the milk.

The answer was that supermarkets insist on a long shelf life, and in order to provide this the machine used is modified.

More filtering is done by increasing the number of plates in the machine.

This may explain why the milk from supermarkets also has a different taste.

The Urban Farm Shop It’s a farm shop in all but name – just no chickens wandering about – and it is at Allerton Bywater near Castleford.

To get there, go along Fairburn Ings, past the former swan-feeding point, turn left at the traffic lights towards Castleford and then right at the next lights.

Samuel Valentine’s Urban Food Hall is in an old pub on the left, set in a housing development which owes a lot to Prince Charles and Poundbury.

All the farm shop favourites are on sale: Curry Cuisine, Womersley dressings, Fentiman’s ginger beer and beer from York Brewery. (There are no Bracken Hill products, but you can get them at Monk Fryston Stores.) Cheese is sold under the brand Cryer and Stott, which features at most farmers’ markets and at Monk Fryston Hall.

There is a café which kicks off the day with breakfast, but for us the highlight was the butchery whose rib eye steak beats the expensive but excellent Donald Russell’s of Inverurie. That’s something which can’t be said of other local farm shops.

Even if the joint you want is not on display, you can ask for it.

Worth a mention also are the beef pies and the chilli-flavoured pork pies.

The Urban Food Hall is a ‘must visit’ and it is worth noting that they have to try harder than farm shops. This is because shops situated on farms do not have to pay business rates.

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CONVOY REPORT – APRIL 2011 After several months of preparation, including the collection of over 40 tonnes of items that would constitute a really useful delivery to the institutions and organisations which support the sick, disabled and very needy people in Belarus, we were almost ready for the April convoy. The loading days had been well attended by never less than fifteen volunteers, and the sterling work of Alan and Chris Judd in preparing the warehouse meant that this massive task of stuffing the two large trailers went with the usual speed and efficiency.

Departure date was finally agreed as Friday April 1st. We drove the four trucks to Monk Fryston Primary School, and 180 pupils were there to give us a super send-off. They presented us with a symbolic gift of 180 pencils and a message for a similar school in Belarus.

The journey across Europe was uneventful until we reached the Polish customs. The queue of trucks waiting to cross out of Poland was over 25 kms in length. We cleared customs into Belarus on the Monday at 4 pm. The convoy split, with Bob and Aidan taking their vehicle to the Zhlobyn customs, a drive of several hours, where final clearance is needed before discharging the load at the Rogachev Association, which assists the families of disabled children. Bryan and Tony Parkin travelled on to Kalinkovichi, again to local customs, with their aid for the Kalinkovichi social services. Paul, Chris and Mike continued on to Gomel, arriving at 1 am Tuesday, and as the local customs were closed we parked in the hotel compound.

several years ago, and David and Barbara have continued to support them since.

They brought dressing up clothes for the children and it was a great sight to see the kids obviously delighted with their new apparel as they paraded up and down and sang for us. We had a meal at the kindergarten, and afterwards we had the opportunity to visit two of the families in their homes. Just as we were leaving for Gomel, Paul and Aidan arrived and went to the Centre for some well earned refreshments.

Saturday was rest and relaxation, buying Russian dolls and vodka, visiting friends, and packing and preparing for the journey home. We still managed a very productive joint meeting with two Belarusian charities, namely ‘White Dove’ and the ‘Coordination Centre’, represented by their directors Victoria and Valentina.

Three days later, and we were in Europort after another uneventful if long return journey, looking forward very much to the pint or two on the ferry, and most of all to the food that did not disappoint.

The genuine appreciation of the receivers for the aid and our efforts was just reward, and their thanks are passed on to the team in the UK who have given so much of their time as usual.

Thanks to David Campey for his overall support and the splendid warehouse facilities he provides to us, and to Paul Campey who keeps our small fleet of vehicles ‘on the road’.

Over twenty disabled and handicapped youngsters were enjoying a day at the Mayflower Centre, with lots of activities.

Their stay there provides their hard-pressed parents with some respite and rest – which is one of the major aims of the Centre.

Then it was on to the school at Grabovka, where the gym was to be used as a customs-registered store for not only the Telyashi part-load on the small truck, but also the 15 tonne load on the final truck for the Education Department. We visited the school and the classrooms and presented the pencils from our Monk Fryston Primary School – job done!

Many thanks also to our interpreters in Belarus, our office in Gomel, our sponsors in the UK and the donors of aid - many of whom are individuals or small groups of friends who provide some great items such as knitted garments and bedding.

I recognised one of the boxes from Copmanthorpe near York, and called the customs man over. When I started to open the box he said, “Neit”, but it was too late and I showed him the contents. He just said, “Beautiful!” I wonder how much he understood of the English language – maybe he understood some of Aidan’s jokes!

On the Friday, with just the small truck still to complete, carrying 1200 kgs of aid for the Diabetic Association, Paul and Aidan were once again delayed at customs, and their work unloading took them until 3 pm. The team had been taken by the Education Department firstly to Gomel district diagnostic and assessment centre. The director is Stevlana Izophatova, who came to the UK with our charity previously, to visit a similar centre for the disabled and special needs children here. The place was indeed very special and the children appeared to be very well cared for. Barbara and David Cox, who were on holiday in Belarus, had joined us for the day. Then it was on to Telyashi kindergarten. We started to support this kindergarten

We are also very grateful to major companies such as Ikea and Proctor and Gamble for their support in supplying key items of aid. These have been much appreciated and are in full use in Belarus, to the benefit of the disabled and their needy families. Job done once again.

Check out the photographs on our website: www.chernobyl-children.org.uk Mike Allison Aid Coordinator

12

GARDENING - POTTING ON No need to rush

Overwinter tender plants

You have to admire the resilience of plants. Most of my agapanthus in the garden are now through, one of my phormiums is showing growth, and I even dug up a dahlia which was sprouting from the tuber and is now in a pot and growing. There is a long list of tenderish shrubs and trees in my garden which looked very dead, but are now beginning to sprout a fuzz of green shoots from the trunk or base or branches. I will wait a few months to see how they perform. A shrub can sometimes be cut back very hard and reshaped as it grows, but a tree which had developed a good shape by pruning over the years is a different matter. If the regrowth is ugly, it may be better to harden the heart and take out the tree. Only time and instinct will tell. There is no need to rush the decision.

The best bit about being a seedy person is that it all takes place in the comfort of my greenhouse. This year for my birthday I had a heated propagating mat, which can be used to overwinter tender plants without heating the whole greenhouse, germinate seeds in the early part of the year, and root cuttings of plants like penstemon, verbena and pelargoniums in late summer. We have all been caught out this winter with our penstemons, which we used to take cuttings of as matter of course a few years ago!

Soil full of seeds If your garden, like mine, is covered by a haze of self-seeded blue forget-me-nots, now is the time to remove them. If you don’t, they will become unsightly with mildew, set thousands of plants for you to weed out later, squash any delicate perennials trying to come through, and provide a perfect hiding place for slugs and snails. Don’t worry that you won’t have any next year: the soil will be full of seeds.

More plants for our gardens It was when I took some interesting baby seedling plants to a friend whose garden I was visiting and she exclaimed, “Oh, you’re a seedy person,” that I realised how much I enjoy growing things from seed. She is a ‘splitting’ person, whose nursery bed has rows of lovely plants which she has divided from plants in her garden. This has the added benefit of rejuvenating the parent plant in the garden as well as providing new ones. Others are ‘cuttings’ people, who can never prune anything without sticking some bits into a pot to see if they take.

All of us are propagators, making more plants for our gardens.

A thrill There is such a thrill when the seeds come through. Seeds of essential vegetables, sweetcorn, beans, courgettes and tomatoes.

Seeds of annuals which I love for generous summer colour, cosmos, sweet peas, ageratum, orlaya. And some seeds from nice plants in my garden which I want more of, different every year - this year molospermum and digitalis cariensis - a charming dwarf foxglove which has delighted me for several seasons. Some years I grow trees from Chilterns’ seed catalogue and I have eucalyptus, acers, pinus patula, sorbus, hawthorn and roses flourishing in the garden, all grown from seed.

The most delightful job Pricking out the seedlings into pots is the most delightful job in the world. I stand at my potting table snug while the morning is cold or it is windy or raining, and tuck the tiny roots into cosy compost with the promise of a beautiful plant to come. They grow and need watering and feeding, pleasant excuses for pottering in the greenhouse on a chilly morning. They get bigger and I must decide where they are to go, but as they are so lovely and fragile, too dainty for the hurly-burly of the garden, I will pot them on so I can keep looking after them. Hardening them off, the ritual of trays of plants in and out of the greenhouse, is next.

Now it is mid-May, frost is unlikely and I have hundreds of plants - the next logical step is to plant them out, but it is difficult for me to let them go. Perhaps I’ll pot them on.

Susan Ferguson

13

ST WILFRID’S CHURCH Message from the Rector I hope you all enjoyed your extra bank holiday last month and opened a bottle or two to celebrate the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Marriage season is certainly in the air and St Wilfrid’s is well booked for the coming months.

Every so often, in my job, you get one of those special requests to do a marriage that is a little different. One such request came my way some time ago when a couple asked me if I’d conduct their wedding – he was a pilot in the RAF and she was a doctor.

I get many requests for weddings and they’re all special in their own way, but this one was a little different, in that it was to take place in the chapel of Edinburgh Castle. This was to be my first – and only – wedding conducted in “Bonnie Scotland”.

I met with the couple several times before the wedding to talk about their plans. Apart from the practical concerns relating to the wedding day itself, the fuss about photographers, what colour the bridesmaids’ dresses would be – making sure that they didn’t clash with the flowers, etc, etc, etc, there was the more important area of the content of the service, and also their future beyond the service – the marvellous adventure that we called married life.

One of the best ways I’ve found to do this preparation is to ask couples two questions. The first about the vows and the promises in the marriage service – were the bride and groom going to be using the same vows to each other, or – and you always had to drop your voice discreetly at this point – was she going to promise to ‘obey him’. Often that would get things going and they would talk about their expectations of each other and of married life. But if it’s all too well-meaning and vague, then you try the second question – you ask them where they’re going to spend their first Christmas together. It doesn’t really matter what they say, but you’ve got to watch who answers and also the face the other one pulls.

You see, when you take the step of marriage, then you’ve got to learn to think in terms of two people. The textbook answers are dead easy: marriage is about commitment, about holding together through good times and bad, about children and family and all of that – it’s just the putting it all into practice that gets most people into trouble. Up there with the big problems, like where are we going to live, is our relationship strong enough, how are we going to raise our children, are the little questions, like who’s going to clean the loo, and when will you learn that towels live in the cupboard and should not be allowed to live migratory nomadic lives on the bathroom floor.

If we work at the smaller problems we’ve at least got a chance of getting to grips with the bigger ones. The really interesting thing is that the same is true of all the difficult questions of life.

God, love, peace, justice and freedom are great ideas. It’s when they’re actually going to change people’s lives that we need to pay attention to detail. Jesus was clear that the setting for the struggle with the great questions was ordinary daily life. The stories and parables that he told stayed within reach of people.

The widow who found a lost coin, the shepherd who found a lost sheep, the man whose guests wouldn’t come to the party.

So remember, if we’re ever going to have our heads anywhere near the clouds, we’re going to have to keep our feet firmly on the ground.

Blessings

John

Services at St Wilfrid’s 1st Sunday of each month 8am Holy Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston 9.30am Parish Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford 11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston 11am Sunday Club in St Wilfrid’s Church Hall (ages 2-8)

2nd Sunday of each month 9.30am Family Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford 11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston 6pm Evensong at St Mary’s, South Milford

3rd Sunday of each month 8am Holy Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston 9.30am Parish Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford 11am Family Service at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

4th Sunday of each month 9.30am Family Service at St Mary’s, South Milford 11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston 6pm Holy Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford

MARRIAGES St Wilfrid’s Church is the most beautiful building in which to have your marriage service, situated directly over the road from Monk Fryston Hall which hosts many wedding receptions during the course of the year. Due to changes in marriage legislation it has become easier in recent years to marry at a church other than your local parish church, and if you would like to explore a marriage service in St Wilfrid’s, or simply require further information about getting married in church, please give me a call at the Rectory on 680788.

BAPTISMS Sometimes life passes so quickly that we occasionally never get the things done that we wish we had done. I have met several people over the past couple of years who were never baptised as children and somehow felt that it was too late.

It is never too late for anyone to explore the possibility of baptism as an adult, or even as an older child, and if you would like to do so, please give me a call at the Rectory on 680788.

John Further details about St Wilfrid’s on our website

www.stwilfridandstmary.org.uk

14

HILLAM HISTORIANS Time moved on; in 2011 Tony Hudson was having a clear-out.

Spring cleaning Booksellers around the country with obscure historical records, the Internet, intrepid surfing by local historians – these elements married together are helping to develop local historical knowledge. They are also providing information for us to set within both the wider context and local knowledge, and also to clarify local records unearthed in cupboard clear-outs.

Whilst Internet browsing in 2010, Graham Todd spotted and bought a document relating to Monk Fryston charities. What a treasure trove it turned out to be.

Wandering back from the Post Office, Betty Wright passed by his drive whilst Tony was talking to Ray Newton. Tony offered to the Hillam Historians for their archives a compact bankbook-sized log which detailed annual payments of small amounts to various villagers during most years from 1957 to 1986.

www.hillam-village.co.uk The available funds were themselves the result of bequests, often of many years’ standing. The main ones which provided for the poor of the three townships which together constituted the “ancient parish” of Monk Fryston, Hillam and Burton Salmon were all land-related.

The income from Rhodes’s Poor’s Land was the rental from an area of three roods or thereabouts in Hillam purchased with a £10 bequest from Elizabeth Rhodes Ray, having read and thoroughly absorbed in 1741. the above-mentioned charities document, Similarly, a share of the income from was instantly able to give us a probable Strode’s Poor’s Land in Lumby was the background story. result of a bequest in 1717.

In the nineteenth century there was a Turner’s Dole in 1896 was earning ten requirement for the parish councils to be shillings (50p) a year for the poor of responsible for the needy within their bounds. From 1826 it was the duty of the Burton Salmon.

Poor Law Commissioners to ensure that Quite when the responsibilities officially they were doing their job in distributing, fell from the shoulders of the parish “doling out”, the available funds to the councils we don’t know, but the practice poor. The Charity Commissioners’ Inquiry continued. Invested funds from previous report for Monk Fryston Parish 1895 years’ charitable donations allowed small confirmed that £25 per year was available payments to be made even until the late to be doled out to the poor. twentieth century.

It stated that: He shared the information with Hillam Historians and Monk Fryston Time Team. “These doles are regularly collected, and distributed at the church on Christmas Some of the gems it contains are records Day, by the churchwardens and overseers, concerning the collection of funds for the amongst the poorest people of the relief of the needy of our parish. township of Monk Fryston.”

You will be very welcome at the next meeting of Hillam Historians: Wednesday 27th July, 7.30 pm. Come and join us at Hillam Nurseries. Further details from Jenny Hoare, 683332 or hoarehsandj@btinternet.com.

Dunce Mire Lane Everyone will be familiar with Dunce Mire Lane.

However, followers of the Parish Council’s tribulations and also TomTom sat nav users might have wondered what the strange combination of words means.

Place names of the West Riding of Yorkshire by A H Smith states that the word ‘mire’ or ‘myrr’ means marsh, whilst ‘dunce’ probably comes from dun or duns, meaning dark.

Maspin Moor is translated as ‘fen on the boundary’, obvious really when you know it is on the way to Gateforth.

Stocking Lane is rather disappointingly a clearing of tree stumps. Whilst Austfield Lane is ‘east field’ and Fair Field is what it says, Smith suggests that Betteras Hill is named after a lady called Beatrice, who once owned it.

David (Dai) Jones

Architect

Dip. Arch. RIBA Fletton House The Square HILLAM North Yorkshire LS25 5HE

Phone 01977 685534 Consultation Welcome – Initial Discussion Free

15

OUT AND ABOUT Zumba is the latest fitness craze sweeping the UK – but what is it?

It’s an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness party. You are working out really hard (you glow, ladies!) but, having so much fun, it can’t help but put you into a great mood.

A cut above those at rest On Saturday 2nd April the tranquillity of Monk Fryston Cemetery was disturbed by an “army” of volunteers, actually eleven stalwarts from the combined parishes.

They tackled many years of growth of ivy, elderberry and laurel which were threatening the stability of the lovely stone walls surrounding this peaceful place. The result was two large piles of vegetation (now removed) and many aching limbs.

A big thank-you to all concerned.

On the same day Hillam Cricket Club volunteers were hard at work on the new pavilion, and Burton Salmon cricketers were making good damage following off-season break-ins. And the day before, a team was seen working hard in St Wilfrid’s churchyard under the command of the Rev John.

Stuart Wroe Sometimes great ideas are born from accidents. Its creator, ‘Beto’ Perez, was a fitness instructor in Florida. On one particular day, he forgot his aerobics music. Facing his class with no music to work out to, he dashed to his car and grabbed his favourite tape. This happened to be Latino music, including salsa and morengue. Improvising, he created a new kind of dance fitness, one that let the music move you rather than counting reps over the music. Energy electrified the room; people couldn’t stop smiling. His class loved it. And Zumba was born.

Reports from those who have taken part in Zumba classes confirm that it is a really great workout. Everyone enjoys it and you meet a whole bunch of new friends who are laughing and smiling. Give it a go at the Church Hall. It’s on Thursday nights from 6.45 to 7.30 pm.

Christ is risen indeed Well before dawn on Easter Sunday, over fifty worshippers gathered outside St Wilfrid’s to celebrate the Resurrection and renew their baptism vows. They clustered initially around a brazier and, carefully clutching candles, moved into the church.

A late Easter meant that a candlelit vigil needed to be very early, half an hour before the time advertised in Hillam News. The service was based on a sixth century Christian rite, with Victorian hymns. The undoubted highlight was the solo chanting of Cantor Andy Brown from Hillam.

After the service John Hetherington proposed a champagne toast before bacon butties and Weetabix in the church hall.

Remember the Community Centre is available to hire for private gatherings and parties (contact Becky on 689230).

If it’s chairs, tables, marquees, gazebos or even crockery you want to borrow, give Kath Ratcliffe a call on 683590.

BOARDING KENNELS AND CATTERY Common Lane, South Milford, Leeds, LS25 5BX Come and see our spacious purpose-built accommodation

“YOUR PET’S HOLIDAY HOME”

Phone Kathryn Beal on 01977 685404 Open 9 am - 6 pm daily VISITORS WELCOME

16

MONK FRYSTON HALL - ON YOUR DOORSTEP We are so lucky to have Monk Fryston Hall on our doorstep here is nothing to beat the view from the dining room of Monk Fryston Hall on a bright spring morning, even if yours is the only table in for lunch. You can see the terrace, and the view to the south is much better now that the new owners have removed the undergrowth. We were not really alone as there was an ‘eightieth’ in the ballroom and the bar lunch area was busy.

T

If we had restricted ourselves to a main course from the à la carte, the bill would have compared favourably with a bar lunch at the Chequers, Ledsham. But of course we were tempted by chicken liver parfait and pavlova. We had heard that the chef was excellent – and the main course, noisettes of lamb, was a credit to the kitchen. Deliciously rare, and with enough fat to enhance the taste, it was the highlight of the meal.

We enjoyed the company of the staff, whom we knew well from various cricket and fundraising dinners and weddings attended at the Hall. Most will agree that Monk Fryston Hall is an important part of our community and to the management’s credit remains accessible to local people.

In the evening and at weekends there is usually a number of local young waiters and waitresses at the Hall. Several have gone on to forge careers in catering.

Prior to being a hotel the building was the home of the Hemsworth family who, as anyone who has been to St Wilfrid’s will know, played an important part in church life during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Mary, widow of

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Benjamin Hemsworth junior, died in 1940 and ownership passed to a nephew, who was killed in the Second World War. At the postwar auction, when most of Monk Fryston’s farms passed into private ownership, S W Tinsdale bought the Hall and opened it as a hotel. He also established, in quick succession, the Owl Country Club at Hambleton and Rogerthorpe Manor, Badsworth – all different but still thriving today.

From 1954 to 2006 the Hall was owned by the Duke of Rutland.

The present owner is Mr M Hogarth, owner of the Cave Castle Hotel, Brough. Mr Tinsdale’s grandson is a local farmer, who produces 50% of the fresh carrots sold in ASDA supermarkets.

THEATRE LUNCH AT MONK FRYSTON HALL Performed by the Library Theatre Touring Company

Sunday 12th June 2011 Weekend Break by John Godber Martin is staying in the Lake District to write his Hollywood blockbuster with all the peace and quiet he could hope for, except that he has invited his parents along for a cosy weekend!

When Len and Joan turn up, it’s raining, cold and they’re falling apart - with a pill for every complaint.

The stresses and strains of family life are played out with bittersweet humour, and some unexpected revelations make it a weekend never to forget. A superb example of Godber’s unique, incisive humour!

2-Course Luncheon, Coffee and the Theatre Presentation £22.00 per person (1.45 pm - 5.45 pm approx)

17

WIND FARM UPDATE JUNE 2011 The greenest Government ever CO2 to be cut by 50% by the year 2025 In Australia there is a political row about a carbon tax. It has made the TV news, chat shows and phone-ins. Their Prime Minister is questioned and ridiculed about it. The central argument is the effect that a large carbon tax would have on their economy versus the predicted benefit from reducing CO2.

The odd thing is that we already have a carbon tax, but people have not yet realised. The rates are now set to rise as the Government starts to use it to achieve the objectives of reducing CO2 by 50% before 2025. We might not be aware of the carbon tax but the Australians are and interviewed one of our “experts”.

The result was staggering - the national expert on carbon market and climate change was unable to say how much the tax would cost and unable to say what it would achieve.

CO2 is not just about producing electricity. Every time we get in our cars we are responsible for CO2 emissions; every time we put the central heating on we produce some more. Worst of all, we go on foreign holidays: the plane injects large quantities of greenhouse gas into the upper atmosphere. Producing meat and dairy products is responsible for yet more greenhouse gas.

We can expect everything that produces CO2 to become far more expensive as the tax ripples through the system.

Now, I don’t disagree with an objective to reduce CO2 emissions. However if we are going to do it we should do it in the most cost-effective way. In Selby District we are exceptionally lucky in that we can make a huge contribution to CO2 reductions without building hundreds of wind turbines.

One project to burn wood pellets alongside coal at Drax will save an estimated 900,000 tons of CO2 per year. It will also bring jobs to the area - growing and processing wood and biomass. In comparison, the 14 turbines proposed at Woodlane claim to save 40,000 tons of CO2 per year.

The actual savings of CO2 claimed by wind farms are questionable. The power produced might be free of CO2, but if a power station is held on standby to cope with wind speed variation this needs to be taken into account. This is well illustrated by Government figures for the whole of the UK. Last year 14% more onshore wind farm capacity was built, and the result was 7% less wind power than in the previous year, due to variations in wind strength from year to year. Even worse, the total CO2 production in the UK actually rose 3.8%.

So much for the theory that adding more wind turbines will achieve the target for CO2 reduction. The only guarantee there is about wind farms is that they industrialise the countryside.

Updates on the 22 x Megawatt Valley wind farms Byram (9) - Consultation about the test mast completed.

Next step will be publication of the Planning Officer’s recommendation and a decision. Application for the 9-turbine wind farm 2 km south of Hillam could follow any time.

Cleek Hall (5) - Consultation about additional information completed. Awaiting Planning Officer’s report and Planning meeting. The 60-metre test mast is visible from Selby bypass.

Woodlane (14) and Bishopwood (7) - No new information.

Planning Officer’s report could be published at any time, with 5 days’ notice of the corresponding Selby Planning meeting.

Darrington Quarries / Cridling Stubbs (8) - Similar to Woodlane, but it will be decided by N Yorks County Council.

Hook Moor (5) - A new Public Inquiry expected in August.

Spaldington (12) - The Public Inquiry into the two wind farms, 2 km apart, with the village of Spaldington between them, started on 24 May and is expected to run for two or three weeks.

These two proposals show that wind farm developers are prepared to put large turbines right up to and all around our villages. The Wind Farm Wars series (BBC 2, Friday 7 pm) shows very clearly that they have no respect whatsoever for the environment or for people living in villages.

Keadby (34) - The wind farm near the M18 is approved, but not yet built. It will have 34 turbines, each 125 metres high.

Even before construction has started the wind farm has been sold by the developer to Scottish and Southern Energy. The price is not known but SSE made £1.3bn profits last year.

More information - including link to the Australian radio interview: Please visit the news pages on the website.

Any search with Woodlane and wind farm will find the site.

www.stopwoodlanewindfarm.co.uk

18

THE BIRDING COLUMN seemed so fresh and full of life, particularly after the harsh winter we have just experienced. The stream that rushes down from Hardcastle is always good for Dippers and Grey Wagtail, and it didn’t disappoint, with great photographic opportunities at every bend.

It is now the middle of May, one of the most exciting months for birders. It seems ages ago that we lost our Whooper Swans, the last having departed in April. Howard Ferguson tells me he has had a Cuckoo in his garden, but unfortunately the male of his resident breeding pair of Moorhens was killed by a Sparrowhawk! Rob Preston had sightings of Kingfisher at the brick ponds in early May. After a three-week spell on Tiree, we have returned to find that our tame pair of Blackbirds is still around, as I found the female in the hall after leaving the front door open when I went to the garage.

Obviously our son Alex has been feeding her dates whilst we have been away.

Since late March I have been actively involved with the Yorkshire Red Kite Group, monitoring nests and locating new breeding pairs of Red Kites, so this has taken up an awful lot of my time, and my opportunities for local exploration have been rather limited. However, I did manage to record the dates when I saw my first summer migrants, with my first Chiffchaff in oak woods near Micklefield on 19th March, the first Willow Warblers and Blackcaps on 8th April, and the Swallows returning to Rose Lea on 17th April.

Red Kite - Milvus Milvus

This spring, taking full advantage of the extra hours available to me since retirement, I revisited one of my all-time favourite haunts on the moors beyond Hebden Bridge, where I found Ring Ouzels behind the Pack Horse pub at Widdop. I hadn’t seen them there for many years, and had assumed that this pair had succumbed to whatever global During the course of my voluntary work pressure is putting this species under for the Kite Group, I come into contact threat – but it was so easy this year, and I with a variety of people and receive guess my problem in previous years was emails from those who have seen Red just one of timing, as you need to be there Kites in our area. Yesterday, a lady emailed me to tell me about a pair of kites in the second week of April for the best that had been seen flying around the cattle chance of seeing this beautiful bird. The male is superficially like a Blackbird from market in Selby lately, which is particularly intriguing, as I don’t know of the back view, but when it turns around you see it has a large brilliant white any pairs within the Selby area. So, if anyone has seen any large rufous birds of crescent on its breast. A six-mile tramp up prey, significantly bigger than a buzzard, through Hardcastle Crags, a steep-sided valley populated by a variety of enormous with angled wings, a light grey head and deeply forked red tail, then please contact beeches and oaks, just starting to come into leaf, then onto the moorland; it me via the editor.

As I mentioned above, Jenny and I have been up in Tiree for the last three weeks.

In the whole of this period I spent just one day indoors, and that was only because of the bad weather. I have “birded” non-stop, sometimes on my bike, but mainly on foot, looking for and trying to photograph Corncrakes, a particularly elusive species.

I think in the ten years of going to Tiree I have seen Corncrakes only about three times, and it has always been a fleeting glimpse of a small and skulking “brown job”, scuttling into an iris bed. On this occasion it was so different, as our timing was intended to coincide with the arrival of this summer migrant, when the birds are at their most vociferous, and when the vegetation is short. After spending most of the first and second weeks in the west of the island, where the population of Corncrakes is the highest, and having no luck at all, I decided to look at the local pair, which is in a marsh, and just a hundred yards down the track from the house. Why I hadn’t looked at these before I just don’t know, but in the last week I’ve managed to take some really great video footage of the birds singing, and also some pretty good stills, by just taking an evening stroll with my camera.

What with Great Northern divers, a Golden Eagle and otters as well, “my cup runneth over”, and I am now completely “birded out”. Never mind, after a complete rest at home, doing nothing, ignoring the by now rampant weeds, I should be fully recuperated, with binoculars at the ready……

Graham Todd

19

MONK FRYSTON SCHOOL REPORT Green scheme casts its web An innovative dad at Monk Fryston Primary School has come up with an idea to improve communications between parents and teachers.

Brent Thurrell decided that in the age of social networking technology, letters in children's book bags were no longer the best way for messages to get through.

The school has now signed up to the Scholabo site, which Brent founded, so parents can pick up reminders, newsletters and school news via the Internet.

"I came up with the idea for Scholabo to scratch my own itch," he said.

"Like many busy parents, I was struggling keeping on top of the letters coming home from school - when they actually made it home - and then trying to figure out what was important to me and my child."

He added: "I spotted an opportunity to create a private social network that securely connects the school to its parent community to provide information in the way that today's parents want to consume it."

Using the website is also good news for the school's carbon footprint and finances, with the average primary school estimated to use 60,000 sheets of A4 paper

every year for communicating with parents.

Head teacher Carole Middleton agrees the scheme will lead to "significant financial savings". She added: "It's about time that schools make a clear break from the paper-based past and begin to embrace new methods of communications that are becoming commonplace in other walks of life today. In the age of the Internet and social networking, there's a real argument for rethinking the way schools should communicate with parents."

Carole explained: "In the majority of schools, there's still an over-reliance upon letters in book bags to get information home to parents, which as a communication mechanism is fraught with issues such as loss, damage, destruction and information overload, not to mention the environmental impact of all the paper being used."

Scholabo is being taken up by other schools in the region and is gaining momentum in schools on both a national and an international scale.

Call 0844 2413226 for further information.

Reprinted from Selby Times 19th May

MONK FRYSTON Pre-SCHOOL We welcome children from two years to school age* We provide lots of different activities including: Toys, Songs, Rhymes, Stories, Painting, Modelling, Sand and Water Play, Cutting and Glueing, Playdough, Puzzles and much more…!

Monday to Friday 9:00 – 12:00 am Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 – 3:00 pm Contact Jayne Wood 681050 Church Hall, Monk Fryston We are OFSTED Inspected and LEA funded and we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum *places are offered subject to availability

20

BROADBAND HILLAM Suppliers put to the test - what kind of service do you receive?

Another householder, also with Orange, chose TalkTalk. Again his telephone worked, but not the Internet. Neighbours remained fully connected. TalkTalk prevaricated, and then at last agreed to My own experience is probably typical. send an engineer. No one arrived, despite I was an Orange customer – having a day taken off work to rendezvous with originally signed up with Freeserve, him. This customer eventually cancelled I found myself sold on to Wanadoo and TalkTalk and, despite the service never then Orange. The service was OK until working, was charged £90.00. That broadband failed, with the telephone And another thing: when is high speed remains to be resolved. He transferred to continuing to work. I called Orange in broadband coming to Hillam?

BT. The phone worked fine, but Internet India, but they would not talk to me until was still intermittent. BT sent an engineer Two issues ago the Hillam Nerd invited I stopped using someone else’s wifi router who renewed some wiring and now (Belkin). BT, also in India, refused to talk Hillam News readers to vote for high everything works fine. because my Internet supplier was Orange speed broadband in a process called the Race to Infinity. Sorry, but this was little and my telephone still worked. Then a bit Hillam News would like to hear of others’ experience and broadband of luck: the phone went off as well. BT more than a BT stunt, and after recommendations. Have you had better turned out and within half a day I was nationwide voting just four exchanges service from TalkTalk, and what is Sky called, from the entrance to Mill Close, were added to BT’s list for super fast like? There is no date for the roll-out of by a repair man. He had tweaked broadband – and not surprisingly South high speed broadband in our area but if Milford is not one of them. something in the BT box there and I was anyone sees a fibre-optic cable heading for back in business.

South Milford exchange supplies that box near Mill Close, shout out at the I determined to leave Orange and return to broadband by means of an Asymmetric top of your voice.

Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and it is BT, despite Which recommendations. For peace of mind I got a dongle, so I could possible to connect via any number of Don’t forget, Hillam News is on the stay on the net if my line failed altogether. Internet at: suppliers – from BT to Orange to Virgin Changeover day arrived. The postman and Sky. Two (Sky and TalkTalk) have http://www.hillam-village.co.uk, and put their own Local Loop Unbundling delivered a parcel from BT. I plugged in http://www.issuu.com/hillamnews, via (LLU) into South Milford, so theoretically the router, switched on my computer and, http://pc.monkfryston.net, and also on hey presto, I was back on line with BT. they should give a better and faster Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ I have the added benefit of BT FON, service. There is no cable nearer than home.php#!/pages/HillamHarrogate, so forget that one. which allows me to log in at lots of wifi News/160742057308841. hotspots all over the country – and it ADSL allows data to be transmitted over really works. regular copper lines at frequencies higher Should I change my broadband supplier?

What is a MAC number? Might I lose the Internet altogether if I try to transfer to another provider? These are questions which have occupied us all. People, me included, are nervous about changing broadband supplier, despite being bombarded from all sides with best-buy recommendations.

than those which are used for voice calls, and at the same time. ADSL works best when you live less than five kilometres from the exchange.

The Hillam Nerd

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READER’S LETTER Re proposed showpeople’s quarters on Lowfield Road It has been belatedly brought to my attention that the applicant has suggested moving the bus stop at the end of Green Lane, to Lowfield Road.

The bus stop at the end of Green Lane is there for the use of the current residents and is the only way to get both to the village and beyond without use of a car. Obviously this also applies to anyone wanting to get to Green Lane. My husband and I now live alone but our family and friends can and do use the bus service when they visit us. We also can use our bus passes to shop in Selby, Sherburn or Leeds.

Some years ago, I foolishly thought I would walk to the village for milk.

The road was not as busy as now but I could walk only a few yards on the road when I had to jump onto the grass verge. There is no footpath and the grass verge is not only on a slope but also cut with drains. This was quite difficult in good weather but certainly impossible in rain, snow, fog or in the darkness. It would be just as difficult to walk to Lowfield Road to catch a bus and therefore the idea has no consideration for the current users of the bus service.

I would therefore like to object to this further proposal (moving the bus stop) and hope that we who live and work on Green Lane will not have our usage jeopardised.

Yours faithfully Lynn Ingledew Green Lane Farm, Monk Fryston

22

IN-NEWS

SPORT-

anchester United have secured their 19th title, and in doing so have taken the mantle off their archrivals Liverpool to become the club that has won the most titles. It really is a terrific achievement, given they were only on title number 8 when Sir Alex Ferguson took over the running of the club in the late ’80s. It also puts their progress into some perspective when you consider Ryan Giggs has now lifted 12 titles in his time at Old Trafford. At the time of writing there is still the Champions’ League final to be played and it will be interesting to see whether they can match and defeat the all-conquering Barcelona side who have swept all before them so far this season.

M

Much has been made of the rush to secure tickets for the Olympic Games in 2012, with the initial ballot for events closing in late April. Personally I was astonished at the cost of attending the blue-riband events such as the 100 metres final and some of the swimming finals. I am not sure if there’s a better way to have handled the ticket allocation but there’s little doubt that a number of people (including yours truly!) will be tested financially if they secure tickets for some of these events. It was an easy process to select the events you wish to see, not least because the money is taken only once your allocation has been confirmed. I guess I will be like many others in that if I get ALL of the tickets I have requested, then not only will I be busy next summer, I will also be visiting the events via the bankruptcy courts…!

One thing is for sure however – that the Red Devils won’t have things all their own way domestically next season, not least because their near neighbours have now lifted the ‘monkey off their back’ by winning their first trophy in 35 years when they picked up the FA Cup. If Manchester City continue to spend in the summer and make one or two top-class signings, they will surely be a lot closer to winning the title than they managed to be Yours in sport this year. Chelsea will be as keen as ever to reclaim the title they won in 2010, whilst a resurgent Liverpool will also push Arsenal Doug Hought and Tottenham for a place in the top four. After years where you could say that it will be either Manchester United or Chelsea who win the title, next season looks to be one of the most open for a long time.

The Rugby Union season has come to a conclusion with the inevitable relegation of our local team Leeds Carnegie.

I mentioned in a previous column that the team have probably deserved their final position, given the negative style of play which they have adopted for most of the season, but it was equally hard not to feel some sympathy for the team in their last game when they scored three tries in the first 30 minutes (away from home to European Cup finalists Northampton) yet still managed to pluck defeat from the jaws of victory. I stand by my comments that the club should look to move their home games around Yorkshire in order to attract a wider fan base but, to be honest, they could find the next year very demanding, trying to get back to the top tier from a league which looks increasingly competitive.

23

BITS AND BOBS Look out for Hooked ’N’ Cooked Fish and chips in the Community Centre car park on alternate Tuesdays May 31st, June 14th, June 28th then fortnightly 3:30 pm until 7:30 pm

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Amanda Hornshaw

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Foot Health Practitioner Dip CFHP, MPS Pract

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If you have a contribution which you think will be of interest to people in the village please send it in.

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Home visits only Phone: 07740 090368 Fully insured and CRB checked

ZUMBA Latin-inspired dance fitness workout St Wilfrid’s Church Hall Every Thursday, 6:45-7:30 pm, £3 For more details contact Hannah Howcroft (Qualified Fitness Instructor) 07707 929393

24

CLUBS & GROUPS To amend or to add to the information below, please phone Jenny Hoare (683332)

CLUB OR GROUP Monk Fryston & Hillam Community Association

LOCATION

DAY & TIME

Community Centre

Bi-monthly 3rd Wed 7.30pm

Church Hall booking

CONTACT Booking: Becky Gatenby 689230 Secretary: Tony Hudson 682693

Paddy Twidale

07766 097520

Ringtree Lights Committee

Cross Keys

Occasional

Karen Merry

Monk Fryston & South Milford Mothers’ Union

Church Hall

Apr-Sep: 3rd Tue 7.30pm Oct-Mar: 3rd Wed 2pm

Paddy Twidale

Women with Interests

Usually at Community Centre

3rd Thurs 7.30pm

Kath Ratcliffe

683590

Community Association Luncheon Club (for anyone over 70)

Community Centre: for catering purposes, please book your place

1st Wed from 11.30am

Kath Ratcliffe

683590

St Wilfrid’s & St Mary’s Youth Fellowship

Variable 2nd & 4th Sat (term time)

Ages 8-11: 6.30-8pm Ages 12-16: 7.30-9pm

Alison Holmes

682450

S Milford Youth Club

SM Church Hall

Wed 7-9pm

Jean Gibson

682751

Breakfast & After-School Clubs

Community Centre & Hambleton Play Safe Club

7.30am-6.30pm Mon-Fri 9-12am Tue & Thur 12.30-3pm Tue 9.30-11.15am (term time)

685694 07766 097520

Rachael Peacock 01757 229910 Jayne Wood 681050 (Playschool hours only)

MF Pre-school

Church Hall

Little Monkeys (Mothers & Toddlers)

Community Centre

Rainbows (girls 5-7)

Church Hall

Friday

Becky Gatenby

689230

1st Hillam & MF Brownies

Church Hall

Fri 6.30-7.30pm

Marie Parkin

680363

Sarah Force

07879 452293

S Milford Guides 682506, Hambleton Guides 01757 705535, Sherburn Cubs and Scouts 07913 158839 Air Cadets (ages 13-21)

RAF Church Fenton

Mon & Fri 7-9pm

Chernobyl Children’s Project (UK), MF Group MF, Hillam & Burton Salmon Defibrillator Group

Crown Inn

Hillam & MF Cricket Club

www.hmfcc.co.uk

Occasional Tues 7.30pm

01937 557340 Paula Spencer

682506

John Colton

671172

Kate Vaks

Burton Salmon Cricket Club

John Nesbitt

07747 045060 684444

Monk Fryston United FC

Stocking Lane

Steve Tope

07970 868288

Innter Crown FC

Lowfield Road

Lee Hammerton 07774 048913

Castleford & Dist Society of Anglers

Hillam Pond, Betteras Hill Road

D Malanczac

St Wilfrid’s Parish Walks

Variable

4th Sat 10.15am

Stuart Twidale

Hillam Running Club

Ringtree

Various

Lisa Sage

689206

Circuit Training (children & adults)

MF School

Mon & Thur 8-9pm

Pat Birch

680580

Dancing (ages 3 to adult)

Church Hall

Tue 4-7.30, Wed 4-6.30pm

Lucie Fox

01757 228841

Dancing for Tots

Community Centre

Thur 10-11am

Claire Collins

07936 766420

Zumba fitness workout

Church Hall

Thur 6.45-7.30pm

Hannah Howcroft 07707 929393

Pilates

Community Centre

Mon 9.30-10.30am (term time)

Beverley Fletcher 01937 530079

Hillam Historians

Hillam Nurseries

Bi-monthly 4th Wed 7.30pm

Jenny Hoare

683332

MF Art Club

Church Hall

Mon 1-4pm

Jean Dearn

682611

University of the Third Age, Sherburn and Villages branch

Various groups, locations and times detailed at: www.sherburnu3a.co.uk

Lorna Pope

683514

Local evening & daytime classes

Adult Learning Service, Selby & Sherburn

0845 3006686

Sherburn Library

Has a list of local societies covering a wide area

0845 0349443

557715 07766 097520