Causeway Feb 2019

FEB 19

Inside

TAKE 5 UPDATE VALENTINE'S SCIENCE COMMUNITY CATCH-UP

Advertising Index Accountants Gillbeck Assoc Peter Howard Alarms PGK Security Animal Care Clifford Moor Farm Fosters Dog Grooming Architects McNicholas Architects Bed & Breakfast Four Gables Building Materials Kirbys

Contact: Emma Shellard, 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com 22

Hairdressing Ian Blakey

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Curtains, Furnishing Lou’s Threads

28

Hardware Douglas Yeadon

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30 28 29

Holiday Cottages Priory Cottages

22

28 30

Decorators Mark Hatfield Oliver Willard The Decorating Centre

Kitchens Aberford Interiors

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30

Elderly Support WiSE

Newsagents Supershop

28

30 05

30 23

Computers The PC Crew

30

23 15

Business Support Small Business Marketing Coach

19

Carpet Cleaning Wetherby Carpet

28

04

Electrical services PC Collier Edmunds Electrical

22 30

Opticians Andrew Morgan Cameron Beaumont

Estate Agents Beadnall & Copley

32

PA/Secretarial Concierge David Bransby 27

Flooring Services Thorner Flooring Floor Design Wetherby

18 22

Plumbing and Heating Peter Norman 30

Funerals Tony Barker

28

Restaurants Fox and Hounds

14

Retail Parks Thorp Arch Retail Park

15

Tree Services Bardsey Tree Services

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Cars/MOT Boston Spa Garage Westmoreland Cars

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Furniture Hue Interiors

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Chimney Sweep Mooring Brothers

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Gardening Lawn Keeper MK Landscaping

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Chiropody Boston Spa Chiropody

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Front Cover - Snowdrops at All Saints’ Church Thorp Arch © Rachel Bentley Causeway - Chair Ian Hall | Editor Rachel Bentley | Designer John Pendleton | Advertising Emma Shellard Distribution (Thorp Arch) Jane Clayton (Walton) Gay Childe and David Spencer. Big thanks to the entire distribution team.

Please refer to the Contacts Page for contact details.

The Editor and Management Committee do not endorse any content of articles or advertisements in this magazine nor shall they be liable directly or indirectly for any damages which may arise from information or views contained in these pages.

Emails please to causeway.editor@gmail.com

Dear Reader, It is probably far too late to say it but…Happy New Year. As this is the first issue of Causeway of 2019, I will allow myself this small indulgence.

Like an old friend ‘first footing’ on the break of New Year’s Day, Causeway turns up on your doorstep and brings you a gamut of gifts! With a month ‘off’ in January, this issue is a catch-up on the past few weeks’ events and a way to get ready for the year ahead with an extensive diary of things to do.

We have a few updates on Causeway Magazine itself - a case of the news being the news! Take 5 Team (volunteers for Causeway) is taking its first tentative steps with some NEW volunteers to add to our existing hardworking team - find out more on page 21.

And finally…a bit of February Fun! A Valentine’s Day science experiment that may be fun to do with children (of any age) this school half-term.

Your Causeway Editor

Now available online at issuu.com/causewaymag and LARGE PRINT VERSION AVAILABLE BY EMAILING CAUSEWAY.EDITOR@GMAIL.COM.

We have also an update on TAG - a sobering read as there are further moves afoot to build on land around Wealstun - please do read Peter Locke’s

Advertisers’ index Editor’s letter Valentine’s Science News from our Churches Letter from the Clergy / Sunday Services Thorp Arch Parish Council Thorp Arch News Walton News

piece on page 13 as all our communities are affected.

2 3 6 7 8/9 10 11 12

Causeway is a voluntary community magazine which is published 10 times a year (monthly except for January and August). Contributions are considered by our Editorial Team and are invited to be emailed to causeway.editor@gmail.com by 10th of the month prior to publication.

TAG update Village Diary and Notice Board Walking the Kumano Kodo Part 2 Causeway News Charity Update Book Review Birds in Your Garden Village Contacts 3

13 16/17 20 21 24 25 26 29

4 22

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The Science of Valentine’s Day

Materials:

> Container/jar. (Height is more important

February - the month of new growth, flowering bulbs…and love! Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day again.

than width. Suggested to use a small glass mixing bowl slightly larger than a cereal bowl.)

In researching the subject, I came across the usual, “Roman Martyr (blah blah), billions of £££ spent on cards and gifts each February (yatter yatter) and how it’s all about loved up couples (blurgh blurgh).”

> Bicarbonate of soda > White vinegar > Water > Love Hearts

All a bit boring and will be repeated in every other publication you will pick up! So, I thought I would take a look at the science of Valentine’s instead.

Procedure:

> Mix 1/2 tablespoon of bicarbonate of

I could talk about the neuroscience of love all being in the head not the heart (really, someone got paid to do that research?) but I decided to bring you the rather wonderful, the child-friendly Dancing Love Heart experiment!

soda in 1 cup of water. Add to container.

Add enough bicarbonate of soda and water solution to make liquid level at least a few inches high.

> Measure out 1/4 cup of vinegar.

With February being the first month in the year containing a full week of school hols, parents, grandparents and carers will be in charge of entertaining the children. Why not give them a dose of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) by carrying out this experiment from Inspiration Laboratories (inspirationlaboratories.com/valentine-candyscience-dancing-hearts/).

> Add a few Love Hearts to your bicarbonate

of soda and water solution. Observe the bubbles.

> Slowly add 1/4 cup of vinegar to your

bicarbonate of soda, water and Love Hearts.

> Watch the Love Hearts rise and fall. They

appear to dance around the container doing flips and all sorts of fun dances.

Safety!

I know you will be really sensible, but just in case, always take care with any chemicals even when they are from the cooking cupboard as in this case. Don’t do anything that would damage your premises, people or pets. And try not to eat too many of the Love Hearts!

> Play with the amounts of bicarbonate of

soda and vinegar to get more or less bubbles.

> Some of the Love Hearts might stick to the bottom of the container. Push them around and they should rise up again. If the hearts float on the top, push them down or drop in a few different hearts.

I haven’t tested this one out yet so don’t take my word that it will work (or blame me if it goes wrong!) - that is the beauty of experimentation.

Good luck!

RACHEL BENTLEY

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News from our Churches

Churches Together Ceilidh

End of an Era Final Nativity at St Peter's

The Churches Together Ceilidh has become a regular event early in the year as part of our joint fund-raising activities.

10 years ago, we held our first Nativity in St Peter's with children from our village taking part, but as years have gone by, they have grown up with other things to do on a Sunday.

The last 2 years in particular have been difficult, with Anne dressing any willing ones as they came into church!

This year it will be held on Saturday 16 February 2019 in Bramham Village Hall 7.30-11pm. The combination of dancing or listening to Lairum Rise, with a Pie & Peas Supper and a well stocked bar always makes a really enjoyable gig for all ages, so do keep the evening free and come and enjoy the food and exercise!

The only constant has been a donkey from the Sanctuary (7 over the years) but the rules on this have changed too.

We will be supporting two charities: Help Refugees which operates in 12 countries with local organisations supplying funding, materials and volunteers. For more information visit www.helprefugees.org. The second charity is closer to home and well known to many locally: St. George’s Crypt which does wonderful work with homeless people in Leeds. Tickets will be available from mid January, meanwhile, Save the Date! Your Churches Together representatives for St Peter’s Church are Gay Childe and Sue Kitchen.

We only had 2 boys from the village, and had it not been for St Mary's school I could not have cast this age-old story of the birth of Jesus. Phoebe the narrator, was incidentally in the first production.

Having said this the Church was full of visitors from across the Benefice, with Nick our Priest-incharge joining the children dressed as a shepherd.

So sadly, this has been the final one from St Peter's, but I hope the story will carry on with another church from the Benefice My thanks to all who over the years have helped me with this very happy service, which despite difficulty has been rewarding and joyous.

December Concert Raises £523 for All Saints Church

DOREEN LISTER

Curry and Quiz

Thank you to everyone who supported the concert by Wetherby Light Music Singers at All Saints Church, Thorp Arch, on 7 December. This raised £523 for church funds.

Book your table with a team of up to 8 for Friday 8 March 7pm for a 7.30 start in Walton Village Hall for St. Peter’s funds. Tickets are £12.50 from Gay 845519 or Doreen 842344.

KATHLEEN SANDERSON

Thanks from Nick and the Morgan Family

SAVE THE DATE

St Peter's Cider and Gin Festival

Thank you to everyone who sent Christmas cards and gifts to me and my family. Instead of sending cards, we have made a donation to Bipolar UK this year. For more information about their work see www.bipolaruk.org.

Saturday 7 September 2019 Walton Village Hall

NICK MORGAN

Watch this space for details.

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Letter from the Clergy challenged. Jesus offers a fresh perspective: everyone is precious in God's sight. In entering the world, Jesus, who is perfect and holy, deliberately plunges into our hostile environment and shows us a glimpse of heaven. Jesus challenges people where they fall short of God's vision for them and for the world, but he does so by seeing people in their true perspective: as children of God, needing to be restored to a right relationship with God, and needing to be assured of God’s love for them.

God’s love isn’t something we earn or deserve, but is there to be received as a gift of God’s grace.

It has been said that there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing.

That is pretty good advice for the most part: after a lot of rain or snow, for instance, wellies are best for walking along the riverbank or woodland paths. However, in cases of extreme weather conditions, we need more than just the right footwear to survive. In the case of cataclysmic storms, we might even need to be rescued as we cannot cope with conditions on our own.

This year, our Gospel readings in church on Sundays will generally come from the account written by Saint Luke. One of the themes which Luke keeps drawing our attention to is how, through Jesus, we see God having special concern for those who are experiencing conditions beyond their control: people whose lives have taken them on a path which has led them to be outsiders, or living on the margins.

These are folk who are overlooked by polite society: the dodgy, the disreputable and the “might be dangerous” in the eyes of others.

These people cannot thrive in their society because of how they are perceived. They live in a hostile environment and are themselves viewed as potentially hostile to the comfort and safety of others.

As our nation continues to renegotiate its place in the world, alongside the legal, political and practical matters we will have to keep reminding ourselves what our values as a society should be. Luke’s retelling of the Gospel challenges us to measure our values against those lived out by Jesus. How will we treat those on the margins?

What price do we put on the well-being of others? Do we prioritise the needs of the weak and the seemingly less-important to the degree that Jesus does? In a time of uncertainty, will we cling to our own comfort, or stand on the margins alongside those whose voices are inconvenient and unheard?

Whatever social and political weather lies ahead, let’s see what we can do to view people through the eyes of Jesus, listen to them, offer friendship, help meet their needs, but above all, face that weather together with them.

In Luke's Gospel we read of Jesus meeting people in extremes of life and touching them with God’s love. We see that nobody is beyond the reach of God's love and have our assumptions about ourselves and other people repeatedly

REV NICK

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Services Time

Date

Sunday Service, All Saints’, Thorp Arch

Coffee

9.30am

3 Feb

Lay Led

J Leonard

8am

10 Feb

Group Holy Communion

9.30am

10 Feb

Holy Communion Joint @ Walton

9.30am

17 Feb

Lay Led

J Gawthorpe

9.30am

24 Feb

Holy Communion

S Spurr

Time

Date

Sunday Service, St Peter’s, Walton

9.30am

3 Feb

Holy Communion

8am

10 Feb

Group Holy Communion @ Thorp Arch

9.30am

10 Feb

Holy Communion Joint

9.30am

17 Feb

Holy Communion

9.30am

24 Feb

Lay Led

Occasional Offices - All Saints’ - Thorp Arch BAPTISMS WEDDINGS FUNERALS

4 November 2018 - Jasper William Hector Peckham-Cooper 3 November 2018 - Nicholas Berrie and Julianna Measures 12 December 2018 - Elaine Hoult

Occasional Offices - St Peter’s - Walton BAPTISMS WEDDINGS FUNERALS

No Baptisms 1 December 2018 - Adam Batson and Colette Dickinson No Funerals

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are in working order. Always activate your alarm when you leave the house.

> Don’t leave valuables on show, such as laptops, tablets, keys, purses, etc.

Thorp Arch Parish Council January Bulletin 2019

For non-urgent issues and to pass on information, call West Yorkshire Police on 101.

The following is a summary of some of the work the Parish Council (PC) has undertaken over the last few weeks. Please see our website for more information about the Parish Council, including minutes from meetings and agendas: www. thorp-arch.org.uk.

In an emergency (if a crime is in progress or you think the offenders are nearby) call 999.

To give information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Remember you can report crimes and ASB online at www. westyorkshire.police.uk/report-it

Police Report One report of criminal damage on The Village.

Suspect had no keys so broke downstairs window to gain entry to property. Theft of motor vehicle from the Trading Estate.

Attempted burglary on the Trading Estate, nothing removed.

Changes to the Parish Council The New Year has brought some changes to the Parish Council. It was with regret that the Parish Council accepted the resignation of Cllrs Graham Duxbury and Amy Crooks in December. The PC would like to thank them for their time as Cllrs and wish them all the best with future endeavours.

Other news: There were 41 crimes in December for the whole of Wetherby ward, 10 of these were burglary residential. There were 37 crimes in Harewood ward, 17 of these were burglary residential.

On a happier note we are delighted to welcome new member Emma Shellard. Emma was coopted at the January meeting. She has lived in the Walton Chase/Woodlands part of Thorp Arch for over 9 years and wanted to become more involved with the local community.

The bulk of anti-social behaviour from children in the villages is now in Wetherby town, in particular, Hallfield Lane, Market Place and the bus station. The police are looking at setting up a S.35 exclusion notice. S.35 notices are a tool used heavily in the City to combat crime and anti-social behaviour with good success.

Emma says, “When the opportunity of becoming a Parish Councillor came up, I thought it would be a great chance to make a difference in our local area. I am looking forward to working with the other Councillors and contributing to improving the village. In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit including cycling, running and yoga.

As a family we love being outdoors and enjoy family walks and camping trips.”

Security Advice: Burglaries often increase during the winter months, when burglars take advantage of the longer hours of darkness. There are simple measures you can take to make your home look occupied and reduce your chances of being a victim:

> Use timer switches to turn lights on when you

Homes England (HE) Planning Application A new application for 33 dwellings has been submitted by Homes England. It replaces the previous application for 23 houses. The Parish Council has objected to the application. The objection can be viewed on the PC website at www.thorp-arch.org.uk.

> Make sure your alarm and any outside lights

Site Allocation Plan The Parish Council understand that the

> Always keep doors and windows locked, even

when you’re in. Remove the keys from the lock and keep them out of view.

are out. Alternate the times and lights that you use.

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Parlington site has now been reduced in scale to 792 houses (was 1058), Grove Road in Boston Spa now 88 houses (was 103).

Display of Snowdrops in the Churchyard at All Saints, Thorp Arch

We also understand that under the Green Belt proposals, it seems that a significant development east of Wetherby (Site HG2-226) is being retained, and that the Green Belt is being strengthened, specifically: to help prevent neighbouring settlements such as Bickerton, Walton and Thorp Arch from merging into one another and help retain their individual identities.

Please try to come for a walk to Thorp Arch Church during February and take in the glorious display of thousands of snowdrops. It is a real treat and a reminder that Spring is just around the corner!

DAVID SPURR

Heritage Board The heritage board has now been installed on the upper green. The board contains a map that show sites of interest and contains history about the village and its environment.

Speed Indication Devices (SID’s) The SID at the top of Walton Road is currently not working. A meeting with the PC and an engineer from LCC is scheduled this week, so it should be back in working order soon.

Website A reminder that minutes and more details about the work of the Parish Council can be found on the website. Please visit at www. thorp-arch.org.uk.

LARGE PRINT VERSION Please contact causeway. editor@gmail. com for a large print version of Causeway magazine emailed direct to anyone who needs it.

Date of Next Parish Council Meeting The next meeting will be held on Tuesday (not Monday) 12 February 7pm at: All Saints Church, Thorp Arch.

Elaine Hoult The family and I would like to thank all our friends in and around Thorp Arch for the kindness, love and support which was shown to Elaine during her long battle with cancer.

After Elaine's death we, her family, were overwhelmed by the tidal wave of affection and sympathy which you all showed, for which we are most grateful.

JOHN AND FAMILY

The Causeway Team extends its deepest sympathy to John and the Hoult family.

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Notice Boards

Walton Group of Artists

Whilst we were busy getting ready for Christmas, others were busy improving the information furniture in our village.

Walton Group of Artists are based at Walton Village Hall. 2019 starts the year with two demonstrations and art experience days. The events planned cover a variety of subjects and mediums and we hope will kick start members into being creative in 2019. The demonstrations are open to non-members and are ÂŁ3 to attend.

The workshops are open to members first but if you think you may be interested please contact Clare Dean (clare@clarescreations.co.uk) to be added to the waiting list for when a place becomes available. Workshops are ÂŁ35 for nonmembers.

The village Parish Council has organised the installation of two new notice boards at the Village hall and on Main Street, whilst Ken Wilby, a local cabinet maker, has built and installed a fabulous handcrafted notice board outside our local pub, The Fox and Hounds.

Thank you for these, they look fantastic.

Tuesday 12 Feb: Patrick Smith demonstration showing use of substrate preparation and materials/tools associated with an acrylic painting. www.psmithstudio58.co.uk.

Saturday 23 Feb: Les Darlow will be holding a workshop using pastels in a landscape picture. www.lesdarlow.com.

Saturday 16 March: Clare Dean, a member of Walton Group of Artists, will be running a workshop using seed heads as inspiration, exploring texture and acrylic inks/gesso. www. clarescreations.co.uk.

Tuesday 19 March: Heather Burton will be holding a demonstration using palette knife painting in Acrylics. www. heatherburtonyorkshireartist.co.uk.

Walton Parish Council The parish council meet every two months - full update www.walton-pc.gov.uk.

Keeping in touch To ensure we in Walton all know what is going on, a regular news bulletin aims to keep everyone informed of Church, Village Hall and Parish Council events. If you would like further information or to contribute to this publication, please contact alison.candia.crawford@gmail.com.

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Is the LCC Planning Department failing our area?

unpredictable outcome. TAG need to act for the whole community.

After the excitement of the Inspector’s favourable decision on the Trading Estate application for 874 houses in the middle of the year, things rather went downhill.

TAG have followed the LCC complaints procedure, making our case that the planning department had given improper advice. We did not expect this to have a successful outcome, and indeed our complaint was rejected by both the first and second stage complaints processes. However, we had to exhaust this avenue in order to meet the requirements for complaining to the Government Ombudsman.

This will be our next step. It will be good to put the actions of the LCC planners under such scrutiny, but unfortunately it will not result in changing the decision - only a Judicial Review could do that.

For reasons we still don’t understand, LCC supported an application from Homes England for 119 further houses north of Wealstun.

These were in addition to the already approved 23 houses, which were in line with our Neighbourhood Plan.

Their support ran contrary to their own policies in the Core Strategy. They were also in contradiction to the Inspectors’ decisions on the Trading Estate appeal, and the UDP review in 2005/6. LCC had also, as part of the SAP Examination, written a justification for making the whole of our area north of the River Wharfe, and East of the A1, into Green Belt.

In that justification they explained that the inaccessibility of this area made it unsuitable for housing.

Then, to add insult to injury, the full application for the 23 house development which was approved in outline, has been amended to 33 houses (ref: 18/07278/FU). An increase of 43%, or ten houses, at higher density. No doubt this has also been discussed and agreed with LCC planners!!!

A few TAG Supporters who live near Wealstun are very concerned about this, and are hoping to get more of the local residents to become more active in opposing what the planners are doing. Only very widespread and vociferous local action is likely to have any effect, possibly on these decisions, but even more important on any further applications. LCC are clearly not interested in protecting this area despite their own policies. We need to get their attitude changed.

Despite all that, they recommended to the Plans Panel to approve the 119 house application, and supported their recommendation with disingenuous, and even false, information.

It appears that the LCC planners can just act as judge and jury on planning, ignoring all evidence against such a development. This is totally disgraceful. TAG have added our objection to the extra 10 houses planning application, but the opportunities for opposing LCC’s actions are now quite limited. Very sad and undemocratic.

TAG considered mounting a judicial review, and took legal advice. That advice highlighted the risks and cost involved. We asked our Supporters for their views, and whether they would be prepared to fund such a review, initially at a financial level of one month’s council tax. We got a large positive response, but mainly from the Conservation Village area.

Given that the most affected residents would be in the areas nearest to Wealstun, this did not seem a satisfactory basis to undertake a very expensive Judicial Review process, with an

PETER LOCKE, CHAIRMAN - TAG

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Kitchens ~ Wardrobes ~

14

Pantries ~ Boot Rooms ~ Studies

Thorp Arch Retail Park

Visit Thorp Arch Retail Park near Wetherby and enjoy the fantastic play area!

15 2

MARCH

Things change so please check with the organiser before setting out. Have you an event? Please send brief details (preferably following the format below) to causeway. editor@gmail.com in plenty of time!

8 March Quiz and Curry Evening 7pm for 7.30pm in Walton Village Hall in aid of St Peter's church funds.

FEBRUARY

16 March Walton Group of Artists Art Day, Walton Village Hall. Clare Dean will be running a workshop using seed heads as inspiration, exploring texture and acrylic inks/gesso (www. clarescreations.co.uk). Open to members first, contact Clare Dean (clare@clarescreations. co.uk) to be added to the waiting list for when a place becomes available. Workshops are £35 for non-members.

12 February Walton Group of Artists Demonstration, Walton Village Hall 7-9pm.

Patrick Smith demonstration showing use of substrate preparation and materials/tools associated with an acrylic painting. www. psmithstudio58.co.uk. Demonstration open to non-members, cost £3 on the night.

19 February Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group, Boston Spa Methodist Church, 7.30pm. Music, Comedy & Dance – Part II. New Members welcome. For more info please contact tawyca@outlook.com .

19 March Walton Group of Artists Demonstration, Walton Village Hall 7-9pm.

Heather Burton will be holding a demonstration using palette knife painting in Acrylics (www. heatherburtonyorkshireartist.co.uk). Open to non-members, cost £3 on the night.

22-23 February Boston Spa Beer Festival, Boston Spa Village Hall, Friday 6.30pm-midnight and Saturday 12.30-8pm. In aid of St Mary’s School and the Village Hall, bars, beer, wine, prosecco and real cider, live music, food and a family area on the Saturday, tickets from Yeadons, on the door or via bostonspafestival.com.

19 March Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group, Boston Spa Methodist Church, 7.30pm.

Talk by St John Ambulance. New Members welcome. For more info please contact tawyca@outlook.com.

SEPTEMBER

23 February Walton Group of Artists Art Day, Walton Village Hall. Les Darlow will be holding a workshop using pastels in a landscape picture (www.lesdarlow.com). Open to members first, contact Clare Dean (clare@clarescreations. co.uk) to be added to the waiting list for when a place becomes available. Workshops are £35 for non-members.

7 September St Peter's Cider and Gin Festival in Walton Village Hall - more details to follow.

NOVEMBER 2 November Walton Village Hall 2nd Annual Bonfire and Fireworks Night details to follow.

16

It’s That Time Again!

I am writing to remind any Ladies of the Benefice that the date/booking time for our 6th annual trip to our diocesan retreat house at Wydale is coming up. The dates are 3 to 6 June 2019.

I have booked a place for me and 11 other people. I am sure that there are some spare rooms at Wydale if we get a sudden influx of folk. It would be very good to see one or two from All Saints Bramham joining us.

The atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed, and dare I say, even fun? The cost for the two nights is ÂŁ146 with full board, payable to me (Trish) in advance please. If you would like to spread the cost over a few payments, you can do that also.

Just see me next time I am at your church.

It would be good to see you there!

REV TRISH

17

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The Kumano Kodo (Part 2)

The following day, we walk 5 km and then take a boat ride in a 10 seater sampan, sitting two across, whilst our guide points out the features along the banks of the River Kumano. Herons and egrets take flight when we pass, red kites and a lone eagle are spotted. In a quiet stretch of the river, the outboard is silenced, and our guide takes out a flute, and plays a melancholic tune. With just the noise of the river, and the flute echoing off the cliffs behind us, time seems to slip back a hundred years. When the playing stops, the motor starts up, and the guide puts on her headset with microphone, checks her smart phone and we motor on.

After a hearty breakfast, we weave through fields and small houses, on our way to the forest.

Just before we leave the village, we pass the closed secondary school. Shrouded in mist, with overgrown playing fields and boarded up windows, it’s a gloomy sentinel. In Japan, birth rates have been falling regularly, with 2017 the lowest on record. Young people and families move to the larger towns and cities, hollowing out the villages, leaving the old and infirm.

Entering the forest, we pass the sites of derelict tea houses, and overgrown rice terraces. The trees shelter us from the drizzle, and we climb and descend on paths and stone steps for our 10 km walk. Inevitably, some walk quicker than others - a small group of faster walkers leaves the slower ones behind. The front group rest every half hour or so, waiting for the backmarkers.

Their slowness is part habit, and part tricky descents. This disparity in walking pace will have consequences later, when we prepare for the last day’s walk.

This juxtaposition of the modern and traditional is typical of Japan.

MARTIN BROWN

The forest is quiet, still. Whilst we see the work of the wild boars, who have torn up yards of the forest floor, by day they are deeper in the forest hidden from sight. Our footsteps on the wet path release aromas of pine and cypress, overlaid with sweet damp earth. Walking mostly on the ridgelines, we see down into mist shrouded hills, and hear distant cars, roads seemingly miles below. My mind turns to those who have walked these paths before. Who were they? What were they seeking? What am I seeking?

That night we enjoy another banquet, and a concert by the local shamisen players. This long necked, fretless, 6 stringed, banjo-like instrument produces a distinctive eastern sound.

Songs are sung about harvest moons, blossoms and romance. We applaud heartily. Much bowing ensues.

Our 13 km walk the next day takes us to Grand shine at Hongu. The weather is brighter and the paths easier. That night we luxuriate in splendid stone onsens which ease our aching limbs, and enjoy a 14 course feast.

PAGE 21 20

Award Winning Causeway

board (thank you!) and always room for more.

A couple of people from each of Walton and Thorp Arch would about see us right! Email causeway.editor@gmail.com and we will give you more information.

We were thrilled with our Top 5 placing in the National Parish Magazine Awards 2018 for A5 Category.

We thought you might like to see a list of the other winners in each of the categories in case you come across any on your travels (or via the power of Google!).

Causeway remains free thanks to donations and advertisers Did you know that many community magazines are delivered only if you pay a subscription - but not Causeway!

Parish A4/A5 Magazines Awards Winners 1st and Best Magazine Overall A4 - Heckington Village Magazine (Lincolnshire) A5 - Wriggle Valley Magazine (Dorset)

Our magazine is free to us and this is achieved through donations from our Parish Councils and from advertising. Many thanks to ALL the organisations which commit to financially support the magazine for 10 issues a year.

2nd and Best Content A4 - Tetbury Advertiser (Gloucestershire) A5 - Lodden Reach (Berkshire)

Even though we renew advertising in February, we may have capacity for taking on new advertisers later in the year. For more information about any aspect of advertising or to book please contact our Advertising Manager, Emma Shellard, by emailing emmashellard@outlook.com.

3rd and Best Design A4 - The Bramley Magazine (Hampshire) A5 - The Magazine, Mylor (Cornwall) 4th and Best Print Quality A4 - Charvil, Sonning and Sonning Eye (Berkshire) A5 - Roundabout Lightwater (Surrey) 5th and Best Editor A4 - News & Views (East Sussex) A5 - Causeway, Community Magazine for Thorp Arch & Walton (West Yorkshire) Interesting that we are the most northerly by some distance - by my reckoning. Well done to all our contributors, advertisers and all the Causeway Team for getting the magazine into great shape.

Take 5 Team Like the green shoots of spring, the Take 5 Team is emerging from the ground up! A totally new concept for Causeway, we are still in the very early stages of setting up and will tell all soon.

We are strongly rooted - we have a lovely set of people who have been involved in all aspects of the magazine for some time. They have been doing, and still do, a sterling job.

Take 5 aims to enhance the existing volunteer group. Already, we have two new volunteers on 21

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23

Boston Spa Beer Festival

Sign up for a Virtual Marathon Challenge with Martin House

With 2019 being its 11th year, the Boston Spa Beer Festival (BSBF) is one of the area’s major events. But did you know that ALL profits go to local good causes?

If you’re planning to get fitter in the New Year, Martin House Hospice Care for Children and Young People has the perfect challenge to help you keep your resolution. Martin House has launched its first virtual event – Miles for Smiles – which invites people to sign up to complete a marathon throughout the month of March.

BSBF takes place over two days in February, welcoming around 1500 visitors to the Village Hall, to sample a fine selection of drink, food and live music from across the region. The beer festival is a joint venture between the Friends of St. Mary’s School and the Village Hall Management Committee with the funds raised used for projects for these two great causes.

Walk, run, swim or cycle your way to 26.2 miles – or come up with your own unique method to complete the challenge – while being sponsored to support Martin House. Ellie Barker, events fundraiser, says,

BSBF was set up by a group of St Mary’s Primary School dads, together with Friends of St. Mary’s School, to successfully raise money for two new classrooms at the school. Funds have gone on to provide iPads, Astroturf, playground games and much more for the children at the school to enhance their learning and environment. Over the years, the school has been the main beneficiary of BSBF funds raised with a percentage of the funds also donated to the Village Hall, which has seen significant improvements to the premises with the monies. This ensures the whole community benefits from BSBF.

“We want this to be an enjoyable and accessible challenge that anyone can join in with – either on their own or as a family.

“This is your marathon, your way, whether you’re already a keen runner, walker, cyclist or swimmer, or you’re interested in taking up a new activity for the New Year.

“Miles for Smiles allows you to complete the challenge in your own time, whether that’s going for a walk on your lunchbreak, or heading out for a bike ride with the family at weekends.”

The atmosphere is welcoming and warm, with bars, a terrific range of beer, wine, prosecco and real cider, live music, food and a family area on the Saturday.

Martin House cares for children and young people with life-limiting conditions – and their families – across West, North and East Yorkshire, at its hospice in Boston Spa.

Tickets are available from Yeadons, on the door or via bostonspafestival.com. The event is on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 February Boston Spa Beer Festival, Boston Spa Village Hall, Friday 6.30pm-midnight and Saturday 12.30-8pm.

It’s free to register to take part, with participants asked to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship. There is a downloadable wall planner to help you track your progress, and everyone who registers will receive a Facebook profile graphic to show they are taking part.

To find out more and to sign up visit www. martinhouse.org.uk/milesforsmiles

24

Book Review: Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie

Muslims, about jihadis, about relationships. It paid some lip service to the problems Muslims face in British society, but did it in such a superficial way - there was nothing particularly insightful, nothing I didn’t already know. For a subject as rich as this, it struck me that it was a profoundly missed opportunity to inform and to educate.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, the winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2018 eBook, was so full of promise. I should warn you that if you plan to read this book, there are some spoilers in this review.

One reviewer described it as, “A modern retelling of Antigone set among a family divided by politics, love, and radicalism. In fewer than 300 pages, it managed to do all the things I want novels to do tell me something about the world, give me a tiny glimpse into the otherness of others, and, most of all, give me that ache of longing as I turned the last page and realised I would never meet these characters again (Tahmima Anam Observer, Best Books of the Year).”

Well, right off I have to say that if this is the winner of a Women’s Prize for Fiction, then something has gone wrong.

I usually figure that it can easily take 50 pages or so before a book starts to grab me. This novel opens with Isma, who turns out to be the most interesting character in the book, but just as we begin to get to know her, the author switches to another character – and it seems to go downhill from there. Each subsequent section is told from a different character’s point of view.

As for the supposed retelling of Antigone – there may have been the odd parallel, but not enough to make it a modern Antigone story.

You’d need believable characters to pull off a tragedy of that magnitude - this read more like a soap opera. It wasn’t an enjoyable read - unlike the reviewer for the Observer, I found myself skipping the odd passage just to get through it faster. The ending – I won’t spoil it for you, except to say that it didn’t so much suspend disbelief as shatter it.

Aneeka, Isma’s younger sister, was a nasty piece of work, and her brother – the young jihadist – seemed like a cliché. The sex scenes struck me as gratuitous and largely unbelievable. Would a devout Muslim girl really get up from the prayer mat, throw off her clothes and get in bed with her lover? For that matter, how likely is it that she would she use sex as currency?

The story of the Home Secretary’s son just wasn’t believable. Really, he had an affair with a known terrorist’s twin sister without any security staff being aware of it? (Sorry, that’s a bit of a spoiler.) In short, not only was the plot on the far side of plausible, the characters were flat, one-dimensional. I kept shaking my head as I was reading.

If this merits the Women’s Fiction Prize of the Year award… well, I think that’s very sad. Surely there are far better, far more deserving women writers than this. Also, maybe I’m a bit naïve about this, but it begs the question why such a prize exists at all – wouldn’t it be better to judge all fiction on the basis of its merit?

ANNE WATTS

The book seemed to be full of clichés – about 25

The Birds in Your Garden - Roosting It’s maybe something you’ve not thought much about, but where do garden birds go at night? During long, cold winter nights they need not only to keep warm, but also to keep out of reach of a range of predators such as cats, owls, rodents and stoats or weasels.

The habits of roosting birds are diverse.

Sparrows, Wrens and Chaffinches seem to vanish at dusk. They secrete themselves away in dense foliage, cracks or crevices, and avoid drawing attention to their whereabouts.

It’s a juggling act: trying to find enough shelter to keep warm and conserve energy, without increasing the risk of attack. Too close to the trunk and there could be danger from a rat or stoat, too far out on a limb means vulnerable to a sharp-eyed owl. The branch acts as an intruder alarm - a motion sensor providing a split-second warning of danger.

To cope with this perilous situation, birds have developed a range of abilities, such as sleeping with one eye open. The eyes of most birds (unlike humans) send information to only one side of the brain, so uni-hemispheric slow-wave sleep allows birds to have one hemisphere of their brain in a deep sleep whilst the other remains awake and alert.

Ivy is one of the UK’s few native evergreen plants. Much maligned it is often accused of strangling trees. However, it should be celebrated and valued for the pivotal role it plays in providing wildlife with food and shelter.

Most garden birds are Passerines, perching birds, which manage to stay put while they’re asleep, having developed “flexor tendons” in their legs that involuntarily clasp shut when they squat on a perch. The tendons won’t relax until the bird straightens its leg to leave.

The nest box that was used earlier to raise a brood of youngsters might now provide a snug bed for the night for a single Blue or Great Tit. They really do seem to prefer their own company at night, but for Wrens it is definitely a case of the more the merrier. The record number found roosting in a single nest box stands at 62. If you turned your nest-box camera off at the end of summer, it is worth switching it on again. You never know who might be using it as a winter residence.

MIKE GRAY

If you find the lives of our garden birds to be of interest and would like to join in and count the feathered occupants of your garden, have a look at the BTO Garden BirdWatch website (www.bto.org/gbw). If you know of an organisation not a million miles from York which would like a talk on garden birds call: Mike Gray 07596 366342 or gbwmike@gmail.com.

TOMMY HOLDEN

Crows, swallows, swifts and starlings aren’t closely related, but they share some incredible communal roosting behaviours. For social or safety reasons or for warmth, some species choose to sleep together—sometimes in very large numbers. The spectacle of these flocks gathering at dusk is really something, whether the murmuration of Starlings, the rowdy evening antics of Rooks and Crows or the skeins of geese and gulls heading for the safety of a local waterbody.

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CONTACTS FOR THORP ARCH AND WALTON ORGANISATIONS For any detail changes, please contact Rachel Bentley, Causeway.Editor@gmail.com

THORP ARCH

WALTON

All Saints’ Church, Thorp Arch Rev. Tricia Anslow 844789.

Priest In Charge for Bramham Benefice, Rev. Nick Morgan 849471, 07387 728009, revnjmorgan@gmail.com.

St Peter’s Church, Village Church Council Clergy: See All Saints’, Thorp Arch. Church Wardens: Doreen Lister 842344, Bill Kilby : 842561. Secretary: Gay Childe 845519. Treasurer: Fiona Robinson 843338, fionarob@outlook.com. Flowers & Cleaning: Liz and Geoff Harrison 845978

All Saints’, Parochial Church Council Church Wardens: Kathleen Sanderson 844818. David Spurr 842772, david@mulberrycroft.me.uk. Secretary: Georgina Squires 849747, Treasurer & Covenant Secretary: David Spurr 842772. Flowers: Margaret Smyth 841181

Walton Cricket Club Chair: Caroline Hobson 07860 615154, caroline.hobson@btinternet.com Walton Parish Council Chairman: David Aspland. Vice Chair: Brodie Clark CBE. Clerk: Helena Buck, secretary@walton-pc. gov.uk. Members: Stephen Sharp, Edward Simpson, Mark Wake, David Taylor.

Lady Elizabeth Hastings School Head: Michele O'Donnell, secretary@thorparch-leh.co.uk Friends of the School Chair: Hayley Cullen 07712 175178 TABS Cricket Club Chair: Adam Gough 07725 047555 or Dale Gibson 842642

Walton Village Hall Booking: Helen Naylor 07721 413016, helen@naysoft.co.uk

Thorp Arch Community Association Secretary: Ian Hall 842665, ianhall1705@gmail.com

THORP ARCH & WALTON Wetherby Ward Councillors Norma Harrington 01133 788 557. Alan Lamb via The Fox and Hounds. Gerald Wilkinson 07748 941127, gerald.wilkinson@leeds.gov.uk.

Thorp Arch Parish Council Chair: John Richardson, Clerk: Tina Wormley 0113 289 3624, clerk@thorp-arch.org.uk. Members: Andrew Rodger, Margaret Smyth, Emma Shellard

Causeway Magazine Chair: Ian Hall ianhall1705@gmail.com.

Editor: Rachel Bentley causeway.editor@gmail.com. Design: John Pendleton jlp@proportionmarketing.co.uk. Advertising: Emma Shellard 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com.

Thorp Arch Tennis Club: Chair: Rob Seldon 541797, Secretary: Jane Freeman 339307, Treasurer: Jane Clayton 843153 Thorp Arch Village Society Chair: Gaby Morrison 843376, gaby.morrison@virgin.net. Secretary: Sue Clayton 843181.

Treasurer: Shirley Davies 541976.

Yorkshire Countrywomen’s Association (YCA) Chair: Barbara Rivington 579833. Sec: Fiona Spence 520271 tawyca@outlook.com, Treasurer: Judith Symonds 541799.

Leeds City Council general.enquiries@leeds.gov.uk

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