Ackworth Arrow April 2015

Ackworth April 2015

Issue No. 14 See p13 for dates

2 Please mention “The Arrow” when responding to advertisements 62 Wakefield Rd, Ackworth, WF7 7AZ Tel:01977 617730

Editor’s letter...

By the time your read this Arrow we should all be tucking into our Easter Eggs!!

The Ackworth half marathon is very timely indeed! A fantastic opportunity to get involved in a local sporting event and a great way to get rid of those extra Easter calories!

Good luck to everyone who is taking part, I would love to see any photographs from the event and may publish one or two in the May issue. Don’t forget to e-mail them to me.

I would like to say a special thank you to Sue Smith-Wilkins who lives in Ackworth.

Sue is well known to some of you and has provided me with a number of articles of interest for you to enjoy this month.

The deadline for the May issue for advertising and articles is Wednesday 22nd April. The May Arrow will be delivered the first weekend in May.

Best Wishes Michelle Sidebottom Tel: 01302 534256 / 07795 387937 Email: michelle@arrowpublications.co.uk

www.arrowpublications.co.uk

BEWARE THE BOGUS CALLER

Home



There have been instances recently in the Wakefield area where people purporting to be working for Wakefield District Housing have managed to gain the trust of residents, access their homes and steal from them.

The bogus caller will use any means they can to gain your trust and be invited into your home. Claiming to be an official from the council, police or a utility company such as gas, electric or water is common place.

The advice is simple, DON’T ACCEPT COLD CALLERS. If you haven’t asked them to call then ask them to leave.

Conservatory cleaning inside & out  Frames, Doors, Soffits & Facias cleaned & revived  Painting Internal & External  Floors cleaned and polished

Garden 

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 Seasonal Tidy Up Decking & Garden furniture cleaned and restored Patios, Paths & Block Paving cleaned & Refreshed  Fence staining or painting

Ensure you keep the numbers of utility companies, the council, WDH and Police (101) handy and near your phone. If you doubt the validity of the caller your probably right to do so, trust your instincts.

If a person is calling at your address having made a previous appointment ensure you check their identity and don’t be afraid to ring and confirm they are who they say they are. If you have issues with cold callers then contact West Yorkshire Trading Standards and/or the Police. Or visit

www.westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk/ crimeprevention

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Ackworth Road Runners A Special Year for The Club.

This year Ackworth Road Runners celebrate their 30th Anniversary! It is very fitting, that also this year has been chosen for the return of the Ackworth Half Marathon as the Ackworth Road Runners Club actually came into existence as a direct result of interest, following the very first Ackworth Half Marathon held in 1983.

A local consultant Jean Wharton had realised that jogging was gaining in popularity all over the country and thought that it might be a way of raising funds for local charities, in particular St. Cuthbert’s Church. So, with support from many local people and the Pontefract Rotary Club, the first Ackworth Half Marathon was successfully staged. There were 598 entrants of which70 lived in or, very near the village. The race was so successful; that it was decided to stage it every two years.

It was however Colin Tanswell, an Ackworth resident and participant in that first race who realised there might be sufficient village interest in running, to form a club. It was two years later that he decided to advertise in the 1985 Race Programme and approached the 68 Ackworth Runners in that race about trying to form a running club. Colin was at first discouraged to find there seemed to be little actual interest, with only 8 people answering the advert.

However, all was not lost and following interest from some employees of Wilkinson’s Sweet Factory Pontefract, a meeting was held at The Mason’s Arms 26th of June 1985. To Colin’s surprise and delight 28 people attended this meeting, including 6 ladies, enough to justify forming a Club. Of the original people voicing interest 18 went on to become members and indeed even more surprisingly, 12 are still members with 4 still active runners.

The first Social Training run took place on Sunday June 30th and after a General Meeting on July 2nd 1985 when 24 members attended, decisions were made about the Club’s official name, the badge /logo and training days, to be Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. Colin Tanswell was the first Chair of the Club Committee with Denise Laughton as Secretary and Steve Brammah as Treasurer. It was resolved that the Club seek membership of the Northern Counties AAA and the Women’s CC and Road Running Assoc. During its first year the Ackworth Road Runners took part in several locall events with some success. Coaching was somewhat of an issue but later in 1986 Charlie Lines, an Assistant Club Coach became a member of the Club and the members were able to benefit from his knowledge and experience. Charlie went on to become a Celebrity when he came 27th in the 1987 Great North Run from a massive field of over 30,000 runners.

Brian Dodd is one of the oldest active founder members of the Club and he currently holds the Veteran’s Record (over 75) in the Cressy Park Run, Los Angeles.

The Ackworth Road Runners have continued to flourish over the years and now more than ever, with over 150 members almost 50 /50 men and women but with slightly more women joining recently. It has members all over the world, including 2 in Australia and 1 in North America. It has had its successes and its sorrows, sadly losing two of its members in the same event in the 1989 Norton 9 Mile Race. The Club now organises the Nostell Priory 5k and 10k Races and also is involved in organising the Park Runs in Pontefract and Nostell.

It has too been very fortunate in securing sponsorship for this year’s Half Marathon from Multi-Tech Engineering (UK) Ltd. in Ferrybridge The Club now has a permanent base at the Carr Bridge Pavilion and every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm members gather before the start of the run. On Sunday they meet at Winterset for a much longer run. New members are encouraged to join and should come along at 6.15 pm on Club nights. They can expect a warm welcome and should be assured that running with the Club can be competitive or simply excellent exercise and really good fun!

Anyone wishing to know more about Ackworth Road Runners should consult their website www.ackworthroadrunnersandac.co.uk or Please contact Stewart Haigh by phone, text or email: 07775 208 669 01977 612677 stewarthaigh@talktalk.net

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COMMUNITY NEWS Parish Assembly Monday April 13th 6.30 pm in the Bell Lane Community Centre.

Every registered voter in the Parish of Ackworth is welcome to attend. The Agenda will be displayed on notice boards around the village.

Easter Fair All Saint’s Church

April 4th 9.30 am – 12 noon Spring Fair All Saint’s Church May 2nd 9.30am – 12 noon.

Ackworth Half Marathon

May Day Fair Monday May 4th

Sunday April 12th. The race will start and finish at The Ackworth Water Tower. For more information consult www.ackworthroadrunnersandac..co.uk

Methodist Church 12 noon – 3 pm.

Lots of Stalls. Lunch will be served.

Ackworth Pram Race It is intended to hold a Pram Race over a 2 mile course on August Bank Holiday Proceeds towards Prince of Wales Hospice Funds.

Badsworth St. Mary’s Centre

April 11th 2.30 pm – 5 pm Gentleman’s Relish. Afternoon Tea and Entertainment Manned and crewed by gentlemen. Everyone welcome! Tickets £8

Organ Recital by Tom Moore Badsworth Church.

April 25th 7 pm. Followed by Wine and Nibbles

Ackworth Road Runners.

Over the winter months the club has taken part in the highly competitive PECO (Print & Embroidery Co.) Cross Country League series of five races, which attracts clubs from all over West Yorkshire, with a total of over a thousand runners taking part.

Individually the club had some outstanding performances over the series, which will be recognised on the awards day. Terry Forrest finised second male, from over 600, Charlie Lines, Brian Dodd & Karen Ball finished first in their age groups, also performing well for their age were John Bell (3rd) Denise Clarke (4th) Peter Grimaldby (7th) Rose Wigglesworth (9th) & Jeff Denton (10th). In the team competitions the Men's Veterans team finished second in their league gaining promotion to the Premier League.

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Local Charities Working Together.

Supporting Older People in Our Community.

On Sunday two great local charities came together in their work to support older people living in our community.

Liz Thring, Ackworth Rotarian and her husband John, hosted a “Contact The Elderly Tea” in their own delightful home in Pontefract. The elderly guests were all members of the Ackworth and Pontefract, Contact The Elderly Group. The aim of this charity is to combat loneliness in our older citizens by organising tea parties on Sunday afternoons.

The Ackworth Group has now been in existence for over 4 years but without the help and support of The Rotary Club of Ackworth, it could never have been launched. The Rotary members host Tea Parties and assist with transport, as volunteer drivers. Also each year, they host the Christmas Event in The Lawson Hut Badsworth. The Pontefract Freemasons have also assisted this very local “hands on” charity and more recently the Ackworth 74 Club members have also got involved.

This year will be a special year for Contact The Elderly as on April 19th it will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. It is estimated that on this Sunday in April approximately 10,000 people, guests and volunteers from all over the country, will be involved in a Contact Tea Party. It has also been estimated that since the charity began, 50 years ago, it has served up 27,659,238 cups of tea!

More recently The Contact The Elderly Group has been very grateful for support from other sources such as St Cuthbert’s Church, The Freemasons and the Ackworth 74 Club.

For more information about Contact The Elderly please call Sue on 01977 615608.

For information about The Rotary Club of Ackworth call Liz on 01977 795843

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The Ackworth 74 Club Report of The Annual General Meeting March 2015

On March 10th the 74 Club held their Annual General Meeting in the Methodist Schoolroom. The Meeting was well attended by 27 members both current and prospective. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting in 2014 were read and approved.

Reports from the President, Secretary and Treasurer were read and approved. It appeared that the Club has had a very successful year, which included the Celebration of its 40th Anniversary. The Club has attracted new members and is in a sound financial position facing the coming year.

Election of Officers Moira Spears indicated that she would be happy to stand as President for another year and was proposed and seconded. Pat Lawson and Hilary Hinchcliffe were also elected for a second year as Club Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

It was agreed that the Membership fee was to be retained at ÂŁ10 for the foreseeable future. However, it was decided that the Club adopt a new start time of 7.30 pm for all future meetings.

Pat Lawson outlined the Programme of Events for the year 2015/16. Members can look forward to hearing speakers on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from the Vaguaries of Life as a Village Butcher to Fungi and local Badger Activity.

These, together with a walk, theatre visit and a day out to Skipton for coffee, shopping, lunch and culminating with a trip on the canal are just a taste of what members can hope to enjoy during the forthcoming year.

The meeting concluded with the serving of a Faith Supper.

Please Note New Start Time for the Ackworth 74 Club Meetings 7.30 pm!

For further details or, to join the Club call Sue on 01977 615608

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551320 or 07803 276780 (24 hr helpline) 10

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YOGA IN ACKWORTH

Experienced British Wheel of Yoga Teacher 14 years teaching experience Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs trained Held at

Ackworth Community Centre, Bell Lane Mondays 10- 11.30am Tuesdays 7.45- 9.15pm NEW CLASS Tuesday 6 - 7.30pm for beginners!!

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01977 235587 or 07870 294412

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St Cuthberts & All Saints Past, Present and Future

Recently I had the fortune of being able to go to Sheffield Arena and see Queen + Adam Lambert perform. I have been a long time Queen fan since my teens, and was greatly saddened when Freddie Mercury died in 1991. I had never had the opportunity to see them perform whilst Freddie was alive. However, when I saw Queen + Adam Lambert on TV on New Years Eve, I was surprised at just how well they worked an performed together. So I booked tickets that night, and we saw them last week.

The show was magnificent, with all the qualities you might expect from Queen, with the voice of Adam Lambert complimenting. It was a perfect mix of the old and the new. Brian May at the age of 66, has not lost any of his guitar playing prowess, Roger Taylor can still hit the perfect beat, and was able to beat his son (who also plays drums) in a “drum-off”. And of course, Freddie Mercury made an appearance (on the screen) and sang whilst Brian May played the guitar. What struck me most, apart from Brian May’s Guitar playing, was the weaving of the old, with the new, the past with the present. It was seamless, and effortless, and natural.

This is something, perhaps that we all need to do. It is very easy to look into the past, and say that is the past and irrelevant. But it is the past which shapes the present. No-one reading this will be where they are now, if it were not for a sequence of past events.

Also, it is the sequence of past events which teaches us about our present. The past is important, but we cannot live in the past, we cannot bring it back, we have to live in the present. Equally, it is the sequence of present events which will shape our futures. All the decisions and actions and words of today will determine our futures. But we cannot live in the future, we cannot spend all our time planning for the future, but we can prepare for it by living the present moment.

Too many people spend so much time reminiscing about the past that they miss the present moment.

Also, too many people spend so much time thinking of the future, that they miss the present moment.

We can, and should remember the past, and weave it into our present. We should think of our futures, and weave the present into them. In so doing we will create a rich tapestry of life which we can enjoy.

But we should not forget to live the moment.

Rev Paul Fox Revpaul.fox@gmail.com

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