Inside
VEGAN BANANA BREAD TAPC ANNUAL REVIEW AGEING GRACEFULLY
Contact: Emma Shellard, 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com
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
30 23
Computers The PC Crew
22
Hardware Douglas Yeadon
23
Curtains, Furnishing Lou’s Threads
28
Holiday Cottages Priory Cottages
22
Ironing Services The Ironing Service
29
Kitchens Aberford Interiors
19
Newsagents Supershop
28
30 05
30
28 30
Decorators Mark Hatfield Oliver Willard The Decorating Centre
30
Elderly Support WiSE
23 15
Business Support Small Business Marketing Coach
19
Carpet Cleaning Wetherby Carpet
28
30 28 29
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
18
Cars/MOT Boston Spa Garage Westmoreland Cars
19 31
Furniture Hue Interiors
14
Chimney Sweep Mooring Brothers
22
Gardening Lawn Keeper MK Landscaping
19 04
Chiropody Boston Spa Chiropody
28
Hairdressing Ian Blakey
28
Front Cover - Summer Thunderstorm on the Yorkshire Moors Credit Pixabay/fgreen14 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, As you receive this the school exam season will be in full swing. SATs will be complete, and GCSEs and A Levels will be about half way through. There will be differing levels of stress in households across our villages - in Chez Bentley it will mainly be the parents (I can only hope that by June my youngest will have been inspired to become a little less horizontal about his exams). If stress is getting to you and you’d like an opportunity to be calm, take a look at the Prayer Walks in the News from our Churches, and the Bible Course in the Letter from the Clergy which both offer superb opportunities to explore faith. With momentum gaining on the popularity of vegan eating, my intentions are to try to incorporate vegan dishes into my everyday cooking. I am also concerned about the amount of sugar we consume in treats so I am adapting recipes to reduce refined sugar content. In this issue I have shared a banana bread recipe with you including some tips about changing the recipe to make it refined sugar and fat free or to take allergens into account. I find it makes a sweet treat without expending calories on refined sugar and fat! Our June publication is full of wonderful (also sugar/fat free) treats, including a funny yet poignant expression of ‘graceful ageing’ by former editor, Anne Watts, and a round up of the Annual Review by TAPC - plus the usual ‘good stuff’ we offer you, dear reader, every issue!
Advertisers’ index Editor’s letter Vegan Banana Bread Recipe News from our Churches Letter from the Clergy Sunday Services and Occasional Offices
2 3 6 7 8 9
Over to you - enjoy your read and why not pop an email with YOUR contribution to our magazine? It could be an experience, a meaningful trip, a recipe, a local story or something else you are passionate about. I am really interested in hearing from you so email causeway.editor@gmail.com in the next few days and we can feature your article into a future issue. Your Causeway Editor
Now available online at issuu.com/causewaymag and LARGE PRINT VERSION AVAILABLE BY EMAILING CAUSEWAY.EDITOR@GMAIL.COM. Causeway is a voluntary community magazine which is published 10 times a year (monthly except for January and August). Contributions are considered by our Editorial Team and are invited to be emailed to causeway.editor@gmail.com by 10th of the month prior to publication.
Thorp Arch Parish Council Annual Review Village Diary and Notice Board Local News Ageing Gracefully Birds in Your Garden Village Contacts 3
10 16 20 24 26 29
4 22
5
Vegan Banana Bread
METHOD
This banana bread is delicious, reasonably healthy and offers an animal friendly bit of baking - it is vegan. Not only good for the planet it means it is egg, dairy/lactose free and also can be gluten free, refined sugar free, fat free if you alter the recipe to suit your needs - and uses up overripe bananas so less waste what’s not to like!
1. Warm up the oven to 175° C / 350° F and line a 900g / 2lb cake tin with baking paper. Move the oven rack a notch down from the middle position. 2. Combine well mashed up bananas with oil, almond milk, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl. Mix very well. 3. In a smaller bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
I used Gluten Free Plain Flour by Doves Farm, I dispensed with the oil altogether by using a little more banana instead (around half of a large banana or one small banana). If your bananas are very ripe and you like your cakes to be subtly sweet (or you are trying to use less sugar), 100 g / ½ cup of sugar is enough, especially if you intend to glaze the bread. I substituted the sugar with a small pour of maple syrup, to taste. If you only have normal bananas then microwave them (not skins) for a few short blasts so they are mashable - or use the food processor for the whole mix and whizz the bananas with the blade fitment first.
4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ones in three batches, mixing well each time. Mix until there is no dry flour left, but do not overmix (that’s only important if you are using a flour containing gluten)! 5. Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking tin. It should be fairly thick. Slice a banana in half lengthwise and place on top of the cake – do not press it down as the cake will raise all around it. 6. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out fairy clean (this cake should be moist). Remove from the oven and brush with a little maple syrup while the cake is still hot.
Makes: 900g / 2lb loaf • preparation: 20 min • cooking: 50 min INGREDIENTS
7. Let the cake cool down completely before removing it from the tin and slicing. Use a serrated knife to slice if you have one – I find that it produces neater looking slices.
DRY INGREDIENTS • 180g / 1½ cups Plain Gluten Free flour OR plain wheat flour • 1 tsp of baking powder • ¾ tsp of bicarbonate of soda • 1½ tsp of cinnamon
This recipe is by lazycatkitchen.com and the images are from my own attempt! RACHEL BENTLEY
WET INGREDIENTS • 1½ cups mashed up, overripe bananas (approx. 3 medium / 550g / 20oz bananas) • 60ml / ¼ cup mild tasting oil (I used mild olive oil) • 90ml / 1/3 cup + 2 tsp almond milk (or other thin plant milk) • 2 tsp lemon or lime juice • 125g / ½ cup + 2 tbsp coconut or demerara sugar EXTRAS • 1 banana for decoration (optional) • 2 tsp maple syrup, for glaze (optional) 6
News from our Churches Prayer Walks 3-7 June
pop into your head, or if you have any pictures, visions or words of knowledge, then turn these natural and supernatural senses into prayer.
WHAT IS PRAYER WALKING?
Choose whether to pray silently or out loud. The point of prayer walking isn’t about being seen praying: it’s about seeing and praying.
It’s as simple as it sounds – praying as you walk. One simple definition is ‘praying on- site with insight’. When we prayer walk, we are stepping into our God-given authority to bless people and places in Jesus’ name. This simple activity is a great way to bring transformation to our local communities by asking God to break in with His love and power.
Pray quietly, but don’t be afraid to speak out prayers if you feel compelled to. However, don’t draw attention to yourself – you can be on the scene without making one! As you walk and pray around your neighbourhood and community, pray with faith and expectancy – you are standing in the gap for others, and your prayers make a difference.
HOW TO PRAY Pray for discernment: ask the Lord to show you what He sees and to know His heart for your community.
If you feel that God is highlighting specific things or challenges, think about how to take action - how could you be part of God’s solution practically, as well as prayerfully?
Pray for blessing: ask for God’s intervention in the life of each person and home you pass. You may want to pause at key buildings such as a school, community centre, heath-centre or local business. Ask for His will to be done in this community, “as it is in heaven” Matt 6:10
“The earnest [heartfelt, continued] prayer of a righteous person makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” James 5:16b AMP Prayer walking is a simple as it sounds – praying as you walk. When we prayer walk, we are bringing God’s blessing, to people and places, in Jesus’ name. Everyone is welcome to join in. No prior experience is required! All walks start at 7pm, and will finish by 8pm.
Pray with empathy: see and feel what the residents live with every day, intercede for the things that express brokenness and grieve God’s Spirit. Give thanks for the blessings and all the good things you see in your community. Pray from scripture: prayers based on God’s Word can be very powerful.
Please note: we will meet outside each of these places at 7pm. If you would like to know more, please contact:
Pray in God’s power: allow times of silence for the Holy Spirit to speak to you, then speak out with confidence in the power of Jesus’ name.
Rev Steve Jakeman 01937 842156 stephen.jakeman@methodist.org.uk
Use your natural and spiritual senses – as you prayer walk, be aware of your surroundings, what you see, smell, hear and touch. But also be aware of what God is saying to you as you move around your community. If any Bible verses
Rev Nick Morgan 01937 849471 parishoffice.bramhambenefice@gmail.com Rev Trish Anslow 01937 844789 parishoffice.bramhambenefice@gmail.com
Date
Village
Meeting Place
Leader
Mon 3 June
Bramham
Red Lion Pub
Jillian Lawson
Tues 4 June
Boston Spa
Deepdale Community Centre
Revd Steve Jakeman
Weds 5 June
Clifford
Clifford Methodist Chapel
Revd Steve Jakeman
Thurs 6 June
Thorp Arch
The Green (finishing at The Pax)
Revd Nick Morgan
Fri 7 June
Walton
Walton Village Hall
Revd Trish Anslow
7
Letter from the Clergy Plunging into the Bible!
I don't mean I made sense of all its imagery (which often seems bizarre), but I sensed an inspired call to God's people: a call to remember that everything looks very, very different from God's eternal perspective. But instead of being bewildered by the weird imagery of this book, for the first time I got a sense of the wonder of what the author was grappling with. To the persecuted Early Church, Revelation represented a call to keep their eyes on the bigger picture and trust in the awesome love and power of God.
A little while ago I decided to re-read the New Testament straight through (over a week or two) to recapture an overview of the New Testament. So what did I get out of this? The Gospels. As the story of the life of Jesus was repeated four times by different writers, it was brought home to me how wonderful it must have been to spend time with Jesus. The authors each seem eager to communicate something amazing, to try to distil first-hand experience into something which explains what’s transformed them. Whoever decided to put John's Gospel last played a blinder: he sums things up, reinforcing as a close eye-witness the events surrounding Jesus's death and resurrection in a very personal way.
The Challenge Reading complete books of the Bible (not necessarily in one sitting for the longer books, but over a restricted timeframe so you can keep a train of thought going) is worth doing. So here’s a challenge: try reading one book of the New Testament in one go. The Acts of the Apostles is a good one to start with.
Acts of the Apostles and Letters. Reading the Acts of the Apostles straight after the Gospels came across as a wonderful testimony of ‘how we got here’ to the early Church. Together with the letters to the early Christian communities in all their variety, this brought home to me the authentically human nature of our faith. As the Church grew, people made mistakes, disagreed about how best to live as Christians and how to understand and express the full implications of the Gospel. These letters offer models for how to seek God's guidance in living our lives, resolving disagreements, growing in faith and love and responding to what’s going on around us.
Another way to get to know the Bible better is to attend The Bible Course which runs on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm at St Mary's, Boston Spa through June and July, starting Tuesday 4 June. Booking is essential (via the Benefice Office) and the course manual costs £4.99. Accessible and interactive, the course shows how the key events, books and characters all fit together. You’ll get to see the BIG picture and discover how the Bible applies to your life. All welcome, no previous experience of reading the Bible is necessary.
Revelation. Reading it in context at the end of the whole New Testament, the Book of Revelation started to make more sense. Now,
REVEREND NICK MORGAN
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Services Time
Date
Sunday Service, All Saints’, Thorp Arch
Coffee
9.30am
2 June
Lay Led
M Smyth
8am
9 June
Group Holy Communion
9.30am
9 June
Holy Communion Joint @ Walton
9.30am
16 June
Lay Led
J Warren
9.30am
23 June
Holy Communion
J West
10am
30 June
Benefice Service
J Clayton
9.30am
7 July
Lay Led
Y Hetherington
Time
Date
Sunday Service, St Peter’s, Walton
9.30am
2 June
Holy Communion
8am
9 June
Group Holy Communion
9.30am
9 June
Holy Communion Joint
9.30am
16 June
Holy Communion
9.30am
23 June
Lay Led
10am
30 June
Benefice Service @ Thorp Arch
9.30am
7 July
Holy Communion
Come together in Faith
Pentecost Praise Sunday 9 June 10am
Thy Kingdom Come 30 May-9 June 2019
Join us for a lively, family-friendly celebration service at St Mary’s Church. Everyone welcome!
Churches in Boston Spa, Clifford, Bramham, Thorp Arch and Walton will be praying for the needs of local people, communities and businesses.
SAVE THE DATE
Churches Together Stall and Coffee Morning Saturday 1 June 10am-12 noon
St Peter's Cider and Gin Festival
Visit the Churches Together information stall in Millennium Square, Boston Spa, and pop along to our FREE coffee morning, at the Methodist Church, Boston Spa.
Saturday 7 September 2019 Walton Village Hall Watch this space for details.
9
Annual Parish Meeting In April, the Parish Council held their Annual Parish Meeting, which as usual was very well attended. Here is a brief record of the meeting. For the full version of the meeting please see our website.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN (NP) The Made NP will continue to shape the future of the Parish. Events over the past year on planning matters generally have demonstrated its value, whilst highlighting the fact that the existence of the NP, does not always mean that planning decisions are made in accordance with the policies and aspirations of the NP. A case in point is the Outline Planning Consent for 119 houses on land north of Wealstun Prison.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT CLLR JOHN RICHARDSON The past year has been an eventful period for Thorp Arch Parish Council (TAPC) with changing and challenging issues.
SITE ALLOCATION PLAN (SAP) The Inspector’s final report is due sometime in the Summer. LCC will expect to have in place a five year land supply. The Leeds Core Strategy has been the subject of review and in a separate timetable from that of the SAP, another Inspector Report is awaited later this year followed by the adoption of a revised target of 52-55,000 homes in the Core Strategy.
TAPC has managed these issues positively and in the period under report, it has made significant progress in its remit to help protect and improve the heritage of our wider Parish. As Chairman, I am again indebted to my other fellow Councillors, past and present, and to the Clerk for all the hard work and commitment they have shown.
HG2-227 SITE LAND TO THE NORTH OF WEALSTUN PRISON
In particular, I should like to thank Councillor Margaret Smyth who is retiring from the PC after 12 years of valuable service.
This site is currently the subject of two planning consents:
The resignations of Councillors Graham Duxbury and Amy Surtees in November 2018 were a matter of regret for all concerned and I should like to place on record our thanks for the contribution and service they have given to this community, particularly to Graham for his diligence on planning matters.
1) A detailed Planning Application for 26 units is in compliance with the NP but there remains concern over parking provisions and the knock-on implications for the adjoining site in terms of building design. 2) Outline Planning Consent for 119 houses granted in November 2018 to Homes England (HE). HE refused to engage with TAPC on mitigation issues following the outline consent decision of the Plans Panel.
New Councillors have been co-opted to TAPC: Emma Shellard and Steve O’Loughlin. Their contributions to TAPC have been very welcome already and any disruption from the resignations mentioned was very short lived.
PLANNING APPLICATIONS Applications for property improvements, tree trimming etc remain numerous and the Parish 10
Arch Park (including the cattle grid), and new signage to streets. We are also members of a local transport group whose aim is to improve local transport services from the area to Leeds and York and even to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Council is kept busy in making its comments known to LCC. TAPC, with the help of LCC, was successful in the re-instatement near the entrance to LUFC Training Academy, of the hedge (albeit a new hedge) removed, without authorisation, by the owners of Thorp Arch Grange.
We remain indebted to the services of Colin Sanderson who ensures our greens are maintained.
Residents will be aware of the unauthorised fencing off of land in front of Thorp Arch Grange. This land is owned by LCC and is protected within the NP. The owners of Thorp Arch Grange are claiming what is known as adverse possession title. LCC are intending to defend their ownership robustly and are fully supported by TAPC. We also believe that LUFC support LCC similarly.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS The Heritage Board is now installed. The Board promotes Thorp Arch Village in a very positive way and enhances the experience of visitors and residents alike.
Any evidence from residents of Thorp Arch and Walton going back over the last ten years of the use of this land for recreational purposes, children playing, dog walking, etc. will be most helpful to LCC Legal Services. SPEEDING AND ROAD SAFETY ISSUES The War Memorial site and Lower Green improvements are now completed. Consultation with residents resulted in the restoration of the much-admired chain fencing surrounding the Green.
Residents will be aware of the recent consultation throughout Leeds on the introduction of lower speeding limits. TAPC has made its views known and we await further notice from Highways Department as to any changes made to the proposals.
These improvements have helped to ensure that traffic incursions onto the Lower Green are prevented whilst ensuring traffic flows around it can be managed sensibly. Safety of residents attending events such as Remembrance Services have been paramount.
The Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) are now installed. Whilst these devices will not stop speeding, they are act as a deterrent. Recorded information helps to inform and provide collective data to support possible future action.
TAPC supported the Village Society-led Commemoration of the centenary of the end of WW1 at the War Memorial and afterwards, lunch at the school.
HIGHWAYS, FOOTPATHS AND INFRACSTRUCTURE A big thank you must be extended to Councillor Andrew Rodger, not just for his work on the SIDs, but also for his efforts to achieve improvement to our highway’s infrastructure and public transport services. Improvements in the past year have included re-surfacing at the junction of Wood Lane, Dowkell Lane and Thorp
Residents should be aware that the Defibrillator Machine remains located on the wall outside the entrance to the Pax Inn and is in the ownership of the Parish Council. There is no change to the procedures for any future use of the Defibrillator and the Parish Council will ensure it is properly maintained. 11
HOMES ENGLAND (HE)APPLICATION - The current application for 26 homes is in line with the NP. The larger application for 119 homes is in TAG’s opinion not compliant with the core strategy. A judicial review (JR) was considered by TAG but involved legal risks and large costs. Advice from lawyers suggested TAG would be able to mitigate such risk, however due to limited interest from the Walton side of the village, it was decided not to proceed with a JR.
A Village Archive has been set up to document past history of Thorp Arch. This Archive is maintained at the loft room at All Saints Church. PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE Residents are encouraged to make use of the site: www.thorp-arch.org.uk. TAPC for the moment does not hold its own database of residents and addresses etc. but uses the Village Diary. We are indebted to Gaby Morrison for managing it and regret that she will no longer be able to carry out this vital task. FINANCE
CAUSEWAY – IAN HALL
The Parish Council maintains tight control over its finances. The past year has seen significant additional funding from Grants and donations, principally to help ensure the completion of the projects already referred to. This year there has been NO rise in the Parish Precept which remains at £22,500.
The Causeway production team are: Editor: Rachel Bentley, Advert Manager: Emma Shellard and Designer: John Pendleton. The team continue to produce a much-valued magazine, funded by local advertisers and the two parish councils. It has just won first place for best editor in a national parish magazine competition and came 5th overall out of hundreds of entries.
Looking ahead, TAPC is likely to be the beneficiary of significant infrastructure funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) arising upon the commencement of approved residential developments in Thorp Arch Parish. Such funding will prove helpful in considering future projects of lasting benefit to the community, including those in the NP.
At the end of this year, Rachel will stand down as editor after her two-year tenure. Unless a new editor is found Causeway will cease at the end of 2019.
SUMMARY OF FINANCES – CLERK Total income this year was £40,167, total expenditure: £24,996, which has left a surplus of £15,172. The balance at the end of March 2019 was £33,005. No rise in the precept this year.
VILLAGE SOCIETY – GABY MORRISON This year we say goodbye to Caroline Wilson. We are in dire need of new members particularly younger residents. The annual bulb planting and litter pick afternoons took place as usual. It would be lovely to see more people out on these days. At Christmas we worked with LEH School and invited older members of our community to watch the dress rehearsal of the Nativity play, followed by afternoon tea. Two weeks later it was the annual Carol Concert on the Green.
NEW TAG UPDATE – PETER LOCKE TATE - Huge thanks to the core campaign team and all who have supported TAG. The appeal by Rockspring was rejected in July 2018. 12
In February we held a successful community information session, in partnership with WiSE when West Yorkshire Fraud Team gave an insightful talk about identifying and avoiding financial scams. Over 90 people from the local community attended the session.
This year we organised a wine tasting and cheese supper. It was a sell out and a huge success. The event was repeated at the end of this month. Instead of our usual firework display we made the decision to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the end of WW1. We worked jointly with the School, Parish Council, Tennis Club and the YCA.
As society goes digital, we too have gone online and we now have a Facebook page and presence on the local Nextdoor App as well as a link on the parish council’s website.
As a result of all this support we were able to organise a lunch with fabulous ukulele entertainment and a singsong of WW1 songs. This was preceded by the service at the war memorial, led by Reverend Trish with a moving trumpet rendition of the last post. This year we will be back with our firework event.
TENNIS CLUB – NEIL BROOKS Neil Brooks has taken over as the new chairman of Thorp Arch Tennis Club. He offered thanks to the current committee for electing him and to Rob Seldon the previous Chair. Looking ahead the club are very keen to recruit new members, particularly younger members and increase the number of coaching sessions. Neil plans to consolidate current membership and increase overall membership. He would like to consider more joint events with both the YCA and the Village Society following the success of the Commemorative Memorial lunch held at the school, at which the tennis club ran the bar.
YCA – FIONA SPENCE Following our move to Deepdale in 2017, we have grown further in numbers and as a consequence have grown out of the meeting space at Deepdale, necessitating a move to Boston Spa Methodist Church in November 2018.
Neil plans to update payment and communication systems i.e. website, Facebook and WhatsApp etc.
We continue to attract a healthy attendance at our meetings. This year we have enjoyed talks about: how to make decorations from ribbons, the history of Fairfax House in York, the repairing of York Minster’s stained-glass windows after the fire, wool and spinning guild skills, and a local forensic scientist who provided scenes of crime and we had to work out ‘whodunnit’. The coming year’s programme looks equally interesting and varied.
The tennis barbeque was a great success last year and this year will be held on 7 July. The club would like to encourage more younger members to attend the event. Contact details are Neil Brooks on 07960934497 or brooksneil@hotmail.com and Jill Tarr on 07709893406 or tarrhigh@hotmail.com
We have been on numerous trips and outings, lunches and evening meals at local venues and a shop till you drop trip to Boundary Mills, Colne!
The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on Monday June 10 7pm at All Saints Church, Thorp Arch. 13
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15 2
Things change so please check with the organiser before setting out. Have you an event to list? Please send brief details to causeway.editor@gmail.com and remember we need details well in advance thank you.
JUNE
JULY
18 June Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group Monthly Meet: Wentworth Woodhouse talk by Trevor Moody at Boston Spa Methodist Church 2019, 7.30pm. Contact tawyca@ outlook.com
7 July Thorp Arch Tennis Club American Tennis Tournament and BBQ. 16 July Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group Monthly Meet: Talk by Andy Wilson from Yorkshire Cancer Research at Boston Spa Methodist Church 2019, 7.30pm. Contact tawyca@outlook.com
22 June Wetherby Choral Society Haydn’s The Creation, on Saturday 22 June 2019 at 7.30pm, St James’ Parish Church, Wetherby. Please see Notice Board.
21 July National Garden Scheme Open Garden East Wing Newton Kyme Hall 11am-5pm. See Notice Board for details.
AUGUST 4 August Tockwith and District Agricultural Show 2019.
SEPTEMBER 7 September St Peter's Cider and Gin Festival in Walton Village Hall - more details to follow. 17 September Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group Monthly Meet: Bee Keeping talk by Claire McGettigan at Boston Spa Methodist Church 2019, 7.30pm. Contact tawyca@ outlook.com Interestingly, the libretto for The Creation, based on the book of Genesis, the Psalms and Milton’s Paradise Lost, had originally been offered to Handel but he rejected it on account of its ‘wordiness’.
OCTOBER 15 October Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group Monthly Meet: Wetherby and District Food Bank Talk at Boston Spa Methodist Church 2019, 7.30pm. Contact tawyca@outlook.com
When Haydn came to London, he was very impressed by the popularity of the oratorio form, so, scoring it for soloists, chorus and orchestra and with a pared down libretto (originally in German) between 1797 and 1798 he composed his own. This however was no ‘second cousin’ to the great Handel works and ‘The Creation’ is regarded by many as Haydn’s greatest masterpiece.
16 October Thorp Arch & Walton (YCA) Ladies Group Allerton Park Recycling Centre Private Tour 10.30am. Contact tawyca@outlook.com
NOVEMBER 2 November Walton Bonfire & Fireworks and Thorp Arch Bonfire - details to follow. 16
Wetherby Choral Society Concert
The NGS has become the most significant charitable funder of caring and nursing charities in the country providing much needed support to those in need. These charities certainly provide specialist quality care in addition to the NHS. We will also be giving all profits from a sale of plants to St Andrew’s Church, Newton Kyme in aid of their ongoing maintenance programme. Last year we were able to donate £200 for this cause.
Wetherby Choral Society ends its 2018/19 season with another choral masterpiece Haydn’s The Creation, on Saturday 22 June 2019 at 7.30 pm, St James’ Parish Church, Wetherby. Tickets £16, (18s and under free) available from the Ticket Manager: 07860 454894, tickets@ wetherbychoral.org.uk, Nicolla Florist, 1, Bank Street, Wetherby 01937 585233, Chorus members or at the door on the night.
Let’s hope for some fine weather on the day but unlike last year some summer rain to keep the grass and plants watered!
National Garden Scheme Open Garden in Newton Kyme
Entrance: Adult £4, children free. Homemade Teas and Plant Sales. www.plantsbydesign.info. Tel: 01937 530306
A date for your diaries! Sunday 21 July 2019 11am-5pm.
FIONA AND CHRIS ROYFFE
This year we have decided to open our garden again for one day under the National Garden Scheme (NGS). Following last year’s incredible support with over 400 visitors to the garden we were able to give over £2014 to the beneficiaries of the NGS including Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carer's Trust, Queen's Nursing Institute, Parkinson's UK, Perennial, MS Society and Maggie's Centres.
Thorp Arch Tennis Club New Season Tennis season is underway and membership fees are staying the same, at £45 family membership and £25 for single membership. This covers playing for the whole year and there is no extra charges for each court visit, unlike many places. This really is such good value and exclusive to Thorp Arch residents only. Date for the diary - American Tennis Tournament and BBQ Sunday 7 July from 1pm. Our yearly competition and BBQ remains an important date in the Thorp Arch calendar. Let us know asap if you would like to play! We really want the court used as much as possible and are looking for new members, young and old, to join and enjoy this amazing facility we have in the village. To join or enquire contact Neil Brooks on brooksneil@hotmail. com or 07960934497, Jill Tarr tarrhigh@hotmail.com or 842490 or Amanda Waind on wainds@btinternet.com or 842340.
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Local News TA&W Yorkshire Ladies Group
comprehend, even when walking around this vast indoor plant nursery - 22,000 panes of glass (of which only 2 were broken during installation), 120,000 plug plants potted per day and a 1 litre pot potting rate of 4000 per hour. We had to have a cup of tea and slice of cake to recover from the number of facts and figures we were provided with!
The ladies group continues to be active, since our last update we’ve held our AGM and elected Judith Symonds as our new chair. Retiring Chair Barbara Rivington has, during her two-year tenure, successfully navigated the group through two venue re-locations whilst increasing group membership and maintaining our friendly and supportive group ethos.
Our meeting on 21 May was a practical evening making ear-rings so please compliment us on our ear-attire next time you see us! We’re also busy organising other trips, meetings and activities so if you’d like to join us, we meet on the third Tuesday of each month (except August) at 7.30pm in the Boston Spa Methodist Church. Please check out the village dates page in Causeway for more info or check out our Facebook page or email us at tawyca@outlook.com.
She’s also encouraged us to expand our repertoire of events and activities. Members presented her with some vouchers for Walton’s Fox & Hounds (one of her favourite evening meal venues) to say thank you for her efforts. We’ve also just had a great behind the scenes tour of The Arium Nursery. If you haven’t been ‘behind the scenes’ we recommend it, the statistics are staggering and difficult to
FIONA SPENCE
Members at The Arium Behind The Scenes Tour (C) Fiona Spence 2019 20
News from Lady Hastings’ School
Thorp Arch Village Society Wine Tasting Evening
We have had a busy few weeks since returning from the Easter break, we enjoyed a whole school visit to St Mary’s Church in Boston Spa for a collective Easter worship with St Mary’s School Boston Spa.
In April the Village Society held their 2nd Wine Tasting Evening in the Barn at Mulberry Garth. Tony and Helen of the Champagne Warehouse provided the wine, this year concentrating on American and Canadian types. After a complimentary glass of fizz, Tony explained the characteristics of the various grapes and the effect of the climate and price per bottle. Water and a few plain nibbles were at hand to cleanse the palate. At the interval villagers were served a supper of cheese and French bread from the Artisan cheese shop in Wetherby.
Our thanks to the parents & carers who assisted with getting everyone there & back on foot. Our year 6 children sat the national SATS tests in May before enjoying their last few weeks of primary school with cycling proficiency sessions and other activities. We are looking forward to welcoming the new reception children, who start in September, for their taster sessions after the half term holiday. Observant passers-by may have noticed our bright new playground paint work, part of our PE curriculum to encourage active play at break times - the children (and staff!) love it! We are also actively involved in the Leeds Beckett University 30:30 challenge to encourage two 30-minute sessions of physical activity each day.
During the second part of the evening another 5 wines were tasted. Tony asked various questions for us to answer and each table worked as a team hoping to win. The evening drew to a close after raffle prizes were drawn - a huge success and we thank Liz and John for making their Barn available for the venue and to Tony and Helen for supporting the Village Society once again. £450 was raised towards future events.
School has recently re-launched their efforts to return to the garden and a group of parents has cleared the vegetable boxes in the garden area at the end of the school field so that the children can grow some vegetables this summer term. This is part of a longer-term project to make more use of two outside areas at school, the main ‘wildlife’ garden that many residents will remember from 15-20 years ago and a space at the rear of school that will offer a class or small group outside time in a quiet area for group work. We are keen to take our curriculum into the garden and appreciate the input and effort from parents & carers so far.
SUE CLAYTON
Once the courtyard area is complete, efforts to recover the rest of the main garden for school use will be made. Funds from the children’s garden afternoon event and smarties challenge in 2018 have been used to pay for the materials to get the veg boxes working again but we are in need of a few pieces of gardening equipment to help us grow, so if you have any bamboo canes or small gardening tools you would like to donate to school to help us with this project, please contact school on 01937 842 566. MIKE SMITH, ACTING HEADTEACHER 21
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23
Ageing Gracefully
him what number his house was and in which direction the numbers go up. He told me, and I set off running again.
We were in the Florida Keys, staying in the lovely home of my sister’s friend Angie. Her house on Sombrero Boulevard faces the golf course and has a water channel behind it, with a boat parked at the bottom of her garden. There were four of us, my sister (whose 60th birthday we had just celebrated, i.e. the purpose of our visit), my brother, my husband David and I.
Well. It was a slog, and I was getting tired. But as I approached the houses in the 2000 range, nothing looked familiar, and the golf course had been replaced with more houses… I was lost. I turned around. The golf course, when it reappeared, was decidedly more scruffy, but I didn’t register this until afterwards – turns out it was the old stormdamaged part. By then I’d run close to five miles on an empty stomach, and the sun was getting warmer. When I saw several guys in a driveway, I stopped.
Angie had sold that boat to her friend Dan, with the proviso that he would take her guests out for a spin. Dan - a stocky man, well into retirement - duly appeared and arranged an outing. He mentioned that the golf course had been badly damaged in last year’s storm, and parts of it were being relocated.
“Excuse me, can you please tell me what street this is?” I asked.
The next morning before breakfast, Bro, David and I went for a run. David was wearing his cycling top with pockets, so I gave him my phone to carry. We did one loop of the golf course together – about two miles, and then decided to split up in accordance with our running abilities: David, Mr Speedo, took off at his pace. I was only going to run another half mile and turn back, and Bro was behind me, the slowest of us due to foot surgery seven months earlier.
“Sombrero Beach Road,” one of the men said. He had a full beard, probably somewhere in his late forties, though with beards like that it’s hard to tell.
I turned around at what seemed about the half mile mark. The first alarm bell I should have noticed is that I didn’t encounter my brother, who should have been behind me. Then I recognised a landmark and realised I had missed the turn into Sombrero Blvd, so I turned back and took the first left turn. The golf course was on one side and the waterway on the other, so all was well. But then – oh no, I saw the back of Angie’s house across the water, and there in the boat was Dan.
He offered me a bottle of ice-cold water. I probably looked pretty scary, having left the house without any make-up on. I was about to ask him if I could borrow his phone – mine was safely in David’s back pocket, as I hadn’t thought to ask for it when we parted ways – to let my family know I was safe and ask someone to drive over, but then Mr. Beard asked if I would like a ride home. I gladly accepted.
“Oh sh*t,” I said, and they all laughed. “What street you looking for?” “Sombrero Boulevard,” I replied. Mr. Beard showed me the map on his phone – I was miles away from where I needed to be. Miles.
Turns out he was from New York, spending a fortnight in the sunshine. He said he’d like to visit England sometime, and I extolled the virtues of Yorkshire, God’s own country. As we approached Angie’s house, I thanked him profusely, told him how kind he’d been, that I would have struggled to run all that way back.
“Dan!” He looked up and waved “You OK?” he asked. “No – I think I’ve managed to get lost during my run – I should be on your side of the water!” “Oh, ok, do you want me to run you across?” “Wow, that would be amazing – thank you so much.”
“Oh, that’s OK,” Mr Beard replied. “I’d want someone to do the same for my Mom if she got lost in Florida.” Boom boom. I was too surprised to think of a pithy come-back – besides, he’d been far too nice. I couldn’t very well say, “Your mother? You think I’m old enough to be your mother?”
So Dan fired up the boat and manoeuvred it over, and as he got closer I realised he wasn’t Dan - a similar build, but he was much younger. I just thanked him profusely as I disembarked and asked 24
Sombrero Boulevard
Sombrero Beach Road (Miles away)
I took some flak for getting into one strange man’s boat and another strange man’s car, not to mention how I could be so stupid as to get lost running around a golf course. Mainly, of course, there was relief all around. But it makes a great story, and I get a good laugh each time I get to that punch line.
Here’s a thing: I am 67 years old, the same age that my grandmother was when she passed away. Except that she was ancient: wisps of grey hair, her face a map of deep lines, most of her teeth missing – weakened by hard graft and a bad ticker. In contrast, David and I are still running our business, our lives active, we travel. Yip, I’ve got some wrinkles, some white strands, teeth have been repaired or replaced. My ‘body age’ is probably younger than my physical age.
In fact, I was telling the tale to some friends of ours recently. They are just a few years older than we are, just the other side of 70. Our friend commented how she’d been taken aback when someone referred to her as an ‘old woman’.
Age is relative. I know – we’re all going to leave this earth – but aren’t we lucky? We’re living longer, and our quality of life is better. My grandmother might have had a vague idea where Florida is, but to put on a pair of running shoes and get lost in the labyrinth of the Keys on a fine spring morning… well, she couldn’t have dreamt it.
“We just don’t think of ourselves as old,” she said, “and yet when I look in the mirror and see all these wrinkles, well.…” We talked about how none of us feels old (David and I still run and cycle regularly. David ran his first – and probably last, he says – marathon last October, aged 68). Inside, we’re not much more than teenagers with a bit more life experience. Just the other day, David played “I Want to be Sedated” by the Ramones, and we danced in the kitchen like crazy loons until we collapsed, laughing hysterically.
I won’t age gracefully, that’s for sure. Oh, and I hope Mr Beard’s mother enjoys her runs, wherever she may be. ANNE WATTS
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The Birds in Your Garden Breeding Bird Survey
by more than a third. While all this was unfolding in the UK, our summer visitors were safely (?) ensconced in sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of miles from any snow and ice. However, when the time came to head back to the UK, the Sahara Desert was experiencing strong northerly winds, these hampered many returning birds which were consequently late back, or arrived in lower numbers. There appears to have been quite an impact on our aerial feeders with House Martins down by 17%, Sand Martins by 42% and Swifts by 20%.
Have you ever wondered where all the information that is used by the media and various environmental organisations comes from? One of the lesser known and most rigorous sources is the British Trust for Ornithology, who have recently published the results of one of their many surveys. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), jointly run by the British Trust for Ornithology, is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s commonest breeding birds, which includes pretty much all our garden birds. It gives us the annual and long-term population trends for 117 bird and nine mammal species. The survey involves almost 3,000 volunteers who make one pre-season recce visit and two early-morning spring visits to a randomly selected 1km square, counting all the birds they see or hear whilst walking two roughly parallel 1km routes across their square. We also record nest counts for any colonial nesting birds in the square, such as Rooks.
It wasn’t just the aerial feeders that were affected though - two of our commonest warblers, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler were down too, by around 20%. Whilst some of these birds may have been affected by the weather during migration, we can’t be sure what effect conditions in their over-wintering grounds might have had too. It wasn’t all bad news though, as some birds apparently managed to either tough it out through the snow and ice, or find a lull in the winds to cross the desert.
The 2018 BBS results suggest that the ‘Beast from the East’ and adverse Saharan winds may have had a big impact on both resident and migrant birds in the UK.
The Cuckoo was one long-distance migrants that managed to time its flight across the desert to coincide with better winds. Not only did they arrive back on cue, they returned to breed in good numbers, up by 22% on 2017. A welcome break for a species suffering a long-term decline of 41% (1995–2017).
The short, sharp impact of the snow and ice that came with the ‘Beast from the East’ seems to have particularly affected some of our smaller birds, for example, the Goldcrest, the smallest UK bird, saw a population decline of 38% and the Wren and Long-tailed Tit were both down by over 20%, in comparison with 2017. As a group these birds are the real lightweights of the bird world, weighing in at between 5-10g. Their size means that they can be particularly vulnerable to cold weather, and even though the Beast was but a brief shock, it appears that was enough to hit these birds hard.
MIKE GRAY
It looks as though the very cold spell also hit one of UK’s most colourful birds, the Kingfisher. The sudden freezing of shallow water can prevent them from accessing the small fish they feed on, and in 2018 their breeding population was down
JOHN HARDING 26
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CONTACTS FOR THORP ARCH AND WALTON ORGANISATIONS 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. Walton Village Hall Booking: Helen Naylor 07721 413016, helen@naysoft.co.uk
For any detail changes, please contact Rachel Bentley, Causeway.Editor@gmail.com
THORP ARCH All Saints’ Church, Thorp Arch Rev. Tricia Anslow 844789. Priest In Charge for Bramham Benefice, Rev. Nick Morgan 849471, 07387 728009, revnjmorgan@gmail.com. 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 Lady Elizabeth Hastings School Acting Head: Mike Smith, secretary@thorparch-leh.co.uk Friends of the School Chair: Hayley Cullen 07712 175178 TABS Cricket Club Chair: Adam Gough 07725 047555 Thorp Arch Community Association Secretary: Ian Hall 842665, ian.m.hall1@gmail.com Thorp Arch Parish Council Chair: John Richardson, Clerk: Tina Wormley 0113 289 3624, clerk@thorp-arch.org.uk. Members: Andrew Rodger, Steve O'Loughlin, Emma Shellard Thorp Arch Tennis Club Chair: Neil Brooks. 07960 934497, brooksneil@hotmail.com. Secretary: Jill Tarr. 07709893046, tarrhigh@hotmail.com. Treasurer: Rob Seldon 541797 Thorp Arch Village Society Chair: Gaby Morrison 843376, gaby.morrison@virgin.net. Secretary: Sue Clayton 843181. Treasurer: Shirley Davies 541976.
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. Causeway Magazine Chair: Ian Hall ian.m.hall1@gmail.com. Editor: Rachel Bentley causeway.editor@gmail.com. Design: John Pendleton jlp@proportionmarketing.co.uk. Advertising: Emma Shellard 07903 632590 emmashellard@outlook.com. Yorkshire Countrywomen’s Association (YCA) Chair: Judith Symonds 541799. Sec: Fiona Spence 520271 tawyca@outlook.com, Treasurer: Fran Bowers 01423 880112 Leeds City Council general.enquiries@leeds.gov.uk
WALTON St Peter’s Church, Village Church Council Clergy: See All Saints’, Thorp Arch. Church Wardens: Doreen Lister 842344, Bill Kilby : 842561. Secretary: Anne Kilby 842561. Treasurer: Fiona Robinson 843338, fionarob@outlook.com. Flowers & Cleaning: Liz and Geoff Harrison 845978 Walton Cricket Club Chair: Caroline Hobson 07860 615154, caroline.hobson@btinternet.com
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