A Craven Diary

CRAVEN folk are being asked to give their support to a partially-sighted man who plans to walk the 80-mile Dales Way without sleeping. Laurie Manley will pause only to eat during the two-day trek along valleys from the Lake District to Ilkley. He is due to tackle the Craven section of the route overnight on Saturday and into Sunday morning. He will be accompanied by friends and family and, for part of the route, by his three-year-old guide dog Umber. He is raising money for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Mr Manley, who is from Braithwaite, Keighley, said: “People are going to meet me at various places. I will have at least two people with me at all times and five or six at other times.” His two previous attempts at the Dales Way were unsuccessful due to bad weather and illness, but he remains optimistic. I have the confidence to put one foot in front of the other. The Dales Way is on level ground, so I can keep a fast pace.” Anyone who wishes to sponsor should visit justgiving.com/lawrence-manley.

MANY sightings of rats in Barnoldswick’s town centre have attracted the attention of the townsfolk. “Numerous rats have been seen in broad daylight coming up from sewers and then going down a dark hole,” said Barnoldswick councillor Ken Hartley. Although they have been infrequent, he said there have been enough physical sightings by residents to make local councillors ponder their next move. “It’s difficult to assess how serious the problem is, but we need to look at the situation and decide if any action is required, such as installing pest control measures,” added Cllr Hartley. Members of the West Craven area committee recently agreed to monitor the situation.

FANCY a challenge? Why not pull on your walking boots and join the British Heart Foundation’s Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. It takes place on Saturday, July 11, starting at Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and takes in Penyghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. Entry fees are £35 for adults and the event is open to over 17s. All under 18s must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the hike. The BHF is urgently appealing to participants to raise as much sponsorship money as they can as the entry fee purely goes towards the cost of running the event safely. To register, go to bhf.org.uk/Y3P or email events@bhf.org.uk.

THE ladies of Rylstone WI are calling for past members to join them in celebrating the national centenary of the WI. They are planning an evening of festivities at the Rylstone home of Moyra Livesey, where canapes, strawberries and fizz will be served. The celebration will take place next Thursday, July 2, from 7pm to 9pm and those planning to attend are asked to contact Mary Wilkinson on 01756 752740. Some of the original WI Calendar Girls will be there.

NORTHERN Powergrid has a message for Craven’s agricultural community during the harvest season. The company, which is responsible for the power network that delivers electricity to doors of 3.9 million homes and businesses across the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, is urging farm workers to be extra vigilant around overhead power lines which can cause serious or fatal electrocution. Geoff Earl, Northern Powergrid’s director of safety, health and the environment, tells me: “We know this is the start of an incredibly busy and important period for the farming community and we want it to be a productive and safe time for farmers in our operating area. We’ll be spending the harvesting season working to increase awareness so farmers remember to plan ahead and ‘look up’ while working, understand the potentially fatal consequences of coming into contact with our overhead lines, especially those operating at high voltage, and know exactly what to do if something should happen to them.” In 2014 there were 18 incidents across the region involving tractors, trucks or other farm machinery striking cables or support poles on Northern Powergrid’s 29,000 kilometre network of overhead power line. Fortunately none of the incidents were fatal. Northern Powergrid has produced a free guide, Working together with agriculture to save lives, which is available at northernpowergrid.com or call 0845 070 7172.

PUB staff are used to challenging situations – but six workers at Wetherspoon’s Devonshire in Skipton are taking their stress levels to a whole new height. Led by shift manager Claire-Jayne Winstanley, the team will tackle Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis on Monday to raise money for CLIC Sargent. Their journey will be documented by their own photographer Philip Winstanley. The team has set itself a target of £1,000, but hopes to raise more. Claire-Jayne said: “We are pretty unfit but this makes us more determined than ever to tackle 4,409ft of mountain. CLIC Sargent is cancer and leukaemia in childhood and is supported by all Wetherspoons. Since the partnership began in 2002, the company has raised over £10 million for the charity but we don’t want to stop there.” To donate, visit justgiving.com/TheDevonshireSkiptonSpoons or text 70070 with SKPN67 (space) and then an amount between £1 and £10. Donations can also be made at the pub on Newmarket Street.

SETTLE College pupil Zara Salim (above) will be continuing her fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support this weekend. The 12-year-old launched her charity campaign after her grandad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She started by selling her old toys and belongings through Facebook and then held a coffee morning at local sports bar, Venue Skipton, and raised a massive £535. Now the Skipton youngster is planning a charity auction at The Cake ‘ole, in Craven Court, on Saturday, from 6pm. Afternoon tea will be served and lots include a £500 John Lewis voucher. Entry is £15 and anyone unable to make the event can donate via Zara’s Just Giving page. Zara has already exceeded her original target of £150 as the total currently stands at £715.

BARNOLDSWICK sports centre is helping to educate schoolchildren about the dangers of open water during Drowning Prevention Week. Staff and swimming instructors from Pendle Leisure Trust’s three leisure centres, including the West Craven Sports Centre, on Kelbrook Road, are joining forces with firefighters from Nelson Fire Station to teach youngsters about the dangers of swimming in open water. In a hands-on session today from 10.30am to noon, participants will learn lifesaving skills, including CPR, as well as swimming techniques. Pendle Leisure Trust’s swimming co-ordinator, Christine Britton, said: “We already carry out water safety training three times a year across all three of our sites, teaching children about how dangerous water can be, especially rivers, reservoirs and the beach. This is another chance for us to drum home the message to schoolchildren during Drowning Prevention Week.”