REFERENCE was made in the Craven Herald of 1918 of ‘regrettable scenes’ in Skipton High Street during the annual haytime hiring fair - the time of year when men from far and wide, including from Ireland, came into the town to hire themselves out to farmers for haymaking. Although conscription had recently been brought in to Ireland, it was never enforced, and so the sight of young men, of fighting age, in the town, caused a great deal of upset, especially since the upper age limit for those being called up in England had been raised to 51. The Herald reported that it was noticeable that the majority of the Irishmen were ‘finely built young fellows’ who to all appearances would ‘make good soldiers’. It was inevitable, continued the paper’s leader column, that feelings would run high, and that some comments would be made. One farmer accused the Irishmen for failing to do their duty and was immediately surrounded by an angry, shouting, gang of men, one of whom got hold of the farmer and gave him a ‘good shaking’. Several similar scuffles took place and eventually, the police stepped in to stop any serious disturbance. The farmers, it appeared, were disgusted with the state of things at the time, which allowed Irishmen of all ages to escape military service, when Englishmen up to 51 were being called up. One farmer suggested that all those from Ireland who had come over demanding ‘unreasonably high wages’ ought to be conscripted on the spot, and the general opinion was that the men should not be hired at all if there was any way out of the labour difficulty.

GIGGLESWICK School teamed up with writer Frances Brody at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, which ends today. The indepedent school has had a stand at the show throughout the three day event, which was expected to attract thousands of people. Frances, author of the Kate Shackleton mystery books was on the stand yesterday, sharing information about her book, Death in the Stars, which is set in Giggleswick in 1927, when the Yorkshire Dales village was the best place in the UK to see the total solar eclipse. Headteacher Mark Turnbull said: “We were pleased to welcome Frances to our stand as she promoted her latest book, which uses our school and surrounding area as its location. We are looking forward to meeting lots of people at the show, which promises to be as ‘great’ as ever.”

SKIPTON Tennis Centre, named the Lawn Tennis Association’s ‘club of the year’ on the second day of Wimbledon fortnight last week, has teamed up with Alexander’s Bar and Kitchen to promote grass roots tennis in Craven. The High Street restaurant is promoting a competition for children to design a tennis kit, with the winner, chosen by the centre’s Adam Cox, given an unlimited pass, worth £65, to the centre, at Sandylands Sports Centre. It is also providing raffle prizes for a club draw, and discounts for members of the tennis centre.

Meanwhile, visitors to Alexander’s, in Skipton High Street, will be able to watch both the men’s and women’s finals on big screens, which will be both inside, and outside, on the canal side terrace. Entry forms for the design competition, which closes on July 15, can be collected from Alexander’s. Adam said: “We are really excited about this collaboration with Alexander’s as it supports our aim to make tennis as accessible as possible to children and adults across the Craven area. (pictured are tennis centre members, Arabella Baker and Beatrice Benn)

MEANWHILE, Alexander’s is due to celebrate its first birthday on Friday, July 27 with a ‘tropical white party’. Getting the party going will be Skipton born DJ Luke Pompey(pictured) is well known all over the world, performing alongside top DJs, Pete Tong, Carl Cox and Erick Morillo. Luke also owns and manages Love Not Money Records. Catherine White, Alexander’s manager, said: “In true Alexander’s style we will be transforming our terrace and secret garden into a spectacular Balearics inspired party destination – which means wall to wall white. The entertainment will also be unlike anything Skipton has ever experienced, with international club DJ Luke, who has performed alongside the likes of Calvin Harris and Basement Jazz, on the decks, plus a fantastic live saxophonist, stilt walkers and stunning fire performers at dusk.” Tickets for the event,including an initial drink and three course, barbecue meal, are £28. For more information, visit the website: alexanders-skipton.com

CUSTOMERS of Thomas the Baker in Skipton High Street have helped raise £11,200 for the Alzheimer’s Society. Teams across the business’s 30 stores across Yorkshire and Teeside have raised the money over the last year through a series of special products, sponsored activities, collection tins, raffles and competitions. The bakery created a range of different products specifically for the charity, including Yorkshire Day and Forget-me-not cupcakes and Elf Cookies to mark the charity’s Elf Day. It is one of the highest amounts the company has ever raised for its charity of the year, beating the target set at £10,000. Chris Chapman, from the bakers, said: “We would like to thank our teams and our customers for their kind generosity. Every year we ask our colleagues to nominate and vote for a charity to support, and this was one people felt very passionately about helping. “ Alzheimer’s Society community fundraiser Hannah Riley added: “The teams have really united against dementia and engaged with our fundraising year: from selling vibrant forget-me-not cupcakes to support our June Cupcake Day fundraising campaign, to getting festive in store for Elf Day. To accept such an amazing fundraising total on behalf of Alzheimer’s Society is amazing; these funds will make a real difference for people living with dementia today and help us in our mission to create a world without dementia.” Pictured from left are:Rob Campbell, Thomas the Baker; Hannah Riley, Alzheimers Society, and Steve Simpson, Thomas the Baker.