Neighbourhood news from around Craven

Field and local history: Adam Walmsley from the Ribble Rivers Trust gave the Austwick Field and Local History Society an excellent talk to the members about the Wildlife of the River Ribble. He also gave an insight into the valuable preservation work the trust is doing maintaining and monitoring the river and its many tributaries. It was a most enjoyable and interesting evening.

Women’s Institute: It was Austwick WI members night on February 12 so WI members and friends from Bentham, Clapham, Giggleswick and Settle joined Austwick WI for a fashion show. Thanks go to Sarah Alexander, of Ahernes, Hellifield, for organising the show. Thanks also go to Hawes Creamery for donating cheese and biscuits. A total of £672 was raised for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Community Players: The Austwick Community Players are busy rehearsing another hilarious and fun-filled entertainment entitled The Lamb with the Golden Fleece. It brings to life a story about golden lambs and provides plenty of laughs at the expense of the bankers. The show is put on for the public for two nights in aid of the parishes’ annual Over 65s evening and draws in an audience from the North Craven area and beyond. This year’s public shows are on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7, at Austwick Parish Hall. Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm. Tickets cost £6 (which includes glass of wine) and £2.50 for children (includes a soft drink) and are available from Crossleigh Stores in Austwick on 015242 51415 or from the secretary on 015242 51269.

Barnoldswick Probus Club: Last week 52 West Craven Probus members listened to a talk by David Wiseman. He spoke about The Big Band Sound from 1935 to 1955, which featured music from, among others, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Arty Shore and Ted Heath. Chairman John Dodd closed the meeting by thanking David for his endeavours.

St Andrew’s: A Messy Church is being held at St Andrew’s Methodist Church, on Mosley Street, from 3pm to 5pm on Saturday. The theme is Moses and activities include building pyramids, making a burning bush, origami frogs and an edible Moses basket. Children must be accompanied by an adult to the family event, which will finish with a meal. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.

Bentham Show quiz: A total of £450 was raised for Bentham Agricultural Society when 32 teams entered the 16th annual Bentham Show quiz in Bentham Town Hall. After ten rounds of questions set by quizmaster John Whitfield, the winners were: 1 G and F Hey, 79 points, 2 (joint) A Sheridan and J Ferguson, D Ibbetson, S Harrison, R Lowis and M Knowles, A and M Wright, M Longton and J Warbrick, 77 points, 4 B and R Wills, D Faraday and J Lister, 76 points. The show committee thank all who supported the event.

Bolton Abbey Priory Church: The services this Sunday are 8am Communion (said),10.30am Sung Eucharist and 4.30pm. And, as this is the first Sunday of the month, there will also be Liquid Family Service at 9.15am. This is a fun service for children of all ages with activities and refreshments. Each Wednesday, there is a Communion Service at 10am. All services are BCP.

Concert series: The concert series schedule is now available, if you would like one please ring 01756 710586.

Wednesday Nighters: The Wednesday Nighters will meet in the village hall on Wednesday at 7.30pm.

Hall AGM: Bolton Abbey Village Hall will hold its annual general meeting next Thursday, March 5, at 7.30pm.

Lent meetings: The Lent Group will meet at the Rectory each Friday in Lent from 2pm. The meetings will be facilitated by regular church member the Rev Martin Wray.

Carleton Raymond Bone, 01756 790587 Panto fun: Carleton’s annual pantomime came to fruition after many months of hard work by cast and crew. This year, it was Pinnochio and the show delighted at every performance. The costumes were gloriously colourful. Steve Richardson would like to see new members taking part in next year’s production. Each year, the group strives to beat previous shows and is usually successful.

Clapham Rory-Joe Daniels, 015242 51135 Wedding exhibition: There will be an exhibition of wedding memorabilia in St. James’ Church over the August Bank Holiday weekend. If you have anything you would like to be displayed, perhaps wedding dresses (or things made from them such as christening gowns), photos, orders of service or any other memories of your big day, please contact Sue Mann on 015242 51792.

Clapham Biodiesel: After eight years of producing biodiesel, the Clapham Community Co-operative Biodiesel Project has ended. The co-op started when an employee of local business Growing with Grace had the idea of turning waste vegetable oil into useable biodiesel. The project has, over the past eight years, used more than 40 volunteers who produced the biodiesel to sell to members at a price below fossil fuel. All profits from the project were reinvested into local organisations. Due to rising insurance costs, it has become no longer viable. However, the project will have a lasting effect with final donations to Clapham Children’s Playground, Clapham Development Association, Clapham Give and Take recycling group, Clapham Mother and Toddler Group and Friends of Clapham School (PTA).

Coniston Cold St Peter’s: The church will hold an Evensong on Sunday at 4pm.

Young Farmers: During half term, Coniston Cold Young Farmers travelled to the Rossendale Ski Centre. Twenty-five members took to the piste for an evening of dry slope skiing. Club chairman Cameron Walton thanked instructors Debbie and Steve for their help with the novice skiers. Next week’s meeting is at Yorkshire Dales Ice Cream at Halton East.

Cononley Joan Nicholson, 01535 630872 St John’s: On Sunday, St John’s Church will celebrate Holy Communion at 11am. The service will be led by the vicar, the Rev John Peet.

Soul disco: A Northern Soul Disco will be staged at the village institute on Saturday, from 7.30pm. There will be a fully-lit dance floor and a meal included in the £10 ticket price. There will also be a pay bar. Tickets are available from the Post Office.

Cowling Local history: Mining and quarrying in the parish of Cowling was the recent research topic of local history group Moonrakers. Members studied information on 19th century coal mining at Reedshaw in the far west of the parish. This area is now part of the reservoir. Members also looked at statistics regarding a trial lead mine at Gill Bottom in the 19th century. A spoil heap for this mine is still evident by the roadside, on the left before the disused cottages, when travelling north east on Shop Lane. The mine, however, was and still is on private land, with no access now available. The information for both mines was provided by Mike Gill, of Sutton-in-Craven. The group has very little quarrying information. It knows there were important quarries at Earl’s Crag, Knoll Hill and Mires Close in the 19th century, but has no dates or ownership details. It is said that stone from one of these quarries was used to build a dock at Heysham. Anyone with information regarding quarrying or mining in Cowling is asked to get in touch with the group on 01535 637352 or email moon-rakers.co.uk. The group will meet again in the Bancroft Room at St Andrew’s Methodist Church next Thursday, March 5, from 7.30pm to 9.15pm. All are welcome.

Draughton Jane Markham, 01756 711305 Afternoon Tea Party: The next afternoon tea party will be held on Monday at 2.30pm in the village hall. All are welcome.

Earby David Hartley, 01282 842617 Churches Together: The second Lenten meeting will be held in Mount Zion Church on Tuesday at 7.15pm for 7.30pm. It will be led by members of St Peter’s Methodist Church and the subject will be Awesome wonder. These are ‘stand alone’ evenings, so if you cannot attend them all, please come to those you can. All will be made very welcome.

Earby Gardeners: A committee meeting of Earby and District Gardeners will take place next Thursday, March 5, at 7.30pm (note change of time). All are welcome. The second Tuesday meeting will be held in the lounge of the New Road Community Centre at 7.30pm on Tuesday, March 10. The speaker, John Holroyd from Shipley, will present a slide show of his travels. The spring bulb show on Saturday, March 21, is open from 11am to 1pm. Soup and sandwiches will be served and schedules are available from Dorothy Bullock on 01282 842134.

St Peter’s: The service at 10.30am on Sunday will be led by Brian Oliver. Also on Sunday, St Peter’s Methodist Church will host its monthly Songs of Praise service at 4pm. All are welcome to choose a favourite hymn, and share their story if they wish. This is followed by a sandwich tea provided by the church. From 1.30pm on Monday, there will be a gentle exercise class followed by refreshments. All are welcome and the exercises can be done either standing or sitting. There is no set charge, but donations are welcome.

Embsay with Eastby Andrew Wilson, 01756 790197 Embsay churches: On Sunday, the Methodist service at 10.30am will be led by the Rev Mollie Greenwood and will be a Guild Service. Please note that the chapel is open every Monday between 2pm and 3.30pm for anyone in the village seeking a time of peace and quiet. A chapel member will normally be available in case you wish to talk or you may just want a bit of peace and quiet. If so, take a seat and enjoy the peace. On Sunday at St Mary’s Church, the 9.30am service will be an all age worship and baptism and will be followed at 11.15am by Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer. On Wednesday, the second meeting of the Lent Group will meet at the Methodist Church at 7.15pm to discuss Chasing the Dream or Fulfilling the Calling.

Parish council: Residents of Embsay and Eastby who are interested in becoming a locally elected councillor in the May 2015 local elections are being reminded that, from Monday, they can obtain nominations packs from Craven District Council’s Electoral Services by phone on 01756 706224 or by email at elections.cravendc.gov.uk. Nominations packs are also available from the parish clerk on 01282 850851 or email embsay.clerk@tiscali.co.uk. The deadline for the delivery of nominations papers is 4pm on Thursday, April 9. The Craven District Council Electoral Services is also encouraging prospective candidates to attend a briefing on Tuesday, March 24, at 3pm, Belle Vue Suite, 1 Belle Vue Square.

Flower Club: The Embsay-with-Eastby Flower Club resumes its monthly meetings on Tuesday at 7.30pm in the village hall when Susan Stead, a NAFAS teacher, will present a practical evening. The required flowers and aspidistra leaves etc. are listed on the email sent to members. New members are welcome.

Coffee morning: Children from Embsay Primary School have organised a Fairtrade coffee morning at the school on Tuesday from 9.30am until 11am. There will be coffee and tea and a variety of Fairtrade goods, including chocolate and coffee. All are welcome and proceeds will be shared between the school, Christian Aid and Islamic Relief.

Over 50s: The next meeting of the Over 50s Forum will be this afternoon when Christine Newson will speak about Chinese Brush Painting. The afternoon will include a demonstration and some participation.The meeting will begin at 2pm in the village hall with tea and scones and the talk starting around 2.30pm. If you need a lift to the meeting give Shelagh Marshall or Wilf Chatwin a ring.

Pre-School Playgroup: The Fire Fighters will be collecting adult and children’s clothing, underwear, socks, coats, paired shoes, handbags and bedding (but no bric-a-brac) tomorrow morning. If you are having an early spring clean, please bring anything you don’t want to the pre-school. If you would like to arrange collection, please ring Judith Robinson on 01756 791123.

U3A ceilidh: Craven U3A will hold its annual ceilidh in Embsay Village Hall next Friday, March 6, between 7pm and 10pm. All members and their friends and family are welcome. Tickets are priced at £10 per person and are available from Geoff Hiser. Music will be provided by the Buttered Peas Ceilidh Band.

Farnhill and Kildwick Joyce Wood, 01535 635880 St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday there will be a service of Holy Communion at 8.15am in the parish rooms and a service of Holy Communion with baptism at 10am in the church. Every Wednesday there is a service of Holy Communion at 9.30am in the parish rooms. On Fridays during Lent, there will be a service of Stations of the Cross at 12.30pm in the church.

Village Pump: The Village Pump - the over 50s group - will meet in the lower hall at Farnhill Methodist Church on Wednesday from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Fair meeting: The Kildwick and Farnhill Summer Fair planning meeting will be held in the parish rooms at 7.30pm on Tuesday. Organisers are hoping to build on the success of previous years and make the 2015 summer fair even better. To do this, organisers need people’s help. Anyone interested in volunteering should go along to the meeting or contact Chris Brigham on 01535 630523.

Gargrave Sally Jennings, 01756 748098 Coffee morning: There will be a coffee morning on Saturday between 10am and noon in the village hall. All proceeds will be donated to the ongoing running costs associated with the hall.

Sequence dance: The monthly sequence dance is being held from 7.30pm in the village hall on Saturday. Entry is £4 per person, which includes tea and biscuits and everyone is welcome to attend.

St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday, the the church will hold a BCP Holy Communion at 8am and a Sung Eucharist at 10.45am.

Parish council: The parish council will meet on Monday from 7.15pm in the village hall annexe.

Yoga: A new six-week session of classes will begin on Wednesday from 9.30am in the village hall annexe. New members are always welcome and full tuition is provided by Corinne Docherty who is a qualified British Wheel of Yoga teacher.

Fuchsia meeting: The Fuchsia and Geranium Society will hold its first meeting of the year from 7pm on Wednesday in the village hall annexe and new members are more than welcome to attend.

Workshops: Crossgates Health, at The Barn, has organised a series of workshops. First is a free event on Understanding Sugar on Tuesday, March 10, from 7pm. Then, on Tuesday, March 17, there will be The Natural Way - a pre-conception and early pregnancy workshop - from 7pm to 9pm. The cost is £20. Psychic reader Shirley Emsley will hold a question and answer session on Thursday, April 16 from 7pm and places cost £10. To book, call 01756 749901 or email hannahr@crossgatesfarm.co.uk Giggleswick Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 Theatre events: Tonight, the Gigg lectures series continues in the Richard Whiteley Theatre with a talk by Dr Paul Whittaker on the subject of Music to the Ear. Profoundly deaf since the age of eight, Dr Whittaker is an organist and pianist and, since 1988, has run a charity to help deaf people access music and the performing arts. Tomorrow, the theatre, in conjunction with Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, will stage A Cartoon History of Here - an interactive cartoon and poetry performance with renowned broadcaster and poet Ian McMillan and acclaimed cartoonist Tony Husband. For ticket details, contact 01729 893180.

Glusburn Women’s Institute: The speaker at the February meeting of Glusburn and Cross Hills WI was Ian Dewhirst who spoke about local history in the 1950s. Although the 50s seem only a moment ago, the world was a very different place. He gave instances of advertising, the role of teenagers, national service, work and the murder rate. All the information was told with amusing anecdotes. The next meeting is on Tuesday at Cross Hills Village Centre. This will be an art demonstration by Derek Stansfield. Any ladies who might be interested in joining WI will find a friendly welcome, so please come along.

Grassington Sheila Denby, 01756 705605 Embroiderers’ Guild: Tutor Hannah Lamb stretched members’ imaginations and ingenuity at a recent workshop, Stitch with found objects. The group’s next meeting will be a talk on Fabric Sculpture by Annette Jeffrey on Wednesday from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Wharfedale Rugby Club, Threshfield. All are welcome and admission is £5.

Night Patrol: Tickets costing £10 are available for the Night Patrol rock concert in Grassington Town Hall on Saturday, April 25, from 8pm until late. There will be a bar and supper. Proceeds will go to Manorlands - the Sue Ryder hospice at Oxenhope. Please contact William on 07834 352944.

Parish council: Grassington Parish Council will hold its monthly meeting at the town hall tonight at 7.30pm. All residents are welcome to attend.

Bowling Club: Grassington and District Bowling Club will hold its annual general meeting in the pavilion on Tuesday at 7pm. New members are welcome to attend. Anyone wishing to raise any issues or put forward proposals should contact the secretary, Noel Hudson, on 01756 751848 and he will add them to the agenda. The club offers coaching on Monday afternoons and, weather permitting, the season will start at the beginning of April and will run to the end of September. If you want to take part, come along in the afternoons from 2pm. Refreshments are available for both players and spectators. The club will be entering a team in Division Three of the Skipton and District League.

Garden talk: John Foley will talk about Spring in the Garden to next Thursday’s meeting of Grassington and District Horticultural Society. It will take place in the Octagon Theatre at Grassington Town Hall from 7.30pm. Mr Foley, from Holden Clough Nursery, was named BBC Young Gardener of the Year in 2012.

Friendship Club: Grassington Friendship Club will hold its annual coffee morning in Church House on Saturday from 10am. Meanwhile, the club will meet for its weekly gathering at Church House today from 2.15pm when Linda Middleton and Co from the Trawden Strings will entertain. Next Thursday, March 5, Joe O’Heir will be in the chair with his quiz show.

Fitness classes: Local girl Lois Grinstead is running dance fitness classes in the town hall on Thursdays. There are two sessions - 6.30pm to 7.30pm and 7.45pm to 8.45pm - and the cost is £4. Lois studied at the Conservatoire, London, and has devised a high-power workout incorporating a range of different dance styles.

Table tennis: A new table tennis table has been bought for Grassington Town Hall. It has been partly financed by hall funds and partly by local residents. Table tennis sessions are held on Tuesdays from 5pm to 7pm. All standards of play welcome.

Hellifield Ken Leak, 01729 850845 Treasure hunt: Hellifield Gala will hold a treasure hunt on Saturday from 3pm. The hunt will be two-fold - one by car and one on foot. The car treasure hunt will follow a local route and the one on foot will be around the village. Entry will be £5 per team, starting from Hellifield Institute. There will be a barbecue and family disco following the event. All are welcome. Contact Heather on 01729 850845 for details.

Sixties night: A swinging sixties night, featuring local musicians, will take place on Friday, March 13. Doors will open 7.15pm. Ring 01729 851660 for details.

Age Concern: Age Concern has a new format which now features a luncheon at the Boars Head, Long Preston. The meeting takes place prior to the meal and lunch is taken at noon. For further details, contact Ellen on 01729 850864.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Caroline Thompson, 01756 749235 St Oswald’s: Sunday’s church service for the parish will take place at St Oswald’s Church at 3pm.

Domino drive: A domino drive was held at the Golden Lion on Friday when £80 was raised for a cancer charity. Results were: under 16s - 1 Derek Palmer, 2 Mya Priestley; adults - 1 Susan Johnson, 2 Linda Warin; booby prize - Amos’s Mum. The next domino drive will be on Friday, March 20, at 8pm.

Ingleton Sue Brown, 015242 41835 Rural association: The Ingleton Rural Community Association heard that nearly all the pantomime tickets had been sold. The chairman explained that some money was available now that had to be used before the end of the year for a play-related project. This could go towards the Splash Park. Other money would be available later, when the Reid House project is completed, for the BMX track. The badminton jumble sale raised £581.49 and thanks go to everyone who supported it. The WI jumble sale made £680.62 from which a £100 donation will be made to the Scouts, St Mary’s Church Roof Fund, Castleberg Hospital and the Splash Park. Liz Culshaw has also donated £149 to the pool. The Old People’s Welfare jumble sale is on May 23. St Mary’s Church is holding a Women’s World Day of Prayer service next Friday, March 6 at 2pm and all are welcome. The NSPCC table top sale is on March 22, the open gardens event is on August 1 and 2 and the dahlia show is on September 2. There will be a North Yorkshire Superfast Broadband launch event in the community centre today from 1pm to 5pm. The winner of the 200 Club was Ian Bairstow, who scooped £20, second with £10 was Peter Turpin and Mary Kendall, Eileen Cartwright and the WI each won £5.

Jumble sale: The Swimming Pool jumble sale, held on Saturday, raised £600. Thanks go to everyone who helped in any way. The next jumble sale will be held by the Ingleton Toddler Group at the community centre at 2pm next Saturday, March 7.

Langcliffe Helen Jarvis, 01729 825303 Heritage talk: On Tuesday, March 10, at 7.30pm, The North Craven Heritage Trust will host a talk at Langcliffe Village Institute. Dr Bill Shannon will speak about mapping local disputes in Tudor and Stuart times. His talk is entitled To Make a True and Perfecte Plotte. Visitors are welcome and admission is £2.

Langcliffe Show: Sunday’s Langcliffe Show meeting, held at the institute, was very well attended. The show does not have a formal committee and everyone is welcome to attend the next meeting which will be held on Sunday, May 17, at 4pm in the library/committee room of the institute. New categories have been added this year. As best-selling author Leah Fleming is to open the show, poetry and short story classes have been added to the schedule, which is being put together now. The popular after-show supper will be held again this year and tickets will be on sale nearer the date. There will be a limit of 60 guests.

Musical treat: Tickets are still on sale for musical duo howdenjones on March 27. They will entertain with an evening of “wonderful songs, gentle anecdotes and gentle leg-pulling”. Tickets will be £8.50 and queries about tickets and the performance should be directed to 01729 822114.

Lawkland Young Farmers: Lawkland Young Farmers met at Austwick Parish Hall for a pancake tossing night. Next week’s meeting is a visit to Dugdales Nutrition, in Clitheroe.

Long Preston Heather Thomas-Smith, 01729 840113 Anniversary service: Long Preston Methodist Chapel will hold its anniversary service on Sunday at 11am. The preacher will be Jim Hope, of West Marton, and there will be solos by Chris Sturrock, of Long Preston. All are welcome.

May Queen: If your daughter would like to have the chance of becoming this year’s Long Preston May Queen on Saturday, May 2, an application form is available from Long Preston Post Office. Please read and complete it carefully and bring it to the village hall on Saturday where girls will be interviewed between 10am and 11am. Your daughter must be aged between 11 and 14 on May 2 and have attended Long Preston School or live in Long Preston. Further information and contact details are available on the application form.

Women’s Institute: Tony and Carol Dilger will be the guest speakers at the March meeting of Long Preston WI in the village hall on Wednesday, March 11, at 7.30pm. They will give a slide show and talk entitled Distant Shores. New members are welcome.

Lothersdale Young Farmers: Last week, Lothersdale Young Farmers took part in hen judging. The results were: junior girl - 1 Becky Pickles, 2 Jennifer Lee, 3 Heather Reay; junior boy - 1 Daniel Dobson, 2 Robert Lee, 3 Tom Barraclough; intermediate girl - 1 Katie Summers, 2 Tanya Hunter, 3 Hannah Ormondroyd; intermediate boy - 1 Ed Berry; senior girl - 1 Charlotte Ormondroyd, 2 Lucy Hall; senior boy - 1 Luke Mellin, 2 Matt Airey.

Settle Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 Pool friends: There are still a few numbers left for this year’s 200 Club, organised by the Friends of Settle Swimming Pool. If you wish to join, numbers are £20 for the full year. There are ten monthly prize draws of £50, £30 and £20 and a Christmas draw of £500, £300.and £200. If you are interested, contact Julie Smith on 01729 822090 or leave your details at the pool.

Guided walks: The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line have arranged three guided walks for Saturday. The first is a Kirkby Stephen circular walk via Birkett Fell. This departs from Kirkby Stephen at 10.34 and is a ten-mile moderate walk. The second also is a circular walk around Kirkby Stephen and departs from the station at 10.21 and is a nine-mile moderate walk via Merrygill and Podgill viaducts. The third walk is on the Morecambe line and is a circular walk around Grange leaving at the station at 10.24. This is a ten-mile moderate walk. Booking in advance is not required but it is essential to bring a packed lunch and plenty to drink and to be correctly equipped. For further details contact walksinfo@settle-carlisle.com.

Lent course: This year’s Lent course of study, run by Churches Together in Settle and District, will take place at Settle Parish Church and will follow the York course, Praise Him. Meetings will take place every Wednesday and will run from 7.30pm to 9pm with refreshments available from 7.15pm. Participants are requested to bring a Bible.

Victoria Hall: Tomorrow sees the return of Henry Priestman to Victoria Hall for a special gig to celebrate the launch of his live DVD “Settle Down”, which was filmed on his last visit to the Victoria Hall in 2014. For details and tickets, contact 01729 825718 Music at Poppies: The second of this month’s musical events takes place on Saturday. This will be the debut of singer/songwriter Becky Mills at Poppies. For details contact 07932 182293.

Photographic Group: Settle Photographic Group will meet at 7.30pm on Monday. Rod Smith will give a talk on How Close Do You Want To Be?, which looks at the world of close-up and macro photography. This will be followed by a talk by John Cooper Smith on how he uses the healing tool and the dust and scratches filter in Photoshop.

Women’s Institute: Settle WI will holds its annual general meeting on Wednesday at 2pm. It will be followed by the much-anticipated entertainment from the drama group. There will also be a raffle. Please note that this meeting and those in April and May will be in the Catholic Church Hall.

Prayer Day: This year Women’s World Day of Prayer service will be held next Friday, March 6, at 7.30pm at St John’s. The theme will be praying for the Bahamas. All are welcome.

Charity dance: The next charity dance will be held next Saturday, March 7, when the proceeds will go to Settle Swimming Pool. The dance will be held at St Mary and St Michael Hall at 8pm. For details or to book a place, contact 01729 823259 or 824038.

Artisans fair: The first of this year’s fairs will take place at Victoria Hall next Saturday, March 7. The fairs will then take place on the first Saturday in the month. They are open from 10am to 3pm and will feature handmade items by local artisans.

Messy Church: The next messy church will take place at St John’s Church Hall on March 15 from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. There will be a chance for families to enjoy craft activities, worship and a shared meal together.

Silsden Linda Berry, 01535 654643 Ladies’ Circle: Mary Raine and Pat Moore gave a cake-icing demonstration at the February meeting of the Ladies’ Circle with more than 30 ladies attending. Mary and Pat showed how to cover a cake with fondant icing and decorate it with flowers made from flower paste. The demonstration was interspersed with amusing stories of their experiences in the cake-icing field. The finished cake was given to Joyce Ellison for her birthday the following day. The next meeting will be at Silsden Methodist Church, on Tuesday, March 10, at 7.30pm. The annual meeting will briefly start the evening followed by a treasure hunt organised by Brenda Robb. Everyone is welcome.

Civic Society: The next meeting of the Civic Society will take place in the Methodist Church next Thursday, March 5. The annual general meeting will take place at 7.15pm, followed by a talk by David Mosley entitled The Coinage of England at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be available.

Firefighter of the Year: Silsden Fire Station will hold its annual Firefighter of the Year awards on Saturday, March 14, at The Sunnybank Social Club when the awards will be made followed by a live band, the Artful Dodgers. The event will start at 7.30pm and tickets are £10 to include a buffet supper. Pay on the door or call in at the fire station.

Eighties party: An 80s party is being held at Silsden Sports Club next Saturday, March 7. Silsden AFC presents top covers band Flaming Dragon who will play hits from 80s bands The Stranglers, Soft Cell, Duran Duran, Human League, The Clash and Adam Ant. There will then be dancing until the early hours to the club’s in-house DJ Jimi Ferguson. Fancy dress is optional. Tickets costing £5 are available from Airevalley Insurance, Silsden Sports Club or phone 07792 501032.

Skipton History Society: Bob Greaves gave an illustrated talk on The Evidence for Timber-Framed Buildings in Skipton. The town still has a large number of buildings of historic importance, and even where there have been alterations over the years there can still be signs of past construction, especially within the roof timbers. Some examples within Skipton can be found in the Old Town Hall, the Red Lion, the Cock & Bottle, Woolly Sheep and 3 Mill Bridge. Roof timbers were regularly reused when a building was being altered, and these can show evidence of earlier joints and methods of construction. The next meeting is in the Swadford Centre tonight at 7.30pm when Dr Ian Adams will give an illustrated talk on Wakefield and its Buildings.

Singing for Fun: The singing group is for anybody living with long-term health conditions and is particularly beneficial for people with respiratory problems, dementia or Parkinson’s Disease. It meets twice a month at Skipton Baptist Church, with the next dates being Tuesdays, March 3 and 17, from 2pm to 3.30pm. Come and enjoy singing in a relaxed, friendly and supportive atmosphere. No singing experience is needed. For more information contact the Alzheimer’s Society on 01423 813464 or the health promotion officer at Fisher Medical Centre on 07591 067930.

Dalesway WI: At the February meeting of Skipton Dalesway WI, Derek Stansfield, a local artist, gave an interesting talk and demonstration of painting watercolours using traditional paints and coffee. The results were amazing. At their March meeting on Wednesday at the Three Links Club at 7.30pm, Trevor Backhouse, of Patisserie Viennoise, Otley, will give a chocolate gateau demonstration. Visitors are welcome.

Holy Trinity: You need not be a regular worshipper at Holy Trinity Church to be sure of a warm welcome and this week there are two occasions that may appeal to you. Today - the last Thursday of the month - sees Happy Hour in the church café. This informal and friendly get-together is particularly aimed at those living alone. Don’t be shy to drop in about 11am for a cup of coffee, a chat and a laugh. And on Sunday morning, young families will be particularly catered for at All-in Church at 11.30am. Again, please just turn up. There will be songs, activities and a Bible story, with refreshments served afterwards. Earlier that day, the second Sunday of Lent, the Rector will take Holy Communion at 8am, parish communion with healing at 9.45am and evensong at 5pm. Please check the notice boards on the church gates for weekday morning and evening prayer arrangements.

Oddfellows: The monthly fish and chip bingo session will be held from noon on Tuesday. Visitors are welcome. Frank will host his music quiz night next Saturday, March 7 from 8pm. For more information, contact the secretary on 01756 798022.

Camera Club: Members Eileen and Keith Hillery showed pictures of their various travels in parts of Europe including Rome and Germany where some of the magnificent old towns with their large squares and medieval buildings were admired. A visit to an international flower arranging competition in Ireland was also shown.

Retired Men’s Forum: Trevor Kent described his life as an electricity meter reader, highlighting the problems he encountered in inner city Leeds with meter tampering, fraud and over-enthusiastic ladies! Next week, Stuart Holt’s subject is Switzerland by Rail.

Women’s Institute: Martin Lunn was guest speaker at Skipton with Stirton and Thorlby WI. With great enthusiasm, he told members about the importance of women astronomers, spanning 4,000 years, including the influential Caroline Herschel (Comet Hunter), sister of the better-known astronomer William Herschel. On March 17, Derek Stansfield will speak about painting. The competition will be a small painting. The meeting will take place in the Soroptimist Rooms, on Otley Street, and visitors are welcome.

Gardeners’ Club: February’s presentation was given by Pippa Chapman, of Those Plant People at Steeton. Comprehensive advice was given regarding successful organic gardening. She said that timely and appropriate minimal maintenance produced quality fruit and vegetables and leaving areas to nature benefited colourful flora and fauna and encouraged biodiversity. The virtues of cardboard as a mulch and component of compost and urine as a balanced fertiliser was stressed. The five-acre garden is due to be open to the public in the future. The next meeting is in Soroptimist Rooms on Wednesday, March 18, at 7.30pm when demonstrator Maxine Nelson from Cookridge will talk on Tubs and Container Growing. The completed containers will be on sale, along with some bulbs.

Sutton-in-Craven St Thomas’ Church: A coffee morning will be held at the Community Centre, North Street, at 10am on Saturday. All money raised will go to church funds. Everyone is welcome.

Tea dances: Tea dances are held in Sutton Village Hall every Thursday afternoon at 1.45pm. Admission is £2, which includes refreshments. If you enjoy dancing, go along and you will be very welcome.

Upper Wharfedale Sheila Denby, 01756 752605 Prayer Day: A Women’s Day of Prayer service will be held at St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Linton, next Friday, March 6, from 2pm. The theme is Pray for the Bahamas. Light refreshments will follow the service.

Women’s Institute: Derek Stansfield will be guest speaker at next Thursday’s meeting of Rylstone WI. His subject is Painting with Coffee. The meeting will take place in Cracoe Village Hall at 7.30pm.

Annual meeting: Cracoe Village Hall management committee will hold its annual general meeting on Monday from 7pm. New members are encouraged to attend.

Book Club: The Rylstone Parish Book Club will meet on Tuesday and the book under discussion will be Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. For more information, contact Debbie Geldart on 01756 730345 or 07989 353030.

Quiz night: Cracoe and District Sports Committee will hold “A Quiz Night for All” tomorrow from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Admission is £5 for adults and £3 for children. There will be supper, bar and raffle.

Lent lunch: St Margaret Clitherow Church, Threshfield, will hold a Lent lunch for Christian Aid on Wednesday. It will take place in Church House, Grassington, from noon to 2pm and the menu will include homemade soup and cheese rolls.

Film night: Kettlewell Village Hall will hold a film night on Saturday. The featured film will be Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. It is a true story about a mother’s search for her lost son, who was taken from her by the nuns in the convent where she lived. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £2.50 for children and are available from Caroline Hatton on 760378 or Kettlewell Village Store. Doors will open from 7pm, for the screening at 7.30pm. Ice cream will be available at half-time.

Christingle collections: The Christingle services at St Peter’s, Rylstone, and St Michael’s, Linton, raised £278. The money has been sent to the Children’s Society.

Hall AGM: Kettlewell Village Hall will hold its annual general meeting on Monday at 7pm. Anyone from Kettlewell and Starbotton who wants to stand for election to the committee should email kwellvillagehall@aol.com or call David Nelson on 760887.

Wigglesworth Community centre: It is time to renew your 100s club subscription if you want to take part in March’s draw. For newcomers to this draw, it costs £12 per year and there is a £12 prize monthly, and special £50 prizes twice a year. The excess goes towards the running costs of the community centre. Geraldine’s Zumba is back on Thursday. Rural Arts will present the play, Old Herbaceous, next Friday, March 6. Tickets are still available and cost £10. There is a bar open from 7pm, with the play starting at 7.30pm. Thanks go to those who have already put their names on the rota for the bacon butty mornings, which start on April 4. Further helpers should get in touch on 01729 840794. The Wiggy Worm weekend will take place over Spring Bank, with a village walk taking place on Monday, May 25. If you want to make worms for your garden and need ideas, go along to the craft group meeting on Monday, March 9, at 7.30pm.