Neighbourhood news from aorund Craven

Parish council: Austwick Parish Council will hold its annual meeting in the parish hall on Monday at 8pm.

Bowling Club: Members of Austwick Bowling Club played a club competition for the Bill Smith Trophy. This was won by M Pye, with B Burns runner-up. On Saturday, members travelled to Hornby and lost by four games to one. This Saturday, Austwick is away to Bentham and on Sunday, members will compete for the club’s Playing Field Trophy. Names must be in by 1.15pm Bolton Abbey Priory Church: The services this Sunday are 8am Communion (said) and 10.30am Sung Eucharist. At 4.30pm the church will welcome the choir of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley, to sing Choral Evensong. All services are the Book of Common Prayer.

Ascension Day: There will be a full Sung Eucharist today - Ascension Day - at 7pm. The congregation will be joined for this service by the choirs, clergy and members of the congregations of St Martin’s, Heaton, and St Barnabas’, also Heaton.

Recital: There will be a trumpet and organ recital at the Priory Church next Sunday, May 24, at 4pm. It will feature trumpet player Edward Freeman and organist Josh Roebuck. Edward is just 13 and a gifted young trumpeter. He won a silver medal in the Luxembourg international trumpet competition last year and has won the brass open class at the Harrogate Festival. He attends St Aidan’s Church of England High School and plays in their senior orchestra and symphonic wind band and also plays piano and percussion. Josh is an organ scholar at St John the Baptist, Knaresborough, and is currently completing A-levels. He will be taking up a major scholarship award to study organ at Birmingham Conservatoire. He plays and sings regularly in his local church, as well as directing the school Baroque Orchestra. He is also a keen violinist, and plays oboe and bassoon.There will be a retiring collection.

Bradley Liz Zieboll, 01535 636369 Christian Aid: This week is Christian Aid Week in the UK and is the 34th year of door-to-door collections in Bradley. The need is greater than ever with the situation in Nepal becoming increasingly desperate. Every collector lives in Bradley - please give what you can; small amounts in every envelope can lead to a big total in the village. If your envelope is not collected please drop it off in the village shop where there is a collection box.

Pilates: There will be a free Pilates taster session from 10am to 11am on Tuesday at the village hall. For more information, ring Sandra on 07971 044567.

Film Club: The film club will show Maleficent (PG) on Tuesday. Starring Angelina Jolie, the film is a fantasy thriller re-imagining the story of Sleeping Beauty. It will take place in the school hall at 6pm and admission is free (children under 16 should be accompanied). Refreshments will be available to buy. There is also a loop system. The film club is open to the whole community so come along and enjoy an evening of free entertainment.

Charity concert: The Methodist Church will host another charity concert at 7pm on Saturday, June 6. This is to raise money for Manorlands, in memory of Malcolm Mattock, and Rays of Sunshine - a charity which makes wishes come true for seriously ill children. The concert will feature a variety of talented acts who live in, or are connected with Bradley. This year Bradley School will be performing for the first time. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £2.50 for children and will be available from the school, village shop or on the door. For more information, contact Angela on 01535 634460 or Pat on 01535 637080.

School news: The Friends of Bradley School will hold a committee meeting this evening. It will take place in the Slaters Arms pub in the village at 8pm. Everyone is welcome to attend so please come along and see what the Friends are planning and bring any ideas you have. Class one enjoyed an activity afternoon at Sandylands on Thursday. Last week saw joint winners of Walk to School - classes three and five both had 96 per cent of pupils either walking or parking and striding to school.

Sunday School: If you have never been to Sunday School at Bradley Methodist Church and would like to see what it does, come along at 10.15am for a 10.30am start. The class starts by going into the church for 10 to 15 minutes; there is then a children’s song before members go into the school room. Activities include drama, stories, crafts, games and baking. The next Messy Church will be on Sunday between 3pm and 5pm. Everyone is welcome - refreshments will be available and tea will be served at the end.

Village Hall: Bradley Village Hall can be hired for events such as discos, concerts, band practices, wedding receptions and family parties. The hall has capacity for 100 people and has a permanent stage, changing rooms and a kitchen. For more information, contact Greg Coughlin on 07808 142093, email villagehall.bradley@gmail.com or visit the website, sites.google.com/site/bradleyvillagehall.

Parish council: There will be a parish council meeting at 7.30pm on Tuesday in the village hall. This is an open meeting and residents are invited to attend.

Burnsall Ed Williams, 01756 720335 Jazz in the Village: Burnsall Village Hall is delighted to present an evening of relaxed, melodic jazz featuring Scottish duo Dominic Spencer and Ian Millar on piano and saxophone respectively on Sunday. Millar and Spencer have performed regularly at the Edinburgh Fringe and have toured extensively in the UK. Their new Jazz in the Village tour will take them to village venues all over the country, creating an evening of intimate jazz cabaret. Doors will open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Tickets are £8, available from Robert and Alison Fort on 01756 720680 or online at wegottickets.com/event/316909. Bring your own supper and drinks.

St Wilfrid’s: On Sunday, the Bishop of Ripon, the Right Rev James Bell, will take the Holy Communion service at St Wilfrid’s at 9.30am. This is the first visit from the new area bishop and the first visit as part of the new Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales. There will be refreshments after the service. All are welcome to the worship and hear Bishop James and to meet him afterwards.

Charities day: In the middle of a few days of wet and windy weather, Burnsall Charities Day, held on Bank Holiday Monday, broke with the sun shining. All the charities who took part had a great day and well over £2,500 was raised. The Burnsall Duck Race was held using Joy Beck as the River Wharfe was running too high. The most popular attraction was the Young Farmers’ ducking stool with many a young farmer waiting and getting a royal soaking.

Carleton Film night: The next film night in the Village Hall is on Saturday. Doors open at 7pm, with the film starting at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £4 and are available from the Village Store or on the door. For details of this month’s film, call 07834 545679.

Drop-in session: Fibre broadband company Gigaclear will hold a drop-in session in the Swan Inn on Wednesday from 6pm to 8.30pm. Please pop in if you have questions for them.

Chapel-le-Dale Heritage Trust: On Wednesday at 11.30am, North Craven Heritage Trust will stage a walk through the Ingleborough Terraces. Entitled A Walk Back in Time, participants should meet in the car park of St Leonard’s Church, Chapel-le-Dale. This will be a moderate walk over some rough country and limestone pavements and cover approximately five miles and last around four-and-a-half hours. Participants should bring picnic lunch and wear boots or stout shoes. For further information, visit northcravenheritage.org.uk Coniston Cold Young Farmers: Last Tuesday, Coniston Cold Young Farmers met at Mill Bridge Farm, Long Preston, by kind permission of John Mellin and Clare Cropper. Members judged beef cattle and flat caps. The judges were John Stevenson and Jill Perrins from Bordley. Results were: beef cattle: juniors - 1 Joe Hudson, 2 Liam Wallbank, 3 Robert Capstick; intermediates - 1 Tom Saxby, 2 Aimee Beresford, 3 Cameron Walton; seniors - 1 James Bolland, 2 Will Throup; flat caps - 1 Hannah Saxby, 2 Holly Brennand, 3 Alice Walton. The vote of thanks was given by Tom Panter.

St Peter’s: On Sunday, St Peter’s will hold a Holy Communion service at 9.30am.

Cononley Joan Nicholson, 01535 630872 St John’s: On Sunday, the church will hold a service of Holy Communion (Prayer Book) at 8am. This will be followed by a service of Morning Prayer at 11am, led by the vicar.

Sports Club: There will be a cheese and wine evening at Cononley Sports Club tomorrow from 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and are available from Liz Calvert on 634240. There will be a glass of wine on entry, along with cheese, crackers, bread and nibbles. Raffle tickets on sale to raise money for updating the ladies cloakroom. Last year’s event was a fun evening.

Jaywalkers production: The Jaywalkers theatre company staged its latest production, A Month of Sundays, to a full house in Cononley Village Institute. The audience much enjoyed this gentle comedy with a sad undertow, which was as usual very well acted and directed. The next production will be staged over the first two weekends in October.

Cowling New 2U: The New 2U venture at St Andrew’s Church will focus on children’s books, toys and clothes throughout May. There will be items for youngsters up to the age of 12, with prices starting at 10p. The shop is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm and Saturdays from 10am to noon.

Draughton Jane Markham, 01756 711305 Annual meeting: The annual parish meeting, followed by the annual parish council meeting, will take place in the village hall next Thursday, May 21, starting at 7.30pm. The notices are published on the noticeboards and on the website, draughton.org.

Superfast broadband: A presentation will be given at the annual parish meeting on superfast broadband. Representatives of Superfast North Yorkshire and Craven District Council will be present to provide an update on progress of the rollout in the county and to answer questions from the community. Everyone is welcome to come along and take part in the meeting next Thursday, May 21.

St Augustine’s Church: Sunday’s Holy Communion service will start at 11.15am and will be led by the Rector, the Rev Veronica James. All are welcome.

Earby David Hartley, 01282 842617 Churches Together: A joint service will be held at All Saints’ Parish Church on Whit Sunday (May 24) at 10.30am. The preacher will be the Rev Norman Cumming of the West Craven Baptist Fellowship. Churches Together will hold a meeting on Thursday, May 28, at the New Road Community Centre. A meal will be available at 6.30pm and the speaker will be the Rev Rod Geddes, formerly vicar of Gargrave now residing in Earby. This will be an opportunity to say farewell to vice chairman and secretary Rosemary Biggin, so it is hoped all the churches will be well represented.

Earby Gardeners: The society wishes to thank all who worked hard to arrange and execute their recent coffee morning, raffle and plant sale. David Hartley had to go for more plants to sell mid morning and the event was very well attended. Thanks go to all who came to support their local gardening society. The main horticultural show will be held Saturday, August 15.

Community centre: At the request of those who cannot make a daytime meeting, the next meeting of the Roaring 20s and Fun Day committee will be held at 7.30pm on Monday in the New Road Community Centre. Everyone is welcome.

St Peter’s: Thanks were expressed to everyone who came to St Peter’s Methodist Church’s plant sale and coffee morning. The church garden now has a lot more plants. The service at 10.30am on Sunday will be led by Mark Clegg. 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. Also on Monday, the church’s monthly free games evening will take place from 7pm. Table tennis has been added to the range of games available.

History Society: Earby and District Local History Society will meet on on Tuesday at 7.30pm at New Road Community Centre in Earby. Maggie Smith, from Saltaire History Club, will give a talk, Hollywood Star Dust vs Yorkshire Grit - a Saga at Salts Mill 1981.

Embsay-with-Eastby Andrew Wilson, 01756 790197 Embsay churches: Sunday sees the Methodist Chapel’s 10.30am service led by the Rev Roger Fox. At St Mary’s Church there will be a family communion service. On Tuesday, St Mary’s will hold a communion service at 10.30am and in the afternoon the church will the open for tea, coffee, home baking and conversation between 2pm and 4pm. On Mondays, the Methodist Chapel is open for quiet reflection between 2pm and 3.30pm. On Fridays, between 1.45pm and 3.13pm, the toddler praise, Smiley Faces, takes place in St Mary’s. This is for pre-school children, their parents, carers and grandparents. There are lots of toys, craft activities, a Bible story, singing, juice, tea, coffee and time for a chat.

Farnhill and Kildwick Joyce Wood, 01535 635880 St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday, there will be services of Holy Communion at 8.15am and 10am. Tea and scones will be served from 2.30pm to 4.30pm in the parish rooms and the church will be open to visitors.

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.

History Group: Farnhill and Kildwick History Group will meet on Monday at 7pm in the institute. Michael Baumber will talk about Kildwick during the Reformation. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Gargrave Sally Jennings, 01756 748098 Flea market: The next flea market is on Sunday between 10am and 4pm in Gargrave Village Hall. Entry is 50p and refreshments are available throughout the day.

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

Coffee morning: A coffee morning will be held in Gargrave Village Hall next Saturday, May 23, between 10am and noon. The Gargrave Heritage Group will be collecting old photographs and memorabilia during the morning and these will all be returned in due course.

Art exhibition: An exhibition of the work of Margaret and John Merrell is to be held on Saturday, May 30, between 10am and 4pm, in Gargrave Village Hall. Margaret died in 2010 and John in 2013 and the family have quite a collection of their artwork. This exhibition will be an opportunity to see and purchase some of the work they created over the years. Margaret and John retired to Gargrave where they lived for approximately 30 years. John had been a GP in Skipton and Margaret was a botanist and they were married for over 60 years. Refreshments will be served throughout the day and all proceeds from the artwork will be donated to Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Giggleswick Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 Theatre events: Giggleswick Junior School pupils will present their own take on the tales of 1001 Arabian nights at the Richard Whiteley Theatre. They will stage Aladdin Trouble tonight and tomorrow at 7pm. On Sunday, there will be a showing of the film, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, by Community Cinemas. This will take place at 3.30pm. For tickets and details, contact 01729 893180.

Primary school: Well done to Summer Parker, Ellie Forster, Aaron Hird and Leon Venn who were successful in their accordion exams. Congratulations also go to the pupils who took part in the recent tag rugby tournament. In spite of the very wet conditions, they all played very well, losing two games and winning two games. Some pupils read lessons at the recent family service at St Alkelda’s and the school has been asked to provide musical entertainment at the parish council’s community tea party on Saturday.

Gisburn Young Farmers: Members met at Isaac Lancaster’s farm where they had a night of dairy cow judging. Everyone had a good night and scored well. The master judge was Luke Lancaster who rounded off the night with a helpful talk on what to look out for when judging.

Whist and dominoes: A whist and domino drive was held at Gisburn Festival Hall on Saturday, May 2. Results were: dominoes - A Pickard, E Carefoot, J Sagar, P Metcalf, D Knight, S Dawson; whist, men - D Hogg, H Grainger, A Shaw; ladies - M Grainger, J Riley, A Shaw.

Grassington Sheila Denby, 01756 752605 Music evening: Grassington Town Hall will host an evening with howdenjones, who are touring with their acoustic show, tomorrow from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £8 and are available from The Hub, Grassington, on 01756 752222 or on the door. Bar facilities will be available.

Friendship Club: Pat Hainsworth is guest speaker at today’s meeting of Grassington Friendship Club in Church House from 2.15pm. Next Thursday, May 21, members will welcome Geoff Queen who will give an address entitled We Apologise for the Delay.

New Pilots: Grassington Congregational Church has gained six new Pilots across various ages this term. They continue to enjoy their Friday night meetings together. There will be no sessions on May 22 and 29 during the half-term break.

WAGS meet: Chrissie Blakeley, of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service, attended a WAGS meeting last year to talk about Community First Responders. If anyone is interested, they may speak to Julie or Andrew Wyatt on 01756 753848. The training takes a day and is well worth the time. There are usually a couple of callouts per year.

Mothers’ Union: The recent coffee morning in Church House, organised by St Michael’s Mothers’ Union, raised £349 towards holiday breaks for families in need. Thanks go to all who helped. Julie Cuttriss-Steels was the speaker at the most recent meeting. New members are welcome.

Coffee morning: Members of the Upper Wharfedale Cricket Club and their supporters will be serving coffee and biscuits at the coffee morning in Church House on Saturday from 9.30am.Hellifield Ken Leak, 01727 850845 200 Club: The May winners of the institute’s 200 club are: No 153, William Bolton, £25; No 39, Barbara Marshall £10; and No 1, Craven Craft Group, £5.

Women’s Institute: Hellifield WI will meet in the institute next Thursday, May 21, at 7.15pm. There will be a speaker from Trading Standards, who will talk about doorstep selling, and the competition will be for a piece of war memorabilia and a flower from the garden.

Coffee morning: A Christian Aid coffee morning will take place in the institute on Saturday from 10am. It will include a raffle, tombola and cakes. The event is a combined effort by Hellifield organisations. For more information, contact 850458.

Hellifield Walk: The Walking Group meets at the car park by Aherne’s on Sunday at 1pm. Members will tackle the six-mile Thornton and Westgate walk, under the leadership of Robert Baines. He can be contacted on 01524 241452. The walk on June 21 will feature Airton and Weets and is a strenuous seven-miler. Further details are available from group leader Paul Emsley on 07851 645910. Walkers should have suitable clothing, boots and a drink. Accompanied children are welcome along with dogs on leads.

Flower Club: North Craven Flower Club meets in the institute tonight from 7pm. The demonstrator, Lucy Hutton Smith, will present Oriental Infusion. New members are welcome and can attend for an admission fee of £5. For more information, call 01729 822558.

Gala disco: The choosing of this year’s gala queen will take place at a family disco in Hellifield Social Club on Saturday from 7.30pm. Prospective queens must be between ten and 17 and attendants must be aged five to nine. All entrants must live in the parish of Hellifield. Application forms can be obtained from the Post Office. Music will be provided by Mix Disco.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Caroline Thompson, 01756 749235 Church news: On Sunday, the church service for the three parishes of Horton, Stainforth and Langcliffe will be held at St Peter’s Church, Stainforth at 10.30am. The service will be led by David Towers. The service on Whit Sunday, May 24, will be at St Oswald’s Church, Horton, at 10.30am.

Ingleton Sue Brown, 015242 41835 Parish council: The chairman welcomed Mick Renshaw, of Post Office Counters Ltd, to the May meeting of Ingleton Parish Council. He was told of the strong feelings of residents that a Post Office should be re-established in the village centre. He stated that a local retailer was needed to take on the business and his organisation was prepared to do what it could in support. Discussion followed on the problems of parking in the village. It was reported that donations in the car park toilets had amounted to £287 in April. It was agreed that a water meter should be installed at the community centre car park toilets and the clerk was requested to organise the removal of the sign referring to Whitefriars toilets and to install a new sign at the park WCs informing people that the nearest 24-hour toilets were in the community centre car park. A complaint had been received regarding the worn road markings on Backgate, near the Middle School, and the clerk will report this matter. Councillors agreed to donate £700 towards this year’s Overground/Underground Festival. The annual parish meeting will be on Tuesday at 7pm. It was confirmed that the pool opens on May 23.

Langcliffe Helen Jarvis, 01729 825303 Felt workshop: A felt-making workshop was held at the village institute last Tuesday. Led by Chris Taylor, of Settle, participants learned the wet felting process and each produced their own felt picture.

Charity tea: There is to be a charity tea at the institute on Sunday from 2pm to 4.30pm.

Lawkland Young Farmers: Lawkland Young Farmers met at Austwick Parish Hall for a talk about the Lune Valley rivers. Next week’s meeting is district football and netball meet at Settle College for a 6.30pm start.

Lothersdale Young Farmers: Several Lothersdale Young Farmers took part in the judging at Otley Show. Fourth places were achieved by Georgia Fort, Kelly Maltby and Robert Lee and second places by Charlotte Ormondroyd and Hannah Ormondroyd. Lothersdale came second overall in the beef judging. Well done to all who took part.

Rathmell Elaine Isherwood, 01729 840087 Young Farmers: Twenty-four members met at Far Cappleside, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Procter, for an evening of beef judging. Master judge was Richard Maudsley. Results were: junior girls - 1 Anna Booth, 2 Charlotte Booth, 3 Abi Parsons; senior girls - 1 Laura Robinson; junior boys - 1 Ethan Cottam, 2 Harris Dinsdale, 3 Elliot Belt. A vote of thanks was given by Tom Dean. Next week’s meeting is the Settle District football and netball at Settle College.

Settle Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 U3A talk: Nigel Neil will give a talk on The Trough of Bowland deer to Settle U3A today. The meeting will be held at the town’s Victoria Hall, with coffee from 10am and the talk at 10.30am. Visitors are welcome for an admission charge of £1.

Christian Aid: A house-to-house collection has been taking place this week. However, if you were not at home when the envelopes were collected then you can still ensure that your donation is included by dropping it off at one of the collection points around the town. There are buckets in Booths, Speight & Watson, the Naked Man Café and Giggleswick Tuck Shop.

Kwezana link: Pupils in Settle have been telling friends in Kwezana about a very unusual lesson which they really enjoyed this week. This involved examining the eating habits of owls. To do this, they had to dissect owl pellets - the mixture of the things which an owl eats and then regurgitates because they cannot be digested. This involved them in wearing protective gloves and using tweezers and cocktail sticks to pull apart the pellets. Many of these contained bones from smaller animals, skulls and pieces of fur. The class found this forensic examination great fun and it gave an insight into the hunting habits of the owls.

Guided walks: On Saturday, the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Railway have organised a strenuous 12-mile walk around Hawes. This will set off from Garsdale at 10.21am and link with the local bus service. Space is limited and so booking is essential. To book a place, email walksinfo@settle-carlisle.com. Also on Saturday, there will be an opportunity to visit the restored signal box at Armathwaite and to take part in a short, seven-mile, circular walk. This is a moderate walk and will leave Armathwaite at 9.47am. No reservation is necessary, but all participants should ensure that they are appropriately clothed, carry a packed lunch where required and have suitable footwear.

Victoria Hall: Music with a Spanish flavour will be showcased at Victoria Hall tonight when flamenco guitarist Juan Martin entertains. On Wednesday, there will be a return visit by Celtic stars Peatbog Faeries. For details and tickets, contact 01729 825718.

Quiz night: The Friends of Victoria Hall are holding a quiz night with pie and peas supper tomorrow. Entry is £20 for a team of four. The quiz will take place at the hall from at 7.30pm and there will be a bar available all evening. To assist with the catering, advance bookings can be made at 01729 823867.

Big breakfast: The Big Breakfast will return to its original venue in Friends Meeting House Annexe on Saturday. Tea and coffee will be served from 8.15am, with the talk at 8.30am. The speaker will be the Rev Michael Jackson from Kirkby Malham. Michael worked in Winchester for many years and was director of St John’s Winchester charity which provides sheltered housing and nursing care for older people. To book a place, phone 01729 825285.

Operatic Society: Settle Amateur Operatic Society invites everyone to a coffee morning at the Old Court House on Station Road on Saturday from 10am to 12.30pm. All are welcome to come along and enjoy coffee, cakes and a chat. The society has also arranged for Blackpool Tower organist John Bowdler to play at a fundraising dance. Tickets are on sale for the event which will take place at Ingleton Community Centre on June 20. Tickets cost £8, including refreshments, and can be obtained from the community centre or by contacting 01729 822364 or 01729 822959.

Messy church: The next messy church session will take place in St John’s Hall on Sunday from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. The session provides a time for families, of all ages, to have fun together, eat a meal together and celebrate together.

Photographic Group: Settle Photographic Group will meet at Townhead Court on Monday at 7.30pm. The first half of the evening will be a gallery on the theme of Close Up Photography. The second half will be a talk by Margaret Smith on the subject of Size Matters. This will focus on issues relating to how to adjust image size and resolution to get your pictures the size and quality you want.

Folk Club: The Three Peaks Folk Club will meet at Settle Social Club next Saturday, May 23, from 9pm. There will be a range of floor singers and musicians. All are welcome.

Gardening Club: Settle and District Gardening Club will meet at Townhead Court on Wednesday, May 27, at 2pm. The speaker will be Michael Myers on the subject of Trees and Shrubs for the Smaller Garden. Visitors are welcome for an admission charge of £3.

Pool friends: The Friends of Settle Swimming Pool will hold their annual general meeting on Friday, May 29, at 7.30pm in Friends Meeting House, Kirkgate. The meeting is open to all the community and new members are always welcome.

Women’s Institute: Settle WI members were absorbed by slides shown by Annie Nelligan who had volunteered several times to help bring in the olive harvest in a Palestinian village. Questioned by Edna Tomlinson and Sandra Fox, she told the group that land-grabbing by the Israelis continued unabated and that world leaders were ignoring the situation. Shared olive oil that afternoon was the best Joy Calvert, who gave the vote of thanks, had ever tasted.

Silsden Linda Berry, 01535 654643 Charity fundraiser: On Saturday, Joanne Gill organised a charity fundraising event at the Sunnybank Social Club in Silsden. This was an event to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) to remember the 56 people who lost their lives in the Bradford City Fire 30 years ago. The evening had everything, including games and live music from Silsden’s very own The Look. There was both a children’s and adults’ tombola and a silent auction with some great prizes. Part way through the evening a minute’s silence was observed to reflect and remember the 56 people who went to a football match and never returned home. Takings have reached £1,840.48, with still a few donations to come in, giving confidence that the total will finally make £2000.

Ladies’ Circle: Following the April meeting of Ladies’ Circle at Silsden Methodist Church, at which Ian Dewhirst was the speaker, a donation of £100 was sent to the Nepal earthquake fund which was added to a donation from the church.

Skipton Annual meeting: The Middletown Community Association will hold its annual general meeting at the town’s Friends Meeting House on Monday. It will start at 7pm and all Middletown residents are welcome. Among the items to be discussed will be the formation of a committee to raise money for equipment in the Ginnel that will appeal to local teenagers and any updates on the flood defence scheme. For further information, phone 01756 709114.

Holy Trinity: Today is Ascension Day and it will be marked - at 7.45am - by a special, short service up on the church tower at Holy Trinity Church, to be followed by breakfast! However, if you’ve missed this, you may like to attend an Ascension Day Holy Communion service this evening at 7.30pm. The rector, the Rev Veronica James, will lead both services. On Sunday, she will take the Family Communion at 9.45am and, as usual, there will be an 8am Holy Communion service and Evensong at 6pm. And, on Sunday afternoon, the bells will be ringing a peal to celebrate the birth and future life of young Oliver John Haseldine, born in March to proud parents, and ringers, Kevin and Lucy Haseldine. Pupils and staff at the Parish Church School in Brougham Street will hold their Pentecost Service in church at 10am on Tuesday and pre-school children have their weekly informal ‘Toddle into Church’ session at 2pm. Mid-week Holy Communion is at 10.45am on Wednesday morning and Morning Prayer services are held Monday to Saturday at 9am. Any daily changes will be publicised on the church gate noticeboards.

Oddfellows: Derek will be setting the questions for Skipton District Oddfellows’ Pointless Quiz on Saturday from 8pm. It will take place at the Three Links Club and entry is £2.50 for a team of two. There are prizes to be won and visitors are welcome for a 50p charge. On Sunday, Dave Ingles will be performing at a Country and Western afternoon from 3pm. Entry is £3 at the door. Renato will entertain from 8pm on Saturday, May 30. For more information, contact Geraldine on 01756 798022.

Skipton Gardeners: The speaker at Wednesday’s meeting of Skipton Gardeners Club will be George Buckley, a member of Embsay with Eastby Garden Club. His topic will be hydroponics and how he uses it to grow plants. Meet in the Soroptimists Rooms at 7.30pm. Members and non-members are welcome.

Fine arts: The May lecture of Skipton and Wharfedale Decorative and Fine Arts Society was not in the Skipton Town Hall as usual, as this venue was in use for the General Election. Instead the group met at Herriot’s Hotel, Skipton. A guest at the meeting was Elizabeth Evans, from the North East Area of NADFAS. The speaker was Gillian Hovell, who describes herself as a “muddy archaeologist, classical historian, prehistorian, and lover of Latin”. Her topic was titled Not Just a Pile of Old Stones and, illustrating her lecture with slides of artifacts dating from 6000BC until Roman times, she took members on a tour of the lands around the Mediterranean where European Art and Culture began. Her subject ranged through Mesopotamia, Bronze Age, Minoan and Greek culture, showing how traders took examples of art around the known world, and the styles of art and architecture developed over time. A knowledgeable and exciting lecture was much enjoyed by members and guests. Next month’s lecture will be back at the town hall.

Steeton Methodist Church: Steeton Methodist Church’s coffee morning on Saturday raised £370 for Christian Aid. Thanks go to everyone who contributed in any way. The service on Sunday at 10.30am will be led by Malcolm Spencer. There is a Junior Church every week at the same time as the service. Everyone is welcome. The theme for the Youth Club meeting on Tuesday at 6.30pm will be Canvasses.

Flower Club: Many Steeton Flower Club members arrived early for the April meeting to make up bunches of flowers - kindly supplied by Morrisons - to leave as “lonely bouquets” for anyone to pick up and take home to enjoy. The chairman has already received one phone call of thanks. Leilah Vyner then showed everyone how to make a heart shape from willow. With a certain amount of help and encouragement from Leilah, some excellent examples of weaving were achieved. Sue Little reported that the donation of £300, agreed at the recent AGM, had been sent to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and its letter of thanks was on display. The next meeting will be at Sutton Village Hall on Thursday, May 28, at 7.30pm when Elaine Bedford will demonstrate Incredible India. Visitors are welcome.

Sutton-in-Craven Upper Wharfedale Sheila Denby, 01756 752605 Family history: The next meeting of the Wharfedale Family History Group will take place at 2.30pm on Saturday at the Threshfield Village Institute. Jane Abramson will talk about Nazi Hunting.

Cricket season: Cracoe Cricket team has begun its season. The field has been mowed, the wickets rolled and the pavilion cleaned. Subscriptions are £30 for playing members and vice presidents, £15 for students and free for juniors.

Women’s Institute: Rylstone WI will adopt a 1915 theme at its May meeting to celebrate the movement’s centenary. Vicky Fattorini has spent a great deal of time researching food, clothing, poems and readings from the period. The speaker at the last meeting will Susie Hart who spoke about an East African textiles charity.

Mayfest: Kettlewell Mayfest will be held next Saturday, May 23. There are activities and entertainment planned for the whole family, together with an evening concert featuring a Yorkshire comedian, singer-songwriter and live band. For further details, contact Caroline and Paul Hatton on 01756 760378.

Christian Aid: Christian Aid Week is being celebrated at churches in the Dale this week.

Sponsored walk: The annual Macmillan riverside sponsored walk will take place next Sunday, May 24, starting from 5 Wharfeside Avenue, Threshfield, at midday. This is the 14th year of the walk and so far £15,000 has been raised. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Norma Cahill on 01756 752115.

Made in the Dale: Hubberholme’s St Michael and All Angels’ Parish Church will benefit from a Bank Holiday Monday event in Buckden Schoolroom. There will be Made in the Dale stalls, including homemade cakes, from 10am to 4pm.

Horticultural Show: The Kettlewell and District Horticultural Society will hold its annual show on Sunday, August 30. The committee is urging competitors to prepare for the show and, in particular, photographers who have the choice of A Dales Spring Scene and An Old Ruin. Other classes will be revealed shortly.

Safari supper: The annual safari supper in support of St Mary’s Churches in Kettlewell and Conistone will take place on Friday, June 5. Tickets are priced at £15, which includes a three-course meal and coffee, and are available from Sue Nelson on 760887 and Verina Bishop on 760235. Venues will be in the Grassington, Conistone and Kettlewell areas.

Open gardens: An open gardens event, in aid of St Oswald’s Church, Arncliffe, will be held on May 30 and 31. Volunteers are needed to either open their gardens, sell or provide plants, help with the teas or provide cakes. It doesn’t matter if gardens are small, tidy or “wildlife friendly”. Anyone who can help should contact 01756 770124 or 770269.

Annual meeting: The annual general meeting at St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Hubberholme, heard that the churchyard had been well maintained by Gordon Kilvington. His work is appreciated by the many visitors and parishioners. In the churchyard extension, sheep did the main works, thanks to the co-operation of Mark Falshaw.

Wigglesworth Community centre: Nine-year-old Katie Powl had her long hair cut to help the Little Princess Trust on Saturday. Money was also raised for Jack’s Journey. Zumba is back on Thursday at 7.30pm. The craft group’s focus on Monday will be card-making. On Wednesday, Meet and Eat will enjoy a lunch and the friendly quiz will be held at 8pm. Villagers are busy making their wiggly worms in preparation for the Wiggy Worm Festival during the Bank Holiday weekend. Come and see how many different worms you can spot whilst walking round or driving through the village. The Alternative Eurovision is set to go ahead next Saturday, May 23. Get in touch on 01729 840794 if you want to join in. The inter village walk, run or ride will be held on Monday, May 25.