EVERY so often, one of the subjects of Craven Curiosities really sparks off lots of interest, as with the recent diabolo game, on show at the Museum of North Craven Life, at The Folly in Settle.

Michael Rooze, who missed the deadline for suggestions, remembers seeing them in Belgium, where he used to visit grandparents, and later on, in Hebden Bridge.

The diabolo, for anyone who missed it, is a children’s toy, with the player holding a stick in each hand with the string stretched out. The double inverted cone is placed on the string and the player then pulls up one side as fast as possible, and keeps on pulling it, both to balance the cone but also get it spinning The sticks are then alternately pulled up to increase the speed of the spin.

“It’s quite difficult to keep the diabolo balanced but the faster it spins the easier it is to balance it,” says Michael. “Once you have got it spinning then you can try throwing the diabolo into the air, still spinning, and catching on the string.

“I came across them in Belgium where one set of grandparents lived and in my childhood they were very popular. Later when I worked in Hebden Bridge I was amazed to see the local primary school had some and the children were trying to master them and I could still remember how to work them and could pass on that skill to the children.” The Folly diabolo (pictured) is especially interesting. It dates from Victorian times and belonged to the family of the late Alf Sewell a well - known Settle personality and cave-explorer. Sewell’s Cave on Giggleswick Scar is named after him.

AIREDALE Chemical, the Cross Hill chemical company, says it has sparked enthusiasm in pupils considering STEM-related careers following a recent site visit as part of an ongoing partnership. The company invited year four pupils from Sutton-In-Craven Community Primary School to spend a day with it, including taking part in experiments and understanding the chemical industry. Afterwards, the company carried out a quick survey which revealed a hundred per cent of those on the visit were more interested in science following their trip. And with 90 per cent of the girls saying science was now their favourite subject, it is hoped the world of STEM has been given a boost of female followers. Interestingly, more than half of the children said they would like to work in a science-related career when they were older - in contrast to before the visit, which had just 14 per cent regarding science as their favourite subject. During the visit, an effluent water process experiment was created to match the school’s current science curriculum. Other activities included the understanding of how penguins stay dry in water and how a whale’s blubber keeps warm.

Pupil, Sophie said: “The penguin experiment was my favourite, I thought it was fascinating – I never knew that penguins got oil from their tails and put it all over their bodies to keep warm.”

Teacher, David Horton, said: “It’s fantastic to see how inspired all the children are following the visit. Before the partnership, most of the children preferred subjects such as art and physical education but they now acknowledge how interesting, fulfilling and creative STEM subjects can be.”

Head of marketing at Airedale Chemical, Daniel Marr, added: “We were overwhelmed by the stream of positive feedback received from the survey. Our main objective is to fuel pupils’ interest in STEM subjects and share our expertise through our partnership with the school. We are thrilled that we’ve also been able to boost female pupils’ enjoyment in the subject.One hundred per cent of the pupils said they would like to do more trips to the site, so we look forward to continuing this relationship.”

Plans are already in place for future educational visits and events as part of the company’s Airedale Foundation activity and ongoing community corporate social responsibility commitments.

A CONCERTED effort to recruit new members by The Rotary Club of Skipton Craven has begun to bear fruit with the induction of two new members in September. Club president John Exley formally inducted Simon Manley and Peter Stevenson (pictured, by Bryan Ayton) at the same meeting, in front of 30 members to welcome them on board. They join other new members, John Burton and Geoffrey Maldwyn Jones, who joined the club from other rotary clubs earlier this year.

“Simon, from Carleton and Peter, from Threshfield have joined at a very opportune time, as the club is just beginning to gear up for our ‘peak season’ with a raft of activities in the autumn and winter months ahead, kicking off with the Santa Fun Run at the end of November,” says president, John Exley. “With 2,000 Santas expected to take part, we will need all the help we can get to ensure the event continues to be a focal point of Skipton’s Christmas celebrations”.

Meanwhile, the club is still on the look out for people keen to follow its motto of ‘Service Above Self’. To find out more, visit: skiptoncravenrotary.co.uk

MORRISONS has won a St John Ambulance ‘Everyday Heroes’ award for installing life saving defibrillators in all of its stores, including in Skipton.

The £500,000 initiative funded by the retailer’s charitable arm, Morrisons Foundation, has saved at least five lives since it began a year ago.

Morrisons was recognised for its initiative at the St John Ambulance annual awards, which aim to celebrate a range of actions helping people with first aid, supporting communities and having a positive impact on health.

Defibrillators, also known as AEDs, can dramatically improve the chances of a patient surviving a cardiac arrest, when combined with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

As part of the initiative, Morrisons also arranged for more than 2,300 employees to attend sessions on how to use defibrillators and give CPR run by St John Ambulance volunteers.

Gary Mills, group retail director of Morrisons, said: “We hope it’s reassuring for customers, colleagues and the local community to know that we have defibrillators in Morrisons. We have staff trained in first aid and CPR but a defibrillator boosts a person’s chances of survival in the event of a cardiac arrest so we’re pleased to have them in our stores.”

CRAVEN schools with breakfast clubs are being urged to enter the annual Kellogg’s Breakfast Club Awards. And, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kellogg’s supporting breakfast clubs, schools could win £1,000. One club from each region of the UK, as well as Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland will win a cash prize. Winners will also be invited to attend an awards ceremony in The Houses of Parliament. A specialist panel of judges will hand-pick the entries and the winners will be announced on Monday October 29.

To find out more and to submit a Breakfast Club Awards entry, visit:KelloggsBreakfastClubAwards.co.uk

RIPON Cathedral launched its season of remembrance this week with a preview of the First World War earth sculpture, Fields of Mud, Seeds of Hope. The sculpture, by Yorkshire artist Dan Metcalfe, will be at the cathedral until November 14. It is nine metres long, by three metres wide, and has drying mud to depict five battle weary silhouettes returning home from the front. As the mud dries it changes colour, gradually cracks and over a period of weeks slowly reveals the silhouettes.Dan explained: “We have used mud - something very familiar to so many World War One soldiers and deeply symbolic of struggle and sacrifice and sought to form it into an artwork that looks to the future and has hope at its core.” The mud has come from the the site of Ripon’s WW1 military hospital and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Belgium.