A Craven diary - Railway pub hosts dominoes tournament

STAFF at Pendle Leisure - which runs the West Craven Sports Centre gym at Barlick amongst others - will be taking part in a different challenge in May to raise money for charity.

Each year, staff are joined by gym goers in a fundraising challenge, which for the last few years has been the Yorkshire Three Peaks - Whernside, Penyghent and Ingleborough. But, this year, they will be staying closer to home by climbing Pendle Hill - several times.

On Saturday, May 4, fundraisers will complete as many loops of the hill as possible in eight hours.

To make the walk more of a challenge, members will be split into four teams - each person will score points for every loop of the hill they complete, which will be added to their team’s overall score.

Last year saw Pendle Leisure Trust and its members raise more than £2,500 for Pendleside Hospice. This year’s chosen charities are Mind and the Good Life Project.

The Good Life Project is a community allotment run by Pendle Leisure Trust which aims to help adults with mental health issues integrate into the community. Using a therapeutic horticultural and exercise programme, the project works on improving mental well-being, physical health, reducing isolation and bringing people together while caring for the allotment.

Pendle Leisure Trust’s gym manager, Luke Allwood said: “We’re really looking forward to this year’s challenge. We’ve done the Yorkshire and Pendle three peaks a few times, so this is something a little different – plus it’s what our members have voted for, so it’s been a real team decision.

“We raised over two and a half thousand pounds in sponsorship for last year’s challenge, and we’re hoping to raise lots of money this year too, this time for The Good Life Project and Mind.”

WORLD Sleep Day last week was celebrated at the new Avalon Wellbeing Centre at Broughton Hall.

Skipton therapists Amy Brown and Simon Ward held a 'how to sleep well workshop' at the centre in partnership with the Sleep Council and the Bed Federation.

Amy, a clinical hypnotherapist, and Simon, an acupuncturist, through their Sheep to Sleep workshop aimed to give people practical advice to help transform habits and the quality of their sleep.

Both practitioners say they regularly see clients with sleep issues, which may be due to anxieties or stress. Amy says: “Sleep is vital to our health and its benefits are fundamental to our wellbeing. Successfully changing the way we view ourselves, for example as a ‘good’ or a ‘deep’ sleeper as opposed to a ‘bad’ sleeper can impact our sleep patterns more than we might ever realise."

The Sleep Council, which runs National Bed month, says more and more people are turning to medication, music and meditation in their quest to get a good night’s sleep. There has also been a 25 per cent increase in the use of alcohol for those trying to get a good night's sleep.

FOR all those people who manage to lose their waste and recycling calendars, they are now available online for residents to download and check their bin collection dates. It does mean, however, that the calendars will not be sent out automatically - people can still get one sent to them, but they will have to ask Craven District Council. Calenders can be downloaded at: cravendc.gov.uk/your-area, type in your postcode, and download the correct calendar for the address.

The calendars show all the bin collection dates for blue recycling bins and green general household waste bins, from April 1 to March 31, 2021. Collection days for blue and green bins have not changed for any residents.

Paul Ellis, director of services at Craven District Council, says“Our new website allows us to provide more services online, saving taxpayers’ money and reducing the amount of paper we use. This means we will not be posting out waste calendars to every household this year. Most residents will be familiar with their collection patterns and will know which day to put out their bins.

“However, if you do need a new calendar these are now available online and you can print them out if necessary.

“For any residents that do require a paper copy, we will print and post calendars on request.”

To request a paper calendar, residents can email contactus@cravendc.gov.uk with their full address.

Some garden waste collection days have changed, and all garden waste customers should have received a new garden waste calendar in their renewal pack for those who subscribed to the service last year. These are also available online at: cravendc.gov.uk/your-area.

BACK in 1969, the Craven Herald was paying tribute to 90 year old, William Brennan (pictured), from West Marton - and the paper's photographer struggled to keep up with him, by all accounts. The Herald wanted to get a picture of Mr Brennan walking swiftly, but he was just too quick for the photographer, who had to take several shots to get him in the frame. To celebrate his birthday, Mr Brennan had walked all the way over to Barnoldswick - a distance of five or six miles - where he had cracked open a couple of bottles of Champagne, and walked back again. Mr Brennan was a remarkable 90 year old so it seems, he rose every day at 8am and spent the day gardening, or fixing dry stone walls. Born in Ireland, he arrived in England when he was 22 years old, and moved to West Marton in his 40s, where he lived in three different houses before settling in 'The Hut' in the grounds of a farm. Slightly deaf, and with his own teeth, 'Bill' sported a moustache, waxed at the ends. He survived on an old age pension, and grew his own vegetables, and went everywhere at a 'steady trot. Asked his recipe of long life, he told the reporter: "I never worry". What did seem to get him down though was that so many of his old friends had died, commenting it had been a blow. "I used to be able to go into Barnoldswick and have some good times, but now when I go, no one knows me."