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The Devonshire’s manager, Christopher Donoghue, said: “We have sourced an excellent range of gins which have not previously been available in the pub.We are confident that our customers will enjoy trying the different gins which each have their own unique appeal.”

ON the subject of alcohol, those who like beer, and also cheese, might want to get themselves along to Morrisons in Skipton, which is selling a ‘beer cheese’. Launched on the recent International Beer Day - yes, I hadn’t heard of it either - Ilchester Cheese (below) is widely considered to be the first-ever alcohol infused cheese, says Morrisons. Created in 1962 by Ken Seaton, the then landlord of the Ilchester Arms in Somerset, Mr Seaton’s regular customers would often dip his homemade cheddar into their fine English ales for a fuller and richer flavour. The unique taste attracted the attention of a visiting buyer from Harrods and the first-ever beer cheese was born.

When it launched, it caused such an outrage that 10 million teetotallers boycotted it – even though they’d need to eat over of 9 kilograms of cheese to consume the equivalent of a pint.

Morrisons Cheese Buyer, Dan Barrett, said: “Customers have told us they like to try new flavours, so we are offering them a product which combines two of the nation’s favourites – ale and cheddar.”

The Ilchester Beer Cheese is available exclusively at Morrisons Deli Counters and will cost around £7.04 per kilogram – that’s about £4 a pint.

ITS a way back now, but children at Brougham Street Nursery School in Skipton enjoyed the last week of school before the summer holidays enjoying a range of circus activities. They included ‘spinning poi’, painting with a unicycle, and even walking the tightrope. The school tells me that one of the most popular activities was giant bubble making, and popping them, led by class teacher, Dr Alison Stewart (pictured right with giant bubbles). “Like most nurseries we have a lot of children leaving us during the last week of the summer term, prior to starting Primary School in September. But not all children access the same sessions or days, and some children will continue to come to nursery as part of holiday club. So rather than an end of term party, which only some children could attend, we wanted to do something that included everybody. That is how we came up with the idea of a ‘Circus Week’, with different circus skills happening every day, and lots of opportunities for learning through play. So it didn’t matter what days or sessions children attended nursery, they could all join in. It was lots of fun, and a great success.”

THERE are few better sights when out walking in the country than a bird of prey. Whether its a buzzard, a kestrel - or something even more exciting, a red kite, a barn owl, or if you’re very lucky, a hen harrier, its always a sight worth stopping for. And, if the crowds that turned up to see the peregrine falcons at Malham Cove were anything to go by, an awful lot of people feel the same.

But, the birds are under attack, and now, the RSPB has launched an appeal to help end the illegal SPB, said: “This is systematic killing aimed at some of our most magnificent and rarest species. Raptor persecution is illegal, immoral and indefensible. My team exists to try and end this, and ensure birds of prey can fly freely, without the risk of being brutally trapped, poisoned or shot out of the sky.

“People are naturally shocked by the stories and pictures they see. They’re also increasingly angry that nothing is changing. There’s a huge body of people out there asking us ‘what can we do?’. We hope that this appeal will give people a tangible means of taking action. Your donation will go directly to the RSPB Investigations team. It’ll help us get boots on the ground so that we can monitor at-risk areas and ultimately catch the people killing these incredible birds.”

JO Moseley, (pictured) from Embsay, has made something of a name for herself by becoming the first person to paddle-board the Desmond Family Canoe Trail, a coast to coast route of 162 miles, starting in Liverpool and finishing in Goole, and using the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation.

Jo took 10 days to complete ‘paddle board the north’, finishing on Tuesday last week; and one of my colleagues caught up with her on the Friday, on the canal between Barnoldswick and Skipton. Seeing on social media that Jo had just passed through Greenberfield Lock at Barnoldswick, my colleague raced to the canal bridge between West Marton and Thornton-in-Craven, hoping to catch her there, but there was no sign of her. So, determined to track Jo down, she - and her dog - gave pursuit along the canal towpath. As she went along, she passed several bemused walkers, all very much entertained by the sight of a woman standing on a paddle board. She eventually caught up with her as she disappeared under a bridge at East Marton and was able to have a quick chat, and take some photos before wishing her the best of luck for the rest of her journey.

5O years ago, this week, there was serious concern about Earby’s water supply. A meeting of the Craven Water Board heard that there was about 50 days of supply for Barnoldswick, but Earby was in a serious plight. Water had been taken from Elslack to help out, but as a temporary measure only. With only 10 days supply left, the water board was doing all it could to avoid bringing in restrictions. Skipton had 129 days of supply, a reasonable amount for the time of the year, while Bentham was being watched very carefully.

THE good folk of Hellifield have just held their 50th annual gala. A quick look in the edition of August 15, 1969, and there is a picture of children in fancy dress in the then Hellifield Youth Club Gala. The paper reported a distinctive feature was the variety in headgear. Held in aid of youth club funds, judges were Mrs Sparling, from Swinden, and Mrs Grant, from Settle. Richard Batty as Captain Birdseye was winner of the 2-6 year old section, while Mrs Swinbank won the decorated pram contest with ‘sun, moon and stars’.

A HUNDRED years ago, in August, 1919, the people of Settle welcomed home soldiers returning following the signing of the Peace Treaty at the end of the First World War. The Craven Herald reported that Settle had a proud reputation for doing things well, and this was no exception. The occasion would stand out as one of the most memorable in the district, said the paper. An outstanding part of the peace programme was the conversion of the Market Cross into a shrine. With the use of ‘some violet material, ivy and evergreens’ it was transformed into a ‘cenotaph of a distinctly artistic character’ .

Shopkeepers and residents had decorated their premises, and the town was a ‘blaze of colour from almost one end to the other’. Most lavish was the area known as ‘The Shambles’, overlooking the Market Place.