A MASSIVE well done to the members of Skipton Town Ladies Football Club who inspired by the Rylstone WI Calendar girls, took their kit off for a fundraising calendar. Treasurer, Bex Holt, tells me as a volunteer run, community club, they are always on the look out for ways to raise funds for running costs. The calendar (pictured below) will not only raise money for the club, but also for the mental health charity, MIND.

It is hoped that the calendar, says Bex, will also help spread a positive message about female sport. “ We have taken inspiration from The Calendar Girls and taken our kit off! They were a local group of women with a similar motive to us, have fun and raise a bit of cash so we hope this calendar does just that. All proceeds will go towards the club and charities close to our hearts.”

Copies of the calender, at the reduced price of £5, are available from the Venue Sports Bar, Cavendish Street, Skipton, or from the Skipton Town Ladies FC facebook page.

MY colleague tells me she had an interesting walk along part of the old Skipton to Colne railway trackbed recently. Having written about the line many times in connection with the campaign group, Skipton to East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP), and following an announcement in the weeks before the General Election by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the Government would support those communities fighting to restore closed railway lines, she thought an investigation was in order. Back in 2001, SELRAP carried out a preliminary study of the state of the former railway trackbed between Skipton and Colne and found it to be in remarkably good condition. Group members carried out two walks, one on the Lancashire section, and one on the Yorkshire section. They walked along the former trackbed, which is 11.5 miles long, as much as possible, and where access was not possible, viewed the trackbed from vantage points. SELRAP, which was set up in the spring of 2001 with the intention of protecting the trackbed from development so it can be re-instated as a major railway line, says the line was not earmarked for closure in the Beeching Report, which led to the closure of many railway lines, but was closed unexpectedly in 1970 under the ‘Castle Plan’.

My colleague tells me a walk along the trackbed is fascinating, and spotted this, pictured , very curious looking thing.

ON the subject of sport and fitness, the charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, is on the look out for people to take part in the Great North Run half marathon in September, and help raise funds. The charity, which this year marks its 40th anniversary, has a limited number of guaranteed places in the event, said to be the world’s most popular half marathon.

Their clever hearing dogs alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds like the smoke alarm. Just as importantly they provide love, companionship and emotional support. They help deaf people to leave loneliness behind and reconnect with life.

Members of the Hearing Dogs running team will supported every step of the way, with fundraising advice before the event, and on the day a warm welcome, refreshments and a professional sports massage. Runners are also offered the opportunity to book a free tour of their training centre in East Yorkshire where they will meet a hearing dog, find out more about the charity and how these amazing dogs are trained to change the lives of deaf people.

Closing date to sign up is July 1. Contact Community Fundraising Support Officer Gemma Wardle on 07436 289253 or email: gemma.wardle@hearingdogs.org.uk

MEANWHILE, another charity, Cancer Research UK is encouraging people to sign up to its latest fundraiser Walk All Over Cancer and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day for a month in March - which is excellent news for anyone who received a step monitoring device for Christmas. The charity says that a survey has revealed that a quarter of people in the North East are getting less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week, now surely, we can do better than that.

Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the North East, said: “For many of us, the start of a new year is a great time to commit to be a bit more active.

“We are asking people to get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps a day in March. So there’s plenty of time for supporters to start building up to the challenge and planning new, fun ways to fit in some extra steps – from getting off the bus one stop early to organising walks with family and friends.”

To sign up and receive a fundraising pack, with tips and ideas to help with the challenge, visit cruk.org/walkallover

THE traditional festive ‘bucket and banter’ tour of the districts hostelries and eateries by Skipton’s ‘Mr Sport’, Roger Ingham (pictured above) has realised yet another fantastic total of £5078.77 for children’s cancer charity Candlelighters. His latest amount means he has so far raised a very impressive more than £75,000 for the charity, which is based at Leeds General Infirmary. All in all, Roger has raised more than £100,000 for life supporting causes.

Forever in popular demand as compere and commentator at shows and sports across the country and beyond, there is little doubt that ‘Mr Sport’s jovial, colourful – yet always appreciative – manner has helped immensely towards such massive collections. Indeed some managements have acknowledged that he is the only person whom they will allow on their premises purely for collection purposes.

On behalf of Candlelighters, Roger once more conveys a most sincere thank you to all the welcoming managements and – of course – to all who so generously contributed.

A SKIPTON based magazine is celebrating its 25th anniversary with birthday greetings from Her Majesty The Queen.

Down Your Way was launched by Averil Thornton in January 1995. She was disabled and needed a means of making money from home. Initially it was produced in the back bedroom of her home in Easingwold, but it quickly outgrew that space and moved to offices at Sutton-on-the-Forest.

Originally it was a lifestyle magazine, incorporating the York Diocese’s Aspects in Seen. At the beginning of the new millennium, the main focus moved to nostalgia.

It became part of the Dalesman stable of magazines in 2005, with Averil staying as editor until 2011. Sadly, she died last year.

The vast majority of the magazine is made up of reader contributions, with memories from the 1930s right through to the 1980s. It embraces any subject, from the austerity of the war years to the nightclubs of Leeds. It is pure nostalgia from start to finish.

Editor Lindsey Moore said: “It is an absolute privilege editing Down Your Way and sharing the memories of our family of readers. It is social history at its best.”

In response to a letter from Down Your Way, Buckingham Palace’s loyal greetings officer Miranda Hansen Lise said Her Majesty was interested to learn of the magazine’s aims and content celebrating the people and places of Yorkshire. The letter added: “The Queen sends her best wishes to the magazine’s readers in the United Kingdom and around the world, its contributors, those responsible for its publication and for its continued success.”