GRANDMOTHER Anne Smith came up with a great idea to share bedtime stories wither her new granddaughter during lockdown - she wrote a book based on the playful antics of her puppy.

Anne, from Skipton, said knowing coronavirus restrictions meant she would miss out on visiting Sophie, who lives with her family near York, and reading bedtime stories, she wrote her own book.

Anne’s daughter shows the book to Sophie, who is almost four months old, and Anne reads it to her over the internet.

“I decided to write this book in lockdown for my beautiful granddaughter Sophie. Due to the restrictions I was aware that I would miss the bonding time of bedtimes and the wonderful act of sharing a bedtime story,” she says.

“I based the book on my playful puppy Kiko and the everyday antics he gets up to! My daughter show s Sophie the book and I can then read this to her over the internet, so is something we can share, time and time again.”

Because of the distance and lockdown restrictions, Anne says she has seen her granddaughter just a handful of times, and always outdoors, making it a very strange time for her and so many other new grandparents.

“The majority of our contact is over FaceTime and so, I thought that it would be a great idea to write a book - solely for Sophie - to share together. “

Is Kiko a Clever Puppy is 26 pages long is published by Grosvenor House and is on sale at Waterstones and Amazon for £5.99. Anne says it is aimed at pre-school children, and has lots of primary colour illustrations.

WHEN I walked past the Field Studies Centre at Malham Tarn recently, the alarm was going off.

There was no one else about, there didn’t appear to be anyone inside, and there was no smoke that I could see coming from the buildings.

So, what to do? I called the police, non emergency 101 number, and was told they don’t have any thing to do with alarms. I peered through the windows to check if it was ransacked and walked on; I’ve not heard of a disastrous break-in, or a devastating fire at the mansion, once owned by Victorian philanthropist Walter Morrison and now the property of the National Trust, so I’m assuming all was fine, and it was perhaps a bird that started off the alarm.

A few days later, again out walking, I saw two men and a couple of lurchers climb over a fence and go off into a field. I watched them for a bit, saw them doing a bit of running around, and then disappear off into the distance. Clearly, up to no good; I doubled back on myself, took a note of the car registration number, and again I was on to the 101 number, it being not too long ago that I got a press release from the police about rural crime and urging people to report anything suspicious. This time, my information was welcomed, although I was told I ought to have called 999, it being a possible crime in process.

To top off an exciting few days - we are only just coming out of lockdown - I came across two medium sized freezer bags of what looked like tightly packed small lumps of earth. The bags had been left on top of a wall next to a quiet country road and caught my eye as I walked along. I opened them, took a good sniff, noted they smelt slightly sweet and contemplated taking them home; I’m always bringing back bits of rubbish I’ve come across while out walking.

I decided against it, thought they might be a farmer’s soil samples, left them and walked on. A few minutes later, a car that had been parked in a lay-by a short distance a way, drove past me, pulled to the side of the road, and a man got out, picked up the bags, put them in his boot and drove off.

It was my third call to the 101 number within a couple of weeks; I’m going to be on first name terms before long.

WHILE I am on the subject of walking, and Malham Tarn, it was nice to see the ice-cream and drinks van - pictured at the bottom of the page - back on the Pennine Way close to the car park at the tarn. The lovely lady who sits patiently inside all day serving walkers, like me, who daftly leave their water behind, with drinks and ice creams, told me business remained very quiet, but she was hopeful it would soon be picking up.

She is something of an oasis on the Pennine Way for all those who have made their way up the cove.

THE last of a series of three online events on the archaeology of Pendle Hill is due to take place on Wednesday, May 12.

The free, live event, which is open to all, will give details of recent discoveries of a Bronze Age ring ditch near Clitheroe from David Cockcroft, who works for Archaeological Research Services.

Organised by the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership, it is the last of the ‘Pendle Hill in the Past’ series, which was postponed from last March, because of the coronavirus pandemic, and follows on from a year of successful online events.

Wednesday’s event, lasting about 90 minutes, starts at 6.30pm. Everyone is welcome, no matter how much they already know about archaeology, but booking is essential. Book your place via the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnerships Website or contact Jayne Ashe at the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership on jayne.ashe@lancashire.gov.uk

CHILDREN’S charity, the Principle Trust, says it is hopeful of being able to carry on its work, providing holidays for underprivileged, disadvantaged and disabled children, from the middle of May.

The Skipton based charity, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, sends children and their families to its holiday homes in Blackpool, Windermere and Gisburn.

Its chairman, Mike Davies MBE says the last year of coronavirus lockdowns has seen all the work of the charity come to a sudden halt.

“14 months ago, we were in full flow with children and their families visiting our holiday homes for week-long holidays,” he says. “Then suddenly it all came to a halt with the pandemic and lockdown. No holiday parks open meant no holidays. It’s been so hard for everyone and we know there is still some way to go before we are all back to “normal” life again, but with the first signs of Spring appearing around us, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we can begin to be hopeful as we look towards the future.

“We are pleased to announce, all being equal, in line with the government’s Covid-19 response roadmap that we will be welcoming children and their families into our holiday homes once more from mid-May. A flurry of activity has already begun to get our homes ready for receiving our special guests once again.”

50 YEARS ago, on May 14, 1971, the Craven Herald reported on the imminent opening of Greenwoods menswear shop in Skipton. The shop, in Sheep Street, replaced a smaller one in Swadford Street and was the latest expansion for the firm which was launched in Bradford in 1860.

Greenwoods had been trading in Skipton for more than 40 years. Managers of the new shop in Sheep Street were Jack Wilkinson and John Harwood. Mr Wilkinson, who had been with the firm for 33 years, was due to retire, making Mr Harwood sole manager. Mr Wilkinson formerly worked for Wynn Bros on Belmont Bridge, was a trustee of Gargrave Road Methodist Church, and a member of Skipton Toastmasters.

Mr Harwood’s chief hobby was old time dancing and had won several trophies. The firm likened its growth to that of an oak tree, in that it had grown big and strong from very small beginnings.