Avoiding the floods this Christmas

A multi-agency Strategic Coordination Group has been set up in order to combat an extended spell of consistent rainfall which is expected to fall in Cumbria over the Christmas period.
 
Whilst the rainfall is not likely to be near the amount that fell during Storm Desmond, it will again be falling on already saturated ground and is likely to cause surface water flooding on roads across the county.Keep up-to-date with the weather at www.metoffice.gov.uk  and the latest flood situation at www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding  or follow @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest updates.

Visit the Traffic Link map at www.cumbria.police.uk/traffic-link-map  to keep up to date with the latest situation on the roads.

For updates on which roads and bridges are closed please visit www.cumbria.gov.uk/floods2015/roadclosures.asp. 
Should your property be affected by a flood please be extremely careful and do not touch any electrical equipment or power cables. To report a power cut or damage to the power network contact Electricity North West on 0800 195 4141, follow @ElectricityNW or visit www.electricitynorthwest.co.uk

Have you lost some keys?

Dr John Wood of Brough Fold, Oxenholme Lane found keys in Prizet Road on Sunday afternoon. He has put a poster in the post office and has the keys at home. If you think they might be yours, please ring him on 01539 728313.

Singing and services in St. Mark's Church this Christmas

Tuesday 22nd December, 6.30pm. Carol Singing on Natland Village Green, with Kendal Concert Band.

Christmas Eve, 4.00pm. Christingle Service. 11.30pm Midnight Communion.

Christmas Day, 9.00am. Holy Communion (a quiet start to the day). 
10.15am. Family Service (you might like to bring one of your presents to show everyone).
.

Cumbria Highways notification about road and bridge closures

David Peters, Natland Parish Council's 'Highwayman'  writes:
The two emergency road closures of particular relevance to Natland are Hawes Bridge (U5625 Hawes Lane) and The Helm (U5630) ... Understandably there is no indication yet of when the roads might be reopened.  The text explains that the 21-day orders may be extended for a further 21 days, after which a "temporary" order must be made which can apply for 18 months before renewal.

By mid-afternoon on Saturday 5 December the river had reached the tops of both Hawes Bridge arches and was beginning to cross the road on the Helsington side (right bank).  The water rose further overnight and washed away the first 10 metres of the downstream parapet.  Meanwhile, on three sections of the road over The Helm ground water pressure had lifted the carriageway surfacing which consequently broke up when it was trafficked.  The damage was aggravated on the Sunday by some drivers seeking to avoid the flooded A65 Burton Road by Helm Sink before 'road closed' signs were in place.  More drivers chose the Natland option causing periods of gridlock and damaging verges in the village.

The 'Natland diversion' worked better on Monday 14 December, following the serious road traffic accident on the A65, because PCSOs were available to manage the traffic.

This is the second time in recent memory that the Helm road has failed in this way and consideration may need to be given to whether it is worth maintaining as a through route.  Natland Parish Council made such representations to the Highway Authority on the previous occasion, but to no avail.  The adequacy/standard of maintenance of the culvert under the A65 which drains Helm Sink may also have to be raised.

Festive spirit at December WI

Members were in Christmas mode for the November meeting despite the awful weather and thirty of us listened with interest to the talk (with musical interludes) by Bob Pickersgill on ‘The History of The Saxophone’. There was also a gift-wrapping competition and, naturally enough, mulled wine and mince pies to round off the evening. You can read the full report here.

The next meeting, on 20 January, will hear Jeff Woods talk on ‘This and That’. Visitors welcome.

Can you help make the Natland Christmas tree secure?

All those motorists diverted through Natland this afternoon will have had the benefit of seeing our village Christmas tree which has been erected on the Green today.

Thanks to Joan Calvert for donating the tree and to Andrew, Martin and David for putting it up.

Unfortunately the mounting pipe is cracked so a strong gale such as we have had in recent weeks could result in an uncontrollable list. If any one has the ability to fix a metal ring round the plastic pipe to strengthen it please volunteer and have the satisfaction of seeing a permanent vertical tree.

The tree looks a bit bare in the daylight so please feel free to hang your spare decorations on it.

Carols around the tree will take place on Tuesday 22 December at 6.30pm (if wet in church).

Happy Christmas, everyone.

Flood Update fom Openreach

From: Cumbria Chamber <cumbriachamberofcommerce@cumbriachamber.co.uk>

Date: 8 December 2015 at 13:19:38 GMT
Subject: Flood update from Openreach 

"Openreach have been working through the weekend to respond to the current flooding.

...We have a number of our Superfast Broadband cabinets affected by flooding or power outages and two of our depots were flooded (Carlisle and Kendal). We are working hard to restore these as power comes back on, those that have been submerged will need extensive work so may take some time.

Engineers are being deployed to all accessible affected areas today including teams going door to door in Cockermouth, we will do similar as other areas become accessible.

Businesses relocating or without service need to contact their Communications Provider, they have escalation routes and regular calls with us. If however telecommunications is a barrier to businesses relocating we need to know specific examples with as much information as possible, including order numbers, I will then look at how best we can help make it as quick and seamless as possible."...

If you have any problems with your Communications Provider, please do let us know so we can escalate these for you - please give as much information as you can.

We'll be regularly updating our websites www.cumbriachamber.co.uk and www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk with relevant information and resources so please do keep an eye out - the information will mainly be for local businesses but if you feel it would be useful to share more widely then please do so.  Please also follow us at @cumbriachamber

Lesley Robinson Start-Up and Enterprise Manager

Ski touring talk next Saturday

Come and hear Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club member and experienced ski tourer, Tom Higgs, in the village hall at 7.30pm this Saturday (12 December) talk on the theme of: Ski touring and other experiences – don't be misled! Admission free with refreshments available at a small extra cost.

Places for the talk are limited, so if you intend to come please leave a message on the home page message board of the Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club website www.lakelandxcski.org.uk giving your name and the number of people interested. 

Flood Damage

Water came into the cellar of the church up to a height of 6 feet, submerging the brand new central heating boilers. The water is subsiding quickly. Temporary heating is going to be set up in church until the situation is sorted. The Coffee Morning next Saturday will still go ahead; the vestry heating is still working well.

Hawes Bridge closed

Not surprisingly, due to flooding, Hawes Bridge is now closed.

Christmas Coffee Morning at the Church

Parish Council November minutes

At the November meeting two new members were co-opted to fill the casual vacancies.  Councillors welcomed John Fisher, who lives on Abbey Drive, and newcomer to Natland, Ian Ellison who has moved into Dalton Lodge, Oxenholme Lane.

This year’s Christmas tree on the green has been kindly donated to the church by Cllr Joan Lind.  Looking ahead, the PCC has asked the Parish Council for help with the cost of buying a tree for subsequent years, and this will be considered at the January meeting.

The PCC is increasingly concerned about the maintenance of the churchyard which is becoming more onerous for a small band of volunteers, and has asked the council for support. The PCC agreed to obtain quotations from contractors for the work so that the council can consider making a contribution towards the maintenance of this important parish facility.

At the next meeting (25 January) the precept (the funding that the parish council receives from the District Council through the Council Tax) for 2016/17 will be decided.The minutes of the November parish council meeting are now available to read or download here.

November in Natland

                  WEATHER STATISTICS                                   NOVEMBER

                                                                                     2015                                  2014
Temperature at 8 am                                                    6.9c                                    6.8c
Minimum Temperature                                                 5.2c                                    5.5c
Maximum Temperature                                                9.1c                                    8.6c
                                                       mm       in            mm     in
Rainfall                                          289      11.6          111     4.4
The second highest November rainfall in ten years, exceeded only by 2009 when we had 365 mm. There were only 4 days when no rain fell! Frequent gales were also a feature of the month but it was generally mild with the exception around 20th-23rd when overnight temperatures were around zero.
John Dobson.

Church magazine for Jan/Feb available here

Click here to find out about the many church based activities that are happening in Natland and Oxenholme over the festive period.

Monday Club Christmas lunch

Members will meet on Monday 7th December for the annual Christmas lunch followed by some entertainment.
The first meeting in the New Year will be on 18th January 2016 when Maurice Steel will once again delight us with his colourful presentation of photography, poetry and music entitled "It should have been stopped". New members are welcome to join us.

Last few days to support Oxenholme Play Area

The JustGiving page for the Oxenholme Play Area Development will expire at the end of this month.

If you’d like to support all the hard work that’s already gone in to providing a better play area for local children at Bolefoot, and haven’t done so yet, please go to https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/OPAD before the end of the month. Thank you.

November meeting of the Parish Council

The agenda and papers for the November meeting of the Parish Council are now available to read or download here.

The meeting will take place, as usual, at 7.30pm in the small hall at Natland & Oxenholme Village Hall on the last Monday of the month – 30 November. Anyone who wishes to attend and listen to the proceedings may do so. There is also an opportunity to speak at the beginning of the agenda (under ‘public participation’).

Busy November AGM for the WI

The November meeting of Natland and Oxenholme WI was well attended and preceded the AGM, at which Joan Airey and Margaret Lancaster stood down after many years of service on the committee, with two new members stepping into their shoes, and the evening concluded with a Jacob’s Join supper. You can read the full report of the meeting here.

The next meeting will be at 7.30pm on Wednesday 9 December when the talk will be on the subject of ‘The History of the Saxophone’.

The river in spate

From Hawes Bridge

Towards Sedgwick

Lighting up the Night - Natland style

There was a steady progression of really creative Alice in Wonderland themed lanterns through the streets of Natland this evening. Anyone glancing out might have been unnerved by an ethereal Cheshire cat before realising that the night had been taken over for a while by images from that story by the children of the primary school, Appletree School and Natland Pre-School.

Monday Club Meeting

The Monday Club will meet in the Village Hall on the 16th November at 2 pm when the speaker will be Dr. Stephen Caunce: "The Hiring Fairs of North-western England, 1890-1914; business and pleasure combined." Refreshments to follow.

Craft Fair and Exhibition - Result

Despite heavy rain showers and rival Craft Fairs, there was a good turnout for the Natland Craft Fair and Exhibition last Saturday. £700 was raised which will be used for the maintenance of Natland and Oxenholme Village Hall. There was a very wide range of stalls this year, with many newcomers as well as old favourites.

Many thanks to all the people who came and spent, and to those craftspeople who lent precious items for the exhibition. 

The winner of the favourite item in the exhibition competition was Julia Baker with her 12th scale market stall with hats, shoes and bags.

Ski touring talk in Natland next month

Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club member and experienced ski tourer, Tom Higgs, will be giving an illustrated talk on Saturday 12 December 2015 with the title: Ski touring and other experiences – don't be misled! – in Natland Village Hall, at 7.30pm. It is open to all and is being hosted by the Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club.

Refreshments and cakes will be available at a small cost but admission is free. Tom will draw on his experiences of leading ski tours in Norway and further afield.

Places for the talk are limited, so if you intend to come please leave a message on the home page message board of the Lakeland Cross Country Ski Club website www.lakelandxcski.org.uk giving your name and the number of people interested.

Coffee Morning on Thursday

There will be a Coffee Morning in St. Mark's Church Vestry at 10.30-12 midday on Thursday 12 November. It's on behalf of South Lakeland Carers and there will be a cake stall, a bring and buy and a raffle. £1.50 including coffee/tea and homemade biscuits.

Come and see plans for a new play area in Oxenholme

If you ever bring children to the play area or at Bolefoot in Oxenholme – or don’t but think you or your friends might if it were newer and better equipped – you are warmly invited to come along to Bolefoot next Saturday – 7 November – and view the plans that SLDC and local residents have come up with. We’d love to have your feedback. (You can download the invitation here and pass it on.)

Or, if you can’t come along, but would still like to support the project, please consider making a donation on the Oxenholme Play Area Development group’s new JustGiving page at https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/OPAD. Thank you.

A month of contrasting weather

2015		2014
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	7.7C		9.1C
Min temperature	6.6C		7.4C
Max temperature	11.0C		12.0C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	83.5	3.3	184	7.4

We had long spells of dry weather in October with heavy rain on a few days, particularly at the end of the month. After a cool period, it was quite mild again at the end of the month.

John Dobson

Age UK events

Natland Young at Heart Social Group for older residents runs at Natland Village Hall. The group will next meet on Monday 9th November from 1.45-3.45pm.

On Monday 30th November 2pm-4pm, there will be a Seasonal Celebration at Natland Village Hall. There will be entertainment from the Lakes Handbell Ringers, refreshments, a raffle and a quiz, together with advice on how to save on your gas/electricity consumption if you bring along your latest bill. Booking is essential as places are limited. Ring Gateway Reception on 01539 792019 to book a place.

Craft Fair and Exhibition coming up

Raising money for the upkeep of Natland and Oxenholme Village Hall

 Annual

CRAFT FAIR and EXHIBITION

Saturday 7th November

10am—4pm in the Village Hall

We're up to year 16 of this popular event and there are loads of different sorts of stalls where you can buy original Christmas presents. There are woolly, wooden, glass, paper, stone and pottery items as well as jewellery, embroidery, plants, jams and baskets. Once you have bought what you want you can settle down to eat homemade cake, look at the exhibition and meet up with friends and neighbours. You might even win one of the many generous raffle prizes. It's Natland's own pop up shopping mall, and it's free to come in this year!

St. Mark's Church Parish News for November

There is a remembrance theme to the magazine this month as Remembrance Sunday approaches. There is an account of the life of Don Rimmer latterly of Town End Court, who died recently, and of his father Richard Rimmer, recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Medal for his actions in the First World War. Click here for the full articles and for reminders of the many things that are happening in our parish.

Natland and Oxenholme W.I. Report for October

At a well attended October meeting President Kirsten Cannon welcomed all members, and introduced seven guests.

Marion Thornton gave a very comprehensive  report of her attendance at the Annual Meeting, and Joan Ratcliffe thanked everyone for their contributions over the past months to Boxes of Hope Cumbria - the children's shoe box appeal.

Forty five gift-wrapped shoeboxes were filled by members before the start of the meeting, making a total of fifty to be transported to Romania in the coming weeks. Kirsten thanked Joan for all her hard work in organising our contributions.

The guest speaker for the evening was Susan Oliver who demonstrated the various methods of gift wrapping. Simple presents were turned into exciting gifts. Members were shown how to gift wrap more difficult items instead of using gift bags.

The competition for a folded napkin was won by Marion Want.
The raffle was won by Rosemary Bateman.

The Group meeting took place on Tuesday 27th October in the village hall. As hosts we welcomed members from Crosscrake, Old Hutton, Preston Patrick and Preston Richard. Taffy Thomas MBE was the guest speaker. Taffy displayed, and wore his beautifully embroidered storytellers "Tale Coat" and hat, and entertained us with his stories and riddles.

The next meeting will be the AGM on Wednesday 18th November in the village hall (7.30pm) this will be followed by 'The Parcel Game'

Visitors always very welcome.                                      Marley Hunter, secretary.

NPC October minutes available

The minutes from the October meeting of Natland Parish Council are available to read or download here.

If you have anything to contribute for the November meeting, just contact any of the councillors or the Clerk. Their details are available here.

Yoga sessions at village hall

Subject to sufficient interest a new Yoga class will be starting up in the village hall. 

Sedbergh CDC (part of Cumbria Adult Education) ran classes in the hall until a couple of years ago, and have now found another instructor who could deliver a session on Tuesday afternoons between 2.30pm and 4pm, starting on 12 January 2016.  As these sessions will only go ahead if there are a reasonable number of participants, please contact Rosie Dent admin@sedberghcdc.org.uk, or Sarah natland.villagehall@yahoo.co.uk if you have an interest. 

An Hour's Music in the Afternoon

On Sunday the 25th October at 2pm Clive Walkley is presenting a programme of music. He will be joined by three friends from The Pro Nobis Singers (Lucy Crispin, Sarah Wroe and Allyson Fiddler) for an informal presentation of a short programme containing organ works by Bach and Rheinberger plus his own pieces, and the ladies will sing madrigals and part-songs. The programme will last no more than an hour, tea will be served and there will be a retiring collection for refugees.

October meeting of Natland Parish Council

The next meeting of Natland Parish Council will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 26 October at Natland & Oxenholme Village Hall. The agenda and papers are now available to read or download here.

Steam train coming through

On Saturday 17th October 46115 Scots Guardsman will be northbound through Oxenholme 11:43.  Pat Williams.

Natlantern Night – Save the date!

Just a quick reminder that St Mark’s School will be holding another wonderful festival of light on the village green this year on the evening of Friday 13 November, in conjunction with Appletree School and the Brewery Arts Centre. Starting from the school at 6pm, the event is called Lighting up the Natland Night and the organisers are hoping lots of Natlanders will join in with the lantern-making and come to see the children perform. More details to follow on this website very soon.

Monday Club Meeting

Jan Wiltshire is coming to talk to Natland Monday club on the 19th October at 2pm in the Village Hall. Her subject will be "Cumbrian contrasts; a naturalist explores." Click here to connect to her website.

Craftwork wanted for Craft Fair and Exhibition on the 7th November

The banner will soon be erected on Mick and Mary Taylor's garage, Sarah Roberts will soon be updating the roadside notices prior to David Peters planting them in the verges, posters are popping up everywhere, and village hall users are being contacted for offers of help. Yes, it's the CRAFT FAIR AND EXHIBITION again, to raise funds for our Village Hall.  

16th Annual

CRAFT FAIR and EXHIBITION

Saturday 7th November

10am—4pm

Free Admission   Raffle    Refreshments 

All profits to Natland and Oxenholme

Village Hall Funds

Registered Charity no. 523072

If you have made something that you would be prepared to lend for the exhibition, do please contact me or download this form. Items are well protected on the day, and insured.

There are three spare stalls at the moment, so do please get in touch with me, Elspeth Jayne, if you would like one.

St. Mark's Church Parish Magazine for October.

Click here for all the up to date news of what is happening in the parish.

A cooler September

2015		2014
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	9.6C		11.5C
Min temperature	8.1C		10.6C
Max temperature	13.6C		16.0C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	51	2.0	8	0.3

Quite a dry month with some lovely sunshine but not as warm as last year.

John Dobson

Where's the Water Gone?

There's no water on the northern end of Longmeadow Lane currently (8.30am) and hasn't been for at least the last hour. A United Utilities van was spotted earlier, possibly repairing a leak further up. Does anyone have any more information? 
According to United Utilities this earlier van was someone assessing the problem, and it is a burst water main. Over 1,000 people are affected. Engineers should be on their way to repair it.
Update: it was off at 5.30am, possibly earlier, and was reported at that time. The engineeers haven't arrived yet. (9.10am). They still haven't come (9.45am).
There is a tap on the north side of the church which still has water, for anyone who wants to fill up buckets.
10.15am. Still no sign of any workmen from United Utilities.
The water finally came back at around 5pm.

Jam, Jerusalem, and sherry at the W.I.Meeting.

NATLAND AND OXENHOLME WI

The September meeting of Natland and Oxenholme WI was well supported. Two visitors were introduced and welcomed.

Congratulations were given to our members who achieved success at the Westmorland County Show. A first was received for the five items of yeast cookery entered by Joan Airey, Kirsten Cannon, Stella Howse, Marion Thornton and Kate Toms. Individuals also did very well, and Natland and  Oxenholme also gained a third in the preserves class.

A very entertaining evening then followed when guest speaker Carol Marsden spoke about her career in teaching before entering the church ministry. Her experiences in teaching primary school children in Yorkshire together with her witty and humorous jokes, stories, and events of the past kept us enthralled. A very light hearted meeting was enjoyed by all. Dawn Ridgeway gave the vote of thanks, and presented Carol with a plant donated by Ruth Hunter.

A group of our members attended the WI Day Centenary photo-shoot  in Kendal on 16th September,and to mark the occasion cake, sherry and soft drinks were served at our monthly  meeting (held on the same day). The singing of Jerusalem concluded the evening.

The competition for an item from " My School Days" was won by Marion Thornton with her grammar school report,  Marley Hunter was second with her list of grammar school uniform requirements.

The Raffle was won by Diana Dickinson.

The next meeting will be Wednesday October 21st (7.30pm )in the Village Hall. Susan Oliver will be the guest speaker, the subject being "Gift Wrapping"

Visitors welcome.

Coffee Morning Result

17/09/2015
Ruth Taylor, Community Activities Coordinator,Village Agent for Natland writes:
I am writing to thank you on behalf of Age UK South Lakeland for supporting the coffee morning held at St Mark’s Church today. We raised an amazing £140!!

The advantage of being a local charity is that any money donated such as this will  benefit  the local community and I will ensure that the money is spent wisely. It will be used to cover costs on some social activities in Natland which would otherwise not be financially viable.

The activities we organise, encourage social interaction between older people who might otherwise find themselves isolated. They can also help address issues such as confidence and independence.
So thank you once again, we really appreciate your generosity.

The vestry in the church is available free to anyone who would like to use it to raise money for their favourite charity at a coffee morning. Contact Elspeth Jayne for more information.

Boxes of Hope

Ex-Natlander Keith Webster on one
of his regular visits to the country.

The charity Boxes of Hope Cumbria has been supported for many years by people in Natland and Oxenholme who fill shoeboxes to go to very deprived communities in Romania for Christmas. Nicu Gal who leads the partner charity in Romania will be coming to St. Mark's School on Friday 25th September from 7-9pm to tell stories of the work done and show photographs. Everyone welcome.

Steam train on Saturday

On Saturday 19th September 5043 Earl of Mt. Edgcumbe will be northbound through Oxenholme at 10:41.
Pat Williams

September Parish Council minutes published

At the September NPC meeting councillors discussed how to prevent the rough parking area at Dilly Bridge from becoming an eyesore on the completion of the Beeches, and we’re pleased to note that SLDC will replace the area’s missing litter bin. The minutes are now available to read or download here.

Councillor Rhian Peters

NPC Accounts to March published

The ‘Interim Receipts and Payment Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2015’ for Natland Parish Council are now available to download here. These were available at the Annual Parish Meeting back in May and have been available on request but they have now been added to the Parish Council archive pages.

APM draft minutes now available

The draft minutes of this May’s annual parish meeting, including all the reports from many village organisations given on the night, are now available to download here.

Village Hall Matters

At the Committee meeting on Monday we were pleased to hear that four new courses are in place for this autumn.

Kettlercise® is a body transformation and toning class using lightweight kettlebells. It is a combination of 37 exercises which work the whole body and each exercise lasts for one minute. It starts on Wednesday 16th September at 6.30 to 7.30  and on Thursday 17th September, 6.15 to 7.15. £4 per class.

The Bootcamp Class starts on Wednesday 16th September between 5.30 and 6.30. It will vary week to week but will be a combination of cardio and weight exercises using interval training and other methods. A fun class to do with friends, the cost is £4 per class. Phone Helsbells on 7866659215 or email for Kettlercise® and the Bootcamp.

Baby-friendly baking is on Fridays 1.30-2.30 for 7 weeks on 11th, 18th, 25th September and 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd October for £42 in total or £7 a session.  http://www.babyfriendlybaking.com/

A new Pilates class is starting on Tuesdays at 4pm with Danielle Hone  www.pilateswithdanielle.co.uk, from the 15th September. They are £48 for 6 classes.

We were sad to hear of the demise of Natland Guides because of lack of a leader, and of the departure of the Photographic Club.

The 200 Club draw resulted in a first prize for no.77, Jan Evans, second prize for no. 12, Jeff Pimlott and third prize for no 6, Diana Langstaff.

The Young at Heart Social Group

Age UK will be meeting on Monday 14th September from 1.45 - 3.45pm in the Village Hall. This month there will be a demonstration to show how to use encaustic art to make cards. Cost £2.00 to include refreshments.

On Thursday, the 17th September at 10.30 there will be a Coffee Morning at 10.30am in St. Mark's Church Vestry on behalf of Age UK South Lakeland. There will be a raffle, bric a brac stall and a cake stall. Coffee, tea and home-made biscuits will be available for £1.50.

Parish Council agenda published

The next meeting of the Council will be held in the Village Hall at 7.30pm on Monday 14 September 2015. The agenda and papers are now available to read or download here.

Natland is getting into gear for the autumn.

Click here to download the Parish News, with details of church activities.

The Village Hall is buzzing with interesting activities. The week beginning on the 7th September, there's  Pre-school, Parent and Toddlers, Brownies and Rainbows, Table Tennis, U3A Table Tennis, U3A Badminton, Junior Badminton, Adult Badminton, Hel's Bells Fitness - Bootcamp and Kettlecise, and Baby Friendly Baking.

The following week the Monday Club, Bowls, the W.I., Pilates, Age UK and the Parish Council are all starting back.

More details can be found by using the What's On diary on the side of this page, and organisers can be contacted by using Useful Parish Contacts or clicking on one of the above links.

Yippee, the hall has been decorated and the sound panels fitted.

The new Village Hall Chairman, Paul Want, has been busy organising a new, shiny finish to the floors, as well as the installation of the acoustic panels in the big hall and the decorating. 

The general consensus is that the acoustic panels work well and that large groups meeting in the big hall will now be able to hear themselves speak.

Don't miss your bus home ...

A reminder from Sarah Roberts that: from Monday 14th September the Kendal town services will be re-routed, and services 41 42 and 43 will no longer run via Stricklandgate and pick up at Westmorland Shopping Centre and Town Hall stops.  The 41/41A to Oxenholme and the hospital will start its return journey at Blackhall Road.  Further details available at https://www.stagecoachbus.com/uploads/kendalchanges.pdf

A warmer and drier August than last year

2015		2014
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	12.6C		11.5C
Min temperature	11.2C		10.3C
Max temperature	16.7C		15.8C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	104.5	4.2	169	6.8

Not as wet as last August and slightly warmer. The weather in the south has been poor, hence the media pronouncing it to have been a bad summer. We have certainly not had heatwaves but hot weather does not suit everybody including me.

John Dobson

Monday Club Meeting

The Monday Club will meet up again on 21st September in the Village Hall at 2pm when Edward Lawton will present "Music in Nature" with musical accompaniment.

The annual membership fee of £10 will be due at this meeting. (Cheques payable to Natland Monday Club).

Massed Male Voices in Natland!!

Saturday, September 12th 
St. Mark's Church, Natland. 
Joint concert with K Shoes Male Voice Choir of Kendal

We are delighted to welcome back the K Shoes Male Voice Choir with their guests from Mill House Green in Derbyshire. Two choirs for the price of one. What more could you ask for. Tickets on sale for £8.00 (under 16’s free) at church on Sunday mornings or pay on the door; 7.30 start.

Schoolday memories shared at August’s WI

This month’s WI meeting was great fun, with members sharing their experiences of schooldays and trying to identify each other’s childhood photographs in a competition won by Pat Dodgson. Reports were also given of a busy June and July including visits to Buckingham Palace, Sizergh Castle, Windermere, Heysham Power Station and the zip wire at Bendrigg Lodge!

The next meeting on 16 September at the Village Hall will feature a talk by Carol Marsden entitled ‘Is it true, Miss?’. Visitors are always welcome.

You can read or download the full report of the August meeting here.