W.I. December Meeting

The W.I. were in full festive form for their December meeting of mince pies, mulled wine, flower demo, poetry and raffle. Click here for a full account of the meeting.
The next meeting will be Wednesday 18th January in the Village Hall (at an earlier time of 7.15pm) The guest speaker will be Jack Manning, Fisherman from Flookburgh. The competition will be a knitted fisherman's hat. Guests always welcome.

Nuclear Fallout?

This month’s exhibition in the Village Hall of the proposed Electricity Substation to be built on the opposite side of the Sedgwick Road to the existing one was an eye opener. In case you missed it, the National Grid exhibition was explaining about the need for new lines to connect a new nuclear power station at Sellafield to the National Grid and how much care had been taken to minimise the impact of the new lines on the Lake District National Park by, for example, a cable tunnel under Morecambe Bay. While much of this is necessary and a great degree of care has been taken with a large part of the new lines’ routes, there is a huge degree of collateral damage on our local landscape.

Longstanding residents of the village will remember that the substation on Sedgwick road stood in the local scene with very little landscaping since it was built. I remember being told it was built under emergency powers in the war period when landscaping would hardly have been a priority. When in the 80’s, a new pylon line was brought to Natland from Old Hutton, considerable thought was given to softening the impact of the substation. Norweb planted a little wood on its south side and this has made the substation fence, building and apparatus almost disappear even though the pylons still tower over the 30  year old trees.

The proposed new substation is said to be needed to support the removal of overhead lines elsewhere - it seems that it may be related to the removal of lines in West Cumbria though the documentation does not specify where the benefit will be.

The proposal is for two new pylon towers 90 feet (27.36 metres) high together with transformer apparatus up to 30 feet high within a 8 feet fence  about 30- 40 feet from the road side. Hedges will have to be cleared away to give sight lines for vehicles calling at the substation.  The landscaping proposals are grossly inadequate with a “woodland” 20 feet deep to the north and south of the fence with shrubs to the west and the east in the sight lines of the access. Compare this with the scale of the 30 year old wood to the south of the existing substation and you will see just how pitiful the landscape proposals are.

There is no room for any substantially better landscaping at the site because National Grid has drawn the boundaries of the site too tightly.

So what can be done?

We can accept the maximum damage to our local landscape scheme as proposed by National Grid or we can reply URGENTLY ( deadline January 6th ) to the consultation with objections. Look at the website http://northwestcoastconnections.com/bgo/documents.asp
For the details of the plans, click on the technical documents buttons to find the ENW substation headings.

There may be alternatives which are not discussed in the consultation
1. Re-equip the existing substation with more modern apparatus.
2. Extend the existing substation eastwards to take advantage of existing landscape features (backdrop of trees and hills rising to Barrows green).
3. Extend the substation southwards and plant much more woodland to soften impact.
4. If the need for a new westerly substation is proven, greatly increase the landtake, sculpt the landforms with earth banks, dense tree and shrub planting so that the substation is not seen against the skyline as the site is on flat land  with no back drop.

Thank you for reading this report and I hope that you will register your objection to what must be one of the most cheapskate and damaging planning schemes ever to be proposed in the Kent valley.

Martin Jayne

Christmas Events in Natland

The Church Nativity Service is on Sunday 18th December at 10am. Then at 4pm there is a traditional Carol service with lessons and singing by congregation and choir.
On Tuesday 20th there will be Carol Singing at Oxenholme Station from 5-7pm, 
On Thursday 22nd there will be Carols on the Green with Kendal Concert Band at 6.30pm.
On Christmas Eve there will be a Christingle Service at 4pm followed at 11.30pm with the 1st Communion of Christmas.
On Christmas Day there will be a service of Holy Communion at 9am followed at 10.15am with a Family Service.
On Tuesday the 27th the Vicarage is an Open House from 4pm-7pm - all welcome.

Roadworks on Longmeadow Lane

Don Shore writes:
Re the Longmeadow and Oxenholme Lane problem, has anyone considered if the underlying cause is the Natland Treacle Mine?  Or to be less flippant, a section of the Natland Pipeline Cave?
http://www.lakeland-enterprise.co.uk/Natland/Caves.html 

The roadworks on the corner of Longmeadow and Oxenholme Lanes should be finished soon, but it is only a temporary respite. It was an exploratory excavation to discover why the road had subsided, and revealed that the hardcore was soft and inadequate and that a drain to a soakaway was draining in the wrong direction as a result of the subsidence. The soakaway too needs sorting out. The repair will happen next year.

National Grid North West Coast Connection .

There will be a presentation and a chance to discuss this project on Saturday 10th December from 10am to 3.30pm in the Village Hall. If you manage to discover anything that would impact on the village, please contact this website.

Waxwings still around

Jude Hodsoll writes: Here’s a photo of a single waxwing in a garden tree backing onto fields on Long Meadow Lane. The photo isn’t very good, poor light, quite a distance away and almost a silhouette. Still, it’s evidence!  

Photo taken on Saturday 3rd Dec.

Parish News - bumper edition

There are Christmas activities to suit all sorts of people listed in the two month edition of St. Mark's Church's magazine. Settle down to a good read, and plan your calendar for the next two months, by clicking on this link. If you prefer the paper edition, wait for it to be delivered to your door as every household in the parish will be receiving a copy shortly.

Age UK Christmas Celebration

Natland Young at Heart Social Group for older residents will next meet on Monday 12th December and we will be going along to the School Christmas Celebration in Church at 2pm, followed by tea and mince pies back at the village hall. In January (9th), the group will be meeting at Kendal Leisure Centre at 1.45pm where we will try various games and activities!

Waxwings in Natland

A single waxwing was spotted in the churchyard at the time of Wendy Balmer's funeral on Tuesday and a flock of 50 or so was seen on Abbey Drive on Friday. They come here from Scandinavia to see what they can find, and when conditions are right we could experience what in bird-watching terms is called an 'eruption'. Do email with sightings.
Tony Renkin emailled on Sunday 27th November: One waxwing Wednesday lunchtime Long Meadow Lane. Sunday morning a flock of 40/50 on apple tree aty Higher House Farm, Oxenholme Lane. (I think that the name for this influx of waxwings is an irruption).

A chance to have your say about health and social care locally.

Your local NHS invites you to The Kendal Integrated Care Community public event on Wednesday 30th November 2016, 6pm-7.30pm at the Quaker Meeting House, Stramongate, Kendal,Cumbria LA9 4BH.
An   Integrated   Care   Community   (ICC)   is   a   team   of patients   and   public,   health   and   social   care professionals   and   third   sector   organisations   that   work together to address the care needs of a community.   Come along and get involved in the design and running of your local health and social care services.

Another successful AGM for the WI

The November meeting of the WI was well attended and was followed by the AGM (at which two new committee members were elected), a Jacob’s Join supper and a ‘lively and entertaining social time’.

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

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting

The Parish Council received information on lighting, roads, footpaths, crime and the planning permission which is still awaited for the 17 houses adjacent to Underhill on the Burton Road at their recent meeting. Not a lot of progress was made on most of the items though it was interesting to read that the police need observers to help to target cross border criminals......  
Click here for the full report.

Police Commissioner's drop-in event.

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall will be holding a public drop-in event on Tuesday 22 November, from 10:00am – 11:30am, at the Auction Mart, J36, Crooklands, LA7 7FP.

Robbery last night (Thursday)

Over night a quad bike and power washer has been stolen from Natland near Kendal.

Did you see a large van in the area overnight? Or vehicle with a trailer?

If so then please ring Cumbria Constabulary on 101 stating log number CP-20161111-0030

The officer in charge is PC 1416 Michelle Tomlinson.

Lighting Up the Natland Night 2016

You are invited to decorate a lantern with a Poppy or World War 1 theme for the annual procession round the village this year.  It's on Friday 11th November starting in the school playground at 6.00pm and finishing with a liturgy of light and dance performance on the Green at around 7.30pm. There will be refreshments in the school hall.
Lantern making kits are available for £6 from the school office, www.stmarksschoolnatland.co.uk, although you don't need to have a lantern to come along and join in.

Craft Fair and Exhibition Success

Thank you to everyone who turned out to support Natland's Craft event last Saturday. There was a good turnover of visitors and a whopping £863 profit was made for Natland and Oxenholme's Village Hall. The stall-holders seemed pretty happy with their takings too, and already there is a waiting list building up of people who would like to have stalls next year. The winner of the favourite item in the exhibition was Joan Hodgson with her decoupage picture of The Secret Garden.



Joan, receiving her prize from Craft Fair organiser, Sue Ashton.

Age Concern Events

Natland Young at Heart Social Group for older residents runs at Natland Village Hall. The group will next meet on Monday 14th November from 1.45-3.45pm when we will be having an afternoon of Christmas crafts.
Christmas Lunch Club. You are invited to come along to St. Mark's Primary School for lunch on Thursday 8th December at 1.30pm. Be waited on by the children and enjoy a delicious meal for £3.50. Places are limited, so to book or cancel a place, please ring the Age UK helpline on 01539 728180 by the 1st December. This event is in partnership with St. Mark's Church and St. Mark's School.

November Parish News available here

Click here to download the Parish News with details of church and village events and activities.

October Weather

WEATHER STATISTICS OCTOBER

2016 2015

Temperature at 8 am 9.5c 7.7c

Minimum Temperature 8.5c 6.6c

Maximum Temperature 12.7c 11.0c

mm    in  mm in

Rainfall  46 1.8 83.5      3.3

After two wet months, October was well down on its average of 160mm.

It was fairly warm as well , so a good month!

Urgent Road Closure Notice: Natland Road

Notice is hereby given that to allow urgent resurfacing works to be carried out; Cumbria County Council prohibits with immediate effect the passage of vehicular traffic along the C5071 Natland Road, Natland from the junction with the U5625 Hawes Lane travelling in a northerly direction for 190 metres.

This notice will be in force for a period not exceeding 5 days from Wednesday 26th October 2016.  It is anticipated the closure will be in place for 1 day.

A way for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained at all times.

The diversion route as follows via the C5071 Natland Road, A65 Burton Road and U5626 Oxenholme Lane.

Nick Raymond

Senior Manager - Network Management

Cumbria Highways

WI celebrate 95th birthday party in style

Natland & Oxenholme WI celebrated their 95th birthday party in the Village Hall this month – in poetry, song, flowers and with supper and a special cake as well as an interesting display from the archives dating back to 20 October 1921.

A full report can be read or downloaded here.

The next meeting is the AGM, followed by a Jacob's Join supper, at 7.30pm on Wednesday 16 November

Parish Council agenda published

The agenda for the October meeting of Natland Parish Council at 7.30pm on Monday 31 October at Natland & Oxenholme Village Hall has now been published and is available to read or download here.

Ski Touring in Norway

Open Invite to Village Event.

The Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria will be coming to Natland to present the British Empire Medal to Ray Richardson shortly. Ray was chair of the Village Hall Committee for twenty-six years and saw it through major extension works.  The presentation for services to the community of Natland will be held in the Village Hall on the 27 October at 7.00pm.    A general invitation is extended anybody who may wish to come along.

Coffee Morning, Christmas cards and Books last Thursday

The Coffee Morning for the Church Tower Fund raised £70 and the sale of books raised £77.68. The total for the Christmas card sales was £282.59, for the benefit of Age UK, Sight Advice, Oxfam, Market Place Books and St. John's Hospice.
Thank you very much to those who came and those who bought.

Connecting Cumbria: Broadband News

Connecting Cumbria is still looking after the interests of connectivity for Cumbria, working with BT. The structure for disseminating information has altered, and Natland Parish Council has a direct link to the group. Councillor Joan Lind is the Broadband Champion for Natland Parish Council. 

Natland is well served by the BT upgrade in that we have been connected to BT’s current levels of broadband service. However, if you have anything you wish to raise, please feel free to do so by contacting Councillor Lind on 015395 60372.

A presentation that Connecting Cumbria and BT gave at the last Hub Co-ordinators Meeting in September is available to read or download here. It is full of connection statistics, including future plans and broadband speed targets for the County.

Joan Lind, Natland Parish Council

Church News

The Village Hall was full for the Harvest Supper at the start of the month. We started with a singing of familiar harvest hymns interspersed with an auction of produce. Overall £507 was raised for the Bishop of Carlisle's Harvest for the Hungry Appeal for projects in Argentina and Mali. Many thanks to those who came and responded so generously at the auction.
The Royal Family Picture Quiz winners were announced and they are: First Place: Rosemary Webster 36/36  £20; Second Place: Stan O'Connor 35/36 £10; Third Place: Audrey Gott: Oxenholme 34/36 £5.  (We've had a recount and this is the correct order of winners.) Thank you to everyone who bought a quiz. The full list of answers can be seen in the church on the notice board.

17th Annual Craft Fair and Exhibition in the Village Hall

This year’s Craft Fair and Exhibition will take place on Saturday 5th November, in Natland and Oxenholme Village Hall from 10am to 4pm. The event raises funds for the Village Hall. A popular and important part of the day is the Exhibition of Craft in the small hall. This is a display of items made by local residents and loaned for the event. We would welcome more exhibits. Please contact Elspeth Jayne (015395 60942), e-mail, if you would like to take part.
In the large hall there will be 23 stalls each selling different crafts made locally. Refreshments will be available all day and there will be a raffle.  Admission is free.                              

All Change at Natland’s Village Shop

After 39 years service to Natland, Graham Needham is retiring and handing over the Village Shop and Post Office to James Harkness.
In fact, Graham has already moved out domestically but is helping in the shop for the moment whilst James obtains his Post Office authorisation.
Mavis, Graham’s long time helper in the shop, is also retiring.
Graham recalls when he was at the same stage as James, excited by similar challenges of developing the business.  However, time has moved on and he is delighted to have found in James a much younger person to take on the role, which also includes becoming a Trustee of the Village Hall.
Graham thanks all those customers who have supported him over the years.  He has many happy memories, especially of the Natland characters whom he used to serve, but is already relishing not getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning to sort out the paper rounds!  He and Liz are now settling into their new home in the village but they hope before too long to be able to travel around Europe in their motor-home.
Meanwhile, James will be bringing his personality and ideas to the business.  Originally from Poulton-le-Fylde, James has spent the last five years developing a computer business in London.
He has moved in together with his parents, Mike and Heather, plus their dog Smudge.  Mike and Heather both work but you may well see them helping in the shop from time to time.
James and his family have spent a lot of time in the Lake District and have friends around Kendal and Coniston.  They had been looking for a property in the Natland area for a while and jumped at the chance to purchase the Village Shop and Post Office.  Running this type of business has been something James has dreamt about for some time.
He will be assisted by Christine whom you may remember as the cheerful lady who has stood in for Graham on several occasions.
The first change that many will have noticed is the cessation of paper deliveries.  Whilst he realises that this service was valued, James is aware that it was fraught with problems and feels that he can better serve the community in other ways.  Papers, of course, are still on sale at the shop, which is opening earlier so that those who want to collect on their way to work can do so.
James has ambitious plans to develop the business, the first being to investigate the practicality of opening up the room, with its magnificent old fireplace, to the right of the entrance to provide a tea room - one of his hobbies is baking.
He is also contemplating expanding the range of provisions by offering a selection of specialist beers and wines.
James is realistic and understands that for the Village Shop and Post Office to thrive, it has to be offering Natlanders a service that is recognised as being a focal point for the community and that is what he is determined to achieve.
Natland News thanks Graham and Mavis for their long and vital service to the village and wishes James every success in taking over the Village Shop and Post Office.  We are looking forward to the flapjacks already!
Don Shore.

Autumn Supper Concert in Kendal | 20 October

Kendal Choral Society

invites you to an

Autumn Supper Concert

An informal Autumn evening of music in a lighter vein

Solos by Emily Robinson (soprano)

Thursday 20 October 

7.30 for 7.45pm

Parish Hall, Kirkland, Kendal

Tickets £8 (in advance only)

from choir members, or ring 01539 739682

Price includes hotpot supper (vegetarian on request)

Soft drinks available - bring your own wine and glasses

Parish Magazine for October

Click here for details of church services and events. There's news about the school and about how the building work is progressing, about a Book and Charity Christmas Card Sale on the 20th October, and about how to fill a Box of Hope for deprived children, as well as thought provoking articles, poems and prayers.

Natland's Weather in September

                                              2016 2015
Temperature at 8 am                 13.5c         9.6c
Minimum Temperature (Av) 12.2c 8.1c
Maximum Temperature (Av)        16.6c 13.6
                                           mm  in      mm  in
Rainfall                              169.5   6.8      51 2.0

September was very warm with the temperature only dropping below
10c on the last day of the month. It was also very wet and quite windy
at times. John Dobson

Canal Roadshows next week

Organised by the Lancaster Canal Regeneration Partnership, and presumably linked to the earlier appointment of Project Manager Helen Moriarty, these canal roadshows aim to inform and seek the views of businesses and countryside users about the project to create a multi-use towpath trail from Kendal to Lancaster.

The LCRP website mentions a draft Access Strategy ‘coming soon for comments and input’, the aim being ‘to create an accessible and interpreted Kendal to Lancaster Towpath Trail’, and mentioning that benefits include traffic-free walking and cycling opportunities to encourage cycling.

The main implication for Natland appears to be that the present footpath along the disused canal (from which cyclists and horse-riders are banned unless they have the landowner's consent) would be converted into a bridleway.

The roadshow events nearest to Natland will be:

• Wed 5 Oct at The Factory, Kendal, from 2pm to 8pm.
• Thurs 6 Oct at Sedgwick Village Hall from 4pm to 6.30pm.

Interested Natlanders may wish to drop in.

Changing landscapes for September's WI!

For the 31 members and one guest who attended the September meeting of the Natland and Oxenholme WI it was a left turn as they entered the Village Hall last Wednesday night. It was our first meeting in the big Hall – our new venue. 

The extra space was much appreciated as we had our cooperative and individual entries from the County Show on display. It was quite the ‘home grown’ meeting as our booked speaker had to cancel at very short notice. President Kirsten Cannon stepped in and gave us a talk on The Alaskan Highway complete with slides from the twenty years plus she lived there – a completely different landscape and climate to the one she calls home now. The Yukon is a vast, imposing province with ‘neighbouring’ communities having more than a hundred miles between them. The Highway is some 1,500 miles long. An internet search provided me with the fact that a similar length road would stretch from Kendal to Sorrento in Italy! Kirsten blended history, facts and personal reminisences into her very enjoyable talk.

Marion Thornton told us of her recent trip to Denman after receiving the Dorothy Rawson bursary. She brought some of her work from Patchwork for Beginners to show us.

The competition winners for a Lakeland recipe were 1^st Marley Hunter and 2^nd Lynne Procter Midge Fairhurst won the raffle. We wound up the evening with our usual tea, coffee and biscuits and looking forward to the October meeting when we celebrate our 95th birthday with special guests and a party. Do join us!

Parish Council September minutes published

The minutes of September’s meeting of Natland Parish Council have now been published. They are available to read or download here.

Bike ride passing through on Wednesday

We have had notification from the organisers of the Deloitte RAB Land's End to John O'Groats charity bike ride that it will be passing through Natland this Wednesday (14 September) from late morning. There will be up to 1000 cyclists involved.

The route comes up from Sedgwick, through the western edge of the village and up to Natland on the Natland Road. Riders will set off in groups of 50 from Haydock Racecourse that morning and should be well spread out by the time they get to Natland so we can expect a steady trickle.

Aimee and Matthew - wedding photos.

The Reverend Angela Whittaker as she hears the marriage vows of her
daughter Aimee and new son in law Matthew Lynch at their wedding last Saturday.

The Whittaker family surround the newly weds: mother Angela,
 bridesmaids Sarah and Katie, brother Micah,
 father Andrew and brother Matthew.

The confetti got a bit damp, but spirits were
buoyant .

The cake was delicately decorated and
enjoyed by everyone who came to the service.

Photos courtesy of Bay Photographic.

Village Hall News

There are many activities already started or about to start.
Table Tennis - Seniors 7.30 on a Tuesday,  Juniors start on Mon 19th Sept 6-7pm. 
Badminton - starts Thurs 15th September 7.30-9.30  
Indoor bowls starts Mon 26 Sep and meets both Mon and Fri.
Hel's Bells fitness sessions:  Mon and Wed 6-7pm starting 19/21 Sept; Thurs 6-7 starting 10 Nov (or earlier on demand).
Pilates: Tuesdays, 4pm.
Brownies, Rainbows follow school terms, as does Diddi Dance.
U3A groups are already running, as is Craft Group on a Wednesday afternoon, 2 - 4pm.
WI, Monday Club, Age UK are running on their usual monthly schedule.
Click for contact details for all these groups.

The Craft Fair is all set for the 5th November and is being organised by Sue Ashton. Elspeth Jayne will continue to organise the exhibition.


The winners of the 200 Club this September are: no. 97: Mrs O'Connor; no. 8 Mr. Ratcliffe; no. 80 Mrs Dickinson. The new organiser of the 200 Club is Alison Blake. Do contact her if you would like to join.

Agenda for September's Natland Parish Council meeting

Click here for the agenda for the meeting on the 12th September.

Road works in Natland

A temporary road closure order has been published by C.C.C. announcing resurfacing (among other roads) Long Meadow Lane over about 250m from its junction with Oxenholme Lane - which should just include the junction with Abbey Drive.  The Order starts on 5 September and the work will occupy about three days some time in the next three months.

School holidays warm and wet as ever

2016		2015
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	14.4C		12.6C
Min temperature	13.0C		11.2C
Max temperature	18.6C		16.7C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	180	7.2	104.5	4.2

August was quite warm most of the time but wet as well! This is normal as August is, on average, the third wettest month of the year in these Western parts. A pity this coincides with everyone's holidays.

John Dobson

Come and spot Scots Guardsman on Saturday

On Saturday 3 September 46115 Scots Guardsman will be going northbound through Oxenholme 11.39am.

Pat Williams

Monday Club - first meeting of the season.

The Monday Club will meet for the new session on 19th September 2016 at 2pm in the Village Hall when Gordon Fletcher will give a talk "Morecambe Bay Underwater Safari".
The annual membership of £10 will be due at the meeting - cash or if possible, cheques payable to 'Natland Monday Club'.

Natland and Oxenholme Table Tennis Club, 2016 Season.

We are a friendly club, with the following activities:
Club sessions for practice on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall.
Junior coaching, 6.00 pm on Mondays.
Five teams entered in the Kendal and District Table tennis League.
Club tournaments.
Coaching sessions for all, in collaboration with the local league.
Social events.

For further details, please contact Mick Taylor, Tel 015395 60904 or email micktaylor1502@yahoo.co.uk
Also any juniors who are interested, please contact Mick or our junior coach Roger Pimblett, tel 01539 720467.

We hope you will come along and enjoy this wonderful sport with us.

Women's Institute August meeting

The Natland and Oxenholme W.I. met on 17th August after their July break to hear the sad news that two more of their members had passed away. Verna Borthwick and Majorie Moorhouse were remembered together with Betty Bailey who died in June. We marked their passing with a short period of silence.
There were 28 members and one guest who gathered to hear the speaker Andy Blackman and his wife give a talk, accompanied by video and photos of their work for an orphanage founded by an American charity, Open Hands, in Kenya. The children are rescued from the direst conditions imaginable and given a safe, loving  home with an education. One of our members visited the orphanage village earlier in the year with the Blackmans. There is an ongoing support programme from the Kendal area mainly involving the educational needs of the children. A truly uplifting venture.
 The competition Photo of Happy Children was won by Caroline Lawson with Janet Greenhalgh coming 2nd.
Marion Want had the winning raffle ticket.
Next month on the 21st we look forward to Laura Wyatt with her Grasmere Gingerbread talk.
Talks, walks, theatre trips and other activities are all on offer with friendship so do come and check us out.

Steam train on Saturday

On Saturday 20 August 46115 Scots Guardsman will be northbound through Oxenholme station at 12:39.

Pat Williams

Can you find space for some honeybee hives?

Stuart Crawford, of Hope Cottage on Helm Lane, has asked us to publish the following appeal:

I have recently moved into Hope Cottage on Helm Lane from Kendal. I am a keen beekeeper with 6 hives and I am looking for an apiary site in, or very close to Natland.

What I need is a small area approximately 1.5m x 4m, ideally sheltered and facing SE, which can be fenced if there are animals present to place some of my hives. I am not bothered whether it is agricultural land or if you would like to have bees in your garden, orchard or similar.

In traditional style, the rent is paid in honey from these beautiful and industrious creatures which benefit us all!

If you're interested, please give me a ring on 0791 778 9051, email at seantrepail@tiscali.co.uk or come and knock on our door. Thank you.

Congratulations from the Queen

Bob and Brenda Gale were pleasantly surprised to return from their Diamond Wedding celebrations on the 11th August to find a blue envelope from Buckingham Palace waiting for them on the doormat. It contained congratulations and good wishes from the Queen, no less, with an additional note to the postman that it must be delivered on the right day, by the first delivery of that day. Well, heads didn't roll, it had arrived in time, and it ended their anniversary day very nicely.

Urgent 5-day road closure: Oxenholme Lane

To allow Amey to carry out urgent water services repair work Cumbria County Council has closed Oxenholme Lane from the junction with the A65 Burton Road travelling in a south westerly direction for 400 metres to vehicular traffic. It is anticipated that this closure will be in place for 5 days.

A way for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained at all times.

A suitable alternative route for vehicles will be signed and available. Click here to see a map of the signed diversion.

Service reduction on 552 Kendal-Arnside

From Monday 5 September the timetable for the 552 Kendal to Arnside bus route will change, further limiting the buses available from Park Close.

Mondays to Saturdays: inbound bus will leave Park Close 10.03am, arriving at Kendal Bus Station 10.21am, with return service to Arnside leaving Kendal at 2.05pm, arriving Natland 2.25pm.

School days: later bus to Kendal departing Natland at 4.50pm.

Saturdays and school holidays: bus from Kendal 8.40am (Natland 8.55am) for Milnthorpe and Arnside, and a later inbound bus to Kendal at 3.30pm.

Sundays, Bank Holidays, Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve:  NO SERVICE

Sarah Roberts

Steam train passing through on Saturday

On Saturday 6 August, 45690 Leander will be northbound through Oxenholme 12:42 and Southbound through Oxenholme 17:01.

Pat Williams

July Weather was a bit Average

2016                                    2015

Temperature at 8 am                       15.4c                                  13.5c

Minimum Temperature (average)       14.0c                                 11.7c
Maximum Temperature (average)      19.4c                                 17.4c
                                                       mm   in                              mm    in
Rainfall                                          122   4.9                            104.5  4.2
Although warmer than last year, July was fairly average. We did have
a very hot day on 19th but this was followed by heavy rain and thunder!
Rainfall was slightly above average but a lot fell overnight. John Dobson

PC Minutes for July published

The minutes of the Parish Council’s July meeting are now available to read or download here.

Building Work at St. Mark's School

There are two contractors working on the site at the back of school this summer and autumn. One is Roland Hill from Aspatria, 016973 20483, who is working on a new classroom. This is being built because Cumbria County Council anticipate a rise in the pupil roll in the next five years. They have part funded the new classroom, together with Oakmere homes. The other contractor is South Cumbria Construction, 015394 43046, who will be moving an internal wall to create two even sized classrooms.

Natland residents are asked to contract either of the above contractors, or the project manager Cowan and Co., on 01772 425360, with any issues or if you notice any breach of site security.

Thank you to Natland and Oxenholme's Gardeners and Visitors

The Open Gardens event was a great success. The sun shone just the right amount, gardens sparkled, and all the people who tried gamely to go round as many gardens as possible stayed cheerful to the end.
Collin Mansfield writes: On behalf of St. Mark's Church and the Village Hall Committee I would like thank everyone for making the Garden Open Day such a success.
The total raised for St Mark's was approx £2,000.00 net of expenses and for the Village Hall £326.00. I estimate we had over 200 visitors. The most to any individual garden seems to have been about 180. Our sponsors gave us £225.00, programme sales exceeded £1000.00 and plant and produce sales, the raffle and ice cream sales made up the rest.
If you would care to send in any photos to the website, I would be glad to post them here.

Natland Parish Council Agenda

The full agenda for the next meeting of Natland Parish Council - to which you are entitled to attend though not participate - can be viewed here. It will be held in the Village Hall at 7.30pm on the 25th July.

Bumper July/Aug edition of Church Magazine is now available.

Click here for church news and services.

Ten tips for Natland Gardens Open Day on 17th July

1. Buy your admission programme a week in advance from Natland or Oxenholme Post Offices and save a pound per person
2. Buy your programme a week in advance on line at http://www.trybooking.co.uk/407 and save yourself money and a walk to the Post Office
3. Wear your sun cream, we have ordered a fine sunny day.
4. Start your afternoon in Oxenholme. Drive to High Park Barn (through the stone gates at entrance to Oxenholme Station, full directions in programme and plenty of parking) next visit two gardens at 3 and 16 Fell Close. Buy your programmes on the day at these gardens in Oxenholme. Then come down to Natland and park your car on Longmeadow and walk round the other gardens
5. Ask for help from the stewards who will be at the church to sell programmes as to how to plan your walk around the village
6. Stop for an ice cream with Elspeth and Martin at 12 Longmeadow
7. Buy a raffle ticket from Cherrie and Mike at 2 Church View
8. Chat to the garden owners, they have worked very hard and want to tell you about their gardens
9. Don’t think you have to “do” every garden – we have 19 so that is quite a lot to get around -
 enjoy as many as you can manage
10. Have a well earned mid afternoon break with tea and cake at the village hall

Changing weather in June

2016		2015
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	15.6C		11.2C
Min temperature	13.9C		9.6C
Max temperature	20.4C		16.0C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	107.5	4.3	31.5	1.3

Warm and dry at the start of June, the weather changed later, with heavy rain on the 20th and at the end. Still warmer than average overall.

John Dobson

Scotsman flying through on Saturday

On Saturday 2 July 60103 Flying Scotsman will be northbound through Oxenholme. No times are listed yet and may not be due to people trespassing on the line. I have been informed (I hope reliably) that it will leave Carnforth at 11:20.

Pat Williams

Eighteen houses planned near Oxenholme Filling Station

Click here for more details. SLDC Website.

Minutes of June Parish Council meeting and 2016 Parish Meeting published

Two sets of minutes have just been published by the Parish Council. You can download or read the minutes of this month’s parish council meeting here and download or read the minutes of this year’s parish meeting here. (Well done to Kevin, our Clerk, for getting both out so promptly.)

British Empire Medal for services to Natland

Ray Richardson, our recently retired Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, is to receive a British Empire Medal for his services to the community in Natland. He recently received a letter from the Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria to that effect, and expects to be presented with the medal shortly. Ray proclaimed himself to be really chuffed.
Ray chaired the Village Hall Committee for twenty six years, with good humour and admirable brevity of meetings. His most demanding time was when he organised the building of the big hall. He had heard that a millenium grant was available for village halls and after a meeting with around 100 local people, nearly all of whom were in support of the idea, he went ahead and applied for the grant and for planning permission. Both were granted but the millenium fund grant had to be matched to the tune of £38,000. Many local organisations were contacted, hall users raised funds, and eventually the money came together. Russell Armer did the work at cost but it was rather a shock to find at the end that there was a £9,000 shortfall. Ray asked for interest free loans from village hall users and was glad to be able to repay them in two years.
The Village Hall has been used by many clubs over the years and it is good to think that so many people's lives have been enriched as a result, and as a result of Ray's commitment, though he says he was glad to find a successor in Paul Want, the new Chairman.

Parish Council agenda published

You can read or download the agenda for the next meeting of Natland Parish Council (Monday 27 June) here. Any member of the public is welcome to attend the meeting as usual and contribute during the Public Participation section of the agenda.

Laying down the law at the Women's Institute

At the June meeting members heard about the work of local magistrates and details of their summer trip out were disclosed. Click here for more details.

Open Gardens Day

  SUNDAY 17th JULY, 11.30am - 5pm

• We have gardens in the village centre, Oxenholme Lane and Helm Lane, Longmeadow Lane, at Little Cracalt and off the A65 Burton Road as well as one special garden near Oxenholme station.  
• Programmes will be on sale in advance at £4.00 for adults (accompanied children free) from Natland and Oxenholme Post Offices or online at http://www.trybooking.co.uk/407 or in St Mark’s Church on Sundays after the 10am service.  Admission from one week before and on the day will be £5.00 at the Church door or at the more remote participating gardens.
• Refreshments will be available in the village hall from 12.00noon to 4.30pm.
• Tell your family, friends and everyone who you think would enjoy an afternoon out in some wonderful gardens.
• Kindly sponsored by Oakmere Homes

Monday Club Outing

The summer event on the 20th June will be at Grange when members will be taking lunch at Clare House.
Meetings will resume on the 19th September '16 when we hope to welcome members back for the 2016/17 season and trust the attendance will be as good as was recorded this year.

Window Cleaning - Help with information

A new window cleaner started in Natland on the Monday 9th May. In cleaning our windows, he smashed the front roof gutter. He promised to repair it on Wednesday, then Friday. No sign of him on Friday. When I contacted him on his mobile phone, he promised to repair it by the following Wednesday at the latest. He didn’t turn up. Four weeks later and I've replaced the gutter myself. I would like to present him with the bill but the mobile number only takes messages and no promised reply “when I get back” ever comes. I understand the man’s name is Geoff Holgate.

Does anyone have better contact details for him which they can give me - martjay@btinternet.com - so I can get him to put the matter right, or has he just disappeared?    Martin Jayne

St. Mark's Church Fete

Saturday 11th June 2016, 2 - 4pm 
Natland Vicarage Gardens and Village Hall

Cakes, afternoon tea, raffle, plants, tombola, books, gallimaufry, bric a brac, toys, games etc.  
Fancy dress competition on a theme of 90 Glorious Years.
St Mark’s CE School Choir will sing. 
For further information please contact Andrew Whittaker 015395 60355 
Kindly sponsored by Milne Moser Solicitors and Estate Agents

A Cakes and Jelly Tea Party for the Queen

To celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday on Sunday 12th June, 4-5pm in St. Mark's Church there will be a Cakes and Jelly Tea Party to which everyone is invited. Please wear some red, white and blue.

Church Magazine for June available now

Click here to find out all about the celebrations for the Queen's birthday taking place in Natland, about school sporting events and about the various outings that are being arranged.

For sale: The Post Office, Natland,

Summary: A rare "life style" opportunity to purchase a substantial semi-detached 17th Century four bedroom house of considerable character together with a Post office and convenience shop and business, situated in the centre of the highly attractive South Lakeland village of Natland, about a mile.
£295,000. http://www.michael-cl-hodgson.co.uk/property-for-sale/details/1186/The-Post-Office--Natland--Kendal--Cumbria--LA9-7QQ/

May minutes available

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

Natland Badminton Club AGM

At their recent AGM Natland Badminton Club reluctantly decided that from September 2016 they would be unable to sustain a Juniors section.  Other commitments meant that Kath Cater & Gill Taylor were unable to continue running Junior sessions. They and fellow club member Malcolm Beaty, who assisted if required, were thanked for their help over many years.

The new season starts on Thursday 15th September with third-generation club member Rosie Gregg at the helm as coordinator.  Weekly sessions will run at the earlier time of 7.30-9.30pm.  New members always welcome.

High and dry in May

2016		2015
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	11.0C		8.5C
Min temperature	8.8C		6.8C
Max temperature	15.6C		12.5C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	39.5	1.6	164.5	6.6

Last May was the wettest I had recorded. This year was the second lowest rainfall and half the average for May. Temperatures on average were quite high, building up from a cool start.

John Dobson

Brownie news for the Summer term

We have had a very exciting and adventurous half term at Brownies, and lots more planned for this coming half term. 

We have completed our Gardener badge. This involved us all taking part in a sunflower competition and at the end of the summer term we are going to see whose sunflower has grown the tallest! We also had a visit to an allotment, where the Brownies enjoyed being shown what is growing there and also playing some games in the sunshine! 

We have also had an outing to the Dojo for a Judo session. All the Brownies had a fantastic time. 

We are currently working towards our First Aid badge, and we are having some fun doing some crafts for Father’s Day. We are going to end our summer term with an outing to the Maize maze!

Eleanor Latham

Thank you for your generosity in Christian Aid Week

Every year people who go to St. Mark's Church collect from homes in Natland, parts of  Oxenholme, The Oaks and this year for the first time The Beeches, to help the poorest people in far off lands. £2,047 was raised in this way this year, and £381 at the Coffee Morning. The total so far is £2,428.

It’s good to think of the people who will benefit from this money. The example given by Christian Aid this year was of a family in Bangladesh whose lives are at risk every time the Brahmaputra overflows. Only £250 is needed to flood-proof such a home, and also to give a goat and seeds so that a family can have a long term income. So, if our donations just went on that project ten families would have a future for themselves.

Thank you, on behalf of all the people who will benefit from your gifts.

Elspeth Jayne, Christian Aid Week Organiser.

Parish Council May meeting

The agenda for the next meeting of the Parish Council on Tuesday 31 May at Natland & Oxenholme Village Hall is available to read or download here. All welcome.

W.I. Activities

The May meeting of the W.I. saw 33 members being welcomed by President Kirsten Cannon with a special welcome for new member, Carole. She, like all prospective new members, had come along to a previous meeting (3 in all) before opting to join us. If you are curious, why not join us next month ? June 15th from 7.30pm – that’s when the meeting starts but a warm welcome awaits you any time after 7pm.
We heard plans for our Summer Outing in July – Stott Park Bobbin Mill with a meal on the way back. The walking group was going to do a gentle walk in Orton and their usual local walk every Thursday. The theatre group are organizing a trip to Keswick Theatre by The Lake in October  and there is the County Show at the end of summer.
The main business of the evening was to discuss and vote on two resolutions which will be taken to the National Conference. The more serious matter over we played a Getting to Know You game – great fun !  Then refreshments provided by the committee whilst we laughed over the things we’d discovered about our fellow members in the game. Now we know whose car broke down in the middle of Park Lane in Central London and who completed the Inca Trail ! The competition for a Decorated Spoon was won by Kirsten with Joan Airey second. The raffle being won by Elaine, who has only recently joined the W.I. Maybe you’ll come through the village hall door and find out more ……..

Natland Annual Meeting - The Helm, The Green and the one way system.

The full minutes will be available in a bit, but in the meantime here are a few of the things that were talked about.
First Henry Hornyold-Strickland described how his family succeeded the Daincourts in 1239, though he himself has lived in London mostly, and has just moved back up here to live at Sizergh Castle. The plots of inherited land he owns in Natland are Helm and the Village Green. While the Green is not a problem, the meeting discussed several problems relating to how the west side of the Helm is managed now that stock cannot be grazed there because of problems of harassment from dogs. Vehicles driving over it and parking off road, and bikes of all descriptions are all causing problems. Interestingly, it was pointed out that the road on Helm is actually older than Helmside Road, and that there is a spring which used to fill two tanks before supplying Oxenholme with water until 1920 when a public water supply was set up. The people in the parish who own the grazing rights (commoners) are interested in maintaining Helm as a asset to the community, but since they have no money from letting out the grazing anymore, they are limited in what they can do. A committee, working parties and a grant were suggested. Do contact the Parish Council or this website if you have ideas on how to help, and they will be publicised or forwarded to any committee that might form.
St. Mark's Primary School will be expanding from 165 to an estimated 210 shortly, and a new classroom is going to be built. The school has a new website.
The many other thriving village groups described their activities; table tennis now has a Facebook page.
There were many opinions expressed as to the viability or otherwise of a part-time advisory one-way system through the village, but in the end the people present voted 28 against the proposal and 13 in favour.