Parish Council’s February business

The agenda for this month’s meeting of Natland Parish Council is available to read or download here.

Please note that since the publication of this agenda, one additional item has been added: ‘Review of Infrastructure delivery plan – to further consider the Council's response.’

Natland Gardens Open Day 2016

Once again this year there is to be a gardens open day in the village which will take place on Sunday 17th July. It will be two years since such an event was held. The day is going to be organised again jointly by the church and the village hall committee.

Volunteers are needed to open their gardens, however large or small, to the public. Many of the garden owners who opened their gardens last time have offered to do so again and we thank them for this. If you would be willing to open your garden this time or know someone who might agree then please let us know.

Not all back gardens are appropriate to be opened in this way so we would welcome those with attractive front gardens who would be happy to have folk admire their handy work to also offer their gardens.

The village hall committee will be organising the sale of refreshments for the benefit of hall funds and all other money raised will go to the church. In 2014 the event raised over £1,700 for church funds and over £300 for the village hall. We hope once again to have a warm and sunny day.

If you are willing to offer your garden or want any more information please contact or speak with Collin Mansfield at collin4mansfield@homecall.co.uk or 07740 447858 or to any of the organising committee, Rhian Peters, or Jennifer Ball.

A tale of dedication at February’s WI meeting

Despite falling temperatures and the village experiencing power cuts the intrepid women of Natland and Oxenholme WI gathered for their February meeting. President Kirsten Cannon welcomed two new members and several guests.

Our speaker for the evening was Maureen Lamb who told us how she had, in 1992, vowed to rescue Farfield Mill in Sedbergh from closure. Going home to her husband after what was a casual social visit to the mill she greeted him with the words “I think I might have got myself a job that is going to take up a lot of my time.” Maureen told first the story of the events of the 1990s and then went back in time to the building of the mill in 1837 and its subsequent links with royalty. Horse blankets made at Farfield Mill were used by Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. The talk ended with the ‘soft’ opening of the partially-restored mill in 1997 and the present-day occupants. A tale, as the vote of thanks said, of dedication and determination.

The winners of the homemade craft item were, in first place, Chris Nacey and, in second place, Jean Dobson. Once again I, for one, left the village hall wiser than I had entered it.

No more steam trains until further notice

All steam trains have been stopped on the west coast main line until further notice, due to a number of safety issues.

Pat Williams

Dalesman coming north on Wednesday

On Wednesday 17 February the rail tour The Pendle Dalesman, will pass through Oxenholme northbound at 11:02am. Locomotive to be advised.

Pat Williams

Winter Craft Fair - Help

Natland’s Winter Craft Fair held in the Village Hall at the beginning of November has for some years been a great opportunity to buy hand crafted and unusual Christmas gifts, and just chat with friends over a cup of tea and cake.  But Elspeth Jayne, who has run the Fair for the past three years (following Rosemary Usher and Midge Fairhurst) wishes to step down, and we now risk losing this event if a new organiser cannot be found.
  
Can anybody help?  The job involves inviting stallholders to book tables, advertising, asking for the loan of items for the exhibition and making sure everything comes together on the day. There is a systematic list of what you have to do and when, and it is very satisfying to see it all falling into place. It takes a few hours each month from August to October, with a busier couple of weeks just before the event. The Village Hall Committee do a lot to help and are very supportive. Do contact me, Elspeth Jayne,  if you would like to know more about it.

Natland Art Exhibition coming soon

Natland’s annual Art Exhibition of work by local artists will take place in the Village Hall this year on Saturday 12 March (10am to 4pm) and Sunday 13 March (11.30am to 4pm). Refreshments and prize raffle. Admission 50p with proceeds in aid of Hall funds.

Room for one more team for the Village Quiz!

If you’re still uncommitted this Saturday night (13 February) and fancy taking your chance (along with 3 teammates) at the annual Village Hall Quiz please contact Paul Want asap on PJWant@yahoo.co.uk or 015395 61983. The quiz starts at 7.30pm and the fee of £9 a head for a team of 4 includes pie and peas and desert. BYOB.

Spring Serenade on March 5th

On Saturday March 5th at 7-30pm. the Church is hosting a Spring Serenade. The performers will be the Helm Trio, David Edmonds, flute. Edward Lawton, oboe and Colin Tolson, piano.

The programme will be shared with the Wattonerthfour x2, a male voice octet formed from members and ex members of the K Shoes male voice choir.

The Trio will perform A Spring Rondo by Mozart and The Dance of the Blessed Spirits by Gluck .There will also be solos from David and Edward and  other music of a lighter nature.

The octet will sing mainly from the male voice repertoire, including popular songs  and spirituals. The origin of the title WATTONERTHFOUR x2 will be explained on the night by the  musical director Martin Webster.

Tickets are £5 from Edward Lawton ,tele,01539 722714. on line at elawtonoboe@yahoo.co.uk Children free or JTU.

Hawes bridge - an engineers' report.

"...there is wash out of the mortar at the foundation and that really needs replacing quickly before it creates further damage. There are already 2 cracks visible around it. There is a crack right round the first stone, then in another 3 stones rising diagonally up the joints. Another big flood might well remove these if they are not repaired."  Click here for the full report from Bill Harvey Associates Ltd.

Breakfast in Natland.

The birds went suddenly quiet when this sparrowhawk appeared in the garden yesterday.                        Martin Jayne                                                                        

Nacreous clouds over Natland

Beautiful nacreous clouds over Natland yesterday (Feb. 1st), brought to us by Storm Henry. Quite a rare sight apparently.      Rhian Peters.          

Still mild, windy and wet!

2016		2015
Average temperatures
Temperature at 8am	3.3C		2.8C
Min temperature	2.3C		1.3C
Max temperature	5.6C		4.8C
Total rainfall	mm	in	mm	in
	171.5	6.9	207	8.3

The new year continued as the old: mild, windy and wet. Although not as wet as December, January was above the average of 149 mm. It was cooler but only five days with a minimum temperature below freezing.

John Dobson

St. Mark's Church Parish Magazine for February

Click here to find out about all the church activities during the Lent season.