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