Parish News for January 2021

 Here we are in 2021 and still printed copies of the Parish News can't be delivered house to house. You can read the extended edition for the New Year online though, by clicking here.

The Tier 4 rules have led to alterations in church services again, though we can still worship together.

On Sundays there will be a Holy Communion Service at 10am (except for the 17th January when the 10am Service will take the form of Morning Prayer.)

On Wednesdays there will be -       9-9.30 - Morning Prayer.

                                                        10-10.30 -Holy Communion

                                                       2.30-3pm. Silent Prayer, concluding with led/spoken prayers at 2.45pm.

Christmas in Natland.

Here is a link to a Nativity Service that involved people from all seven churches in the Helm Group, including ours, and here is a link to our Carol Service.

On Christmas Eve there will be a Communion Service at 11.30pm and the Communion Service on Christmas Day will be at 9am followed by Morning Worship at 10.15am. The Church will be warm and decorated with flowers, and candles will be lit. We can’t sing, but there will be music.

Links to recordings of services at St. Mark's are available a couple of hours afterwards on the St. Mark's Church page above.

At the Parochial Church Council we regretted having to decide against carol singing on the Green. People getting together and having a good time is a Coronavirus risk. 

Wishing you all a happy Christmas whatever your situation, and a Merry Christmas from Bob on Longmeadow Lane.

 

200 Club. December Prizewinners

The winning numbers in the December draw of the village hall's 200 Club are: 1st - 60, 2nd - 100, 3rd - 73.  Here is a link to the form to join the club.

Crazy Craig's Ascent Just got Higher.

 With the news today about the height of Everest, Craig needs to get a move on so that he does not have to do more than the 500 ascents of the tower.

 Link to BBC News item  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55218443

 Brought to you courtesy of our Nepalese correspondent!

Natland Parish Council Minutes in November

 Zoom held no fears for the Parish Council when they met last Monday to discuss planning and highway matters, and the proposed merger of SLDC with Barrow and Lancaster Click here for more details.

The Parish News for December

 The publication of the December Parish News has been a bit delayed so that up to date information about Church Services under Tier 2 restrictions can be included. There are plenty of charity suggestions and a set of readings for the Christmas period, complete with commentaries.

While we are in Tier 2 for the Covid epidemic, Public Worship will take place on Sundays at 10am with church remaining open afterwards for Private Prayer until 3pm.   

Holy Communion is at 10am on Wednesdays and the Church is remaining open afterwards for Private Prayer until 3pm.  At 2.45 there will be Afternoon Prayers and we will use the chancel and sanctuary for this.

Decisions have still to be made about a Carol Service but there will definitely be a Christmas Eve Service at 11.30pm and two on Christmas Day: Holy Communion at 9am and Morning Worship at 10.15am.

Links to recordings of services at St. Mark's are available a couple of hours afterwards on the St. Mark's Church page above.

The Weather in Natland in November

 

November	2020	Nov. average
Temperature at 8 a.m.	8.0° C	5.7° C
Minimum Temperature (Ave)	6.1° C	3.9° C
Maximum Temperature (Ave)	10.4° C	8.2° C
Rainfall	138 mm 5.5"	140.5 mm 5.6"

 November was very mild. Although rainfall was average, we had 40mm on Nov. 2nd, so the rest of the month had fairly small amounts. John Dobson.

An Advent Carol Service

 Here is a beautiful service for advent, featuring many local people.

Resurfacing Helm Lane at the junction with Abbey Drive

Thank you to Phil Bonney for these pictures of the most exciting thing that has happened in Natland for a bit.

Agenda forthe Natland Parish Council Meeting on Monday

Natland Parish Council are meeting by Zoom on Monday the 30th of  November. Click here to find out what they will be discussing.

Everest Challenge Quiz Results

Thank  you to everyone who bought a quiz sheet in support of the Everest Challenge.  

I had 18 correct entries out of 39 received and the winners were chosen at random.

           1st   Jenny Kelly, Natland

           2nd Graham & Penny Day, Natland

           3rd  H. Mitchinson, Staveley

 If you would like a copy of the answer sheet please email me on d.h.s.walker@googlemail.com

Village Hall Update

Unfortunately the village hall was required to close from 5th November for the period of Covid 'lockdown 2'. It is hoped that the limited activities that had been permitted in September and October may then resume, though there is no certainty yet as to what restrictions may be in place as from 3rd December.  Other regular groups whose activities were not compatible with government regulations before 5th November are unlikely to be able to re-start in December, and the hire of the hall for children's parties and private social functions such as anniversary and christening celebrations is currently a distant prospect.

Local residents can however support the village hall by subscribing to the Village Hall 200 Club monthly prize draw. (With 3 prizes each month and only around 90 numbers currently allocated the odds are better than in many lotteries!) See HERE for details on how to subscribe, or call Alison Blake on 015395 61432, or email Sarah at natland.villagehall@yahoo.co.uk

The winning numbers in the November draw are: 1st - 23, 2nd - 55, 3rd - 51

Crazy Craig sets dates for postponed Everest Challenge.

By now Revd. Craig Bentley should have completed his 500 climbs up Natland church tower to a total height exceeding that of Mount Everest.

Regrettably, lockdown2 brought all plans to an abrupt halt and Craig has been marooned at base camp.

Despite the postponement of the climb donations already exceed £1,400.00 to be shared between St Mark’s Church and the International Nepal Fellowship. Both organisations are very grateful for these generous donations and Craig is delighted to know that so many people have already offered support by donating to his Just giving page.

Inspired by this generosity Craig is determined to complete the challenge and has set a new date of 18th January 2021 to start his ascent. Watch this space for more news of Craig’s preparations as he forgoes a second helping of Christmas pud and concentrates on his strict training regime.

Castlestead View

The name for the building site on Burton Road is Castlestead View. It is a development by Housing 21 of extra care apartments and bungalows for older people.

Church Services now on the Church page.

The Church page of this blog has been updated. In future the links to the services in St. Mark's Church will be posted there each week and can be accessed by clicking on the St. Mark's Church tab above.

Crazy Craig's Climb Postponed, not Cancelled.!

Regrettably as mentioned in an earlier post Craig’s climb up the church tower 500 times has had to be postponed. But, it will go ahead at a future date. To allow for the necessary preparation and to avoid Christmas this will be between dates to be fixed early in 2021.

Watch this space for more news and the total amount raised to date. Thank you to everyone who has donated. The Just giving site remains open for further donations. And here is our gallant mountaineer grabbing a photo opportunity with Tim Farron.

The Weather in Natland in October

October	2020	Oct. average
Temperature at 8 a.m.	9.2° C	8.6° C
Minimum Temperature (Ave)	9.0° C	7.2° C
Maximum Temperature (Ave)	12.4° C	12.0° C
Rainfall	201 mm 8"	154 mm 6.2"

October was wet , although we had a dry week in the middle of the  month.

We had some rainfall every day from 19 October to the end of the month.  John Dobson.

Parish News for November

 Although many of the planned activities at church have had to go on hold, there is still plenty to think about, some more deeply than others. There is a complete set of Bible readings and accompanying thoughts for November. There are quizzes, charities to think about, and had you ever pondered on the thought that change was inevitable, except from vending machines? Or why there isn't mouse flavoured cat food? See page 25 for more of the mysteries of life. Click here for the Parish News.

The Church Building is closed.

 There will not be any services that you can actually go to until the 2nd December at the earliest. However this lockdown it will be possible for the clergy to record a service in St. Mark's and relay it from the Church page, above, and on the Church Facebook page, so all is not lost.

It looks as if Craig's Everest Challenge may have to go on hold, as well.

The Canal Trust has been at work

 

Work parties have restored parts of the Lancaster canal at Hincaster over the summer months. Here is their AGM report,  and here is a link to the website.

Tractor diggers appearing on Sedgwick Road site.

 It would appear from these photos that survey work has started on the Home Field.

Crazy Craig the Climbing Curate

 Last month, Craig, our curate at St Mark’s Natland was standing before Bishop James to be ordained as a priest. On 8th November he faces a different challenge. 

As with most churches this year we have been presented with problems fundraising for both church funds and for charities. When ideas were called for then cometh the hour cometh the man. “I’ll climb Everest suggested Craig, but as I can’t get to Nepal how about up and down the church tower?” “OK” came the hearty reply. After some simple maths it was agreed 490 times up the tower equates to 29,029 feet. “Lets round it up to 500” said Craig. 

So starting on 8th November Craig will be climbing and descending the narrow spiral stairway inside the tower climbing about 5,000 feet a day to complete the climb and still preach a sermon (perhaps sitting down) on 15th November.

Looking for an appropriate charity to support the PCC decided upon the International Nepal Fellowship, a Christian charity working in Nepal which, as a poor country has been hit extremely hard by Covid. Money raised will be split between INF inf.org.uk and church funds.

We are delighted that Bishop James has given special permission for us to fly the Nepalese flag during the climb. We are also pleased that we have secured sponsors including Quiggins Kendal mint cake and Crosby Granger architects who recently supervised major repair work to the tower.

If you would like to follow Craig’s climb on Facebook visit @churchofstmark

If you would like to support Craig you can do that by clicking on his Justgiving page.

 

British Legion Poppy Appeal

There can't be any door-to-door poppy selling this year but if you wish to donate online, just go onto the British Legion Website and click on the donate option. You will then be able to make your donation and if you wish, to print a poster of a poppy to put in your window.

I hope that you will find this helpful as we find new ways to do things.

Pamela Mansfield.

Craig's Everest Challenge

Have you noticed the banner that has appeared on the Vicarage wall?

Here's a clue as to what it's all about.

If you would like to read more have a look at pages 20-24 of October's Parish News which you can find by clicking here.

 

 

200 Club Winners

 The winning numbers in the Village Hall 200 Club's October draw are

1st: 47 2nd: 59 3rd: 100.

Amazon Prime Scam

 Hilary Atkinson writes: On Saturday and this morning I’ve had phone calls to my landline number pretending to be from Amazon and informing me that I’m about to be charged £79.99 for Amazon Prime subscription, then asking for details of my laptop, phone or computer so they can send me a form to cancel it. At this point I put the phone down.

Apparently this scam has been around since last year, but it was new to me so others may not know of it. More information is on action https://conversation.which.co.uk/money/amazon-prime-renewal-scam-phone-call/ under Amazon Prime scam.

Communion service 11 Oct 20

Here is the communion service from this morning. And the order of service can be found here. 

THE SUNDAY SERVICES WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE, NEW EVERY WEEK, ON THE ST. MARK'S CHURCH PAGE ON THE TAB ABOVE.

Everest Challenge Quiz

The Parish News for October is here

It's harvest time this Sunday at St. Mark's Church and though it won't be the same as usual, offerings of tinned goods are still invited for the food bank, and financial contributions to the Bishop's Harvest appeal. There's news of the ascent of the church tower by our indefatigible curate, the Rev. Craig Bentley, and photos, and plenty of material to use for worship at home. Click here  to see the full 44 pages.

The Weather in Natland in September

September	2020	Sept. average
Temperature at 8 a.m.	11.3° C	11.6° C
Minimum Temperature (Ave)	10.2° C	9.6° C
Maximum Temperature (Ave)	15.6° C	15.1° C
Rainfall	99 mm 4"	133 mm 5.3"

September was near average for temperatures. We had a dry spell in the middle of the month which brought the total rainfall below average. John Dobson.

Does our Village need Further Improvement?

 There are signs that the final section of Helm Lane resurfacing - between the Green and High House Farm - will be done soon. Marks have appeared on the carriageway and a public notice in 24 September's Gazette of a temporary road closure order includes approx. 300 metres of Helm Lane to be resurfaced over about two days at some time in the three months after 12 October 2020.

Helm Lane was the Parish Council's number one priority for resurfacing. When it's done, what should we push for next?

David Peters

Chair of Natland Parish Council.

Martin Jayne writes: it would be good to have a 20mph speed limit, especially on the Sedgwick Road starting at Appletree School.

Don Shore writes: Hawes Lane is a bit of a mess and could do with some improvement.

Today's the day that Craig Bentley becomes a Priest.

The Bishop will be coming through today to ordain our own Reverend Craig Bentley as a Priest. He will continue his training as a Curate here for another two years, but will be able to administer communion.

Craig will be celebrating communion for the first time with us in St. Mark's Church Natland at 10am followed by a second sitting at 12 noon. Everyone is welcome to come.         

Village Hall 200 Club Draw.

 The winning numbers in the Village Hall 200 Club's September draw are 1st:71; 2nd:55; 3rd:59.

Natland Parish Council Meeting Minutes

The Parish Council met by Zoom to ponder a range of issues on the 7th September. Click here for the Minutes of the meeting. Click here for the Accessibility Statement for public sector information published by Natland Parish Council on the community blogsite which was agreed at this meeting.

Natland Weather Report for August.

August	2020	August average
Temperature at 8 a.m.	15.3° C	13.7° C
Minimum Temperature (Ave)	13.8° C	11.8° C
Maximum Temperature (Ave)	19.5° C	18.0° C
Rainfall	235 mm 9.4"	154 mm 6.1"

August was quite hot in the middle of the month which sparked off thunderstorms. It was generally wet which is normal for August but this year was the wettest since 2008.  John Dobson

Agenda for Natland Parish Council Meeting on Monday

Planning and Financial matters are amongst the things to be discussed at the next Parish Council Meeting. Click here for the full agenda. Members of the public are invited to the start of the meeting, using Zoom.

More Virtual Village Show Entries

Due to an oversight on my part some entries to the show from Jennifer Ball were sadly overlooked. Here they are anyway, so that we can still appreciate them. Elspeth Jayne.

A4. Dodecathion - pink flower in centre.

D 36 The steel forest in Lockdown  taken from the old Burton road in Oxenholme 

D 18. Violets

G 38 Jennifer celebrating a big birthday.

D 35 Elephant Hawk Moth

Class 6 a Lily var. Purple Prince.

D21 A Handmade greeting card for a birthday.

D 23  A Sugar Plum Fairy 

Natland and Friends Virtual Village Show

Thank you to everyone who entered the Virtual Show, to everyone who helped to get the entries organised and to the Judges for their deliberations.  We hope you enjoyed visiting the Show.  Here are the results.  Thank you too to Hilary Atkinson, organiser of the show. Ed.
Click here to see the results.

Virtual Village Show. G. Photographic

Scenes Seen on a Daily Walk.

Bluebell Wood

Sunset

Rainbow

Dinosaur branch

Cloudscape

Church in lockdown

The Garden 'Tool' I cannot do without.

Home-made pricking out tool.

Garden loppers

Garden Stool

My Childhood Trowel

Celebration.

September's edition of the Parish news

 Here is this month's edition of Parish news. Enjoy!

Virtual Village Show. Class F. Pets and Other Animals

My Contented Pet

Seen in My Garden

Ladybird larvae on holly leaf with aphids

Robin Reading his own headline in the paper whilst having breakfast!

Sheep on Wall

VVS. Junior Classes Open to Children 11 years and under.

Decorated biscuit

Mould and Paint Castle

Decorated cardboard tube

Happiness fills the cup

Easter card

Peg bird