Edition 57 March 2020

WRNM News! The village newsletter of Wykeham, Ruston and North Moor LOCAL NEWS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE!

1 SPRING… Spring seems to be a confused affair this year and we are all completely at the mercy of the extreme weather. There is new life and growth around us, but it is looking distinctly battered! Of all the spring flowers, daffodils have a particular local significance, as the poet William Wordsworth (famous for wandering lonely as a cloud and espying daffs) was married to Mary Hutchinson at Brompton Church in 1802 – look out for local Wordsworth 250th anniversary commemorations during the coming year. Welcome back to Laila Bradley, with another of her wry and entertaining observations on human nature, and a very big hello to Ruston’s latest resident William Martin. Happy Easter! Anne Britton, Editor, 07866106093, [email protected]

************************** PARISH COUNCIL

Here is a selection of items from the draft minutes of the most recent Parish Council Meetings. The full minutes may be found on the Parish Council website www.wykehamparishcouncil.org.uk The next Parish Council meeting will be on 4 March 2020 at 6pm at 4 Langley House, Wykeham Business centre. Police Report - The attending Officer told Councillors that there is currently a spate of fraud attempts where phone calls are being received claiming to come from Scarborough Council (SBC) and asking for bank details so that alleged refunds of council tax can be paid. SBC do not make such calls and they should be immediately terminated and no information given. The Officer also informed Councillors that there have been a number of cases where young people have been discovered at the fishing lakes in possession of illegal drugs. Any evidence of these activities should be reported at once to the police who will take action. The recent burglaries locally are still under investigation. Input from Councillor Jeffels and Councillor Phillips - Councillor Phillips said that Brompton Parish Council have expressed concern about the condition of the footpath between Gallows Hill and the Ruston turn- off. They want Wykeham Parish Council to take action on it. Lady Downe said that first we should find out if it is, in fact, our responsibility. Cllr.Jeffels and the Clerk to action this. Defibrillators - Councillor Sword advised Councillors that the Shooters have confirmed that they will provide two defibrillators to the Parish, and that donations are still coming in. In the light of this it may well be possible for a defibrillator to be provided in each of the three villages in our parish. The Clerk will look into other organisations who may be able to help. Mark Wright from the Ambulance Service attended the meeting and gave a thorough and informative demonstration of a defibrillator. Mark was also able to give the Council advice regarding upkeep and cost of the machines and advice re funding. Parish Field - The Clerk reported that she had contacted NYMNP about the volunteers’ scheme but at the present time the volunteers are all committed to other projects and therefore unable to help. The Traditional Boundary Scheme may be a possibility and the Clerk will look into this. North Moor and Ruston - Councillor Ashman will contact Councillor Jeffels regarding the state of the North Moor road. The Clerk advised that James from the Estate has inspected the drainage traps and these need cleaning. It is believed that this is the responsibility of the Highways department.

Speeding - The Clerk has been in correspondence with Councillor Jeffels regarding a proposed VAS sign meeting at the end of February. Councillors’ availability has been provided but at this point no further information has been received.

75th Anniversary of VE Day - The Clerk advised that very little interest had been shown so far. She will enquire if any other celebrations are planned in or around the Parish.

ADVANCE NOTICE – ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY You are very warmly invited to come along to the 2020 Annual Parish Assembly on 7 May at 6pm, in Langley House at Wykeham Business Centre. Meet councillors, find out more about the work of the Council, and bring along topics you’d like to discuss. All welcome!

2 RINGING THE CHANGES .....

I haven’t been able to find out when the red telephone box at the end of Town End in Ruston first appeared, but we’re thinking maybe when the row of houses was built in 1947. The very first wooden telephone boxes were in London in 1921, and the red ones were designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott back in 1935. But we do remember when our red one was knocked down. It made quite a bang, as Gordon (Barnett) caught it with his plough! The box was taken away in October 1995, as shown in this photo, and replaced with a modern one. The modern one was then taken away on 7 January 2020, and won’t be replaced. The phone box was well- used really, even into the 90s, before everyone had a phone at home or a mobile. But as we know, times have changed and although the phone box made an excellent marker for bewildered delivery drivers and acted as a street light for us all at Town End, the way to communicate has moved on. Let’s just hope we don’t forget that It’s Good to Talk!

Sharon Colley

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GENEROSITY

On July 25th, the hottest day of 2019, four car loads of villagers joined some 90 other people from counties between Northumberland and Devon at Saint Helen’s Church, Burghwallis, just north of Doncaster. They came to help celebrate the life of and bid adieu to my lovely wife, June, now buried in its idyllic churchyard. We had 20 very happy years in Ruston, but knew a return to the spot we’d wed, a short 57 years before, was an apt end to our wonderful life together. We all wept and we all laughed; tributes came in song, verse created for the occasion, and eulogies. It was essentially a ‘DIY do’ set up by our so-creative families. It is in and through them that, for me and for those whom we know so well, that June’s presence persists. We are, after all, but anagrams of our forebears!

At Christmas the children and grandchildren all came up to celebrate and remember. It was a joyous time, with a big gap. A highlight was the reception given to our cacophonous carolling around Ruston! We couldn’t get round the whole village, as Santa was calling, though we had already met him and his helpers in one of the festive houses!

Suffice it to say that throughout June’s difficult times, help came from any and every source we could’ve imagined, but in her final days the work of Saint Catherine’s was quite extraordinary. We organised a collection at the funeral and I took £2,400 (with gift-aid) to support their work for the rest of us. Just after Christmas I took a further £60, given so kindly by the victims of our carolling! Generosity, indeed. June loved her Ruston friends and that love was so clearly returned. New chapters start, but concluded ones surely never fade! Bill Baxendale ****************************************** FROM THE ARCHIVES #1......

In 1968 local papers featured the retirement of George Riby, aged 65, who had trudged round the villages of Wykeham and Ruston delivering newspapers for an amazing 60 years. In all that time local people only failed to get their paper once – when the bus carrying the Scarborough Evening News could only get as far as Ayton because of heavy snowfall!

3 BROMPTON AND DISTRICT GARDENING CLUB

Our AGM and Christmas supper rounded off a great year for the club, and with the start of a New Year, we have a whole new programme of events to look forward to. We were all very grateful to Anne Deehan, retiring Chair of the Club, for her hard work, generosity and hospitality over the years. Her post on the committee has been taken on by Malcolm Hewitt.

Our “Plant Swap” evening will take place on 24 June, the Annual Show will be on 9 August, and we are planning a visit to , near Northallerton. A brilliant range of talks has been lined up including “Special Plants for the Small Garden” (25 March) and “The History of Medical Plants” (30 September). Annual membership of the club runs from January and entitles members to a 10% discount on plants and some garden-related items at a range of local garden centres. It’s the best value £6 you will ever spend!

Our meetings are held in Brompton Village Hall at 7.30pm on the last Wednesday of the month. To find out more about joining the club, or to come along to one of our meetings, contact Mrs C Towse on 859375.

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WYKEHAM & HUTTON BUSCEL WI After celebrating our achievement of 100 years in 2019, we now move on into 2020 with another varied programme of events. Following on from our social evening in January, we have already had an interesting talk from the National Park Authority on ‘Land of Iron’, looking at the disused iron mines in the areas in and around Rosedale, Grosmont and the moors, and the Heritage lottery-funded project which was secured by the Park Authority for restoring and bringing to life the history and environment of that time. A massive amount of work has been undertaken already, resulting in new walkways so that the public will be able to enjoy reliving the heritage of our past. Future events/talks include ‘Life as a Modern Day Butler’, ‘Calling 999’, ‘20th Century Murderesses’, a visit to Pickering Church to see the wall paintings, the blue plaques of Scarborough, Hedge Hoggers cider, and tales from the Bar and Bench, to name a few! There are also always opportunities to join other groups to an interesting selection of visits/talks/workshops. The group currently has 13 members and meets on the second Tuesday of the month, 7pm, in Hutton Buscel Village Hall. We are always delighted to welcome visitors and new members so come along and give us a try! For further information, please contact JANET CROSSLEY (01723 864285) or MARGARET PETTIT (01723 865989).

************************************ Here is a lovely item from the archive – a copy of a WI raffle ticket from 1965! It’s such a snapshot of contemporary life – Glamorous Grannies, Dancing Competitions, nylon stockings and cigarettes. Taken from documents preserved by the late Wyn Jackson.

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The love of music continues to bloom at the Scarborough Academy of Music. 2020 started at the Academy with the usual buzz of students acting, singing and playing instruments. We are proud to announce that some of our musicians have now formed a Skiffle Group and on Tuesday afternoons Studio 2 rocks with their energetic music. They made their debut at the Singaround on Monday 3 February. The whole evening was sensational. Wine, candlelight, musical theatre, skiffle, grand opera – what is there not to like? Everyone welcome at Wykeham:- Monday 2 March 8 pm – a date for your diary!

The Wykeham Singers are moving forward as their skills improve and enjoying adding more challenging music to their repertoire. Una Voce (formerly the Manhattan Voices) join with Steeton (near Skipton) Male Voice Choir for their next concert. This will take place at 7pm on Saturday 28 March at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Scarborough. The proceeds will go towards Sunshine and Smiles, the Leeds Down’s Syndrome Network. This will be an excellent evening’s entertainment, so please come and support us!

STUDENT SUCCESSES Matilda Gledhill (left) came second out of 14 in the Vocal Section at the Elmet Dance Festival. She was the youngest-placed in the competition. Lewis Winter (right) has been awarded a scholarship from the Evolution Foundation College in Colchester. The course will include ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre and contemporary dance classes. Students are taught acting and singing both individually and in groups and master classes are given by visiting guest teachers. Well done Lewis.

Other student successes: Kia Breckon has been accepted on the BA (Hons) Vocal Studies (Opera) Course at Wales International Academy of Voice. During this time Kia will be learning five languages - French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. She will receive master classes from both Dennis O'Neill, founder of the school, and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who is a patron and also from Wynne Evans (the "Go Compare" man) who is a guest teacher. Ruby Hilton has been accepted by the University of Chichester Conservatoire for the BA (Hons) Musical Theatre Course. Good Luck for the future, Ruby! Congratulations from everyone at the Academy!

The Academy offers training and examinations accredited by ABRSM, LAMDA and LCM in Singing, Piano, Guitar and Acting.

For more information please contact: Email: [email protected] Tel: 01723 330000 *********************************** FROM THE ARCHIVES #2......

From the minutes of the Wykeham Benevolent Society on 20 February 1903: Under the presidency of Mr F Jowsey, it was agreed that the Society would no longer accept the Long Tea Room at the Downe Arms as being a suitable venue for meetings. It was left to the vicar, the Rev W H Savile, to investigate engaging the Schoolroom [at Wykeham School] as the venue for future Society meetings.

5 NEWS FROM WYKEHAM CRICKET CLUB

HOWZAT...... There was a shock at the ground in December when one of the mature trees bordering the ground blew down bringing with it a large branch from a neighbouring tree and writing off the sight screen only recently purchased for the club by Vice President Peter Turley. Fortunately the screen was insured so the club will be able to replace it. The Estate were quickly in to clear up the debris although the main trunk still remains and as it does not intrude onto the pitch might prove to be quite a nice feature.

New Officers at the Club The Cricket Club AGM saw the election of some new personnel. Charles Lane is to take up the vital role of fixture secretary following on from Steve Day who has ably filled the post for some years. Charles professes to know little about cricket but he brings an urbane charm to the role and is very quickly adapting to the position. Adam Hutchinson is to be the captain of the second eleven for the 2020 season and is already stamping his enthusiastic personality on the position. Although it looks as if the team will lose one of its major bowlers “Basher” Wilson to Snainton, which is doubly disappointing as his Mum has been a conscientious scorer for several seasons. Adam has managed to persuade club legend Gareth Barnard out of retirement and has also recruited hard-hitting batsman Andrew Stephenson. All eyes will also be on Lewis Eustace who will captain the Evening League B team. Lewis is young to be a captain but has performed with some distinction with both bat and ball for some years for the club and his election was greeted with much pleasure. Early Fixtures at the Park Saturday 2 May Wykeham 2nds v Grosmont 1st Xi Tuesday 5 May Wykeham B Team v Forge Valley A Saturday 9 May Wykeham 1st XI v Heslerton CC 1st Xi Tuesday 12 May Wykeham A Team v Staxton A Saturday 16 May Wykeham 2nds v Ganton CC 1st XI Tuesday 19 May Wykeham B v Cayton B Saturday 23 May Wykeham 1st XI v Folkton and Flixton 2nd XI Tuesday 26 May Wykeham B v Ebberston B Saturday 30 May Wykeham 2nd XI v Mulgrave CC 2nd XI Saturday games start at 13.30 ; Tuesday games start at 18.15 Shirt Sponsorship The club is delighted to announce that Scarborough Flooring, based at West Ayton, are again sponsoring the Wykeham Cricket Club Shirt. Wyekham Cricket Club is particularly grateful to Richard Creaser, the managing director of Scarborough Flooring, for his continuing support. Scarborough Flooring has also sponsored the covers at the ground as well as carpeting in the clubhouse.

DAVID GRIMWOOD

6 THE BUFFET

When it came to family parties or social gatherings where food was provided, I was brought up in the FHB (Family Hang Back) tradition so by the time it got to my turn to eat I was usually faced with the remnants of a once culinary work of art – a bit of cold ham, if I was lucky, or some egg mayonnaise, after the locusts had descended and departed. Every flavour known to man would have been piled high on plates laden with fish, meat and delicacies – and a spoonful of curry to round it off. I once witnessed a woman remove a whole pineapple from a buffet display and secrete it away. “It would only have been thrown away” she was heard to say. Little did she know that the pineapple was already on its sixth outing! The said pineapple was soon winging its way to Filey.

Sunday carvery lunches also show this tendency to human gluttony. People pile their plates with almost obscene amounts of food – a little bit of everything please seems to be the idea. I was once behind a couple in the queue for a pub carvery and I heard the wife say “Get plenty, Albert, then we can manage with a cup of tea and a biscuit for tea tonight”. I hope they were digestives..... Bon appétit!

Laila Bradley ******************************

WYKEHAM SCHOOL

Mrs Janet Spittal Executive Headteacher

“A loving, nurturing community, where everyone learns, lives and grows together with Christian values inspiring all that we do”

Swap a Story and Snuggle up with a Book! The 4 March is World Book Day – children can come to school in pyjamas/dressing gowns and onesies. We are inviting everyone to bring in a book that is in a condition that they are happy to swap with another child.

The Friends of Wykeham Cake Stall – thank you for your recent support of the cake stall – we raised £68!

Please check out our website which includes a copy of our weekly newsletter for all to read! www.hacknesswykehamcefederation.co.uk As always, if you know of any families with young children moving into our area, please do encourage them to make an appointment to visit our school. Thank you!

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7 DID YOU KNOW...... ? The boundaries between parishes were once marked by a series of deliberately placed stones, and there would have been an annual walking of the boundaries by councillors and members of the public? Former North Moor resident Paul Gough, whose father and grandfather were responsible for forestry on the Dawnay Estate, recalls studying old maps showing where the markers were placed and then walking round the boundaries to try and locate them. The stones would have been carved with the initials of the respective boundary parishes (eg W for Wykeham on one side and B for Brompton on the other). If anyone knows the location of a publicly-accessible boundary stone, please contact Anne Britton ([email protected] Tel 07866106093 **********************************************

WELCOME TO A NEW ARRIVAL! William Louis Alan Martin born 4 December, weighing 9lb. Growing very fast, he is in 9/12 months clothes at 11 weeks!

Always happy and smiling and loved very much by us all, with two amazing big sisters.

Gemma and I feel we’ve won the lottery..... Grant Martin, Ruston *********************************** GARDEN NOTES One of the great pleasures of gardening in containers is to be able to look at and enjoy flowers at close range, as with these white tulips underplanted with forget-me-nots. Smaller pots can be moved around to the sunniest or most accessible place, and when plants or bulbs have finished, the pots can be refilled with other seasonal things. Being so close up offers a great opportunity to study the often beautiful and complex structure of flowers, as well as the insects on them seeking pollen and nectar. Even a couple of tulips in a pot will offer a welcome pit-stop for a variety of insects.

8 The good news is that it’s not too late to have a pot of bulbs to brighten your doorstep. Garden centres will have a huge range of flowering bulbs which, with care, can be transplanted into your own containers for instant cheeriness. And after flowering, the bulbs can be dried and stored ready to plant again in the autumn, or put straight into the ground. In either case, it is best to leave the foliage to die down naturally, as the leaves provide food for the bulb.

After last year’s experiment with leaving the front lawn to grow naturally, apart from a cut path round the edge and through the middle, I will do the same this year and see how things go. The camassia bulbs I planted seem to be coming through, though not a single crocus or snowdrop has appeared.... As a further experiment I have planted some regal lilies into the turf. These tall, white, strongly-perfumed lilies attract a variety of insects and should look good growing through the long grass.

On the theme of observing things close-up, there is an alarming decline in the numbers of chaffinches seen at bird feeders. This is apparently due to a killer virus which is spread via dirty seed and feed containers. The RSPB advice is to clear out old or mouldy food from the feeders and disinfect them on a regular basis. With so many of our little wild birds disappearing, it’s a small act on our part that might make a huge difference. Anne Britton

CONGRATULATIONS...... to those involved in creating and maintaining the garden area at the

bottom of Wykeham, just next to the start of the Dog Walk. It looks an absolute picture, and is a very a

fitting and beautiful memorial to MichelleNEWS Collins, FROM nee RUSTON Burdis, who FARM passed away on 6 June 2018.

Janet’s Jottings

Last December there were four bad incidents on Scarborough’s roads resulting in two fatalities and several severe injuries. Road safety professionals refer to the top four causes for incidents and currently No.1 is pure speed, ie inappropriate speed for the conditions, eg going into a bend too quickly and having to brake sharply.

No.2, but likely to take first place soon, are mobile phones. Phones are a distraction, even hands-free which, whilst legal, are still a distraction, possibly more so because we are relaxed having a chat with somebody “in the car.”

Drink and drugs are at No.3. There are more and more drug prosecutions as testing gets better. However, Scarborough News reported that drink driving prosecutions went up in Scarborough area over the Christmas period, sadly.

Bet you can’t guess what is at No.4 … not wearing a seat belt!!! In 1983 it became mandatory to wear front seat belts and 1991 for rear seat belts and yet still nearly forty years later, some people still don’t understand the importance of wearing a seat belt until it’s too late

Safe travelling.

Janet 077I3 646461 Driving Aspirations, helping drive your aspirations

9 ST HELEN AND ALL SAINTS CHURCH

Wykeham Church, or Community Centre?

The Wykeham PCC and the Village Trust are beginning the work in bringing the church into a multiple uses, by removing some of the pews, installing a kitchenette and toilet and making the area around the west end of the church more of an open space for full community use. The first stage is to instruct an architect to draw up plans for public consultation and to apply to the York Diocese for a Faculty (the consent for the works similar to a Listed Building Consent) followed by an application to the Lottery.

St Helen’s and All Saints Church is unusual due to being built in 1855 under the guidance of the renowned Victorian Architect, William Butterfield.

There is an interesting story behind the reason for building the church (and seven others!) and choosing William Butterfield. Any guesses? The church is separate from the spire and again there is a reason for this and why William Butterfield kept them separate. Is this a basis for someone carrying out some research and producing a leaflet about the history of the church and its contents?

The “church on the hill” is well worthwhile preserving and supporting. This proposed partial change in its use is perhaps a moment in its life for the community to join in the challenge of creating a more diverse cultural use of the building.

Robert Sword [email protected] 01723 866000 *********************************************

OPERA@Wykeham – a sell-out!

This year’s OPERA@Wykeham concert (25th January) was a complete sell out, and the audience enjoyed listening to the “London Theatre Voices”, a group of professional singers from the English National Opera, led by Andrew Tinkler (Bass). The first half was dedicated to Opera, and the second to musicals such as My Fair Lady and West Side Story.

The audience’s enthusiasm was “Electric” and after the concert many commented on this concert being the “best ever”. Let’s hope that someone will come forward to take over leading the organisation. Any ideas, please contact me or Sheryl Buttner at the Estate Office.

Robert Sword [email protected] 01723 866000

DID YOU KNOW...... during the period 1915 – 1920 there used to be two temporary light railways on Brompton and Wykeham Moors? They were constructed to aid the extraction of timber from the forests, which was used in industry, mining and for the war effort. The timber was then loaded onto the Seamer-Pickering railway and on to other destinations.

10 WALKFEST 2020

The Spring Bank Holiday weekend sees the return of the North York Moors National Park walking festival which offers a great programme of guided themed walks in some very special places.

This year, WalkFest takes on a watery theme, featuring a mix of walks with local experts taking in the River Rye or River Esk, as well as following stretches of the Cleveland Way National Trail, giving you a chance to walk linear stretches of the trail (with transport provided). All walks need to be booked in advance.

For further information contact NYMNP on 01439 772738 or visit www.northyorkmoors.org.uk

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GATHERING NUTS IN MAY

Who remembers playing a childhood dancing game called Nuts in May? The song included the words “here we go gathering nuts in May on a cold and frosty morning”. This always seemed odd, as country children knew there were no nuts to be had in May. The explanation seems to be that the original song referred to “knots”, meaning garlands or posies of hawthorn blossom, also known as may blossom. Dances, some very intricate, would also be carried out around a maypole. This simple rhyme and dance refers back to ancient May Day ceremonies. ******************************************

OBSERVING BATS IN JUNE

Nick Gibbons, of the Bat Group, has pencilled in a proposed bat survey of Ruston on the evening of 16 June. Open to members of the public, and hugely popular,

the evening will be a mixture of observation

and information. A similar event will take place at at Brompton on 26 July. Booking for the events is essential.

Further information in the June edition of WRNM News, at www.nybats.org.uk or email [email protected]

Information from Ingrid Ashman and the North Yorkshire Bats website. Illustration of the pipistrelle, one of Britain’s smallest bats, courtesy of the RSPB website.

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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud THE KIRKCUDBRIGHT GRACE I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, Some have meat and cannot eat, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Some cannot eat that want it: Beside the lake, beneath the trees, But we have meat and we can eat, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Sae let the Lord be thankit. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, *************** They stretched in never-ending line By Robert Burns (1759-96) Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Submitted by Laila Bradley Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. ******************************

USEFUL COMMUNITY CONTACT DETAILS Twitter @NYorksPolice-Force Twitter Facebook North Yorkshire Police-Force Page Local Beat Manager PC595 Graham Bilton [email protected] Community Support Officer Ria Lockey [email protected] Highways 01609 780780 Dog Warden 01723 232323 NHS 111 Action Fraud 0300 1232040 RSPB 0300 9990101 Crimestoppers 0800 555111

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

March 4 Wykeham Parish Council meeting, 6pm, Wykeham Business Centre 28 7pm Una Voce Concert, St Andrew’s United Reformed Church, Scarborough

June 16 Bat Walk, Ruston

************************************ AND FINALLY..... : Some present silliness....

Did you hear about the man who bought his wife a revolving office chair for her birthday? She wasn’t happy at first but she’s coming round now. He also bought her an industrial-size container of Tippex correcting fluid. Big mistake.....

The next edition of WRNM News will be due out in JUNE 2019, so please submit any contributions (articles, photos, poems, recipes, memories, for sale notices, etc) by 25 MAY. Anne Britton ([email protected]) or 07866106093

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