Issue No. 19 May 2011

Parish Council News Allerton Incinerator Chairman’s Report 2010-11 Village Clubs Village News Moor Monkton History Part 4 Church News Weather Watch Cover Photo: Barn Owl over Redhouse Ings Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 1 Parish Council

The Annual Parish Meeting was held on the 10th of May prior to the Parish Council’s Annual Meeting and the subject of the Allerton Park Incinerator was again raised. Cllr John Savage gave the meeting a summary of the situation so far in that, although the PFI contract has been awarded to Spanish company Amey Cespa, the fight is not over – the scheme has yet to gain planning permission. It is hoped that the decision on planning will be ‘called in’ and determined by the Secretary of State rather than NYCC themselves. Cllr Savage pointed out the irony of NYCC making serious cuts to services when by using an alternative Italian waste system (already operating in Darlington) they could save £13.5 million and it would be better for the environment and health. The proposed waste system will cost every man, woman and child in North an extra £290 per year for the next 25 years! (See report on page 4)

There has been virtually no interest in improving the village Farmwatch Scheme. If anyone wants Farmwatch news by email contact [email protected].

The Parish Council was criticised for increasing the precept during the current economic climate, but Cllr Gibbs pointed out that the increase was mainly to cover the Clerk’s salary and Cllr Kirkham also highlighted the need to build reserves for the ‘village plan’ both of which were discussed at the October meeting prior to deciding the precept in January.

Election of Officers Peter Gibbs was re-elected chair of the Council at the Annual Meeting on 10th May and David Kirkham was elected Vice-Chair. Cllr. Gibbs gave the meeting a report on the past year in office focusing mainly on the less than adequate gritting and snowplough service the village received during the severe winter, something Cllr Leather is working on improving with the cooperation of other local villages. He also stressed the need to raise parishioners awareness of the potential impact of the proposed incinerator at Allerton Park, the Council have agreed in principle to support the fight against the incinerator financially but half of the battle is against public apathy and it needs residents to act by opposing the forthcoming planning application.

Cllr Gibbs reported that Howard Christmas has regretfully had to resign as Parish Clerk for personal reasons and was pleased to introduce the new clerk - Iain Pickering. You can contact Iain on 01904 737688 or 07802 188107, the email address remains [email protected].

Highways The general view of those attending the meeting on 10th May was that the A59 resurfacing work had been completed efficiently and with minimum disruption to residents. Comments were made that traffic was now travelling faster due to the improved surface and road marking issues had not been dealt with satisfactorily for residents turning into properties within the traffic islands. These issues and others will be raised at a forthcoming Highways meeting. Cllr Savage requested that he be ‘copied in’ to any The shiny new section of the A59 at correspondence sent by residents, so he may assist. Moor Monkton 2 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Finance The draft balance sheet was presented to the Annual Meeting and showed a surplus of £1996.86 for 2010-2011. The accounts will be subject to internal and external audit and available for public inspection in due course. Payments to YLCA (annual subscription), Richard Kay Charity (schoolroom rent) and the previous clerk were approved.

Noticeboard Cllr Gibbs thanked Phil Woodhead for his work on repairing and improving the Lane End noticeboard, Phil has waived payment for his services but asked that a donation to charity be made in lieu.

Dates of scheduled Parish Council meetings for the coming year are: 5th of July, 11th of October, 10th of January 2012 and 8th of May 2012.

Elaine Hall

Chairman’s Report 2010-11

After a relatively quiet year for the Parish, I can report that the Council has made good headway in the administration and general running of the Council business.

This year has seen the post of clerk change on two occasions. Thankfully with the earlier formulation of risk assessment and the creation of an annual schedule, the two transitions have passed with relative ease. The role of the clerk also now incorporates the duties of “responsible financial officer” which adds to the workload but makes for a more organised approach. This extra work has been recognised in the remuneration – one of the reasons for the increase in precept.

After a severe winter that tested the county’s responses, it was apparent that the needs of Moor Monkton fell on deaf ears with regard to gritting and snow clearing. Hopefully we can address these issues before next winter.

On a positive side, the main A59 has finally been resurfaced and has made a big improvement to the quality of life for the residents of Moor Monkton.

We still have a county issue with the incinerator at Allerton Park that is likely to culminate very soon. As a council we are in opposition to this project but for the moment we will have to wait and see how things progress.

Major decisions made by Central Government are slowly filtering down to local level, such as the changes to Planning regulations so this coming year I feel we will have to be vigilant in order that we don’t miss out on opportunities and likewise be aware of what we may have to comply with. Peter Gibbs

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 3 Allerton Incinerator

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) have awarded the contract for disposal of our waste for the next 25 years to Amey Cespa and a processing plant and incinerator may be built at Allerton. We still await the planning decision but there is a growing tide of opposition to the whole plan. There is a feeling that the scheme has not been thought through clearly enough by NYCC and perhaps, if they had taken the time to look more closely at a neighbouring scheme just over the border in Darlington, then their conclusions may have been different.

In the Darlington scheme, which is much smaller, the waste is dried and then mechanically sorted into combustibles, recyclables and waste. The combustibles can then be taken to an existing fossil fuel power plant and burned to produce electricity and district heating while the residue waste is put into landfill.

The problems of the Allerton scheme as highlighted by opposition groups are: 1. Too much of the waste will be incinerated leading to more pollution. 2. Allerton is in the wrong place. It cannot provide district heating to neighbouring industry and population centres as there are none nearby thereby making it inefficient. 3. The incinerator plant is very expensive to build. 4. The plant is over sized and will need more waste than North Yorkshire is projected to produce. 5. North Yorkshire is a large area and all its waste will have to be transported to Allerton, adding to the cost.

The advantages of a plant like the one at Darlington are: 1. Being cheaper and smaller, several plants could be built to treat the waste nearer to its source. 2. More useful energy is generated per tonne of waste. 3. No new incineration plant would have to be built.

The opposition groups estimate that a system like that at Darlington would actually save NYCC £13.5 million per year over the one proposed at Allerton (equivalent to £290 per person per year). Robin Gordon Dog Fouling

A complaint has been made to the Parish Council about dog fouling along the grass verge on the village main street. Obviously this is something to be avoided as it is unsightly and poses a health hazard. If you do not clear up after your dog immediately in a public space you could be served with a £50 fixed penalty. It is possible that the culprit is a dog that has wandered unattended outside its owner’s garden in which case it can be impounded. To reclaim your dog it could cost £55 plus £7 per day kennel fees.

So please clear up after your dog when taking it out for a walk and also make sure that your garden is secure so your dog cannot escape.

4 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Church News

It is with great sadness that I have to report the resignation of Rev. Paula Robinson, priest in charge of Moor Monkton Parish. Paula came to us in September 2009 and has been a joy to work with. Unfortunately her health has deteriorated during the time she has been with us and the stresses involved in being vicar of nine parishes has taken its toll. Our very best wishes go with Paula and we pray that she mends soon.

Badgers have been in Moor Monkton Churchyard for some time but over recent months have become a serious problem and are now invading some of the older graves. Natural have been consulted and, in consultation with them and a local badger group, it is proposed to try and move them on and protect the churchyard and the graves from further destruction. One grave that has had to be tended to over recent months is the tomb at the rear of the churchyard close to the badger activity. Sycamore trees had invaded the tomb and the railings around it. The sycamores have been removed and the stumps are being treated to try and prevent re- growth. Thank you to the volunteers who undertook this work. Volunteers are a very valuable part of church life and without them church care would be considerably more difficult to manage. A big thank you to everyone who helps in so many very different ways to support All Saints at Moor Monkton.

The next big fundraiser for Local Ecumenical Partnership funds is on Thursday the 28th of July from 9am to 5pm at St Crux in . Offers of help on this day would be much appreciated. Even if you could only offer a couple of hours this would be most helpful. We need a vast number of cakes to serve in the cafe and reasonable quality bric a brac (no jumble) for the outside stall. Ring Christine 738355 or Kathryn 738498 if you can help or donate in any way.

Following the installation of electricity in All Saints we are now working towards putting electricity in St. John’s Church, Hessay. To raise funds a “Summer Recital” will be held with Philip Wood (pianist) at Dexter House, Hessay on Saturday the 11th of June at 7.30pm. Tickets at £10.00 each (including light refreshments) are available from Sally Wood on 737260.

Christine Grice Speed Concerns

During the Parish Council Meeting in January a comment was made about the speed of traffic along Church Lane. This route provides an inviting stretch of straight road but, although the limit is 60mph, it is the duty of us drivers to travel at a safe speed. Church Lane has so many hazards along its length. • Pedestrians, Riders and Cyclists. • No footpath. • Dangerous bends at Ball Corner and the Redhouse Lane junction. An inviting stretch of Church Lane • Many gateways and few road markings.

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 5 Village Clubs

Moor Monkton Gardening Club

The summer months are the time when the gardening club visit interesting private gardens. This year is no exception and on Wednesday 22nd of June we are visiting the garden of Mrs Pat Hutchinson, a National Garden Scheme opener in Dacre Banks, near Summerbridge, Nidderdale. Pat gave us a talk in April on “Opening your Gardens for Charity”, in which she gave us some very useful tips for when we welcome visitors to our Village Open Gardens on the 3rd of July this The Gardening Club on a visit to the year. Taylor’s garden in Green Hammerton on the 19th of May Five members of the Moor Monkton Gardening Club are opening their gardens for the village along with six other gardens. I’m quite sure that, in spite of battling the elements from the very cold winter, a dry spring and also very strong winds, the gardens will look superb on the day. All that hard work and worry will be well rewarded when the public walk around our gardens at leisure and admire the individuality of them all.

I hope everyone has potted on a few extra plants or seedlings for the plant stall. It would be appreciated if those plants could be taken to Sally Pickering two or three days before the opening.

We hold our Summer Social on Thursday the 21st of July when we will be emptying our potato buckets and weighing our potato crop. Very exciting! I hope that the very frosty night in early May didn’t do too much damage to our potato buckets.

Our Autumn programme has some interesting topical talks ranging from fruits trees to daffodils. Our Christmas get-together will be focusing on house plants. Happy gardening and don’t forget that a weed is only a plant in the wrong place. Isobel Ashford (738384)

Saturday Morning Playgroup

We have been meeting in The Schoolroom on the morning of the first Saturday of each month and the sessions have been very well attended. The recent highlight was our Easter Party which we held in The Schoolroom on Saturday the 9th of April. The children had a lovely time colouring in easter chicks, painting eggs and making easter nests. Luckily the weather allowed us to go One of the heats in the Egg and Spoon outside for an easter egg hunt, egg and spoon race Race at the Playgroup Easter Party and a bunny race. Thank you everyone for your

6 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 continuing help, for bringing toys, preparing activities, helping with the clearing up and most of all for coming and joining in.

Thank you also to the Schoolroom Committee for sponsoring the Easter Party. Our next session will be on Saturday the 11th (not the 4th) of June. Looking forward to seeing you then.

Beate Gordon Youth Club

Recently the club has had a go at making, tasting and throwing different types of pancakes (traditional with lemon and sugar, American style, and chocolate flavoured), drawn self portraits and decorated a frame to put them in, and had fun playing all sorts of games. Our next meeting is on the 6th of June in the Schoolroom when we will be having a Quiz Night. On the 4th of July we will be having a barbecue. If you are interested in coming along please call Kathryn on 01904 738778 for more details. Membership is open to Year 6 and above.

Kathryn Dunn Moor Monkton Open Gardens 2011

The big day is approaching and preparations are well under way for the Open Gardens Event taking place on Sunday the 3rd of July. The committee has been meeting regularly in The Schoolroom to work through this surprisingly complex event. “Garden Openers” have been toiling away in their gardens while the weather does its best to dry out the soil and blow all the plants down.

Elaine Hall (advertising executive) has been working hard on the programme and the support from the village has been really impressive with lots of advertising space already being sold. Ian Hartley (marketing director) is producing some impressive advertising boards to go out on the road side and these will be out very soon. Paul Burrows (the boss) has been dealing with the issues of insurance and garden recruitment while organising and volunteering the team for jobs, Kathryn Wright (historian, chef and cartographer) has produced a history of All Saints Church, is co-ordinating the catering and will be drawing a map of the garden locations, Norma Hunter (human resources) has been liaising with “open gardeners” and trying to keep the committee’s feet firmly on the ground, Andy Atkins-Krüger (publisher and globe trotter) is poised at his printing presses ready to print the programme next month (when he will be in the country) and Robin Gordon (scribe) has been taking minutes and even turning up to some of the meetings on time. As soon as this Mercury is “put to bed” he will be turning his attentions to producing the programme.

Inside this issue you will find a flyer advertising the event and, on the reverse, a request for volunteers to help out on the day. Please be generous with your time as there are many small jobs that, with many hands, will be easily achieved. Remember, we are raising money for the village and the success of the day depends on your support. Robin Gordon

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 7 The Richard Kay Charity

Richard Kay was vicar of Moor Monkton a very long time ago and, in his will, money was left for the formation of a church school in Moor Monkton. The name of the trust responsible for the Old Schoolroom reflects that generous bequest. Until 1997 the sole purpose of the land and buildings that is the Old Schoolroom was for use for the purposes of religious education. In December 1997 the charity trustees were granted an extension to include use as a village hall. There are five trustees of the charity, the two churchwardens and the vicar of the parish, these three are ex-officio and two residents of the parish (5 year terms).

Thank you to the volunteer decorators for the great job they have done on the Old Schoolroom the hall positively sparkles and the interior design touches make it much more welcoming. The Old Schoolroom is for hire, it is a great space with good kitchen facilities for meetings, parties etc. Our rates are very reasonable – if you would like to inspect the premises and/or book the hall please contact Kathryn Wright on 738498. Christine Grice Neighbourhood Watch

Fortunately there have been no reported incidents in the village since the last issue but some information and advice has been received from North Yorkshire Police.

If you witness any unusual activity in your area with vehicles collecting metal waste or posting leaflets through letter boxes offering to carry out work at your property, please pass on any relevant information (vehicle registrations, description of callers, signage on vehicles, date and time of visit) by email to environmentalprotection@.gov.uk or by telephone on 01423 556633. Trading Standards (01609 534800) would be interested in bogus traders in the district. The 24 hour mobile number for bogus traders is 07814 232677.

If you are planning to go on holiday, ensure garages and outbuildings are secure to prevent access to tools which may be used to gain entry to your property. Leave downstairs curtains open but close curtains upstairs and, if possible, place a timer light in the bedroom. Put jewellery and any small expensive electrical items in a safe. Alternatively place these items and laptops, etc. into a box and put it in the loft. Inform your next door neighbours of your absence so that any suspicious visitors can be noted. Finally, it would be helpful if you could leave a set of keys and your alarm code with a trusted neighbour or friend in the event of a false activation of the alarm, then pass the name and telephone number of the keyholder to your local Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator. In our village the co-ordinator for Lane End and Redhouse Lane is Wally Watson (738677) and for Main Street is Sandra Wilson (738771). You can also register your absence with the police on 08456060247 and ask for Station. Hoping everyone has a lovely Summer whether at home or away and that a “no incidents” report can be published in the next issue. Sandra Wilson

8 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Village News

Railway Signal from Marston Moor Station is Renovated

The railway signal which has stood at Red House for over 40 years has been completely renovated. Richard Hill of RHR Engineering (based in Moor Monkton) was instructed to carry out the restoration and he has been working on it over the winter. This little piece of village history originally came from Marston Moor Station where it was used on the line between York and Leeds. After the station was closed in the late 1960‘s, a teacher at Red House Preparatory School, who was a railway enthusiast, acquired the signal and it was erected in front of the building which housed the school’s model railway. In the 1980’s this building was converted to staff accommodation and the house became known as Signal Cottage.

The bottom of the wooden mast has been replaced by a Richard Hill fixes the castings on galvanised steel foot to keep the wood away from the to the signal mast ground. The castings, which were made in the LNER Chippenham works between 1936 and 1938, were freed, cleaned, painted and greased. The signal is a “stop signal” (it has one white stripe on the semaphore) so is most likely to have been situated at the station itself. A “distant signal” would have three stripes to indicate to the driver the state of the next signal on the line.

Roadworks on A59 are completed

From the 24th of March to the 8th of April village life was disrupted by some nightly repair works on the A59 at the junction with Church Lane. As the road was closed each night from 7pm, getting to and from the village after that time could involve delays. Due to the unfortunate coincidence of the closure of the bridge crossing the Nidd at Cattal, journeys to and from the west of Moor Monkton could involve a trip to Wetherby in order to cross the Nidd.

On one night, during the first week, the “perfect Photo by Beau Smith Hill storm” situation occurred when, due to gate repairs, the Marston Moor level crossing was closed as well. This effectively isolated the village from the rest of the world and a queue of traffic soon built up on the southern side of the railway as people returned from work. It was not until some of the motorists got out of their cars to inform the railtrack workers of the situation that the crossing was swiftly reopened.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, the road workers (in the editor’s experience at least) were very helpful, even allowing some traffic to use the A59 while works were still in progress.

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 9 Moor Monkton - A History Part 4

The Moor Monkton area in War Time 1939-45

It could be said that during this period, war events literally went over our heads. Our village as with all others had people away from home. Farming efforts were increased and the after dark blackouts were vigorously enforced. However overhead the sounds and sights of British heavy bombers were present day and night. Moor Monkton had found itself virtually at the centre of the north of England allied bomber airfield group.

Eventually comprising of 16 airfields from Marston Moor to Leeming our area was handling more flights per day than many modern airports. Clifton airfield was requisitioned in 1939 and its chief wartime use was as an aircraft repair depot. Between 30 and 40 Halifax bombers were being repaired in its 14 hangars at any one time. It was called the York Aircraft Repair Depot, but was known locally as the Yard. At the end of the war over one thousand aircraft were flown into Clifton to be dismantled, a heap of metal 80 ft high could be seen from the Rawcliffe side of the site. Recently demolished were several hangers used as a grain store, two ends of runway remain near the ring road Tesco roundabout.

The Control Tower at Clifton Moor Controlled in the early days from Linton on Ouse, the outlying airfields flew mainly Halifax bombers. For the young air crews involved even the rushed training was very dangerous, over forty aircraft training/testing losses occurred in Yorkshire fields. Local knowledge retains the crash site locations, a Halifax bomber out of Rufforth crashed against a oak tree south of Long Marston, another Halifax bomber out of Marston Moor (Tockwith) crashed into a pond by the A59 at Kirk Hammerton.

Canadian bomber squadrons began participating in the war effort in 1941 and were attached to RAF Bomber Command groups. Canada, however, wanted its own identifiable presence in Allied air operations overseas, and it did not want its air force to be merely a source of manpower for the Royal Air Force. To this end, 6 (RCAF) Group was formed on 25 October 1942. From now on the Canadians settled into the area. Control was moved from Linton to Allerton Park. Canadian air crew enjoyed the British rural way of life, they seemed to especially enjoy our rural pubs, many local pubs still have group photographs and memorabilia on their walls

York adapted for war. York’s confectioners, hit by restrictions on sugar imports and rationing, had new roles. Much of Rowntree’s office block on Road was given over to the Royal Army Pay Corps. The cream department was reconfigured for the production of munitions,

10 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 Ryvita and dried egg, while the gum department was converted into a secret fuse factory, named County Industries. F Hills & Sons, manufacturers of propeller blades, moved into Terry’s factory.

It is surprising how little information is available about our local war efforts, considering the huge operation to create air fields and deploy thousands of people, all that remains apart from service personnel records are a handful of photographs, a few worn out runways and a couple of internet memoirs. It is probable that in the haste to return the country to normal everything was decommissioned with equally the same haste. Ian Hartley Weather Watch

As usual this column is in danger of becoming littered with superlatives as our weather continues to deliver surprises. April gave us some beautiful “summer” days with temperatures reaching a staggering 29°C (as recorded at Red House - accuracy cannot be guaranteed particularly as there was almost no wind that day, which may have allowed localised heating effects!) and staying in the mid to late 20’s from the 18th to the 26th of that month. This was a welcome relief after the very cold winter but came too late to save many shrubs and hedge plants that had been killed by the frosts.

16 Rainfall Recorded at Red House January to May 2011 14 12 10 mm 8 6 4 2 0 January February March April May

The blue skies have, of course, meant little rain at a time of year when crops and gardens are in need of water. It was a bit eerie to see parched lawns and garden sprinklers brought into action so early in the year. March and April were certainly dry months with a total of 14.9mm of rain, the lowest amount recorded here since 2003. However, when February is included in the

Year Monthly Rain mm 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 February 22.1 114.1 23.6 39.2 62.8 14.1 14.9 50.2 83.1 March 24.8 21.0 22.6 91.9 25.9 51.3 17.6 48.1 10.4 April 21.1 74.1 69.5 34.3 6.3 67.9 30.5 21.8 4.5 Totals Mar - Apr 45.9 95.1 92.1 126.2 32.2 119.2 48.1 69.9 14.9 Totals Feb - Apr 68.0 209.2 115.7 165.4 95.0 133.3 63.0 120.1 98.0 reckoning, it can be seen from the table that 2007 was, in fact, drier with only 95.0mm falling compared to the 98.0mm in 2011. The 15mm of rain that fell on the 7th and 8th of May helped to restore some sought of normality but much more is still needed.

Oh, of course, there was just one more surprise for us when, on the 4th of May, we experienced a frost of -2.5°C - just to keep the gardeners among us on their toes. Robin Gordon

Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011 11 The Mercury Online

Work is going on to create a web site for The Mercury and we are very nearly there. The plan is to run a news item on the front page which will be regularly updated (when there is something to report - hopefully about once a month) and then create an archive of the stories. The bulk of the site will hold electronic copies of The Mercury newsletter which can be viewed on screen in pdf format. A full line up of the sections is:

• Village news and news archive. • Electronic copies of The Mercury. • Parish Council Reports • Moor Monkton description and history. • Photo Gallery of the village, events and wildlife. • Future village events. • Links to other village web sites.

The content of the site will be controlled by the editor (me!) but any news items or ideas for the site are welcome. The address of the web site will be published as soon as it is decided on - it is planned that it will be part of the moormonkton.com site. Robin Gordon

Advertising: This is a great way for local businesses to support the Mercury £25 for sponsorship including half page advert Adverts: £20 half page, £10 quarter page, £5 eighth page

A big “thank you” to all those who contribute to The Mercury, a total of 9 for this issue. Special mention goes to Andy Atkins-Krüger for his time and expense in printing the Mercury. If you have any stories or events that need publicising let the editor know.

Printed by WebCertain Global, Northminster Business Park, Poppleton (www.webcertain.com)

Editor: Robin Gordon (738483) [email protected]

The information appearing in this newsletter is taken from a variety of sources and the Editor cannot take responsibility for its accuracy or any opinions expressed

12 Moor Monkton Mercury No. 19 May 2011