2 ear eader IN THIS ISSUE D R By the time you read this it may well be that we are all in 5 ‘lockdown’ and this magazine is one of the few forms of Sicklinghall entertainment available to you. Sadly most of the events advertised between these covers will probably be postponed or cancelled before it even hits your doormat so keep an eye on Kirkby your village noticeboards to find the most up to date 9 Overblow information (Oops no! You probably can’t go out can you?) Try your village websites. We have taken the decision to be as positive as we can in our Kearby with letter this issue, so here goes…. every cloud has a silver lining; 17 Netherby whilst at home we can: • Cultivate our gardens • Do those DIY jobs we’ve been putting off 18 Huby & • Revisit long forgotten hobbies Weeton • Catch up with old friends on the telephone • Watch the box sets we’ve been promising ourselves • Go for walks (keeping a safe distance) in our lovely 27 Benefice countryside Matters The list goes on. Seriously though, if ever there was a time to be neighbourly, it Pool & is now. You don’t need us to preach to you about looking after 31 Arthington each other and we are sure that in every village there will be plans to give support to those who need it. Spare a thought for our new Rector, Craig Marshall and his wife Jane, who are arriving in the middle of all this and know nobody. Make them North Rigton feel welcome and bump elbows. 35 Don’t get too disheartened; some things are going on as normal - the birds know it’s spring and are singing their hearts out, the frogs are spawning, Gardeners’ World has started again on the Stainburn BBC……! 41 So keep smiling and good luck. L, C and L 42 Other News and the team Front cover: Spring magnolias Linda Bullus, Caroline Henderson and Liz Barrett: joint-editors Glebe Cottage, Kirkby Overblow, Harrogate HG3 1HD Telephone: 01423 872912 email: [email protected] 3 4 Sicklinghall golf day The annual Sicklinghall golf day is approaching, which this year takes place on Monday 1 June 2020. The event includes a day of golf at Rudding Park kicking off with 6 holes on their Repton course, followed by a further 18 holes on the main course. Bacon sandwiches and hot drinks will be served in between. The day will then be followed by supper at the Scotts Arms pub. The invite is open to everyone, the more the merrier! Anyone who is interested please let me know. Hope to see you there. David Perry 07779710127 e-mail: [email protected] Sicklinghall – 48 years I moved to Sicklinghall 48 years ago; it was our first house and I was twenty five years old and expecting my first baby. We had no previous connection with the village, but the house fitted the bill as I was looking for a modern house with a big garden. The family all thought we were a bit mad to move so far out of Leeds, where John had a business and where all our family and friends lived. They were worried we would get snowed in in the winter, but that only happened once as the local farmers always cleared the road. They felt that Sicklinghall was miles from anywhere, but of course we soon found it is ideally situated, out in the countryside, surrounded by farmland and on a road that does not lead anywhere fast. It is however only three miles from the motorway system to the rest of the country, two miles from Wetherby and near to Leeds, York, Harrogate and the Dales. The only essential is a car. During the years in many ways the village has changed a lot. When we arrived it was largely a farming village with three working farms: Stud Farm, Ravencroft Farm and the Dairy Farm. There were lots of animals about, cows walking up the road to be milked, race horses from Jack Hanson’s stables, Yvonne Lowther’s riding school ponies and very few cars. Most of the local people in the village worked on the farms. They lived in the council houses which had been built after the war and in the small cottages. They almost all grew their own vegetables and had immaculate vegetable gardens. They were all very friendly and soon I knew the names of everyone in the village. Although the village has not extended its boundaries and has been allowed 5 to remain a linear village without any large developments, there are actually 46 more houses in the village than there were 48 years ago. For example, Rock House was the only property on Back Lane. The main difference in the village was that there was a village shop and post office, which was well used as most of the people had no transport. There was, however, a bus to Wetherby market on Thursday, and buses to Harrogate about three days a week. A doctor from Harrogate held a weekly surgery in the village hall and lots of people used that facility. Otherwise most of the institutions remain the same. The church here at St Peter’s was a joint Parish with Kirkby Overblow with whom we shared a Vicar. There was a flourishing church choir; Joan Buck, Mr and Mrs Westerman and Mr and Mrs Wood all sang and there was a regular organist. The main fundraising event for the church was the annual autumn fair held in November. There was a stall with handmade crochet and knitted articles made by a sewing group who met during the winter. The Catholic church had regular services and had a priest who lived in the Presbytery who was usually a retired Irishman. The Presbytery also housed retired priests at the end of their lives, many of whom were reputed to have a drink problem. The convent was also flourishing and housed a number of largely elderly, Irish nuns. The village school thrived but was very different. The headmaster, Mr Ford, and his deputy Mrs Hobson ran the school. The children all lived in the village or the surrounding farms and they all walked to school. It wasn’t until the school numbers dropped to 18 and it was threatened with closure that children from Wetherby and the surrounding areas were allowed to attend. The pub was and remains popular. It was, however, a popular drinking pub for young people, and often cars were to be found upside down in the ditch the next morning. The village hall had been built by the villagers in 1952 on land given by the Stockeld Estate. It was well used. The Women’s Institute met monthly and I soon joined. There was also billiards and whist drives. The annual fundraising day for the hall, Field Day, was always held on August bank holiday Monday. Everyone in the village either helped organise the event or came to enjoy the show. It was very traditional with a children’s fancy dress competition, coconut shy, bric a brac, cake stalls and children’s races. Often a brass band played during the afternoon. I only remember one wet Monday, when the show was held inside. The event became outdated, but the present village hall committee hold a Village Day to which everyone in the village is invited. There were many local characters in the village when I arrived, some of them lived in Sicklinghall all their lives. The Lowthers, the Gambles, the Westermans, the Middlebrooks, the Turners, the Beasleys and the Bucks were all local families and they were always very friendly. There were very few people who commuted to Leeds. It has now become a largely commuter and retirement village with new comers being doctors, solicitors and businessmen. There are, however, plenty of new activities such as yoga classes and a book club, and I have always felt that joining in events has made 6 living in a village more rewarding. In our younger years my husband and I travelled the world and one local used to say, "Why do you go on holiday so much? Sicklinghall is the best place in the world." As I get older I know what he means and it has been a privilege to call Sicklinghall my home for the last 48 years. Liz Boyd St Peter’s News At the end of January we were delighted to be joined by the music students from Leeds University who will ensure that we shall have live music again, although only in term time. Pictured below are Emma Dutton and Eleanor Barnard, both of whom have played for us previously and Lorenzo Di Guardo, who will be alternating with Carlotta Giammarinaro playing the organ. Both Lorenzo and Carlotta are from Sicily and have found the difference in services between the two countries interesting. Apparently in Sicilian churches the hymns are sung by a choir and the congregation just listen. They were worried as to whether the 7 congregation would know the tunes and when to begin. We did! Maintaining the church garden at the front of Saint Peter’s overlooking Main Street has become something of a burden over the last few years. Although we were managing to keep the weeds down and plant some new flowers, it has been an uphill struggle. The decision has been made to replace it all with a lawn, although we may subsequently have small borders. So do not worry when you see diggers removing shrubs and ancient tree stumps; it is only progress towards providing an improved view of the church and letting us have enough time to look after the rest of the churchyard properly.