Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ISSUE 197 December 2016 1 EDITORIAL The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editorial team, who reserve the right to edit submissions for reasons of space, content or grammar. Items for publication should bear the name of the author, with address and telephone number - although this information will not necessarily be printed (we may need to contact the author for clarification or further information.) The final day for submission of items for the next issue – February 2017 – is 10th January. Items for inclusion should be submitted to Christine Holdsworth, Editor, 21 Main Road, 736179 [email protected] John Bentham, ‘The Bungalow’, Halton Road 734353 [email protected] Peter Riley, 3, Channel Head, 734008, is responsible for distribution Steve Hinde deals with advertising (commercial or “small ads.”); contact via The Barn, Halton Road, 734135 [email protected] Remember – this is YOUR magazine We welcome your views and contributions Cover photo Robin - Where did he get that hat? - His mother was a bit of a knitter! Have you have ever wondered why robin redbreast is associated with Christmas and often appears on Christmas cards? Our postmen in Victorian times had red coloured uniforms and were therefore nicknamed “robins”. It is thought that the robins on Christmas cards and decorations celebrate the postmen who deliver our cards and, for some older residents who are no longer on Santa’s list, presents! Village website www.netherkellet.com Printed by Bay Typesetters, Morecambe [email protected] 2 Kellets Twinning Association ‘Band Night’ with the Lancaster Bombers back in October was a great success, as everyone who was fortunate enough to be at the village hall on that night will agree. The dance floor was never empty and the real ale went down well too. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it the success it was. Maybe we should have more such events. What do you think? Answers to the editor please! On a much sadder note, we were all shocked and upset when we heard the news that one of our founder members Dudley Bayne had been tragically killed in a road accident in South Africa. He and his wife Carole had been doing voluntary work for a charity at a school in Port Elizabeth and had already had to cut short/cancel two earlier planned trips prior to the October one. Life can be so cruel and it is difficult to make sense of these tragedies when they occur. Our love and condolences go to Carole and Emily and the rest of the family during these very difficult times. Many of us attended the ‘Celebration of Dudley’s Life’ ceremony in the Congregational Hall, which was conducted by a Humanist. Quite a number of us found it much more moving and relevant than the more traditional funeral service. We were particularly pleased that three friends from our ‘twin’ village Bussières flew in for the ceremony. It just demonstrates the strength of the ties that now exist between the Kellets and Bussières and the friendships that we know will continue to flourish – Brexit notwithstanding. In 2017 a party of around 30, (including several children), will visit the Kellets from 22 April until 27 April. Unfortunately, yet again the French school Easter holidays do not coincide with ours and our children will all be back at school. However, there are plans for the French children to be able to spend one or two days in school with the children of their hosts. We do of course have to plan how we are going to entertain our visitors and are actively seeking hosts who will be able to accommodate them whilst they are here. If you think you may be able to help in any way, please get in touch with me. Chris Holdsworth, telephone 736179 or email [email protected] 3 Envirocare offers a commercial and residential gardening and grounds maintenance service, including:- Lawn Maintenance- Mowing, Strimming, Treatments. Hedges and Trees , Beds and borders, Weed, moss and algae control. Leaf clearance / Litter Clearance. For a free quote or more information please contact:- Matt or Michelle Astley 01524 935466 07740105177 [email protected] www.envirocarems.co.uk Based in Nether Kellet 4 B4RN IN NETHER KELLET Broadband for the Rural North Since the last issue, many landowners have been approached in the hope of reaching agreement for the routing of the fibre cables. Fortunately, we believe we now have a practicable route to the village hall. This is expected to be from Over Kellet via Back Lane Quarry, passing round the north of the village. We now need B4RN to agree that the route is viable, and to obtain formal agreement from the relevant landowners. Tony Jones has organised regular progress meetings for interested villagers and volunteers. He is now planning a `public’ information meeting with a B4RN representative in the new year. For more information speak to Roger Mace, John Bentham or Jonathan Mace or go to www.b4rn.org.uk https://www.facebook.com/groups/b4rn.netherkellet/ Ian Taylor Nether Kellet Indoor Bowling Club Not a lot has arisen since the last report but we have the Christmas period to look forward to. Sometime in December we will be holding our Christmas lunch; at the time of tapping this out the venue has not been decided upon but the provisional date pencilled in is 15 December. This will depend on availability but we are all grateful to Marion Preston for her organisational abilities on this front. Clive Williams has recently had to undergo a knee operation but it is understood that despite an initial infection he is well on the way to recovery and hopefully will be back with us before long. On Monday 14th November a group of us from Nether Kellet will be journeying up the M6 to junction 38 to join our friends in Tebay for a friendly social evening, when we will all be enjoying the pleasure of playing on their ‘different’ mat followed by a buffet and other hospitality. In the village hall new carpeting has been laid which does look very attractive. However, it does seem to cause our mats to rise up in the middle, which gives additional hazards to our games. I daresay that once the carpets have settled in this problem will go away. We shall just have to wait and see and in the meantime be prepared to pull the mats up quite frequently. Michael Watson Chairman 5 6 Nether Kellet Parish Council The defibrillator cabinet has now arrived and by the time that you receive this magazine it should be installed outside the village hall ready for emergency. There had been some additional delay due to problems that the suppliers were having with their suppliers. In the play area, works will soon be carried out by Lancaster City Council to make repairs to the safety surfacing surround, which over the years has started to show signs of shrinkage. In view of the cost of the wet-pour, as repairs are required in respect of the “springy animal” which will entail damage to the existing wet-pour surfacing used in conjunction with this item of equipment, a new (cheaper) form of safety surfacing will be installed. If this proves to be satisfactory, when in the future the wet-pour surfacing is deemed to be a hazard, consideration will be given to replacing the damaged surfacing with grass-mats and turf, which is what Lancaster City Council, who carry out our play area inspections, recommend. Obviously, when the works are being carried out the play area will be out of action but as the works are likely to take place in the winter, not too many children or adults will be inconvenienced. On the subject of the play area, it has been noted that some older children have been using the equipment and whilst the sign indicates an age limit of 15 years, investigations are to be made regarding age restrictions in similar play areas elsewhere in the district. At the time of writing, we have not heard whether or not our bid for funding of equipment and alterations in conjunction with the emergency plan has been successful. In the mean-time, plans are to be formulated to ensure that in the event of an emergency, as many contingencies as possible are covered by the plan and the requisite equipment is available for use. Michael Watson ~ Clerk to Nether Kellet Parish Council A BIG THANK YOU To all my friends and family who helped me to celebrate my 60th birthday. Your wishes and generous gifts made it a special night for me. Thanks again! Nick Johnson – 24 Church Hill Thank you Carole and Emily Bayne would like to thank everyone for their messages, cards, flowers and support following the untimely death of Dudley 7 AUGHTON ROAD BOARDING KENNELS High Snab Farm, Gressingham, Lancaster, LA2 8LS ‘Individual care and attention for your dog’ ‘Spacious kennels in rural location’ Contact Helen on 07766446272 or 015242 21347 [email protected] www.aughtonroadkennels.co.uk 8 Nether Kellet Community Primary School Linked with our theme Earth, Wind and Fire, Sycamore Class (Year 3/4) are learning about the Stone Age, rocks and minerals and the earth beneath our feet. They enjoyed a fabulous day out near Windermere with Woodmatters and spent the day in a forest whilst acting like Stone Age people. They foraged for wild berries, learned about tracking wild animals and lit fires using a range of different woods for kindling and fuel.