1

Issue editor - David Atkinson Also available at http://www.issuu.com/hillamnews

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Fieldfare photographed in Hillam Where did Bert’s vegetable stall

come from originally Hillam Lights- A whole new meaning

Do you need gloves to make hedge-

hog bread? Our new Brownie column True grit Squad welcome cold snap 101 or 999? - We told you last time Is money the root of evil?

ManU crash out of Europe (not on

Sky)

Smartwater—not so smart now ,ew sponsorship for cricketers Party in the park on Jubilee Day

Also in this issue…

The voice of Hillam village. founded 1989 by mary little . Delivered free to all homes in hillam. Volume 25 Issue 2. april–May 2012

Wind farm decision day approaches Public meeting—MP Calls for 20% subsidy cut

• It is now over three years since Woodlane plans were revealed.

• Selby District Council currently expect to decide in April of May.

• Public Meeting at the Owl attended by over 150 people.

• Developer seeking approval for radar system on wind farm. You may have been invited by Selby

Council to comment on “Additional

information” about Woodlane wind

farm. The threat of the area being filled

with turbines has not gone away. In the last three years Hook Moor has

been approved, one wind farm at

Spaldington was approved and another

rejected, Cleek Hall was rejected by Selby

but is now the subject of an appeal,

Rusholme is built and is now operational.

Recently five turbines were approved on

farms around Hillam with more to follow.

Nearby at Goole Fields an application has

been made for 17 turbines to be added to

the 16 approved but not yet built. Decision day for Woodlane is fast approaching and the Public Meeting at

the Owl provided a valuable opportunity to discuss the implications.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty spoke about his recent meeting

with the Prime Minister where excessive wind farm subsidies were one

of the matters discussed. The presentations included video of one of hun-

dreds of convoys of lorries during the construction of Rusholme, a taste

of what to expect if Woodlane were to go ahead. A recording of wind

farm noise from Lincolnshire was played and enabled everybody to un-

derstand why turbine noise can be so annoying. Discussion was lively with a number of important issues raised. A former

resident said he had to reduce the price of his house in Hillam by 15% in

order to sell it because of the proposed wind farm. The date of the Planning meeting when the decision is to be taken has not

yet been announced. You can register for e-mail updates on the web site

which also has a link to the concluding remarks that Nigel Adams made

at the Public meeting.

www.stopwoodlanewind

I want to be Green but I do not want our countryside destroyed My first contact with the wind farm developer

was when they came to measure background

noise in my garden. At the time I was broadly in

favour of the concept of wind energy but must

confess that I had not studied the matter. A few turbines near to the test mast and well away

from homes seemed acceptable. What I didn’t know

was how many, how large or how close to the four

villages. I soon discovered that turbines elsewhere

and further from homes were causing severe noise

nuisance. A bit more reading and I began to realise

that wind farms are all about money and nothing

much to do with the environment. There can be no doubt, wildlife will suffer. Consider

the swans which spend winter here and migrate to

Iceland in Spring. The picture shows birds from a

flock of over 60 gathering on the wind farm site be-

fore starting their long journey. They left in total

darkness at 7:15pm. What chance will these birds

have flying in total darkness close to turbines with

blade tips moving at 100 mph? Or as they undertake

frequent flights between their grazing grounds and

the open water and Beal? Killing any of these, or any other birds, is not good

for the environment. Building turbines, which may

or may not alleviate climate change is not an accept-

able reason to vandalise our open countryside. I for

one would like to feel that the world I leave is a bet-

ter place for future generations and that they should

be able to enjoy those things which give me so much

pleasure. Howard Ferguson

Howard Ferguson at the Owl

2

Thankfully, the mild weather was maintained until early Febru-

ary, with continuing reports of Barn Owls sightings by village

residents, including a roosting bird at Hillam Nurseries.

On 16th January Blackbirds returned to our garden in force,

having been absent since early autumn, predominantly males,

with up to fifteen males, far outnumbering the females. I have

read various books based upon ringing recoveries to try to work

out where these birds go in the winter, but there does not seem

to be any definitive indication whether birds from our area over

winter in Northern Europe, or closer to home, in Ireland. Any-

way, like our Chaffinches, one thing is clear, that the sexes

arrive back at different times, the females about a month later.

Heavy snow fell on 6th February, with

Church Fenton recording the highest

fall in the country on that day which

produced large numbers of Fieldfares,

with four in our garden, and on 7th

February a flock of twenty or so were

eating crab apples in Howard Fergu-

son’s garden at Maspin House. The

Fieldfare is one of our most colourful

winter visitors, with a slate grey head,

nape and rump, contrasting with chest-

nut back and blackish tail. The throat

and breast is golden-brown streaked

black, and with the brilliant light reflected from fresh snow, the

white under parts was dazzling. The snow brought added com-

petition for food, with our usual male Blackbirds augmented by

others from further afield, resulting in numerous fights breaking

out. Jenny and I had been hoping to see our tame female return-

ing for her third year, but sadly there was no sign of her, but we

had noticed one or two females just starting to arrive.

On 8th February I was up fairly early to feed the birds in the

snow, and upon opening the front door was absolutely amazed

to see our little female had returned. She was there, no more

than a couple of feet from me, sitting on the arm of the garden

bench in the dim light, just staring with her soft, pleading eyes.

It was if she had never been away for the last five months and

she was clearly waiting for me to cut up some dates and feed

her. I gladly obliged, and she tucked in voraciously, after her

long return flight from wherever she had been all winter. Snow

was still lying thickly on the ground on 11th February, and I had

few thoughts of venturing out in the cold, so was sitting upstairs

in the warmth in front of our computer checking my emails,

when through the double glazing I could here the faint, but im-

mediately recognisable sounds of a bird screaming in distress.

The garden had emptied of all birds by then, yet I could still see

no signs of where the din was coming from, my only thought

being that one of our neighbour’s cats had caught a bird. I

clapped my hands, and then caught sight of a slight movement in

the corner of the garden. It was a large female Sparrowhawk

plucking at a Blackbird, lying spread eagled, and in great dis-

tress. I shouted at the hawk, clapping furiously, and flew off fast

downstairs, outside into the snow in my slippers! The hawk then

took off low out of the garden, with the Blackbird in its talons,

struggling to gain height under the weight of what I could see

now, was a female Blackbird. I then engaged in hot pursuit

down Rose Lea Close, hurling a torrent of abuse after it, hoping

nobody heard or saw me, and after what seemed like an eternity,

the Sparrowhawk dropped the Blackbird in the snow, and it just

stood there staring up at me, eyes wide open. I could then see it

was our tame female, seemingly none the worse for wear, save

for a few missing downy feathers that lay on top of the pristine

snow. The Blackbird stood there

looking up at me as if to say "Thanks

mate, for saving my life……again”;

and one or two of you may remem-

ber that three years ago I saved this

very same bird from a Sparrowhawk

in similar circumstances after a pur-

suit along Rose Lea Close, which

presumably resulted in the bird be-

coming tame thereafter. I don’t sup-

pose it could have been the same

Sparrowhawk, do you?

The weather on 1st March, the first

day of spring it was warm and

sunny, so Jenny and I walked along Betteras Hill Road with our

grandson Ewan, who is now very much into Thomas the Tank,

to watch the trains at the level crossing. On our return walk I

heard the unmistakeable sound of a mewing Common Buzzard

coming from the direction of Monk Fryston. I then heard an-

other, then yet another, coming from a slightly different direc-

tion and within a couple of minutes there were no less than six

buzzards in the air together, all calling, as they soared ever

higher, some engaged in the their circling, display flight. I never

thought I would see that sight in my lifetime, as it seems not so

long ago that one would have to go as far afield as Wales in

order to see this beautiful raptor, which in less than ten years has

hugely expanded in numbers. Hopefully this year they will breed

within the village boundaries; an event worth the long wait.

And finally, a little statistic that took me by surprise. In recent

years, I have not been that surprised to see the occasional Little

Egret when birding at wetlands along the Humber, with this

exotic snowy-white heron regularly turning up at Fairburn Ings;

but I was taken aback to read on the internet that in 2009, there

were about 800 pairs breeding in the UK ! Goodness knows

what the population is now, three years later, and like the in-

creasing Red Kite, I would expect to start seeing them both

regularly flying over our village within the next five years. What

a lovely thought.

Graham Todd

THE BIRDING COLUMN THE BIRDING COLUMN

3

JUMP STARTING THE DEFIBRILLATOR GROUP

Volunteers needed for Defibrillator Group

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood around the

body. If it happens to you or a member of your family you have

to act quickly. If someone has a heart attack the following few

minutes are crucial and this is more important for our community

because we live in the country and it takes longer for emergency

services to react.

For many years a local group of volunteers has been on call in

the villages of Hillam, Monk Fryston and Burton Salmon. They

operate a rota which always ensures someone is available to at-

tend an emergency. They are called out by the emergency ser-

vices, for example where a life might be lost in the crucial period

it takes for a fully equipped ambulance to arrive. As well as car-

rying a defibrillator they now bring oxygen with them.

The group was set up several years ago when Marlene Thompson,

Delainé Lawn and Elaine Smith with the help of Margaret Lorri-

man (who made more jam than Hartley’s), raised the money to

buy the first defibrillator. They also made ‘love boxes’ to sell at

local events, Delainé remembers. The fundraisers ran a stall in

Selby and Marlene, by selling local vegetables embarked on a

journey which for her was life changing.

This is how Bert and Marlene’s vegetable shop started, origi-

nally to boost the defibrillator fund.

Dr Janik from the South Milford practice, which already had a

defibrillator, played an important part in launching our ‘first re-

sponse’ project.

Volunteering is good for you

People volunteer for various reasons. Perhaps a relative’s life

was saved by a ‘First Responder.’ As the insert, taken from Hil-

lam News in 2001 shows, founders Elaine and Delainé both suf-

fered traumas within 24 hours of each other. That set them think-

ing.

As in all spheres of life, time passes and volunteers grow older,

leave the district or fall by the wayside. The Hillam, Burton

Salmon and Monk Fryston Defibrillator Group needs more volun-

teers. Training is given and on call hours are fully negotiable.

Being available for an evening a week can be good for your

health and it is surprising how many husband and wife teams turn

out together.

If you would like to help or discuss possibilities, please phone

Carol Mackman on 01977 689221 or contact her at

cmackman@selby.gov.uk .

Cutting from Hillam )ews 2001

Osgoldcross and Elmet Rotary is holding a car boot sale at Mil-

ford Plants, alongside the Sherburn bypass, on Easter Sunday the

8th April. The Community Association is hoping to receive a

donation from the event towards work still to be carried out at the

Community Centre. If car boot sales are your thing, then come

along and browse at the same time helping to raise funds for the

Association.

4

NOW, PAY ATTENTION

A whole new meaning for Hillam Lights

‘It took 35 minutes from Dewsbury to Brotherton and then 45 minutes

Brotherton to Hillam. There are four sets of temporary traffic lights of

which two are on red at both ends. Useless.’ From Twitter.

,ot surprisingly another motorist, who complained that the double

reds were dangerous in the dark, telephoned the police on 101.

The matter was raised at the Community Engagement Forum (CEF)

held in Monk Fryston School, where a spokesman explained that the

disruption was caused by replacing an old oil-immersed electricity

cable. It runs from Ferrybridge Power Station to a pylon on Lowfield

Road and then on to another power station near York. It does not di-

rectly serve Hillam. There was an electrical explosion at the site of the

pylon several years ago.

It was not long before traffic lights number five sprang up on Hillam

Hill. Then on the A63 near the Thrust garage a sixth set of lights was

added. Whilst these were not directly connected with the new electric-

ity cable, when they were removed the road was blocked outside the

former Garden Route Café.

Hillam )ews rang the contractors, Interserve, and learnt that the ‘red at

both ends’ trouble ‘might have been caused by interference from over-

head cables.’ The company was investigating. A spokesman explained

that the traffic signals defaulted to red at both ends when traffic was

light and only woke up with the approach of a vehicle.

This, he said, could explain the problem after dark. But surely not in

the early evening rush hour.

We have subsequently learnt that the batteries on the lights between

Hillam and Burton Salmon were stolen on two occasions.

Hillam Parish Council has had talks with the contractors, who have

promised to help the village by using a cherry picker to remove the

Christmas Lights from the Ring Tree. There were also discussions

about ‘sleeving’ the damaged underground culvert which crosses the

road near the Pinfold. This might alleviate any future flooding.

There is also the question of whether the new cable will go over or

under the culvert and until this is resolved the hole at this point will

remain. Further on at the beginning of Chapel Street contractors sev-

ered a water main and several houses in Hillam Square were without

water for half a day.

Hillam ,ews readers will remember when the oil immersed cable

leaked in 1997. The replacement of the cable is welcomed by local

birdwatcher Graham Todd, who recalls the tragic demise of a pair of

breeding Kingfishers that died after oil from the leaking cable con-

taminated waters in the drain that runs along Betteras Hill Road.

A message from Interserve:

We will be closing Hillam Lane from its junction with Tadcaster Road

(A162) as far as West Park Farm. The road closure will take effect as

of 22nd March 2012 and will be in place for 7 weeks. A diversion will

be in place and will take you up to the A63 through Monk Fryston and

then into Hillam.

Four sets of traffic lights between Brotherton and Hillam (and… read on)

Hillam Lights

The winners of the January 100 Club Draw are as follows:

1st - £20 - Sandra & Brian Plows (No. 81)

2nd -£10 - Diane Sharp (No. 50)

3rd - £5 - Yvonne Rowley (No. 56)

Congratulations to all the winners

Monk Fryston Church of England Primary School

What a fantastic evening we all had at Selby Abbey! The whole

school performed a Pop Connection concert for parents and

friends and the singing and dancing were amazing. Pop Connec-

tion is a charitable organisation that enables children to learn

songs and dances in a very short time and then put on a perform-

ance. All the songs have a Christian message as well as appealing

to both children and adults. It was one of those occasions that I

think most children will remember for a long time!

School is always very busy and this year there are lots of things

to do and look forward to. For Sport Relief we are running a mile

and having a danceathon and hope to raise lots of money for

charity. We are having our World Book Day on the 30th March

and all the children will dress up as a character from a favourite

book.

,ext term there will be Sports Day with an Olympic theme, the

Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic Torch and the Summer Fayre!

It’s going to be fun and, in between, we will continue to teach

and learn to the best of our ability! Who says school is boring!!

Carole Middleton March 2003

From Twitter:

7.30 I'm in Selby Abbey listening to my girls & rest of

school sing amazingly @ 8.00 I'm delivering a breech lamb.

Variety is source of life @MFOrganics

Sherburn School

Dear Parents and Students

I am delighted to write that I have now been associated with

Sherburn High School for three years. Time really does fly

when you are having fun and the good news is that I feel just

as enthusiastic and excited about my role now as I did at the

start! I am proud of the incredible progress that we have all

made during this period.

I am committed to ensuring that Sherburn High School deliv-

ers an outstanding education for our students and is a school

of which the whole community can be proud. I believe that the

hard evidence suggests that we are well on the way to achiev-

ing both.

When I first arrived at Sherburn I stated a vision for our

school and it seems like an appropriate time to share this with

you.

We aim to develop a genuine learning community where:

Achievement is at the heart of school culture. It is not for

some students, it is for them all.

Students learn better because staff are learning all the time

and improving what they do.

All adults in our organisation are valued and feel that they can

make a difference to the achievement of students.

We are outward looking and work effectively with others to

improve our provision and outcomes.

Students and parents are listened to and involved in decision

making.

We are creative, take risks, have good ideas and do not

worry if things don’t always work first time.

We work together to solve problems, not just identify them.

I am a huge believer in the concept of 'team'. Any success we

have is a reflection of the contribution made by everyone asso-

ciated with our organisation. It is not about one person.

Martyn Sibley

5

Précis minutes Hillam Parish Council 1st February 2012

Minutes of previous meeting agreed

Declared Interests

Cllr Sadler Cricket Club Cllr Lorriman

CEF

Chairwoman welcomed resident, Mary

Little who reported the dangerous state of

repair of the surface of the footpath at the

entrance to Rose Lea Close. Clerk to write

to NYCC Highways requesting resurfac-

ing.

She asked for support for a street party in

Rose Lea Close to celebrate the Queens

Jubilee.

The council offered general but not finan-

cial support.

Matters arising

Cllr Sadler provided the Clerk with com-

pleted Survey for Parish and Town Coun-

cils to be sent to NYCC.

Representatives of National Power Grid,

Duffy and Co and Interserve discussed the

laying of a new 132kv high voltage cable

through the village. Their remit was to

ensure land was restored to its original

condition.

Cllr Wright reported related road drainage

issues towards Hillam Common.

Interserve will liaise weekly with Clr Lor-

riman. Interserve are willing to remove the

Christmas lights from the Ring Tree using

their Cherry Picker.

Finance

Bank balances 1st February

Barclays C/A £538.27

High Interest A/C £7,550.92

Cheques drawn

Help the Heroes donation £25.00

War memorial restoration £150.00

CSR Electrical s/light repairs £235.96

MH Walton salary £180.00

HM Rev. And Customs £90 PAYE

Thirsk Com Care Ass £34. PAYE services

Community Assoc. £72.00 Hall Hire

CSR Electrical £56.46 Light repairs

MF Parish Council £221.72 Grass cutting

Clerk requested £1500 be transferred from

the HI acc

Estimated surplus at 31st March £6,100

8 financial grant applications received. It

was agreed that £1,800 should be distrib-

uted to 7 applicants

Inntercrown football club £50 for footballs

Little Monkey Play Group £100 for new

play equipment

Monk Fryston JFC £150 towards new set

of training goals

Ring Tree Light Committee £500 towards

new lights

Community Association £300 to make

swings safe and £500 general donation

Hillam Cricket Club £150 for sign to pub-

licise matches

Citizens Advice Bureau £50

Application for a contribution to a Jubilee

beacon deferred for details.

Correspondence Received

Invoices related to payments made above.

CSR Electrical re cost of converting Hil-

lam streetlights to energy efficient LED

lamps. Agreed current conversion costs

uneconomic. To be kept under review.

NYCC declining to upgrade the gritting

programme for Austfield Lane

E-mail from Cllr Lorriman advising of the

voting effects that the Register of Mem-

bers Interest might have.

E-mail from Cllr Lorriman with informa-

tion about the Localism Act for members

Came and Co Insurance brokers re Parish

Council Insurance

SDC proposed changes to the Local Devel-

opment Framework core strategy.

NYCC – Withdrawal of field at Betteras

Hill Road as a SINC (Site of Importance

FORNature Conservation).

Correspondence Out

E-mail from Cllr Lorriman advising of

Interserve’s intention to attend PC meeting

CSR Electrical – street light repair requests

Planning Matters

Applications

Mr H and Mrs R Morley

98 solar photovoltaic panels on the roof

Hillam Grange, Austfield Lane

No objection

Mr D Cook

Planning and Conservation Area Consent

for demolition of a single storey dwelling

and replacement with single storey exten-

sion and erection of a detached garage.

Minoru, Main Street

No objections

Decisions

Mr D Platt

Erection of 1 330kw wind turbine at

Northfield Farm

Granted

Mr C Vickers

Extension and alteration of existing ac-

commodation over garage to provide de-

pendent relative annexe.

Granted

Mr H and Mrs R Morley

Installation of solar photo voltaic panels on

the roof at Hillam Grange, Austfield Lane.

Granted

Environment

Windfarms Regular updates in Hillam

News and on Howard Ferguson’s website

See overleaf page 6

6

Lots to do in Hillam and Fryston re Cycling Project—All Welcome

With the ever-increasing popularity of cycling, a group of Monk Fryston and Hillam residents has recently

formed the Monk Fryston Cycling Club. We all share a love of

cycling and have been riding as a group for a few years.

There are between four and eight of us who ride every Sunday

morning, weather permitting. However a few hardy members

have ridden most weekends during winter, even on a day so cold

that the water in our drinks bottles turned to ice!

We enter several charity rides each year, including the Selby

Bike Ride, Chemo Classic and Wetherby to Filey ride. During

2011 our Whitehaven to Sunderland coast-to-coast trip raised

nearly £1,000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust and the Cochlear

Implants in Children Support Group.

For 2012 we have entered a team in the gruelling 75-mile

Cheshire Cat ride, which supports Cancer Research UK. We are

planning a winding 180-mile route from Hexham to Hillam,

hopefully raising a few quid along the way. Two of us are

celebrating reaching 40 this year and heading to the Alps to ride

up the legendary Mont Ventoux. This regularly features in the

mountain stages of the Tour de France, and sets us the challenge

of riding up a 12-mile mountain road with an average gradient of

9%. Sadly none of us shares the prowess of Bradley Wiggins and

Mark Cavendish, so this promises to be a rather daunting trip.

Anyone is welcome to ride with us. We recognise that everyone

has different abilities, especially those new to cycling. No one

gets left behind. We set off early and return home before lunch.

Departure from Monk Fryston Hall gates is usually at 7 am in

summer and 8 am in winter, with routes between 30 and 60

miles. Destinations include York, Wetherby, Knaresborough,

Otley and anywhere within a 30-mile radius of Monk Fryston.

For details of our planned rides please see the “Ride Calendar”

at www.monkfryston.cc.

Iain Mitchell

681063

Grass Cutting Contract

Members agreed renewal of 2012 contract on current terms with

existing contractor Mr S Parkin.

Cllr Wright reported progress on the proposed new signage in the

Square. Cllr Wright will seek permission from NYCC Highways.

Cllr Lorriman reported that the football field entrance on

Lowfield Lane is full of litter. Clerk asked to contact the secretary

of both football clubs and ask that the entrance be cleared.

The PC recognise the ongoing assistance and neighbourly

support and contribution given by Mr Neil Sutcliffe. Letter of

thanks to be sent.

Cllr Robertson reported the debris on some pathways. Clerk

advised that SDC have an ongoing maintenance programme.

Reports

Burial Committee

Refurbishment at cemetery completed.

Plans for bushes to be cut back and grounds tidied.

Community Association

Cllr Robertson reported the following proposed events

Queens Jubilee celebrations 4th June

OLYMPIC Torch 19th June

Village Fayre 24th June

Cllr Sadler will represent HPC with Cllr Robertson on the CA

From previous page

7

HILLAM NEWS BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER

Baking Bread

I had been attracted by the of idea baking my own bread for

some time and ever since a friend told me about the wonderful

experience she had at Betty’s baking day I had been looking for

something similar but cheaper. Browsing the internet on a boring

day in January I found Pattacakes in Welburn nr. Castle Howard,

a bakery, shop and cafe which ran occasional courses. We visited

that week and sampled the cafe breakfast (excellent with good

coffee) and bought some delicious food from the shop for lunch.

We chatted to Anita, the enthusiastic owner, and I signed myself

up for a Sunday in February. The bakery kitchen is quite small so

there were only 4 people per course which sounded great; so

great that my son and his girlfriend decided to join me.

Joined by Maxine, a journalist from The Press , we started the

day with coffee and a chat about our bread baking abilities,

mostly zero. Then we were taken into the kitchen and proudly

shown their wonderful bread oven. We gathered round a table

with our mixing bowls ready primed with fresh yeast and flour,

warm water in a jug beside us; we were making rye bread. When

the water was added we were encouraged to dive in and knead

the resulting sticky mess, encouraged by Anita who was baking

alongside us and Carol who was helping. We were shown how to

clean our hands in cold water (hot water bakes the dough onto

your hands) or rub them in flour which really works and to add

salt as we were kneading (yeast hates salt so it is added after the

yeast has started working).

What kind of bread do hedgehogs prefer?

Eventually we all produced a workable dough which we shaped

into rounds and put into cloth lined baskets to rise. We moved

onto white bread, much easier as it didn’t require so much water.

Our Kilo of flour produced a large loaf, a plaited loaf and bread

rolls which Gemma and I made into a crown but David wanted to

make a hedgehog as he remembered making them at school. This

was shaped with the back snipped with scissors to produce prick-

les and given currants for eyes and nose. They were so cute that

he made a whole family of hogs and Maxine made some for her

daughter. After a quick coffee we moved onto brown seeded

bread. The rye bread was ready for baking and went into the

oven. Each loaf was carefully labelled with one of our names. We

stopped for lunch, soup and a baguette made earlier by Anita,

well pleased with our

success.

After lunch we were

shown how to make a

dough with water and

olive oil mixed, which

produced a really

stretchy mix, lovely to

work with. This we

stretched and rolled out

into 2 flat rectangles,

one filled with grated

cheese and red onion

marmalade, one with

olives and sun dried

tomatoes. We folded

and twisted them and

put them onto a tray and straight into the oven.

We sat and chatted over more coffee and asked questions and

Anita produced a recipe book, with all the bread we had made,

for us to take home. Then we were called back into the kitchen.

Spread out on the table was all the bread we had created that day

and it was a fantastic sight; we were really proud of ourselves.

Working with Anita making the same things, we were able to see

exactly how long we needed to kneed and the texture of the fin-

ished product and we picked up many tips. The cost of this was

£50 each, an amazing value for one of the most fun days I have

ever had.

We had expected to take a couple of loaves home but the entire

contents of the table were loaded into boxes for us to take. About

8 loaves each. Once home we couldn’t wait to sample the olive

bread which was delicious. Fortunately I have a big chest freezer

and much of our baking went into it. We have been working our

way through our bread, so full of flavour and fantastic texture,

with occasionally one a wonky shape but who cares.

The only downside is that I haven’t needed to bake any bread yet

but we are running out. I will soon have to and am fully confident

of producing my daily bread on a regular basis. Certainly shop

bought will always be a very poor second best.

To find out about the courses phone Anita Tasker at Pattacakes

01653 618352, I would also recommend the shop and cafe if you

are heading up the A64.

Susan Ferguson

The Blue Bell has been sold by agents Christie & Co ‘off a free-

hold asking price of £275,000.00 + VAT.’ Agents state that it

was acquired by a regional developer/speculator, who intends to

redevelop the site in the near future.

Hedgehog Bread

Here’s one I baked earlier

When Susan Ferguson went on her bread making course with

her close family she did not know at first that numbers would be

made up by a reporter from the York Press, Maxine Gordon.

They all appeared in York’s favourite ‘daily’ in an article enti-

tled ‘Here’s one I made earlier’.

http://bit.ly/zeHq0a

8

NEWS PAGE

A Hillam resident made a gruesome find

while walking her dog down Stocking

Lane.

The head of the deer had been thrown

into the ditch which runs alongside the

Lane. It appeared that the deer had been

slaughtered nearby and then butchered

leaving the head and intestines for all to

see. It is difficult to comprehend the men-

tality and social conscience of people who

will do such a thing so close to the village

and adjacent to sports facilities used by

children. It is quite possible that this deer

was a victim of a gang of poachers that

were arrested near Hillam just a day be-

fore the gruesome find was made.

The Council was called and they came

out to remove the remains. They then

found out that it was worse than first

appeared as the recently butchered

remains of a total of three deer were found

close to the footpath. To kill wildlife in

this way then the objective must be to sell

the meat, with restaurants and pubs being

a possible outlet? If you visit a pub and

venison is on the menu, you should ask to

see proof of provenance. Deer slaughtered

legally must be supplied with a certificate

to confirm both the source and that it has

been killed humanely. If it doesn't have a

certificate then you should be suspicious,

avoid the dish and report your suspicion to

the police.

Hillam �ews does not know how the deer

were caught but the usual method is to

drive over fields and run them down, to

catch them in lights and then set dogs on

them, or to pick them out with powerful

lights and shoot them with a rifle.

In an incident that may or may not have

been related three men were arrested near

Hillam and charged with criminal damage

to crops after they drove their car over

fields in the hours of darkness. This is one

of the techniques used by poachers trying

to hunt down wildlife by using their head-

lights and powerful lamps to locate wild

animals. The thought that poachers are

active at night and sometimes use high

powered rifles to shoot wildlife in the dark

is quite scary.

Hillam ,ews advice: anybody who sees

lamping in progress should report it to the

police on 101.

Footnote: 101is best but if it is an emer-

gency or there is a crime in progress ring

999. In either case you need to speak to

North Yorkshire Police Control room.

Ringing 101 is sometimes better because

it gives you an option to go through to

North Yorkshire Control room if the tele-

phone network thinks you are in West

Yorkshire, which sometimes happens with

mobiles.

Clearing the snow at Manor Court

Hopefully spring will be well upon us by

the time you read this. In early February

we had a large fall of snow. Selby District

Council had encouraged local groups to

keep areas free of snow and ice during bad

weather. Hillam Parish Council decided to

specify Manor Court as a priority area, as

elderly residents live there and rely on

visitors and carers. A grit bin, supply of

grit, shovels, buckets and a wheelbarrow

were purchased by the Parish Council. A

team of volunteers was also sought out.

What a lovely village we live in when,

with no great effort, 20 people volunteer

to be on call to help. We were ready for

the snow when it fell. It started on the

Saturday and the phoning round, to ar-

range clearing on Sunday morning, began.

18 people turned up, some with their own

barrows and shovels and they industri-

ously cleared the pathways and road up to

Manor Court. In 45 minutes it was all

done. Sausage rolls and Christmas cake

made the occasion more festive as the

good natured neighbourhood effort was

completed.

The Parish Council would like to thank

all who took part, young and old, all now

experienced volunteers, for their help and

good humour.

Deer slaughtered and beheaded down Stocking Lane

9

LOCAL CRIME AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

Recently we have seen a pattern of crime where so-called Eurodoor locks have been broken in order to

gain entry to properties. It has mainly occurred in the West

Yorkshire area, but there have been cases in North Yorkshire

too. We have had three house burglaries in Hillam, Monk Fry-

ston and South Milford recently where cash and credit cards

were taken from isolated properties, usually in the early hours

of the morning.

Please look out for any suspicious activity like a suspicious

vehicle in the early hours parked up or anything else that does

not look right.

For further information on Euro locks see

http://bit.ly/wsH3M9

Dion Wood Police Community Support Officer

Hillam/ Monk Fryston.

Paul Anthony Frith from Byram has been jailed for breaking

into Monk Fryston Church Hall and stealing the contents of two

collection boxes and a mobile phone. He was caught trying to

use the mobile with his own SIM card.

Frith, who was locked up for a year, also caused £1,000.00 of

damage breaking into St Edmund’s Church, Brotherton, where

he left blood specimens. In mitigation at court, Firth’s solicitor

asked for leniency as ‘his rate of offending was slowing down.’

Burglary in Selby Road Monk Fryston

Between 10pm on the 5th of Feb and 7am on the 6th, a burglary

took place on Selby Road, Monk Fryston. Entry was gained by

forcing a rear kitchen window. Items stolen included a camera,

two laptops, an iphone and jewellery.

Brick through the window

On 6th Feb during the hours of darkness ‘vandals’ threw a house

brick through one of the west facing windows of the Community

Centre. If anyone saw or heard anything please let the police know

on 101 mentioning incident no 90 of the 6th Feb.

Looking the other way

A ‘distraction’ burglary typically occurs when a male offender

knocks on the door and introduces himself as "from the Water

Board" and gains access to a house. The elderly victim asks the

male for ID but the intruder replies that he is in a rush and does

not have any on him. Once inside he makes his way to the kitchen,

rolls his sleeves over his hands and turns on the taps, telling the

victim to wait until the water turns green. Whilst the victim is

distracted in the kitchen, an unknown offender enters the house

and steals cash.

Since the privatizations of the late 1980s utility companies

(water, gas and electric) are no longer 'boards' and no employee

would use the word ‘board’. Any caller who claims to be from a

utility ‘board’ will be a distraction offender. If this happens to

you, do not let the person enter your property. Call 999 and, if

possible, obtain a description and the registration number of the

vehicle.

All persons working for utility companies, or contractors

working on their behalf, will definitely have identification with

them and a phone number you can ring to check their identity.

Please do not be afraid to ask for ID.

Hi everyone

Following the police Ringmaster message on the vulnerability

of Euro style cylinder locks used mainly on uPVC doors, I

have details of two firms, one in Hillam and one in South

Milford, who will do lock upgrading to the pExtra24 standard

at very reasonable prices with no call out fee for South

Milford, Hillam and Monk Fryston.

I was appalled to see how easy it is for experienced thieves to

open the Euro locks - one of which was fitted to my porch

door - that I had it changed yesterday. It is easy to recognise

the Euro style lock as it has not got any markings on the ex-

posed part of the lock below the keyhole.

The pExtra24 locks have a kitemark on them.

Please send me an email if you want any further details of the

companies.

Tony Hudson, )eighbourhood Watch Coordinator

Robberies all on the same day

A burglary occurred at a dwelling on Lumby Lane, Monk

Fryston where cash and credit cards were taken in the early

hours of 21 Feb. The householder believes that she may have

disturbed the intruder around 2.00am. On the same date the

resident of a property on Ingthorpe Lane South Milford re-

ported that during the early hours someone entered the dining

room and rifled through the drawers. A Waterford vase was

taken.

On the same day there was a report from a house on Betteras

Hill, Hillam, where intruders entered the property and took

two vases from a window sill.

Mobile updates

Dates for 2012 when the Mobile Police Station (MCP)

will be at Chestnut Green, Monk Fryston:

Apr 3rd, May1st, Jun 6th, Jul 2nd, Aug 1st, Sept 4th, Oct 1st,

Nov 19th. Open between 1900 and 2000 hours.

10

A VIEW FROM THE BOUNDARY

An Overview:

Last season Hillam & Monk Fryston 1st and 2nd X1’s earned

promotion to Divisions 2 and 5 respectively in The Wetherby

Cricket League. The new cricket season starts on Saturday 21st

April. Preparations for the coming season started on Sunday 26th

February with winter nets at Kings School, Pontefract, Sundays

6pm – 7pm. New players welcome, for more details please con-

tact Eric Frankland on 07792 395952.

Junior Cricket

The club has put three players on the ECB Level 2 Coaching

Course which will include CRB checks and a First Aid qualifica-

tion. It is hoped that Junior coaching will commence this season.

The coaching will be aimed at U-7’s, U-9’s, U-11’s and U-13’s,

and will be available to boys and girls. The club has established

strong links with Monk Fryston Primary School and Monk Fry-

ston Junior FC. For more details please contact Tonu Vaks on

01977 685227 or 07787 117 650.

,ew Players/Members

The club is looking for new players and with a new pavilion

being opened last year the club is hoping to attract new members.

For further details please contact Will Vaks 1st X1 captain on

07747 045040 or Eric Frankland 2nd X1 captain on 07792

395952. If you can’t play cricket at the weekend why not play in

the club’s Thursday evening team in The Elmete Evening

Friendly League. More details from Ian Patrick on 07748 766842.

Club Sponsorship

The club is pleased and delighted to announce a new sponsor-

ship deal with Maltings Organic Treatment of South Milford.

Head principal of The Maltings Steven Carrie, in reaching his

decision said, ‘It was time to put something back into the Com-

munity’ and he felt that the cricket club and what they are trying

to achieve would be a worthwhile cause. The sponsorship will

pay for two sets of cricket kit comprising shirts and pullovers

fully logoed for the 1st and 2nd X1’s and to help pay for the clock

tower which will house the pavilion clock which has been dedi-

cated to the memory of John Edward Atkinson, a Hillam farmer.

The clock tower will carry a weather vane designed and built by

Malcolm Earless in memory of his father the late John Earless

sponsored by Phyllis Earless.

In addition, The Maltings is a third party contributor towards

the club’s application for Phase 1 funding from WREN (a land

fill organization) which will provide insulation of the building,

flooring, the tiling of shower areas and toilets and providing a

proper and secure bar and kitchen area.

The club is extremely grateful to Steven Carrie for his support.

Match Ball Sponsorship

Hillam and Monk Fryston Cricket Club have a new sponsor-

ship scheme and invite families, individuals and businesses to

sponsor the match ball.

The cost would be £30. For that your names would be displayed

on the Match Ball Sponsors Board; two peo-

ple can attend the match and be entertained

by the cricket, enjoy 1 free drink each

(alcoholic or soft drink) and have a full

cricket tea. If a business sponsor you can

bring promotional materials to the ground.

If interested in taking part and enjoying a

relaxing afternoon at the ground on Stocking

Lane contact Julie Sadler on 01977 685795

or Tonu Vaks on 01977 685227.

1st X1 Scorer

The 1st X1 were promoted to the 2nd Division

of the Wetherby Cricket League last season

and are in urgent need of a scorer. It is a

League requirement that all clubs competing

in the 1st and 2nd Divisions must have a dedi-

cated scorer. It requires someone, either male or female, who has

good numeracy skills and the ability to concentrate. If you

haven’t scored before don’t worry you will be given “on-site

training”. Transport will be provided if required, you will be

supplied with refreshments and will be paid for your efforts but

most importantly you will be made to feel welcome and looked

after by team members. Contact Will Vaks on 07747 045 040.

Janitor

The club is looking to engage the services of a person who can

come in once a week to make sure that the pavilion is clean and

tidy ready for match days and any other events. If you are inter-

ested and would like to help the club out please contact either

Julie Sadler on 01977 685795 or Tonu Vaks on 01977 685227.

Further Information

For fixtures, results, contacts and other facts and stats, go to the

clubs website at www.hmfcc.co.uk.

‘Was it really such a good idea building the pavilion

clock in memory of a farmer?’

11

PRESSING MATTERS

Hillam News needs you! If you enjoyed this issue and fancy getting

involved, why not get in touch? We are

always happy to receive articles and any

contributions. If you feel you would like to be part of this

team as a secretary, or to be a member of

Hillam News, please contact Bev Jackson

by email at bev@jack-son.com.

I know lots of people who refuse to

read the Times or deprive them-

selves of Ashes cricket, because

they do not particularly like the

owner of Sky TV. I have always

managed without the ‘Thunderer’

but I would need a very good reason

to deprive myself of satellite TV

Sports.

I thought I had landed on a way to

watch Sky Sports without paying

money directly to the Murdoch

organization. BT Vision offers

Sports 1 and 2 and the two channels

are listed by Freeview.

I telephoned Sky (in Scotland) to

resign. The operator was very clever

and conceded that as I was a BT

broadband user the first two sports

channels were indeed available to

me for £22.00 per month.

,o thanks; I would not like to dis-

cuss getting my broadband and tele-

phone from Sky. I did not mention

the reassuring and regular sightings

of BT Open Reach vans at the Mill

Close junction box. I could have

instanced my new found addiction

to BT Openworld and FON which

really do supply wifi in the most

amazing of places.

My West Lothian friend then came

up with the offer of a reduction of

£10.00 per month – for a full year –

in my Sky monthly direct debit –

and for unchanged services - an

offer I could not refuse.

I do not mind passing this informa-

tion on to others as I am not a Sky

shareholder. Before parting with my

Scottish friend I heard myself say-

ing, that if the Scottish Sun was

successful in campaigning for inde-

pendence for the land of my grand-

parents, I would manage without

watching Ashes cricket and Man-

chester United in the European Cup.

Come to think of it you can see

ManU losing on Channel Five any-

way.

THE DAILY DRIBBLE

,o, that is not a description of the toothless,

but a possible title change for the Hillam

)ews if current speculation comes to pass.

The Hillam �ews has a deserved reputation

for high journalistic standards and integrity.

Phone hacking or payment for police infor-

mation would never be countenanced or af-

forded.

It comes as no surprise therefore that a cer-

tain newspaper proprietor who wishes to re-

store the tarnished image of his stable of red-

tops and other dailies may have been casting

an eye over established journals which can

add lustre to his group. Contact with some of

the Hillam )ews team during a visit to the

village by a leading Australian lawyer over

the weekend 17/18 March could be no coinci-

dence. It would speak volumes for Rupert

Murdoch’s appreciation of professional excel-

lence if he were to be approaching the Hillam

)ews to form a partnership.

Whilst takeover talks are out of the question,

your local paper could do worse than to enter-

tain the enormous potential of Murdoch’s

facilities. After all, perhaps the public of

Hillam is eager for page three boys and girls,

scurrilous gossip and pictures of celebs

caught in illicit liaisons.

Turn now to page 25 of this issue for full

details of the implications of a tie-up with the

Murdoch group. Let us know what you think.

2012 – Last Lights ,ight?

Our thanks to the Parish Council for provid-

ing £500 towards new lights for the main

Ringtree. Thanks also for asking the contrac-

tors working their way through the village to

provide a cherrypicker free of charge so the

current lights can be taken down.

The £500 and cherrypicker go some way

towards the estimated £2,000.00 needed to

replace the faulty lights with ones of a similar

standard (these lights should last at least five

years). However, the rest of the money must

come from our reserve funds. We anticipate

this will clear the bank account leaving just

enough to pay for a Switch On event in 2012.

For a number of years funds have dwindled as

the cost of paying for the trees, lights and

event exceeded the money raised through the

100 Club. The 100 Club and the collection on

Switch On night are our main sources of

funding (the £500 is a one-off from the Parish

Council which otherwise only pays for the

electricity to light the main tree). The 100

Club this year has 86 members; that’s not 86

households, but 86 individuals. This is despite

repeated forms and news items in Hillam

News, a leaflet drop to every household in the

village and a letter to all parents through the

school.

Before the next issue of Hillam News we

hope to have a meeting to look at the situation

so we can assess the future viability of having

both Christmas lights and the Switch On

event.

Hillam Ringtree Lights Committee

Women with Interests Events for April to June

April 19th ‘Crafty Cow’ - An evening of Crafts making Julia 683231

May 17th Places of Interest Sue Leslie 682334

(Bring photographs of interesting places you have visited)

June 21st Member’s garden Social evening, wine, nibbles

To be announced Alix 682724

First two meetings are at 7:30pm in the Community Centre

12

MORE COTTAGE GARDEN FAVOURITES Pick up a plant catalogue and you are assaulted by glossy pho-

tos and descriptions to bewilder. So many new introductions to

consider, 'New for 2012,' 'The best yet.’ Do we become seduced

or do we go back to our favourites, tried and tested? It is good to

consider new plants, those which have been developed by science

and the nurseryman to produce bigger, brighter blooms or un-

usual colour combinations, and increased disease resistance.

One of our most popular bedding plants performed badly last

year due to disease. The Busy Lizzie will be in short supply and

the alternative offered of the New Guinea hybrid may not be to

your taste. For a different look why not try some Alpine (rockery)

plants? These love well drained soil and have developed a toler-

ance of windy conditions so a high, exposed position such as

halfway up a wall is no challenge. Alpines are not as showy but

give good value over the summer months.

Primroses are a quintessential cottage garden favourite and sit

quite happily in front of the border as long as the soil is damp and

water retentive. The native Primrose, Primula vulgaris, in pale

yellow, mid yellow and pink looks lovely under trees and shrubs

mixed with dwarf Narcissus and Pulmonaria (Lungwort).These

early Primroses are followed by Primula veris, the Cowslip,

which bring mid yellow and tawny yellow into the colour mix.

Cultivated Primroses have been bred from the native Primrose to

give a whole kaleidoscope of colour from green through to purple

and have become a staple of spring containers. Remember damp

conditions are essential for all Primroses to thrive. There is al-

ways confusion over Primroses and Polyanthus. I always define

Primroses as those with single flower heads and the Polyanthus

as having a single stem with multiple heads. Botanically both are

classified as belonging to the family Primulaceae. Later flower-

ing Primulas are much showier. Primula denticulata, the drum-

stick Primula, stands high and Primula vialii looks like a glowing

purple poker. Some of the most dramatic stand well near pond

and stream and give an exotic look. Primula florindae and Cande-

labra Primula are well worth planting and lead us into summer.

,ow is the time to start annuals for summer colour. Hardy annu-

als are tolerant of a little frost and may germinate from self sown

seeds shed last autumn. Annuals tend not to like disturbance so if

your garden is not ready for seeds to be sown direct into the bor-

ders sow a few seeds in small pots ready to drop into place when

space allows. Try old fashioned Candytuft, Calendula, Godetia

and Virginia Stocks for some simple charm. Poppies are another

cottage garden choice which have been updated to include darker

more sophisticated shades. Both the annual Poppy and perennial

oriental Poppy now come in a host of tones to appeal to current

taste. If the Poppies self seed a little too easily they are also easy

to weed out.

The traditional cottage gardener did not distinguish between

vegetables and flowering plants and planted where space was

available and suitable. The border would be a collection of flow-

ers for show and for the house and vegetables for eating. A riot of

colour and potential food. This style has much to recommend it.

Pests are not a major problem as plants are mingled together and

pests have smaller targets to find. Garden gurus often recommend

planting garlic and onions near to roses to prevent aphid attack

citing this as a revolutionary idea but the cottage gardener of a

century or more would have found this to be a familiar approach

to make the best use of space and keep pests at bay.

Going back to simple plants and uncomplicated planting styles

can release the gardener from constant weeding and pest control

and bring back enjoyment into gardening.

Susan Scott 01977 685205

Shout it from the rooftops

St Wilfrid’s has secured a £111,000.00 grant from the Heri-

tage Lottery towards urgent church roof repairs. Worship-

ers’ prayers have been answered after worsening water

leaks. £70,000.00 will be needed to complete the project and

the Parochial Church Council is looking for further funding

sources.

13

ST WILFRID’S CHURCH

RECTOR’S RAMBLINGS

What an excellent article in the last edition of Hillam News

written by Robert Kingsbury on our ‘Broken Society’, and he’s

so right when he says that “wealth… may bring you status but it

doesn’t necessarily bring you happiness.”

Earlier in the article he quotes that well known saying, “money

is the root of all evil” as a summary example of assumptions

often made on the matter of wealth and poverty. And he goes

onto qualify his use of that phrase when speaking of the alleged

‘Broken Society’ in which we live today, by stating that in both

cases they may be “largely true but not totally.”

He is absolutely right because “Money is not the root of all

evil.” The saying actually comes from a biblical letter written by

St Paul to a disciple of Jesus called Timothy [in fact it’s the first

of two letters written to him by St Paul], and what he actually

says is “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” To

put the saying into context the passage in which it’s found says

this…

)ow godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is

certain we can carry nothing out. And having

food and clothing, with these we shall be con-

tent. But those who desire to be rich fall into

temptation and a snare, and into many foolish

and harmful lusts which drown men in destruc-

tion and perdition. For the love of money is a

root of all kinds of evil, for which some have

strayed from the faith in their greediness, and

pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

(1 Timothy Chapter 6 verses 6-10 NKJV)

So money itself is quite harmless – it’s our desire for it, it’s

what we do with it, or indeed fail to do with it, that creates the

problems that we might consider to be evil.

And we should be wary for this reason of taking any throw-

away statement about the ‘Broken-Society’ or any other sound-

bite made by politicians, media-moguls, economists or even

bishops, without taking the time to try and understand what it is

they are actually talking about – and if necessary asking them to

explain it further – so we don’t make the assumptions that they

must be right.

One of the ‘seven deadly sins’ as they are traditionally known

is ‘Sloth’ and this is best defined as ‘a reluctance to work or

make an effort’, and this can certainly apply as much to our

thinking as it can to our actions.

Blessings and a Happy Easter

John

1ST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH

8am Holy Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

9.30am Parish Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford

9.30am Sunday Club at St Mary’s Church (Ages 2-8)

11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

11am Sunday Club in St Wilfrid’s Church Hall (Ages 2-8)

2ND SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH

9.30am Parish Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford

11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

6.00pm Evensong at St Mary’s, South Milford

3RD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH

8am Holy Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

9.30am Parish Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford

11am Family Service St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

4TH SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH

9.30am Family Service at St Mary’s, South Milford

11am Parish Communion at St Wilfrid’s, Monk Fryston

6pm Holy Communion at St Mary’s, South Milford

EASTER AT ST WILFRID’S

1ST APRIL (PALM SUNDAY)

8.00am Holy Communion

11.00am Parish Communion / Sunday Club

With distribution of palm crosses

5TH

APRIL (MAUNDY THURSDAY)

7.30pm Agape - St Wilfrid’s Church & Hall

As this is based on a meal similar to that

which Jesus would have shared with his disci-

ples the night before he was betrayed - names

are needed in advance for catering purposes

(contact the Rector on 680788)

6TH APRIL (GOOD FRIDAY)

2.00pm Devotional Service - St Mary’s (Milford)

A service of prayer and reflection

8TH APRIL (EASTER DAY)

11.00am Easter Day Communion - St Wilfrid’s

BOOKI)GS )OW BEI)G TAKE) FOR WEDDI)GS A)D

BAPTISMS

FOR 2012 A�D BEYO�D

Enquiries to the Rector on 01977 680788 or email at

hetherington556@btintenret.com

14

CRICKET OVERFLOW

Further details about Hillam News on our website

http://www.issuu.com/hillamnews

Burton Salmon Phoenix picks itself up

Selby MP ,igel Adams will open Burton Salmon’s rebuilt cricket

pavilion on April 28th. Nigel should know what to do after he cut

the ribbon last summer at Hillam’s new pavilion. Burton Salmon

has risen from the ashes and is now well on the way to recovering,

after the pavilion was destroyed in an arson attack during the off

season.

Cundy online

A new cricketing blog from a Hillam player has appeared on the

net. It’s by Adrian Cundy and entitled ‘Become a Better Cricketer.’

It describes the blogger’s pursuit of batting perfection, but Hillam

might hope for the occasional mention.

Adrian’s immortal words in Hillam )ews, first announced the

promotion of Hillam’s two teams:

‘Subject to confirmation we are going up. Couldn’t have been a

closer finish, top work lads even if I was dubiously stumped on 20.’

On Twitter @adicundy self-deprecatingly describes himself as

‘tragic opening batsman and purveyor of long hops for Hillam

CC.’

The blog can be found at:

http://www.cricketyorkshire.com/headlines/

cundy/

15

BURTON SALMON SCHOOL

BOARDI,G KE,,ELS

A,D

CATTERY

Common Lane,

South Milford,

Leeds, LS25 5BX

Come and see our spacious

purpose-built accommodation

“YOUR PET’S HOLIDAY

HOME”

Phone Kathryn Parkin

on 01977 685404

Open 9 am - 6 pm daily

VISITORS WELCOME

Remember, the Community Centre is available to hire

for private gatherings and parties (contact Becky on 689230).

We have had a very busy and active start to 2012 with lots of

activities and hard work. We have welcomed 3 new pupils into

school and they have all settled in really well.

On 17th January the whole school took part in an interactive

pantomime at Camblesforth School run by West End performers.

We joined with pupils from Camblesforth and Fairburn Primary

Schools. The acting was very good and the message delivered

about not spending too much time on computer games was very

relevant to today.

On the 19th January pupils from KS2 took part in an athletics

festival at Selby Abbey Leisure Centre. The children came back

full of enthusiasm and their behaviour, effort and attitude were

excellent.

In February the whole school, along with a number of other

primary schools in our area, took part in a dance festival at Sher-

burn School . The children gave an excellent performance and

thoroughly enjoyed the experience of dancing on a large stage.

Our year 3/4 boys played in a friendly football tournament on

23rd February. They represented our school really well and played

excellent football. Daniel scored a brilliant goal and Lewis was

amazing as our goalkeeper. Thank you to Ed Smith, Dan and

Adam for managing our team.

On the same day the whole school took part in a cross country

run around our grounds organised by Rachel Cale our area

School Sports Co-ordinator. The pupils were competing in their

Key Stage groups and girls and boys separately. 4

We celebrated World Book Day on 2nd March. The theme was

bedtime Stories – we all wore our pyjamas and had warm toast

and hot chocolate! The pupils enjoyed a shared reading session.

Parents and friends of pupils in Class 2 enjoyed Mrs. Jones

school lunch when they joined us on the 2nd February for Chicken

Balti. It was a wonderful social occasion for both parents and

pupils.

As part of our geography studies on towns; class 1 visited

Selby on Thursday, 2nd February. We visited various sites and a

highlight was a tour around Selby Abbey. We also went to Morri-

sons where the staff made us very welcome as they showed us

around the different departments.

Mrs. Rylah has held more of her Healthy Eating after-school

clubs. Pupils have made delicious healthy snacks such as sticky

chicken drumsticks with cous cous salad and vegetable stir-fry

and noodles. Mrs. Huntington is continuing with the craft after-

school club and pupils have enjoyed making drawstring bags and

rag rugging.

Within school we have been continuing with our studies on

World Ward II and Class 2 has had visitors in school dressed in

World Ward II uniforms who were able to tell us all about their

equipment and clothing. They are also looking forward to a visit

to Eden Camp Wartime Museum near Malton. Class 2 has ex-

changed letters with pupils from a Primary School in Florida and

have been excited to receive letters back. Pupils in KS1 have

been studying plants which included painting their own master-

piece versions of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

The whole school has focussed on reading and this has enthused

the children throughout school. A project on Roald Dahl in Class

2 is encouraging children to write their own descriptions.

We are looking forward to many more activities after Easter

including swimming lessons and our Year 4, 5, 6 residential to

East Barnby.

Finally, we are looking to increase the number of relief midday

supervisors to help out with lunchtime supervision on the occa-

sional day. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please

let us know. Full training is given

Best wishes for Easter, D. Andrews Head Teacher

PS Don’t forget our car boot sale on Sunday the

29th April. 10.00am to lunch time.

Hillam Historians

Under )ew management

Interested in being part of the new team?

We want new blood

– new ideas- new ventures

Open evening next meeting

Hillam Nurseries 25thApril 7.30pm

More information contact Max 07773428917

maxleighton@mac.com

The Union Jack flag at the entrance to Mill Close was at

half mast as the bodies of six soldiers from the Yorkshire

Regiment and Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment returned home.

16

SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE

Seed potatoes. Bird food.

Winter fuel. Logs and coal.

Inspiration for the garden in spring.

�ight of Jubilee �ostalgia at Monk Fryston Church

Patricia Harriss with Keith will

perform the hits of the forties in good old

sing-along style all dressed up for the

occasion.

You may well recognize Patricia as she

lives in Hillam.

Let’s wave the flag in 1940s style

Refreshments & Free Entry

See you in St Wilfrid’s on Sunday

June 3rd at 6:30pm

Why not go retro and come along dressed as Granny or Grandpa

Green air travel

Keen aircraft spotters may have recently noticed over the skies

of Hillam an increase in the frequency of gliders. This increase

is almost certainly due to the EU’s initiative for green aviation.

We understand that trial flights are taking place over North

Yorkshire by a new airline called “Green Air Get Aloft” which

is collaborating with Brussels over medium-range passenger

glider travel. The gist of the scheme is that gliders will be towed

to an operating height and released into a favourable thermal

current. Thereafter they will make their way across Europe by a

chain of bio-thermals to their destinations and will land in the

manner of conventional powered aircraft. Volunteer passengers

are being called for test flights. RAF

Church Fenton is a possible launch

site.

Of course, some in-flight power is

required for lighting, navigation aids

and champagne cooling and this will

be provided by a small air-driven fan

mounted on the top of the fuselage, but the power used will

generate an infinitesimal amount of CO2 compared with normal

jet engines. Passengers will enjoy a relatively quiet journey and

a return to earth with only a background swishing sound like the

radiation hiss likely to occur after the universe has ended.

Anyone interested in becoming a pioneer passenger should

contact either the airline GAGA or the EU unit responsible, that

is European Future Flight Initiative (North), by texting “Effin

Brussels.”

London to Paris Cycle Challenge

We couldn't sit still after last year's Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge

for the Alzheimer's Society, so we are back on the road again. We

can't believe how it has changed our lives. So when we were invited

by the Alzheimer's Society to ride again we gave it some thought

and said yes to the London to Paris challenge over four days at the

end of June 2012. Although a longer distance (293 miles) there

will not be the big hills as in Northern England. Training has

started and we hope to be at our peak for the 27th of June.

Our aim is to raise £3,000.00 for the Alzheimer's Society but we arc

aware so many of you kindly sponsored us last year to such an extent

that we were astounded by the money we raised. We realise it is a

lot to go back to the same people for more and that is why we would

rather raise as much as we can from an event which we can all

enjoy.

Saturday 21st April (evening) - Ceilidh at Lumby Hall, Lumby,

courtesy of Liain Condon for £20 per head including food. See page

6 or email us at k.katward@o2.co.uk for more information.

We have set up another Just Giving site and we will not say no to

any donations. This can be found at www.justgiving.com/

Kathryn-KeithWard

Keith and Kathryn Ward

17

RECOVERING FROM THE BATTLE OF TOWTON

Having taken a gastronomic respite due to the arrival of baby Ed, your loyal

foodies decided we needed to get back

on the reviewing horse.

This month’s culinary hunt took your

intrepid explorers north of Hillam to the

famous village of Towton. Site of the

‘bloodiest battle in English history’.

The Rockingham or ‘The Rock’ has

recently been taken over by Chris and

Callum and they are clearly trying to

transform the inn into a quality pub fare

establishment. It has had a good lick of

paint and there are interesting local photos brightening up the

place.

We had been recommended to try the Rock by some friends

and, although we worried whether it would be quiet, there were a

fair few diners for Saturday lunch.

The menu has good coverage without trying to do too much and

as such doesn’t stray from traditional pub fare but adds an up-

graded twist on each dish. We reckon this is a smart move as the

Rock tries to rebuild its reputation.

On to the food - Watson went for the Goats Cheese Tart whilst

Holmes decided to try the Rib-Eye with twice cooked chips. The

steak was well cooked and jazzed up with a quality blue cheese

sauce - and those chips tasted good! The tart was flavoursome

and interesting on the palate without really blowing the socks off.

As Watson hadn’t eaten goats cheese for 9 months there were

high expectations of boldness from the cheese.

Our guests had the trusty fish and chips - which was top notch

when accompanied by homemade tartare. Also sampled was the

Rockingham burger - good meat, staple fare.

I think that the Rockingham Arms is aiming at the right

market - don’t try and turn the Rock into a gastro restaurant with

extensive world cuisine - two reasons for this - the passing punter

(and it is in a great location) wants pub grub done really well;

and there is stiff competition in the top end market (Blacksmiths

at Biggin for example). The prices are pretty good for modern

pub food - under a tenner for the fish and chips and around £15

for the great steak.

So, would we go back? If you are looking for a mid range tasty

dinner that does exactly what it says on the tin, the Rock is for

you. And at this quality, this is a lesson that many a Yorkshire

local could take a view from - not flashy, not bargain basement,

but honest, well prepared meals - well done Callum and Chris.

I think I’ll be taking the boys for beers and a cracking pie next

week…

Holmes and Watson, Great Food Detectives

The Rockingham Arms 01937-530948, Towton.

therockinghamarms.com

Eating out with The �ews: The Rockingham Arms, Towton

Hillam ,ews Rating: 4 out of 5.

“Quality pub fare that deserves to do well”

Editor’s note: The Rockingham, in a previous life, was re-

nowned for its carefully worded A-Board, declaring ‘Probably

the best fish and chips in Yorkshire.’ The Towton Battlefield

Society commemorates the Battle of Towton annually on Palm

Sunday (this year April 1st ).

Members are soon to establish a Display Centre in an upper room

of the Rockingham Arms, complete with artifacts taken from the

battlefield and were recently spotted on Facebook enjoying the

Rockingham fare after time spent cleaning out the farmer’s barn

prior to Palm Sunday.

See http://www.towton.org.uk

We believe that the latest owner of the Rock is a member of a

farming family with land at Hillam, Monk Fryston and Birkin as

well as Towton, The family has generously allowed access to

land West of the Rockingham Arms, which is the site of the larg-

est and bloodiest battle fought on English soil.

Footnote: 28,000 died at Towton in 1461

All change again at the Cross Keys

The recent move into administration of Barrack Inns, the

former leaseholders of the Cross Keys has resulted in confusion

and disarray. The lease has now reverted to the owners,

Enterprise Inns.

The present manager ,icola herself expected to be replaced

on the 5th March, but it didn’t happen . She is currently also

running the kitchen because the cook has already move to the

White Swan in South Milford.

Beyond this information everything else is rumour and conjec-

ture.

This is another worrying change in the ill fortunes of our vil-

lage pub. We have only recently seen the closure and subsequent

change of use for housing of the Blue Bell in Monk Fryston.

What does the future hold in store for the Cross Keys?

18

HILLAM AND BEYOND

Recycling at the

Community Centre

Income from the recycling bins

at the Community Centre over

the last year was £688.

This is a valuable source of income for

Community Association funds.

A big thank-you to all who bring

their recyclable items to the banks.

Regal Setting for Jubilee Celebrations

The Regal Setting of Monk Fryston Hall will from lunchtime on

Tuesday 5th June host the culmination of Hillam and Monk Fry-

ston Community Association’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Monk Fryston Hall management have kindly offered the Hall

and its grounds to stage what promises to be a memorable after-

noon. All residents of Hillam and Monk Fryston are invited to

come and eat together at THE BIG PICNIC, which will be fol-

lowed by taking The Diamond Jubilee Village Residents Group

Photo. A Diamond Treasure Hunt will provide a good reason to

explore the Grounds and Hall. Those less energetic will be able to

browse Craft Stalls, view the Exhibition staged by Monk Fryston

Art Club or just listen to live music. Traditional games and activi-

ties will be organised for children. However families are invited

to bring their footballs, cricket bats, tennis rackets and frisbees.

The Jubilee Weekend Celebrations will commence on Sunday

3rd June when our Rector, John Hetherington, will lead a service

with special focus on The Queen. This will be followed by the

opportunity for those attending the service to eat and socialise

together at a ‘bring your own’ BBQ. Later that day at 6.30pm a

PUBLIC CONCERT, with refreshments, will be held in St

Wilfrid’s (see page 16).

On Monday 4th June the Community Association will stage a

PARTY EVENING at the Community Centre. Plans are afoot to

screen the Queens Diamond Jubilee concert, followed by taking

part in the 2012 National Beacon Event by lighting the Hillam

and Monk Fryston Beacon. The evening will be rounded off with

a Diamond Disco. This is a great opportunity to be part of the

National Celebration.

More details of all these events will be published nearer the date

so watch out on the Hillam News Facebook site and elsewhere

for details.

,ews from the South Milford Practice

It has been some time since we updated our patients and there

have been a number of changes that we felt you would all like to

know.

In the last year we have appointed two new GP’s, Dr Kate Hol-

den and Dr Hannah Coysh. They have both now been with us for

six months and have settled into the practice very well. This has

allowed us to provide more doctors’ appointments for the patients.

We have also welcomed a new practice nurse, Sister Jane Scott,

who is working at all three sites.

We now have routine appointments that are bookable up to 4

weeks in advance and other appointments that are released daily

for those who need to see a doctor straight away.

There should be sufficient appointments available for those

who need to be seen the same day. We have removed the problem

where patients had to ring a number of times in a day to get an

appointment. If you ring and need to see a doctor immediately and

there are no appointments left, you will be given a telephone triage

appointment with a GP who will deal with your problem by tele-

phone or arrange an appointment for you.

If you are interested in joining our patient group, which dis-

cussed the above changes then please contact the surgery and

leave your details.

Surgery Hours

As with many businesses we have had to do some rationalising of

surgery resources to meet the financial challenges of the current

climate. We have reluctantly taken the decision to close at lunch-

times, between 1pm and 2pm at the main site in South Milford.

Over this hour the telephone will give an alternative number to

ring for anyone who urgently needs to speak to or see a doctor.

We appreciate this is not ideal but hope you understand that in

order to continue to provide the same level of clinical care we

have to make changes elsewhere to accommodate this.

Stephanie Drury Practice Manager

South Milford, Thorpe Willoughby and Micklefield

Belarus bound convoy drops in at Monk Fryston

School for Sports Relief Day

On 23rd March four Chernobyl trucks were given a rousing

send off by the pupils at Monk Fryston School. The convoy was

leaving on its latest journey across Europe to Belarus, with a

team of eight and over 40 tonnes of aid. The deliveries are tar-

geted on the Gomel region where schools, institutions and family

associations, many dealing with disabled children, will benefit.

Grabovka School near Gomel received gifts from Monk Fryston

School last spring via an earlier convoy.

19

VILLAGE SOAP BOX

MONK FRYSTON Pre-SCHOOL

We welcome children from two years to school age*

We provide lots of different activities including:

Toys, Songs, Rhymes, Stories, Painting, Modelling,

Sand and Water Play, Cutting and Glueing, Playdough, Puzzles

and much more…! Monday to Friday 9:00 – 12:00 am

Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 – 3:00 pm

Contact Jayne Wood 681050 Church Hall, Monk Fryston

We are OFSTED inspected and LEA funded and we follow the

Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum

The Hillam ,ews equivalent of speakers corner. If you

have a point of view that you would like to share with

Hillam ,ews readers, please send it in and if suitable

we will publish in a future issue.

Saving a life ? Or prolonging the agony? What will £3 a month buy you in Hillam and Monk Fryston? – a

pint at the Cross Keys? – almost a day’s Council Tax? – a bus

ticket to Selby? According to television adverts it will save a

child’s life somewhere in the world. That’s a pretty small price to

pay to bring clean water, a full stomach and eventually a smile to

a dying child.

It is also widely reported that there are four such children dying

in the world every minute. The solution is obvious – or is it? I

have a dilemma and I need some advice. On the one hand, I

could go without a couple pints each month and end a couple of

children’s suffering and help to save their lives. As I’m writing

this I am seeing some really harrowing pictures of young girl

called Fedosi, who needs only £2 a month to save her, but would

saving Fedosi really solve the problem or just exacerbate it ?

It is no coincidence that these children are in the world’s least

developed and poorest countries, with no proper infrastructure,

insufficient resources to sustain them or provide any realistic

opportunities beyond subsistence and, in many cases, ruled by

leaders with social welfare fairly low on their agendas. The way

of life in many of these countries will also result in large num-

bers of unwanted pregnancies and even more mouths to feed,

more victims of disease and even more orphans in countries

where AIDS, especially, runs rife. So what is the answer to the dilemma ? There seems to be no

achievable solution to the problem itself as the numbers of suf-

fering children just continues to grow after decades of world aid.

It seems to me we have the choice between saving the current

sufferers in the knowledge that we will only make the problem

worse in a few years’ time, or we could let nature take its course

and let the population of the Third World rebalance itself.

It is a horrible decision to have to make, to condemn the poor

children, whose misery we see so vividly on television, to an

early grave; or to condemn an even greater number of children in

the next generation to the same misery, and so on.

It’s easy to say it’s not my decision to make; but it is my deci-

sion, just as it is the decision of every one of you who reads this.

Every single one of us can pick up the phone or click a mouse

and we can save a life for a bit of small change. I want to help

but would I really be helping. Would I be cleansing my own

conscience or would I be helping mankind ? I suspect I would be cleansing my conscience by convincing

myself that I was helping to eliminate suffering, whereas I would

actually be perpetuating it and increasing it. Only governments

and armed forces can change the political environment of these

countries to give the poor souls a chance; and not even they can

work the necessary wonders with the climate and fertility of the

soil to allow them to be self-supporting. Sometimes, the sensible decisions can be the hardest to make or,

to put it in stark terms, why don’t we just let a few million chil-

dren die quickly and then we will save generations of suffering ?

As a nation, we do not seem to have a problem with thousands of

civilians dying in Iraq, Aghanistan, Libya or Syria so long as it is

in the long term interests of mankind and democracy. It may

seem ruthless now but it’ll be much better in the long run. So that’s the argument, really, we can solve one of the world’s

worst over-population problems, we can rid our screens of those

terrible images of children suffering, we can avoid our charitable

donations ending up in the hands of despots by doing one simple

thing – absolutely nothing. Keep the money, have an extra cou-

ple of pints and forget about them. As Alexandr Meerkat would

say, “Simples”. Now, before I forget, I must make my donation………. Robert Kingsbury

www.hillamforum.webs.com

20

GRIT SQUADS IN ACTION

Hillam’s oldest farmer (born 1927) probably would have reacted to the

February freeze by pointing out that the notorious 1947 winter did not

begin until February 1st. That was followed on March 15th by the Selby (and Hillam

Common) floods. The 2012 cold snap came almost as a relief, especially to village grit

squads, which had been formed after the winter of 2010 to 2011 and which had been

on standby through a particularly uneventful winter.

How did they do?

South Milford has a website http://www.southmilford.org/content/

south-milford-village-grit-squad but a quick check four days after the Febru-

ary 4th snowstorm indicated more ‘spin’ than action. Despite the dividing of the village

into coloured zones, footpaths outside the school, the post office and the doctor’s sur-

gery remained untreated.

Opening a weather affected meeting of the ‘Western Area Community Engagement

Forum Councillor Andy Pound complained he had gone head over heels on his way to

the venue, Monk Fryston School. Where was the grit squad, he wanted to know. No

one from Hillam or Fryston Parish Councils enlightened him. So Hillam News con-

ducted its‘unscientific’ survey the following morning. The main signs of pavement

gritting in Monk Fryston, we could find, were along the footpath near the Post Office.

We moved on to Hillam and Manor Court, where all the footpaths were pristine, and

a neighbour testified to the cheerful Sunday morning activity which had led to their

clearance. Well done Hillam, the home of the region’s most

conscientious ‘True Grit’ Squad.

Church Walks

Saturday April 28th 2012

Venue---Bramham.

We welcome you to a pleasant 8mile walk through Bramham park,

with lovely views across open countryside,and including picturesque

woods.

Meet in the centre of Bramham at 10.15am for a 10.30am start.

Please bring food and water.

Any queries please contact Paddy or Stuart on 684180.

21

For all cricket facts and latest information see

www.hmfcc.co.uk

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THEATRE LU,CH AT Monk Fryston Hall

(Performed by the Library Theatre Touring Company)

Sunday 10 June 2012 Two Talking Heads

Written by Alan Bennett

Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet ...A middle-aged lady who cares for

her ailing brother. Miss Fozzard masks a quirky private life with a

completely conventional job as a soft furnishings store clerk. When

a new podiatrist arrives on the scene, will Miss Fozzard find a way

to keep a foot in both worlds?

Bed Among the Lentils ..........Susan is a nervous vicar's wife,

who distracts herself from her vainly insensitive husband and his

doting parishioners by conducting an affair with a nearby grocer,

Ramesh the third, discovering something about herself and God in the

process.

2 Course Luncheon, with Coffee and the Theatre Presentation -

£23.00 per person. (1.45p.m. - 5.45p.m. approx)

tel: 01977-682369

Mother and baby doing well on Twitter

the_flying_pig writes on Twitter:

What a January. Lady luck currently residing in Hillam.

Baby Noah's safe arrival and promotion at work. Loving

life!!

dsa99uk responds:

Do I gather there is a new arrival? If you'd like details to

be in Hillam News please send. Too late for next issue

but one after that. Congrats

the_flying_pig comes back:

We have indeed thanks. Noah Alexander Colum Fox

born 7-1-12 at 7.55am at York District Hospital. Mother

and baby both well. Dad very proud.

Smarter than Smart

Remember Smartwater? Just four years ago Hillam Parish Coun-

cil was promoting the use of Smartwater on behalf of the North

Yorkshire Police. It cost £15.00 per bottle and you used it to mark

your TV, computer and other valuables which were at risk from

burglary. Smartwater is still about and Inspector Richard Abbot of

Selby told Hillam News that it could be used to identify the owner

of property recovered by the Police.

‘Keep using Smartwater. We still have our records,’ he said.

However ,orth Yorkshire Police is now promoting Immobilise

(http://www.immobilise.com/) which is an Internet based

database where householders can record their property and if it is

stolen alert the police. If the police come across suspected property

they can search the database.

How to join. All you do is go to the Immobilise site and follow the

instructions. Most people are familiar these days with the request to

input a series of onscreen digits, which are quite difficult to read.

This is to combat spammers. You will need to give a phone number

and email address and then you will receive an email message

giving you your password. There is a multiple choice list asking

where you found out about ‘Immobilise’. So far North Yorkshire

Police is not there, so choose ‘Other.’

,ow you can start entering details and even upload photographs

of your valuables. Inspector Abbot assures Hillam News that this is

the way forward and Hillam News agrees with him and likes it.

The Hillam Nerd

http://www.issuu.com/hillamnews

22

SPORT-IN-NEWS

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Another Cheltenham Festival comes to an end with a hugely entertaining

and exciting four day Cotswolds festival. Unfortunately an injury put paid

to my ‘hot tip’ (Grandouet) running in the Champion Hurdle and with a

number of favourites getting turned-over, who’s to say he wouldn’t have

landed the spoils. The week also suffered from the wrong type of headlines

with a number of horses making the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of victory.

There was a feeling of déjà-vu as the same words were used in connection

with last year’s Grand National meeting following a number of fatalities.

One horse being lost is bad enough but when it becomes several then peo-

ple naturally become alarmed. It is however important to remember that

these animals are doing something for which they have been bred and

trained. They are handled by highly skilled individuals who look after

them at their training bases in conditions that are the equivalent of five-star

hotels. It does not justify the loss of one horse but unfortunately that is the

price that can be paid in a sport where animals are jumping fences at 35

miles per hour. The vast majority of competing horses thankfully returned

safely and with over 50,000 people attending on each of the four days, the

festival was yet another huge success typified by Big Bucks landing the

World Hurdle for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. What a horse,

what a week!

Manchester United crashed out of Europe the same night their City rivals

also fell by the way-side. One result United have managed to achieve

however is in the Commercial Property league where they have recently

purchased a site not too far away from Old Trafford which currently con-

tains some sort of warehouse. The cost…. £8m. At a time where many

Clubs are paying very high player transfers and unbelievably high salaries

it is interesting to note United’s approach to developing their business.

Sources at the Club have not revealed plans for the site but you wouldn’t

expect them to have simply made the purchase for the fun of it. It also

coincides with Gary Neville being part of a consortium which is trying to

build a hotel and leisure complex on Sir Matt Busby Way. At the time of

writing, the Club have objected to this proposal which all adds to the gen-

eral confusion as to what is taking place in the Board Room at Old Traf-

ford. One thing is for certain however, the Glazer family have not reached

this point without a clearly defined strategy (at least in their own minds) so

whatever is happening, it will be interesting to see events unfold off the

field over the coming months. Which is just as well given there will be no

European football taking place on it..!

The golf season is now in full swing (sorry!), with a host of British play-

ers occupying the worlds top 10. Rory McIlroy is proudly placed at the top

of the tree but that could all change in the coming weeks as the first major

gets underway at Augusta. The Masters has a place all of it’s own in the

golfing calendar as it’s the only ‘Major’ to take place each year at the same

venue. McIlroy came very close to taking the prized green jacket last year

and who’s to say he won’t do so this year given his rich vein of form. I

went on record in a previous column and said I don’t think Tiger Woods

will lift a major this year and I’ll still stand by that prediction despite his

decent start. One person who could be there or thereabouts is the Ameri-

can, Webb Simpson who continues to play some spectacular golf. Either

way, it will be time to settle down and sample the delights of Au-

gusta…..summer must be on the way!!

Yours in Sport

Doug Hought

Brownies celebrate World Thinking Day 2012

Hillam and Monk Fryston Brownies recently attended an event

to celebrate World Thinking Day. These reports of the day were

written by 3 of our Brownies who are working towards their

Writers Badges.

“The 1st Hillam and Monk Fryston Brownie Pack had a great

fun international activity day at Selby Community Centre on

Sunday 4th March 2012. There were 110 Brownies there.

The activities included North Yorkshire bird feeders, Mexican

god’s eyes out of lolly sticks and wool, Greek money boxes,

Indian henna, Scottish Loch Ness monster picture competition,

paper weaving, Chinese origami, Hama Bead flags and African

bracelets.

And we did all those things because of World Thinking Day.

World Thinking Day is where you think about other Brownies

around the world.”

By Mal Tulwin age 9 and Hannah Darbyshire age 8

“World Thinking Day

On Sunday 4th March 2012, the 1st Hillam and Monk Fryston

Brownie Pack were invited to a World Thinking Day activity

afternoon in Selby.

There were over 100 other Brownies there from all over North

Yorkshire.

There were lots of activities going off. I made a Swiss flag out

of Hama Beads, a Loch Ness Monster picture and a couple of

bird feeders.

We all had a great time.”

By Katie Hornshaw age 9

23

Leaving Hillam?

If you are leaving Hillam, Why not take out

a hillam News subscription for two years?

twelve issues for only £15.00

including postage.

Please contact the treasurer.

Personal small adverts £1.00 per issue

Business small adverts £4.00 per issue

please contact David Edwards on 682346

‘DEAR HILLAM NEWS’

ZUMBA Latin-inspired dance fitness workout

St Wilfrid’s Church Hall

Every Thursday, 6:45-7:30 pm, £3

For more details contact Hannah Howcroft

(Qualified Fitness Instructor)

07707 929393

Walking on Air Foot Care In the comfort of your own home

Amanda Hornshaw

Foot Health Practitioner Dip CFHP, MPS Pract

Corns/callus removed, nail cutting, verrucas

and general foot care

Home visits only: phone 07740 090368

Fully insured and CRB checked

Dear Hillam ,ews

The residents of Manor Court would like to thank the

volunteers who came up to clear the snow from the foot-

paths and road at Manor Court during the recent spell of

bad weather, not forgetting the more active residents who

helped. You all did a wonderful job. We would like to

say how much this was appreciated.

Once again thank you,

The Manor Court Residents

Dear Hillam ,ews

Thanks for the remarks about credit cards in the latest

issue. They made interesting reading. A thought on credit

cards: We changed to an M&S MasterCard when we came

back from working abroad and have so far received £150

worth of M&S tokens. We use the card for everything

from the corner shop to car insurance and we consider that

not a bad return. We have also amassed £85 worth of

Amazon tokens in the same period by remembering to use

the Nectar card online & in shops wherever possible – and

no, we’re not regular Sainsbury’s or BP shoppers which

you might expect for us to get so much back. We have

stuck with British Gas and that helps...

24

LOCAL SERVICES To amend or to add to the information below, please phone Jenny Hoare (683332)

Service Telephone Details

Monk Fryston Stores

Post Office counter

682252 Mon - Fri 7 am - 8 pm; Sat 7.30 am - 7 pm; Sun 8 am - 2 pm

Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri 9 am - 5.30 pm; Wed & Sat 9 am - 1 pm

Last postal collections

682252

682201

691940

Hillam Square Mon - Fri 4.30 pm, Sat 9.30 am

Monk Fryston PO Mon - Fri 4.15 pm, Sat 11 am

South Milford PO Mon - Fri 5.30 pm, Sat 11 am

Pontefract, Trinity St Mon - Fri 6.30 pm, Sat 12.30 pm

Public transport 0113 2457676 Local bus and train timetables and enquiries: www.wymetro.com

South Milford Surgery

Dr A Mackenzie & Partners

682202

Mon - Fri 8 am - 1pm, 2pm to 6 pm

www.southmilfordsurgery.co.uk

Monk Fryston Surgery

Dr D James & Partners

683452 Mon 4 - 8 pm; Tues & Wed 8 - 12 am; Thur 2 - 6 pm; Fri 9 - 11 am

www.gibsonlanemedicalpractice.co.uk

Selby War Memorial

Hospital

01757 702664 www.nhs.uk/services/hospitals/selby

Pontefract General

Infirmary

0844 8118110

www.midyorks.nhs.uk

Visiting Scheme

for the Elderly

681828 Transport, shopping, social events for the housebound, and much more

www.sherburnvisitingscheme.co.uk

St Wilfrid’s Church,

Monk Fryston

680788 Rector: Rev John Hetherington

www.stwilfridandstmary.org.uk

Hillam Parish Council 01609 760345 Clerk: Malcolm Walton

1st Wed of month 7.30 pm, Community Centre

To read the recent minutes in full, visit www.hillam-village.co.uk

Selby District Council 01757 705101 www.selby.gov.uk

Environmental Health, SDC 01757 292113 Refuse disposal: removal of bulky items

,YCC Recycling Centre,

Canal Road, Selby

01609 780780 Recycling centre for household waste - cardboard, metals, textiles,

masonry, bottles, green waste, batteries, TVs, monitors, oils

Wakefield MDC Recycling

Centre, Ferrybridge

677792

01609 532512

Permits necessary for ,YCC residents:

waste.management@northyorks.gov.uk

Police (non-emergency) 101 www.northyorkshire.police.uk

Mobile Police Station,

Monk Fryston School lay-by

682693

Approx monthly, variable days, 7 - 8 pm

See village notice boards or contact Tony Hudson

,eighbourhood Watch 682693 Tony Hudson

Gas (leaks) 0800 111999 www.transco.uk.com

Electricity (supply failure) 0800 375675 www.npower.com

Yorkshire Water

(sewerage and leaks)

0845 1242429 www.yorkshirewater.com

Citizens’ Advice Bureau 01757 293015

0845 1203718

For appointments at Sherburn

Advice line

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Venue bookings

684180

689230

Church Hall: Paddy Twidale

Community Centre: Becky Gatenby

Village website www.hillam-village.co.uk

Western Area Community

Engagement Forum

01757 705101 www.your-community.org.uk