No. 70 Welbury's Summer Festival: A Heartwarming Homecoming

Welcome back! Nick Norsworthy (nee Race) at C-it-Off photo Ted Adamski 04-07-2015
Welbury’s biggest summer event was crowned by the surprise home-coming from Australia of the Races’ daughter Nicola who is fighting a serious rare form of cancer with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Coming up …

More details in church gazette and separate wel-e-bulletins

Thu 16 Jul Welbury WI, 7.30 pm Dark Star Plants, East Rounton

Sat 1 Aug Yorkshire Day Afternoon Teas, 2.30 – 5 pm, Village Hall

Sat 8 Aug Welbury Show, Village Hall

Sun 9 Aug Circuit of Welbury Cycle Race, from Duke of Wellington

Wed 12 Aug Cactus Society show, Village Hall

Thu 20 Aug WI 7.30 pm Village Hall

Sat 22 – Tue 15 Aug Beer Festival, Duke of Wellington

Sat 12 Sep Welly Wanging v. Wellington, Somerset, Duke of Wellington

Sun 13 Sep Family Service, St Leonard’s Church

Sat 26 Sep Macmillan Coffee Morning, 10.00-12.00 Village Hall

Pauline Havelock

Long time Welbury resident Pauline Havelock of Oak Tree Cottages died on Friday aged 67 after suffering from the lung condition COPD in recent years. She was attended by the ambulance service including a helicopter which landed in Gaudies’ field. A funeral service was held at St Leonard’s Church on Thursday 9th July prior to cremation. Pauline, from Appleton Wiske, came to Welbury when she married Malcolm in 1971. She worked at Woolworths in Northallerton from age 16 to late retirement at 62, from age 18 as a manager.

Congratulations …

Laura Meynell, elder daughter of Les and Sue Meynell of Sunnyside, Welbury, married Thomas James Sheraton, from Middlesbrough, at 1pm on 5th July at St Leonard’s Church. The marriage got off to a flying start as straight after the service they were taken by helicopter from the village to the reception at Crathorne Hall. (Pictures on page 6)

Quiz of the month …

Word from Welbury? What is the longest word you can make up from the letters of Welbury? What if you are allowed to use the letters any number of times? Come on, scrabble freaks! But not a great scrabble hand?

Answers from last month (as far as we know; tell us if you know better).
More bridges? There are just two named road bridges in the parish on OS maps: the Wiske Bridge to the north and Reepool Bridge in the south. The Wiske Bridge is said to be a successor to the 12th Century bridge of Ingram, but Reepool Bridge is on the Roman road and must have had earlier origins.

Snippets …

Finishing training Achieve Cycle Team 05-07-2015

The Welbury Circuit Cycle Race will start and finish at the Duke of Wellington on Sunday, August 9.
Food share: After receiving a tax rebate, the Taylor family from Wray House filled eight trolleys with basic goods at Tesco this month to donate to the Northallerton food bank.
Triathlon: John Hepworth is attempting the Outlaw Triathlon at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham next Sunday in aid of national charity CAFOD. Parish Council: July meeting is postponed
to Wed 22 July (TBC)

Weather from Rod …

A chilly start to June gave us nine nights with temperatures below 5 °C during the first two weeks of the month and a minimum of <2 °C on the 9th, cold enough for a ground frost in our garden. This compares with a minimum of 6.6 °C during June 2014. To compensate, there were four days exceeding 25 °C and a
maximum of 32 °C on the 30th June, the hottest day since 12th July 2013 (33 °C). The monthly average of 14.2 °C was 1 degree lower than June 2014. The heavy rain on the 2nd June (11 mm) made it the wettest day since 7th November 2014, but overall rainfall for the month was only 29 mm and much less than last June (48 mm).

The heat of the last day of June was passed on 1st July with a high of 34.6 °C, the highest measured since we started recording data in 2010. (Rod’s temps are a bit higher than in full shade, but are self-consistent. – Ed.) Since then, there’s been the wettest day since last November with over 15 mm of rainfall of the 3rd/4th and it’s generally been much wetter with 35 mm of rain up until the 12th.

Book of the month …

The Diary of a Nobody
by
George and Weedon Grossmith

‘The Diary of a Nobody’ is an English comic novel written by the
Grossmith brothers (illustrated by Weedon).

It started life as an intermittent serial in Punch magazine in about 1888 and appeared in book form in 1892. The book records the daily life of a London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son Lupin (formerly Willie – see book!!) and their friends and acquaintances.

The main source of humour in the book is Charles Pooter’s unjustified sense of his own importance. He is delusional and, all too often, comes a cropper in social situations by making gaffes and being humiliated – although he does not perceive the humiliation and ploughs blithely and complacently on!

The novel gives us a good idea of how people at that time were beginning to have rising expectations and ambitions to better themselves and it can certainly strike a chord with the modern reader. Above all, however, it is a funny book – always understated and played completely straight. We are given all the tragic detail of Pooter’s dull daily existence: problems with local tradesmen, dealings with his recalcitrant son and Pooter’s own attempts to be the Samuel Pepys of his day!

This book is amusing, charming and quirky and well worth a read. It has been mimicked by Private Eye and The Diaries of Adrian Mole but has its own unique blend of absurdity and mocking affection with characters who ring true for our time, too. I guarantee that reading ‘Diary of a Nobody’ will cheer you up!

Sarah Hoiles

Prestigious prize …

Welbury student Thomas Pattison wins John Dennis Prize at Northallerton College Thomas, 15, of Welbury, who received arapturous round of applause on receiving his award, said:

“This is a very big surprise – I can’t believe all my tutors kept it quiet from me. I didn’t even think I’d be in the running so I’m extremely shocked but very happy.” Year 11 team manager Matthew Tucker added: “Tom is the voice of calm and reason within his peer group.”

Report and photo (provided by the college) from Darlington & Stockton Times 23-06-2015 http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/13348579.Top_students_take_awards/ The award is presented to the Year 11 boy and girl who, by their attitude, commitment and honourable conduct, have contributed most to the character and reputation of the school.

“The voice of calm and reason” – you can’t go far wrong with that! Respect

WI Report (June)

From Dervor Hanson

Sue McDonnell looked most elegant in the full outfit that she wore to the WI Centenary Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. She said it was a very long and rather windy day but a fantastic experience which she had greatly enjoyed. Ten members had got together for a craft evening to crochet squares for a blanket to be auctioned at Tina’s C it Off event; 160 have been completed so far, with two ladies continuing the work though the meeting. A lifelong love of penguins, inspired by a soft toy from her Grandmother early in childhood, fired Ruth Roberts’ enthusiasm for a trip to Antarctica. Her beautiful photographs of the wildlife and scenery well illustrated her entertaining talk. The competition for a penguin was won by a much loved push-along toy. Next month’s meeting will be at Dark Star Plants, East Rounton. The competition is for a star.

Highways & byways

A sign of summer 14-07-2015
A little bird approves of the new Spring Hill sign erected by NYCC. The former wooden posts were badly rotted. Peter Hunt has created the flower bed.

Pathway to Rounton 28-06-2015
The footpath leading off Bell’s Lane (lane to Applegarth) at the bottom of the bank finds its way to the tunnel under the railway line, helped by the crop parting.