Neighbourhood News

ST ROBERT'S PANNAL: On Sunday March 16, BCP Holy Communion at 8am, followed by Morning Worship at 9.15am. Morning Prayer on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9.15am, with Holy Communion on Thursdays at 10.30 am. Next Thursday Sung Compline at 9pm on Thursday March 20. The church is open daily for private prayer and the office is open from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: email ([email protected]); phone (873577). Details of Services are available on the web site (www.strobertschurch.co.uk).

PANNAL METHODIST CHURCH: Weekly Service at 10am on Sunday March 16. Table Tennis every Thursday (school room) from 7.30pm till 9pm.

ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH – BECKWITHSHAW: Morning Worship at 11.15am on Sunday March 16. Morning Prayer at 9.15am on Tuesdays and the church is open daily for private prayer. Details of services appear on the website (www.stmichaelsbeckwithshaw.org).

PANNAL VILLAGE HALL - UPGRADED FACILITIES: The Village Hall is part way through its "Community Togetherness" project funded by the National Lottery. The Main Hall now boasts a 4K cine projector for showing high-definition movies and the Function Room now has a 75-inch screen Smart TV for viewing national sporting events, also in high definition. The Main Hall DVD player has been upgraded to Blue Ray HD, and a new sound system mixer is being installed which will enable visitors to use clip-on microphones for speech over video content. Whilst upgrading the digital facilities, past issues with the hearing loop equipment have been resolved!. Next steps are to upgrade the training facilities on the 1st floor rooms as well as extending and upgrading the existing CCTV security system. Take a look at the facilities and range of activities at the village hall on its website (www.pannalvillagehall.co.uk).

PANNAL VILLAGE HALL – HELP NEEDED: A couple of members of the Pannal Village Hall Committee have recently retired so more help is needed to keep the Village Hall running smoothly. This is an interesting and exciting time to build on the hall's strong foundations and attract new activities, including possible regular film nights. If you are interested in helping out with the Committee, or other volunteering opportunities at the Village Hall, get in touch by email ([email protected]).

PANNAL VILLAGE HALL 'PUB NIGHT' : A reminder that the village hall holds a monthly “pub night” on the last Friday of the month, so the next one is on Friday March 28, open from 8pm to 11pm. As well as a range of competitively priced drinks, it's also the chance to meet up with friends and neighbours.

BECKWITHSHAW COFFEE, CAKE AND CONVERSATION MORNINGS: The next 'coffee, cake and conversation morning' will take place on Tuesday March 18 from 10am to 12pm at Beckwithshaw Village Hall.

THE ARTS SOCIETY – NIDD VALLEY: The series continues on Monday March 17 at 7.30pm at the Christ Church Centre on the Stray with Ian Cockburn, a specialist in the Moorish occupation and Christian reconquest of medieval Iberia. The Arts Society Nidd Valley is one of 365 local societies under the umbrella of The Arts Society, a leading arts education charity with a global network of local societies which bring people together through a shared curiosity of the arts. Find out more (www.theartssocietyniddvalley.org.uk) or email ([email protected]).

LUNCH CLUB AT ST ROBERT'S: The next lunch club will be on Tuesday March 18 in the Chapter House at 12.30pm. For £13 per person, there's a home cooked main course (with veg), dessert and drinks. Transport can be arranged. Further details and to book, phone Jean Hannam (545646) or the church office (873577.

GARDENING CLUB : The first 2025 Gardening Club meeting is on Thursday March 20 from 7pm at Pannal Village Hall, when ecologist Professor Alastair Fitter answers the question "When will it flower? Plants and Climate Change". Professor Fitter was recently awarded the prestigious Cadbury Medal from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in recognition of 50 years of service including his achievement in preventing a housing development being built next to an ancient peat bog. Further information from the Programme Secretary ([email protected]) or (07919 987013)

SPRING CONCERT AT BECKWITHSHAW: In the church of St Michael and All Angels on Saturday March 29 at 3pm, with refreshments afterwards. Village Voices (Killinghall) will be providing the music. Tickets are priced at £5 and can be obtained by contacting Kathryn (07947 934669)

CRIMPLE BECK : , The Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council (P&BBPC) has been addressing the contamination of Crimple Beck (in the vicinity of the Weeton’s outflow) with the Environment Agency. Various actions are underway, including water sampling every two weeks following completion of the remedial work.

NORTH YORKSHIRE LOCAL PLAN: North Yorkshire Council (NYC) is preparing a new local plan for North Yorkshire, with the current target date of end 2028. NYC is not consulting on the release of the sites at this stage, but are making the information available to give greater levels of transparency and to allow community and other interested parties the opportunity to see the submitted sites as early as possible. A comprehensive consultation will take place later that will seek the views of the community on all sites - at which stage further work will have been completed to give greater direction as to whether such sites are likely to be recommended for allocation or dismissed. There is a dedicated Call for Sites webpage which gives further information to the process and introduces a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section. The webpage also contains a link to the mapping website where the site submissions can be viewed. P&BBPC councillors recognise that this is very much a work in progress, but some concern is being felt with regard to the extensiveness of numbers and sites put forward – coupled, of course, with the Government’s press for the local authority to achieve a housing target of 4,200 per year.

ENJOY LIVING IN PANNAL AND BURNBRIDGE? : If you do, then P&BBPC needs your help! The Parish Council workload is ever-increasing and, with only seven councillors allowed, it would really appreciate offers to help. Volunteers are needed to help with a Community Resilience Plan, the twice yearly litter picks (kindly organised by Liz Brown), setting up the Family Fun Day, in addition to identifying things to improve village life. The more people that get involved, the quicker tasks are completed - or are identified - and which will enable P&BBPC to take North Yorkshire Council to task if it should prove their responsibility. If you can help, email the parish clerk on [email protected] or Cllr Cathy Burrell on [email protected] recently, we require more help

WOMEN WINNING: Harrogate's biggest ever project to mark International Women's Day. Harrogate has many inspirational women from the past and the present day and the Women Winning partners want to bring their stories to new and bigger audiences. This year will see the greatest number of events round International Women’s Day ever held in Harrogate, the aim being to bring inspirational women from all walks of life into the spotlight (harrogatefilmsociety.org/event-details/women-winning). 8 March 2025 was the 50th anniversary of International Women’s Day being adopted by the United Nations, but its story goes back further in history.