Neighbourhood news

BARNOLDSWICK:
History Society: Barnoldswick History Society welcomed the Rev Trevor Vaughan, who recalled his young days in Barnoldswick where the Vaughan family had a bakery and bread-making business before progressing to the title of the talk, A Parson’s Pie. Now semi-retired, he has been in the Anglican ministry for more than 40 years serving in both rural and urban parishes as well as being a padre in the Territorial Army for 20 years. Mr Vaughan had the large audience in laughter at the many humorous stories he told. There will be no meeting in December.
St Andrew’s: The preacher at Sunday’s 10.30am service will be Barry Dickinson. There will be no 6pm service, Instead, the congregation will attend the Advent Christian Aid service, organised by Churches Together in Barnoldswick, at the Baptist Church. On Monday, the church will hold a prayer hour at 10am and a Christmas get-together from 4pm. The second Advent meeting will be held on Tuesday at 5pm at St Peter’s Church, Earby. On Friday, there will be a toddlers session from 9.30am in the Baptist Church and Bible study at Woodlands from 7.30pm. Next Saturday, December 12, there will be a Christmas-themed Messy Church from 3pm.

BOLTON ABBEY:
Priory Church: On Sunday, there will be an 8am Communion (said), a 9.15am liquid family service, a 10.30am Sung Eucharist and a 4.30pm Evensong. On Wednesday, there will be a said communion service at 10am.

BRADLEY: Liz Zieboll, 01535 636369:
Mothers’ Union: On Saturday, Cononley with Bradley Mothers’ Union raised £177 at its coffee morning in St Mary’s Church Hall.
Coffee morning: Everyone is welcome at the Methodist Church coffee morning in the church hall on Saturday between 10am and 11.30am.
St Mary’s: There will be a toy service with Holy Communion at St Mary’s Church on Sunday at 9.30am. Please bring toys, either new or in very good condition, to be passed on to Keighley Salvation Army.
Women’s Institute: Bradley Women’s Institute will meet at 7pm on Monday in the village hall, when Susan Dobson will give a demonstration on making a Christmas wreath.
School news: Bradley School will hold its Christmas Fair on Monday, from 6pm. Its Christmas productions take place next Friday, December 11. Key stage one youngsters will perform their nativity The Tale of Two Birthdays at 9.30am and key stage two will perform Xmas Factor at 10.30am. Tickets are not required. Farnhill Class (class three) enjoyed a visit to Manchester Museum last week. Tokens are still being collected from promotional 500g tubs of Flora Original, Light and Buttery.
Christmas coffee: The Methodist Church will hold a Christmas coffee morning on Friday, December 18, from 10am to noon. This will be followed by a Christmas workshop in the Methodist schoolroom from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. The Christmas Windows exhibition will be on view in the church from December 18 to January 3. Windows have been contributed by local clubs and the school and this year’s theme is Christmas Card.

BURTON-IN-LONSDALE: Jean Thornber, 015242 63033:
Parish council: The parish council agreed its precept request at £14,500 for the coming 2016-17 financial year. To minimise the precept’s increase above last year’s precept, it will be drawing down on reserves to meet forecasted expenditure of £16,300. This continues the council’s policy of drawing down on reserves to buffer precept increases. The next meeting will be on Thursday, January 28, at 7.30pm in the village hall.

CARLETON:
Christmas fayre: Carleton Endowed School PTA will hold its Christmas Fayre tomorrow from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. There will be fun stalls, face-painting and, of course, Santa will be in his grotto.
Advent coffee: St Mary’s Church invite you to its Advent coffee morning in Carleton Village Hall on Saturday from 10am to noon. The £2 entry includes tea/coffee and a mince pie. The raffle will be drawn at 11.30am.
St Mary’s Church: On Sunday, there will be a Holy Communion service at 8am followed, at 11am, by Family Praise.
Food donations: Skipton Food Bank donations of Christmas items will be collected from St Mary’s Church on Sunday and from Carleton Post Office on Monday.
Quiz night: The Swan Inn will hold its fortnightly quiz night on Wednesday from 8.30pm. Entry is £1.

CLAPHAM: Rory-Joe Daniels, 015242 51135:
Pet Rescue: Bentham and District Pet Rescue will hold a Christmas fair at Clapham Village Hall on Sunday from 10am to 3.30pm. There will be a range of festive gifts, cards, cakes and competitions, culminating in the draw for the annual Christmas hampers.
Santa visits: Father Christmas will visit Clapham on Monday from 5pm.
School news: Clapham School’s Christmas Fayre will be on Saturday between 10am and noon. The fayre is organised by the Parent Teachers Association, which would appreciate contributions to the bottle raffle. Please drop them into school. Cakes can also be dropped off on the day.
Bethel Chapel: Bethel Chapel’s Christmas Carols and lunch led by B Cornall and friends is today at 12.30pm. The Mums and Tots Christmas Party will take place next Friday, December 11, from 9.30am to 11am. There will also be a Christmas Celebration next Friday at 7.30pm taken by Sue Marsden and friends. There will be a collection for Parkinsons and Cancer Care. The nativity service is at 11am on Sunday, December 20, with a carol service that evening at 6.30pm. The Christmas Day service will be at 10.30am and and there will be a New Years Eve Watch Night service from 8pm.

CONISTON COLD:
St Peter’s: On Sunday, there will be a Advent BCP communion service and carol singing at 9.30am.
Young Farmers: Coniston Cold Young Farmers will meet next week for a whist drive at Coniston Cold.

CONONLEY: Joan Nicholson, 01535 630872:
St John’s: On Saturday, St John’s Church will hold a coffee morning in the institute from 10.30am to 12.30pm. There will be all the usual stalls and refreshments. On Sunday, morning prayer will be at 11am, led by the Rev Malcolm Sharrock. This is the toy service, so toys are requested, which will be passed onto Keighley Salvation Army for distribution. The House Group will meet at Lois’s home at 7.30pm next Thursday (not Tuesday).
Mothers’ Union: On Saturday, Cononley with Bradley Mothers’ Union raised £177 at its coffee morning in St Mary’s Church Hall.

COWLING:
Toy service: On Sunday, St Andrew’s will hold its toy service at 10.30am. Everyone is invited to give new and nearly new toys which will be distributed by the Salvation Army. Please do not wrap gifts so that they can be distributed appropriately. When choosing gifts please note that toddlers are usually well catered for but older children are sometimes forgotten. The service will be led by the Rev Saidu Kanu.

DRAUGHTON: Jane Markham, 01756 711305:
Tea party: The next afternoon tea party will be held in the village hall on Monday at 2.30pm.
St Augustine’s Church: Sunday’s service will be Holy Communion, starting at 9.30am. The traditional family service of lessons and carols will be held on Sunday, December 20, at 5pm, followed by seasonal refreshments in the village hall.

EARBY: David Hartley, 01282 842617:
St Peter’s: On Saturday, the church will host a Christmas concert by Skipton Ladies Choir at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 or pay on door. The 10.30am service on Sunday will be led by Tony Gildea. On Monday, there is a gentle exercise class at 1.30pm and the next church lunch is at noon on Wednesday.
Nativity play: Churches Together will present the nativity play, Earby to Bethlehem, next Sunday, December 13, at 6pm at New Road Community Centre. There will be a collection to defray expenses and free refreshments will be served afterwards in the centre.
Christmas social: Earby and District Gardeners invite everyone to their Christmas Social on Tuesday from 7.30pm in the coffee bar of the New Road Community Centre.This will take the usual format of a reindeer (beetle) drive and refreshments including mulled wine and mince pies.

EMBSAY AND EASTBY: Andrew Wilson, 01756 790197:
Embsay churches: On Sunday, the second in Advent, St Mary’s will hold an all-age worship at 9.30am followed at 11.15am by a Book of Common Prayer Communion service. At the Methodist Chapel, the 10.30am service will be led by David Allison. On Tuesday, St Mary’s will hold a communion service at 10.30am and the church will be open for tea, coffee, home baking and conversation between 2pm and 4pm. Smiley Faces will meet on Friday between 1.45pm and 3.15pm for pre-school children their parents, grandparents and carers. The Methodist Chapel’s Friendship Club is still temporarily suspended due to ill health.
Charity quiz:The Cavendish Arms will hold its traditional Bids and Jockey’s Christmas Quiz tomorrow, from 9pm. For more details, contact Leigh, Owen or Joe on 793980. All the proceeds will go to a charity chosen by the winning team.
Women’s Institute: Guest speaker Helen Hockenhull managed to transform members from reticent shrinking violets into confident harmonious performers. The next meeting will be on Tuesday at 7pm in the village hall when the annual general meeting will be followed by a Christmas party.
Missing pans: The village hall management committee would like to ask the person or persons who borrowed pans from the kitchen to return them as soon as possible.
Parish council: The level of rainfall in the latter half of the month has brought localised flooding and another incident of sewage surcharge in Skipton Road. These problems have been referred to the Environment Agency, Craven District Council Environmental Health Department and North Yorkshire County Highways. Members felt some of these issues were, at least in part, due to a lack of diligent maintenance and are to pursue the matters further. County Cllr Marshall and Cllr Shuttleworth have met with officials at the Area Highways Office to express concerns and request remedial work. Undertakings were given to assess and consider remedies for two flooding locations along Low Lane. If any resident becomes aware of a choked or silted up road gulley, this can be reported direct to NYCC Area 5 Highways or relayed through the parish council.
Steam Railway: The Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway has begun its season of Santa Special. Trains will run on both Saturdays and Sundays for the first three weekends in December as well as Tuesday. They will all start at Bolton Abbey and will not stop at Embsay. Pre-booking is essential.
Gardening Club: Nigel Heaton, plant centre manager at the RHS Harlow Carr Gardens, gave a most informative and entertaining talk. He was previously plant centre manager at Wisley for nine years. There are no meetings in December and January so the gardening club will next meet on Friday, February 12, at 7.30pm in the village hall when the topic will be The Glorious Past and Vital Future of Botanic Gardens. Visitors are welcome for an entry charge of £3.
Santa in Embsay: Santa’s annual visit to Embsay, courtesy of the Rotary Club, will be on the evening of Friday, December 18.
Community Library: The next Story and Singing session for under fives in the community library will be on Wednesday between 2pm and 3pm.

FARNHILL AND KILDWICK: Joyce Wood, 01535 635880:
St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday, there will be a service of Holy Communion at 8.15am in the parish rooms and a family communion with baptism at 10am. Next Sunday, December 13, at 4pm, the local churches will present Christmas in the Park, an outdoor presentation of the Christmas story travelling through Sutton-in-Craven village to Sutton Park.
Village Pump: The over 50s group, the Village Pump, will meet in the Kildwick and Farnhill Institute on Wednesday from 2pm to 3.30pm.

GARGRAVE: Sally Jennings, 01756 748098:
Christmas concert: The Langcliffe Singers will present its Christmas concert at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday from 7.30pm. Tickets at £10 will be available on the door or from Ruth on 01756 748483. The programme is Vaughan Williams’ Hodie and Fantasia on Christmas Carols and performing will be organist Paul Fisher, cellist Owain Smith, soloists from the Royal Northern College of Music, Langcliffe Singers and members of the Skipton Music Centre Choir. Bring a cushion if you wish.
Film night: The community library will hold a film night in the village hall tomorrow from 7pm. Entry is £5 and you are invited to bring your own refreshments. The main film will be Sunshine on Leith and there will be a short animation film The Elephant and the Bicycle. Sunshine on Leith is a story about two soldiers who have to relearn how to live in Edinburgh after returning from service in Afghanistan. It features songs by the Proclaimers.
Coffee morning: A coffee morning will take place between 10am and noon on Saturday in the village hall. All proceeds will be donated towards this year’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday, there will be a traditional BCP communion service at 8am, and a contemporary Advent communion service with carol singing and lighting the second candle on the Advent Crown at 10.45am.
Parish council: The parish council will meet on Monday from 7.15pm in the village hall annexe.
Neville House: A Christmas coffee morning will be held at Neville House between 10am and noon on Tuesday. There will be a £2 admission fee and there will be a cake stall, raffle and tombola.
Hatha yoga: A new six-week Hatha yoga session will start at 9.30am on Wednesday in the village hall annexe. Full tuition will be provided by Corinne Docherty. More information can be obtained from Sally on 01756 748098.
Primary school: There will be two performances of the school’s end-of-term performance at 2pm and 6pm on Wednesday in the village hall.
Women’s Institute: The WI will meet on Wednesday from 7.30pm in the village hall annexe. It will be a Yorkshire Film Quiz organised by Dorothy Burrows.
Walk and quiz: On Saturday, the Yorkshire Dales Society will lead a free guided walk, setting off from the village hall at 10.30am and lasting around two hours. Join YDS member Dave Stannard for an easy walk of about four miles along the Pennine Way and Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath. And there is an optional fun quiz along the way! All are welcome including well behaved dogs on leads. Wear boots or wellies and warm waterproof clothing. Then, at 2.12pm, there will be a talk on Kit Calvert, the Cheese Man, in the village hall. It will be presented by YDS trustee Dr Chris Wright. Admission is free to members and £3 for non-members. Christmas cake and Wensleydale cheese will be served - donated by the Co Operative Store, Gargrave. The talk is due to end about 4pm.

GIGGLESWICK: Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639:
Community Cinema: On Sunday, Community Cinemas will present a sing-along showing of Frozen at the Richard Whiteley Theatre at 3.30pm. Frozen fancy dress is encouraged. For tickets, call 01729 893180.
Chapel carols: An evening of lessons and carols will be held at Giggleswick School Chapel next Thursday and Friday, December 10 and 11, at 7.30pm. Admission is by ticket only. For more information, visit giggleswick.org.uk/rwt or call 01729 893180.
St Alkelda’s: The ground maintenance team urgently needs help. There is a large amount of raking up of grass, hay and leaves to be piled up and collected! The small team meets on Mondays from 2pm to 4pm – but any time you are free there are jobs to do! Details from Tony Carroll on 01729 822911.
Gisburn
Young Farmers:Gisburn Young Farmers held their annual dinner at the Calf’s Head, Worston, where trophies were awarded to the members. The following week, members tried cake decorating, with many outstanding skills being shown. On November 15, everyone had fun at laser combat, Clitheroe, and finally the club went ice-skating at Blackburn.

GRASSINGTON: Sheila Denby, 01756 752605:
Friendship Club: Janet Penny will present Seasonal Treats to Grassington Friendship Club today. Next Thursday, Charles and Angela Knowles will present Christmas 2015. The club meets in Church House at 2.15pm.
Gill Top: Gill Top - the Anchor home on Scar Street - will hold its final coffee morning of the year tomorrow from 10.30am.
Coffee morning: The second coffee morning at Church House, in support of the Dickensian Christmas event, will take place on Saturday from 9.30am.
Opera treat: Teatro Regio Torino’s version of Verdi’s opera, Aida, will be shown at the Octagon Theatre at Grassington Town Hall on Sunday at 4pm. Admission is free, but donations would be appreciated to cover the costs.
Players perform: Grassington Players will present an Old Time Music Hall in the town hall on Saturdays, December 5 and 12, at 8pm. Advanced tickets cost £5 and are available from the Hub.
Horticultural Society: Tilly Dagnall will give a talk on Wreath Making to Grassington and District Horticultural Society in the Octagon Theatre tonight at 7.30pm. The annual general meeting is on January 7.

HELLIFIELD: Ken Leak, 01729 850845:
Women Institute: The WI will hold a carol service at St Aidan’s Church on Saturday from 2.30pm. It is an area event so expect something different! The service will be followed by mince pies and refreshments.
Wesley Centre: The Wesley Centre on Haw Grove will hold a coffee morning with mince pies, stalls and raffles, from 10am on Saturday. Proceeds will go to local charities. On Wednesday, from 7.30pm, Margaret Smith and Joy Orwell will present a talk entitled Christmas.
Station carols: The Station Tea Rooms are hosting a Carols and Music Evening on Wednesday at 7pm, featuring The Settle Voices Choir and Christmas readings. Entrance is £5 and includes mince pies and a glass of mulled wine. Booking is not required and for further information, call 01729 825454. Profits will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Quiz night: Hellifield’s Allotment and Gardening Association will be holding a pre-Christmas quiz in the institute on Monday from 7.30pm. Admission is £1 for members and £2 for non-members.
Age Concern: Age Concern Luncheon Club meets at the Boars Head on Fridays. Next Friday, December 11, will be the Christmas Lunch from 11.15am. Please confirm attendance with Ellen on 850864 by Wednesday morning.

HORTON-IN-RIBBLESDALE: Caroline Thompson, 01756 749235:
Fair money: Thanks are extended to everyone who supported St Oswald’s Church Autumn Fayre when about £1,300 was raised for church funds. The proceeds will be used on repairs to the north east wall of the church.
Sunday service: The service at St Oswald’s Church on Sunday will be at 3pm.
Parish party: The Christmas Parish Party will take place next Friday, December 11, at 7.30pm in the village hall with a buffet and entertainment. Admission is £5 (£2.50 for children under ten).

LANGCLIFFE: Helen Jarvis, 01729 825303:
Institute event: The institute’s annual coffee morning and table top sale will be on Saturday from 10am to 12.30pm. Sales from the craft, cake and confectionery stalls and tombola will go to support the upkeep of the institute.
Church news: St John’s will be selling tickets for two Christmas hampers at the institute coffee morning on Saturday. All funds raised will go to the church. On Sunday, there will be a Holy Communion at 10.30am.
Santa visits: Santa’s sleigh will visit Langcliffe next Thursday, December 10, from 5pm.

LONG PRESTON: Heather Thomas-Smith, 01729 840113:
Over 70s fundraiser: Coffee and mince pies will be on offer at the village hall on Saturday from 10am. There will also be the draw for the Christmas hamper. Proceeds will go to the Long Preston Over 70s Group.
Hymn winner: Local organist Judy Mason took first prize in the open class of the annual hymn writing competition organised by Settle and District Methodist Churches.
Lothersdale
Discussion Group: The Lothersdale Agricultural Discussion Group will meet at the Tempest Arms, Elslack, on Wednesday at 8pm. The speaker will be Bob Fernandes, who was a Zimbabwe land agent.

RATHMELL: Elaine Illingworth, 01729 840087:
Santa visits: Santa’s sleigh will visit Rathmell on Tuesday starting at 5pm.
Thursday Club: The Thursday Club will meet at the Reading Room today, for lunch at 12.30pm, followed by a talk on Christmas Flower Arranging by B Johnson.
Zumba: There will be no Zumba classes at the Reading Room in December.
Rathmell School: The school will hold a celebration assembly on Monday at 2.15pm. The children will share their work on the First World War.
Young Farmers: Fifteen members competed in the Settle District Young Farmers’ public speaking competition at Rathmell School - and helped to win the overall cup for the first time in more than 20 years. Rathmell’s results were: juniors, chairman - 1 Jonathan Booth, 2 Anna Booth; speaker - 2 Charlotte Booth; vote of thanks - 1 India Healing, 3 Jessica Sowerbutts; junior reading - 1 India Healing, Charlotte Booth and Jessica Sowerbutts. The club was joint winner with Coniston Cold. On Monday, the club will hold a whist and domino drive at Wigglesworth Community Centre at 7.30pm.

SETTLE: Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639:
Christmas dinner: The annual community Christmas Day dinner and tea will take place in St John’s Hall between 11.45am and 4.45pm and places can be booked by contacting Judith on 01729 822138. The cost is £10.
Victoria Hall: December gets off to a lively start today with a visit by The East Pointers, who combine banjo, fiddle, guitar and a love for Celtic music. On Saturday, tribute band QueenEsque will provide an authentic Queen experience. Local performers take to the stage next Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, to perform in Not the Royal Variety Show. Proceeds will go to Victoria Hall and Settle Amateur Operatic Society. Also next Saturday, Settle Stories in conjunction with Hearthside Tales will present a matinee performance of The Snow Bear. For details and tickets, contact 01729 825718. The hall has recently launched The Victoria Emporium, which runs every Saturday. Tables can be booked for £10 by emailing info@settlevictoriahall.org.uk .
Settle Voices: Settle Voices will take part in the community carol service at Settle Parish Church on Sunday at 6.30pm. On Monday, they will perform at the Falcon at 1.15pm and on Wednesday, they will entertain at Hellifield Station Tea Room. Next Saturday, December 12, they will be in action at the Settle Station Open Morning and from 4.15pm to 6.30pm they will be spreading seasonal cheer at The Lion. On Monday, December 14, they will be serenading shoppers in Booths from 1.30pm.
Santa visits: Santa’s Sleigh will visit Upper Settle and Longdale Avenue tonight and Mill Close and Northfields tomorrow. Both visits will start at 5pm. Santa will be in the Co-op Supermarket on Saturday from 10am until 4pm. On Wednesday, he will visit Giggleswick and next Saturday, he will spend the day in Booths supermarket from 10am to 4pm.
Race night: A race night will take place at North Ribblesdale RUFC tomorrow. The event is being held to raise funds for a public access defibrillator. Tickets cost £5 and are available via Lamberts. The first race will start at 8pm.
Coffee morning: Timberworks invite you to a coffee morning with mince pies on Saturday between 8.30am and noon. All funds raised will be donated to Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Charity dance: The next charity dance is due to take place at St Mary and St Michael Parish Church on Saturday from 8pm to 11pm. This will be a Christmas Dance with Jacob’s Join supper. Please phone 01729 823256 or 824038 to confirm attendance.
Band concert: The annual Giggleswick and Settle Brass Band concert will take place on Saturday at 7.45pm at Settle Parish Church.
St John’s: The first service in the new worship area will take place on Sunday. The service will begin at 10am in the current church building before the congregation processes to the new building attached to the church hall. The service will then continue in the new worship area with a dedication to mark the next stage of Methodist life within the community.
Community concert: This year’s community Christmas concert will take place on Sunday at 6.30pm at Settle Parish Church. There will be a retiring collection. The programme will include items by Langcliffe Singers, Octameron, Settle Primary School, Settle Amateur Operatic Society, Settle Voices and organist Paul Fisher.
Photography Group: Settle Photography Group will meet on Monday at 7.30pm at Townhead Court for an evening of tips and hints on informal people photography led by Steve Finch.
Blood session: There will be a blood donor session at St John’s Hall on Tuesday. The first session will run from 2.15pm to 3.45pm and the second from 5pm to 7.30pm.
TRAMPS: The next film in the foreign film season at Victoria Hall will be shown on Wednesday at 7.45pm. It is the Italian comedy, We Have a Pope.
Basil’s restaurant: The Royal Oak will host a comedy evening next Friday, December 11, when professional actors will transform the restaurant into Fawlty Towers. Tickets cost £39.95.
Yuletide celebration: Next Saturday, December 12, the Folly will be open from 10am to noon for its popular Yuletide celebrations. Warm mince pies and Margaret’s legendary mulled wine will be served up in front of a roaring fire. Arrive for 10.30am and enjoy Octameron in full festive voice. At 2pm, families are invited to make lanterns, masks and Christmas cards. During the afternoon, the winner of the Folly’s young visitor competition will be drawn. The event is also the last chance to see the magnificent Burton pots.
Local history: Next Sunday, December 13, the North Craven Heritage Trust has organised a conducted visit to Settle Town Hall and Settle Quaker Meeting House, followed by a talk on Settle’s World War One Conscientious Objectors. The talk will be followed by mince pies. Meet at 1.45pm outside the Town Hall. For further information, contact John Asher on 01729 825075
Theatre trip: A trip from Settle is being arranged to see Billy Elliot, The Musical at Alhambra Theatre, Bradford. The trip will be to the matinee performance on Thursday, May 19, and the price per person is £66. For more information, call 01729 823978. The closing date for reservations is January 22.
Pool draw: The Christmas draw of the Friends of Settle Swimming Pool 200 Club took place at Thirteen Winebar and was overseen by Trevor Graveson, chairman of Settle Swimming Pool Committee. The first prize of £500 went to no 59 John Parry. Runner up was no 96 Carol Phillipson who receives £300 and in third place was no 45 Robert Duerden, who gets £200.

SILSDEN: Linda Berry, 01535 654643:
Amnesty Group: The Silsden Amnesty Group will meet on Monday, December 14, at 7.30pm in the Methodist Church. It will celebrate the release of Filep Karma from prison in Papua, New Guinea.
Christmas Camaraderie: Call in at the Methodist Church on Saturday for the Christmas Cameraderie. Alongside the coffee, cakes and bacon butties will be a display by the local art group. The ladies of the book stall will run a bumper Christmas gift stall. The event runs from 9.30am to 11.30am.
Civic Society: The Civic Society will meet in the Methodist Church tonight when Tim Fee will give an illustrated talk entitled The Queen’s Visit to Emmerdale. Doors open at 7pm and the talk starts at 7.30pm.
Tea dances: The monthly tea dances at Silsden Town Hall will continue until at least next summer. The dances, led by Andrea Wortley, were originally scheduled to finish this month. The December event will move to Monday, December 14, and will have a distinctively Christmas flavour. Dances will then return to the usual first Monday of the month in January.
Panto fun: Tickets are on sale at Twiggs newsagents for the pantomime,Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, which will be presented by Silsden Community Productions at Silsden Town Hall tomorrow and Saturday.
Annual meeting: Silsden Sports Club will hold its annual general meeting next Thursday, December 10, at 7pm in the function room at Silsden Sports Club.
Ladies Circle: The Ladies Circle will meet at the Methodist Church on Tuesday from 7.30pm for a talk by a representative from the Salvation Army. This will be followed by a Faith Supper.
Quiz and curry: A quiz and curry night will be held at St James’ Church Hall next Saturday, December 12, from 6pm. This will be a fun general knowledge quiz for teams of up to six people with a curry supper served at half time. Tickets are £5 for adults and £3 for children aged 12 and under. For tickets, ring Alexandra on 01535 657402. Proceeds will go to the Project Trust.

SKIPTON:
Naturalists: Pat and Phil Carroll gave an interesting talk on The Barns of Kettlewell and Starbotton to to Craven Naturalists’ and Scientific Association. This was a report on an investigation they did prompted by a query from National Trust. However they extended the scope to give a much more comprehensive survey of all the barns, looking at their design and construction. The next meeting, on Monday, is Springtime in the Outer Hebrides given by Mr and Mrs S Kellington. It will take place in the Swadford Centre at 7.30pm.
Holy Trinity: With the first of the Yuletide Markets held on Sunday, Holy Trinity Church will be open to visitors and, at 4pm, there will be community carols in the churchyard. Sunday services start at 8am, with Holy Communion in the Lady Chapel. This is followed by parish communion at 9.45am and the family-centred All-in-Church service at 11.30am. There will be no 5pm service this week. On Tuesday, nine and ten year olds from local primary schools will take part in a project designed, to convey the Christian message of Christmastide. It is run by volunteers on behalf of the Anglican churches in Skipton and neighbouring villages. Mid-week Holy Communion takes place at 10.45am on Wednesday and morning prayer is said at 9am Monday to Friday, unless indicated otherwise on the church gate noticeboards.
Soroptimists: As part of the Yuletide Festival, Skipton Soroptimists will open the Soroptimist Room, on Otley Street, to provide Christmas refreshments from 10.30am to 2.30pm on Sunday. There will also be a sale of handcrafted goods and cards and a tombola.
Camera Club: The club hosted another visit from Colne Camera Club for the annual competition. The 30 digital images and 20 prints were put before the judges Margaret and Rod Smith. The result was a win for Colne with 184 points to 160.
Friendship Group: Jack Hargreaves entertained members with a mix of singing and recitations. There will be no monthly meeting in December but instead the group will have a Christmas lunch at Skipton Golf Club. For more information, telephone 07904 685805.
Oddfellows: Frank will host his music night quiz at the Three Links Club on Saturday and there will be a Pointless quiz night from 8pm on Sunday. Join members for an evening of horse racing next Saturday, December 12, and for carpet bowls on Wednesday, December 16. For more details, contact 01756 798022.
Retired Men’s Forum: Paul Kenny gave an illustrated talk about film and TV locations, highlighting, in Yorkshire, The Railway Children and the Worth Valley Railway, Brideshead Revisited and Castle Howard and All Creatures Great and Small and Thirsk and Askrigg. Next week, committee member Stuart Powell will speak about Unusual Signs in North America.
History Society: On Thursday, John Sheard spoke to members about the life of Lady Arbella Stuart, who was for some time considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I. She was the daughter of Elizabeth Cavendish, of Chatsworth House, and a great-great-granddaughter of King Henry VII. Following the early death of her mother, she was brought up by her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick. She married William Seymour in secret, against the wishes of the King, and was eventually imprisoned in the Tower of London. She refused to eat and died in September 1615. The next meeting is at the Swadford Centre next Thursday, December 10, at 7.30pm when David Turner will give a talk entitled Come Thou Vilest Sinner: Primitive Methodism in Skipton and Embsay, 1831 to 1931.
Speakers Club: Craven Speakers Club’s seventh meeting of the season started with a competition speech by Bill Marwick titled Misfortune. This was an opportunity for Bill to practise his speech ahead of delivery at the area competition at Halifax. James Carson and Jan Paulke followed with speeches titled Determination and Mind Bending Language respectively. Both speakers are new members. The next meeting will be held on Monday at 7.45pm at the Soroptimists Rooms on Otley Street.

STAINFORTH:
Santa visits: Santa will be visiting The Knight’s Table at Knight Stainforth Caravan Park every Saturday and Sunday in December between 10am and 2pm. Children’s visits to see Santa will cost £7.50 and this includes a drink and biscuits and the choice of gift from the toy stall.

STEETON:
Flower Club: Chairman Sue Little introduced internationally acclaimed demonstrator Andrew Grisewood whose demonstrator was A Touch of Fantasy. Members and friends also enjoyed wine and mince pies, a tombola and a gift stall in aid of Martin House Hospice. Andrew transformed the stage with depictions of Cinderella which included a marvellous carriage and white pony, Mother Goose with the golden egg and finally a fairytale castle. President Janet Smithies gave the vote of thanks. The festive members evening - Christmas table designs led by Pat Daley - will be held on Thursday, December December 17, at 7.30pm at Sutton Village Hall. For details of materials required, call 07713 070235.

SUTTON-IN-CRAVEN:
Christmas lights: The Christmas lights in Sutton-in-Craven will be switched on on Saturday. The ceremony in Sutton Park will include singing by children from Glusburn and Sutton Primary Schools from 6.30pm. Once again, the residents of Rowan Garth will light up their houses for charity this Christmas. This is the 12th year that the street has done this, raising thousands of pounds in donations for a variety of charities. This year, money will be divided between the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. The event starts on Sunday with an official switch-on at 4pm. The lights will be on daily until the New Year from 5pm to 10pm.
St Thomas’ Church: Thanks go to everyone who supported the Christmas Fair on Saturday, which raised £800 for church funds. This Sunday, there is a service of Holy Communion at 10.30am.
Outdoor nativity: The Fellowship of Churches will hold an outdoor nativity next Sunday, December 13, starting at the Bay Horse car park at 4pm and ending in the park with a stable scene.

THORNTON-IN-LONSDALE: Paula Kendall, 015242 42390 and Rosemary Hartley, 015242 42207:
Jumble thanks: Jennifer Martin would like to thank all those who supported the jumble sale on Saturday, November 21. It raised £715 for Lynch Syndrome UK.
Festive dominoes: Go along to the Christmas Dominoes at Westhouse Village Hall next Friday, December 11, at 7.30pm. It will include mulled wine and mince pies.
St Oswald’s: The church will hold its Christingle service on Sunday at 4pm. The carol service with candles is on Sunday, December 20, at 4pm and the Christmas Day service will start at 9.30am.

TOSSIDE:
Hall dance: The next community hall dance with accordionist Denis Westmorland will take place on Saturday at 8pm. Admission is £6, which includes supper.
Whist and dominoes: There were 11 tables in play at the community hall. MCs were T Robinson and P Metcalfe. Winners were: whist, ladies - M Wellock, H Lofthouse, H Pickard; gents - A Dinsdale, S Hogg, T Robinson, low A Taylor; dominoes - R Knight, I Carefoot, M Berry, F Mason, N Taylor, A Sutcliffe, low J Constable. The next drive with Christmas prizes will be on Saturday, December 19, at 7.30pm.
Band concert: The popular Slaidburn Silver Band will return to the community hall to perform its Christmas concert on Sunday at 2.30pm. Admission is £4.

UPPER WHARFEDALE: Sheila Denby, 01756 752605:
Arncliffe Church: St Oswald’s Church will hold a coffee morning at Ferndale, Arncliffe, on Saturday from 10am to noon. On Wednesday, there is a wreath-making evening at the Falcon. Places cost £7.50 and can be booked by ringing 770269. The church is also updating its list of cleaning volunteers and anyone who can spare some time should also ring 770269.
Women’s Institute: Rylstone and District WI will hold its Christmas meal next Thursday, December 10. It will celebrate its 90th birthday next year.
WI speaker: Former MP Ann Cryer was guest speaker at the November meeting of Linton and Threshfield WI. She has attracted media attention for speaking out against forced marriages and honour killings and demanding that immigrants learn to speak English before entering the country.
Children’s Society: Pamela Wilkinson, local co-ordinator of the Children’s Society, has announced that the Linton Parish collection totalled £658.10, including donations. The next collection will be in the spring.

WIGGLESWORTH:
Santa visits: Santa’s sleigh will visit Wigglesworth on Tuesday at around 6pm.
Community centre: Last Wednesday’s whist and dominoes drive was well attended. Young Farmers are staging the next drive on Monday. Tickets are on sale for the pantomime Aladdin on Sunday, January 3, at 6pm. Telephone 01729 840794.