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Wagtail December 2016 and January 2017 The parish magazine of Whittington, Arkholme and Gressingham Friday 2 December 7.30pm Robin Hood Family Pantomime Arkholme Village Hall Ad-Hoc Theatre Company tickets from adhocTC.com £8/£5 Friday 9 December 6pm Carols round the Christmas Tree Arkholme Crossroads with mince pies and mulled wine (thanks to Ian at the Bay Horse) Saturday 10 December 3pm Arkholme Family Christmas Party Arkholme Village Hall all ages welcome – gifts for children bring-and-share refreshments Sunday 18 December 4pm Whittington Carol Service with mince pies and mulled wine and gift books for the children Whittington Parish Church Tuesday 20 December 7pm/8pm Gressingham Carolling, Punch and Pies Gressingham Old School Room 7pm carolling around Gressingham (bring warm clothes and a torch), then back to the Old School Room for 8pm for more singing, mulled wine and mince pies, with Neil at the keyboard. Please bring mince pies to share. Wednesday 21 December 7.30pm Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols with the combined choirs of Saint Mary’s and Saint Margaret’s followed by mulled wine and mince pies at Saint Margaret’s, Hornby Saturday 24 December 4pm Arkholme Crib Service putting the characters in the crib Arkholme Parish Church Saturday 24 December 10pm Whittington ‘Midnight Mass’ (finishing by 11pm) Whittington Parish Church Sunday 25 December 9am Gressingham Christmas Morning Service with carols for Christmas morning Gressingham Parish Church Sunday 25 December 10am Whittington Christmas Morning Service with carols for Christmas morning Whittington Parish Church Sunday 1 January 10.30am Gressingham Patronal Festival Service of Saint John the Evangelist, Patron Saint of Gressingham – this year on New Year’s Day Gressingham Parish Church more events on the back cover... Lune Valley Physiotherapy sponsors this edition of Wagtail and wishes you a peaceful Christmas and a healthy 2016

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Page 1: Wagtail - Amazon Web Servicesmichaelhampson.co.uk.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/2016'12.pdfPhysiotherapy Marie Colyer MCSP HCPC Bentham 62216 Plumbing Darren Jones General plumbing,

WagtailDecember 2016 and January 2017

The parish magazine of Whittington, Arkholme and Gressingham

Friday 2 December 7.30pmRobin Hood Family PantomimeArkholme Village HallAd-Hoc Theatre Companytickets from adhocTC.com £8/£5

Friday 9 December 6pmCarols round the Christmas TreeArkholme Crossroadswith mince pies and mulled wine(thanks to Ian at the Bay Horse)

Saturday 10 December 3pmArkholme Family Christmas PartyArkholme Village Hallall ages welcome – gifts for childrenbring-and-share refreshments

Sunday 18 December 4pmWhittington Carol Servicewith mince pies and mulled wineand gift books for the childrenWhittington Parish Church

Tuesday 20 December 7pm/8pmGressingham Carolling, Punch and PiesGressingham Old School Room7pm carolling around Gressingham (bring warm clothes and a torch), then back to the Old School Room for 8pm for more singing, mulled wine and mince pies, with Neil at thekeyboard. Please bring mince pies to share.

Wednesday 21 December 7.30pmFestival of Nine Lessons and Carolswith the combined choirs ofSaint Mary’s and Saint Margaret’sfollowed by mulled wine and mince piesat Saint Margaret’s, Hornby

Saturday 24 December 4pmArkholme Crib Serviceputting the characters in the cribArkholme Parish Church

Saturday 24 December 10pmWhittington ‘Midnight Mass’(finishing by 11pm)Whittington Parish Church

Sunday 25 December 9amGressingham Christmas Morning Servicewith carols for Christmas morningGressingham Parish Church

Sunday 25 December 10amWhittington Christmas Morning Servicewith carols for Christmas morningWhittington Parish Church

Sunday 1 January 10.30amGressingham Patronal Festival Serviceof Saint John the Evangelist, Patron Saint of Gressingham – this year on New Year’s DayGressingham Parish Church

more events on the back cover...

Lune ValleyPhysiotherapy

sponsors this editionof Wagtail andwishes you a

peaceful Christmasand a healthy 2016

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DirectoryArkholme Post Office Arkholme Village Hall Mondays and Thursdays 2pm to 4pmWhittington Post Office Whittington Village Hall Thursdays 1.30pm to 3.30pmArkholme and Whittington Parish Council Clerk Gillian Hodgson 218146 Meadoway Arkholme LA6 1AT [email protected] School Headteacher Joy Ingram www.arkholme.lancs.sch.uk 21418 Arkholme Village Hall www.arkholme-village-hall.co.uk 07716 122940 Committee usually meets second Thursday of each month (email or phone to check) – all welcomeBook Club May Levick 21669 Bowling Club Arkholme Monday evenings David Smith 03330 119 303Drama Group Neil Read 21339 [email protected] Lunch Club Carole Webb 22202 or Doreen Airey 22023 for retired residents of the three villages – usually on the second Wednesday of the month from October to MayMethodist minister Peter Brown 01524 771230 Playgroup/Toddlers Danielle Barker [email protected] 21921 Police PC3573 Rob Barnsley [email protected] telephone 101Whittington Village Hall Karan Metcalfe 71287Coffee Mornings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, 10.30am to 12noonWomen’s Institute Janice McIlveen 21693Vicar Revd Michael Hampson [email protected] 21712Local churches and community groups can be listed here for freePlease send additions, updates and corrections to [email protected]

Classified adsWe hope you find these listings helpfulArchitectural Services Chris Potts BSc MRICS – full architectural design services,alterations, extensions and planning advice 015242 73228 [email protected] Horse Hotel Arkholme open daily – lunchtime 12noon-3pm and evening 6pm-11pm. Open all day (12noon-11pm) Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Food served all day – last food orders 9pm. (Closed all day Monday, and Tuesday lunchtime). LA6 1AS. (015242) 21425. Rooms available. www.thebayhorsearkholme.co.ukBoarding Kennels and cattery at Docker Park Farm, home from home for your dogs and cats [email protected] 21331 www.docker-park-kennels.co.uk Boarding Kennels and dog day-care Aughton Road, Gressingham LA2 [email protected] 07766 446272 www.aughtonroadkennels.co.ukLune Valley Physiotherapy Leah Dalby MCSP HCPC Maximise potential after surgery, accidents, illness including cancer – [email protected] Melling 07934 785797Painting and Decorating A Holloway (Decorators) Interior and exterior Established over 25 years [email protected] 01524 771880Physiotherapy Marie Colyer MCSP HCPC Bentham 62216 www.benthamphysio.co.ukPlumbing Darren Jones General plumbing, bathrooms, renewable energy systems, no job too small. 1 Crosslands Whittington [email protected] 07738 379328Solicitors JWK Solicitors “For when things don’t go your way – there’s always JWK.” For all your legal requirements in England & Wales and Scotland: Commercial Property,Wills, Trusts, Probate, Powers of Attorney, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Aviation, Employment, Personal Injury, Family, Conveyancing. Lancaster, Morecambe and Glasgow. Incorporating Jobling & Knape and Whiteside & Knowles. Lancaster 01524 598300 Morecambe 01524 416315 www.jwksolicitors.co.uk.You can advertise here from just £2 per line – see wagtail.org.uk for details

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WagtailWelcome to the combined December and January edition.

All local churches and community groups are welcome to send in news of their activities to Wagtail – reports of recent events (with photographs if available) as well asannouncements of what’s coming up. Other local news is also welcome.The next edition is the February edition. The deadline for items for inclusion is 19 January. Please submit all items to [email protected] is also available online at www.wagtail.org.uk

Many thanks as always to our contributors and distributors – and wishing you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Michael Hampson (editor)

Duncan Foster - bus campaigner

Duncan Foster – campaigning for the reinstatement of Whittington’s bus service – made it on to Radio 4’s flagship Today programme. You can hear the interview online (until 11 December) at this link: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08295ry – click forward to the start of the interview at 16:25.

Duncan writes: “You may have heard, or read in the media, of the attempts by myself and John Keegan at reinstating our local bus service, through increasing public awareness. We have studied the current timetable and believe that it is possible to reroute three buses a day through Whittington, Arkholme and Gressingham, in both directions. We believe the changes we propose will have a minimal or no cost impact on Stagecoach.

“To be successful we need ‘backsides on seats’, and to convince the bus operator that passenger numbers, on our side of the Lune, are achievable. The survey carried out in November 2015 shows that more than double the number of passengers claimed to usethe service on our side. In addition, we have nearly half as many properties again whencompared to the Melling side. Unfortunately, Stagecoach refuse to release the actual passenger numbers, on the grounds that this is commercially sensitive. We need to make the make them aware of public feeling in our villages.”

Check John Keegan’s Whittington blog for developments (at the time of going to press, there’s news of one bus per day, in one direction only, starting in January – what use is that?). You will also find the results of the November 2015 survey. Duncan “would encourage teens to totterers” to leave comments on the blog to show support.

www.whittingtonvillage.org.uk/blog/www.whittingtonvillage.org.uk/blog/wagtail/www.whittingtonvillage.org.uk/blog/bus-passenger-survey/

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NoticesArkholme Parish Council‘s Hopewell Cup this yearwill be awarded for the best photograph on the theme Arkholme with Cawood 2016 . Photographs are to be taken within the parish and should typify the parish . Hard copies only please – and no larger than A4 size – should submitted to the Clerk (6 Meadoway) or brought to the Parish Council meetingon Monday 5 December (7.30pm in Arkholme VillageHall). The judge will be last year’s winner Hilary Jagger, and prize winners will be announced during Carols round the Christmas Tree on Friday 9 December (see front cover). There will be prizes of £15 book tokens in three categories (Primary School age, Secondary School age, and Adults), with the Hopewell Cup going to the overall winner.

Did you attend Arkholme Primary School as a pupil? Or, do you know someone who did? To link with the school’s 150 year celebrations next year, we are collecting memories and testimonials from people who have attended the school in years gone by. These will appear in a new section of the school website, going live by the end of November. So far, we have collected memories of evacuees arriving in the school during the Second World War,and the reminiscences of thegreat Jo Baker - now aninternational best-sellingnovelist who grew up inArkholme and attended theschool - amongst manyothers. If you could offer afew words on what youremember about the schooland the things you enjoyedthe most, we would be trulygrateful. Please include theyears you attended theschool, and send to me [email protected] - RachaelGibson

Arkholme 2016 Jumble Sale - another great result! We raised a superb £1,164 for Arkholme Primary School and Unique Kidz. Thankyou so much to the residents of Arkholme village and surrounding areas who have been extremely generous in providing very good quality goods for the jumble sale, and a huge huge thank you for the great support provided by Arkholme PTFA committee, parents, teachers, children, grandparents, local and not so local villagers, and the Village Hall Committee. Many hands make light work and this was certainly true over the weekend, with people helping to set up on the Friday evening and Saturday morning, at the jumble sale itself, and clearing away at the end of the day, plus the people helping with tea and coffee and the cake stall including all the bakers. Thankyou to everyone! The school is putting all monies raised last year and this towards a new library in the old media room. – Karen Charlesworth and Sandra Blades

Whittington Village Hall November draw: £20 Simon Raistrick; £10 Michael Sheilds; £5 Jane Binney.

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For body and soul:bread and forgiveness

Part 4 in our series on The Lord’s Prayer

The word‘sorry’ has thesame origin asthe word ‘sore’.

To say I'm sorry is to say I'm sore,I'm hurting, because of what I thoughtor said or did; sore, and in need of the

balm or salve which is forgiveness.

‘Trespass’ is the right word:we have wandered off theroute, and done damage

where we shouldn't.

God offers the salve – we evencall it ‘salvation’, like healing– and God asks us, in return,to be as gentle and generous

with others as God is with us.

This all helps God’s kingdom to grow on earth – butGod cares for body as well as soul, so we pray also for

daily bread; and it’s give us, not give me: we pray fordaily bread for the whole human race, and in doingso, promise to play our part in making that happen.

Our Father, who art in heaven:hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive thosewho trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil;for thine is the kingdom,the power, and the glory,for ever and ever. Amen.

More next month

Join us any SundayWe use The Lord’s Prayer

at every service

Adding parts 1, 2 and 3from previous months:

Our sustainer in the skies, our nourisher and upholder,

ground of all being,sum of all that is divine,

present in every breath we take,beyond words,

beyond description,beyond imagination:

may the valuesof freedom and community,the good of all humankind, and the good of all creation,

be known throughout the earth.May there be bread today

for all who are hungry, alone or afraid.Heal the sores of the wrongs we have done,

as we learn to love and to healany who have trespassed against us.

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News from the parishes

The delightful new Saint Michael Gates have now been installed at Whittington Parish Church. They were made locally by J Mortimer Fabrications, based at the old Station Yard at Kirkby Lonsdale, and they carry the traditional symbols of Saint Michael the Archangel, as protector of God’s people and defender of justice – the sword and shield. Heavily engineered, welded and powder coated, they should last well over 100 years – our gift to the future. They were generously funded by Mike Asher in memory ofhis mother Sue.

Young classical guitarist Finbarr Malafronte from Ingleton hasrecorded his first album – in Whittington Church. He and his soundengineer said the acoustics were ideal, so they took up residence fora week in September, made a donation, and promise to come backand perform a concert in aid of the church in 2017 once the albumhas been produced.

Every year I want to apologise for not being able to beat all four Remembrance Sunday services – but wediscussed it across the four parishes and the majorityfavoured keeping the 11am silence in all four locationsrather than staggering the services through the day. Once again we had record attendances. The greatrevival in the observation of Remembrance Sunday over recent decades has seen it become a day when the whole nation gathers to remember.

Do join us for the Christmas Services. The biggestservices are on the front cover – and there are more overthe page on page 9. It all begins with Advent Sunday –the fourth Sunday before Christmas – on 27 November.With Christmas Day on a Sunday this year, we have theearliest possible date for Advent Sunday – and NewYear’s Day on a Sunday as well, for Gressingham’sbiggest service of the year. The Advent Crown in eachchurch has one more candle lit on each Sunday of Advent.

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Whittington thanksColin Hall writes: As the growing season finally comes toan end, Whittington PCC would like to thank thoseWhittington residents who have nourished, cut andtended the churchyard grass over the past 12 months.Carefully managed to encourage the spread of wildflowers and resident wildlife such as slow-worm andtoads, the ongoing rotational programme continues tocomplement the recent work to the Church and newlyerected gates. Special thanks must go to Ian Sutherland,a staunch strimmer who has now retired. Luckily hisplace has been taken by Simon Raistrik who we arereliably informed has long awaited this opportunity to join the team. John Pinch, John Parsons, Adrian Williams, Alister Reid, Alex Dawson, Edward Mackereth, Sellet and Newton Halls, Neil Pharaoh and the Pelters continue to provide the core labour, however new volunteers are always welcome, especially if, as has been suggested, a programme of scarifying, hollow tining and top dressing is introduced next year! Again many thanks.

Arkholme thanksDavid Smith writes: Every five years the Church ofEngland recommends that all churches have a structuralinvestigation by an architect (called a quinquennialreport. Arkholme’s was completed this summer. Thereport pointed out a number of problems, mainly with theroof and gutters. The work has now been completed.This work has been funded by the receipt of four legaciesthis year and the Parochial Church Council would like toexpress thanks to the families and friends of thoseconcerned.

Gressingham thanksMary McClements writes: Many thanks to friends old andnew who came to the Boon Day in October for someseasonal tidying, cleaning and polishing, to keep thechurch looking its very best. Special thanks also to Elvira Thompson, now living away from the village inwell-earned retirement, for her many years of faithfulservice to the church, as a member of the congregation,on the Parochial Church Council, and in the wonderfulsummer teas hosted in her gardens. David Wiper adds aspecial seasonal thankyou to the band of volunteers whokeep the churchyard so clean and tidy throughout the year.

Please do support your parish church in your will, and/or with an annual donation at Christmas (cheques payable to the name of your village plus ‘PCC’, for Parochial Church Council), and/or with a regular monthly donation through the year, by bank standing order: set it up in your bank branch or using online, mobile or telephone banking, using these details: Whittington PCC 01-04-81 83241760, or Arkholme PCC 01-01-06 94800464, or Gressingham PCC 01-01-60 75562375. If you include your address as the reference, the treasurer can contact you about Gift Aid. About £15,000 per year has to be raised locally to keep each church open and functioning as a parish church – plus any major works to the upkeep of the fabric on top. Many thanks.

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Parish CouncilsArkholme Parish Council met on 5 September and 3 October. A meeting has been requested with the Planning Office to discuss the possibility of Section 106 contributions towards a community shop, affordable houses for sale, or other items, in any future large residential planning application, but no response has been received. Discussions continue regarding the ownership and maintenance of the village green. Some rights of way issues and planning applications were discussed. The Christmas tree, lights, and carols have been organised. Date of next meeting 7 November.

Arkholme Parish Council will determine its S137 donations to local charitable groups early in the new year. Applications should reach the clerk (6 Meadoway LA6 1AT ) by Friday 27 January at the latest.

Whittington Parish Council met on Monday 9 September. Outline planning permission has now been granted for 18 new dwellings and a shop/tea-room at Whittington Farm in Main Street (to see full details online go to planning.lancaster.gov.uk/online-applications/ and put 16/00397/OUT into the searchbox), but the latest application for three dwellings behind the Dragon’s Head (16/00238/FUL) has been refused. Date of next meeting 21 November.

Gressingham Parish Council met on 7 November. The parish council is working jointly with Hornby parish council on a list of several different suggestions to put to Lancashire County Council on how to protect Loyn Bridge from further damage, and councillor Riley volunteered to help with a list of addresses for the emergency services. Date of next meeting 16 January.

Details of all three parish councils and their meetings – including full minutes – are now online at committeeadmin.lancaster.gov.uk/mgParishCouncilDetailsList.aspx

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Services for Advent, Christmasand the New Year ServicesYou will find a warm welcome at and and all of these services – in addition to the specials on the front cover.

Hornby Whittington Arkholme Gressingham27 November - 10.45am 9.30am - 9.30am4 December 8am 10.45am - 9.30am 3.30pm

11 December - 10.45am 9.30am 9.30am 8am18 December 8am 10.45am 4pm Carols 9.30am -24 December 6pm Crib 11.30pm 10pm 4pm Crib -25 December - 10am 10am - 9am

1 January - - - - 10.30am8 January - 10.45am 9.30am 9.30am 8am15 January 8am 10.45am 9.30am 9.30am -22 January - 10.45am 9.30am - 9.30am29 January - 10.45am - - -5 February 8am 10.45am 9.30am - 3.30pm

There is also a midweek communion service every Wednesday morning at 10amin Hornby, which continues uninterrupted throughout the holiday period.

Sunday School runs during the middle part of the service at the 10.45am service in Hornby church on Sunday 4 December and 8 January. All ages are together for the rest. Everybody welcome. (Children must bring an adult to church with them.)

Our popular monthly Youth-led service is at 10.45am in Hornby church on Sundays 18 December and 15 January. It’s the regular Parish Communion but in a compact 45-minute format and with young people taking many of the lead roles. Everybody welcome.

Vicar: Revd Michael Hampson ‧ [email protected] ‧ 015242 21712

Weekly bulletin online (updated every Thursday)and lots of other useful parish information: www.these4parishes.co.uk

Gressingham church rotasFlowers (No flowers in Advent)25 December / 1 JanuaryMrs E Cottam and Mrs M McClements8/15 January – Mrs L Whitely22/29 January – Mrs I Wiper

Cleaning 26 November – Mrs Bartle3 December – Mrs Liggett + Mrs Wiper 10 December – Mrs Burrow + Miss Burrow 17 December – Mrs Coulthwaite + Mrs Henning 24 December – Mrs Bell 31 December – Mrs Griffin + Mrs Docton 7 January - Ms Barton + Miss Barton 14 January – Mrs Lumb + Ms Rowling 21 January – Mrs Cottam 28 January – Mrs V Parker + Family

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Arkholme and District WINovember is the month of our AGM. This year’s, which was held inWhittington Village Hall, was well attended by members and one guest,Angie Rothwell, who agreed to be our Teller.The evening began with a normal business meeting. Arrangements for the Carol Service in Borwick (2 December), the Boundary Mill trip (23 November), Halton WI’s invitation to join them on a shopping trip to Carlisle plus dinner at Castle Green (6 December), and our own group's Christmas meal and floral decoration demonstration at Bay View Nursery (5 December), were all discussed. The Lancashire Fun Quiz will take place on Monday 30 January, and Arkholme has been chosen as a venue again. Our WI will be entering three teams. Anne announced a prospective trip to Lancaster University on 28 January to hear A Stroll though American Songs. We then enjoyed a delicious Hot Pot Supper provided by Steve and Kate Manders,and the AGM followed. Jane, our Treasurer, told us that we have a healthy bank account, and subs will be £39 next year. Nicole delivered the Secretary’s Report. She thanked Rosemary for her sterling work in taking over from her when she experienced dreadful flooding of her home last December. Nicole reported on a very busy and variedyear with most meetings well attended with interesting speakers and visits appealing toall tastes. Janice then delivered the President’s Report, again reporting on a very busy and varied year. She thanked the committee for their hard work. The names of the newcommittee were announced, and we elected our new President for 2017. Congratulations go to Janice on her re-election to the position of President. Jane and Nicole agreed to continue as Treasurer and Secretary respectively.There then followed a long period of almost uncontrollable laughter and some very rude comments, as we tried to identify childhood photographs of each other, with very little success but a lot of fun. Visitors are always welcome at our meetings, the next is in Arkholme Village Hall on 12 December, a Murder Mystery evening with festive refreshments.

Gerald writes...The good fairies must have been reading my last months article in Wagtail as immediately after publication the Whittington road sign was taken out of the hedge where it had been laying for two years and reappeared a week later repaired and upright in the hedge where it had been for as long as I remember. Thank you who ever was responsible. [The editor thinks he might have spotted a team of local volunteers doing the job – to whom many thanks.]Again Duncan Foster has been in the news, this time on Radio 4’s Today programme. I just hope he and his fellow campaigners are successful in getting the bus service back so that the people with no personal transport do not feel quite so isolated.My grandson Jamie and wife Laura have this week flown to Argentina, where for the next two months they are helping a local family gardening and doing other jobs around their house. In the new year they are moving on to Santiago in Chile where theywill be teaching Chilean children the English Language. They hope to stay in South America for the next eighteen months travelling around and exploring the countryside around them. They have already done the same thing in China where they travelled extensively in the Far East – I just hope they enjoy this adventure just as much.Best wishes and a happy Christmas to every one.

Gerald Hodgson

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The weatherin ArkholmeRobin McIlveen

October Weather in ArkholmeRain Days 15 out of 31Decidedly Wet Days (5mm+) 2 of those 15Extremely Wet Days (25mm+) noneWettest Day 17th-18th 11.3mm Monthly total 35mm (1.4 inches)

The rains were much lighter in October – less than half the nominal 80mm – which was a relief after the many wet months since dry May. There were sixteen completely dry days, and only two Decidedly Wet Days in the fifteen rain days, though these two produced nearly half of the monthly total. Temperatures stayed well above the seasonalaverage through the first half of the month, with afternoon temperatures comfortably exceeding 15°C on the 4th and the 5th. Frosts threatened on the 24th and 25th, but temperatures actually bottomed at +1°C, and overnight cloud warmed the remaining dawns, so that there were no frosts in the month, which probably helped delay the autumnal leaf fall.

The first week of November was quite dry, and clear night skies gave seven frosts. The resulting heavy leaf fall continued through the belts of rain and wind which started to come in on the 9th and brought the rainfall total up to 84mm as I write on the 17th, promising another wet month unless there is a good dry spell in the rest of the month.

President elect Trump’s dismissal of global warming, as a Chinese-led conspiracy to stifle US economic growth, coincided nicely with the World Meteorological Association’s (WMO) announcement that the global average surface temperature (GAAST) for the most recent available 12 months has continued the rising trend of the last decade. Maybe Trump assumes that the WMO is part of the conspiracy, but that should strain credibility, since the WMO is the umbrella body for every national meteorological service in the world, including the US Weather Bureau, one of the largest and most influential.

Though the chances are that GAAST will stabilise for the next year or two (as the current powerful El Nino subsides), all the signs, including our increasing understanding of manmade global warming, suggest that GAAST will then resume its upward progress. Indeed in a couple of decades it now seems inevitable that GAAST will have risen by 1°C in 100 years, which is comparable with the very fast natural global warming which brought the last ‘glacial’ (popularly miscalled the last Ice Age) toan abrupt end 11,000 years ago. That previous warming ushered in the mild ‘interglacial’ in which humanity has now assumed mastery of the planet. Though it seems unlikely that I will be around when the reality of global warming ceases to be the plaything of aspiring politicians, I hope that the still, small but insistent voice of prudence and reason will be allowed to play its vital part.

Robin McIlveen

The year 2016 to the end of October:Of the 305 days in the period, 108 (35%) have been completely dry, and 197 rain days have produced 1027mm (40.4 inches) of rain. Of the 197 rain days, 75 have qualified as Decidedly Wet Days, and of these 75 Decidedly Wet Days, only 2 have qualified as Extremely Wet Days.

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More events around the villages

The Hornby Singing Groups are for anyone who would love to sing – including those with little or no experience of group singing. This month choose either or both of: Tuesday 6 December 7pm to 9pm; Tuesday 13 December 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Hornby Institute, £4 including refreshments. Further information from Pat on 21449.

Hornby Flower Club meets at Hornby Institute on Thursday 8 December, 7.30pmto 9.30pm, when Anne Morgan (highly skilled NAFAS regional demonstrator fromMorecambe) will demonstrate how to put the wow-factor into present wrapping; and on Thursday 19 January, Julie Phillips (senior tutor on the Floristry Course at Myerscough College) will focus on arranging church flowers. Each session £4including refreshments.

Saint Margaret’s Church Christmas Coffee Morning is in Hornby Institute on Saturday 10 December 10.30am-12noon.

The annual Domino Drive in aid of the Lunesdale Show is at Whittington Village Hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday 14 December, with prizes plus raffle and refreshments – all ages welcome.

Arkholme School Carol Service is once again in Whittington Parish Church on Friday 16 December at 6.30pm, and everyone is welcome.

Whittington Coffee Morning has its annual Christmas Meal on 7 December at Ireby Green, so no gathering in Whittington – but returns to Whittington Village Hall for its usual 10.30am to 12noon on Wednesday 21 December.

You can celebrate Chinese New Year this new year with a special event at Hornby Institute on Saturday 28 January, 7.30pm for 8pm, with food, fun, and a bar – but you must book by 18 January. Tickets£15 per person from Hornby Institute, 22227.

This edition of Wagtail sponsored by Lune Valley Physiotherapy. For ads and sponsorship information see www.wagtail.org.uk

Lune Valley PhysiotherapyLeah Dalby Grad Dip Phys MCSP HCPC

Wanting to regain abilityafter illness or surgery?

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