A Masham woman is £2,000 the richer thanks to a special delivery from a cow called Storm Pooper.
Kathryn Driver won Masham Community Office’s Cow Pat Competition, which was the surprise hit of the town’s coronation bank holiday celebrations.
The competition, which was resurrected after a 25-year absence, saw four cows, named for the occasion Storm Pooper, Harry Plopper, Poo Patrol and Daisy Dung, let out at 2pm on Monday to roam around a fenced-off piece of land.
The land had been divided into squares, and tickets sold in advance at £1 per square. The winner would be whoever held the ticket corresponding to the square the first cowpat landed on.
The winner was the holder of the ticket corresponding to the square of land the first cowpat landed on.
Hundreds of hopefuls waited to see if they’d win the big prize, and after nearly an hour’s wait, it was Storm Pooper who produced the goods on Kathryn Driver’s square. She said:
“I can’t believe it! It’s amazing. My mum got the ticket for me, so I’m going to use the money to pay for a holiday and take my mum away.”
The event raised £5,000, which will go towards the purchase of Masham Community Office’s building, The Old Police Station, retaining it as a community hub. The community office aims to reach a target of £215,000, and after months of hard work has so far raised £190,000.
Masham Community Office volunteers Gaynor Pearson, Tessa Klemz and Amanda Horsell celebrate the ‘culmination’ of the cowpat competition.
Hayley Jackson, community office manager, said:
“Going through the process of fundraising for the community office building in the last few months has brought people together in such an amazing way, it’s been lovely to see.
“We have seen just how much pride people have in the community office building and what a central role it has in the community. We knew it was important, but we’ve been able to see just how much it’s at the heart of the community and how much people care.
“The people of Masham see it as their building, and it’s really important to them that we retain it for the future. Who would have thought cowpats would bring the community together like this?”
Masham Community Office is a charity providing support and services to the local community, and is home to Masham Community Library, Acorns Preschool, Masham Parish Council clerk, tourist information and local art and craft shop Masham Flock.
Donations to the community office fund can be made online here.
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Masham Police House to be sold as officers relocate to fire station
North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner looks set to sell Masham Police House as a community asset.
Known locally as “the old police house”, the building was initially used to house the local police constable.
However, since 2003 it has been leased to Mashamshire Community Office, a charity that provides community services, such as tourist information, the community library and arts and crafts.
Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has revealed the plans as part of a move to relocate police to Masham Fire Station.
Ms Metcalfe said:
“Co-locating services at Masham Fire Station aligns our police and fire service in this area, making effective use of our estate to ultimately maximise investment in frontline services as detailed in my police and crime plan.
“North Yorkshire Police will continue to have a place of touchdown for local officers when needed, and they will continue as usual to work out of Ripon and Pateley Bridge police stations.
“Mashamshire Community Office is a fantastic local asset which has been providing benefit to the public for nearly two decades. I recognise this value on the community and I hope our sale will afford them the opportunity to purchase the property, with a supportive timeline and value agreed for this process.”
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Mashamshire Community Office will now have the opportunity to raise funds to purchase the police house prior to the building being put up for sale.
The commissioner expects to sell the property next year.
Paul Theakston, chair of trustees at Mashamshire Community Office, said:
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to purchase the old police house, from which the community office has been delivering an ever-expanding range of services into our community for the past twenty years.
“Actually, owning the building will secure our position literally at the heart of the community and ensure that we will be able to provide community services long into the future.”