Masham teenager with cancer is raising thousands for charities

A Masham teenager who was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer earlier this year is raising money for the charities who have been supporting her through her illness.

Lucy Verity, 19, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in February and has been undergoing gruelling treatments ever since.

Over the next few months she will go through 14 chemotherapy sessions, radiotherapy and proton therapy at different hospitals across the north of England.

Rather than raise money towards her own treatment expenses, she decided to fundraise for the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Bone Cancer Research Trust, who have been supporting her over the past four months.

She set up her fundraiser on JustGiving last Saturday and has already reached £3,900, more than three quarters of her £5,000 goal.

Before becoming ill, Lucy was an avid sports player and loved to look after her animals in her home in Masham. She hopes to get back to this as soon as possible, and run her own fundraising events.

She said:

“We’re in a lucky position where we’re able to support ourselves to travel for my treatments; that’s why I chose to raise money towards these charities instead of for myself, as they have a great team of dedicated nurses and youth workers who helped me to not feel alone when I wasn’t allowed visitors in the hospital.”

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Her family and friends have been rallying around to raise money towards her goal. Her brother will be running 24 miles in 24 hours on June 19, and her friends and cousin will take part in the Leeds 12km Total Warrior in July.

Lucy and her family have given suggestions for people who want to set up their own fundraisers for the cause, such as coffee and cake mornings, clearouts or tombola raffles.

Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare form of bone cancer that can cause bone pain, tiredness and constant fever. For many the illness can go undiagnosed for a long time due to its rarity.

The Bone Cancer Research Trust aims to find a cure for this and other types of bone cancer through scientific research. You can find out more about Lucy’s fundraiser or donate here.

 

New on-demand bus service for Ripon and Masham

Ripon and Masham are to get a new on-demand bus service as part of a pilot scheme to improve links to rural areas.

YorBus, which is run by North Yorkshire County Council, launches on July 1 and is due to be trialled for 12 months.

The service allows passengers to book a ride when and where they need one.

Once a passenger has chosen a pickup and drop-off location, they will need to head to a bus stop for a pooled ride.

Residents can book the bus through an app or by phone. The app will be available from June 28.

YorBus covers the area shaded in blue.

The app allows passengers to plan and track their bus journey, including how long the bus will take to arrive.

It will operate from 6.55am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays.

There will be a flat fare of £1.20 for adults and 65p for children between the ages of 5 and 17. Children under 5 can travel for free. Concessions can also be used.

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YorBus is also fully accessible, with low floor access and a ramp for those with wheelchairs and pushchairs.

Cllr Don MacKenzie, the executive member for access, stated:

“The YorBus project is intended to provide transport to help people to travel to work, to go shopping, to attend medical appointments and to access other services, which they need. We hope it will offer a viable and affordable alternative to the private motor car.

“The flexibility of the scheme also means that a high proportion of seats on buses will be occupied on every journey, which will lead to better value for money and greater environmental benefits too.”

To promote the launch of YorBus, the council is running roadshows to speak to residents about the service, stopping off at the following locations:

Kell Bank school prepares to celebrate the end of an era

A celebration tinged with sadness is to be held to mark the closure of a 200-year-old primary school near Masham this summer.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School can accommodate up to 50 pupils but currently has just six.

Because of dwindling numbers, North Yorkshire County Council has issued a closure notice, which means the school will close permanently on August 31.

Staff want to celebrate the school’s history and, as part of this, are asking people to come forward with their memories and old photos for a commemorative newspaper.

The school has also put out a call to find the oldest former pupil. It is hoped whoever it is will join the youngest pupil at a ceremony in July.

All submissions for the celebration need to be in by June 11.

Laurie Hoyes, a school governor, said:

“Kell Bank School was founded in 1820 to provide an education for the local children of Fearby, Healey and the surrounding villages.

“This wonderful local school, ideally placed to learn from nature, has excelled and achieved so many accolades during its long, educational journey and has provided a safe environment and vast source of knowledge to generations of local people.

“The celebrations in July will be tinged with great sadness, as Kell Bank is to close at the end of the summer term.”

Ms Hoyes, alongside other members of the school community, hopes the exhibition will highlight the key role the school has played in local people’s lives.

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Two motorcyclists killed in Masham collision

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after two men died in a collision near Masham yesterday.

The two men, a 57-year-old and a 59-year-old, were travelling in opposite directions on the A6108 when their motorbikes collided.

Both men were certified dead at the scene.

Police were called to the incident at about 11.50am yesterday.

One of the men was driving a blue BMW R1200RT motorbike from the direction of Leyburn.

The other man was on a red Moto Guzzi motorbike travelling towards Leyburn when the two vehicles collided.

Police are appealing for any witnesses or drivers with dashcam footage of the collision of either of the bikes on the A6108 prior to the accident.

If you have information that could help with the police’s investigation, call 101 or email Matthew Tanfield on Matthew.Tanfield@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk with reference number 12210105606.

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Masham parents frustrated as play area remains closed

Masham residents have expressed frustration that one of the town’s play areas has remained closed for five months.

Tittlibottle Park, near the cricket ground, initially closed in November 2019 due to drainage issues.

By the time it had dried out, all playgrounds had closed due to covid.

It reopened in July last year, with a small section fenced off, but closed again in November and has stayed shut since due to the condition of the ground.

Flooding has caused the park to close intermittently a number of times in few years.

Local parents have accused Harrogate Borough Council of not doing enough to make it usable once again.

The play area sits on a flood plain for the River Ure and often collects water flowing from higher ground. It is also close to a handful of other drainage issues all of these are factors in the flooding.

flooded Tittlibottle park masham

This is not the first time the park has been unusable to locals.

The loss of this play area has been particularly keenly felt by the local community during lockdown.

Bronwen Thomas, a local parent, visited the park at least once a week with her three boys before it closed. She said they had played at the playground near The Oaks instead but added:.

“There are fewer facilities there though, and it is smaller and more exposed to the elements. More recently there has also been the issue of social distancing, which is much harder in the smaller space.

“I’d like to see the council engage more with the community to come up with a joint solution. Local people have invaluable knowledge of the site and its issues and may be able to provide insight that the council currently lacks.”

Another parent, Iain Burgess, has contacted Richard Cooper, the leader of Harrogate Borough Council, in the hope of finding a solution. He said:

“I have emailed Mr Cooper but his response didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. Unless something is done it will only keep happening. There needs to be action to keep it open.

“It’s such a shame, my son used to meet his friends there after school and now they have to go elsewhere. It’s incredibly frustrating that nothing is being done.”

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Masham Parish Council said it is in talks with Harrogate Borough Council to find a solution. But no confirmed reopening date has been given.

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“We are working with the land owner (Swinton Estate) and the leaseholder (Masham Town Council) to find a more permanent solution.

“The park is monitored regularly and will either open partially or fully depending on the current level of flooding, subject to any covid restrictions.”

Locations of 34 electric vehicle charge points revealed

The locations of up to 34 new electric vehicle charge points in the Harrogate district have been revealed.

The district has seen the largest increase in North Yorkshire of motorists switching to electric vehicles and Harrogate Borough Council aims to get 10,000 on the roads by 2023.

To help hit this target, the authority plans to install charge points at several council-owned locations to encourage motorists to make the switch ahead of the government’s ban on the sale of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in 2030.

Tom O’Donovan, economy and transport officer at the council, told a meeting on Wednesday the 34 charge points were being rolled out as part of a phased scheme, with more to come later.

The locations include up to four charge points at the council’s Claro Road office, as well as up to five at its civic centre headquarters at Knapping Mount.

There will also be up to four at Harrogate’s multi-storey Victoria Shopping Centre car park and the same amount at Ripon Cathedral car park, plus a hub of charge points at Knaresborough Chapel Street car park.

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There are three options for Pateley Bridge, including the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty office, Nidderdale Leisure Centre and south car park.

The car park at Hornbeam Park railway station could also get up to 10 charge points, while no proposals have yet been put forward for Boroughbridge because infrastructure works would be “too costly”.

Up to 160 charge sites planned

Harrogate Borough Council approved its Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle Strategy two years ago with an aim to provide 61 public charge points by 2024, although this could be increased up to 160 if required.

North Yorkshire County Council is also developing a county-wide strategy but has said it currently has no plans to roll out on-street charging infrastructure on a large scale or in response to individual requests for charge points.

It said this is because of “difficulties” with electricity tariffs and setting out the terms on the maximum time a vehicle can charge in shared on-street spaces.

The council said:

“We will continue to review the overall situation, taking into account demand from residents and funding availability, including external grant funding.”

Masham named in Sunday Times Best Places to Live

With its Georgian market place, two breweries and idyllic setting beside the River Ure, locals have known for years that Masham is a wonderful place to live.

But now the secret is out. The Sunday Times has included the market town in its annual Best Places to Live guide.

Masham is one of nine runners-up behind Ilkley in the north-east of England category. No other town or city in the Harrogate district was selected.

The Sunday Times judges based their decision on factors such as schools, air quality, transport and health of the high street.

They described Masham as:

“A picturesque market town in its own right that offers the best of both worlds.

“The extraordinary landscape of the Yorkshire Dales is on the doorstep and Ripon, with its top selective school and Curzon cinema, is just a short drive away.”

The judges listed their favourite things as the market, the Black Sheep Brewery and Johnny Baghdad’s ‘funky bright-yellow café on the square’.  

Colin Blair, aka Johnny Baghdad

Colin Blair, aka Johnny Baghdad

Independent businesses

Colin Blair, who owns Johnny Baghdad’s, said Masham had got busier in the 20 years since he arrived and now had a good blend of independent businesses. He said:

“It’s a great place and a great place to run a business from.”

Mr Blair, who runs Johnny Baghdad’s with his partner Saeeda Zaman, was delighted to be recognised.

He said the cafe’s eclectic food, which includes everything from falafel and chicken shawarma to bacon rolls, went down well with locals, as well as the numerous cyclists and day trippers that flock to the town at weekends. He added:

“It’s the kind of thing you don’t see often when travelling around the Yorkshire Dales.”

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The cafe is currently open only for takeaways but is due to open with tables and seating on April 12.

The other regional runners up are:

·       Alnmouth, Northumberland 

·       Barnard Castle, Co Durham 

·       Easingwold, North Yorkshire 

·       Leeds 

·       Masham, North Yorkshire 

·       Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire 

·       Todmorden, West Yorkshire 

·       Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear 

·       York 

Masham Steam Rally postponed due to covid

This year’s Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally has been postponed due to covid.

The event was not due to take place until July 17 and 18, after lockdown restrictions were lifted.

But the organisers said there were “still too many uncertainties to proceed”.

The two-day event, which raises money for Masham Town Hall, is one of the highlights of the summer not only in Masham but the wider Harrogate district. It attracts 4,000 to 6,000 visitors.

This will be the second year running that covid has forced its cancellation.

A statement by the rally committee and trustees of Masham Town Hall said:

“This has been a very difficult decision to make, especially as the next rally to take place will be the 55th anniversary event.

“However, as our planning for the 2021 event has now reached a critical stage and notwithstanding that the dates announced by the government are not set in stone, there is still a lack of detailed health and safety guidance and information on what restrictions will be in place for public outdoor events of the scale of the rally.”

The statement adds rally finances are in “a very strong position” and to commit to spending on an event that might not take place would be “foolhardy and not within keeping with charitable financial governance”.

https://twitter.com/VisitMasham/status/1367486013581516818

The next rally is now due to be staged on August 16 and 17 2022.

The rally committee is looking for “innovative ways to celebrate and focus on out fabulous industrial, agricultural and food heritage” on the weekend when this year’s event was due to take place, and has appealed for suggestions.

Masham Sheep Fair is still due to go ahead on September 25 and 26.

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Masham church reveals plans to extend graveyard

St Mary’s Church in Masham has begun the process of extending its graveyard to ensure it has the capacity to cope with burials for another 50 years.

The church is negotiating with the Swinton estate to buy 0.7 acres of land next to the current graveyard.

It is also seeking permission to proceed from the Church of England and Harrogate Borough Council.

The extra land, if bought, would accommodate another 813 graves.

Jim Hunter, church warden at St Mary’s, told the Stray Ferret the current graveyard was not expected to be full for another two or three years but the process of buying the land and seeking the relevant permissions was lengthy, which was why the matter was being dealt with now.

Anybody who lives in Masham can be buried in the graveyard when they die. The painter Julius Ibbotson is amongst those buried on the site.

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School with only six pupils set to close in August

Formal moves have begun to close a primary school in the Harrogate district that has just six pupils.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School, Healey, near Masham, can accommodate up to 50 pupils aged four to 11.

The number of pupils fell to 15 in September 2019 and is now six, five of whom are girls.

North Yorkshire County Council has now given the go-ahead for publication of a closure notice with a view to the school closing on August 31.

Stuart Carlton, director of children’s services at the council, said the proposal was being done with a “heavy heart”. He added:

“We know the value of village schools but such low numbers cannot financially sustain a school and can have a negative impact on the social and educational interests of children remaining.”

A council consultation on the closure proposal runs until March 5.

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Mr Carlton said responses so far “appear to indicate an acceptance of the situation here given only six pupils remain on roll”.

He added the council welcomed any further views before a final decision is made.

The remaining six pupils will have to transfer to other schools.

According to the council, seven other primary schools within reasonable travelling distance have places available.

Anyone who wishes to view the closure proposals or make a representation can visit the council’s consultations page here.