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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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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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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• Kell Bank primary school near Masham set to close

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.

A Masham town councillor has been given an award for his efforts to keep the town’s market going during the pandemic.

Cllr Ian Johnson is a well-known resident of Masham and has been volunteering at the town’s two weekly markets to make sure they run smoothly during lockdown.

Most locals will also recognise Cllr Johnson’s alter ego Miss Yvette Nightingale who often attends the Saturday market to “raise a smile”.

Cllr Johnson said he was happy to step in after Masham’s long-running market superintendent, Mr John Todd, 87, was forced to self-isolate.

He has been in charge of arranging the layout of the market, providing PPE and dealing with all the stall holders and collecting rents during the three lockdowns.

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His hard work has been commended by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) with a Friends of the Market award.

Cllr Johnson said:

“It was all a bit of surprise, it was the council clerk that put my name forward. It was very nice but it’s more of an achievement of the town, our stallholders kept going and our residents supported them.”

The award was given to Cllr Johnson during a virtual ceremony alongside a dozen other winners.

The NABMA market heroes awards were to recognise the service that markets and their workers have offered despite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Great British Dig, Channel 4’s new archeology documentary, has unearthed Masham’s hidden past.

The show includes four episodes running through February and March and Masham is the focus of episode two. The show works with local people to dig up their back gardens in search of hidden parts of history.

The show is hosted by actor and comedian Hugh Dennis who is working with a team of archeologists.

The production company behind the show, Strawberry Blond, had to work around lockdowns to film. Executive Producer, Steve Wynne, said the people of Masham were eager to get involved.

The researchers knocked on numerous doors in Masham in hope everyone would say yes to archaeologists digging up their gardens.

The production team knew of a lost cemetery in Masham and wanted to see what could be unearthed around the rest of the town. They used the Town Hall and the square as their base and began their dig.

Hugh Dennis stood in front of Masham’s blue plaque for the lost cemetery. Photograph: Strawberry Blond TV

The show promises to reveal “incredible discoveries” including a number of skeletons. Some were used to show how people lived 1000 years ago.

Steve Wynne said:

“I cannot tell you how incredibly warm and welcoming the people of Masham were.  From the amazing bacon sandwiches from Lucy at Bordar House Teas, to Colin at Johnny Baghdad’s on the Square.

“The residents were only too happy for us to turf up their gardens (and beer garden at The Bruce Arms).  The team at the Town Hall gave us the run of the place for our unit base, and the local vicar was a fountain of knowledge about the history of the town.”

Read more:

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The episode featuring Masham will air on More 4 on February 24.

The series also features digs in South Shields, Nottingham and Newcastle.

A primary school near Masham looks set to close due to falling pupil numbers.

Kell Bank Church of England Primary School would permanently shut its doors this summer, under proposals by North Yorkshire County Council.

The authority carried out a consultation last year on closure and is set to make a final decision in March.

Despite being designed to accommodate 50 children, the amount of pupils at the school has fallen from a high of 39 in 2014/15 to just six this year. The number is not expected to increase significantly in future.

Council bosses believe the low number affects the “quality and breadth” of the school curriculum.

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They also fear the school’s Ofsted rating, which is currently ‘outstanding’, would be difficult to maintain due to the low number of pupils.

If closure goes ahead, the intake catchment of Masham Church of England Primary School would be extended to include the area.

A report due before the county council’s executive next week said closure would be in the best interests of pupils. It said:

“The responses to the consultation process have failed to identify a viable alternative option that would secure the school’s future. 

“Local authority officers have concluded that closure of the school would be in the best interests of the children at the school and the future education of pupils in the area. 

“There are places available at other local schools within a reasonable travel distance. It is therefore the view that there is a strong case for closure, which outweighs other considerations.”

Senior councillors will vote next week to publish statutory notices on the proposal for four weeks and invite representations from the public.

A final decision on closure is expected on March 23.

Masham Parish Council is discussing a number of ways to prevent further flooding.

Masham was hit by floods in February 2020 but since then has had several warnings as water levels rose in Swinney Beck. The continuing problem has forced the council to review the issue at each of its monthly meetings.

The council’s emergency committee aims to ensure a plan is in place if water levels rise and to work with the Environment Agency and local county and borough councils to put in preventative measures.

One of the affected areas from last year’s floods was Red Lane. It has a number of bridges and wall crossings over the beck which can slow down the clearance of water.

The council is currently talking to local landowners to see what can be done to improve this.

Valerie Broadley, the lead councillor for the council’s emergency planning committee said:

“We are exploring this with the owners to see if there is anything to do to raise the water clearance. This would be a short term solution but it is still being discussed.

“We are hopeful something could be done fairly quickly.”

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The environment agency has also suggested using heather baskets further up-stream to prevent the beck over-flowing into the town. The basket weaving technique has been used across the country to help control the flow of water.

Cllr Broadley has been researching the original course of the beck which is thought to have been diverted in the 1800s. Further exploration would need to be carried out to see if there is a way to re-route the beck to its original course in an attempt to prevent further flooding in Masham.

The council said this is a long term prevention method that could cost thousands and take years to complete.

There have been 633 covid infections recorded in the Harrogate district in the last seven days, according to government statistics.

The infection rate has rocketed over the last month and the current seven-day average rate is now 494 people per 100,000.

But there are considerable variations within the district.

The government breaks each district into smaller areas known as middle super output areas, each with a population of about 7,200 people.

According to the latest figures, the middle super output areas with the most current infections are central Harrogate and central Knaresborough.

The more rural Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley, which has been consistently less affected throughout the pandemic, has the fewest current infections.

Most infections

1 Central Harrogate 76

2 Knaresborough Central 61

3 Harrogate West and Pannal 59

4 Killinghall and Hampsthwaite 53

5 Starbeck 47

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Fewest Infections

1 Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley 13

2 Hookstone 17

3= Dishthorpe, Baldersby and Markington

3= Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby 19

5 Masham, Kirkby Malzeard and North Stainley 21

Emergency teams have been summoned to a home that flooded in Pannal as the Harrogate district wakes up to the effects of Storm Bella.

Property, roads and farmland around the Harrogate district have felt the brunt of a night of strong winds and heavy rain and alerts remain in place.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said in a statement a crew responded to reports of flooding in a basement property in Pannal at 00.26am this morning.

The statement added water was pumped away from an electric switchboard and sandbags were requested from Harrogate Borough Council.

The emergency planning team at Harrogate Borough Council, which responds to serious incidents, tweeted at about 4am:

“Following a call from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue our team have deployed to Pannal to protect a property at imminent risk of flooding.”

No further details are available.

Flood warnings are in place on the rivers Nidd and Ure as well as at Swinney Beck in Masham.

Swinney Beck is a particular area of concern: the government’s flood informations service tweeted just before midnight that properties along Westholme Road in Masham were most at risk. It added:

“Please activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers and stay away from fast moving water.”

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The flood information service also issued a flood warning for the River Nidd at Low Laithe overnight

“The level of the River Nidd at Pateley Bridge is rising due to persistent rain through the night. Levels are forecast to reach 1.5 metres around 03:00 and will continue to rise until around 06:00 on Sunday morning when the peak at Pateley Bridge is expected to be below 2 metres.

“The B6165 is expected to flood at this level. We are monitoring the situation closely and will update this message on Sunday morning or as the situation changes.”

A flood warning is also in place for the upper River Nidd around Pateley Bridge, with the flood information service advising motorists to plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers.

Roecliffe caravan park, near the River Ure, is also subject to a flood warning, River levels are expected to rise until mid-afternoon and people are being warned to stay away from fast flowing water.

Nationally, 181 flood alerts and 105 flood warnings are in place.

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate is to be used for the vaccine rollout from next week.

The first vaccination is due to be given on Tuesday and the programme is expected to last for several months.

The government has asked the 17 GP practices in Harrogate and the surrounding district, including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham to oversee the rollout.

The practices are appealing for volunteers to marshal the car park and signpost patients through the vaccination site at the showground, which is owned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

No details have been given to the media about the rollout but a post on the Harrogate covid co-operation Facebook group yesterday on behalf of the GP practices revealed the news. It said:

“Harrogate and rural district are working together in order to plan for delivering a mass vaccination programme and we need to ask primary care staff and volunteers to help.

“We will need staff and volunteers to undertake a variety of roles and we need to plan for vaccinations to be carried out seven days a week, 8am-8pm, including bank holidays.

“This is a huge ask, but we would like volunteers to indicate if they would be willing to help in some capacity.”

The 250-acre showground has ample car parking and is used to staging large events, most notably the three-day Great Yorkshire Show, which was cancelled this year.

But nothing in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s 183-year history compares with the task in hand.

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The GPs’ post today said it required 18 volunteers a day. Morning sessions will start with an 8am briefing and the first jabs will be given at 8.30am.

Morning sessions will end at 1.15pm and afternoon vaccinations will take place from 2.30pm to 6.15pm.

The GPs’ post said:

“Unfortunately we aren’t able to offer vaccinations to volunteers at this stage as we have to prioritise certain patient groups.

“Next week is the first stage of the vaccination programme and we are going to need volunteers from the New Year onwards to fulfil the same types of roles for probably a number of months.”

Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to register their interest and complete the questionnaire here.