Thursday 24 May 2012

Pannal and

Great weather scorching as the papers say. Not scorching at the weekend as ten of us (part of the family) and two dogs hired a canal barge for the day 9am to 10pm from Skipton to Silsden. Fantastic took our lunch and the birthday cakes and moored up and visited pubs on the way. If you have not tried it give it a go. Its great fun. The mystery of the fairy lights has been solved Rachel who now writes the Pannal column e-mailed to say they were falling down from the tree and she with a Dad from the school tried to put them up again to no avail as they were broken. This got me thinking of all that had happened     on Pannal Green over the years. There used to be a butchers shop there and a blacksmiths both now demolished as were the cottages in front of St Robert's church (car park now) cows were kept on the green. In 1933 during a fair on the green the event was enlivened by Pannal Memorial Hall going on fire. During World War Two chickens were kept there by the children from Pannal Old School which was on Woodcock Hill. Miss Wigby kept ducks there in the 1960s. Running races were held there. Hundreds of daffodils were planted by myself and family and I helped the children from Pannal Primary School planted crocus round the tree. Services held - picnic on the green - by St Robert's and Pannal Methodist churches. Trees were planted. Cherry trees contain christmas lights in memory of three boys from Pannal Green killed in a car accident which Yasmin and I collected as donations. Also three seats in their memory. Another very sad occasion and a tree was planted on the green which I arranged in memory of four girls from Burn Bridge killed in a car accident. My school talks started on the green and still do for visitors to Pannal. I put stocks on the green with oak wood donated by Frank Hird and a grant from Cllr Cliff Trotter. VE Day Celebrations were held there. Children from Pannal Primary School planted crocus and I helped them. End this bit by saying Pannal Village Society are providing new lights for the tree in the middle this Christmas.  On Saturday Huddersfield Town are in the Yorkshire Final and my next door neighbour Geoff is their greatest fan so if they win it could be champers all round.