Pannal and another book

I am going to write another book about Pannal. What it was like as a village with village shops, The two wars right up until now how it has changed. My other two books on Pannal are now out of print so it is about time we had another. I wrote the first ever books on Pannal. Over the years I have found out so much about this area. I am the Pannal historian and the Pannal Golf Club historian. It has changed over the years would we say for the better I will leave that up to you. I remember when Harpers had the farm on Main Street and the cows used to be driven up or down the village. One time they decided not to walk down the road but to come down through our gardens that was when none of the houses had a stone wall and a pavement our front gardens went right out to the edge of the pavement and we all had larch trees there until a compulsory purchase order by Harrogate Borough Council took part of our garden and felled all the trees in order to have the pavement and the road widened. There was also the time a vast swarm of bees descended on our houses and covered the front windows. The Queen bee was eventually found by the bee keeper and harmony was restored. Another event that happened when Rosedale was built people from the Main Street end together with people from part of Main Street after their evening meal used to have a walk down to the church and back again stopping to have conversations with each other. This of course was on summer evenings. This event only carried on for a couple of years but was very pleasant and a way of getting to know your neighbours.
So there we are a topic for next year. I find this village very interesting and I hope I can convey that to you all.
Tigs and Marble are trying to convey to me how fed up they are with this weather. Yes they are getting through and I agree with them.
Had our Christmas lunch at the Golf Club today which, as always, was a very nice "do"
Compliments of the season. Enjoy your Christmas with your families.. All my family will be here which is very lovely.A Happy peaceful and healthy New Year to us all.

Pannal at Christmas

The lights on the trees on Pannal Green are so lovely this year. Now on the two Christmas trees as well. It was many years ago when I was on the committee of the Pannal Village Society ( now gone) that I asked at one of the public meetings wouldn't it be great to have some fairy lights on the Green at Christmas. This idea was quickly taken up and the money came from a very generous donor. as had the money to put the two fir trees on the green from another very generous donor. I know who they are but no one else does as they wanted to remain unknown. Harrogate Borough Council's Bob Stirzaker (the lights man) could not have been more helpful and from meeting him that first time we became friends and my husband and myself and Bob and his wife all met up one New Year's evening at Ripon torchlight procession which we had been attending for many many years and we saw the New Year in with them and all the hundreds in Ripon Market Square. The lights that we had then were the lights that our parents had then came LED's cheaper to run and much prettier. Our old lights went outside Pannal Memorial Hall. Shall have to check this year to see if they are still being used.

The other night I went to a talk at the Royal Pump Room Museum for the launching of Malcolm Neesam's latest book. I have known Malcolm for a very long time and we are great friends. He dedicated his first book in the series Harrogate in 50 Buildings to me and also featured my being Chairman of the Friends of the Valley Gardens for 22 years. His second book was launched A~Z of Harrogate and I am in it also. Fame will not go to my head. Whilst at Malcolm's talk I sat next to Frances Williams a Pannal lady who surprised me by saying she read my blogs.

I have taken advantage of this dry weather (expect we all have) of clearing the garden. Thank goodness for a spell of dry weather and not the constant rain.So much clearing up to do but I have got on well with the front garden can tackle the back now which is much much bigger but probably wait until after Christmas for that. All my family coming up as usual four children, their partners and the grandchildren who are young enough to appreciate Santa coming. A magic time and I love it.A lot of work cooking (always have to do my own Christmas cake, big trifle and clootie dumpling they are musts) Everyone is so busy arn't we.

Have now sold 700 of a Souvenir Guide to the Valley Gardens, Harrogate. Did a walk and talk for a lovely lady Kerry Morrison whose daughter had a new heart and kidney 25 years ago and Kerry invited all who had had transplants to coffee and cakes at the Mercer Gallery, then our walk and talk round the Valley Gardens then lunch at St. Mark's Church. I did not know of this arrangement. Every Wednesday lunch is provided with foodstuff that all the big stores have not sold. It was amazing and all done by volunteers. In all it was a lovely day. A tribute to those very brave people who have had transplants.

If I do not manage to write another blog before Christmas I will wish you a very Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Might see some of you at Carols round the trees on Pannal Green.

Pannal Query and news

Just heard that the Mill Pond (duck pond) is being cleaned. Diana Clark of Mill Cottage told me as she lives there and is very much involved. The leading light in this is, and sorry I do not know his name, but he has come to live by the pond and is from Argentine. This is amazing good news as Dunlopillo were a disaster for the wildlife round the pond especially the ducks with all the chemicals from Dunlopillo that leaked into the pond. The ducks egg were sterile. So pleased that Dunlopillo have gone as it was a well known fact at the Pannal Surgery on Leeds Road, in days of old, that children who had coughs and went to the doctor were treated for Pannal cough. A resident has a letter that stated it was felt that the source of the coughing was Dunlopillo.
Attended the Remembrance Day Service in Pannal Memorial Hall today and it was a lovely Service. I have been attending for many years.
The SouvenirValley Garden books are selling very well and we have another book signing at Waterstones on Saturday 23rd November. People are buying them as Christmas presents for their children who used to play in the Gardens but have now married and moved away from Harrogate. Also a number have been posted overseas to expats. The Souvenir Guide costs £5 and does not cost a lot to post.We also do talks on the Valley Gardens and also in the summer a Walk and Talk through the Valley Gardens starting at the Main Entrance up to the King Edward V11 Memorial Gates continuing up to the New Zealand Gardens past the Sun Pavilion through the Colonnades and back to where we started
Now my query is Mr Tom Wright who was Headmaster at Pannal Primary School (where the Scout Hut is now) during the Second World War. All the children he taught have never forgotten him and speak very highly of him. My second book Postcards from Pannal contained a number of his photographs which he gave me. He had two daughters. Does anyone know where they live? Do they have families? I would appreciate information please. My email address is annesmith.pannal@yahoo.co.uk.
Once again no golf due to a waterlogged course. In between showers and any free time I have from the book I am gardening and picking up thousands of leaves. The cats are in. Enjoying their beds so winter must be approaching.
I have given my email address so if anyone wants to email me about anything to do with Pannal do so by all means. Love to hear from you.

Pannal weather and me

I know I am not the only one fed up with the weather. Seems like months since I last played golf never mind the gardening. I am rushing out between showers or even heavier stuff to cut down bits., only two more times for the garden bins to be collected. Think we all shall all be going to the tip as we can not manage to get everything in the bins.I have lived here over fifty years having lived in Harrogate where my parents lived and then when we got married in Kirkby Overblow. and I have never known weather like this but I can tell you we had a far better summer than the poor souls in Glasgow did. My life long friend lives there. We have known each other since we were four and Terry and her husband Bob came here in the summer and stayed at the Hotel Majestic which I wish I had not recommended as it was rubbish. I complained about the service we received sent 2 letters to the manager (named) and never had the courtesy of a reply. I digress as when they were here the weather was fantastic for a whole week. They said Is it always like this I lied and said Oh yes. Well we have to blow our own trumpet once in awhile eh?
Valley Garden books are selling amazingly well. Now in Weatherstones and we did a book signing in WH Smiths on Saturday which was fun selling books and asking do you want it signed? Does signing enhance or deface? Now there's a question.  Most people said yes they wanted a signed one .Pannal Post Office is selling the books but they are at the rear of the shop amongst magazines and comics. So if you want a book that is where they are. I am told they are useful Christmas presents. Parents sending them to children who used to play in the Valley Gardens but now married and living elsewhere in the UK. It really is a nice book for £5. I am a journalist and this is my sixth book but my co-author Jane this is her first. We had a lovely time writing it and sorting out the photographs to be put in. Many cups of tea were drunk and the occasional beer. Jane and I take people round the Gardens telling them the history of the buildings, the gardens and the plants and we also do talks Have a talk and a walk round the Gardens on the 20th for the Gift of Life Celebration Walk and the Mayor and Mayoress will be walking with us.. Did a talk last week at Southlands and had a chat to long time Pannal resident Pat Lamb. She is in her nineties and looked well.
I started this blog with a moan about the weather and I will end it with a cats moan about the weather.When they go out into the garden they look back at me as if to say what do you call this? Wet underfoot and overhead.

Peace in Pannal

Quiet in Pannal. Could be because I am out and about selling books. A Souvenir Guide to the Valley Gardens. Steve has some in Pannal Post Office and they are in Harrogate.  It is selling tremendously well. A number of people are buying it for Christmas presents for their children that were brought up here but now scattered around the country but all have a fondness for the Valley Gardens.When friends come to stay with me I ask them where would they like to go and they say Valley Gardens and Bettys. Not surprising really. Our book is £5 a low price as we wrote it for the residents and tourists so that they can get as much enjoyment as we have and are still having. We - me 22 years as founder and Chairman of Friends of the Valley Gardens and Jane followed me for 9 years.
We had our Launch on Sunday and it was lovely. Hosted by CC Jim Clark we had a service in St Wilfred's followed by tea and coffee then off to the Sun Pavilion for lunch with local dignitaries, sponsors and guests. Finished up at Jane's house on York Road. Both Jane and I made cakes and scones and it was a very nice end to a lovely day. The event was great but the weather was not. Constant rain which seems to be par for the course. Our course Pannal has been closed as it was waterlogged.
My cats have not had me around so much but when they do they are so affectionate. See absence does make the heart grow fonder.
Have a look at the book you will really like it. Count the spelling mistakes. It was not Jane and I as not only did we go over our own work but we read each others, Printing errors and they have apologised and will correct them in our next run. There will be another print as it is proving to be a very popular book. First print 1,500. Might be more next time.

My book

These past few months have been exciting. It all started because I am the founder of the Friends of the Valley Gardens to save the Sun Pavilion, Colonnades and New Zealand Garden in the Valley Gardens from being demolished in order to build a car park. I was friendly with Geoffrey Smith, James Herriot and David Bellamy and asked them to be Patrons. They were and after many years hard battle the Sun Pavilion, Colonnades and New Zealand Gardens were saved.   I was Chairman for 22 years and following me came Jane Blayney. This year Jane and I decided to write a book about the Valley Gardens as there has never in the whole history of the Gardens been a book. So this is what we did and we had a fun time doing it. It came out on Tuesday and so far we have sold 200 copies. It is called A Souvenir Guide to the Valley Gardens, Harrogate and it has photos old and new, history and a map showing all the buildings and species of trees. It really is a splendid book and it will be launched by County Councillor Jim Clark in the Sun Pavilion on the 13th October. All the local dignitaries will be there. living here so long we have done this book for the residents and tourists and have kept the price down. It is £5 and will be available all over Harrogate and I hope Pannal too.
Fortunately not a lot has happened in Pannal whilst I have been writing. Everyone is waiting to see how the Dunlopillo building, which we hoped was going to be demolished, will look turned into apartments.It will need to be an amazing face lift as it is such an ugly building. We are all extremely interested to see how they will beautify it.
The weather lately has been brilliant. Only yesterday we were all out in the sunshine without jackets. Now will we be able to get out and about. Probably not to our usual places but this end of town should be ok. No golf competition on Tuesday at Pannal. Those that can make it will get a game as it is a Roll up. I shall be involved with Jane selling our book. No shortage of takers.I hope you all like it.

Pannal in peril?

Goodness me another blog in so short a space of time but this is important. please look at Pannal Parish Council's website or their Facebook site.  This is what I am asking you to do and I shall also object on these grounds  for PN18 Employment site south of Almsford Bridge, Pannal.
Please as many residents as possible write in and object to this plan. Apart from the fact that we are so proud of the Crimple Viaduct and the fact that it can be seen from a long way away. If HBC plan to have a light industrial site on this area. which was designated by HBC in the past as never to be built upon maintaining the separation of Harrogate from Pannal by these green fields, means we will no longer be able to see this Grade 11 listed monument. Castles are monuments, buildings and follies can be monuments. This is our - Pannal's - monument. As a historian, journalist and a very long time resident of Pannal I am saying this and also as a resident I know if this plan is allowed to go through the traffic will not only use the extremely busy A61 Leeds Road but come hurtling through Pannal. Letters of objection are fine is one does not have access to the internet. Let the Council know that PANNAL IS NOT A DUMPING GROUND FOR ALL THEIR MONEY MAKING SCHEMES.
These modification plans are in all the Libraries. Please also reaffirm deletion of PN19 land behind St Robert's Church and PN17 land adjoining Spring Lane Farm from the plan as being a necessity. Comments can be emailed to planningpolicy@harrogate.gov.uk or posted to Planning Policy, Planning and Development, Harrogate Borough Council, PO Box 787, Harrogate, HG1 9RW. The deadline is Friday 20th September, 2019. When the Local Plan came up last year all our objections counted so please make sure all our objections count for the Modification plan. hopefully we can win this if we all work together.

Pannal and the travellers

yesterday I was meeting a friend at Crimple Hall for coffee and unwittingly walked into the travellers. . They let two dogs loose. They were small yappy things and immediately attacked my feet. I was wearing sandals. Only small dogs I know but very very aggressive. Woman at van stood watching. Boy said to me "this is our bit entrance is down there" I went into the garden centre and the staff there told me that there was damage and antiques and plants had been taken. They were in shock. Police were called and asked did anyone see the goods being taken. Staff said no it was during the night, Police left. I was told police would not do anything like moving them on. Is this true? What is happening. Travellers have also been to other places in Harrogate and left leaving a terrible mess to be cleared up. How come we, the general public, can be fined for dropping a crisp packet on the ground and a mess can be left for the Council to clear up. I just do not get it. Can anyone tell me why this is? Why do we council tax payers have to pay for the mess to be cleared up? When my friend arrived we did not stay which is a shame as Crimple Hall were loosing out. Went home and spent a couple of happy hours in my garden. Which I love. Places I love being the beach, the golf club and my garden. Never happier.

Peace reigns in Pannal

As I wrote in my blog last time Pannal makes its own congestion. I know it is often not helped by traffic coming through the village as a short cut to reach the A61 but at the moment peace reigns. Pannal school is closed the roads are quiet. As I have often said it is a nuisance in the mornings and afternoons but only for three quarters of an hour each time. No stupid idea of advocating a road to the west of Pannal will help the congestion caused by parents taking and bringing back their children from Pannal Primary School. We have a primary school in the village and we have to live with that. My four children all attended Pannal Primary school (I think we still hold the record for the number of years the children were there).  As I type this not a single car has passed either up or down Main Street and I have just written why that is.
I am writing a book on the Valley Gardens , Harrogate as I was Chairman - for 22 years - and founder of Friends of the Valley Gardens and we saved the Sun Pavilion from demolition. I have a co-author Jane Blayney who followed me as Chairman and we are having fun writing the book which will be out in October. It will not be a hard backed book but a book easy to carry around telling readers about what is in the Valley Gardens and photographs of how it used to be and believe me it was magnificent. I remember it as a little girl and all I remember is flowers everywhere and running up and down the Colonnade. We are being sponsored by Betty's, Harrogate Spring Water and more and all will have their logos on the back of the book. Should be on sale everywhere, hopefully.
I have just come back from our big family holiday in Wales, a few miles from Tenby and we were away last week and spent everyday on the beach swimming with fantastic waves so body boards, kayaks. paddle boards the family brought.  Rented a fantastic house which had its own private path to the beach. Beautiful long sandy beach with few people so it was heaven sent. Long walks and an especially a steep uphill walk to get back to our house. Once down on the beach we were there to stay. Bethany one of my grandchildren had her 7th birthday whilst we were there and she had asked for her party to be on the beach before we set of to Wales so her wish was granted.
Plan has gone in for 26 flats in the Dunlopillo office block. No it is not going to be demolished. Shall look at the plans to see how they are going to make that eyesore beautiful. In 1962 when it was built a brochure, of which I have a copy, was sent out saying that it blended in well with surrounding countryside!!
As well as writing this book I, as the local historian, am answering many questions about Pannal both the village, the people who lived here in past years and also as Pannal Golf Clubs historian so it is pretty busy. I am answering a query at the moment for people who have just moved into a very old house in Burn Bridge and they will be pleased to know I have all the answers to their questions and also what the inside of their house looked like at the beginning of the 1900s.
Played golf yesterday all eighteen holes and the heavy rain and hailstones were a nuisance as we got very wet twice. It was our Lady Captain's Day so we felt we had to finish. 
As I have just come home on Sunday Tigs and Marble (who were well looked after by my neighbour) are making a great fuss of me. They are both very affectionate little cats.

What does Pannal do?

I attended the meeting re congestion in Pannal Memorial Hall. NYCC and Pannal Parish Council were there. A good number of villagers turned up all concerned with congestion in Pannal. Now this is how I look at it. HBC has gone mad and is allowing thousands of houses to be built. They are all expensive so who are they for.? Is it people that live and work in Leeds, Bradford. York and want to be away from their place of work? I cannot answer this. I have lived in Pannal nearly all my life. I live on Main Street so I know what goes on re traffic. We are a rat run for traffic going and coming from above places. Cars stationery pollution. We are also going to have all the houses on the old Dunlopillo site. That is a fact and the infrastructure is not in place. How will the schools cope, the doctors where is takes about three weeks to get an appointment, Harrogate hospital. HBC has not put out any plans to tell us how these places will manage. All they seem to be saying is we want to build new roads and thousands of houses. We shall put traffic lights all over so you will get fed up and agree with us. We shall put traffic lights on Rudding Lane off the Wetherby Road and no one will ever see anyone working there and the lights will be there for weeks. As I type this not a single car has passed all morning. Time now 1.30pm. Admittedly there is congestion with the school traffic and also the rat run but at certain times peace reigns. Do we want a road bypassing Pannal village, to have one means to build one across green fields. Looking years ahead would it have been better to have a road across the green fields or more and more housing . One has only to look around Harrogate to see housing is the Council's plan.Does one put a roundabout at the top of Station Road and the A61 Leeds Road? Would that help or make it more attractive to rat runners. Does one put a roundabout at the bottom of Burn Bridge Lane onto the A61 Leeds Road taking the traffic away from Pannal Village but putting more traffic on Burn Bridge Road? Or do we Put up with it? We cannot get away from the fact that we have housing on Walton Park, Crimple Meadows, Pannal Green, Rosedale. Burn Bridge and then there will be housing on the Dunlopillp site. We make our own congestion. Having new roads built will not take that away. We all have to leave and go back to our homes. Sad old blog this time with nothing to brighten it up. Henry the Eighth one famously said who will rid me of this troublesome priest. Could that be applicable to HBC.

Is Pannal congested?

What do you think? Find out on Thursday May 16th from 5pm to 7pm in Pannal Memorial Hall. If you have already made your comments to Harrogate Borough Council that is fine but if not here is your chance to find out what it is all about and make your comments after you have seen Exhibition by Pannal Parish Council. Don't think HBC think we have congestion in the village.  All the cars in the village from 8.30am to 9am and 3pm to 3.45pm that is because there is Pannal Primary School and I am afraid we have to put up with all the cars parking and driving. There are also cars doing the rat run and heavy lorries that are not supposed to come through the village but some of the drivers unfortunately cannot read the prohibiting signs. This goes on in the evenings from 4.30pm to about 6.30pm. Sometimes cars backed up from traffic lights at the top of Station Road all the way up to All Saints Court in occasions. Normally just a steady stream. Today as I type this silence as Harrogate is quiet due to the cyclists. When I went into town this morning what peace and it is Friday. Well seen the cyclists do not come through Pannal as our roads have so many pot holes especially top of Spring Lane. Wish they would come through here as everywhere they go the roads have been made so smooth.
I have just returned from Sorrento and it was lovely. Went to Capri and that was a rip off. Fourteen euro for two little cups of coffee. Did not dare eat there. Not a mention of Gracie Fields and at one time she was what people went to Capri for. I remember my neighbours going and coming back so excited saying we saw Gracie walking down the street. My 15 year old grandson said who is Gracie Fields and I said she was a singer who was very popular during World War Two. He said what did she sing and I said Sally put it on your phone. He did she sang the first word Sally and he said Oh God and switched her off.
My lovely neighbour looked after Tigs and Marble when I went away and when I returned they were waiting for me on the drive and I have never known such excitement. Never seen anything like it in the 15 years that I have had them. What happened whilst I was away I shall never know. Place looked the same but they were so pleased to see me, so vocal and jumping up and running round my feet. They are still doing it and I don't know why. Cats normally just say Oh your back and carry on with what they were doing. I was a lovely welcome.
Thank goodness I was not in Sorrento over Easter as it was fabulous here and all over the UK. Not so fabulous now. All hoping for better.

Good News for Pannal?

The Inspector looking at the Local Plan has said that the land behind St Robert's Church - Crimple Valley should not be built upon nor should houses be built on Spring Lane Farm land. I put the ? because I have known HBC  to go their own way "for the benefit of all Harrogate " At the moment it is good news but having so many years attending planning meetings I am cautious.
I am still doing talks for various organisations but I only do them end of October until end of March. So finished now but in talking about Pannal so many occasions come up so here are a few. In the early 1960s when we all had larch trees at the end of our front gardens (later compulsory felled for the road to be widened and a pavement built) We had bats nesting in them and that was lovely seeing them flying around in the early evenings.We had a bee swarm. Thousands of them all over our windows. Gentleman came and found the queen bee and the bees all followed her and we could once more come out of our houses. Then laying a lawn and planted up our front gardens we had a herd of cows trample through them having decided not to be driven down the road by the farmer. That was fun filling in the holes their hooves left! The hunt used to come through the village and on one occasion a fox ran into the front garden as I was in the drive and the huntsman went to send the dogs in. I stood my ground and said it was private property and the leader of the hunt raised his whip to me he was furious. Then the fox jumped into my arms, then jumped down and ran up the drive and in to the back garden. When I went into the back garden he was sitting on the wall panting but to me it looked like he was laughing . Strange happening.  Then  we had a violent storm which came out of nowhere. I had hung out my washing and Susan was about two and was with me. The sky darkened the wind gusted it got so dark one could hardly see. I, thank God, managed to grab Susan and we went inside. My neighbours phoned as they were getting on in years and were frightened. The storm passed as quickly as it arrived and when I went out a sheet I had hung on the line was ripped in two. Pannal had survived with no trees blown down but Rudding Park suffered the loss of lots of trees. In those days Rudding Park was open to the public and it cost one shilling to enter same as Newby Hall. One concidence was when I had Susan, our first, in the bed opposite me was the wife Mrs Radcliffe of the owner of Rudding Park and when I had our fourth Richard in the bed opposite me was the stepdaughter of the owner of Newby Hall. Pannal really was a village in those far off days. No Rosedale,Walton Park, Crimple Meadows, Pannal Green, Woodcock Close. School had just moved from Woodcock Hill to the fields behind Main Street. So going back where I started this blog the Inspector realised that we really would be overcrowded with housing.
On now to what I did a couple of weeks ago. I was in the garage putting my golf battery on charge, had the plug in my hand when someone came up the drive and asked if I knew where someone lived I told him, turned round and took a plug out and put one in. Five days later I found I had removed the plug from the freezer and everything inside was swimming. Including a 19 pound (weight) turkey I had in the freezer (not going into the story why it was there and not used at Christmas - don't ask) So I rang Alan Shutt and said you have dogs would they eat this turkey. He said turkeys are poisonous to dogs. I looked it up on google yes he was right so I took the wrappings off lugged it down to the bottom of the garden, it started to rain so I thought I shall try and cut it up in the morning. When I opened the curtains in the morning it had gone.(Theme tune to Jaws here). No bones there nothing. Cats too little to move or eat it. We do have a large dog fox in the Quarry could it have been him? How? Cannot get into neighbours gardens fenced off and there is a wall at the end of my garden and then Pannal Stream. Mystery has not been solved.

Pannal Hall

Unfortunately Jennifer Bentley who used to live at Pannal Hall but latterly lived at Brookside Cottage has died. She was 87. I used to visit her there and always found her informative and interesting to talk to. We shared the same name before we married. We were both called Grant and strangely enough we both had a great great grandfather also called Grant who was an Admiral in the Royal Navy. My Dad was in the Royal Navy for 22 years before and all through the Second World War and was a decorated war hero who was entitled to a gun carriage funeral in Harrogate. Which he had attended by the RN at Forest Moor. Jenny was also a WREN in the Royal Navy.

Does that leave Pat Lamb as Pannal's oldest inhabitant or is it Jennifer Bentley? Hopefully someone will let me know.

I have had the whole house decorated and as the decorator was going into one room I had all the furniture out and it was in the summerhouse, the garage, hall and other rooms. Eventually got it all back. Decided to wash every curtain in the house and fortunately it stayed dry. Horrible job getting them down and up again.  What fun and I don't think. I have hundreds of books and I thought I will empty the bookcases, pile them in order so I know where they will go when it is time to put them back. What happened I do not know but I had bookcases filled and books left over and I am afraid they were stuffed in a pile. Still puzzled how that happened. Tigs and Marble did not like it one bit. Especially when their beds were thrown into the garden in order to paint the room they sleep in. Not a single purr all week.

The garden collection does not start until March 21 and everyone is gardening now and probably need to have the grass cut soon. Fortunately the family came up at half term and they helped me take the sacks to the tip. Weather, at the moment, brilliant does this bode well for summer?. Who knows but I hope so.

Important time in Pannal's History

The Local Plan is in front of the Inspector. What is going to happen? Is the Crimple Valley going to be built upon.? When it was purchased on the A61 the other side of Pannal from Lord Harewood in 1952 and this side behind St Robert's Church from William Bentley of Pannal Hall in 1963 it was to safeguard the entrance to Harrogate from unwanted building. Pannal and Spacey Houses would be separated from Harrogate. In fact the Crimple Valley was given, later on, by Harrogate Borough Council Special Landscape Area Status - a non-statuary designation used by local Government in some parts of the UK to categorise sensitive landscapes which are either legally or as a matter of policy protected from development or other man made influences. Going way back in 1778 this land was retained by King George 111. Even if sold the Monarch Queen Elizabeth 11 retains the mineral rights. Duchy of Lancaster act for the Queen. In one of Andrew Jones MP intouch quotations it states.
Protecting our open spaces Green belt saved. An independant inspector has given the power to the Council to protect the local green belt and restrict new house building. The Council is amongst the first councils in the country to have its planning strategy approved by the government, after a long local public enquiry. This means the Council can proceed with its plans to protect the green belt, keep house building under control and ensure there are more affordable homes for local people.
The Council voted unanimously (with one absention) to adopt the strategy, under which:
Harrogate's green belt will be protected
Greenfield or open cpountry sites will be built on only as a very last resort.
Housing growth will be restricted to historic lows
41% of new homes to be affordable properties for local people
Additional protection for the environment and wildlife
Improved access to public transport and boost for sustainable means of transport like cycling
You can read the core strategy document by following the links on the council's website: www.harrogate.gov.uk/ldf
No this is not a joke but I wonder how many who read this blog think it is. What has happened??
I have a vast collection of documents relating to Pannal and this was amongst them I passed this information to Howard West Chairman of Pannal Parish Council and also to my neighbour David Wilby QC who spoke at the Public Inquiry into the Local Plan which is taking place now.
Read this and pass it on. Pannal needs all the help it can get.

Pannal bits

Before the decorator came to do the whole  house I went down to Morrisons to get some shopping.Did my shopping reached the check out, reached into my pocket no keys (Morrisons card on my key ring) Told checkout girl I think I have let my car keys in the lock. Rushed out leaving shopping in trolley. Was I distracted or just plain daft - no answers on that please. I locked myself out of my car. I could see the keys on the back seat. Getting bags out to shop I had obviously put them down.
Honestly I  never do that. Oh I don't. I asked a gentleman for help and he said this is your car isn't it as I don't want to try to get in if it is not. Anyway could not get in so I said I shall have to get a taxi home pick up spare keys and come back. Then another gentleman came over and said I will run you home. Said I had not picked up my shopping. He said ok I will wait. When I got back. My shopping had kindly been done by one of the staff. I thanked her. Lady on till asked me if I had my keys. I told her about gentleman's kind offer. We agreed there were kind people in the world and it is the horrible ones who make the headlines.I did tell Robin (that's his name) that I lived in Pannal and then found out he lives in Minskip. So he was indeed a very kind man. I will repay him with lunch next week.

Had an email from Chris Walker who used to live in Walton Park and attended Pannal School in 1988. Now lives in Manchester. Arranged for him to telephone me as he wanted information on Platform One. Had a very pleasant conversation as he is writing about the closure of pubs and where do people meet if pubs are closing down. I have lived here so long and always been interested in Pannal there is not much I do not know about its history and I am always happy to help people trace where their relatives lived, where they are they buried in St Roberts churchyard, etc. Had an American couple who were convinced that they were related to the Bentley family who used to reside in Pannal Hall. Their story did  not ring quite true so when I enquired more it was the other Bentley family from Pannal's far of days they were related to. I can tell you they were not at all happy about that and flounced out of our garden without a backward glance at us and I had given them tea and cake too.
All for now as I have the decorator here decorating all the rooms. So at the moment I am living in the midst of a very large jumble sale.

A belated Happy New Year to you all .Unfortunately my New Year has not started well as I had a lousy cold and then dropped my very heavy golf battery on my big toe and broke it. Ok now I can get a shoe on and drive but not golfing as I cant get my golf shoe on. Besides I am doing very well moving "stuff" from one room to another. Marble and Tigs are not amused and I have not told them yet that where they sleep - utility room - is next on the agenda.