Friday 15 June 2018

Why does Harrogate Borough Council and the Harrogate Advertiser dislike Pannal

We in Pannal think the Harrogate Advertiser should cover the Pannal Area and not just what is happening in Harrogate. Oh dear what a a carry on. A reporter came to cover the story of the chimney demolition at the Dunlopillo site.Spoke to us all. We all gave our opinions. The photographer took photographs of the chimney coming down, the onlookers and the Pannal Councillors. Did any of them appear in the Harrogate Advertiser oh no they did not. When I and Pannal Parish Council wrote strong letters asking what had happened we were told it was online. We said what use was that most people in Pannal purchased The Harrogate Advertiser. I had gone up to the Coop and looked through the Advertiser to see the coverage (I was not going to buy the paper if it was not in but I honestly expected to make a purchase) No photos no decent write up. A gentleman I did not know reached over me purchased a paper went outside flicked through it and put it in the bin at the railway station. Not knowing him I did not ask but I think he was one of the spectators at the chimney demolition. Pannal does not get good coverage. As for Harrogate Borough Council if they can cover us in housing they will try. They own the lovely Crimple Valley which has never been built on. They said they were going to protect it but are now not going to. Apart from the housing all the cars that we are going to have. It is bad enough now.  Everyone I have spoken to says Pannal is going to be ruined. We were a lovely village but we will not have many green fields left. What does one do. Fountains Abbey NT and a great number of people objected to the amount of housing Ripon is going to have but they all lost and the houses will be built.
I also heard today that the plants and flowers that adorn Pannal Station planted by volunteers. Some people/someone is coming with a trowel and digging some of them up. New plants, a lovely hydrangea just planted was taken the very next day. How rotten is that? This is a blog of despair.
But hurray one good thing. Remember the two lovely trees that were given to me to be planted on Pannal Green. Well they have now reached the height where they can be adorned with fairy lights. All the connections are in place so it should be quite splendid at Christmas.
My neighbours tubs that were planted with a variety of flowers were not doing very well and I unfortunately knew why. My cats were sitting in them in the evening a tub each. Delighted they were having found a very warm spot.  Have remedied that with pepper and they now look lovely. Flowers growing well. Cats did wander around sneezing and nearly falling over but as I said flowers growing well. 

Saturday 2 June 2018

Pannal and the chimney

Lovely sunny warm day as it has been nearly all of May.Not today though that is why you are getting this. Yesterday I was invited up to see the chimney at Dunlopillo being demolished, Went up and had a coffee sitting outside the post office met up with John Mann our local Councillor and we went up to the road entrance into the site. A bit annoying as the screens were up and we had to view it through wire. It was a long way away and we were in no danger of being flattened. Still the proceedings were enlivened by CC Cliff Trotter who brought cups and wine. A great idea Cliff. There was a satisfying thump as it hit the ground. The chimney not Cliff, me or the wine. Andrew McDonald Parish Clerk came with his lovely dog and Sarah Carr from Bellway. Sarah is a very nice person but her job is to go round looking for sites for Bellway to build houses. Fields are not safe from Sarah.  We all had our photograph taken. When I came back down the village people were saying what was that awful noise was it a plane. They were thinking back to when a plane went through the sound barrier at 10.30 one winter evening and frightened us all to death. Windows and doors shook. I assured them it was the chimney. Alex the Ackrill said to me will the chimney be missed? I said only by Pannal Golfers as we used it to line up on the 18th tee.
In Dunlopillo's early days (1962) it was welcomed as it provided employment to a number of villagers. There were lovely Gala Days. I remember one year when the person who opened the Gala was Jimmy Savile. I was coming out of playgroup having taken my oldest daughter there when he spotted me and shouted Now then, now then and came across the road with his arms outstretched.In those days his reputation was not known. I tore off down the road with him after me and I was wearing stilletoes but he never caught me and gave up at the bridge. He was just creepy and I did not want him touching me. Fear lends wings to ones feet. Latterly the smell coming from the site and the rubbish leaking into the duck pond had to be stopped. A Environment group was set up which I was a part of and the Council eventually took Dunlopillo to Court and won. They appealed and lost that and were made to put the chimney up. Did it help not a lot only for golfers. I am only sad that in the demolition the Art Deco building was destroyed. I tried so hard to save it.
Hopefully all will be well with the new houses and Pannal as that will bring more cars. On average 2 cars per household and a through road will bring even more cars through our village.
Cannot leave on this note so I will tell you about Tigs. She whom I have always thought as the more intelligent of the two of them. I have been having breakfast in the garden these lovely mornings and Tigs has been sitting on the table. Yesterday morning she decided to lie. Rolled over and fell off with a thump. Marble looked at her then at me and honestly she shrugged her shoulders.