Pannal and Burn Bridge Book

 My book Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories has been greeted very well by those that have read it. It is for sale price £10 at Pannal Post Office. People are saying they are buying it for family/friends as a Christmas present. So there's an idea. Don't leave it too late to buy.  To send in the UK it costs £3.30p to post. 

I have met so may lovely people that have said how much they have enjoyed my book. This is the part I like as I do enjoy talking to villagers. 

Think I am getting somewhere with Harrogate Borough Council over the Colonnade in the Valley Gardens. We must not lose it through their lack of care. 

Wonder what will now be built at Dunlopillo as "light industry". I and a number of people would have liked to have seen a Premier Inn or a Travel Lodge there. Our families come for holidays and Christmas with us and there are a number of grandchildren now and it would have been a place for some of the family to spend the day with us but use it to sleep. What a dreadful pity we lost Spacey Houses Hotel. I tried so hard to save it but Punch Taverns the owners sent the workmen in in the early hours to take the roof off thus destroying the Hotel. Just look what we have in its place. Pannal is slowly and systematically being destroyed from the village that we knew. In fact not only Pannal but Harrogate and surrounds. I knew a family that lived in Pannal and moved south as husband got transferred and their son came back on a visit last week and said to me I shall tell Mum and Dad not to go back ever. This is is not what they will want to remember. Says it all. 

Cats Marble and Tigs have nothing to say on the matter. 

Pannal and Harrogate Borough Council

I see in the latest Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council Newsletter that at long last they are agreeing with what I have been saying for fifty of the fifty six years I have lived here. In their words HBC has  "downer" on Pannal and Burn Bridge. Many years ago their Director of Technical Services Ken Corri said to me that it was his ambition to have Pannal the same as Bilton re massive development. His wish is coming true. I especially liked their plan to have gypsies/travellers on the Crimple Valley land behind St Robert's Church. The gypsies/travellers did not want to be there so was this a red herring so that when it was announced no there won't be gypsies but there could be houses there people would think well that is better than gypsy/travellers. HBC misjudged Pannal and Burn Bridge people we are not daft.The Crimple Valley is precious to us soon it will be all we have if this insane house building carries on. This Council is killing Harrogate. I was in town and I overheard two ladies outside Primark one said "I have always wanted to come to Harrogate but now I am here I don't know why I did" So very sad. HBC wanted to do away with the name Spacey Houses but I heard of their plans and shoved my oar in. So Spacey Houses name remains. Be interesting to see where the Invisible Mann is. 

I am off this afternoon to rattle a few cages as when I as Chairman of The Friends of the Valley Gardens saved the Sun Pavilion and Colonnades from being demolished the Council of the day said when they had finished refurbishing the Sun Pavilion they would refurbish the Sun Colonnade and Sun Parlours and that was in 1998.Just think refurbished and re-roofed what an asset that will be to everyone the Town's coffers and us as it could be used in the run up to Christmas for Fairs etc and all the year round for various exhibitions. So wish me luck in dealing with Harrogate Borough Council. 

My book Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories is selling well and everyone likes it so I am very chuffed as I did enjoy writing it. I have no copies of my other books A History of Pannal, Postcards from Pannal and A Centenary History of Pannal Golf Club 1906-2006. I have had a few emails and phone calls asking if I still have any. This is my last book on the Pannal that I have loved for fifty six years. Will I continue to keep loving it I do hope so in spite of Big Brother Harrogate Borough Council. 

Pannal Launch

 At last I am able to write this blog. It has been a very busy time since the Launch of my book. Pity the weather was not better but you did come and support me and I thank you. Also supporting were Howard West Chairman of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council who opened and closed the launch. Malcolm Neesam whom I have known since we were young together spoke and our MP Andrew Jones came to support me as well as all the lovely villagers. Dorothy Little a friend came and looked after the sales and we had a great time catching up with everyone. Many of whom we had not seen since we were hit with the dreadful Covid. Copies of the book are being sold at Pannal Post Office and they are selling well. Do buy one as it is all about our villages and I have really loved writing it.  I am very pleased with the many comments on how they really enjoyed the book. I am very flattered and pleased. The Harrogate Advertiser, this week, wrote a flattering article and I also thank them. After the launch I said to Dorothy are you doing anything or shall we go and have lunch at Crimple. No she was not so we did and had a lovely lunch and chat. 

I have been contacted by a gentleman who is very interested re my idea of  Crimple Valley Country Park which I proposed and also wrote about in the book. Harrogate Borough Council, who own the land, are also aware of my proposal and I hope to rattle a few cages with this proposal. I have never forgiven them for proposing that part of our lovely Crimple Valley from behind St Robert's Church up to the A61 Leeds Road be made into a gypsy site. Or was, as many of us suspected a red herring. A the gypsies or travelers did not want to be there when asked and B was this a ploy by HBC so that we would say when they put forward a proposal for housing "well that is better than a travelers site". This land although owned by HBC being purchased from Bill Bentley of Pannal Hall in 1961 must be kept for the people of Pannal as we are having so much building in our village that we shall need all the green spaces we have. Hope we never ever lose the Crimple Valley and have to all walk around the recreation ground being all the green space we have left. We have lost the Valley on the other side of the Leeds Road sold by Lord Harwood in the 1950s and also purchased by HBC, who at the time said it was to protect the land between Harrogate and Pannal and keep them separate, to light industry.  

Dunlopillo proposal for flat up from 26 to 48 with two storeys higher. The poor cottages opposite will lose some of the sunlight and from the car park at Pannal Golf Club not a hill or green field will be able to be seen. We were all hoping the old Dunlopillo offices when demolished in its place would be houses in keeping with the area.Answer: fat chance of that. Intriguing to know what the firm who owns the car park to the front of old Dunlopillo offices will do.  

Now with all the lovely comments I received about the book do Marble and Tigs care - not a jot.