All Pannal

Having tidied up the Patio by St Robert's Church I am now waiting until all the leaves fall as it was a massive job last week clearing what was there.  I am still suffering from a wrist problem after my accident in Palma but I can manage if I take my time but unfortunately no golf as yet. 

Have heard that the Chairman Howard West of Pannal and Burn Bridge Parish Council is leaving the village and going to be near his daughters and grandchildren. I wish him well. 

Shall share this with you as I as very pleased when it was sent to me by the Harrogate Civic Society. It was send to Heritage Open Days It is anonymous but thank you for taking the time to write it:  " I really enjoyed Anne's tour of my village. I have lived here for three years but knew nothing of the history, often wondered about certain buildings etc. Anne is so passionate about the village and the area, she shared funny anecdotes as well as lots of historical facts bringing the history of the village and it's people to life.  Very interesting tour and talk from such a knowledgeable local historian and resident of the village. We learned a huge amount about this village which is close to where we live, but we soon realised we knew so little about it".

Pannal Neighbourhood News which is now missing from the Harrogate Advertiser will be on line and can now be read on a Wednesday.   

Another kindness was when my little cat died on it way to the vet I went into Cold Bath Deli and when I received my coffee I said to the two girls serving  I am cheering myself up because my little cat has just died. The girls came back to my table and gave me a little card which said sending our love from Cold Bath Deli and have a coffee on us and a little drawn heart. That was really kind. 

                   

Pannal and beyond

 Beyond first. I went to Palma with my second son and his family and we all had a lovely time. Sun, sand and good food. Unfortunately or fortunately it was on our last day on the island we decided to go to Palma and spend some time on the beach as it was nearer the airport as we had holidayed in the north east of the island. A very beautiful area with lovely beaches. Our villa was on its own with a very very large garden and a pool. We also had the company of three very tiny kittens and their Mum and a big bruiser of a cat that we think was the father. All very timid but we fed them and we were all delighted that they came nearer and nearer to us. My two grandchildren were very pleased to have them visit us. Must be said so was I as I like all animals apart from cows. Arriving in Palma we discovered the beach and long promenade was chock a block with young Germans who it must be said were loud and noisy and some of them the worse for ware and it was only 11am. We decided to walk to the end of the prom out of their way when passing a restaurant the door flew open and hit me in the face and knocked me over. My grandchildren were screaming and being extremely brave I was saying I am ok with blood running down my face. I could not go to hospital as we would have missed our plane. We had had a terrible journey out as when we arrived at Leeds Bradford Airport we were told it was closed and flights were going from Manchester. Cutting a very long story short we eventually got a taxi (no transport laid on) and that cost us £300 with next to no hope of that being refunded. We made it having to run the length of the airport and we were last on the plane. What a relief. Back to me with my bloody face. Staff at the restaurant who had been speaking English suddenly found they could not and reverted to Spanish. Yesterday was the first day I have been out as I had a black eye, big cut down my cheek, Fat and bloody lip and big bruise down my chin and neck. Swollen and bruised knee appeared later and my hand painful. so no golf but I am looking more like me so I can go out and not look like Phantom of the Opera. Dentist visit today to repair broken tooth. 

Pannal Neighbourhood News is no longer as it will not be appearing in the Harrogate Advertiser as they have discontinued it.

\i have asked for a Tree Preservation Order on the two sycamore/maple trees in front of the enormous building being put up in the footprint of the Dunlopillo offices. Have had an email today asking if I would send NYC a map of where they are. Words fail me as I gave a very good description of where they are and that was a month ago. 

My lovely neighbour Derek looked after Tigs and he remarked what a big appetite she has. True she is very greedy but a very friendly cat.

Ending on a sad note as Mary my neighbour from a few doors up has sadly died. Poor Mary was recovering from a fall so it was a shock to us all. Our sympathy to David and their sons. 

Pannal and my little cat

 I know a lot of people do not like cars but I do and my two cats are lovely gentle creatures and quite loving. Well my little one Marble looked very poorly on Sunday. I could not get an appointment with the vet until 2pm. I put her in her basket and I left at 1pm and I was stuck on Parliament Street for thirty minutes with temporary traffic lights and poor little Marble died whilst I was stuck there. I carried on to my vet at Crab Lane and they confirmed she had gone. I was all shaky on my journey back and I felt so sad. She had been blind for two years but knew her way around the garden. I suppose seventeen is a very good age for a cat but I miss her. Tigs I do not think does but when I came back home she followed me around all the time. Everywhere I went she was behind me. Tigs will be my last animal as we have had dogs and then cats and it is so very sad when they go as they were a big part of our lives.

From sad news to I hope good news as the Country Park in the Crimple Valley I proposed is still on the cards and will be discussed within the Local Plan which is being looked at now. We do need this as every political party wants to build millions more houses.We definitely do need to keep our green space in PANNAL AS WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN HERE IN THE FUTURE.

Hopefully in this week's Harrogate Advertiser there will be an article about the awful "multi storey car park thing" that is flats built on the footprint of the now demolished Dunlopillo Headquarters. I was also asked by the owner of a house that can see "these flats" if I could have a Tree Preservation Order put on the two sycamore trees that partially cover the flats which she can see from her lounge window. Hopefully North Yorkshire Council will do this. I have also asked the Harrogate Advertiser to print a photo of what these flats will look like as I could not find anything on the internet.   

Welcome to my new neighbours Sheila and David. Well welcome here but not to Pannal as they have lived for many years on Rossett Green Lane.  

I am still getting queries from people re their ancestors who have lived here in the past or buried in St Robert's Churchyard and people just wanting to know about Pannal its history and its buildings. I am happy to answer all their queries . One query I had was from two ladies looking up at the Church one of them said to me"Is this the Village Institute?" I said no its a church. "Well where is the Institute     then?" I  told them politely.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

            

Pannal and Award

 My lovely neighbour Shirley Holberry died a few weeks ago. She lived next door to me and was a good neighbour, in her nineties always very smart and well dressed. I now have new neighbours who come from Rossett Green Lane where they lived for a good number of years. So welcome David and Sheila.and I am sure you will be very happy here as they are surrounded by lovely people. I will include myself in this just in case no one else does.

Have not been able to walk one of my favourite walks - Crimple Valley - as it is soggy with all the rain we have had and as I am still in summer clothes its a no go area. Hopefully we shall have a dry spell and I can get back there again. I especially love it in the spring/summer when all the buttercups are out and I found two orchids this year. These fields used to be a wildflower paradise. Who remembers the cows and then the sheep on there when Mr Harper owned the farm (now gone). Also the Taylors.

I had some very exciting news as I had a phone call to tell me I had been put forward for a Local Hero Award at Rudding Park. I knew nothing about this and I do not know who proposed me. I am afraid I had never heard of Local Hero Awards. Probably very remiss of me. Now what the Award is for I do not know. I have done so many things since living here. First TPO (ever in Harrogate) Pannal No 1. Saving the Sun Pavilion and Colonnades,Chairman and Founder of Friends of the Valley Gardens, Chairman of the Harrogate Society, Having Spacey Houses Farm listed and various other building in Pannal being saved, writing the first ever book on Pannal followed by three more on Pannal. Or could it be for looking after the patio garden alongside St Roberts Church for many years or having new stocks built. Who knows so it will be interesting to see what happens. Has anyone ever been to one of these events? If so give me the heads up please. I did notice that the event    was being sponsored by Vida Healthcare. Now they have dementia homes so I hope I am not having free passage there. . 

Tigs and Marble still think it is summer and they spend their time in the garden.They do have shelter where they can go when it rains. I am not at all popular if I forget to put the door on the latch. Cats can give one filthy looks. Tigs is a very affectionate cat Marble not so but sometimes!

Pannal Walk was fun

 Friday was a lovely sunny day. We all met up in the car park of St Robert's Church and started our walk after a few introductions from Kevin who had arranged all the speakers and who is a really nice guy. He is a member of Harrogate Civic Society and they were hosting the event.  I was taking a group of lovely people some from Pannal other further afield a walk round Old Pannal and it was fun and I have had some great feed back to say how much they enjoyed the walk. Very gratifying to our village.  I love living in Pannal and I wanted to show everyone what I love about it. I have lived here so long and I know so many people. Unfortunately all the older people who were so helpful telling me about their time in Pannal and being very generous with sharing photos, reminiscences, and kindness. have all passed on. So I am so glad I took the time to seek them out and talk to them. Being a journalist helped and I could see that Pannal was changing. There was no Rosedale, Woodcock Close or Pannal Green and the School was at the top of Woodcock Hill/Spring Lane. This was in the 1960s and Crimple Meadows and Walton Park developments came in the 1970s. I think it is because I am a journalist, inquiring mind no plain nosey that I started taking notice of my surroundings. Then I thought I shall have to write this down and those notes became the basis of my first book A History of Pannal. Two others followed Postcards from Pannal and Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories. It took two years to write the massive Centenary History of Pannal Golf Club as I had to read through one year of men's minutes and one year of ladies minutes starting in 1906. It was well received and I won an award for it. Very chuffed I was as it is not a dry dusty old tome. I have a lot of humour in it and I really enjoyed writing it.   I have written other books not on Pannal. Keeps me out of mischief. 

I have asked North Yorkshire Council who now run Harrogate to make a Tree Preservation Order on the two Sycamore/great maple trees in front of that ghastly building on the footprint of the old demolished Dunlopillo head office. It will hide part of it from the residents who live opposite. It is a horrible building and enormous. Will it get any better we shall have to wait and see but I am not taking bets that we shall love it. Interestingly I have heard people who walk through the village when they reach Station Road from Main Street and it looms up say Good heavens what is that? Sometimes their exclamation is worse. 

My daughter is recovering slowly from her attack by the cows and trampled on. She was very lucky not to have been more seriously injured.

Tigs one of my cats. Did you know Tigs is short for Tiger. I did not until someone said its from Winnie the Pooh. I did not name them Tigs and Marble as that was their names when I was press ganged into having them about sixteen years ago. Tigs is very loving Marble not so as she is descended from a feral can so the vet says. I have lovely vets and I said to the lady vet how kind she is with the cats and she said yes it is the afternoon. I am not a morning person. Not meaning she is unkind in mornings but she is better later on so she says. . 

Last call for Pannal Walk

 I am taking a group round Pannal as part of Heritage Days  I shall be in the car park of St Robert's Church at 1.45pm on Friday 15th September and the walk starts at 2pm for about one hour and a half. If you fancy having a walk around Old Pannal do come and join me .I shall not wear you out and we shall keep to the old parts of Pannal. I have lived here nearly sixty years. I was married in Harrogate and my four children born here and attended Pannal Primary School. So you see I like Pannal and have been very happy here and have written four books on my favourite village. First books ever written about Pannal. So just come along and perhaps you will have stories to tell me. It will be a fun talk and I look forward to meeting you.  I have not restricted numbers so just come along and we shall hope for a good dry day. Parking at the car park. I have been doing walks and talks on Pannal for years but the first time for Heritage Days. 

Pannal Heritage and Update

We have all seen the massive building that is going up on the old Dunlopillo site and I cannot say that anyone I have spoken to says it is lovely. Although we would not know as we have never seen a photo of what the finished product will be like. I was speaking to a gentleman and he said there will be 38 flats and there is talk of an underground car park. Now that must be at the rear of the building as the frontage I found out years ago belongs to a Solicitors firm in Halifax. Now whether they have sold it I do not know. Now are we the only village round and about that has a building of this height? To think we were all hoping that there would be pretty houses where the monster is. Fat chance of that ever happening. 

Notice that Crimple Hall has its late weekend music "wish" granted. Will that be ok we shall have to wait and see. Interesting that our local Councillor and the Parish Council and a number of residents objected to no avail.

It will be Heritage Week starting Sunday 10th September when there will be a number of places and buildings open to the public. I am doing a walk and talk round Pannal on Friday 15th September at 2pm. I shall be in St Robert's car park ready and waiting so I do hope you will join me. I was asked to give the talk a name and I suggested A Village Walk with the Village Idiot. The organiser said he was quite taken with my suggestion but could I suggest another title. I have. I enjoy doing these walk and talks as I meet so many very interesting people. Let us all hope for a dry day as we do not want a trudge round in the rain . I shall be in the car park come what may ready for 2pm

An update on my daughter Susan. She is coming along well and she was so very lucky. If she had not been wearing a rucksack it could have been so much worse as the cows came round a hill behind her and she did not stand a chance. She would have had substantial damage to her spine but the rucksack saved her from spinal injuries. The hospital did scans and x-ray and said no bones were broken she was just battered and badly bruised and managed to crawl out of the field to the nearest house to get help. Susan said the man and woman were very kind and helped her and even came the next day to make sure she was ok. We were all meeting up in Bristol to go to The Wave (Christmas presents) but alas poor Susan will have to go at another time. They have extended her ticket when they heard what had happened. Now if you are wondering did I go the answer to that is no. Would have loved to have gone as it looked great fun and my youngest grandchild Daniel aged seven loved it. At the moment I am suffering from sciatica which comes and goes so no chance of me holding on to a surf board. Everyone loved it and are eager to go again.So another trip in the offing. 

My cats were very pleased to see me back. Well Tigs was, she made such a fuss and followed me around and on two occasions I nearly fell over her. Poor Marble is blind and she did know I was not there but as they were getting fed by be lovely kind neighbour she was ok.