Sunday Email: Issue 103

As there are six candidates and just five seats, there will have to be an election. It will be held on Thursday 5 May. Voting will take place at the Village Hall.

It is expected that Harrogate Borough Council will again seek nominations and arrange a further election at a date to be agreed. Unless at least three candidates come forward, which would make it quorate, Harrogate councillors will be appointed to run village affairs. The absence of local residents as parish councillors is most unfortunate for the village and a real knock for local democracy.

North Yorkshire Police have issued a warning saying that within the last week or two a number of people have fallen victim to the scam. Recipients of the message are sent a link from a friend which claims to offer a free chocolate product, such as an Easter chocolate hamper. The message is a phishing scam, where the fraudster aims to obtain personal details of the victim. Cadbury has made it clear that the offer is not genuine and social media users should be extra careful to avoid being scammed.
* If you receive a similar message – delete it and don’t open the link.
* If you have opened the message, don’t provide any information.
* If you have provided information, which includes your financial information, contact your bank.

All you have to do is create a scarecrow or group of scarecrows with a royal theme and display them in front of your home or in your garden over the designated weekend.

All the details about registering an entry, joining the scarecrow trail and fundraising can be viewed here.

At the next stage, more information, including a map showing the location of all the scarecrows in all of the villages, will be available from Topcliffe Post Office and the Milk Churn Farm Shop.

• April 12 – Harrogate and Knaresborough (Panel members: Wallace Sampson, Chief Executive Harrogate Borough Council and Neil Irving of NYCC).
• April 14 – Thirsk and Malton (Panel members: Stacey Burlet, Chief Executive Officer of Ryedale District Council, and Richard Flinton, Chief Executive Officer of NYCC).

To access the meetings, which will be held between 6.30 and 8pm, go to:
https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/new-council-virtual-roadshow,

• TODAY – Sunday 10 April, Palm Sunday, at 10.45am – the scheduled Holy Communion has been cancelled as the priest has gone down with Covid. Instead, there will be Sung Matins and the service will include the distribution of palms and the ‘dramatic’ reading of the Passion.
• Wednesday 13 April at 7pm – Service of Compline.
• Saturday 16 April, Easter Eve, at 7.30pm – Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter. This is perhaps the most glorious service in the church’s year, starting in near darkness with readings and unaccompanied singing by the choir, then the lighting of the Easter fire, the Paschal candle and candles throughout the church, and concluding with a special Holy Communion for Easter. After the service refreshments including finger food and wine will be served.
• Sunday 17 April at 9am – Easter Day Service (not Holy Communion. The Easter Eve Service concludes with our Easter Eucharist).
• Sunday 24 April at 10.45am – Holy Communion.
• Sunday 1 May at 6.30am – Choral Evensong.

• 19 April – Mosaics
• 17 May – Mixed media and illustration
• 21 June – Silk printing
• 19 July – Fused glass

You can simply turn up on the day – it’s free to attend and materials are provided.

Just as a reminder, the following items are welcomed: men’s, ladies and children’s clothing – paired shoes (tied together or elastic band around) – handbags – hats – bags – scarves and ties – jewelry – lingerie – socks – belts – soft toys – household linen – household curtains – household towels – household bedding (bed sheets, pillow-cases and duvet covers). We are unable to accept duvets and blankets, pillows and cushions, carpets, rugs and mats (including bath, shower and toilet mats), soiled, painted, ripped or wet clothing, school uniforms, corporate clothing and workwear or textile off cuts or yarns.

• Children’s author James Harris will be signing his new books ‘Happytown must be destroyed’ and ‘The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory’ on Friday 22 April between 11am to 12.30pm.

• TODAY – Sunday 10 April from 10am to 12.30pm – Sahra Raynor will show you how to make a garden obelisk, using her home-grown willow, for flower and vegetable climbers. £40 per person including refreshments.
• Contacts: 07747 083155 and http://www.thecattonkitchen.co.uk

• To Thursday 14 April – Sideshow – When two inept criminals break into the home of a washed-up psychic in search of hidden loot, they get a lot more than they bargained for.
• Sunday 10 April and Wednesday 13 April (matinees only) – Disney’s Encanto – A Colombian teenage girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers.
• Friday 15 to Thursday 21 April (with matinees Saturday 16, Sunday 17 April and Wednesday 20 April. No evening show 17 April) – The Bad Guys – Several reformed yet misunderstood criminal animals attempt to become good, with some disastrous results along the way.
• Friday 22 to Thursday 28 April (Matinee on Wednesday 27 April) – Phantom of the Open – Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship Qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a folk hero in the process.

Please keep checking the website for the latest details – https://www.ritzcinema.co.uk/

• Throughout April – Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm – Cafe Artist of the Month – born and bred in Ryedale, artist Jennifer Weston’s recent work is part of the ‘Scenes from Scarborough’ public art commission and highlights the decline of marine life in the North Sea.
• Monday Makers – Every Monday to 23 May. 10am – 1.30pm. Develop your creative and business skills on this course for unemployed people.
• Tuesday 12 to Friday 22 April, 10am to 4pm – Nel Hume exhibition, ‘Let the Light Back In’ –
  a young artist living in North Yorkshire which, together with the Northumberland coastline, inspires her abstract expressionistic paintings that capture the essence of light and space.
• For more information and to book places, go to https://www.ruralarts.org/:

• The Angel at Topcliffe – info – 01845 421111.
• The Catton Kitchen – http://www.cattonkitchen.co.uk – 07747 083155.
• Chip ‘n Dales – Friday teatime – 5 until 7pm in Topcliffe.
• The Elm Gallery – http://www.the-elm-gallery.co.uk – 01845 577316 or 07709 223920.
• Fotiá Candles – http://www.fotiacandles.co.uk – 07879 447953.
• Joanna’s Touch Photography – 07732 941758. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
• The Little Yorkshire Hamper Company – http://www.thelittleyorkshirehampercompany.co.uk 07793 775987.
• The Milk Churn Farm Shop & Cafe – https://www.milkchurnfarmshop.co.uk/ – 01845 400446.
• Studio 18 Hairstylist – Nicola James, 18 Long Street (opposite the surgery). 07851 034815.
• The Swan – 01845 595185 The Swan, Topcliffe | Facebook
• The Thirsk Food Bank – collection point at the Milk Churn Farm Shop.
• Topcliffe Post Office – 01845 577517.

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

• Refuse – Mondays 11 April and 25 April.
• Recycling & Garden Waste – Friday 22 April (one day later than normal).

Harrogate (Asenby)
All garden waste, recycling and refuse collections will take place as normal the week commencing Monday 11 April. Week commencing Monday 18 April all collections will be a day later than usual. Normal collections will resume on Monday 25 April.

• Recycling – Mondays 11 April and 25 April.
• Refuse – Tuesday 19 April (one day later than normal) and 2 May.
• Garden waste – Friday 22 April and Thursday 5 May.

There are now no rules on isolating if you get Covid, only guidance. If you have Covid symptoms, and a high temperature or do not feel well enough to carry on as normal, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. You can still leave your home, but guidance recommends wearing a face covering, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding exercise indoors or in crowded spaces, covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze, and washing hands. The same advice stands for avoiding giving others you live with your infection, as well as opening windows for ventilation and regularly cleaning surfaces.

Covid symptoms

Nine new signs of illness have been added to the official list of symptoms – long after the World Health Organisation and other countries extended their lists. The traditional symptoms of a fever, new or persistent cough and loss or change in taste or smell have been extended to include shortness of breath, – feeling tired or exhausted, an aching body, a headache, a sore throat, a blocked or runny nose, loss of appetite, diarrhea and feeling or being sick.

From April 1, those not classed as vulnerable have had to pay for a lateral flow test in order to find out if they have the virus or not. This change came as the number of cases of Covid reached record levels last week.