St Columba’s Services
- TODAY: Easter Sunday 20 April – No Service
- Thursday 24 April at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd Dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments
- Sunday 27 April at 10.45am, Holy Communion, Father Robert Williamson
- Thursday 1 May at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd Dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments
- Sunday 4 May at 8.30am Said Holy Communion Revd Dawn Ward
- Sunday 4 May at 6.30pm Choral Evensong, followed by pre-supper wine and nibbles
- Thursday 8 May at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments
- Sunday 11 May at 10.45am, Holy Communion, Father Robert Williamson
- Thursday 15 May at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd Dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments
- Sunday 18 May at 10.45am, Sung Matins, followed by refreshments
- Thursday 22 May at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd Dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments
- Sunday 25 May at 10.45am, Holy Communion, Father Robert Williamson
- Thursday 29 May at 11am, Morning Prayer, Revd Dawn Ward, followed by fellowship and refreshments.
|
|
Village Quiz
TONIGHT: Sunday 20 April – the quiz will be held at 8pm in the Village Hall.
|
|
|
Last Sunday’s excellent quiz was set by Mike and won by Alan, Sue and Derek. Well done the winners and everyone else who took part.
Here are a few of the questions from the quiz to test your knowledge. See the answers at the end of today’s email.
1. What is the administrative centre for the county of Somerset?
2. Which is the largest National Park in the UK?
3. Who was voted the greatest Briton of all time by BBC viewers and in an Internet poll?
4. Who took the lead female role in the 1991 version of The Addams Family film?
5. Who’s famous catch phrase was “You lucky people”.
6. Eric Blair is the real name of which famous person?
|
|
Thirsk Easter Walking Tours
TODAY: Sunday 20 April – Thirsk through the ages Easter walking tours will provide a fascinating insight of Thirsk through the ages. This tour takes about 1.5 hours and starts at Thirsk’s Information Centre in the Market Place (in front of the door) at 11am. Please wear sensible shoes. No fixed price but donations gratefully received.
|
|
Easter in the Park
TODAY: Sunday 20 April – Asenby Parish Council is holding an Easter Picnic in the Community Park starting at 2.30pm. Families are encouraged to take a picnic. There’ll be various Easter-themed games with prizes. Come along and celebrate Easter with your friends and neighbours.
|
|
Thirsk Artisan Market
TODAY: Sunday 20 April – An artisan market that wants to help serve local communities with the best artisan stalls, whilst giving traders the best opportunities to showcase and sell their handmade goods. From 10am until 3pm on Thirsk Market Place.
|
|
Historic Vehicle Rally
TODAY: Sunday 20 April – Newby Hall will be surrounded by vintage and classic cars, for the North’s biggest one-day car show. being held on Sunday 20 April. Over 1,000 exhibitors. 10am-3pm. £14, Child (4-15) £9, Family (2+2) £40, under 4s free. Tickets: Book online (cheapest) – http://www.newbyhall.com/event
|
|
Madge Brewer – 1922-2025
Madge Brewer, who lived in Asenby and Topcliffe villages for over seventy years, died peacefully on Tuesday 1 April at the age of 102. Her grandson, John Pearson, has invited those who wish to pay their respect to her to attend the Remembrance of Life service at Maple Park Crematorium at 10am on Wednesday 30 April. Refreshments afterwards at The Angel Inn. Many residents will remember Madge by her maiden name, Proctor.
|
|
Latest on the Toll Booth
Update from The Toll Booth Group
The Toll Booth Group is moving along confidently with their project. This has included reaching out to historians and experts regarding the building as well as formulating a number of usage suggestions. Many tasks have already been completed and the Group will be reconvening at the end of the month to consider the next steps. As we move into May, the Group will consider ‘opening out’ to other residents to get their thoughts, opinions and suggestions on our preliminary conclusions. We are in communication with the Parish Council and we thank them for their quick response to all of our requests for information. Further updates will follow in coming weeks.
|
|
|
Dog fouling remains a significant issue in our villages
Asenby Parish this week issued a warning that their grass cutting team will refuse to maintain the riverside walkway between Asenby and Topcliffe Bridge if the problem of dog fouling isn’t resolved.
It is unfortunately the case that dog fouling continues to be a real problem in both Topcliffe and Asenby. This is not only unhygienic and distasteful…it is also illegal. In fact, following recent legislation, it is now illegal to walk a dog and not have poo bags with you.
The majority of dog walkers are responsible but a few are persistent offenders. So here’s a plea to those who ignore the law and let their dogs foul paths and walkways: nobody likes to ‘put their foot in it’ so please bag it and bin it. There are bins located around both villages, including at the Asenby end of the riverside walkway.
If you see dog fouling it can be reported directly to North Yorkshire Council: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/…/ani…/dogs/dog-fouling…
|
|
Village Hall Committee
The appeal for new volunteers to step forward to join the Village Hall Committee has had some success as the Revd Dawn Ward, who is ‘attached’ to St Columba’s Church, has put her name forward and will attend her first meeting in early May.
The committee is still looking for at least one more volunteer from the communities of Topcliffe and Asenby. The Village Hall can only exist and flourish if residents are prepared to give their time and are prepared to undertake basic roles to ensure the hall is run effectively and efficiently. Everyone loves having the fantastic facilities available for community and social events, but without the direct support of volunteers the building cannot operate smoothly.
Will you consider joining the committee and making an important contribution to village life? The committee meets six times a year and deals with the management and upkeep of the Village Hall, as well as the organisation of events and activities. If you are interested or would like to talk about what is involved, please get in touch with our chairperson, Richard Byas, on 07801 721528 or by email at rtbyas@outlook.com
The next meeting of the Village Hall Committee is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13 May.
|
|
Churchyard maintenance equipment wanted
St Columba’s church has really welcomed the support of a group of volunteers who have been working tirelessly to keep the churchyard looking tidy and well-maintained and to steadily reclaim the overgrown areas particularly on the lower terraces. The huge improvement to this important village ‘green space’ in recent months is testament to their hard work and the manicured appearance is certainly enjoyed by many villagers.
St Columba’s has a limited range of equipment for the volunteers to use, including two petrol mowers, rakes, loppers and such like, but they often find that further equipment that could be very beneficial isn’t available unless they use their own. Unfortunately St Columba’s simply can’t afford to buy and maintain all the necessary equipment and as of this week one of the mowers is out of action, It’s hoped that it can be repaired at a reasonable cost, but even if it can, such work has quite a waiting list!
So this is an appeal to the wider community for help. Do you have any spare gardening equipment in your shed or garage that you might be prepared to donate to the church for the volunteer maintenance group to make use of? Top of the ‘want’ list is a petrol strimmer (the churchyard is too extensive to rely on electric equipment), but spades, forks and rakes are also needed. And this is perhaps a long shot, but if anyone is prepared to donate a petrol grass mower in a good state of repair (preferably self-propelled), that would be a huge help and would ensure that at least two machines are always available for increasing areas of grass that now need regular cutting.
If you can help, please get in touch with John Phillips on 01845 577034.
|
|
|
Watch your speed!
Here’s a warning for all car drivers. For the next month or so, North Yorkshire Police Volunteers will be carrying out Community Speedwatch checks at approved sites in and around Thirsk, Northallerton and surrounding villages. Signs will be in place advising drivers that speed checks are in operation and operators will be in uniform and wearing high visibility clothing. Offending drivers will not be stopped, however their vehicle details will be recorded and passed to North Yorkshire Police Traffic Bureau which will decide what if any action is taken. Please comply with speed limits at all times as speed kills!
|
|
Topcliffe & Asenby Produce Show
Our annual show will be held on Saturday 30 August at Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall. The classes and categories will be same as last year, meaning there’ll be 84 classes in total in five categories, including:
• 47 classes in the Horticultural section.
• 17 classes in the baking/jams/preserves and pickles category.
• 3 floral classes.
• 11 classes in the hobbies section
• 6 specific classes that only children can enter.
The full list and show rules, together with timings on the day, are available here or can be found on both village websites – http://www.asenby.net and http://www.topcliffe.org.uk
|
|
Forest School family Sessions
Are your children Curious by Nature? If so, they’ll enjoy the first Forest School Family Session at Willow View Farm on Catton Lane, Topcliffe which will be held on Saturday, 26 April. Take your little explorers and discover the wonders of nature as a family. These family-friendly sessions will be packed with outdoor activities, adventure and hands-on learning in the farm’s beautiful surroundings. 9:30am to 11am. Book online at http://www.curiousbynature.simplybook.me
|
|
Soup & Sweet Lunch
The next Soup and Sweet lunch will be held on Wednesday 30 April, from 11.30am to 1pm. There’ll be hearty soup choices with extras such as sausage rolls, followed by a variety of cakes and bakes and tea or coffee. All welcome. There’s no set charge, but donations are welcome to help pay the rental cost of hiring the Village Hall and for essential food and drink items that must be purchased for each lunch.
Don’t forget that residents of Topcliffe and Asenby can have lunch delivered if they are housebound – either on a short-term basis because of illness, or longer-term. If you wish to have a delivery please get in touch with Karen Morley on 01845 577426.
|
|
Bingo
There’ll be no bingo after the Soup & Sweet lunch on Wednesday 30 April.
|
|
Topcliffe Parish Council
The next meeting of Topcliffe Parish Council will be on Thursday 1 May at 7pm in Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall.
|
|
Planning application near Asenby
Don’t forget that the deadline for comments on an application for the construction of a large agricultural shed on land adjacent to Asenby Allotments on Wide Howe Lane has been extended to Thursday 1 May. The reference to look for on North Yorkshire Council’s website is ZC25/00747/FUL.
|
|
Comedy Night at The Angel
Tickets are already selling well for the next Comedy Bites evening at The Angel at Topcliffe. The show is on Thursday 8 May. Doors: 7:30pm (for an 8pm start). The show will feature Rob Deering, Pete Selwood and Pete Otway. Tickets are £12 in advance or £15 on the door. http://hilaritybites.co.uk/show/topcliffe-may-8th-2025/
|
|
Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall Committee
The Village Hall AGM will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13 May in the hall. It will be followed by a regular bi-monthly meeting of the committee. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings.
|
|
St Columba’s Special Events
On Thursday 22 May at 6pm St Columba’s Choir will once again sing Evensong at the church of Christ the Consoler in the grounds of Newby Hall, accessed from Skelton-on-Ure. Everyone is most welcome to enjoy the opportunity to visit this spectacular high Victorian church which is now maintained by the Historic Churches Trust having been closed some years ago for regular worship. Parking available.
To celebrate St Columba’s Day on Sunday 8 June there’ll be a special Choral Eucharist service at 10.45am led by Rev Robert Williamson. It will be followed by the usual family BBQ at 1pm and during the afternoon there’ll be visits to the top of the church tower and history tours around the church. It’s possible that more events to enhance the celebration will be announced later.
|
|
News from Asenby
The Parish Council is planning to hold an annual parish meeting on Tuesday 27 May and the next normal Parish Council meeting on Wednesday 4 June. Both will be held at 7pm and held in Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall.
From now on, Parish Council meetings will be held quarterly on the first Wednesday in the months of June, September, December and March.
|
|
Bees and Brunch
If you are a budding beekeeper you might want to attend one of these events planned at the Catton Kitchen over the summer months. Amy and Hugo are organising Bees and Brunch events on Saturday 14 June, Saturday 12 July, Saturday 9 August and Saturday 13 September. Some days are nearly fully booked, but please call to check availability. 07747 083155.
|
|
Chip ‘n’ Dales
The Chip ‘n’ Dales fish and chip van is now back in Topcliffe every Friday 5 to 7pm.
|
|
Local traders and businesses
See here for a list of businesses and traders based in or close to Topcliffe.
|
|
|
Thirsk Digital Hub
The Digital Hub, which operates at Thirsk Community Library, is a resource to help people who need a little support to understand and handle their digital activities. Digital Buddies are there to assist with queries every Monday and Thursday, and every second Saturday of the month there’s a Digital Cafe at which you can get support whilst enjoying some refreshments.
|
|
Rural Arts Summer Programme
Thirsk-based Rural Arts summer programme contains a fantastic mix of workshops, craft and art classes, musical events and performance. There’s something for all age groups – from children’s pre-school activities through to ‘those of a certain age’. The programme is too large to list in the Sunday Email but you can check out what’s on by popping in to The Courthouse on Westgate or checking out their website: https://www.ruralarts.org/whats-on/
|
|
Norton Conyers Gardens
The gardens at Norton Conyers are now open between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. The gardens were laid out in the mid-18th century and they retain the essentials of their original design, together with sympathetic replanting in the English style. The large and magical walled garden has a central Orangery, an ornamental pond, magnificent herbaceous borders and parkland beyond. For more information and to check house opening times go to: http://nortonconyers.org.uk
|
|
Ripon Indie Fiesta
This popular festival is back between 10am and 4pm on Monday 21 April, taking over Kirkgate with a full day of live entertainment, delicious street food and the best of Ripon’s independent shops. Brilliant live music across outdoor stages, a buzzing community atmosphere and great vibes all round. For more information contact Rich at Manchega on 01765647554.
|
|
Jigsaw Puzzle Exchange
The Coffee and Chatter Group that meets in St James’ Church at Baldersby St James will be holding jigsaw puzzle exchanges on the fourth Tuesday of each month. The next ‘exchange’ is on Tuesday 22 April between 10am and 12 noon. Please take along any puzzles that you would like to swap. This is a great opportunity to obtain new ones without having to buy them.
|
|
Racing in Thirsk
An evening of racing on Tuesday 22 April. Gates open 3.00pm, First Race 4.55pm, Last Race 8.00pm. From £15, Family £25, Seniors £12, Child (0-17) Free. Tickets: Book online (cheapest) – http://www.thirskracecourse.net
|
|
The Ritz Cinema
- Snow White – to Thursday 24 April – matinees on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 April.
Opening times: Evenings – doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm. Matinees – doors open at 2pm for 2.30pm. You can now book online at https://www.ritzcinema.co.uk/
|
|
Harrogate Spring Flower Show
With over seventy plant nurseries and societies as well as inspiring show garden designs and beautiful floral art to discover, there will be plenty to put a spring in your step and everything you need to plan and plant the perfect outdoor space at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. It’s on from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 April at Harrogate Showground. Book your tickets now and enjoy a £5 discount per adult ticket – offer available for a limited time only.
|
|
The Evolution of the Garden
Thirsk Hall’s garden has changed over several generations, with keen gardeners each adding something unique to the development of the estate. This tour, to be held on Friday 25 April at 11am, will offer a tantalising glimpse into the history of the house and the family by looking at its evolution from grazing land to sculpture garden and all the bits in between. Tickets £20: Book online at http://www.thirskhall.com/events
|
|
Haunted Thirsk Guided Tour
Explore the ancient areas of this beautiful market town and discover its haunting tales. Friday 25 April at 7pm (meet at 6.55pm at The Town Clock, Market Place, Thirsk). Rob your guide will meet you whatever the weather. Tour lasts approximately 75 minutes. Pre-booking required. Adults £9. Concessions £7 – under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Tel: 07876 010835 or email tina@historicexperiences.com.
|
|
Repair your stuff
Be greener by avoiding waste and save money by letting a team of dedicated and talented volunteers try to repair your broken or ‘worn-out’ items for a voluntary donation. It’s on at Thirsk Community Library, Chapel Street between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 26 April.
|
|
Ripon Big Sky Wheel
The Ripon Big Sky Wheel, temporarily located on Ripon Market Place until Sunday 27 April offers panoramic city views, towering above the obelisk and providing unique perspectives of Ripon’s landmarks. 11am-7pm daily. £5 (under 1.4m) or £7 (over 1.4m). No booking, just turn up.
|
|
The Busby & Me
Meet Wade Radford, film maker of ‘The Busby & Me’, who will be joining Thirsk Museum, Kirkgate on Monday 28 April from 10.30am to 3pm to discuss all things about the Busby Stoop chair. This will include scans from his personal archives, including original sketches of the spirits of the Busby Stoop Inn. Donations to the Museum.
|
|
Pop-Up Fashion Show
The Friends of Topcliffe School are holding a Pop-up Shop and Fun Fashion Show at Dalton Village Hall at 7pm on Thursday 1 May. You’ll be able to shop for all your favourite high street brands at a remarkable 70% off. For tickets and more information please contact Karen on 07875 331227 or see the ‘Friends’ Facebook page.
|
|
Concerts and Events at Ripon Cathedral
- Queen by Candlelight – Friday 16 May at 7.30pm.
- Country by Candlelight – Saturday 17 May at 7.30pm
- Coldplay by Candlelight – Friday 18 July at 7.30pm.
- U2 by Candlelight – Friday 8 August at 7.30pm.
Book online at https://riponcathedral.org.uk/whats-on/
|
|
Thirsk Hall history and architecture tours
Following the sell-out success of the House & Architecture tour of Thirsk Hall to be led by historian Dr Helen Metcalfe on 23 March, three more tour dates have been announced. They are Friday 23 May at 10.30am and 2pm and Friday 25 July at 2.30pm. Please note that the number of tickets available is very limited and that tickets for the last tour sold out very quickly. Get yours, priced £20 from https://shop.beyonk.com/8p9ern3j/experiences/08docpwq
|
|
|
Dishfest
DishFest is making a grand return this summer with a new-look festival on Saturday 31 May. The organisers are cranking it up with fresh musicians, a DJ extravaganza, and a whole new setup that’ll make your heart sing. Get ready for an afternoon into the evening filled with music, street food, beer marquee with seating and good vibes. It will all take place on the afternoon and through to the evening, on the Dishforth Playing Fields. Bring your own table and chairs, but please do not bring your own alcohol on site.
Tickets are limited and the event did sell out last year, so don’t leave it too late to book. Go online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dishfest-2025-tickets-1288240896199?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1
|
|
Byland Abbey Tours
Byland Abbey is open through to October. Volunteers at the English Heritage site will normally be on site, and the museum open, from 1pm to 5pm every Friday to Monday. And abbey tours, lasting about an hour, will take place at 2pm every Saturday and Sunday. These tours are free and do not need to be booked. There are also some special events coming up:
- Great Big Green Week – Sunday 8 June
- Festival of Archaeology – Sunday 27 July
For more information about this famous abbey and the tours, please contact sam.macfie@english-heritage.org.uk
|
|
|
Quiz answers
1. Taunton
2. The Cairngorms (1,461 sq miles)
3. Winston Churchill
4. Anjelica Houston
5. Tommy Trinder
6. George Orwell.
|
|
|
That’s all for this week. Keep safe and remain well.
|
|
|
|
