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Sunday Email: Issue 94

Welcome to the 94th issue of the Sunday Email.
Doug
07785 223707
Meeting to discuss local celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Sunday, 6 February at 7.30pm.
A meeting has been called to discuss how our two villages might celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee in June. The meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Sunday 6 February at The Angel. Everyone is welcome. It will be an opportunity for ideas to be aired and it’s hoped that a jubilee committee will be formed to take the lead on organising local events and activities over the jubilee weekend – Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June

Interestingly, 6 February marks the actual day The Queen celebrates becoming the first British Monarch to serve 70 years, but the public celebrations will be held in June because she was crowned on 2 June

Village Hall Committee offers free use of hall for celebrations
At last Tuesday’s meeting of the Village Hall Committee, a decision was taken to offer free use of the Village Hall for community events linked to the four-day platinum jubilee celebrations in June

Next soup and sweet lunch
The next soup and sweet lunch at the Village Hall will be held on Wednesday, 2 February at 12 noon. The cash raised will be donated to the Boot Shop in Easingwold which is a charity with an excellent track record in supporting young people and adults with a range of mental health needs and disabilities – which include learning disabilities, autism, acquired brain injury, sensory impairments and dementia.
Bags2school recycling collection day
The date has been set for the spring Bags2school textile recycling event at the Village Hall. It’s on Thursday 28 April. That gives everyone loads of time to undertake that annual clear out of cupboards and wardrobes. Please keep your bags of textiles for this charity collection. If you have trouble storing the bags, contact Donna Fleming (07591 438766) or Doug Allan (07785 223707) and they will try to make arrangements for storage until the collection day. The proceeds of the event will be shared between the Village Hall and 1st Topcliffe Scouts.

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 – jewellery – 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.

Cleaner needed for Village Hall
Following Linda Bumby’s decision to retire, the Village Hall Committee is on the lookout for a volunteer who will help out in exchange for an honorarium. The hours are two per week and although Linda usually cleaned on a Sunday, the committee is happy to consider other hours that don’t clash with any hires or activities. Additional hours may be available on special occasions. The honorarium is £10 per hour. If interested please call Judith Lowe on 01845 577911.
Fish & chip van
The fish and chip van is now back in Topcliffe each Friday evening 5 to 7pm. Welcome back Karen and Paul.
Open Day at new Crematorium
There’s an opportunity to visit the new multi-million Hambleton Crematorium near Busby Stoop on Thursday 24 February. Visitors can call in between 11am and 3pm for a look around and to talk to staff about the building and how it will operate.

In order to minimise the number of cars from our two villages, if anyone who is interested gives me their name, I’ll keep a list and see if transport can be pooled. Email doug or call 07785 223707.

Cross Talk is out
The February edition of the local church magazine, Cross Talk, has been published. You can read it on several church websites –http:// www.achurchnearyou.com/church/3447 and http://baldersbychurch.com

You can also have the newsletter emailed direct to your inbox. Just send a request to:kitnorris

New council for North Yorkshire
On 1 April 2023, the two-tier system of local government in our area will be abolished. The existing councils across the county will be abolished and replaced with a single unitary authority to run services across the entire county. It will be called North Yorkshire Council. Appropriate legislation to allow the change is currently before Parliament and, subject to MPs’ approval, the order is expected to be enacted in a month or so.

Following that announcement, elections will take place on 5 May 2022 when 90 councillors will be selected to represent the 89 wards across North Yorkshire. The councillors will serve one year on the existing North Yorkshire County Council before switching to the new unitary authority from 1 April 2023. This is the shadow authority and will run alongside the existing councils until they disappear at the end of March 2023.

Changes to The Highway Code
Major new road rules came into effect yesterday in a bid to better protect cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents. There are three main changes. They include introducing a risk-based hierarchy of road users, with the most vulnerable – pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders – taking priority. The new rules emphasise that it’s not just vehicle drivers who have responsibilities – cyclists and passengers need to think before they act!

  • Drivers now have ‘the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger posed to others, including cyclists, pedestrians and horse-riders.
  • Drivers at a junction should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross a road that they’re turning into.
  • Drivers should give way to pedestrians waiting to cross a zebra crossing, and pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross a parallel crossing.
  • Drivers should not cut across cyclists going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane.
  • Drivers must leave a distance of at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists.
  • Cyclists are advised to ride in the middle of the road in certain situations to make themselves more visible and they should generally give way to pedestrians.
  • Passengers and drivers should use new ‘Dutch Reach’ technique when opening the door of a vehicle. This involves opening the door with the hand furthest away from the door as the movement provides a better opportunity to look over their shoulder and spot oncoming cyclists.

There are significant fines for those who fail to follow the new rules and are involved in any incident.

Rural Arts to start monthly classes at our Village Hall
The first in a new series of monthly Rural Arts classes will be held at Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall on Tuesday, 22 February. The subject at the first class will be painting and brusho. The two hour class starts at 10am. Just turn up on the day (it’s free to attend) or if you want more information call Judith Lowe on 577911.

On 22 March the class will look at ceramics and subjects for 19 April, 17 May, 21 June and 19 July will be announced in due course.

Services at St Columba’s

  • TODAY – Sunday, 30 January – No Service.
  • Wednesday, 2 February at 7.30pm – Service of Compline for the Feast of Candlemas
  • Sunday, 6 February at 6.30pm – Choral Evensong accompanied by organist Matthew Atherton. This is the actual 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne and anyone who would like to join the Choral Evensong on this most significant day will be warmly welcomed.
  • Sunday, 13 February at 10.45am – Holy Communion.
  • Sunday, 20 February at 10.45am – Choral Matins.
  • Sunday, 27 February at 10.45am – Holy Communion.
Events at The Angel

  • 1 February – Hilarity Bites Comedy Club – Tickets £10 in advance or £12 on the night. Doors open at 7.30pm and show starts at 8pm.
  • 12 to 14 February – Valentine Evenings – special menu for this special occasion.
  • Friday nights – 5 to 9pm – Land & Sea – steak or fish for two with a bottle of wine for £35.95
  • Sunday roast – 12noon to 8pm – traditional Sunday lunch.

Check the website at https://theangelattopcliffe.co.uk/ or call 01845 578000.

Catton Kitchen winter opening hours

  • February – Closed – as the team are very busy getting everything seeded and prepped for spring!
  • March – Thursday 3 and Friday 4, 9am to 2pm; Saturday 5, 10am to 2pm; Sunday 6,10am to 2pm.

Opening times will be reviewed again in the spring.

Parish Council meetings

  • Topcliffe Parish Council – the February meeting has been cancelled, so the next meeting will be at 7pm on Thursday 3 March – http:// www.topcliffe.org.uk
  • Asenby Parish Council will meet at 7.30pm on Wednesday 16 March – http://www.asenby.net

Village Hall Committee meeting

Both parish councils and the Village Hall Committee meet at Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall.

  • Until Thursday 27 January – The Matrix Resurrections – return to the world of two realities; one, everyday life and the other, what lies behind it!
  • Friday 28 January to Thursday 3 February – The King’s Man – In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.
  • Friday 4 to Thursday 10 February – The Electrical Life of Louis Wain – English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
  • Friday 11to Thursday 17 February – Save the Cinema – the story of Liz Evans who starts a campaign in the 90s to save the Lyric Cinema in Carmarthen.
  • Friday 18 to Thursday 24 February – Sing 2.

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

Events on at The Forum

  • Sunday 6 February at 7.30pm – Sunday Jazz – the fabulous sounds of the Big Band Era performed, in an open session, by Alan Owens and The Forum Big Band.
  • Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 February at 7.30pm (matinee Saturday at 2pm) – Legally Blonde – Crash Bang Wallop are back performing to a live audience in 2022.
  • Monday 14 February at 7.15pm – Romeo and Juliet – the classic ballet live-streamed from the Royal Opera House. A Valentine’s Day treat.
  • Thursday 17 February at 7pm – The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage – live-streamed from the National Theatre.
  • Saturday 19 February at 7.30pm – Phoney Fools and Horses – the stage show.
  • Wednesday 23 February at 8pm – Ahir Shah – featuring his signature blend of philosophical inquiry, personal examination and sweet gags.
  • Friday 25 February at 6pm – Pop Divas Live – the UK’s number 1 Pop Tribute.

Enquiries 01609 776230. Tickets online at http://www.forumnorthallerton.org.uk

Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall
1. Weekly Activities
Monday
Art classes – 10am to 12 noon.
My Time Yoga – 1.30 to 2.45pm.
Boot Camp – 7 to 8pm.
Tuesday
Rural Arts – monthly ‘Heart and Craft’ classes starting 22 February.
Boccia Club – 1.30 to 3.30pm.
Library – 1.30 to 3.30pm.
Squirrels – 5 to 6pm.
Beavers – 6.15 to 7.15pm.
Wednesday
Soup & Sweet lunch – 12 noon to 1pm (alternate Wednesdays).
Cubs – 6.45 to 7.45pm.
Thursday
Pammy’s Pilates – 6 to 7pm.
Indoor Carpet Bowls – 7.30 to 9.30pm.
Friday
Boot Camp – 6 to 7pm.
Scouts – 7 to 9pm.

2. Regular meetings and other events

  • Topcliffe Parish Council meeting – 7pm on Thursday, 3 March..
  • Asenby Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm on Wednesday 16 March.
  • Topcliffe & Asenby Village Hall Committee – 7.30pm – Tuesday 5 April.

The Big Race Night and Challenge Quiz & Curry Night will hopefully be rescheduled once the Covid pandemic is over.

Local traders
Most of these traders also have a Facebook page where you can check out latest information.

Bin Collections

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

  • Refuse – Monday 31 January and 14 February.
  • Recycling – Thursdays 10 and 24 February.
  • Garden waste – resume 24 February for those who have subscribed to 2021/22 service.
  • Subscriptions for 2022/23 are now open. The cost is £40. New and existing customers can now sign up at http://hambleton.gov.uk or call 01609 779977.

Harrogate (Asenby)

  • Recycling – Mondays 31 January and 14 February.
  • Refuse – Mondays 7 and 21 February.
  • Green Waste – Subscriptions for 2022/23 are now open and the cost is £41. Sign up at http://www.harrogate.gov.uk
LATEST INFORMATION & NEWS ABOUT COVID
Back to Plan A
Plan B has now ended and we are back to Plan A measures, which means fewer restrictions are in place. The requirement to wear a face covering is scrapped (though still advised in certain settings) and Covid passes are no longer needed to access large venues. Work from home guidance has already been dropped and masks are no longer required in schools.

Isolation
The main legal requirement that remains is for anyone with Covid to self-isolate. Earlier this month, the quarantine time was cut from 10 days to five full days – provided you produce a negative test result on the fifth and sixth days, and do not have a temperature. Tests must be at least 24 hours apart. If either test is positive, you must wait 24 hours before testing again. This measure is due to expire on 24 March, though it could be dropped earlier if things continue to improve.

Care Homes
From Monday 31 January, care home restrictions will ease. There will be no limit on the number of visitors allowed at care homes, self-isolation periods will be cut and care homes will only have to follow outbreak management rules for 14 days, not 28.

Travel
From 4am on Friday, 11 February fully vaccinated passengers entering England will no longer need to book Covid tests. The rules before then mean fully vaccinated travellers must pre-book a Covid test from a private supplier (lateral flow or PCR) and take it, at most two days after arriving in the country. Rules for non-vaccinated travellers remain the same – they must take a pre-departure test and two post-arrival PCR tests. They must also self-isolate for 10 days after arriving in England.

The week’s UK Covid statistics

  • 52.3 million first doses given. That’s 91% of the population aged 12+. .
  • 48.3 million have had the second dose. That’s over 84%.
  • 37.2 million have now had a booster or third jab. That’s nearly 65% of those eligible.
  • There have been more than 16.4 million confirmed cases of Covid.
  • There were 72,727 new Covid infections yesterday and 622,156 people tested positive in the last week. That’s a 4% decrease on the previous week.
  • 12,223 people were admitted to hospital with Covid in the week to 24 January.
  • There were 296 deaths reported yesterday and 1,827 in the last seven days. An decrease of 3.2% compared with the previous week.
  • The total number of UK deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test now stands at 155,613.
  • 176,813 deaths registered in the UK had Covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate.
  • Worldwide, the global death toll is 5,670,952.
That’s all for this week. Keep safe and remain well.