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Opening Times
Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.00pm
Tel: 01845 421 015
The Thirsk Weekly News is a family-owned paper for Thirsk and the surrounding area
29th April, 2021.
Our local adventurer Jasmine Harrison rowed over 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies, in the process projecting herself into the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest female ever to row solo across an ocean. Her boat Argo is now back in the UK and last Saturday it took pride of place in the marketplace. Jasmine was there as well, still exuding the calm that took her on this remarkable journey.
And what a small boat it is when you think of the job it had to do. Built in Burnham on Crouch in Essex and weighing just 3,500 kg empty and about 7,000 kg when kitted out, it faced Atlantic storms and the risk of encounters with sea creatures and immense cargo vessels. There are storage-cum-sleeping areas at each end, but the Captain’s Cabin looked hardly large enough for anyone to sleep although Jasmine said she was OK in there.
This event attracted the attention of larger media than myself. Jeremy Buxton from Radio York was there, the first time he had driven the outside broadcast van in a year. His Saturday role in the Finders Keepers programme had been cancelled when there were no events to drop in on during the pandemic. He was joined by camera crews from ITV Calendar and BBC Look North....
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29th April, 2021.
The U8 Clarets were honoured to be a part of the first ever round of fixtures played at our new home at Sowerby Sports Village last weekend. The freshly marked pitches were gleaming on a warm sunny April morning with the boys itching to take to the field.
After a slow opening 5 minutes from Falcons they started to take control by exploiting the space down the wings. This resulted in the deadlock final been broken when the striker beat his man on the edge of the box and smartly finished....
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29th April, 2021.
Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake, has presented the landlady of the Black Bull in Thirsk with a certificate recognizing the support she gave the community during the Covid crisis. Kayley Bolton who runs the Black Bull decided to appeal for unused toys to redistribute to disadvantaged children. Very quickly donations came pouring in which meant that dozens of children had an extra special Christmas.
Mr Hollinrake said “This has been a hugely difficult time for the hospitality sector but despite this many pubs have gone out of their way to support their local communities by offering hot meals for the elderly and vulnerable and food and drink to key workers. I was honoured to have been able to present Kayley with this award for the tremendous work she has done. When lockdown forced the closure of her pub she decided to do something worthwhile and appealed for toys to be given away to less advantaged children at Christmas....
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29th April, 2021.
A highly-anticipated traffic detection system to warn of blockages at Sutton Bank is now in operation.
Sutton Bank has a steep gradient and hairpin bend, making it one of the most infamous climbs in North Yorkshire. On average, highways teams have to deal with 120 blockages by HGVs every year and around 400 suffer problems on the bank.
The introduction of an advance warning system will not only inform road users of blockages on the route, but will also warn of snow and ice.
The two interactive signs on Long Street in Thirsk and on the A168/A19 roundabout on York Road are an effective way in advising road users to avoid the route, and allows highways officers to react to closures and disruption on Sutton Bank quickly.
Local member Councillor Gareth Dadd contributed £5,000 from his locality budget, and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe Parish Council provided £1,000. The total cost of the scheme was £40,000....
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23rd April, 2021.
We had a great visit to the club by Chairman of NYCC Cllr Jim Clarke and Cllr Gareth Dadd on Wednesday. It was a pleasure to show them that evening's training sessions and talk about how the Club has bounced back into training and matches, created new teams and secured our new home at the Sowerby Sports Village over the last year despite the huge challenges faced....
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23rd April, 2021.
Mike and Maureen believe the secret to a long and happy marriage is to find someone who is abundantly kind and never let them go!
Lovebirds, Mike and Maureen, have celebrated their milestone 55th Emerald wedding anniversary at Thirsk care home, Hambleton Grange. The couple were surprised by the thoughtful staff who had organized a private candle-lit date in the vintage tearoom.
The pair met in 1964 during a chance meeting at a bus stop on a rainy day and Maureen knew from the moment she met Mike that he was going to be someone special. Mike was waiting in the pouring rain to catch a bus to begin his day working as an apprentice Secretary when Maureen happened to pass him on her Vespa scooter and stopped to offer Mike a lift to work....
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23rd April, 2021.
We are delighted to see the return to weekly sessions of our Weetabix Wildcats and Falcons Fledgling sessions hosted in partnership with our partner club York City FC Foundation....
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23rd April, 2021.
I was invited to a special event put on at Thirsk Town Hall to show off their refurbished facilities. I was impressed. The main hall is no dingy throwback to old days. It is tastefully and well decorated in modern shades. The team who run it are proud that they have been able, courtesy of a grant, to change the lighting to LEDs, which will save money on electricity charges. The event was aimed at showing how the various rooms in the building are suited to impressive but not over-expensive events such as wedding receptions or celebration parties. The place ticks quite a few boxes, such as a welcoming feel, quality decoration, disabled access for the ground floor hall and meeting room. Local businesses can provide attractive tables and chairs, flowers and decorations, and local caterers are geared up to lay on good food and drink....
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16th April, 2021.
Work on the £4m redevelopment of Thirsk Leisure Centre has now moved to the next level - with the completion of the steel frame extension.
Work began on site in February, despite some challenging weather conditions and the need to follow COVID secure working practices.
As the leisure centre enters week 10 of development works, structural steelwork engineers have now completed erection of the steel frame for the extensions. All part of the construction of a modern and improved leisure centre.
The redevelopment includes two extensions, these will house a state-of-the-art gym three times the size of the current facility which for the first time will be operational 24/7 and also include a new multi-purpose studio and a group cycling studio....
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16th April, 2021.
Work on the new multi-million-pound Hambleton Crematorium on the outskirts of Thirsk, is progressing well with the steel framework now in position.
Work began on the council led crematorium build in November, with the development work now very much underway despite challenging conditions at times, due to snowy and wet weather in January and February.
The 22-acre site which will be named Maple Park, is close to both the A1 and A19 and will include a service hall to accommodate approximately 120 mourners plus additional room for standing. There will also be an entrance foyer, waiting lobby, offices and a family room....
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16th April, 2021.
Pupils from a local school celebrated the end of a unique term by crafting and flying their own kites.
The pupils from Cundall Manor School, took to the challenge set by Headmistress, Amanda Kirby, with real gusto and the weather conditions certainly helped support the event.
The inspiration for the festival was taken from a popular Easter tradition in Barbados, where kite flying is regularly incorporated into the annual festivities....
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16th April, 2021.
We have taken another step out of lockdown, whilst other parts of the world are enduring the worst of it. Monday morning, and the sun shone in the market place, and there was a feeling of the way things used to be – almost. Key businesses such as The Golden Fleece remain shut at present, but the market was in full swing, and but for the number of masks worn in the street, either as a precaution or because it was easier than popping it on and off shop by shop, this could have been as it was a couple of years ago. I felt a little positive where in past months there has been a more subdued mood. There was that sense of a bit of bustle, business to be done. I was not rushing off to the big “non-essential” shops in Middlesbrough or York, well not yet anyway, but my watch had chosen this very moment to run out of battery and so I was able to get it seen to. It was so irritating that it was always 10 minutes and 4 seconds past 10 whenever I looked at my wrist....
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9th April, 2021.
Jean Smith believes the secret to a long life is to always look forward to tomorrow and never dwell on the past as it is behind you!
The team at Hambleton Grange care home in Thirsk have helped Jean Smith to celebrate her milestone 100th birthday party in style by combining her two favourite things: afternoon tea and Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits!
Jean was overwhelmed with deliveries of flowers, balloons, presents and cards including a special telegram from the Queen which filled her room as she enjoyed Facetime calls with family and friends. Jean was also delighted to have a socially distanced visit from her daughter. The pair spent time catching up and Jean received a bottle of her favourite Chanel Number 5, an iconic perfume which is also celebrating its 100th birthday this year....
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9th April, 2021.
Another of Rob's virtual races saw 90 members and guests complete the virtual Hartlepool Marina 5, a run very much replicating the actual Marina race in that it was a flat out and back road race. It was along part of the Thirsk 10 Road Race course - which would have been held at normal times in March - and allowed for fast times, (which is one reason why the Thirsk 10 is so popular.) Matt Jones is making himself unbeatable at the moment, finishing with the fastest time, over about 5.2 miles, in 31.32. Paul Peacock continues to shine, 2nd in 32.42, with Tom Levi gradually recovering his form after a bad injury, 3rd in 33.07, Andrew Price 4th in 34.06, Joe Lofthouse 5th in 35.48, Josh Fothergill 6th in 35.55, Alan Simpson, always well up, 7th in 36.23, Walter Busuttil 8th in 36.42, Adam Leigh 9th in 37.00 and the indomitable Rob Burn 10th in 37.38 - even though road is not his favourite surface....
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9th April, 2021.
A real light at the end of the tunnel moment came in an email from Jeanette Daly, the Chair of Thirsk Bowls Club with the good news that the Club is restarting on 12 April. She reminded me of the beneficial aspects of the game and its companionship, quite apart from the challenge of winning.
“Bowls is a great sport for all ages,” she told me, “ and for the ‘older’ player especially it gives good gentle exercise - walking, bending, stretching. The social contact outdoors in the fresh air is a plus - except when it's raining! And of course there is the Thirsk Athletic Sports and Social Club where there's always opportunity for a drink and chat....
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.jpg "Gardening Talks as featured in The Thirsk Weeky News 10th April 2021 edition")
9th April, 2021.
April is a wonderful month. There is nothing more satisfying than gardening in the first real heat of sunshine, with the emerald unfurling of leaves and the spring chorus of birdsong all around you. The blaze of yellow daffodils below combines with the fluffy blossom of plum, pear and apple above, clouds of brilliant white against the clear blue skies – nothing like it. And with the earth warming, there is the promise of all that is to come, a time for planting inspirations, the choosing of seeds for allotment or borders and new projects and aspirations for what your garden could look like....
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1st April, 2021.
In quite windy but fine conditions on Sunday 28th March, 25 people came along at staggered times and adhering to social distancing conditions to South Dowber Lane/Sutton Old Rd.
In just a few hours, the newly formed Thirsk Wombles collected 87 sacks of pure litter, mostly from the woodland but also many other flytipped items including a fridge, a TV, a net, an old bedstead, a mattress and much more (probably equivalent of c. 97 sacks in total). All items were left in 2 piles to be collected hopefully today (Monday) by HDC who are already incredibly supportive to their sister litter picking group, The Wombles of Hambleton....
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1st April, 2021.
Cracking effort from these Lads. Richard Till, Nick Thorne, Paul Flintoff, Tom Sowerby, Ben Scaling and Matthew Wass have all now completed their allocated miles towards their challenge.
A staggering 1656 miles covered from the 6 of them. That’s the equivalent of visiting each away ground and back for all 3 senior teams this year....
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1st April, 2021.
After a dreary time of lockdown and anxiety our Yarnbombers have turned their collective imagination to something to cheer us up. Their ideas on show in the town centre are wide ranging, from balloons and a nice bottle of something alcoholic to a picnic, or life on a little desert island where the woes of the world would be over the horizon....
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1st April, 2021.
Everyone can enjoy beautiful choral music this Easter as Queen Mary’s Chapel Choir is observing Holy Week and celebrating Easter with performances across the week.
From Fauré’s ‘Messe Basse’ to ‘This Joyful Eastertide’, each day a new movement or anthem will be released on Queen Mary’s social media channels and the whole concert will be available on the Queen Mary’s website.
The Chapel Choir of Queen Mary’s School has celebrated its 40th year and enjoys a reputation as an outstanding chamber choir in the Yorkshire area. Recent performances include recordings for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4, Evensong at Hexham Abbey, A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, Vivaldi’s Gloria and the staging of the opera, ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell....
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