News
Giving to St James Gift Aid Reduction April 2008 The basic rate of Income Tax is to be reduced from 22% to 20% in April 2008. This means that instead of being able to claim back 28p in every pound given under Gift Aid, St James’ will only be able to claim 25p in the pound – a reduction of 3%. For St James’s Church this equates to some £630 based on previous giving trends. Spring is as good a time as any to review your giving to God John Hindle Treasurer Gift aid schemes can boost our giving to the church. Please click HERE for details. The year ended on the 31st December 2004 with a deficit of £1,744.00. This loss will have to be made up from our fast depleting reserves. The Parochial Church Council has accepted the Budget for 2005 subject to a review in three month’s time to check the trend. The Budget has predicted a shortfall (loss) of £4,000.00 for 2005. This shortfall could be much less or even disappear if the current appeal for help from the Parish is successful. At the present time there is still a long way to go to achieve this. However there have been some encouraging responses for which the Parochial Church Council is very grateful, as well as to all the very loyal existing supporters who month by month contribute both in money and time. Meanwhile, the Parochial Church Council would ask if there are still people who are wondering whether to start to support St. James’s Church on a regular basis, or increase their present giving. Please do so now. They will be part of the “Save St. James’s” Appeal for the present and future generations – to have a base for Christian Worship, and a place for our happy and sad moments in life to be celebrated or grieved along with the Community at large in a Christian atmosphere. If anyone wishes to discuss this further, or has any queries, please contact the Churchwardens or Treasurer who will be only too pleased to help. Thank You. P. Wilson Treasurer N Castle Chairman NIDDERDALE HERALD Would you please contact me for any articles or announcements that you would like to appear in the Nidderdale Herald. I have been encouraged to act as a focal point for any such local information that could benefit from inclusion in the paper. Please note that Monday afternoons are the deadline for this material. Jim Shipman Tel: 772735 E-mail. shipjimfran@aol.com BIRSTWITH C. E. SCHOOL NEWS Our end of term production “Ocean Commotion” will be held in the School Hall on two occasions, Tuesday afternoon 1st July at 2.00 pm, and Wednesday evening 2nd July at 6.30 pm. The Reception new starters for our September term will be in School for two familiarisation visits: a morning and an afternoon. These sessions are appreciated by the children, their families and staff alike as they provide opportunities for the children to acquaint themselves with the flow of a school day and usually serve to decrease their anxieties before the new term. During one of the above dates, the teachers will use the opportunity as a “moving up day” when all children move up one year group – and possibly class – to that which they will be in once the September term starts. School has chosen again the Humphrey Head residential site (located on Morecambe Bay on the edge of the Lake District) for our Year 6 children’s week before they leave us to go on to their secondary schools. This site was used for the first time last year and was much enjoyed by the children and staff. The children will be under instruction from qualified staff from the Centre when they participate in activities such as orienteering, mountain climbing, abseiling and water activities such as canoeing and team raft-building. Evening activities are also included. After a very busy sporting month of June when our eldest children participated in various sports activity festivals at Nidderdale High School, we are holding our own Sports Day on Friday 4th July at 1.30 pm. We are pleased to be able to take a work placement student from Nidderdale High School during the second week of July. During the last week of term the whole School trip will take place when we will be transported by a special double-decker bus to Newby Hall, Ripon, where children and staff can enjoy the gardens, adventure playground and miniature train. Before we close for the summer holidays on Friday 18th July, our Leavers’ Assembly will take place in School on Thursday 17th July. The children will return to School after the holidays on Wednesday 3rd September, with our staff training days on the Monday and Tuesday. We would like to take the opportunity to wish you all – together with our children and their families – an enjoyable and, hopefully, sun-filled August. Secretary JACK-IN-THE-B0X BABY & TODDLER GROUP Meet on Wednesdays during school term time in the Church Hall 1.30pm – 3.00pm. For further information please contact Sheila Plant 779155. MOBILE LIBRARY The Mobile Library will visit Birstwith on Tuesday 15th July & 5th & 26th August.. It will be at Clapham Green from 2.25 – 2.35pm & Birstwith Grange from 3.05 – 3.30pm. On Friday 18th July & 8th & 29th August it will be at The Holme from 12.00 – 12.10pm. Lifts For lifts to Church and doctor’s appointments, visiting or collection of prescriptions, please contact Helga Perkins on 771535 in July & Maurice Worsnop on 770654 in August. MAGAZINE Articles, news or announcements for the September magazine should be sent to Ruth Raspin, Coachman’s Cottage, Birstwith, by noon on Wednesday 20th August prior to publication on Sunday 29th August. Tel: 779084 e-mail ruthraspin@birstwith.net BIRSTWITH PARISH PLAN The Parish Plan Steering Group thanks all those who came along to the Open Meeting on Wednesday 30 April. The well attended event in St James’s church hall included presentations and displays of the key findings and comments in response to the questionnaire that had been distributed in November 2007 to all adults on the electoral register. Those attending the meeting were then invited to review the draft action plan arising out of the questionnaire analysis, discuss the proposed actions and assign priorities to them. The Steering Group also thanks the representatives of the Parish Council, Yorkshire Rural Communities Council and HBC Rural Housing who supported the presentations and discussion and, where appropriate, will support the development of the actions. The Steering Group will now complete writing up the Parish Plan and Action Plan, when these have been adopted by the Parish Council a printed copy will be distributed to every household. The Parish Council will decide on the best way to take forward the Action Plan but, as noted at the meeting, the achievement of many of the actions will depend on members of the community volunteering to take a leading role or to be coordinators or to assist with activities. If you want to know more please contact Fran Shipman (772735) or Adrian Dixon (770116). SOME NOTES FROM EARTHWORM BIRSTWITH SHOW – SATURDAY 26th JULY 2008 How are your potatoes growing in the florist bucket? Earthworm planted his on 31st March and it did not push through until 2nd May! Please keep the potatoes in a sunny position, don't over water but keep moist. For young people under 17 years, please do have a look at the Show Schedule pages 8 and 9, where you will find plenty of classes of various interests to enter. For the adult gardener who has not entered thed Show before, why not make it a first this year? Pick up a schedule from the shop and look through the various classes. In most cases you will have some flowers or plants already growing in your garden which you could enter. For example: Vase of Cut Flowers (see page 4 Class 102) 5 Roses (see page 4 Class 107) Hanging Basket (see page 4 Classes 116, 117 & 118) 10 Gooseberries (see page 5 Class 183) Vase of 6 Sweet Peas (see page 6 Class 372) And there are many more to have a go at. Are you going to enter this year? Happy Gardening … on behalf of BHS BIRSTWITH JUNIOR CRICKET CLUB The season started in the nets way back in January and the weather has been kind to us this term, hardly any matches rained off. All the junior teams have played some wonderful cricket and are now busy practising batting left and right handed! The club thrives with more and more children coming along each Saturday and all the coaches continue to volunteer their time which ensures the club goes forward. The club now boasts one of the largest junior sections in the district and once again a representative junior side will run out at Headingley to play some kwik cricket at lunch in the test match. So well done to lads and lasses for playing the sport, a big big thanks to all the coaches and to everyone in the background that arranges this and that to keep the club ticking, summer time and the cricket easy. Freddy BIRSTWITH SHOW 2008 Well, the signs promoting the show are up, St John's Ambulance, traffic cones from the council, portaloos, skip, grass cutting, marquee, ring events, trade stands and food all booked. The Show Princess and Attendants have been selected, the colour troop, silver band, and this year cheerleaders will greet them into the field. Think everything is sorted and everyone on the committee have done their bit and no doubt the merry band of volunteers who help out on show week will emerge as ever to make it all a huge success. Just need a day with good weather – and of course all you to turn up and have a great day to make it worthwhile. We wonder if we will have a bumper crowd this year, have we got something for everyone, have we catered for young and not so young, is the tradition of the show going to carry forward? So, if you can please support the show, bring friends, have a read of the programme of events, enter classes (remember entry night is Friday 18 July at the Church Hall). After the show from 7 o'clock we have again arranged a live band and a licensed bar to help lubricate the evenings entertainment. There will be a selection of foods available to purchase if you fancy a night off cooking. Saturday 26 July 2008 Dear diary, a lovely sunny day, the children laughed, ran and ate, bit of a bun fight in the marquee over the largest leek competition and the beer tent ran out of beer which meant life long bitter drinkers had to take to the amber nectar. The coolest place seemed to be the refreshment tent, think I had too many home baked biscuits. Had a good night, live band were excellent, think I had too much beer and roast hog, busy though best crowd for years, think we might do it again and make it at least 115 shows. Benson and Hedges SOME NOTES FROM EARTHWORM BIRSTWITH SHOW – SATURDAY 26th JULY 2008 Birstwith Show is now just less than a month away! Please do not forget to turn up on Friday 18th July at the Church Hall between 7 and 8 pm to put your entries in for the Show. Earthworm's potato in a florist bucket suffered a very nasty shock on the night of 18/19th May when it was struck by a rather fierce frost. It has taken three weeks to recover, which means its yield will be on the low side. Did yours manage to miss the frost? However, now we are in July a weekly feed for your potato of a high potash fertilizer (tomato type) will help to boost and mature your potatoes. At the Show you must bring the complete plant and bucket undisturbed (this includes the top) for the judges to empty the bucket and weigh the potatoes. Also please do not forget the other classes which you can enter to make the Birstwith Show a great success. All the very best to you all with your entries. Earthworm will be there watching from ground level. Happy gardening and showing, on behalf of BHS MUSIC MATTERS!! St James’s Church Orchestra This seems a bit like an end-of-term report as we are coming up to our last Family Service before the summer break. Numbers in the band at each service have been lower on average compared with previous years. This is mainly because you are all getting older and have a lot more calls on your time with such things as SAT’s (ugh!), GCSE and AS exams. However, I know that you are all keeping up your music and that is excellent news. We have recruited four new younger members this year and we have a new (slightly older) clarinet joining us in September (who could that be you ask?) and as no-one has actually left, things are looking quite rosy for next year. You youngsters (and adults) who don’t play anything – think about it for September and give it a go - music can be one of the greatest fun things going! Next service involving the band is Family Harvest Service – September 28th. Choir News I haven’t much to report on this except to say a big Thank You to Sarah for the way in which she has developed the choir during the year. It has come on in leaps and bounds and has had many successes as you have read in earlier editions. Ellie Davies sang with the Northern Cathedral Singers in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in June and is singing with them in Carlisle on 12th July and in Leeds in September. Supporters are very welcome at these very impressive Evensong Services. Coming up soon… On Sunday 12th October, St Aidan’s “Flame” group will be joining us in our worship. We haven’t decided the format of the service yet, but will let you know. Still with St Aidan’s, their Swing Band are booked to give a concert in church on Friday 6th February 2009. A quiet musical year in 2008 followed the hectic 150th Anniversary celebrations of 2007, so we hope to put on an interesting programme of musical events in 2009. Communion Music Rota If you can help out with playing a piece on the piano or any instrument as part of the Morning Service, please have a word with me. It involves playing for about three minutes and, if several people volunteer, the commitment might be once every six weeks or so. Accompanist provided if you play flute, fiddle or tin whistle! Harrogate Symphony Orchestra, Sat 7th June, Royal Hall A personal thank you from me as an HSO player to the 37 Birstwithians who attended this wonderful evening to celebrate not only HSO’s return to the Royal Hall but also to make tribute to Lilian Mina. Many of you will remember the concert in St James’s a year ago when Marat Bisengaliev and Ben Frith’s concert raised £2500 for the Royal Hall Restoration Trust. Watch this space for the next HSO event in November. Church Music Committee - Next meeting – 6th July after morning service. John M 770412 or johnm2107@talktalk.net
FLOODLIGHTING THE CHURCH Did you know that one can sponsor the floodlighting of our Church to celebrate a special occasion? For example:- A Birthday, Wedding, Anniversary, Christening etc. What does it cost? Only £10.00 per evening. (This covers the cost of electricity as well as a useful donation to Church Funds). Who does one contact? Norman Castle on 01423 772455.
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Dear Rev. McLean-Reid
I am writing to you and including this picture of my painting of your church.
I I have been doing research
on my Great Grandfather, John Lowcock and came across an article about
him "Online" in an article titled "A Short History of St. James's
Church Birstwith. My mother always spoke about how he was blind and
was a farmer and an organist, but I didn't know about the information in
this article. According to the article he played the music in
your church on a harmonium at first. This was probably around
the late 1860's to 1870's' but I don't have a date.
It states that the first organ was obtained in 1873. He had a farm and apparently walked along the riverside, unaided, twice every Sunday to play music for the services. This oil painting was commissioned by my uncle Jack Lowcock in 1975 and was painted by John Corcoran, my 2nd cousin's husband . My Uncle Jack passed away in Thunder Bay Ontario Canada in 2003 just before his 96th Birthday.
I was given this painting which I treasure and thought I'd send a photo of it. I am so happy to discover a little more about the relationship between my family and the Church in this wonderful painting. My grandfather, Robert Jackson Lowcock, was the 2nd eldest of John and his wife Margaret (nee Jackson) 's 13 children. John's father had sent him to a school for the Deaf in Yorkshire, where he learned his music He must have been an amazing man!
Sincerely
Barb Ivison
Delta' British Columbia Canada.
