Todays local Settle News – 4th December 2017

RAILWAY WALKS

This week there will be an 8 mile moderate walk on December 9th followed by the walkers Christmas Dinner. This is a circular walk around Settle and the group will meet at 9.45 at Settle Station For details and to confirm bookings contact Andy Feather on 01729 824305.   All participants in railway walks are reminded that it is their responsibility to make sure  that they are appropriately clothed, carry a packed lunch where required and have suitable footwear. 

 

CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER

Once again a Christmas meal will be served  at St John’s and commences at 11.45 on Christmas Day. This event is open to all ages and transport can be arranged for those who require assistance.  The cost for the event will be £10 per adult and £5 for children.  To book a place contact 01729 822138. Although early booking is an assistance with numbers however the team are happy to accept late bookings. Anyone wishing to offer help on the day or offer transport should contact the number above.

 

 

ST JOHN‘S METHODIST CHURCH

A reminder that St John’s Methodist Church welcome you to the Coffee Pot every Tuesday morning between 10 -noon and is open to everyone, including visitors to the town. There is home baking, fresh coffee and a warm welcome guaranteed.  On December 11th the church is holding its annual Soupa-carol event. This is an informal evening of favourite carols interspersed with seasonal readings of prose and poetry and accompanied by home-made soup! Commences at 7pm and all are very welcome.

 

SETTLE PARISH CHURCH

The Anglican churches are currently operating a new service pattern. The service on Sunday 10th will be a service of Holy Communion at 10am. A reminder that coffee or tea, with biscuits, scones and cake, is served every Tuesday at Settle Parish Church between 10.15 am and 12.00 noon and that soup, snacks and sweets are served every Tuesday between 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm. Do pop in and join us for a convivial meal and chat.  The recent harvest festival donations raised £179, which has been donated to the Settle Skateboard appeal. A huge thank you to everyone who gave to this event. On November 28th a festival meal was enjoyed by 40 people and again huge thanks to everyone involved in the organisation and preparation of this popular event. The church is currently looking for a person to fill the role of church secretary to assist with the running of the business side of church events. If you feel that you would like to find out more about what is involved in this role then please contact  01729 822848 or speak to Rev Hilary Young on 01729 824191.

 

 VICTORIA HALL FUNDRAISING

Every Tuesday there is a fundraising event at Victoria Hall. There are all-sorts stalls and a good clothes rack. Pop in and have a browse and enjoy a drink, bacon buttie or coffee and home-made cake etc. The cafe and stalls are open from 9.30 onwards.

 

VICTORIA HALL

Banish the winter blues with the wide variety of music and entertainment on offer at Victoria Hall. On December 7th there is a live streaming from The National of Young Marx. Set in 1850 it is a new comedy based around the life of Karl Marx during his time inLondon.  On Friday 8th at 4pm there is a performance of Santa’s Christmas Wish, a festive, song-filled, interactive family show particularly suitable for 2-7 year olds. It lasts 40 minutes followed by our special meet, greet and treat with Father Christmas himself! Later in the evening there is A Celebration of Simon and Garfunkel with Tim Chu and Ian Bailey.  Sunday 10th sees “The Dylan Project” take to the stage, when four of Britain’s most talented folk-rock musicians and a unique singer, present an exhilarating tribute to the work of arguably the greatest postwar songwriter in the English language, Bob Dylan. Ramjam, the project which encourages young musicians to devise, improvise and perform new works, returns on December 16th with the Ramjam Christmas show. On December 17th Pendle Productions return with a matinee performance of this year’s pantomime, “Aladdin”. The Christmas sixties show takes to the stage on the evening of 17th with tributes to Neil Diamond, The Everley Brothers and Roy Orbison. On 23rd there is a time shift to the seventies for Glamrockz Christmas Party, a live, all action, authentically costumed, passionate show, to the greatest of early 70’s Glam Rock.  For details and tickets contact 01729 825718

PRIMARY SCHOOL FAIR

 Settle Primary School is holding a Christmas Fair on the evening of 7 December. There will be a range of stalls and games and all are welcome. The fair will run from 6 -7.30pm.

SETTLE AMATEUR OPERATIC SOCIETY

Settle Amateur Operatic Society are holding their Christmas Coffee Morning in The Old Court House Station Road, Settle on Saturday December 9th from 10.00am to 12.30 pm. There will be Tea, Coffee, Mince Pies and Cakes etc as well as a Tombola and Charity Stall   Everyone Welcome

 

SETTLE STATION

  The station is holding an open day on Saturday 9th December between 10-4. There will be sherry and mince pies, music and singing and all are welcome. Cards and gifts will be on sale from the station shop.

 

ANLEY HALL

 Anley Hall Christmas Fayre will take place on 9 December and will feature a range of stalls, tombola, and musical entertainment. There will also be a visit by Santa. The event runs from 2-4.30pm and there are still stall spaces available. To book a table contact 01729 822268.

WINE TASTING

 On 9 December, Buon Vino is holding a free wine tasting event at Victoria Hall between 6-9pm. Although the event is free and all are welcome it would very much help with organisation and ensuring that there is sufficient samples available if those wishing to attend could pre-book via either Victoria Hall or Buon Vino.

HELEN HOWARD SCHOOL OF DANCE

The Helen Howard School of Dance has pupils from across the region and classes in Settle and beyond. Pupils from the school are currently fund raising to support their visit to perform at Sadlers Wells in London. Part of their fundraising efforts is a Christmas Fun Day at Ingleton Community Centre on 10 December.  This will run from 11-3 and there will be stalls, raffle, tombola, coffee and cake and games as well as a visit by Santa and a dance display at 1pm. Please come along and help make our dreams come true.

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS

 There will be a community Christmas event on December 9th at Settle Parish Church featuring musicians and singers from various groups across Settle. This will commence at 6.30pm and all are welcome.

CANTORES SALICIUM

There will be a seasonal concert by local singing group, Cantores Salicium on Sunday, 10th December at Settle Parish Church.   The programme will include a range of music in the first half including works by Britten, Bach and traditional carols from around the world featuring the children’s choir. The second half of the programme will be Part 1 of Handel’s masterpiece ” Messiah@ including  the Hallelujah Chorus Please note early start time of 6.30pm.

SANTA IN SETTLE

Santa will once again be visiting Settle and will be in Booths Supermarket on December 9th from 10am until 4pm. During the week he will be out touring the area on his special Rotary sleigh from 5pm onwards and would be delighted to meet local children. On Thursday 7th December he will visit Upper Settle and Longdale Avenue and on Friday 8th December he will visit Mill Close and Northfields.

 

THE FOLLY

Join us at The Folly for Octameron’s popular annual feast.of seasonal music. This year’s concert takes place on Saturday December 16^th and is free of charge. Octameron will be singing on the top (2^nd) floor so please arrive in plenty of time to get seated before they start at 2.30 p.m. The Folly will be open from 1.30 p.m. with mulled wine and mince pies for sale on the ground floor at £3.50 each – guaranteed to give you a festive glow! Take a look at the Folly shop with a selection of gifts and stocking filler toys on sale. Why not hide a hedgehog under your tree this year? Our hand knitted hogs are soft and sparkly rather than prickly and cost just £4.50 each. Every single penny goes towards developing the Museum.’

 

COMMUNITY CAROLS

 Come along and join in the community carol singing in Settle Market place on 19 December at 11am. Meet outside the Naked Man.All welcome.

 

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Perhaps the greatest gift you give this Christmas season could be the gift of your time, by helping a family or individual who feels that their situation has forgotten. Writing a letter to support a cause could help to keep someone’s plight in the public eye. The next letter writing session will take place on 20 December. The sessions are held at Friends Meeting House and operate on a drop in basis between 5-8pm. Information is provided to help individuals with the content of their letters. For further details contact 01729 268912.

 

COMMUNITY MUNCHERS

 Although many people enjoy cooking they often find that if they live alone they don’t want to actually bother making a meal for one. Settle Community Hub and Timebankers are therefore starting a new initiative where members of the community can come together and share the tasks involved in preparing a meal and then actually eat together. It doesn’t matter if you are any good at cooking as there are always other jobs eg, laying tables, doing dishes, helping with preparation etc which can be shared.  There is no charge for this event though there will be an opportunity to donate in order to cover the cost of ingredients and room hire. The first event will take place at Friends Meeting House on 14 December and two further events are scheduled for 11 and 25 January.  Those taking part should meet at 10am for coffee and it is anticipated that the event will finish around 2pm.  If you wish to take part but have special dietary need then please contact 07977 040329 so that this can be taken into account in the planning.

 

THEATRE TRIPS

If you are looking for an unusual Christmas gift or simply for something the look forward to in 2018, Michael Cullingworth is again arranging a series of Theatre Trips. The cost quoted includes theatre ticket (usually a matinee) , gratuities and coach transport to and from the venue. To ensure good seats trips are planned well in advance. The first trip is to The Secret Garden on 3rd January at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick at a cost of £30 per person. On February 7th there will be a trip to see Sunset Boulevard atBradford’s Alhambra Theatre, this time costing £42. There will be a further visit to Bradford for Matthew Bourne’s Ballet Cinderella on 9th May (cost £43) and then off to Leeds’ Grand Theatre for Calendar Girls on August 29th (cost£54). In October he will be arranging a trip to Bradford once again for Miss Saigon at the Alhambra on 10 October (cost £68).  Advance booking is essential as trips are popular and all payment must be made 5 weeks prior to the performance. ” To contact Michael to book a place on a trip simply get in touch on 01729823978 or email:- michaelcullingworth@gmail.com

 

 

GIGGLESWICK

 

ST ALKELDA’S

The Anglican churches are currently operating a new service pattern. The services on Sunday 10th will be at  8.00.a.m. and 10.00.a.m. Holy Communion. St. Alkelda’s wi ll be holding its  Christmas Fair in church on Friday Dec. 8th between 7.00-9.00pm during which mulled wine and mince pies will be available. On Saturday December 9th the fair will be open between10.00-4.00 and Santa Claus will visit between 10.00-12.00 and 2.00-4.00. There will be a range of stalls with refreshments served all day. All proceeds to the church

 

CHRISTMAS FAIR

 There will be a Christmas Fair in Catteral Pavilion on Thursday December 7 at Giggleswick School between 4-8pm. This will feature festive music from the School Choirs and Giggleswick Jazz ensemble and there will be festive food, Santa’s Grotto, Christmas hamper raffle, gift stalls and crafts for children. The event is raising funds to support Giggleswick School early years and Leeds Children’s Hospital.  All welcome

 

SANTA’S SLEIGH VISITS TO GIGGLESWICK

 

Santa will be coming to Giggleswick with his sleigh and his Rotary elves twice this year, both visits starting at 5.0pm. He will visit the village itself on Wednesday 13th December. Then on Friday 15th December he will visit the Mains and the go down Stackhouse Road to Stackhouse.

 

 

WENDY AND PETER PAN: RICHARD WHITELEY THEATRE

30/11/17

 One of the most complicated things to do in a theatre is to make something appear to be so totally effortless that the audience actually forget that the people on stage are acting and not just simply enjoying themselves!  Similarly, one of the signs that school play is going well is when you actually forget that you are watching a school play and find that you are not at all taken aback to witness a level of performance and special effects that you would normally see in a professional theatre. This production of Wendy and Peter Pan succeeded on both counts. It was certainly on a par with, and in many aspects better than, many professional productions in terms of staging and direction and the level of acting was such that the audience happily suspended disbelief and were carried along with the action. And there was action a plenty in Ella Hickson’s reworking of the JM Barrie classic: there were pirate fights with real swords, man eating crocodiles, flying and fairies and even girls that knew how to take care of themselves in a fight!  The girl power trio of Tink, Wendy and Tiger Lily were more than a match for Captain Hook and crew in this spirited adaptation. What was fascinating however was the way in which by showing the story from Wendy’s perspective it not only took on a sharper edge but also highlighted issues which normally get passed over in the more usual “disneyfied” version.  Peter Pan may well be the boy who never grew up but Wendy is perhaps the girl who had to grow up too soon.  Budding female sexuality and the complexity of adult relationships began to intrude on this Neverland and Captain Hook too felt the pressure of time running out as he grew older and saw a young rival starting to mature.  None of which detracted from the lively and at times raucous nature of this production, which was filled with youthful zest as the cast quite literally played on stage.  As an ensemble they were magnificent, pirates were suitably menacing with some wonderful moments which showed great attention to detail and the lost boys were both funny and endearing. Any harassed mother will certainly empathize with Wendy as she tries to prepare breakfast amidst a torrent of questions and tantrums. There were also some great individual performances which showed both insight and skill,  Sophie Campbell as the feisty Tink springs to mind as does Wil Richmond’s clever take on Smee.  As Peter, Miles Taylor is a wonderful mixture of daring do, teenage angst and total naivety and he was well matched with Annabel Harrison’s determined Wendy. The real key to the evening’s success however was the teamwork which pulled the piece together, apparent in the hard work which had clearly taken place in order to make it look so totally natural. Congratulations to all concerned for having the courage to tackle such a difficult concept and turn it into such an enjoyable evening for everyone.

 

LANGCLIFFE SINGERS: 2/12/17

SETTLE PARISH CHURCH

The first half of the programme was a performance of Bach’s “Magnificat”, a very appropriate choice for the eve of Advent as it is a piece which looks forward to the birth of the Christ child and is Mary’s response to the news.  A mixture of choral and solo pieces, divided into 13 sections which vary in mood it is undoubtedly a very powerful and complex piece. As is traditional the choir used its own members for the solo parts and in doing so provided the opportunity for the various elements within the choir to shine. It was a striking performance and aided by a stunning organ accompaniment by Alastair MacKenzie. The second item in the programme was “The Lamb” by John Tavener, a particularly haunting setting of William Blake’s poem from “Songs of Innocence”.  This short unaccompanied four-part choral piece is enhanced by its simplicity and was a poignant interlude in the programme. The third piece of the evening was “On Christmas Night” by Bob Chilcott, a cleverly constructed sequence of carols, some well known and others less so, interspersed with bible readings to create a new take on the Christmas Story.  Throughout the piece well known carols are skillfully interwoven with other pieces so that they seem to grow out of the older and more traditional pieces and merge in with newer creations.  This subtle interweaving creates some very moving moments although equally it can at times be slightly distracting as there were points when it was hard to always focus on one set of words when there were other layers of sound. Clearly this was not helped by the fact that at times the male voices did tend to drown out the sopranos, however the choir did tackle these issues well and for the most part achieved a good balance. It certainly cannot be easy to focus on singing a lesser known tune and new words while the person next to you is singing something far more familiar.  Congratulations then to all the soloists in this section who performed so well and rose to the complexities and challenges of the piece. Similarly congratulations to Liz Neale and Nigel Waugh for their wonderful interpretations of the readings which added so much to this performance. It really was a stunning piece and the memory of the very beautiful solo sung to the traditional tune while set against a choral singing of an alternative tune in “O Little Town” will stay in the memory of the audience throughout the season. It was surprising how hearing well-known words to a different tune can truly make you focus once more upon their meaning. This was a delightful programme with some wonderful moments and a fitting start to Advent and Christmas music in the town.