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News Archive - 2014

Bird Flu and Registering Your Chickens (21st Nov 2014)

You must all know about the recent and local bird-flu outbreak. Because of this, if you have more than 50 chickens, ducks, geese etc you must register with DEFRA. If you have less than 50, you can still register voluntarily, so that DEFRA can contact you if there are any problems in your area.

You can register online via the DEFRA website - click here - or by phone by phone or post (details also on the website.

Broadband Internet in the Village (20th Nov 2014)

We would all like a faster internet service to the village, depending on what use you have for it, it is, at present, pretty/chronically slow. We may 'soon' have two options (holding of breath no recommended for either!).

1 - Quickine (remember them?) have been given permision to erect a transmitter mast on the proposed windfarm extension. This would linclude a means of transmitting a signal that does not require 'line of sight'. Obviously Energikontor allowing this is a bit of a bribe to appease the villagers over the windfarm extension, common practice, take it as you will. Obviously this is contingent on the widnfarm extension being passed (the decision should be made in the New Year). Planning permsion for hhe windfarm extension is in the balance, certainly no foregone conclusion, hence the same for Quickline's mast.

2 - BT will apparently have a high speed fibre cable to the Aldbrough exchange by December this year, click here to see some offical confirmation of his.. This in itself may well improve supply to Witherwick but more importantly, it would not require a great effort to extend the cable to our village, we are the next biggest place nearest to Aldbrough.

Obviously neither option is going to come about in a rush, and it is up to you all as to which you should put your faith in, but at least we may now have a little hope.

Burgularies in the village (5th Nov 2014)

A week or so ago a garage in the village was broken into ans some valuable items taken. One of the many reasons we love living in Withernwick is that we see it as a safe, secure and crime-free place to live. For the most part this is true, but as this recent event shows we cannot afford to be complacent. The problems does at present seem to be confined to garages and probably moreso those that are of a secluded nature but we must all be vigilant about any unusual or suspicious activities, any where in the village or surrounding areas that we see and report them to the police. Also do ensure that your garages and all buildings on your propety are as secure as they can be, this will help deter most criminals. All burgularies in the village are thankfully rare and may be down to opportunists or more organised criminals, whichever thay are we must show that they are not welcome in Withernwick.

St Alban's roof is in need of complete rebuilding - needs your help (28th Oct 2014)

The roof of St Alban's church is in need of complete rebuilding. As you might guess this will not be cheap even if the present slates are reused. It may look in good condition but much of the trouble is hidden.

There will be a lot of fund raising to help with this, so 50% of money from year's Christmas Fair will go towards the repairs, so come along, have some fun and spend a little. There is a 100 Square raffle in Blodies at £1 per square, so call in and buy one.

Other repairs also need doing so we are planning a Plaster Scraping Party on Sat 22nd November, at 9.30am, so bring along your scrapers and wire brushes.

St Alban's is an important part of our community, help in any way you can.

Graham Stuart MP Cycles Through the Village for Defribrillators (23rd Sept 2014)

On 23rd Sept 2014, our local MP, Graham Stuart made a brief stop in the village. He is cycling around east Yorkshire promoting the idea that every village should have a defribrillator. If we can afford one, it was suugested storing it in the phone box on Main Street, in a locked box protected by a code. Villagers would then be trained to use it. Click here for a larger photo.

He was met by villagers Dawn Dickinson, Margaret Mann, Lindsey Johns, Richard Johns and Paul Boyle.

Click here to visit Graham's website which will tell you more

Ironing Services in Withernwick (26th Aug 2014)

Fed up with piles of ironing, if you're working or have a family, you may not have the time to do your ironing to your own standards. If any of this is the case, you can turn to a local Withernwick service.

Please ring Suzanne on 01964 527989 or mobile 07913 244530

Get a large basket of ironing done for only £20.

Roundhouse Spining at Rise (26th Aug 2014)

If anyone out there loves knitting and wants to earn a bit of cash. Well the Roundhouse Spinning at Rise requires people to knit items from hand spun yarns, mainly small items such as hats, gloves, scarves, baby wear etc.

If you are interested you must be a non-smoker. So if interested please ring Pat Myers on 01964 562946 or vist the Roundhouse website - click here.

Website Reaches 50000 Hits (2nd Aug 2014)

Not many people probably notice the little hit-counter at the bottom of the Homepage, but on the 2nd August 2014 it ticked over to 50000. The website was first created in Dec 2009, so it has taken just under 6 years to achieve this milestone. These hits are genuine, reflecting actual hits. This is an average of about 8500 hits per year, a remarkable acheivement for a village of about 450 people. Apart from locals we do have followers all over the world, people who have used the website to help trace their family histories.

War Memorial gets a Facelift (2nd Aug 2014)

Our village war memorial had become rather tatty looking; the wall had been damaged by a vehicle impact and the wrting on the memorial itself had become largely invisible except on close inspection.

28th July marked the centenary of the start of World War I and to mark this the memorial has undergone a throrough facelft.

Over a couple of weeks in late July, the wall has been rebuilt and the railings replaced and the lettering on the memorial has been beautfully regilded. Click here to see photos of the renovated memorial.

Click here to see photos of the opening of the memorial in 1920.

New Times for the Falcon (23rd July 2014)

You can't help but to have noticed that there are major alterations taking place in the Falcon. The new landlords will be Richard and Lindsey Johns. They have until recently been running the Artisan restaurant in Hessle which they have done for nearly 10 years. Richard is an award winning chef and Lindsey runs the Front of House.

This will be a big change for the Falcon and it will hopefully lead to an exciting new future. The pub has been through many changes over the last 10 years and now we have every reason to be optimistic that things will change for the better.

Click here to read an article in the Hull Daily Mail about their decision to close the Artisan.

Meeting on Windfarm Extension and 'Fracking' at Marton (6th July 2014)

On Thursday 3rd July a meeting was arranged in St Alban's church to inform about and discuss the proposed windfarm extension on Cowden Lane and the drilling/'fracking' at Marton (just on the edge of the village). The meeting was well attended by villagers and people from other local villages. Speakers were invited to give information and inspire discussion. All text in italics is the opinion of the speaker (in a brief form).

1 - Drilling/Fracking at Marton.

Peter Rollinson - a water quality engineer.

The present drilling process is by Rathin, who are an exploration company. So Rathin can justifiably claim that they will not be fracking. However they will sell the results of their findings onto other companies who may frack at the site. The main problem with potential fracking at the Marton site comes from the fact that we derive all of our water from an aquifer which is covers much of the Holderness area. The fracking takes place 2-3 km down and the aquifer is much nearer to the surface. Apparently there are no guarantees in the fracking process, in a situation such as this, that dangerous chemicals will not enter the aquifer. Highly poisonous hydrocarbons could enter the water which would render it unusable until cleaned up which may take months or even years. So regardless of the wider rights and wrongs of fracking it is highly inappropriate to attempt where the drilling passes through an aqufier which peaple depend on for their drinking water.

We cannot oppose what Rathlin are doing and we cannot oppose fracking at the moment as it is not taking place and may not take place. However, if it does become proposed in the future, we must oppose it mainly for the above reason. Fracking is a government policy and so probably would not get it rejected at Marton on any other grounds.

2 - Windfarm Extension at Cowden Lane

Graham Ward - chairman of Sancton parish council.

Noise is one of the main problems (many in Withernwick have complained about this too). The East Riding of Yorkshire has the highest density of wind turbines in any county in Britain. So we can object on the basis of cumulative build up and excessive industrialisation of a rural area (this could also be an objection to fracking). The government are divided on onshore wind turbines, mostly they now favour offshore turbines; so there is a good chance that the goverment will not override any rejection by the local council.

Boo O'Kane - Elleker Turbine Action Group

There will be a march and meeting organised by 'Enough is Enough, to oppose any further wind turbines in the East Riding. This will take place in Beverley on the 12th July from 10am-Midday. Meet at the Walkington Road end of the Westwood and the march will go from there into Beverley. For more information - click here.

You can object to the windfarm extension in Withernwick by going to the East Riding website on www.eastriding.gov.uk/newpublicaccess/   Enter reference number 14/01919/STPLF, then click on the Comments tab if you are already registered or click on Register Here to register which enables you to enter objections. You should get an automated reply, if not, and your comment does not appear within 48 hours, get in touch with ERYC and demand that your comment is added. Remember you can also sign and online petition to object to the windfarm - click here to go to the petiton.

Withernwick's Got Talent (21st June 2014)

There was very large turnout at St Alban's to see Withernwick's Got Talent.
And as Simon Cowell would say - Withernwick certainly has got talent! Every performed entertained the enthusiastic crowd, each in there own unique way.
The show was organised by Rev Anne White and the Withernwick Ladies Group and a fantastic evening it was, so many thanks for all their hard work.
To see some photos of the evening - click here

Jeff Robinson finds a Rix Golden Gnome (6th June 2014)

Rix, the heating oil people, who probably a lot of you know, are celebrating their 50th anniversary. As part of this celebration they are leaving 50 golden gnomes around our area (25 in various villages and 25 at the Driffield Show).

On Wednesday 4th June 2014, Jeff Robinson, while walking Bertie (it is always a man with dog!), found the golden gnome in the photo by the telephone box on Main Street.

Not sure what Jeff wins for this but there are still another 24 somewhere (but probably no more in Withernwick). So if you're interested, go to the Rix website

Click here for Rix website. Click here for a larger photo.

Fancy Trekking Iceland? (14th May 2014)

Following on from Helen Stockdale's recent highly successful trek of the Himilayas perhaps some of you might fancy trying your had next year in the beautiful country of Iceland. As with this year the trek will be in aid of Dove House Hospice.
Obviously this is not something to be taken lightly but it is a fantastic opportunity.

Click here to find out about the trip and Iceland.
Click here to some of the information you will need.

Helen Stockdale's Himilayan Trek (13th May 2014)

During April/May 2014, Helen Stockdale and others made a trek across the lower reaches of the Himilayas to raise money in aid of Dovehouse Hospice. So far Helen has raised the fantastic sum of £4698.68. She funded the trip by herself and still hopes to raise a total of £5000, so you can still donate if you wish. Click here to do so or there is a collection box in the Falcon.

Also. quite obviously this was a great adveture for Helen and she clearly had a great time - click here to see some photos.

Quickline High Speed Broadband (8th May 2014)

In case you missed the presentation in the Falcon last night (7th May), here are the details of what Quickline are offering. Firstly this will be instead of BT, you will no longer need your landline. It will cost £195 to install and then £27.50 a month. You can keep your existing telephone and number via a company called Vonage whith will cost an extra £6 per month (but you may well cope with Skype or whatever on your computer. This is roughly thhe same that you would pay with BT but for this Quickline are opromising a minimum of 8 Mbps of broadband speed, up to 15 Mbps (compared to roughly 1.5 Mbps you probably get with BT). This will also be unlimited on downloads (and uploads).
They will need to erect a mast in the village, so it is not likely to happen for a few months. Also, with present trechnology, you will need to be physically able to see the mast i.e no trees, buildings etc to block the view.
It is however a local company (based in Hessle) and they do promise high reliablity and 24/7 (human) support if necessary. To contact them, vist their website (click here) or phone 01482 247365.

Open Gardens, Scarecrows and Withernwick's Got Talent (4th May 2014)

On the weekend of 20-22nd June 2014 the village will be putting on lots of activities. As last year there will be the scarecrow competition all weekend and the Open Gardens on the Sunday. You can also use the Sunday to run a table top/garage sale if you wish.If you wish to take part in either of these do let us know via the Contact Us page.
On the Friday night, in St Alban's there will be a Withernwick's Got Talent show. So if you can (or think you can) sing, dance, play an insturment or you have a dog (or any other animal of reasonable size) that can do tricks, then again let us know via the Contact Us page.

Retirement of post lady Hilary Rawlson (29th April 2014)

After 17 years as our village post-lady, Hilary has retired. So the villagers organised a surprise party for her in the Falcon on Saturday 26th April.
Indeed we did manage to keep it secret from Hilary for many weeks, quite an achievement and many thanks are due to
Carol Wilkie and Elaine Grove for organising the event. With Elaine and Carol's help, the village also raised £440 for Hilary, an obvious
symbol of everyone's affection for her.
Hilary always saw what she did as much more than just a job, she knew everyone's quirks of delivery and, of course, she
knew every dog in the village (and they all knew her). It should be standard pratice with Royal Mail, for their post people to
carry a bag of dog biscuits with them! Also her van did double up on many occasions to return stray dogs to their owners.

Hilary will certainly be a hard act to follow and will be greatly missed. We do hope to see her and her family in the Falcon now and again.

Click here to see more photos.

Village Association AGM (21st March 2014)

On Wednesday 18th March 2014, the Villlage Community Association held its AGM. The following were elected to the various posts

Chair - Mike Soper
Vice Chair - Carol Wilkie
Secretary - Paul Boyle
Treasurer - Nikki Harvey
Committee members - Pat Pye, Julianne Ashton, Margaret Mann, John Mann and Dawn Dickinson.

The working financial balance of is £2796.38 - click here to see the full accounts.

Dog Poisoning (27th Feb 2014)

The facts seem very confused and contradictory but there do seem to be stories of dogs being poisoned in the local area. The incidents have been reported in Hornsea and Aldbrough but none as yet in the village. Actual facts seem thin on the ground but the incidents seem to involve a blue Ford Focus/Mondeo with an 08 plate (possibly AK08). It is suggested that poisoned meat is thrown out of the car into people's gardens. Dogs have been reported as being killed by the poison but again the reports do seem very contradictory.

So until we have more reliable facts simply be careful. Don't let your dog eat anything when out and about or in your own garden. So don't allow your dog out in your garden unattended. If your dog does seem ill in any way, then take it immediately to the vet. Also be on the look out for the blue Ford acting suspiciously.

Fracking at West Newton? (25th Feb 2014)

Click here
for the Rathin website
on West Newton

Rathin have applied to the Environment Agency for management of extractive waste which may include some radioactive waste at the West Newton site. There is still no mention of the word Fracking but clearly this will impact on the village one way or another maybe moreso than by the wind turbines. There is no doubt that we've had enough of being dumped on by the Govenment and so we should make our opinions felt about this, you can do so at the Environment Agency website - click here, you must comment before the 4th March 2014

Here is some more information from Peter Lomas

I’m currently challenging the permit that Raithlin energy have applied for , especially in respect of the removal of NORM ( naturally occurring radioactive material ) also that they have been removing owls and the like from their site, the removal of birds alone is an illegal offence. I would like to hear your thoughts and the thoughts of local residents on their experience of Raithlins operations in your area. They are applying to flare gas also which would mean exposure to locals of toxic gases and poison , they state in their papers that they have no intention of "fracking" in these areas, which I believe to be a lie as they also mention in small prints that they will "mini" frack, basically blowing holes in the wells walls with explosives and injecting poisonous substances into the land then re sealing the well and testing for pressure or blowback. As your probably aware there are a lot of concerns nationwide and worldwide of the poisoning of aquifers and our drinking water.

There is limited time before the application is allocated to Rathlin, and would really treasure your thoughts and locals on any concerns they have.

Yes More Wind turbines! (15th Feb 2014)

So Energiekontor are proposing 4 more tubines be added to the existing site. Actually the new ones would be on the opposite side of Cowden Lane (partly on land owned by Butterworth's and part owned by Leonard's). On the publicity document (click here), they claim that the 4 new ones will add no extra problems. However, having lived with the existing ones for a while, many people have complained about the noise from the turbines and so 4 more is not going to help that. Also from certain viewpoints (such as from Hatfield Road), the site will look very much larger. So we do have every right to object, not that it will probably do any good, you can be sure that the Government will railroad them through as they did with the existing site. Apparently Government funding for windfarms runs out in 2015, so they will rush it all through. Click here for a map of all windfarms in the UK, isn't it about time they built more in Surrey, Sussex and Kent!

More Wind Turbines (7th Feb 2014)

Apparently Energiekontor are planning more wind turbines in Withernwick. They are not proposing more turbines on the existing Homer House Farm site but in a field on the opposite side of Cowden Lane (not sure on whose land). They have not told us about this despite knowing how to contact us, but they have arranged information sessions on 11th and 13th Feb at Densolme Care Farm in Great Hatfield. No doubt they will have to apply for planning permission and so please do attend the meetings if you wish to express your opinions.

Click here for directions to the meeting place.

New Street Lighting (23rd Jan 2014)

New street light being is installed on West Lambwath Road. The old lower sodium lamps are still in place but will soon go. The council does plan to replace all of the old lamps eventually.
The new lights emit a white light (rather than yellow from sodium lamps) and will be 20-30% more energy efficient, so the village is doing its little bit to help the council save 20 tonnes of carbon per year.
It is to be hoped they tidy the muddy mess they have created!

Click here to see a larger photo.

The Sherman family leave the Falcon (11th Jan 2014)

Sadly on the 11th Jan the Sherman family worked in the Falcon for the last time. There was however a fantastic evening in the Falcon to say thank you to them and give them a good send off. They have been in the pub since its restoration in April 2009 and have worked very hard and been very friendly hosts. It is largely due to them that the Falcon has become the highly successful establishment it now is and so I am sure the whole village would like to thank them and sends them the very best wishes for their future. I am sure we will see them frequently on the other side of the bar in future.

Click here to see a larger version of the photo.

Windfarm Funding Meeting (11th Jan 2014)

A meeting was held in St Alban's Church on Saturday 11th Jan to discuss the use of £33000 which is arises from the windfarm. Applications where the applicant can match 50% funding and ones that benefit as wide a community as possible would be given priority. Several ideas for the money were put forward and from the response of those at the meeting the most popular seemed to be ( not in any particular order)

1 - Improving broadband/mobile phone service in the village. There were some practical suggestions made which migher make this possible such as a wifi booster sited somewhere in the village.

2 - Improving parking/traffic calming measure in Beverley Road and Aldbrough Road. Ideas put forward included parking bays and traffic speed indicting signs.

3 - Along with this was suggested planters at the two main entrances to the village possibly associated with traffic calming measures. Also provision of more planters and benches at other points in the village.

4 - Provision of an enclosed area within St Alban's for church/village meetings and activities. Rev Anne White, the new vicar also seemed very keen on this idea.

5 - Improvement to rights of way such as Butcher's Lane and The Bauk, these and others are very difficult to use at most times of the year.

6 - Provision of a laptop and printer for the use of the Parish Council, this would also include the production of a quarterly parish newsletter.

It was pointed out that other suggestions such as allotments would be best funded in other ways such as the Poors Charity on the village hall site.

War Memorial Damaged Again (2nd Jan 2014)

The wall and railings surrounding the village War Memorial have been damaged yet again. The impact was clearly quite significant and would have done serious damage to a car so we can only guess that the damage was done by a lorry. Even a lorry would have felt the impact and so the irresponsible driver clealy knowingly drove off without reporting the accident. The corner near the War Memorial does seem to a difficult one for some people. The Parish Council is looking into the damage and repairs will be made as soon as is possible.