April 2000

This month’s Newsletter is kindly sponsored by Ernest Brigham (Funeral Directors) Ltd. Tel. 01262 675124

Articles to Pam Campbell, Rudston.

E-mail: pamc@nasuwt.net or rudstonnews@supanet.com

From the Editor: (Assistant editor)

Well here I am again, back in the hot seat! Pam is extremely busy writing her dissertation for university, so I’m helping out! Welcome to any newcomers to Rudston, hope you have a lovely time living here.

We have had some encouraging and favourable responses to the Rudston Newsletter web site. We have already received several items through this medium. If you don’t want an article to be published on the web site, please note this clearly on your article.

Talking of pictures, the web site has links to some excellent sites with information and photographs of the Monolith, Church and the Roman Villa – Mosaics.

It appears that we are not alone, another village in the East Riding was mentioned on the radio as being the first in the county to put it’s newsletter on the web…. But, it seems that they are still in the building stage, so maybe we are the first! Another village in Cambridgeshire has gone on the web, and they were furious that they cannot use their own village name… a company has bought most of the village names in the UK and registered the names as "domains" on the internet, so that village would have to pay £500 for their own name! I don’t yet know if this includes Rudstons’ name.

Colin Campbell

The next meeting will be held at Parkhouse Farm, Burton Agnes at 7.30pm, cars to leave at 7.15pm.

Cost of supper £2.25 per person.

Date – April 4th.

The first meeting of the year will be held at the Maunday Thursday Service in church at 7.30pm on the 20th April.

Welcomes New Members

Subscription £15 p.p. Yearly

Club Bowls

Competitions, Social & Friendly Matches with Afternoon Teas

First two Games Free

Friendly Reputation

Sec: Pauline Warters

NEW MEMBERS Are very welcome. If you have not played before, we have club bowls and members who are willing to help. Smooth soled shoes with no heels must be worn and trainers are not permitted.

Maintenance of the Green. Alwyn Ward and Arthur Moore have kindly consented to cut the grass and maintain the green once again and Duncan Corner will do it on Saturdays for weekend matches. Once again, we thank them for their hard work and continued support. From time to time extra help will be needed and I hope we can call on you at odd times. PLEASE NOTE – The green will be closed on Mondays. It is felt the green will be improved with regular watering this year and Monday is the most convenient day.

It Is Very Important – I have the following information before 23rd April to enable me to organise our competitions.

League games – Team ‘A’ starts 9th May and ‘B’ and ‘C’ 11th May. We have entered 3 teams in the Driffield Association League and need at least 30 players to cover for illness and holidays.

Wednesday League – Starts 10th May.

Philip Procter Memorial Triples Cup - to be played on 6 designated Sundays May – September.

Club Competitions – All members will be entered in the appropriate competitions unless I hear otherwise before 23rd April.

Cleaning Rota – In the past we have had a very successful rota and if you can help this year we would be very grateful.

Opening Day – will be on 15th April, weather permitting.

First Club Game – will be a Domino on Sunday 30th April. Number of bowls to be decided. New players may like to join in this fun game. Entrance 50p to be used as prize money. Closing date 27th April.

A Reminder That All Villagers and their friends are always welcome on the playing field , to join a club or just to spectate. The playing field belongs to us all.

Further information : Pauline Warters.

No two people make this "Wonder of the World" exactly the same. My Grandmothers YP’s turned out very different from my mothers, and those of my wife who makes a first class YP - well hers are just that bit different from the others. When in the south of England last year I tasted what they call Batter pudding, supposed to be a YP, so thick and solid I could have soled my heavy farm boots with it. I have myself, for years, made on Sunday mornings large YP’s, this is when my wife allows!! So here is the real way:-

Take 1/4lb of plain white flour, in a basin, add 2 eggs, 1 level teaspoon of salt and mix well with equal parts water & milk, then allow to stand 1/2 hour. When the oven is hot to 450ºF put good Yorkshire Beef dripping in old black tins, not new thin modern efforts. Place in the oven and when the fat is melted give the mix a final stir and put into the tins straight away.

It takes up to 25 minutes. Then and only then do you have a true Yorkshire Pudding. To enjoy this luxury it’s vital that good onion and beef gravy is to hand, none of the gravy granules for a genuine YP!

I hear that the EU is to make us call our county pudding a "The European Pudding" so be ready for a fight!

Alf Bee

THANKS!

Thank you to everyone who has donated tokens to the school. We are currently collecting Book Tokens from Walkers Crisps, Maths Tokens from McVities, Tesco Vouchers and now Tetley Tokens from Tetley Tea. Your help in collecting tokens is very much appreciated. Thanks again.

Yours sincerely, J.M.Dodd
Headteacher
Boynton Primary School

Mothering Sunday is upon us (2nd April). Many of you will no doubt want to show your appreciation to your mother by taking her out for a meal. We will be open for a lunch time carvery and for a full evening menu on this important day.

Please telephone for a reservation. The carvery is already very heavily booked.

NEW CHEF for the restaurant.

Starting the week before Easter a new chef will be joining the team in the kitchens of the Bosville Arms Country Hotel. This will enable the restaurant to open seven lunch times and seven nights each week.

We are delighted to welcome Emma Firth, who is a highly trained chef with many years’ experience in several kitchens including the prestigious

Ganton Golf Club.

The darts and pool teams are coming to the end of their games for this season. The pool team looked to have the league sown up until two teams dropped out, and some creative re-calculations could have robbed them of first place. Still they did very well and captain Charlie Richardson and his team should be congratulated.

The domino team was well supported this year with the captain Dave Hammil being spoilt for choice with ten players regularly turning up for eight places. It was an up and down season where everyone joined in and enjoyed themselves. The league position is not yet finally known, but suffice it to say it could have been a little better. Next up for the domino team is the inter- division team cup knock out. Lets hope for success in this.

For the first time in a good while there was a ladies darts team playing on Tuesday nights this year. Emma captained this, and whilst they do not finish their season until May, Emma is already in the semi -finals of the captains Cup. So good luck to her.

Accommodation

No doubt some of you will have relatives or friends wanting to visit now that the warm weather is on the way, and perhaps you do not have the room to accommodate them.

So just a reminder that we now have six new en -suite rooms here. Each one has its own remote colour t.v., & tea/coffee facilities. The rooms sleep from two to four and are let on a motel style cost per room basis

One room features a king size four poster bed and Jacuzzi style bath.

All have been inspected by the English Tourist Board achieving a three-diamond rating.

There has been an increased amount of activity during the recent warm days. On the last day of February the first frog spawn was reported and substantial amounts are now to be found in local ponds. If fish are present in the ponds the spawn is doomed as fish regard it as a delicacy.

A merlin was present for a few days early in the month and, unusually for this bird, was actually observed at rest when normally all that is seen is a flash as it races past. A male hen harrier, a large grey bird with fingered wingtips ,was behaving in it's usual way flapping unhurriedly over open country to the east of the village. One very nice piece of observation was of a sparrow hawk forcing it's way through a hedge and then flying backwards and forwards over the hedge trying to catch a sparrow which sat in the middle of the hedge and didn't attempt to move. At intervals during this performance the sparrow hawk was "mobbed" by a fieldfare dive bombing it from a nearby tree. The sparrow hawk eventually gave up defeated.

When fieldfares arrive in this country in late autumn they are relatively drab birds, but recently a flock of about 50 making the return journey to Scandinavia were resplendent in their full breeding plumage. Grey wagtails are also passing through having spent the winter locally or just south of us, but they are only moving to upland areas in this country. Signs of spring in the bird world include busy rookeries, a skylark singing, a blackbird's nest with a complete clutch of eggs and even more advanced a brood of robins already fledged and flying.

Probably the most pleasing report of the month is the sighting of a water vole, that much maligned creature unfortunately christened "Ratty" in the children's stories. Water voles are entirely harmless and vegetarian and have suffered a huge decline in numbers all over the country in the last decade and no-one knows precisely why. There have been no confirmed reports of this creature locally for several years but hopefully they have recolonised the area.

Insects have become more numerous with bumble bees, honeybees and hoverflies making an appearance. Three species of butterflies, all of which hibernate, have been seen and these include a comma. This species has been recorded in ones and twos annually for the past few years and it seems to have a toehold in our part of the world after being absent within living memory. Fourteen species of moths have so far been recorded this year including a species called red sword grass which is only the third record for the village.

Teams Entries.

This season, in addition to the Men’s teams, a mixed team is also being entered in the Driffield & District Lawn tennis League, as well as the mixed team in the Scarborough League. 3 Junior teams (Year 11 & under) are being entered in the Driffield & District Junior League.

The club is very grateful to Mr & Mrs R. Dawson, Kilham for allowing us to use their hard court for the men’s and mixed Driffield League home matches for which three courts are needed. There will be a lot of pressure on the courts, but hopefully by next season, the club will have an extra 2 courts at the playing field.

NEW MEMBERS – The club welcomes new members of any standard, whether they wish to play competitively or purely socially. Subscriptions for the year are £24 for a family, £12 for an adult, £5 for a junior.

Please contact Jane Crossley at Kiplington,

An added bonus is that Drury Sports is offering members a 10% discount on all purchases made.

It has just (at the time of writing) been confirmed from Burton Fleming Parish Council that the Little Bus service will end on 31st May. This Parish Council has offered support in their attempts to continue or replace the service. They remind us that Rural Bus Subsidies (which the government has trumpeted) are not available to them, as it would not be a "new service". That seem a pity as it would definitely be a "new" service to whichever operator took it on, I think.

I may or may not learn this week, 23rd March, when I hope to look in at a Local Transport Exhibition in Driffield. Notice of this public event was only received earlier in March and in accordance with the strict instructions enclosed , not advertised on notice boards until one week before hand. It is a one day only exhibition for the whole of the Wolds area, listing 86 towns and villages. So I reckon the lack of notice maybe a way of keeping numbers to a manageable level.

Still on transport related matters – The Parish Council is currently looking into the possibility of replacing the Long Street bus shelter which is no more. Having already budgeted for this year, of course, it would need financial help. East Riding of Yorkshire Council are reluctant and referred us to the Countryside Agency. A reply has been received from them and will be discussed at the Parish Council meeting on 29th March. Providing various questions can be answered satisfactorily, we would be eligible for up to 50% grant, which may not be enough.

The government’s idea of abolishing parish councils is being taken seriously by some. Local MP. John Townend, seems to be anyway. He is inviting comments, as he says that Conservatives would actually be looking to strengthen and improve parish councils. In the light of governmental gaffes recently, it will probably turn out to be Mr Meacher’s idea of a joke. – I wonder if he said "watch my lips" as well!

Late News: The bus service is saved! Appelbys will continue the service under a temporary contract from E.Y.R.C. from 1st June to 2nd September, by which time more permanent arrangements should have been made.

P.Crossland (Clerk)

It’s Rudston’s turn to have the main services in Holy Week this year. We start on Palm Sunday – weather permitting, we shall have an outdoor procession, welcoming Jesus as King, just as they did in Jerusalem so many years ago, and then it is straight into church to hear how the same crowd turned and shouted ‘Crucify’ instead of ‘Hosanna’. Then Maundy Thursday, when Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples before going out into the night to be betrayed and given a mock trial – we have a Communion service in memory of the supper, then some of us watch and wait until midnight (coming and going as we want or can), as his first disciples tried to do. The altar is stripped bare. Good Friday, Jesus condemned to death, crucified, and buried. We meet at night, after the hour of his death, for an hour, to hear the words again, and to pray. Holy Saturday, and nothing. The morning service stops short; the church waits.

And then the glories of Easter. Between sunset and sunrise, Jesus was restored to life. So immediately after sunset we meet in our newly-decorated church, light the new fire and the Easter Candle, and listen to the prophecies and the story of the Resurrection, before the first Communion of Easter (about an hour and a half in all). And Easter Day we do it all again (a bit quicker!) – Death is destroyed, Jesus is risen, and new life and the kingdom of heaven can be ours! Happy Easter! – why not join us this year? STEPHEN

This is the month when the weather, especially during the first part, can make all gardeners April Fools. Planting outdoors the early cauliflowers, sweet peas, violas and pentsstemans from garden frames and the early flowering chrysanthemums, plus those young onion plants, all these can catch a cold if the weather is bad: How often have those early cauliflowers turned a blue shade a week after planting good strong plants? And, of course, once they get a check to growth they never seem to crop well. The vegetable gardener is busy this month sowing the various varieties, only the French & runner beans, marrow tribe & the swedes are left in the packet till next month. All other kinds can be sown outdoors now, weather allowing.

The herbaceous flower roots can be split up now and transplanted, using the younger bits from the outsides of existing roots, most border roots are best divided every three years, the exception being the peony tribe, they do not like disturbance, but do appreciate a little feed. So now is the time to sprinkle an organic fertiliser round the plants, the fish manures are ideal and very safe, no scorching if over done!

My favourite perennial, the scabious, like a feed also, plus a light dusting of lime especially when growing on sandy or clay soils. What a fine cut flower this plant is, the annual scabious too is well worth growing.

April is the usual month for sowing Annuals direct into the open border. Most us sow far too thickly. I do every year, in spite repeated warnings that to get the best results thin sowing is necessary. I tend to do the same with vegetable sowing, with the price of seeds, I should know better…

Gladioli corms are planted now, these like a well drained patch, so do avoid any areas that tend to remain wet in dry weather. Some gardeners leave the corms outside in the autumn but only on the light sandy land: it’s never worth risking in our clay area.

The Wednesday Night Bikers are holding an Easter Egg Run on Easter Sunday 23rd April.

Setting off from the Bosville Arms Before 11 Am.

The run will end at the Children’s Ward – St. James’ Hospital.

Please bring Easter eggs & donations for the ward – they are raising money for an Ultra Sound Probe.

There will also be a Social Evening at The Bosville Arms 8pm onwards.

Light refreshments will be served – All welcome.

Rudston Village Hall – Village Appraisal

During April, each household in Rudston Parish will receive a questionnaire, asking each member of the household to respond to a number of questions. The purpose of this appraisal is to justify to grant–makers, in particular, the National Lottery, that Rudston needs a new village hall. We need to strengthen the voice of the village by providing facts & figures to substantiate the opinion expressed by the two AGMs held over the last few months, that the village needs a modern, purpose built village hall. We want to everyone to have a chance to have their say on the proposal to build a new hall. We would also like to get an idea of what new community initiatives would be supported.

The present village hall has served the village well in the past. Now we need to think about the future and how the needs of the village in the next 50 years or more, can best be met in a purpose-built hall / community centre – at the heart of a thriving community. What additional activities / services you would you like to see and support?

We want to know what you think. Please do spend a little time filling in the questionnaire, it is important to have everyone’s opinions. The questionnaires will be collected and analysed, then published in a report for all to see.

The Village Hall Committee