Christmas is just a few short weeks away, and this is the double edition of the Newsletter, which means I can enjoy the festivities without having to worry about deadlines.

Well, anyone who has walked down the beck side and past the village hall will have noticed that work is well and truly underway on refurbishing the building. It is a shame, but a necessity, that some of the trees had to come down, especially the weeping willow, which was planted in 1966 by the Women's Institute to commemorate their golden jubilee. Some cuttings were taken from the tree and will be replanted in a suitable place at a later time (see p. 6). I don’t know what will happen to the park amenities, although I noticed the ‘see-saw’ has been repaired.

Dick Robinson drew my attention to an article in the Burton Fleming Newsletter, about ‘Scam phone calls’. I have looked further into the problem, and there is an article and a source of further information on page 16.

A resident of the village reported seeing an old vacuum cleaner dumped by the recycling bins. Unfortunately, there is not a bin for waste electrical items, but they may be disposed of at the Carnaby site. If you have old fridges, TVs, furniture etc. to dispose of, ring the council and they will come and remove up to five ‘large’ items for £15, which I think is quite reasonable. To request a “Bulky Household Waste Collection Form” Tel: 01482 393939.

That’s it for this month (and year), apart from wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year from myself, Pat and the rest of our family.