DECEMBER 1997 & JANUARY 1998. Editor - Barbara Lingard.

Hello! And a warm welcome to everyone, to those who have just moved into the village, I hope you will be very happy in your new homes.

This is my last newsletter, I am sorry to be resigning as editor, but I think it’s time we had someone new to the job who could perhaps have new ideas and give it a lift. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me in any way, Robin Woods who word processed the newsletter before Colin, to all of you who have given me articles. Without you all I would have been stuck. And last but not least to all the sponsors.. I hope you will all continue to support my successor, Colin Campbell.

I’d like to apologise to Margaret Reed for the omission in the ‘Open Gardens’ article last month, it will be reprinted in this edition, sorry. (It was really all my fault.....Colin).

Christmas will soon be upon us, we’re all frantically making preparations for the festivities. All the children are getting ready at school and at home for the festivities ahead. It is hard to believe that as I write this letter that Christmas is only five weeks away. The milder weather isn’t at all seasonal - perhaps I’m tempting fate, by the time you get this letter we could be knee deep in snow. Where is the feeling of Christmas? It seems sadly lacking to me, or could it be just me? It is so commercialised and seems to have lost it’s meaning "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all men."

Listening to the local radio today, I heard that Iris and Chris of the Bosville Arms were almost caught up in the shooting at Luxor in Egypt. Luckily they are safe and well and are back in this country now, shaken but unhurt.

I’ve been asked to thank Tom Sheldrick for the excellent job he has made, cutting the grass on footpaths around the beck area. It is greatly appreciated by those who use the said paths, "they have never been so tidy" was one comment.

I wish my successor all the very best of luck and I hope you will all continue to support them as you have done me. Thank you to everyone.

I hope you will have a very happy Christmas and New Year. And all the very best of health for 1998. Children, remember to watch out for Father Christmas on his sleigh touring the village.

May I wish those who are not feeling very well, or are in hospital, best wishes and will soon be feeling well again soon.

Kath Algar

This yearly event will be on 10th January 1998, from 5 - 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall. Tea will be served at 5pm followed by games for the children, so come along and join us for a fun family time. Tickets are only £1 for adults and 50p for children and are available from Mrs Kath Algar, A raffle will be held.

To Barbara Lingard - Thank you once again for all your good work as Editor.

Little did I know that as I wrote last month’s notes, other people had the Millennium in mind. A copy of a letter from Rudston W.I. to the Village Hall Committee was read out at the Parish Council Meeting, on the subject. As a result of that, and comments in the newsletter, it was decided that an OPEN MEETING should be held. A date for this will be agreed at the next meeting on 10th December, for the new year. About four or five different proposals have already been aired, and everyone will have the chance of either putting their own or commenting on those.

Thank you to Mr Pritchard for his views on the subject. As a result of that, I have discovered that although not eligible for the Millennium Fund, a Gypsey Race clean-up could well come under East Riding of Yorkshire Council help. Apparently, they have funds set-aside for "Millennium Projects that would benefit the community." The thorny question of who might actually do the clean-up could be addressed at the Open meeting maybe. We would, of course, have to show east Riding Council that all this was in hand, and their representative would make a site visit before any money was forthcoming.

Now to the sad news. I expect Mr Frank Algar’s death will be covered fully elsewhere in this newsletter, but I’m sure the Parish Council benefited from his years as a member, and I personally benefited from many years as a friend . (On the Bowls field, also partner, for a few years). The village, itself, has lost a friend, of course. I’m not sure if I ever told him, but I came to think of him latterly, as a Village Elder - maybe an old-fashioned term, but sincerely meant.

Those who travel regularly into Bridlington, will have experienced delays due to road-works recently. Speaking to the Highways department about something else, their spokesman asked me to pass on their apologies. It is cable-laying from Caythorpe, which is behind schedule, but "will be finished before Christmas." This is where I would mention "salting Routes for winter" normally, but you’ve all got your own this year! A copy was sent for display on the notice board also - duly done. Funny thing is - I’ve not had my personal copy though. Anyway, the routes around Rudston are the same as previous years, just the main road.

Finally, we hope that someone has come forward to take the position of newsletter editor. (Yes!) Your present one, whose last issue this is, has done a wonderful job and will be a hard act to follow. In case of difficulty, and if there should be any urgent news before February, I would , of course, put up notices on the notice boards. (On Long Street I am having to use the old Army one which must be made of tougher wood than the village one! Maybe they used nails - I will have to try to different "tack".)

A draft Register of Electors, 1998, is now available at the Post Office. Any changes must be notified to County Hall, Beverley, before 16th December. This will be of interest to newcomers within the last year, especially.

Trading Standards Officers at East Riding Council have issued a warning about leaflets advertising one-day sales in village halls etc. Goods advertised are not "fantastic value" and branded items are "missing" on the day. As an example, a camera from the Far East said to be originally worth £350 was found to be little more than a toy worth £20. So please beware. On behalf of the Parish Council, best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, to everyone. P.Crossland (Clerk)

Rudston Bowls Club

Obituary. We are sad that Frank Algar has passed away. Frank was a founder member and President of the Bowls Club. When the plans for the playing field first came about, Frank put in a lot of time and hard work and up to the last 2/3 years was always available to help with the maintenance of the playing field. He was a straight talking man but always fair in his comments. The Wednesday before he was admitted to hospital (the Friday) he was playing bowls with a lot of his friends. We are delighted his team won as did Kath playing on another rink. It was a lovely day and Kath has since said how pleased she is that their last match together was a winner. Our sincere sympathy goes out to Kath and her family. Frank will be very much missed.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, of the Driffield & District Bowls Association.

Rudston proposed that League Matches be played during the Driffield Festival Week. This was agreed by the representatives. It was also agreed that cancelled matches will have to be played within the stated 14 days and on occasion matches may be brought forward up to 14 days provided both clubs agreed. Once again delegates were reminded of the league dress code. White tops and grey skirts or trousers.

VETERANS TRIPLES LEAGUE, Rudston’s application to enter a team for this league was approved. However, Melton (2 teams) and Gilberdyke (2 teams) were also approved after discussion. I approached our members who originally intended to play and it was decided on majority to cancel our entry due to the travel distance to Melton and Gilberdyke.

SUNDAY LUNCHEON, This year was held at the Manor Court Hotel, Carnaby, on 23rd November. When 60 members and guests attended. May I thank everyone who supported us by donating raffle prizes.

Open Gardens 1998

Did anyone spot the missing words in last months newsletter?!! In spite of this we have had ten people willing to open their gardens for this event. Thank you so much. And if anybody else would like to do so please let me know. Please be assured that your garden DOES NOT have to be large or weedfree. We are grateful for any offers, or for anyone to have a stall or competition in their garden. This event will take place on Sat. and Sun. 25th & 26th July from 1 - 6 pm. Contact me if you require further details. Margaret Reed

Ingredients are measured out in a yoghurt pot.

1 pot mandarin* yoghurt 1 pot oil

1 pot caster sugar 3 pots self-raising flour

3 eggs A pinch of salt

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Bake at Gas Mark 5 / 170ºC for about 55 minutes, until it looks right.

* - NB: Other yoghurts taste good too. Try experimenting! We like lemon, peach and pineapple.

Thank you to everyone who supported the shoebox appeal for Romania. I collected and packed 50 boxes and they are now on their way. We know how much the contents will be appreciated and enjoyed. Thank you again and a Happy Christmas. Audrey Forbes.

The Christmas dinner will be on December 2nd at the Bosville Arms, 7 pm for 7.30 pm. Each member to take a present.

The Christmas party will be on December 16th at 7.30 pm. The venue - Margaret Reed’s. Leader - Joan Jackson, Thanks - Connie Stephenson, Hostesses - Margaret Reed and Joan Jackson.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me while I was area co-ordinator for Rudston Neighbourhood Watch. I hope you will help Mr Albert Pritchard in the same way, as I have said many times - Neighbourhood Watch will not work without you. Tank you all once again. Julia Overfield.

As you will be aware, Julia Overfield expressed her intention to retire, in the Rudston Newsletter, from the position as the area co-ordinator for Rudston Neighbourhood Watch. Julia was concerned that if no one was prepared to take over from her, it would become defunct.

Although I am I believe, the newest resident in the village I did not want to see this happen. I contacted Julia and told her that if no other person was prepared to take it on then I would. I volunteered for the following reasons:-

I did not want to see a perfectly good N.H.W. Scheme fizzle out. I was very pleased to move to a beautiful village which had the advantage of being protected by a N.H.W. scheme. Prior to moving to Rudston I was the area co-ordinator for an area of Bridlington known as ‘The Avenues’. My area covered over 400 dwellings, hotels and businesses. I had 22 co-ordinators to assist me.

The reason I asked in the first place to become an area co-ordinator for the Avenues was because I am a retired Police Officer and during my service have had training in CID, Crime Prevention, general Police work and for good measure was a Police Dog Handler.

When I moved to Rudston I wanted to become a useful member of the community and be able to do something which I think and hope will be of some value.

I know that some people tend to think that N.H.W. is a load of rubbish but I know from experience that there are the vast majority who think it serves a very good purpose and makes, particularly the elderly feel more secure in their own homes or when out and about.

I also feel that in a very desirable area like Rudston where most residents are owner-occupiers, it is in their own interests to keep the village crime and vandal free. There is nothing worse than graffiti, damage and crime to knock many thousands of pounds off property values. So purely from a self preservation point of view we should all be vigilant and nip such problems in the bud. And that is why I believe we need a strong N.H.W. Regarding property values, did you know that there are some insurance companies that give discount for being in a N.H.W. scheme?

On Wednesday evening, 29/11/97, a meeting of the available co-ordinators was held at the home of Julia Overfield and I was elected to serve as the Area Co-ordinator. As it happens, I was the only volunteer anyway!

The hardest part of the job of Area Co-ordinator is the initial setting up of a N.H.W. scheme all of which Julia did so well and the subsequent running from November 1993.

A vote of thanks was given from the members present and as Margaret Reed states in the November issue of the Rudston Newsletter, I am sure that goes for all the residents in the village. As the Area Co-ordinator, I would like to take the opportunity of my article being published in the Rudston Newsletter to remind you of a few crime prevention hints;

As we approach Christmas it is a fact that we carry more money and credit cards in our wallets and purses, a fact that is not lost on the thief.. Please keep tight hold on all your valuables, keep presents, bags, purses and mobile phones etc. locked in the boot of your car. If you are going away , please let a neighbour know and if possible leave a contact address.

Also, I have been informed that a security firm is targeting this area, supposedly giving free advice on security in the home. Apparently this firm have tried it on before, a best they are only interested in selling burglar alarms, at worst they get a very good look at your house. The Police have been informed and they advise to leave well alone. Do not forget that you can get free advice from the Police Crime Prevention Officer and if you do not wish to go that far, I would be only too willing to give you the benefit of my knowledge I have gained from my Police service.

The Neighbourhood Watch is run on a voluntary basis, but there is a certain amount of necessary expenditure. We are members of HANWAG which requires a subscription. Where possible I will find stationary, postage and telephone calls etc. myself, but we do work on a shoe string. I would like to be able to sponsor the Rudston Newsletter as a way of showing our appreciation for all the years they have published our articles. I think it is marvellous to have a Newsletter and I would like to see it continue indefinitely. I therefore propose that any person wanting to make a donation to the running of the Rudston Neighbourhood watch send their donation to the treasurer, Mr Wesley Laws, Foxholm, Long Street, Rudston. Cheques made payable to Rudston Neighbourhood Watch.

I have been asked to mention that Robin Woods has resigned as co-ordinator for Southside Lane / Kilham Road / Burton Agnes Road. Thank you to Robin for your time and effort involved with the scheme.

I intend to write an article each month in order to pass on any information etc. I would appreciate it if you had any hints you would like me to pass on or any questions answered that could be of any general interest.

Thank you for your time, I hope I can be of service.

Albert Pritchard, Tel; 420 626.

The Craft Group are holding a Christmas Celebration of Carols, on Thursday 18th December at 6.30 pm. Around the tree on the Play Park, which will be decorated with Christmas lights. This will be followed with soup and mince pies in the Village Hall. Tickets will be £1 for adults and 50p for children. (All children must be accompanied by an adult). There will be a raffle. The money raised will go towards helping to pay for the Church kneelers, which the Craft Group are currently making. If the weather should prove inclement, we shall retire to the Village Hall. Please come and join us!

The Craft Group would also like to take this opportunity to second Margaret’s vote of thanks in last months Newsletter to Julia for all her hard work for the Neighbourhood Watch.

Also many thanks to Barbara for all the thought, care and hard work she has put into the Newsletter over the years. They have both done their respective jobs so well. We would also like to thank all the people who have been involved in the typing and printing of the Newsletter and those who have helped deliver them to everyone’s home, or helped in any other way. Hopefully someone may carry on the good work.

Some shop information for newcomers to the village:-

Opening times are:-

We also have 13kg. bottled gas at £10.00.

We also have Christmas cards with "Greetings From Rudston" on the front and calendars with views of Rudston.

Bridlington Lions Club have again organised a Christmas Concert at the Spa Royal Hall, Bridlington. On Monday 15th December, to which you are invited. Doors will open at 6.15 pm and the concert will start at 7.15 pm and finish at about 9.45 pm.

Mike Sellers has organised a coach for Rudston villagers who would like to go, which North Wolds Lions will pay for. The coach will pick up at 6.15 pm at both bus stops on Long Street and at the corner of Doug Clarkes farm, Eastgate. Please let Mike know if you would like to go, phone 420 237. We hope to fill a coach from Rudston to enjoy a pre - Christmas treat!

PIG BINGO - dates;-

Tuesday 6th January ‘98 - Ferns Farm, Carnaby.

Thursday 22nd January ‘98 - White Horse Inn, Bempton.

Yorkshire Apples and Pears.

Ask most folk the name of a good cooking apple and it’s a fair bet they will answer Bramley or the eater the world famous Cox Orange Pippin, will be the reply. These two varieties are not of Yorkshire raising, although Cox was produced at a village near Slough from a pip taken from that class Yorkshire apple Ribston Pippin. So I suppose we can claim some credit for the most famous dessert apple in the world. Every countryman used to extol the virtue of the Green Balsom apple, a late keeping small fruit raised in the North Riding by Mr Rymer, in fact it was originally called ‘Rymer’. An ancient tree of Green Balsom I discovered last year is still growing in a garden near Bylands Abbey, the house was once lived in by a Mr Rymer, so it seems likely that this tree is the first original. Here in East Yorkshire lots of old Balsom trees still thrive. A truly local apple is the Fillingham Pippin, it came from an American pip sown in Willerby early in the 1900’s, this together with the local Hornsea Herring, can, like one or two other varieties be grown from hard wood stems, taken off trees in February and just pushed into the soil. The most famous of our apples is the Crimson Laxtons Superb, raised by a Mr J. Anderson when he was the Head of Hutton Cranswick School. Other apples found in our area include Arram White, Nancy Jackson, Sugar Apple, Craggys Seedling, Burr Knot, Sylehouse and Acklam Russets, now very rare, if indeed still alive. Hammerhead and Lundy seedling from Lund.

Compost Advice,

The word compost can be rather confusing to beginners in the gardening world. We speak of compost heaps, of using compost as a substitute for farmyard manure and then give advice about the best compost for growing plants in or raising the seeds under glass in the Spring, all a bit strange to some. Then we have soilers’ compost or loam based composts, seed composts, orchid composts, cacti composts and so on. Compost from the compost heap is the rotted vegetation we have when we save leaves, stems, kitchen waste, mowings, dust when emptying the vacuum cleaner, old papers, in fact anything that was once part of a living organism, ie. that it was of an organic origin. When well decomposed, such material when dug into soil helps to improve the structure of the land, helps light soils to hold moisture and assists in drainage of heavy soils. It also feeds the soil organisms, the bacteria and fungi, which in turn help to feed our crops. The gardeners and farmers of the past generations used lots of animal manure on the land to build up soil fertility and we ought to follow their examples, supplementing the compost with the highly efficient fertilisers which give us all our food crops as well as the flowers. A balance of both is the real way to both improve the soils and give us healthy food crops. Relying entirely on purely organic manure would soon lead to a Nation of half-fed individuals, we just cannot economically grow organic food and sustain our present first-class way of life; nobody is starving due to a food shortage in this country, thank goodness and I sincerely hope we never do.

For the pots of plants, the John Innes Composts based on loam, sand and peat plus lime, phosphates, potash and nitrogen have been used by growers for more than sixty years, with outstanding success. The old head gardeners would use their own mixture, usually three parts loam, two of oak or beech leaf mould and one part sharp sand plus, bone meal, lime rubble and ashes from a bonfire, with equally good results, so one takes a choice. The real John Innes composts have the loam partially sterilised, which does, of course, eliminate pests, diseases and weed seeds, a big help. Remember hand-weeding those seed boxes??

So there it is, loamless seed potting or soil based, it’s a matter of choice and as a final line, I have to say that lots of plants are grown in some gardens by potting the rotted compost from the heap through a sieve and then calling it "potting compost" ; how’s that for confusion!!

Figgy Pudding was expected as part of the Christmas feast in England. Great ceremony was given to bringing it in. Often a little spirit was poured on to allow a flame to rise from the pudding. For those that want to try it, please read on!

½ pound of figs 1¼ cups of bread crumbs

1 cup of almonds or walnuts 1 cup of light brown sugar

½ cup of candied grapefruit peel ¼ cup of candied lemon peel

3 tablespoons of melted butter 4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon of cinnamon ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg

Directions; Chop the figs and mix with fluffy crumbs. Brown the almonds or walnuts (if using almonds, they should be blanched and skinned and chopped. walnuts should be chopped).

An evergreen, usually a Balsam or Douglas Fir, decorated with lights and ornaments as part of Christmas festivities. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands as a symbol of eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, Chinese and Hebrews. Tree worship, common among the pagan Europeans, survived after their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the devil and of setting up a tree for the birds during Christmas time; It survived further in the custom, also observed in Germany, of placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house in the midwinter holidays.

The modern Christmas tree, though, originated in Western Germany. The main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a fir tree hung with apples (paradise tree) representing the Garden of Eden. The Germans set a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolising the host, the Christian sign of redemption); in a later tradition, the wafers were replaced by cookies of various shapes. Candles too, were often added as the symbol of Christ. In the same room, during the Christmas season, was the Christmas pyramid, a triangular construction of wood, with shelves to hold Christmas figurines, decorated with evergreens, candles and a star. By the 16th Century pyramid and paradise tree had merged, becoming the Christmas tree.

The custom was widespread among the German Lutherans by the 18th century, but it was not until the following century that the Christmas tree became a deep rooted German tradition. Introduced into England in the early 19th century, the Christmas tree was popularised in the mid-19th century by the German Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The Victorian tree was decorated with candles, candies and fancy cakes hung from the branches by ribbon and paper chains. Brought to North America by German settlers as early as the 17th century, Christmas trees were the height of fashion by the 19th century. They were also popular in Austria, Switzerland, Poland and The Netherlands. In China and Japan, Christmas trees, introduced by Western missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries, were decorated with intricate paper designs. Anon.