Former industrial Thorngate Mill is now a desirable apartment block

I’ve always enjoyed a visit to Barnard Castle: the beautiful golden stone buildings, the lovely river walks, the interesting, specialist shops.

So it was a surprise to discover the town’s industrial past, when I visited Leanne Hunter at her home in Thorngate Mill.

She told me that the Mill had once been the site of car manufacture: the Black Prince motor car was developed and built right here in the Mill.

The car, I discovered, was an economy model developed from a motorcycle engine in the 1920s.  A surviving model is kept by the town’s Bowes Museum.

The Mill is part of a group of former textile mills on the banks of the river.  Today, they’ve been imaginatively converted into desirable riverside apartments.  Residents enjoy lovely river views and easy access to the shops, cafes, and scenery of Barnard Castle.

Read more about the history of Thorngate Mill in the June issue of North East Life Magazine, available from regional newsagents.

It has  heritage of linen weaving that stretches back many centuries.  Jennie, of Brompton Heritage Group, says, “We don’t know how far back it goes, but we know that there was a good skill base here.  That’s why the mill owners came here.”

St Thomas' Church, Brompton

Vera, who worked in one of Brompton’s linen mills, says, “They had a cottage industry for linen weaving.  They had the looms in houses or sheds – so I’ve been told, I don’t remember it personally.”

Jennie says, “Very early on, linen was taken to Osmotherley to be bleached.  They used to spread the linen on gorse on a south facing hillside.  The mill at Osmotherley is now converted to a Youth Hostel, Cote Gyll.

Jennie adds, “The cottage industry linen weavers worked for themselves, and I think that has given the village a certain ethos.  There was no lord of manor, no one they had to kowtow to.  So when Chartism came, they embraced it wholeheartedly – a lord of the manor would probably have told them they couldn’t do that, or they’d lose their home and/or job.”

Jennie feels that the characteristic lives on in the village today.  She says, “People are independent, and they stand on their own two feet.

However, in the 1850s, she says, “The linen factories came, and lasted over a hundred years.  Brompton linen was in the Great Exhibition of 1851, and some said that some of the linen at the Vatican came from Brompton.  They also exported it to Northern Ireland – it was amazing.”

Jennie says, “The mill owners were entrepreneurs – that’s why Brompton was so successful, because they adapted, and got new machines.  When WWI broke out, they immediately started making material for tents.”

Vera went to work in the mill in 1946, after being demobbed from the RAF.  She says, “We did a lot of sheeting for bed linen, and table cloths and serviettes.”

Eventually, Brompton’s mills closed, in the 1960s.  The factories closed, says Jennie, due to cheaper materials coming in.  “Synthetics, and things made abroad.  The bottom fell out of the market.  But Brompton lasted longer than a lot – it made quality stuff.”

Vera and Jennie at the new houses built where Vera used to work

Vera recalls, “While I was there, they got new machines – Northrops.  They were more efficient machines.”

The Mill owners belonged to three families: the Yeomans, Wilfords, and Pattisons.  Jennie says, “Yeomans came first, then Pattisons joined them and it became the Pattison- Yeoman Mill.”

Historically, Brompton was good place to work linen because it is low-lying and damp – and linen is easier to work with in a humid atmosphere.

Brompton’s Beck runs through the village and most of the time, looks innocuous.  But from time to time, it floods.

Nowadays, flooding causes distress to residents.  But Jennie comments, “The Beck used to be dammed at Water End to flood the green and then run pleasure boats on it.  People used to come on the train for a day out from Teesside – it was like a resort.”

Vera recalls her childhood home at Water End flooding.  “The water came in the front door and out the back.  We had to go upstairs.”

Vera worked in the linen mill for several years, and says, “I loved working in the mill.  I loved having a job, and I was happy to do more – until I felt I was being exploited.”

She explains: “I ended up with 5 machines.  They wanted me to do a 6^th, but I wouldn’t get extra money for it.  On 5, I was on bonus, but if I had 6, I wouldn’t get it, as I couldn’t do 6 as easily as 5.  I could see some people with one loom getting as much money as me with 6.”

“So I talked to my husband, and he said pack it in, there must be something else you can do.”

Vera decided to leave – but the boss didn’t believe her when she handed in her notice.  She says, “At the end of my notice period, I asked for my P45, and they wouldn’t give it to me – they said you’re not leaving.”

“I went home in tears.  My husband went up and got my pay and P45.”

After that, Vera worked picking potatoes, then in a school, then in a hotel, where she stayed until she retired.

Village life in Vera’s childhood was very different to today.  The biggest change, she feels, is the car.  When she was a child, there were few, if any cars.  Children played out safely on the streets – and 23 shops in the village supplied everyone’s needs.

She even recalls her mother opening a shop – for a short time.  “She turned the front room into a sweet shop – you didn’t need permissions in those days,” she comments.  The venture, however, was not a commercial success because, she says, “Father kept helping himself.”

Today, Vera still enjoys living in Brompton, where she has many friends.

Today, Vera still enjoys living in Brompton, where she has many friends.

Learn more about Brompton by joining Brompton Heritage Group, http://www.bromptonmatters.co.uk/

Read the article in full in Dalesman Magazine, available only in print, see www.dalesman.co.uk

Art appreciation is a personal thing, and I was taken with the work of Jean Harlow, who said, “I’m very interested in science and art, and developing links between science and art.  If you look at art as a medium, it’s all to do with colour and light – and they’re strong scientific subjects.  For instance, Newton split light.

Jean Harlow, Quantum Artist

Jean sees the divide between science and art as an artificial split, and says, “It’s also about how an artist thinks, that’s about how the brain works, which is a hot topic in science at the moment.”

“I’ve always done both – I did art, geography and biology at school, then did environmental studies at university, then trained as a cartographer.  I’m one of the last people to be trained to draw maps by hand.  Now it’s all gone digital, and it happened very quickly.”

“I went into field studies.  There, I could actively link science and art interests, and I’ve done illustration for children’s books on environmental science.

Now, says Jean, “I’ve moved into new physics and quantum science.  My immediate peers in that are all in the USA, so I’m linking to people in Houston.  I was featured artist in an exhibition there called ‘Art of Quantum Physics’.  It’s something I want to establish in the UK.  I’ve just set up an international association of quantum artists.  We’re applying for funding for a show which would feature the US artists in the UK, alongside other British artists interested in the subject.”

She adds, “It’s all about interconnections and things being in two places at once.  My latest project is to go into a different world, as an explorer/artist, and bring things back.  Quantum research hasn’t filtered into everyday life, except in quantum computers.  People still look at life from a renaissance one-point perspective.”

And if that wasn’t a difficult enough proposition, Jean adds: “I’m also interested in butterflies, because they change.  A caterpillar lives its life, with its brain, then breaks down, becomes dormant, and re-emerges as a butterfly – another living creature, with another brain.  So what goes on in the caterpillar’s head while it’s dormant?”

Sawmill Studios, http://www.sawmillstudios.com/About-Us.html

Sawmill Studios has also organised the ‘Hare’s Eye’ Art Fair, to be held on Sunday 6 May 2012 at the Ward family’s open garden in Nawton, near Helmsley.  See http://www.sawmillstudios.com/Hare-s-Eye-Art-Fair.html

DARREN AND DANIEL AT THE FARM SHOP IN EAST ROUNTON

It’s a familiar tale, repeated over and over again: village services close, and when the last shop/pub/school closes, the village ‘dies’.  There’s nowhere to bump into neighbours and pass on news; nowhere to draw people to put up posters about events; nowhere to work; nowhere to walk to.

People are forced into cars – the bus service will have long since disappeared – and into town for all their needs.  At best, the village becomes a dormitory for commuters, at worst, it will die.

But the Rountons have bucked this trend.  New ventures are opening up, new jobs created, new businesses bringing the villages back to life.

The Rountons, East and West, are tucked under the northern edge of the Hambleton Hills.  I often used to drive through East Rounton to use the Black Swan junction on the A19, and I’d been struck by how attractive the buildings were.  The warm brick buildings were cleverly made, with the bricks laid in interesting patterns.  And the setting sun shone beautifully through the arch on a lodge house, illuminating a tantalising path leading, it seemed, to nowhere.

So I wasn’t suprised when I found that East Rounton had been built by a noted Arts and Crafts architect, as a ‘model’ village for a big Estate House that no longer existed.

The big house, Rounton Grange was designed by Philip Webb, who had worked with William Morris, the famous exponent of the Arts and Crafts style.  It was built for Sir Lowthian Bell, a Teesside ironmaster.

Rounton Grange, along with with Home Farm, which now houses Roots Farm Shop and Cafe, was built in the 1870s.  There was a further wave of building in the early 20^th century,  initiated by Sir Lowthian’s son, Hugh.  The architect this time was George Jack, and the lovely Village Hall is one of his creations.

Like so many big country houses, Rounton Grange was demolished in the 1950s.  Rumour has it that the man who demolished it – during the Cold War – marked the cellar entrance, now lost in the woods, in case he needed a nuclear fall-out shelter

Despite the loss of the big house, architecture students still visit the village to study the work of Webb and Jack.

The village also boasts an unusual stained glass window,with inscriptions in Arabic.  It is a memorial to Gertrude Bell, neice of  Sir Lowthian.  Her family home was at Rounton Grange, but she spent much of her life in the Middle East.

Gertrude was born in 1868, and was a pioneer of women’s education, graduating from Oxford University.  She loved to travel, and became an expert on the Arab regions.  She went deep into the desert, learning the local languages.

Therefore, following the outbreak of the Great War, she was consulted by the British Government for her local knowledge.  At the end of the War, she contributed to founding the state of Iraq.  She established the museum in Baghdad, and died there in 1926.  Her papers are now archived at Newcastle University, and her memorial window is at St Lawrence’s Church, East Rounton.

As Rounton Grange was built for a Teesside ironmaster,  it became a commuter village early on life.  The Bells were regarded as very forward-thinking employers – they used what is now the Village Hall as a  respite centre for their employees and their families.

But after the demolition of the Big House, jobs in the village declined.

A further blow – felt particularly keenly by East Rounton – was when a modern structure divided it from its traditional links with Rudby.  The A19 Trunk Road from Thirsk to Middlesbrough has become so busy that it creates a barrier as powerful as any river.

The power of this division was made apparent when, in 2004, the Highways Agency closed the central reservation at the Black Swan crossroads.  Closing the central reservation meant that traffic from the side roads could only ‘turn left’ onto the A19, joining it in one direction only.  And traffic that had previously crossed the A19, connecting the Rountons and Hutton Rudby, could no longer do so.

The closure was for safety reasons: there had been fatal accidents there.  So, says Derek Lawton, who was on the Parish Council at the time, “The obvious solution was a bridge.”

But a bridge was not forthcoming.  The Black Swan Pub, on the opposite side of the crossroads to the village, closed – although it now operates as a Bed and Breakfast.  Events in the village hall at East Rounton declined, for lack of visitors from across the A19.  It seemed the village’s fate was sealed.

But change was coming.  In West Rounton, those ‘in the know’ had been calling at the Grainge family’s Whitegates Nurseries to get flowers and plants for their gardens.  For them, it was a treasure-trove.  So, says Claire Grainge, “In 2006, we created a brand-new purpose built sales area.”

It was an instant hit.  Claire says, “We did it because people liked to see the plants growing – they could look in the greenhouse and see a swathe of seasonal colour.  And because we were growing the plants, we could give them expert advice.”

CLAIRE AND JONATHAN GRAINGE AT WHITEGATES NURSERY

Since then, the nursery has come full-circle.  It was founded by founded by  Jonathan Grainge’s  grandfather in 1966, who grew mainly soft fruit, salads and plants.  In later years, they concentrated on salads, but then, following an influx of imported salads, they specialised in flowers and plants for gardens.

Now the Grainges  grow a wide range of garden plants and flowers, and following public interest, have extended back into fruit and vegetable plants for people to take home and grow their own.

Claire comments, “We now do sundries, trees, roses, and pick-your own fruit.  When the fruit’s in season, we stock cream and yoghurt from nearby Stamfrey Farm to go with it.”

“We’ve tried to become a one-stop for what people need for their gardens, but we’re still fundamentally growers – that’s what we’re passionate about.  Everything is done by hand – including the watering – because it’s about quality.”

“It’s a family concern – there’s me and Jon, and Jon’s parents, Bryan and Sheila.  Sheila really enjoys working in the shop, and they have huge knowledge – forty-five years’ experience.  And John’s neice, Chloe Hall, works here.  On my side, there’s my sister, Louise Marshall, and her husband Chris.  We have others too – twelve people work here in total, and they all live locally.

“We love the fact that it’s a family concern.  We love that we can give it that passion and attention to detail.  We’re proud of what we have, and we enjoy sharing it with customers.”

“And we like that we’re a focal point of the community.  We do coffee, and we have group visits and charity nights here.  We donate prizes to local events, and we put up notices for community events.

“Each winter, we do a project to add to what we have, and this year, we’re renovating a historic greenhouse.”

While  the nursery was thriving, the pubs were closing.  There were two pubs in West Rounton: the Horse Shoe and the Grey Horse, while in East Rounton, there was the Black Swan on the A19.

But, over the course of the first decade of the twenty first century, all three closed.

So when I was researching this article, everyone said, “You must talk to Stan Taylor, he’s a hero – he bought the pub and opened it up again.”

When I called Stan, the first thing he said was “I’m not a hero – but I valued having somewhere where people could go and talk, and get to know each other.”

Stan says that when he and his wife Ann moved into West Rounton about fifteen years ago, “There were two pubs then, the Horse Shoe and the Grey Horse.”

Stan visited both pubs, and says, “The Horse Shoe was run by Mrs Hoare.  It was in her family for generations.”  Mrs Hoare was famous for the way she ran her pub.  She’d greet guests, sit them down, and introduce them to others in the bar.  Stan says, “It was like visiting your Mother.”

But then age and ill-health forced Mrs Hoare to retire, and, says Stan, “The pub stood empty.  Then the Grey Horse closed – the owner said it wasn’t viable.”

But, says Stan, “I wanted a pub in the village.  So I bought the Horseshoe as a building project and did it up – now we’ve ended up running it.  My son and his daughter help out, and we’re doing OK.”

“In a way, we do it like Mrs Hoare – we do introduce people who come in.  If people have just moved into the village, it breaks the ice.  It’s been well-supported by the village.  And we’ve got a couple of holiday lets started up now – we had someone from one of them in last night.”

Meanwhile, in East Rounton, Barry and Katherine Hutchinson had grown up on Home Farm, where their fathers worked together.  But, like so many family farms, there wasn’t enough work to support another generation, so, like rural youngsters everywhere, they’d had to go away to find work.

But they both wanted to come home and work.  So, says Barry, “While we were working elsewhere, we spent 4 years developing a plan.  It included getting a bank loan and a grant.”

HOME FARM EAST ROUNTON

The cousins then faced the problem of the A19 gap closure.  The grant wouldn’t pay unless there was a bridge over the A19, to enable customers to come from the other side.

And, says Barry, “Without the grant, the bank wouldn’t lend us money.  For us, the bridge is significant.  Access is key to these local communities.”

Luckily for the Hutchinsons, ever since the A19 gap was closed, the Parish Council had campaigned for a bridge.

At the time, Derek Lawson was on the Parish Council, and he says, “When we heard that the closure was planned, we called a meeting.  The obvious solution was a bridge, but it fell on deaf ears.  They shut the junction and put a barrier up.”

But Derek’s group wasn’t prepared to give up.  He says, “We kept bombarding the Highways Agency with letters and e-mails – not just me, lots of people.”

It was a long campaign, and, comments Derek, “We used every source we thought would benefit our case.  And in the end, out of the blue, they said yes – we can build a bridge.”

“But they didn’t have a start date.  So we carried on with our letters and emails.  Eventually, they gave a date – and to give them their due, they finished on time.”

Derek feels that the team’s efforts have been worthwhile.  He says, “The bridge has boosted this side of the A19 tremendously.  We’ve had new businesses set up, and the Village Hall has benefitted too.”

The promise of the bridge unlocked the funding to enable Barry and Katherine to put their plans in motion, and they converted the beautiful arts-and-crafts designed out buildings of Home Farm into a shop and cafe, named Roots.

Barry says, “The buildings were designed by Phillip Webb, who worked with William Morris.  Every couple of years, we get architecture students coming here, taking photos etc.  We tried to keep the building as it was, and installed a ground-source heat pump that does all the hot water and heating.”

Barry says, “From the start, we employed an experience butcher, Darren Nesfield.  We designed it so that people can see everything that we do in the butchery – they can see what we’re putting in the mincer, and they can come and get exactly what they want.”

“We aimed to offer a whole basket shop, for convenience – bread, meat, dairy, home bakery, staples.  And we open till six o’clock for people coming home from work.

“We were a dairy farm, but we sold the dairy cows last year, and now we do beef – we produce 70% of the shop’s beef, and we get the rest – and pork and lamb -  from local farmers.  We’ve never bought beef or pigs from further than Hutton Rudby. And we use a nearby abbatoir in Brompton, so it’s all short journeys.  I reckon it makes a massive difference – it’s not like the animals going to market and getting stressed.  I think it’s better for animal welfare.”

Most of the other stock is local too.  Barry says, “If it’s not Yorkshire, it’s English, and if it can’t be English – bananas for instance – it’s Fairtrade.”  The bananas, he explains, are for convenience to local shoppers wishing to save fuel by coming here.

Since opening, trade has increased, and they took on a local lad as an apprentice butcher.  Barry says, “He’s clever – and brilliant with customers.”

“In the longer term, we’re trying to create good quality, long term, sustainable jobs.  We’ve now got 12 full time jobs, plus several part timers – probably about 20 in all,” comments Barry.

“It was definitely worthwhile, though it’s very hard work and long hours.  It’s satisfying when you see customers enjoying local produce, and when they compliment us on it, we feed that back to the farmers and producers.”

The shop has social as well as economic benefits.  Barry says, “I’ve lived here all my life and I didn’t know people who lived in West Rounton – now I’ve met them and it brings back community spirit.”

“It’s amazing how many people come into the shop and see people who they haven’t seen for ages.  And we have a lot of teenagers who work here part time.  They live in the villages, and you don’t see them.  It’s hard for them, with the price of houses here.”

“And one lady who works here used to work in town, now she only has to travel 100 yards down the road.  Most staff live locally, which cuts road congestion and creates local jobs.  It’s the same as Whitegates – they’re all local people there.”

Katherine says, “I’m really pleased how well it’s gone.  What makes it work is the staff – they’re all local and they all really care about the community.  It’s them that give it its personality.”

“We get customers who come in 3 or 4 times a week, it’s like a second home, a place to meet friends.  There aren’t many places like that outside the towns.”

“And regular customers feel comfortable to suggest ideas – such as new things to stock in the shop.  It feels like the customers are friends – it’s comfortable.”

Katherine echoes Claire and Barry when she says, “I love being part of the community.  It’s amazing how many people I didn’t know before the shop opened.  People come here and see people they’ve not seen for years – you do get a buzz from that.”

“And we put notices up,” says Katherine.  “A man came in yesterday and said it makes a difference, seeing posters here and at Whitegates – how else will people find out about an event?”

“And there’s less need for people to travel to town.  They come here, they go to Whitegates.”

Their work is driven by their passion for their home farm.  Katherine explains, “Generally family farming has been diminishing , making way for larger farming.  But it means the next generation has to make a living elsewhere.  Our Dads were saying there’s no money in farming, go elsewhere.  This is a way of injecting a long term future for us.  We’re both passionate about farming.  We didn’t want just a shop, we want a sustainable farm as well – it has to work together.”

“And growth has to be sustainable and natural.  Every pound spent here goes straight back into the community, because all the suppliers and staff are local.  And this helps the carbon footprint because there’s less driving for food – it’s better for everybody.

As well as the star butchery apprentice, there’s further career development, says Katherine, “Julia’s just started NVQ patisserie.  We bake all our own cakes and pies.”

Katherine and Barry are well-educated, thoughtful people, who work really hard to build a future for themselves, their families and their community.  For  instance, on her ‘day off’, Katherine travels in search of new suppliers for the shop.

And, she  adds, “Each year, we try to build the skills here.  We’re trying to create roles that people are enthusiastic about.  They’ve got to feel they’re gaining more than just money by working here – you’re at work long enough, you need to feel it’s worthwhile.  Hopefully, they’ll be sustainable careers.”

And, concludes Katherine, “I love the idea that maybe the next generation might take it over – if not my children, then maybe neices or nephews.”

The presence of Roots led to the start of yet another venture in the Rountons.  Shaun Passmore and Jenny Gaunt are restoring the old walled garden at Rounton Grange.  They’d been looking for somewhere to establish a nursery for Jenny’s Dark Star Plants, when they came over to Roots for a coffee.

Shaun says, “I used to work for the National Trust, then began gardening for private clients.  We went to Roots, and I saw the old lodge house.  Having worked for the National Trust, I knew what it was, and asked about it in the shop.  They told me there were other buildings, and a walled garden.”

The garden hadn’t been maintained for years.  So,  says Shaun, “We went to the owners and put up a business plan.”

Shaun’s wife, Jenny Gaunt, also a gardener, had been growing her specialist Dark Star plants – plants with dark leaves and foliage – for some years.  She was well known at garden fairs, but, says Shaun, “We wanted somewhere that customers could visit.”

JENNY GAUNT OF DARK STAR PLANTS

Since taking on the garden at Rounton, Shaun says they’ve discovered much more about its history, and are now trying to restore the original features.  He says, “I’d worked at Beningborough Hall, and Jenny has a diploma in garden design, so we can bring our skills to this site.”

They’ve been supported by friends, neighbours, and locals – many of whom call in to tell the couple more about the garden’s history.  So, says Shaun, “We’ve found that Gertrude Bell was a gardener.  In the 1950s and 60s it was used as a market garden, but after that it was turned over to pigs and they destroyed the paths.”

“But now we’ve got some of the original maps and plans, so we can reinstate original features.”

“It’s good to envisage how it was when the Grange was here.  The Estate would have had lots of buildings, all with people employed in them.  It’s good to see those buildings used for employment again.”

And it’s good to see the villages humming with life again, as both locals and visitors enjoy all the local amenities.

Whitegates Nursery  www.whitegatesnursery.co.uk Tel 01609 882355

Roots Farm Shop and Cafe  www.rootsfarmshop.co.uk Tel 01609 882480

The Horse Shoe Inn  www.horse-shoe-inn.co.uk Tel 01609 882176

Dark Star Plants  www.darkstarplants.co.uk Tel 01609 883204/ 07710 184189

Rountons village website:  www.therountons.com

Raymond Twiddle OBE

RAYMOND TWIDDLE OBE

It’s not just at the Rountons that Yorkshire folk are creating opportunities.   We’re surrounded by exhortations for people to set up their own businesses,  and at the age of 19, Raymond Twiddle, OBE, did just that.  In his own words, he says, “I began as a boy of 19, with 11 turkey eggs and an acre of land.  When I left, we were producing 10 million turkeys a year.”

His father encouraged him to work early in life: “When I was ten,” says Raymond, I asked my father for an ice cream.  He said it was time I started earning my own money, so I started delivering newspapers.  And I bred rabbits.”

“At school, I was the only boy who earned money.  I used to buy things off lads, then sell them to other lads.  And the school had a vegetable garden.  I said to the headmaster, why not sell the produce in the holidays – I’d do it, and take a shiling in the pound.  I sold door to door.”

After he began his turkey enterprise, he began borrowing money, either by buying materials on credit, or by borrowing from the bank.  But he made sure he could pay it back.  For example, he says,  “When I first started, to make ends meet, I’d build poultry houses for other farmers.  I’d get the materials on account, then build the house in a week, get paid and clear the account.  I was young then, and everybody thought that this young boy would go bankrupt – but I didn’t.  The accountant said I had the biggest profit from the smallest amount of land.”

“I rented a house and filled every room with turkeys.  Then I moved them out for me to live in, but I kept the incubators in the house.  My first hatchery was an oil-fired incubator and the eggs had to be turned by hand, three times a day.  I’d be doing that at 2 o’clock in the morning.”

“I had no social life at all – I used to take my overalls off to go to Church, then on again and work.  The lady next door said that the way I worked, you’d think I had eleven children.  1959 was hard.   We plucked 10,000 turkeys, and I never went to bed for a week.”

But his bank was behind him.  He says, “They gave me a £8,000 overdraft with no security.  I never had bother with them.”  As an aside, he comments, “Banks are interesting.  When you owe them money, they take you out to lunch.  When you lend them money, they don’t.”

It’s easy to look at successful people and consider them lucky.  Raymond concedes that there can be some luck – and you need to seize opportunity.  But mostly, it’s about hard work and committment.  He says, “Lots think it’s easy, but it’s not.  It’s all about doing things properly.  I put my heart and soul into it, night and day.  I didn’t have any hobbies – except in 1972 I got pedigree sheep – Suffolks.”

In the early days, Raymond sent his poults to other farmers to raise.  But this created a problem for him one year when he’d agreed to supply a number of finished turkeys – and not enough came back from the farmers who’d been raising them.  He lost money, as his customer sued him for the loss of profit.  But Raymond feels that was fair enough, and even went on to do more business with the customer in later years.  But as far as the loss went, he learned his lesson, and decided to take control of all his processes.  He says, “I went fully integrated, doing all the hatching, breeding and growing on.”

Raymond says he became a pioneer of AI (artificial insemination) in turkeys.  This came about by chance, as he explains, “I’d got some American turkeys, but they were too broad to breed.  So I bought an incubator, and a lady who was visiting from Israel showed me how to do AI.”

After this, he says, “I was called across the country to teach other people how to do AI.”  It turned out to be a golden opportunity, as, visiting other producers to teach AI, he says, “It proved to be the University of Life, as I got to see everything, good and bad.”

Through all the hard work, the thrill, says Raymond, was in “Always striving to be the best, in everything I do – take the best, and then improve it.  It wasn’t until I had an offer to buy the business that I realised how much it was worth.”

Growing his business meant taking on staff and learning to delegate.  Raymond says, “It’s all about people, and motivation.  You can motivate people to heights they didn’t know they could reach.  I was known as a hard taskmaster, but a lot of people stayed with me for 25 or 30 years, so it musn’t have been that bad.”

He also worked with competitors: “I was chairman of the turkey industry for 17 years, then of the British Poultry Federation for a further 5 years.  And I was the first chairman of the European Turkey Federation.  When I first came into turkeys, they were only for Christmas, and were a luxury.  We developed seasonal markets for them, such as Easter and Whit.  Then we went into added value products, and made it possible to buy turkeys all year round.”

So, with experience in sheep and rabbits, and the dream of chickens, why turkeys?  Raymond replies, “When I hatched those first 11 eggs, I thought the profit was phenomenal – so I thought it was the way to go.  The eggs came from a friend of my father’s.  I trussed the turkeys and put a label on them – it was the first time someone put a label on a turkey.”

Raymond developed his turkey enterprise as supermarkets were growing, and, he says, “We used to sell to wholesalers, but we could see that the ‘big boys’ wanted to buy direct.”  So, while continuing to supply wholesalers, Raymond also entered into negotiations with supermarkets.  He says, “After that, instead of having around 250 customers, we went to around 6 customers being about 80% of our volume.”

Unlike many producers who complain of the unequal bargaining relationship of small farmers and big corporations, Raymond says he had no problem with supermarkets, and comments, “Where would our manufacturers be today without supermarkets?”

He is also aware that it’s up to the supplier to fulfil the customer’s requirements.  For instance, he says “If you deliver to Sainsbury’s and they say to arrive at 2am, you haven’t to be there at 2.30, or they’ll turn you away.”  And in his youth, after spending a sleepless week plucking turkeys, he was prepared to drive to Scarborough on Christmas Eve to replace one turkey that had not arrived as expected.

“In those days,” he comments, “prices of turkeys went up towards Christmas. Supermarkets started discounting turkeys, and we brought out a brand of fresh frozen turkey – we were the first to supply frozen turkeys.  It’s a matter of keeping your eye on the ball – there are always changes.”

“My proudest achievement in turkeys was in giving employment to a lot of people.  That gave me tremendous satisfaction.

Raymond’s talk is peppered with anecdotes indicating that it is unwise to judge people by their appearance: people in flashy cars who went bankrupt; customers appearing in tatty old coats but producing wads of cash upfront.  And, he says,  “The man who sweeps the yard knows more about the business than the managers, so he needs speaking to.”

Nowadays, Raymond may be retired from turkeys, but he is still full of energy.  Up early every morning to see his sheep, he then fills a packed schedule of voluntary work for the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

And although he will hand his Presidency on in July 2012, he will continue to serve on the council until, he says, ‘they sack me’.

Yorkshire Agricultural Society: http://www.yas.co.uk/en/about-yas/

Heritage Crafts Alliance

GLENN YOUNG

My final visit this month was to a man who hopes to give youngsters a future in caring for our past.

Glenn Young clearly has three passions: a love of historic buildings, a love of hand skills – and a deep desire to share those joys with youngsters.

He described how, for years, he’d dreamed of being able to offer apprenticeships to youngsters, to give them the skills that could lead to a lifetime of satisfying work.

And now, he’s about to make that dream come true, forming a partnership with Hartlepool College to offer apprencticeships in heritage building skills.

And to learn to work on Britain’s historic buildings, he takes his students to Romania.

The architecture there is similar to Britain’s historic buildings, he explains, because the area was settled by Saxons returning from the Crusades, resulting in a Mediaeval style very similar to ours.

But the industrial revolution that changed our architecture hasn’t yet happened in Romania.

Many of our historic buildings are made with local materials.  This produced a regional diversity in style, and created buildings that have the look of having ‘grown’ from the landscape – because they have.  But the Industrial Revolution brought mass-production and cheaper transport, making it easier to use the same materials and styles across the land.  This produced a profound change to the landscape, built environment, and craft skills.

Glenn takes students to Romania, he says, “Becauset they can get an understanding of Mediaeval construction in Europe, and how it interacts with the landscape and people.”

He adds, “Most people there still work by hand.  It makes you realise the true value of grain, hay, stonework and so on, when the whole family’s labour has been used to get it.”

He adds that the Romanian people are very supportive, and comments, “We also train some of the local people who’ve never worked in conservation.  We hope they’ll put it into practice to save their buildings.”

Back in England, the training centre that Glenn has established at Thorp Perrow aims to rekindle those skills here.  Students learn to work in green wood, freshly cut from the estate.  They use hand tools, giving them a ‘feel’ for their materials that machine tools can never provide.  It’s a love of the material and its handling that shines in Glenn’s eyes when he picks up a piece of wood.

Glenn is trying to kindle this love in the younger generation – not only in apprentices, but also in school children.  Whenever he gets the chance, he’ll visit a school, taking with him demonstration models and portable activities.

He also goes into schools, to inspire children to a career in building.  The universal favourite activity, he says, is wattle and daub.  The children love to stomp the clay, then use their hands to push into the wattle framework.

He says, “Even the disengaged kids get involved.  Some are quite isolated, but this brings them out.”

It’s something he’d love to do more of.

Information:

You don’t have to be a child or young person to have a go at a heritage skill.  The HCA offers courses of all types, including short sessions for amateurs traininghttp://www.heritagecraftalliance.co.uk/

Castle Bolton, once a fearsome Mediaeval stronghold, now a peaceful visitor attraction

In Leyburn, Alix Warland and Martin Crowson were typical of so many people I meet in the Dales.  For every person who can trace their family back over generations in the same village, there’s someone else who has moved in because they fell in love with the Dales.  And that love has caused them to throw themselves wholeheartedly into learning about their new home, and supporting its community.

As we drank our coffee, we fell to discussing the shopping in Leyburn.  Martin described it as “A totally difference experience to a lookalike high street.”  And, he commented, “There are three food stores, including one of the finest independents in the country.”

I had to agree.  I’ve bought things in Leyburn that I couldn’t find in other towns.  For instance, the household goods store in the former town hall, smack in the centre of the market place, is an Aladdin’s cave for the homemaker.

And Leyburn is a hidden gem for quality clothes and shoes, as well as food.

In fact, as I walked back to the car, a shop caught my eye, I nipped in for a browse – and came out with a new skirt.

A result for Leyburn!

Find out more about visiting Leyburn at www.welcometoleyburn.co.uk

Prof Dominic Powlesland has spent decades studying the prehistoric landscape of Yorkshire

Over at Sutton Bank, Professor Dominic Powlesland, of the Landscape Research Centre, was explaining what they discovered when they dug a Bronze Age burial mound at Boltby Scar.  Such burial mounds pepper the Moors, and, he says, the remains of many more lie beneath the ploughed fields of the Vale of Pickering.

Traditionally, they were believed to be the burial place of an important personage, but Dominic’s work now points, he says, to longer term use as a burial site over hundreds of years, perhaps for a family or clan.

The barrow they dug at Boltby, he thinks, may be indicative of similar practices for other, similar looking barrows.  He says it revealed, “A long and complex history of both construction and robbing.”

They identified six phases of the life of the barrow.  Phase 1 was a stone ring, with large irregular limestone blocks laid on bed of pebbles.  They think it may have defined the area of a flat cemetery.  There was evidence of burning – perhaps funeral pyres?

Phase 2 was a turf mound within the stone ring.  There was lots of charcoal in the turf – carbonised hazel shells, indicating domestic activity.  Carbon 14 dating gave an age of around 1920-1730 BC.

They called phase 3 the ‘yellow mound’, as a thick deposit of yellow-brown clayey soil had been laid over the charcoaley soil of phase 2.

Phase 4 was a pebbly mound that covered over the yellow clay and extended to the stone ring.  It was made of clean silty soil with a layer of pebbles on the surface.

Phase 5 placed a wattle fence around the mound, with limestone slabs leaning up against the fence.  The vertical slabs of pale limestone, high on the escarpment, would have been visible from a considerable distance.

At phase 6, the whole mound , fence and stone rings were buried with a thick layer of fine silty soil.  Covering the limestone dimished its visibility in the landscape, but made the mound taller.

Dominic thinks that these phases probably developed over hundreds of years, starting around 2000 BC, in the early Bronze Age.  That is why he believes that it was used for many burials, not just one single person.

Whatever the significance of the mound to its original builders, the mound continues to draw people to it even today, around four thousand years later.

Read more about Dominic’s work at www.landscaperesearchcentre.org

Later this year, an exhibition of the findings at Boltby will be staged at Sutton Bank Vistor Centre.

Advanced student Alex Coode learns about historic ironwork at C Topp and Co

Meanwhile, today, Chris Topp’s ironworks near Thirsk are attracting visitors from far and wide, who come to learn about his work with historic iron.

Although Chris also designs and makes brand new items, he has been involved with restoring historic iron work for decades.

He also does ‘practical archaeology’: making a replica of a historic artefact, in order to discover how it was made.  Much of this work has been filmed for TV, and he’s been involved in projects relating to a Roman Well, the Titanic, the Mary Rose, and even the Eiffel tower.

So when it was decided to form a body to provide proper training and qualifications for people working on valuable historic ironwork, it was natural that Chris should be involved.

The National Heritage Iron Group has been formed in order to provide training for a new generation of blacksmiths to continue learning the historic skills to care for our ironwork heritage.

www.christopp.co.uk

www.nhig.org.uk

Doreen Wardle, speaker of East Yorks dialect

Doreen Wardle lives in Harome, and speaks the dialect of East Yorkshire.  Like other north-east coastal speakers, her voice had a sing-song rythm that you need to ‘get your ear in’ to understand.

Soon, though we were laughing,  and when it was time to leave, initially I was sorry to part with her.  But I remembered that she’d mentioned  that she enjoys views of two thatched cottages from her home in Harome, so I decided to take a walk around the village.

I was fascinated by the range of different building materials there.  I’m used to villages that are mainly built of one material: bricks in the Vale of York, limestone in the Dales.  Roofs are usually of clay pantiles, slates, or ‘thakking stones’.  But in Harome, quite a few buildings were thatched, including the well-known gastro-pub ‘The Star’.

Other houses were built of brick, or of stone.  One very ancient looking little cottage had lovely Yorkshire sash windows.

And one house looked like a modern build, but still had a thatched roof.

I think it will be worth finding out a little bit more about the houses in Harome.

Peter Meese calls up the dancers to perform in Kirkby Malzeard Church

And over in Kirkby Malzeard, the men were celebrating a very ancient tradition: Plough Sunday.  Unusually, in Kirkby, a sword dancing troupe dances in Church to mark this day – the return to work after the Christmas break.

But the sword dancers don’t stop for Christmas: Boxing Day is one of their fixed dates for dancing.  Spokesman Ted Dodsworth says: “People are waiting for us.” Fellow group member  Peter Meese says, “we dance it innumerable times, up and down the village.”

Kirkby Malzeard has boasted a sword dancing team for many generations, but the dancers’ outfits have varied over the years.  Ted says, “I asked a chap who danced in the 1930s about the uniform.  He said you got a pair of trousers and used your own belt.  The trousers were ‘one size fits all’ and I’ve got a photograph of a freat wide pair of trousers.”

“In the 1950s, they wore flowered skirts.  It was a women’s team, and I’m told it’s very difficult to do the dance wearing a skirt.”  Ted adds, “Womens’ teams weren’t ususual.  After the Great War, there was a shortage of men, and Cecil Sharp taught women so that the dances wouldn’t die out.”

Today, the team is back to a traditional all men group – smartly dressed in matching trousers, shirts and waistcoats.  And very smart they look too, while dancing to the Glory of God.

Read more about the Highside Longsword dance team at  http://www.teddodsworth.talktalk.net/hl/highside.htm

APPLETON WISKE CHRISTMAS TREE

Yorkshire is famous for its celebrations of Christmas, and in the December 2011 issue of Dalesman there’s no shortage of people to be found celebrating it – ranging from traditional candle makers, to the folk checking on Santa’s progress in the Space Age.

Last year, we had a lot of snow, and I was glad that for one story, I had only to walk around the corner, to meet friends and neighbours round the Christmas tree in my own village.

But usually, I have to travel to meet people for Dalesman, and when there’s snow around, it’s nice to know that people would help me if I got stuck.  So one chilly morning, I went to meet Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team on a training exercise.

They were practicing for an underground rescue.  As the rescuers squeezed into the dark underground space, I realised what a comfort it must be when this team turns up to a real accident.

They produced a stretcher and strapped in the chap impersonating an injured party, carefully wrapping him in blankets, and even supplying some glasses to protect his eyes from falling debris.

They explained that their plan is always to hand the casualty over to the Ambulance Service at the nearest point the Ambulance can reach.  They are not there instead of professionals – they simply volunteer to help people in the difficult areas that a normal ambulance can’t reach.

But sometimes it can take a long time to reach an ambulance, and some volunteers have trained in high level ‘casualty care’, learning the skills of a paramedic, to try to stabilise injuries, and in worst cases, keep people alive, until the professionals can reach them.

These skills came in handy a few years ago, when an Army helicopter crashed – just where the team happened to be training.  The speed of the care they were able to give is believed to have saved lives, and served to cement an already good relationship with the Army.

The team numbers around forty fully trained members, with a maximum of twelve trainees.  Controller Paul Denning explains: “We generally want about 20 to 25 people to an incident.  It can take 8 to carry a stretcher – and if it’s a long way, we need two lots of people to take it in turns.  Then we need a casualty carer, drivers, a navigator, someone on radio communications – it soon gets to needing 20 people.  That’s why we want so many people on call, as not everyone can just leave work.  We work on the basis that about half of our people can respond to any one incident,

They also frequently work with colleagues in neighbouring teams such as Wharfedale, Cleveland, and Kirby Stephen.  A common task is helping the Police to search for vulnerable people who have gone missing.

On training exercises, volunteer ‘casualties’ spend hours lying still, waiting to be found, then carried over a series of obstacles.  Helen says, “It can get quite cold as a casualty – you have to watch for hypothermia.”  Husband Tim is the training officer, and spends his time thinking up scenarios to test skills not just in practical matters like how to strap a patient to a stretcher, but also in leadership, communications, and teamwork.

Surprisingly, their work is not part of the state funded Emergency Services, and they have to fundraise to buy their equipment.  Funds are also needed for vehicles, fuel, radios, rescue gear such as ropes, which wear out, and medical equipment which gets used up.  Paul says, “It costs around £30,000 a year to run the team.  And we’ve just bought 2 new vehicles, that cost £95,000 for both.  We got a grant towards them, and we did 5 years of saving and fundraising.

Paul advises careful planning; tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to return; take food; warm, waterproof clothing; compass; map; and torch – even in summer, as the weather can change.  The torch, he says, also helps them to see where you are.

But things can go wrong for even the best prepared walker, and Paul says, “When we’re not training, most of us are out on the hills at weekends.  It’s nice to know that if we got into trouble, someone would come.”

Learn more about Swaledale Mountain Rescue at http://www.swaledalemrt.org.uk/Index.asp

Lovely though the mountain rescue volunteers were, I was reluctant to become one of their rescues if I could avoid it.  So when  the day came for my visit to RAF Fylingdales, and the snow was deep, I had to postpone my visit, as the road was, I was told, impassable..

But the work of Fylingdales went on uniterrupted: they know they get severe weather, and a core team of staff lives on site to keep things running.

By the time I could get there, the snow had been replaced by thick fog.  The big radar array, the SSPAR, loomed like a black pyramid in the fog.

I couldn’t see much in the fog, but the motto of Fylingdales translates as ‘We ar watching’ – and they’d seen me coming.   But the Military Policeman who approached me was friendly – and invited me in to lunch.

The rest of the day was full of contrasts: the space-age technology looked like the set from a movie – James Bond, perhaps, or Star Treck.  But while minding their equipment, the staff are also minding the wildlife that thrives in the peaceful seclusion of the perimeter fence.

And Santa?  They post Santa’s movements on a dedicated website, following his moves from the North Pole.  See http://www.noradsanta.org/

From the Space Age, I moved to a tradition that’s probably as old as humanity: making candles to light the dark.  Candles are still popular at Christmas – after all, it’s a festival held at the darkest time of the year.

It was a pleasure to meet Mick and Jennie White and their apprentice Jane Nicholas.

Mick and Jennie came to Wensley in the 1970s to built a candle making workshop in the old mill.  Since then, they’ve become part of the fabric of the Dale, combining their business with a philosophy of trying to make people’s lives better in whatever way they can.

The result is a warm-hearted workplace, full of laughter, colour, and the warm, joyous light of the candles.

For more information about White Rose Candles, see http://www.yorkshirenet.co.uk/craftgde/whiterosecandles/

Like the Whites, many people in Appleton Wiske contribute their time and energy to making life better for their neighbours.  The people who volunteer to organise a the  Christmas Tree are providing a beacon of light and welcome in the bleak, chilly days of midwinter.

When we gather around the tree in the chill night air, our songs rising into the black emptiness of the winter sky, I feel the fellowship, not only with neighbours, but with generations before me who have bravely sung into the darkness – sung of their faith that the light will return.

CAROL SINGING ROUND THE TREE IN APPLETON WISKE

The 158 Squadron memorial is inscribed with the name of each serviceman who gave his life

In this November’s issue of Dalesman, I met the man who sculpted the memorial to 158 Squadron, Bomber Command, who flew from Lissett Airfield.

Every November, when Remembrance Day comes around, I hear yet another humbling story of the courage of ordinary people who were called upon to do extraordinary things.

‘Bluey’ Mottershead, who flew in 158 Squadron, told me: “Many people like myself didn’t consider being shot down.  We never thought about it. I had 14 gunners fly with me on operations, in all.  They told me the best way: my job was to fly; the navigator’s job was to get us there.”

‘Bluey’ was lucky enough to survive his time in Bomber Command, but many were less fortunate.

Peter Naylor, the artist who designed the Memorial sculpture at Lissett Airfield, studied as much as he could about the airmen he was commemorating.  He says, “Bomber Command ran missions every night from September 1939 until the end of the War.  ”

He adds, “When a plane was carrying 10 tons of incendiary bombs and 100 gallons of aviation fuel, if it was hit, it just vapourised into the sky.  The people in Bomber Command had the courage to keep going out, night after night, after seeing planes next to them just blow up and disappear.”

Peter said that he found many books, and that interest in the 1939-45 War doesn’t seem to be waning.  He speculates: “I think perhaps one reason for that is because it was absolutely a national war – everyone was involved, and the nation was united.”

Even after making the memorial, Peter is still discovering more about the men who served in 158 Squadron.  This is because he also made a miniature of the sculpture, and says, “People still come to buy the miniatures, and everyone has a story to tell.”

“I try to take the details of everyone who buys a miniature, like a little family.  I mean to compile all their stories into a dossier.”

The sculpture won the Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture, and Harry Irons accompanied Peter to collect the award.  Peter says, “Harry joined up when he was under age.  He knew that the life expectancy was about six weeks – he was a real hero.”

Peter says he’s never had a commission that means as much to him as the 158 Memorial, and he is now interested in making other Memorial Sculptures.  He has bid to make one to mark the contribution of the Women’s Land Army – so we may be hearing more of Peter Naylor and his work.

INFORMATION:

The 158 Memorial stands beside the road from Lissett to Gransmoor.

The Squadron Association holds an annual memorial service over the first weekend of September.  For details, see www.158squadron.co.uk, or telephone 0181 467 6775

Miniatures are available from Peter Naylor, who also gives talks about the Memorial.  Contact him on 01482 868311, or at www.peternaylor.co.uk

I’m always impressed by the prodigious energy that the makers I meet pour into their work, but Yueh Yin Taffs was exceptional.  Vitality fizzed off her as she enthused about the horses she loves to sculpt.

As her words overflow, it becomes clear that she has given up two careers –  in the  highly desirable, competitive fields  of fashion design and television – in order to follow her dream of becoming a sculptor.  She pours all her passion into her sculpture, giving it emotion as well as attractive lines and shapes.  Horses and other animals are favourites, but she also enjoys recreating classic myths.

The life and energy in her works make it attractive to buyers, and, as word of her work spreads, Yeuh Yin expects to see more commissions.

www.yuehyintaffs.co.uk

Like Yueh Yin, Louise Gardiner also has endless energy for her work – energy she likes to infect others with via the workshops that she teaches.  She also pushes this energy into developing opportunities for people to see her work, whether at exhibitions, on the internet, or through other media such as TV, radio or books.

Louise, realises that no-one has an endless supply of energy: one day, even she will have to slow down.  So she’s planning for the future, by working on ranges such as greetings cards,  that can be reproduced and provide income without Louise having to make something new every time.

It’s a long –term strategy for a lady who shows no sign of running out of steam any time soon.

www.lougardiner.co.uk

Jan Beaney’s energy shows no sign of abating, despite decades as a fibre artist.  She managed to continue developing her career whilst bringing up a family, and since then, has travelled the world to teach embroidery – travels that provide inspiration for her own exhibition pieces.

And the more she does, the more ideas she gets.  So, defying the laws of physics, energy breeds even more energy.

www.doubletrouble-ent.com

Mike Goldmark uses his creative energy not to make art, but to bring art to buyers.  He cares deeply about art himself – which he defines as ‘stuff that moves you’.  From his shop in the market town of Uppingham, he has reached out to customers across the world.  And although, like anyone, he has to pay the bills, he puts much more into his business, commenting, “While we have to pay our way, it’s not the only reason why we’re here.  So we are busy doing things that have nothing to do with profit, but make us a magnet for like-minded people who enjoy the sort of things that we do.”

The result is a gallery that also publishes books, creates films, and holds events in its own auditorium – as well exhibitions.  Perhaps this is why potter Phil Rogers credits Mike with ‘revolutionising the way we present, sell and appreciate fine pottery in this country.”

www.goldmarkart.com

Read all about these inspirational people in Craft&Design, Oct/Nov 2011 issue.

fungi on dead wood

For Dalesman this month, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some very knowledgeable wildlife experts: David Hodgson, who has spent hours lying in the cold, wet dark , studying wildlife in caves, and Brian Walker, a retired forest ranger.

I spent a fascinating morning with Brian, now retired and enjoying spending his time on nature study and conservation.  His many years with the Forestry Commission have given him a deep knowledge, and conversation ranged over the lifestyles of fungi, the sustainable production of timber, conservation and climate change.

Fungi are neither plant nor animal, but something else.  Unlike plants, they cannot make energy from the sunshine, but must feed like animals.  But unlike animals, they cannot move, and they reproduce by spreading spores.  The toadstools and mushrooms we see carry the spores, which grow into new individuals.

Sometimes fungi live in partnership with a plant.  In these cases, said Brian, “None are destroying or weakening each other, but they’re interdependent.”

Other fungi are involved in decay, but this is a vital part of recycling nutrients back into the soil, so that new plants – and trees – can grow.

Many fungi are poisonous because fungi produce complex substances different to other plants or animals.  However, like the rainforest and the coral reef, this makes them a rich hunting ground for new chemicals that can have medicinal uses.

For instance, penicillin came from a type of fungus, and, said Brian, “There’s a fungus that makes people sick if they eat it and drink alcohol.  From that, they’ve developed a medicine for alcoholics.”

When working for the Forestry Commission, Brian worked closely with many other groups to promote conservation and biodiversity.  He commented that the expertise within the Forestry Commission meant that the forests were managed to the best known practice, for economic and sustainable timber production, for conservation, and to provide access for people to enjoy the forests.

He saw this practice as vital as the climate changes.  He stressed that conserving biodiversity means giving space to everything, not just species that we might find attractive.  For instance, he commented, “People dislike birds of prey because they eat the birds that come to their bird tables.”

He added, “The idea that there’s a unique British environment that can preserved can’t be done.  Dalby used to be a rabbit warren, now it’s a forest.  Things will change, and we must allow adaptation.  For instance, buzzards are moving south, and the honey buzzard is moving north.  We’re into change, it’s inevitable.”

However, he was upbeat, and thought that forests can accept change, and in fact, that change is a vital part of the life of the forest.   He commented that as areas are felled to harvest timber, particular species move into these areas.  He said, “There’s a bird called the great grey shrank, that comes in winter.  It might, with climate change, nest in Britain.  It loves the areas we fell, because it sits in the treetops, but forages in the open areas.  If we didn’t clear fell areas, there wouldn’t be these parts of the forest for them.”

The progression of natural change means that plants grow in clear felled areas, gradually filling them again.  But as new areas are harvested for timber, new clear areas are formed.

It’s all part of maintaining the biodiversity that Brian sees as key to protecting all species.

Read all about it in Dalesman