Above: Aysgarth Upper Falls on a busy day in August. One of the aims of Stop Ure Pollution is to have any such popular place on the River Ure listed as a designated bathing water site. This would mean that the bacterial levels would be very regularly monitored by the Environment Agency. It was a decision made by the YDNPA planning committee in October 2023 which led directly to the founding of Stop Ure Pollution.
Yet again what appears to be the lack of fairness and impartiality of the YDNPA’s planning system has been highlighted at a planning committee meeting.
At the YDNPA planning committee on April 15 North Yorkshire councillor Robert Heseltine pointed out that Natural England had used a barn at Chapel le Dale as an office, workshop and laboratory for 30 years without planning permission. He commented: ‘It’s a national body that has been operating out of sight and out of mind and then, when they have got sufficient years under the belt they come forward, not needing planning permission, [and apply] for a lawful development certificate. To my mind and to all other applicants particularly on the agricultural side that stinks – really stinks.’
Having got the lawful development certificate in 2023 Natural England has applied to further develop its facilities at Colt Park Barn. Some committee members were very concerned about the impact upon barns, bats and a wildflower meadow. The majority voted to refuse the application but that is very likely to be referred back as the planning officer had recommended approval.
The Association of Rural Communities agrees with North Yorkshire councillor Yvonne Peacock who stated: ‘‘We have got to start thinking about being consistent and being fair to all.’
I have been amazed at how soon Stop Ure Pollution has come into being since I wrote an editorial for the March edition of the Upper Wensleydale Newsletter (Oh For a clean River Ure!). And I have met some truly amazing people. Over 130 have now signed up the campaign to fight for a cleaned-up river.
We look forward to the day when there is, once again, an abundance of insects along the River Ure, plenty of fish – and a safe place for children and adults to bathe.
Last year the first two meetings (April 30 when about 120 people came, and on June 25) were sponsored by the Association of Rural Communities. Its chairman, Alastair Dinsdale, has enjoyed the river since he was a young child and works hard to ensure that his dairy farm does not have a negative impact upon it.
So it was not surprising that he attended the October 2023 meeting of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s planning committee to ask its members to protect the river. But that committee gave approval for 14 lodges at Aysgarth Falls Hotel even though Alastair told it that untreated sewage was already being discharged into the River Ure from the treatment plant between the middle and lower Falls.
One committee member, North Yorkshire councillor Simon Myers, pointed out that a polluted river was unlikely to attract visitors to Aysgarth – even if those lodges were available at the hotel. The majority, however, voted for what they were told would be a business gain for the area. And we thought a National Park Authority should protect the environment!
For a fuller report, the objections made by Aysgarth and District Parish Council, and Alastair Dinsdale’s statement click here.
If you want to join us contact pipspatch@gmail.com and put ‘Stop Ure Pollution’ in the subject.
Concerts at Aysgarth church
The concert season at St Andrew’s church begins on May 17 with one by the New London Chamber Ensemble Wind Quartet. This will be the first this year in the Wensleydale Concert Series . There are four Swaledale Festival events at the end of May and beginning of June.
Stories from the past:
One of my most interesting jobs each year is to edit Now Then, the annual magazine of the Friends of the Dales Countryside Museum at Hawes.
This year a story about the playground at Townfoot in Hawes has led to research on the presence of the Army in that area during WW2. Were they testing amphibious tanks at Gayle? Local people thought they were but maybe they were only semi-amphibious. My research continues. The magazine will be published in November and copies will be available at the Dales Countryside Museum.
I’ve been collecting stories from the past from the Hawes Parish Magazines of 1896 (Street Criers of London) and also from The Church Monthly dating back to 1892 owned by St Andrew’s Church, Aysgarth, as well as those from the Heritage Event held at that church in 2009. The stories include these from 1894: how to care for horses and a ride on a railway engine; how lighthouses were powered with paraffin lanterns and using steamer horse-drawn fire engines. When rushing to a fire these days those on board the fire engine no longer have to yell ‘Fire! Fire!’ as they did in the 1890s. Nor do they have to harness horses before they could head out to a fire.
From the Heritage Event there is A Mothering Sunday story about a man who I believe remembered his mother in a most unusual way at Aysgarth church; and the Doctor’s Window.
From The Church Monthly is Children’s Playtime in early 1890s and the first two of the Rev Wood’s articles covering his natural history rambles in January and March 1892 plus some local information about Aysgarth parish at that time. The Rev Wood’s nature rambles are included in Nightingale Duet.
And there is the story about the Telegraph Messenger boys of the 1890s. In that article it was stated: ‘If on any given day the electric telegraph suddenly came to an end, business would speedily become disorganised.’ The delivery of those messages depended upon boys aged 13 to 16 working nine hour days!
Visit Penhill Benefice website for details of services in mid Wensleydale.
Personal memories:
There have been some special moments recently – such as meeting with my friend, Carolyn Murray, and hearing all about her work with Immanuel Kindergarten in Yei. In October 2021 she went to Windsor Castle to be presented with the MBE by the Princess Royal. She has returned to South Sudan again this year.
Fundraising is ongoing for the Kennel Field south of Thornton Rust which was such a special place for my late husband, David Pointon.
I own the copyright to all my articles and photographs on this website. Other material is clearly attributed.