Category: News

On Saturday 3rd October from 9am to 6pm, the Wensleydale Railway open day will allow visitors to experience the wide range of interesting activities. At Leeming Bar there will be:

• Demonstration of track laying/track work

• Carriage restoration

• Example of a diesel locomotives (Class 20 with panels removed and shunter with panels removed)

• Level crossing keeping

• Administration/Office work

• Footplate rides on Joem steam locomotive

• Operation of the shop and buffet

• Leeming Bar Residents’ carriage

In addition there will be a Marquee with displays about future plans, cake stall, coffee stall and a Hog roast.

Visitors will have the added opportunity to spend time on the footplate and experience the engine as a train driver and two trains will run the length of the length of the line from Northallerton West to Redmire, stopping at each station to enable visitors to visit each location.

At Bedale there is to be viewing the signal box/signalling, Vegetation clearance, Display of pictures of the level crossing repair work (in the Training Room) and a demonstration of Bedale Station Group activities

At Leyburn there is to be an infrastructure demonstration on the platform, vegetation clearance and demonstration of FOLS, shop and Tea Bar activities

“This is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to learn at first hand how a heritage railway works and will get then into parts of the railway that a normal train ride can never provide. We hope that visitors experiencing these activities will be encouraged to join our volunteer programme and come along to enjoy a very satisfying volunteering role and become ambassadors for the Wensleydale Railway”. comments general manager, Nigel Park.

Trains will run between Northallerton and Redmire for this event and will stop at all stations. A Vintage Bus will also run from Leeming Bar to Scruton free of charge (donations welcome) and there is catering at Leyburn, Bedale and Leeming Bar. Free car parking is available at Leeming Bar. Activities will also take place at Aysgarth station.

Wensleydale Railway is one of the longest heritage railway routes in the country and operates and daily service in the main season between Leeming Bar and Redmire with Wednesday and Saturdays for the Northallerton-Leeming Bar section. Plans are in hand to extend the service in line with future demand.

For further information please contact;

Nigel Park, general manager, The Wensleydale Railway, Leeming Bar Station,

Leases Lane, Leeming Bar, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 9AR

Tel: 01325 251204 Mobile: 07446 381118

Email: generalmanager@wensleydalerailway.com

Notes for Editors: The Wensleydale Railway line now serves Northallerton West, Leeming Bar, Bedale, Finghall Lane, Leyburn and Redmire, a distance of 22 miles.

On Saturday 26^th September, the Wensleydale Railway will be running the Joem Steam engine for a special steam day between Leeming Bar and Northallerton.

Visitors will have the added opportunity to spend time on the footplate and experience the engine as a train driver. The arrangements for this will on a ‘first come first served’ basis for places during travel and will be available for other visitors at each stopping station.

Open Day at Wensleydale Railway on Saturday 3^rd October 2015 – Visitors invited to see behind the scenes and learn about Volunteering opportunities

On Saturday 3^rd October, the Wensleydale Railway is staging a special open day that will allow visitors to experience the wide range of interesting activities.

At Leeming Bar there will be:

• Demonstration of track laying/track work
• Carriage restoration
• Example of a diesel locomotives (Class 20 with panels removed and shunter with panels removed)
• Level crossing keeping
• Administration/Office work
• Footplate rides on Joem steam locomotive
• Operation of the shop and buffet
• Leeming Bar Residents’ carriage

In addition there will be a Marquee with displays about future plans, cake stall, coffee stall and a Hog roast.

Visitors will have the added opportunity to spend time on the footplate and experience the engine as a train driver and two trains will run the length of the length of the line from Northallerton West to Redmire, stopping at each station to enable visitors to visit each location.

At Bedale there is to be viewing the signal box/signalling, Vegetation clearance, Display of pictures of the level crossing repair work (in the Training Room) and a demonstration of Bedale Station Group activities

At Leyburn there is to be an infrastructure demonstration on the platform, vegetation clearance and demonstration of FOLS, shop and Tea Bar activities

“This is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to learn at first hand how a heritage railway works and will get then into parts of the railway that a normal train ride can never provide. We hope that visitors experiencing these activities will be encouraged to join our volunteer programme and come along to enjoy a very satisfying volunteering role and become ambassadors for the Wensleydale Railway”. comments general manager, Nigel Park.

Trains will run between Northallerton and Redmire for this event and will stop at all stations. A Vintage Bus will also run from Leeming Bar to Scruton free of charge (donations welcome) and there is catering at Leyburn, Bedale and Leeming Bar. Free car parking is available at Leeming Bar.

Wensleydale Railway is one of the longest heritage railway routes in the country and operates and daily service in the main season between Leeming Bar and Redmire with Wednesday and Saturdays for the Northallerton-Leeming Bar section. Plans are in hand to extend the service in line with future demand.

more details: www.wensleydalerail.com

 

Carlton Lodge Activity Centre near Thirsk, North Yorkshire has announced new courses in Caving for team building and education that provides a range of subterranean experiences.

Caving instructor George Plant who has recently completed the British Caving Association’s (BCA) highest instructing award, the Caving Instructors Certificate (CIC), will deliver the courses that offer three levels:

• Introductory Caving – suitable for novices
• Intermediate Caving – For those with some previous underground experience who want a taste of the vertical.
• Advanced Caving – For those who have experienced caving and want to go further.

Caving courses begin at £170 per person including full board accommodation.

David Sharp, chief executive said: “Caving is a fascinating experience and in North Yorkshire we have the premier caving region in the British Isles. Our skilled and qualified instructors will show students the experiences from a choice of suitable caves where they will discover it is unlike anything else.”

The courses are ideal for corporate groups for team building and challenge events for normally desk-bound executives and other adults seeking an extreme adventure experience for leisure.

“As alien as scuba-diving or space-travel but available to all, caving provides ‘dirty-learning’ that children and adults can all enjoy“. added George Plant, caving instructor at Carlton Lodge.

For further information please contact: Mark Faulkner, Head of Centre

North Yorkshire Youth, Carlton Lodge, Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, YO7 4NJ

Tel: 01845 522 145  e-mail: mark@nyy.org.uk

Websites: North Yorkshire Youth: www.nyy.org.uk Carlton Lodge Activity Centre: www.carltonlodge.org.uk

Notes for Editors:  North Yorkshire Youth, provides opportunities for children and young people to learn and grow by:

• Supporting youth development work in North Yorkshire communities
• Providing  day and residential programmes of adventurous activities from Carlton Lodge Activity Centre
• Providing training opportunities for young people and those who work with them

• NYY’s mission remains the same as that of its founders in 1941 –‘to help children and young people to realise their full potential by enhancing and improving our range of learning and development opportunities’.

Prices reduced on Summer Holiday Activity Days at Carlton Lodge Activity Centre near Thirsk.
North Yorkshire Youth, (NYY) based at Carlton Lodge Activity Centre near Thirsk, North Yorkshire has announced reduced prices on its Summer Holiday Activity Days that will be a boon to working families during the forthcoming school summer holiday break in August.
The new service provides a weeklong activity programme for children aged between eight and 14 years that can be booked for individual days or weekly. Costs for the new service to parents have been reduced by 25% to just £150 per week and which is likely to be much lower than traditional day care nurseries.  The new service is provided by North Yorkshire Youth at Carlton Lodge Activity Centre and has proved to be a popular initiative. Managers at the Centre have issued a last-call appeal for the final places available before the school holidays begin.
David Sharp, chief executive said: “As a working parent myself, I know how much of a challenge it is for parents to make arrangements for child care during school holidays both in terms of the cost and organization. Our initiative will assist with these issues but in addition, parents will also be pleased to know that their child in our care will also benefit from the learning and personal development opportunities we deliver”.

The new arrangements will begin on 17th August and continue until 28th August 2015 – more details available at http://www.carltonlodge.org.uk/activities/days

“Often it is friends and relatives who are relied upon to help out during school holidays, which is fine for some people, but our vast experience, reliability and safety record puts us in a unique position to provide activities that will support this initiative“. added Mark Faulkner, head of centre at Carlton Lodge.
– ENDS –
For further information please contact:
David Sharp, chief executive
North Yorkshire Youth, Carlton Lodge, Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, YO7 4NJ
Tel: 01845 522 145 E-mail: david@nyy.org.uk North Yorkshire Youth: www.nyy.org.uk Carlton Lodge Outdoor Centre: www.carltonlodge.org.uk
Media Contact: John Gallery, Great Potential. Tel: 07967 032623
Email: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk
Notes for Editors:  North Yorkshire Youth, provides opportunities for children and young people to learn and grow by:
•    Supporting youth work in North Yorkshire communities
•    Providing adventurous activities from Carlton Lodge Activity Centre
•    Providing training opportunities for young people and those who work with them
•    NYY’s mission remains the same as that of its founders in 1941 – ‘to provide learning and personal development opportunities for children and young people’.

Jim Wight and Rosie Page, son and daughter of Alf Wight, World Famous Vet and author James Herriot attended Sheffield College on Tuesday, June 16th, to present a Veterinary Nurse Apprentice of the Year award to Rachel Green and to unveil a plaque in their father’s name. Members of Sheffield PDSA also attended.

Rachel, 18, is one of the first veterinary apprentices at the college and is completing her apprenticeship with Springfield Veterinary Group, Crystal Peaks. She earns as she learns, gaining hands-on skills in the workplace and studies for a qualification at The Sheffield College City campus, Granville Road, one-day week.

Rachel said: “I’m so pleased to receive this award. I love working with, and caring for, animals. Each one is different and an individual patient. I’m really enjoying the apprenticeship as I’m learning quickly in a really practical, hands-on way, and I like the fact that no day is the same.”

The award was presented and the plaque unveiled on the James Herriot Room at the College, on behalf of the James Herriot Legacy Fund, based at the World of James Herriot in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

Previously owned by the local council, the World of James Herriot is now a privately operated company whose management has a vision to continually develop it and attract more visitors including the launch of the James Herriot Legacy Fund initiative which aims to provide bursaries for people wishing to enter the animal care world and for whom the James Herriot stories have been an inspiration.

Heather Smith, Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “I’m delighted that the family of the famous vet Alf Wight, who have such strong Yorkshire connections, have named our veterinary nurse training room after him. Animal care and veterinary medicine are highly competitive but the education and training our students receive means they can compete with the best.”

Ian Ashton added: “The James Herriot Statue and Legacy Fund has been developed as a tribute to Alf Wight, author of the books about the life of a country vet, which inspired two films and the long running and immensely popular TV series All Creatures Great and Small. We are delighted to have been able to develop our relationship with Sheffield College and to recognize Rachel’s achievements in the spirit of the James Herriot Legacy Fund initiative.”

‘Cycling Heaven’ Holidays launch and Malton Festival of Cycling Special Weekend .
The Old Lodge Malton in North Yorkshire is launching a new cycling service for summer 2015.

The new cycling holidays have been developed in partnership with Malton’s Northern Ride Cycles, Malton and are in response to huge demand created by the successful Tour de Yorkshire that passed through the area on 1-4th May 2015 and the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014.

“Cycling is becoming the ‘Sport of Yorkshire’ and we have already been welcoming guests organising their own cycling holidays and through cycling holiday agencies. Our new initiative encourages guests to make cycling their preferred method of exploring this beautiful area.” Comments Eileen Lowery, hotel manager.

The new service offers includes a series of cycling trails on safe routes and with advice from experts at Northern Ride Cycles who will also supply cycles for guests who do not bring their own. Guests booking to stay for the Malton Festival of Cycling on Sunday 21st June will receive a special bed and breakfast room tariff of £85 for two people (usually £135) when staying on Sunday night.

“There is so much more to experience and learn about the area when on a cycle and guests will get seriously close to the countryside, enjoy the smells and sounds of this ‘heavenly’ part of North Yorkshire and when they return to the hotel have a luxurious and tranquil environment to prepare for the next day”. Added Eileen.

– ENDS –

For further information please contact: Eileen Lowery, hotel manager.

Tel: 01653 690570 Email: info@theoldlodgemalton.co.uk

http://www.theoldlodgemalton.co.uk

Press contact: John Gallery, Tel: 07967 032623 Email: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk

Notes for Editors: The Old Lodge is a stunning Tudor mansion set in beautiful grounds, on the edge of the historic Market town of Malton, near Pickering, North Yorkshire with 20 en-suite rooms, all with TV, DVD/CD player, tea & coffee facilities, plus a further 8 rooms in a renovated public house about 50 metres away, called The Old Lodgings. The Old Lodge has a beautiful antique wood panelled boardroom. It has adequate natural lighting, supplemented with overhead lights and lamps, with a window that can be shuttered to block out light if necessary.

The James Herriot Statue installed in the gardens of the World of James Herriot on Saturday 28th March 2015.  The official installation ceremony performed by James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland.

The World of James Herriot has a new exhibit, the James Herriot (Alf Wight) Statue, a life-size bronze sculpture of the author, who became the most famous vet in the world for his books based on his life and practice in rural Yorkshire.

On Saturday, 28th March 2015 the official installation ceremony of the statue will take place when James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland will perform the official proceedings. As a tribute to Alf’s wife, Joan, the statue of her famous and much-loved husband will be installed in the garden on what would have been her 96th birthday.

Jim Wight and Rosie Page, son and daughter of the author will join James Berresford along with Sean Hedges-Quinn, the sculptor of the statue, June Imeson OBE, the original driving force behind the opening of the World of James Herriot, plus Councillors Mark Robson & Gareth Dadd of Hambleton District Council, David Shields of Welcome to Yorkshire plus many supporters, volunteers and staff from the Centre.

The Statue is a tribute to Alf Wight and forms the focus for the ‘James Herriot Legacy Fund’ that has been formed to provide bursaries for young people wishing to join the animal welfare and veterinary sector.

Ian Ashton, managing director of the World of James Herriot said:
“The aim is to provide bursaries for people wishing to embark on a career concerning the welfare of animals, and for whom the James Herriot stories may well have been an inspiration. The fund has now reached its target for the Statue to be installed and we will continue to raise funds for the Legacy Fund which is a fitting tribute to Alf Wight and his continuing worldwide appeal“.

The Legacy Fund began with a very generous bequest made to the Friends of the World of James Herriot by the late Mr Thomas Frank Blinks who lived in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, and was a life member of the Friends of the World James Herriot. Fundraising is now a continuous part of the World of James Herriot’s activities to ensure that the vets and veterinary nurses of the future can apply for support from the Legacy Fund.

Jim Wight and Rosie Page, son and daughter of Alf Wight, speaking about the Legacy said: “This is a unique opportunity to develop a legacy to support young people who wish to become veterinary surgeons, or to pursue a career dedicated to animal welfare. Our father would be proud to be associated with this initiative and we consider the statue to be a very fitting tribute.”

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, says: “James Herriot’s veterinary tales have been drawing visitors to the Yorkshire countryside for decades and it is fantastic that Thirsk is now installing a statue of the famous author (real name James Alf Wight) in tribute to what would’ve been his wife Joan’s 96th birthday. It is a real honour to be invited to perform the official proceedings with James and Joan’s children and I hope that James Herriot’s legacy continues to attract more tourists to the area who can visit ‘The World of James Herriot’ attraction and even donate funds to his fantastic Legacy Fund”.

For further information please contact:
Ian Ashton, The World of James Herriot, 3 Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1PL Tel: 01845 524234 E-mail: mail@worldofjamesherriot.com

Press Contact: John Gallery, Tel: 07967 032623 E-mail: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk
Notes to Editors: The World of James Herriot is a unique tribute to Alf Wight, vet and author of the James Herriot stories. Based in his original surgery at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire – the ‘Skeldale House’ of the Herriot books – it takes visitors on a journey back to the 1940s.  Contributions to the Legacy fund can be made online at: http://www.worldofjamesherriot.com/the-james-herriot-statue/