Category: News

To be fair, we on the website team nearly did! 1 March 2016 marked our 5^th anniversary.

It was on 1^st March 2011 at 11 am precisely that the Slingsby Village website was launched upon an unsuspecting world. Since then the webmaster and a crack team of amateurs have been serving the news to Slingsby, Fryton and South Holme, and way beyond.

Here’s a few of the things that have happened in that time:

• 743 news and events posts have been published in support of local groups
• 65 pages of background information have been kept up to date
• 192,344 page views have been recorded (including 870 on a single day in May)
• Facebook and Twitter have helped broaden our reach
• Friends across the globe (from Perth, Western Australia to Peru) have been able to keep in touch with Slingsby and area
• Over 20 local clubs and societies have been publicized
• Regular monthly features such as Geoff’s walks and the Photo of the Month have proved popular
• Class-rooms of Norwegian schoolchildren have found us by googling the Battle of Stamford Bridge (mentioned in the website’s History of the Parish)
• A complete and thorough picture of Slingsby, Fryton and South Holme has been developed, in all its rich variety.

We could go on – and perhaps we will – watch this space!

Ryedale District Council have announced the arrangements and cost (£37 per brown bin) for those who wish to have garden waste collected this year – full details are here

Meeting in the Village Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 1st March 2016

Janet Clarke and Trudy Carr write in the current Triangle:-
You will probably have heard that the Queen is having a birthday party this
summer. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on
21st April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June. The Queen’s 90th
Birthday Celebration event will take place on Sunday June 12th 2016. This is the
day when many communities are holding a street party.

Over the last few days we’ve been asked “Are you doing a party in Slingsby?”
Bearing in mind the tremendous amount of work involved in setting up and
running such an event, we would like to gauge local opinion first. The last thing
we want is to put in loads of effort to find it under-attended.

So we are proposing to hold an exploratory meeting in the Village Hall
Committee Room on Tuesday 1st March at 7pm. Depending how many people
turn up to offer assistance, we will make the decision whether or not to organise
an event.

So come on folks….if you’re interested, turn up and offer some help.

 

North Yorkshire Neighbourhood Watch Association have sent us this. The link to the little book of Big Scams is at the end.

Common scams and frauds

Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person. When you are online, you should take steps to protect yourself, and be aware of the risks.

 

We’ve listed just two of the most common online scams and frauds.

Email scams

A fraudster who claims to be someone in a position of authority sends you an email, letter or a fax.

They say they have access to a substantial amount of money and explains where this money is supposed to have come from. (Usually another country such as Africa or Iraq) They say they want to move the money out of the country, and then give you a reason why they can’t transfer it themselves.

They will ask your permission to pay the money into your account before they transfer it onwards, after deducting your reward. The fraudsters may even ask you to open a new bank account to transfer the money. There is no money to transfer.

The fraudsters may also ask you for details of your bank account so that they can transfer your reward. They will use this information to try and empty your account.

Accommodation fraud

Accommodation fraud is when you pay money to make a hotel reservation or book another form of accommodation, but the hotel or reservation does not exist.

• The safest way to protect yourself from booking bogus accommodation is to book directly with an established hotel or through a reputable travel company.
• If using a travel company ensure they are a member of a trade body such as ABTA, the Travel Association or the Air Travel Organisers Licensing, (ATOL).
• If you decide to book independently you should exercise caution. Establish if you are dealing directly with the property owner or a letting agent.
• Research the property or hotel that you are booking – verify that the address exists through web searches and online maps. Do the images match those on the advert? Check whether there are any reviews for the accommodation from previous visitors.
• If dealing with the property owner ask them about the property and the area in detail. Can you confirm that what they tell you is accurate from your own research?
• Research any agent that you are dealing with via an online search engine.  Are there any reviews of the website or agent?  Ask what checks the agent makes on the properties that they are advertising and its owner? Does the website use the padlock symbol to indicate the site is secure?
• When paying for accommodation never pay by cash or use a Money Transfer Agent such as Western Union or Moneygram as these are not intended for commercial payments.
• If possible pay by credit card as this may protect your payment.
• Always check the terms and conditions to confirm exactly what you are being sold. Double check your booking before travel, particularly if there is a long gap between making the booking and arrival.
• Be aware that fraudulent adverts do exist. If you have any doubts do not book it!

Please take a little time to read this – The little book of Big Scams (in pdf format)

Stephen Prest continues his farming column with some reflections on the floods.

In spite of huge changes in the last few decades, farming remains central to our community here. If you farm near Slingsby and wish to share your experience, email us at  [email protected]

Looking down on the Vale of Pickering from the Howardian Hills there is an awful lot of water lying around which is hardly surprising considering the huge amount of rainfall we have had. I am very grateful to Robert Wainwright for providing rainfall figures covering the last 19 years.

Our annual average rainfall over that period is 27.75inches.  In 2015 we have had 29inches, not far above average, but 6inches of that fell in December!  Houses in Fryton, The Lawns and Railway Street were flooded or damaged by flood water and we really feel for those affected.  Two boys (including Alfie) were seen canoeing in the floods at the bottom of Railway Street which provided great amusement for local onlookers!    Flooding damages our crops and can result in areas of crop dying off and having to be re-drilled in the spring as well as restricting root growth.

Wild duck and other waterfowl may enjoy all the water but swollen and muddy streams and rivers makes life difficult for many small animals and birds.  On one of her early morning runs Kate saw a Kingfisher on the dyke alongside the old railway.  I got some interesting pictures of a sparrow hawk eating a wood pigeon in our back garden recently, thankfully it doesn’t seem to have frightened off the small birds coming to our bird feeders.

On the farm we have been busy grading potatoes out of store, apparently people eat a lot of potato crisps at Christmas time.  My neighbours The Cliffords are busy getting ready for lambing time which commences in early January.  It involves a lot of hard work and long hours especially if it is cold and wet.

DON’T FORGET TO DO THE BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH  SATURDAY 30^TH AND SUNDAY 31^ST JANUARY.