The church tower was repaired last year with the help of Heritage Lottery funding, much support from the local community and a great deal of hard work on the part of the Parochial Church Council. The PCC is now looking ahead and is considering ways of meeting the terms of the Heritage Lottery Grant for looking after the exterior of the building over the next ten years, under the supervision of English Heritage.

Internal improvements are also now needed to make the building more usable, such as better lighting and heating, and a toilet. Another aim is to create archive space for retaining records of village history for future generations. There is also the need for help with regular cleaning and other simple maintenance tasks.

The church has a small regular congregation, and raising money to pay for maintenance, heat, light and insurance for this large building is a big effort. There is no financial support at all from the Church of England, and the congregation has to raise money itself to pay for church expenses, clergy wages and pensions. This itself is a significant sum which has not been managed in full now for some years.

Changes in the management of the four parishes, which cover seven churches along the Street, are planned this coming year. All four Parochial Church Councils aim to join as a single unit for easier management. The Archbishops’ Council has already approved in principle an application to do this, subject to local agreement next month. This should help to attract a new priest. The post is still being advertised due to the retirement of Beryl Bowes, and to date there have been no applicants. The Bishop has warned the PCCs that priests wanting country parishes are in very short supply, so there may be a long wait. In the meantime, The Street Parishes are extremely grateful to have the Revd. John Warden looking after them on a temporary basis.

The new system will leave the small individual village groups to look after their buildings and to organise local fund raising. The same amount of money will still have to be raised by the same small group of people. The PCC is seeking support from the village to give more regular help to look after this historic landmark, which contributes so much to the local character and history of the village. A leaflet will shortly be sent to every household in Slingsby, South Holme, and Fryton giving more information and outlining the various ways in which practical or financial help may be given.

Please become a Friend of All Saints Church. All help given in this way will be used exclusively to maintain and develop the building separately from other church activities.

Slingsby in the snow | Photo by Richard Flint

Photo of the month returns after a break with a photograph that gives an indication of just some of the weather we’ve had over the past couple of months. Snow. Rain. Sunshine. We’ve had the lot! That said we haven’t had that much in the way of snow unlike some other areas of North Yorkshire.

This sprinkling of snow came quickly around 3pm on a late February day and made the roads in the village just a little unpleasant to drive on.  Later that night it rained and the snow disappeared as fast as it had arrived.

Do you have a great photograph you’d like to share with us?

If you’d like to submit an image for the photo of the month slot, you can send it to [email protected]

More details about how to submit photographs can be found HERE

We here in Slingsby may have escaped the worst of the recent snow, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the county. Stay safe and check conditions before you set off on a longer road journey.

You can monitor live road camera images here on the County Council’s website:

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/winter-service

Notice to all patients of Hovingham and Ampleforth Surgeries

Dr Peter Ticehurst is retiring in April and the surgeries and Patient Forum are organising a “bit of a do” on Saturday April 27th in Ampleforth Village Hall.

From 5 till 7 pm it will be a “Drop in Teatime” open to everyone

This will be followed by a Ceilidh from 7.15 until 10 pm, for which there are 120 (free) tickets (first come, first served basis). Please apply to either surgery.

Contributions of food will be gratefully accepted; please contact Jenny Moreton on 01439 788 436 or e-mail [email protected] if you are able to bring something.

Donations towards a gift may be left at either surgery.