Garforth Community Association

2015 Summer / Autumn Newsletter

Is this Scary ???

Summer newsletter --- from the Chairman July 2015.

A VERY brief message from me this time !!

Barbara and I had a lovely long holiday away in our caravan. We had superb weather the whole time. Back

here – end of July --- and I am freezing!!!! We should have stayed away, honest !

I hope you all have some summer wherever you may get to.

That’s all

Regards

Macmillan Cancer Support

At our AGM in April how Treasurer reported that we had raised a staggering amount of £9,335 and once

again we have to thank the generosity of our supporters in the Garforth Area.

We started our new year with a Coffee Morning in June which was very well attended. It is always nice to

meet both old and new friends.

Our next event will be our Christmas Bazaar to be held in the Welfare Hall on Saturday, 7th November from

10:00am until Noon. This will include our Special Christmas Stall, Tombola, Cakes, Bric a Brac, Arts and

Crafts and Hand Painted Glassware.

Janet Gisburn

Chairman of Macmillan Cancer Support Garforth Committee

GARFORTH IN BLOOM – JULY 2015

Spring started full of colour with all the bulbs which were planted last autumn at the community bulb

planting day and also by the Dutch bulb machine putting on a marvellous display. Over the last few months

we have been busy planting up the beds and planters with summer bedding ready for the RHS Judges to visit

on 17th July. Once again we are entered into the “It’s Your Neighbourhood” category.

Our Summer Fair was a great success and raised over £500 which will be put to good use buying plants to

brighten up Garforth.

We have been working closely with some of the local community groups.

We have created a bed outside the Squash Club alongside Ninelands Lane and

repositioned the wooden planters which we removed from

Main Street last summer for the Adult Social Care Group who meet at

Garforth Squash Club to plant up and maintain.

The Scouts, Cubs and

Guides, along with our

local Councillors, helped

us to sow wildflower

seeds on the roundabout

at East Garforth

A642/M1 Junction 47.

Green Lane Primary

Academy asked us to go along and judge their Garforth

in Bloom themed Easter Egg competition. The children produced some fantastic eggs and we were

delighted to present the winning entries with their prizes.

Over the Easter holidays we had a great morning planting sunflowers at Garforth Library. 62 children

attended and all painted a plant pot and then planted sunflower seeds. There should be lots of sunflowers

around Garforth this summer!

One of our Bloomers has long since asked for beds to be created on Meadow Road. With the help of local

residents, 3 flower beds and a tree bed have now been created, with the intention being that the local

residents will maintain these beds.

Our plants need YOUR help ….. We are always looking for help with watering our beds over the summer

months. If you are willing to water one of the beds or allow us to use your outside tap, please contact us – email friendsofgarforthinbloom@gmail.com / telephone 0113 2867011.

Finally, we had a seat specially made in loving memory of Garforth in Bloom’s Susan Ashworth. Why not

take a moment and rest a while the next time you’re passing it outside Garforth Medical Centre.

Patchwork People

At Patchwork People we have had another interesting and productive year. We have welcomed new members, appointed a new organisation team and you can now follow us on our own website - Patchwork People Website for up-to-date news. We have taken part in workshops, challenges and trips and again were invited to take part in the Cawood Craft Festival where we have a room in the School to display quilts and other items we have made. This year several of our members entered the Art and Craft competitions at the Festival and many won prizes. Later another member won second prize at the Harrogate Quilt Show with her Wholecloth Durham Quilt. Congratulations to all our prize winners! We continue to make quilts and knitted garments for our two charities, The Revival Centre, Matugga, Uganda and Barnardo`s (Yorkshire Region) . In September our Ilkley contact for the Revival Centre came and gave us a very interesting talk and film show of recent progress. Then in June Bishop Ivan ,who runs the Centre, came as part of his annual visit to supporters and fund raisers to give us further updates. As well as our exhibition at Cawood we also took part in the October Craft Show in the Welfare Hall. As usual many of our members attended the Quilt Show and the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate seeking inspiration and buying the necessary fabrics and accessories. At present we are busy planning more exciting events and activities, many of which will be duly reported on our website! Garforth Amateur Dramatic Society

Garforth Amateur Dramatic Society endured a tough start to 2015, but it has to be said that the hard work since the turn of the year has stabilised the group.

With a clear and immediate need to attract new members, we decided to cancel our regular Spring play.

Instead we held an acting worksop and an open evening at the Miners' Welfare Hall.

Top drama tutor Sarah Osborne from Yew Tree Arts led the workshop which was attended by a good deal of people, some who have since become new members of the society.

The following evening, we successfully held the opening evening.

We now have a fresh membership and are looking forward to our November production - Unoriginal Sin.

The play will contain many new faces with a sprinkling of the familiar ones. We hope you can join us for it. This year we have also produced a history of the society book which details the group from the very beginning in 1947 to the present day.

For full and up-to-date information about the society and how to purchase our book, please visit our official website http://www.garforthamdram.co.uk.

GCA Art Group newsletter article – July 2015

This summer, for the first time, the GCA Art Group decided to book a stall at the Garforth & District Lions’ Gala which took place on Glebelands at the end of June 2015. We thought it would provide another venue to introduce us to a wider audience and to showcase our wares.

Grateful thanks go to John Harrison for the use of his gazebo and also to our Art Group menfolk for the use of their muscles to transport the display boards from the Welfare Hall and arrange them in situ. Not the lightest of tasks!

I went along . . . when it was all finished! . . . and how attractive it was. The sun came out in the nick of time and it all looked ‘as pretty as a picture’. People came to look and some expressed an interest in joining us. Since the beginning of the year we already have two new members so our numbers are quite healthy just now. There’s still room though, if you’re thinking about it. Contact Gordon Hall on 2860239.

Autumn will be upon us before we know it and my thoughts are turning towards the GCA Art Show which takes place on Friday & Saturday, 30th & 31st October. What a pity that, last year, the viewing figures were very low because it is such a colourful exhibition. There are always lots of interesting and lovely pictures on display . . . and for sale . . . by all the exhibitors. Let’s make a special effort this year. It doesn’t cost anything to come and look!

Gillian Webster

RNLI - Garforth Branch

Our Branch members have been extremely busy over the past months with Coffee mornings, Supermarket Collections and a few outdoor events such as the Boat Jumble at Carlton Towers, Flag Day when we covered both Garforth and Wetherby and a new venture for us, the Caravan and Camping Rally in York. The new May Day Yellow Welly Appeal on Saturday 2nd May was very well received and we were fortunate to have a display and stalls outside Lloyds Pharmacy in Main Street. We also had boxes of yellow welly pin badges for sale at various shops and businesses around Garforth for a month and it is hoped we will be able to repeat this event next year. Our annual Plant Sale continues to grow in success and this year we raised over £1,000 in two hours with sales of plant, souvenirs, cakes/preserves, tombola and the usual coffee shop.

We have a couple more store collections and outside events to attend in the coming months as well as two more Coffee Mornings, but our next major event is the annual Race Night at Garforth Working Men’s Club on 17th October. Tickets are now available for sale at £6 each to include

supper. However, as tickets for this event are always in great demand and are strictly limited, please apply early by either ringing the number below or making direct contact with any of our Branch members in order to avoid disappointment..

Our Volunteer Presenter/Speaker is available for talks and presentations on the RNLI or Beach and Water Safety to either adult or children’s groups at a mutually convenient time and date. He has been particularly busy on the run up to the summer holidays in Garforth and further afield in places such as Pudsey and Rothwell. Talks are arranged to suit the particular ages of the group involved but for further details, please telephone the number given below. DIARY NOTES: RNLI Coffee Mornings at the Welfare Hall for 2015: 26th September; 21st November (Christmas) Donations of Tombola prizes and home baking/preserves for our cake stall are always welcome. Please come along and support us. Our volunteer Lifeboat Crews and Lifeguards always need your help. Mary Small (Branch Secretary) (Tel: 0113 2863473)

Caroline Atha School of Dance

WHAT A TERM!! Some fantastic examination results have been achieved in the last six months. These include Miss Stacey obtaining her Fellowship Tap, Miss Janine getting her Licentiate Ballet, and Miss Charlotte and Miss Heidi passing their Associate Ballet exams.

Jessica Kewley and Olivia Brown were both nominated for the annual Freestyle Scholarships this year, and both performed well. At the judging, Jessica gained third place in the country – and she will take part again next year after being nominated for the 2016 Freestyle Scholarships. Excellent competition results so far this year, all round – from babies to seniors, with various choreographic awards being won.

Evy Simpson and Jessica Kewley successfully auditioned for Renaissance Scholars, and Jessica Bambrook successfully auditioned for both Northern Ballet Associates and Tap Attack Associates. Fortunately all three girls can continue their training with us – however, they are going to be very busy, so no time for boyfriends!!

In October we will be presenting our biennial Dancing Show, at The Phoenix Theatre in Castleford, entitled “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow”. All proceeds are going to the Alzheimer’s Society. The show is going to be fabulous, and tickets are selling very fast!

Well done, for all the achievements of all the pupils – the “family spirit” from the 2 years olds right up to the adults is what makes this dance school so successful. May I take this opportunity to thank Miss Stacey, Miss Janine and Miss Melinda for their wonderful teaching, and Miss Heidi, Miss Charlotte, Emily, Lauren, Olivia and Jasmyn for assisting with classes.

Miss Caroline

This last season has been an exciting one for Dayspring Church. We have continued to meet together as Family in the Welfare Hall every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month (10.30am). Over the last 6 months we have shared many great times together. We have seen a member of our church be baptised and have had several visiting speakers come from all over to share with us. As a church we are involved in Messy Church – this is run in partnership with the other churches in Garforth. This runs on the 3rd Sunday of each month between 3pm-5pm. Look out for the banner outside the different churches to find out where we meet each time. We had a stand at this Summer’s Garforth Gala and have seen many families who are not connected to church come along to Messy Church and have a fantastic family time. It’s all about craft, food and great fun and games.

In the Autumn – watch out for an alternative Halloween party which Dayspring will be hosting for children in the area. For any information about Dayspring church please visit our website www.dayspringchurch.co.uk Bowmen of Leeds

Members past and present celebrated the club's 40th anniversary at our outdoor venue at Great Preston Snooker Club on July 26th - in the pouring rain! As we set up gazebos for the barbecue, and ranges for shoot and Have-a-go, the sky blackened and the heavens opened! The hardier members stayed outside to get in some archery; others 'had-a-go'; the rest went inside and enjoyed the food and company, in comfort! We were honoured that John, as one of the club's founding members, made the first cut of the celebration cake arranged especially for the event. I think his face shows how proud he was to see the club still doing so well forty years after he started it up in 1975. And we are proud to still have John as

an active member of the club today. Here's looking forward to seeing him cutting the fiftieth anniversary cake in ten years time. Many thanks to Arthur and staff for hosting the event, manning the barbecue, food table and bar, and to everyone who came and helped make this an enjoyable event, despite the appalling weather. More pictures and information about the club can be found on our website http://www.bowmen-of-leeds.co.uk/

From Emma, who recently completed the beginners’ course:- Archery is something that I have being interested in for many years and something that I have wanted to do as a sport for a long time but up until doing the beginners course is something that I had only done while on holiday. Being what is typically classed as a “geek” my love of such books and films like “Lord of the rings”, “Hunger games” etc. only increased my love of archery.

I was a little nervous going to the course as I suffer from anxiety attacks especially when meeting new people. When I arrived I recognised a lovely lady I knew who works on the same parade of shops as me. This instantly eased my nerves, as Helen walked me over to where the course was. As soon as I arrived, Ken who I had being emailing about the course, introduced himself and made sure that I was Okay and looking forwards to starting. Other club members introduced themselves, and soon other beginners began to arrive and say “Hello”.

All members of the club and other beginners were so friendly and helpful I don’t think another group of people could have made me feel more welcome than they all did. Even now every time I go up to shoot it makes my day with how lovely every member of the club is. The course has helped me in archery in many ways and I hope that I am able to continue to improve and learn from this group of talented people. I have made what I hope are lifelong

friends at this club and I hope to be a member and continue with them for many years to come. I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in archery; you will learn everything you need to know about the sport. The coaches and members are amazing and are always there to offer you help or advice. Editors Note Thank you once again for your reports & photographs. Unfortunately after being an editor on and off for the past 16 years, I have decided to make the next Newsletter my last one. If anyone would like to take on this task, please let me know. Frank Hawkins

GA&HGA For the last 20 years the chairperson of the Allotments and Distribution side has been done by Stuart Hey. Stuart decided to relinquish the Allotments side in January. As a thank you for all the work he has put in, he was presented with a piece of cut glass and a long weekends holiday with his wife June. The post as chairperson has been taken on by Ruth Gorgon with Jane Ayres as treasurer. Also to make life easier, all 4 allotment sites have their own manager reporting to Ruth.

A very enjoyable evening What's next !!! In June, Pete Harrison organised a B-B-Q. This was attended by 40+ people with Kris being chef. Also the weather was kind to us. Unfortunately due to increased costs we have had to increase membership fees to £4:00. Tea Dance

Taking into account hospital visits, holidays, babysitting, etc we are still averaging 30 people turning up each for a very enjoyable afternoon.

We must thank Harold / Anita and Steven for providing the music.

Also I think everybody would die if they did not get their refreshments. Thanks to Doreen, Penny, Barbara and helpers for the work they do in the kitchen.

As usual, the highlight of the last six months has been the Easter Bonnet Parade.

Bonnets from the past

We still see new faces who are made very welcome.