LEADER Programme: making ends meet

Amy Thomas – previously North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager

After a busy few years we recently celebrated making the final grant offers of the 2015-2020 North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme.

Over the last four years we have successfully allocated nearly £3 million of European funding which has resulted in more than £5 million of investment overall in local communities and businesses, creating more than 65 new full time equivalent jobs and supporting around 30 farm businesses to invest in new equipment to make the way they farm more efficient.

Here are just a few of the fantastic projects that have successfully secured LEADER funding over the last few years.

The Spirit of Yorkshire, a whisky distillery in Hunmanby, received £34,798 of funding towards creating their new visitor centre, shop and café.  The project created 4 new jobs and aimed to attract nearly 11,000 visitors in its first full year of operating.

 

Horse and Hounds, a new equine physiotherapy business in Rosedale, received grant funding of £37,687 towards an arena, stabling and a horse walker.  This start-up business is providing employment for a local young person.

 

Funding of £175,960 was granted towards the extension of the Cedarbarn Farm Shop and Café in Pickering to create additional space for the café, shop, butchery and kitchen.  Nine new jobs have already been created across all aspects of the business.

More than 20 farms from across the area received funding towards either mobile sheep handling kit with electronic weight systems and EID readers, or robotic milking machines.  Dependent upon the type and scale of the equipment funding was applied for, grants received range between £2,500 and £75,000.

A contribution of £138,860 was provided towards the Infrastructure, access and interpretation improvements which were made at Boggle Hole.  Coastal erosion issues and high visitor footfall meant improvements were essential along this popular stretch of the Cleveland Way.

Rural development funding can make things happen. Now that the LEADER Programme is coming to an end I’m looking forward to see what comes next.

If you’re looking for rural development funding the RDPE Growth Programme is open for applications until February 2020 – have a look here.

Helping turn plans into profit

Amy Thomas – North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager

It’s great to be able to start a new year with some good news – so we are very pleased to say that the North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme is now open for business again.

LEADER funding is for projects that create jobs and help businesses grow and which therefore benefit the rural economy.

Between now and September 2018 the LEADER Programme in the North York Moors, Coast and Hills area is looking to support applications for projects or activity under the following four priorities:

1. Farm Productivity;
2. Micro and Small Business & Farm Diversification;
3. Rural Tourism; and
4. Forestry Productivity.

Farm Productivity
As an important and significant economic sector in the wider North York Moors area, the Programme wants to support the agricultural sector to grow and become more profitable. Applications under this priority need to help improve your farms productivity. Examples of potential activities include:

• The purchase of equipment to improve the efficiency of use of water, energy, fertilizer, and animal feeds such as LED lighting in livestock sheds,
  specialist drills and crop robotics;
• Support for businesses which process, market or develop agricultural products both on and off farm holdings, for example food and drink businesses and butchery facilities; or
• Improvements to animal health and welfare for example gait analysis systems, mobile handling systems, and electronic weight systems linked to EID (electronic identification) readers.

Micro and Small Businesses
LEADER wants to help establish, support and grow micro and small businesses in the area. Investments can be made which will help you produce more or something new, or help you access new markets or link up with other businesses in the area. All applications will need to show that the investment will directly result in increased employment opportunities and / or growth of the business. Farm diversification activities are also eligible.

Rural Tourism
Tourism is another key element of our local economy. The LEADER Programme wants to support tourism businesses to improve their offer to visitors, to be more innovative in the use of technology, and to extend the season which will increase footfall and visitor spending in the area. Visitor attractions, facilities, products and services can all be considered. To be successful your application will need to show that jobs will be created and that the economy will benefit as a result of any funding being awarded.

Forestry Productivity
Our fourth priority is forestry. LEADER wants to support forestry contracting businesses or private forestry holdings requiring equipment and machinery to help produce, extract or process both timber and non-timber products. Continuing with the economic theme of the Programme, your application will need to show that LEADER funding will help create employment opportunities, and add value to the timber / forest products, as well as improve woodland management.

Our area has inspiring landscapes, unique attractions, notable assets and resourceful people – LEADER funding can help make more of these benefits. If you have plans for your farm, your business, your community, it would be well worth having a look at what LEADER is offering.

Full details on how to apply, including the Outline Application (and a list of eligible / ineligible equipment), can be found on our website – www.moorscoastandhills.org.uk

Our website also has a lot more information on LEADER, but if you have any questions or queries, or would like to talk through a potential project or application in advance of submitting an Outline Application, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

A to Z: a horde of Hs

H

HANDALE ABBEY

Handale Abbey Farm nestles in a sleepy valley near Grinkle Park in the north of the North York Moors. On first glance there is little to indicate its dramatic past but closer inspection reveals clues to its history…

The farmstead was once the site of a Cistercian Priory and home to a small community of nuns. Handale Priory was founded in 1133 and is thought to have stood somewhere near
the existing farmhouse. Nuns from Rosedale Abbey in the south of the North York Moors were sent to this outlying subsidiary house as a penance, presumably because of the difficult journey required to get there over the moors and possibly due to the hard day to day life once they got there although little documentary evidence survives to help us understand what life would have been like for the women who lived and worked at Handale Priory.

In the centuries following the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries, the Priory’s surviving mill building was used for the manufacture of cotton undergarments and the Priory ruins were incorporated into a new farmhouse and walled garden. Evidence of the Priory can be seen today in the medieval fish pond to the south of the walled garden and the medieval tomb lid and cross base which have been relocated to the base of the medieval wall to the left of the farmhouse. There is a small carved stone that stands next to the tomb which is a memorial to the last cart horse at the farm before diesel engines took over.

There is also a less historic more fantastical tale associated with the site too. Local legend tells of a ‘loathsome serpent’ that lived in the area and would steal beautiful maidens from nearby Loftus, bringing them back to its lair at Handale to devour. One day a brave knight called Scaw killed the serpent and rescued one of the beautiful maidens called Emma Beckwith from the serpent’s lair. The couple wed and presumably lived happily ever after. The nearby wood is known as Scaw’s Wood. In 1830, along with 16 other burials (possibly remains from the nuns’ graveyard) a coffin was found on the site with a picture of a sword and the words ‘snake slayer’ carved in the lid. The skeleton inside was apparently holding a four foot long sword and so naturally was believed to be Scaw himself.

In 2011 the LEADER Programme funded the repairs of the disused, listed walled garden at
the site which was in a parlous state and classified as being at ‘extreme risk’. The project also commissioned an imaginatively designed interpretation panel and bench, and a contemporary gate to keep cattle out. At this current time permissive access into the garden is still extant and visitors are welcome. Along with the local apple varieties introduced into the reinvigorated garden there were also initially bee hives. The current owners would be keen to host new hives if anyone is interested in producing Handale Honey.

HEATHER and HEATH

The North York Moors is renowned for its heather – the largest continuous expanse of heather moorland in England and Wales – which blooms purple during the summer months (July/August). The display is mainly made up of three species – Bell heather (Erica cinerea), Ling heather (Calluna vulgaris) and Cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix). The main difference between a heather and a heath plant is their leaf structure. In addition there is a record of another heath plant in one location on the North York Moors – St Dabeoc’s Heath (Daboecia cantabrica) – which is more familiar in the west of Ireland.

The moorland habitats of the North York Moors are dominated by heather and heath. The dry climate in the east of England favours NVC (National Vegetation Classification) types H9 Calluna vulgaris – Deschampsia flexuosa, with some H10 Calluna vulgaris – Erica cinerea heath on well-drained areas and large areas of H12 Calluna vulgaris – Vaccinium myrtillus heath on steeper slopes. However there are also smaller areas of M16 Erica tetralix – Sphagnum compactum wet heath. From North York Moors Special Area of Conservation site details.

HEDGEROWS

Hedgerows are man-made lines of trees managed and manipulated to demarcate boundaries and to control stock. Every hedgerow will have had a purpose and every hedgerow has a value. Hedgerows can develop their own understorey of plants and provide shelter and food for invertebrates, birds and animals. They act as living connecting corridors between other habitats and are important visual features in an English landscape. Hedgerows can last as hedgerows for a very long time as long as they continue to be managed and the longer they last the more biodiverse they can become – one new plant species establishes in a hedge about every 100 years.

Because of the importance of hedgerows in the North York Moors we’re offering grants to help land managers regenerate and gap up their valued hedgerows.

Where hedgerows no longer have an agricultural purpose they might be seen as a hindrance to modern land management. To remove an agricultural hedge more than 30 years old a land manager must apply to the Local Planning Authority for a Hedgerow Removal Notice (under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997); for the North York Moors National Park we’re the Local Planning Authority. When this happens we need to establish whether the hedgerow is ‘important’ according to a number of set criteria that consider both its ecological and historical value. If the hedgerow is ‘important’ the hedgerow is retained and if it isn’t, the hedgerow can be removed. There are very few applications for hedgerow removal in the North York Moors.

HERBERT READ

Herbert Read (1893 – 1968) was born at Muscoates Grange in Ryedale, just to the south of the North York Moors. As a child, following the death of his father, his family moved from the pre WW1 countryside to the city (Leeds and Halifax to be precise). The feelings engendered of loss and contrast had a profound effect on him.

During his lifetime Herbert Read was an army officer, a bank worker, a museum curator, an academic, a journal and book editor, a writer, a poet, a theorist and critic. He co-founded the Institute of Contemporary Arts and was President of the Society for Education in Art. He was a prodigious thinker and believed in art as a necessity for society. He saw art as a natural organic phenomenon that comes out of a need for expression and championed modern British sculptors and artists of the mid-20^th century. Despite being a theoretical anarchist he was knighted in 1953.

Herbert Read returned to Ryedale in his later years. Here he wrote about his recollections and current thoughts, now that he was back.

From Between the Riccall and the Rye: selected writings on Ryedale from Herbert Read’s poetry and prose (© The Herbert Read Trust):

“I think I heard those hooves again the night my father died, but of this I am not certain; perhaps I shall remember when I come to relate that event, for now the memory of those years, which end shortly after my tenth birthday, comes fitfully, when the proper associations are aroused. If only I can recover the sense and uncertainty of those innocent years, years in which we seemed not so much to live as to be lived by forces outside us, by the wind and trees and moving clouds and all the mobile engines of our expanding world – then I am convinced I shall possess a key to much that has happened to me in this other world of conscious living. The echoes of my life which I find in my early childhood are too many to be dismissed as vain coincidences; but it is perhaps my conscious life which is the echo, the only real experiences in life being those lived with a virgin sensibility – so that we only hear a tone once, only see a colour once, see, hear, touch, taste and smell everything but once, the first time. All life is an echo of our first sensations, and we build up our consciousness our whole mental life, by variations and combinations of these elementary sensations. But it is more complicated than that, for the senses apprehend not only colours and tones and shapes, but also patterns and atmospheres, and our first discovery of these determines the larger patterns and subtler atmospheres of all our subsequent existence.”

HIGHLAND CATTLE

Highland Cattle are great at conservation grazing, they’re particularly hardy, and they’re also extremely placid.

There are currently five Highland Cattle on the coastal slope at Common Cliff (also known as Beast Cliff) near Ravenscar. Common Cliff is a 44 hectare area of undercliff habitat at Ravenscar. The site is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its seacliff grassland communities; however these grasslands are being encroached upon by rank grasses, bracken and scrub. So a 5-year conservation grazing programme was introduced in 2015, hence the cattle.

Grazing cattle on the site has three particular effects:

Defoliation – The cattle are ideal for removing long, coarse vegetation – they wrap their tongues around the vegetation pulling tufts into their mouths which leaves a tussocky appearance. Removing this coarse vegetation will allow wildflowers, such as the Common Spotted Orchid, to flourish. Cattle are less selective grazers (compared to sheep or ponies) and do not eat flower heads, unlike sheep.

Trampling – Cattle are heavy animals and as they walk around the site, they trample the vegetation, creating pathways through the bracken and scrub, opening up the dense sward and suppressing growth of these unwanted species. Hoof marks can also create germination niches – areas where wild flower seeds can germinate.

Dunging/manuring – Dunging returns nutrient back to the soil whilst also providing a food source for invertebrates.

Because of their hardiness the cattle can remain on the sea edge site throughout the year. They are also very sure-footed, a must for grazing on coastal slopes! The stock is checked regularly, the site has been fenced to help manage the animals, and there is a year round water supply, to ensure that the cattle stay happy and healthy.

 HISTORIC ENGLAND

Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is the Government’s statutory adviser on all aspects of the historic environment and its heritage assets. This includes archaeology on land and under water, historic building sites and areas, designated landscapes and the historic elements of the wider landscape. The National Park Authority works closely with Historic England to achieve shared objectives, recent examples of partnership working include:

Traditional Estates Craft Apprenticeship Project (2012-2014) – In partnership with the University of York, and Historic England we launched a new apprenticeship scheme which offered three young apprentices hands-on experience in a range of building maintenance and conservation skills. Hosted by Estates in the North York Moors the apprentices gained the specialist skills needed for conserving the nationally important built heritage of the National Park whilst achieving their NVQ Level 2 at York College. The initial project was so successful we’re hoping to follow it up with a new Trailblazer Apprenticeship.

New Listings – Historic England advises the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on which heritage assets are nationally important and should therefore be protected by designation. Buildings and structures which meet the criteria for national protection are listed. This protection system has been in place since 1947 and operates under The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The test for listing is architectural or historic special interest, with the final decision to list being taken by Government. Recently within the North York Moors Historic England has listed a rare surviving Clapper Bridge and a Battle of the Somme War Memorial on Commondale Moor.

Monument Management Scheme – This is a partnership initiative largely funded by Historic England which has been running in North York Moors since 2009; we’re now into Phase 3. The essential aim of MMS is to improve the condition of scheduled monuments and ultimately to remove ‘At Risk’ monuments from the Heritage at Risk Register, using the most practical means available. The current Register includes 54 of the National Park’s 841 Scheduled Monuments (as of November 2015) – a big reduction from the 198 which were ‘At Risk’ when the MMS began in 2009.

Buildings at Risk Survey Pilot – Using funding from Historic England, we created a smart phone survey application to help with condition surveys of listed buildings. The App allows volunteers to remotely access information about the National Park’s listed buildings and enables on-site condition assessments to be carried out and data automatically updated. With a runners-up prize from the Campaign for National Parks’ Park Protector Awards, we were able to refine the App and Historic England have since used the concept to create their own version which is now being trialled prior to launch.

Grant provision and advice – Joint funding projects between the National Park Authority and Historic England have enabled the removal of several key buildings from the Buildings at Risk Register recently, like the Ionic Temple and Nelson Gates at Duncombe Park in Helmsley. The Authority also liaises closely with Historic England in providing coordinated expert advice to support the conservation of important historical sites in the North York Moors, such as Whorlton Castle Gatehouse and Arden Mill on the River Rye.

Historic England have lots of useful advice notes and guidance on managing and maintaining our built heritage, for example suggesting sensitive and practical ways for home owners to improve the energy efficiency of listed buildings such as draught-proofing of windows, secondary glazing, cavity walls and insulation.

HOBS

A lot of cultures have their own ‘other folk’. These other folk have lots of different names such as Fairies, Trolls and Goblins; in the North York Moors they are known as Hobs. Hobs are little and aren’t renowned for their good looks. They can be very helpful and are keen to work hard, just as long as you are grateful in return. If you’re not suitably grateful or you try and trick a Hob – woe betide you.

The National Park has a team of Volunteers known as The Hobs. They’re not necessarily little or lacking in good looks but they do work hard.

Previously on the North York Moors A to Z … A, B, C, D, E, F, G

LEADER funding confirmation

Amy Thomas – North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager

After months of preparation and much anticipation, a couple of weeks ago we heard the news we had been waiting for – Defra confirmed that our bid for a new LEADER Programme in the North York Moors, Coast and Hills area has been successful!

We have been allocated just over £2.3 million to support projects and activities over the next six years which will deliver positive benefits to the local economy particularly through the creation of employment opportunities and the development of local business. We received the third highest funding allocation in England, and with 80 Programmes approved in total across the country, this was a fantastic outcome for us.

LEADER Programme priorities for this round are:

• Farm Productivity
• Micro and Small Enterprise and Farm Diversification
• Rural Tourism
• Rural Services
• Culture and Heritage
• Forestry Productivity

The Programme is due to be officially launched in summer 2015 and we will be looking for projects to come forward under the six priorities from this point. Details on eligibility, criteria and how to apply for each round of funding will be on our website.

The LEADER Executive Group (individuals from the local area representing local communities, the business sector, tourism, forestry and agriculture) will oversee all grant applications and make decisions about how best to allocate the funding. The Group will also design and implement a number of larger scale sector specific support projects which were identified during the consultation process last year.

Many thanks to all our partners and members of the Steering Group whose commitment to the Programme and the area helped us achieve this welcome outcome. 

Now we’re looking forward to delivering the Programme…

To keep up to date with the Programme as it develops and to receive news of upcoming opportunities – you might want to join our Local Action Group (LAG) – so please contact us. 

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Map

Last year’s top 5 posts

1. Hangover from the past

Update posted by Emily just last week with a suggested Hangover cure

 

 

 

2. A week in the life of a Land Manager Adviser        

 

 

 

3. Peculiarity of Character: part 1 and part 2

In addition to the characterful structures mentioned previously – here are three photos of the faces of a stone near to Worm Sike Rigg – it’s inscribed to “G. BAKER AGED 68 YEARS WHO WAS LOST ON THE 5 OF DECEM 1878 AND WAS FOUND HERE ON THE 26 OF JANUARY 1879”. The supposition is G Baker died of exposure out on the moors and the stone was erected as a memorial to the man and the tragic event.

4. River Monsters

Emily is carrying on Sam’s good work – this is a photograph she’s taken of a Heptageniid down the end of a microscope.

 

 

5. 129 Projects in 129 Pictures

Following on from the previous North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme which finished in 2013, we submitted a bid to Defra in September 2014 for a new LEADER Programme which would run from 2015 to 2021.

We’re just waiting to hear whether we have been successful, and we’ll share any news as soon as possible!

If we are successful, the new LEADER Programme will be looking for projects that generate jobs and support the local economy under the following six priority areas:

• Increasing Farm Productivity
• Micro and Small Enterprise and Farm Diversification
• Rural Tourism
• Rural Services
• Cultural and Heritage Activity
• Increasing Forestry Productivity

In the meantime we are working out how to approach these priorities and what we would like to fund over the next six years so we’ll be ready to go as soon as we find out if this area’s LEADER Programme is approved.  Keep in touch through our website, follow us on Twitter Follow @northyorkmoors and keep an eye on this Blog.    

And if you’re wondering whether last year’s blatant attempt to get someone from Iceland to view our Blog succeeded – unfortunately not. But we won’t give up – við hlökkum til annars árs varðveislu í North York Moors þjóðgarðurinn og við munum tryggja að láta þig vita hvað við erum að gera í gegnum bloggið okkar.

Peculiarity of Character: part 2

 Clair Shields – Planning Officer (Building Conservation)

Following on from our previous post – here are few more of the sometimes weird and always wonderful listed ‘buildings’ found in the North York Moors.

Telephone Kiosks

Whilst the traditional red telephone box is an iconic English feature a green one is even more unusual. This telephone box at Fangdale Beck is a classic K6 type, designed in 1935 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and made by Macfarlane of Glasgow. We think its green colour was the result of a competition for local school children who were given the opportunity to choose its colour.

There are also several listed red K6s in the North York Moors. Many K6 telephone boxes have been recently decommissioned and as a result some have been destroyed. In other areas local communities have adopted them turning them into village information points or lending libraries. A good example is at Oswaldkirk which has been restored to a high standard by local volunteers.

Collecting Box, Robin Hood’s Bay

Standing in front of the Old Coastguard Station at the top of the slipway which was formerly used by the village’s lifeboat and fishing fleet, this curious cod structure is in fact an Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) collecting box. It was donated by the family of a local ship owner, Isaac Mills, in 1886. The cod was ‘fish-napped’ by local pranksters in 2006 and its brief absence galvanised local feeling towards the fishy curio. On its return the Parish Council successfully applied to English Heritage to have the structure listed. It is thought to be one of the oldest collecting boxes still in service for the RNLI.

A partnership scheme funded by the North York Moors National Park and English Heritage paid for the collecting box to be restored and the sign above it, which was missing, to be re-made based on historic photos of the feature.

Ice Houses

Ice Houses are generally an 18^th and 19^th century feature and as their name suggests, they were purpose-made buildings used to store ice. They were therefore a feature which only the landed gentry would want or afford – the examples shown here are at Hackness Hall and Duncombe Park. Their main purpose was to store perishable foods and was a ‘must have’ feature when ice-creams and sorbets became fashionable in the 18^th century. Ice Houses were used up until domestic refrigerators became available in the early 20^th century.

Usually located close to lakes and fish ponds, the ice and snow which formed over winter would be collected and stored in the ice house, often insulated with straw or sawdust, where it would remain frozen during the summer months. In some cases ice was delivered from further afield and even imported from Scandinavia. Various types and designs of ice houses exist but they were commonly brick lined domed structures; some more elaborate than others.

Similarly there were also more mundane sounding Root Houses, built to provide dark spaces for the storage of root vegetables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peculiarity of Character: part 1

 Clair Shields – Planning Officer (Building Conservation)

The majority of the Listed Buildings across the North York Moors are traditional houses, cottages or farmsteads constructed of local stone with pantile or slate roofs.

However, the North York Moors also hold a number of more unusual and peculiar structures, listed for their special interest and historic value.

Stone crosses

There are approximately 150 crosses and standing stones on the moorland of the North York Moors. The crosses tend to be the earlier structures dating back to the mediaeval period (mid-10th to mid-16th centuries) while the majority of the standing stones were erected in the 18th century (so not to be confused with prehistoric standing stones). The crosses and erected stones marked boundary points between parishes, property or settlements; and/or acted as way markers across featureless moorland keeping the traveller on the right path (with a heartening Christian symbol).

The most iconic cross on the North York Moors is Young Ralph’s Cross – the National Park’s emblem; but there are many more with peculiar names such as Fat Betty, Catter Stone, Pricket Thorne.

Fat Betty is a wheel head cross (incorporating a circular shape) of the 10th or 11th century which make it the only surviving example of this type in the region. It is still in its original position on a road across the Danby Moors, as attested by a 13th century charter. The cross also marks the meeting point of the three original parishes of Danby, Westerdale and Rosedale.

The National Park Authority has grant aided the repair of a number of split boundary stones by fixing the two pieces of stone together with a steel dowel embedded in epoxy resin (used because both materials are inert and won’t rust and crack the stone like iron would) and also worked hard to keep the whitened ones painted, so conserving these landscape features which still aid navigation across the misty moors.

Mileposts and Finger Posts

Milestones and fingerposts are a relic of our transport heritage over the centuries; the variety of styles reflecting local materials and designs. Their existence dates back to Roman times when metalled roads were laid to move soldiers and supplies across the Empire, measuring distances to aid timing and efficiency – every 1,000th double step would be marked.

Most of the North York Moors’ mileposts are of 19th century origin, triangular in shape, cast iron construction and generally those which are listed were manufactured by F Mattison & Co of Bedale.

Last year, the local LEADER Programme and North Yorkshire County Council’s Highways & Transportation Department carried out a jointly funded project to restore some of the most vulnerable posts to ensure these historic features continue to survive in villagescapes and landscapes.

 

 

 

Shooting Box, Roseberry Topping

Situated at the foot of Roseberry Topping, this building which is known as a shooting box or banqueting house was built for the local landowner, Captain Wilson, to shelter members of the gentry who visited this romantic spot for picnics and shooting expeditions. Providing far reaching views northwards on a clear and sunny day you won’t find many places as idyllic as this. The National Park recently managed the restoration of the building in partnership with Natural England who funded the repairs. Anyone who has tried to shelter here recently will know that the wind whistles through the building and the ensuing microclimate had caused severe erosion of the internal walls. Deeply eroded joints between stones were galletted (packed out with slips of stone) and then lime pointed and a damaged section of the cornice was replaced.

T’awd Abba Well, near Hawsker

Also known as The Old Boiling Well, this feature is probably of 18th century origin and isn’t necessarily that prepossessing. However it was the original spring which fed Whitby Abbey (which helps explain the following rhyme). A plaque on the gable end, now replaced, used to read; 

“T’awd Abba Well (also known as The Old Boiling Well). Lang centuries aback.

This wor t’awd Abba well. Saint Hilda, veiled i’ black. Lang centuries aback.

Supped frey it, an no lack. All t’Sisterhood as well. Lang centuries aback.

This wor t’awd Abba well.”

Special qualities

This gallery contains 30 photos.

Clair Shields – Planning Officer (Building Conservation) and Monument Management Scheme Volunteer Coordinator The built environment of the North York Moors is just as important as the natural environment in making up the landscape of the National Park. The historic … Continue reading →

Money to make things happen

Rachel Pickering – Conservation Officer

We’ve been banging on about community grants over the last few weeks. But we’re not finished yet. 

Despite the challenging economic climate the National Park Authority is still really keen to continue to offer grants to the local community for special projects. The Authority’s own Community Grant fund is open for business again in 2014 and is available for a wide range of projects which benefit the local environment, cultural heritage and community facilities.

This is the second year of this particular fund. The fund picks up from the LEADER Small Scale Enhancements Scheme. We are looking for small scale projects within the North York Moors like the one in Hutton Buscel which involved improving their churchyard habitat for wildlife as well as educating young children from the school next door about their local bugs and beasties. The school used the adjacent churchyard as their outdoor classroom and the children loved getting hands on to make bug hotels and the like.

Last year the Community Grant funded 23 projects in all which totalled £58,000 of grant funding. We funded some really good projects including energy efficiency improvements for village halls to make them more sustainable, archiving of historic resources to make them more accessible, and the renovation of two war memorials to help conserve these esteemed features. One of our favourite projects was at Hutton Park near Guisborough where volunteers set themselves up as a new community group and began a tree replanting programme. The aim is to preserve the historic character of the parkland landscape at Hutton Lowcross, where many of the large old parkland trees have been lost over the years. Individual local provenance trees were planted and protected from cattle and wildlife (like deer) with tree guards and fencing.

Just a little bit of funding support can help community groups achieve great things that make a difference.

So if you are in the North York Moors and you have a project in mind that might fit the bill then please have a look at our Community Grant flier 2014 or on our website for more information and to access the simple application form.

Applications need to be in by 30 June 2014

 

 

 

People, Places and Projects

Amy Thomas – North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager

After five years of work we’ve made it to the end of the 2008-2013 North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with our fantastic LEADER Programme (shame on you) it’s been a tale of projects and people, places and the other dreaded ‘p’ – paperwork! Basically, the Programme provided funding for innovative and sustainable rural development projects under three themes: Basic Services, Village Renewal & Tourism, Conservation & Heritage.

With memories of the last Programme already beginning to fade, I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to share some of the highlights and at the same time to keep the idea of LEADER alive as we move rather quickly towards our next Programme.

Back in 2008 with five years stretching ahead of us, we started out on our LEADER adventure full of enthusiasm and high hopes. It has to be said that the end result was everything we’d hoped it would be and more. It’s been a journey which has not only had the pleasure and privilege in making a small contribution to so many projects and communities, but has provided me (and my colleagues I’m sure!) with enormous job satisfaction.

Over the years a huge number of people have been involved in the LEADER Programme delivering projects in their village or as a member of our Local Action Group and/or Executive Group.

The Executive Group have played a vital role making decisions on many aspects of the Programme. Many of the Executive were local volunteers who gave their time and skills freely, and acquitted themselves exceptionally well to the task at hand.

Along with the hard work of assessing and approving project applications, the Executive got stuck in to days negotiating the muddy banks of the River Esk to see some of the work done by the Esk Pearl Mussel & Salmon Recovery Project, trying their hand at a spot of dowsing with the Mulgrave Community Research Project, and inspecting the orchards and production unit of Husthwaite’s now famous apple juice and cider. These visits brought individual projects to life and gave us all the chance to really see the positive contributions being made to local life through LEADER funding.

The projects we have been able to support have provided us with many great stories to share. Our first training project, the Yorkshire Moors Agricultural Apprenticeship Scheme (YMAAS) took on their first group of seven apprentices in 2009. Following the successful completion of their apprenticeships, all seven young people moved on to further education or employment. YMAAS has continued and are now beginning to work with their third set of apprentices, and are frequently held up nationally as a model of good practice.

More than 20 communities were supported by the LEADER funded Community Access Project and Martyn Williams (the Project Officer) to create or improve footpaths around their villages. These new circular or linear routes are providing safe new routes to school for children, creating local visitor amenities and have meant the upgrading of a number of footpaths to multi-user routes at some of the National Park’s most popular locations.  

Following the identification of a new circular route around Coxwold, residents rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in, helping with everything from installing gates to improving surfacing.

Many of the smallest projects assisted (usually through the LEADER funded Small Scale Enhancement Schemes) have been located in some of the most beautiful parts of our area and have given us an insight into some fascinating hidden gems. To name just a few, the conservation work at Castle Howard’s Exclamation Gates, at Howsham Mill and at Handale Abbey, along with the new interpretation panels at Egton Mortuary Chapel and Warren Moor Mine, Kildale are all well worth a visit.

The people who made each project happen are often the lynch pin within communities and so were crucial to the Programme. Without them we would never have been able to have achieved all we have. The people behind the projects never failed to amaze me with their dedication and commitment. I’ve seen them do everything from making tea and scones for fundraising to digging up concrete village hall floors. The same people have also been the ones filling in the forms and I’m sure the paperwork has been tedious but it is unfortunately always an essential part of funding. However despite the difficulties and the highs and lows that some projects go through, I’d like to think that the pride of opening the doors of their newly refurbished village hall, selling their first bottle of apple juice or seeing their village come together to celebrate centuries of traditions reminded them of why they got involved, and in doing so how they became a part of the local LEADER story.

So…the five years have flown by in the blink of an eye and some tremendous projects have emerged, but instead of mourning the end of our LEADER Programme, I’d much rather see this as an opportunity to embark on our next exciting chapter. We’re going to take all we’ve learnt and use this to build our next Programme. Although it is likely to be fundamentally different in terms of the projects we’ll be able to support, it will still hold at its core the traditional LEADER principles of co-operation, networking and innovation achieved through bottom up local development.

We shall relish the challenge of developing our new Programme and the more people who get involved, the better the end result will undoubtedly be! If this all sounds like something you’d like to know more about or would like to know how you can get involved, please get in touch 

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We will apply to Defra in September to have a new LEADER Programme for our area and will hear by the end of the year if we have been successful.