May I through your pages thank everyone involved in our Annual Christmas Postal Service in Sedbergh. From our many supporters who use the service to those who do the deliveries and the owners of premises who allow us to take up precious space with our Post Boxes.
  This is the eighteenth year we have offered this service, and this year, we delivered just over 2,000 cards and, with donations, raised over £340 for Group funds.                                                                                                                                                                                                       Andy Denton

  During 2005 SLDC collected more waste than ever before for recycling. The kerbside collection scheme now serves around half the district and together with the recycling banks that are provided throughout the district enabled 7,231 tonnes of waste to be recycled instead of sent to landfill.
  As we record the weight of each material that we collect we thought it would be interesting to work out how many newspapers, bottles etc this actually amounted to. We'd like to say a big thank you to everybody who helped us to recycle:

• 9,000,000 newspapers and magazines
  
• 9,500,000 cans
  
• 7,500,000 glass bottles and jars
  
• 170,000 plastic bottles and containers
  
• 16,000 pairs of shoes
  
• 3,997 tonnes of green garden waste
  

  We received this article on 26th November, too late for the December issue so some of the dates are a little out. Ed.
  Well here we are heading for summer and the schools breaking up for 7 weeks holiday. It seems quite strange that summer holiday's start at the beginning of December, takes in Christmas, and then school starts again at the end of January.  We have been invited to spend Christmas Day with some South African friends whose daughters are working overseas, one is a teacher in the UK and one is a radiographer in Saudi Arabia. Most white South African families have offspring working overseas and mainly in the UK. Hopefully a large percentage will return to South Africa as it needs their skills.  The cynic's will tell you that there are no jobs or future for white youngsters. Whilst I agree that the balance of power has shifted from white to black and the black and coloured population are favoured for most of the jobs this has been done to try to redress the inequalities of the apartheid years. In a meeting we had with a minister (economics) she told us that the discrimination against white youngsters could not be justified long term wise and that if we were to have a true "Rainbow Nation"  (words of Desmond Tutu) then no type of discrimination could be tolerated, a sentiment I totally agree with as do most South Africans regardless of colour.
  Well that the soap-box bit and now about why we are here.
  Our first three months have been quite eventful but we now appear to be playing from the same song sheet which helps when we have a thirty piece orchestra. Initially we were looked on with suspicion and our motives were questioned. I think this came from an inherent distrust of anyone white and offering help. We constantly assured the community that our motives were not for our gain but for their benefit and to teach them skills. I think we have finally won and I heard Susan, the Thandi manager, telling someone that these English people are much different in that they help and want nothing in return, hopefully we have our first result.
  You have to get used to a completely different culture and way of life. Some people are working one day and gone the next and when you ask a few days later - "Oh yes, Norman died at the weekend" - no one knows how old he was or where he came from just that he has died.
  We recently took 2 eighteen year olds, a boy and a girl, from the community to work in the farm kitchen at weekends, and this week I received a call from the chairman of the community trust thanking us for employing these two young people and if possible could we give preference to the young girl. When I questioned the reason I was told that her Mother had died 18 months ago and her Father had died last week leaving her at 18 the head of the family.
  This week we had a group of farmers from all over Africa to hear about our empowerment project and our Fair Trade status. Susan is the face and voice of Thandi and she spoke about the project and its future and then took questions. The first question was "why is there a white man on an empowerment project?" so Susan beckoned me over to explain our roll. Not one to miss an opportunity I spent the next ten minutes talking about our present roll of teaching business studies and developing the existing business into hopefully a successful venture and then with the aid of The Thandi Friends Project (now a registered charity) building workshops, craft center, computer center, laundry etc etc to provide training facilities and jobs for the community. I also explained that as soon as the first SafMarine ship delivered its cargo of early season fruit to the UK a container full of "goodies" for the project would return.  After the meeting I was asked by Sylvester, who came from the Cameroon,  how he could get bicycles as his people had no transport. Then William from Uganda wanted to know how they could get volunteers to help them develop and Wellington from Zambia asked if we could help get his pineapples to an overseas market. Jack from Congo wanted to know what is Fair Trade and so the questions kept coming.  Most people have access to email through government bodies or the churches etc and so we gave our email address to them all and said when they got home they should email us with questions and we will then try and help or find someone who can.
  I think the one thing that touched me was the simple request for help. Not money but help and Thandi was the forum where Africans from all over the continent had met and talked in peace and love. May this happen again and again.
  And so as the sun sets in the West casting shadows from the Baobab trees over the herds of wildebeest, zebra and buck grazing on the endless plains a distant lion roars as it sets out on its nightly hunt for food. Then comes the silence when all that can be heard is the "click" as I flick through the channels on the sky digi box looking for something worth watching. We say "Goodnight from Africa" and seasons greetings at this joyous time of year.

Alan & Chris Clowes
PS Since we came out here 3 months ago twelve people from the Sedbergh area have visited us and the project. We are grateful for their support, both financial and moral, and for the emails we receive which give us the feeling of still belonging to Sedbergh.   

  I like to sing the praises of Sedbergh and although not all publicity in the media is good, it is good to have Sedbergh mentioned from time to time.  As a Radio Cumbria listener I appreciate hearing Sedbergh mentioned in the weekday morning weather reports.  In a way it keeps Sedbergh "on the map".  I was sorry that weatherman Malcolm gave up doing his reports at the turn of the year and so appreciative that someone else soon took over his work.  Thank you Ernie; and a big vote of thanks too to Malcolm for his detailed reports over the years.
  Talking of local radio, I understand that the appropriate authorities have issued a licence to "LVR FM" (Lune Valley Radio?) for a local radio station to serve Kirkby Lonsdale and Sedbergh.  Sounds interesting; I hope it makes the grade.  Lookaround on the airwaves? (I have made attempts to get Lookaround and Sedbergh involved with this new venture without success at this time. Ed)
  The linking of Sedbergh with Kirkby Lonsdale prompts me to compare the two towns having had cause to visit Kirkby Lonsdale several times recently.  I was in Sedbergh early one Saturday afternoon just before Christmas and overheard a family talking together looking in a shop window.  "This looks interesting; oh dear it's closed too."  I know I've written before about Sedbergh's Saturday afternoon early closing.  Clearly the visitors I overheard expected the shops to be open for business - especially as  it was Christmas Shopping time.  Contrast this with Kirkby Lonsdale late afternoon on a January Saturday - shops and cafes open and people spending money in them.
  I fear for the economy of Sedbergh and whilst I was enthusiastic about the advent of it becoming a "book town", now I'm not so sure that's the answer.  If we attract people to look in book shops there has to be something else too.  The other shops need to compliment the book shops and there is a crying need for cafes and tea shops.  Again, book shops will only appeal to a limited number of people and conceivably whilst father has his nose in books, mum and the kids might want to look elsewhere.  But where?
  I do believe the Yorkshire Dales planners have some responsibility in this respect and may be blocking the change of use of some properties, in my opinion, to the detriment of the prosperity of Sedbergh.
  My thoughts above are not meant to be criticism, but perhaps another Viewpoint for those working for a better Sedbergh.  But I end with my whinge of the month; something I've referred to before which did seem to improve for a while but now has returned with the winter weather - and that is dog poo on pavements and footways.  It is offensive to me and others too I suspect.                                                                                                N Hastle