On Tuesday 20th December the band performed a selection of Carols adjacent to the Main Street 'bus shelter.  The BBC 'Look North' team had been in touch the previous week asking us to be one of the regional groups to be featured in the course of their daily 6.30 - 7.00 pm news programme in the week leading up to Christmas.
  Sedbergh singers were hastily contacted and at 5.45 pm on the Tuesday the singers (augmented by passers-by) were situated behind the band who were seated (on chairs provided by Martin Powell) with their banner bedecked stands - sporting the music to be played which was illuminated by a combination of BBC lamps and torches clipped on to the stands.
  With typical perversity the weather, which had been fine and dry for the previous few days, turned foul at precisely 5.45 pm and a substantial drizzle developed and persisted until the proceedings were completed.  In spite of being soaked and frozen the enthusiasm and high spirits of the band and singers was in no way dampened.
  In the course of the programme, anchored at the Sedbergh end by Diane Oxley, the performers appeared three times: briefly at the start, then a fairly protracted section in the middle when Director of Music Alan Lewis was interviewed, and again at the end when we provided the background to the area's weather forecast.
  A follow up to the programme occurred the following day when an e-mail was received from Rachel Langridge on behalf of the Flixton Band of Manchester.  She said she had seen 'the band carolling on North West Tonight' and that it was 'good to see a band getting some publicity on the local news'.  She ended by wishing the band good luck and pointing anyone interested to a free website she is involved in running (www.themouthpiece.com) which contains 'everything you could want to talk about for brass bands.'

  The Club enjoyed a very successful season in 2005, finishing third in the league and winning the Adam & Gaskell Trophy Divisional Knockout Competition.  Two players D. Archer and J. Cann scoring centuries in the league.
  Thoughts now turn to the 2006 season starting with the AGM to be held on Tuesday 7th February at the White Hart Club.  The cricket club has a very limited number of players and would welcome anyone interested in playing to come along to the meeting.  We have lost regulars from the 2005 side and need new members for the club to survive.
  Indoor nets will be held prior to the season which starts at the end of April.                                                                                                   L. Hoggarth

Seniors
  The First Team of the Sedbergh Badminton Club continue to dominate the Third Division with an excellent crunch match win over our closest rivals, Strickland 'A', winning 11-7. This gives them a 20 point lead at the top of Division 3.
  In the Albert Pearson Memorial Trophy, they had a disappointing match v Heversham 'A' losing by 1 point. Heversham 'A' had an extra serve and a start of 18 points - this was a very accurate handicap.
  The Second Team had a good start to the New Year winning their Division 4 match v Burneside 11-7. A football injury to Alan Wilson meant a promotion for Andrew (Buzz) Burrow form 3rd to 2nd Team. Buzz won all his matches v Burneside. A belated Happy 18th Birthday Buzz from all at the Club.
  In the Albert Pearson Memorial Trophy, the 2nd Team had an away draw against Hutton Croft and did very well to win by 7 points.
  The Third Team have also had a very good start to the year winning away against Grange 13-5 in Division 5 and winning by 7 points against Bowness in the Albert Pearson Memorial Trophy.
  The Second and Third Teams now progress through to the Quarter Final stage of the Albert Pearson Memorial Trophy.
Juniors
  The Juniors continue to top Division 3 of the Eden Valley Junior League. They have played 2 matches recently, losing 4-8 against Harraby and winning 11-1 against Stainmore.
  Congratulations to Rosie Mason for being selected to play for Cumbria. She played in the Under 12 Squad in Ashington on 14th & 15th January. Cumbria came 5th out of 8 Counties. Well done!
  Club Nights are Mondays from 7.30 to 9.30 pm and Fridays from 8.30 to 9.30 pm for Seniors. The Juniors are from 7.30 to 8.30 pm on Fridays. All standards of player are welcome. If you have any questions, please ring Richard on 20565.

  My mouse mat tells me that the older we are when we try to loose weight the harder the task because by then our bodies are really good friends with our larger self.. do you like yourself? I hope so, I like me, sometimes I really love me, sometimes I think it's a good thing just in case no one else does! Perhaps after I have opened my mouth and then put not one but both feet firmly into it and created something of an atmosphere its good that I love me. Remember you are special, special and loved, by people you love, even by someone you are not sure about perhaps and, remember this, you are special because God loves you. He knows and sees all and yet He loves you!                                                                                                                            LD

  A Happy New Year to everyone from Steadman's.
  The free draw held during December on all Game purchases of game and game products was won by Beverly Hankinson from Blackpool. Thank you for taking part. The signed copy of Clarrissa Dixon Wright and Johnny Scott's Game Cook Book is to be collected by Beverly on her next visit to Sedbergh.
  Thank you again for your custom during 2005 and hope to see you soon                                                                                                   Garth Steadman

  2006!! Tuesday 10^th January. Here we are back again in the committee room of the People's Hall and very snug and warm it is too. Outside it is bucketing down and rather chilly. Shirley, our President, welcomed us all and gave a special welcome to two new members, who after due consideration have decided that it is safe to throw in their lots with us. I am sure that Wendy McLeod and Barbara Kooper will be a splendid addition to our group. The more the merrier!
  The business of the meeting was quickly and efficiently dealt with. Our eagerly awaited speaker was Mr. Brian Adams who, as he said himself, was beating the drum on behalf of the National Gardens Scheme. Brian started with an outline of the history of the organisation which we were interested to learn had started back in 1927 to raise money for the fledgling District Nursing service. Since then it has raised money for many different charities and given pleasure to millions. People volunteer to open their gardens to the public and nowadays these are listed annually in "the yellow book", which no glove box should be without. The 2005 book listed 56 beautiful and varied gardens in Cumbria many of which also provide wonderful teas. Until last year Brian was the Press & Publicity officer for the organisation in our county but is clearly a very knowledgeable gardener himself. However his skill as a gardener is equalled or surpassed by his skill as a photographer. An hour or so sped by in a flash as he took us on a pictorial tour of Cumbrian gardens and then others in the rest of the country. It really was a most enjoyable afternoon. It certainly should have impressed our new members. Let's hope we can keep up the standard! Our next month's speaker has a hard act to follow.
  We then enjoyed our usual tea and chat, competition and raffle. The traditional January contest is for "a Christmas card" and this was won by Wendy McLeod, clearly starting as she intends to go on! It was serendipitous in another way as the winning card had been sent to her by one of our previous members, Christine Simpson, now living happily in Norwich. The raffle was won by Mary Tallon.
  Despite the awful weather we had an excellent turnout for the meeting. A few members were stricken with coughs and colds, one has taken herself off to sunnier climes, but we send our special wishes to Pamela Symonds who regretfully is "less than her blooming best", and in hospital again.
  Looking at our programme I see that our next meeting is at the People's Hall on Tuesday 13^th February. The speaker will be W. Fraser-Urquhart whose topic is "The Rocky Mountains - from Hell's Gate to Paradise". Miss it if you dare!                                                                           W.F.U.

  On 18 January, Dr Simon Smith of York University addressed the society on the topic 'Robert Lowther, Governor of Barbados 1711-20: saint or Sinner?' In an interesting account of Lowther's time in the West Indies, Dr Smith explored some of the controversy surrounding this enigmatic character.
  As a plantation owner, married to the Barbadian heiress, Joan Carleton, Lowther was already well acquainted with the Caribbean island. Dr Smith suggested that Lowther's appointment as Governor was probably connected with his family's support for the Stuart regime. Lowther cannot be condemned for his involvement in slavery , since the practice was generally considered to be acceptable during this period, and many other members of the gentry were engaged in it. However, he was heavily criticised for various aspects of his governorship.
  Some of the charges against him were outlined by the speaker. He was accused of extortion and corruption, and manipulating the law for his own ends. He was recalled in 1714 to answer the charges, but after the death of Queen Anne, he was allowed to return. According to his critics, things continued much as before. A law was passed which made trading with other islands illegal without the purchase of expensive licences, but apparently he himself engaged in illicit trade or turned a blind eye to it. Furthermore, he raised a tax to fortify the island, but it was reported that much of the money was diverted elsewhere.
  Dr Smith then considered how far the criticisms against him were justified. He maintained that leading contemporary opponents of Lowther, like Rev William Gordon and Samuel Cox had personal reasons for their condemnation, and that later critical histories reproduced some of the earlier accounts. Seemingly, other writers had their own reasons for castigating him. Although there seems to very little evidence to suggest that there were many positive outcomes of Lowther's governorship, Dr Smith reminded his audience that in judging him it has to be remembered that standards in eighteenth-century public life were very different from today.