Opening Hours
  From the end of May we will be opening again on Friday afternoons until 4p.m.
  Over summer we need temporary volunteers to cover holidays - if you can spare 3 hours an odd morning or afternoon, please call in. Volunteers get free use of the internet.
Books
  Thank you to all those people who have donated books to the office. We now have a surplus and can't accept any more donations just now. Please call in to buy novels at 50p each, plus children's books and hobby books.
Knitted Goods
  We are now selling knitted baby clothes, dolls, soap holders, hats and more that make great presents. They are made by local women and are sold to support St. John's Hospice so do call in and have a look.
Meeting Room
  We have a lovely room overlooking Main Street for small community meetings (up to about 8 people). We ask only for a small donation to pay for heating and lighting. Please book through the Office by calling in or ringing 20504.
Sedbergh DVD
  Sedbergh School volunteers, Tim and Catherine, are going to be out and about making a DVD of Sedbergh past and present. They will be talking to people about their memories of change and those who are new to the area. If you would like to get involved, please call in.
Political Issues & Philosophical Ideas (PI) Club
  We are taking a break to enjoy the summer evenings and will be starting up again in September.
Age Concern / Homeopathy / SLCVS
  Don't forget about these clinics on Wednesday mornings - if they don't get used we will lose them so please call in with any concerns!
Age Concern Lunch Club
  Do sign up quick for the lunch club on the 5^th - the first meal is only £5 and a great chance to meet up and chat to other lively minds and active over 55's.
Car Parks
  Still no news on when the Parish Council are likely to take over the running of the car park. Please stay loyal to local shops while it is in transition.

The Original Town Band.  Featured is the oldest photograph of the original Sedbergh Town Band to come to light.  In fact there are only two others that we know of, both taken just before the First World War.
  Sadly, records of the Band and its activities prior to the First World War are very scanty.  We know that a band existed up to and during most of the war.  At some stage it would appear to have ceased to function as in 1919 a public meeting was called to investigate the support in favour of resurrecting the band and to gather funds to get it going again.
  Clearly the hoped for support was not forthcoming as the calling of the meeting was the last piece of information regarding the band of this period that we have been able to discover.
  Unlike Shirley Tebay's admirable 'Photo Call', it is unlikely that readers of 'Lookaround' will be able to put a name to any of the featured instrumentalists, though perhaps a likeness to an old family portrait might lead to identification.
  The Town Band would be delighted if anyone could provide any information concerning the band of this period - family photographs, anecdotes of ancestors' musical/band activities.  It is even possible that full records of the band (accounts of performances, minutes of committee meetings etc.) exist somewhere.
  Should anything come to light please contact Gerry Blackwell on 015396 20056.

RECYCLING NEWS
  Now that spring is well and truly here many people are getting back into the garden. The green garden waste collection service is very popular, over 350 tonnes of waste was collected in April, and takes a lot of the hassle out of dealing with grass cuttings, fallen leaves etc.
  After the green bin has been emptied into the collection vehicle the green waste is taken to contractors in Kendal or Barrow depending on the part of the district that it has been collected from. The waste collected in Kendal is then taken to Lancaster for composting, whilst the waste taken to Barrow is also composted in Barrow.
  The contractors have specified the types of green waste that can be collected, in order to produce compost to the specification required by their customers. This means that food waste cannot be disposed of in the green bin, neither can soil or waste that will not decompose such as rubble or plastic bags. The finished product is supplied to local farmers or used for land reclamation. It is also possible to buy compost that has been processed by the Lancaster contractors from the Household Waste Recycling Centres at Salt Ayre in Lancaster and at Carnforth.
  If you have a large garden and need an extra green bin these can be requested from our Customer Contact Centre, telephone 0845 050 4434. There is also green waste collection skip at the Household Waste Recycling Centres in Kendal.
  If you have any questions about recycling, please contact us either through the Customer Contact Centre on 0845 050 4434 or by emailing us at recycling@southlakeland.gov.uk
  Thank you for recycling.

  The Cobwebs orchestra was in Sedbergh for the first weekend in May. Cobwebs was formed for amateur musicians, who may not have played for years, to dust the cobwebs off their instrument and make music together.
  They are coached and assisted by members of the Northern Sinfonia and as well as regular weekly rehearsals they have an occasional intensive weekend.
  Andy Jackson, Cobwebs organiser, kindly invited the children who play in the Pepperpot Music Makers to join them for part of the weekend.. The children had an hour's rehearsal with the orchestra, practicing three pieces from Handel's Water Music which they played with the orchestra in the evening concert.
  It was a novel situation for the Pepperpot gang to play in such a large group, surrounded by interesting instruments such as bassoons and tubas. The children managed very well. Especially considering that they had never seen the music before. Andy Jackson was very impressed by their attentiveness and listening skills.
  The Cobwebs Orchestra devoted the Sunday to playing music by Brahms; the 3rd Symphony in the morning and the Violin Concerto in the afternoon. The solo violin part was played by the very talented Iona Brown, who also helped the conductor in coaching the orchestra. The day provided a wonderful opportunity for amateur musicians to 'have a go' at some challenging, large-scale works.                                                                       J. Bush
More stories appear here.

Duck Race 2006
  This May Bank Holiday was probably the coldest on record since we have been holding our annual Duck Race. The preceding weekend was fortunately sunny and warm and lots of successful duck-selling went on in Sedbergh and Dent. The day itself was initially wet and dreary but for the period of the race itself, mercifully, the skies cleared and despite a cutting wind which threatened to blow the ducks back upstream, those hardy characters who supported the race enjoyed the usual fun cheering their racing ducks on. Eddies and shallows ensured a constant change of order until the winning few struggled past the finishing line.
  Our thanks to everyone who supported us especially those who helped with selling and counting ducks and a particular thanks to our stewards, the dedicated young mermaids and men from Sedbergh School, who despite the chilly conditions were totally immersed in their task! We are also very grateful to Sara Hirst who continued enthusiastically and cheerfully awarding the prizes despite hail and thunder! What a day!
  The winning ducks were purchased by:
Shirley Smith            (Sedbergh)
Harriet MacMillan    (Sedbergh School)
Christopher Hindle    (Cheshire)
Christine Proctor        (Sedbergh)
  A fine collection of posters was produced by Sedbergh Primary School and it was very difficult to choose winners. They were:
First Prize:   Rowan Hall
Highly Commended:   Grace Cowperthwaite
and Mary Ormerod
  Our now totally recovered collection of ducks was donated by Lakeland Limited and is available for hire.                                                                   SG

  Not long to summer, so here are a few holiday tales.
  Some local lads were visiting London and, in Oxford Street, asked a policeman for directions. "It 's seems busier than usual today," commented the bobby. "Aye, it will be," came the reply. "Theer's a coach trip in fra Hawes."
  A Settle man and his wife flew to Spain. On the plane, they met another couple with their son, and it turned out they were all staying in the same hotel. The son wasn't feeling too well so he went to bed for a while. Later, as the adults were having a drink together in the lounge, the lad appeared. The Settle man called him across. "Ow ister bi nah then?" he enquired. The puzzled boy replied, "I'm sorry. I don't speak Spanish."
  By the end of the week, a holidaying couple had spent up. "Nivver minnd," said the wife. "Ah hid fahve pun unner t'clock on mantelpiece afooar we cum away." "Ah knaw," said the husband. "Ah fun it."
  And what about the Yorkshire lad who went on a trip to Wales, and, as the coach driver described the beauties of Snowdon, was heard to mutter, "Aye, bud when all's said an' dun, it's nobbut a girt lump o' muck!"

We've one pair of wellies in DEFRA
It's probably more than enough,
But we might have to visit some farmland
And we fear it might be a bit rough.

We've one pair of wellies in DEFRA
They still are remarkably new,
But now this fuss about payments
My word there is a to do.

We've lost our two wellies from DEFRA
They've vanished to numero Ten
For the feet of our very dear leader
Who wants to do rural again.
                                            Martial

  The Sedbergh, Dent and Kirkby Lonsdale Committee for Macmillan Cancer Relief would like to thank all those who have contributed to the charity during the past year, including St. Mary's Primary School, Kirkby Lonsdale, for their Sponsored Silence (raising a staggering sum of £1300), Settlebeck School, Sedbergh School and other organisations.
  Future dates for your diary are Monday 17th July when we are having a Cheese and Wine Evening at Mill House, Barbon by the kind permission of Mr. Burtwhistle, and Friday 29th September at the Kirkby Lonsdale Institute for the annual World's Biggest Coffee Morning.
  Should you ever wish to contact the local representatives, then phone numbers are:-
Mrs Mary Harkness (Sedbergh) 015396-20410; Mrs Rothay O'Brien (Dent) 015396-25452; Dr. Heather Benson (K. Lonsdale) 015242-71688.
  Thank you for your support.