December Issue
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It was wonderful to hear about the community ‘Angel Project’ in Sandsend... and now we can all view the glorious display of hand-crafted angels flying from the ceiling of St Mary’s (p. 3).
   We also think you’ll enjoy snuggling up by the fire and reading the heart-warming Christmas stories sent in by Anthea Dove (p. 17) and Delphine Gale (p. 43).
   There are still plenty of opportunities to find Christmas presents locally (p. 6–7 & 50). Esk Valley Railway have a calendar on sale (p. 7); Alastair Laurence has published Danby: Four More Views of a History (p. 13); Ainsley’s Quizzers’ Compendium is in the shops, and John Watson will be signing his novel Inheritance at Chapter One Bookshop, Loftus on the 9th (p. 16).
A small bonus this month, quite unrelated to the cold outside, is a colour picture guide identifying wildflowers that will emerge in our verges from next Spring – this accompanies Anne Press’s informative article about the need to protect these plants that are so vital for local wildlife and biodiversity (p. 33).
   Some lovely reminiscences of the ‘near perfect village’ of Lealholm can be found on page 18. Lara Moon’s article for Teesside Archives is helping to keep memories of Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Park Stadium alive 25 years after closure (p. 23). Keith Sandoe’s article on a Sleights family’s tragic losses during World War I finds surprising parallels between 1918 and the current pandemic (p. 19).
Local enterprises featured include Whitby’s Fortune’s Kippers (p. 39) and a new restaurant at Goathland, The Homestead Kitchen (p. 9). Grosmont is celebrating its first community run cafe (p. 11).
   We wish you a very happy and warm Christmas and New Year. Thank you for all your support during 2021. 

​Nicola & Pascal

Buying the Magazine 


Printed copies of the monthly Esk Valley News magazine (£1.50) are available at local shops/cafes/libraries listed below, or you can order printed or digital copies from our online store. ​

December Skylights

The Winter Solstice falls on 21 December this year, when the Sun reaches its lowest position in the sky (just over 12 degrees above S horizon at local noon). The tilt of the northern hemisphere away from the Sun has now reached its maximum and useful daylight amounts to just 7½ hours – the shortest day. ​
   [Read more from Mark Dawson ]
Community magazine covering the Esk Valley, North York Moors and Whitby coastal area
'A very well produced magazine teeming with local information.' – Nicholas Rhea, whose books inspired the TV series Heartbeat
'... a slice of life in the Esk Valley, Whitby and North York Moors National Park'
What's On?
Esk Valley, Whitby, North York Moors Events & Activities.
Reviews...
‘Teeming with local information...’
'Extremely important  
publication...'
Hundreds of Dog-Friendly Cottages
If you're planning to holiday in Whitby with your pet this site is for you. With hundreds of cottages in and around Whitby, all of which accept pets, you can easily find the perfect home from home.
0203 637 0812
https://www.dogfriendlycottages.co.uk/whitby-holiday-cottages

Local Support Groups

Stronger Together Whitby District
Stronger Together Danby, Ainthorpe & Fryup
Stronger Together Castleton
Glaisdale Community Group
Ley Hall Lealholm
Goathland Village News

Other Support for Vulnerable People:
Esk Moors Caring Ltd – 01287 669357
Debbie Swales, Revival North Yorkshire – 07970 955407  

All About Trees: Special Issue

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What a wonderful response to our bumper summer issue All About Trees! Thank you to all contributors and readers, shops, cafes and advertisers who supported this. We are so pleased and excited with the result that we’re raring to create more special editions. Please let us know if you’d like to get involved or have ideas for topics. 

For more information about our special issue, All About Trees, published July–August 2021, click here. 

We still have a few copies left of All About Trees. Please email: valleynews@basementpress.com (£6 inc. p&p).


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​PICK OF THE PAST

Shackleton Bridge, Danby

‘Shackleton Bridge, Danby’, John Freeman’s beautiful painting on the cover of the October 2020 issue, can be found in his book Meander Down the Esk. 

​Memories of a Wartime Signaller 

​The most impressive contribution to the recent D-Day 75th Anniversary celebrations were those of the surprisingly large number of survivors. Their personal memories gave reality and validity to the whole event. Few readers of Valley News may have realised that Glaisdale has its own survivor in the person of Mary Heron, who was a fully trained Signaller during the War. In Glaisdale she is chiefly known for her farming at Bank House and for the ‘Glaisdale Singers’, the choir she created and conducted for some thirty years.  Her wartime stories are serialised in the July–September 2019 issues of the magazine.

Land of Iron

A three-part series published in Esk Valley News magazine introduces readers to an exciting project in the Esk Valley and North York Moors National Park to preserve the Victorian ironstone landscape. From 1830 to 1930 the area was a thriving hub of mining industry. 'This Exploited Land of Iron' aims to record, conserve and improve the historic and natural beauty of remains that are slowly being reclaimed by nature.

Alice's Adventures in Whitby

Lewis Carroll’s famous book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published on 4 July 1865. Born Charles Lutwidge Dogson, Lewis Carroll visited Whitby in 1854 as a 22-year-old student of Christ Church College, Oxford. He stayed at number five East Terrace (now La Rosa Hotel) and lodged there on another six occasions, the last time being in 1871. On one of his visits he was seen sitting on a rock on the beach telling stories to young listeners. It is thought that ideas for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and his poem ‘The Walrus And The Carpenter’ (in the sequel book Through The Looking Glass) were inspired by his walks around the town and along Whitby beach. 

Whitby Artist's 50 Years 

John Freeman’s exhibition marking 50 years as a professional artist in Whitby (1969–2019) was held at the Pannett Art Gallery in Whitby in November and December 2019. John estimates that over 50 years he has created more images of this area (original and print form) than any other living artist, an estimated 20,000 in total. 

Whitby & District War Memorial Cottage Hospital 

As plans progress for the refurbishment and part-demolition of Whitby Hospital, Joyce Stangoe of the Whitby Civic Society reminds us that the first hospital on the site was built as a War Memorial following the First World War, funded by donations from the people of Whitby and surrounding villages. Can you help in a project to gather information on the hospital’s history and people lost through war?  ​

Lythe's Link to Beethoven

Two hundred years ago, in the Spring of 1818, a Broadwood grand piano arrived at the home of Beethoven in a village near Vienna. It was a gift from Broadwood & Sons of London.
   Today, the Broadwood company continues to make, tune and repair pianos at its rural craft workshops in Lythe near Whitby. The firm has held a Warrant for the supply and maintenance of pianos to the various Royal Households since the reign of George II, and can name among its illustrious customers the composers Haydn, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Elgar, Holst and Vaughan Williams.
​   Present-day directors of the company, which is an independent enterprise, include three members of the Laurence family, whose ancestors worked for many generations in a technical capacity in John Broadwood & Sons’ Soho factory. 
   We are fortunate to have such an illustrious company on our doorsteps offering skills honed over generations in piano tuning and manufacture.  
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