In our April 2021 issue...

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Did you know it was International Day of Happiness on 20 March? The United Nations is promoting happiness as a fundamental human goal and wants us all to practise habits that make us happy so we can spread our happiness to others.
   So thank you Daniel Marosif for reminding us how nature can make us happy . . . we especially love the Japanese idea of ‘forest bathing’ as a route to happiness.
   Books can make us happy too . . . we’re delighted that John Roberts has shared his thoughts on the local literature he has read during lockdown.
   John’s contribution reminded us of the wonderful independent bookstores in our area and the service they provide. We invited each one to tell us how they’ve fared over the year and their plans for the future. Paul Jones-King’s account of opening a new bookshop, Chapter One Loftus, during lockdown is an example of what can be done against all the odds.
   As we look forward to the prospect of seeing friends and family (outdoors) and attending in-person events later in the summer, let’s hope some of the marvellous virtual offerings we’ve enjoyed through lockdown will continue. The National Park’s recent virtual Dark Skies festival was so successful in reaching audiences worldwide that future festivals are to retain some virtual elements . . . a sure recipe for success.
   Finally, in case you are missing Goth weekend, Chris Firth has saved the day with ‘The Goth and the Fairy’. Enjoy!
   Happy Spring, Nicola & Pascal
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Buying the Magazine during Covid-19

Printed copies of Esk Valley News magazine are available this month at Danby Health Shop, Lealholm Shop, Lealholm Service Station & Post Office, Glaisdale Shop, Grosmont Co-op, Grosmont Bookshop, The Dispensary on Whitby's Skinner Street, Lythe Community Shop and Goathland PO... We also plan to deliver copies to local bookshops when they re-open. If you can't get to a shop, you can order printed (or digital) copies via the Store on this website... or call us on 01947 897945 and we can send you a copy.

Local Covid-19 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  

Beginner's Guide To Video Calling

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The social-distancing and self-isolation measures necessarily brought in to deal with the Coronavirus come with the risk of increased loneliness and psychological as well as physical isolation. That in itself can of course prove harmful, so it is fantastic that we live at a time when very simple technology can be harnessed to counter the potential negative effects of the anti-Coronavirus measures.
  Staying in touch by Video Calls (known as Video Conferencing or VC) on your computer or smartphone is one way of helping to alleviate loneliness - no matter how far apart you are from friends and loved-ones. You may never have used such technology before, and fear that such technology is ‘beyond you’ or that you will be unable to make it work. Thankfully, there are Video Call platforms out there which are very simple to install, and intuitive to use. This article and the step-by-step guide will help you to get started.  [ Read more ]

April Skylights

Mars continues to be the sole naked-eye planet visible in the west evening sky until the very end of the month, when both Mercury and Venus reappear. Jupiter and Saturn continue to be elusive objects in the dawn sky, not far above the ESE horizon.   [ Read more from Mark Dawson ]
PICK OF THE PAST

Shackleton Bridge, Danby

‘Shackleton Bridge, Danby’, John Freeman’s beautiful painting on the cover of the October 2020 issue, is from his book Meander Down the Esk – which continues to sell well!  The picture also appears in local historian Alastair Laurence’s new book Danby: Three Views of a History, now on sale and full of fascinating facts about the people of Danby Castle and surrounding farms, the ministers of Danby and the development of Ainthorpe. 

​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. 

Exhibition Highlight 

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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