The preview evening for the Wedding Dress Festival in aid of the appeal for St Mary and St Lawrence Church in Rosedale Abbey was very well attended and over £655 was raised for the appeal fund.

The festival, with its wonderful display of over thirty wedding dresses, stories, memorabilia and sales of local arts and crafts runs through to Sunday 2 June when there will be a Renewal of Wedding Vows Service in the Church at 10.30. Entry is free from 10.00am each day – donations to the appeal are, of course, very welcome!

Lyndsey says that if you feel too shy you don’t have to do the class at Rosedale Reading Room, but why not pop in for a coffee, buy some raffle tickets and watch the fun while supporting this great cause.

For those who may have wondered what all the helicopter activity was over Rosedale West on Tuesday 14 May – it was an Aerospatiale 350B aircraft belonging to the PDG Group based in Inverness who carry out surveys of power lines for the National Grid.

Work has started today, Monday 13 May, on conserving and stabilising the ironstone roasting kilns at Bank Top, Rosedale. Initially, the area around the kilns will be fenced off and scaffolding erected to allow William Birch Ltd to carry out much needed conservation work on these impressive monuments to Rosedale’s ironstone ‘Klondike’ which started here at West Mines in 1856.

A lot of work has been done under the project on the ironstone workings and railway line at East Mines (see previous LoI updates) so it is good to see that West Mines, also known as Low Works, are now getting the same treatment.

Access to the lower car park at Bank Top will be restricted during the period of works so visitors are encouraged to use the upper car park.

Finlay Gillies, a pupil at Ryedale School, has been selected for the England Under 15 Basketball Team and will be travelling to Paris on Thursday 18 April to win his first cap for his country playing in the Lion’s Cup.

Finlay will be accompanied on the six day trip by his proud parents, Stephen and Kate – we wish them all the best of luck on and off the court!

The coffee morning on Saturday 2 March raised the excellent sum of £406 in support of Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Thanks to Jim and Sue for organising the event, also to all who donated raffle prizes and cakes for the sale and to Ali at the Coach House and to Margaret, Carol and Janet for setting up the raffle.

Dates for coffee mornings for the rest of the year are (all on Saturdays, 1000 to 1200am):

7 April – Riding For The Disabled, The Unicorn Centre

4 May – Marie Curie Care

1 June – Guide Dogs for The Blind

6 July – Hartoft Chapel

3 August – British Heart Foundation

7 September – Rosedale Reading Room

5 October – Rosedale History Society

2 November – WI & Christmas Fayre

7 December – Rosedale Community Fund