BOWNESS:

SINGERS in the Windermere and Bowness area are encouraged to join The Ambleside and District Choral Society with rehearsals for its new season starting on September 2 (7.15pm) at the Kelsick Centre in Ambleside. This season the society will be performing Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Bach’s St John Passion as the two main concerts. There are no auditions. If you enjoy singing choral music or are interested in giving it a try, telephone Michael Corin on 015394-33944 or turn up on the night.

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GLEBE market which features an antique and collectables market will be held on the tennis courts, Glebe Road, on Saturday, August 24 (10am-4pm). To book a pitch or for inquiries, email sandra.medley@gll.org

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THE Windermere Record and CD Fair will be held at the Ladyholme Centre, on Saturday and Sunday, August 24 and 25 (8.30am-6pm). For more details telephone Phil on 07824-511987.

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TRANSPENNINE Express is looking for local community groups/projects that are aimed at tackling youth unemployment, promoting social inclusion and/or improving the environment and live within a 10-miles radius of a rail route or stations served by them. If so, they and their projects might be able to apply for a TransPennine Express Transform Fund grant of up to £5k to support the work.

With £50,000 of funding available each year, the fund has already helped a range of projects across the north of England and into Scotland.

Full information about the fund including how an application can be made online are available via: tpexpress.co.uk/about-us/community/transform-grants. Bids can be submitted until the closing date of September 27.

BENTHAM:

JOHN Wilson, secretary of the Ewecross Historical Society, led a walk in High Bentham on a very wet Saturday afternoon.

Twenty members met outside Bentham Hall where John began by saying that besides the usual explanation of the name Bentham, a homestead on bent, a kind of grass, Bentham could have been named after a person called Bent, and that Bentham is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Leaving old Bentham Hall, the party walked east up main street as John pointed out that the town had grown in a higgledy-piggeldy manner.

There had been several farms including Bigber, which means the hill where barley is grown, and the Horse and Farrier had been a farm as well as a pub.

Although some of the present buildings date from the 1600 or 1700s John showed where older properties had been demolished to make way for newer ones, many of which had been built by Slingers. Next to the Police Yard had stood the Town House of the Baines family from Mewith Head Hall, who had let it to the Longstaff Charity.

Another charitable man, William Collingwood founded Bentham Grammar School on School Hill. On reaching the auction mart they were met by Keith Hartley who told how, in 1903 William Mitchell, who owned the Royal Oak teamed up with Richard Turner to create the auction mart.

Keith gave members a copy of the history and of the estimate from slingers which was £590 four shillings and sixpence.

The first of the winter meetings will be on the last Monday in September.

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A CORRECTION to the website address given in a recent item for educational grants. The ‘s’ was missed off ‘longstaffe’. Those wishing to apply for funds for educational equipment, materials, books, travel, tuition, etc., are asked to download application forms from longstaffeseducationalfoundation.co.uk.

BRIGSTEER AND HELSINGTON:

A QUIZ night is taking place this Sunday, August 25 (8pm) at the Wheatsheaf Inn, Brigsteer. Teams of up to six people are welcome to take part. People can book a table by telephoning 015395-68938.

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THERE will a community tea shop at Brigsteer Village Hall on Tuesday, August 27 (3pm-4.30pm). All are very welcome to come along for a chat and some delicious homemade cakes.

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THE Wheatsheaf Inn celebrates its sixth year anniversary since reopening on August 30 with a locals’ party. Telephone 015395-68938 to book for the barbecue supper and help celebrate with live music from the Rusty Bullets.

AUSTWICK:

ON SUNDAY, August 25 the following services will take place: Austwick Holy Communion (9.30am); Clapham Holy Communion (11am) and an evening service at Keasden (7pm). Every Wednesday Holy Communion takes place at Austwick (10.30am).

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HEATHER Slater made a welcomed return to a meeting of Austwick WI, replacing the scheduled speaker. She described her voyage and time in South Africa in the 60s bringing with her interesting artefacts from that era. The next meeting will be the Hellifield ladies entertainment on September 12 (7.30pm) at the parish hall.

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AUSTWICK Afternoon Fellowship Group’s next meeting takes place on Wednesday, August 28 at 1.30pm at the parish hall. The speaker is Sam Dalby, a local and well-known artist. After leaving Settle High School Sam studied at Harrogate College of Art and Cleveland College of Art and Design. He works in a broad range of subject matter and media.