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TRAC We may have been silent for a few weeks but we haven't been idle! After spending Easter at Hunstanton YH and enjoying a long beach walk, and then a ramble across Ringstead Downs, we've been out and about walking in the northern countryside.
First off was a strenuous 12-mile walk near the Derwent reservoir after catching a bus to the start. And the weather was beautiful for the first of our Wednesday evening walks in Fitzwilliam Country Park. Then there was a walk on the Wolds to take in Sutton Bank and the White Horse. And last Sunday was another strenuous walk in the Peak District when the wind proved somewhat strong and the temperature lower than hoped.
Next up is our group holiday when we go to explore the lovely island of Anglesey. To keep up with our next events and to find out how to join us, check out our programme on www.yhatrac.org.uk or call Jackie on 01924 829096.
Wakefield Naturalists' Society
Our speaker at the April meeting was Geoff Trinder, who gave a fascinating talk and showed slides of Yellowstone National Park.
This vast area in the state of Wyoming covers more than two million acres of forest, grassland and water, and was the worlds first national park, established in 1872. Slides of geysers shooting steam to 150ft were quite remarkable.
The park was notorious for poachers, and in 1894 less than 100 bison remained. Congress eventually passed an act protecting all wildlife in the park, with the unfortunate exceptions of wolves and coyotes.
Geoff took photos of great grey owl, elk, pronghorn deer and bison – with a summer population of around 4,700, the last wild bison in the USA.
John Gardner proposed a vote of thanks.
Recent sightings: Most of the summer migrant warblers and hirundines are in the Wakefield area. A swift was seen on April 3, an early date. Birds passing through included 18 bar-tailed godwit, whimbrel, sanderling, arctic tern and red breasted merganser at Anglers and Pugneys. The drake smew and black necked grebe have departed, but buzzard are regularly seen soaring over the wooded areas south of the city.
The next field meeting is at Barlow Common on Saturday, May 16. Further details from Eddie Andrassy on 01924 781775.
Outwood Community Video
club secretary Tony Banks is preparing a special presentation of mining memorabilia for exhibiting later this month at Parkside Chapel.
Tony helps keeps the memory of Lofthouse, and the miners who worked and died there, alive through our club.
Tony and Mike Hooley show The Quest For Coal to whoever invites them along. Tony sometimes crawls under a table to demonstrate to pre-school children what it was like to work as a coal miner. He takes along the first and last pieces of coal ever to come out of Selby. For them to visit your group, ring Tony on 01924 378527.
At our next meeting we will have a demonstration of improving and re-sizing your photographs in Photoshop CS4. The club meets every Tuesday at Outwood Memorial Hall at 7.30pm. New members and visitors are always made welcome.
For more information, contact 01924 827608
Wakefield Family History Society
Guest speaker Phil Judkins gave a talk on Wakefield's navy.
With the aid of slides, he revealed an unlikely story of a city far from the sea which helped sponsor a number of sea vessels. These included a destroyer, 72 landing craft, a submarine and corvettes. People from the Wakefield district were encouraged to subscribe towards the war effort in 1942 in a 'savings drive'.
Towns such as Ossett, Horbury, Normanton, Pontefract and Wakefield had a named vessel. One such was a river gunboat adopted by Normanton that served all over the world including Basra in 1941.
Seventy-two landing craft were built by Drake & Waters in Wakefield and were used in the D-Day landings.
Ossett and Horbury also adopted Spitfires used by the Polish RAF 303 Squadron that played a part in Battle of Britain.
Phil's talk was recounted with humour, excitement and no little emotion.
The talk on Saturday, June 6, will be by David Templeman on 'Two queens and a countess' – a story of Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick.
Further details from Ron Pullan on 01924 373310.
West Yorkshire Antiques Collectors' Society
A talk entitled ' Small collectable silver of the 18th and 19th centuries' will be given by Tony Lonton at 7.30pm on Tuesday, May 19, at St Peter's and St Paul's Church Hall, Standbridge Lane, Sandal (opposite Asda).
The talk will be preceded by the AGM of the society, which is normally fairly short. All are welcome, either to join as a new member or as a visitor for a fee of 3 (refundable on joining). For more information, contact Chris Nicoll 01924 257238.
Rotary Club of Wakefield
A SHADOW was cast over the club's annual president's night because of the absence of the president himself, David Pickover, who was ill in hospital.
But, as the guest entertainer would have said, the show must go on and the event went ahead at the New Brookhouse Club with president-elect Sue Parkin in the chair.
Entertainment was provided by comedian Gerald Holden, a Rotarian from Lancashire, who has worked with some of the big names in comedy. These include the late Les Dawson, for whom he has a particular affection.
Master of ceremonies was Martin Perry and a raffle made more than 160 for Rotary charities.
The occasion was also the draw for the club's major annual raffle, which made 2,500 to shared with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The winning tickets were, in order, 0428, 2406, 3561, 0651, 2142 and 0240.
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Weather for Wakefield
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
