Updates from local groups and activities:
Grasmere School
The summer term was full of excitements including in Sports: a triathlon, a fell race, sports day, open water swimming and an expedition following our beck from source to sea and in the Creative Arts: creating art work based on the local area for an exhibition, beginning filming as part of our 400th anniversary celebrations, a production of Matilda (to great acclaim!).
Our statutory testing results were again excellent. Our children have achieved well above the national average across all the testing points (Y1, Y2, Y4, Y6). Well done children! Well taught, teachers!
Looking ahead: in the autumn we will research the past of our school, among all the other curriculum activities. We will be filming scenarios based on the Victorian logbooks. If anyone has any props or clothes which we might be able to borrow, we would be very grateful. Please get in touch if you do.
We will also be fundraising for a new classroom. Look out for our wonderful Herdy notebook, featuring all the activities of Grasmere School, in sheep form. There is also a raffle, with exceedingly good prizes (thank you to all who have donated prizes)!
Invitation: we invite you to the Village Hall on Thursday 11th December, during the day to see our exhibition, and at 6pm for an evening of entertainment which begins with the premiere of our Grasmere School 400 film.
Thank you SO much to everyone who has helped to make this year a great one for the school. We are so grateful to those of you who have provided us with time, energy, resources, expertise and goodwill. We are the school we are because of the wonderful support given by our energetic and wise community. Thank you!
Jo Goode, Headteacher
Grasmere and Rydal Parishes Join Together
We’re pleased to share some important and exciting news with you: as of June 1st, the parishes of Grasmere and Rydal have officially joined together to form one new parish — the Parish of Grasmere. This merger is a natural and positive step forward in our shared ministry and mission in the area. With the new parish now established, there will be one Parochial Church Council (PCC) serving the whole community. This allows us to work more closely together, share resources, and support each other in our worship and outreach.
Worship in Rydal
Worship continues most days in the beautiful chapel at Rydal Hall, led by Lawrence Basham and a dedicated team who offer regular services and pastoral care. This has become a valued and vibrant part of parish life, drawing people together in prayer and fellowship throughout the week.
St Mary’s, Rydal will remain open for private prayer and for visitors who wish to enjoy its peace and heritage. In addition, we’re delighted to announce that St Mary’s will host five special festival services over the coming year:
Harvest Festival – Saturday 5 October 9:30am
Remembrance Sunday – Sunday 9 November 9:30am
Christmas Day – 25 December 9:30am
Easter Sunday – 5 April 9:30am
Pentecost Sunday – 24 May 9:30am
We look forward to seeing you at these services, and we give thanks for the continued life and witness of our churches in Grasmere and Rydal. As we begin this new chapter, let us move forward in hope, unity, and faith.
Lawrence
Wordsworth Grasmere
In September we are open Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–4pm. Entry to Dove Cottage, the Museum, exhibition, and grounds is free to Grasmere residents and workers.
The Time Lab: Exploring a Living Prelude
Inspired by William Wordsworth’s explorations of memory in his great poem The Prelude, our exhibition “The Time Lab: Exploring a Living Prelude” brings together your stories and Wordsworth’s verses, transforming them into a continually changing, interactive artwork. Artist and guest curator Stacey Joy Rossouw uses drawing, sound, and collaborative workshops to explore how our personal memories resonate through time. She invites us to rethink our relationship with history, memory, and nature. Step into Stacey’s studio laboratory and contribute your own “spot of time” to the exhibition. The Time Lab runs through to 1 November and will look different every time you visit. There will be tie-in creative workshops and events – visit our website to book.
Families: Little Wanderers
Creative play sessions for under-5s take place every Thursday morning in the Woodland during term time. Free for families living in Grasmere.
Events:
Simon Armitage Annual poetry reading at St Oswald’s Church, 23 September.
Ben Verinder Environmental Poet of the Year reads from “How to Save a River”. 13 September, in Grasmere.
Go to the Poets (Online) David Morley reads from his new collection “Passion”. 10 September, online event.
Discover Poetry With Polly Atkin and Dove Cottage Poets: Poetry reading and writing groups continue on Zoom and in hybrid meetings.
For more information and to book, please visit: wordsworth.org.uk
Hannah Catterall, Events Officer, Wordsworth Grasmere
Grasmere Book Group (Polly and Will – [email protected])
June’s book group tackled Hwang Bo-Reum’s *Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop* (2024). A Korean novel, translated by Shanna Tan, about a small bookshop in a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, where Yeongju and her customers take refuge in the healing power of books (and maybe each other too). Some felt a connection with Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Japanese novel *Before the Coffee Gets Cold* as both books find the magical, uplifting benefits of independent retail. Another member discussed *Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop* in sparkling terms as “lots of friendly chat and coffee and warm stories of families becoming closer and generations helping each other”. The characters certainly come to the fore and grow, leaving many finding this a reassuring, escapist read.
A holiday feeling was in the air as a small but perfectly formed group gathered in July to discuss Anne Enright’s Women’s Prize shortlisted novel *The Wren The Wren* (2023). The novel depicts a mother and daughter’s changing relationship, the death of an estranged poet grandfather, controlling romantic relationships, and emotional damage. One of the group was surprised by the contemporary nature of the writing in the early stages, and there was a broad feeling that the opening was unrepresentative of the whole of the book which switched perspectives to tell differing generations’ side of the story. The fictional poems included in the book resonated strongly as did the flashes of emotional insight in Enright’s storytelling. All agreed it was well-written.
The next two books scheduled for the group take us into the past on the trail of a mysterious artefact and then into the world of comic art.
Upcoming meetings: September 11 – Graphic Novel TBC, to tie in with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), which is held in Bowness-on-Windermere from 26 – 28 September.
Great North Air Ambulance Service Clothing Collections (Angela Clark 07548251235)
Thank you to everyone who donates. I often get asked, ‘When is the next collection?’ My answer is… ‘We collect all the time!’ So, if you are having a sort out, please just bag your items and leave them in Will’s car port or by my garage at Banerigg. When I get enough bags, I then arrange a collection. Sadly now we are just collecting shoes and clothing, there is no longer a market for towels, curtains or bedding. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
Grasmere WI (Louise Sykes President Grasmere WI )
Our June meeting saw a packed Grasmere Village Hall with Dave and Angie Walsh talking about The Royal Navy and their successful naval careers. Such an inspiring presentation, by the end of the afternoon we were all ready to sign up! Also in June our GWI Garden Group had a brilliant head gardener tour at Lowther Castle with a few cafe stops of course. Our Craft Group had a Blooming Fibres workshop at Allan Bank making amazing displays with seasonal summer flowers and our GWI Rock Group (geology) was out in Borrowdale again led by GWI member and geologist expert Dr Annette McGrath. In July our meeting was a great fun, gin-themed afternoon with the excellent Shed One Gin. Also in July we enjoyed being part of Grasmere Rushbearing including doing lots of rush winding. The GWI Garden Group had a fantastic tour of Edinburgh Botanical Gardens and a great day out in Edinburgh.
The Grasmere WI Cumbria Way Challenge is well and truly underway with monthly team walks ticking off the different stages. We are now at Peter House Farm, just 54 miles to go.
Looking ahead… At our September meeting on Thursday 18 September at 2pm at the Village Hall we have an exciting afternoon lined up with David Nightingale (Community Action Nepal) and his presentation “High in the Himalaya”.
As always, we are looking forward to a very busy and active Westmorland County Show for GWI on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 September, such an exciting few days at GWI. In addition to all of this, here are a few of our other extra regular activities. Our monthly Book and Culture Group at Allan Bank is a huge success, with a packed attendance and lively discussion in Wordsworth’s study. We also have our very popular monthly rambles, fabulous practical Art Group sessions, weekly GWI Strong kettlebell classes with our local personal trainer Libby Dixon (we’re getting stronger every week), weekly GWI Badminton, GWI Crochet and GWI Craft Groups, the list goes on. So proud of this action packed programme and this amazing group. A huge thanks to all our members for making Grasmere WI such a vibrant, friendly and fun group. Come and join in the fun, you’ll be made very welcome. Please do get in contact, my details are below.
Louise Sykes, President Grasmere WI, T: 07860 299658, E: [email protected]
Grasmere Village Society (Nick McCraith Chairman)
The July heatwave lasted just long enough for us to enjoy a dry, sunny day for the annual Rushbearing. Thanks to all those who helped to organise this and to those who participated including maidens, bearers, marshals and of course, the spectators. The church service following the procession was a fitting celebration and the school children learned how to throw a party for the Prodigal Son.
Sharon Savasi and her team of Himalayan Balsam Bashers have been tirelessly working over the past several years to eradicate the non-native Himalayan Balsam from the village surroundings. They are working with the South Cumbrian Rivers Trust to provide a non-tolerant zone between Grasmere and Kendal. We need some more volunteers over the next several weeks and if you would like to help please contact Sharon Savasi at [email protected] or phone 015394 35458 or 07957 073255.
The bus shelter opposite the Daffodil Hotel has now been made structurally safe and the roof has been replaced. Work to the windows and redecoration are pending.
GVS membership subscriptions and donations enable the Society to undertake maintenance and improvement works around the village, for which the committee is most grateful. If you would like to support such projects you can become a GVS member with this link or contact our membership secretary Simon Hey at [email protected]
GVS has developed the Grasmere Emergency Resilience Plan for the village in the event of environmental emergencies arising. The village hall is the primary emergency refuge centre.
There is also a Grasmere First Responder group for medical emergencies and we are appealing for more volunteer First Responders. Becoming a First Responder is a rewarding experience and you will have the skills to potentially save a life. It also gives you the opportunity to enhance your interpersonal skills and job prospects.
No previous experience is needed and full training is provided by North West Ambulance Service. You can choose when you wish to be available for call outs and first responder assistance is only requested when an ambulance has also been sent to the patient.
If you are interested in becoming a First Responder then please contact Trevor and Helen Eastes at [email protected].
Nick McCraith (Chairman)
Knit and Nat
Knit and Nat continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month in the Reading Rooms from 2–4pm. The kettle is always on and we enjoy new friends and old friends dropping in and saying hello. Recently Amanda Ashton moved house, although still maintaining her links with Grasmere; she donated a lovely amount of wool. From Cotton to DK to Chunky and a delightful variety of colours. Please come and take some. We are so grateful to her. Many ladies in the village help us to provide the premature baby units with blankets. We are also grateful for hats, scarves and toys for the shoe boxes, needed more than ever this year. Contact me if you would like some wool dropped off at your home.
Grasmere Village Hall
Our big news of the summer is that we have launched the Hall’s new Audio Visual system with two community events. In June the filmmaker Terry Abraham gave a talk and showed excerpts from his film *Cumbrian Red: Saving Our Red Squirrels* on the new big screen.
Also, a “Wimbledon Pimm’s & Strawberries” event was held with visitors dropping in throughout the afternoon to watch live tennis on the screen. As part of the event, local councillor Will Clark presented a £5,000 grant cheque from the Westmorland & Furness Locality Board, which has supported the installation of the new AV system. In addition, Cllr. Clark contributed £500 from his Member’s Allowance, and the three Grasmere Parish Councillors — Sharon Savasi, Will Clark, and Andy Astle — generously donated £500 each from their Lakes Parish Council allowances toward the project. Further funding was gratefully received from the Cumbria Community Foundation, The Hadfield Trust, Grasmere Village Society, and The Holroyd Foundation, all of whom contributed to making this vital upgrade possible. The Village Hall also raised £4,000 through community fundraising events, including the popular Grasmere Christmas Raffle, which is generously supported each year by many local businesses in the village. An additional £3,000 was received in private donations from individuals in the community. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported this project. The upgraded AV system will benefit our community for years to come, including the exciting launch in the autumn of community cinema screenings in partnership with Cine North.
Some more good news – we are installing a card machine in the Hall car park so users will be able to pay by card or by the RingGo app. Remember that 30 minutes’ parking is free.
The Lake Artists Society is holding their annual summer exhibition at the Hall until 10 September.
The weekly Wednesday morning coffee and chat sessions will recommence in September.
We also have some further exciting events planned:
Saturday 20 September, 7.30pm: Voulez Vous ABBA tribute band, returning for another fun evening of music and dance. Tickets £13.50, on sale at http://www.ticketsource.co.uk
Friday 3 October: Musical duo Fool’s Gold
Thursday 23 October: Highlights Rural Touring Scheme – fused glass workshop
Friday 24 October: Steve Watts MBE talk and slideshow
The Hall will be closed for the month of November for internal redecoration. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to our regular hirers but we hope you’ll understand and enjoy using the Hall all the more when the work is done. We are busy fundraising for our next project: repairing guttering, windows, and part of the roof. We are hugely grateful for all your support and donations in our efforts to keep the building in order and make it a place everyone enjoys using.
Pam Moreland [email protected]
Grasmere Red Squirrels
Autumn Antics: What Our Beautiful Red Squirrels Are Up To This Season
As the leaves begin to turn and the air takes on that familiar crispness, one of the UK’s most charming woodland residents is busier than ever. Early autumn is a fascinating time for our beautiful red squirrels — and if you’re lucky enough to spot one, you’ll witness nature’s hustle and bustle in full swing.
Gathering and Hiding
Right now, red squirrels are laser-focused on one thing: food. With winter approaching, they’re hard at work collecting and storing supplies. You might see them darting through the trees or rustling among the leaf litter, gathering nuts, seeds, berries, and fungi. Their favourites include hazelnuts, beech mast, conifer, and pine seeds.
Staying Fit
They’re also eating more to build up essential fat reserves. Unlike some of their woodland neighbours, red squirrels don’t hibernate. Instead, they stay active all winter long.
A Delicate Balance
While it’s a magical time for red squirrel watchers, it’s also a crucial period for their survival. With habitat loss and competition from invasive grey squirrels continuing to threaten their numbers, every acorn cached and every young squirrel that finds safe ground is part of the bigger picture in red squirrel conservation. So next time you’re out on an autumn walk, keep an eye out and you might just spot one of these fiery-tailed treasures dashing past — hard at work, preparing for the season ahead.
IF YOU SEE A GREY or a sickly looking red anywhere around Grasmere PLEASE Text: Stuart Dickson 07980 893459, David Birkett 07775, Stewart Sutcliffe 07817 326524, Trevor Cooper 07884 404794 or Kelly Taylor 07950 232056; or email [email protected]
Kelly Taylor