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We held a well-attended and successful ceilidh on 1 February at St Andrew's Church in Starbeck.
We had been looking for a venue for another ceilidh after our previous one was sold out last September. The music was provided by the Dark Horse Ceilidh Band whose members gave their time free of charge to support this project. When they first approached us last year, Ray Black, who plays guitar and mandolin, said: “We care about the environment, and having places where we ‘townies’ can escape the traffic and find nature is an important part of that. Knaresborough Forest Park means a great deal. People pulling together to create a shared benefit should be the aim of any society. Sadly it isn’t always a priority, so when it happens it should be applauded.”
Accordionist Jonathan Hills, added; “Knaresborough Forest Park is ecologically important to me. I’m sick and tired of nature always being made to take a back seat to make way for the relentless march of infrastructure.”
St Andrew's Church had approached Long Lands Common in November offering the church as a venue, saying "St Andrew's Church Starbeck is part of the Eco Church movement and committed to playing our part in caring for the environment and protecting the climate. As part of this commitment we wanted to reach out and offer our space for use, without charge, if you ever needed to hold meetings or info sessions. While we don't have spare funds to give we do have space and want that to be used by the wider community, not just those who attend church! If you ever need a meeting place, or a venue for a fundraising event do let us know. Thank you for all you are doing to protect our local environment.”
We did not expect to be allowed to use the interior of the church itself to hold a ceilidh, and were delighted when the vicar, Rev. Phil Carman, confirmed that this would be possible. It made for a very atmospheric event with its pillars and vaulted roof.
Participants said they had had a great time - the caller Maggie made everyone feel at ease and got people dancing who were not at all sure about it when they arrived!
There was a lovely atmosphere - people felt it was a great way to support the project and have fun at the same time. The event raised nearly £1,800, which will be a huge step towards our target, which is now nearing £25,000, to pay off the bridging loan for the purchase of KFP.
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