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On Wednesday 16^th May, the Friends of St Ives held their first meeting in the new visitor centre.

On Sunday May 6th, Mark Doveston led a bird walk, starting at 6:00 by the entrance to Coppice Pond. It was a cool morning with some frost but plenty of sun. We saw or heard a wide variety of species. There was a Green Wood Pecker as well as countless others. Particularly fine was a small Bull Finch, bright in colour and voice.

Each year, Kath Gabbitas holds a Coffee Morning in the village church hall, to raise funds for the society. This year, thanks to Kath's work, other members helping by reminding their friends and the fine weather. The event was a big success with record numbers attending. It was a great time for meeting up with old friends and discovering new ones.

Look out for the new herd of Belted Galloways in the Low Park Meadow (across the road from the car park near the entrance). The sign on the top right of our picture says: "The cattle being grazed here are predominantly Belted Galloways, a traditional breed originating in South West Scotland. They are a hardy breed able to withstand harsh winters due to their rather shaggy outer hair which sheds rain and snow and is an insulating undercoat to retain warmth.

The name Beltied Galloway or Beltie comes from the distictive white band around the middle of their bodies, though there are also white and dun varieties.

Primarily beef cattle, they are noted for their ability to thrive on poorer pasture and marginal land."

Riding for the Disabled, in association with the Bingley Harriers, are holding a 5 mile 500 foot scenic off road race on Tuesday 19^thJune at 19:30. The minimum age is 16 but there is a shorter 3 mile course for the over 12s'. Both start and finish are at the care home car park. For entry information and booking contact: Mary Green on 01274 568757 or by e-mail at marygreen_88@hotmail.com.

It is now some years since there was a bad fire in the Minster at York. In response to appeals for materials to re-build the damaged part of the Minster, John Baxter and the other foresters, felled a great Oak Tree to send as a contribution. To mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year the archery club, with lots of help, have been planting a replacement tree. The sapling that was planted by the archery club came from one of the royal parks, a detail that we think is appropriate. Our pictures show the Scouts helping with the work.

We are pleased to announce that the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Fund, managed by Bradford District Community Fund, have awarded Friends of St Ives a sum to enable the purchase of bulbs. We will be buying some daffodils for on the top side of Coppice Pond and some snow drops for planting near Lady Blantyre's Rock. There are records that show that snow drops were planted here by the Ferrand family in 1878.

The friends of St Ives have been restoring 2 rooms in the old Coach House at St Ives for some time now for them to be used as an Information/Education Centre. We are really grateful now that volunteers from the Yorkshire Building Society have come to put the finishing touches to these rooms by painting them using appropriate heritage colours. The rooms have been the subject of extensive restoration using original methods and materials. St Ives is an Estate of great Historical interest and we want visitors who enter the Centre to get a feeling of St Ives past. The Range has also been fully restored now and was lit for the first time in 80 or 90 years today. We intend to hold cookery demonstrations and classes using the Range, (once we have learnt how to use it ourselves!), creating old Yorkshire dishes from the past. The Centre will be available for use for schools, local groups and craftspeople and the Information Centre will be open to the public with displays and exhibitions relating to the history and flora/fauna of St Ives. We really appreciate the volunteers from Yorkshire Building Society helping to finally finish creating the Centre which will be a real asset to the local community for many years to come.

Two of the Bradford Parks wardens take a short break with Storm (left).

The Council's Neighbourhood Service has changed in 2012 with new frontline services joining the team. Park Rangers, Civil Enforcement Officers and Neighbourhood Wardens have combined their skills under the single umbrella of Council Wardens. The Street Cleaning Service has also joined the Team. The new team will now be much more responsive to the needs of different neighbourhoods and will provide a better, more coordinated and flexible service.

After more than a little delay, the stove in the new visitor centre was lit for the first time on Saturday 17^th March. The picture on the left shows a passers by, Janette and her dog Cooper, admiring the stove. The picture on the right shows Storm (Kath's dog) making himself at home in front of the new fire. The stove was originally supplied by Taylor & Parsons of Bradford.

St. Ives has been awarded Accredited Country Park status by Natural England. This is a regional award that is aimed specifically at country parks. The NE Accreditation logo can now be displayed on material associated with St. Ives.

On 26^thFebruary, Susan Hart lead a walk round St. Ives. This covering the important role that the Estate played in the supply of fresh water to Bingley. The picture shows a group with some of those present.

Sorry - no more news yet.

During the first week of February, there have been reports in both the "Telegraph & Argus" and the "Yorkshire Post" that St. Ives is to become a hub for mountain bike activity. Unfortunatly the Friends of St. Ives have not been given any details. We hope to pass on information when it becomes available.

For centuaries the Ferrand family owned St Ives and much land in the area. The way in which the the Ferrands interacted with the history of Bingley is a facinating topic and we are pleased to refer you to a new web site by Michael Ferrand.

Has anyone any ideas as to what this might be? It is in the wall of the building adjacent to the new herb garden. Red marks round the walled up accesss on the right imply that it has been hot. A bread oven or forge perhaps. Clearly it is old but the relieving lintel above it does not look quite so old. Or was it still in use when the upper part of the wall and lintel were added at a later date as part of new or replacement building.

Long a popular feature of St Ives are the rhododendrons. Not a native of the UK but a species imported from the Himalayas. They are none the less a colourful sight when they are in flower. So why are they using horses to pull them out? The answer is 'phytophthora ramorum' a contagious fungal disease that has been found in some of the countries rhododendrons (and a few other types of bush). The disease is called 'sudden oak death' in America and this is the name that explains the problem. In a manner that has parallels with the way in which the outbreak of foot and mouth was tackled, ten years ago, the rhododendrons are being sacrificed before they bring about the death of our oak trees. DEFRA (Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs) are very worried that without this action, we could loose many of the oaks; trees that have taken many decades to grow.

Even without this crisis, it would have been necessary to clear some of the rhododendrons as they are a fast growing species that inhibits the growth of other plant, bird and animal populations.

For those wondering - the horse is called Nathan

Bradford Met. have been busy making a wildlife identification chart for mounting near Coppice Pond. If you would like a copy of your own, then click on this link to our download page Click Here

With help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the society has brought out a pamphlet that describes the 'Ponds an Water Gardens', both as they are now and as they were when constructed by the Ferrand family. This pamphlet is now available or you can down load a copy at this link to our download page: Click Here The file is in '.pdf' format as used by Adobe Acrobat^TM.

For birding information look up "Bradford Ornithological Group". To see their WEB site via our links page Click Here