What’s On in and around Greystoke in May 2025

St. Andrew’s Greystoke, Church Services May 2025

Sunday 4 May – Family Worship
Sunday 11 May – Holy Communion
Sunday 18 May – Family Worship
Sunday 25 May – Holy Communion

All our services start at 11.00am, coffee and cake are served from 10.30am onward, please join us. All services over the summer period will be held in St Andrew’s Church and, now that the tent has been packed away for the summer, services will be in the nave.

Children’s activities are available at the Family Worship services.

We would love to see you at our services.

Greystoke Social Club

We held our AGM on Monday 7 April and elected Malcolm Kane as our new Chairman. He will be supported by Jenny Burden as Treasurer, Sue Kane as Secretary, Shirley Mounsey as Vice-Chair and Outings Organiser. Diane Hetherington will continue to act as our Press Correspondent. After the formalities, we all enjoyed the cut and thrust of a Beetle Drive, when Roy Fisher, Jenny Burden and her husband Chris all won an Easter Egg.

Thursday 22 May – why not join us on an Outing to Liverpool – there is much to see and do. We will leave the village at 8.30am and the fare is £25.
To book a seat, please contact Shirley.

Meetings will start again in June, once we are over the Bank Holidays.

Visitors are always welcome at our meetings, which are held in Greystoke Village Hall and start at 2.00pm. There is a charge of £3 (Members £2) which includes tea and biscuits. Come along and see what we have planned for the remainder of the year.

Greystoke Parish Community Housing Initiative

A Housing Needs Survey is one of the critical things we need to do before we can even think about building any affordable houses. It will tell us how many and what type of houses we need.

We can report that Action for Communities in Cumbria is in the process of drafting a survey to help us and the Parish Council assess the housing needs of the parish – affordable or otherwise. We hope to be able to distribute this survey in late June / early July. It’s really important that we get as many people to fill this confidential survey in – so expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming weeks!

Stay up to date with news and housing opportunities on facebook and online.

St Andrew’s Church Plant Sale

Spring is coming with the snowdrops now gone and the daffodils in flower, and our thoughts turn to gardening and dividing plants and growing seeds. St. Andrew’s is organising its annual Plant Sale in the Village Hall on Saturday 10 May from 9.30am to 2.30pm, to raise funds for the church building.

We are planning to sell plants outside (weather permitting), and have, in the hall, a café and home produce stall selling bacon baps, soup and rolls, and scones, a variety of cakes, and tea and coffee, all at reasonable prices.

There will also be a tombola and a books and jigsaws stall.

We are requesting donations of plants (flowers, vegetables and tomatoes) and unwanted garden implements and equipment. Please contact Shirley to arrange collection, bring to the village hall after 3.30pm on Friday 9 May, or bring on the day.

All are welcome and, if you are new to the village, please come and join us for this village community event. Watch out for further information on the village notice board and Facebook page.

Greystoke Parish Council

The next Parish Council meeting is at 7.00pm on Tuesday 6 May in the Village Hall.

Greystoke WI

The speaker at Greystoke WI’s April meeting was Bob Price from the Acorn Bank Watermill who gave a very interesting and engaging presentation about the history of bread making. We heard about the development of the grinding stones from the very effortful saddle stone used by the Egyptians through to modern milling methods. He explained that the mill was derelict in 1980 and that volunteers got it back into working order. After Covid they formed the Acorn Bank Watermill Trust which earns income from selling flour. Bob mentioned that last summer the wheat crop was so poor after that cold summer that he had to buy wheat from Norfolk and Turkey to get the correct level of protein to make their flour. His talk was packed full of interesting snippets of information as well as showing us how sayings from milling have entered our language. Some examples were fair to middling, grist for the mill and rule of thumb – the way a miller tests his flour.

On Thursday 1 May, we have Lesley Connelly giving a jewellery demonstration. We will also be commemorating VE Day.

If you would like to join us at WI meetings, please contact Sue, Val or Jennifer on.

Greystoke Swimming Pool Opening 2025

Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, Greystoke Pool will hopefully be opening in early May for the 2025 season with our newly qualified lifeguards. Well done to them all! We have a great group of volunteers who run the café and admissions but we are always keen to welcome anyone who is interested in helping out. There are many different volunteer roles.

Having listened to suggestions from our users we have a few changes this summer which we hope you like.

The price of public sessions has been reduced: under 2 years free, 2-16 years old £4, over 16 years £6. We’re pleased to say season tickets have been held at 2024 prices. A new family pass is available for public swimming either term time (including half term) or the summer school holidays.

At weekends and in school holidays, we will have three sessions between 1.00pm and 6.00pm. School days will just be one session 3.00pm – 6.00pm.

The pool is available for hire, a great location for children’s parties and family gatherings.

Further information on all the above and how to book can be found on the pool website.

North Sheep Comes to Greystoke

On Wednesday 4 June 2025, NSA North Sheep will be held at Greystoke Castle Farm, by kind permission of the Peile Family.

North Sheep is a biennial event organised by the Northern region of the National Sheep Association (NSA), designed to showcase the best of the British sheep farming industry. It serves as a key gathering for farmers, industry professionals, and agricultural suppliers, offering a comprehensive look at innovations in sheep husbandry, breeding, nutrition, and land management. The event is always held on a working sheep farm in northern England and includes technical demonstrations, competitions, expert talks, and a wide array of trade stands.

For someone not involved in farming, NSA North Sheep is a fascinating glimpse into farming life and the vital role agriculture plays in the economy and environment. It offers the public and local schools a chance to see first-hand the complexities and challenges of modern sheep farming – from sustainable practices to animal welfare and food production. The event also features family‑friendly attractions such as sheepdog trials, a speed shear competition, cookery theatre and educational displays, making it a unique day out that bridges the gap between consumers and producers.

The team at North Sheep would like to make residents aware that there will be an increase in traffic in the surrounding area on the day of the event, and during the event set up (which will predominately take place on Tuesday 3 June). We would like to assure people that this will be controlled by trained stewards, signage and information prior to the event. Further event information can be found at www.northsheep.org.uk or you can contact the team directly at .

Join us in Greystoke Village Hall, on Tuesdays from 3.00pm until 4.00pm,for a fun and inclusive mobility class!

Suitable for all abilities, this session is designed to help you stay active and feel great.

No fancy gear required – just bring yourself and a smile!

Between 2.00pm and 4.00pm, every third Saturday of the month from May until September, there will be tea, coffee and homemade cake in Dacre Village Hall. Note though, that it is cash only.

Congratulation to the winners of the pool monthly draw for March and April