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This month we launch the Buzzy Bee’s Honey Hunt, a book club for 0–4-year olds. Children collect stickers every time they visit the library and borrow books and there are free collector’s cards, rhymes and activities to collect. To sign your child up or for further information please visit Masham Community Library or call and speak to a volunteer librarian on 01765 680204.
LIBRARY OPENING HOURS
Monday-Friday 10.00am-3.00pm, Saturday 10.00am-12.30pm, self service on Thursday 12.30-3.00pm.
Due to volunteer availability some afternoons we may be temporarily unstaffed. During these times you are welcome to come and browse in the library and return/borrow books using the self-service machine.
Masham Primary School and Acorns Pre School visit our Community Library for Storytime every Wednesday between 12.30pm and 1.30pm (term time only). During this time the library may be busy (and noisy!) with children so you may prefer to visit during a quieter time.
| There’s something primitive about an outdoor market that can’t be resisted. Whether it’s the sensory explosion of smells, sounds and contrasts of colour and textures pulling you in different directions, or the orderly chaos of stall holders setting up and extroverts promoting their products, you’re pulled into the Town’s personality for the day. |
Seeking out our market when you’re visiting will give you an earthy insight into Masham. Not only can you stock up on supplies or treat loved ones back home to a gift, but if you perch yourself on the edge of the market with a brew in hand, you can absorb the atmosphere. Enjoy some people watching whilst appreciating the beautiful historic buildings that surround the market. Chat to our friendly locals to get the low down on what to do in Masham. There are plenty of independent shops and hidden amenities that surround the market place too. So do explore the nooks and crannies around our town and visit Mashamshire Community Office where we can give you some advice on what to do during your visit.
The present square with its beautiful Georgian houses was created in the 18th century and is still going strong. Some say now more than ever! Councillor Ian Johnson (below) tells us, “we’ve bucked the trend in markets, we’ve increased the number of stalls and increased the footfall post COVID. It’s a nice little market. Because we’ve got this large open space, we can have a safe market. People can walk about and there’s no traffic, that’s what makes people feel safe”.
| The market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the year. There is also a farmers’ market the first Sunday of the month throughout spring and summer. Be sure to add it to your to do list when you next visit Masham! |
REGULAR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Mashamshire Community Office is an independent charity working on behalf of Masham and the surrounding villages. Our aim is to ensure our community is an active, vibrant and supportive place to live, work and visit. We are here to work in the interests of our community and the local economy, we are not part of the County, Local or Parish Council and rely on the time and skills of volunteers. We need regular, enthusiastic and skilled volunteers to keep the office, the Community Library and fundraising all going.
If you would like to volunteer at the Community Office please do contact us to see how you can help.
OTHER WAYS TO VOLUNTEER AND SUPPORT US
Not everyone has time to give on a regular basis. But if you have experience or skills to offer, we’d love to hear from you. Ad hoc help with short term activities is always useful too – especially those jobs that require specific expertise in things like marketing or copywriting, social media or technology, poster design and layout. Help can come in smaller packages and still make a big difference!
If you have skills and a bit of time to spare, we’d love to hear from you.
CAN WE HELP YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY?
We are at the heart of the community in Mashamshire, but we don’t pretend to have it all covered and we certainly don’t have the resources to complete the whole jigsaw. So, if there’s something you really care about, if you have an idea for something you think you could do locally, maybe we can help you get it off the ground. Whatever gets you going, whatever you care about… From reducing carbon emissions and plastic waste, to controlling invasive Himalayan balsam, from providing activities for young people to doing something to alleviate the loneliness of older or isolated people. If there’s something that would benefit Masham, your community, or even your road, with a bit of support, maybe you can make it happen. Please get in touch and share your ideas.
Masham Community Office
7 Little Market Place
Masham, HG4 4DY
Tel: 01765 680200
Email: info@visitmasham.com
MASHAMSHIRE COMMUNITY OFFICE – HERE TO HELP
Please contact us if you’ve got a problem or need a little help. Our local volunteers in and around Masham may be able to sort you out – from picking up a prescription if you are unable to get out and about, to finding someone to chat to if you’re feeling isolated; whether you need help getting access to technology or you just need a jigsaw or advice on a good book, please get in touch. If we can’t help, we can point you in the right direction or connect you to another group that can. We will always do our best to make a difference.
Please call us 01765 680200 or just drop in at the office if you need help. We are open Mon-Sat, 10AM till 3PM
It’s not just the Tour de Yorkshire that made Masham the place to explore on two wheels, our locals have been loving the terrain for years and here’s why…
The scenery around Masham is quite frankly out of this world and not even the locals take it for granted! What better way to feel connected to nature and the landscape here, than to feel the earth beneath you, inhale the smell of fresh pine needles and indigenous trees as you brush past them on your bicycle? Catch your breath at the top of another steep hill and gaze down at the picturesque scenery below.
Harry Kitching (pictured) is a young local biking enthusiast and he tells us why he enjoys biking in and around Mashamshire, “I love it because it’s great being outdoors with your mates, meeting new people and it’s a good community of people. It helps me keep fit, I love being outside and the buzz of the fast down hill and jumps.”
On a clear night the sky is just as beautiful and a visit to Lime Tree Observatory gives you the opportunity to hear from the professionals and appreciate the skyline through their huge 610mm diameter “JW24” telescope!
If you’d like to get on your bike and ride this year, come and check out Swinton Bivouac’s bike trails or pop into Mashamshire Community Office and pick up a family friendly bike route designed in partnership with Cycopath Cycles. The route starts and ends in Masham Market Place (for those of you that would rather relax at a local cafe and await the return of loved ones keen to ride). Find out whether they uncover the hidden caches en route using the “What 3 Words” app – remember to take a little something with you to trade in exchange of cached goodies ready for the next adventurer!
A group of Artists in collaboration with the Community Office in Masham (MCO) celebrated their Official Opening of the new arts and crafts shop ‘Masham Flock’ on Saturday 31st July 2O21.
Masham Flock is part of the popular designer/makers co-operative Fleece, which is based in Reeth, Swaledale.
Invited by Mashamshire Community Office to take over the running of their Blue Light Gallery, Fleece was delighted to become involved. Louise Curnin, one of the founding members of Fleece, said “Community has been a thread all the way through our setting up of the Fleece shop, and it felt so right that we should bring our community to Masham Flock.”
‘Masham Flock’ was officially opened by Sheila Smith, the President of the International Feltmakers Association (IFA). Sheila says, “since the opening of Fleece in 2017 I have watched it grow successfully into a well organised cooperative, stocked with high quality work. This exciting new collaboration with MCO is a great opportunity for its member artists to exhibit to a wider audience and will add another point of interest for visitors to Masham.”
Sue Palin from the Mashamshire Community Office said, “we are very excited to host this new gathering of artists and makers in our gallery space. It’s an opportunity for us to showcase art and crafts from the Dales and just beyond. Our visitors will have a chance to appreciate consistently great quality work which will be regularly changing, so our regulars will always find something new. It is a great partnership, as this Masham Flock of Artists are a cooperative, so income from sales goes direct to the artists and generates a small amount of additional income to support the valuable work of Mashamshire Community Office. It’s a win-win!”
The staff and volunteers at Mashamshire Community Office will be on hand to shepherd visitors and help with purchases, six days a week. The Flock of artists on display will change on a six weekly basis so, there will always be something new and interesting to see and different gifts to tempt you.
The founding members of the group opened the Artists Cooperative, ‘Fleece’, in 2017, located in Reeth in Swaledale. Vicky Petrie, Louise Curnin, Thelma Russell, Margaret Chalmers and Janet Phillips originally met in Masham at a feltmaking workshop at ArtisOn, in High Burton in Masham. The success of Fleece meant that in late 2020 the group was approached and given the opportunity to put forward a proposal for the gallery space in MCO. As a co-operative, Fleece also saw this as an opportunity to further support its members who have found the recent COVID situation very difficult.
Masham Flock will showcase a continuous exhibition of original artists and crafts peoples work. The shop will bring together art, textiles, glassware, woodturning, handmade books, jewellery, ceramics and everything in between. Julie and Dave Teece, of the Garden Studio Masham, who will be exhibiting their fused glass in the gallery said, “as Masham residents and members of Fleece, we are delighted to be involved with this exciting new venture. It’s great to have an opportunity to exhibit in Mashamshire Community Office again. Masham Flock will be a great asset to our town-a place with an already thriving community of artists and makers, providing both residents and visitors with another venue in which to browse and buy high quality, handmade arts and crafts which are definitely not on the high street.”
The display will change every six weeks until May 2022 and will enable 10 artists to exhibit at any one time. All work will be original, handmade and of high quality and will be for sale.
Mashamshire Community office is open Monday-Saturday 10am-3pm and Sundays throughout August 12noon-2pm.
As Masham gets geared up for a summer of staycations and unlocking our gorgeous town, Saturdays are likely to be a busy day at Mashamshire Community Office…and we need help.
We get a lot done for remarkably little at Mashamshire Community Office, thanks to the time and energy of volunteers. We are here to look after the needs of our lovely community, the businesses in Masham and the surrounding area and tourists and visitors too. We’re a hub of activity every day but Saturday’s are one of our busiest days and likely to get busier. Volunteers are essential to enable us to open and carry out this vital role for our town. This is especially true while we also have to manage all this activity safely and in line with current Covid guidance.
Our usual opening hours are 10AM till 3PM. Tosh, our Information Officer is on hand at all times on a Saturday, but he can’t manage all of this activity alone. We need a volunteer helper on hand to support him. The day is split between two shifts – 10AM till 12.30PM and 12.30PM till 3.00PM. If you have a couple of hours to spare on a Saturday (especially the afternoon shift), and would like to be involved and help us support Masham, please get in touch with Hayley, on 01765 680200 or email hayley@visitmasham.com.
Our busy office buzzes every day with…
The vaccination effort at Ripon Racecourse ended last week and some of Mashamshire Community Office’s team of crack volunteer marshals were there to see it through.
Good will and community spirit has been abundant during the pandemic, but in January of this year when the Community Office asked, via social media, for volunteers to help marshal at the Ripon Vaccination Centre, we were overwhelmed with offers. Within days we had nearly 300 enquiries from as far away as Skipton and York! People’s desire to ‘just do something to help’ was evident.
We were initially asked to coordinate a morning and an afternoon session for one day a week, which required 26 volunteers per day. We quickly selected a team of around 60 more local people. As the vaccination days varied and were often at short notice, it helped to have a big pool to call on. Our volunteers were responsive and willing to help whenever they were called on.
The marshal roles were inside and out. Inside roles provided a welcome, organised the flow of people and found their step-count exceeded their target! Outside roles were greeting people and directing traffic. The challenging weather in February with winds and freezing temperatures; meant some very vigorous arm-waving was needed to keep warm, but our team still kept smiling. From putting people at ease, directing traffic and wheeling wheelchairs, to bump-starting cars and changing wheels, we think our team did Mashamshire proud.
We’ve had a such a great mix of volunteers and are so grateful to everyone who has stepped up to help. Obviously, the pool reduced in number as people were required to go back to work, but we’ve been so impressed that some have continued to volunteer on their days off or have even taken annual leave in order to help out.
It has been a pleasure to work with such a positive and energetic bunch! The banter and team spirit has built over the months, and we hope it has been a really satisfying experience for all involved. We’re planning a social event to thank everyone once the summer is over.
In the meantime, the Community Office always has new projects brewing that need the support of volunteers. So, if you’re interested in finding out more about volunteer opportunities in Masham, please get in touch – info@visitmasham.com
Indulge yourself this summer, make Masham your staycation of choice and surround yourself with beautiful countryside and inspirational arts. Steeped in history and perched on the banks of the river Ure on the edge of the Dales and just a stones throw away from Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Masham offers stunning walks, unique shops, cafes, galleries, spa luxuries and exquisite restaurants.
Exercise your lungs in the open countryside forgetting how many steps you’re clocking up at Druids Temple (we have lovely walks for all abilities close by), then relax at Swinton Spa with a glass or two of bubbly before catching up with long lost friends over a delicious meal at Vennells…and that’s just day one!
On day two, explore Masham itself…wake up to a flat white at Johnny Bagdad’s café, or grab a sausage sandwich at Bordar House Teas. Explore the unique shops around the Market Place – we have some tempting art and craft galleries and shops (https://www.visitmasham.com/directorycategory/shopping/gifts/). If you have a sweet tooth, how about old fashioned sweets from Bah Humbugs, exquisite chocolates from Joneva or treat yourself to a local Brymor Ice Cream? Stock up on trendy walking gear at Bentleys, before visiting us for Tourist Information where you’ll get walks, maps, advice and ideas on where to visit. Relax and review your options at one of our lovely pubs (https://www.visitmasham.com/directorycategory/eat-drink/bars-pubs/) or sit in the Market Place with a takeaway sandwich and cake from the Lunchbox. If you have a taste for beer, you can’t beat an afternoon tour of Black Sheep or Theakston breweries, where you’ll discover why Masham boasts two world class breweries. But if beer’s not your thing, check out Corks & Cases for fine wines or a unique Gin Experience at the Spirit of Masham Distillery.
By day three you will have inhaled enough of our creative Masham air that you will be ready to try your hand at glass tile making at one of Uredale Glass’s pop up classes.
There’s something for everyone right here in Masham – from creative activities, cycle hire, mountain biking, pony treks, golf, gardens to visit or something unique like a Trike Tour of the Dales and we haven’t even touched on the endless activities for kids…but lets keep this secret escape for you today.
Check out our accommodation listings to start planning a break that you deserve!
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Little Market Place, Masham, HG4 4DY / Tel: 01765 680200
