Malham Methodist Chapel Farm Walk and Harvest Festival 1999
North Yorkshire, UK
A Harvest Festival with a difference!
Malham Methodist Chapel Farm Walk and Harvest Festival 1999North Yorkshire, UK
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Malham is a village in the Yorkshire Dales, 10 miles from Skipton. You can see the famous landmark of Malham Cove behind the chapel in this picture.
 For this year's harvest festival our small congregation decided to make it an extra special occasion by inviting members of the Methodist Circuit in Skipton and Grassington to come and share in a farm walk before hand. Three farm walks in fact! Jim Hope who had helped organise the event said "It is an opportunity for the people of the towns and villages to explore and see first hand the problems of the farmers. Prices are plummeting and costs rising. It is getting more and more difficult to make a living." The first was a walk to Lee Gate Farm, unique in this area in that large-scale dairy farming is practised at an altitude of well over 1000 ft above sea level. The Carr Family showed the milking parlour and then the cows were sent in for milking. The group learned how it is difficult to diversify for many reasons, including the fact that climate limits what it is possible to grow.
 The second group looked at sheep farming up on Malham Moor and discussed landscape, conservation and tourist interests.  The third group walked beside Gordale Beck to Janet's Foss, stopping to look at stream animals and flowers on the way.
 A break at Janet's Foss
 Afterwards all three groups came back to the village where we had trifle in the village hall, and were joined by another twenty people...
 Malham Methodist Chapel with a usual congregation of about 10 opened its doors to over 80 people coming from throughout the Skipton and Grassington Circuit... It had been a true celebration.. We had seen cows, milk and sheep. We had talked to the people who farmed them. We had also celebrated other products of the land .. wildflowers, and scenery and tourism. --------------------------
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If you are visiting the area on a Sunday do come to our Sunday Service. It is at 9.30am each Sunday. Leaving time to go for a long, long walk,.. or to buy ice creams. Useful Links:
Skipton and Grassington Methodist Circuit
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