Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society

Today's News (Tomorrow's History)

Part 6. 2009 - 2010

This information is provided by the Barwick in Elmet Historical Society.

December 2010

The snow of late November continued into December and today (3rd) the overnight temperature was well below zero. At present (08.45) it is about -3ºC. but sunny. An example of the depth of snow can be seen in the photo below.

December 1st 2010
Compare this with the picture in November taken some four weeks earlier.

Today (8th) the snow is still with us. There has not been much more snow since the heavy fall of 1st/2nd of the month. However the temperature has been well below freezing (-10º C. or so) at night and below or scarcely above 0ºC. during the day. There have been record low temperatures recorded at met. stations in the Vale of York. A little has melted during some days but it is still difficult to get around, especially on foot as the footpaths are largely just a sheet of ice where no-one has cleared it and people have walked on it. In the days when the West Riding was the local authority,the side roads and footpaths were cleared by local authority contractors - mostly local farmers. Now the side roads are not cleared and people do not clear the footpath in front of their house because of a belief (erroneous) that they would be liable for any injuries arising from passers-by falling over.

During the last month or so the society has been collating a number of items from the village which will be on display in the Leeds City Museum from mid-January for about three months. The collection will be displayed in the Community Display Cabinet. As 2011 is Maypole Year it was felt that we should display mostly maypole memorabilia. The display will include costumes used at the crowning ceremony, dresses worn by two previous Mayqueens, one of the 2011 garlands which has been finished already, a piece of a former maypole (see below) and a model of the maypole and also the implements which were used to raise it. There will be many illustrations of the maypole and its ceremonial.

A piece of an old maypole to be on display after suitable treatment

The cold weather continued up to Christmas with the temperature in the day scarcely going over 1ºC. The cold weather has found a weak spot in the many new condensing gas boilers installed in the last few years. The boilers have been a great benefit in running costs and efficiency until the very low temperatures of the last month arrived. The condensate drainage pipes, which expel condensed water out of the property have frozen unexpectedly and tripped the emergency cut-out switch. Users needed how water to unfreeze them and to allow the boilers to start up again. Hopefully in the coming year(s) modifications will be made to the basic design.

November 2010

The autumn colours this year have been special. While we cannot boast to those who live in New England or Eastern Canada, the colours have made the countryside around here very attractive. This photo shows the colours just to the east of the church in Barwick.

Photo: Peter Styles 6th November

On the weekend 20th/21st November, the Barwick Art Club held its annual exhibition in the Miners' Institute, Barwick. The club is very well supported and has to hold two sessions a week to accommodate all the members. Over 125 paintings/drawings were exhibited, most of them for sale.

It snowed on Friday 26th but did not settle. However, the next day we awoke to a covering of snow and even colder weather. This is early but snow in late November is not unheard of. It was similar in 1965. This current snowfall caused the collection of refuse on Saturday to be cancelled. The city council has re-scheduled the refuse collection rota since the beginning of November and there have been reports in other parts of some householders being forgotten in the new collection schedules - we smugly accepted that Barwick and Scholes had escaped problems.

The New Inn, Nov. 29th

Photo. Peter Styles

October 2010

There is a touch of autumn in the air and it is time for the Barwick Feast which has taken up the customary place in Jack Heap's Field. It is more commonly referred to as the Fair now and, unfortunately, the old name is rarely heard this breaking the link between the past origins of the occasion, to mark the end of the farming year and the hiring of workers for the coming year.

Advance notices are being distributed throughout Barwick about next year's Maypole Raising. Whilst distributing these notices, which were on a single A4 sheet, it was noticeable that many houses have had their front doors replaced in the last few years with plastic doors. They come fitted with energy saving letter boxes which have brush closures and inner flaps on the inside which cut into your knuckles while you try to deliver the sheet in a readable state. The modern postman is to be pitied. For people reading this in 30 years time, it is to be hoped that, by then, these devilish devices will have been replaced.

This time of the year is popular for Saturday mornings to be taken up in attending Coffee Mornings. They raise quite useful sums for local needs and charities. They are held at both the Methodist Chapels and in the Village Hall in Barwick. They all make a social contribution to the local villages and give a chance for people to meet up.

The society is to create an exhibition of the Barwick Maypole celebrations in the local history section of the City Museum in Leeds. The exhibition will be from January to March in 2011.

September 2010

The results of the Yorkshire in Bloom competition are out. Both Barwick and Scholes were in the "Large Village Competition" competing against 16 other entrants. The top four in the competition were:

Shadwell Category Winner Gold Rose Award

Barwick in Elmet Gold Rose Award

Helmsley Gold Rose Award

Scholes Gold Rose Award

This represents a marvellous result for our parish. We were pipped at the post by Shadwell. When the Historical Society visited Shadwell this summer, our guide to the village acknowledged the influence of Barwick in getting them started. In addition Barwick was awarded the Summer Floral Award under the Discetionary Yorkshire Rose Awards scheme.

In their comments on Scholes the judges praised specifically the scarecrows, the war memorial, the 100 plus hanging baskets, the sports area, the buffers and the bridge area and the school.
Their comments on Barwick can be summarised by their introduction to their report:

The enthusiasm and enjoyment within this “in bloom” team is there for all to see. The village displays are a credit to all who are involved and enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Colourful, clean and groomed with many quirky features across this entry.

August 2010

All is quiet so far this month (11th). With people on holiday, meetings at parish, local government and nationally suspended for the holidays, nothing is happening. The new bus service in Scholes seems to be running to plan. Meanwhile, this evening in sky over Long Lane just south Barwick:

August 10th
A ballon passes eastwards over Long Lane in the evening.
As is typical this summer, it is cloudy.

The Bramham Park Music Festival ran smoothly again. However, this year, Barwick experienced what villages like Clifford usually has. The event took place with a north-easterly wind blowing strongly and we heard far more of the music than is usual. In the south of Barwick it sounded as if someone was passing in a car with the radio/cd player at full volume. One can only hope that the ears of those attending the event are not damaged!

July 2010

We have experienced a dry and mostly cloudy summer so far (12th). It was fine for the Open Gardens day at the end of June. The attendance was well up with previous years in Barwick despite competition from an England versus Germany World Cup Football match. The latter was disappointing while the former was not. Both villages are now looking colourful in readiness for the Yorkshire in Bloom judging at the end of the month. During a visit by society members to Shadwell on 7th July, it was noticed that Shadwell was getting ready for a Yorkshire in Bloom judging visit and the guide acknowledged that Barwick's successful scheme had led them into starting a scheme of their own. The movement now seems to be well established in many villages in the neighbourhood.

The long opposed housing development in Elmwood Lane is taking shape with housing being completed very quickly. The development is called Miller's Court (a somewhat confusing name as it is some two hundred yards away from the site of the village's windmill.

The bus service problem in Scholes rumbles on with out a final solution being found. By the same token, Scholes still has no Post Office.

Rain has appeared towards the end of the month but it is still warm.

The Yorkshire in Bloom judging has taken place in Scholes (9th July) and Barwick (13th). A novel feature of the Scholes presentation was the introduction of 30 or so scarecrows in some of the gardens.

The crime figures for June have been published and show that there were 11 reported crimes in the parish in the month (6 in Scholes). The five in Barwick included a shop theft and a stolen vehicle and one car vandalised.

On July 25th there is to be a new extra bus service for Scholes (No. 63). It will deviate through various locations on its way to Leeds.

June 2010

June has arrived without a cuckoo being heard in the locality this year. Does this spell the end of the cuckoo in this parish? One has been heard in Bishop Wood, near Cawood; is this the nearest one to the parish?

Doubts are still being expressed about Scholes keeping its bus service and about getting a Post Office restored to the village.

May 2010

In spite of the late spring, it was a surprise to see swallows in fields close to Scholes on 2nd May, over a week earlier than normal.

A year of fund raising ended with a postman, who delivers post to houses in the north of Barwick-in-Elmet, successfully completed the London Marathon on 2nd of May. The postman, David Willcox, raised over £2,500 for the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) in a year of fund raising.

David Willcox, the fund-raising postman

To many the London marathon was the least part of the effort put in by David. His fund raising started in April 2009 when he decided to wear his shorts while on his round for a whole year. What he couldn't have predicted was the winter which faced him. We have had the coldest and most inhospitable winter for several decades and he kept to his resolution to wear shorts in the bleakest of weather.

The month's weather has been mixed with two or three days which were warmer than usual and many which were colder including several very heavy frosts in the middle of the month which set back many plants including trees and shrubs.

April 2010

A group of about 10 members of the society have been busy during the last month researching the lives of the group of artists who were active in Barwick at the end of the Victorian era and the Edwardian years in The Attic Abode. The results will be included in a new venture using a computerised table top to be opened at the end of May at Lotherton Hall.

It looks as if the problems of the bus service for Scholes has been resolved with the restitution of an hourly service linking the village to Seacroft.

March 2010

The month has started with an improvement in the weather. There was an overnight fall of snow on 1st March but a warming sun quickly cleared most of it. This has been a long cold winter. The snowdrops are the only spring flowers to have come out yet (4th). The crocus blossomed in the middle of the month but the daffodil had not appeared by 19th. The month is quite sunny and warm out of the wind which has kept things cool. By the 22nd daffodils were blooming in profusion as all had been held back.

There are still problems with the bus service in Scholes as some householders on the new route have adopted the tactics used by those on the first route.

It is expected that the Post Office will reopen in Scholes shortly in the Satnam's shop.

February 2010

The poor weather continued into February. At least we have seen the sun on a few days and there has only been the occasional snow shower which didn't settle long. However there have been no warm breaks to relieve the cold weather. The winter drags on.

The historical society has started to examine the Attic Abode in more detail than in the past in conjunction with Leeds Museum Service which is experimenting with an electronic display table. It has had access to material held by the family of the late Denis Mason Jones, the son of one of the active members of "The Attic Abode".

January 2010

The new decade has started with more snow. It is the heaviest accumulation for many years. By the 6th January some 16 cms. (6 ins.) was on the ground. The snow has been accompanied by low temperatures so little of the fall has melted. The snow has caused local schools to close (5th and 6th). Fortunately the 15th/16th of the month brought drizzle and then heavy rain which washed away the snow and raised the temperature above zero. The lingering snow and low temperatures brought to mind the long bad winter of 1963.

Photo: Peter Styles

Barwick in the grip of winter

December 2009

The month started with the illumination of both Barwick and Scholes with lighting for Christmas.

Two important services (postal services and newspaper delivery) to the people of Scholes stopped abruptly this month. The village's Post Office ceased trading without notice. The village was suddenly faced with having to go to post offices in Barwick, Crossgates or Seacroft. It is not known yet if the post office service will be transferred to another shop in Scholes or not. Fortunately, newspapers are available from Satnam's. The history of the post office in Scholes and the local village store have been published by the society.

The start of the month saw the re-opening of All Saints Church in Barwick following maintenance and minor works. During the two or so months when the work was being carried out, the Church of England and the Roman Catholic services which were normally held in the church were held in the Methodist Church in Barwick. It is not many years since such a display of ecumenism would have been unheard of.

The clearing up following the alterations.

As a result of the alterations it is now possible to see the church's west window from the nave. The work involved:

redecorating the church,
replacing the lighting with a more efficient installation,
removing the unused organ pipes at the western end of the nave,
installing an glass partition to expose the bell ringing chamber and make it into a meeting room via a new staircase,
fitting a glass door from the nave into the bell tower
completing the rebuilding of the south wall of the church grounds on Aberford Road.

The first snow of the winter arrived on 17th December. It melt a little but there was still sufficient snow around on the 25th to claim it was a white Christmas. In the last few days of December there were further small falls of snow.

A coffee morning organised by Barwick in Bloom was held on 12th in aid of the Cumbria Flood Victims' Relief Fund and raised £925. As a result of another Coffee Morning held on November 28th by Scholes Methodists, the church's social committee was able to raise £510 for the Salvation Army's work in making Christmas a little more special for people in need.

November 2009

As the month comes to an end there is hope that the problems of the bus service through Scholes may be settled - by getting the approval of residents on two other roads to accept buses passing their properties. The end of the refuse collection strike has been announced but there is no sign of collections getting back to normal. The paths are still strewn with uncollected bins.

All houses in Barwick received a copy of the portfolio compiled for the judges of the villages successful entry in Britain in Bloom. The project was financed by a legacy received following the death of Ivy Ream who emigrated to Pennsylvania from Barwick in the 1960's. Ivy had attended meetings of the Historical Society on several occasions when she returned to Barwick. On one memorable visit she told us about her experience of going through Immigration on Ellis Island when she first went to the U.S.A.

There seemed to be greater awareness of Armistice Day Commemoration this year due to losses of life and limb being suffered by the troops in Afghanistan.

John Tinker, who is the Chairman of Barwick-in-Bloom as well as a long standing member of the Parish Council, received the M.B.E. at a ceremony at Buckingham palace this month.

October 2009

The month has been marked by industrial action taken by the refuse collectors. Bins of non-recyclable refuse have been collected every two weeks and there has been no collection of recyclable (green bin) or compost (brown bin) material. Because of uncertainty many householders have taken to leaving their black and green bins out on the pavements all the time.

October has been a mild month until rain arrived on 20th of the month. That was the day when the Feast was dismantled and departed leaving Jack Heap's Field barely scarred instead of the more normal muddy patch.

The bus problem at Scholes is still not resolved. One or two residents of Milton Drive are still blocking their road and impeding buses. There is now a routine to each blockage. The bus driver phones his supervisor to report a blockage. The supervisor rings the police and, after five minutes or so the person causing the blockage, hangs around, giving and receiving abuse from passengers and keeping an eye out for the police to arrive. At about the time the police are expected, the person causing the blockage moves one of his two vehicles.

September 2009

For the last year or so, the parish, in common with the rest of the country, has been hit by a recession. There have been few cases of estate agent boards saying anything but "For Sale" or "To Let". However in the last month there have been "Sold" signs reappearing.

September arrived with a welcome spell of sunshine and warm weather. It enabled the harvest to be completed after a worrying few weeks. On the 12th & 13th of the month, the society held its fourth Heritage Open Days event. 135 people, mostly from outside the two villages, attended during the two days. It is likely that our original aim, to make sure that local inhabitants know about the earthworks, has been achieved. The church in Barwick also was open to the public for the Heritage weekend as it has been for a number of years. As part of the weekend the church had an art exhibition of the local art club and that of Thorner. The church is to close later this month for a number of building maintenance to be undertaken. At the same time the church's boundary wall on the Aberford Road side is to be re-built as it is in danger of collapsing. While the church is closed, C of E services will be held in the Methodist Church.

Residents of Scholes expressed their concerns at a public meeting about the planning application from developers to extend the built up area of Leeds in the Seacroft/Grimesdyke area towards Scholes. The proposal will be the start of a process which will eliminate the valued strip of countryside which separates the village from the built-up area to the west.

The highlight of the month has been the announcement of the Britain in Bloom Result affecting Barwick and the Yorkshire in Bloom result for Scholes.

Britain in Bloom
Barwick-in-Elmet

Large Village Category
Outright Winner Broughshane (Ulster) - Gold Award
Barwick in Elmet - Gold Award

Only two villages were awarded gold

Britain in Bloom Community Champion Awards

Frank Noble, Barwick-in-Elmet

Yorkshire in Bloom
Scholes

Large Village Category
Spring and Summer - Scholes Silver Gilt Rose Award

Judges Comments

 Introduction (introductory remarks from the judges):
Scholes is a very clean and tidy entry and the Bloom group obviously
has a great deal of support and involvement from the community.  The 
plans for the future development of the school garden are very 
promising.  Perhaps some slightly more ambitious planting in some of 
the beds would add to the floral impression.

SECTION A - Horticultural Achievement
Areas of Achievement:
The Sports Club car park area has been well designed, especially 
given the constraints of only using donated plants. Weed control this
time was excellent.  Some flowerbeds have been improved by taller
planting in the centre.  The residential gardens were very good and 
the judges were impressed by the enthusiasm of the leaders at the 
school, and their plans for the future.
Areas for Improvement:
Perhaps in future considers a little more variety in the planting of 
each of the beds, including plants of differing heights, to give a 
little more interest. Grasses or tall Verbena, for example, could 
give height and movement, without blocking sightlines on the roads.

SECTION B - Environmental Responsibility
Areas of Achievement:
Scholes was very clean and litter-free. The Sports Club car park
borders have been planted using donated plants, and a bug box has been
installed.  Plants from previous bedding schemes have been 
redistributed to residents for their own use, along with instructions
on how to cultivate them. The circular seat at the Edward VII 
coronation beds had been rebuilt.
Areas for Improvement:
Continue to develop the Sports Club car park borders, but otherwise,
keep up the good work.

SECTION C - Community Participation
Areas of Achievement:
Regular work parties are held each Monday.  The open gardens scheme
has been very successful and also raised a good amount of money. The 
Scarecrow festival has been very successful in involving many people
of all ages.  Many of the beds have been sponsored by individuals and 
local businesses.  There is a good relationship with the school and 
the school garden club.
Areas for Improvement:
Carry on the good work, including the plans for the improvement to
the children's play area.

The volunteers and their organisers from both villages have worked hard to achieve these excellent standards. Special mention must be made of the award to Frank Noble, a Historical Society member, whose work over a number of years has made remarkable improvements to The Boyle and Rakehill area.

What a year it has been for John Tinker whose dedication has brought him an M.B.E. and a successful result to years of organising Barwick in Bloom.

August 2009

In its long term forecast, the Met. Office had said that the weather in August was likely to be warm and sunny. At the end of July it amended its forecast to say that more rain was likely. The first day of August has started very wet.
The weather for the rest of August was disappointing. While it was generally dry, it was mostly cloudy. The month ended with the staging of the Carling Festival at Bramham Park. New traffic arrangements, introduced following problems in previous years, worked well with only slight inconvenience to villagers. The peak arrivals were coped with by making the A64 one-way westbound from Bramham crossroads. Once more the Coastliner bus service from Leeds to York and beyond came through the two villages.

July 2009

The planned bus service alterations were altered once more following an outcry in Scholes and the intervention of the passenger transport authority. With effect from 20th July, the 64 service from Aberford will be diverted once an hour via Scholes and, off-peak there will be a 5a service extended from Seacroft to Scholes, Pendas Fields and Cross Gates. The bus company emphasised that the service was on a "use it or lose it" basis.

On 12th July, Scholes has a well attended and successful Open Gardens day. Both villages are now preparing for judgement visits for the Britain in Bloom Competition (in the case of Barwick) and Yorkshire in Bloom for Scholes.
After two weeks in operation, the new bus schedules are still creating confusion and irritability in Scholes both by the users and, according to the local press, the inhabitants of Milton Drive now on the bus route, whose parked cars impede the progress of the buses.
The month started with fine weather but nearly every day since the first week has been spoiled by showers or nearly incessant rain. The showers in the middle of the month were short enough for the harvest to begin at the end of the week ending 18th July.

June 2009

Last month we reported on what we thought were planned changes to the local bus services. It appears that the reported plans are not those announced by the bus company. See the announcement from the bus company, First Bus. An extract of the services affecting Scholes and Barwick in this announcement is below:

64: Gildersome - Leeds - Barwick - Aberford

This service will be extended from City Square to Gildersome via service 46 route, except that it will operate on Corporation Street in Morley. Service 64 will not operate on Wynyard Drive.
The 2310 Friday and Saturday journey from Aberford is retimed to depart at 2345.

68/68A: Leeds - Seacroft - Scholes

These services will be withdrawn. Service 5A will operate hourly Monday-Saturday daytime between Leeds and Seacroft.
The section of route from Seacroft to Coronation Tree via Scholes village will no longer be served Monday-Saturday daytime, but will be served by service 5 evenings and Sundays.

A highlight of the month must be the award of the MBE to John Tinker who has lived in the parish for some forty years and has served the community well in that time. Since his retirement, John has been responsible above all others in setting up Barwick-in-Bloom, which has been a very successful venture in winning awards at county and national level. Along with Scholes in Bloom which was set up in following years, the two schemes have transformed the appearance of the two villages and made them even more desirable places in which to live. John's drive which has done so much for the In Bloom movement, has not been confined just to that topic. He has served on the Parish Council for many years and has been chairman of the council for several separate periods.

The month ended with a successful Open Gardens day in Barwick on Sunday, 28th .

May 2009

May has brought the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Methodist Church in Scholes. There were services and celebrations to mark the occasion during the weekend of 16th and 17th.

There is concern at the state of the roads in the parish. Following a colder winter than recent winters, the cold has caused a deterioration in the state of the roads which now have many potholes. Long Lane, Barwick and Potterton's roads are among the worst affected. The state of Long Lane has not stopped some speeding which road counting equipment has recorded. There have been three recordings of vehicles exceeding 80 m.p.h. while entering Barwick at Long Lane.

Plans have been announced to change the bus services operating through Barwick and Scholes. The 64 half-hourly service from Leeds to Aberford via Barwick will run once an hour via Scholes, giving northern Scholes a direct link to Crossgates and Barwick. This will be at a cost however. The service from Scholes to Seacroft Green will be closed.

Arrangements have been announced for coping with the traffic going to the Pop Festival at Bramham Park on the August Bank Holiday. It entails closing the A64 from Seacroft to the A1 and making a west-bound one-way route for all the festival traffic which will have to come off the A1. It looks as if we will have buses to Scarborough coming through the villages again.

April 2009

There appears to be a larger number of fields than usual in the district which have not yet been set for this summer's crop. Farmers are very busy at present setting both cereals and potatoes. It is possible that last autumn's heavy rains caused farmers to delay their planting until this spring.

What a glorious month this has turned into! The weather is warm, frost-free and mainly dry. Long may it continue for the economic news in the country is dismal. One must hope that the current predictions of years of struggle to pay off the current forecast national debt. Life in the parish continues without any current dire effects. Indeed there are worries about housing developers wanting to join Scholes to the built-up mass of Leeds. This worry has surfaced from time to time and recent research has found a declaration by Leeds City in the mid-fifties that it does not want the strip of countryside which separates Scholes from Leeds to disappear.

The month has ended with a tragic accident. It is sad to note that Harry Thorpe of Lime Tree farm in Barwick, a "not quite retired" octogenarian, lost his life in an accident at his farm. Harry was a quiet, pleasant, approachable man. He will be sadly missed. Lime Tree Farm has been the last working farm situated in the heart of the village.

March 2009

The chiff-chaff arrived by 29th March. Spring has definitely come.

Spring has just about arrived (14th March) with daffodils becoming more prominent than snowdrops. The chiff-chaff has not been heard yet. The gangs erecting the new lamp posts have finished and departed. The effect of the new lighting is good. Gone is the orange glow and loss of colour from the old lamps. The new posts are unfortunately taller than the old concrete ones, but for the period when both were erected side by side, the new ones were more pleasing to the eye.

This month has seen the introduction of a ban on dogs being exercised on Jack Heap's Field. The ban has been introduced because of a number of dog users failing to clear up after their dogs. The memorial trees in Station Road in Scholes have become the subject of a protection order.

The Wetherby News (13th March) has reported that, in conjunction with Thorner Parish, the appointment has been made of a priest in charge to the parish. The priest in charge will be Rev. Andrew John Nicholson, currently curate with the East Richmond Team Ministry in North Yorkshire. No date for the appointment was reported.

It also reported that the Parish Council was unable to arrive at a decision on a request from Ripon Diocese to contribute to the repair work on the church wall in Barwick.

The paper also reported that an initiative taken by the police to open a youth club in the village hall had been called off due to the disorder which has been experienced by disruptive, drunkenness and fighting. Volunteers have been called for to take over the task hopefully with the support of Leeds Youth Services.

The parish council has opened an informative web site which has much useful information.

February 2009

The first day of February has begun with snow flurries. The flurries developed into the heaviest snow for a number of years. It melted slowly over the next two weeks.

The Old Rectory in the snow - 2nd Feb. 2009

Photo: P. Styles

A section of the church wall on Aberford Road is in the process of being re-built. It has given the opportunity to see what lies behind the wall. As surmised, most of the ground held in by the wall is made-up soil. This supports the widely held view that much of the churchyard's height comes from a thousand years or so of burials.

January 2009

The year has started with near zero daytime temperatures and frost at night. At least it has been dry for quite a few days and it is possible to walk on the country footpaths without too much difficulty.

For the past year or so, street lamps which have needed replacement have been renewed by a new type of lighting which Leeds City are having installed throughout the city by Southern Electric through a PFI initiative. The new year has seen increased activity in Barwick in replacing the street lighting with this improved, more modern equipment. The old yellow glow from concrete lamp posts is being replaced with slightly taller metal posts emitting brighter, whiter light which is directed downwards and, when completed, should make the night sky more visible.

This month a formal announcement was made that the country has entered an economic recession. The main noticeable effect so far in the parish has been a large increase in the number of houses available for rent - presumably because owners have been unable to sell their houses and need to finance rent or purchase elsewhere. In a fairly tight-knit community, the main effect is that new (renting) inhabitants are not in a position to become part of the community. Let us hope that the situation soon ends.

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