The Green Scene



[pic] The Green Scene

Issue 36 The newsletter of the Seacroft Green Residents Association Winter 2016

|Inside This Issue |

|1 |Beat the Bogus Caller: Seacroft Christmas Gala: |

|2 |Bogus Caller cont...: Ledston Luck Nature Reserve: |

|3 |Committee: Gala Committee AGM: Christmas trees: |

|4 |Anyone for SPAM? Leeds Dripping Riot: |

|5 |Quarterly Quiz: Local updates: We get emails: |

|6 |Gotta lotta bottle: How lucky are men? Thank you: |

|7 |Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa: Second Saturday Café: Answers: |

|8 |Parcel Force: Musicathon: Services: Central Library: |

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Seasonal greetings to all our readers

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Our ever popular, festive community event - brought to you by Seacroft Gala Committee.

Join us on

Saturday 10th December 2016

From 2.30pm to 4.30pm

Venues:

St James Church

Seacroft Methodist Hall

Chapel FM

Seacroft Village Hall

❖ St James Church will host - Choirs, Carols, Pop up Café, Crafts, Children’s Choice, Christmas Trees and Santa.

❖ Seacroft Methodist Hall will host - Stalls, Children’s Choice and Christmas tree decoration making.

❖ Chapel FM will host - The 24 hour ‘Musicathon’, Face Painting, Mince Pies and Mulled Wine.

❖ Seacroft Village Hall will host - Stalls upstairs and Live Music in the bar downstairs

Emma, our stilt walking Ice Queen will visit each venue.

Children’s choice - You can join in the chance to win a £10 gift card. Just colour in one of our flyers at the gala, add your age and contact details and then hand it in at any of the venues. We’ll pick one out at random and you could be the lucky winner!

Join us at 4.00pm for the parade and Carols around the Christmas tree on the village green. Don’t forget to bring along and hang the decoration you made.

There’s more Gala information on page 3.

Beat the Bogus Caller

We have received reports that ‘bogus callers’ have been approaching householders in our area. Bogus callers otherwise known as ‘distraction burglars’ often call unannounced with the intention of tricking their way into your home. Their only aim is to steal your money or valuables.

Bogus callers may be smartly dressed and claim to be from the council, the police, health organisations, gas, water or electricity companies etc. They can be very convincing and persuasive. They often use ‘props’ such as identity cards, brief cases or clip boards or they may wear overalls with a company logo.

They may say they need to check something inside your home, or ask for a drink of water, to use your toilet or to wash their hands. Some may act ‘distressed’ and say they are looking for a lost child or a pet - in fact these people will use any ‘story’ to get you to let them in. Sometimes they work in pairs so that one can distract you while the other steals your possessions.

The bogus callers reported to us are men but it’s important to remember that even women and children can use this way of gaining entry into your home.

Bogus callers may turn up as ‘builders’ or ‘gardeners’ and try to trick you into paying for unnecessary work.

Continued on page 2.

Never agree to work being done by someone who is ‘just passing’ and don’t just take their word that the work needs to be done either!

Don’t ever be pressured into paying for work ‘up front’ and never accept an offer to drive you to the bank to withdraw the money. If you think that work needs to be done, get quotes from trusted companies or ask a friend or relative for a recommendation.

If in doubt - keep them out!

Most people who call at your home will be genuine and official visitors will always arrange an appointment with you beforehand. If you are not expecting anyone and especially if you are alone, ask them to call back later when you will have someone with you.

Lock - Stop - Chain and Check!

When someone calls at your door always follow these simple steps to help protect yourself and your home from bogus callers.

• LOCK:

Always keep your doors locked and remove the key from the lock, even when you are at home.

• STOP:

Before you answer the door, stop and think - are you expecting anyone? Check that your doors are locked and look through a spy hole or window to see who it is.

• CHAIN:

If you decide to open the door always put the chain or the bar on first. Keep them on while you are talking to the caller on the doorstep.

• CHECK:

If someone looks ‘official’ - leaving the chain or bar on the door, ask for some form of photo identity and check it carefully. Close the door while you do this. If in doubt, telephone the company they claim to be representing by looking up the number in the phone book or on Google. Do not be tempted to just ring the number on the identity card as this may be ‘bogus’ too!

Remember - genuine callers will always be happy to make an appointment and will carry a photo identity card. They won’t even mind waiting while you check to confirm they are who they say they are.

Top tips:

• If you haven’t already got a door chain or bar, you should think about getting one fitted. They only cost a few pounds.

• The utilities companies and the council have a confidential ‘password’ system for older and more vulnerable customers - ask to use this system.

• Always report bogus callers to the police - ring 999 if they are still in the area or use the 101 number to make a report.

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LEDSTON LUCK

Why not take a winter walk around this local nature reserve?

Ledston Luck Nature Reserve, which is owned by Leeds City Council and managed in partnership with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, has recently been designated as a Local Nature Reserve. LNR status recognises the abundant wildlife and enjoyment value of this site.

The large reserve is a haven for wildlife. The site has become home to 13 species of damsel and dragonfly, including the emperor dragonfly and the large red damselfly. In the summer, butterflies can be seen in their hundreds and last year alone 6042 orchid spikes were counted.

The woodland, scrub and hedgerows attract birdlife such as whitethroat, willow tit and siskin and this year saw long eared owls nesting on site.

Ledston Luck has seen many improvements to visitor access and natural management. Funded by Caird Peckfield and the Mondgreen Environmental body, a number of new way-markers, steps and interpretation boards have been installed.

The grasslands have also been fenced off to allow the meadows to be grazed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Stirley Farm cattle during the winter. Conservation grazing is an essential part of meadow management as it removes the old grasses, churns up the earth to allow seeds to grow and reduces competition from the more dominant coarse grasses. This in turn enhances species diversity.

The benefit of gaining the LNR status reflects the hard work of LCC, partners and volunteers and helps to safeguard the future of Ledston Luck.

This little known nature reserve, which is almost on our doorstep, is open all year round so why not pay a visit over the coming winter months?

Continued from page 1

Christmas crackers:

• Where do little fish go each morning?

To plaice school!

• What do snowmen wear on their heads?

Ice caps!

• Where did the reindeer go to get a new tail?

To a retail shop!

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SEACROFT GREEN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

Who’s who on the committee?

Lily Woods Chair 26 The Green

Keith Nichols Vice Chair 69 The Green

Rita Berry Treasurer 51 The Green

Diane Marsden Secretary 49 The Green

Janet Cordwell 1053 York Road

Mick Firth 5 Courtenays

Roger Berry 51 The Green

Sean Hennigan 87 The Green

John Wheatley 34 Hansby Place

Lewis Pratt 24 The Green

Rev. Dominic Mughal St James Church

If you wish to contact the committee you can either ring the Chair on: 0795 1785 845

or alternatively contact the secretary by email at: marsden858@

You can find out more about us at:

.uk

Seacroft Christmas Gala:

As usual we will be having our Mystery Tombola stall at the Christmas Gala and as usual we are on the lookout for donations of unused and unwanted gifts that we can use as prizes.

The Mystery Tombola is one of our main fund-raising activities and all the money raised goes directly back into the community as it helps us to pay for the annual planting of the wild flower beds.

If YOU can offer your support by donating a gift, please contact either the Chair or the Secretary or pass your donation to any of the committee. See above for the details. (We respectfully request no bric-a-brac please).

If you can’t offer a gift then please do come along and be sure to seek us out on Gala day. Tombola tickets will only cost you £1 for adults and / or 50p for children - a small price to pay to help raise our funds.

10th Anniversary:

Next July will mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of the residents association. Who would have thought we would still be going strong after all this time? To celebrate and mark the occasion we are planning ‘something very special’ but at the moment it’s being kept ‘under wraps’ while we pursue the funding to pay for it. But if we do get the grant it promises to be a real treat - so watch this space!

Seacroft

Gala Committee

The Annual General Meeting

Will take place on

Thursday 16th March 2017

At

Chapel FM from 12.00 until 1.00pm.

As some members will be standing down at the AGM we will need new members to join our committee.

Here’s your chance to get involved and put your skills to good use. Just pop along and join us at the AGM or become a volunteer and help plan and organise the 2017 summer gala - which promises to be a fantastic event to celebrate our 10th anniversary year!

2017 Summer Gala date

Saturday 8th July

Look out for more details in the spring issue of the Green Scene which is due out in March 2017.

Christmas tree O Christmas tree

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Would YOU like to sponsor a small Christmas tree as part of the Christmas Gala?

We have 10 4ft trees just waiting to be decorated by local groups, families, schools, charities, businesses or other organisations - and for only a £10 donation, you can secure yours.

The trees will be on display in St James Church over the whole Christmas period - not just for the Gala. They are provided already fitted with lights, so there’s no need to worry about this and you can decorate your chosen tree however you like. This is the perfect opportunity to publicise your group.

Sponsorship of the trees is always popular so book yours now to avoid disappointment.

For more information and to secure your tree, email the Gala treasurer at marsden858@.

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Anyone for SPAM?

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The Seacroft Stories website, set up by the LS14 Trust, is developing a section on WW ll. The focus is on people’s reminiscences of living with rationing, entertainment, the blackout and the food available. We would be grateful if you would be so kind as to share some of your memories of this time.

Were SPAM and acorn coffee really common? Do you remember rationing? How did the family manage on rations? Do you have any wartime recipes you could share? Did you see any of the “exotic” fruits such as bananas and oranges? When did these come back in the shops?

What about clothing and things like soap? Was there a lot of what we now call upcycling? Many children were evacuated - do you have any memories of this?

We would record your memories and then transcribe them and put them on the website so that lots of other people can read them. Also, if you have photos or documents, we can copy them and put them with your stories.

Our aim is to invite local school children to discuss your remembrances and so appreciate what life was like during WWll. Our food hosts would also like to cook some war time food and invite you and the children to share it.

We are keen to record these memories for social history and really value your help. So please do get in touch as we would love to hear from you.

If you contact us we will make an appointment to either visit you or to meet you at the Digital Lounge to record your thoughts.

Please phone the Digital Lounge on 0113 3180522 to find out more.

To see what we have already done go to:

Many thanks - Vanessa Manby

LEEDS ‘DRIPPING’ RIOT

Park Square in Leeds is a peaceful place and looking at the buildings, it’s hard to believe a ‘serious’ crime took place in one of the houses, in the winter of 1865.

The theft from Henry Chorley’s kitchen of ‘dripping’ by his cook would cause a public outcry and a riot within weeks. Dripping - also known as ‘mucky fat’ was/is a Yorkshire delicacy. The solidified juices from roast beef or pork was part of many people’s diet in bygone years and one, Eliza Stafford, was found guilty of stealing 2lb of it from her employer and sentenced to one month in Armley prison.

The case was well publicised locally, in The Times and some Liverpool papers. During the imprisonment of Eliza public anger began to grow over the ‘triviality’ of the offence, which many people felt was a ‘perk of the job’. Eliza’s employer, who had brought the case to court, was targeted by the public. He was bullied in the streets, sent threatening letters and placards and graffiti began to spring up displaying the outraged feelings of the people.

Eliza’s release day arrived on February 22nd 1865 and at 9.00am a crowd, estimated at some ten thousand, had gathered outside Armley prison to greet her, only to find she had been released some two hours earlier via the back gate. The crowd were not best pleased and felt they had been cheated from seeing their ‘heroine’ walk free from prison.

Approximately 1,000 of the crowd decided to vent their anger on the man that had caused this in the first place and made their way to 8 Park Square. Chorley tried to ‘reason’ with the angry crowd. His presence however, resulted in ‘missiles’ being thrown at him. As the crowd grew more agitated windows were broken and police had to be drafted in to try and calm the mob. More ‘missiles’ were thrown at the police and the Chief Constable who was in attendance, slipped as he was ‘jostled’ and ended up with a broken arm! It was then decided to send telegrams to York for military help and to Bradford, for more police officers.

At about 1.00pm the crowd began to dissipate just as police reinforcements arrived from Bradford with a troop of the 8th Hussars, from York. Three people were arrested and ‘bound over’ and one, Samuel Taylor was jailed for seven days. At the end of the day there were a few casualties with a variety of injuries, but unfortunately, one George Hodgson who had been trampled in the riot, died a few days later.

The Leeds Dripping Riot faded into history and as for Eliza Stafford, she benefitted from a large cash collection. It is said, she moved to Scarborough and opened a public house called the ‘Dripping Pan’.

Another Christmas cracker:

• What did the traffic light say to the zebra crossing?

Don’t look now, I’m changing!

Local updates:

➢ Low level, permanent metal trip rail barriers have been installed by Leeds City Council alongside Ramshead Approach and Eastdean Drive in order to restrict access to the grassed areas by vehicles and caravans.

➢ Council workers have begun clearing the site around the old Seacroft Club at the top of Brooklands Avenue (adjacent to the library) in preparation for demolition.

➢ Leeds City Council say the work to develop Deacon House into a Community Hub, is planned to commence in the spring of 2017.

Quarterly Quiz

A bit of lateral thinking is needed here - how many correct answers will you guess?

1. Which five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

2. How many grooves are there on an old LP record?

3. To the nearest cubic centimetre, how much soil is there in a 3m x 2m x 2m hole?

4. What word is always spelled incorrectly?

5. A man went into a shop and asked the assistant “How much does it cost for 1?” The assistant replied “£2 sir”. The man asked “How much for 10?” The assistant replied “£4 sir”. The man then asked “So how much for 100?” and the assistant replied “£6 sir”. What was the man buying?

6. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and make it return to you without anything being attached and without it hitting anything?

7. Which chemical compound does the following represent: H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O?

8. In what sport are metal shoes used?

9. If you have two coins totalling 11p and one of the coins is not a penny, what are the two coins?

10. When asked how old she was, Beth replied “In two years I will be twice as old as I was five years ago”. How old is she?

You can check out the answers on page 7

We get

Emails

Sometimes!

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Dear Editor

Regarding the Section 106 money mentioned in the last issue - I think the idea of extra allotments would be of great benefit to the community as there is currently a long waiting list to get one.

The ideal place would be next to Seacroft Library, where the old youth club used to be. This land has been left by the council to deteriorate for so many years that it’s become an overgrown dumping ground and despite complaints from people living nearby, it’s just been left to rot.

Let’s have something good done to the area if there’s some money on the go. I for one would love to see it used by local people to grow flowers and vegetables.

Pamela Strandford – a long serving Seacrofter!

Dear Editor

Having recently moved in to the local area with my family, I received my Green Scene newsletter for the first time last month and I have to say it was a very interesting read.

The residents association appears to be a very busy group of volunteers and should be complimented for all the things it is involved in and what it is doing for the local community.

We moved here from Bolton because we liked the look of the area, with the old village green and space for the children to play. This summer it was made even more attractive with the hanging baskets and wild flowers.

One of the great things I’ve noticed too is there’s very little litter around (compared to where we lived before) and what litter there is, isn’t there for long! It seems someone’s always around to pick up the rubbish, so this keeps the area looking tidy.

So well done to the association for the work you are doing and my family and I are looking forward to the Christmas Gala we’ve heard so much about!

Colin Broadbent and family - incomers!

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Gotta lotta bottle?

Leeds City Council is asking us to remind residents that you are never far away from a bottle bank. Glass bottles and jars can be recycled at any one of the 735 bottle banks located across the city.

In 2015/2016 Leeds residents recycled 9,654 tonnes of glass! However, estimates show that there could be around another 12,000 tonnes of glass that is being thrown away, often in the general black bin or bag waste, costing the city £1.5 million in disposal costs!

With the average family using about 500 glass bottles and jars a year, and as glass can be recycled over and over again, the council is keen to ensure as much glass as possible is taken to our recycling points.

Your green recycling bin can take paper, cans, card, cardboard, aluminium foil, aerosols, and plastics, but unfortunately, it can’t take glass!

Leeds recycling rates are sitting at around 40% and the council wants all residents to help increase this to 50% by 2020.

If you’re not sure where your nearest bottle bank is, you can check by looking on the council’s website or by downloading the Leeds bin app.

Information on the full range of recycling services, bin collections and recycling centres, can be found at .uk

: THANK YOU : THANK YOU :

• To Ryan and all the volunteers who took part in the Tesco Bag Pack on Sunday 11th November. They managed to raise £235.14 towards next year’s Summer Gala. Great job guys!

• To Seacroft Grange Care Village and Seacroft Green Residents Association for their generous donations towards the cost of the large Christmas tree for the village green. The cost of the tree this year is £780 which is partly met by Seacroft Gala Committee. Therefore, any other donations are welcome and will be gratefully received.

How lucky are men?

• Your last name always stays put.

• Wedding plans take care of themselves.

• You can’t get pregnant.

• The garage is all yours.

• Chocolate is just another snack.

• You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

• You can wear no T-shirt to a water park!

• The world is your urinal.

• You don’t have to stop and think which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

• You never have to drive to another rest stop because this one is just too yucky!

• People never stare at your chest when they’re talking to you.

• New shoes don’t cut, blister or mangle your feet.

• Phone conversations last 30 seconds flat.

• You know stuff about tanks!

• A week away requires only one suitcase.

• You can open all your own jars.

• If someone forgets to invite you to a party you can still be friends.

• Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

• The same hairstyle lasts for years, even decades!

• You only have to shave your face.

• You can play with toys all your life.

• You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife.

• You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.

• Your Christmas shopping takes 20 minutes on 24th December.

• You wake up looking the same as when you went to bed.

• You can wear shorts without shaving your legs.

• A man will pay £5 for a £4 item he needs - a woman will pay £4 for a £5 item she doesn’t need but it’s on sale!

• A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife!

• A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change but she does!

• A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of another argument!

• A woman knows all about her children - dentist appointments, best friends, favourite foods etc. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house!

• Married men can forget all their mistakes. There’s just no point in two people remembering them!

Thanks to Sue Webb for sending this to me - it was found on that font of everlasting wisdom, the internet. Editor.

Did you spot it?

Did YOU spot the not quite so deliberate mistake in the last issue of the Green Scene?

Issue 35 ran the additional strap-line for Spring when it should have read Autumn. Thankfully, the mistake was spotted by the editor before it was uploaded to our website.

If you did spot the mistake - well done to you - it just shows that you are really paying attention, so award yourself 10 points, go to the top of the class and give out the pencils! Editor.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa –

as you’ve never perceived him before!

Although we accept that Christmas is celebrated as a Christian festival - many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas are actually derived from the pagan and shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre Christian Northern Europe.

These people lived in dwellings made from birch and reindeer hide, similar to a tepee, called yurts. The yurt’s central smoke hole (we would call it a chimney) was also used as an entrance.

The sacred mushroom of these people is the red and white mushroom (amanita muscaria) - commonly known as the fly agaric and/or the magic mushroom. It grows almost exclusively beneath pine trees and the main psychoactive ingredient is muscimol as well as trace amounts of DMT (Dimethyltryptamine).

DMT is naturally produced in the brain’s pineal gland and is part of the normal make up of humans and other mammals and is found everywhere in nature.

DMT is an entheogen, a chemical substance that induces an altered state of consciousness and is often used in shamanic or spiritual contexts. To this day Siberian shamans dress in ceremonial fur-trimmed coats and long black boots to gather the ‘magic’ mushrooms from under their sacred pine trees.

The mushrooms are picked and then hung on nearby pine boughs to partially dry in preparation for ingestion. The shaman collects his mushrooms in a sack and travels from yurt to yurt using the smoke hole to deliver his ‘gifts’ to local villagers.

To reduce the toxicity whilst increasing the potency, the villagers will then string up the mushrooms or hang them in front of the fire to dry.

One of the side effects of eating amanita mushrooms is that the skin and facial features takes on a flushed and ruddy glow. Maybe this is why Santa is always shown with glowing cheeks and maybe the jolly “Ho, Ho, Ho” is the euphoric laughter of one who has indulged too much in the magic of the mushroom!

Siberian reindeer are also known to eat the amanita mushroom and will ‘prance about’ whilst under the influence. It is said that since one of the hallucinatory experiences felt, is often that of ‘flying’, this could be where Santa’s reindeer are derived and why Rudolph always has a red and shiny nose!

We definitely recommend that you

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

SECOND

SATURDAY

CAFÉ

‘The Barn’ Mayfield Farm, 69 The Green, Seacroft

The last café date before the end of the year will be on Saturday 10th December - 10.00am to 12.00noon.

Why not come along and join us for a cuppa & cake? All donations go to the chosen monthly charity.

This year the Café donations have gone to:

• Yorkshire flood victims

• East Leeds food bank

• Marie Curie

• Refugees in Middle East

• Toybox Charity - for children in Guatemala

• St Richard’s Saturday community meal

• Children in Need

Many thanks to everyone who attended throughout 2016 and for the generous donations received.

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Answers to the Quarterly Quiz

1. Short

2. Two - one on each side

3. None - it’s a hole

4. Incorrectly

5. House numbers

6. Go outdoors and throw it straight up in the air

7. H20 (H to O)

8. Horseracing

9. 10p and 1p - the other coin was a penny

10. 12

If YOU have a similar fun quiz you think we might enjoy, why not send it to us so we can share it with our readers?

Chapel FM Musicathon 2016

From 3pm Saturday 10th December to

3pm Sunday 11th December.

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Yes, that’s 24 hours of non-stop music; all live, all local!

You may or may not have heard about the local phenomenon that is the Chapel FM Musicathon! Its 24 hours of live music played non-stop - yes - that’s throughout the night - with about 300 different local musicians and singers.

This year will be our 7th Musicathon at Chapel FM and the first hour will be part of the Seacroft Christmas Gala, so you can come along and ‘get down’ and get festive with the music. We’ve got complimentary mince pies and mulled wine and we’ve even got Carrie our fantastic face painter! So join us and stay as long as you want!

Please get in touch if you would like to be part of this year’s Musicathon; you can come and play, sing, help out on tech, front-of-house or just come to watch and listen. Everyone is welcome to be part of our audience at any time - day or night!

It’s going to be FAB! See you there!

Fuzzy Jones - Centre Manager

Parcel Force!

Around this time of year, scammers will try to take advantage of the fact that many of us will be expecting deliveries of Christmas presents that were ordered online or by catalogue. The notification of a ‘missed parcel’ may come to you by post, text message, telephone call or email - but the parcel probably doesn't exist or it would contain something ‘cheap and nasty’ that you haven’t ordered.

The scam normally asks you to ring a premium rate phone number or requests a significant fee to arrange a redelivery. This is how they make their money!

Genuine couriers would normally post a card through your letterbox giving a free-phone or local rate number to call and would offer a free redelivery in the first instance.

Be alert - don’t be scammed this Christmas.

More Christmas crackers:

• Why do ghosts live in the fridge?

Because it’s a really cool place!

• What do you get if you cross a centipede with a parrot?

A walkie-talkie!

• What’s green and bounces around the garden?

A spring onion!

Leeds Central Library disappears -

behind scaffolding!

The Leeds Central Library is undertaking new extensive roof repairs, which will continue to June 2017. The library will still be open and operating as normally as possible during this time.

At the moment access to the third floor is closed (a meeting room and quiet study area) but the rest of the library remains open.

Parish of Seacroft

Christmas Services

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• Saturday 17th December - 10.30am to 12.30pm

Churches Together Carol Singing

St James Church

• Saturday 17th December @ 5.00pm

Christingle Service - St James Church

• Sunday 18th December @ 6.00pm

Community Carol Service - St James Church

• Monday 19th December @ 1.30pm

Carol Service - The Green Home

• Monday 19th December @ 2.30pm

Carol Service - Seacroft Grange Care Village

• Saturday 24th December @ 5.00pm

Crib Service - St James Church

• Saturday 24th December @ 11.30pm

Midnight Service all Churches

St James, St Richards, St Paul’s

• Sunday 25th December @ 10.00am

Christmas Day Service - St Paul’s Church

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