You’d have to be made of stone not to feel at least a twinge of excitement as Christmas approaches. It’s in the air, in the faces of our children and grandchildren, and somehow it’s there in the fact that for whatever reason, people are – for however brief a moment – kinder and nicer to each other. There’s no escaping it here in Bishop’s Castle where it felt like the whole community – from tiny tots to the most senior of senior citizens – turned out to see the Christmas lights turned on. We were happy to be able to supply the tree (from one of our forests not far away) and the lights. The steam engine in the foreground of the picture is also one of ours and attracted as much attention as everything else going on!
Of course, for many in our community here and in our workplace at Ransfords, this is also a time when we remember friends and family who were round the table last year but won’t be this time. For many of us their places will be taken by new faces as the years pass, but – especially in small communities like Bishop’s Castle – the memories will never fade.