January 2026
Your official monthly newsletter for the Pendle villages of Barley, Newchurch, Roughlee, Sabden Fold & Spenbrook.
Sign up for the monthly email below:
WORK/LIFE Exhibition now online
Step back in time this New Year
Pendle Hill Museum CIC is pleased to announce the launch of the online exhibition of WORK/LIFE: Photos from Workers at Play in Roughlee, Barley & Newchurch 1900-1980. If you missed the physical exhibition last month, you can now view it online here.
WORK/LIFE is funded by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage programme. Focused on picturesque villages at the foot of Pendle Hill – Barley, Newchurch-in-Pendle and Roughlee – WORK/LIFE explores how families from local mill towns travelled to the countryside for relaxation, and how this transformed these tiny villages into rural leisure destinations for workers between 1900-1980.
Pendle Hill Museum CIC would like to …
[ READ MORE → ]
Barley Parish Council
Christmas, Thefts, Trees, Planning...
Well Xmas arrived when the Xmas lighting decorations arrived. We were able to get some new lights on the Village Hall which are a warm white glow and they do look well. The tree on the Turning Area looked great and the Santa & Sleigh on top of the bus shelter is a good centrepiece for the village. Thank you for all who made this happen and to the Women’s Institute for bringing festive lighting to the car park again. I must also add a “well done” to Newchurch who have done a great job with Xmas illuminations in their village centre.
For a second year …
[ READ MORE → ]
Goldshaw Booth Parish Council
Christmas Lights, Maintenance, Dog bins...
Goldshaw Booth may have fallen short in the Best Kept Village Competition this year but that certainly would not have been the case, had there have been a Best Christmas Lights Competition! Newchurch, Spenbrook and Sabden Fold have all looked resplendent in a light extravaganza and we would like to thank all residents for their efforts, with special thanks to Carl and Alison Ryder for lending their expertise and experience.
The Light Switch on and Santa’s Grotto event was a great success despite the wet weather, and a good time was enjoyed by over 75 attendees. Again, thank you to everyone who contributed to the super …
[ READ MORE → ]Roughlee Parish Council
Seniors' Christmas Lunch, Book vouchers, Caravan Park, 2026 Budget...
Happy New Year and best wishes to you all for 2026.
During December we hosted our annual Seniors’ Christmas Dinner which, from the many positive comments received, I believe was a great success. My sincere thanks go to the extended team — shoppers, table dressers, servers, pot washers and the after-party cleaning team — and of course to you for attending.
Our efforts to engage the young people of our community also proved very successful, with around 30 book tokens distributed to under-16s in the village. I hadn’t realised we had so many!
On planning matters, a not totally unexpected retrospective planning application has been submitted for the …
[ READ MORE → ]Repair Cafe
Barley Chapel
Do you hate throwing things away when you know they can be fixed? Or maybe you are someone who can fix stuff? Are you keen to be sustainable and save a bit of money as well?
We’re looking at starting a repair cafe in Barley Chapel and would love to hear from you if you have a skill / are good at fixing things or would like to volunteer to keep the brews flowing. We are hoping to get this up and running early in the new year.
In addition to this being a great chance to get those things that you’ve shoved to the back of the cupboard fixed, it’s also good to get out and have a chat and brew. Please express your interest in volunteering by messaging or calling 07800 791680 or 07773 369062 or emailing Rosemary Connor here.
Also, Sunday Services at Barley Chapel at 11am:
Jan 4th – Richard Hoyle
Feb 1st – Rev Rick Ormerod
Mar 1st – TBC
Events in Barley: Jan 2026
Dates for your diary...
- Pendle Forest History Group – Wed 21st Jan, 7.30pm at Barley Village Hall – A Powerpoint talk by Brian Jeffery titled “Hapton Hushings and how Hapton won WW2” – Members £2.00, Visitors £3.00. Please email to book a place.
- Barley WI – 1st Wed of the month, 7.30pm at Barley Village Hall – New members are always welcome, first three meetings are free so you can make sure you like it! The WI isn’t just a monthly meeting – we are a very busy WI with sub groups for walking, cinema, trips and crafting as well as the two book clubs so come along – keep busy this winter and meet new friends.
- Pendle Patchers – Tues 13th and 27th Dec, from 1pm at Barley Village Hall – One of our newer members completed this festive trio, they may have missed the December deadline but are too cute to be left out altogether. Others in the group have been inspired to do similar projects, so if anyone else feels like starting something different in the new year, come and join us. For any more information, please contact Gil Beeke 01282 602449 / Email →
- Pendleside Gardeners Club – Nothing planned at the moment.
- FOG Club – Thurs evenings, 6.30pm-7.45pm at Barley Chapel – For children aged 6-11 years. Contact Angie on 07967 121031 or just come along
- Card making class – 1st and 3rd Mon of each month, 1-3pm at Barley Village Hall – for details contact Valerie on 01282 691850
- Coffee and Chat – 2nd Wed of each month, 10am-12pm at Barley Village Hall – All welcome, not just the old folk – £2 gets coffee (or tea) and cake!
Notes from St. Mary’s
Resolutions and Celebrations
It is the time for New Year resolutions. Have any of us made them? What do they contain? Will they be kept or even started? Do we make them to improve ourselves or to make us better towards others? Dry January is a popular one because people feel they over-indulged during Christmas or they feel they need to be healthier.
Celebrations are a constant in our lives and in the Church calendar. Christmas is a special one though there is surprise that some do not know it is the celebration of Christ`s birth because it has become so commercialised.
Most of us enjoy celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and …
[ READ MORE → ]
St Mary’s Church Services
Jan 2026 Services
As the new year begins we look forward to welcoming you to our services. Our church is relaxed and friendly. We always end our service with coffee and cake. We also have activity bags for children and a space for them to play.
Hope you can join us soon.
- Sunday 4th January, 9.30am – Holy Communion (Epiphany)
- Sunday 11th January, 9.30am – Holy Communion
- Sunday 18th January, 4pm – Plough Sunday *
- Sunday 25th January, 9.30am – Holy Communion (Conversion of Paul)
* The Plough Sunday Service marks the traditional start of ploughing. It acts as a covenant service where we commit our ways to God and trust Him for His …
[ READ MORE → ]
2026–2031 Forest of Bowland National Landscape Management Plan
Consultation Opens
In spring 2026, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape will unveil its new five-year Management Plan — a bold and refreshed vision to protect, enhance and celebrate this extraordinary place for generations to come.
Formerly designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Forest of Bowland now forms part of the National Landscapes family— a name that better reflects the significance of these protected landscapes.
The draft 2026–2031 Management Plan has been developed with input from a wide range of partners via workshops and meetings over the last six months. This plan sets out what makes the Forest of Bowland so special, the …
[ READ MORE → ]Friends of Newchurch School
100 club draw
The Friends of Newchurch School 100 Club draw has taken place for December. The winners are:
- Christmas Prize £50 – No. 53 Tracy Connor
- 1st Prize £25 – No. 59 Sandra Dixon
- 2nd Prize £20 – No. 69 Hailey Hermansen
- 3rd Prize £15 – No. 32 Sam Hooper
Thank you to everyone who takes part.
Have you got a new neighbour?
Please mention Parish News to them!
If you have any neighbours or friends that have just moved to the area, or who might not be aware of this newsletter, please can you mention Parish News to them. We’re now on 800+ email subscribers across Barley, Goldshaw Booth and Roughlee so are definitely reaching the majority of households, but it’s an ongoing job to let people know when there’s no longer a physical copy being delivered and not everyone will see the adverts on noticeboards. Thanks for your help!
Print a note to post through their letterbox here →
They can enter their email address to receive an email on the first of each month online at www.parishnews.org – their data is managed/protected by Roughlee Parish Council on behalf of the other parish councils.