May 2026

Your official monthly newsletter for the Pendle villages of Barley, Newchurch, Roughlee, Sabden Fold & Spenbrook.

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Barley Parish Council

Annual Parish Meeting (26 May), Whitehough, Litter, Lengthsman, Planning...

The Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 26th May, and you are all invited to attend. Local groups and the PC will be talking about what has happened in the village during the last year and what will be happening in the future for about one hour then we will finish with beer, fine wine and high-class nibbles. This is a village social providing us all with the chance to catch up with what is happening, those we do not see often enough and the local gossip – it is always a good night so please come along.

Since 2020 I have been writing about …

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Goldshaw Booth Parish Council

Village Tidy, Painting, Jog in the Park (10 May), Annual Parish Meeting (11 May)...

We had a super turnout for the village tidy up session on 12th April and everyone worked really hard on chipping branches in the church yard, barrowing the woodchip, weeding, litter picking and collecting tree guards. Many thanks to everyone involved and to Claire Milligan for supplying the wood-chipper. We are hoping to turn this into a regular monthly session over the spring and summer – more details to follow.

The mowing and the gardening will start up again this month and Brian Pinder will be painting the roadside railings and attending to the benches in the churchyard. If you see any area that you feel …

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Roughlee Parish Council

Annual Parish Gathering (14 May), Asset transfer, Caravan Park, Bird Seed...

I hope that when this message finds you, you will still be enjoying the sunshine and making the most of this lovely weather.

A reminder that our Annual Parish Gathering will take place on Thursday 14th May at 7pm in the Village Centre. We are pleased to welcome two guest speakers who will share insights into some interesting local projects. As always, the evening will conclude with light refreshments and wine. We encourage as many of you as possible to attend—this is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of the Parish Council, and perhaps even inspire someone to step forward and …

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Roughlee Village Centre

Outdoor Upgrades, New Club, Beer, Gin & Music Festival (5-7 June)...

The weather has turned for the better and spring is well truly here. Thanks to a Pride in Place grant procured by the Parish Council and match-funded by the RVC Committee, there are due to be some major outdoor upgrades at the village centre. These include raised beds and a beastie box which will be added in June to encourage young and old to join with nature. On the same theme smart nesting boxes and bird feeders will be installed. They are solar powered with cameras which will enable anyone to log on and watch the local birds live on phones and laptops eating and …

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repair-cafe-pendleside

Pendleside Repair Café – “Bin It? No Way!”

Next events: Sat 2 May (Bike only repairs) and Sat 6 June (theme tba), 10.30am–12.30pm, Barley Methodist Chapel

What do a wobbly chair, a tired toaster, a punctured bicycle and a slice of homemade cake have in common?

They will all eventually have a place at the Pendleside Repair Café — a new community idea beginning to take shape here in our villages.

Still in its early days, the Repair Café is starting simply: a relaxed and friendly place where people can bring along small items to be looked at, enjoy tea and cake, swap ideas and perhaps save something from going to landfill.

At heart, it’s about asking a simple question: Why throw it away when it might be repaired?

Part of an international movement, [ READ MORE → ]

Events in Barley: May 2026

Dates for your diary...

  • Pendle Forest History Group – Wed 20th May, 7.30pm at Barley Village Hall – A Powerpoint lecture by Nick Burton titled “Ernest Evans – From Weaver to Master of Natural Sciences.” The story of how East Lancashire’s Mechanics’ Institutes improved working class lives. Members £2.00, Visitors £3.00. Email to book a place.
  • Pendleside Gardeners Club Tues 19th May, 7pm at Barley Village Hall – ‘Gardening for Bees’ – Maria Odgers will be talking all about bees, the flowers that they love and the ones that will grow well in Pendle. She will also be bringing along her microscope so you can get up close and personal with a bee and of course some delicious honey to taste too! We will also be having a plant swap – so if you have a sown too many seeds or have been dividing your perennials – bring them along and do an exchange for something you haven’t tried before.
  • Barley WI – Wed 6th May, 7.30pm at Barley Village Hall – We’re delighted to welcome Judy Beeston, who will be speaking about Lancashire’s own suffragette, Edith Rigby. By today’s standards, she might be called a disruptor – or even a TikTok influencer- but she was undoubtedly a bold and determined woman who thrived on challenging the norms. Come along to be inspired, enjoy a chat, and of course, some cake! New members are very welcome—arrive a little earlier so we have time to get you settled in.
  • Pendle Patchers – Tues 12th and 16th May, from 1pm at Barley Village Hall – Our picture shows the latest member of our group, she unfortunately hopped along just too late for the previous Easter newsletter edition. It shows that the Patchers are not restricted to patchwork so if you would like to come along and meet other members of the group and see what else we do, you would be very welcome. Contact Gil Beeke on 01282 602449 if you want any more information.
  • 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

Happy Easter! Let me explain...

Some of you may be old enough to remember when there were 12 days of Christmas. That was the time from Christmas to the Feast of Epiphany (the wise men’s visit). Now we tend to do all our celebrating in the run up to Christmas and take the tree down on Boxing Day because it’s been up since Halloween. But historically December was the time of waiting then Christmas happened then all the celebrating happened for 12 days. Christmas was supposed to be a 12-day party.

Ok, but why am I telling you this…? Because Easter, according to the church, is a bigger deal than Christmas. …

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St Mary’s Church Services

May 2026 Services

03.05.26 – 9:30am – Our Annual Church Meeting

Our Service will also be a meeting to consider the life of the church and our charity responsibilities for the year ending 2025.

10.05.26 – 9:30am – Holy Communion

Vicar Nick will lead our service as we continue our series ‘Resurrection Matters’, looking at the post resurrection encounters with Jesus in the New Testament.

14.05.26 – 7pm – Ascension Day Service

To mark the ascension of Jesus (His return to heaven) we will hold a short evening service to reflect on how Jesus in heaven encourages us now.

17.05.26 – 9:30am – Holy Communion

We consider Jesus’s final instructions to his …

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Bowland-Meadow

Festival Bowland 2026: Upcoming Events

Spring Butterfly Walk, Botanical ID for Beginners, Dunsop Valley Ramble, Evening Swift Walk

  • Bowland Champion Species: Spring Butterfly Walk – Wednesday 6th May, 11.30am – 2pm, Trough of Bowland, £5

Seek out the beautiful Green Hairstreak butterfly and amazing, day-flying Emperor moth along an iconic Bowland valley, on one of our special Bowland Champion Species events.

Booking needed. For more information, visit Festival Bowland Events or book at LCC Events

  • Botanical ID for Beginners – Friday 29th May, 10am – 4.30pm, Gisburn Forest, Free

A hands on introduction to botanical identification skills.

Join the Hay Time project and learn how to identify some of the fantastic plants which call Bowland home.

(Please note: this course is specifically for …

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St Mary’s CE Primary School

A Wonderful Start to the Summer Term

We have enjoyed a fantastic start to the Summer Term, with a wealth of exciting learning, achievements and events taking place across the school community.

In the Classroom
Our KS1 children have been exploring the areas around school and learning about the different materials found in our local environment.

In KS2 Art, pupils have begun a new topic focused on telling stories through drawing and sculpture. In English they have been reading about a boy who is 1000 years old!

Across the wider curriculum, pupils have also been engaging in Earth Day poetry and creating St George’s Day shields. In PE, KS2 have been developing their tennis …

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RSPB Guidance on Bird Feeding

Feed seasonally. Feed safely.

The RSPB have published updated guidance on reducing the spread of disease. Research has shown a worrying decline in some of our much-loved garden birds due to a disease called trichomonosis. This is a highly contagious disease and can spread where birds gather in large numbers such as at bird feeders.

  • Feed seasonally

During summer and autumn, there’s a higher risk of disease spreading. But it’s also when there are more natural foods available to birds, such as seeds and insects.

1 May to 31 October – Pause filling your bird feeders with seeds or peanuts. You can continue to offer small amounts of mealworms, fatballs …

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Mobile Library Services

June to Dec 2026 dates

The Lancashire (Brierfield) Mobile Library Service covers the communities of Barley, Roughlee, Newchurch and Spenbrook.

The mobile library will visit on the following days (normally Mondays): 15 June, 6 July, FRIDAY 7 June, 7 Sept, 28 Sept, 19 Oct, 9 Nov, 30 Nov. There is no visit on 21 December.

On these dates Kevin, the mobile librarian/driver, will endeavour to meet the following timetable:

  1. Old Hall, Roughlee: 10:35 – 11:00
  2. Thorneyholme, Roughlee: 11:10 – 11:25
  3. Village Hall, Barley: 11:30 – 12:00
  4. Gorrell Close, Spenbrook: 12:20 – 12:35

Books may be borrowed, returned and renewed at any Lancashire Library. To renew items by phone call 0300 123 6703.

Contact Kevin via text or voice on 07774 335889 or email him.

From Jonathan Hinder MP

I hope you are now enjoying the lighter evenings in the beautiful countryside we are fortunate to call home. I wanted to write a very quick note to tell you what I’m up to, and to ensure you all know how to contact me.

With the help of my constituency office team, I have been assisting residents with a huge variety of issues, including pension problems, tax, driving licences and hospital appointments. I continue to run regular surgeries across the constituency, so whether you would like to chat national politics or have a specific issue that you think your local MP can help with, get in …

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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 →

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