Much of Crockey Hill is within the Naburn Parish boundary. The old wooden bus shelter on the northbound side of the A19 was in a dangerous state of repair - the main wooden supports were rotten and it had asbestos sheets on the rear. The Parish Council agreed a deal with both the City of York Council and Wheldrake Ward to share the cost and so yesterday, a brand new aluminium shelter was erected which will have a life of at least 20 years.

 To mark Jenny Balding’s retirement as Parish Clerk, the Chairman presented Jenny with the print of a water colour painting of the River Ouse at Naburn by Sidney Agnew Mercer with a plaque engraved with “To Jenny Balding, in appreciation of 21 years of outstanding service to Naburn Parish Council”. The Chairman expressed the deep gratitude of both the Parish Council and the village. He said that she had performed the voluntary role with conscientiousness, commitment, diplomacy and good humour, and he wished her a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Naburn's historic Reading Room has received a make-over to to turn it into a more user-friendly space and it is now available for use by village groups as a small meeting or activities venue free of charge.

 The small brick building in Front Street was a Victorian idea deployed in many villages to provide 'enlightenment' for local people, who could not afford books or a newspaper or could not read. Typically, one newspaper and books might be available there for everyone to share...to read or to be read to them. Reading Rooms became a village hub for other 'entertainment' too and were seen as a wholesome alternative to a pub.

Naburn's Reading Room has been used in recent years as a Doctor's peripatetic surgery and still doubles up as the village's Post Office as well as the venue for the monthly meetings of Naburb Parish Council. We are keen to see the facility develop again in a useful and wider community role and complement the larger Village Hall.

 In recent months the heating and insulation in the room have been improved and the space has been carpeted. Now, thanks to a grant from the City of York Council, negotiated by our Ward Councillor, Suzie Mercer, most of the old upright chairs have been replaced by comfortable armchair seating with facilities for coffee and tea making (a kettle and cups). There are toilet facilities too.

It is suitable for use by small groups. There are eight armchairs, but it can be used by up to 12 people by using some of the original upright seats.

These are early days as we experiment with the Reading Room's potential and word gets around the village about its availability, but a Sewing Group, set up to produce additional bunting for a village event, has already used it successfully on a couple of occasions (see image) and have given it the thumbs up.

The Parish Council hopes that this lovely old village asset will contribute further to Naburn's sense of community and if you are interested in using it, the facility is FREE...just bring your own coffee/tea and milk. All we ask is that you leave it as you found it...and wash up! You can book The Reading Room by contacting the Parish Council Clerk via email and she will put you in touch with the key holder who will also make the booking.  

 
A defibrillator has been fitted into Naburn's red telephone kiosk located to the right of the Blacksmith's Arms on Main Street in the village and it has already played a part in saving one life.

It is set up to be used following a 999 emergency call to the ambulance service who will provide the access code if they determine a patient requires it and they are near enough to the facility.

The defibrillator is fully automated with in-built video instruction and requires no training for the user, but residents are encouraged to make time to visit the kiosk and familiarise themselves with the instructions so that if they need to use it valuable time isn't lost working out what to do.

We are also looking at the possibility of setting-up a Village Emergency Telephone System (VETS) to provide additional support for villagers living alone or in couples when a third person would be needed to access the defibrillator.

Naburn Parish Council is grateful to the children of Naburn C of E School who raised £730 towards the costs through fund raising events and collection tins in the Blacksmith's Arms and Naburn Marina, and also to York City Councillor, Suzie Mercer, who helped secure a grant of £1,270 from Wheldrake Ward to make up the £2000 required to fund the defibrillator.