Volunteers get stuck in

A NEW task programme has been launched for a group of Dales volunteers. Starting last week with a litter pick, Nidderdale Countryside Volunteers will tackle waymarking, rabbit fencing, drystone walling, bracken bashing and meadow management among other jobs. The group provides opportunities to take part in practical conservation projects around the Nidderdale area of outstanding beauty. Volunteers meet outside the police station at Pateley Bridge at 9.15am on specified dates. They should wear practical clothing, including waterproofs, boots or wellingtons, and take food. For more details, call Colin Slater, Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty Officer, Council Offices, Pateley Bridge, on (01423) 712950 or mobile 07778 049067.

GOLDEN OCCASION: Ripon Cathedral will stage the religious celebrations for North Yorkshire during the Queen's Golden Jubilee in June. It will hold a civic service of thanksgiving on Sunday, June 2, at 11.30am, and a limited number of seats are available to the public through Harrogate Borough Council. There will also be performances from June 3 to 6 of Murmur in the Cathedral, a play written by John Burney, a member of the congregation. The Dean of Ripon, the Very Reverend John Methuen, said it was still not too late to join the company. "We still have a few parts left on the boards and a number of jobs to do, both in front and behind the scenes," he said. Offers of help should be telephoned to the Dean on (01765) 603615.

GRANT BOOST: Organis-ations from Yorkshire and the North-East are among 80 across the country to benefit from a £4m Government handout to promote wildlife and encourage sustainable living. Greener Grounds for North Yorkshire has been awarded £10,000 under the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs' initiative. The project works with schools to promote organic gardening, the use of alternative technology, recycling and waste reduction.

BOWING OUT: After 18 years' service as secretary of the Ripon and Leeds Diocesan Advisory Committee, Betty Cartwright has stepped down. The chairman of the committee, the Reverend Timothy Lipscomb, said: "Betty amassed an enormous amount of knowledge about the church's buildings and has always been ready and eager to share it with others."

NEW FACE: The new Vicar of Hipswell with Colburn will be the Reverend Elizabeth Varley, area director of Parish Ministry Development at Stepney, London.