Wray Com Com

the village cricket match

2011-04-26T08:18:00.006Z

wordle above from http://wordle.net
The scarecrow cricket match was livestreamed from the village of wray on Easter Monday 2011.
This was a world first. There is an archive of the stream here twicket
The event is part of the scarecrow festival, but because the village is also a living lab for Lancaster University they are one of only three rural locations in the UK with the 'upload' capabilities to send content like this to the internet. It was an experiment thought up on twitter and organised by @johnpopham and his twitter friends. At one point 2700 people were watching the livestream, just think of the carbon footprint saved as folk from all over the world tuned in to watch the fantastic livestream provided by aquilaTV. @gabysslave on twitter. She commented that they could have streamed even higher quality footage but they had to turn it down because the people in Birmingham couldn't download it! This has surely proved the point that the phone network can no longer cope with what people want to do on the internet, and its time to light some fibre.
Many people also livestreamed from their phones, like this one of the breakdancing kid (@bpoolteacher: #Twicket "dancing Kid" was not called Billy, but Adam Mitchell. The one shoe routine was a new one!) and many in the village watched online, but the network built by @mirdin for the P2Pnext project managed to cope with it all. This could not have been done on phoneline connections. We need access to ubiquitous, fit for purpose connectivity to get a truly digitalbritain, providing content to the world. JFDI.

Must read blogpost

2010-12-27T08:54:00.003Z

The following link is to a really good blog post by Barry Forde. Barry built the Cleo network and has done a plan to bring broadband access to everyone in rural areas. This post has attracted many comments, which Barry has answered. It is well worth a read if you are interested in getting a decent connection for your community.
click here

Milo. the future... Project Natal

2010-11-09T22:12:00.004Z

Just found a link to a brilliant series of blogs on Computer Weekly site. I tried to embed the video from the latest post here but it doesn't seem to want to fit on this blog... so here is a link to see it for yourself. Click here to see MILO
This is why we need next generation access...

AVG v11 out FREE

2010-10-02T19:33:00.002Z

click here to download the latest free version of AVG

click here for instruction video

Ruth

2010-09-24T19:18:00.005Z

Today I did something I have been meaning to do for a long time. It is about 4 years since Ruth told me the story of the chips. I tell it to lots of people but I wanted a recording of her telling it herself.
I asked her daughter if I could publish it online and she said it would be grand, because all her family all over the world could see it, and Ruth has family spanning all the continents. Ruth was born here and she has lived all her life on the same patch of land in our village. Her first house was washed away in a flood, and a bungalow built in its place. She is now 100 years old, and is still as bright as a button although she can't see very much. She is a remarkable lady, and this little village is very proud of her.
The carer (Shyvonne) who pops in to brew up for her was there when I called, and she wanted to hear the story of the chips too.
In the old days they made chips with dripping (beef fat) which used to set hard when it cooled down. I will let her tell the story...

Ruth also writes poems when she goes to bed. She stores them in her head and tells them to her many visitors. They don't always rhyme, but everyone loves them anyway.
She is very proud of her birthday card from the queen and the telegram from the MP. She doesn't do facebook. But her great great grandchildren can now see her on theirs. The village photo album also has the photos of her birthday party: click here to see them

Sept. Update

2010-09-22T22:01:00.001Z

The rural broadband conference at Rheged organised by Rory Stewart was great, videos online now, and also the Wray video we filmed last year when we did the first rural fibre dig click here, ours is no. 28
The new meshboxes are going in, if you pick up a signal it will say WIFI and the host house name. All you do is type in a website address, and you will be redirected to a login screen. Register with a valid email address and a password, and an email will be sent to you which you reply to. Once you have done that you will go on to the network automatically with a login when your computer picks it up. ring 21588 if you get stuck.

gmail does phone calls

2010-09-04T06:50:00.003Z

If you have a pc with a microphone and speakers or a headset you can take advantage of this great service. You install the sound application (under settings) and if you have a camera it will spot that too for video calls between gmail users. (like skype). The latest addition is to be able to call ordinary telephones. It costs 2 cents to ring a uk number. This service is only available in the US and Canada, but to make it work in the UK just go into gmail settings and change your language to US English. The quality is excellent, and all calls to US and Canada are free.
chris

etherpad

2010-02-17T18:08:00.002Z

Online collaboration tool, real easy to use, more than one can use it at the same time even in different countries... one for melissa...
Etherpad

AVG free link

2009-11-14T11:36:00.002Z

http://www.filehippo.com/download_avg_antivirus/

updated the link May 2010

tips for tweeking

2009-08-04T20:14:00.002Z

Good site for tips and tricks, free software etc howtogeek

Claughton moor Community Windfarm

2009-07-19T08:01:00.003Z

· Tuesday 21st July, 2pm – 8pm, Claughton Village Hall
· Wednesday 22nd July, 4pm – 8pm, Caton Community Primary School
· Thursday 23rd July between 4pm – 8pm, Hornby Village Institute

We would like to use this opportunity to inform the local residents about the progress that has been made concerning the proposed windfarm, learn about our community benefits and to ask any questions they may have about the proposal.

Everyone is welcome and free refreshments will be available.
Louise Richardson
Projects Assistant

Community Windpower Limited
Godscroft Lane - Frodsham
Cheshire - WA6 6XU
t: 01928 734544
f: 01928 734790
Please visit our website: www.communitywindpower.co.uk

First rural fibre being lit in Lancashire UK

2009-05-17T10:05:00.000Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB4bFNTNjhY

First rural fibre to the home laid in Lancashire UK

2009-05-17T10:02:00.003Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hV3Kv_LVY8
update, sept 2010, video made out of all the jfdi videos for the rheged conference
http://www.youtube.com/user/wennetvideo#p/a/u/0/NZnyEGPJv3w

add a gadget to your blog

2009-02-07T14:45:00.000Z

automate tasks

2009-01-14T08:39:00.000Z

"How To Automate Tasks
So You Can Do More
Productive Things
With Your Time"
click on the above link to find out how to defragment your hard disk overnight and lots of other tips and tricks.

free video chats with gmail

2008-11-13T21:36:00.001Z

log into your gmail account and see if you are enabled for video, install the little gadget and then you can chat and see who you are talking to. great freebie from google and not a big install like skype or msn. If you haven't got a gmail address just go to www.mail.google.com and get one

one for a wet day...

2008-07-30T06:47:00.000Z

click here to play daffy game

New University projects

2008-03-06T15:06:00.002Z

Two new projects starting in 2008.
The main one is P2P tv. This is a four year project, and more info will be available shortly as plans progress. If you would like to be involved please complete the simple online survey click here
If you wish to learn more about the project, read the recent BBC News Article - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7259339.stm or visit the project website www.p2p-next.org

Another shorter project is the one focusing on security issues. The first group meeting will take place next week, please register your interest online at the doodle page, just click here if you wish to attend, all welcome.

Free photo/video editor

2008-01-09T18:03:00.001Z

A set of creative commons web slideshow templates and the corresponding online/off-line slideshow generator
An endeavor to mix creative commons photos, sounds and music on the web
It supports background mp3 playing, lyric, annotation text, transition effects and some artistic photo effects.

Click here to visit the website and find out more

BTW

The photo albums and slideshow pages generated with SlidePlay could be uploaded to any web sites that can serve static html pages (no server-side scripts are required).

Free landline calls

2008-01-04T19:41:00.000Z

If you set up a facebook profile (use a made up name if you don't want to use your real one) then you can add a free truphone number and people can ring you for nothing! If you are already on facebook then just click this link and add a call button. http://www.truphone.com/
Truphone also supports various nokia phones, and calls are also free on those.

What is Truphone?

Truphone routes your mobile calls via the internet. That means free mobile calls to other Truphone users & very cheap calls to anyone else.

Three reasons to get Truphone

Amazing launch offer - extended! Now you can get FREE mobile calls to 40 countries (and US cellphones) until Feb 29th 2008.
Great for travelling - Truphone works across the globe and wherever you have access to Wi-Fi.
No monthly charges - And free to download.

Happy Christmas

2007-12-24T13:35:00.001Z

Happy Christmas to everyone on the Wray and Wennington community networks, and thanks to everyone who has helped us in 2007. May 2008 bring health and happiness to our valley and even fibre, one can live in hope?
keep rockin
http://tinyurl.com/2hanan click to view Christmas card and then make your own

googletalk button

2007-12-18T21:01:00.001Z

click here to download googletalk to your pc

Download Google Talk and get:

	Instant messaging		PC-to-PC voice calls
	Gmail notifications		File transfers

Family search

2007-12-07T08:08:00.000Z

I have just been looking at your web site trying to find out information about Roeburn House Wray which I understand was at one time a silk mill.
I have been doing family history and have found lots of relations working in the mill at Wray on the 1851 and 1861 census. Relations were also listed at hatters---do you have any information about this line of work?
Would there be any one who could help me with my family research? Two of the relations are buried in Holy Trinity churchyard-- Henry Gillgrass who died in 1852 and buried with his wife, daughter and son-in-law as well as John Gillgrass who died in 1877 with his wife, daughter and son.
I had other relations in Wray--these being Henry Parker who was a farmer on the 1841 census and a proprieter of properties on the 1851 census. His wife was Betty and their son Robert married Jane Gillgrass--daughter of Henry. Henry Parker's daughter Sarah married a Thomas Coupland who was a bobbin factory owner and also farmed.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter.
Regards Pamela Edgar

Camtasia video editing software FREE

2007-11-23T08:13:00.000Z

Click here to go to instant download, save the file to your pc.
this software is version 3, which is adequate to make videos from your screen, don't be conned into buying v5 unless you need the added features. Once you have downloaded the software go to this link to register it for free.
Camtasia Studio gives you the power to easily record your screen, PowerPoint presentations, voice and webcam video to create compelling video tutorials, presentations and rich sales demonstrations for web and CD-Rom delivery.

JamCams on motorways

2007-11-12T09:00:00.000Z

click here to view map and webjamcams for Lancashire motorways, plan your journey and avoid queues

Lins in the Lombard

2007-11-08T07:54:00.000Z

Click here to listen to the interview
Lindsey Annison, one of the team from CBN who helped us get a broadband network going in the area is in the Lombard rally raising money for the air ambulance. This interview with her was on radio Lancashire.

AVG free virus protection

2007-11-08T07:53:00.000Z

Link to the new page to download virus protection free, click here

Easy free dial up link

2007-11-01T19:58:00.000Z

If the network is down it makes sense to have a dial up number for emergencies, this link will take you to one that is really easy to set up, and you will only be charged a local call rate for the time you spend online. Click here

Enquiry from Oz, please add comments if you can help

2007-10-24T20:49:00.000Z

My name is bob leggo .Iam 65 yrs and enjoy viewing areas of Tatham fells etc on the net. I was born robin francis tatham 1942 . I was adopted by the leggo's in 1945 as my grandmother ,father and aunts did not want another mouth to feed .The tatham name is known throughout the world especially america. Could you explain the meaning of "st, james the less" please. My grandfathers name was james ;he was an electrical engineer, his fathers name was joseph ;a tailor of lancashire. All my past rellies originate from lancashire. I have three children and nine grandchildren.and reside at coraki, northern new south wales, australia, and 10 klms NW of us is the town of Tatham ,named after james and nellie tatham who originally owned 640 acre property there. OK many thanks for your attention. if inclined you can reply by emailing kwakka82 @ lizzy.com.au .this email is from down under.

Fun way to animate your photos

2007-10-11T14:12:00.000Z

Click here to view one I did, if you want to have a go just register, upload your photo and jedi.
It is a free service from blabberize and is real good fun.

Network at risk

2007-10-06T20:39:00.000Z

Dear user,
>
> During the network at risk period on the 9th October 2007, the
> Lancaster University Network Services and CLEO Networks may
experience
> some loss of connectivity to the Internet whilst a hardware
> replacement takes place. Outages should last for less than five
> minutes and are planned to occur between 0700 hrs and 0800 hrs.
>
> Regards
>
> A. Parker
Free dialup number click here

Free logo/button generators

2007-10-06T20:12:00.000Z

click here for logo generator

click here for button generator

Wray Web Cam - Flood Watch

2007-08-21T20:05:00.000Z

Click here to see the webcam viewing the River Roeburn in Wray
It updates every 60 seconds, scroll down the page if the weather is at the top.

Digital noticeboard

2007-08-16T19:20:00.001Z

The digital noticeboard in Wray Post Office is now forming part of a PhD students work. Please complete the online survey and give him your feedback for his research.

This is a link to the board where you can upload/download photos and leave comments

This is a link to the survey

Many thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement.

Resize images with a couple of clicks

2007-08-02T15:13:00.000Z

If you download and install this power toy from microsoft you can easily resize images from your folders. It gives you a new option on a right click to 'resize'. This makes blogging, emailing and making webpages of your photos much easier. Click here to go to the microsoft site, and on the right side scroll down until you see the photo resizer link. Download it to your desktop and install it.

Network outage 28th July

2007-07-28T14:04:00.000Z

Hi all, 2pm
Network down due to circumstances beyond our control. Fault has been reported. Will put a notice here when we find out what it was.
Please use emergency dial up number (details further down blog)

8pm, networks fixed, many thanks to Lancaster University Network services
normal service resumed
chris

Update from LUNS: Monday 30th

 The outage was due to United Utilities taking down one of the upstream
masts for power work without notice.  As far as we are aware it was
emergency work.

Online Centre Upgrade

2007-07-23T13:17:00.001Z

The online centre in the institute is open for public use Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 10 pm.
This week the PCs are being serviced and updated by Simon, so it will be shut on Monday 23rd but will re-open on Wednesday 25th July.
Sorry for the inconvenience, the new XP operating system had slowed down the old machines so this upgrade will speed them up again.
WrayComCom
update:
Machines 1 and 2 back in institute and working great, 3 and 4 due back Friday.

Brenda Retires...

2007-07-18T20:57:00.000Z

Party at the dragon for Brenda, retiring as chairman of the governors after 15 years, click here to see photos

Ebay photos for free...

2007-07-09T20:52:00.000Z

Want to learn how to add photos to your ebay listing?
This link shows you how

George and Dragon Fishing Club Barbie

2007-06-24T20:52:00.000Z

24th June 2007, the annual fishing club barbie was held at the Dragon, usual good food and company, and stupendous raffle.
Great day, thanks to all who organised it and to Neil and Sue for the use of the garden (and the pub when the showers came).

Make your photo into a free jigsaw to email to friends

2007-05-26T18:50:00.000Z

Wray jigsaw
Can you tell where this photo was taken in scarecrow week?

free web pages from google

2007-05-19T19:29:00.000Z

Another reminder about the free webpages from google, just click here to visit a sample page - if you like you can do your own page, for free, in 10 minutes
click here

they think its all over...

2007-05-14T13:01:00.000Z

Well it is now!
Great scarecrow festival, all packed up again for next year, see photos on the village website, www.wrayvillage.co.uk

The scarecrows had a great time, hope everybody else did too. Judging by the happy smiling faces that visited Wray over the week of the festival lots of people enjoyed it

.The photo on the right shows the locomash team and the display on the show field

BIG UPGRADE at Wray Institute!

2007-04-15T06:21:00.000Z

Hi all, message from Simon who looks after the PCs at the online centre, please could you add your comments to this post for him? thanks, chris.

The computers have been upgraded as follows:

Windows XP

Office XP (Access, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Word)

Publisher 2000

Photoshop Elements 4.0

Adobe Reader 8

AVG Anti-Virus

Firefox web browser

Picassa

Google Talk

Skype

Encarta

Autoroute 2001

If possible I would like feedback from people who use it, what they think, any other software they would like installed, other hardware, like printer, scanner etc??

Hope to hear from you soon

Simon

you want it free?

2007-03-30T08:48:00.000Z

click here
very comprehensive list of all the stuff you need on your pc, anti virus, spyware, browsers etc
thanks to John for the link

Free dial up number

2007-02-24T07:56:00.000Z

For times when you need web access if the broadband network is down or for when you are away from home.
Sign up for this free pay as you go service and configure your computer ready for any emergency.
Click here

Sunday 4th Feb. Network outage

2007-02-04T10:52:00.000Z

Hi all,
both the Wray and Wennet networks are down, due to a fail in the feed from the mast. I am posting this for your information so if you use your emergency dial up connection you can find out what is happening. We may not get a connection back until tomorrow when the technicians return to work. Please be patient.
UPDATE
normal service resumed at 12 noon, many thanks to University Network Services

Just Ask

2007-01-26T08:28:00.000Z

Please sign petition at the Country Landowners Association, they have a campaign going to encourage people to Just Ask where their food is coming from...
click here (it only takes 10 secs)
thanks

A must read site

2007-01-25T12:21:00.000Z

This is an essential site to put in your favourites folder, No Bull Tips from a Guru.
Click here to visit Woody's site
All the latest news on viruses, microsoft patches and tips.

Computer Club news

2007-01-23T13:08:00.000Z

The club continues to meet on a Friday, 2-3pm in the institute online centre.

Simon's drop in sessions start next Wednesday 24th January, 7-8 pm come along and discuss your ICT needs and have some fun. These will be held every Wednesday evening until further notice.

Also there are plans for Monday afternoon lessons, they will be posted here when we have more information, please contact us or comment if there are any specific classes you are interested in.
thanks

Internet usage and safety

2007-01-23T13:04:00.000Z

Thanks to everyone who has limited their daytime usage to under 50meg per hour, the network is now very stable and connections available for all. We have up to a hundred different users a day according to University statistics.

Requests from parents for guidance about safe surfing have been received, so this is a good link for any who would like more information:

http://www.wiredsafety.org/resources/pdf/socialnetworktips.pdf

and one for those who like Bebo:

http://www.bebo.com/SafetyTips.jsp

and one for youtube:

http://www.wiredsafety.org/resources/pdf/I%20Tube.pdf

if these aren't enough and you are still concerned please contact us and we will try to help. Leave comments on this blog if you find any other good sites with information, thanks.

second hand furniture

2007-01-22T09:15:00.000Z

Home and office furniture, recycled and refurbished
01524428055
click here to go to their website

Campaign for real gravy

2006-11-21T22:21:00.000Z

Gordon Ramsey visited the Fenwick Arms in Claughton recently, and just down the road here in Wray in the Lune Valley we are pleased to support the Campaign for Real gravy

Good luck to the Fenwick Arms, thanks to Gordon Ramsey it serves the best gravy in England

Have your say...

2006-11-20T23:02:00.000Z

Have your say about our institute,click here to go to a forum where you can post your views, (please respect the feelings of others), or post your views here on the blog if you prefer.

JFDI community broadband - Wennington

2006-11-07T07:49:00.000Z

A book written about community broadband, featuring Wray and the Wennington project, click here...

November 14th Network Upgrade

2006-10-30T19:03:00.000Z

Hi all, a message from the University below,
the last two upgrades had no effect on the network but it is as well to be forwarned!
chris

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to advise you of scheduled Network upgrade that will be

taking place on the 14 November 2006.

During this time, there is a small risk of a brief interruption to your
connectivity to the Internet.

The brief outage should not last more than 5 minutes and will take place

some time between 07:00 and 09:00.

Many thanks for your understanding.

Regards

Andy Ellis
Lancaster University Network Services Ltd

Free AVG update

2006-10-30T11:51:00.000Z

Click here for free AVG update, just follow the instructions on the page.

wray on youtube

2006-10-14T22:43:00.000Z

Click here to watch the wray video on youTube

The Hoff vid

2006-10-11T20:58:00.000Z

Link to watch the Hoff, cheesy vid on google video.

Fun page made with google page creator

2006-10-10T07:51:00.000Z

Check out the fun page, click here

Planned network outages 10th & 17th October

2006-10-02T12:18:00.000Z

Dear all,

I would like to advise you of a brief service outage which will affect our equipment located in the Lancaster University Network Services Headend Rack. The outage is taking place on 10.10.06 @ 07.00 to 09.00 and is due to a change in the internal routing of the network. This work may, therefore, disable your site/s internet connectivity for the specified period. The second outage over same time period is on 17th October.

Kind Regards

Andy Ellis
Lancaster University Network Services Ltd
Network Operations Desk

Computer Club

2006-09-21T19:05:00.000Z

Starting the Winter session on Tuesday, October 3rd at 7pm-9pm Wray Institute. Everybody welcome,come and join in and teach and learn new stuff.
Classes will run if enough people are interested in the same subject, we need around 10 people to get a tutor in. Lots of advice going free, just come and see if its your cup of tea...

digital noticeboard at Wray

2006-09-21T14:29:00.000Z

anyone who is interested can have a category of their own and upload photos to it for everyone to see. You can access it online from this link http://217.114.48.120:8000/ just register with your email address and a password and away you go.

Free fax via your PC

2006-09-19T15:18:00.000Z

Tuesday, September 19, 2006
http://www.fax2mail.co.uk/
free fax to email!
works for 30 days
How it works
Faxes can be Sent, Received, Saved, Filed, Forwarded and Tracked in seconds directly from your existing E-mail Client or Web-Mail Account. A transparent process, which occurs outside of your PDA, Laptop, Desktop Computer, Servers and Network with Traffic being forwarded through Fax2Mails high-speed, high-volume global network, essentially a managed service.

When Receiving a fax, Fax2Mail automatically converts the fax to an Adobe PDF (Free Download of Adobe Reader available here) or TIFF file attachment and forwards it to the assigned user's e-mail address, with ‘notification’ in the subject line.

When Sending a fax, Fax2Mail supports virtually all common document types including spreadsheets and graphic images. These are then automatically converted to outbound faxes and forwarded to the number provided.

googletalk updated

2006-08-17T08:47:00.000Z

Even more features now added, file share and voicemail. I have tested the voicemail and it works great, you just call offline friends and leave a message, the call is then sent to them on an email and they can play it when they get home. File sharing seems to be very slow, but this will probably improve with time and better connections. Definitely worth trying.

Great free software downloads

2006-08-14T20:44:00.000Z

click here for virus protection, spyware removers and all sorts of useful programs

Emergency 'dial up' link

2006-08-12T16:57:00.000Z

Click here
this is a cool site, you can use it when you are away from home and can't find a hotspot or when the broadband is down.Full instructions are provided on this link to set it up on your computer. You just input the number, enter the user name and password, and pay a local rate to access the internet via a local phone charge. Take care not to use it in hotels though! They sometimes charge extra for a phone line. You can also subscribe to their service for free, and use dial up when you like and have free webspace. This is a very handy link for the odd times when the network is down due to electricity cuts or backhaul outages. It means you can have an emergency connection for important emails or access.

Mrs Nicholls retires from Wray School

2006-07-24T13:53:00.000Z

Many tears were shed on the night of Wray School’s Annual Prize Giving, and Mrs. Nicholls’s Retirement ‘Do’, as it sunk in for many that Mrs Nicholls really was leaving Wray School.

The evening was held in the garden of the George & Dragon Pub, and began with a collection of musical talent, with flute and recorder players performing their well rehearsed pieces to an audience of more than one hundred past and present pupils, teacher and parents.

Natasha Halsey began with ‘Speed Bonny Boat’, followed by Tamsin Seed with ‘Oh Soldier Soldier’, both played on flute.

The audience were then treated to a rendition of the following songs by Wray School Recorder Group (Mary P., Megan D., Megan T., Anna W., Tara G and Amy H) who played three songs: ‘Land of the Silver Birch’, ‘Woofenbackers Boogie’, and ‘Cascudura Beguine’.

The music really boosted the evening, and got everyone in the mood for the anticipation of Prize Giving.

Prizes were awarded to Years One, Two, Three, Four and Five, followed by the Special Awards; the Handwriting Trophy was awarded to Edward Price and Tara Gurjal; the Sportsmanship Trophy was awarded to Ben Wallbank and Lois Reece; and the Football Trophy was awarded to Simon Dwight.

These Awards were not for one particular achievement, but instead being for what each pupil had achieved throughout their whole school lives.

After these Awards were presented, the Year Six Awards were finally given out, starting in alphabetical order from ‘W’!

Mrs Nicholls said some lovely comments on how all the pupils had changed over the years. The pupils looked shocked by Mrs. Nicholls’s stories, as Mrs Nicholls reminisced and remembered each pupil from so long ago.

Mrs. McFadden then led the pupils into song – and actions! – for ‘La Cocharacha’ and ‘Island in the Sun’., there was a Caribbean thread woven through these songs, and whilst it was obvious Mrs. McFadden and the pupils of Wray School had worked very hard to ensure the songs and actions were perfect, this was a perfect ending for the evening’s first interval where parents, teachers and pupils were able to grab refreshments and have a chat.

Part two of the evening’s Retirement ‘Do’ kicked off with a moving speech given by Brenda Mickle – Chair of Governors. It was obvious how much Mrs. Nicholls would be missed, and how much she is a highly valued and special friend, not just as one of the many unique Head Teachers Wray Endowed has ever experienced. Brenda also had some very nice words to say about the School’s current P.T.A. and pupils.

This speech was followed by a flute duet, performed by Natasha Halsey and Tamsin Seed, playing ‘Bertie’s Blues’ for the final time, stayed on stage and were joined by their fellow Year Six students who recited their speeches about Mrs. Nicholls aloud. Some heartfelt things mentioned, Mrs. Nicholls still did not shed a tear!

When all were seated once again, child representatives of the P.T.A. (Robs Whiteley and Natasha Halsey) presented Mrs. Nicholls with an array of gifts, including books and a watch (waterproof!), to name but a few. Teachers, friends, parents and pupils (past and present), all raised their glasses in a toast to Mrs. Nicholls in honour of all her hard work.

It was then that the children got on stage, and seized their chance to shine for the last time. Firstly, they sang S. Club’s ‘Reach for the Stars’, with soloists Megan Taylor, Lois Preece, Lizzie Robinson, Tamsin Seed, Natasha Halsey, Mary Perrins and Steph Allison. The children then moved on to sing ‘Wherever You Go’, by which time Mrs. Nicholls had seated herself before the stage. Soloists this time were Lois Preece, Natasha Halsey, Tamsin Seed and Lizzie Robinson. Written and composed by one of the School’s Music Teachers, with Sue McFadden, Singing Tutor of Wray School, leading pupils in song once more. When the song was over, the group had succeeded in making Mrs. Nicholls shed several tears., parents and pupils also found themselves crying!

The Supper was ready., everyone made sure to grab a plate of the delicious snacks on offer, provided by the parents and guests of Wray School’s pupils, and laid out beautifully by Mr. & Mrs. Taplin and staff of George & Dragon Pub.

The music then began to play, and the drinks continued to flow, as everyone enjoyed having a dance on the stage to Musical Entertainer Dave Carling. Mrs. Nicholls et al looked to be really getting into the swing of things and enjoying themselves together, as the closeness of the School and community as a whole was apparent.

It appeared all were having a good time, and when the fireworks were set off shortly after ten o’clock (by which time I had had to leave!), everyone had enjoyed a fantastic night.

We will all miss Mrs. Nicholls, and she will be long remembered for the great influence she has had on Wray School, her colleagues, pupils (past and present), and the community as a whole.

Missed – but never forgotten.

We wish you, Mrs. Nicholls, luck in all your future quests, and your year long round the world trip.

Reported by: Tamsin Alix Seed, aged 11.

Comments welcomed:
"Everything was delightful; it was quite emotional. I will miss Mrs. Nicholls very much." (Lizzie Robinson)

"A heartwarming and moving evening; I felt very welcome." (Bjorg - Jolene's mum)

Please feel free to leave your comments!

free web pages from google

2006-07-16T18:16:00.000Z

Create your own web pages, quickly and easily.

Google Page Creator is a free online tool that makes it easy for anyone to create and publish useful, attractive web pages in just minutes.

* No technical knowledge required.
Build high-quality web pages without having to learn HTML or use complex software.

* What you see is what you'll get.
Edit your pages right in your browser, seeing exactly how your finished product will look every step along the way.

* Don't worry about hosting.
Your web pages will live on your own site at http://yourgmailusername.googlepages.com
click here for test run

slight problem with network...

2006-06-12T10:03:00.000Z

Sorry if your connection was intermittent over the weekend 10/11th June, one of the boxes at school decided to sleep and traffic had to be re-diverted to other boxes. We are hoping to have it fixed today, but if anyone continues to experience problems please let us know by posting a comment here on the blog,
cheers, keep rockin.
chris

Jan Pan's Hen Day - Go Ape Grizedale forest! also Race for Life

2006-05-30T20:09:00.000Z

A hen do with a difference!
click here to see the photos and look in comments for the Race for Life photos

Apple mac man

2006-05-13T07:35:00.000Z

This chap has been working with several villagers over the past few years and comes highly recommended, (you can leave a comment here on the blog about him or ask him a question)

Apple Mac computers
Installation, configuration, trouble-shooting
Reasonable rates

Phil Keen
Tel: 01524 37381
Mob: 0787 6747187
Fax: 0870 0562268
e-mail: phil@ivrig.demon.co.uk

Wray Scarecrow Festival

2006-05-04T09:32:00.000Z

Photos and videos now online

family search

2006-04-25T07:34:00.000Z

From: josephsue(at)aol.com

message
Hi there. I am doing some research on my family background and i believe my grandfather
and great grand father were brought up in your viliiage.
Their names were john and frederick johnson and i believed they lived at 4 mill cottages.
IF it is possible, could someone contact me if there is any more information that might be useful.
Thanks for your time. Joe

scarecrows have their own blogspot!

2006-04-22T20:48:00.000Z

Just click on the link to see the scarecrows from 2006.
Click Here

Computer Club news - camera project

2006-04-20T22:19:00.000Z

The university chaps came out tonight with the packs for the camera project. They distributed polaroid, disposable and usb video cameras to people who are taking part. Full instructions for the usb cameras are on this link
I will post a resume in a comment to this post.
chris

Free Office software

2006-04-09T10:30:00.000Z

This is a free download of open source software that looks and feels just like the microsoft version. We have downloaded, installed and tested it and it is great. If you can't afford the 'official' version and don't want to use pirate copies then give this a try. It is completely free with no strings attached. The open source community share their knowledge to everyone.

http://www.openoffice.org/

family search

2006-04-09T08:38:00.000Z

> I am writing to you from Ontario Canada. I am doing research on the Wray
> Family tree. This is My mothers family. I would really appreciate any
> help you can give me. Is there a Wray family in the area? Can you put me
> in contact with someone who might have information on the family. I have
> a record of Andrew Wray born on 1821 in Holdgate England. Thank you so
> much for your help. Jennifer, Canada
Please post any info in 'comments'.

New photography project

2006-04-03T16:15:00.000Z

Project Description
The University are currently looking at ways of using "situated displays" to support the community of Wray as well as to provide a communication channel for the village. When they talk about situated displays they mean electronic displays of various sizes (from a small mobile phone screen through to large plasma/TV screen). The display will probably be located in the Village Hall - though it may also be accessible through your own PC. If you can think of a better location for a display please tell us. The display could be interactive, with a touch screen or equipped with wireless technologies so that you could upload pictures, videos, sound, etc. to the display from your mobile phone, PDAs, laptop computer or via the web. We are interested in finding out from you how communal activities and information are currently recorded and displayed in Wray as well as learning how you think this might be improved.
If you would like to take part in the project please email us on this LINK = project(at)wraycomcom.org.uk
Your Participation in the project will consist of:

1. Keep a scrapbook. Put any materials you wish in to the scrapbook: photos, drawings, maps, ticket stubs, random thoughts etc. We'll also provide you with polaroid cameras and electronic materials so that you can provide digital photos, video, mobile phone images or even sound recordings. These can either be returned to us on the camera, or uploaded to the blog. Visit the blog for more info on how to upload your stuff.
2. Be creative. What would you do with the situated displays? How might you like it to look? What other technologies do you think could be used to support village activities and add to general sense of community in Wray? Remember, no idea is crazy!! Give us your whacky, unreasonable, or funny ideas (as well as some sensible ones too J).
Some possible ideas…

· Give some examples of activities that are initiated, organised or coordinated through the message boards in Wray.

· Take a photo of any message that would not be appropriate for display on a public message board.

· Take a photo of your favourite part of Wray tell us about why it is your favourite.

· Take a photo that you think captures the sense of Wray as a community.
Thanks for reading this!
Keith.

Computer Club news

2006-03-21T18:51:00.000Z

The last club meeting on 16th March was great fun, we worked out how to download legal music files and burn them to a cd to play in the car. Carl kindly wrote out a full instruction list and everyone got the document by email. We also updated laptops to XP service pack 2 and updated virus protection. The next meeting is on April 6th. (Ist and 3rd Thursdays every month)
All welcome.

advance warning, short outage March 16th

2006-03-14T10:58:00.000Z

Dear all,

I would like to advise you of a brief service outage which will affect
our equipment located in the Telewest Preston Head End Rack 5 (Lancaster
University Network Services Ltd). The outage is taking place on 16.03.06
@ 07.30 to 08.00 and is due to a change in the internal routing of the
network. This work will therefore disable your site/s internet
connectivity for the specified period. Inter-site connectivity within
the network will not be effected.

I trust this outage is acceptable.

Kind Regards

Andy Ellis
Lancaster University Network Services Ltd Network Operations Desk

Defender stops pop ups and spyware

2006-02-20T16:43:00.000Z

Thanks to Bob from Wray in America for this link:
click here to read more about Defender

Free Personal Firewall

2006-02-16T22:26:00.000Z

click here to find out about Kerio
"Looking for the FREE Kerio Firewall? You have found the right page. Just like the original, the Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall will keep on working after the first 30 days, only in a more limited mode, but free! Download now, keep the bad guys out".

Notspot survey

2006-02-09T09:01:00.000Z

Please fill in the Notspot survey if you are in a region with little or no access to a broadband connection, it will only take a minute and can be found here http://www.notspot.info and visit the cbn forum if you need help to get a connection in areas that BT cannot reach. http://broadband-uk.coop

Waymarkers new blogspot

2006-02-08T21:50:00.000Z

The new blogspot showing the finished waymarkers for the village footpath is now online. Click Here
The children who had done the designs were there to see the finished work and Hot Toddy and cake was served to everyone after the certificates were presented to the craftsmen and women who made the markers. A display of the tiles the children had made at school was also on show photos of them are on the waymarkers blogspot too.

COMPUTERS FOR RURAL PEOPLE

2006-02-08T17:13:00.000Z

The latest revision of prices and specifications for computers.
The Computers for Rural people Scheme continues to expand and the beginning of the year brings new lower prices. With the exception of the budget model all systems come with Windows xp preinstalled. The price of the Pentium 3 laptop is now £320 and the top of the range Pentium 4 desktop is £265. The price includes VAT, delivery and full warranty.
Contact:
David long
The Arthur Rank Centre
Stoneleigh Park
Warwickshire CV8 2LZ
Direct Line: 02476853067
E mail: davidl@rase.org.uk

google chat

2006-02-07T12:51:00.000Z

New facility being rolled out for googletalk, it enables you to save your chats in your gmail site. Very handy for technical chats where you want a record. You can disable the feature for chats you don't want to save.
email chat@wraycomcom.org.uk if you want an invite to join googlemail and get the benefits of web based mail, video storage, googletalk and free voice calls.
chris

Planned network outage 17th Feb

2006-02-02T12:59:00.000Z

Dear all,

I would like to advise you of a power outage which will affect our
equipment located in the Telewest Preston Head End Rack 5 (Lancaster
University Network Services Ltd).
The outage is taking place on 17.02.06 @ 00.01 to 02.00 and is due to the current UPS unit being replaced. This work will therefore disable your site/s internet connectivity for the specified period.
Inter-site connectivity within the network will not be effected.

I trust this outage is acceptable.

Kind Regards

Andy Ellis
Lancaster University Network Services Ltd
Network Operations Desk

virus alert, not a hoax

2006-01-26T08:16:00.000Z

Flash Report:
SANS Internet Storm Center has found that more than 500,000 personal computers have been infected by the 'Grew' worm (it goes by a number of different names, e.g. 'Nyxem'). On February 3rd, it will delete all documents (Word, Excel and a number of others). Make sure your mom and your kids (and everyone else who may call you when they lose data) to update their AV signatures and run a full scan. "Update now or all your files may get lost." A special Storm Center website on the problem:
http://isc.sans.org/blackworm

Umbilical cord slurry spreading

2006-01-24T06:47:00.000Z

Click here
Check the instructions further down the blog to post your own videos - work, play or educational, google video will host them for you for free, and even make you money from them if you like.

Wray fair

2006-01-23T07:35:00.000Z

this year's fair is on Monday May 1st, this photo shows one of last year's celebs talking to a fan, and is an indication of the happy atmosphere. Hope to see you there.

Stone Waymarkers celebration day

2006-01-23T07:03:00.000Z

The Stone Waymarkers project will come to an end on February 4th with a celebration at the Craft Barn Tea rooms in Wray at 3pm, and mulled wine and cake is the order of the day.. Photos of the waymarkers can be seen on the blogspot and the children will be there to receive their certificates for their work and designs. Photos of waymarkers

Press F1 for help?

2006-01-23T06:50:00.000Z

Service from PC world, countrywide help at a price, click here to visit their website, or come to the computer club and help each other? Click here for price list from Pc World Press F1 for help site.
(computer club meets every fortnight, subs £2)

Free downloads

2006-01-21T21:18:00.000Z

Click here to go to a site with free downloads, including Firefox, Thunderbird, Cute Pdf writer, open office, iPod Agent and lots more.

How to build a home network to share files

2006-01-21T12:56:00.000Z

Click here
Easy to follow instructions to share files between your desktop pc and others (laptops?) Thanks to Phil for this set of instructions!

free anti virus protection

2006-01-15T14:09:00.000Z

This is a link to AVG free, just click it, scroll to the bottom of the page that opens and choose the link to avg free, follow instructions and your computer will be protected from virus attacks as long as you keep it updated.
Click here

Emergency 'dial up' link

2006-01-11T22:37:00.000Z

Click here
this is a cool site use it when you are away from home and can't find a hotspot or when the broadband is down.Full instructions are provided on this link to set it up on your computer. You just input the number, enter the user name and password, and pay a local rate to access the internet via a local phone charge. Take care not to use it in hotels though! They sometimes charge extra for a phone line. You can also subscribe to their service for free, and use dial up when you like and have free webspace. This is a very handy link for the odd times when the network is down due to electricity cuts or backhaul outages. It means you can have an emergency connection for important emails or access.

stone workshop at Wray

2006-01-01T19:24:00.000Z

Next stone workshop to be held on January 7th at the Craft Barn tea rooms.
stone workshop at Wray click here to go to the blogspot with photos.

Computer Club

2005-12-23T18:27:00.000Z

Computer club starting due to popular request. First session on Thursday 5th January 2006 7pm.
Come along to Wray Institute and lets all start making the most of the broadband connection and our equipment. All popular software programmes discussed and trouble shooting can be done.
VoIP, podcasts,web conferencing, - If lessons are needed we will organise them. Help available within the community can solve many problems, working together we can all help each other to make the most of our knowledge.
Demos of voip phones and webcams available. The institute is wifi so bring your laptops if you like.

Everybody welcome, post any questions you have in the comments section of this post.

chris

unplanned short outage Dec 21st

2005-12-19T13:37:00.000Z

Network went off late morning Monday Dec 21st
Network up again at 1.00pm.
Planned work at the mast preceeding Melling should have resulted in a micro outage of around 30 secs. However the job unexpectedly involved rewiring the connection which took longer.
Apologies were given by LUNS for any inconvenience,
Queried any further planned maintenance over the break. Was told none was anticipated;.
Regards to all,
Deb