Village of the Week: Where memories of a bygone era are still enjoyed in day to day life in Masham

Of course, there is that, as properties to buy are not cheap, but there are shared ownership schemes giving options to younger people and those on the wages that are actually relevant to the local area rather than a wildly unrealistic affordable housing calculation.

But the essentials to make a community, rather than just a tourist trade are still here.

A primary school, two butchers, bakery, green grocer and newsagent, two delis, fine wine shop, chemist, Co-op, outdoor clothing and equipment shop, petrol station, cafes and takeaways, fish and chip shop, barbers and hair and beauty salons and four pubs.

In addition there are galleries, gift shops and sweet shops.

There is also a band of people that love Masham for what and who it is – and want that to prosper – so are working behind the scenes to make sure that all of the above is still viable.

Mashamshire Community Office has been going for 20 years and last year was given the opportunity to purchase the Old Police House in Masham, a place the charity had been based for two decades, as the fire and police services that were based there were set to re-locate.

To carry on as they were, they needed to raise £215,000 - not an easy task at the best of times and certainly not when coinciding with a sharp increase in the cost of living.

In less than a year they raised more than £180,000 and were expected to complete the purchase this month.

It is home to the Acorns Pre-school Playgroup, the Masham Parish Council clerk, Masham Community Library and is the booking office for Masham Town Hall.

The office is at the centre of activities, information and collaborations to support the community and businesses.

Hayley Jackson, MCO Manager said: “Over the past 20 years MCO has diversified and adapted our offering to support the community in times of need such as through COVID. This past year we’ve been on a journey to promote our services and actively share and shout about what we do and the difference we make.

“Going through the process of fundraising for the Community Office building over this past year has brought people together in such an amazing way. Our community have driven this fundraising effort, people feel pride and ownership over this building, they value what our charity does here in Masham and what a central role we play in supporting our rural community.

“We knew it was important, but we’ve been able to see just how much it’s at the heart of the community and how much people care. The people of Masham see it as their building, and it’s really important to them that we retain it for the future.”

One of the biggest community events in Masham, and a nod to what it is so synonymous with, is the annual Masham Sheep Fair.

It was started by Susan Cunliffe-Lister and volunteers 30 years ago and was meant to be a one-off to raise money for farmers in Africa – Sheep Aid.

It raised £7,950 and from there it became an annual event, raising almost £160,000 for local charities ever since.

At one time, the market place would be filled with in the region of 70,000 sheep being put up for sale and the Sheep Fair continues.

This year it will be held on Saturday September 30 and Sunday October 1, along with events that have been added over the years such as sheep racing, a craft market, fleece stalls, sheepdog demonstrations, Morris dancers and art exhibition and tours of Theakstons and Black Sheep Breweries.

This brings us to another Masham tradition that has been very much under the spotlight of late.

In May, the Black Sheep Brewery, based in Masham, was sold to London investment firm Breal Capital for £5m in a pre-pack administration deal – a process that effectively allows businesses to continue trading seamlessly as before with the same name but can cause controversy because of its impact on creditors owed money.

It was a deal that would save 140 jobs after the company made a £1.6m loss in 2022/23 as it struggled with the fallout from the pandemic and rising costs.

However, there is an on-going row over what is owed to shareholders and creditors.

This aside, the brewing history in Masham goes back six generations.

A pint of Theakstons, much like a pint of Black Sheep, is as much a must do when you visit the Yorkshire Dales as having fish chips is when you are at the coast.

That brewery also has quite a history after being set up by Robert Theakston in 1827. The business stayed within the family for generations until a dispute in 1984 within the family over the future direction of it prompted court action and its sale to a brewery in Blackburn.

The family bought the business back in 2003 and it is now thriving with new beers and new collaborations.

Long before sheep farming became popular, Masham was inhabited by the Romans and then the Vikings who were the first permanent inhabitants of the village that sits a small distance away from the River Ure.

They did introduce sheep farming and over the coming centuries, Masham developed as a very small town with milling, mining, cloth making and tanning industries and received its first market charter in 1251.

The markets are still held today.