Catwick, Yorkshire – Thankful Village #55




Catwick is the 55th Thankful Village I have visited; though it is now thought Welbury may not in fact be a Thankful Village. They will find more as well and maybe I will go to them, but for now this is the end.

I feel an urge to be alone but the village won’t let me. It opens its arms. Linda invites me into the Old Forge out of the rain. She makes me tea then takes me to visit Godfrey.

Godfrey has newspaper clippings about Catwick going back over 100 years. It was a collection started by his mother. He also owns the tractor he worked on when he was 17.

Godfrey tells me how a coin was nailed to the Old Forge door for every soldier that went to the Great War. They all returned.

I take photos in the rain. A man thinks I look like trouble.

‘Are you looking for someone? Can I help you?’

The last words from a Thankful Village somehow define all I have been doing.