Burn Village Selby
Burn is a small village straddling the A19 to the south of Selby, North Yorkshire.
Village Updates
Chapel funds boosted by butties
Thanks to all who bought a bacon butty, a teacake or just a coffee or a tea at the chapel on Bank Holiday Monday.We raised £162.50 - every little helps!
Welcome to our new website
Welcome to Burn's new website. We hope you find it interesting, easy to navigate and useful. It is still evolving and we welcome any comments or suggestions on how to improve it for you via the 'contact us' section. Please bear with us - the site is run by volunteers...
Summer 2024
We have have an almost new Parish Council - visit The Team page to get to know them....! We hope everyone is having a lovely summer, whatever the weather throws at us, and look forward to seeing you at village events – the next opportunity for a get-together with...
About Burn Village.
With a population of just over 400 people, the village comprises around 190 houses. Most are located along the A19 (Main Road), which runs through the centre of Burn, and along Park Lane (to the east of the main road) and West Lane, Burn Hall Crescent and Burn Hall Close to the southern end of the village, with a number of outlying houses and farms.
The village has a pub, The Wheatsheaf, and a Methodist Chapel and is home to Burn Cricket Club and Burn Gliding Club based on Burn Airfield. The airfield was used by RAF 578 Squadron during WW2 and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 431 (Iroquois) Squadron, which was founded at Burn in November 1942.
For all its diminutive size, Burn has a huge community spirit. Pulled together by common causes – fighting ever-increasing traffic on the A19 which effectively cuts the village in half, opposing plans for a new gypsy and traveller site on Burn airfield in partnership with the residents of the existing travellers’ site and pulling together during Covid, residents also enjoy a regular programme of events and celebrations which include Christmas and Easter activities, one of the country’s longest consecutively running ‘Big Lunches’ in summer and an annual garden event.
Thanks are due to many village volunteers and local businesses for their donations of time, effort, materials, equipment and expertise and to residents for the amazing amounts of charity cash raised including during both lockdown years.
Cricket matches, BBQs and pie and peas nights in the pub, bacon butty mornings, fairs, coffee mornings and a range of other events organised at Burn Methodist Chapel, a Remembrance Service and carol singers at Christmas are some of the activities which also encourage community spirit in Burn.
Village Skills & Volunteers
All the fun events and activities, charity support, campaigns and care for each other during situations like Covid 19 could not happen without a small core group of ‘village elves’ who happily donate their time and efforts. We are always on the lookout for new ideas and new ‘elves’ so please contact us if you’d like to get involved.
Burn's Charity Support
Burn’s village events always include a charity element. In the years of a formal Christmas lights switch-on, the visiting ‘celebrity’ nominates a charity for the village to support and we have raised thousands for a diverse range of causes including the Alzheimer’s Society, Selby Disability Forum, Macmillan, the Firefighters’ Charity, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Salvation Army, St Leonard’s Hospice, The Healthcare Workers’ Foundation and more.
In 2023, the village got behind the efforts of local Hambleton lorry-driver, Stuart Davison, who has been making humanitarian aid trips to Ukraine at his own expense and with support from his boss for time off. A flier round the village and posts on the Facebook page raised vanloads of warm clothing, blankets, toiletries, medicines and toys as well as generating massive newspaper and TV publicity – and even a personal video of support for Stuart from Boris Johnson.
Christmas
For many years from 2007, the village built up a reputation as a celebrity-magnet as stars, and later, local community ‘heroes’, queued up to be the next ‘Lord of the Manor’ in return for performing the Burn Christmas Lights switch-on – and choosing a charity for the community to support for the following twelve months. The event even attracted a ‘radio roadshow’ as the now disbanded Minster FM joined in the festivities, live-broadcasting from the village green.
Christmas activities in 2020 and 2021 were of course tailored to the constraints of Covid-19, with a drive round ‘Santa sleigh’ visit on two Saturdays leading up to Christmas – big thanks are due to many village volunteers and local businesses for their donations of time, effort, materials, equipment and expertise and to residents for the amazing amounts of charity cash raised in both lockdown years.
In 2022, despite no restrictions on public gathering, Burn decided to keep the Santa sleigh tour as the new tradition as everyone felt that it was, in fact, more inclusive, as people did not have to stand out in the cold or endure the traffic past the village green.
2023 saw the return of an official lights ‘switch-on’, when the new MP for Selby & Ainsty, Keir Mather, joined residents on the ‘village green’ to perform the honours. Santa still toured in his sleigh however, raising cash for Burn’s charity drive.
Easter
Started during Covid to lift spirits and provide some amusement, the Easter Sunday morning visit of the Easter bunny (or, more usually, bunnies) has become another new village tradition.
The Big Lunch
Burn took part in The Big Lunch, the national initiative started by Cornwall’s Eden Project to persuade whole communities and neighbours to get together at street parties, for ten years from 2009 to 2019 – becoming one of the longest consecutively running Big Lunch events in the country. Burn is now one of the Eden Project’s ‘poster lunches’ and is regularly featured in their publicity.
Held in marquees on the pub carpark, attendance has grown from the initial 80 or so to well into triple figures, increasing year on year come rain or shine, and has raised thousands of pounds for charity.
The lunch only paused in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid and returned with a massive 200-plus attendees in 2022 for the late Queen’s Jubilee. But the idea was kept alive in those two lockdown years by encouragement of end-of-driveway picnics and a goody bag for every household containing a newsletter, adult and children’s quiz books and a money off voucher for meals from the village pub to help it through the pandemic as well as supporting residents.
Burn in Bloom
The Burn in Bloom garden “competition” was first held in 1971 and awards over the years include certificates, silver cups and salvers and merit certificates. The event is currently on hold while we give it a bit of an overhaul. The plan still includes the traditional awards, but we hope to add more categories, particularly to encourage our younger residents to have a go.
Remembrance
Burn’s ‘village green’ is home to two memorial stones – one commemorating RAF 578 Squadron, the other, erected in 2012, in memory of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 431 ‘Iroqouis’ Squadron. Both squadrons flew out of Burn airfield during World War II and every November, following a service in Burn Chapel, Remembrance observations are held at the memorials.
Burn Methodist Chapel
Opened in 1866, Burn’s original village chapel, a Primitive Methodist church, was to be found in Park Lane. The present Wesleyan chapel dates from 1895.
The chapel welcomes everyone to join in worship and holds special services for Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas. The chapel also hosts a programme of coffee mornings, craft fairs the regular ‘social & refreshment’ session Pop-In from 2pm to 4pm on the first and third Thursdays of the month and other events. From September 2024, all Sunday morning services start at 10.30.
Burn Airfield
Burn village is proud of its wartime association with both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force through its small airfield, now home to Burn Gliding Club. Remembrance is marked every November on the village green, home to memorials for both the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 431 ‘Iroqouis’ Squadron and the Royal Air Force – RAF 578 Squadron.
The Wheatsheaf
A warm welcome awaits in Burn’s traditional country pub The Wheatsheaf Inn
Hosts Andy and Joanne and their friendly staff offer a full range of beers, lagers and spirits, including guest ales and their famous malt whisky collection. Home-cooked food is available every lunchtime and Wednesday to Saturday evenings in this dog-friendly hostelry. Open from 12 noon daily (closed Tuesdays).
Burn Cricket Club
Burn CC is a traditional village cricket club, located 3 miles south of Selby on the A19 Doncaster Road. A little historic note on Burn Cricket Club: before the last war however explains that Burn cricket ground was one field in from Blossoms Day-care on Main Road and tea was carried in a white bucket, along with a basket of sandwiches, from Mrs Simms who lived in the council houses.
Burn Gliding Club
Always dreamed of learning to fly? Or are you just seeking a thrill? Burn Gliding Club has been based at Burn Airfield since 1984, offering flight experiences and the opportunity to join a friendly club of like -minded individuals.