HUBBERHOLME'S annual land letting event has taken place, with bidding at the George Inn.

The annual letting of the 16-acre Kirkgill field, widely known as the Poor Pasture, has become a tradition in the small parish.

Otherwise known as the "Dales Parliament", the event concerns a field, which has a roadside situation between Hubberholme and Raisgill and was bequeathed to the locality for the benefit of the poor in the parish.

The land-letting began this year with the lighting of a candle in the bar of the George Inn at 8.30pm.

Bids are accepted while the candle burns and the accepted bid is the highest at the time the candle gutters and goes out.

The land-letting is overseen by a House of Lords, comprising the vicar and his wardens, and a House of Commons, made up from the throng assembled at the bar.

It is usually preceded by a service at Hubberholme Church, after which the vicar and his parishioners walk across the bridge to the inn.

However, the parish is currently without a vicar, after the departure of the Rev Tony Knapp in October and the churchwardens, Ross and Avril Harrison, thought it was unreasonable to expect a cleric to travel the length of the dale in what might be adverse weather.

This year, though, the bad weather caused a landslide of mud on to the field and there had been speculation whether this would affect the bidding.

David Bowdin, of Oughtershaw, who has been the lessee of the Poor Pasture by four years, entered a winning bid of £400.

Mrs Harrison said the price was pushed up this year because Mr Bowdin had been keen to hold onto the land where he had kept his stock.

She added in past years bidding had reached as high as £500 and as low as £250, so this year's price was quite good and a lot of interest had been shown.

She added: "There was a slow start with the bidding, but it's always the same. There was a good turnout though and the bidding started around 8.30pm."

She added people had eventually made their way home in the early hours of the morning.