Archive

  • Is the New Year Honours List now past its sell-by date?

    Most of us begin the new year with a hangover and a wavering resolve to lose weight, do more exercise or get a better job. For a select few, however, the year begins with something more to celebrate than the chance for a fresh start. Happy New Year

  • Zara makes it a nappy new year

    IT was a magical welcome to 2007 for this little baby - the first in York Hospital to make her appearance on January 1. Zara Lamont was born at 2.15am on New Year's Day, to the delight of parents Amy and Neal, who live in Escrick. Zara was born by

  • MS sufferer cut off by broadband failure

    A HOUSEBOUND MS sufferer who relies on the internet was left isolated over Christmas and New Year by a faulty internet and telephone service. Fi Beacon, 50, of Wigginton, switched to Talk Talk in August, because of the discounted broadband internet the

  • Festive misery after dog bite

    A VICIOUS dog left a girl with a broken finger and a Christmas spent in hospital. Kirsty Robson, 15, of Acomb, York, was rushed to hospital on Christmas Eve after she was attacked at Batchelor Hill. The Acomb green space - bordered at the top by Askham

  • York drivers 'happy' with parking fines

    FEWER parking tickets in York went to the national adjudicator than almost anywhere else in the country last year, according to a new report. An annual review by the National Parking Adjudication Service found that only 0.03 per cent of penalty charge

  • Anger as road plan is shelved

    COUNCIL bosses have come under fire for shelving plans for a pedestrian crossing at a busy York junction, but have pledged to look again at the scheme. It had been planned to improve the pedestrian islands at the mini roundabout linking Melrosegate and

  • Strangeway island adventures

    "ISLAND Man" Andy Strangeway revealed he is now in high level talks with TV companies wanting to make a documentary of his adventures. Andy, 41, of Full Sutton, near Pocklington, has braved severe weather conditions and treacherous seas to attempt to

  • Lack of will a 'disgrace'

    The state of the two main roads linking York to the coast has long been a sore point. Neither the A1079 nor the A64 are up to the job. For much of their length, they are not even dual carriageways. That makes them dangerous - and it also damages the

  • Job well done

    THEY'RE the jobsworths we all love to hate. They're the butt of cruel jokes and sometimes cruel treatment. So it's good to learn that in York at least, the much-maligned traffic warden seems to be doing a decent public service. The city's wardens

  • Are cars so safe in footstreets?

    ON a busy day after Christmas, my wife was walking along the crowded "pedestrian precinct" of Davygate, when she was pushed over from behind by a slowly and quietly moving car. Her foot was trapped under a front wheel and she sustained a broken bone

  • Centre is vital

    WITH regard to D Hall's letter about the new small business eco-centre (January 1), can I make the following points. The centre will provide modern space for local business to grow. It is an important part of the city economic regeneration strategy

  • Keep conductors

    I DON'T live in York any more, so have missed out on a huge amount of the uproar over the ftr buses, though have been told stories by family members. Being back in York for Christmas, and New Year, I've found using these services is usually much

  • Bag Samaritan

    I WOULD like to send a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful person who kindly returned my handbag (which I had carelessly left on a trolley in the car park) to the reception at the Tesco supermarket in Clifton Moor. I asked if any name had been

  • State-run brothels

    FOR the past few weeks one subject has dominated the TV news, namely the deaths of five young women in the Ipswich area. Why so much media attention and why such a massive police response? Yes, these women were young, yes, they were someone's relatives

  • Skipping the issue

    A HOUSE in my neighbourhood is undergoing some serious renovation. In front of the house is, according to my count, the third skip that they are now in the process of filling with all sorts of potentially recyclable materials. When the skip driver

  • ‘Arrogant’ foxhunters who break the law

    RE your report concerning the fox-hunting debate (Riders in a storm, December 27). Why do blood-sport enthusiasts continue to hunt foxes contrary to the law of the land? And are they so selective in the laws they ignore or uphold, bearing in mind that

  • York asbestos time bomb

    THE asbestos timebomb has claimed the lives of scores of former York Carriageworks employees over the years. But victims and their families never felt they had enough support and representation - until the launch earlier this year of a York support group

  • North v South road cash row

    CAMPAIGNERS have blamed the North/South divide for a "futile waste of public money" on London roads while a York A-road remains congested and dangerous. Grahame Hicks, chairman of the Action Access A1079 group, wrote to MP Graham Stuart condemning a

  • You’ve got to be quackers to do this!

    DUCK racers in a village near York had a "quacking" time at their annual New Year's Day outdoor fundraiser. About a hundred people turned out to Escrick's duck race which raises money for Escrick CE Primary School's Parent Teacher Association. The village

  • Plan to change 999 fears road

    COUNCIL chiefs are set to address elderly residents' concerns that their street is too narrow to allow emergency vehicles to reach their homes. Several proposals to tackle the width of Langholme Drive, off Boroughbridge Road, will be put before councillors

  • Our Christmas under a quilt

    SHIVERING under a quilt - that was how one York couple spent Christmas because of a long-running saga over their central heating. Lee Southren and his fiancee Margaret Lunn, claim the heating problems in their Ryedale Housing Association flat in Lindley

  • Quitting smoking bus set for new year tour

    SMOKERS who want to quit this new year will be able to get support by visiting a special bus which is touring the county this month. The NHS North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service will be visiting towns and cities across the county in its Smoke Free Bus

  • The queen heralds work of mother and daughter

    IT'S double celebration for a mother and daughter duo from Selby. Not only did Sallie Lockwood and her daughter Emma Cazzalini both celebrate their birthdays on New Year's Day, but the pair have also each been honoured by the Queen. As reported in The

  • Bridge alert road misery

    VILLAGERS have been forced to take lengthy diversions following the closure of a damaged bridge. The stone bridge over the River Rye half a mile south of Rievaulx was closed on Friday after a resident at the cottage adjourning the bridge noticed cracks

  • Worry and Lose Weight

    Well I've promised myself I'll exercise at least three times a week in 2007. That layer of Turkey fat that now sits around my midriff will be gone in no time. To be followed by the pouch of nuts, the layer of fudge, the coating of chocolate, the shell

  • Struggling with your new year’s resolution?

    SO YOU'VE made your new year's resolutions - but how long will you keep them? Surveys show we have an appalling track record at sticking to our pledges for the new year. Seven in ten of us make some sort of new year's resolutions, but three-quarters

  • Anyone know how to make me confident?

    Yet again, I'm asking myself the question: "Why did I go out?" Year after year, I make a pledge to stay in on New Year's Eve, curl up and watch television with a bottle of wine and a dozen bars of Green & Blacks' finest. Yet, year after year, I end

  • Ancient abbey ale toasted

    EVERY New Year deserves a toast - and a historic North Yorkshire abbey is inviting ale enthusiasts to have a festive tipple, 12th century style. Rievaulx Abbey, near Helmsley, has launched a new limited edition bottled beer which is a recreation of the

  • Tourism bid is on track

    A HUGE marketing campaign to lure people to York for a day-out break or longer is under way. The concerted plea to visit the city is a joint venture by York-based train operator GNER and Enjoy England, the domestic marketing division of national tourism

  • New hosts offer welcome to village

    THREE hospitality businesses in one tiny North Yorkshire village have been sold. In the space of six months, deals have been done on the sale of a pub, a self-catering business and a guest house in the picturesque village of Wrelton, about two miles

  • Political changes set to spark an ‘uncertain’ 2007

    A NEW prime minister coupled with a reinvigorated Conservative party will create "uncertainty" for business in 2007, the new president of the CBI said today. Martin Broughton, who is also chairman of British Airways, predicted that the coming year will

  • City shake off virus as squad show their worth

    YORK City boss Billy McEwan paid tribute to his squad after they overcame a virus to clinch a crucial 3-1 victory at play-off rivals Morecambe. Illness deprived City the services of key defender David McGurk and talented winger Martyn Woolford for yesterday's

  • Morecambe 1, York City 3

    JANUARY 1 is all about new beginnings so it was fitting that York City welcomed 2007 with a victory at long-time nemesis Morecambe. The Minstermen have been comfortably beaten in each of their last three visits to Christie Park but ran out impressive

  • Wise won’t be drawn on Healy

    LEEDS United manager Dennis Wise refused to discuss David Healy's future after he inspired a priceless 2-1 Coca-Cola Championship victory against Coventry. The Northern Ireland striker ended a six-match goal drought with a superb opener against the Sky

  • Heworth entertain in semi triumph

    HEWORTH A' ARFLC sent local rivals York Groves crashing from the York and District Cup after an entertaining 22-4 semi-final victory at York Acorn's Thanet Road ground. Both teams tested each other in the early stages with fine tackling, but Heworth

  • I want 2007 to be a great year for York City

    I WOULD like to take this opportunity to wish our loyal supporters a happy New Year because the biggest plus for me over the last 12 months has been the size of our fanbase, which is growing bit by bit. We had 3,500 against Halifax on what is normally

  • Neste trio pipped at the post in relay

    A TRIO from Nestle Rowntree Athletics Club were overhauled on the last leg as they finished second in the York Christmas Relay cross country race. The race saw the first runner from each team run a 1.5-mile leg, with the other two racers running three-mile

  • A black beauty

    BLACKTOFT, who failed to last out over a mile and a half at Kempton on his latest outing, reverts in distance at Lingfield tomorrow and is napped to get back on the winning trail. The areneleisureplc.com Handicap is the target for Stuart Williams' gelding

  • Derwent Hunt enjoys big turn out

    THERE was a bumper turn out for the traditional New Year's Day hunt at Thornton-le-Dale. This year, about 350 people turned out for the meet - despite the law preventing hunting with hounds, which many thought might spell the end of the tradition. About

  • Is that SIPPRI? No, actually it’s MLPPP

    Och aye, the ning nang noo! Well, we finally made contact with the aliens. When we recently called Beam Us Up Scottie in this column, we did not expect Scottie actually to beam down on us. Our call for interplanetary communication came after we received

  • Help! Who needs it?

    MY WIFE'S been very, very quiet just lately. What bliss, lucky man, you might think. But, no, I know her better than that. At first I thought she might be nursing a monster hangover from all the Christmas festivities. The number of times I had to pick

  • Sorry, Gran, you’re not allowed in here!

    THREE grannies and their friends - just the kind of refined people any bar would love to grace their premises. But not at Flares, the theme pub in York, as the "ladies of a certain age" discovered when they arrived for a Christmas drink. According to

  • Air ambulance breaks record for fundraising

    THANK YOU! That's the message from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the people of York and North Yorkshire, after a record-breaking fundraising year. More than 14,000 people in 2006 donated money to the service - which is run as a charity, and receives

  • Drunken New Year revellers fill cells

    POLICE cells in York and North Yorkshire were full again as officers struggled to cope with drunken New Year revellers. This follows a similar situation over Christmas when all the county's cells were also full to bursting. Officers had to put in place