Archive

A MAJOR search has been launched for a girl missing from a care unit in York. Police are scouring the city by helicopter and on the ground, after the girl was reported missing this evening. Officers have been searching Rawcliffe Ings

RACING fans flocked in their thousands to take a behind the scenes look at some of North Yorkshire's top yards during the Middleham Stables Open Day. Early indications were that attendances for the Good Friday event, which allowed the public

Yorkshire’s last survivor of the Battle of Britain will celebrate his 90th birthday tomorrow. Terry Clark, of Wheldrake, near York, risked his life to defend his country during the fraught days of 1940. His role was to hunt and destroy enemy aircraft

ONE of the most famous voices in the world is coming to York Minster this summer as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of a leading national charity. The Welsh mezzo soprano singer, Katherine Jenkins will perform in the Minster in June on a bill

YOUNGSTERS across York and North Yorkshire have been presented with a galaxy of fresh opportunities to broaden their horizons. Pupils at a primary school near York have been immersed in their own “imaginary worlds” during an activities week. Each

ANIMAL-LOVERS in a York village could be set for a boost in the shape of its first centre for treating their sick pets. The vacant site of a former estate agency in Dunnington could become a new veterinary clinic as one of the city’s long-standing practices

YORK-based chocolate firm Nestlé has been praised for going green and cutting the packaging of its Easter eggs. The confectionery giant, which has produced 25 million eggs this Easter, says it has cut its overall packaging by 30 per cent, and has removed

A “RECESSION-PROOF” Ryedale Festival is set to be launched next week, with organisers slashing admission prices and offering free tickets to under-18s. Festival organisers have brought in a range of lower-cost tickets as well as the free tickets for

“WE will not let the vandals win,” is the defiant message after yobs uprooted plants around Acomb Green and threw them into the road. The incident, which is believed to have happened late on Tuesday or in the early hours of Wednesday, saw vandals target

TODAY was a very good Friday for Leslie and Irene Foers, as the York couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. The Foers, of Green Lane, Acomb, were married on April 10, 1944, at St Stephen’s Church, Acomb, only weeks before D-Day. Their daughter

LES Dennis has never forgotten the advice of his career’s advisor in Liverpool. “When I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, ‘Read The Good Companions’ [JB Priestley’s play about a musical troupe living from hand to mouth]. “It wasn’t much direct

Commissioned by Bradford Mela in partnership with the Mumbai Festival, Craig Vear’s soundscape performance Superfield (Mumbai), will receive its world premiere in York on Thursday, the day of annual festivities to mark the anniversary of the first Indian

‘Little’ no more, Jimmy Osmond has grown into an all-round performer who has now claimed Chicago as his own, reports Charles Hutchinson. JIMMY will forever be the youngest of the Osmond brothers, but he dropped the “Little” from his name long

COR Meibion De Cymru, the South Wales Male Choir, will perform in aid of Polio Plus at the Sounds Of Wales concert at York Minster on April 25. Under the musical direction of Elaine Robins, the 7.30pm programme will feature two soloists, soprano

YORK rock band Mantra take part in the Good Friday All Dayer at the Speakeasy, Gillygate, York today. Oliver Stevens-Vallecillo, vocals and guitar, Cat Redfern, bass, and Seb Sanghera, bass, will be promoting their full-length album Blackened Cross

GIMME That Swing play music for 18 to 80 year olds at The Winning Post, Bishopthorpe Road, York, next Friday from 8.45pm. The York ten-piece aim to fill the gap between today’s new teen sounds, Seventies’ rock groups and the big dance band sound. “Each

JIMMY Carr’s return to the Grand Opera House with his Joke Technician show on April 28 has sold out. The urbane wag first fine-tuned his Joke Technician material over two nights at the York theatre at the outset of his tour last September. This month

YORK comedy promoter James Christopher is looking forward to Tuesday’s Comedy Gold @ The Golden Fleece to “ease your way back into the working week after the Easter break”. The headline act is one of Scotland’s fastest-rising stars, Chris Forbes

SIX men with nothing to lose, except their pants, will be stripping off once more in The Full Monty at the Grand Opera House, York, for five performances only this autumn. Director Robert Readman unzipped the British amateur premiere of the musical

ELEMENTALS, the new mini-show at The ArtSpace, looks at themes of nature at its most exuberant, through the eyes of Valerie Rolls, Lesley Seeger, Francine Cross and sisters Rosie and Joanna Bramley. “It’s no accident that the work is all

SAXOPHONIST Frank Brooker, guitarist Pat McCarthy and bass player Paul Baxter will be stepping out with York’s Mardi Gras Band tomorrow night, when the seven-piece will be cruising down to London’s Embassy Club. The occasion at the top club, (frequented

NEIL Young is usually at his best when he’s angry. Tonight’s The Night, his most-underrated album, was an anguished howl at the havoc wrought by drug addiction; On The Beach was a desolate portrait of the spiritually-impoverished state of the

IF GOSSIP is to believed, George Michael was the first choice to receive this year’s Britt’s Life Time Award. Whatever, since the ceremony the Pet Shop Boys have been pretty ubiquitous in the music press and to their credit, Messrs Tennant & Lowe

TAXI drivers have turned to Facebook in a bid to draw in more support for their campaign to reopen a 24-hour rank in the centre of York. They have set up a page on the social networking site, calling for people to back their demands for the

FOLLOWING the earnestness of his debut, all but lost in a wash of press coverage of his doomed parentage (father Anthony Perkins and a mother lost in the September 11 attacks), Perkins opts for a band approach this time around. The follow-up has more

WOW. The Veils’ third record is compelling, touching and magnificent. That this band are largely a secret defies belief, but Sun Gangs is surely going to be the record which pitches them to a new level. There’s a slow, brooding, burning intensity

BRISTOL brothers Darren and Gary Simmons celebrate five decades of the Bee Gees in their tribute show Jive Talkin’ with fellow singer Jarrod Loughlin, from Weston-Super-Mare. The west country trio will take to the Grand Opera House stage this month

WHAT an astonishing album this is – nearly as astonishing as the story behind it. Staff Benda Bilili are a group of paraplegic and homeless street musicians from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their circumstances might be difficult,

SELKIRK brothers Scott and Grant Hutchinson follow up the bittersweet Scottish blues of last year’s The Midnight Organ Fight with a live and acoustic rendition of that startling album, recorded in the heat of Glasgow boozer The Captain’s Rest. Out

THEY’RE still young lads, the Black Lips, barely nudging their mid-20s, but already band veterans with nearly a decade of ramshackle tours and woozy records under their belts. They’ve been subject to more than their fair share of myths in that time

COMEDY veteran Ronnie Corbett will star in an evening of song and dance in aid of the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars at the Grand Opera House, York, on July 26. Marguerite Porter, a former Royal Ballet principal ballerina, has assembled a 7.30pm bill that

MARK Smith is directing York Shakespeare Project’s summer show, Julius Caesar, hard on the heels of completing his production of Hard Times for Upstage Centre Youth Theatre last month. “Rehearsals are well underway and in terms of the feel of the play

PERICLES is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-spotted plays, but it can be found at York Theatre Royal from Thursday for three days. “It’s not done often because it’s full of holes, and because it’s so episodic people get frustrated with that,” says Julian

Children’s theatre company Theatre-Rites and aerialists Ockham’s Razor are uniting for the first time for Hang On, a mix of contemporary circus, movement, humour and live percussion at York Theatre Royal. Theatre-Rites’ artistic director

A SECOND York company has secured the licence to present Hairspray. Bev Jones’s Northern Musical Company will stage the Broadway musical at Tadcaster Grammar School from October 26 to 31. Hairspray is widely available to all youth groups, but the licence

Final auditions for Upstage Centre Youth Theatre’s northern premiere of Hairspray will be held today and tomorrow. Dance auditions take place this evening from 6.30pm to 9pm, followed by singing auditions tomorrow from 1pm to 5.30pm, at 41 Monkgate,

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the new-look Peugeot 407. When you’ve got a car the public is happy with, the task of updating it is always a difficult one, which is why you’ve got to applaud Peugeot for resisting the temptation to tinker too much

Motoring Editor STEVE NELSON tries out the new Ford Focus RS, ahead of the legions of eager fans. SUCH was the expectation that greeted this week’s launch of the Ford Focus RS that more than 2,000 drivers in the UK had placed an order before it arrived

THOUSANDS of pounds-worth of investment in new equipment has meant an Easter choc-full of profits and high hopes for a York chocolatier. With a grant of £9,427 from the Rural Development Programme for England, Linda Barrie, of Choc Affair, has been able

THINK of an object, then make a show with it. So runs the philosophy of both the children’s theatre company Theatre-Rites and physical-theatre aerialists Ockham’s Razor, who link arms for an exploratory first collaboration at York Theatre Royal. Ockham

THE concept is not entirely new: show some old silent movies, add live musical accompaniment. City Screen, in its Tempest Anderson Hall days, did so in York; Wetherby Film Theatre had a Laurel & Hardy night; others did too. The added factor, however

REGIONAL Minister Rosie Winterton has launched a one-stop guide to all sources of Government help for people and businesses in Yorkshire that are suffering in the economic downturn. Her Real Help Now guide has been backed by Premier Gordon Brown as well

Gordon Brown is convinced that last week’s agreement at the G20 Summit will impact well on Yorkshire people and businesses. Backing Rosie Winterton’s guide, he said the agreement would mean that the recession would be shorter and more jobs would be saved

WE HAVE a new way of greeting each other in our house. Sneaking through the door, imaginary gun in one hand, pretend torch shining in another, we appear from behind the curtain with a flourish and a breathless “Jack Bauer, CTU” – usually followed

IT REALLY does beggar Diary’s belief when companies carry out research into completely left-field issues. Whether it’s the public view on Michelle Obama’s dress sense being sought by manufacturers of treacle or the local lawnmower firm asking whether

A HUGE cash windfall worth hundreds of thousands of pounds could bring hope to those York residents and businesses facing uncertainty and tough decisions in the recession. Higher York, the organisation which represents the city’s colleges and

“ONE of the words used at Easter is 'hope' and I think we have to be full of hope”. Those were the words of Revd Canon John Manchester, the vicar of Old Malton, who has known missing chef Claudia Lawrence for 33 years. Today he lit a

RAIL passengers and commuters in York look set to lose out when plans for a new high-speed rail link are unveiled later this year. The Department for Transport (DfT) says it remains likely the new route will be on the West Coast Main Line, rather than

AFTER the hammer blow of job losses at Norwich Union, now at last comes some good news. York is to receive £600,000 of new funding to help people who have been made redundant or who are seeking their first job to find work. Half the money is coming from

LABOUR councillor Paul Blanchard is well known for his anti-religious views. But there is a time and a place to express them. And it is not during the search for a vulnerable young York woman who has disappeared. Hearing that prayers were being said

TIMES are hard for everyone at the moment, with the credit crunch and money and job shortages. But on a brighter note, Easter is here, with warmer spring days and the York city walls are adorable with the daffodils. They lift your spirits, even on

IN my previous letter (Birthday bomber, March 9) concerning the strafing of York by a Heinkel bomber in 1941, the date of the attack was December 17, not December 14 as printed. I would like to thank Andrew Hitchon of The Press for taking an

Only UKIP voted against Romania and Bulgaria joining the “sans frontiers” EU. Their ascension was sponsored heavily by the Government and the European Parliamentary Conservative Party. In the light of recent events I think the people should know that

WITH reference to “Sentamu cheers England united” (The Press, April 6). Many times I am not happy concerning comments made by the Archbishop of York – he likes to be in the limelight too much. But in the case of his comments about making St George

Anne McIntosh accuses the Government of “neglecting tourism” (The Press, March 30). This is an odd thing to say when Yorkshire Forward, the Government-funded regional development agency, has just committed £30 million to support Yorkshire’s tourism

I agree with Mr Lyon (Should we all join the protesters?, Soapbox, April 4) that all generations long for a better world, not just the young. We can all dream, but turning dreams into reality is the hard part – and however we despise politicians

Now that the G20 summit is over, what has it achieved? Absolutely nothing, except a multi-million pound bill for all the security, travel and hotel expenses for what amounts to no more than a costly junket. The bill will once again be picked up by

WELL done the prison guards at Full Sutton prison for foiling an escape by Muslim terrorists (Escape plot foiled, The Press, April 1). The alarming fact to me is how did the prison imam have access and possession of keys in a category ‘A’ prison? Do

STEPHEN LEWIS talks to the cycling champion who quit because he says York is too anti-car. JOE Watt is a mass of contradictions. He’s a lifelong Tory who once voted for the Lib Dems against John Major in a general election. He’s a keen

THE recent letters expressing concern about the plan by National Express to install ticket barriers at York station should come as no surprise to those who use their services in East Anglia, where they have “form” when it comes to making a mess of listed

COUNCIL officers warned that a new cycle lane in York might cause congestion for motorists – but claimed the benefits to cyclists meant it was worth it. Drivers have blasted City of York Council over its decision to remove a filter lane near

YORK’S top council chief has appointed a new number two. Bill McCarthy, chief executive at City of York Council, has named Bill Woolley as deputy chief executive. Mr Woolley will continue in his current role as director of city strategy, but will also

MORE of the same please – but with goals. That’s the simple message Martin Foyle is relaying to his York City troops as they prepare for a vital Blue Square Premier relegation clash with Northwich Victoria tomorrow. Buoyed by a gritty display

YORK City’s slickers are suited and booted for their Wembley outing in next month’s FA Trophy final. The Minstermen squad were measured up yesterday at the Davygate branch of Austin Reed, who are supplying club suits for the showpiece clash with Stevenage

PLAYER-BOSS Paul March reckons York City Knights’ wonderful run against Keighley might give his side the edge again when they meet tonight. York have only lost once to the Cougars since reforming as the Knights – and that was the first time

YORK City could bolt the final nail in Northwich Victoria’s Blue Square Premier coffin if they can grab a vital three points at KitKat Crescent tomorrow. The Vics come to the Minstermen 14 points from safety and will be relegated if they fail to take

THEY have been on the same field many times before but never in opposing colours. That changes tonight, though, when York City Knights captain Paul Hughes goes up against his brother, Carl, in the Championship One clash at Keighley Cougars. And it’s

FLYING high in the Northern Counties East League premier division, Selby Town are only three points behind league leaders Mickleover Sports, who they come face to face with in a potential league title decider next week. But first Selby have the little

AN investigation has been launched by York’s Labour party after one of its councillors stated that praying for one of his own constituents – missing Claudia Lawrence – was a waste of time. Paul Blanchard, a former Labour prospective parliamentary

YORKSHIRE director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon says the Tykes have done “everything we can” in preparation for the new county season. Moxon watched a youthful White Rose side fall to a 16-run defeat against Lancashire at Old Trafford yesterday

YORKSHIRE in Bloom judges have visited York for their first visit to the city in this year’s competition. The two judges toured the area, making visits to Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe, areas outside the inner road and the historic city centre

SCOTTISH winger Robert Snodgrass roared into the double-figure club for Leeds United only to fire off a warning. The wideman’s brace of goals in the 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient took his season’s tally to ten joining Jermaine Beckford (31) goals and Luciano

Heworth extended their unbeaten away run to six matches in the Leeper Hare York and District Football League second division with a 1-0 midweek triumph at Heslington. Carl McKenzie was the ace in the Heworth pack who struck the only goal of the game

Pocklington Town were crowned F1 Racing Sunday Football League division two champions after beating Bishopthorpe 4-2. Rob Wright opened the scoring with a goal for Bishopthorpe. A header from Rob Gibson levelled the scores but Wright

YORK City Knights academy kick off their reserves division one campaign tomorrow wanting to continue their year-on-year progression. New academy coach Dan Beardshaw takes charge for his first competitive game as the young Knights face Doncaster at Doncaster

AMBITIOUS plans for a multi-million-pound “cultural quarter” in York could be delayed or scaled down, as the recession continues to hit investors. City of York Council leader Andrew Waller says the money required to make the £74 million vision come

SOARING York RUFC will play host to Dartford touring side the Darfordians tomorrow. The Clifton Parkers were originally due to play a Yorkshire One match against Scarborough, but that match has again been rearranged for April 25. York are full of

Remarkably for an Easter Saturday, there is only one Flat meeting tomorrow, but Richard Fahey, David Nicholls and Mark Johnston, three of North Yorkshire’s finest trainers, are all expected to make their mark on Kempton’s eight-race programme. Fahey

SCRAWLED on a tatty piece of paper, the names represent hope for Noel Wilson. As he scans down the list, containing the horses he thinks are his best hopes for the Flat season, the Flaxton handler can hardly contain himself – he’s excited about the campaign

Adjacent pegs on Anya’s Lake were the scene for a dramatic head-to-head that ebbed one way then the other in a thrilling angling encounter at Langwith Lakes. Pegs 13 and 14 ruled the roost in the 52-pegger, where a surprise overnight frost meant many

A BOTTLE-WIELDING clubber told a court “I won’t be coming back” after getting an unwelcome taste of the justice system following a fight in a Selby nightspot. Matthew Williams had never been in trouble with the law in his life until, after drinking pints

A HAIRDRESSER has told of his shock and horror when he discovered his York salon had been ransacked. Intruders ran amok after breaking into Terry Smith’s Classic Cutz premsises, in Fourth Avenue, Tang Hall. The vandals: * Forced

SHE stole more than £18,000 from her York employer to repay loan sharks and fund personal spending, but an Easingwold woman is now beginning 15 months behind bars. Nicola Barwell, 37, admitted making out Arcus Renewable Energy Consulting’s