Archive

  • Big wheel to stay after knife-edge vote

    YORK’S big wheel will stay until the end of September after a knife-edge council vote this evening. City of York Council’s planning committee was split on whether the 53-metre observation wheel in the Royal York Hotel’s grounds, originally due

  • New police puppy in memory of late York policeman

    THE family of a York policeman who died earlier this year have given a new police puppy to his colleagues in his memory. PC Keith Pattison, 56, suffered head injuries after falling from the loft in his house and died in January after taking a sudden

  • Fair Trade event

    YORK Fair Trade Forum and Palestine Solidarity Campaign present Zaytoun, Farmers of Palestine, a chance to meet Fair Trade farmers from Israel/Palestine, at the Friends’ Meeting House, Friargate, York, next Tuesday (Feb 26). At 7pm, the farmers

  • Radical Cabaret night, Priory Street Centre, February 23

    YORK’S first Radical Cabaret night will be held at the Priory Street Centre, Priory Street, York, on Saturday at 8pm. Performing for “your delectation and inspiration” will be York comedian, poet, artist and songwriter Rory Motion; York “agit-swing

  • York City forward Ben Everson joins Gateshead on loan

    YORK CITY striker Ben Everson has joined Gateshead on a month's loan. The 25-year-old, who only joined the Minstermen last month following a period on trial at Bootham Crescent, has struggled for first team opportunities and has gone to the Blue

  • Man dies following North Yorkshire crash

    A MAN has died following a collision on the A19 in North Yorkshire. The 35-year-old Thirsk man, who has not been named, suffered serious head injuries as a result of the collision near to the junction for Over Silton, near Northallerton at 1.20am

  • Milton Jones, York Barbican, February 22 and October 13

    We line up the questions for the master of the one-liner. Where were you born, Milton? “Kew Gardens. Not in the actual gardens themselves, in the village nearby. Not a very urban place to grow up really, although parts of it were ‘like a jungle

  • Forward pair in line to give Knights a timely boost

    YORK City Knights are hoping Josh Bowden and Dean Hadley will be back in the fold this weekend – to help the club overcome injury woes that boss Gary Thornton did not expect so early in the season. Partnership club Hull have intimated that the

  • Jazz notes

    NEWS of two high-level acts being confirmed for the Scarborough Jazz Festival (September 27-29) comes from festival director Mike Gordon. Courtney Pine is the first highlight to be announced and he was a great hit at the 2008 festival, when he

  • City Screen news

    THE Monday Special screening at City Screen, York, is Dylan Mohan Gray’s documentary tale of “medicine, monopoly and malice”, Fire In The Blood (PG). Showing at 6pm, it looks at how western pharmaceutical companies and governments aggressively

  • Richard Thompson, Electric (Proper Records) ****

    ACCORDING to some reviewers, Richard Thompson says he has just invented folk-funk. That sounds like a Thompson tease, the sort of playfulness that belies the sometimes gloomy songs. Whatever, this master guitarist ‘amps’ things up, especially on

  • Foals, Holy Fire (Transgressive) *****

    IT takes a certain degree of bravery to open a crucial album with an instrumental. So the fact artsy Oxford rockers Foals kick off their third excursion with something as assertively scene-setting as Prelude tells you much of what you need to know

  • The Mavericks, In Time (Decca) *****

     FEELGOOD band The Mavericks are in thumping, stomping harmony once more after an absence of seven years and how good it is for them to be pulsing and pounding. Tighter then a crab’s sphincter, the band unleash their Cuban-Latin rhythms – tropical

  • Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (Rhino) *****

    YOU know that Fleetwood Mac song you love? Chances are it’s on Rumours. No single album deserves the consistent quality of Rumours, with Go Your Own Way, Don’t Stop, and Dreams just three of 11 excellent tracks. Thirty five years on from release

  • A beautiful country village home in Bulmer

    Brian Page on the remarkable story of how a derelict eyesore became a beautiful country village home. Picture the scene… You’ve arrived at the site of your potential new home. The first thing you see is a somewhat weary, well, in truth a totally

  • The Who to perform Quadrophenia at Sheffield Arena, June 18

    THE Who will perform their iconic 1973 double album Quadrophenia in its entirety at the Motorpoint Sheffield Arena on Tuesday, June 18. Tickets for their one Yorkshire show are on sale at 9am, priced at £70, £65 and £60, subject to a booking fee

  • Actor finds redemption in Mister Tom

    OLIVER Ford Davies was a wartime evacuee but he cannot draw on those experiences for his performance in David Wood’s stage adaptation of Goodnight Mister Tom. “I was an evacuee, though not in the sense of having the label around me,” says Oliver

  • Dance On!, York Barbican, February 24

    TWELVE dance schools from across Yorkshire are taking part in the Dance On! showcase at York Barbican on Sunday. “We’re now in our second year, and we have schools from York, Wetherby, Ripon, Leeds, Ilkley, Doncaster, Wakefield and elsewhere coming

  • New Earswick All Blacks kitted out in memory of OJ

    NEW Earswick All Blacks ARLC have a new playing kit in memory of late club chairman Phil Johnson, who died last August. The new tops have on the back the initials ‘OJ’, which Johnson was commonly known as at the club, while all the sponsors on

  • Sean Lock adds new York Barbican date to tour

    SEAN Lock is adding a second York Barbican date to his Purple Van Man tour later this year. Only limited availability remains for his 8pm show on Sunday, May 12, leading to the 49-year-old Woking comic’s decision to head back north on May 28.

  • Pat leads the way for Thirsk and Sowerby in cross country

    ANOTHER busy weekend for the Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers saw 17 members take part in the NYSD cross country fixture at Richmond racecourse, which was also a club championship race. Pat Kirby led the ladies home, finishing 46th in 27 minutes and

  • Ha Ha Holmes!, Grand Opera House, York, October 27

    JOE Pasquale, the squeaky-voiced comedian and 2013 Dancing On Ice contestant, will give Sherlock Holmes the comedic makeover in the York-bound Ha Ha Holmes! tour this autumn. A pipe-smoking Pasquale will lead the cast as the serial parodists embark

  • Bowls: Ladies seize Yorkshire honour with game in hand

    York IBC won the Yorkshire Ladies League with a game to spare when they picked up the maximum ten points from their 106-54 win over Ryedale. With close rivals Harrogate needing to win to maintain the pressure on York, they lost 6-4 on points.

  • Bowls: Two-wood triples campaign ends against Barwell

    Helen Walker, Linda Parker and Sue Kirkpatrick were disappointed to go out of the National two-wood triples competition at the last 16. They were in contention at 11-9 down with ten ends gone, but could not close the gap and eventually lost 21-

  • Bowls: Share-all anguish for Earswick

    New Earswick were the only team to go through the Yorkshire Double Rinks competition unbeaten but they missed out on a final place. A 22-22 draw against Selby, who finished third, meant New Earswick lost out to Scarborough, who they had beaten

  • Bowls: Maximum haul is the mission of York bowlers

    YORK IBC need a maximum points win against Harrogate on Saturday to keep in the race for the Yorkshire League first division title, while their Hebden Trophy team wrap up a poor season when they play champions-elect Featherstone. New Earswick look

  • Norton trainer’s temperamental mare on winning trail

    TIM ETHERINGTON may occasionally describe Bailadeira in uncomplimentary terms, but the mare brought a smile to the face of her Norton trainer at Wolverhampton earlier this month and she gets the chance to do likewise tomorrow evening. A return

  • Sword attack brother jailed for eight years

    A WINDOW cleaner has been jailed for eight years for slashing his brother on the head with a three-foot sword in a drunken rage. Victim David Barker, 47, was so terrified of his brother Christopher, 41, that he visibly shook in the witness box

  • Alert after roof repair conmen incidents

    ELDERLY people have been targeted in a spate of incidents involving “despicable” rogue callers pretending to carry out roof repairs. There have been six recent incidents of pensioners in Haxby being targeted by two men claiming to have seen a bird

  • East Yorkshire parking charges to increase

    PARKING charges in East Yorkshire are to rise by 10p an hour at the end of March. The increase means parking all day in on-street and off-street facilities run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council will cost £5.40, but the authority – which froze

  • Easter pantomime at York Barbican

    JENNY Jones, the Hi-5 presenter on CITV, will play the title role of Rapunzel in the Easter pantomime at York Barbican on April 7 and 8. Brought to York by the same production company that presented Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer in The Wizard Of

  • Pitfalls of failing to enforce street rules

    I NOTE in your pages that footstreet hours are to be reorganised in York. I suppose that they will not be extended to Fossgate, which has so often been nominated as an addition to the footstreet system? Two suggestions. First, the city council

  • Tax freeze dilemma

    IN RESPONSE to Denis Barton’s letter of February 16 and indeed Chris Steward’s reply of February 19, the council tax freeze is funded by a government grant. For the past two years, this has been equivalent to a 2.5 per cent increase in council tax.

  • Need for prudence

    YORK’S cash-strapped council weekly announces projects on which money will be spent. The latest, a £200,000 city makeover, comes on top several such as the Arts Barge (£100,000), 20mph zones (£600,000), King’s Square (costing however much?) and

  • Council’s in credit

    GIVE credit where credit’s due, Selby District Council deserves all the plaudits going at the moment. Not only does Selby have a listening Conservative MP in Nigel Adams, it also has a listening Conservative-run council led by Coun Mark Crane.

  • Shed light on this

    WHERE I live is a small side street off the main road. Street lighting is perfectly adequate and has been so for many years. However, City of York Council has just erected a new street light column adjacent to an existing one and which now has

  • Police mysteries

    WITH reference to the search continuing for a chief constable to lead North Yorkshire Police, the mystery remains as to why temporary chief constable Tim Madgwick has not been appointed. Meaning no disrespect to the selection panel, salary is not

  • Picture perfect

    KEEN photographers may be mourning the demise of Jessops in York for printing of digital and film photos. Never fear, because Sainsbury’s Photo Shop at Monks Cross offers an even more efficient, speedy service and in most cases for a cheaper price

  • Seeking pain cause

    AROUND 2,500 people in York and North Yorkshire are thought to suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), one of the world’s most misunderstood and debilitating diseases. CFS ravages patients who suffer from prolonged fatigue even after the slightest

  • Split decision

    RICHARD III. Enough is enough. Leicester definitely wants the remains; a minority of York are up for them. Austerity time, we are all in this together don’t forget. Keep things simple for a change. The two cities share the purchase of a budget

  • Less than liberal?

    I WAS under the impression that the recent House of Commons vote on the legalisation of same-sex marriage was a free vote and not intended to be political. Yet Coun Carol Runciman (Letters, February 13) seems to be less than liberal in criticising

  • Parents’ anguish after daughter dies in crash

    The parents of a soldier who was shot dead in Afghanistan last year said their family was “in pieces” after their daughter died when her car veered into a tree in East Yorkshire. Jennie Stone, 28, of Bridlington, crashed on her way home from dropping

  • Fishing issues

    YOUR correspondent Christian Vassie (Letters, February 11) is right to be concerned about the state of the fishing industry. But he is wrong when he states that neither I nor other UKIP MEPs bothered to vote on the matter in the EU parliament.

  • Closure move for Malton Hospital

    A NORTH Yorkshire hospital’s minor injuries unit could remain closed in the evenings to save £100,000, but may reopen at weekends. NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will report on its plans for the unit at Malton Hospital

  • Is writer just jealous of Jose?

    IS THERE something about tall, dark, handsome, charismatic, highly successful men that makes sports columnist Tony Kelly feel inadequate, or is he just a male version of a catty woman? In his column (The Press, February 16) headed “Sigh England

  • Watches stolen in Wass

    Jewellery including Accurist, Rotary and Silvana wrist-watches, a woman’s wedding ring, pearl necklaces and an assortment of cuff-links were stolen when raiders broke into a house in Wass, near Ampleforth, on Tuesday.

  • February 21

    100 years ago We should all have been at Stockton-on-Forest recently, according to a programme which informed us that some wonderful feats of music were being performed by a York man, who was described as follows: “The musical marvel manfully manipulates

  • Gearing up for a guilty pleasure

    WATCHING Top Gear is a guilty pleasure. Something pulls me in, even though the presenters are annoying twerps and the only time I come near to the sort of cars they drive is when one overtakes the old Volvo. You see, this really isn’t the programme

  • Funding hope for new Haxby station

    A LONG-AWAITED new railway station for Haxby could get the go-ahead next month after city leaders bid for a share of £20 million. City of York Council will find out next month whether it has succeeded in securing support from Network Rail towards

  • Firewalking event at York pub

    THERE will be no room for cold feet at a York pub this weekend as daring fundraisers prepare to feel the heat – by taking part in a charity firewalk. The event, in aid of Little Heroes – a Yorkshire charity which supports children with cancer and

  • Jorvik Viking Festival: A taste of life under the sword

    VIKINGS ancient and modern took the stage on the fourth day of the annual festival inspired by York’s former rulers. York Archaeological Trust put some of the Viking artefacts it has found on display at Barley Hall, the scene of several events

  • Return to growth for veterinary medicines business

    VETERINARY medicines business Animalcare, has seen a return to growth in the last six months, after a difficult year. Reduced sales of its identichip and animal welfare products, as well as disruption in the supply chain of one of its main medicines

  • A look inside Askham Grange Women's Prison

    Askham Grange Women's Prison near York has one of the best records in the country for preventing prisoners returning to crime on release. STEPHEN LEWIS finds out why THE coffee’s top notch, the barista who serves us pleasant and cheerful. “You’

  • York tea company's plans for expansion

    A YORK tea company has its eyes on the prize as it enters an investment competition to help it expand. LPV International, the company behind the LuLin Teas brand, hopes to invest in new machinery to enable it to reduce the cost of making its trademark

  • Meet the faces behind the civil service departments

    Charity and voluntary organisations will find out who’s who in the civil service in Yorkshire next month. Yorkshire and Humber: The people and government bodies that matter now event will introduce voluntary and community organisations to civil

  • Parents give Selby school top marks in new survey

    A Selby school has won praise in a survey of parents. The survey is issued each year to get feedback from parents on how they feel the school is performing. Of parents who responded, 93 per cent felt the quality of teaching was good and 94

  • Steel firm aims to raise £50m

    BRITAIN'S biggest structural steel firm could call on shareholders to approve £50 million of fundraising after a contract to build a London skyscraper turned into a multimillon-pound loss. Last month, Severfield Rowen, of Dalton, near Thirsk, launched

  • Skate rink at Stockeld Park

    Stockeld Park, near Wetherby, is running a skating rink during this week’s half-term holiday. Simply Skate will be open until Sunday and offers skating, beginner and intermediate coaching and ice-hockey activities led by staff from Hull Stingrays

  • Wanted prisoner hands himself in

    A SCARBOROUGH man who was wanted by police for breaching his prison licence has handed himself in to police. Jack Gates is now in police custody after handing himself in on Monday evening, and will be returned to prison to complete his sentence

  • Red faces over Northallerton ‘welcome’ signs

    A ROW over letters on signs bearing a North Yorkshire town’s name has been resolved after tourists and residents questioned the literacy of its civic leaders. Former Northallerton mayor John Coulson has led a two-year campaign to change the five

  • Copper tank stolen in Camblesforth

    THIEVES broke into stables at Camblesforth, near Selby, and stole a copper water tank. They broke in through the roof of the stables and took the tank, which was described as slightly buckled, about 18 inches in diameter and 36 inches tall, with

  • Staff at York TK Maxx do their bit for Comic Relief

    SHOP workers in York have been doing their bit for Comic Relief by modelling T-shirts which have been created specially for the cause. Staff at York TK Maxx have been proudly wearing the tops, designed by Stella McCartney, which feature well-known

  • York university's study into drugs work at prisons

    New research led by the University of York will examine the success of work being done in a number of prisons to help prisoners recover from drug dependency. Drug recovery wings have been established in 11 prisons in England and Wales, including

  • New look for fish and chip shop

    A YORK fish and chip shop has rebranded after years of being part of a well-known local brand. Harpers Fish & Chips in Tadcaster Road has now become The Blue Fin, after owner Vinnie Singh bought the business from the Harpers chain. Mr Singh

  • Unemployment rises slightly in York and North Yorkshire

    UNEMPLOYMENT in York and North Yorkshire increased slightly in January, reflecting the seasonal employment patterns. The number of people claiming JobSeekers Allowance in York increased to 3,038, from 2,850 in December last year – the highest since

  • NHS group given official approval

    THE powerful group of GPs set to take over spending responsibility for NHS cash in York has been given official approval by health service bosses. Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which officially comes into existence on April 1

  • OAP frightened by burglary attempt

    AN ELDERLY woman is said to have been left “very frightened” following an attempted distraction burglary in York. It is believed a man had tried to trick his way into her house by knocking on the front door and then going to the rear of the home

  • Farm machinery is stolen from village

    THIEVES stole agricultural machinery from a property near Northallerton. The JCB telescopic handler was taken from a property in Low Worsall between 1pm and 3pm on Thursday, February 14. The vehicle, which resembles an extendable forklift truck

  • City-centre makeover gets underway

    A “MINI-MAKEOVER” for the historic heart of York has begun with new lanterns giving a new lease of light. Lights in Stonegate, Colliergate, Petergate and Lendal Bridge are being replaced with new ones giving a brighter and “more natural” glow,

  • City of York Council's ‘missing savings’

    ALMOST £900,000 of savings earmarked by council bosses to help balance their budget have not been made, new figures have revealed. A rundown of how City of York Council has performed against targets for cutting expenditure during 2012/13, obtained

  • Rare books go on display at Yorkshire Museum library

    A TREASURE trove of books containing centuries of British scientific history has gone on public display at a York library. Some of Britain’s pioneer scientists gave their personal editions of their acclaimed work to the Yorkshire Philosophical

  • ‘I want my crown!’ jokes descendant of King Harald Hardrada

    THERE will be just one thing on Gunnar Olafsson’s mind when he turns up at Stamford Bridge cricket club tonight – and it won’t be cricket. “I will say to people that I’m back and that I demand my crown!” growled the 6ft 4ins giant. “Of course

  • English/Irish speed dating event launched in York

    AN UNUSUAL dating event has been launched to help singletons in York find love. Jet2.com held its first English/Irish speed dating experience, where 20 York men and women headed to Burbridges restaurant for a champagne lunch to meet 20 Irish singletons

  • Delays at regions courts ’unacceptable’ - minister

    VICTIMS of crime are being betrayed by unacceptable delays at the region’s courts, a minister has said. Damian Green launched a fierce attack on the failure to start trials on the day they are listed, pledging to overhaul the system. The minister

  • Battle of Fulford tapestry on show

    The completed Battle of Fulford tapestry will be on display to the public for the first time on Friday and Saturday in Barclays Bank, Parliament Street. For more information, visit fulfordtapestry.info

  • Students flats plan set for refusal

    PLANS for dozens of student flats above shops near the University of York could be turned down after their design came in for criticism. The owners of Matmer House, in Hull Road, want to create 16 flats on the first floor of the 1960s building

  • Keep going advice for small firms

    A CHAMPION of micro-enterprises will advise on how to survive and thrive at the Venturefest science and technology exhibition. Tony Robinson, co-founder of Enterprise Rockers, a national group which lobbies on behalf of businesses employing up

  • Bid to cut tip’s opening hours sparks petition

    MORE than 70 people have signed a petition against proposed changes to the opening hours at a waste centre in York. The Labour cabinet at City of York Council has proposed to reduce the hours the household waste recycling centre at Towthorpe is

  • Early days of karate to feature in BBC television programme

    YORK’S involvement in the uptake of karate in the UK will be featured in a television programme on the history of martial arts. Ian MacLaren, northern region chairman and head of archive and research at the Karate Union of Great Britain (KUGB),

  • Big changes at village pub after complaints about trouble

    MAJOR changes are planned for a pub near York following a catalogue of complaints about trouble at the venue. Action is now being taken after numerous calls about The Swan in Low Street, Sherburn-in-Elmet, were made to North Yorkshire Police, which

  • Fraudster duped garages and cottage owners

    A fraudster spun a web of lies from Hertfordshire to York as he conned his way to thousands of pounds worth of goods and services, a court heard. John Derek Bush persuaded a Watford garage to give him a courtesy car while his non-existent Porsche

  • East Yorkshire patients to get a say through new watchdog

    A NEW organisation to give East Riding residents their say on health and social care, will be launched in April. Healthwatch is an independent watchdog introduced by the Government at national and local level, to give patients and the public a

  • 1940s dance night in aid of Alzheimers Society

    TICKETS are selling fast for a musical night of nostalgia in aid of The Alzheimers Society. The Best of British 1940s dance night will be held in the Tramways Club in York on March 7, and will include a pie-and-peas supper, jazz and swing music