Hundreds of people marched through York in protest at what they called the ‘creeping privatisation’ of the NHS.

A tiny baby sugar glider was photographed clinging to its carer’s finger at the animal management centre at Askham Bryan College near York, prompting readers everywhere to gasp ‘aaaw!’. And York council leader James Alexander unveiled a new 15-year-plan for York – which included building 22,000 new homes in the city.

Two of Britain’s leading property companies, Henry Boot and York housebuilder David Wilson Homes, bought the former Terry’s chocolate factory. And York GP Dr John Lockett spoke about how he had completed the Boston Marathon less than an hour before a bomb blast tore through cheering crowds, killing three people and injuring about 170 more.

North Yorkshirs Police unveiled their new chief constable – former Northern Ireland assistant chief Dave Jones. And Aviva announced it would be making 2,000 people out of its global workforce of 31,200 redundant.

The insurance giant subsequently revealed that its UK Life business, which is headquartered in York, would move to India, with the loss of 600 jobs across its centres in York, Norwich and Sheffield.

Council leaders in York announced they would be instituting a trial six month traffic ban on Lendal Bridge, to start in August.

Artist and designer Deborah Bowness hung her distinctive designer wallpaper at sites around the city – including the Leeman Road tunnel and the Bonding Warehouse.

And York couple Carl and Amanda Ruddock won £1 million with a lottery scratchcard. “At first I thought it was £100,” said Amanda, 34. “When I saw it was £1 million, I must have read it about 100 times. I couldn’t believe it.”

The month ended with York City celebrating their Football League survival, after beating Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 in their final game of the season.

“Staying Up!” ran the gleeful headline in The Press.


In national and international news...

...Almost half a million people signed a petition calling for Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to try living off £53 a week for a year. He dismissed it as a stunt. There were mixed emotions to Baroness Thatcher’s death.

The country’s first woman Prime Minister, who died at the age of 87, was praised by some; but a rush on sales of the Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’ song from musical The Wizard of Oz propelled it high into the charts.

The BBC said it would not play the song in full in its weekend radio 1 chart show.

Three people were killed and hundreds more were injured when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded at the Boston marathon; and more than 1,100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed.

After weeks of protest and controversy, France became the 14th country to legalise samesex marriage after President Hollande had promised ‘marriage for all’ in his presidential campaign.


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