NEARLY 900 bikers from Squires Milk Bar, near Sherburn-in-Elmet, took part in the annual Easter Egg Ride to deliver chocolate eggs to children’s centres, homes and hospices.

One of the riders said: “It rained all the way there, but we got a good welcome when we arrived. The kids were pleased to see us.”

 

Fresh appeal after thefts

DETECTIVES investigating the theft of a minibus, cash and a huge haul of alcohol in York have renewed their appeal for information.

Thieves broke into York Acorn RL Club, in Thanet Road, and Dringhouses Sports Club in nearby St Helen’s Road, overnight on Sunday.

From York Acorn they stole the club’s white Ford Transit minibus, about 30 cases of Desperados beer, five cases of Bulmers red berry cider and about 40 bottles of spirits.

At Dringhouses Sports Club, between 12.45am and 8am on Monday, they took two bottles of vodka, a bottle of brandy and about £60.

North Yorkshire Police said nobody had been arrested in connection with the thefts and urged anyone with information to phone 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

 

Junction roadworks start

ROADWORKS are due to start soon on a Harrogate junction to accommodate a new housing development.

Miller Homes and contractors will begin on Tuesday, April 7, installing traffic lights and pedestrian crossings at the Knaresborough Road junction with Bogs Lane, Forest Lane and with Forest Lane Head.

The work will also include moving a central traffic island and a bus stop, and resurfacing the whole junction area with anti-skid material.

North Yorkshire County Council has said its staff will liaise with Miller Homes to ensure that the works are delivered appropriately, efficiently and in good time.

While the work is going on, temporary traffic lights will be in use during off peak hours.

 

Optimus in his prime at pumps

York Press:

Kerry Naylor, asistant manager, with Optimus Prime at the Inner Space Station filling station in Hull Road

HE’S ANSWERED a distress call from his fellow Autobots, and travelled to York’s Inner Space Station filling station in Hull Road.

The 12ft tall replica of Optimus Prime, from the Transformers films, was installed at the petrol station three weeks ago, adding to the site’s existing Autobots, storm troopers, three Daleks and K9 models. Owner Graham Kennedy said: “They are fun and there’s no charge to see them, and people love to have their pictures taken with them.

“They keep me happy and they keep wee boys happy.”

The Optimus Prime is made of discarded car parts, and is now lit up with fibre optics, Mr Kennedy added.

 

Entry open for bike ride

PLACES are still available for the 29th Great Selby Bike Ride.

The event, which is organised by Selby Lions, starts at Barlby High School on Sunday, May 10, and will see hundreds of cyclists take part in one of two rides.

The 25-mile ride costs £4.50 for adults or £3 for under-16s, while the 45-mile ride costs £5 or £4 for under-16s. Entry for teams of six cost £20. All funds raised will go towards the British Heart Foundation, Martin House Hospice, St Leonards Hospice, Friends of Selby Hospital and local Selby Lions charities.

Application forms are available from cycle shops in the area or from selbydistrictlions.org.uk

 

Poetry competition

THERE is still time to enter the prestigious Philip Larkin Society and East Riding Poetry Prize for 2015.

The deadline for entries is Friday, April 10 and the poems will be judged by one of the UK’s leading poets, Jean Sprackland.

Organised by Wordquake and East Riding Library Service, the total prize money on offer is £2,000, The prizes will be presented at Bridlington Poetry Festival on Saturday, June, 20.

Competition leaflets are available from libraries or from bridlington-poetry-festival.com, or by phoning 01482 392699.

 

One-in-five young professionals ‘have drink problem’

ONE in five young professionals in the UK consider themselves to have a drinking problem, a survey has found.

The research found that more men in this category said they believed they had issues with alcohol (28 per cent), while for both men and women it was 21 per cent.

On average, seven per cent of those questioned admitted to having a drinking problem, but more than one in ten (13 per cent) 25 to 34-year-olds said they did, while nearly half (45 per cent) said they knew someone else who had one.

The poll of 4,000 UK adults also found that a third (35 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds said they had got so drunk they could not remember most of their night out.

One in 20 (five per cent) admitted to driving themselves home drunk and one in ten (nine per cent) have got in a car with someone who they knew was intoxicated, while more than one in ten (16 per cent) of 25 to 34-year-olds said they have woken up in a stranger’s house.

The issue of alcohol abuse was not lost on people, with three-quarters (75 per cent) of those polled saying they thought Britain has a heavy drinking culture while just over a fifth (23 per cent) considered alcohol to be more harmful than smoking.

 

Help maintain meadows

THE next work party for the Friends Of Rawcliffe Meadows will be held on Sunday, April 12, between 10.30am and 1pm.

The group will meet at the cricket field copse to cut down older saplings and remove rush and willow from the pond clearance.

Volunteers are welcome, appropriate clothing is recommended.

 

Cost of shopping falls

THE cost of a weekly grocery shop fell by one per cent in the last month and seven per cent in the last year, an analysis has found.

The cost of a basket of 35 items now costs £87.70, down from £88.59 in March, the mySupermarket Groceries Tracker shows.

The average weekly shop from the main UK supermarkets has fallen seven per cent since March last year, when the same basket cost £93.95.

Products that dropped in price the most were carrots, down 7.49 per cent and frozen pizza, down 4.37 per cent.

Among the products that increased in price were baked beans, up 3.46 per cent, and pasta, up 3.18 per cent.

The tracker also includes an “own brand watch” that reveals the cheapest supermarket for own brand groceries out of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Ocado and Waitrose.

 

Learning through play

SCHOOLCHILDREN should be allowed to learn through playing in the classroom up to the age of seven, teachers are suggesting.

Many youngsters are not ready to sit down and do formal reading, writing and maths when they start school at the age of four or five, according to the National Union of Teachers.

The union is expected to call for “play in the curriculum” throughout infant schools, at its annual conference in Harrogate this weekend, arguing that this suits many young children better than educating them in a formal way.

It is also likely to say lunch and break times are being used for “coaching and cramming,” depriving youngsters of their “fundamental human right to play”.

 

Turn your garden green

HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to make a stand against paved-over front gardens by turning them green with plants.

The Royal Horticultural Society is launching its “greening grey Britain” campaign to encourage people to plant, improve air quality and reduce urban temperatures and the risk of flooding.

Gardens are increasingly being paved over, with seven million UK front gardens containing concrete and cars rather than flowers and grass, the society said.