From our archive:

85 years ago

Only £6,000 was bid when the bacon factory at Sherburn-in-Elmet was offered for sale.

The factory erected by farmers as a co-operative venture had plenty of modern equipment, and a capacity of 2,000 pigs a week.

But it was never adequately supported by members of the venture and, after repeated losses, the place was closed.

Wath Rural District Council had agreed a 3d price tag per rat tail.

With only 1,999 caught during the summer, now that autumn had approached they were “swarming as badly as ever” said one councillor.

It was therefore concluded that there was not much benefit gained from “Rat Week” so far as the numbers were concerned.

A remarkable feature of the celebration of Armistice Day was that in addition to the vast good that was done by the sale of poppies, was the employment afforded to hundreds of disabled men by the manufacture of the emblems.

50 years ago

Wuff, a five-month-old kitten came back down to earth, after a bone-chilling night 60ft up in a tree at Naburn.

The white kitten did it in style surrendering to the welcoming arms of a York fireman who reached his tree-top perch with a turntable ladder.

Money raised by York Lions Club with its eighth old people’s appeal, was to be used differently this year.

The previous year, the £700 collected by the club was spent on supplies of winter coal for old-age pensioners.

But according to the club president: “With the advent of central heating, we found that old-age pensioners did not want coal. Anyway, it was very difficult humping 1cwt bags of coal about.”

The money instead was just going to be distributed among those who needed it the most.

20 years ago

Furious parents blasted council officials for withdrawing a bus service without warning, leaving students stranded at Selby College.

Students were instead given passes to catch a public service from Kellingley to Eggborough to Selby, with a daily allowance of £1.63.

One parent from Little Smeaton whose teenager was left with no way of making the 14-mile journey home, said “the decision to leave young people stranded was ludicrous, or even a mistake of extreme incompetence”.

And the Lord Mayor of York, Coun Mick Bradley and the Sheriff of York, Coun Eurig Thomas, unveiled a giant poppy to launch its Poppy Appeal at the Shepherd Building Groups in Fulford Road.