From our archives:

80 years ago

April had been a “dramatic” month for Yorkshire Women’s Institute members, as in addition to their own Festival at St John’s College, York, an Inter-County Festival was to be held at Rowntree’s Theatre, York on April 30.

These inter-country festivals, organised by the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, began in Norwich before finally ending in London to coincide with the annual general meeting on June 2.

The festivals were non-competitive and the only award beyond the honour of being chosen to represent one’s county, was an oral adjudication given by the judge at each session.

And two pupils of Ayton Council School had been involved in an unusual accident receiving a severe scalding after carrying jug of boiling water to be used for making a mid-morning drink for the pupils.

50 years ago

The sister of a York woman was among the five who had died in the blazing wreck of the Boeing 707 Whiskey Echo at London Airport.

BOAC stewardess Jane Harrison, aged 22, was born in Bradford, and had moved to Red Scar Lane, Scalby, with her family.

Three teams of investigators still were trying to find the answer to the riddle of why the jet caught fire soon after take-off.

News of the closure of York Co-operative Society bakery at Clementhorpe had come as a shock to many of York’s residents.

The decision had come on the heels of the closure of the society’s chemists in Boroughbridge Road and Bishopthorpe Road.

The York Bakery had been operating for over 40 years, making up to 18,000 loaves and a large amount of confectionery each week for Co-op branches in York and surrounding areas, which included Tadcaster and Thirsk.

20 years ago

Disabled demonstrators handcuffed themselves to buses in Westminster in protest at a Government decision that wheelchair lifts would not become mandatory on public transport until 2017.

Four people had been arrested after dozens of activists from the Direct Action Network threw paint at the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions in central London.

And devastated TV millionairess Anthea Turner had encouraged her lover Grant Bovey to return to his wife for the sake of their three children.

Grant ended his whirlwind 14-week affair with the star after his wife Della launched a campaign to win him back.