Let's honour our Les comes the rallying cry

The idea to immortalise king-of-the-paper-sellers Les Richardson in bronze or stone in St Helen's Square, York - featured here last week - struck a chord with many readers. A flurry of letters landed here all saying what a great wheeze to honour Les, who is now in his eighties. Here are just a few comments culled:

"What an inspired idea to have Les immortalised. Preferably in bronze which would glow, just like little Les" - Sylvia Akrill, Huntington Road.

"Yes, Les sitting there with his newspapers, right in front of us. He has been there forever, at least since I was a child and now I'm a pensioner. He is a lovely, polite, gentleman. Even if he is not the statue, let him be the one to unveil it" - Shirley Searle, Dunnington

"What a wonderful gesture to honour much-liked and loved Les Richardson for his work over the decades" - A Turnbull, Holgate.

"Let's honour Les Richardson MBE in bronze or stone. I met Les recently and he is still courteous and calls everyone sir and lady. He served the people of York well for years" - Mrs D Allanson, Huntington.

"Let's have a lasting reminder of little Les, some one who's made a name for himself, not by the toil and sweat of others, as is often the case with statues in honour" - R Turner, Acomb.

"Yes for Les" - Mary Kirby, Cowthorpe, near Wetherby.

IAN McCaskill must have been feeling under the weather when he popped in to the Five Lions in York's Walmgate. One of the regulars approached the portly TV weather pundit and said: "You're Ian McCaskill, aren't you."

The grump stormed back: "If I am, do I get a prize?"

Not to be put down, the regular replied with a cheery: "You're piling the weight on, aren't you?"

Deep depression over Walmgate. Ah, the perils of being a superstar... I know what it's like.

NEXT Saturday funky rockers will be strutting their stuff as they roll back the years when more than 150 Old World Clubbers hold their reunion party in the INL Club, Walmgate Bar.

Bright young things of today won't remember the Old World club above Stonegate next to the Punchbowl. But for the best part of a decade it was the 'in' place as my old reliable mate Martin Travolta tells me. "All Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor and lots of men with hairy chests and medallions and women in boob tubes. Or was it the other way round? My memory is not what is was," he says, wistfully.

Tickets for the bash which starts at 7pm cost £3.50 and all profits go to the McMillan Nurses fund. To find out more ring 01759 368755.

AT a meeting of the Community and Police Group in the Novotel Supt John Lacy said: "... with what the police and social services have paid out over Blip Boy we could've put him through Eton!"

Blip Boy, you will remember, was the mini-crime wave that hit York causing a severe upward blip in the local crime statistics.

It's cute, cuddly, and if it doesn't watch out it's dead meat. It's that sickening, shivering snowman on display at Asda in Monks Cross, York.

At the squeeze of its fluffy white paw it vibrates, giggles and jiggles, then in a tot's twang gives a countdown to Millennium hour followed by the sound of the whoosh and whoop of skyrockets.

But for one checkout woman the aahs have turned into aaarghs!

Rolling her eyes as the maniacal mirth is squeezed from the abominably screeching creecher for the hundredth time that day by passing customers, she muttered: "Ever seen a hanging snowman...?"

A swinging way to celebrate the new century?

DID you know, Friday, November 19, 1999 was the last odd day of your life! The numerical format is 19.11.1999. All of the digits are odd. The next odd day will be 1.1.3111, which is well over a thousand years away. Days such as 13.4.89 have both even and odd digits, neither odd or even. The next even day will be 2.2.2000, the first one since 28.2.888. I know, I know, I should have told you earlier to give you chance to celebrate... but I was feeling a bit odd at the time.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mrs J Horner of Avon Drive, Huntington, York who got the name of our cat spot on, fur and square, in my canine competition to celebrate Yorkatt's 100th appearance last week.

Eric Morecambe

If you have any comments you would like to make, contact features@ycp.co.uk

07/12/99

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.