A GROUP of worshippers from Selby Abbey will be setting off to strife-torn Rwanda tomorrow. The Reverend Gareth Wardell and nine others are going to the African country for two weeks to help impoverished communities. Mr Wardell said: "I will be travelling
A LAST-DITCH attempt has been made to save traditional Christmas lights installed across York's streets. The new offer has been made by York Business Pride, which has said it has cash available from private sponsors to put towards the scheme. But some
ONE of York's most distinctive riverside buildings, the Bonding Warehouse, is once again inundated by floodwater. Fortunately, this was a General Election stunt and no repeat of the deluge of 2000 that shut down the restaurant and pub, triggering an
A NORTH Yorkshire painter is busy redrawing the art of political protest. Retired graphic design lecturer John Daffern, pictured, uses brush strokes to tackle complex campaign issues like terrorism, the future of public services and taxation. The
EVERY child studying English, maths and science at school will be taught by a specialist teacher, under new proposals outlined by a North Yorkshire Liberal Democrat. The party's education spokesman, Phil Willis, standing in the Harrogate and Knaresborough
YORK'S anti-Europe candidate has outlined his policies to empower voters. Richard Jackson said UKIP was the only party that put constituents before their party. "The whole idea is to empower the constituents to get back their country. As voter apathy
ELECTION candidates were put under the spotlight during a crunch meeting at the venue that could decide one of the country's tightest seats. During the 2001 General Election campaign, Labour candidate for Selby John Grogan was pelted with eggs and
A HEALTHY breakfast club was an early port of call for a General Election candidate. Hugh Bayley, Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for York, visited the Funfishers Club at Fishergate Primary School, York to sample what out-of-hours facilities
By next Thursday, voters will have to decide who to choose. Here we look at the election issues that dominate in York. HARD to believe now, after three successive comfortable victories for Labour's Hugh Bayley, but until 1992 York was a Conservative
SHE'S fired hard-hitting questions at Tony Blair and Michael Howard and had the national headlines broadcast live from her front garden. It's not just top TV newsreaders Kirsty Wark or Kirsty Young who rub shoulders with political heavyweights during
POST office closures and the fight to protect local services will be thrust under the election spotlight tonight in York. The city's main election candidates are due to speak at a public meeting, at Fishergate Primary School, organised by campaigners
YORK'S Conservative candidate has outlined his party's policy to defuse Britain's "pensions time bomb". Clive Booth said three key issues were dominating his doorstep campaign: war in Iraq, yob culture and pensions. He said Conservatives would provide
WESTMINSTER hopefuls vying for one of the country's tightest seats are gearing up for a grilling in York. Students from the University of York will get the chance to quiz candidates standing in Selby on key campus issues like top-up fees. Despite
It's a family affair for the Liberal Democrats. First party leader Charles Kennedy celebrated becoming a father, now York's Liberal Democrat election candidate Andrew Waller has celebrated welcoming a new addition to the family fold. Mr Waller took
Selby: The largest working coalfield in Britain is no more. At its peak, the Selby coalfield employed 3,500 miners and could produce 12 million tonnes of coal a year. That all came to an end when Riccall Mine, the last of the Selby pits to produce
AN artist hoping to add a splash of colour to the York campaign has outlined his vision in broad brushstrokes. Andy Hinkles, better known as Milladdio, has many of his unique crayon caricatures on display around the city. Now he is bringing his
ANOTHER high-profile Tory MP visited Selby to boost local challenger Mark Menzies' campaign. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis came to town to highlight his party's "tough message on crime". Parliamentary hopeful Mr Menzies also took the opportunity
FLOOD defence campaigners in Ryedale received pledges from election candidates to protect a vulnerable North Yorkshire town. Five contenders for the rural constituency were asked their opinion on a decision to shelve flood defence plans for Pickering
VOTERS are now more worried about being able to afford rising council tax bills than paying mortgage or credit cards, according to a new study from a major York firm. The research, by CPP Card Protection Plan, came as council tax emerged as a political
TONY Blair has been branded a "cowboy" and warned he will pay for ignoring rural voters. That is the message from the Conservative Rural Action Group (CRAG), which said rural research in East Yorkshire showed the Government should not just focus on
WAR in Iraq was today thrust on to centre stage in the York election campaign as Labour's Hugh Bayley was forced to defend his stance on the issue. Mr Bayley was criticised for not attending a hustings organised by an anti-war lobby group. Conservative
HEALTH Minister Rosie Winterton dropped into a new medical base in York - and got a grilling from a GP about Government policy. The heat was turned up on the health chief during a visit to the Jorvik Medical Practice as she outlined Labour's health
A WAR veteran today threatened to take York council to court - for not letting him vote. Joseph French has had his say in every General Election since 1951, when Winston Churchill and Clement Atlee were battling it out for the keys to Downing Street
SUPERMARKET pricing policies have been criticised by a parliamentary hopeful in the Vale of York. Liberal Democrat Jeremy Wilcock used Easingwold market to voice his demands for fairer prices for farmers and growers. He is petitioning for supermarket
THOUSANDS of homes across York are to receive a pre-election video from the city's Tory candidate in the May poll. Clive Booth's video features a series of striking newspaper headlines like "Clubbed to death", "Beyond the law" and "Armed and dangerous
ELECTION officials today moved swiftly to clear up confusion over postal votes, after residents complained they had been barred from the poll booth. Concerns were raised by York residents who received letters telling them they had asked to vote by
TORY Parliamentary candidate John Greenway took to the campaign trail in Ryedale, talking to farmers at Malton's cattle market, chatting with shop owners, and even kissing a baby. He said it was good to see the market thriving and so many local farmers
WHISTLES and chants echoed through the streets of York as a protest rally shunted the future of the rail industry into the General Election spotlight. More than 50 protesters marched through the "railway city" yesterday to call for train services to
FORMER Conservative leader William Hague visited Tadcaster to throw his weight behind the local Tory challenger. The one-time party leader made the 50-mile journey from his Richmond constituency to meet election hopeful Mark Menzies. Mr Hague said
WAR will take centre stage in the General Election campaign when candidates battling it out for the York seat have their say on Iraq. The lobby group York Against the War has invited Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green politicians to outline
A NATIONAL march against rail privatisation came to York today. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union's protest reached the city on the fifth leg of a two-week, 14 city demonstration from Glasgow- to-London to put the case for rail re-nationalisation
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy spelled out his party's plans to scrap the Council Tax today, claiming the move would save a typical family £450 a year. Mr Kennedy said the Lib Dems would introduce a local income tax instead, administered by
ELECTION fever mounted today as the official deadline passed for Westminster hopefuls who want to throw their hats in the ring. Nomination papers for would-be MPs had to be delivered to election offices at 4pm today. Tomorrow the Evening Press launches
CANDIDATES vying for seats in the general election have been asked to throw their weight behind the City of York Council's Fair Grant for York campaign. Senior councillors have long argued that the Government has short-changed York for years. They
A MINISTER returned to his roots on a flying visit to York. Pensions Minister Malcolm Wicks dropped in at Alex Lyon House, in Fifth Avenue, where he met a group of pensioners for lunch. Mr Wicks is no stranger to the city. He was secretary of the
A GREEN councillor stayed true to his beliefs when he launched his party's paperless manifesto in York. Acomb Library was the venue for the online launch by Andy D'Agorne. The full version of his party's 32-page long-term vision will only be available
After witnessing the reception Lee Jackson got when he kicked the final points of his career in York City Knights' last match of the season at Sheffield, it seems hard to believe he was once anonymous. But that was the case. The 36-year-old former
VOTE for a man who really tried to raise Parliamentary standards to new heights - Guy Fawkes! That was the message today from York's "deadliest" political party, which is set to throw its hat into the ring for the General Election. York Dungeon
TWO tireless charity workers have been nominated for community awards for giving up their time to help a cash-strapped York organisation. The Older Citizens Advocacy Service (OCAY), which in March missed out on £16,000 of council funding it asked for
YOUNG snooker ace Steve Gregson is a true sporting hero - according to his proud mum. Debbie Gregson has nominated her talented son for one of our Community Pride awards - in this year's new Sporting Hero category. Although only 15, Steve, of
BRAVE youngster Louis Connell has been named as the first contender in our Community Pride awards - for his battle against cancer. The seven-year-old, from Newland Park Drive in York, has been nominated in our Child of the Year category by his proud
AWARD-WINNING community heroes have launched this year's hunt for York's unsung stalwarts of 2005. Last year, our York Community Pride campaign unearthed some of the city's true heroes - people who went an extra mile to help others or improve the area
IF, as the Conservatives jeers suggested, John Grogan has taken his final bow at Prime Minister's Questions he can at least take comfort from going out with a dignity lacking from most of his Parliamentary colleagues this week. As MPs on all sides
TONY Blair today said Tory spending plans would be an "economic disaster" and insisted only Labour could be trusted to control Britain's purse-strings. The Labour leader claimed Conservative promises on police, schools and hospitals could not be delivered
STEPHEN LEWIS sets the scene for an election campaign that may well be dominated by voter apathy and cynicism. TONY Blair has fired the starters' gun at last, and the 'phoney election' is over. May 5 is to be the date of the General Election (as we
A YORK-BASED professional theatre group will present a charity event in aid of the Stephen Magson Memorial Trust tomorrow, at 7.30pm at Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, York. The Riding Lights show will feature poets Nigel Forde and Pete Morgan.
Those who saw it, listened to it or just heard about it from their mates will remember April 10 for a long time. Keighley Cougars were up 31-12 with 19 minutes to go. It was the second game of the National League Two season and the Knights were staring
THE three-year success story of the Knights has proved the highlight of York RL marvel Mick Ramsden's career - and he is proud to have been a part of it. The second-row stalwart - nicknamed Rambo - hung up his boots at the end of this campaign after
THE Knights have used 32 players in total this season, compared to 37 last year and a whopping 49 in their inaugural 2003 campaign. Of those 32, eight joined after the start of the season while three have been on loan. Their contributions
THERE was little sign of what was to come when York City Knights' 2005 season began with a new club record 52-2 defeat at former Super League club Castleford. A big yet otherwise unconvincing 34-6 victory over Hunslet kick-started the year, but that
Here is a complete run-down to the Knights’ 2005 season. PRE-SEASON THE Knights, following the heartache of the 2004 promotion play-off final defeat to Halifax, enjoyed a decent 2005 pre-season under new head coach Mick Cook.
THE Princess Royal praised the "crucial" work of volunteer advice workers when she visited a conference in York.
Nestle workers took their battle against 645 York job losses to the heart of Government
LET'S keep our feet on the ground while walking as tall as we should. That was the reaction of York City Knights chairman Roger Dixon on his side's LHF National League Two triumph. The "immensely proud" club chief described the title triumph as a
CAMPAIGNERS who want to see big improvements to the York to Hull road are launching a petition asking others to back their vision. MPs who are supporting the campaign are to lobby the Government about their proposals. A group of interested locals have
THE Princess Royal praised the "crucial" work of volunteer advice workers when she visited a conference in York. Princess Anne addressed the opening of the Citizens' Advice Bureau's (CAB) three-day annual meeting, held at the University of York. Speaking
Tony Blair may have grabbed the national headlines with his swansong speech to an adoring party conference. The coach load of Nestle Rowntree trades unionists may have got nowhere near to the Prime Minister, thanks to the tight ring of security around
A YORK lawyer was today celebrating a victory in a six-year battle for his clients to win a landmark case on human rights and invasion of privacy. David Reston, whose practice is in Walmgate, found himself tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket
A PENSIONER sexually abused a 14-year-old York girl - but she was the one who ended up with a conviction. Colin Hagan, 67, was given a police caution for abusing the teenager. But when she then demanded hush money from him, she was prosecuted. At
A DEVASTATED family are grieving the loss of a "smashing man" who died when his car was in collision with an express train in York. Friends told how John Power, 54, was a much liked "ordinary man" and expressed their sympathies to his wife, Hazel, 50
ANXIOUS residents, whose homes shook as the passenger train came thundering past after the crash, were left calculating the cost of repairs today. Several houses which back on to the line where the Virgin CrossCountry train partially derailed following
SIGNIFICANT changes must be made to ticketing systems on York's controversial ftr service, the city's council leader said today. Steve Galloway, City of York Council leader, said he has made it clear to operator First that "there needed to be a substantial
OVER 37 years of service, Philip Weir has served thousands of supermarket customers and outlasted five name changes. Philip, 65, of Poppleton, retired from the Morrisons supermarket, in Front Street, Acomb, earlier this month. He joined the company,
PATIENT transport services ferrying people to and from York Hospital are not efficiently run, according its boss. Hospital chief executive Jim Easton was speaking after we revealed this week how the patient transport service had been put out to tender
Preparing to remove the derailed train at Copmanthorpe Photograph by Steve Parrott, Copmanthorpe © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
Photograph by Steve Parrott, Copmanthorpe © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
Preparing to remove the derailed train at Copmanthorpe Photograph by Steve Parrott, Copmanthorpe © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
Paul Wright might be no karate kid at the age of 52 but he has just joined an elite band of the country's top martial arts exponents after attaining his fifth Dan. © The copyright of this image belongs to Newsquest (York) Ltd
A CITY centre pub which closed when its owners went into administration is set to reopen. The YO1 bar in Fossgate, York, has been left empty after the Exhibition Hotel Group suffered financial difficulties. Now new owner Paul Gardner has taken over
PROTESTERS have complained to the district auditor about the deal which allows Absolute Leisure to run York's Barbican Centre for the next 250 years. The Save Our Barbican campaign (SOB) claimed that City of York Council failed to go out to competitive
Photograph by Steve Parrott, Copmanthorpe © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
Photograph by Steve Parrott, Copmanthorpe © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
PATIENTS at York Hospital will find it harder to pop outside for a sneaky cigarette, under strict new non-smoking plans. Hospital chiefs are planning to rid their whole site of smoking by December, under a national drive for a "smoke-free NHS". Smoking
A SUPER-FIT York clergyman completed a walk of Biblical proportions to raise money for the restoration of his church organ. Rev Steve Benford, 45, vicar of St Luke's Church, in Burton Stone Lane, trekked 100 miles in 39 hours from Helmsley to Scarborough
MORE than 7,000 women took part in York's Race For Life this year and helped raise £450,000 for Cancer Research UK. Now fundraisers are being asked to join in another challenge in support of the Breast Cancer Campaign. The charity wants people to get
The savage mauling to death of a five-month-old baby girl by two Rottweilers has prompted a debate on whether we need stricter controls on dangerous dogs. STEPHEN LEWIS reports. DILLY Parker's heart goes out to the parents of Cadey-Lee Deacon, the
A FAST-GROWING civil engineering and facilities management company has become the latest business to move into a newly-completed York office development. The £1.5 million turnover HC Engineering, founded in 1988, has acquired a 1,400sq ft, two-storey
THE mauling to death of five-month-old Cadey-Lee Deacon by two Rottweilers was shocking. Eyewitness accounts have described how the dogs went for the baby and "completely ripped her apart". It doesn't bear thinking about. Quite rightly, the two dogs
I THOUGHT you would like to know what we do as "drivers with first-aid training" (Cheap Option=Bad Service: union chief slams ambulance sell-off plan as hospital faces crunch talks). All the patient transport staff are trained in patient examination
SMOKING used to be part of our culture. Offices across the land were smoky and fug-filled. Even in hospital, patients could sit in bed puffing away. No longer. Smoking is banned in the workplace, and banned at York Hospital. And from December, that
WHY do drivers feel the need to use their mobiles while driving? The use of a hand-held mobile while driving is not only against the law, but a serious hazard to other road users and pedestrians. How are the police going to eradicate this selfish
THE council wants a further 5,000 students at the University of York and sees Badger Hill as the ideal place to house them. All us locals will just have to relocate to Germany Beck or Derwenthorpe, won't we? So what if we have happily lived here for
THE North Yorkshire Branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust would like to thank all those people who made a contribution at our street collection on Saturday, September 9, in York city centre. We received a total of £370 in donations. Our thanks also
VISITING my son and daughter-in-law on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, we saw the way their refuse is collected and, wow, what a difference from ours. Every week their household rubbish is collected and every two weeks the recycle bin is emptied.
WE are in the new term for Adult Learning Services (ALS) in Ryedale. In the subject I teach, English GCSE and A-level, there are still places. The ALS, like many county services, has become centralised. The county brochure went through every door in
THE nostalgic pictures shown in The Press (Market Forces, September 18) take one back to the 1950s and 1960s when most major cities were engulfed in yellow smog, brought on by mainly industrial and home coal fires emissions. Taking into account the
THE article in The Press regarding the swan returned to Whitby after being shot (Wrzel goes back to wild, September 22) contained the statement: "We blood-test all swans for lead poisoning, which is picked up from anglers' weights." The swan in question
HELEN Mead believes that a 19-year-old is far too young to be a magistrate (The Press, September 19). That's her opinion. However, I was angry to read that she believes 19-year-olds are "naive" and have a "rose-coloured outlook". I recently turned
CABBIES in North Yorkshire are being caught committing motoring offences - including drink-driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop after an accident. In the last two years 11 taxi drivers have been charged with motoring offences in the
LAW firm Langleys, which has an office in York, has taken a mighty upward leap in this year's Legal 500 rankings. Where it was 145th by size nationally last year, it has jumped 35 places to 112th. It follows a massive growth spurt at both its office
YORK City will not be playing on Boxing Day this Christmas because of the club's reluctance to pay Bank Holiday policing costs. Manager Billy McEwan's men had been scheduled to play Halifax Town on one of the biggest dates in the sport's calendar but
WATCH your waste, construction firms in York and North and East Yorkshire are being urged. The warning comes from the Yorkshire regional Envirowise, the Government-funded programme that works with companies to tackle waste. The organisation is concerned
WHY is everyone getting at youngsters these days? Stop picking on them, says that North Yorkshire vicar-turned-author, GP Taylor. The Rev GP, from Cloughton, near Scarborough, has made a few millions out of the youth of today with his good-versus-evil
THE death of Sir Malcolm Arnold was announced on the day that Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) played his cut-and-paste score for The Three Musketeers for the first time. How sad to report that David Nixon's production has gone the same way. More often
I'D just like to say, for the record, that at 4.55pm on Sunday, September 24, 2006, I had a clean and tidy house. Neighbours would have been welcome to pop round for a coffee. Old friends could have descended out of the blue. Even an unannounced visit
LIAM Frost's star is on the rise and, as he and his band, The Slowdown Family, ambled on to the Fibbers stage, the audience let him know that, with appreciative whoops. The Manchester singer-songwriter, pictured, has been making waves in his own city
Getting youngsters to understand where their food is from and how it is grown and, what's more, care about it, can be a tall order. But at Burnholme Community College in York that's exactly what they have been doing. Education reporter Haydn Lewis
DAVID WARNER, Yorkshire County Cricket correspondent for The Press, looks back over a 2006 season that Tykes fans would more want to chase away than cherish... Yorkshire ended the season in sixth place in the First Division Championship table
UP TO 400 guests, including the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, turned out for an open day at a York garden. Brunswick Organic Nursery held the event on Friday at the Walled Gardens near Bishopthorpe Palace, to show off the gardens to local people
DARREN Brandon was the two-goal ace in the pack for Ainsty to post a York FA Sunday Senior Cup first round triumph over Nestle Volunteers. Some 40 minutes had elapsed in the dour tussle before Ainsty's Mark Willoughby scored to break the deadlock. Then
John Carver may have that vital quality which no amount of training or experience can give a manager - luck. Kevin Blackwell often ruefully reflected that his side seldom got the rub of the green and already there are signs that caretaker boss Carver
KIRKBYMOORSIDE Reserves top the RJF Homes-Beckett Football League after a 5-2 defeat of local rivals Kirkdale United. The Moorsiders,who have taken maximum points from their first three matches, were trailing 2-0 after Ben Swalwell's brace for United
WIGGINTON'S Paul Wright might be no karate kid at the age of 52 but he has just joined an elite band of the country's top martial arts exponents. Black-belt Wright attained his fifth Dan at an intensive, international grading session in North Wales,
A CAMPAIGN group set up to combat "studentisation" on a York estate is urging residents across the city to join them. More than 500 homeowners on the Badger Hill estate in the east of York put their names to a petition calling on City of York Council
Philharmonic or Tax Free? That's the question North Yorkshire punters may be asking themselves tomorrow as the two local sprinters cross swords at Newmarket. Both horses come into the Rous Stakes in winning form, Richard Fahey's Philharmonic having scored
The Bill Noakes Cup on the Ouse below York failed to materialise into the predicted bream-bagging session as the mid-week colour fell quickly out of the waters around Fulford. The absence of any big fish made for an excellent contest with roach showing
FILM-MAKERS of the future have been hard at work creating their own "mini-Hollywood" in Ryedale. An award-winning film about rural life during the Second World War will be shown to raise funds for charity next month. In November, a second historical
