OUR account last week of when Pope John Paul II came to York has jogged a few more memories.

Brenda Milner, of Wilberfoss, was at Knavesmire to watch the Pope arrive by helicopter on May 31, 1982.

She recalls the mounting excitement as thousands of visitors arrived in York. "As passengers poured from trains, they were shepherded to join the crocodile of pilgrims making their way to Knavesmire.

"As many roads were to be closed to traffic, I went the night before to stay with a friend who lives close to Knavesmire.

"The next morning we woke to singing of mass being celebrated for the early arrivals - some had been there all night."

Miss Milner and her friends went to Mount Vale where they encountered an orderly queue stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was not the slow procession seen at many religious events, she said, because everyone walked briskly.

Entertainers kept the crowds amused, including television and radio presenter Sir Jimmy Savile.

"The organisation was very efficient," she remembers. "Being packed into a corral sounds horrendous, but in fact, at least where we were, there was room for people to sit on the grass while waiting, often with a picnic lunch."

There were a few false alarms when a hovering helicopter turned out to be police security, she said, but then the Pope finally arrived, amid cries of "he's here, he's here".

He made his way to the podium, where clergy from many denominations - including the then Archbishop of York - were there to greet him.

After an inspiring address and blessing, he stepped into his Popemobile and drove up and down the paths between the corrals.

"The visit was a truly moving experience, full of goodwill and pleasure," says Miss Milner. "Long to be remembered by all who shared it, Roman Catholic or not."

Meanwhile, Hilda Carney dug out her order of service and souvenir brochure from the visit.

"What I remember about the Pope's visit is my college friend, Moira coming to stay from Warkworth in Northumberland, and my dad pushing our friend, Elizabeth, in a wheelchair," she wrote.

"It was wonderful to be part of it all and seeing Jimmy Savile going up and down entertaining us all.

"Wasn't Pope John Paul II a really inspiring Pope?"