The Paralympics took up the first weeks and more sporting success followed with Europe’s remarkable turn-around in fortune to win the Ryder Cup. Not to mention Andy Murray, who became the first Briton to win a tennis Grand Slam title since 1936.

Sport also featured on the news pages when an independent inquest revealed the full horror of Hillsborough.

Despite the ongoing recession, York continued to weather the storm better than most and, in September, global insurance giant Hiscox announced that it was moving to the city, bringing 300 new jobs.

Then the new £9 million York Sport Village swimming pool opened at the University of York with a much-needed competitionstandard eight-lane 25-metre pool on the edge of the Heslington East campus expansion.

But the big news was the return of the floods. This time the worst in York since 2000. The river Ouse rose five metres above its usual level and a temporary bridge had to be built on Skeldergate.

Some people were ferried from their homes by boat and the RSPCA rescued two donkeys; 15-year-old Davy and four-yearold Noah, from a field in Cattal, after flooding left them stranded.

The A19 at Fulford was impassable, floods divided Tadcaster and Boroughbridge in two and the A1M was closed northbound near Catterick.


January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December