November and December: traffic gridlock - and a mum's plea on drugs

November

Hundreds of protesters marched through the centre of York on the first Saturday in November, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Among those at the protest was York Central MP Rachael Maskell.

“Our world is breaking when we see the massacre which is happening in Gaza right now,” the Labour MP told a crowd in St Helen’s Square, adding: “This war must stop.”

City councillors refused plans for two retail pods and a glazed frontage at the entrance of York Station.

LNER had sought the changes as part of a package of renovations to ‘complement’ the already-approved Station Gateway Scheme.

Members of City of York’s Planning Committee supported the idea of renovations - but baulked at retail pods, saying they would harm the setting of the historic station.

Planners also told the owners of the Old York Tea Room in Our Lady’s Row, Goodramgate, that a hand-painted sign on what was one of the oldest buildings in York would have to go.

They refused retrospective planning permission for the sign – but shop owners Tony and Thomas Vickers said they would appeal, and that the sign would remain in place during the appeal process.

York suffered what one reader described as ‘traffic gridlock’ on the first Saturday of the Christmas market – and a ten-week interactive public consultation was launched a few days later, asking the people of York how they would improve transport in the city.

The York Hungry Minds appeal - a community fund set up to help pay for a pilot project to provide free school meals at two York primary schools - got off to a flying start.

The appeal – which was raising money to provide free breakfast at Burton Green Primary and free lunches at Westfield Primary – received almost £500 in donations even before it had been officially launched.

December

Parking marshals were brought in to help keep traffic moving in York as the Christmas rush accelerated.

The marshals were posted in the centre of the city on Fridays and Saturdays up to the end of St Nicholas Fair on December 23 to warn motorists when car parks were full and to direct them elsewhere.

A series of willow sculptures in Homestead Park brought favourite characters from CS Lewis’ much-loved Narnia stories to life.

And Haxby Town Council apologised for 'toppling' dozens of gravestones in Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery on safety grounds in October - and said it would consider paying to reinstate them. It later formally agreed to do so.

Children at a York primary school learned they would be getting free breakfasts to start off each school day for a whole year.

The promise of free breakfasts for children at Burton Green Primary came thanks to two big donations to the city-wide York Hungry Minds appeal.

York-based housebuilder Persimmon donated £20,000 to the appeal, and a second large donation came from the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust.

City of York Council had already set aside £100,000 to pay for a pilot at Westfield Primary in which all Key Stage 2 children (in Years 3-6) will get a free school lunch.

The free meals at both schools will start in January.

The Salvation Army’s Charlie Malarkey handed out Christmas hampers to rough sleepers on the streets of York in the run-up to Christmas, as part of his regular early-morning checks.

And the mother of Andy Eveleigh, who died in Turkey at the start of what should have been a dream holiday, issued an impassioned warning against the use of drugs.

A coroner had ruled earlier in December that Andy’s death had been drug-related, as a result of multiple drug use.

In an interview with The Press, Elaine said: “if anyone is thinking of trying drugs, I will say – don’t ever try. Because it will take your life. It will ruin your life.”