HOURS before the polls closed, the Diary was canvassed by a candidate for the first time.

Here is Andy Hinkles, aka centurion Milladdicus, aka the artist Milladdio, making a forceful point to your Diarist with his gang of legionnaires (Garicus Spydius, Maximus Gluteous, and Ricardus Minerius IV) yesterday afternoon.

Milladdio's trademark quiff looked to be sprouting from his centurion's helmet as he indicted me for having an Anglo-Saxon name, and crimes against spelling.

Travelling around the constituency with spears and swords is one way to get the vote out. And this new Roman invasion of York highlighted the urgent need to "finish the Bar Walls" - a manifesto promise.

Milladdio and his York Integrity Party have livened up an otherwise lacklustre campaign.

He addressed one election hustings, at Edward the Confessor Church on Tadcaster Road, dressed as a panda. He told the audience "I always eat my greens," which raised a smile "from all but one of my fellow candidates".

The independent paid tribute to Ricardus, better known as Richard Miner, the homeless man pictured on our front page earlier this week living in his car. He epitomised integrity by helping out despite being a "victim of the system".

And with that they clanked out. To think, a few thousand more votes and it could have been Milladdio MP.

A GOOD time was had by all at the York Racecourse lunch this week - but one guest had a particularly enjoyable night out.

In his speech, the ebullient chair of the race committee Lord Halifax reminded the throng that a form was sent out with their invitations, asking if anyone had any special dietary requirements.

One person wrote: "Yes - a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne."

Who could be so brazen? Step forward former Big Brother inmate and racing pundit John McCririck.

To cheers, Lord Halifax promptly produced a bottle of said bubbly and presented it to McCririck, seated alone at a table.

Next time you are asked about your dietary requirements, you know what to do.

FILM taken of the VE Day celebrations by the father of a York man will be screened on Sunday - the 60th anniversary.

Victory In Europe Day In Colour screens on ITV1 at 10pm. One of the contributors is Robert Blatchford, from Nether Poppleton, York. His dad shot footage of the celebrations.

"It was in the days when you didn't have television. My father had this cine camera and projector," said Mr Blatchford, a former detective chief inspector and now editor of a family history directory.

William Blatchford, a vicar, filmed the party in the Cumberland village where they lived.

Robert was one month short of three on VE Day, so most of his memories are from the film his dad shot, including an effigy of Hitler being burned on the bonfire.

Updated: 09:45 Friday, May 06, 2005