Archive

SOME comments on the proposed amalgamation of the two towns - Malton and Norton-on-Derwent. I am against this proposed amalgamation, which, if past experience is anything to go by will be imposed upon us without much ado (remember the abortive attempt

I WAS shocked to read the article on November 1 on the attitude of the landlord at the Lettered Board to having been given three parking tickets. I was under the assumption that a licence was only issued to a landlord on the agreement he would serve anyone

ONCE again Kirkbymoorside Council, Ryedale District Council and many residents of Kirkbymoorside are preparing to fight Tay Homes plans for the site of Hodgsons garage. The plans were refused, Tay Homes appealed and, as a result, a public enquiry is to

I WOULD like to know where the new town centre working group for Malton and Norton get their information from, as I have read with interest the article on the front page of your newspaper dated October 18. It says that there are no banks in Norton, but

THERE are few constants during an emergency, but one is that children - the most innocent and vulnerable of all - are among the first to suffer. This is clearly the case in Afghanistan, where of the estimated 7.5 million Afghans who may have to rely on

I'm fed up with the negative attitudes towards our town manager who is working - and trying very hard to bring unity and progress into our community. In my humble opinion town manager Mick gains is not on trial. We who live in the twin towns, and that

THE glorious 12th arrived and the sport of bird shooting created a great deal of concern with the foot and mouth virus still with us. Yet shooting contributes to central and local government revenue through a number of different channels, not least VAT

MR Winn-Darley has admitted to disinfecting the dogs taking part in grouse shoots (Gazette & Herald, August 23). He does not mention which of the many disinfectants he has decided to use. One has to question whether he understands the meanings of

FURTHER to recent comment, could I clarify the position on grouse shooting on the North Yorkshire Moors and the foot and mouth crisis? Grouse shooting can only take place in infected areas with a licence issued by DEFRA under very strict bio-security

SO only one third of the pensioners of Ryedale thought the half-price bus passes worth applying for? But after all, the £16 worth of tokens never went far did they? Three trips to Scarborough or York, or six or so to Malton, and you'd had your free journeys

RE: Eden Blyth's letter in Thursday's Gazette & Herald, June 14. What a pleasure to read this sweetly sarcastic letter in favour of the children's sculpture, which enlivens and enhances the stretch of road between Kirkbymoorside and Helmsley. The

I WRITE in response to comments made in the articles regarding the Moors outbreak of foot and mouth and the disinfectant mats, which appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Press on June 12, and the same report in the Gazette & Herald on June 14, on the

ON May 30 I attended a 'question time' gathering at Kirkbymoorside Memorial Hall at which the four Ryedale parliamentary election candidates answered questions from those attending. Mr John Greenway MP, in response to a question on National Missile Defence

THE debate on GM food has been pushed out of the news recently by reporting of the foot and mouth outbreak, but it has not gone away. Despite the extremely infectious nature of this strain of foot and mouth, the Government has continued with this year's

RECENTLY, you published a letter from the leader of the North Yorkshire County Council congratulating themselves on the prudent and competent way in which the county council arranged its affairs. Its main thrust was that prudence dictated that the people

IN April 5 issue of the Gazette & Herald, you asked for views on vaccination with regards the foot and mouth disease. As owners of pet goats in the North Yorkshire area, one of the first things we did at the start of the crisis,was to contact MAFF

IT has been several months since we enjoyed a visit from a mouse in the house. The onset of the coldest winter weather had brought a number of small guests in, but the regular setting of a disproportionately large number of mousetraps had seen an end

"HELLO. This is your local radio station here," came the voice down the phone. "We'd like to talk to your husband about moles." The cheek of it. I could talk to them about moles for England, but they were apparently wanting informed and intelligent opinions

IT is a time for family reunion and break-ups. Yesterday, Meg, our black labrador, spent the day with her sister and brother on a day's shooting, and four of our geese went missing in the fog. The day's shooting took place at a friend's farm. John was

OUR greylag geese must have been crossed with a Labrador somewhere along the line. These are the geese that were banished to the large pond half a mile away last summer, but have returned home now that their flight feathers have grown back in. There are

AN early morning abattoir slot for a trailer of lambs meant that we were on the roads at the same time as the morning commuter traffic. Our Land Rover and trailer were drawing up at traffic lights with buses full of early morning shoppers and office workers

THE five greylag geese that have left their summer home at the pond to return to us at home have been replaced in the field by several swans. The swans are grazing the grass by the pond and fly off into surrounding fields and down to the river when the

WATCHING the television programme the other night on 'The farmer wants a wife', I was fascinated to hear the range of reasons that ladies of all ages across the country were expressing to assure themselves of the love of a man of the land; love of the

ONCE more, the war cabinet is meeting in my kitchen. The last time was during the Gulf War and, as before, the talk is all of missiles, guns, bombing runs, stealth planes, intelligent strikes. Suddenly environmental issues seem to be taking a very low

SIGNS of normality are starting to return to life on the farm after all these months of turning away visitors. We have just seen off three little boys from a unit for pupils with hearing impairment attached to a mainstream school who had come to spend

JOHN'S pride and joy, his walnut tree, or more precisely each walnut on the tree, is under attack. A proprietary stroll around the tree to show a friend the weight of the crop of walnuts revealed a tree denuded of nuts on one side (away from the kitchen

AFTER many months of storing fleeces from the summer clip of our flock, the wool has been sold and collected from the farm under licence. I had received several kind enquiries about the fleeces, but the restrictions on movement placed on sheep also applied

TRAGEDY. My lovely peahen Peepee has died. She had gone broody, sat five eggs for several weeks, and then left the nest when it was apparent that all of the eggs were addled. Since then she has drooped about the farmyard, wings down, and required the

FOR several days, taking drinkings down to John has been a risky business that requires a set of earplugs and a tube of smelling salts. The reason? He is ploughing, and there is a necessity to protect and if required, revive me, after I have fainted away

NEWS on the foot and mouth front remains depressing, although you have to search for it now as it rarely makes the headlines. Despite there being an average of five cases a day, we continue to be bombarded with calls to open up the countryside and patronised

LOOKING at Norton's own newspaper, the Norton Chronicle, for this month in 1890, I see that Welham Cricket Club were having an evening sports event in the form of a one-mile and a two-mile bicycle race, the first event having no less than 28 entries,

OUR annual fishing holiday is still on. We had wondered whether the estate we visit would welcome visitors from south of the border and were careful to ensure that our route did not go through any foot and mouth hotspots. If anything, farms in Scotland

THE Euro it's a-coming; Other currencies become the past; its entry into England of that you can be sure; Through business and by people who enter these great shores; Our rulers say there's questions before we change our cash; But is this really true

I DO not need reminders of our lives, Your empty clothes, abandoned hat and gloves; They are intruders and the source of grief, Not symbols of our long- enduring love. Your watch that beat the precious hours away Till cruel fate struck and tore our lives

BITING air Winds blow City streets Under snow. Noses red Lips sore, Runny eyes Hands raw. Chimneys smoke Cars crawl, Piled snow On garden wall. Slush in gutters Ice in lanes Frosty patterns On window panes. Morning call Lift up head Nipped by winter.

HERE they sit this friendly pair Their curly heads a closeness share. Shining eyes say so much Secrets shared, a gentle touch. The world around might stand still, They don't notice, plans to fill. What to do, where to go The day is theirs, and so One

Mr Robin, a red breast he has, cheeky chappie, upon a tree Christmas would not be the same without him standing on a beam. Mr Turkey, he's fat and plump, the centre table is his place everybody knows his taste all we do is fill our faces. But the robin

Words seem so inadequate When describing how we feel, About this lovely lady, Whose warmth she'd never conceal. From three weeks old she nursed us, With tender loving care, And whatever was to happen, We knew she'd always be there. Those Granny Mary breakfasts

A WELL-KNOWN farming couple who celebrate their diamond wedding on Saturday attribute their long marriage to "give and take". "We have always worked together," said Martha Brown, a sprightly 91-year-old who, with her husband Alf, 87, farmed for 40 years

WHEN I first knew Pickering, in 1949, Dr Kirk, who had died only nine years earlier, was still very much alive in people's minds. Fifty years later, he seems almost forgotten, except for a blue plaque on the end wall of a big, rather shut-in-looking house

Fields are standing empty, due to foot and mouth A sight which is repeated, in both North and South. Livestock has been slaughtered, to stop infection spreading, After test results confirm, what farmers have been dreading. Now in rural Britain, silence

Fields are standing empty, due to foot and mouth A sight which is repeated, in both North and South. Livestock has been slaughtered, to stop infection spreading, After test results confirm, what farmers have been dreading. Now in rural Britain, silence

Helping to tackle some of the world's most crucial issues is top of the list of priorities for a leading Ryedale Methodist who has been elected to the world presidency of an influential Christian organisation. Rosemary Wass, who held the highest lay office

Silhouettes at dusk, they stand tall Their immense size, impressing all Twin towers, reaching the sky A 'must look', for any eye Daybreak, the workers arrive Hustle and bustle, twin towers are alive From nowhere terror struck Now we find we cannot look

BILL Spence is a sort of modern day George Eliot in reverse. It was in the early 1990s that Bill ditched his own name from the jackets of his novels in favour of that of a rather austere-sounding woman, whose name suggests she could be related to the

Finally, when all the animals had been Culled and anything else on the farm that Looked as if it might have foot and mouth, or even The slightest hint of a cold, had been destroyed, The Ministry of Agriculture was re-shuffled and The minister moved on

GOLFERS come in many guises, Tall or short they're various sizes. Skulking round green open spaces, Driving balls and pulling faces. Hauling bags around for pleasure, Walking miles they call it leisure. Wearing jumpers made for golfers. Chequered pants

The weathercock turns around in circles. He is in love with a very sweet blue tit. He has no heart as so many humans. The blue tit often remembers that. Without a soul; made of steel or iron, that not us, we pretty, little blue tits. Submitted by Ingrid

Fenella sits on the fence all day Looking and watching for her prey Her ears prick up her tail starts to wag As she plays a game of tag. She sees her opponent, it is a mouse So she gets ready for the pounce She misses the body but grabs the tail Today

A RYEDALE teacher has become the only one in the district to earn a leadership qualification to take on the role of headteacher. Gillian Hardacre, deputy head of Helmsley community primary school for the past six years, is one of 94 teachers in Yorkshire

WHAT makes a man who has worked for 40 years in the television industry decide to throw himself back in to the media circus and try to set up not only Ryedale's first radio station but also a television station dedicated to York? David Sumner, who was

BUSINESS is booming for an independent Malton retailer as it opens a bigger premises and creates three new jobs. Ego, which sells women's fashion clothes, is set to expand into a larger building one door down from its Yorkersgate shop. And owner Derek

SUPERMARKET manager Mel Rogers got a surprise retirement day gift at the weekend - a £62,000 bingo win. Just hours before he was due to officially to retire as a grocery manager at Tesco in Scarborough, Mr Rogers, 59, of Staxton, won more than £62,000

THE once-popular carnival in the twin towns of Malton and Norton could be revived if an ambitious plan by Norton's mayor, Coun Keith Mennell, becomes a reality. The date of Saturday, June 8, has been ear-marked for the carnival procession which, in its

THE Trinity Methodist Church in Norton, which was badly hit by fire this week, will be restored to its former glory, its minister has pledged. The Rev Stewart Young said that while the cost of the work was still unknown, he believed the building - which

A RYEDALE mum has thanked family and friends for their help in seeing her through three health scares - one of which almost claimed the life of her baby boy. Claire Jackson, of Snainton, said without their support she and husband Richard could not have

AMID the stress and strain of our daily lives, how many of us actually stop to take in the beauty of nature which surrounds us? Ryedale provides us with some of the nicest scenery in the country, a fact which is not lost on farmer John Harrison of Settrington

I'm working my way towards Christmas by saving the pennies and pounds to buy gifts for the whole of the family and take on my Christmas-eve rounds. I'm off to the sales tomorrow to see what is there to be had, I'll get something in blue for Aunt Mabel

REBECCA Howard, who married the Hon Simon Howard in June, is expecting a baby. The couple married at the Castle Howard estate last month after a brief engagement, setting off on honeymoon immediately after, and the news that Rebecca Howard, formerly Sieff

THIS week has been full of interesting chat - with equally interesting folk - arising from mention of Shackleton's Expedition. I asked questions about his cook, a man named Green. Seems my memory hadn't been playing tricks after all, for Ron Sargeant,

Mrs Ann Hill's beautiful garden in Maltongate was the setting for the mid-summer party held by the Thornton-le-Dale Players. Every year members and patrons get together for an evening of wine and savouries, but this was the first year the event had been

THE end of the world came to Malton a couple of weeks ago, or so it seemed, when in fact it was just an electricity failure. I was in Malton's main street, it was getting towards tea-time and as I walked past a shop window, suddenly it went dark, and

I HAVE been asked a few times this week about the Shackleton expedition to the Antarctic, as I understand the BBC have been doing something about this on TV, and showing some pictures from slides brought back, with what is claimed to be the only pictures

SOME time ago we talked about a long-ago breakfast cereal by the name of Force, at which time it was thought it had gone off the market. Such was not the case as I was quickly reminded by several kind readers to which the name was one of instant nostalgia

TEENAGER Michael Ellis is planing to spin his way to success as a top DJ. The 17-year-old former Lady Lumley's pupil hopes to land a place on a course at Leeds College of Music which could make him the next big thing in clubland. Michael, of Hugden Close

DESCRIBED as 'the vertical expression of the horizontal desire', Salsamania looks set to sweep Ryedale. Salsa bars have sprung up in many cities across the UK, and professional dancer Lossie Holland has taken it upon herself to bring salsa to rural North

YOU will all, no doubt, be regular purchasers of batteries for your torches, radios, and portable this and that, unless you're using rechargeables, which I find a bit of a bind. I use the description 'battery' so that I don't confuse, but really that's

PERHAPS it's not really the right time to be remembering the youngsters who gave their lives in the service of their country, but on second thoughts, perhaps it is. I am writing of the ATC Cadets who we see marching at Armistice parades and other military

PHEW - December already! How are all the arrangements going - have the overseas Christmas cards gone off yet? Is it possible to drift slowly into Christmas I wonder? I expect there are those super-organised folk who do just that, but to the rest of us

WHENEVER I want a simple recipe my first reaction is to look at an old BeRo book I have, which I expect was handed down from my mum, you know the one. A brown cover, with a young girl in her gym slip about to do some school cookery I expect. An interesting

YOU'LL have already put your clocks back, I expect, but as I write this, the coming weekend is the time when it happens. Provided I'm reminded, I usually try and get all the clocks done at once, although there always seems to be one which dodges the column

CALLS for the dualling of the A64 continue to be made, and the reason for dualling is so that traffic can move faster. Not everyone wishes to travel faster. I came back from York today and the long stream of traffic kept at a steady 50mph. Fifty seems

Back in August, Mr Cass of East Heslerton gave me a call. What it basically was about I can't remember, but during the course of our chat we covered many subjects, and from the notes I made at the time we discussed the subject of the Hurricane versus

Today, September 6, was a Wednesday in 1939. This was the first week of World War II and lots of local lads were away from home for the very first time, leaving behind anxious mums, dads and sweethearts. I know I reminisce about this every year, but it

The countryside was especially delightful today. It had started off quite warm and sunny but by the time I'd got my bike ready and organised myself the clouds started to roll in. However, determined to have a ride I did just that. Leaving Salton it rained

A WET Sunday morning as I write this. Puts a stop to most outdoor pursuits. Still, the water barrel needed topping up so all is not lost. - Last week I mentioned 'goodgobs', and Linda our front office lady tells me she'd never heard of it, and that she

An interesting week in lots of ways. It started with a telephone call from a young man with the broadest Scottish accent you'd ever heard, trying, I think to sell me Scottish Electricity. I did grasp some little bits here and there such as 'Did ye no

THURSDAY of last week was Air Gunners' Day at Yorkshire Air Museum and marked, once again, the getting together of so many of the unsung heroes of the Second World War. These were the chaps who sat in cramped gun turrets either in the nose, tail or upper

SOME of you may have noticed the hanging baskets around the town recently; others may not have spotted them, which is understandable if you have your eyes down looking in shop windows. In any event, the overall effect is very pleasing and several 'corners

AS the A170 road winds through the undulating North Yorkshire countryside towards the coast, the motorist will come across a village noticeably different from any other along the same highway. The road narrows perceptibly as striking buildings of a deep

LOOKING at Norton's own newspaper, the Norton Chronicle, for this month in 1890, I see that Welham Cricket Club were having an evening sports event in the form of a one-mile and a two-mile bicycle race, the first event having no less than 28 entries,

THOR is having a right old bang around this evening as I write this, and I'm hoping that after he's had his say, the 'oppressive' feel to the weather will leave us and come fresher. It usually does. Thor was of course the Scandinavian god of war as well

TO coin a local saying "It's right back endish tonight", in fact all day had that wintery feel about it. One thing about English weather, it's never boring - you never really know what's coming next. Happily, the election chaos is over, and like it or

CHILDREN of Husthwaite Church of England Primary School can't wait to use their new state-of-the-art library, which should be in use by the end of term. And once it opens, they won't need to worry about losing their library cards. When a pupil wishes

THE remains of a vanished England still shape the landscape of North Yorkshire. History endures on our very doorstep. What happened in the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest had much to do with this. Towering castles began to spring up on wind-swept

VILLAGE businesses hit by a slump in trade because of foot and mouth have finally won their battle for rates reductions. Now traders in Hutton-le-Hole are hoping 2002 will see tourists flocking back to the picturesque village on the edge of the North

WITH all the achievements of this small country, we have every right to be proud of our heritage. Yet, as I've said before, this aspect seems to be slipping away and makes one think of celebrations of our younger days. Chatting with our front office receptionist

REGULARS at a Ryedale village pub are always game for a laugh - and have raised an impressive £2,000 for charity in the process. The wacky drinkers at The Ham and Cheese, Scagglethorpe, spent almost a year dreaming up unusual events, raising the cash

A Ryedale woman is trying to raise £1,200 to fund a six-week trip to aid conservation work in the rain forests of Equador. Sue Taylor, 36, who is taking a two-year tourism course at Yorkshire Coast College, Scarborough, is making the ambitious journey

MENTION the name Richard Whiteley in Wetwang and you may well encounter a raised eyebrow or two and maybe the odd wry smile. But also a fair bit of gratitude, for it is not every village which has a television celebrity as its honorary mayor. The Countdown

VOTED the prettiest village in the country in the early 1900s, there is no better time that captures the beauty of Thornton-le-Dale than Christmas. For the last month, villagers have been busily preparing for the big "switch-on" night of the Christmas

ONE of the biggest ancient hillforts ever found in Britain has been unearthed by archaeologists at a North Yorkshire beauty spot. The 40-acre monument at Sutton Bank, near Thirsk, is thought to have been surrounded by a 1.3 mile-long rampart, topped with

THE age-old Ryedale village of Whitwell-on-the-Hill is renowned for its steep hill on the busy A64 York to Scarborough road. But anyone making their way to the pretty cluster of cottages can only asume they have arrived because it has no name plate. The

ONLY 30 years ago, Scalby was surrounded by fields. Now this once rural community is clinging to its village status as the suburbs of north Scarborough encroach further and further upon it. Just as the North Sea has relentlessly eroded the cliffs of the

DURING the summer holidays there was much to entertain the school children. Among the many activities arranged, a number of successful workshops were run by Ryedale's Child and Youth Project. This project was established in January 2001 by a number of

SO close, yet so far away. That is certainly the first impression of the relationship between the communities of Ampleforth village and the neighbouring abbey and college. They are at most half a mile apart, but a steep rise and sharp dip in the road

TOTAL income from farming in 2001 in the UK is estimated to be £1.7 billion which is 13pc (11pc in real terms) higher than its 2000 level. TIFF represents business profits plus income to farmers, partners and directors and those with an entrepreneurial

What kind of people would turn their backs on a drowning vicar? A town of thieves, perhaps? The poor residents of Stillington have been accused on both counts on separate occasions - but, thankfully, not recently. The 'town of thieves' label or 'stealing

Residents of the village of Bulmer near Malton have stepped in to take over a job normally done by sheep. Because of the foot and mouth outbreak, farmer Martin Foster had been unable to put his sheep and lambs in the graveyard of St Martin's Church with

Best to go to Runswick on a bright blue day by way of the high road to Ralph's Cross, for it is from there comes that sudden uplift at the first sight of the sea. Driving past frisky lambs and ponderous ewes and an increase in curlew chicks this year,

TEDDIES were falling from the skies of Barugh on Saturday at an annual fun day to raise money for the Macmillan Nurse appeal. At Barugh Fund Day, teddies with parachutes strapped to their furry backs, were winched up a kite and then released so they could

A BOY from Hong Kong is settling into a Ryedale prep school this week as part of a national scheme to encourage parents to educate their children in the UK. Joe Bao, aged 11, is staying at Woodleigh School in Langton, and is one of nearly 150 Millennium

THE story of the Bugthorpe Sword provided the inspiration for children from a village school who made their own video film. Year Five and Six children from Bugthorpe Primary School in East Yorkshire put together a story based on the sword which was found

Official attendance at school finished for the current Year 11 and Year 13 students at Malton School last week. From now on they only (!) have to attend for their GCSE and A-level examinations. A special day was held for each year group. Both year groups

AN EXHIBITION in Ryedale this week aims to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Meccano. Building sets are still being made today but they first appeared on the market in 1901, said organiser John Martin. "People have grown up with them and now there are

CHILDREN at the Rainbow pre-school, in Malton, have given a warm farewell to co-ordinator Tina Kelly, who has retired after 15 years service. Staff and youngsters threw a special party in her honour to mark her time with them, said Miss Kelly. "The highlight

THE long-awaited final version of regulations for the reopening of markets arrived last Friday; and has been "condensed" from its previous 18-page volume into an 81-page serial killer. Before any "gathering of animals" takes place, and that includes not

THROUGH all our letter boxes this week dropped yet another barmy proposal dreamt up by DEFRA in response to the 1991 Nitrates Directive. I am currently trying to find out a bit more background to this but, for the time being, suffice it to say that we

I UNASHAMEDLY admit that I celebrated the departure of 2001 with a great deal of enthusiasm. It has been an agricultural annus horribilis of unprecedented proportions, devilishly embellished with animal suffering, human stress and financial deprivation

I READ a short news item on Ceefax today in which the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, together with the British Ornithological Trust, published a suggestion from "new research" that modern farming methods, for example '...frequent grass cutting

I WAS sorry that the Environment Agency has finally decided to allocate funds, up to two years hence, towards the considerable cost of attempting to constrain the extent of any future overfull Derwent River by the construction of up to five feet high

SINCE your article 'Safeway threatens to pull out of Pickering' (Gazette & Herald, February 8), several letters have appeared, including one from P T Coombes (Gazette & Herald, March 8) which is a typical example. To set the record straight, at

I READ with interest 'Station talks to improve Malton'. I am pleased that officials have recognised the importance of a station and the village/town it is in. I do hope some good will come of this meeting between the rail authority, local transport, countryside

I JUST cannot believe the report by your Hilary Sanders that Coun Mike Knaggs suggests that farmers should be paid to allow their land to be used as "flood plains". The whole of the "Lake of Pickering" is now a flood plain. This represents some 150 square

AN HISTORIC educational trust in a Ryedale village has helped fund a state-of-the-art IT complex at the local school and boost the learning skills of its pupils. The £45,000 project at the 170-pupil Amotherby Community Primary School has seen it become

A NORTH Yorkshire public health medicine consultant, Phil Kirby, said this week that he expects to see cases of measles develop in the county because of a decline in the number or children receiving MMR immunisation. He urged any reluctant parents to

A NORTH Yorkshire equality campaigner is celebrating a landmark victory in the House of Commons which will enable men over 60 to claim free bus travel. John Taylor, a retired Norton postman, said he was delighted at news that the Travel Concessions (Eligibility

A lot of people think of the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge as a place popular with ramblers and a popular tourist attraction in the summer. But there is much more to the Lion. In former days, it was the stomping ground of many famous musical names. Sting was

MARGARET Clitherow was canonised almost 400 years after her death. Born in 1556 she was married at the age of 15 to John Clitherow, a York butcher, whose shop was in the Shambles. Margaret became a Catholic and she helped priests who were looking for

THE owners of the Royal Hotel in Scarborough, one of the best known in the north of England, have crowned a multi-million refurbishment scheme by investing £25,000 in a spectacular floodlighting project. John Turner, whose family company, English Rose

WITH Christmas almost here, there's only one place many people will be thinking of visiting - a local church to mark the true reason that makes Christmas so special. Churches around the region will be opening their doors, so here we present a round-up

IT must be one of the miracles of modern times that, with the levels of sophistication of today's youngsters, the magic of Father Christmas is as strong as ever. There can be few more enduring pictures of Christmas than the wide-eyed amazement of a small

WHEN forking over a vegetable bed, or putting in new plants with a trowel, do you ever stop and wonder what exactly are those pieces of pottery you keep digging up? Ryedale is rich in clues about our history and prehistory, but they are often just trodden

YORKSHIRE wildlife artist Robert Fuller holds his Christmas exhibition in a newly-converted barn gallery starting this weekend. The Thixendale-based artist is becoming increasingly sought after for his portrayal of the countryside and the animals living

AT the going down of the sun and in the morning.... Remembering the fallen will be the theme of this coming weekend as people honour those who gave so much for our freedom. Very appropriately this year, November 11 falls on Remembrance Sunday, giving

IT'S that time of year again. The whooshes and whizz-bangs, the showers of green, red and gold from the screamers and rockets in the winter sky. Crowds looking aloft as they are warmed by the bonfire, which crackles and snorts, and gunpowder, treason

ONE by one, little bands of WWII veterans are closing their meetings and hanging up their standards. Each year, there are fewer people left to swap memories and bring back for a short while the camaraderie of a difficult but heart-warming time. This weekend

HAVE you heard of Tor, Sprot and Grim? They are not names that spring easily to mind. But they were very important in their time. These three Saxon chiefs owned the land now occupied by the treasure house of the north - Harewood House. However, with Norman

HAVE you heard of Tor, Sprot and Grim? They are not names that spring easily to mind. But they were very important in their time. These three Saxon chiefs owned the land now occupied by the treasure house of the north - Harewood House. However, with Norman

CAN you imagine being present amidst the booming canons and gun-fire of the American civil war? Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, Scarborough Castle in connection with English Heritage is offering you the opportunity to gain a taste of what the battlefield

IT'S full steam ahead this weekend at the Pickering Traction Engine Rally which runs from today until Sunday (August 2-5). Held at the Pickering Showground (situated on the A169 between Pickering and Malton), the show is the largest steam experience ever

A COUPLE from Malton and Norton Golf Club achieved a remarkable double recently when they both shot holes-in-one within a day of each other. While the majority of amateur golfers only dream of claiming an 'ace', Marcus and Edith Mason, of Malton, both

Newby Hall, near Ripon, will be a fun-filled place to be this Sunday, July 29, for its third annual Cystic Fibrosis Trust Family Funday that last year attracted around 5,000 visitors for a great day of family entertainment. After consultation with the

THE eminent architect who skilfully restored a distinguished Georgian townhouse to its former splendour is being celebrated in a new exhibition. 'In The Classical Tradition: Francis Johnson' is now running until July 28 at Fairfax House, York, to pay

STROLLING into Manor Vale Lane from Kirkbymoorside's Dale End is to encounter a mix of history: a pleasant cluster of houses old and new, an ancient pinfold, and Kirkbymoorside Band's modern premises. Beyond NYCC's highways maintenance depot, Manor Vale

A MOORLAND terrace cottage in a remote spot on the North Yorkshire Moors has become the nerve centre for a marathon plan to aid one of the world's poorest people - rural residents in northern Ghana. Behind the challenging task is a former nun, Moira Austin

WHILE many of us are aware of the true reason for celebrating Christmas, the origins of the name of Boxing Day remain something of a puzzle. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that it was upon that day the churches opened their collection boxes, hoping

PRINCE Charles this week at The Craven Heifer at Stainforth, North Yorkshire, launched a new report called 'The Pub is the Hub'. Why?, well... six rural pubs a week are closing in England and Wales, according to British Beer and Pub Association property

A YOUNG Ryedale farmer has returned from America after a once in a lifetime trip to work in the States. Adam Newell, of High Mowthorpe, Malton, spent nine months working on a vast 21,000-acre mixed farm in Montana. The 24-year-old, who has spent most

NORTH Yorkshire leaders this week urged the Government to get on with opening up the countryside. Councillors from North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire MPs including William Hague told Countryside Minister Alun Michael they want a timetable for

STEVE Linsley remembers the Malton Hirings fair of 1933 as if it were yesterday. He was interested to read in the Gazette & Herald (Nov 8) how showmen in that year braved the fear of typhoid fever to come to town. An epidemic in the days before antibiotics

AT this time of year, many of the trees in our countryside, parks and gardens are adorned in the finest of their autumn colours. Although some may have lost their foliage, others are in their prime so far as the end-of-season display is concerned, but

FROM our front bay window I could see, high above the town, an array of barrage balloons. Tethered like flying elephants I used to think, with one or two bursting on occasion into brilliant suns of fire as enemy aircraft made contact on a surprise raid

A BRIEF visit to the Lake District reminded me of the country's most famous huntsman, John Peel. He will be forever remembered in the familiar song: D'ye ken John Peel with his coat so gray, D'ye ken John Peel at the break of day, D'ye ken John Peel when

WOOD craftsmen and manufacturers of the latest state-of-the-art equipment for the timber industry attracted large crowds at the Yorkshire Woodfair held at Thirsk Racecourse on Saturday. Show organiser Martin Glynn said: "It was a great success and gave

THE recording of natural history has been part of our literary culture for many a moon, from the early observations of Gilbert White down to the spiritual renderings of Richard Jefferies and ever popular drawings and notes of Edith Holden, the Edwardian

THE biggest pumpkin ever recorded in the show was on display at Slingsby village horticultural show on Saturday. The giant vegetable, which was grown by veteran competitor Ken Etty, whose pumpkin weighed in at 278lbs. Organiser Keith Dixon said: "The

A NEW charity shop has recently opened in Thornton-le-Dale in Pickering Road on a site previously occupied by a small Christian bookshop. The manager Val Walker is at present assisted by local volunteer, Barbara Woodford, and the shop relies entirely

HERE begins a tale harking back to 1948 and a bright summer's day in the Esk Valley. We were to have an afternoon out, my maternal grandmother, great aunt Mary, her son George and myself. It was a major event : a trip to Hutton-le-Hole, with everyone

Tomorrow is the feast of St Bartholomew and in rural Yorkshire, it was known for two things - first, ancient weather lore said that the season's dew arrives on this date and second, it was the occasion for feasts and fairs, one of the survivors being

Watching badgers, and giving other people the opportunity to see these nocturnal creatures in their natural habitat, is something that Chris Peacock enjoys immensely. During the summer months, when the evenings are light, groups of up to 15 people meet

STILL limited by foot and mouth disease, this week's walk visits the outskirts of Scarborough. It starts by taking to the disused Scarborough to Whitby railway track between the village of Scalby and the outskirts of the town. After a short walk along

OF continuing interest is the story behind the scenes depicted on the familiar blue and white willow pattern pottery. This cropped up recently in a conversation with some friends who wondered about the identity of the two blue and white birds which are

It seems a long time since the first government announcement that foot and mouth was under control and, ever since that date, no one who lives in the countryside has believed any of the pronouncements about the disease which have come out of either Whitehall

DALBY Forest is known as the Great Yorkshire Forest, and rightly so. The emphasis is on recreation providing a children's playground, walking routes, cycle routes, forest exhibition and shop, light refreshments, floor games, barbecue facilities, picnic

FUNDRAISERS will be sticking their oar in at Terrington Hall School to help raise cash for a breast cancer charity. Pupils, parents and staff at the school will be trying to row an amazing 400km - the distance from Terrington to London - using ten rowing

LITTLE Stephen Cockerill is always ready to help out on his granddad's farm. He's extra busy this year with early lambing. The youngster he's looking after was born on Boxing Day. Grandparents Freda and David Cockerill of Ducks Farm, Kirby Misperton,

CHILDREN in a Ryedale village are making sure they will be at a special Christmas party. More than 100 invitations have gone out to youngsters living in Nawton, Beadlam and nearby Skiplam. And one very important invite has been sent to the man in red

YOUNGSTERS at Brooklyn Playgroup have been busily preparing for Christmas - thanks to a helping hand or two. Two students from Norton College, Hayley Woodcock and Vicky Dalton, have been assisting at the playgroup as part of a scheme called the Bridge

THE hard work of pupils at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering was recognised at a special prize-giving night last Thursday. The Newstead award for spoken English was won by Jonathan Cresswell, who also picked up the Douglas prize for GCSE geography fieldwork

LAST week, too late for more than a passing mention, Jimmy FitzGerald announced that he was to give up training and hand over to his son Tim, later this year. For more than a quarter of a century, Jimmy has been an integral part of the Ryedale racing

A BAND of Ryedale youngsters have done their performing arts school proud. For the sixth year running children from the Kirkham Henry School of Performing Arts in Malton has provided the choir for a professional production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor

PUPILS at Luttons School have been reliving wartime celebrations - and tasting the delights of Spam, Marmite and jelly. Students, teachers and parents organised a VE celebration day as part of the pupils' history studies, and held a street party in the

STUDENTS at Ryedale School, in Nawton, have released a CD which has been produced in collaboration with local singers and musicians. The CD, which contains solo and band efforts, has been produced to capture performances of pupils from the past and the

SUPPOSING you were asked to perform in an opera which was set in China, written in Italian and performed by Russians - how do you think you would do? Ten pupils from Howsham Hall School made light of any language barriers when they joined the Chisinau

PUPILS at Lady Lumley's School have been speaking with many tongues. In preparation for a national day celebrating the variety of European languages, each tutor group in years 7, 8 and 9 chose one of 17 European languages to research. The pupils then

Young Gaz will return next week. Watch this space. Updated: 09:04 Thursday, August 30, 2001

IT was the day the teddy bears had their picnic at Leavening primary school on Friday. With the end of term fast approaching, the picnic was a bit of fun to liven up lunchtime for pupils of the school. Head teacher Mary Kirkham said: "It was an end of

CHILDREN and parents at Kirkbymoorside Primary School had a "wonderful day" at their annual summer fair, held at the weekend. There was a range of attractions for all ages including handicrafts, face painting and beat the goalie competition. Headteacher

JAMES Stephenson in his pro-bloodsports column of December 6, said that hunting should soon resume in North Yorkshire if DEFRA sticks to its promises? What Mr Stephenson forgot to mention was that if anyone from this Government stick to their promises

SOCIAL security rules state that pensions must be cut for hospital stays longer than six weeks. At any one time, more than 30,000 sick older people are enduring these cuts, which also results in other benefit cuts, including income support, housing and

MR Fisher's comments on the Keith Knaggs affair are gutter politics in the lowest form. Firstly there is a vast difference between fiddling one's expenses over a number of years and resigning, when in an untenable position, compared an unfortunate remark

SO Malton Post Office is re-locating, good! The current one is far too small and long queues impede the Co-op shoppers. Larger premises are needed, somewhere convenient to shoppers and businesses, central, near to a pelican crossing and with easy parking

GLADYS Turner raises several issues in her letter on parking in Helmsley (November 1). I think disabled badge holders should be allowed some free time in the Market Place car park to allow them to do essential shopping, but for longer periods they should

EARLIER this year a letter from Yvonne Taylor appeared, slamming the rearing of game birds. So I rang her and explained that I am a game farmer and her letter was misguided. I then invited her to come and visit my rearing field and said if she could see

THE Poppy Appeal will be launched on October 28, in this the 80th anniversary of the Royal British Legion during which time the Poppy Appeal has helped to fund the legion's work to deliver a caring service for the benefit of the ex-service community in

I HAVE no doubts at all that Malton town manager Mick Gains' views on the Milton Rooms are shared by most people in the twin towns. The subject has become a huge hardy annual and a joke for years now. It is a dysfunctional relic from the 1920s and an

I SEE that the idea of new sports facilities and the closure of Derwent Pool is once again being raised. I am in full agreement with improving sports provision in central Ryedale, but I would like to raise the following points: 1. The opening hours for

MARK Rooke, the farmer from Nawton who tests GM crops, suggests that Josie Downs and Friends of the Earth, would be better occupied in studying foot and mouth disease than in protesting about GM maize being licensed as animal fodder. For me it is not

CONGRATULATIONS to the organisers of the Motor Show, it really was an excellent event and proves just what can be achieved when everyone is prepared to work together for the benefit of Malton and Norton. There was a very warm and friendly atmosphere throughout

SO the Milton Rooms is having its annual "crisis" according to the headlines; and Ryedale District Council is "seeking urgent Talks" with who-knows-what. A sad case of play it again and again and again Sam (with apologies to Humphrey Bogart). Frank Wiggle

FOLLOWING is a suggestion on how to improve the Derwent River flood alleviation plans. The upstream Derwent River is kept full of water by the weir at Kirkham Priory. There the bypass channel and sluice gate's depth gauges indicate that there is a vertical

AN incident early on Friday evening, July 6, made me fully aware of the lack of police presence on the streets of Malton. The time was 17.50 and I was walking down Newbiggin after doing some shopping at the supermarket, to my disgust I witnessed a male

AM writing to the readers of your paper regarding the tragic plight of the countryside, which, at present, is being ravaged by foot and mouth. People in many areas have been led to believe that foot and mouth is at worst under control and best over, all

It alarms me to hear apparently responsible people like Mr Crease (Gazette & Herald, June 14) making sweeping statements on such an important issue as the euro and the dangers of missing out on joining. The euro is not good for Britain. It is a sorry

IT was with some trepidation that we 40 members of Malton and Norton Amateur Operatic Society headed up the road to Pickering on Saturday, May 26, for the first ever complete performance there of one of our shows. The trepidation was all the greater because

THE letter, from John Welshman Gazette & Herald, May 17, is factually incorrect. Firstly, neither North Yorkshire County Council nor Ryedale District Council as the local planning authority, have excluded the possibility of level crossings, within

I AM pleased to see in your edition of the Gazette & Herald (May 3), that at last you have decided, with impartiality to cover the Bushite Son Of Star Wars issue and on the front page too, and without prior warning of the impending parliamentary re-election

CONGRATULATIONS to Martin Vander Weyer (letters April 12) for objecting to what is now known in local political circles as the Keith Orrell Ego Trip Broadsheet. For some years now and quite contrary to my wishes, I have been subjected to copies of Focus

THE devastation wrought by our ducks and geese during the recent freeze-up continues to come to light. Going for a bay leaf to add aroma to a stew I was making, I found the plant stripped of every leaf. Some foliage for an arrangement? Ah. An interesting

MORE joyous family news this Christmas. Not only are we to be grandparents but also Jo, our youngest daughter, has got engaged. John has known about it for a month, as Matthew, her new fiance, asked John's permission in November, but by a democratic and

THE news that our eldest daughter, Bryony, is expecting her first child next year, could not come at a more appropriate time than Christmas. She could, of course, arrange to hang on and actually deliver next Christmas Day, as that would be even more appropriate

THE suggestions that all farmers are to be issued with computers with a direct link to the Department for the Extermination of Farming and Rural Affairs, has caused shock waves through our local farming fraternity. Computers? E-mail? I foresee uprisings

"AND what is that white stuff we can see in the Highlands? Looks like snow." The weather forecaster was right. It was snow. What a change from the mild weather - and even the look of the day - we have been experiencing in our part of the country. It was

WE have just celebrated my mother's eldest sister's birthday, at a pub, near her home in the Midlands. Auntie Elsie is the sole survivor of her five brothers and sisters, that included her youngest sister my mum, and she was determined to celebrate as

ELDEST daughter Bryony and I decided that a fact-finding mission on the euro was in order this week. So we set off to hold our breath for 20 minutes and drive, via the Chunnel, to Paris for a few days. For anyone who has the slightest trepidation about

EACH day John takes the suckler cows a big round bale of silage to supplement their grazing. Many of the cows are weaned but one or two calves remain with the suckler herd from several late calvers. The silage is placed in a ring clamp, exactly big round

AS it was a quiet day on the farm, I hid myself in the office to to answer all the kind letters that had been sent to me about how to pickle walnuts. On reading them I realised where I made my first big mistake. Not using a recipe. As the squirrels have

ANYONE watching the hand signals I make to John as I approach him on his tractor when he is drilling would think I am more disturbed than usual. As I drive up I wave four fingers out the window at him, not two, four, and wait until he gives a jolt of

THE new Saler bull has now served all of the cows in the suckler herd. At least we presume he has, as no cows are bulling, and he has no lustful interest in any of them. Cows come bulling on a three-week cycle, and the bull has been working very hard,

IT is now over two months since the flock were clipped, and still the wool sheets are stacked up in a corner of one of the big sheds. There is no sign of anyone wanting to either collect them or ask for them to be taken in. Nobody needs the wool it seems

A COMBINATION of sun and rain has forced the grass into a last flush of growth. As a result many of the lambs and sheep need their rear ends cleaning up, dagging out the clumps of green muck that is such an intoxicating invitation to flies. We no longer

I THOUGHT I heard somewhere in the dim distant past that the foot and mouth virus would be wiped out by heat. Well the hot weather doesn't seem to be working any miracles according to the DEFRA web site. Cases yesterday were up again. The Government's

PEEPEE, our peahen, has at last succumbed to domestic life. Well, at any rate, she is sitting on a nest of five eggs, and having daily arguments with Mr Peacock. He will not leave her alone to sit on her eggs but instead keeps hovering around and making

THIS time last year we hired a bull to 'do the business' with our suckler beef herd. No hint of trouble. Foot and mouth? A farming myth, back in the ages of time. Today, the outbreak is ruling our lives and this year we have decided to buy a bull and

IT is about a year since we let our ferocious goldfish, Sid Fishcious, loose in a newly-dug pond. He had led an increasingly larger life from firstly a plastic bag at the fair, then a goldfish bowl, progressing to a fish tank and, from there, a cattle-drinking

I have a friend called Tabby, A furry purry cat. The children run to stroke her And give her a friendly pat. I know a dog named Rover He's got a cold damp nose. Still everybody hugs him No matter where he goes. All the children love them What can their

WHITE walls and a shiny white door White garden gate, white flowers galore. White gables and a white chimney-stack, Whilst at the front and round the back White curtains hang at white window-frames - Thus stands the house so strangely named. There must

Sale notices in red and white Make my feet take to flight Bargains galore are posted on window and door, There's never been a sale like this before. Watch your purse there's "thieves about", Ready just to clean you out. People are leaping over stand and

Is it nearly Christmas time? Winter's here and our reward, To see a bird on every bow Come for feed, oh and how. We know a little babe was born A star for all to follow When times are hard We must trust in him. So it's nearly Christmas time Carols galore

THE river at the break of day Far from the haunts of men, Where mists of early autumn lay Across the Norfolk fen. And willows at the water's edge Stand motionless and tall, With morning dew upon the sedge Where alders lean and sprawl. About this early

The young and the old. The standard bearers. The vicar and the priest all stood in silence Under the great beech; And a few gold leaves Floated down like tears: A minute to eleven. "Age shall not weary them Nor the years condemn; At the going down of

One way or another everything comes back The little hurts inflicted By some mindless attack Unfairness and ingratitude come back upon your head Sooner or later we suffer From the harm that we have spread. Justice does prevail But to some it does not matter

ELSIE King has been a cleaner at the same school for more than three decades, and her mother did the same job for the previous 30 years. Now Elsie, who was also a pupil at Foston Church of England Primary, is receiving a special award from North Yorkshire

All things bright and beautiful All people short and tall Gathered round the bonfire To see the fireworks fall The air was cold and frosty But no one seemed to care Happy faces all aglow Everyone was there The fireworks were fantastic The fire was burning

I LOVE to see the sun, I love to feel the rain, I love to feel my heart beat, As it pumps blood to my brain... I love to be happy, I love not to be sad, I love the years ago, When I was just a lad... I love to see the falling snow, I love to smell the

HORSES have returned to what are believed to be the country's most successful stables - Whitewall Yard, at Norton. After being unused for several years, Mark Campion, a trainer with an impressive record worldwide, has bought the complex, which is over

Some people say that I am thick, and wasn't very bright at school. But as the years went by, I found out I was no-one's fool. I wasn't good at adding up, I thought two and three was four. But in the end I worked it out and that twenty was a score. My

TALK about romantic. Sandra Lee, of the New Inn at Cropton, had a dream wedding after a love-at-first-sight whirlwind romance. When she walked down the candlelit aisle at Cropton parish church she was marrying the sweetheart she met just five months earlier

REACHING three-score-years-and-ten may be reason enough for most people to adopt an armchair by the fire with pipe and slippers at close quarters. But not if you're Jim Dent. When Jim's 70th birthday came round last week, he marked the occasion by doing

"NOBODY buys poetry." The words of a York publisher who turned up his nose when John Nursey first attempted to get his writing into print. It was those pearls of wisdom which inspired the Ryedale poet to prove the publisher utterly wrong. And, of course

Down on the farm, It's a very sad time, What with this food and mouth thing, and all the heartache it can bring. All the 'no entry' signs, on the gates, and the foot baths in their place; We check our animals every day, Hoping the foot and mouth keeps

A BUBBLY Ryedale teenager has defied life-threatening illness not once, but TWICE. Hannah Swift, 14, had an emergency heart transplant five years ago. And this year she was given just three weeks to live after being diagnosed with cancer. Hannah was advised

MOTORCYCLING the length of Britain has given a Kirkbymoorside fundraiser a taste of the high-life - and now he plans to conquer Kilimanjaro. Oil worker John Kallagher has set his sights on the African mountain and hopes to raise £2,000 for the BBC's Children

THIS haunting image looking across the floods to Rock Cottage was taken by Mat Smith, 16, from Pickering and earned him top place in the junior section of the Pickering Photo 2000 competition. Mat is pictured right receiving his prize of Jessops vouchers

LINDA Carter, of Mill Street, Norton, ran a personal best in the Great North Run and raised over £400 for Malton Hospital through sponsorship. Linda, 41, who works as a cleaner at Norton College, completed the course in just over two hours. It was her

WOULD you like taking part in school-time stories or enjoy rambling with pupils among the apple trees on a stately home estate? If this sounds like a challenge you'd enjoy and you've the get-up-and-go why not get involved in the Retired and Senior Volunteer

MALTON School's annual celebration evening took place on November 15, when the school reviewed the previous year's highlights, and made awards to 115 students in the school who had qualified to attend by their performance over the previous year. As is

THE insects in Jenny Chapman's garden will never seem the same again. For she will soon be studying the weird and wonderful insects in the South American paradise country of Costa Rica. Jenny, from Fangdale, near Bilsdale, has won an Earthwatch Millennium

We had arranged to meet in a place quite different from our eventual destination. Both shaking dust from hot feet after separate wanderings in Rajesthan, India's North western desert state, we selected a nominal cafe in the nation's capital Delhi. We

PLANNING councillors in Ryedale warned this week they will get tough with the growing number of applications for development being put in after the work has been done. Coun Arthur Aslett's view that the district council was "getting far too many retrospective

A NEW lift has opened up access to education at Norton College for Rachel Benhamou - and she's just the first disabled youngster who the facility will benefit. The college has been working to provide the lift for the last year, and it is finally ready

AVILLAGERS living next to a busy main road have welcomed the news that a pedestrian crossing is to be built linking them to the rest of the village. But they have warned that road bosses must think carefully about where they decide to site the scheme.

A YOUNG local singer has won a place to sing in an international choir for a month (pictured front). Robert Meinardi, a 17-year-old tenor from Pickering was picked to sing with the International Bach Academy Festival Choir made up of 25 nationalities.

ture after staff were told they could face redundancy or shorter working hours. Christopher Shaw, chairman of Micro-Metalsmiths Ltd, said that it was vital for both the company and the workforce to move all its business to one site - the firm's base at

Ryedale campanologist Kirsty Watts aims to keep the bells of her local church ringing, by taking part in the gruelling Great North Run next month. For Kirsty is raising money through sponsorship to provide the ancient parish church of All Saints, Kirkbymoorside

Rising smoke billows like steam, twisting and swaying like a belly dancer. He gasps as if breathing in the grey clouds. The tray is full of moments in time, measured by the length of each stub. The eagle tattoo disappears like a snake as he rolls down

PART-TIME firefighters who saved a vital community building from ruin - then helped raise money to rebuild it - have had their efforts commended. The ten-man crew at Helmsley fire station - all made up of retained, or part-time firefighters - were awarded

Give me a garden, that nobody sees, With exotic aromas, bird song and bees. Give me a garden, that nobody knows, Tended by nature, not rows upon rows. Give me a garden, where time can stand still, And man-made sounds go over the hill. Give me a garden

I went to Garden Answers To ask about my ants. They're red and fierce and everywhere, But not yet in my pants Thank goodness, as they bite like hell; They even nip my pals as well! I questioned that nice Geoffrey Smith On what should be my action For

The sky was blue with no trace of cloud As I made my way through the bustling crowd Then something made me gasp out loud! Had earth quickened its celestial round And brought December with a bound - Had the seasons all turned upside down! For in the heat

AN INTREPID North Yorkshire horsewoman is set to saddle up and ride out on an five-day charity challenge next year. But Caroline Woodliffe, from Huby, near Easingwold, won't be setting off on a relaxing trot through British woodland. Instead, she is one

My Rabbit is three, So you can see. My rabbit is soft, If it could, it would live in the loft. It likes dark places, Or airy spaces. It lives in a wooden hutch, And it's a Dutch. I like my rabbit, It gives me a habit. He thinks it rains everyday, So he

THREE girls from Ryedale have been accepted in the first wave of girls at Sedburgh School in the Lake District. Two girls from St Martin's Prep School, Nawton and one from Terrington Hall will be among the 46 girls who will be the first girls to attend

ELSIE King has been a cleaner at the same school for more than three decades, and her mother did the same job for the previous 30 years. Now Elsie, who was also a pupil at Foston Church of England Primary, is receiving a special award from North Yorkshire

ROBERT Meinardi, star of the opera All the Kings Men, which this week opens the Ryedale Festival, is following in a strong family tradition. Not only was his mother, Krystina Meinardi an opera singer, but so were his grandmother and great grandmother.

KIRKBYMOORSIDE vicar Canon David Purdy is celebrating 25 years in the priesthood this week. After being ordained at York Minster in 1976, Mr Purdy served his first curacy on Teesside in Marske, followed by another curacy in Middlesbrough. After a number

"MY TUMMY is doing the flip." That's probably not quite the reaction The Queen was expecting when she awarded the MBE to devoted waitress Jean Barton, but that is what she got. Jean, who has waited on happy customers at the Black Swan in Helmsley for

ONE must get one's priorities into some semblance of order. So just for the record, I had a call from a kind lady reader to tell me that Friar Tuck's Ginger Wine Essence can be obtained at one of Malton's chemists. It seems that it was taken off the market

NOT yet Christmas as I write this; yet too late for Christmas greetings, so may I wish you all a very good 2002. I hope that the world becomes a better place for everyone, and that each of you, within your own world, find life to be rewarding. Round about