Archive

  • Cycle ride in the Howardian Hills

    This is my last cycling article which will be published in the Gazette & Herald as I am leaving to concentrate on my passion for writing books. I find there is just not time to do both. I hope you have enjoyed my monthly cycle rides as much as

  • More than grain of truth in stability fear

    IT has been a little more than four weeks since my last column and it has been an extremely volatile time for the grain markets. Feed wheat for spot collection has valued anywhere between £125.00 - £140.00/T throughout the month of November (and

  • Market extension hailed

    It was seasonally good news when Roddy Bushell confirmed this week the Fitzwilliam Estate would grant a threee-month extension to the current cattle market lease, taking it up to the beginning of April Pat Foxton was delighted. “This generous

  • Lady Lumley's School decks the hall with some festive spirit

    TO GET the school in the festive spirit, Lady Lumley’s Sixth Form students hosted a Christmas fair for the students in the lower school and teachers to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Each sixth form tutor had their own stall and sold

  • Lady Lumley's students sing their hearts out for Christmas

    EACH Year, sixth form students from Lady Lumley’s School take part in Welburn Hall School’s Christmas Big Sing event, with this year being no exception. The event started in 2009 as a charity initiative to raise money for Christian Aid and has flourished

  • Farmer awards launched

    THE search to find the finest farmers in the North is underway. The second Northern Farmer Awards will be held in March at Harrogate. The awards are organised by The Northern Farmer magazine, which is published by the Newsquest Media Group, owner

  • Our weasily recognisable walk guest

    MIKE BAGSHAW, travel and countryside writer stumbles across one of our smallest carnivores that fails to escape his notice. For me, no experience in the natural world is boring, but some are more inspiring than others and occasionally you are blessed

  • Jelly maker wins approval of politicians

    A NORTH Yorkshire jelly maker has won the vote of approval from some of the country’s top politicians, Ryan Tindall, 22, was one of 12 small businesses selected as case studies from around the UK to attend the event at Parliament to tell MPs how

  • Turkey trot failed to impress

    The traditional Christmas turkey lunch holds traumatic memories for one of my oldest friends. We had both been to senior school in Malta and BooBoo returned to live in Malta after college and marriage. She was determined to produce and serve up her

  • Palace Cinema news: Unbroken festivities to enjoy

    THE Christmas line-up is brilliant this year, there are so many good films and some really great films as well. Over the Christmas period we will have The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Get Santa, Paddington, Penguins of Madagascar, Nativity

  • Pickering pantomime rehearsals get under way

    PICKERING Musical Society rehearsals of their 2015 panto are well under way with Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs gracing the stage in January.David Tester is once again in the producer’s chair with his fourth panto production for Pickering Musical Society

  • The Railway Children returns to York

    THE OLIVIER Award-winning production of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s novel The Railway Children will be returning to York in July 2015 as the York Theatre Royal and National Railway Museum join forces during the theatre’s re-development

  • Alfie Boe, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 27

    ONE OF Britain's favourite tenor's Alfie Boe will take centre stage at Scarborough Open Air Theatre next year as part of a spectacular Last Night of the Proms concert, organised to coincide with Armed Forces Day. The concert, on Saturday June 27

  • Sing along to Frozen at Stephen Joseph Theatre

    IT’S THE Disney film that’s melted everyone’s hearts and now there is the chance to see and sing-along to Frozen on the big screen this Christmas. The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough is screening the sing-along version of the family blockbuster

  • Superb Malton & Norton RUFC make it ten wins in a row

    MALTON & Norton RUFC notched a tenth successive win but missed out on a bonus point as they won 22-12 at Hullensians in Yorkshire One. The Ryedale side head into the league's two-week Christmas and New Year break eight points behind leaders

  • Ryedale trainer’s sadness after death of Cockney Sparrow

    High-class racemare Cockney Sparrow, who provided Ryedale trainer John Quinn and his conditional jockey Dean Pratt with so many great days, has tragically lost her life to colic. The memorable winner of last season's Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle

  • Malton & Norton Under-17s in fightback to overcome Ripon

    MALTON & Norton RUFC Under-17s overcame their sternest test of the season to stretch their winning run to seven games with a 24-13 success against Ripon. A determined Ripon team, who harbour their own title ambitions, started well and pinned

  • Lawrence Blades has the edge for Malton & Norton Under-14s

    MAN of the match Lawrence Blades and George Austin-Thompson led the try-scoring as Malton & Norton RUFC Under-14s beat Selby 46-26. In the first minute of The Gannock clash, Austin-Thompson tackled an opponent and won possession, giving the

  • Danny Fogg brace clears the way for Old Malton St Mary's

    CHAMPIONS Old Malton St Mary’s maintained their four-point lead at the top of the York Minster Engineering Football League premier division with a 4-0 victory over York Railway Institute. Half of the pitch at Old Malton had a covering of frost,

  • Liqueur maker in bid to save the damson

    ARTISAN liqueur maker Raisthorpe Manor is launching a campaign to revive Britain’s shrinking damson crop. The Yorkshire Wolds-based business is urging people to plant more of the forgotten fruit in an effort to save the “damsons in distress”.

  • North Yorkshire police speed camera locations announced

    North Yorkshire Police mobile speed cameras will be at the following locations for the week beginning December 17:                            A162 Sherburn by-pass                                                                       A165 Reighton

  • Scarborough Athletic are on the rise

    SCARBOROUGH Athletic climbed into a play-off position with a 2-1 win at Lancaster City in Evo-Stik League division one north. Athletic are fifth going into the festive programme, which starts with a home clash against tenth-placed Mossley on Saturday

  • Whitby Town are well beaten

    WHITBY Town suffered a 4-0 defeat at Evo-Stik League premier division leaders Skelmersdale United. Whitby were well beaten despite the home side losing keeper Martin Pearson to injury, with full-back Peter Wylie taking over in goal and keeping

  • Football: Duncombe Park rise to top of the table

    TITLE favourites Kirkdale United dropped from first to fifth as all their rivals won in division two of the newitts.com Beckett League. While Kirkdale were winning 4-0 at Cayton Corinthians Reserves in round three of the Scarborough & District

  • Football: Jump to third place for Thornton-le-Dale

    THORNTON-LE-DALE jumped from fifth to joint second in division one of the newitts.com Beckett League thanks to a 5-0 home with over Bagby & Balk. Rivals Bagby boast a better goal difference but Thornton-le-Dale, who turned in their best performance

  • Scarborough & District Football League round-up

    CHAMPIONS Newlands Park beat division one leaders Westover Wasps 6-1 in the Scarborough & District League.In the only top flight game played on Saturday, Newlands led 3-1 at half-time after a goal by Drew McCoubrey and a brace from Danny Jenkinson. James

  • Old Malton hit for six

    OLD Malton St Mary's Under-12's went down 6-1 against unbeaten Tadcaster Albion in the York & Ryedale Mitchell Sports Football League.St Mary's put in a spirited performance and some good team work saw Arthur Rees score for Malton. However, Tadcaster's

  • Junior Football Round-up

    SECOND-PLACED Brooklyn U12s followed up their 5-1 win at Hamilton Panthers with a 6-0 home victory over the same opposition in division two of the York & Ryedale Mitchell Sports League.Brooklyn took a long time to get going after having to make a few

  • Motorcycling: Champion Dan Peace seals victory at Harwood Dale

    KIRKBYMOORSIDE ace Dan Peace showed maturity beyond his 16 years in winning the Hull AC trial at Harwood Dale, Scarborough.The British Youth 'A' Trials champion, riding for JST Gas Gas, starred in heavy, greasy conditions, overturning Andy Chilton's victory

  • Snooker: Victory for Malton ‘A’

    MALTON ‘A’ got back to winning ways in the York Conservative Clubs’ Carlsberg UK Snooker League with a 5-2 victory over Fulford ‘A’. Simon Weatherill fought back from 60 behind to beat Jamie Husband on the black, with his win including a 56 break

  • Swimming championship pride for Derwent Devils

    DERWENT Valley Swimming Club achieved great success at the Scarborough District Swimming Championships in Hull.The Derwent Devils squad, coached by Mark Wheatley and based at the Derwent Pool in Norton, sent three representatives to the full day of races

  • Lady Lumley's students qualify for swimming championships

    FIVE students from Lady Lumley's School in Pickering qualified for the North Eastern Swimming Championships at Sunderland Aquatics Centre - with Jason Robson landing eight medals and all five of them recording personal best times.This event attracts the

  • Superb win for Eddie in his first novice test

    Port Royal are keeping up a steady flow of competitions with plenty going on in the run up the Christmas, with competitors turning out en masse while the weather is still holding up.Local event rider, Emma Corner from Norton, had her two eventing horses

  • Warning to get fully insured

    Equestrian businesses are being warned of the potential dangers of being underinsured. Two recent legal cases have highlighted the expense of defending personal injury claims.In one case, defended by HorseSolicitor, which concluded in October 2014, an

  • Darts: Keith Eddon on target as WMC lead the way

    Keith Eddon got Working Men’s Club off to a winning start in week nine in the Pickering Darts League. His 16-dart leg included scores of 1 x 137, 2 x 100. Royal Oak captain Martin Cook hit back winning his match with a 20-darter and throwing

  • Cook double keeps pair at top of table

    ELIZ COOK trotted away with a double on the veteran, Boss Tweed, in the prelim 14 and novice class keeping them at the top of the leader board in the Friars Hill winter dressage league. Anna Nightingale produced a lovely test to take the lead in

  • Tills jingle as food market bids farewell to 2014

    IT WAS jingle all the way for the Christmas Malton Monthly Food Market on Saturday. The festive finale for the 2014 season of markets included over 40 food and drink stalls, four chef demos, a mincemeat cookery demonstration, carols and a visit

  • County council presses for A64 improvements

    COUNTY councillors have said that they will push for improvements to made to the A64 following the announcement that up to £250m worth of investment has been set aside for the road. North Yorkshire County Council said that the work will be essential

  • Smudge the missing dog returns home

    CHRISTMAS has come early for one Ryedale family after their pet dog was found alive and well over two months since he went missing. Owner Karen James, of High Hutton, said it was 'absolutely amazing' when they were reunited with Smudge who disappeared

  • Disneyland dream appeal for April, three, tops £13k

    A FUNDRAISING appeal to send a little girl with an extremely rare condition to Disneyland Paris has raised over £13,000. April Benton, from Malton, is one of nine children in the world suffering from bilateral striatal necrosis, which affects her

  • Christmas tree festival raises £700

    NORTON’S Christmas tree festival has raised more than £700. Held at St Peter’s Church, the event included more than 30 trees decorated by different organisations and businesses from the town. The winning tree was designed by the Tuesday Toddler

  • Reindeer Runners raise cash for lifeboats

    A STAMPEDE of RNLI Reindeer Runners braved chilly winter weather to get into the festive spirit and help raise cash for the lifeboat charity. Held at Bramham Park last month, the Yorkshire RNLI Reindeer Run is one of five held around the UK and

  • Tasty donation for charity town café

    A PICKERING café will be able to serve up even more tasty treats thanks to a £700 grant. Mr Wilf’s Café, in Vivis Lane, has been able to buy a brand new state-of-the-art food mixer thanks to the donation from the Yorkshire Society’s Charitable

  • Gladman homes given permission

    COUNCILLORS in a Ryedale town have spoken of their disappointment at a decision to grant outline planning permission for more than 200 homes on appeal. The government inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State to conduct an appeal in to the

  • Pickering school teacher retires

    A LONG-serving teacher at St Joseph's RC School in Pickering is retiring. Elizabeth Moss, who lives in Norton, has taught at the school for 16 years, mainly with Years One and Two, Headteacher David Harrison, said she would be greatly missed

  • Village show to return after plea for help

    A PLEA for volunteers to help run a village gymkhana have been answered as a show date is announced for next year. Members of the Acklam Sports and Gymkhana committee were forced to cancel the 100-year-old event earlier this year due to a lack

  • Pupils have songs broadcast on radio

    SINGERS will have their voices aired on radio this Christmas. Children at St Martin’s School, in Ampleforth, will have four songs broadcast on BBC Radio York during the week starting Monday, December 22. Vincent Conyngham, the school’s director

  • Plans for new Kirkbymoorside band room are unveiled

    A SCHEME to provide a new headquarters for Kirkbymoorside Brass Band and the market town’s scout troop has been unveiled when members of the Town Council gave their support to the principle of the ambitious venture. The development, earmarked for

  • Pupils take part in creative writing day

    PUPILS at Norton Primary School were inspired to take part in a range of creative activities as part of 'Everybody Writes Day'. Each class chose a book relating to the theme of Journey Around the World and used it to inspire their writing.

  • Tour de France leaves cash legacy for North Yorkshire

    A MAJOR report into the financial impact of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France has confirmed that it has been a massive success for North Yorkshire. It revealed that in total 2.3 million people watched the two Yorkshire stages of the Grand

  • Malton car park plan opposer says questions remain

    THE long-running saga over the future of Malton’s Wentworth Street car park is expected to be raised again at tomorrow night’s meeting of Ryedale District Council. Councillor Paul Andrews, who represents Malton, is a leading opponent of a plan

  • Hospice benefits from bank’s fundraising year

    STAFF at the TSB in Malton have raised hundreds of pounds for Saint Catherine’s during a year of supporting the hospice. The branch, in Wheelgate, has been busy all year with activities including a “guess the number of sweets in the jar” contest

  • Ryedale Youth Ballet perform Coppelia

    MEMBERS of Ryedale Youth Ballet are performing Coppelia at Norton College on Sunday. Produced in association with Kirkham Henry Performing Arts Centre in Malton , the pupils will take part in two performances at 2 and 7pm. The matinee will

  • £1m revamp for Thornton-le-Dale almhouses

    A £1m scheme to modernise 350-year-old grade II-listed almshouses in Thornton-le-Dale has been completed. The Lady Lumley’s Almshouse Trust, in partnership with housing association Broadacres and its developing partner Southdale, has spent the

  • Howsham Mill volunteers are honoured

    VOLUNTEERS working at an 18th century watermill have been praised for their efforts in helping to restore the Gothic-style building. The work of hundreds of volunteers who have helped to restore Howsham Mill has been recognised by the Heritage

  • We need debate

    I WELCOME the many appeals for a proper, informed debate on fracking, chaired by a credible, neutral person and sponsored independently. Anything less is hugely damaging, not just to this important subject but to politics as a whole, especially

  • Budget cash

    FOLLOWING the letters on fracking, I wonder if people noticed the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor set aside £5m for the promotion of shale gas extraction. This, in addition to rearranged planning procedures, makes it quicker and easier to fix

  • Think on

    Recently after a Lancastrian game shop owner and wild game shooting enthusiast committed suicide, Councillor Tommy Woodward, of Pickering, poured scorn on this tragic incident by voicing on the social media that, “If you choose to own a gun and kill

  • ‘Chance to tell it like it really is’

    RYEDALE District Council appreciates the opportunity to correct a misleading impression given by John Clark in his column in the Gazette & Herald of December 10 about the role of officers at Ryedale District Council. The assertion that district

  • Check the facts

    I AM pleased to see that you are printing many comments about the controversial subject of fracking for shale gas in Ryedale. A few people have said that they are concerned about it, but would like to see information from more “scientific” sources

  • A64 needs action

    AS a passionate supporter of public transport in general and railways in particular, I find supporting any road scheme particularly galling. But I think we can all see that if Malton, Norton and Scarborough are to prosper, improvements to the A64 are

  • Vet loss

    THE proposal to build 500 houses in the proposed development known as High Malton is likely to lead to the loss from its present site of the only veterinary surgery in Malton. A planning notice has gone up proposing the demolition by Fitzwilliam

  • Helmsley praised for its generosity

    My family and I went along to Helmsley last Saturday for the Christmas festivities including the pop-up ice skating rink. As we slid about the rink, and lights about us twinkled, I was reminded of how generous the shops had been in donating prizes

  • Reflecting on a year of council leadership

    CHRISTMAS gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the things important to us. It is a time when we can look back on the year gone by and forward to the year ahead. In May, I was honoured to be elected as chairman of the district council

  • Prayers said for crash victim

    PRAYERS were said during the weekend Masses at St Leonard and St Mary’s Church, in Malton, for Johnny Connors, who was killed in a car crash in the early hours last Sunday. A Requiem Mass is being held on Friday at the church and the funeral of