TWO sisters whose mother suffers from Alzheimer's disease are set to trek the Great Wall of China in her honour. Betty Ratcliffe's illness is so far advanced that the 76-year-old no longer recognises her own children. But her devastated daughters are
VICIOUS Vikings, rampant Romans and angry Anglo Saxons are among the warriors from bygone days who have handed in their weapons at the Yorkshire Museum sword amnesty. Now young visitors are being invited to search through the blades as the York attraction
THIS golden couple were celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss today by returning to the church where they were married. It was love at first sight when Margaret and Philip Hyde, of Strensall, near York, first clapped eyes on each other. The moment made
We were at Helmsley market today. First time for some time because of the weather. The picture below shows large wooden gates between the two buildings on the right. On the other side of those gates are old stables where we used to see mounted riders
TRAIN drivers and other rail workers have being given a training boost through a new simulator which shows them exactly what they can expect on the tracks. The Yorkshire Rail Academy (YRA) has launched its own external track and signalling facility at
Is it true that when they knock down Splash Palace they are going to erect a large outdoor BBC screen in it's place? It could be very popular there. Nearby when you go into M&S, you will pass one or two old fellas like me standing outside the door
A burglar who smashed his way into a terrified pensioner's York home before having a crisis of conscience has been jailed for four years. William Leech pretended to be 76-year-old Irene Hill's son to persuade her to let him into her bungalow, and when
IT'S good to talk - as staff at the York Customer Centre know. The City of York Council call centre is one-year-old this week, and has handled 434,000 calls - equivalent to more than 8,000 a week. The 34-strong team deals with requests across a wide
ENVIRONMENT chiefs are investigating after lorry loads of rubble were dumped on land near homes in York. Several residents have complained to City of York Council after waste was left on an area of ground off Broadway, Fulford. Stephen Rose, whose home
Photograph by Stephen W Moehr © The copyright of this image remains with the photographer
Vote for Mark Applegarth (and don't forget to include your email address in both boxes)
A MACHINE aimed at fighting chewing gum mess in York has had "no decent lasting effect", a city centre councillor has said. Brian Watson, Labour councillor for Guildhall ward, queried the apparent "disappearance" of the gum-buster, which aims to remove
CHARITIES in York are once again being given the opportunity to apply for cash to support their projects in the community. The Gannett Foundation - the charitable arm of The Press's parent company - supports projects that take a creative approach to
"PEOPLE need to realise they are driving lethal weapons, and the punishment needs to reflect that." That is the passionate plea being made by York mum Dawn Stagnell to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Dawn's son Liam was a talented young rugby player who
I NOTE that the start on phase one of the University of York expansion is announced with a programme featuring a 600-bed college, to be followed by a department of theatre, film and TV, teaching and department buildings for computer science and electronics
For all of my 43 years of working life I paid my National Insurance contributions, part of which went towards the provision of National Health care. Over the last few years the provision of this has become non-existent. More dentists are going private
I Would like to pass on my thanks through The Press, to the staff of the day unit at York Hospital. I recently had a minor operation and would like to thank all the staff, particularly my designated nurses Janet and Kevin and Mr Joseph's theatre team
I refer to Mr Myers's assertion in your letters column accusing me of spouting "claptrap" (Such claptrap, Letters, January 30) . I would accept that the previous junction at Moor Lane needed to be treated with care, but I think I am correct in stating
ON WHAT must have been one of the saddest days in British democracy, barely 40 of our 600 MPs showed up for a debate on the EU Constitutional Treaty, which will effectively end any power we still have left over our country. The Government has insulted
OUR population is growing older, but are we growing any better at coping with ageing and the aged? Premiered at the Royal Court in 1982, Louise Page's feminist study of those three interlinked Ls, love, loss and loneliness, has not been staged in Britain
Twelve per cent of people living in areas where fluoride is added to water will suffer from unsightly brown stains on their teeth, according to York researchers. But evidence presented by scientists at the University of York also shows fluoridated tap
HOW on earth is the up-and-coming generation supposed to act with honesty and integrity and be expected to vote at the next general election when some Members of Parliament seem to think they are above the law and devoid of any principles? Most taxpayers
BUSINESS-friendly York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is on the move. It will switch its headquarters from Arabesque House in Monks Cross, Huntington, to the Innovation Centre at York Science Park next month. The move, which will involve a
JUDGING by recent reports, it would appear City of York Council is more concerned with street lighting in areas of the city which are more visible to tourists, than with those which endanger ordinary citizens. I refer to a recent announcement of a
"BELT up or pay the price" - that's the message to motorists from police officers in North Yorkshire. Officers were out running checks on drivers in Tadcaster yesterday as they launched a campaign by the police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
With reference to the lively online debate on The Press website on the issues surrounding graduate recruitment in York, I would like to make the following points. Graduates Yorkshire commissioned the research, Graduate Economies, to take a snapshot
Speaking of bad driving, there is a reason why the centre of York is pedestrianised. It makes it a safer, more pleasant place. Motorists who arrogantly flout the ban on cars spoil things for others - and put lives at risk. In three hours yesterday
ON January 24, my friend and I (both octogenarians) took a day coach trip to York - primarily to see the Minster. We were dropped in the coach car park, and made our way up the hill - the wind was fearsome. When we reached the square before the Minster
"No school, really hot girls... and we get to have a party every night?" No wonder One Night Only are having a ball. Charles Hutchinson chats to lead singer George Craig. One Night Only entered the Top 40 for the first time on Sunday, but the Helmsley
Helen Spath and her team at Tullivers Health Store write a regular column to advise on a spectrum of health issues and how to treat them with natural remedies. Q: MY ARTHRITIS is always more painful at this time of the year. Are there any natural
A WEDDING planning company from North Yorkshire has scooped a top award. The White Wedding Company (Yorkshire), of Harrogate, has won the northern final in the wedding planning category at the second Wrapit Wedding Industry Awards. The awards are designed
IF YOU want to get on well with pop band Palladium, don't ask about their fashion sense. Despite record company Virgin playing up the band's quirky clothes in their biog, answering questions about flowery shirts, golf visors and sparkly shoes is wearing
TOP of the album pile this week with her debut release 19, Adele will make her York debut at the Grand Opera House on April 28 in the only Yorkshire gig of her ninedate spring tour. Ticket demand for the new teen queen of British soul is sure to be
ALL performances of Waiting For Godot and The Selkie at York Theatre Royal have sold out. After initial shows in York and Leeds last November, York troupe Old Bomb Theatre Company now presents Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot in The Studio on Tuesday
THE LADETTE to lady phenomena might have been updated for reality TV, but My Fair Lady is still the best-loved original. The transformation of common flower girl Eliza Doolittle to a distinguished lady is being explored for the second time by York
York Settlement Players return to The Studio at York Theatre Royal from February 20 to March 1 to present the York premiere of David Hare's Amy's View. Hare poses an important question for everyone who cares about theatre: "What's the future for theatre
IF YOU'RE one of those people who frets about aliens invading earth, you can stop worrying now, says comedian Robin Ince. They did come once, he says, attracted by TV programmes broadcast years ago such Bronowski's The Ascent Of Man and the plays of
ENTER stage centre, the bear of conversationalist stand-up comedy. Ursine Canadian émigré Craig Campbell plays The Other Side Comedy Club, York, on Sunday on a 7.30pm bill with Scottish observational comic Dougie Dunlop and debutant compere David Twentyman
THERE are more than 1,700 surplus places in York primary schools with seven being more than a quarter empty. However, education bosses say that NO York primary schools are in danger of closure, despite falling rolls across the city. City of York Council's
SELBY'S MP has welcomed proposals that could move forward planned major developments for an airfield in the district. MP John Grogan, met representatives of Yorkshire Forward, Burn Parish Council and Burn Gliding Club to discuss proposals for the village's
REINVENTION is no easy matter, yet The Duke Spirit's second album is a wonderful example. Written in England and recorded in Joshua Tree in the American desert, Neptune combines rock highlights from both countries. The fuller American sound is a
MOTIONS through the going - rearrange those words and you have what Liverpool 8 is about. As a worthy album this is about as startling as a burp in a horror film. As an exercise in cynical manipulation, it's just about right for these modern times.
MICHELLE Collins is due to portray Dusty Springfield in a BBC biopic, while Kristin Chenoweth has nabbed the leading role in a forthcoming Hollywood adaptation. As a taster for all things Dusty, Barry Manilow suggested to his friend Shelby Lynne that
HAWAIIAN singer songwriter Jack Johnson has sauntered back with the follow-up to his breakthrough album, In Between Dreams, which sold more than 15 million copies - 1.36 million in the UK. Johnson has been criticised for being a one-gear operator,
A CUSTOMER has branded her bank "incompetent and useless" after discovering - thanks to The Press - that it had repeatedly sent her debit cards to a stranger. We reported last month how three cards and also three top secret PIN numbers had been
Their 2006 offering showcased twosome Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard experimenting with the possibilities offered up by a bank of synths and their own tentative voices. Months of playing The Warning live seem to have given the band, now swollen in numbers
LEVI'S OneToWatch presents two headline acts, Cut Off Your Hands and Cazals, on February 16 at Fibbers, York. Both bands are "about to go stellar". New Zealanders Cut Off Your Hands have been supporting Foals - they played together at Fibbers last
DETROIT'S Americana/country new gang in town, The Deadstring Brothers, lash hard living to traditional country with a menacing sound at Fibbers on Tuesday. Drawing equally on the melancholy of country ballads and the abandon of rock and blues, their
Eamon Hamilton takes a break from The Brakes to play "a mad but musical solo acoustic show you're just going to love" at Fibbers on Wednesday. "Famously recruited permanently for his former band British Sea Power after suddenly disappearing into the
THE University of York Jazz Orchestra will play tonight in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall at 7.30pm. The programme will feature music by Charles Mingus, Dave Holland and Julian Arguelles and guests will be Julian (saxophone) and Martin France (drums
HE was a talented rugby player who dreamed of playing for York Knights or even Bradford Bulls - until a dangerous driver shattered his future in an horrific crash. Serious head injuries left Liam Stagnell in a coma for eight weeks, with doctors warning
SIXTIES' icon Dionne Warwick reflects on her five-decade career in her new stage show, Me And My Music, first seen in Britain last year in a short run at the Shaw Theatre in London. In this biographical showcase, the five times Grammy Award winner
COLIN Walker says he expects his York City players to show their character and mettle when they host Grays Athletic in Blue Square Premier tomorrow. Following his first defeat since taking charge against Northwich in the Setanta Shield at KitKat Crescent
STEPHEN LEWIS visits Acomb's revamped library and learning centre and speaks to users on its opening day. IN the children's area of Acomb's newly revamped library, two-year-old Jasmine is jumping up and down on a stretch of soft, brightly-coloured
LIKE York City, Grays Athletic's players will be looking to prove a point at KitKat Crescent tomorrow. While the Minstermen suffered penalty heartbreak against Northwich in the fifth round of the Setanta Shield, Grays bowed out of the competition in
POLICE handed out tickets to 45 motorists who were caught using an illegal rat-run in York city centre. Four student police officers on attachment with the Guildhall safer neighbourhood team handed out the fixed-penalty notices to motorists in Coppergate
YORK City are out of the Sentanta Shield so that means the unbeaten run is over, manager Colin Walker has said. Some fans telephoned The Press offices and commented on our website arguing that as City went out on penalties following a 3-3 draw with Northwich
IT'S catch-up time for Pickering Town, as they look to claw back vital points in Northern Counties East League premier division. The Pikes have lost ground at the top of the table, after going almost a month without a league game. But following last
DOZENS of post offices in York and North and East Yorkshire are to close. Post Office Ltd has announced that 48 of its planned 50 closures in our region are to go ahead. The decision on the Micklegate branch in central York has been postponed, while
"FIRE kills..." How many times have we seen those two words describe a fatal incident? How about: "Fire brigade kills?" A little over the top, I admit, but I am writing in response to an article in The Press about North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service's
NOW FORGIVE me if I've got this wrong, but isn't bigamy against the law in this country? Every now and again a story will crop up in the tabloids about the serial wife who's been busy taking husband number three to the cleaners without bothering to dispense
A FRESH bid has been launched to build new rooftop offices over a former time-keeping building at the Terry's chocolate factory. The Grade II-listed building, to the left of the closed-down factory's entrance gates, was converted into offices last year
EVERGREEN striker Dean Windass is to come to the aid of Tadcaster Albion. An Evening with Dean Windass' at which the Hull City striker will talk about a career which has enjoyed notable stops at Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Bradford City, will be held
ANGOLAN defender Rui Marques is available again for Leeds United after his return from the African Cup of Nations, and he may go straight back into the side that faces Northampton tomorrow. Margues flew back to England after Angola were knocked out
TENS of thousands of people throughout our region will today find out whether their local post office is to close. Post Office Ltd is this morning sounding the death knell for dozens of branches in York and North and East Yorkshire. The Press understands
CHRIS Dyson was the hero as Nestlé Flag shocked Hounds in division one of the York F1 Racing-Premier Karting Sunday Football League with a 2-1 win. Dyson gave Flag the lead just before half-time and, after Hounds equalised through Chris Harkin in the
TOP trainer Sir Michael Stoute has been fined £1,300 after Lowther Stakes favourite Visit was found to have tested positive for the tranquiliser ACP at York Racecourse. A disciplinary panel held by the British Horseracing Authority was "unable to establish
A DEADLY dozen saw Clifton FC book their place in the York & District Sunday Afternoon Football League Cup final. Paul Bedingham scored four goals as Clifton thrashed FTR Burnholme 12-0. There were hat-tricks, too, for Kevin Butler and Mark Cairns, and
JOHN Quantock made a flying start to the Saxony Tiling and Mitre Pub League season with three straight wins and an average of 87. Another fine display in the first division saw Steve Evans defeat Ali Wray with a personal best average of 80.07. In division
Volunteers' Dave Mason (21 and 121 bull finish), Paul Dixon (21), Paul Cooper (88 bull finish for 15, and 180 for 18) and Mick Harris (2 x 21) pushed unbeaten John Smith's Bulmers Men's Darts League aces Shepherds all the way but Heath Scaife (20, 21
YORK'S top darts players will battle it out tonight in the finals of the Clifton Hotel Open Knockout in York. Sixteen have qualified for the finals night at the Clifton Hotel, which starts at 8.30pm after the draw at 8pm. The qualifiers are Neil Hart
The Ouse should be at its lowest level for some weeks this weekend when the main attraction for anglers will be the Acomb Tackle York and District Winter League. A field of 90 will be keen to return to action following two flood-related cancellations
York City Knights Supporters Club will run a coach to Sunday's game at Featherstone. It leaves Clarence Street (Conservative Club) at 12.20pm, picking up at Huntington Stadium at 12.30pm. The cost is £10 for adults, £6 for under-16s. To book, call
NORTH Yorkshire Simon Dyson has seen his bid to cross iron and woods with the world's elite KO'd. The European Golf Tour ace was floored by a flu bug which forced his withdrawal from the $2,500,000 Emaar MGF Indian Masters in Delhi, which started yesterday
PAUL Adams and Matt Inglis reached tonight's semi-finals of the York Squash Open after enthralling quarter-finals. Third seed Adams came from 3-0 down in both the first two games against Jonny Duffield (6 seed) to take them 9-3 and 9-7 respectively
A MACABRE police search for the body of a murder victim at a waste tip near York is expected to continue into next week. Officers started excavating on Wednesday, but the intensive hunt for the remains of Sarah Elizabeth Mournian is expected to be painstakingly
RUTH Carr couldn't have had a better teacher. The Stillington handler is settling in to her first full training role after taking over the reins of the Mowbray House Farm yard from her grandfather David Chapman at the start of the month. Chapman called
REVELLERS throughout York have been rubbing shoulders - and getting the odd kiss - with the future King of England. The Press exclusively reported yesterday how the Prince tucked into poppadoms, onion bhajis and speciality curries at Saffron Desi in
THE season is on the line for Selby RUFC who simply must beat Scarborough tomorrow if they are to continue to harbour any hopes of Yorkshire One promotion. The Sandhill Laners come up against a fourth-placed Scarborough outfit just a point behind and
A mother-of-five from York today appealed for any information about her lost English bull terrier, after reading how it had shown up at a family's home in The Press. Geneveive Mason, of Chapelfields, Acomb, was walking three-year-old Bully at Rufforth
York Acorn ARLC will host fellow National Conference division one promotion chasers Bradford Dudley Hill in the second round of the Challenge Cup following last night's draw. Ties to be played on February 23. National League clubs like York City Knights
A PLAN by North Yorkshire's most senior policeman to replace some officers with civilian staff has been backed by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary. Keeping police numbers at their current level is not sustainable over the next three years, according
PUPILS and staff at a primary school on the outskirts of York are over the moon after getting a £836,000 extension. Wheldrake CE School is celebrating the completion of the major refurbishment of the school with an open afternoon today for parents and
A BAN on freight traffic through a Selby village will force heavy goods vehicles through a proposed million pound development area, councillors have claimed. North Yorkshire County Council is planning to implement the trial restrictions in Milford Road
A FRESH bid has been launched to build new rooftop offices over a former time-keeping building at the Terry's chocolate factory. The Grade 11 listed building, situated just to the left of the closed-down factory's main entrance gates, was converted
CHARITIES in York are once again being given the opportunity to apply for cash to support their projects in the local community. The Gannett Foundation the charitable arm of The Press' parent company supports projects that take a creative approach
A MOTHER-of-five from York today appealed for any information about her lost English Bull Terrier, after a woman found the dog but then let it go. Geneveive Mason, of Chapel Fields, was walking three-year-old Bully at Rufforth Aerodrome, west of
PUPILS and staff at a primary school on the outskirts of York are celebrating getting a £836,000 extension. Wheldrake CE School is celebrating the completion of the major refurbishment of the school with an open afternoon on Friday for parents and members
