Wednesday 6th April 2011 Donkey gets PDSA award for saving sheep
Dotty the donkey has been awarded a PDSA award for coming to the
rescue of a sheep being savaged by a dog. She came to her friend
Stanley the sheep’s aid when the dog launched a frenzied attack. The
donkey pinned the dog to the ground until it let go of five-year-old
Stanley. Dotty was presented with the PDSA Certificate for Animal
Bravery at her farm in Throxenby, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire
where the two animals remain inseparable two years after the incident,
they even share the same stable at night. North Yorkshire

Monday 14th March 2011 Historic York pub hit by blaze
A serious fire, thought to have started in a chimney, has caused
damage to an historic pub in York’s city centre. Three crews of
firefighters attended the blaze at the Black Swan in Peasholme Green
after the alarm was raised at 11.00am on Sunday 13 March, 2011. The
crews spent 90 minutes bringing the blaze under control. The pub was
quickly evacuated and nobody is thought to have been hurt in the fire.
Firemen are due to return to the building to assess the stability and
safety of the historic structure. North Yorkshire

Tuesday 8th March 2011 Cardboard coppers cut crime
The popular Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate has seen a reduction in
shoplifting since the arrival of life-size cut-outs of police officers
in shops. One store reported a 50% reduction in shoplifting after the
cardboard coppers arrived. PC Graham Frostick from the Safer
Neighbourhood Team in Harrogate said: "We've been doing a lot of
research into ways of cutting crime in the area. Previously other
forces had used these cut-outs and had some success in reducing theft.
We went to our local partnership and asked for funding for three of
the cardboard police officers." North Yorkshire

Wednesday 2nd March 2011 10-tonne footbridge stolen
A 10-tonne footbridge has been stolen from the back of a lorry in
Roall Lane, Selby in North Yorkshire. Worth approximately £25,000, the
steel footbridge was due to be installed at a shopping development,
Trinity Leeds. The one million square foot shopping development
centres around Briggate, Albion Street and Boar Lane in Leeds. The
development is due to open in 2013, later than originally planned
after the work was temporarily put on hold following the financial
crash. Police have requested anyone who saw the bridge being taken or
have any information of its whereabouts to contact them. North Yorkshire

Tuesday 4th January 2011 Earthquake in North Yorkshire
A small earthquake has hit northern England. The British Geological
Survey (BGS) has confirmed that the 3.6-magnitude quake struck a few
miles north-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire just after 2100 GMT on
Monday, December 3, 2011. There were reports of people feeling the
tremors in Bingley and Skipton, north-west of Leeds, and across
Cumbria and West Yorkshire. BGS spokeswoman Dr Aoife O'Mongain said:
"It would have only lasted for a couple of seconds. And at that
strength it is not likely that it would have caused any damage. People
living in the vicinity may have felt their windows rattling as if a
lorry was going past." North Yorkshire

Monday 6th December 2010 Eight-day lock-in at one of Britain’s highest pubs
A couple and five members of staff were trapped for eight days in one
of Britain's highest pubs. They were cut off by heavy snow at The Lion
Inn at Blakey Ridge, near Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire. The couple,
from Darlington, were trapped along with the staff members until a
snow plough managed to reach them across the North York Moors. The
Lion Inn has bed and breakfast facilities which were used by the
couple and staff during their enforced stay. Chef Daniel Butterworth
admitted he had been talking to himself during the enforced lock-in.
"We haven't been getting ratty," he said. "It's been fun and we have
had a laugh. We have been getting on with little jobs, having our tea,
a drink, playing games and then going to bed. The bosses aren't here,
they are snowed out.” North Yorkshire

Thursday 7th October 2010 Shameful theft of war medals
Burglars distracted a homeowner to steal property that included World
War I medals from a house in York in a theft described by police as
“shameful”. The thieves took a Distinguished Conduct Medal, issued for
gallantry, the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory
Medal from a property in Malton Road. The medals had been awarded to
the homeowner's uncle for service during World War I. Detective
Constable Mike Avison, of York CID, said: "This is a shameful crime
which left the victim feeling extremely upset. I urge anyone who knows
anything about this despicable offence to contact me as soon as
possible so that we can reunite the rightful owner with his treasured
possessions and bring the offenders to justice." The raiders also made
off with a silver teapot, a gold wristwatch and a gold pocket watch
engraved with the name John Butler. One of the men who called at the
house said his name was James and was described as being white, about
5ft 11in with a medium build and brown hair. North Yorkshire

Monday 27th September 2010 £10m for York Minster restoration
York Minster's East Front is set to undergo restoration after getting a £9.7m funding boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The grant will go towards York Minster Revealed, a 15-year project that centres on the restoration of the Great East Window which is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. The minster also received an HLF grant of almost £10m in 2007. The Dean of York, Keith Jones, said: "The grant will enable us to restore one of this country's most important works of art, the East Window of York Minster." North Yorkshire

Monday 13th September 2010 Harrogate gallery closing for renovations
The Mercer Art Gallery gallery in Harrogate close for three months
next year for vital renovations. The gallery, which will celebrate its
20th anniversary next year, will close for work estimated to cost
£137,000 after leisure chiefs from Harrogate Borough Council said the
venue was in need of urgent attention. Essential work includes
removing old carpets and fitting wooden flooring. Exhibition display
screens and cases, which council officers have described as
"cumbersome, battered and beginning to disintegrate" will also be
replaced. The gallery draws in more than 22,000 visitors every year
and in 2007 it held a major exhibition showcasing the work of
celebrated Victorian artist William Powell Frith. North Yorkshire

Thursday 15th April 2010 Norman coins declared treasure
A hoard of rare Norman coins unearthed near Knaresborough in North
Yoprkshire has been declared treasure by a coroner. The coins were
found in 2008 on remote farmland by an enthusiast with a metal
detector.

Fifteen members of the West Riding Detector Group made the discovery.
Peter Spencer, one of the group said: "I looked at one side of the
coin and couldn't make out much but the design on the reverse side
made it clear that we had a Henry I penny. In 10 years we've never
found anything from the Norman period. You'd have to be a detectorist
to understand how we feel about this find. You would have to have been
out in all weathers finding smashed-up tin cans and pieces of lead to
really understand what an outstanding find this was for us." North Yorkshire