It was another successful weekend for Cowton Racing by Radcliffe’s race team at the Croft circuit for the NEMCRC meeting.

After testing the Honda 600 and BMW 1000 out in Spain and at Cadwell Park it was time for Kilham-based James Cowton to unleash the Kawasaki 650 super twin, with impressive results.

Saturday wasn’t a pleasant day with wind and rain making riding extremely difficult but still Cowton rode well, scoring finishes on all three bikes and notching up his first win on the super twin.

Finally, the sun showed up for the Sunday races and once again Cowton rode the bikes hard, achieving great results with more wins for the Super twin and the Honda 600, plus a podium on the BMW 1000.

His performance saw him take the Laird of Croft Trophy for the third year running and left him delighted with how the weekend went.

“What a weekend for the team,” said Cowton.

“We got some great results and more mileage in the bag ahead of the Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, and to take the super twin out for the first time this year and get race wins is mega.

“I have to thank my dad and Neil, my mechanic, for all the effort over the last week or so, as there have been many late nights prepping the bikes ready for this weekend.

“Chris Lennon of Radcliffe Butchers has supplied us with great bikes and we can’t wait for the next race meeting.”

Cowton will enjoy a short rest before returning to action at the Spring Cup on April 16 and 17.

Mr Gordon Alfred Naylor

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Wednesday 30 March, 2016 for Mr Gordon Naylor of Southgate, Cranswick who died on Saturday 12 March, 2016.

He was aged 83 years.

The service was conducted by the Rev Hilary Boon and the organist was Mr Peter Maw.

Gordon was born in Hull in 1933, the only son of Evelyn and Alfred, he had an older sister Eileen.

Shortly after he was born the family moved to Skirlaugh where Gordon and Eileen spent the rest of their childhood and school days.

On leaving school he went into agricultural work until he was called for National Service, once this was completed he returned to work for Twydales rearing turkeys and chickens.

He completed his work at Cottam where he had been based for 18 years and promotion brought him to Cranswick.

He was then supervising work in a number of farms in the area.

After a couple of moves in Cranswick they moved to Southgate in 2000.

Gordon and Eileen married at Skirlaugh on Christmas Eve 1959.

Gordon loved dogs and they usually had two at home which varied over many breeds including Alsations, Labradors to their present dog Jenny a schnauzer.

They enjoyed holidays in the Dales, Northumberland and Scotland.

They enjoyed having their nieces Barbara and Pat to stay and spent many happy times with them.

Gordon was indeed a countryman and very proud of his Yorkshire roots, he was quiet and polite and a true gentleman.

He will be greatly missed.

Family Mourners: Mrs Eileen Naylor (wife), Pat & Barbara (nieces), Mrs Audrey Harper (sister in law), Philip Harper (nephew).

Others present: Mr & Mrs B Salvage, Gill & Mike Gedney rep Carol Hood, Hilary Hesp & Peter Fitzgerald, Geoff & Lynn Hall, Bob & Jean Farrow, Derrick Blunden, David Hall rep Alison Dean, Jenny Welburn, Wendy Pryor rep Simon & Maria, Les Thackaray, Frank Wilson, Sue & Phil Taylor, Mr F Jarratt, Mr M Adamson, Richard Wood, Geoffrey Moore, Yvonne Mills, Robert Pinkney, Chris & Carol Hughes, Gina Simpson, Margaret Rodgers rep Stephen Robinson, Mr R Ireland, David Nicholson, Pete Boyes, Richard Featherstone rep Featherstone Ltd, Diana Windrass, Peter, Kathleen & Keith Lavarack, Jim & Shirley Hood, Carol & David Martin, Sarah Fetches rep Norah Fetches & family & Keith & Clare Simpson, Tony & Glenis White rep the White & McGill families, Val Thompson rep the family, Jenny McLaren rep Alan, Mr & Mrs B Allgood, Ann Sweeney, Terry Smith rep Shirley, Judith & John Horvarth, Alan Copeland rep Mrs Elaine Price, John Lavarack & Marilyn McKay, Nigel & Julie Langley rep Vernon & Margaret Langley (in Canada), Margaret Kennett, Sarah Sellar rep Paul, Colin & Lesley Whitehead, Julie Kirk (Manager of Southlands).

Mrs Olive Dillon

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Thursday 31 March, 2016 for Mrs Olive Dillon who died on Saturday 12 March, 2016. She was aged 90 years.

The service was conducted by the Rev Jacki Tonkin and the organist was Mrs Margaret Dowson.

Olive was born in Wales into a farming community, with everyone working on the land, walking miles to school with her older brother when she was only three.

She was the eldest daughter of Elsie and Albert Owen, with eight brothers and sisters.

After leaving school she went into service, working in the dairy, making butter and tackling a huge industrial roller iron.

She met her husband to be Billy, a young Yorkshire soldier and they courted during the war years and they married in Staffordshire in November, 1947.

After their marriage they lived in Sledmere as Billy worked at Sledmere Gardens, here she was welcomed into the family with close relatives living in the village.

They went on to have two children Susan and Glynn. Olive entered into village life, she joined the Church, Mothers Union and the local WI.

She was also caretaker of the village Hall, she helped at many of the events that took place there, dances, hunt balls, whist srives and the rest which gave her the opportunity to develop her organisational and catering skills.

Olive also took on the role of dinner lady at the local primary school.

Olive devoted her time to bringing up her family, she was a wonderful cook and needlewoman, winning many prizes at the local shows.

She loved gardening and growing things. She latterly worked alongside Billy in Sledmere Gardens.

In 1961 Olive and Billy took over the tenancy of the Triton Inn, Sledmere; the pub was renovated and they were able to offer bed and breakfast.

She was a great success as a landlady especially in the catering field, providing suppers for tennis and bowls clubs and many other functions.

Olive and Billy retired from the pub in 1983 and lived at Croome Road in Sledmere, sadly Billy died just after retiring from the Gardens in 1990.

Olive loved dogs and had many a dog as a companion from the little Scottie Terrier, Gemma the cross Labrador, Topsy the jack russell and lastly Bobbie the westie.

Olive had lived in Sledmere for 70 years of her life, and with her passing much of the old village life goes with her. She will be greatly missed.

Family Mourners: Glynn Dillon (son), Sue & Barrie Hope (daughter & son in law), Fran Hope (granddaughter) also rep Sophie Hope (granddaughter), Barry Sykes and new baby great granddaughter, Shirley Blackham (sister) also rep John & Philip Owen (brothers), Greta Blackham (niece), Lisa & Richard Langman (niece & husband) & great nieces Lexy & Zara, Sue Wren (niece), Robert Talbot (nephew), Keith Tisdale, Jonathan Foster (nephew), Julia Foster (niece) also rep Jane & Paul Sunerton, Barbara Singh, Georgia Butler, Kyle Butler.

Others present: Angela Theakston rep Richard, Denise Goodwin, Kath Grace rep Lynn & Yvonne, Hazel Conner, Stephen & Mary Walker rep Bryan & Daphne Hood, Kathy McDonald, Joe Metters, Paul Walker, Roy Walker rep Cynthia Walker, Peter Smithson rep the family, Mr & Mrs K Armstrong, Mr & Mrs Tom Kay, Dorothy & Peter Etherington rep the family, Mrs N Kent rep Mr D Kent, Andrea Potts rep Adrian & family & Mr Harold Potts, Mrs G Beacroft, Carol Young rep Michael, Ann & John Southwick rep Gwynneth & Keith Clark, Mr & Mrs E Newton, Mrs J Conner rep George, Richard & Delia Sygrove rep Lizzie & Louise, John & Pat Knowles rep Ben, Gill & Tim, Tony Wilson rep Major Hall, Adrian Robson, Ken & Maureen Magee, Mrs Elizabeth Collier, Michael Hunt, Barry Sygrove rep Susan, Ian Collier, Barbara Baker, Susan Southwick, Julie Scruton rep Steve Stubbings, Julia Thomas rep Stephen & Jeremy, George & Heather Harrison, Alison Nyari, Jess Burhouse, Ruth Harper, Michael Cardwell, Peter Cardwell rep Ann Cardwell & John & Anne Henderson, Alec Taylor, Brian & Kathleen Clark, Ann Milton, Mr & Mrs J Sygrove rep Hannah & Shane, Mr & Mrs J Lacy, Terry Walker, Countess of Swinton also rep The Earl of Swinton, Sir Tatton Sykes, Jeremy Sykes.

Mr Geoffrey Richard (Ned) Mason

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Friday 1 April, 2016 for Mr Geoffrey Richard (Ned) Mason of Driffield who died on Saturday 19 March, 2016. He was aged 70 years.

The service was conducted by David Keating.

Geoffrey, always known as Ned was born in Ruston Parva on 9th July, 1945, to parents Richard & Betty Mason, he had two sisters the late Valerie and Angela and they were a very happy family.

During his early years the family moved quite often with dad’s work in many villages around the area.

Ned enjoyed his schooldays in Nafferton and later at the Driffield Junior and Secondary schools, he did well in his classes and was very good at maths and English.

He loved his sport too and this stayed with him all his life, he was especially keen on football and played for the school team as a goalkeeper.

After leaving school at 15 his first job was at BATA.

He later became a lorry driver working for several companies including Maurice Richardson, the Broadacres Turkey Factory and Millerd Crop Spraying, Ned loved his time as a lorry driver.

It was during this time that Ned and Lamorna, best known as ‘Lammie’ first met, they started going out and married in March, 1967.

After their marriage they lived in Cross Hill in Driffield where they spent the rest of their lives together very happily.

They went on to have three sons, twins Mark and Rob and later Simon, later grandchildren Ben, Jack, Alfie, Bobby, Lee, Shannon and Owen who they adored.

Ned decided to take early retirement, he enjoyed watching cricket at the Driffield Rec Club and also loved walking up Kings Mill along with his pet dog.

Sadly Lammie died 7 years ago, Ned never really got over her loss and it was a difficult time for him.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Family Mourners: Robert & Karen Mason (son & daughter in law), Mark Mason & Leza Green (son & partner), Simon Mason & Wayne Jeeves (son & partner), Owen Mason (grandson), Shannon Mason & Cobain Hubbard (granddaughter & partner), Angela & Derek Knaggs (sister & brother in law), Peter Bentley & Jackie Armstrong (brother in law & partner), Pauline Ashby (niece), John Bentley (nephew), Heidi Bentley (niece).

Others present: Barrie Kitching, Paul Hornby, John Flintoft rep Linda Flintoft, Cynthia & Richard Sharp rep the Barr family, Julie Elvidge (niece), Jane & Paul Leason (niece & husband), Hollie Duffin, Julie Roe rep Paul Whitwell & Anthony Whitwell, Richard & Pat Ireland, Robert Ireland, Becky Armstrong rep Richard, Katy Mills rep the family, Dennis Magee rep Sue Magee, Gordon & Doreen Evans, Peter Brough, Peter Melton rep Mike Edmond, Mike Grice rep Linda & family, Roy Fisher, Dave Kneeshaw rep Jane Taylor, Les Artley, Julian Noble rep Bernard Noble, Johnny & Mike Saltmer, Marilyn Ellis rep Norman, Helen Ellis rep David Kell, Herbert & Margaret Chappell, Mr & Mrs D Lister, June & Harry Bird, Tony Rugg rep Chris Rugg, Justin Ward, Rebecca Hara rep Caremark, Gillian Cook rep Caremark, Ellie Rutherford rep Caremark, Stan Bird rep Mr J R Norris, Michaela & Gavin Kemp, Ricky Gerundini, Ian Ward, Duncan Ward.

Award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman will be performing in Buxton, closing the Big Session folk festival.

Seth, who won best singer and best album at the BBC Folk Awards in 2007, is renowned for his high energy performances and best-selling albums.

His current album Word Of Mouth reached the top 20 in the UK album charts and features the stories of the West Country people who inspired the release.

Joining Lakeman on Sunday, May 1, is Lucy Ward, an award-winning singer-songwriter from Derby. She plays guitar, ukulele and concertina and her appearance at Big Session comes hot on the heels of the release of her third album I Dreamt I Was A Bird.

Following last year’s sold-out success the Big Session is bigger than ever, now over three nights and two days starting on Friday, April 29.

Hosted by Oysterband, the festival pre-sales have attracted audiences from 218 different UK postcodes together with international sales in Dubai, Denmark and Germany.

Concerts will include the Oysterband with June Tabor and Sam Carter, Edward II, Will Pound and Eddy Jay, and the Emily Portman Trio.

The Big Session Ceilidh on the Sunday has sold out but tickets may be available on the door.

There will also be a beer hall hosting a festival of more than 100 real ales, with afternoon and evening sessions throughout the weekend. Monday, May 2, will offer a drink-up session with free entry for those wanting to taste beers from barrels that haven’t run dry.

To buy tickets for the festival call 01298 72190 or visit www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

You can follow the festival on Twitter

@BigSessionFest or like the Big Session Festival page on facebook.

Lakeman won Singer of the Year and Best Album awards at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.[

Carrying on from his superb discovery of the Donald McIntyre art last month, intrepid Dee Atkinson and Harrison auctioneer and valuer Graham Paddison has uncovered another interesting painting.

While undertaking the monthly free auction valuation day event at our Hessle offices a couple came in with a J. Steven Dews oil on canvas of a clipper sailing ship.

It had been in the family since the vendors father bought it back in December 1976 from the well renowned late James Starkey Fine Art gallery in Beverley. This was Dews first solo exhibition and she remembers her father saying how he just fell in love with the painting, happily paying £750 for it. It has stayed in the family until now and is only being offered for auction due to her downsizing.

The painting is titled “Torrens shortening sail” and measures 60 x 90 cm, is in its original frame and is in perfect condition with the gallery labels to the reverse.

The painting will be auctioned in the Driffield Fine Art sale on Friday 13 May with an estimate of £8,000/12,000, along with the McIntyre.

Torrens (1875 – 1910) was a clipper ship that carried passengers and cargo between London and Australia.

It was billed as the race the world stops to watch. In the end, the Crabbie’s Grand National was the race we stopped to watch the World.

Rule The World, to be exact. Muddy marvel and fairytale winner of Aintree’s £1million spectacular for the unlikely triumvirate of man called Mouse, a teenager and the boss of a budget airline.

The Mouse is the nickname that has been bestowed on the winning horse’s veteran Tipperary trainer Michael Morris since his days as a jockey when he twice rode the winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. The teenager is living proof that if one Mullins doesn’t get you, another one will. Nephew of prolific trainer Willie Mullins, 19-year-old David Mullins, the winning jockey. And the airline boss is Michael O’Leary, guru of Ryanair and one half of a partnership, alongside brother Eddie, that oversees the Gigginstown House Stud operation, owners of Rule The World.

Some of you might be familiar with ‘The Mouse That Roared’, a 1955 novel that spawned a film, starring Peter Sellers, a stage play and even adaptations on TV and radio. It had nothing on this. The 2016 update starred the real Mouse, celebrating an emotion-charged victory less than a year after losing his 30-year-old son, Christopher, who died of accidental carbon monixide poisoning at his apartment while travelling in Argentina. It starred a horse daring to choose the National for his maiden victory over fences to become the first novice to taste Aintree glory since Mr What in 1958. It starred a jockey, exuding coolness personified as he guided home the winner in his very first ride in the race. And it starred owners completing a unique treble of successes in the past month as Rule The World followed in the footsteps of Don Cossack in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup and Rogue Angel, also trained by Morris, in the Boylesports Irish Grand National.

Quite how the Aintree National continues to unearth such compelling scripts is beyond logic. But long may it continue to shine the spotlight on characters such as Morris, a chain-smoking, oft disheveled horseman, who had a lot to live up to when first brought into this world three days before the 1951 National was won by nine-year-old mare Nickel Coin. After all, his dad was a lord of the realm (Baron Killanin), later to become distinguished president of the International Olympic Committee. Mouse is as far removed from the airs and graces of the House Of Lords as it is possible to get, yet I think he’s surpassed the old man now, don’t you? After near-misses with former Aintree stalwarts Attitude Adjuster and Lastofthebrownies, his National enriches a training CV already adorned by a Gold Cup (War Of Attrition in 2006) and six other Festival wins.

Mullins has been catching the eye all season as a polished pilot making rapid progress. No wonder Ryanair’s O’Leary entrusted him with the controls on Rule The World once their retained rider, Bryan Cooper, had opted for stablemate First Lieutenant instead. Blessed with fine hands, his temperament and decision-making bely his tender years.

The whole story has a feelgood factor to it, and also quickly quietened the row about horses that failed to make the cut which clouded the build-up to Saturday’s race. Among the suggestions to ensure that previous winners, such as PINEAU DE RE, and National trial winners, such as BISHOPS ROAD, got in was that novices should not be allowed to take part.

The idea that the rules should be manipulated to shoehorn certain horses into the National is reprehensible. It would be the sport’s equivalent of match-fixing. This is a fiercely competitive race, not a lap of honour for ex-champions. I have sympathy for the introduction of a penalty system that guarantees horses running close to their correct marks, thus avoiding the unsatisfactory example thrown up on Saturday when runner-up THE LAST SAMURI found himself with a 12lb advantage. But as for the notion of win-and-you’re-in races, imagine the furore if the ante-post favourite, let’s say an up-and-coming chaser rated 147, was denied a place simply to squeeze into the line-up a 12-year-old who had plodded his way through bottomless ground at Haydock Park off a featherweight.

Rule The World’s success also went some way towards appeasing the critics who insist the National is animal-cruelty on legs. The care and patience afforded to the gelding after he had twice fractured his pelvis in recent years underlines the enormous affection and dedication racing gives to its equine masters.

For the fourth year running, all the horses returned home safely. The modifications and improvements to the course and fences clearly worked again, yet still produced a race that was a captivating spectacle, almost a throwback to a bygone era. Modern-day Nationals can be one-dimensional affairs in which the principals hit the front from some way out and stay there. Here, something was happening at every fence. As the drama unfolded, you couldn’t take your eyes off it.

Let’s not kid ourselves, though. The risk and danger remain and there will come a time when the Grand National must adapt again to meet the ever-evolving demands of the public. When that day arrives, racing must not shirk its responsibilities and must not allow the race to hold the sport to ransom. But for now, the National remains its showcase event. As Saturday proved, it still Rules The World.

Teatime start pays dividends for TV viewers

Switching to a new teatime start for the Grand National paid dividends. For it contributed to a massive rise in the number of people watching on terrestrial TV. The much-criticised, but actually admirable, coverage of Channel 4, attracted a staggering audience-share of 59% and a peak total of ten million viewers, underlining the popularity of the iconic race. It’s less clear how welcome the later start was for racegoers at the course, who had to endure horribly cold and wet weather, particularly those in Tattersalls where an uncovered, rudimentary viewing mound must surely be replaced by a proper grandstand soon. The pain of their wait for the National was not eased by the three Grade One races on the support card being unattractive betting heats, even if they yielded impressive winners.

Chamber Expo is moving to a new venue for 2016 and will again be an integral part of this year’s Business Week.

Chamber Expo 2016 provides the ideal opportunity for companies of all shapes and sizes to showcase their products and services.

Open to all businesses, Chamber members or not, it’s the biggest business-to-business event promoting local companies in the region.

The new venue is the Costello Stadium, Anlaby Park Road North, Hull, which will be hosting the event on Wednesday 8 June and Thursday 9 June.

The Costello Stadium is just off Boothferry Road and has ample free parking for Chamber Expo visitors over the two days.

For more information call Bruce Massie or Janice Harrison at the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, on 01482 324976, or email b.massie@hull-humber-chamber.co.uk.

The CLA is calling on candidates standing in next month’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections to treat rural crime as a high priority.

The membership group, which represents thousands of landowners, farmers and rural businesses in the North, says reducing crime and the fear of crime is central to improving quality of life for people living in the countryside.

CLA North regional director Dorothy Fairburn said: “Incoming commissioners need to work with rural communities to combat crime in our countryside and protect rural businesses. They must be in no doubt as to the scale and impact of rural crime and where action is most needed.

“Last year, the cost of crime in rural areas across England and Wales was estimated to be £800 million by the National Rural Crime Network. It also revealed that people in rural areas are much more worried about becoming a victim of crime, compared to the national average.”

According to the CLA, PCCs must prioritise five decisive factors, if they are to fight rural crime effectively:

l Theft - the theft of metal, fuel, machinery and livestock blights the lives of farmers and rural businesses and the cost to the rural economy is significant.

l Wildlife and heritage crimes – commissioners need to engage with landowners to prevent wildlife crimes such as poaching and hare coursing, as well as heritage crimes, all of which have a major impact on rural communities, conservation activities and the protection of historic buildings.

l Fly-tipping - the removal of waste costs farmers and rural businesses up to £150 million a year. It also creates damage to crops and is a danger to livestock.

l Police presence - engagement with rural communities, a strong police presence to increase confidence and quick response times are vital.

l Funding - rural communities are less densely populated which makes it more difficult to ensure a visible police presence and means less money is collected through precepts. As the Government revisits the police funding formula, it is vital the needs of rural areas are adequately met.

A Bridlington apprentice has landed a prestigious national accolade.

Grace Harwood, who attends Bishop Burton College, was recently presented with the City and Guilds Medal for Excellence Award.

Grace, aged 20, received the award for her progress on her higher apprenticeship in agriculture at Broachdale Birds Ltd, after being nominated by the college and her employer for her outstanding dedication to the role.

Grace said: “I can’t believe I’ve been awarded this medal. It’s a great achievement and something I’m so proud of.

“I really enjoy my apprenticeship at Broachdale Birds as I have been given lots of opportunities by my employer and my assessor to do things a typical apprentice wouldn’t do. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their help and support over the last three years – I’m over the moon.”

Bill Meredith, deputy principal at Bishop Burton College, said: “I am delighted to be presenting Grace with this City and Guilds Medal for Excellence. It is one of the highest accolades an apprentice can achieve, with less than 100 awarded each year. Grace is described by her employer and peers as conscientious, hardworking and a great asset to the team; a very worthy recipient of today’s award.”

City and Guilds’ Medals for Excellence, which have been awarded for the last 100 years, recognise the achievements of apprentices, lecturers and trainers who have achieved great results by producing exceptional work – going above and beyond what is expected to achieve their goals.

If you love tucking into burgers and pizzas it's not just the takeaway that's bad for you - even the packaging can damage your health.

People who eat a lot of fast food are exposed to up to 40 per cent higher levels of potentially harmful chemicals, according to new research.

The study showed that fast food lovers are at greater risk from phthalates - a group of chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastic and vinyl - often found in packaging.

Phthalates have been banned from children's toys and products such as teething rings and soft books because of their potential toxic effects.

The chemicals are known to disrupt hormones and have been implicated in several illnesses and conditions including asthma to autism.

The new study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is one of the first to look at fast-food consumption and exposure to phthalates.

Lead author, Assistant Professor Ami Zota, of Milken Institute School of Public Health in the United States, said: "People who ate the most fast food had phthalate levels that were as much as 40 per cent higher.

"Our findings raise concerns because phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems in children and adults."

Phthalates belong to a class of industrial chemicals used to make food packaging materials, tubing for dairy products, and other items used in the production of fast food.

Previous research suggests the chemicals can leach out of plastic food packaging and can contaminate highly processed food.

Doctor Zota and her colleagues looked at figures from 8,877 participants who had answered detailed questions about their diet in the past 24 hours, including consumption of fast food.

The participants also provided researchers with a urinary sample that could be tested for the breakdown products of two specific phthalates: DEHP and DiNP.

The researchers found that the more fast food participants in the study ate, the higher their exposure to phthalates.

People in the study with the highest consumption of fast food had 23.8 per cent higher levels of the breakdown product for DEHP in their urine sample.

And the same fast food lovers had nearly 40 per cent higher levels of DiNP metabolites in their urine, compared to people who ate no fast food in the 24 hours before testing.

The researchers also discovered that grain and meat items were the most significant contributors to phthalate exposure.

Dr Zota says the grain category contained a wide variety of items including bread, cake, pizza, burritos, rice dishes and noodles.

She said other studies have also identified grains as an important source of exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals.

The researchers also looked for exposure to another chemical found in plastic food packaging: Bisphenol A, or BPA.

It is believed exposure to BPA can lead to health and behaviour problems, especially for young children.

The study found no association between total fast food intake and BPA.

But Dr Zota and her colleagues found that people who ate fast food meat products had higher levels of BPA than people who didn't eat fast food.

This study fits into a bigger field of ongoing research showing that phthalates are in a wide variety of personal products, toys, perfume and even food.

Dr Zota said DEHP and DiNP are two phthalates still in use despite concerns that they leach out of products and get into the human body.

Studies have suggested they can damage the reproductive system and they may lead to infertility.

Dr Zota said large studies that might conclusively link phthalates in fast food and health problems could take years to conduct.

But she added: "People concerned about this issue can't go wrong by eating more fruits and vegetables and less fast food.

"A diet filled with whole foods offers a variety of health benefits that go far beyond the question of phthalates."

A ‘paedo hunting’ Facebook page has been rapped by police for trying to trap a man online.

Officers warned Hunters Online to stop pretending to be teenagers on website apps to catch paedophiles red-handed.

Ryan Donaghey, one of the team behind Hunters, said they would comply with the police.

But he defended the group’s activities saying “online grooming is a big problem and not enough is being done about it”.

Hunters Online describe themselves as “a group of people aiming to make our children aware of online grooming and paedophiles”.

Dad-of-one Mr Donaghey, a self-employed DJ, and events promoter from Lancaster, said Hunters was set up by himself and a group of like-minded volunteers from across the UK, with Scotland, Belfast and Barnsley all represented.

Since their page went live a month ago, Hunters has gained more than 2,000 ‘likes’.

Mr Donaghey’s Crimewatch-style webcam videos warning people about child sex offenders and the dangers to kids of online apps have been viewed thousands of times.

The police warning came after Hunters posed as a 15-year-old girl on an internet app and a 28-year-old man 
began to talk to them. The conversation was broadcast live on the group Facebook page and watched by horrified parents.

“The viewers wanted to see how far this individual would go,” said Mr Donaghey.

“The guy said ‘come and meet me at a club in Manchester’.

“We replied saying ‘I’m 15 years-old, I can’t’.

“He said he’d ring a taxi for her, he was pushing for ‘the ‘girl’ to meet him. He started going in depth about what he wanted to do to this girl. It got a bit dangerous.

“I felt out of my depth so I called the police straight away. We had all this evidence. They were very helpful, but they didn’t know enough about what I was doing and if any laws had been broken so they told us to stop doing it.

“We will take that on board. We don’t want to disrespect the police.

“We understand the police don’t like people doing this because it could put people in danger.

“But we find that the police have different opinions across the country. Some have told us we’re not breaking any laws so what are we doing wrong?

“I want to tell parents to be careful. You can go on these apps and within 10 seconds guys will pop up and start conversations like this. I really want to bring awareness to it.

“I would advise all parents to check their children’s phones and if there is an app on there they don’t know, delete it.”

Hunters is trying to raise money through crowdfunding for a poster campaign.As we went to press they had raised £75 towards a target of £1,000.

“I feel there isn’t enough going on to deal with this kind of behaviour,” said Mr Donaghey.

“There are campaigns about drink driving and no smoking, but where are the campaigns to stop online grooming?”

He said Hunters was a not-for-profit page run by volunteers.

A statement on the Hunters page says: “When conducting our investigations, we never approach anybody first.

“Instead, we set up a profile and wait for messages. When we receive a message, we reply immediately and tell them that we are underage.

“When talking to anyone, we always try to avoid sexually explicit conversation. We act young and uneducated on the subject, and we NEVER encourage sexual chat or sexual behaviour.

“Some people are sceptical about what we do and how we do it. We’re not vigilantes who operate above the law, we’re concerned citizens who work closely with the police to help effect change and to keep our children safe! We will continue to work to catch these sexual predators who terrorise our children, and we’ll do our best to bring awareness to the epidemic our children are facing online today.”

A police spokesman said: “We urge absolute caution before anyone considers such activity and would ask that people have confidence in the police and other law enforcement in our prioritisation in tackling grooming and child abuse whether that be on or offline. We would always ask the public to contact us at the earliest opportunity if they suspect such behaviour rather than take the law into their own hands.

“We do not encourage the public to act as ‘Agent Provocateur’ in order to entrap offenders.

“When they do such, individual activities can have significant pitfalls such as the potential to compromise on-going investigations, which could in turn negate or compromise months of investigative work.

“The activities can also cause vulnerable individuals to be placed at serious risk of harm.

“Whilst we understand the concerns regarding the internet activity of paedophiles and subsequent dangers that they present to children, we can assure members of the public that we are committed to targeting dangerous offenders be it online or elsewhere.

“The police act both covertly and overtly to identify online criminality on a daily basis, as well as working work closely with partners to ensure that children are educated regarding the risks posed online.”

Further information on staying safe online is available at http://www.ceop.gov.uk/ http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ and http://www.getsafeonline.org.uk/

One of the 'Big Six' energy firms has been rapped by watchdogs for making "misleading" price claims on its website.

E.on made the claims about charges for a heat network on its own website, www.eonenergy.com.

But watchdogs launched an investigation after two complaints that the claim "charges are designed to be no more expensive than heating provided by a traditional gas boiler" was misleading, and couldn't be substantiated.

The German owned energy provider said the claim was made on a "like-for-like" basis and included full maintenance and asset replacement provision.

The firm claimed that its heat tariffs were made up of an Energy Service Charge, which was a fixed price element, and the Heat unit rate charged as pence per kilowatt hour (p/kWh).

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaints after finding E.on breached rules regarding misleading advertising, substantiation and other comparisons.

It banned the ad and ordered E.on not to include optional costs when comparing their service with traditional gas boilers.

An ASA spokesman said: "We concluded that, because the comparison included optional costs, which was not explained in the ad, the claim gave a misleading impression of the cost of District Heating compared with a traditional gas boiler."

He added: "The ad must not appear again in its current form.

"We told E.on UK plc not to include optional costs when comparing their service with traditional gas boilers, unless the basis for the comparison was clearly explained."

Facebook users around the world can now add a literally all-singing and dancing extra layer of personalisation to their profile with the social network’s introduction of moving profile pictures.

With almost 30 million profile image updates every day, the internet giant says it is opening up the site to even more creativity with its Profile Expression Kit for developers.

A step forward from previous profile video experiments, the kit means that users can create .gif-like videos in a third-party app and then share them on Facebook in place of their boring old static profile.

Behind the technical jargon this essentially means your profile picture can move around like the enchanted photographs in the Harry Potter world - albeit on a fairly short loop.

In a statement, Facebook said: “Last September, we launched profile videos to give people a new way to bring their profiles to life.

“We were blown away by the positive response of profile videos and the variety of creative ways people used them to show off their personality.

“Today, we're further unlocking this creativity and lowering the barrier to expression by releasing the Facebook Profile Expression Kit.”

The kit is currently available to a selection of iOS app developers including MSQRD, Boomerang from Instagram, lollicam, BeautyPlus, Cinemagraph Pro from Flixel and Vine.

This means Facebook users with Apple devices can use any of these apps to create and upload their own ever-changing profile image.

Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow has been named one of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack’s ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’.

The England star (pictured right) has been honoured for a stunning 2015 in which he helped Yorkshire to the County Championship title with 1,108 runs at an average of 92.

Bairstow has been honoured along with New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Australia captain Steve Smith and England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Bairstow follows in the footsteps of Yorkshire colleagues Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance, who were among the Wisden five last year.

It was not just in Yorkshire colours that Bairstow shone in 2015.

He helped England clinch their one-day series against New Zealand with an unbeaten 83 off 60 balls in the deciding match at Chester-le-Street, and he also featured in the Test series against Australia, where his contribution of 74 to a stand of 173 with county team-mate Joe Root at Trent Bridge all but confirmed the Ashes.

Since then, Bairstow has gone on to score his maiden century at Test level, against South Africa in Cape Town.

There was a double celebration for Williamson, who was also named by Wisden as The Leading Cricketer in the World.

Williamson scored 2,682 runs in all international cricket in 2015, the third-highest annual total of all time.

In addition, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates was named The Leading Woman Cricketer in the World.

The ‘Five Cricketers of the Year’ are chosen by the editor of Wisden and represent a tradition that dates back to 1889, making it the oldest individual award in cricket.

Excellence in, or influence on, the previous English summer are the major criteria for inclusion as a ‘Cricketer of the Year’.

No one player can be chosen more than once.

England and Wales enjoyed the warmest day of the year so far - but forecasters warned some areas may see SNOW on Friday.

One couple made the most of the warm spell to tie the knot on Brighton beach in East Sussex amid bikini-clad babes.

Office workers in London basked in the lunchtime sunshine as the highest temperature of the year in England so far this year of 18.6C (65.4F) was recorded at Heathrow, west of London.

That beat the previous year high in England of 18.1C (64.5F) registered in Writtle, Essex, on Tuesday, which wasn't quite enough to top the Britain-wide year high of 18.7C (65.6F) in Braemar, Scotland, back on March 17th.

The warmest temperature of the year so far in Wales of 16.9C (62.4F) was registered in Cardiff.

But Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill warned people to make the most of the warmth as some areas could even see snow before the week's out.

Mr Burkill said: "The relatively warm weather is not going to last.

"Wednesday was probably the best day in terms of temperatures for a while.

"Thursday will be a similar sort of day with some showers around. Temperatures will reach 17C, maybe 18C. Further north it will be cloudier and cooler, but largely dry.

"But by Friday things are going to get more complicated.

"We have a warm front coming up from the south and a cold front coming down from the north, so Friday won't be a good day weather-wise.

"There will be rain, some heavy, and some areas in the north could see some wintry elements - sleet or even snow.

"There will be some rain overnight on Friday, but it should clear away into Saturday, and Sunday should be mostly dry for many."

He added: "It doesn't look like temperatures will be as warm over the weekend, with a high of around 12C (53.6F)."

Today:

Variable amounts of cloud and some reasonably warm sunny spells, the best of these in the south. Some showers around, with more likely to develop during the afternoon, particularly in the warmer, brighter south. Light winds through the day. Maximum Temperature13 °C.

Tonight:

Becoming mostly dry with light winds and clear spells. Becoming cold with a chance of grass frost in the north. Thicker cloud in the south later with perhaps further showers. Minimum Temperature 2 °C.

Friday:

Chilly with some dry conditions initially, just a few showers. Persistent rain is likely to move southwards later, perhaps turning to snow on hills. Feeling colder with overnight frost following. Maximum Temperature 9 °C.

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

Saturday, cold with bright spells and showers, some wintry over hills. Frost overnight. Mainly dry Sunday and Monday but with increasing amounts of cloud, and gradually becoming less cold.

Driffield RUFC travel to Alnwick in North One East on Saturday, looking to end a horrendous sequence of results in Northumberland.

The Woldsmen have not won at Greensfield in approximately two decades, and director of rugby Patrick Burdass is desperate for his players to end the hoodoo.

“We’ve been going to Alnwick on and off for 20 years and never managed to win there,” he told the Driffield Times & Post.

“It’s always a tough place to visit, and this season they are flying high up in third place in the division, so it’s not going to be easy to end that run on Saturday.

“They’re a very good side, particularly at home, and play a wide, expansive game, but we need to go there to try and break our duck. It’s about time that we did.”

Driffield were successful in their last away fixture, when they won on the road at Guisborough at the start of the month, but they suffered a 40-19 home defeat to promotion-chasing Morley last time out.

“We were just beaten by the better side at the weekend,” Burdass continued.

“Morley blew us away in the first half, and we could have been looking at a 50 or 60-point defeat, but credit to our lads, we stood up after the break and scored three tries to win the second half.

“That display of character is a big positive for us, and something that we need to take into our game at Alnwick if we are to have a chance there.”

Another positive from the defeat to Morley were the performances of youngsters Ben Dinsdale and Will Burns.

“Ben and Will played their first 80 minutes for the 1st XV on Saturday and they both did really well, they have bright futures in the game,” Burdass added.

Racing pundit Tony McCormick from.irishbigracetrends.com this week looks at the former home of the Scottish National – Bogside.

The Scottish Grand National was first contested over 127 years ago and has been held at Ayr Racecourse since 1966 after the original Bogside course closed down. Racing began there in 1808, and the West of Scotland Grand National was introduced in 1867.

In some ways it was remarkable that racing continued as long as it did, for there were several things Bogside didn’t have going for it. For a start, it was sited in an awkward spot, sandwiched between the railway and the rivers Garnock and Irvine.

A heap of shale on the infield blocked off the view for most of the track and for most of the spectators. The sandhills on the far side of the course meant there was never any room for expansion.

It took until the 1970 for the track to be fully enclosed by running rails. Until that time, it was not uncommon for a loose horse to make its way over the sand dunes and swim out into the estuary.

Then there were the fences themselves. The right-handed, two-mile circuit had the usual mix, with nine plain fences, two open ditches and a water jump. Just as at Aintree, there was a long run in of 370 yards, on which horses passed a plain fence and the water jump.

But there was little to help a horse find its place at the jumps. With all those challenges, it’s perhaps no surprise that in 1963 the Levy Board included Bogside in its list of 12 racecourses which it would no long support financially.

They reckoned that Bogside would need £80,000 spending on it to bring the facilities up to a reasonable standard. And so racing came to an end there, on 10 April 1965, although point-to-point meetings continued until 1994.

The Scottish Grand National is a very popular race. It’s always a surprise to note that over the years the race has produced many close finishes, despite it being run over four miles and one furlong.

This weekend’s showpiece has another massive Irish presence to it. Rogue Angel is set to form part of a very strong Irish raiding party at the weekend which also includes at the six-day stage current favourite Cause Of Causes, Tony Martin’s Heathfield and the Willie Mullins-trained Measureofmydreams.

Paul Nicholls could run Southfield Theatre, Vincente, Benvolio and Vivaldi Collonges as he looks to retain his trainers’ title while Nicky Henderson’s Vyta Du Roc is another leading contender.

Sausalito Sunrise looks set to carry top weight following the expected defections of Many Clouds and The Last Samuri which means Philip Hobbs’ charge is topping the list and a rise in the weights of 7lb will follow. Seeyouatmidnight has been left in by Sandy Thomson after coming up short in the RSA Chase but will be suited by the marathon trip.

Local social housing provider Yorkshire Coast Homes have joined forces with Scarborough Athletic FC to set up a brand new frame football team in Scarborough.

The new club will be hosting its first come and try it session in the Pindar Leisure Centre sports hall on Saturday April 23, between 1pm and 3.30pm, where potential players and their families can get a taste of the sport.

The new club will also be holding a fundraising football match on Sunday April 24, with all cash raised going towards essential equipment for the young people to use. Kick-off will be at 2pm, on the pitch opposite Newby School.

Frame football offers an opportunity for young people, who may rely on the use of a walking frame to assist with their mobility, to take part in both indoor and outdoor football matches and, until now, no team in North Yorkshire has been established.

As well as participating in local training and match sessions, members of the new club will eventually be able to take part in a programme of tournament events around the country organised by the Frame Football Association.

The creation of new team, which has been adopted by Scarborough Athletic FC and will be named Scarborough Athletic Frame Football Club, was inspired by YCH Chief Executive Shaun Tymon, who said: “We believe that everyone should be able to participate in sport and we work hard to help remove the physical, social or financial barriers that that may be holding them back.

“The rapidly growing sport of Frame Football provides excellent opportunities for people of all ages and levels of ability to take part and we are thrilled to have been able to set up a team and bring the sport within reach of local young people. We’ve had lots of advice and support from the Frame Football Association and now that the club has been adopted by Scarborough Athletic we’re really making progress.”

Scarborough Athletic FC Director Andy Troughton added: “This is a wonderful initiative, and we are both proud and excited to be able to assist Yorkshire Coast Homes in setting up the new team.

“Our club prides itself on its community credentials, and we look forward to helping these young people to overcome the barriers that might otherwise prevent them from participating in our favourite sport.”

To learn more about Frame Football you might like to check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FrameFootball where you’ll find a great deal of information, along with plenty of photos and videos. Further information is available on the Cerebral Palsy Sport website at http://www.cpsport.org/sports/football/frame-football/

Yorkshire's Ryan Sidebottom insists the Tykes are ready to begin their defence of the County Championship Division One title.

“The lads are in great order. Even though the weather has not been ideal, the prep has gone really well so we’re really excited," said Sidebottom.

"The desire and work ethic is all there, it’s just games now, we’re ready and raring to go.”

A lot of the talk in pre-season has centred around Yorkshire taking an unprecedented hat-trick of titles, and Sidebottom isn't getting carried away by that.

“Most definitely, we’re not getting too carried away, we know it’s going to be tough and we know we have to play well ourselves," he added.

"There are some stronger teams now, who have made some good signings so it’s going to be really tough.

"First division cricket is hard, but we’re in a good place and we’ve got to perform.

"The good thing is we won’t get too far ahead of ourselves, we make sure we take each session as it comes, keep it really simple and not get carried away.”

Sidebottom isn't underestimating a dangerous Hampshire side.

He added: “They’ve got some good players. Fidel Edwards had a great back-end to last year. Ryan McLaren’s a really good player, they’ve got a good all-round team. I expect a really hard fought game.

“At Headingley, nobody really likes coming here so if we play well, we’re always going to be in the game.”

Yorkshire have named a 13-man squad, which includes new signing David Willey fresh from his exploits with England in the ICC T20 World Cup.

He is joined in the squad alongside his England colleagues Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.

Seamer Tim Bresnan continues his rehabilitation from a torn calf and England batsman Joe Root is rested after a long campaign with the national side.

Root is set to make his first appearance of the season against Nottinghamshire on Sunday May 1.

Yorkshire 13-man squad to face Hampshire: Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Gary Ballance, Jack Brooks, Andrew Gale (captain), Jack Leaning, Alex Lees, Adam Lyth, Steve Patterson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Will Rhodes, Ryan Sidebottom, David Willey.

WE all know what is on the table at Yorkshire this season, as we aim to make it three County Championship titles in a row.

I think the lads are actually getting sick of getting asked the question of: ‘Can we win three in a row?’. We just really want the season to start now and get some wins under our belts and play some cricket.

We know we are a strong side and that if we can play the cricket we know we can consistently, we will be challenging right up there again, for sure.

The hunger is there and I haven’t seen anyone resting on their laurels or slacking off and thinking they have achieved everything they can in the game.

We have spoken as a group about what we need to do, the standards we need to set and how we are going to go about it and now it is about putting the plans into place, starting against Hampshire at Headingley tomorrow.

Obviously, the coin toss rules change allow the visiting captain to bowl first should they chose and I’d imagine with the weather we’ve had, Hampshire will come and bowl.

I don’t think I will be putting my stripy blazer on much at Headingley this year!

It was certainly another busy off-season for me. Another baby in the Gale household arrived at Christmas, on Christmas Day at 8pm, so it has been pretty hectic in the house since!

In terms of preparing for the season personally, I have had really good preparation. I got a few runs out in the UAE against Lancashire and a couple of starts against the MCC and then made a hundred in a practice match.

It is as good as I felt in a long time; whether that is a good or a bad thing, I don’t know.

One downer before the start of the season is losing Tim Bresnan for early season, which is a bit disappointing. But if there was any time you would want to lose someone, it’s probably early season when the England boys are available.

Looking at the others, I have got to say Gary Ballance looks a million dollars. He looks refreshed and back to the old Gary Ballance that we know.

For such a young lad, Gaz has such a fantastic record. I thought he was binned off by England a little bit too quickly, but he has worked as hard as I have seen him work on his all-around game and I expect him to have a big summer and be banging that door down for England.

Everyone else has chipped in during pre-season. Ryan Sidebottom is looking in good form and bowling as quick as I have seen him bowl for a long time and he has got himself into fantastic shape this winter.

The good thing about this pre-season, even though it has been extended, is that it has allowed everyone some opportunity to get into some good form.

There’s no-one who is coming into the season who you are thinking: ‘It could go either way.’ Everyone has had time in the middle and scored a few runs or bowled a few overs.

It is going to be a big season for a fair few young players such as Will Rhodes and Karl Carver. Particularly with the spin situation, we don’t know when we will have Adil Rashid available.

Rhodesy is a good all-rounder and will be called upon at some stage and batted really well in the UAE and is showing he’s maturing a lot.

It’s about keeping the young lads grounded, but developing as well. It will be a squad effort like last year.

There was sad news in the cricket world this week when it was announced that Nottinghamshire and England batsman James Taylor was retiring because of a serious heart condition.

I was really saddened and a bit shocked. It came out of the blue; I was in the nets and Martyn Moxon said: ‘Have you seen this?’ and he said he’d received an email.

I know ‘Titch’ (Taylor) really well and I had two winters with him and he is one of my closest friends away from Yorkshire and we always meet up and go out for meal when we play against each other.

He is a lad who has worked really hard and had to overcome his critics, probably because of his size. But for a guy who is 26 years old, to get nearly 10,000 first-class runs shows how good a player he is.

It is so disappointing that after working so hard, he has had his career taken away from him. But I guess on the positive side, he will look back in five, 10 and 20 years time when he has family and stuff and think: ‘It could have been a lot worse.’ Who knows what he will go into now. But one thing is for sure, whatever Titch does, he gives it his full attention and really puts everything into it and I am sure he will be successful in whatever he does.

The new crop feed wheat market has suffered a volatile fortnight as the London LIFFE wheat future for November 2016 struggles to break the £120/T.

Values have ranged anywhere from £116.00/T – £120/T over the last ten days or so due to a mix of currency fluctuations, weather issues and production forecast adjustments.

Feed wheat for September collection is currently valued in the region of £110/T ex-farm. Further forward, £115/T ex-farm currently looks like a realistic offer for November/December collection.

As spring gets underway across the Northern Hemisphere (although I’m sure this is debatable for many of you), market focus has turned towards both the quality of the recently re-emerged winter crops and the condition of the newly emerging spring drilled crops.

Insufficient winter snow cover over in the Ukraine is believed to have caused damage to over 1 million hectares worth of winter wheat which could ultimately result in an overall downgrade to final production by as much as 20%.

Trade forecasts for this year’s total Ukrainian wheat crop are now in the region of 17 – 19 million tonnes depending on the success of this year’s spring drilling campaign.

Either way, we should expect a crop firmly below last year’s final tonnage of 26.5 million tonnes.

Production estimates for neighbouring Russia are also lowered although there is a heavier reliance on spring sown wheat here. Forecasts look favourable for the fortnight ahead although some dry weather could appear across central areas.

Elsewhere, the grain market has received mixed news from America over the last couple of weeks.

According to the US prospective plantings report (released 31 March by the USDA), the winter wheat area as we head into harvest 2016 is forecast at 20.1 million hectares. If realised, this will be the smallest crop for 46 years.

The spring sown crop accounts for an estimated 4.6 million hectares and I would imagine that the trade will keep an eye on this as the spring months pass.

However, simultaneous to the above the latest nationwide crop condition report from the USDA has confirmed that as of 1 April, 60% of the US winter wheat crops were in either a good or excellent condition.

The percentage at this rating is the highest for this stage in the season since 2010; crops are believed to have benefitted from ‘above average rainfall in late autumn’ and excellent establishment.

To summarise, the overall US wheat area may be comparatively small, but a larger percentage of this is already in the ground and in a very good condition.