Just how much noise can a group of children make when given encouragement this festive season?

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People want Driffield youngsters to help them find out by raising sponsorship for some sort of noise related event.

Hearing dogs alert their deaf recipients to those everyday sounds we take for granted such as the alarm clock, door bell or baby cry, and danger signals such as the smoke alarm as well as giving greater independence, confidence and companionship.

In 2008, Hearing Dogs began a ground breaking project to determine if deaf children could benefit from the profoundly life-changing experience that a hearing dog can bring. It was well documented that for an adult a hearing dog can improve confidence, relief the stress, isolation and anxiety that deafness causes. Could a hearing dog do the same for a deaf eight year old child? The answer was a very positive ‘yes’.

Lucy Ward, Community Fundraising Manager , said: “Now we all know that children love nothing more than to make a great deal of noise, especially if they know it will annoy the grown-ups and to capitalise on this, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People are inviting groups of children to organise an event called ‘Let’s hear it for deaf children’ to raise funds to train more puppies as hearing dogs for children.

The idea is for the children to be sponsored to make noise, preferably with some sort of ‘doggy’ theme like singing ‘How much is that doggy in the window’ while accompanying themselves with home-made musical instruments such as dustbin lid cymbals, old pots and pans or anything else that will add to the cacophony. With Christmas approaching, perhaps the noise could be singing Christmas carols or playing instruments at a festive party. And of course while not all adults will sponsor children to make as much noise as possible, nearly everyone will pay them to stop

To register your event and receive a fundraising pack full of ideas and advice from Hearing Dogs spokesdog ‘Kurt’ visit www.letshearit.org.uk or call Lucy Ward on 01759 322255 or e-mail: lucy.ward@hearingdogs.org.uk

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will be holding an engagement event on Monday, November 5 at Beverley Leisure Complex, designed to introduce local suppliers and smaller construction companies to the main tenderers for the Beverley Integrated Transport Plan - which includes the construction of the Beverley Southern Relief Road.

The informal networking event will provide small and medium sized enterprises with opportunities to build links with the companies vying to deliver the £27.3 million BITP and to become part of the supply chain when construction commences in summer 2013.

Allowing local businesses to share in the delivery of BITP, will provide boost for the local economy and, more importantly, safeguard jobs in the construction industry, which has been affected by the current financial climate.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The council is committed to supporting local businesses and to providing a robust response to the current economic climate.

“This event will lay the ground work for local companies to become part of the supply chain for this long-awaited and much-needed transport project.

“Investment in our local infrastructure, such as that being made on the A164, BITP and the building and leisure centres and other amenities, will keep the East Riding working and improve our area for years to come.”

The final scheme has been designed in detail and is out to tender. A preferred tenderer will be selected in the New Year.

Subject to the Department for Transport (DfT) finalising the funding grant, works will begin on site in summer 2013 for completion in early 2015.

For further information about the event or to see if your company could benefit, call Daniel Wilson of the council’s civil engineering services project delivery team on (01482) 395337.

A Walking for Health scheme is looking to expand and gain new walk leaders who are up for a challenge and want to meet new people whilst staying active.

Local people are relied upon to commit to a few hours to help with leading walking groups where all volunteers are provided with free training and insurance to lead walks in the East Riding.

The council’s Walking for Health scheme currently has over 19 walks covering the whole of the East Riding.

Anyone interested in becoming a walk leader or wants to know more about the walks in your area should contact the council’s healthy lifestyles development officer, Laura Telfer, on (01482) 392527 or email laura.telfer@eastriding.gov.uk

Driffield 873 Squadron Air Cadets are planning an expedition to the Gambia in West Africa to help build a playground in a desperately poor community, where their partner charity G.E.T.S. uk (Gambia Education and Teaching Support) run the Sunrise Skills centre and nursery school.

Many children in that part of the world do not have access to schooling and the charity has developed as a result of the work of a group of individuals who had travelled to The Gambia initially on holiday, but had been drawn to help the local people’s situation and hardship.

Angela Longoni-Sarr, of North Dalton, has been a G.E.T.S. supporter for many years, and is now working with Squadron Leader Adey Hanrahan, and Secretary Ann Lowde in the planning and raising of funds for the trip, which also go towards the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards for some of the cadets.

To this end, and also to help provide local Christmas shopping in Driffield, a Christmas Craft and Gift Market will be held in the Bell Hotel (old Town Hall) from 9.30 am through to 9pm on Thursday December 6 (Lights Switch-On Day) to which all are welcome. Entry is Free.

This year, Angela has also joined forces with the Driffield Rotary Club who will be providing an opportunity for the children to visit Santa in his Magical Grotto in the Craft Market, both during the day and evening, before and after Santa’s special ride through town on his Sleigh.

Children can write and post a letter to Santa.

The bells will soon be ringing out for Christmas and Usborne, Children’s Publisher of the Year 2012, have a stack of books that will chime with the youngest readers.

The independent publisher’s range of books for babies and toddlers continues to expand and the Usborne Reading Programme now comprises over 300 titles for children learning to read and growing in confidence in their reading.

Here are some of the beautiful books guaranteed to keep the youngest family members entertained this Christmas:

Age 18 months plus:

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Lesley Sims and Violeta Dabija

This magical picture book filled with festive sights and sounds from the classic song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, will be music to the ears of little ones who want to join in the fun. Superbly illustrated with beautifully detailed and decorative scenes that children will love to pore over, the book has a press-button panel, featuring 14 sounds and incorporating the familiar tune and lively sound effects. A sturdy and appealing book that is perfect not just for this Christmas, but for Christmas future as well.

(Usborne, hardback, £12.99)

Age 2 plus:

That’s Not My Sticker Book... Christmas by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells

Keep little hands busy this Christmas with a colourful sticker book that has been specially designed for the smallest, clumsiest fingers! There’s hours of fun for pre-schoolers who can peel off over 80 stickers (with only a minimum amount of help!) and complete the festive scenes. There’s a snowman who needs his hat, nose and scarf, a Christmas tree waiting to be dressed with baubles, a stocking all ready to be coloured and a reindeer waiting for some antlers as Santa gets ready for his busy night. The large, simple stickers are specially designed for little hands and fingers, and help to develop key motor skills. They can also complete the simple sentence ‘That’s my...’ at the bottom of each page to help them learn their first letters. Time to get stuck in...

(Usborne, paperback, £4.99)

Age 6 plus:

Christmas Carols Sticker Book by Jane Chisholm and Marie-Eve Tremblay

And for school age children who love sticker books too, here’s one that’s a real cut above! As well as the fun of matching the stickers with the pictures, youngsters are able to explore the wonderful world of art with fantastic paintings from the National Gallery in London. Featuring 11 of the most popular carols and their musical accompaniment, this amazingly different book, published in association with the National Gallery, is illustrated with Christmas and the Nativity scenes from famous paintings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to Victorian Christmas cards and posters. Children can have fun matching the stickers of the paintings to their labelled frames, as well as learning interesting facts about the painting and the artist. Some of the more difficult or obscure words of the carol come with an easy-to-understand explanation. There’s an art to buying the perfect Christmas present and this is it!

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 6 plus:

Illustrated Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tales have been delighting children worldwide for nearly 180 years and now this stunning clothbound gift edition provides a book for a new generation to read, enjoy and treasure forever. Enchanting colour illustrations bring to life the timeless stories that have been translated into more than 150 languages and inspired films, plays and ballets. Twelve classic fairy tales are lavishly presented and include the best-loved characters of Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling, as well as a biography of Hans Christian Andersen, all charmingly illustrated and specially retold for younger readers. An essential addition to any family bookshelf and a wonderful Christmas gift.

(Usborne, hardback, £17.99)

Age 8 plus:

North Child by Edith Pattou

How about something completely different this Christmas ... a timeless, beautiful story that has the power to transport children into another world? North Child is the unforgettable unfolding of one girl’s love and destiny, a modern-day classic and a book to keep forever. Magic, love, loss and betrayal all have a role to play in a spellbinding story based on the Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Rose is a North Child, destined to travel far from home and meet a lonely, icy death. Unaware of her fate, she makes a bargain with a mysterious bear and is carried away to a distant castle. When Rose’s actions unleash a terrible curse, she must embark on an epic journey to save the stranger who has stolen her heart. This luxury, padded hardback edition with its ribbon marker is a gift to treasure and hand down to future generations.

(Usborne, hardback, £12.99)

Light the fire, pour a glass of your favourite tipple, sit back and take yourself off to the hopelessly addictive village of Hope Christmas.

For those who indulged themselves in Julia Williams’ novel Last Christmas, this will be a return trip to the cosy community where friendships and family are the foundations of everyday life.

And if you’re a stranger to these parts, then this festive season would be the ideal time to get acquainted with the aptly named Cat Tinsall and all the lovely, lively folk who make Williams’ warm and funny books such a joy.

Shot through with gritty themes but with a deliciously soft centre, A Merry Little Christmas comes wrapped in a sparkling cover and with the promise of love, tears and laughter.

With four children, a Christmas cookbook to write, husband Noel constantly working and her mother suffering from dementia, Cat Tinsall has plenty to juggle. And when her teenage daughter Mel starts going off the rails, Cat tries to find the source of the problem and ends up with even more on her plate.

Meanwhile, her friend Pippa Holliday adores her family, although often finds her hands full, particularly as her daughter Lucy, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, needs round-the-clock care. When husband Dan is involved in a terrible accident, Pippa’s happiness is threatened and her world turns upside down.

And balancing her job as a teacher with being wife to farmer Gabriel, mother to young twins and stepmother to Steven isn’t easy for Marianne North. It doesn’t help that the school is trying to increase her workload and her husband’s ex-wife is causing a heap of trouble.

But friendships are about helping each other through the bad times as well as the good and despite a difficult year for them all, Cat, Pippa and Marianne are still hopeful that Christmas will bring some welcome cheer.

As always in Williams’s enchanting and absorbing stories, the interplay of human relationships takes centre stage, with domestic drama, the strange course of fate and affection, in all its many forms, providing best supporting roles.

A cuddly, winter-warming tale for all true romantics...

(Avon, paperback, £6.99)

A standard social history book turned into an extraordinary real-life Gothic mystery when Catherine Bailey delved into the family archives at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire.

The end result of her research was not the intended account of the estate workers’ service during the First World War but instead a gripping and ultimately tragic tale of betrayal, deceit, honour and death which confirms the old adage that the truth is stranger than fiction.

Belvoir Castle is home to the Manners family, better known as the Dukes of Rutland, whose association with this corner of England dates back to the 11th century.

Like many other aristocratic families, the Dukes of Rutland have skeletons rattling around in their very grand cupboards, and none more so than the bizarre circumstances surrounding the death of the 9th duke in April 1940.

One of the wealthiest men in Britain, John Henry Montagu Manners, aged 53, ended his days virtually alone, lying on a makeshift bed in a dank, cramped suite of rooms in the servants’ quarters of his magnificent 320-room Gothic-style stately home.

For weeks, as his health had deteriorated, his family, his servants – and even King George VI’s personal doctor – pleaded with him to come out, but he refused.

After his death from bronchial pneumonia at 6am on April 21, his son and heir, Charles, the 10th Duke of Rutland, ordered that the rooms be locked up and they remained untouched for 60 years.

It was only when Bailey began reading through family papers for her research that she came across significant gaps in the records and set out to discover what lay behind the inexplicable omissions.

And she soon found herself unravelling a complex and compelling saga played out in the grand salons of Britain’s stately homes at the turn of the 20th century and on the battlefields of the Western Front.

At its core was a secret so dark that it consumed the life of the man who fought to his death to keep it hidden. In fact, the very last hours of the duke’s life were spent trying to complete his work on the archives, a task that he regarded as so urgent that he refused medical help.

After his death, the archive was closed up and the rooms, where the late duke had obsessively toiled for several years, were sealed off.

It was the end of a bizarre chapter for the Manners family until Bailey turned the pages on the past and discovered that three periods of their family history were missing – 1894 when the duke was almost eight, 1909 when he was working in Rome and 1915 when the country was at war.

At the heart of this mystery, she discovered, were John’s parents, the 8th duke Henry Manners and his wife Violet Manners, an imperious, manipulative woman whose actions, we discover, destroyed the happiness of her son John.

John was their second son; heir to the title was his older brother Robert, Lord Haddon, whose premature death at the age of only nine in 1894 precipitated a series of distressing events for John, beginning with his removal from the family home to live with an uncle because his mother could not forgive him for still being alive when her favourite son was dead.

Years of meddling by his cold, loveless parents, and particularly by his mother, impacted directly on the rest of his life... and on his harrowing death in a cold, soulless archive room in a dark corner of Belvoir Castle.

Bailey’s fascinating book takes us to the heart of a family tragedy as well as shedding new light on an age when the aristocracy possessed breathtaking powers and influence in both the social and political spheres.

Brilliantly researched, and written with style and depth, this is a horrifying story of love, despair, intrigue, snobbery and upper class eccentricity which reads like fiction but is amazingly – and shockingly – real.

(Viking, hardback, £20)

A spate of hugely controversial development plans for the Beverley area is to be debated at a public meeting in the town next week.

The meeting has been called by the Beverley and District Civic Society to enable residents to air their views on the major issues and decisions facing the town.

The move comes amid claims that Beverley is now facing ‘crisis point’ over decisions affecting its future and a large turn-out is expected.

Developments including the 800-home proposals for the Longcroft site, the planned retail development at Grovehill Road and the repaving scheme for Saturday Market have already sparked huge controversy.

Now the public will have its say at the meeting on Friday December 7 at Toll Gavel Church, from 6 to 8pm.

The meeting will be chaired by the Mayor of Beverley, Councillor Margaret Pinder who said it had been sparked by the level of public feeling that has arisen following a number of recent decisions and proposals regarding development in the town and the adjoining Molescroft Parish.

She told the Beverley Guardian: “I applaud the Civic Society’s decision to hold this kind of public debate over matters that are so important for the town as a whole.”

A resolution is to be placed before Beverley Town Council at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday that the Town Council offer all practical support to facilitate the meeting. Senior officers of East Riding Council and Beverley MP Graham Stuart are being invited to attend.

This week many local residents voiced their objections to the planned development on the Longcroft School site, which went on show in a two-day exhibition.

As reported in last week’s Beverley Guardian, town councillors have called on East Riding Council to think again over the future of the former depot site in Grovehill Road, fearing retail development there would cause major traffic problems and harm businesses in the town centre.

There has also been controversy over the planned £2.5million maintenance scheme for Saturday Market, with many residents objecting to the removal of most of the traditional cobbled setts.

The Civic Society says the town is under threat on every side from housing schemes, retail centres and ‘ill thought-out’ road schemes.

Spokewoman Barbara English said the Civic Society has become aware that many people feel the town is coming to a ‘crisis point’ in the planning for its future.

“The storm clouds are gathering and in particularly the sale of the Grovehill site for retail, when we all expected it to be for employment use, for start up business units and possibly affordable housing, and the large number of houses which seem to be going to be built around Beverley in the next 10 to 15 years,” she said.

Dr English said the Civic Society would like to challenge the targets for housing development, and the trigger for calling the meeting had been the proposals for the Longcroft site.

“There are other concerns such as the persistence of flooding, the range of new street crossings which will intensify traffic problems and the removal of the setts in the Market Place, to which our Society is overwhelmingly opposed,” she said.

Picture it ... long-distance runner Mo Farah joining forces with his fellow British Olympians Zara Phillips, Bradley Wiggins, Jessica Ennis and Tom Daley for an action-packed adventure, and you can join in the fun!

Mo, gold medallist in the London Olympics 5,000 and 10,000 metre races, has taken a break from his track training to become the star of a quirky new ‘Where’s Wally’ style puzzle book which puts our sporting heroes in the spotlight.

‘Team Mo’ has very sportingly decided to visit some of the best events Great Britain has to offer, and you get a ticket to ride with them. The catch is that you’ll have to find them first!

Search out Mo, Zara, Bradley, Jessica and Tom in the teeming crowds as they prepare to run, cycle and swim in the triathlon, take on skilled judo champions, race 100 metres legend Usain Bolt on the track and showcase their dives in the pool.

But that’s not all! Just when you think you’ve found everyone, there are ten other hidden things you have to find. And for those brave enough to take on the challenge, there’s a gold medal hidden in there too.

There’s a checklist box to tick off each person or item when you have found them in the 15 all-action puzzles and if you really, really get stuck, the answers are helpfully provided in the back of the book.

Where’s Mo is the ideal Christmas gift for good sports of all ages ... packed with colourful illustrations and reminders of our brilliant Olympic successes, this is a book to entertain both children and adults, and ward off the festive boredom.

So, what are you waiting for? On your marks, get set and go find Mo!

(John Blake Publishing, hardback, £9.99)

Graham Stuart, the Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, is encouraging people to get involved with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s

upcoming recycling events.

Council recycling officers will highlight the need to prevent waste, and increase the use of the blue and brown bins at a series of events in the coming weeks.

Mr Stuart said, “Recycling rates have been rising steadily in the East Riding, which is great news for the environment. Sending less waste to landfill means a saving for the public purse, as the council has to spend a huge amount on landfill tax each year. 

“Hopefully these events will help reinforce the message about the importance of recycling, and our rate will continue to rise.”

For more information please call the Council’s recycling team on (01482) 395586.

Events

November 19 - Beverley: recycling officers will be at the 50+ club from 10:30-11:15am in St John’s Parish Church Hall. There will be a presentation on recycling at home followed by a discussion.

November 26 - Beverley: from 1:00-2.30pm recycling officers will be at the Lets Get session at Beverley Choices, Norwood. There will be a presentation followed by a discussion on how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste at home.

November 29 - Bishop Burton: from 1.30-3:00pm recycling officers will be at the play group in the village hall taking part in recycling crafts organised by children’s centre staff. They will also be taking questions on recycling and waste prevention.

A TEENAGE arsonist who set fire to his own home owes his life to the stepfather who plucked him to safety from the burning building, a court heard.

John Leighton, 19, lost his bar job at a Bridlington holiday park and had an argument with his girlfriend before setting a fire inside his rented home at Moorcroft Cottages, Harpham.

He used his moped to block the rear doors and set a fire below it, which rapidly spread destroying the conservatory, Hull Crown Court heard.

He spaked a separate blaze near the front door foyer - and then went upstairs to bed. The fire spread out of control. It gutted the down stairs area.

His mother Caroline Leighton and her partner Steven Hunter, who lived next-door, were awakened after midnight to the sound of breaking glass. Mrs Leighton ran outside to see her son, who had been drinking, screaming for her help from a broken upstairs window.

Mr Hunter ran around the back, but found the conservatory door locked so grabbed a ladder and ran to the front of the house.

He climbed the ladder, smashing the window, injuring himself, and tried to grab Mr Leighton, but missed. Realising the smoke was getting worse, he made a second attempt.

“He grabbed hold of him and his body was limp,” Crown barrister Jane Bryan told Hull Crown Court. “He pulled him on to his shoulder and climbed down placing him on the lawn. He then ran around the back and turned on the hosepipe trying to put out the blaze before the fire brigade arrived.”

Both men suffered from smoke inhalation and were treated at Scarborough Hospital on April 12.

Bridlington fire crew manager Cameron Boyes concluded the fire had been deliberately started.

Leighton, now of Darwin Road, Bridlington, appeared at court on Wednesday November 28 after pleaded guilty to a charge of arson, recklessly endangering lives.

He also admitted common assault on his former girlfriend Rhonda Hawks by pinning her down and spitting on her on May 12 in revenge for her hitting him with a makeup bag. He also stole her Peugeot 106.

Defence barrister Cassie Williams said Leighton could never afford to repay the huge cost of damage cause by the blaze, made worse because he was renting it from a friend. She said he had given no account for the reason for starting the blaze which gutted the cottage but she said alcohol played a part with him occasionally suffering blackouts. She said he had difficulties with Mr Hunter, who put himself in considerable danger to save his life.

The court heard Leighton had two previous convictions for damaging property, twice for disorderly behaviour and stealing a motor vehicle. Her has never been imprisoned

“It is hard to resist the conclusion the courts have done you no favours in the past by treating you leniently, so you think you can get away with anything,” said Judge Michael Mettyear. “You must have known for sometime drink was getting you into trouble. This is a very bad example of an arson offence. It caused great financial loss. The real worry was not the financial loss, but the threat to life and limb. It could have been so much worse, causing serious injury or even death. You should be thankful to Mr Hunter for saving your life.

“Offences like this are too serious to be dealt with other than by a custodial sentence.”

He ordered Leighton should go to a Young Offenders’ Institution for 18 months and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

A 3/4-bedroom detached family home in the sought-after area of Aston, is on the market for offers around £400,000.

Boskenna in Aughton Lane, Aston, S26 2AJ, has a generous driveway, detached garage and stunning rear aspect over fields.

A part glazed stained glass front door leads to a reception hallway.

A hobby, work, family or play room has wall-mounted cupboards and a tiled floor. The lounge has a front-facing stained glass bay window and a feature Art Deco-style tiled fireplace with a raised hearth and living flame gas fire.

An archway leads to the dining room, which enjoys rear views, and another goes to the sitting area with rear-facing sliding patio doors and windows to the garden with a superb view beyond.

The breakfast kitchen is fitted with shaker-style base and wall units incorporating a 1.5-bowl sink and drainer with a granite effect rolled top work surface with tiled splashback. There is a Rangemaster Toledo gas cooker with extractor above, an integrated dishwasher and Neff microwave. There is a serving hatch to the dining room.

A utility room is fitted with shaker-style base and wall units incorporating sink and drainer having mixer tap in a granite effect rolled top work surface with tiled splashback, space and plumbing for a washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer. There is a tiled floor, concealed wall-mounted Worcester combination gas central heating boiler and a part-glazed, stable-style rear door. A cloakroom has a suite of low-flush WC and pedestal hand basin.

Upstairs, the master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with a panelled bath, shower cubicle, pedestal hand basin and low-flush WC, ladder style radiator, fitted wardrobes to one wall and part tiling.

Bedroom two has a stained glass window and bedroom three has a fitted wardrobe.

The tiled family bathroom has a soft cream panelled bath, a shower cubicle, pedestal hand basin, bidet and low-flush WC.

A further staircase with an open spindled balustrade leads to an attic bedroom with a Velux window and eaves storage.

Outside are a driveway, a large detached double garage, plus a lawned rear garden with timber deck, lighting, patios and shed.

Details from Blundells, Crystal Peaks. Tel 0114 230 0678.

Detached home

Garage

Sought-after area

Art Deco finish

Easy motorway access

The Sheffield rental market is continuing to thrive and Saxton Mee Lettings have proven to be a dominant force in the market in 2012.

With Christmas approaching, the market is still buoyant and we are looking forward to 2013. Specialists in providing professional property for professional people, we aim to pair up the best property with the best clientele in the city. Whether you have city centre apartments, suburban semis or detached high end family homes, Saxton Mee Lettings continue to rent every type of property across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

Saxton Mee Lettings offer three packages to cater to a variety of landlords. ‘Hands on’ landlords may wish to take advantage of our Introduction Only package, whereas our Tenancy Managed Service or Tenant Finding option may appeal to others.

TENANCY MANAGED SERVICE: Including advertising, arranging viewings, referencing prospective tenants, check-ins, confirmation of inventory, rent and bond collections, quarterly inspections, liaising with contractors if needed, the serving of notice and all the check-out procedures including handling the deposit.

TENANT FINDING SERVICE: Including advertising, arranging viewings, referencing of prospective tenants, check ins, confirmation of inventory and collection of the first month’s rent and deposit.

INTRODUCTION ONLY SERVICE: Advertising and passing on information of prospective tenants to landlords.

We also offer the arrangement of Landlords Gas Safety Certificates and Energy Performance Certificates where required.

With highly competitive rates, a wealth of experience across the lettings department and friendly and informative staff, Saxton Mee Lettings continue to be the agent of choice for landlords across South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Our Residential Lettings headquarters based in our flagship Ecclesall Road branch offers in depth knowledge of market trends and our close relationships with local contractors gives both landlords and tenants piece of mind and high quality and efficient service.

Our advertising department specialises in making the most of your property. With our own dedicated website, in addition to exposure on the Rightmove and FindAProperty pages, landlords can be rest assured that Saxton Mee are reaching out to as many potential tenants as possible.

Our weekly adverts in the Sheffield Property Guide are always in full colour and allow us to showcase our portfolio in a professional and detailed way, and our Hathersage and Bakewell offices will always display your property. We certainly endeavour to advertise your property in as many places as possible!

For further information with any property queries be you a tenant or landlord, call or email Saxton Mee on 08456 18 15 10 or lettings@saxtonmee.co.uk

The death of much-loved Irish author Maeve Binchy earlier this year was a huge loss to the book world so what a Christmas treat to be able to turn the pages of her very last novel.

A Week in Winter, set in a country house hotel on the west coast of Ireland, is another classic, a magical, captivating story full of her trademark warmth, humour and eclectic cast of lovable characters.

Compassion was always Binchy’s greatest gift and this quality shines through what is essentially a collection of individual short stories featuring a disparate group of people all staying at the same hotel.

Some are troubled or unhappy, some are eccentric and in one way or another, life is proving a struggle, whether the cause is regret, loneliness, events in their past or traumatic memories. Each is seeking the answer to a problem and, with Binchy as their sympathetic creator and guide, a resolution might just be possible.

Stoneybridge is full of holidaymakers in summer, its beaches full of buckets and spades and sandcastles. But in winter, it’s ‘wet, wild and lonely.’ Few choose to walk along the fine sands, the big round pebbles and the exposed rocky promontories that make up the windswept Atlantic coastline.

Those who do visit can’t help but see Stone House, the big house on the cliff which is owned by Geraldine Starr, better known as Chicky, who grew up in this part of the world and has returned after living in the US for several decades.

Stone House was once the rambling family home of Queenie Sheedy, the last of the Sheedy sisters, and she has persuaded Chicky to turn the old house into a beautiful hotel specialising in winter holidays. Its big, warm kitchen, its log fires and its elegant bedrooms provide a welcome few can resist, whatever their reasons for coming.

The hotel has transformed Chicky’s life and it is set to change the fortunes of its guests. Henry and Nicola are burdened with a terrible secret, cheerful nurse Winnie is on an enforced holiday with her boyfriend’s obnoxious mother, John has arrived on an impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon, Anders, a Swedish folk music fan, feels trapped in his family business, eccentric Freda claims to be a psychic – and a part-time hairdresser – and then there’s Nora, a cold, silent, watchful, older woman who always appears ready to disapprove.

As we get to know each of these very different people, we learn about their fears, their disappointments, their desperation... and their hopes for a better future.

A Week in Winter is a glorious swansong ... serious themes examined, scrutinised and handled with insight, intelligence and a large helping of Binchy’s unforgettable kindness.

(Orion, hardback, £18.99)

East Riding residents will have their say about revisions to the orders the county council uses to tackle dog fouling, to restrict dogs from certain areas and to control unruly dogs in public places.

The Dog Control Orders were introduced in 2009 and need updating to take account of various changes across the area.

Councillor Jackie Cracknell, portfolio holder for community partnerships, said: “I expect the orders to be similar to the previous ones which covered dog fouling, keeping dogs on leads in restricted areas, dog exclusion orders, which prohibit dogs in certain areas such as beaches in summer, and lead orders for out-of-control dogs.

“The orders need updating where areas are listed by name. Some areas mentioned in the orders no longer exist, while newly created walks and playgrounds need to be included.”

The council is currently consulting with parish councils about updating the orders. Once that consultation is complete, probably in the spring, the public will be invited to have their say.

Dog fouling and nuisance created by dogs fall within a category often referred to as environmental crime, which includes littering and fly tipping.

DRIFFIELD town council has a committee which has never ever met, it has been revealed.

According to the authority’s own website, the The Cass Hall management committee is scheduled to meet quarterly.

The fact it has never met was revealed by Coun Tony Cooper when he voiced concern over the number of cancelled town council committee and working group meetings.

He told colleagues that he was extremely concerned at the situation.

Cancellation of planning committees was felt by the council to be understandable due to a lack of applications at certain times of the year but Coun Cooper cited examples of other committees which had been cancelled numerous times.

He said the Cass Hall Management Committee had yet to even meet and the CCTV committee had only met a handful of times during the year - and would not now meet again until next January.

Coun Cooper said understood that these cancellations were mostly due to committees not being quorate. But he remained concerned that the CCTV committee also comprised enthusiastic members of the public who were active fundraisers who might think “Why should we bother if town councillors don’t.”

Coun David Credland said that some councillors had business commitments and could not just ‘switch them off’, especially if they had employees who relied upon them.

He made an appeal for tolerance as people could only do so much and the council must not risk losing councillors with a good contribution to make simply because they could not attend every committee meeting.

Coun Matt Rogers raissd possibility of holding some meetings before or after full council meetings rather than on a different day.

It was also suggested that some committees could be amagamated.

Coun Joyce Fletcher asked if it was a statutory duty to belong to committees as there were some councillors who were not members of any committees.

Coun Paul Rounding felt that as chair of the CCTV Committee that he had suffered a personal attack as a result of the debate. He said meetings were cancelled if they were not quorate but stressed that he was always able to give regular updates on the system to the town council.

Driffield Rotary Club has announced its Santa Float Collection routes for Monday December 10 to December 17.

Santa’s float will visiting the following areas:

Monday December 10 (6pm-8pm) – Westgate, North St, Spellowgate, Whitelands, Yorklands, Lowndes Park.Victoria Rd.

Tuesday December 11 (6pm-8pm) – St John’s Rd, Beverley Rd, Bracken Rd South (and accessible roads off), Duncombe Drive, Woldholme Ave, Horseshoe, Wold View North and South (and accessible roads off), Spenser Way.

Wednesday December 12 (6pm-8pm) – Long Lane, Highwood, Scarborough Rd, Park Ave, Highfield Ave, Northfield Rd, Eastfield Rd, The Mount, Southfield Rd, Southfield Close, Scarborough Rd to the New Rd junction.

Thursday December 13 (6pm-8pm) – Greenways, Greenlands, Woodland Rise, The Ridings and Field Fare estates, Manorfield Ave, Manorfield Rd

Friday December 14 (6pm-8pm) – Wansford Rd (south of Manorfield) New Walk, The Chase, Meadow Rd, Verity Way, The Beechwood and accessible roads off, Riverhead and Beverley Rd.

Saturday December 15 (5pm-7.30pm) – Taylor’s Field, Kings Mill Rd, Bracken Rd North to Wickham Way (and accessible roads off), Kings Mill Park

Newland Ave, Mill Falls, Kings Meadow, Mill Rise, York Rd.

Monday December 17 – this night will be used only if needed to cover any lost collection.

Rotary will do their best to complete all areas of collection. Adverse weather conditions and restricted access to a narrow road due to parked cars may prevent them from reaching your road on the scheduled date.

TOWN councillors were urged to moderate their behaviour around the debating table amid claims that the atmosphere at one of their meetings had been hostile and had shocked members of the public.

In the wake of the incident, Coun Matt Rogers tabled an agenda item to “discuss the attitude and behaviour of councillors.”

He said he felt that the behaviour of councillors at the November 6 meeting had not given a good impression of the council to a group of young people who had attended to observe proceedings.

He said that one member of the public had once shown an interest in joining the council should a vacancy arise, but had found the atmosphere hostile and was shocked by the behaviour of some councillors.

“Certain members of the the town council in front of members of the public in my opinion were unprofessional,” he said.

Coun Rogers said councillors did not get things right all the time and admitted that in the past he had said things out of turn.

But he added: “When it comes to addressing each other we might be a bit nicer to one another.”

Coun David Credland agreed with Coun Rogers and suggested that more appropriate conduct was needed.

Coun Joyce Fletcher said she also sometimes found behaviour in the council chamber very unprofessional. Often there were “mutterings” going on around the table during debates which were distracting, although she admitted that she had “also got it wrong before”

Coun Steve Poessl acknowledged that he was one of those who muttered around the table, and he said that sometimes debate was heated when councillors wished to communicate strong beliefs and opinions.

“There is strong debate around the table and stronmg opinions - and long may it continue.” But he said behaviour not only mattered in the chamber itself but also outside in public life.

The mayaor, Coun Joan Cooper said: “There are instances when things could be imporoved on.” And she said the council had taken on board the comments and that improvements could be made, but she stressed: “I will not stifle what I class as healthy debate.”

‘There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats,’ observed the German philosopher and theologian Albert Schweitzer.

The revelation that one of the world’s greatest thinkers was so enamoured by our feline friends will be music to the ears of the world’s army of cat lovers who need no convincing that these quirky animals are the purr-fect pet.

And to celebrate the eccentricities and charms of humankind’s most disdainful but delectable domestic companion is Cats’ Miscellany, an extraordinary box of delights covering everything feline from practical advice and top tips to popular fallacies and cat myths.

Lesley O’Mara’s cuddly compendium is a treat for cat lovers everywhere, dishing up the most delightful cat facts – like just how far a cat will go to stay with its owner, which famous historical figures were owned by their cats and a rundown of some of the most legendary cats.

Arranged as a true miscellany, this definitive book on cats can be read from start to finish or dipped into as the reader pleases, celebrating every age of the humble human’s subservience to feline domestic domination.

From explorations of cat behaviour and tips on how to photograph your cat to cats’ incredible journeys and cats in high office, there are scores of stories about cats and occasional glimpses of the famous people they owned.

Did you know that while Marilyn Monroe and Charles Dickens loved cats, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler all disliked or despised them?

Sir Winston Churchill was a well-known cat lover; in later life he owned a tabby called Jack who attended many wartime Cabinet meetings and was reported to have been lying on the bed at his master’s side when the great statesman died in January 1965.

The nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale owned more than 60 cats during her lifetime and named all of them after famous names of her day, including Disraeli, Gladstone and Bismarck, a large Persian.

In early Christianity, a cat seen on a grave signified that the buried person’s soul was under the Devil’s control and legend has it that the Manx breed lost its tail when the door closed on it as it was boarding Noah’s Ark.

It is also believed that cats can forecast the weather. So expect high winds when your cat claws at the carpet or curtains, rain when it washes its ears and cold weather when it sleeps with all four paws tucked under its body.

The heaviest recorded cat was Himmy from Australia who weighed in at a staggering 45lb 10oz and amongst the most fecund was a Burmese with the eccentric name of Tarawood Antigone who produced 19 kittens in 1970, the largest litter in history. In fact, left to their own devices, one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in just seven years.

Illustrated throughout with beautiful black and white illustrations and written with all the love and adoring admiration of a true cat lover, Cats’ Miscellany is proof that, as French musical phenomenon Colette once noted, ‘there are no ordinary cats.’

(Michael O’Mara Books, hardback, £9.99)

A BEEFORD man has appeared at Hull Crown Court after being accused of performing a sex act on himself while trying to touch a horse rider.

Rodney James Walker, 42, of Main Street, appeared before Judge John Dowse on Monday in the dock of court one charged with sexually assaulting a woman and exposing his genitals.

No pleas were entered during the hearing and his barrister Anil Murray said he needed a psychiatric report to see if he was fit enough to plead.

Judge Dowse granted Mr Walker, who has severe learning difficulties, bail on the condition that he must reside at his home address; must not go within 100 metres of a stables, bridle path or equestrian event except in the course of employment; and he must not approach any female on horseback.

He is due to appear back in court on April 5.