Mr Hoggle Doggle, the toy rehoming charity launched in East Yorkshire last year by Kilnwick couple David and Clare Allan, has passed a major milestone when it received the 10,000th toy to be donated since the service was launched.

The honour of handing in the 10,000th item went to three year old Harry Wickerson at a nursery.

All toys donated to Mr Hoggle Doggle are redistributed locally, free of charge, to children suffering poverty or sickness.

Many of the toys are handed to social workers and children’s centres, to support families living in some of the UK’s most deprived localities.

The charity accepts almost any pre-owned (or new) toy, book, DVD, CD, game, puzzle, play equipment or software that could give pleasure to another child, but all items must be clean and complete.

In addition to toy collection boxes at the Tesco stores in Beverley, Market Weighton and Driffield, the charity now has drop-off points at the Busy Bees Nurseries in Brough and Beverley.

Further details and information are available on the charity’s website www.hoggledoggle.org.uk or by phoning 01377 270624.

Building on the success of the Humberside Police Rock Challenge performing arts competition which involves over 3,500 young people each year, organisers have announced the introduction of the inaugural Rock Challenge Youth Division.

The new competition is aimed at young people outside mainstream education or those who attend specialist youth projects across Hull and East Riding.

On April 26 and 27, the Rock Challenge team will be inviting participating Youth Division Groups to take part in a series of workshops, which will give them the skills and abilities of ‘How to put together a Rock Challenge performance’.

The groups will then go on to work alongside their youth workers and local choreographers on their performances building up to the main event taking place on July 17 at Hull New Theatre.

There are a few spaces remaining for young groups to experience the event. For more information contact PC Kate Atkins or Lisa Whitton of the Humberside Police Youth Engagement Team on 01482 220701/2 or email us at lifestyle@humberside.pnn.police.uk

DRIFFIELD’S new vicar plans to take to two wheels to meet his parishioners.

On Monday, the Rev Andrew Ison was inducted as vicar of a new group of churches comprising All Saints’ Driffield, St Mary’s Little Driffield and the Wolds churches of St Peter’s Langtoft with Foxholes, St Nicholas Butterwick, Cottam and All Saints’ Thwing.

And on Saturday, April 21, Andrew will cycle across his large benefice to visit each of the six churches in turn to get to know his new parishes and people.

Andrew will set off to arrive at the first church, All Saints’ Thwing, by 10am.

During the course of the day, he will spend some time in each of the churches, joined by his family, and will end his journey at All Saints’ Church, Driffield, at sround 3.30pm.

Andrew said: “I am really looking forward to the day and the chance to tour the parishes.

“For the last few years, I have been used to cycling in the very flat Netherlands, so the steep roads on the Wolds may prove a bit of a challenge, but I’m up for it.

“The ride will provide a great opportunity to meet and begin to get to know people and the communities.”

The full itinerary is: 10am Thwing, 11am Foxholes, 12pm Butterwick; 1pm Langtoft; 2.30pm Little Driffield and 3.30 pm Driffield.

The Rev Andrew Ison has been inducted as the new vicar of All Saints’ Church, Driffield, with St Mary’s, Little Driffield, and St Peter’s Church, Langtoft, with Foxholes, St Nicholas Butterwick, Cottam and All Saints’ Thwing.

This is a new grouping of parishes to be served by a single vicar.

Andrew was previously the Anglican chaplain of St James Voorschoten in the Netherlands for nearly five years.

The Bishop of Hull, the Right Reverend Richard Frith, supported by Rev David Butterfield, Archdeacon of the East Riding, led the induction service at All Saints’ Church, Driffield. A large congregation from Andrew’s new parishes were joined by the Mayor of Driffield, Councillor Joyce Fletcher, and representatives from a wide range of services and organisations in the community. Clergy and representatives from other churches will also be present.

FUEL thieves stole diesel and heating oil worth several thousand pounds during two raids in the Driffield area.

Police said that approximately 400 litres of diesel fuel were siphoned from six vehicles parked in a yard at business premises on Main Street, Kirkburn.

The raid happened some time between April 8 and 11 when thieves clambered over a perimeter fence and the fuel taken was thought to be worth around £1,500.

Officers said that there were currently no suspects or witnesses.

Thieves also struck in Kilham, where a so-far unknown offender siphoned off approximately 500 litres of fuel oil from a central heating oil tank which stands in rear garden of house on West Garth.

Police said the theft happened some time between April 10 and 17.

A police spokesman said: “We are asking for members of public and also businesses to play their part by not only being vigilant but by also ensuring that if possible, vehicles are not left in easy to access locations when unattended.

“If this is not possible, then please keep an eye out for any suspicious activity were you live or work and report it to police right away.”

Other crimes reported to the police at Driffield include a brown ladies purse containing £60 in cash and numerous bank cards which was stolen from an insecure silver VW Golf while it was parked in car park on Main Street, Hutton Cranswick between 3pm and 5pm on April 11.

Overnight April 13 and 14, someone smashed the driver’s side door mirror on a Renault Megane which was parked on Kings Mill Road, Driffield. The cost of repair is estimated at £100.

And Overnight April 16 and 17, offenders broke into to a silver Peugeot Boxer van parked on the driveway of house on Station Road, Nafferton, and stole a black bucket style tool bag which contained a variety of hand tools.

If you witnessed any of the crimes mentioned above or have information which could assist the police, call officers by calling the new non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

AN eight week family history course is set to begin at the Treasure House, Beverley, this month.

The course will be held on Thursday evenings, starting on Thursday, April 26. The total cost is £42, including a pack containing everything needed to get started in tracing a family tree.

The course will be led by expert tutors, who will introduce different ways in which participants can find information about their ancestors.

Places are limited on all these courses and booking is essential.

For more information or to book a place, call the East Riding Archives and Local Studies Service, on (01482) 392790.

An amateur dramatics group are putting on a nostalgic, one off concert which will bring British wartime spirit back to Driffield and raise money for charity.

Methodist Amateur Dramatics Driffield (MADD) will be performing the unique ‘Bluebirds over Driffield’ this Saturday (April 21).

The show, which features 14 performers including the Methodist Church’s singing group, will include a variety of wartime entertainment ,ranging from songs to monologues.

Cream teas will be served after the show followed by a spirit-lifting sing-song.

All proceeds from the show, which comes after MADD’S annual pantomime, will be split between The British Legion and Methodist Church funds.

Mandy Mallory from MADD said: “It’s something different for those who wanted to do something else after the pantomime and for the people of Driffield.

“We thought we’d do something wartime themed and fundraise for The British Legion.”

‘Bluebirds over Driffield’ takes place on Saturday April 21 from 2pm - 4pm at the Driffield Methodist School Rooms. Tickets are priced at £5 including a cream tea and are available from Sokells and Horsley and Dawson in Driffield or from Val Fairhurst on 01377 250510. Wartime fancy dress is optional.

PROGRESS has not always been kind to Chorley, a Lancashire market town since medieval times and once part of a royal forest that stretched from Bowland in the north to Bolton in the south.

If evidence was needed of the demise of the town’s heritage, look no further than Chorley industrial historian Jack Smith’s remarkable book which, picture by picture, takes us through almost 100 years of history.

By juxtaposing old and new images of streets, buildings and people, Smith helps readers to consider the effects of modern development on what is often regarded as a typical English town.

The Industrial Revolution brought growth and prosperity to the town whose landmark moorland hill, Healey Nab, was occupied way back in prehistoric times and may also have been used by the Romans.

During the 19th century, there was work aplenty in the cotton mills, coal pits and iron foundries while the newly-built canals and railways enabled goods to be transported far and wide.

In the 1930s, Chorley became home to the largest Royal Ordnance filling factory in the country with its opening by King George VI proving to be a grand occasion for the proud townsfolk.

But over the last 50 years, much of Chorley’s heritage has been demolished or obliterated by development, mainly for housing and roads.

Bagganley Hall, a 17th century manor house with historic associations to the town, was demolished to make way for the M61 motorway in 1969, along with a splendid railway viaduct of eight arches over the canal at Botany, and the unique 16 stone arches built at Hartwood rail cutting in 1843 were removed in 2009 with a so far unfulfilled pledge to return them within two years.

A huge amount of housing development has taken place on green land, and the surrounding countryside is no longer as accessible. Ribbon housing along the roads is commonplace, garden spaces have been sold for house plots and ancient timber-framed houses and cotton mills with unusual architecture and decoration have been pulled down.

In fact, Smith reveals that he has witnessed the demise of almost every mill in the borough over the past 30 years, including the last working mill, Lawrence’s, which was closed and demolished last year.

Even the town’s motto, an integral part of Chorley’s heraldic Coat of Arms which itself dates back to the 13th century, was not safe from those eager to ‘update.’ Thus ‘Beware’ became ‘Be Aware’ courtesy of members of the 21st century town council.

Fortunately, notes Smith, Chorley has many ‘goods’ along with the ‘bads.’ There is a new country park at the scenic Yarrow Valley and a 150ft mill chimney has been saved from extinction to be used as part of a Morrison’s supermarket.

The town’s famous markets have seen investment and improvements, the pedestrianised streets have made shopping a more pleasant experience and a new bus and railway interchange is far more user friendly.

Among the many fascinating photographs reproduced here is the famous ‘Big Lamp’ at the junction of Market Street, Bolton Street and Pall Mall which was a popular meeting place for townsfolk. The lamp was removed amidst a great outcry in the late 1940s and later replaced by a new one, far less impressive than the old decorated cast-iron post.

An image of the Cattle Market, or Flat Iron as it is known today, taken in 1873 demonstrates very clearly that it was indeed a bustling centre for local animal traders and another picture reveals the huge extent of the former Birkacre bleachworks, a mill demolished in the 1930s.

St Mary’s Church, which still stands today on Mount Pleasant, has an eight-peal bell tower which was erected in 1894 and stands 130ft tall. Originally the bells were hung too high and caused the tower to move so much that they had to be lowered by several feet!

A 1928 photograph shows long-distance walker and Chorley postman Bob Bridges sporting an impressive moustache and hat as he competes in the Manchester to Blackpool Walking Race. During the post First World War years and 1920s, he became the British Walking Champion.

Another of the town’s famous characters was Mr Testo Santé, a theatrical entrepreneur and showman who settled in Chorley in the late 19th century and built a skating facility and variety venue which later became the Pavilion cinema. He also built a wooden theatre on the Flat Iron market which was dramatically destroyed by fire in 1914.

Smith’s nostalgic book is full of Chorley’s rich history and provides a wonderful trip down memory lane for local folk and a sobering reflection on the many ways development can so utterly change the face of an old English town.

(Amberley, paperback, £14.99)

Cricket returns to the sporting programme after its winter break with three of Driffield’s five teams hoping to make a winning start to the season.

The first team, once again led by David Brent, travel to West Yorkshire to play Castleford in what is likely to be a tough opening encounter for the Woldsmen.

They should be boosted by the selection of overseas professional Aamer Sajjad. Sajjad is expected to arrive anytime and it is likely he will only meet up with his team-mates on the morning of the game.

The 31-year-old batsman should bring some much needed experience to Driffield’s batting line-up, and he arrives with a good pedigree having played for Pakistan A and scored double centuries against international bowlers Wahab Riaz and Danish Kaneria.

In last season’s corresponding fixture Castleford secured an incomplete win, but it looks likely that they will be without the services of ex-Yorkshire spinner David Wainwright who has now signed for Derbyshire.

Mick Drury returns as second team captain, and is immediately faced with a local derby against Bridlington, who won by 12 runs on their last visit to Kings Mill Road.

The seconds will be hoping that slow bowler Nick Johnson can repeat his exploits of last season when he finished with 50 league wickets.

The third team start their Y&DSL Division Four campaign at home against Goole Town 2nds, who were relegated from Division Three last season.

Having named a strong side, including new signings Mike Brent and Steve Hood, captain James Richardson will be hoping to start the season in winning ways.

Driffield’s fourth and fifth teams begin their campaigns next weekend with home games against Foxtons and South Cave & Brantingham 2nds.

Weekend teams

1st XI v Castleford Away meet 9am: D. Brent, D. Broumpton, A. Sajjad, B. Cadmore, J. Major, S. Drury, O. Ezard, T. Chippendale, N. Hardgrave, M. Clarkson, G. Drury.

Scorer: H. Nunn

2nd XI v Bridlington Home meet 11:30am: M. Drury, R. Woodmansey, J. Nesfield, W. Norman, N. Johnson, M. Goddard, G. Halder, A. Woolley, R. Woodcock, A. Chapman, R. Grice.

Scorer: A. Rogers.

3rd XI v Goole 2nds Home meet 11:45am: J. Richardson, N. Woodcock, J. Greveson, M. Brent, M. Addinall, S. Hood, S. Morris, M. Nicholson, J. Foster, J. Woolley, C. Busfield.

Scorer: J. Richardson.

PEOPLE who live in villages around Driffield are to be given the chance to voice their opinion about issues which affect their daily lives.

A series of fact finding meetings have been organiseed in rural areas across East Yorkshire - including in Kilham, Middleton and Skirlaugh.

It will give residents the chance to discuss issues such as farming, lack of internet connectivity and problems facing country businesses.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is working with the East Riding of Yorkshire Rural Partnership and a wide range of organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to produce a new rural strategy for the county.

Sir Ian Macdonald, of Rudston, Chairman of the Rural Partnership, believes that the rural strategy gives us a solid foundation on which to build our collective response to the challenges facing people who live and work in the countryside.

Councillor Jane Evison, portfolio holder for rural issues, said: “The council values the views, expertise and local knowledge of parish councillors and residents and hopes that as many people as possible will attend these events in order to help us to finalise the rural strategy.”

The East Riding is a predominately rural area with communities that are facing various challenges as they strive to remain vibrant and thriving. The council’s rural policy and partnerships team works closely with rural communities to understand and respond to their changing needs. The new strategy is a key part of this response. A consultation draft of the new rural strategy is now available for comment.

The document identifies the major opportunities and challenges facing the rural East Riding and identifies actions to address them in the short to medium term. The consultation period will run from Monday, April 23 to Friday, June 8.

Six events are taking place, with drop-in sessions from 4.30pm and presentations at 6.30pm at the following venues: April 24 Holme upon Spalding Moor Village Hall; April 26 Skirlaugh Village Hall; May 1 Shores Centre, Withernsea; May 15 Kilham Village Hall; May 22 Middleton-on-the Wolds Reading Rooms; May 29 Gospel Hall, Rawcliffe.

JUST as all that King Midas touched turned to gold so almost every book that Nicholas Sparks writes seems destined for the big screen.

Six novels, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, have already been adapted into major films and now his superb romantic thriller The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling, is due to hit British cinemas on May 4.

Full of simmering tensions and red-hot passions, it’s a story steeped in high emotion and human drama; a moving love affair played out against a backdrop of menace, mystery and the shadow of war.

Sparks has become the darling of women’s fiction (perhaps even a guilty pleasure for male readers too) and it’s easy to see why. His Hardyesque stories feature full-on collisions between happiness and tragedy, often bearing witness to the coincidences that can change people’s lives forever.

American to the core, this tale of an Iraqi war veteran searching for the woman he believes has saved him from certain death is unashamedly sentimental in its vision but has a thread of pragmatism and dry humour running through which lends it a welcome air of cynical charm.

Set in the heat and humidity of North Carolina, Sparks’ atmospheric novel unfolds through a triple narrative and brings to vivid life the claustrophobic and insular intensity of one of the USA’s southernmost states.

Is there really such a thing as a good luck charm? Former US Marine Logan Thibault is convinced he just might have found one.

During his third tour of duty in Iraq, he chanced across a photograph of a smiling young woman. It was half-buried in the dirt and his first instinct was to toss it aside but instead, he stuck it to a message board back at base for someone to claim.

When it was still there weeks later, for some reason he couldn’t understand, he took it down and put it in his pocket.

Soon Thibault experienced a sudden streak of luck; he won more than he’d earned in his first six months as a marine in poker games, and survived deadly combat that killed two of his closest friends. Only his best pal Victor seemed to have an explanation for his good fortune. The photograph of the young woman was his lucky charm. ‘You found that picture for a reason,’ he tells Thibault.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo – and the woman in it – out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out with his German shepherd dog Zeus on a journey across the country to find her.

What he never expected is the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina. Sure enough, Beth Clayton, a divorced mother with a young son Ben, is the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet.

Scarred by her brief marriage to a man she never loved, Beth falls for Thibault, “struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.”

And Thibault, caught off guard by his love for Beth, keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret as they embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair.

But the secret will soon threaten to tear them apart, destroying not only their love, but also their lives...

Happy endings are never a certainty in Sparks’ novels, and its dark overtones and nail-biting finish ensure The Lucky One is a gripping page-turner.

(Sphere, paperback, £7.99)

Most books fall neatly into genres – fantasy, horror, mystery, history, romance – but there are others which defy such simple categorisation.

Take Sue Cowing’s highly original and fascinatingly creepy novel Call Me Drog (paperback, £5.99), a coming-of-age story about a boy at the mercy of his wilful, wayward... hand puppet!

Like its wide-ranging themes and unusual star, this is a book with a broad appeal, offering reason and resonance for anyone aged between nine and young adulthood who finds the teen years tough and complex.

Cowing’s clever and compelling tale packs a real emotional punch, mercilessly exposing the awkwardness of being caught between childhood and adulthood, the turmoil of parents divorcing, the pressure of expectation, learning to stick up for yourself and ultimately taking responsibility for your own life.

Parker Lockwood is a quiet, introverted eleven-year-old boy, coming to terms with his parents’ divorce. He considers himself a “pretty happy, pretty ordinary kid” until he finds a dirty, smelly old hand puppet in a rubbish bin.

The minute he puts it on his hand, the puppet reveals his name is Drog and that wherever Parker goes, he will go too. Not only does Drog refuse to leave Parker’s hand, he also delivers ill-tempered, obnoxious insults to the boy’s parents, teachers and schoolfriends.

Worst of all, no one believes that Drog – and not Parker – is saying all the outrageous things. When his best friend stops talking to him and his dad threatens to sign him up to the Bradley Military Academy, Parker finds that Drog is the only one he can talk to, and discovers that some of the things he says aren’t quite so ridiculous after all.

And as Parker takes up aikido and builds up the courage to stand up to his father, he finds himself letting go of his worries... but will Drog finally let go of his hand?

For a plot that seems at first to trade on a supernatural element, Call Me Drog turns out to be based more on reality than fiction or fantasy, and as sophisticated and subtle as any adult novel.

Maybe that’s because the real star of this book is not the bombastic, sarcastic Drog but the boy who appears to come under his control.

Perhaps Drog is just a figment of Parker’s imagination, a small corner of a hitherto hidden rebellious streak, or perhaps he gives voice to all those things that children really want to say to adults.

Either way, Parker and Drog provide a lesson in growing up...

Thrill-seekers, meanwhile, will enjoy meeting Ashley Arthur and her best friend, Benjamin, teenage thieves who steal for the rich, hide from the law... and are wanted by some of the deadliest men and women in the world.

Hit List (paperback, £6.99) is author Jack Heath’s second outing with the dynamic duo who first impressed us with their insanely reckless spirit of daring and dangerous appetite for adventure in the cracking book, Money Run.

Ash and Ben work for the billionaire Hammond Buckland, hunting down stolen artefacts and returning them to their rightful owners, all for a fee of course.

But when they stumble across an SOS from an imprisoned girl, they realise they are in over their heads this time because there are other, more powerful people also looking for the youngster.

With corrupt governments, ruthless corporations and rogue assassins lined up against them, suddenly it’s Ash and Ben who have moved to the top of everyone’s hit list.

And when you’re about to break into the largest intelligence agency in the world to rescue a mysterious stranger, that is a seriously perilous place to be...

Heath’s writing momentum propels us along at lightning pace. Coupled with a high-tech, explosive plot, two slick, smart starring characters, a frenzied finale full of surprises and a frisson of young romance, this is teen crime fiction as its most thrilling and compelling.

Boys’ fiction is in a safe and supercharged pair of hands.

Another action hero is Luke Challenger, a teenager who is constantly in mortal danger and does what every boy dreams of ... has ‘ripping’ adventures! Return to King Solomon’s Mines (paperback, £5.99) is Luke’s third ‘mission impossible’ and sees his creators, former teachers Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore, at the top of their game with a tale of ancient magic, hidden worlds and bloodthirsty tribes

With a plot that gives more than a nod to the popular book by 19th century writer Sir H. Rider Haggard, this superb cliff-hanging thriller has the added dimension of being set in the dark and shadowy 1930s when the world was teetering on the verge of war.

While Hitler declares himself the German Fuehrer, the focus of the world in 1934 shifts to Africa where another totalitarian leader, Benito Mussolini, has terrifying ambitions of his own.

This is the new Scientific Age when discoveries promise a bright future ... but also threaten global disaster. And there are powers in the world older than science, and just as deadly...

So begins the third, unforgettable adventure for Luke and Nick Malone, his hot-tempered cousin and partner in a series of madcap escapades.

Luke has been expelled from school and sent to Africa to keep him out of trouble, but trouble has a habit of following Luke and before long he discovers that his old enemy, the ruthless Sons of Destiny, are closing in on the location of the legendary Spear of Destiny.

The ancient weapon grants the power of invincibility, which would help the Sons succeed in their fearsome plans for world domination.

In a deadly race against time, cool-hand Luke and the newly arrived Nick must track down the fabled King Solomon’s Mines where the spear is believed to have been hidden...before their enemies can find it.

Luke’s thrills and spills in a fast-paced, all-action story based on the Victorian classic are guaranteed to grip a whole new generation of readers.

Return to King Solomon’s Mines is fiction for boys aged nine and over at its very best. Exotic locations, super heroes, brilliant baddies and daredevil adventure ... who could ask for anything more?

But what about the girls? With the London Olympics now only months away, what better time to take a hop, skip and a jump into a sparkling new series about the exciting, energetic and inspirational world of gymnastics!

Debut author Jane Lawes doesn’t put a step wrong in her first three Gym Stars books, Summertime & Somersaults, Friendships & Backflips and Handsprings & Homework (paperback, £4.99 each).

Eleven-year-old Tara loves doing cartwheels and handstands in her garden and spends every spare moment practising. But with so many other things to learn, like backflips and somersaults, Tara is desperate to join a gym club.

When her mum finally gives in to her pleas, Tara signs up for a summer course at Silverdale Gymnastics Club. With a real sprung floor, bars, beams and a big foam pit, the gym club is everything that Tara has ever dreamed of.

After a whirlwind week, Tara can’t believe her luck when she is asked to join the acrobatics squad and is partnered up with another girl, ready to learn all sorts of new balances and moves.

Gym really does fix it for Tara!

Girls aged eight and over will love this fantastic Gym Stars series which is filled with fun, friendship and dreams of fame.

And when it comes to fame, or should that be notoriety, Penny Dreadful can’t seem to stop herself getting into trouble!

Joanna Nadin’s lovable funny girl Penny Jones is back in a super three-books-in-one trilogy, Penny Dreadful Causes a Kerfuffle (paperback, £4.99).

The three wacky and wonderful stories are Penny Dreadful Does Her Best, Penny Dreadful and the Secret Ingredient and Penny Dreadful and the New Girl, with an added bonus section called Penny Dreadful’s Top 5 Tips for Survival.

Penny’s hilarious adventures, which have enormous appeal for both readers aged seven and over and their parents, were shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize last year and there is no end in sight for her amazing mishaps.

Here we find her trying to do her best but failing miserably... again! She is sort of ‘blueish’ all over and so is her sister Daisy’s swan outfit. She was actually trying to help Joshua Bottomley fall in love with Daisy by doing a science experiment on him, but she didn’t know that he would just go a bit pale and green and it would all turn into one BIG kerfuffle!

Jess Mikhail’s brilliant and bold illustrations bring to life Penny and her cast of zany family and friends ... Cosmo (Penny’s best friend), Georgina May (Penny’s clever cousin), Daisy (Penny’s annoying sister), Mum and Dad, prim and proper Aunt Deedee and Gran and Gran’s cat Barry.

With madness, misbehaviour and mayhem on every page, there won’t be a straight face in the house when Penny makes an appearance!

The perfect book to get youngsters reading with an adult, or entirely alone.

POLICE are investigating a burglary that happened at a house on Eastgate South, Driffield between 9.55am and 12.20pm on Wednesday April 18.

Various DVDs, Playstation 2 games and gold cufflinks were among the items taken. The address was approached from the rear and entry was gained by smashing a glass door while the occupant was at work.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious or has any information about the incident is asked to contact Humberside Police on the non emergency number 101 referring to log number 231 of 18 April or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A MAN has denied stealing more than £17,000 from a Foxholes fuel company.

Sean Perry, 29, has pleaded not guilty to taking £17,638.33 from Watson Wood Fuels and will stand trial at York Crown Court on October 15.

The offence is alleged to have taken place between January 4 and June 30 last year.

Perry, of Constable Road, Hunmanby, has entered a not guilty plea at York Crown Court during a brief hearing in which an initial three-day period was set aside for the trial.

Perry was handed bail ahead of the date, and warned not to approach the complainant in the case.

DRIFFIELD Lions are to hold their annual Car Boot Sale at Sunderlandwick Farm Shop, Kelleythorpe on Sunday May 27.

The sale, which takes place from 9am to 1pm, is expected to attracted around 45 stalls with proceeds going to local good causes. Refreshments will be on sale from the butty hut.

The Lions have thanked Mr and Mrs Robin Smythe for their loan of the field.

Stall are still available to book, priced £6 each, by calling Chris Morris on (01377) 270726.

Parents and carers of children starting primary school in September have been told which school their child will be attending.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council received 3,186 applications for places at infant and primary schools, of which 98.8% (3,148) got places at one of the three schools named on their applications forms.

The 38 applicants not given places at any of their three chosen schools have been given places at alternative schools.

Alison Michalska, director of children, family and adult services at ERYC, said: “In line with local authorities across the country, the East Riding is experiencing an increase in the numbers of primary school places.

“In the East Riding, six per cent more children will be starting school in September than two years ago. Even with that increased pressure, although not all parents have got the places they really wanted, with 99 per cent getting one of their three preferences, the primary admissions round has been very successful.”

Where parents have been unsuccessful at getting places at their preferred schools, their child’s name is automatically added to a waiting list in case places are made available.

Parents can also make appeals, which are heard by an independent panel that looks at the individual circumstances of the children concerned and can award school places if they feel the circumstances justify it.

Wit, grit and plenty of slapstick ... true Yorkshireman Max Hardcastle is back with the third instalment of his madcap memoir of life in the Dales.

Thousands of readers already feel at home with antiques dealer Hardcastle, his wife Vicky and their two children, Sally and Peter, so turning the pages of his new book is like meeting up with old friends.

Hardcastle has a keen eye for those quirky traits that make Yorkshire folk a breed apart... pig-headedness, pride, loyalty, eccentricity and an entertaining brand of wry humour, to name but a few.

When the author and his family moved out of a cramped city centre antiques shop and its overflowing upstairs flat and relocated to a smallholding in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, nothing prepared them for the varied and endlessly entertaining nature of village life.

But, of course, it’s not all plain sailing in the remote settlement of Ramsthwaite. How could it be otherwise with a village full of oddball characters like Long John, Fiery Frank, Rabbit Joe, Canary Mary, Fatty Batty and Chucky Cockerill?

In This Country Business, we find the Hardcastles settled into their tumbledown old farm where a much-loved smallholding is enabling them to eat meals made up entirely of their own produce and do some thrifty bartering with friends.

They also have a collection of animals to care for, not least an obstinate old goat called Elspeth who likes nothing better than leading them all a merry dance.

There is also the not unimportant matter of plotting to get the better of rival antiques dealers, restoring the burnished nether regions of a Greek statue and witnessing the everyday dramas of their colourful neighbours.

Meanwhile, lonely, middle-aged Canary Mary finds an unexpected romance, Long John, who has fallen into his own pine-stripping tank 17 times in the last three years, gets a scorching surprise and local poacher Rabbit Joe devises a wily scheme to make a few bob on the races.

And somehow Max ends up right in the middle of every incident...

Perceptive, funny and overflowing with charm and warmth, Hardcastle’s Yorkshire tales and his cast of lovable rogues are the perfect comedy act!

(Sphere, paperback, £7.99)

A WOMAN has died in a crash involving a Ministry of Defence goods vehicle.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the collision which happened don the A161, one mile south of Swinefleet, near Goole at 3.35pm yesterday (Thursday 26 April).

A silver Nissan Almera driven by a 51-year-old woman from Eastoft, near Scunthorpe and a white Daf 7.5 tonne Ministry of Defence goods vehicle were involved in the collision.

The Nissan was travelling south along the A161 from Swinefleet towards Eastoft and the military vehicle was travelling in the opposite direction.

The driver of the Nissan suffered fatal injuries and had to be cut from the car.

The driver of the military truck, a 54-year-old East Yorkshire man, had to be cut from the vehicle by the fire service and sustained injuries to his hand and whiplash.

Also travelling in the truck were two passengers – a 63-year-old man from Beverley who sustained whiplash injuries and a 20-year-old woman from Durham who suffered scratches to the leg and whiplash. Both passengers were able to release themselves from the vehicle.

A spokesperson for Humberside Police said that at the time of the crash the weather conditions were poor with heavy rain and hail.

Numerous emergency services attended the scene including an air ambulance, three road ambulances, a paramedic responder car, three fire appliances, a doctor along and police.

The road was closed for over six hours.

Police would now like to speak to anyone who may have witnesses the crash or any members of the public who helped at the scene but did not leave their details.

Anyone who can assist should contact Humberside Police traffic department at Driffield Police Station on telephone 101 referring to log 368 of 26 April 2012.

TRIBUTES have been paid to the managing director of civil engineering firm who died when he became trapped under a tipping trailer.

Ian Woolfitt, 68, of Lund was killed in the incident in Station Road, Lockington.

His company, Beverley-based Wold Construction Company Ltd, has undertaken several major projects, including a £2m scheme of safety improvements to the A1079 for East Riding Council two years ago.

The firm’s contracts manager, Simon Higgins, said: “We are saddened to confirm the death of Ian Woolfitt, the managing director of Wold Construction Company Ltd, following an unfortunate accident on Tuesday, 24th April. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) attended the scene of the incident and an investigation has been launched.

A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Police received a call shortly before 4pm on Tuesday April 24 to reports of a man trapped under an Iveco tipping trailer at an address on Station Road in Lockington, near Driffield.

“Police, fire and ambulance service attended but sadly the 65-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“The Health and Safety Executive was advised of the incident and attended the scene.

“An investigation is now underway involving both the police and HSE.”

For the full story see next Thursday’s Driffield Times & Post.

Twelve members of Driffield Town Cricket Club have just returned from a holiday to remember, for very different reasons!

They booked their holiday to Sri Lanka to coincide with the final Test Match against England, but they got more than they bargained for on their stay. They did have a thoroughly enjoyable time, and watched England win in Colombo, but they were also caught up in a Tsunami warning!

There was an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia and 28 countries, including Sri Lanka, were put on Tsunami alert for the first time since the horrific Tsunami of 2004.

Pam Woodcock said: “Six of the party were evacuated from their rooms to a higher floor, where they were placed in a function room, not aware of what was happening at all.

“Everyone in the hotel rushed to ensure all people and valuables were at a high level in case the worst happened.

“As our room was on a higher floor, we were able to watch the BBC World Breaking News to see what was happening in the first hours after the earthquake

“We were grateful that we were all together as we awaited an unknown outcome.

“Thankfully, after four hours, the alert was over, the Tsunami had not happened and we could carry on enjoying our holiday!”

Right, the Tsunami Alert on BBC World Breaking News.