A Motorcycle was stolen from house in Brandesburton overnight on January 2 when someone got into the rear garden via a secured gate while the resident was at home.

The thief knocked the lock off the gate and took a blue Modena Kriss 110 motorcycle which was secured with a padlock and chain. Later the same day the owner’s wife found the stolen vehicle not far away. It was found to have damage to the ignition, a ripped seat and broken side fairrings.

POLICE said they arrested an aggressive male for allegedly assaulting a member of staff at the Mariners Arms, Eastgate, Driffield

The incident happened on Monday January 14 when a male who was in drink entered the pub from which he is banned for life. A member of staff asked him to leave. The male refused and became aggressive and punched the member of staff in the face. The male was restrained until police arrived and arrested him.

GLOWING tributes were paid this week to former Drifffield School head teacher Mr John Harrison who died at home on Sunday after a long illness.

Mr Harrison, 85, was head of the school on Manorfield Road for more than a quarter of a century.

A funeral service will take place on Friday January 25 at Octon Crematorium at 11am.

Ross Weekes, friend and former school colleague, said: “Every once in a while a community is blessed with someone who is loved and admired and who makes a real difference. Such a one was John Harrison who has just died after a long and protracted illness borne with his customary bravery and good humour. Not only was John an exceptional head teacher, an exemplary community leader but also a warm and modest human being.

John came to Driffield in 1964 and was appointed to follow two much loved heads of the two Driffield secondary moderns; the girls’ school and the boys’, and combining them into one comprehensive school. He had the unenviable task of amalgamating the current staff with essential new appointments and welding one and all into a successful partnership. Despite the inevitable teething troubles John soon found a way to achieve this.

Bert Wingrave, Harry Benson, Mike Parker, Bob Dales, and Mike Windass, came to John enthused with the idea of the chance of a lifetime i.e. getting the school to rent a dilapidated forestry cottage on The North York Moors. This had just come onto the market and would soon be snapped up by a developer, unless an offer was made immediately. They argued that suitably ‘done up’ it would provide an ‘outward bound centre’ and a base for studies in innumerable fields. One of John’s strengths was that he had the vision to grasp such an opportunity. Staff and pupils put in hours of work and ‘Spiers Bank’ was soon ‘on the go’. When later the school was given the unexpected opportunity to buy the smallholding, John again unhesitatingly gave the go ahead standing surety for the property himself !

Such an act made everyone realise John’s absolute commitment to the school, to Spiers , to the community and obviously to the children of Driffield, thus the staff became united behind him. Due credit will be given to John’s trusty lieutenants in due course, but everyone associated with the school rushed to help in any way they could be they teacher, pupil, parent, well wisher. So many did their bit that it would be invidious to name but a few, although the beautifully made yet sturdily constructed furniture and fittings testify to the loving care and superb skills of a couple of so called ‘chippie’ cynics; Ray Poxon and Norman Jefferson.

Norman was a man of many gifts, one of which was drawing. He produced a weekly cartoon of work in progress at Spiers, usually featuring John Harrison, affectionately known as ‘JH’, in some Napoleonic, supervisory role. Not to upset the old man the eagerly anticipated, cheeky, irreverent cartoons were handed surreptitiously around the staff rooms to much hilarity. Imagine the consternation, the embarrassment, yet the ultimate delight that Norman experienced when he was summoned ‘upstairs’ on some pretext to discover one of his cartoons, enlarged , framed and mounted in pride of place on the wall above JH’s desk.

Before he retired JH had the foresight to establish The Spiers Bank Trust to ensure that this marvellous institution would remain independent in perpetuity, while still primarily serving the needs of the school and the community. Here again he involved a new, enthusiastic and committed generation in its preservation

Educational provision continued unabated under some outstanding teachers. Everyone got to know the school was succeeding academically as well as socially when pupils who had passed their 11+, like teacher Harry Benson’s son, Roger, opted to come to Driff rather than to a local grammar school. Nevertheless JH tried his best through the likes of Cyril Kitching, Isabel Hoffman, Wally Simpkin and Ben Fell to ensure that all pupils’ talents were catered for.

Realising that a school is often judged through its sporting prowess John continued to wholeheartedly support the high standards already achieved in swimming, athletics, gymnastics, hockey, netball, cricket and of course football, where the local legends Bert Wingrave and Cyril Kitching reigned supreme. However John realised that rugby had its place in the sporting curriculum too and encouraged its development first under Tony Wilson and thereafter by a series of top class coaches, who by necessity had to be first rate teachers as well. Although he had a great sense of humour JH was not amused when a wag at a rugby club dinner asked was it true that he advertised for his teachers in ‘Rugby World’? Funny though it was to the uninitiated, the point was that JH wanted all sports to prosper.

JH was a pioneer in fund raising . Generations will remember the sponsored walks. They were not gentle perambulations around the school field but 20 mile marathons. A lot of people initially opposed decimalisation, but not JH. One shilling a mile soon became 5p (or hopefully 10p) a kilometre. However he made the terrible mistake one year of changing his car just after a sponsored walk. It didn’t take the kids long to suggest the unthinkable. So imagine JH’s delight when he inherited his old Dad’s classic Rover which he then drove for aeons thereafter to scotch any further naughty rumours.

JH accepted wholeheartedly the idea of allowing all 1st year pupils the opportunity of going to London and spending a day in the science museums while the 2nd years had a historical day culminating in a visit to The Tower. The result was that he hired a train with carriages specifically for parents and friends to do their Christmas shopping at the same time. These annual Yuletide excursions proved further good earners for school fund.

One year after a happily hectic day in London, JH prevented the children climbing on board the return train for Driffield. He wasn’t going to let his students into unclean carriages. Despite the desperate pleas of the station authorities in the midst of the rush hour, JH stood firm, and surely, soon enough a new suitably cleaned train was provided. This tale led to one of the funniest poems ever recited by John Hughes at the regular school cabarets cum pantos where JH was always affectionately pilloried.

‘I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get some stick.’

Although over the years the school more than doubled in size, thanks to JH, his staff and the kindly Driffield aura, it always seemed to have a warm welcoming feel. JH always seemed to be available to everyone. In his early days before he could delegate such tasks JH spent hours on the telephone arguing the case why such and such a college and / or university should, indeed needed to, accept a student from Driffield School. Over the years he must have written thousands of references as well as providing an equal number of oral testimonials.

Eventually all good things must come to an end and in 1991 JH retired. A tease at County Hall now asked ‘ can we have our school back now please ?’ For John fiercely loyal to Driffield School, with the full backing of the governors, always carefully scrutinised educational developments and would only grudgingly accept innovations which were likely to benefit the students at Driff School.

When JH retired a new challenge awaited him. By now he had become an important figure at the rugby club. What impressed Steve Kitching and friends was that although JH took a great deal of pride in the performance of a club’s showpiece, the 1st XV he also wanted as many people as possible to play the game and enjoy the camaraderie. When there were too many players for five teams (plus a Colts XV, of course) JH somehow obtained regular fixtures for two parallel 5th teams. Didn’t he half make that old rugby club hum ! For he also knew every player, be they Colt or vet, by name.

JH had already been instrumental in purchasing the new pitches on ‘Mucky Dick Lane’ and installing floodlights thereon, now he had a new scheme afoot. He will be remembered most of all for his vision in advocating demolishing the old, increasingly dilapidated club house and somehow getting the money from heaven knows where for a new build. Older members who had at first blanched at the prospect stayed on board to put their hands in their pockets. With the support of a superb team the project was completed. Job done. Today the club house and grounds are a testimony to a man who had ‘the necessary’ to make yet another dream come true.

JH touched so many people in so many different ways that we can honestly say,

‘We shall not see his like again’.

Shirley Harrison, wife of 25-years, said: “He just liked people and he liked doing things that people enjoy and cover the skills of everybody. It wasn’t just intelligent people getting through their exams he was interested in - though he was thrilled by that - it was a much broader field. People always stop me in town and ask about him.”

Ian Toon, former deputy head of Driffield School, said: “Driffield has lost one of its ‘Greats’. John Harrison, who was Headteacher of Driffield School, left behind him a deep and lasting legacy which many of us would be proud of. It is a legacy which spanned a diverse community, stretching out widely from Driffield and across a swathe of East Yorkshire’s Wolds - a legacy which touched many facets of its people’s lives. Most notably John Harrison will be remembered for developing Driffield School into one of the top performing schools in the area and, during his time as its Headteacher, somewhere around 26,000 pupils will have passed through those classrooms, under his direction, inspiration and leadership.

“He first joined the school as Head of the Boys School, when it was a secondary modern, and when a fence separated the boys from the girls! From that time, he steered it through a process of metamorphosis to become a co-educational comprehensive school, and into the early stages of the successful school that he quickly made it into. Since those early years, JH demonstrated a remarkable fusion of educational philosophy and enterprising stewardship which nurtured its growth and developed its character, and set it on course to be the school we know and love today.

“Others will be able to speak of JH’s contribution to the sporting life of the community, particularly with regard to Driffield’s acclaim in the field of rugby, but, to those of us who were fortunate enough to work alongside JH as teachers, we will remember him foremost for his determination in achieving his educational goals. And his goals have provided many who still live in Driffield, and others who have moved elsewhere to other parts of Britain or around the world, with the education and the skills to become confident, successful individuals; caring and considerate members of society; and parents of children who will, in their turn, benefit from the start in life that we would wish for every child. Such is the legacy that good education can leave.

“As teachers, under JH’s dynasty of leadership, we were able to experience a joy of teaching that all would relish - and many would envy! His approach was to give each and every one of us enough ‘space’ to discover his or her strengths, but then to encourage you in developing them to the full. Perhaps that is in the nature of a natural sports coach - or a ‘life coach’ - but wherever his inspiration came from it allowed for ‘his’ teachers to feel empowered, and at the same time personally ‘accountable’. The sense of comradeship and team spirit that a school’s staff can feel cannot be underestimated, and the benefits to those they teach from feeling good about the subject they teach and about the children in their care, is the spin-off from those positive feelings. It was that great sense of belief, purpose and confidence that was perhaps the most enduring legacy that JH gave us and it is right that we credit him with those treasured memories.

It would be encyclopaedic to attempt to record all of JH’s achievements during his time at Driffield School, but it is quick and easy to say that they were all the result of his strength of personality, his clarity of seeing things as the really are, and his unflinching determination in succeeding at whatever he set his mind to doing. We are all the beneficiaries, and let us be grateful for what JH has left us.”

Frank Dowson, former deputy head at Driffiel School, said: “John Harrison was an inspirational leader who devoted the majority of his professional life to establishing Driffield School as a highly respected place of learning in the broadest sense.. From a small Country Secondary School he worked tirelessly to create an institution in which both pupils and staff were made to feel part of the great project. He recruited staff with care and moulded them into a team which was proud to be associated with his school.

His main interest was always to consider how he could improve things for the pupils and he was a great innovator. He encouraged staff and pupils to work hard at creating new opportunities and readily backed both pupils and staff who went to him with new ideas they thought would be beneficial to the school.

He was well respected throughout the county as an individual who liked to do things in his own way and he did not look kindly on those who tried to inflict their ideas on him. He stood resolutely against people with ideas which were contrary to his own philosophy and usually succeeded in getting his own way.

Driffield School has much to be thankful for that this tenacious dedication laid firm foundations for a successful institution which has served many students so well.”

SCHOOLS in the local area will close this afternoon due to disruptions caused by snow.

Langtoft Primary School will close at 1pm this afternoon, and parents of pupils at Kilham Primary School can collect their children after 1pm, although the school will remain open.

Wold Newton Primary School will close at 2pm along with North Frodingham Primary School.

For further updates visit www2.eastriding.gov.uk.

A funeral service was held at St Mary’s Church, Kirkburn on Friday, January 11 for Mr Paddy Sanderson of The Limes Residential Home (formerly of Tibthorpe) who died peacefully in The Limes on January 4.

The service was conducted by Ramona Holt and the organist was Mrs Gwynneth Clark.

Paddy was born at Southburn and attended school at Kirkburn. After leaving school he worked at Middleton Hall as a gardener and later joined Southburn Estates working for the Prince-Smith family as a gardener/chauffeur. He then joined his father who was the blacksmith and agricultural engineer, still working at Southburn and stayed there until the Estate was finally sold.

Paddy then worked for his self and severallocal farmers until he retired.

He loved gardening and when his late wife Kathleen was alive they enjoyed holidays in the Lakes and the Dales.

Paddy & Kathleen lived in Tibthorpe all their married life and brought up three children there.

Family Mourners: Rose & David Crawford, David & Svetlana Sanderson, Shirley & Tom Newlove (daughters, son & in-laws), Brendan Newlove, Mandy & Adrian Ludlam, Giles & Jill Sanderson, Lisa & Charlie Hall,, Caroline Sanderson & Ian Everitt, Zoe & Stewart Howe (grandchildren & partners), Millie Newlove, Holly & Lucy Donoghue, Caitlin & Renea Brook (great grandchildren), Barry & Russell Yeadon rep Stephen & Peter Yeadon (nephews), Bernard & Christine Baker, Alan & Gladys Baker rep Mrs Freda Johnson (sister in law), Sandra & Graham Lee (niece & husband), Mrs Lily Sanderson (sister in law unable to attend)..

Others present: David Adamson rep the family & Dora Stannard, Richard Walgate rep Christine Warkup, Sandra Cuthbert rep Joshua Theakston, Susan Hepworth rep the family, Margaret Buckton, Olive Hodgson, Joyce Hudson, Jane Burdass, Maggie Duncan, James Richardson rep Jackson, Robson & License, Janet Megginson rep J K B Megginson & Sons, Mr & Mrs C Rodger, Sandra Hood, Joan & John Gledhill, Sylvia & Michael Jackson, Caley & Donovan Sackur, Lady Nelson, Mike & Liz Phillips rep Angela Jones, Mr & Mrs J Walgate, Mr M Lakes, Mr Mick Malster rep Peter Wadsworth, Mandy Jordan & Leoni Coultass rep The Limes, Geoff & Doreen Walters, Mr & Mrs D Haldenby, Christine Hickson rep Mr & Mrs K P Hickson, Ruth Pearson, Richard & Lynn Knight, Jane Arnold, Keith & Janet Abel rep all family, Hilary & Cecil Rookes rep Colin Mantel, Tom Grange, Mr T Rookes, Jill Morfatt, Lynn Thomas, Adli Mashale, Janet Arnold.

THE Hull and East Yorkshire Credit Union looks set to open an office in Market Walk – after the town council agreed to reduce its rent demand.

Councillors last week agreed to levy an hourly charge of just £7 for the use of part of their offices after union chief executive John Smith said they could not afford the £10 originally requested.

Joan Cooper said: “Usually its £12 – we have brought it to 10 for them to meet them half way.”

Deputy mayor Coun Heather Venter said: “I am concerned that if we allow them to have it at £7 an hour we would then be subsiding them by £1,300 a year approximately by not having it at £12.

“If we cannot keep it at £10 we are still subsiding them by £480 a year.”

Coun Venter added: “They say they do not make a profit but they give a good dividend out each year to all the savers with them, so I am not sure about it being not for profit. The dividend is very healthy.”

But Coun Steve Poessl said: “If you do not have them in there, the space will be empty.

“There are a lot of people in the town that they help. I for one would not be against them and we subsidise other groups by healthy amounts, and this is another thing that helps the peoplke in the town who are hard done by.

“I think £7 is better than nothing at all. That kind of money is mere peanuts compared to what we have been giving away.”

John Smith, chieg executive of the Credit Union, had told councillors: “We regret we rae unable to afford £10 an hour for the use of Market Walk.

“Although we are not technically a charity, we are a ‘not fopr profit’ organisation run solely to provide services for our members.

“Given that the members we help typically comprise those in society on the lowest incomes and the fact that we are the only loan provider with a legal interest rate cap of 2% a month, our potential to earn income from those services is very limited and, in Driffield,m we operate enturely through the goodwill of our team of volunteers. We therefore propose that £7 an hour would be the maximum we could afford.”
Coun Poessl proposed that the council accept the £7 an hour. The motion was passed.

POLICE have launched an investigation following an attack of mindless damage to a garden display on Meadow Road, Driffield.

Vandals struck late at night on Wednesday January 2 when they approached trees which are located just across the road outside property in a quiet cul-de-sac.

The suspects pushed three Leylandi trees completely over, damaging them. The trees were able to be saved and replanted the next day.

Several days later, on the night of Sunday January 6, vandals again approached the trees and pushed over one of the Leylandis. The tree was broken and has had to be replaced. The elderly owner is at a loss why he is being targeted.

If you know who is responsible or witnessed this damage please contact the police on 101 and quote crime reference 1951209.

EQUIPMENT was stolen during a burglary at a farm in Haisthorpe between Friday January 4 and Thursday 10 when someone crossed a paddock and approached outbuildings at rear of the farm.

An outbuilding door was insecure, the building was entered and a Karcher power washer and a snap on air compressor gauge were stolen. Nothing else was disturbed. Thieves pushed the power washer back across the paddock, leaving track marks in the field leading to Westside Lane. If anyone has any information about this incident please contact the police on 101 and quote crime reference 1951789.

The small market town of Howden grew up close to the rivers Ouse and Derwent. Walter Skirlaw, who flourished about 1390, built a very great and large steeple to the church that if there happened by chance any inundation it might serve the inhabitants for a place of refuge to save themselves in.

In the years between the two World Wars the idea of inter-continental travel by great airship was both exciting and a real possibility.

The rigid airship, R.100 and its ill-fated sister ship the R. 101, were an experimental competition between private industry and the Government of the time, in 1924. Two large airships for commercial use were to be designed and constructed, one by the Airship Guarantee Co. Ltd., an offshoot of Vickers Ltd., the armaments and engineering giant, the other, the R.101 was to be built by the Air Ministry. The government was to decide which was the more suitable product and award contracts to build a fleet of such craft.

Two, now famous names, were connected with the Airship Guarantee Co’s project at Howden – the aeronautical engineer and inventor, Barnes Wallis, who designed the airship, and the chief calculator, Nevil Shute Norway, who later became a novelist under the name of Nevil Shute.

To get some idea of the scale of this project a few facts and figures are necessary. The airships were to be in length 709 feet with a diameter of 133 feet. The engine power was to be 4,200 h.p. with a maximum speed of 80 m.p.h. They were to be designed to carry 100 passengers, and a small amount of freight. With visits to different parts of the Empire in mind, they had to carry fuel for 3,500miles in still air at cruising speed. Here was a vehicle that could bring India within four days of England, Canada within three and Australia within eight.

Let’s take a look at the interior of the R. 100, which was being built at Howden. At the bow of the airship were fittings for attachment to the mooring mast, and observation windows for the use of the crew.

From here you moved down the ship by an enclosed corridor, designed for the use of passengers and lit by electricity. This led into the passenger coach, which was about 180 feet from the bow.

The passenger coach was strung inside the hull of the airship and consisted of three floors, of which the bottom was allocated to the crew, and the two upper floors to passengers. This coach was surrounded entirely by a double wall, through which air was circulated to obviate the danger of any inflamable gas or vapour penetrating to the living quarters. Cooking was carried out there in an electric kitchen.

The passengers were quartered there in two and four berth cabins very similar to sea going ships.

Below the crew’s quarters of the passenger coach was slung the control car. Aft of the passenger coach the corridor was narrowed and became working class,being designed for the use of crew only.

A hundred and thirty feet after the coach you came to two engine cars, suspended outside the hull. Each car contained two Rolls-Royce engines of 700 horse-power and one A.C. motor car engine, whose function was to drive a dynamo to provide electric current necessary for lighting, heating, cooking and wireless.

Ninety feet aft of these engine cars, a third car, similar to the other two was situated. Aft again you came to the fins and rudders of the ship, which served the same purpose as the feathers on an arrow, to ensure stability to her flight.

Work on the R.100 at Howden, continued confidently under the supervision of Barnes Wallis and the race to build an airship developed into a needle match. The government –sponsored R.101 project at Cardington had the luxury of no expenses spared, whereas at Howden, the airship was being built as economically as possible.

On 29th July, the R.100 set out on her 3,300 mile journey to Canada, returning to England on the 16th August. The Canadian trip was a great success, minor problems aside. It was a noteable achievement for the British aviation industry, which had evolved from the project at Howden.

All eyes were on her sister ship as she set out for India on 4th October, 1930. The ill-fated R.101 got no further than France, where she crashed, killing 48 people, there being just six survivors. The disaster also sealed the fate of the successful R.100, which languished never to fly again, being eventually sold for scrap.

Howden church tower can still be seen from afar but the only reminder of the R.100 seems to be the Barnes Wallis Inn, which at one time was named the Station Hotel.

The Minster for Skills, Matthew Hancock MP, has paid a visit to the East Riding to discuss key issues in further education.

Mr Hancock visited East Riding College in Beverley on Friday January 11.

Along with Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart and officials from the Department for Business Innovation, the MP was given a tour of the Gallows Lane campus before meeting with senior managers from the College.

He saw students hard at work in the College’s Learning Resource Centre and in motor vehicle maintenance, construction, hairdressing and beauty therapy, and hospitality and catering.

Mr Hancock then discussed key issues in the further education sector with Principal Derek Branton and other senior managers.

Mr Branton said: “Today’s visit provided an excellent opportunity to raise with a government minister some of the issues facing further education colleges brought about by recent funding and policy changes.”

NINE electric motors have been stolen from outbuildings near Carfoss Airfield, Brandesburton.

The crime happened between Tuesday January 8 and Thursday 10 when two men in a van were seen acting suspiciously around outbuildings on the Airfield at Catfoss near Brandesburton. It was discovered later that nine electric motors of various sizes and an anvil had been stolen from an outbuilding. If you have any information about the stolen items or the people involved please contact the police on 101 and quote crime reference 1951854.

A ground-breaking new campaign exposing the ‘hidden nasties’ in everyday foods and helping people to be ‘food smart’ was launched earlier this week by Public Health Minister Anna Soubry.

Graphic new advertising from Change4Life reveals a shocking 17 sugar cubes in a bottle of cola and more than a wine glass of fat in a large pizza.

The Change4Life adverts, which are made by Aardman, the creators of Wallace and Gromit, has joined forces with a range of food manufacturers and ITV to host the first ever health-focussed ad break which aired on Monday (January 7).

Ana Soubry said: “Making healthier, balanced meals on a budget can be a challenge for families. This new Change4Life campaign offers families free healthy recipes and money off those much needed cupboard essentials to encourage everyone to try healthy alternatives.

“We want to make it easy for everyone to keep track of what they eat and make healthier choices. That is why we are also developing a simple and clear system for front of pack labelling that everyone can use.”

Everyone that signs up to the campaign will get a free ‘Food Smart Meal Mixer’ with lots of quick, easy, healthier recipes with enough combinations to eat a different daily menu every day for six years.

Those that sign up to the campaign will also get a range of great offers including free Cravendale milk and money off Quorn Best Ever Mince or Chicken style pieces, Schwartz spices and seasoning and Robinson’s Fruit Shoot My-5.

A TOTAL of 885 people were stopped and breathalysed in Driffield and the surrounding area as part of the Humberside Police Christmas Drink and Drug Driving Campaign 2012.

324 of these people were tested following a road traffic collision of which 12 people provided a positive breath test.

The campaign, which ran from November 1 2012 to January 1 2013, saw 214 breath tests administered to under 25s, nine of these people provided a positive breath test.

850 breath tests were administered, across the force, to those people under 25 and 41 of those provided a positive breath test.

982 breath tests were administered to people 25 and over, 36 of those tested provided a positive breath test.

Five FIT tests were also conducted.

Chief Inspector for Roads Policing Roger Mitchell said: “We have again seen a reduction in the number of people who provided a positive breath test. 4.4% of those who were breathalysed compared to a figure of 5% for the 2011 campaign. This is a pleasing reduction and officers will continue to work to reduce this figure year after year.

“I would like to remind people that getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, when under the influence of drink and drugs is against the law.

“Officers from across the force work throughout the year to ensure that roads across our region are a safe place to be and that those people who are intent on putting their lives, and that of others, at risk will be caught and prosecuted.”

In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first man to enter outer space, the Beatles set out on the road to success, a house could be bought for £2,000... and 16-year-old Pam Weaver began her training as a nursery nurse.

She arrived at a government-run children’s residential nursery in Surrey with just one small suitcase, a desire to help others and a burning ambition to get a qualification which would give her letters after her name.

The road ahead involved long working hours, the devastating results of poverty and neglect and plenty of harsh realities, but Weaver also discovered the joys of caring for needy youngsters and the rewards of loyalty, compassion and friendship.

Fans of Call the Midwife will revel in this heart-warming and gritty memoir about life as a nursery nurse and nanny more than 50 years ago.

Weaver takes us through the highs and lows, the triumphs and the tragedies as she moved from caring for deprived and orphaned children to her work as a private nanny at a luxury house near Hyde Park in London.

The daughter of an English woman and a wartime American GI, Weaver was adopted by her natural mother’s best friend and raised in rural Dorset.

After an inauspicious period working on the broken biscuit counter in Woolworths, the young Pam decided she wanted to make something more of her life and successfully applied to train as a nursery nurse.

Her salary was £194 a year, less £101 for her board and lodgings, and when she checked in on that first day she was immediately assigned the ‘Lates’ shift which involved cleaning shoes, drying nappies and settling down children to sleep whilst battling the gnawing ache of homesickness.

She quickly had to get to grips with a demanding routine of early mornings, endless floors to scrub, clothes to clean and children to care for, all carried out under the watchful eye of an overbearing and highly-strung matron.

Life in the nursery was hard and Weaver witnessed the abandonment of children, the struggles of single and widowed parents, families stricken by youngsters born with disabilities and the heartbreak and pain of rejected children.

But despite the rigid routine which could be distressing for both children and staff, everyone did their best to give the children a happy experience. The nursery nurses often took out a child on their days off, bought them extra toys with their own money and always gave a cuddle when it was needed.

In 1965, when her training was complete, Weaver took on a job as a private nanny to a little boy in North London and discovered that for all the wealth and privilege that surrounded him, he displayed some of the same symptoms of deprivation that she had seen in the children’s home.

Bath Times and Nursery Rhymes is a revealing and sympathetic memoir. Written with engaging and uplifting honesty, it transports us to an era of hard graft and dedication whilst providing a fascinating insight into the ethos of childcare in the 1960s.

(Avon, paperback, £6.99)

The latest café case mini display at Beverley’s Treasure House has now opened.

Drawing on the South East Asia Museum collections in the University of Hull, the exhibition looks specifically at Thailand and the hierarchy of Theravada Buddhism, the Kingship and the People in the traditional Thai state.

Dr David Marchant, museums registrar at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The display is a colourful and fascinating collection of artefacts, which anyone who has visited Thailand or wants to learn more about that country will hopefully find enjoyable and informative.”

The Treasure House display runs until the March 28.

The South East Asia Museum itself is situated on the first floor of the Wilberforce Building on the university campus and is open 9.15am-1pm, Monday-Friday, term time only.

As apartheid spreads like a stain across South Africa, the voice of one young black girl speaks volumes for a nation in Barbara Mutch’s moving debut novel.

Previously released as Karoo Plainsong, this fully revised and utterly absorbing tale of love, friendship and redemption tackles head on the cruelty and barbarism of racial segregation in the middle decades of the 20th century.

With a captivating blend of eloquence, insight and integrity, South African-born Mutch transports us to a defining and degrading chapter in that country’s history when the colour of a man or woman’s skin marked out their destiny.

Her humble narrator, housemaid’s daughter Ada Mabuse, becomes a powerful symbol for marginalised black women, an example of the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity and a role model for those who face oppression in all corners of the world.

Ada’s abiding friendship with her white Irish-born ‘mistress’ crosses the huge divide, breaks down barriers and sets in motion changes that bring hope for the future...

Cathleen Harrington leaves her home in Ireland in 1919 to travel to South Africa and marry her fiancé Edward, a man she has not seen for five years.

Despite the births of her two children, Phil and Rose, Cathleen feels isolated and estranged at Cradock House in the great semi-desert of Karoo and starts to find solace in her diary and the friendship of her housemaid Miriam’s young daughter Ada.

Born in 1930 in her mother’s kaia under the bony shade of a thorn tree at the back of the big house, Ada feels a part of the fabric of the place.

And Cathleen recognises in her someone she can love and respond to in a way that she cannot with her husband and her own daughter. ‘She made me feel like I was hers,’ says Ada.

Under Cathleen’s tutelage, Ada grows into an accomplished pianist, and a reader who cannot resist turning the pages of Madam’s diary, discovering cryptic messages and secrets that Cathleen has tried to hide. Musical notes, Ada discovers, are like words. ‘They meant one thing when played on their own, and quite another when strung together.’

When Ada is compromised and finds she is expecting a mixed-race child – one who ‘belongs nowhere... who falls in between’ – she flees her home, determined to spare Cathleen the knowledge of her betrayal, and the disgrace that would descend upon the family.

Ostracised and derided within her own township community, Ada is forced to carve out a life for herself, her child and her music.

But Cathleen still believes in Ada, and risks the constraints of apartheid to search for her and persuade her to return with her daughter. Beyond the separation and the segregation, there is hope for a new generation.

The Karoo region’s beautiful but unforgiving landscape, and the music which is the soul of Ada’s friendship with Cathleen, provide a symphony of vivid colour and harmony as the background to this exquisite and heart-rending story which captures time and place with consummate skill and blistering honesty.

(Headline Review, paperback, £7.99)

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has made an energy saving of more than 510,000 units so far in 2012/13 as part of street lighting changes that will reduce carbon emissions and lower costs.

The street lighting programme aims to replace all the East Riding’s old, low-pressure orange lights with fluorescent white lights and has already seen 90 per cent of all large orange lighting in the area replaced, 50 per cent of all medium orange lighting and 75 per cent golden lights.

Most of the major traffic routes in Beverley have been relit and the council has also completed the relighting of Howden Spur.

The council has also replaced approximately 1500 small orange lights in Beverley, Willerby, Woodmansey, Kirk Ella, West Ella, Tickton, Dunswell and Molescroft and have replaced 90 per cent of footpath lighting in Stamford Bridge to LED lights as well as converting approximately 300 sign lights to LED in various areas.

Councillor Chris Matthews, cabinet portfolio holder for infrastructure, highways and emergency planning, said: “The street lighting programme is a major investment by the council, which will hopefully see the removal of all low-pressure sodium lights within the next four to five years.

“Switching the lighting will save the council an estimated 25 to 30 per cent on energy consumption over the investment period and will also help achieve our objective of a 34 per cent carbon reduction before 2020.

“The works carried out so far this year has saved the council 510,000 units and puts the authority well on track to achieving its estimated target of 750,000 units.”

BEVERLEY town council is to raise the precept it levies by 7.5%.

The authority set its budget on Monday amid some heated exchanges with ward councillors.

The Labour group has declared an intention to expand the services offered by the council.

Coun Peter Astell, Chair of Property and Services, has this week taken delivery of a compact tractor which will allow “operatives” to plough allotments and to grit pavements in bad weather, as well as carry out grass cutting in the summer.

Coun Margaret Pinder, Chair of the council and Town Mayor said: “We want to offer our residents better value year on year.

“We are looking forward not just to 2013/14 but to what we hope to achieve beyond that.

“This budget is designed to make Beverley Town Council fit for purpose in the face of government calls for localism and we believe that the modest increase of 7.57% on the precept overall will allow us to do this in terms of equipment, staffing and infrastructure.”

The planned closure and sale of the Samman Road Centre was also discussed and the council agreed to look into the viability of acquiring the site for community use in the future.

Councillors also agreed to join forces with East Riding Council to run a pilot scheme in the town encouraging households to sign up for the new Green Deal initiative on home energy improvements

The precept will be levied by the town council but will be collected as part of the overall council tax bill which residents will receive from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. This will also include charges from the police and fire services.

BLOCKBUSTER are the latest in a chain of Driffield stores to announce their closure this month.

The Joint Administrators to the video store chain confirmed plans on January 19 to close 129 stores over the coming weeks as part of a phased closure of which the Driffield store on Middle Street South will be one.

These closures will be made in addition to 31 which had already been put on notice of closure.

Blockbuster were unable to release figures detailing the job losses faced at the Driffield store but a spokesperson for the company said that each store has approximately five employees.

The Joint Administrators continue to review the profitability of the store portfolio and announcements of further closures may be made in coming weeks.

Whilst staff in those stores affected by the closures will be facing redundancy, the closures are not taking place with immediate effect. A dedicated employee helpline is in place and the Company is running an Employee Assistance Programme to help those staff facing redundancy find other jobs.

Stores will remain open for business as usual and customers will be notified in advance of closure so that they can return their outstanding rental items beforehand. The standard terms and conditions remain in place during this time.

Lee Manning, Joint Administrator, said: “Having reviewed the portfolio with management, the store closure plan is an inevitable consequence of having to restructure the Company to a profitable core which is capable of being sold. We would like to thank the Company’s employees for their support and professionalism during this difficult time. We are also grateful to the customers for their continued support.”

The closure of the store comes as another blow to Driffield’s shopping streets with both Ethel Austin and independent retailer Chocolate and Pink announcing closures this month.

Wendy Philips from Chocolate and Pink said: “It is with great sadness Jane and I have closed Chocolate and Pink’s retail store on Middle Street South. We have enjoyed our 7 years in Driffield but have to bow to pressure of the present economic climate.”

Chocolate and Pink will continue to attend events and fairs and are taking bookings for Vintage Tea Parties, where you will still be able to purchase our lovely, popular Handbags, Accessories and gifts.

A new year has brought some fresh and exciting adventures for young readers from the ever inventive book boffins at Macmillan.

Teenagers can catch up with the second part of a scintillating sci-fi series while canine capers, lunchtime madness and journeys to the moon will provide fun and laughter for little ones.

Vortex by Julie Cross

If Julie Cross’s debut novel Tempest created a storm among teen readers, then Vortex, the second instalment of this thrilling time-travel trilogy, is going to put them in a spin!

Using the same captivating mix of romance, action, suspense and mystery, this new sci-fi epic just gets better and better with an irresistible package of superb storytelling, sensational surprises and knockout emotional punches.

Jackson Meyer’s ability to travel backwards through time has landed him a role as agent for Tempest, the shadowy division of the CIA that handles all time-travel-related threats.

Despite his heartbreak at losing Holly, the girl he altered history to save, Jackson has thrown himself into the job and proved to be an excellent agent.

However, after accidentally meeting up with Holly again, Jackson is reminded of what he’s lost and he starts to ask questions about himself and his future.

And when Eyewall, an opposing division of the CIA, emerges, Jackson and his fellow agents not only find themselves under attack and on the run, but Jackson begins to discover that the world around him has also changed.

Someone knows about his erased relationship with Holly, putting both their lives at risk all over again. The world hangs in the balance as a lovelorn Jackson must decide between saving the love of his life and the entire world...

Set in a vivid present day and a not-so-distant past, Vortex is a gripping, fast-paced thriller which delivers excitement on every page as well as a tender contemplation of identity, relationships and grief.

Cross creates a compulsive and invigorating narrative full of lively dialogue, distinctive characters and a palpably real alternative world.

A top-class book for teens and young adults.

(Macmillan, hardback, £12.99)

The Smug Pug by Anna Wilson

Welcome back to the mad, mad world of Anna Wilson’s Pooch Parlour, the dog salon where pets get pampered and canine mysteries get solved.

The latest chapter of Wilson’s amazing animal antics in Crumbly-under-Edge follows the same fun formula with crazy adventures, lots of laughs, animals galore and some very strange characters.

Nine-year-old Pippa Peppercorn loves helping out at the village’s pampered pets salon, a cosy joint run by the cuddly Mrs Semolina Ribena Fudge, where customers and their pets stop by for tea and sympathy as well as a trim.

New kid on the block is Smug the pug, a clever, funny dog who is full of surprises and has invented a brilliant machine to help things run smoothly in the busy salon.

PIppa has fallen head over heels for Smug and his owner, Tallulah Foghorn, but Dash the dachshund has his suspicions about this so-called doggy genius. He thinks Smug lives up to his name and that Tallulah is nuttier than one of Mrs Fudge’s fruitcakes...

Clare Elsom provides the lively illustrations for Wilson’s concoction of comic characters, animal magic and dastardly deeds.

Ideal reading for children aged seven and over.

(Macmillan, paperback, £5.99)

Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb

If mealtimes often turn into a temper tantrum nightmare with your fussy little eaters, try tempting them with this delightful little dish!

A rising star in children’s picture books, Rebecca Cobb has written and illustrated a colourful cautionary tale about a little girl who is so busy having fun that she lets some unexpected visitors eat her lunch... and ends up so hungry that she’ll eat almost anything.

It’s lunchtime for one little girl, but she’s too busy to be hungry. A visiting crocodile, bear and wolf, however, are starving and are more than happy to eat up all her food. It’s just as well for the little girl that children taste revolting!

But by teatime, she’s not going to let anybody share her meal...

Cobb’s quirky, freehand drawings capture the anarchic essence of a story that will appeal both visually and verbally to pre-school children.

A tasty tale of food, friendship and fun that is sure to tickle young tastebuds!

(Macmillan, paperback, £6.99)

Zoe and Beans: Pants on the Moon! by Chloë and Mick Inkpen

Hold onto your pants, Zoe and Beans are back!

The Inkpens, a talented father and daughter duo, deliver another stunningly beautiful picture book in the adorable Zoe and Beans series for tots aged three and over. Chloë and Mick are proving a top team with their unique and exciting picture book partnership.

In their latest out-of-this-world adventure, Zoe is hanging her pants out to dry one windy Thursday when whoosh, a big gust of wind blows her and her pet dog partner Beans up, up, up into space... along with the washing line full of pants!

When they finally land on the moon, there’s a lot of exciting exploring to do. But how on earth are they going to get home again?

Chloë’s imaginative and quirky story is brought to life by her father’s fun-filled pictures featuring an adorable heroine and her crazy canine Beans. Laughter all the way is guaranteed with this madcap pair of pranksters.

(Macmillan, paperback, £5.99)