t’s a well-known fact that on VE Night in May 1945, the teenage Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret left the Palace to party incognito in London’s streets... but what if the trip to the outside world went horribly wrong?

Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw must, in turn, have had a ball when he let his imagination take flight for this darkly satirical, warmly affectionate and cleverly concocted crime caper which sees the two royal ingénues cast adrift in a city of sin.

From Margaret causing mayhem by stealing a policeman’s hat to Elizabeth’s encounter with drunks and dangerous black market criminals, Bradshaw brings us high comedy and high drama in equal measure.

But Night of Triumph is not just a gentle tease – it’s also a serious reminder that although Britain was at war for six years, crime was not put on hold. Racketeering and theft from bombed-out homes was rife. Greed and need were a powerful criminal force.

Into this melting pot, on a night when defences were down and the city wallowed in drink and bonhomie, the brazen and unscrupulous could make a killing... in more ways than one.

The young Elizabeth, aged 19 and on the cusp of her engagement to Prince Philip, is keen to prove to her parents that she is no longer a girl while Margaret, four years younger but more extrovert than her sister, is simply eager to taste a little freedom.

Two handsome Guards officers have been chosen as their escorts. Are the two young women foreigners, asks one of the unsuspecting soldiers. ‘They have some German ancestry, but no, they are as British as you and me,’ he is informed. ‘They have, as it were, been through London but never actually into the streets.’

And so the royal siblings, disguised only by stage spectacles from a panto production at Windsor, are soon joining a conga line in Hyde Park and discovering that ‘everyone, absolutely everyone was drunk.’

Even the more circumspect Elizabeth starts to enjoy herself. ‘Nobody was sucking up to her; nobody was bowing the knee; nobody was pretending because nobody knew who she was.’

But London is a perilous place and out for rich pickings is a certain Mr William Ware who has found the war years full of unexpected ‘opportunities’ and VE Night looks set to be his last chance saloon, a ‘final bacchanal of wrongdoing.’

And when Elizabeth becomes separated from her group, their paths are destined to cross...

Bradshaw captures the anarchic essence of VE Night in this vivid and potent vignette as well as painting an enchanting portrait of how royalty might have roughed it at what turned out to be the biggest party London had ever witnessed.

(Duckworth, hardback, £12.99)

The League of Friends of the Beverley Westwood Hospital, which has supported patients at the hospital since 1967, is disbanding.

Chairwoman Mrs Margaret Peel said that since the new East Riding Community Hospital was opened members of the League of Friends felt that they had done their duty and it was time to hang up their collecting buckets.

‘However, we do have some funds that we’d like to donate to services at the new hospital,’ said Mrs Peel, ‘and we’d like the public to know how the money they gave so generously is going to be spent.’

Mrs Peel and the League of Friends met managers from Humber NHS Foundation Trust, who run the new hospital, to present cheques totalling £1,700. £500 was given to local community services and £200 to voluntary services manager Carole White to use for recreational activities within the hospital. Service manager Ian Tweddell received £500 for Hawthorne Court mental health inpatient unit and £500 was given to the Janet Johnson Trust to help users of mental health services to access education; this fund is managed by Humber’s patient experience team.

Dave Snowdon, chief executive of Humber NHS Foundation Trust, said, ‘We are extremely grateful to the League of Friends, not only for their generous donations today but for the decades of dedicated service they have given to patients of Westwood Hospital. They deserve the wholehearted thanks of the local community and the health service and we are very sorry that their invaluable work has had to come to an end.’

If you would like to find out more about mental health, learning disability, community or addictions services in your area, you can become a member of Humber NHS Foundation Trust. Go to www.humber.nhs.uk, email members@humber.nhs.uk or call freephone 0800 915 5064 to find out more.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will increase its flood resilience with the purchase of six trailer-mounted pumps and around 25 submersible pumps for use in flooded properties.

The new equipment will cost around £120,000 and will see one trailer-mounted pump stationed at each of the council’s six depots to allow a rapid response to flooding events as they arise anywhere in the East Riding.

The council works closely with partner agencies, including the Environment Agency and Humberside Fire and Rescue, during periods of inclement weather to provide access to further staff and resources, such as pumping equipment, to work alongside its other operations, including the deployment of sandbags.

The purchase of pumping equipment will allow the council to provide an even more proactive response to localised flooding, such as incidents like Burton Fleming where prolonged and heavy downpours resulted in watercourses bursting their banks.

Nigel Leighton, director of environment and neighbourhood services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The council takes the issue of flooding very seriously and is committed to doing all it can to reduce the risk of flooding in the East Riding and strengthen its response when incidents occur.

“As well as investing in more than 100 flood alleviation schemes over recent years, the council has also purchased new gully tankers and the addition of pumping equipment at its six depots will mean that the council can provide an even more robust response.”

The council is currently going through the procurement process now and anticipates taking delivery of the new equipment in early May. Until then, the council will continue to work closely with its partners to access pumping equipment and also hire where and when necessary.

Police investigating the death of a man in Full Sutton have confirmed he died from head injuries, as a murder investigation gets underway.

The man, believed to be in his 50s, was found on Thursday afternoon after police received a call reporting concern for the safety of the resident of a property in the village.

Officers gained entry to the house, whisker cottage, and found the man’s body, originally considering the death to be unexplained before treating it as suspicious.

Although police are yet to formally identify the man, he has been named locally as Peter Battle.

Detective Chief Inspector Alistair McFarlane said: “We are treating the death as a murder enquiry but as yet have been unable to formally identify the victim.

“It is not clear at present when the victim died and it is likely that forensic tests will be required to establish the identity of the man.

“Although very much in the early stages of the investigation, we have not managed to trace any family or friends who are able to identify the man, nor is there an apparent motive for his murder.

“We are concentrating our efforts in trying to establish information about visitors and vehicles attending the property in the preceding weeks and have had an encouraging response from the local community.

“If you have any information which may help, please bring this to our attention. It may seem insignificant but it could be of real importance.

“If you have information which can help us to trace his next of kin we appeal to you to come forward to speak to us.”

To contact the Driffield-based police team investigating the man’s death call Humberside Police on 101 quoting log 492 of 07/02/13, the Incident Room on 01377 208989 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555. 111.

For more on this story read this Thursday’s Pocklington Post.

Police investigating the death of a man in Full Sutton are investigating whether his occupation as an antiques dealer could be significant in establishing a motive for his murder.

Although the authorities are yet to formally identify the 56-year-old man found at Whisker Cottage in the village, he has been named locally as Peter Battle.

This afternoon police revealed that the victim was an antiques dealer, and the results of a post mortem confirmed he died of a head injury.

The man was found on Thursday afternoon after police received a call reporting concern for the safety of the resident of a property in the village.

Detective Chief Inspector Alistair McFarlane, leading the investigation said: “We have specially trained police officers liaising with the family of the occupier and we would hope to obtain a formal identification within the next few days.

“Clearly, this is very distressing time for the family concerned and we are keeping them up to date with developments.

“The man believed to have lived in the cottage is known as a local antiques dealer, who frequents auction houses in the Yorkshire area.

“We consider that this may be significant in relation to a motive for his murder.

“The date of his death remains unclear at this time but we are particularly interested in determining any activity taking place at the property from the end of December 2012 to 7 February 2013, when the man’s body was discovered. That may include visitors to the cottage or unusual vehicles in and around the area.

“I would like to appeal to anyone, who has any information, which could lead to the identification of the killer(s) to come forward to speak to us by calling 101 quoting log number 492 of 7 February 2013, or directly to the Incident Room on 01377 208989. Alternatively calls can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

What an audacious author Susan Lewis is ... unafraid to tackle head-on the most harrowing subjects, she has become one of Britain’s best-selling novelists.

She has 28 books to her credit now, and each one reaches into the furthest and often darkest corners of the human psyche. With an unflinching gaze, based on her own traumatic experiences, she brings us life in all its raw intensity.

The result of such honesty, insight and understanding is a string of gripping novels that bristle with drama, complexity and heart-rending reality.

No Child Mine is a disturbing story which puts the spotlight on the evils of child abuse and neglect, an emotive theme handled here with supreme sensitivity and intelligence.

Child protection worker Alex Lake is passionately devoted to her job but she would be the first to admit that it has given her a tendency to see crimes where none are being committed.

When she visits a local park, Alex is drawn like a magnet to a beautiful little girl with an almost hypnotic quality, but she cannot shrug off the uneasy feeling that something is not quite right with the child.

The man who walks with the girl from the park doesn’t seem to belong to her and Alex fears she is witnessing an abduction.

Alex’s over-sensitivity has been fuelled by the demons in her own life. She is haunted by an horrific family incident when she was aged just three which led to her being adopted by the local rector and his wife who had their own daughter Gabby.

Despite a reasonably happy childhood at the vicarage and the love she now shares with partner Jason, Alex knows that she was always second best to Gabby and still suffers nightmares about events in her past.

And then she is assigned to a new case involving three-year-old Ottilie Wade, the withdrawn and almost mute girl who first came to her attention in the park.

Alex finds herself unable to detach from the child in the way she should. She feels an overpowering need to make a real difference in little Ottilie’s life, but no one is prepared to believe that the girl is in any danger.

Her father is a respected primary school teacher, but Alex is only too aware that attributes such as charm, sophistication and high levels of education often provide an effective mask for those with depraved intent.

In the end, Alex takes the law into her own hands, a decision that has consequences for her, her family and Ottilie, consequences that no one, least of all Alex, could have foreseen.

No Child of Mine is a hard-hitting, tear-jerking but engrossing story. Despite its grim subject matter, Lewis manages to find redemption in the most unforgiving of places and, through the healing effects of love and kindness, to offer hope for the future.

(Arrow, hardback, £6.99)

BEVERLEY Hypnotherapist Steve Burgess, who is well known from his appearances on TV and radio, will be running a six week course on mastering the art of self-hypnosis in February.

He hopes that people will be so intrigued by the amazing world of hypnosis that they will be prepared to change their lives forever.

‘’Self-hypnosis is easy to learn and can help with a wide variety of issues.’’ Steve says. ‘’For example, it can aid relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety, help to let go of old habits and fears, and improve sleep, health, self-esteem and confidence. It can also enhance learning and sporting abilities, relieve pain and speaking fears, as well as help lose weight and stop smoking.’’

Steve is confident that anyone can learn to hypnotise themselves. ‘’The self-hypnosis course is designed to guide people into a deeper understanding of hypnosis and to teach them how to access a trance state. Once in trance they can programme the deep, inner mind to achieve all manner of things.’’

Steve is hopeful he will get a good response. ‘’The whole subject of hypnosis is a fascinating one and the power of hypnotherapy is so great that if it could be bottled it would be mankind’s wonder drug. Those attending the course will be learning a large amount about the incredible healing power we all possess.’’

For further information, please ring Beverley Hypnosis on 01482 870874 or email: steve@naturaltherapy.karoo.co.uk

Need a February feelgood fix? The thinking girl’s chick-lit conjuror Jill Mansell always has a few clever tricks up her sleeve to chase away the winter blues.

Her warm, wise and winsome novels are a creative balancing act, juggling laughter and tears, triumph and tragedy, romance and comedy, and all with perfect precision.

Don’t Want to Miss a Thing is Mansell’s 25th book in almost as many years and the cosy but not cloying, smart but not cynical plotlines keep on flowing with the same addictive enthusiasm and relaxed charm.

Mansell is without doubt a ‘people person’ and it is her eclectic cast of lovable, believable characters that drive the stories and make every new book seem like a chance to meet new friends.

Top dog this time around is 28-year-old Dexter Yates who loves his fun, carefree London life. He has money, looks and as for women, he loves the thrill of the chase but finds that once caught, a girl quickly loses her appeal.

The only time he really fell in love was when he met his older sister Laura’s newborn baby daughter Delphi eight months ago.

But everything changes overnight when Laura dies suddenly, leaving Dex as guardian of the now motherless, fatherless Delphi. How is he ever going to cope?

Forsaking his yellow Porsche for a more practical Mercedes Estate, Dex quits his job and moves to ‘Gin Cottage,’ his country home in the beautiful Cotswold village of Briarwood, a much better place to work on his parenting skills.

Before long he’s a new Dex... changing nappies, fully au fait with home safety and first aid, and pretty close to knowing how to put together a lentil bake.

Helping out is next door neighbour Molly Hayes, a professional comic-strip artist who has always been a ‘bad picker’ when it comes to men, but can still recognise that Dex falls into the ‘Utterly Dangerous’ category.

And both of them are fully aware that there is an undeniable frisson between them. However, if Dexter is going to properly adapt to village life, he first has a lot to learn about Molly, about other people’s secrets... and, most of all, about himself.

Don’t Want to Miss a Thing sees Mansell on top form with an extra special rom-com that is fun, funny and, true to form, utterly magical.

(Headline Review, hardback, £14.99)

POLICE investigating the murder of Full Sutton man Peter Battle continue to question a 26 year old man in connection with the offence.

The 26 year old man from North Yorkshire currently remains in Police custody and an application is to be made to the court for a Warrant of Further Detention.

Information is still being sought in relation to activity in and around the victim’s home address, Whisker Cottage, Full Sutton from around Christmas time to February 7 2013 when Mr Battle’s body was discovered there.

Anyone who is approached to buy items that antiques dealer Mr Battle was known to trade in, such as silver and gold coins and sovereigns and silver cutlery, is also asked to come forward with information.

Anyone who can assist police with enquiries is asked to contact Humberside Police on the non emergency number 101 quoting log number 492 of 7 February 2013, or directly to the Incident Room on 01377 208989. Alternatively, calls can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

DETECTIVES have been given additional time in which to question the 26-year-old Norton man arrested in connection with the murder of Peter Battle of Full Sutton, after the courts agreed to a warrant of further detention.

Officers made the application at Beverley Magistrates Court this morning and were granted an additional 36 hours to detain the suspect in custody.

For more details on this story read tomorrow’s Pocklington Post and Driffield Times and Post.

AN Investigation has been launched after bad weather caused damaged to a pinnacle on Beverley’s historic Minster.

Sections of the pinnacle on the Tympanum roof between the distinctive twin towers were dislodged during a period of high winds.

Some pieces landed on the aisle roof and the Tympanum roof, with one large section going over the edge of the parapet into the churchyard below.

There was some roof damage but nobody was injured.

Now church officials are calling on the expert opinion of meteorologists, as well as architects and structural engineers, following reports that an unusual and exceptionally strong gust of wind could have been the cause.

The gust came in mid afternoon on January 30 – a day on which severe gusts of up to 60mph were recorded at nearby Leconfield.

The pinnacle appears to have been lifted and toppled rather than simply blown over.

John English, surveyor to Beverley Minster Old Fund which is responsible for the maintenance of the historic building, said: “It is still a bit of a mystery.

“A building which has stood for nearly 800 years must have experienced every kind of wind condition, so it could take some time to establish what, if anything, was different about this one.”

The wind funnels between the twin towers and the direction on the day - West South West - could have put the affected pinnacle more directly into the wind than the other two on that parapet.

These two have been checked and restoration of the damaged pinnacle will start when preliminary investigations are concluded.

Airbrush the uniforms and the three men posing in front of the Eiffel Tower could be tourists enjoying one of the iconic Parisian landmarks.

The bizarre and haunting snapshot of a smiling, triumphal Adolf Hitler and his cohorts is just one of over 300 arresting images in Patrick Delaforce’s unique anecdotal book which charts a fascinating journey through the German leader’s life from birth to bunker, from ordinary young man to callous dictator.

Using bite-size nuggets of information gleaned from Hitler’s own writings, speeches, conversations, poetry and art, from the accounts of those who knew him, loved or loathed him, and even from his underwhelming school reports, Delaforce paints a compelling portrait of the man, his life, his career and his beliefs.

It is an extraordinary story told by an extraordinary Second World War veteran. Delaforce served as a troop leader in Normandy with the Royal Horse Artillery, was wounded by Hitler’s Wehrmacht in Holland and by a rifle grenade near the River Elbe, was with the first battle group into Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 and served on a War Crimes Tribunal in Hamburg which tried concentration camp guards.

Part biography, part miscellany, part historical overview, Adolf Hitler: The Curious and Macabre Anecdotes casts a light on the darkest corners of the Fuhrer’s complex psyche, helping us to understand how the loner son of a lowly Austrian customs official became the evil architect of the ‘Final Solution.’

Adolf Hitler, one of four siblings, was born in Austria in April 1889 and shot himself in a bunker in Berlin in April 1945, surrounded by the ruins of the country he had vowed to restore to greatness.

His early life gave little clue as to his later years. His teachers found him notoriously cantankerous, one describing him as wilful, arrogant, bad tempered and lazy, often reacting ‘with ill-concealed hostility to advice or reproof.’

After serving as a church choirboy, one of the young Adolf’s ambitions was to become an abbot but instead, he settled on devoting himself ‘wholly to art,’ producing paintings which were later dismissed by Nazi architect Albert Speer, the only cultured man in Hitler’s coterie, as flat, pedantic work ‘with brush strokes that lacked all character.’

His political ambitions burgeoned after the First World War. Using his military career as a decorated, twice-wounded soldier and through shrewd manipulation of Germany’s offended national pride in the post-war period, Hitler ascended rapidly through the political system.

And so the ‘misfit’ with very little education, no notable family genes and no political background created the infamous Third Reich by sheer determination, thundering rhetoric, confidence, will power... and luck.

By the age of 44, he had become a millionaire with secret bank accounts in Switzerland and Holland, and the unrivalled leader of Germany, whose military might he had resurrected.

But Hitler, the superstitious loner, was dogged by his own personal eccentricities and inadequacies. Her grew his distinctive moustache to ‘relieve the effect’ of his ‘big nose’ and initiated the Nazi arm salute because he considered mounted officers ‘cut a wretched figure’ when they used the normal military salute.

Hitler also employed a Jewish clairvoyant (later kidnapped and murdered) as his ‘special’ guru to advise him on his choice of colleagues and speech-making. Along with Goering and Himmler, he also became immersed in occult practices and carefully staged his Nazi rallies in a quasi-religious atmosphere.

Goebbels always vehemently presented him as the ‘German Messiah’ and the Mayor of Hamburg once publicly stated that ‘we can communicate directly to God through Adolf Hitler.’

But Italian dictator Mussolini, who first met Hitler in 1935, was singularly unimpressed by Hitler’s ‘lank, ill-brushed hair and watery eyes,’ contemptuously labelling the German leader as ‘the silly little clown.’

Delaforce’s provocative, accessible and revealing book, packed with startling images, takes us deep into the life and mind of Hitler, allowing us a better understanding of the nature of his influence, and demonstrating just how this deranged man and his motley collection of street brawlers managed to overwhelm Europe and threaten the rest of the world.

(Fonthill Media, paperback, £12.99)

PLANS for a large scale Driffield music event in the summer are moving forward.

The town council’s Events and Entertainment Committee have decided it should begin on Monday July 1 and run throughout the week, culminating in a weekend extravaganza.

The town council is proposing to apply for a road closure order at Market Place from 12 noon on Friday July 5 to Sunday July 7 and has agreed to give the Events and Entertainment committee £15,000 with a further £10,000 under-written if needed.

The committee was told that Coun Matt Rogers had now put together an information leaflet for potential participants. These will be distributed to committee members who will visit landlords in the town and they will also be sent to organisations such as Driffield in Bloom.

Prices have also been acquired for staging and the town clerk, Mrs Claire Binnington, is looking at other costings for the main Saturday event, including how much would be available to spend on the bands. The town council might also apply for a Cross Hill car park closure if it was deemed necessary.

Market Place will be at the centre of activities on Saturday July 6 and organisers are planning a full day of varying attractions and music.

Saturday February 16 will see Beverley Minster once again open its doors for the Spring 2013 Wedding Fair.

Now regarded as one of the regions largest wedding fairs, with more than 50-plus exhibitors and large numbers of visitors - 800 visitors at spring 2012 event - visitors are sure to find everything they need to make sure their wedding day is special.

There will once again be two cat walk shows: 12.30pm and 2.00pm from local suppliers, offering a wide variety of products and styles.

Entry to the event is free.

Refreshments will be available throughout the event.

Once again, profits from the event will be going towards the on-going, and much needed fundraising for Beverley Minster.

The event is open from 11am until 3.00pm on Saturday February 16. For further information please contact the event organisers - Dalton Spire Ltd on 01964 552470.

BEVERLEY MP Graham Stuart welcomed news that the Government had listened to widespread concerns and decided not to move forward with plans to introduce English Baccalaureate Certificates (EBCs) in place of GCSEs in some subjects.

This announcement follows last week’s Education Select Committee report that found the Government had not yet made the case for abolishing GCSEs and replacing them with EBCs. The report made it clear that a cross party group of MPs had concerns about the proposed timetable for change and felt the Government was trying to do too much too fast by introducing a new qualification, requiring a step-change in standards, and altering the way exams are administered all at the same time.

Mr Stuart said, “It is great news that the Government has listened to concerns about introducing a new qualification. This is exactly the way that good public policy gets made. The best way to have a constructive debate is for the Government to put forth a proposal, like it did on EBCs, have a rigorous discussion, and then change policy in response to the feedback received.

“Michael Gove deserves credit, not criticism, for being willing to listen and develop an educational legacy that can last. If the previous Government had been willing to do this we could have avoided the issues we had around the Diploma.

“The announcement is an example of the increasing importance and influence Select Committees can have on policy development. The Secretary of State has listened to the Education Select Committee’s views and I am pleased to see that he will be consulting with the field on the best way to improve accountability in secondary schools as well.”

THE new police crime commissioner Matthew Grove introduced himself to the Neighbourhood Watch Teams during a meeting at Beverley Police Station to discuss the policing in the town and Rural areas.

The discussion covered how the Neighbourhood Watch Teams and the Community Police Teams were working together.

St Mary’s Ward, Coun Elaine Aird, said: “Mr Grove gave an overview of what his vision was for the Neighbourhood Watch Teams and listened to the problems that were being faced both in Beverley and the surrounding areas.

“I am insistent that a representative of the Neighbourhood Watch Team should be on the Beverley & Rural Community Partnership. It is vital that as Ward Councillors we work closely with Neighbourhood Watch Teams – we all need to know what is going on.”

During the meeting Minster & Woodmansey Ward Coun Dominic Peacock, said: “I am very keen to see another attempt is made from a Neighbourhood Watch Team on the Swinemoor Estate, particularly in light of the current state of crime, such as the widespread tyre puncturing on the Swinemoor Estate. I am making enquiries to try and get something up and running in the near future.”

Councillor Kerri Harold said: “The Neighbourhood Policing Team have done some excellent work in collaboration with other parties in the whole of the area.”

TOWN councillor Paul Rounding has called on parking wardens to give motorists a little leeway before handing out tickets in pay and display car parks.

He believes so called “civil enforcement officers” are too keen to fine motorists who are just a few minutes over their time limit - and fears that the situation could put people off visiting the town.

The authority submitted a freedom of information request to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council in a bid to ascertain “the number of car parking fines that have been issued to those contravening parking regulations in the pay and display car parks in Driffield, compared to those issued to people illegally parked in the streets of the town.”

Officers from ERYC confirmed that at the timne of writing there had been 379 on street fines and 332 off street fines.

Coun Rounding said: “Just under 50% of those issued with fines have been parked in a proper car park.

“The disturbing thing about this for me is that these people have come into Driffield, they have gone down town and maybe had a coffee, done a bit of shopping and decided to stop a little bit longer and what do we give them as a receipt - a £25 fine for stopping that bit extra.

“That’s the day ruined for them. It is disappointing.”

He explained: “I find nothing wrong with the 379 people who have been prosecuted down the main street - even though some of the yellow lines are dubious - but the other 332 I feel strongly about.

“Every time you go past a car park you see someone with a ticket.

“I see gents who come into town for a night out and they go home in a taxi and Sunday morning they’ve got a ticket.

“I have seen the injustice of it. If they are in a car park they should have a bit more leeway.

“If we had free parking we would get more people coming into Driffield.”

Deputy mayor Coun Heather Venter said: “The moral of the story is if you have are in a car park, make sure you have put your money in the machine.”

Lillie Maguire is always buzzing ... she’s queen bee at her sunny Melbourne home but full of the native charm, wry humour and wisdom derived from her Irish heritage.

Undoubtedly the death of Sam, her husband of 40 years, has hit her for six. She has two married sons, two much-loved daughters-in-law and two adorable grandchildren, but the world now has a ‘Sam-shaped hole’ in it.

Fortunately, Lillie has found some comfort in the discovery that she has a half brother she never knew existed – a link to the mother who gave her up for adoption 64 years ago – and she is flying to Cork to meet her long-lost family and learn more about the place they call home.

Yes, Irish eyes are smiling again as Cathy Kelly from Wicklow, one of Ireland’s best-loved writers and an ambassador for Unicef, serves us up another dainty dish, a rich, tasty but sweetly subtle slice of life in all its heart-warming, heart-breaking and quixotic unpredictability.

The Honey Queen, a tale of dreams lost and realised, features Kelly’s trademark top-class storytelling and her funny, piquant take on the relationships that define our destinies.

Star of the show is Lillie Maguire, one of life’s eternal optimists and a good friend to all. Her daughters-in-law love her because she never interferes but knows how to help when it’s needed.

And now she’s off a an adventure to the other side of the world where half brother Seth Green and his wife Frankie might just be in need of a little Maguire magic.

They live in Redstone, a friendly, picturesque town near Cork where the locals wave and chat to each other and the shops and cafes are full of cheerful hustle and bustle.

Frankie appears to take everything in her stride, including empty nest syndrome, a husband who has lost both his job and his zest for life, a new home that is proving to be a millstone round their necks... and the unwelcome arrival of the ‘change,’ which has kicked in full throttle.

The reality is that 49-year-old Frankie is middle aged, menopausal and miserable. ‘Calcium, collagen, oestrogen – everything was leaching out of her,’ leaving just a dried-out husk. But the worst thing is that her marriage feels dried out and empty too.

And there’s another Redstone woman who also appears to be getting on just fine. Peggy Barry has always been a restless spirit but now, focused and approaching thirty, she has opened her own knitting and craft shop on the town’s high street.

It’s a dream come true, particularly as handsome, down-to-earth David Byrne has walked into her lonely life and stolen her heart. But Peggy has a secret and it means she can’t let David get too close.

And when Lillie finally makes it back home to Ireland, she is drawn right into the heart of Redstone’s close-knit community and discovers all is not what it seems in this busy little town.

Her hard-earned wisdom is soon needed to help family and friends navigate what is uncharted territory for them all…

Kelly’s delicious book is ideal comfort reading for those long winter months – she gets to the heart of what matters to women whilst spinning a terrific yarn full of compelling home truths and brimming with that traditional, sparkling Irish style.

A treat for all Cathy Kelly fans...

(HarperCollins, hardback, £14.99)

The Humberside Police Night Challenge is set to return this year.

The overnight orienteering experience is aimed at 13 to 17 year olds from across the Humberside Police area, targeting young people who have not had the opportunity to take part in such an event and work alongside the Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Humberside and Lincolnshire Orienteering Club and the Environment Agency.

Participants will tackle a 13 mile hike and complete five challenges along the route.

To make the event possible, Humberside Police are delighted to welcome back the High Sheriffs’ and Humberside Police Tribune Trust who principally support the experience and firmly believe in the ethos behind the event which encourages teamwork in challenging conditions throughout the night in the countryside, whilst attempting mental and physical challenges. As a result of taking part in Night Challenge participants gain a great sense of achievement, confidence and self esteem whilst using effective communication and map reading skills to complete the course.

The Director of the Tribune Trust Geoff Ogden said, “The Trustees are delighted that this event has finally become an annual competition once more. Its strength is not only the value that young people gain from it but also the strong partnerships with the emergency services, orienteering club and dozens of volunteers”.

The event is scheduled to take place early March 2013, departing from the Hull Ionians Rugby Club; the route will take on the challenging terrain of Brantingham Dale and surrounding areas. Each team will have a volunteer walking supervisor to support should any difficulties arise.

Sergeant Chris Swaby, of the Humberside Police Community Safety Unit said: “Through our Neighbourhood Policing Teams we are aiming to attract 150 youngsters who will be taking part in this outdoor experience. The night challenge is a positive opportunity for local officers to offer some of the young members of our society something they can become involved in and gain respect for themselves, others and their surroundings.”

The overall aim is to signpost young people to other activities they can become actively involved in and give them a sense of purpose and worth.

The winners of Night Challenge 2012 ‘The Village People’ consisting of team members Neil Altoft, Matthew Hoare, Joshua Jones, John Marshall and Ben Wesson who attend Vale of Ancholme and Sir John Nelthorpe College scooped the top prize of an adventure experience in the Lake District, presented by the Chief Constable of Humberside Police. Joshua said, “Taking part in the Night Challenge was a great experience, learning about our own endurance; how important it is to work as part of a team and listening to one another, we completed the task, whilst having a lot of fun.”

To find out more visit our website http://www.humberside.police.uk/lifestyle/night-challenge or call us on 01482 220700.

As fuel prices continue to rise, local Vauxhall dealer, Evans Halshaw in Beverley, is helping motorists cut the costs of buying a new vehicle with a free fuel event until February 17.

To help make driving more affordable for motorists, the dealership on Swinemoor Lane is offering customers the chance to take advantage of up to a fantastic £1,000 of free fuel when ordering a new vehicle during the event.

What’s more, to further help customers tackle the costs of driving, Evans Halshaw is giving customers the chance to take advantage of a range of other great offers including the manufacturer’s innovative 0% APR Flexible Finance scheme.

Aron Brown, Dealer Principal at Evans Halshaw, said: “We understand that the costs of motoring can soon mount up.

“We have therefore developed a wide range of offers, available to all customers who come along to the event and would like to invite anyone interested in purchasing a new Vauxhall to stop by our dealership and drive away with some great savings.”