The take a friend fishing campaign, organised and run by the Angling Trades Association, is back to encourage parents, grandparents and friends to take the time over the Easter break to give family members and friends the chance to have a go at fishing. Particularly if there’s nothing they want to watch on the TV and they have an extra few days off work!

Remember when a friend or family member took you fishing when you were young or just starting out? We bet everyone has experienced a memorable session or two like that – sharing the bank with someone else is always more fun! And with the Take A Friend Fishing campaign, there is the chance to take someone for free.

Jeremy Wade, author, TV presenter of River Monsters and Angling Trust Ambassador said: ‘The Take a Friend Fishing (TAFF) campaign is a great way for people to learn the angling basics and appreciate the outdoors. By introducing newcomers to the sport, you pass on a gift that stays with them throughout their lives, taking them to beautiful places to catch exciting fish.

I’m planning to take my own nephews out on the bank as they are very keen to learn.’

You can get a free one-day rod licence (worth £3.75) so you can take a mate or a family member on a fishing session between Saturday, 30th March and midnight, April 7th 2013.

In additional to a free rod licence, your friend can also fish for free at a number of Angling Trust fishery and club member venues.

These Angling Trust members have pledged to support the Take a Friend Fishing campaign by offering free day ticket or member passes so that your friend can fish for nothing on their waters (some exclusions may apply). Please check www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk for a list of day ticket offers.

Cut out or print off the rod licence voucher, fill in your details, validate it online at www.takeafriendfishing.co.uk, and read the Terms and Conditions.

The bad weather took its toll right across the whole of England with many league games being postponed. The North was particularly badly hit and in Driffield’s league, Yorkshire one, only two games were played, at York and Bridlington. If Driffield had had a home game scheduled it could have been played.

The match versus North Ribbledale at Settle is now scheduled for this weekend. Let us hope that this does not inhibit selection and a representative team can be turned out. The top of the table in Yorkshire one is delicately poised. Huddersfield YMCA head it by one point from Driffield, but have played an extra game; so it is essential that the remaining games have the right result. No slip ups can be contemplated, as no reliance on opposition teams at the top of the table dropping points can be expected.

When the North Rib game is negotiated we still have two more top of the table clashes on following Saturdays to come through. Hudd. YMCA at home, followed by Wath away. The Bridlington game has still to be arranged away and we should finish with Scarborough at home. The only good thing about this concertina of games is that the outcome of our final position in the league is in our own hands.

Level heads will be needed in the next few weeks and I am positive that the personnel will not get ahead of themselves. The old soccer adage of ‘one game at a time’ is trite but certainly true. So there we have it. A really exciting end to the 2012/13 season, the worst part being the weather.

Check out the latest edition of The Sin Bin as the lads look ahead to both round 9 and round 10 of Super League games over the Bank Holiday period.

Round 9 sees Leeds Rhinos take on Bradford Bulls while Castleford Tigers face Wakefield Wildcats.

And in round 10 Leeds Rhinos take on Catalans in France, Castleford Tigers travel to St Helens and Wakefield Wildcats take on Hull FC.

The show is presented by Andrew Hutchinson (@AndyHutchYEP) with YEP chief rugby league writer Peter Smith (@PeteSmithYEP) {http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/register?referrer=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk|Click here to register and have your say on the rugby league stories and issues that matter to you|Click here to register and have your say on the rugby league stories and issues that matter to you}

The speaker at our March luncheon meeting, held at Tickton Grange, was M/s Ruth Bamforth, daughter of our President, Stuart Bamforth.

A lawyer specialising in pension schemes, Ruth chose as her subject: “Pensions: will the spectre of the past come to haunt us?” An awesome prospect.

However, as Ruth pointed out, before leading us fluently and gently through the pensions maze, nothing actually changes very much. It is no secret that the UK’s population is ageing, and by 2050 estimates suggest that 24% will be over 65, and 6% 0f those will be over 85. The level of savings, at present levels, required to provide the necessary pensions’, will be woefully inadequate.

Pensions are not the invention of the welfare state, but have their origins in the medieval pensions given for services to the monarch. These were often in the form of food, drink and accommodation, notably to staff of religious houses. State pensions came in in 1909, replacing the 17th century Poor Laws, which had been administered by parishes. In 1908 an Old Age Pensions Act was passed for the over-70s, giving the equivalent of £20 a week in today’s money, provided incomes were less than 10 shillings per week!

Occupational pensions have a different history. As far back as 1601, pensions were payable to injured seamen and soldiers, and in 1739 to Bank of England staff, but most such pensions came in after World War 2. Vast sums have been invested to provide these, and since the Robert Maxwell scandal much more stringent regulations have been introduced. But tax relief on these schemes is gradually being eroded, and there is tension between government and employers, the latter being unwilling to spend vast sums to fund pensions, and the former saying they must! As is to be expected these days, pension provision produces huge amounts of paper, and even more expense has been incurred by the setting up of the Pension Protection Fund.

The UK situation is not helped by the generous state pensions paid in Europe. To meet the challenges, the Government has decided to raise the retirement age to 68, despite the fact that, for many, the prospect of having to work till that age is daunting, to say the least. Also worrying is the fact that there is much unemployment in the 16-24 age group. Another of the Government’s answers is to introduce a flat-rate pension of £144 a week . This would be for new pensioners after, say, 2017.

The long-term aim is to ensure that employers and employees share the pension risks/provisions, but it is not clear what the scheme will look like, and there will be need for more legislation and regulations!

Ruth ended her fascinating talk by quoting the former horror film actor, Bela Lugosi, who said: “I don’t have a dime left. I am dependent on my friends for food, and on a small old-age pension.” Have times changed much?

Any retired professional or businessman interested in joining the Club is invited to contact the Secretary, Mike Welch (01430 872797). We meet for lunch, at Tickton Grange, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, and at the same venue for coffee with our partners on the 1st Wednesday.

As the curtain rises on the fifth – and hopefully not final – act of Rory Clements’ prize-winning John Shakespeare Elizabethan mystery series, there are whispers of a new stage set for the Tudor spy’s thrilling adventures.

A TV series based on the books is currently in production heralding the advent of a vast new audience for Clements’ classy, gripping and action-filled stories.

Clements’ transformation from newspaper journalist to master of the Elizabethan detective genre has been an entertaining and informative journey.

His Tudor sleuth John Shakespeare, fictional brother of playwright Will, is a brilliant creation. Down-to-earth, authoritative and endowed with his more artistically creative sibling’s fine brain, his remit as a Crown ‘intelligencer’ is to track down the villains and traitors who threaten Gloriana’s realm.

From heretic priests and Spanish plotters to foreign scoundrels and recusant Catholics, England’s enemies are many and John Shakespeare, along with the enigmatic Boltfoot Cooper, his trusty former seafaring sidekick, is never far from the scheming and violence.

In The Heretics, we find John Shakespeare up to his eyes in another hornets’ nest of intrigue. The condemned Jesuit priest, Father Robert Southwell, is haunted by the memory of Thomasyn Jade, a teenage girl subjected to brutal exorcism rites a decade ago and whose fate is now unknown.

He wants Shakespeare to track down the girl and give her money set aside by Southwell to make amends for her treatment. However, his work as Sir Robert Cecil’s chief intelligencer leaves him little time to hunt down a ‘maddened’ girl who could be anywhere, or dead.

England may have survived the Armada threat but Spanish galleys have been seen landing troops in Cornwall, rumours of a papist conspiracy that could ‘blow in a tempest’ have been emanating from the English college of Jesuits in Seville, plots to kill the Queen are a constant threat and, to crown it all, the royal coffers are ‘full of nothing but air.’

As Shakespeare tries to get a grip on events, one by one his network of spies is horribly murdered and all roads of inquiry would appear to be linked to missing Thomasyn Jade. His first port of call is to a group of priests held prisoner in bleak Wisbech Castle in the notoriously dangerous fenlands and before long, the royal spy is caught up in ‘a dark hole of corruption and wickedness.’

From the pain-wracked torture rooms of the Inquisition in Seville and the wild coasts of Cornwall to the sweat and sawdust of the Elizabethan playhouses, and from the condemned cell at Newgate to the devilish fantasies of a fanatic, The Heretics builds to a terrifying climax that threatens the life of the Queen herself.

Clements brings to vivid life the uncertainties and menace of the latter years of the Golden queen’s reign, a turbulent period marked by religious and social upheaval. By affording John Shakespeare a long leash over vast swathes of Elizabethan England, he is perfectly placed to give us a fascinating insight into the people, their politics and their landscape.

The story’s darkness is leavened by cameo appearances from playwright Will and the delightful interludes with John Shakespeare’s tough, earthy servant girl Ursula Dancer, a former vagabond who remains resolutely and ‘piggingly’ uninterested in all efforts at social improvement.

Intelligent plotting, compelling storylines and authentic historical detail, all combined with a coruscating cast of schemers, traitors, murderers and religious extremists, brings an invigorating energy and excitement to what is undoubtedly one of the best Tudor crime series on the market.

(John Murray, hardback, £17.99)

As negotiations continue on the EU budget from 2014 onwards, the regions Liberal Democrat MEPs Edward McMillan-Scott and Rebecca Taylor have been battling hard to make sure Yorkshire and the Humber is not disproportionally affected over its southern counter-parts by any budget squeeze.

Millions of pounds for local projects focused on job creation and research currently comes from the EU into our universities, cities and communities. Although a final deal on the 2014 budget is yet to be reached, the EU’s budget is expected to be a cut in real-terms for the first time in history.

The Liberal Democrat MEPs have welcomed the Coalition Government’s commitment to ensure that cuts to European funding from 2014 onwards will be shared in a fair manner across the UK.

Edward McMillan-Scott MEP said: “It is vital that northern regions, like Yorkshire and the Humber, are not disproportionately affected in an EU funding settlement over those regions closer to the M25.

“Countless examples exist in Yorkshire of the beneficial impact vital EU funding has in creating jobs and supporting research. Competition for this funding is always fierce between the UK’s regions but this is about making sure that northern regions get their fair slice of EU funding going forward.”

Rebecca Taylor MEP added: “Liberal Democrat MEPs are lobbying our business and treasury ministers to ensure we have a fair system for allocating EU funding across the UK as we move forward. We must use these EU funds to effectively tackle the north-south divide.”

The Coalition Government has announced that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be subjected to an equal percentage cut of around 5% compared to the current 2007-2017 EU funding levels.

Search and Rescue Helicopters based at RAF Leconfield will no longer operate from the site after a deal was signed with a US company to replace the Sea King fleet.

The move comes after a £1.6 billion contract for search and rescue (SAR) helicopters to be managed by Bristow Helicopters Ltd was signed with the Department for Transport on Tuesday 26 March.

It is expected the new SAR base will operate from an unconfirmed location in Humberside.

A spokesperson from the RAF told the Times & Post no job losses would be suffered by the Leconfield base, although search and rescue staff members can apply for positions at Bristow to provide continuity of service.

However George McManus, Parliamentary Spokesman for Beverley and Holderness Labour Party has expresses concern over the changes.

He said: “This is a real shock. The yellow Sea King helicopters are an institution in East Yorkshire.

“They provide reassurance and a first class service. It seems there is nothing that this government will not sell for the sake of profit. Is nothing sacred?

“Something like this should be kept as a public service and should remain under public control. It is a sad day for RAF Leconfield and a sad day for East Yorkshire.”

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “Our search and rescue helicopter service plays a crucial role, saving lives and providing assistance to people in distress on both land and on sea.

“With 24 years of experience providing search and rescue helicopter services in the UK, the public can have great confidence in Bristow and their ability to deliver a first class service with state-of-the-art helicopters.”

Under the new contract, 22 helicopters will operate from 10 UK locations.

Jane Berry once considered her two-up two-down London terraced home to be the height of sophistication... but 15 years of cramped living and two children later, she is ready to escape to the country.

What she doesn’t anticipate is the myth of the rural idyll, the tough compromises that will take her family to the limits and the bitter reality that sometimes long-cherished dreams can turn into nightmares.

Author of This Perfect World and The Child Inside, two hard-hitting, contemporary novels, Bugler has found fertile ground in the dark corners of 21st century domestic life.

Her edgy, compelling and convincingly real stories go straight to the heart of family matters. These are not happy-ever-after tales that burn briefly and then fade; instead, they take readers into unforgettable and unsettling territory where menace lurks and families can, and do, fall apart.

Jane Berry has always dreamed of moving to the country, a place of wide open spaces where her children, 13-year-old Sam and nine-year-old Ella, can develop and grow away from the constraints of big city life.

Husband David will be able to escape the stresses of work, shy Sam will be free of the school bullies who make his life a misery, weekends will be like holidays and their time together will be very precious.

And that’s just how it is for them – at first.

The problems – and there turn out to be many – soon start to arise. David’s two-plus hours commute is a nightmare in the winter months, Ella misses her friends, Sam encounters the same bullying he endured at his London comprehensive and Jane feels horribly alone when the house is empty.

With Jane increasingly in denial about the crisis facing her family, she leaps at the chance to make friends with the abrasive Melanie Wilkins, mother of class bully Max and a woman who lives for her children ‘with a fierce, almost animal aggression.’

It’s a friendship that will send Jane’s life spiralling out of control and have terrible consequences for her family...

The Safest Place is a gripping, tense and thought-provoking story, not least because of Bugler’s sharp, gritty and painfully honest writing. Her characters are recognisably human and their dilemmas the sort that we can all recognise.

A book to enthral... and an author to watch.

(Pan, paperback, £7.99)

In September 1900, a devastating hurricane hit the island city of Galveston in Texas. The storm surge killed over 6,000 people and is still on record as the deadliest natural disaster in American history.

Against this dramatic backdrop, acclaimed author Ann Weisgarber has woven a beautiful and breathtaking story of love and loss, new beginnings and old secrets, resentment and reconciliation.

The Promise is Weisgarber’s first book since The Personal History of Rachel Dupree was nominated for the Orange Prize and it’s as haunting as it is exciting. Richly descriptive and exceptionally powerful, the novel is a triumph of intelligent storytelling and understated emotion, and confirms the author as one of the most compelling contemporary literary voices around.

At the exquisitely crafted heart of the story is a young woman fleeing social disgrace in sophisticated Dayton, Ohio to marry a man she hasn’t seen for 12 years in the vaporising, backwoods heat of Texas.

Professional pianist Catherine Wainwright has become the subject of ‘breathless whispers’ in fashionable Dayton after an affair with a married man. She’s 29 and her angry mother tells her bluntly that she should have married years ago.

Ostracised by society and facing destitution, she has no choice but to find a husband as quickly as possible and leave town.

She strikes up a correspondence with a childhood admirer Oscar Williams who is now a dairy farmer in faraway Galveston and has been recently widowed leaving him with a five-year-old son to raise.

In desperation, she agrees to marry him and makes the 1,000 mile journey to Texas to discover a man who is now virtually a stranger. It will be a steep learning curve for the city woman more used to the polite talk and teacups of Dayton’s sophisticated parlours.

The island is remote, the intense heat rises ‘like vapours of steam,’ mosquitoes swarm and whine, Oscar’s beachside home is rustic, rattlesnakes sleep in the outhouse and Oscar’s little boy Andre is still grieving for his mother and resents Catherine’s presence.

But it is Oscar who most unnerves her. In her memory of him, she exaggerated his stammering shyness and thought she could keep him at arm’s length. The new Oscar is not the unsure boy who once sat in the back row at her music recitals.

And then there is Nan Ogden, Oscar’s housekeeper, who was born and raised on the island. Catherine’s sudden arrival comes as a great shock to Nan. Not only had she promised Oscar’s first wife that she would take care of Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar that she struggles to hide.

Nan believes her place in the household is threatened by Catherine’s presence, and so she tightens her hold on Andre. Meanwhile, the forces of nature are spinning toward Galveston...

Weisgarber’s masterful evocation of time and place and her portrayal of the simmering tensions created both by the gathering storm and the subtle interplay of the central relationships are the defining elements of this absorbing novel.

Through the dual narratives of Catherine and Nan, we see how small actions and words take on huge significance as the grand scheme unfolds; and the happiness of all threatens to be swept away by events both in the past and those that are amassing in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Promise is a challenging, gripping and intensely moving story and highly accessible for a novel of such high literary status. Meticulous research and attention to detail have become the hallmarks of Weisgarber’s work.

Where to now for this talented writer?

(Mantle, hardback, £16.99)

A celebration to mark nine years of work done at a Driffield outreach centre will take place.

Members of the Driffield Salvation Army are getting ready to commemorate the opening of The Outreach Centre at The Mount.

The festivities will take place on Saturday 13 April between 10am and 2pm at the Outreach Centre

In the evening a concert by the Heckmondwike Songsters in The Old Town Hall will continue the celebration.

For more information contact 257922.

STAND by for the most famous horse-race in the world, the Grand National, this coming Saturday. But as our resident racing expert and tipster RICHARD SILVERWOOD explains, this year’s renewal is under the spotlight for more than one reason.

IT is ten to five on Saturday April 14, 2012. I am in the County Stand bar at Aintree and I have rarely felt so depressed on a racecourse.

It’’s galling enough that my main bet in the Grand National, SUNNYHILLBOY, has just got chinned on the line, despite a sublime ride by Richie McLernon.

But then the tragic news comes filtering through that two horses have been killed during the race. And one of them, incredulously, is the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, SYNCHRONISED.

I couldn’t summon the enthusiasm to stay behind for the final two races of the day. I rushed back into Liverpool to catch an earlier train home.

My overwhelming thought was: how could the National survive after claiming the life of a horse hailed as a hero only 29 days earlier? And my fears were reinforced by a bombardment of criticism of the race on my Twitter timeline.

Some of the messages were erroneous, like the one from BBC TV sports correspondent James Pearce, who claimed that spectators cheered when it was announced on course that Synchronised had fallen at Becher’s Brook. Pearce should know better.

Some of the messages were downright ridiculous, like the one suggesting the National should be converted into a Flat race, without fences.

But nearly all were unanimous in their condemnation of the National as a race that fostered animal-cruelty under the guise of enjoyment.

Like most racing enthusiasts, when backed into a corner like this, I tried to defend my sport. But then my mind was cast back to 12 months earlier when two other horses lost their lives and I cringed at the sight of jockey Jason Maguire’s punishing over-use of the whip on the winner, BALLABRIGGS, plus other horses needing treatment for dehydration after a 4m4f slog under red-hot sunshine.

To racing’s credit, new rules restricting the use of the whip have since been introduced. And to Maguire’s credit, he has since refined his riding style.

But then still fresh in my mind is the 2009 National when the crowd was stunned into shellshocked silence by the sight of HEAR THE ECHO lying prostrate on the hallowed Aintree turf, within yards of the winning post, dying and then dead, having collapsed, exhausted after giving everything in the name of our entertainment.

What had this race become, I asked myself. This great race that first fired my love for horse racing way back in the late 1960s when the very first horse I backed, HIGHLAND WEDDING, romped to victory.

Had it changed? Had I changed? Had society changed?

The answer is probably a combination of the three. We live in an age where the welfare of the horse is paramount in racing. So it was little wonder that the RSPCA and the more extreme animal-rights campaigners had a field day after last year’s race.

However, once the raw emotions had retreated into the safe environs of reality, it also became clear to me that the Grand National could not possibly continue as a cherished national institution without serious reform. The general public of the 21st century would no longer condone accidents that lead to fatalities in the name of sport, and predominantly, betting.

The upshot was the well-documented announcement by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) of a package of modfications aimed at reducing the perils associated with the race.

Now, as the days tick by to the latest renewal of the Aintree contest, racing waits with bated breath. Excitement has been replaced by nervous trepidation. Can the Grand National recapture its former glories, we ask. Or is it on a slippery slope towards anachronism? Should we start to concentrate more on the meeting itself, which provides superb racing, rather than placing most of the focus on the National?

The BHA modifications concern the start, the fences and the ground at Aintree.

The start has been moved 90 yards further down the course away from the cauldron created by the excited crowd. The theory is that horses and jockeys will remain calm, thus reducing the hectic speed at which they hurtle towards the first few fences and, ergo, the risk of falls.

The fences have been built differently. No longer does their core consist of padded wooden stakes hammered into the ground. Instead they now comprise more forgiving plastic birch.

The ground, meanwhile, must now be good to soft and no faster, even if gallons of water are required to artificially soak it. The theory goes that the softer the ground, the slower horses will travel, again cutting the risk of falls.

Whether the modifications work, only time will tell. If they don’t, it’s the bet of the century that more changes will follow, such as the felling of drop fences, like Becher’s, and the reduction of the field size from 40 to 30.

Neither measure should be baulked at, in my view. Fences are meant to be a test of a horse’s jumping ability. Drop fences are designed as traps to catch horses out. Large fields lead to congestion. And congestion increases the likelihood of accidents, particularly when horses are travelling at speed over formidable obstacles.

Of course, there are many within racing whose attitude is: stuff the critics. They insist we should defend the unique character and tradition of the National at all costs and tell the RSPCA to keep their noses out.

But let’s consider the ramifications of such stubbornness. The threat of more fatalities. Which could lead to litigation or even legislation. Which could accelerate the dwindling support of the public. Which could lead to a fall in attendances. Which could lead to the loss of interest from broadcasters and the media. Which could lead to the disappearance of the corporate market. Which could lead to the loss of sponsors. Which equals no Grand National at all.

Making continued changes, viewed by some as pandering to the critics, might result in a radical restructure of the profile of the Aintree spectacular. But it is surely the most palatable of the two options.

The sport is in the middle of an intensive campaign to attract more support, to engage with a wider audience. By and large, thanks to the Racing For Change initiative, led by the admirable Rod Street, it is a campaign that is succeeding. However, there is a danger that the National becomes a millstone round its neck.

To many, many people, racing IS the Grand National. It is the only time of the year when they connect with the sport. So the sport simply cannot afford the race’s reputation to be sullied beyond repair.

The Grand National can survive. But only with the general public on its side. The race’s future has reached a crossroads. The equivalent of the Canal Turn.

Driffield Partnership will be holding their annual general meeting on Monday, 29th April 29 at the town council offices on Market Walk.

The meeting will look back on Driffield Partnership’s achievements over the last year and forward to its plans for the future. Anyone who is interested in the work of the partnership is welcome to attend.

The meeting will also be hearing from Susan Williamson from Cornerstone Strategies, who has been working a town centre action plan. Her presentation will explain the research that the organisation has been doing on the high street and suggestions for the work of the Town Centre Group over the next three years.

Driffield Partnership’s Chairman Eric Fowler said: “We hope local residents and businesses will attend the AGM as it is a great opportunity to discuss the partnership’s achievements and to have an opportunity help shape its objectives for the coming year.

IT’S the day when everyone has a flutter. Grand National Day. Aintree racecourse. 40 runners. 30 fences. Four and a half miles. And only one winner.

But who will that winner be this coming Saturday? To help you make your selection, here is a guide to all the runners from our resident racing expert and tipster RICHARD SILVERWOOD.

All details were correct at the time of going to press.

IMPERIAL COMMANDER 12yo, 11st10lb, 16/1

Magnificent winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2010, when beating Denman and Kauto Star, but has been plagued by injury since, restricting his subsequent runs to four. A relentless galloper and exuberant jumper, he hails from the yard of Nigel Twiston-Davies, who saddled Earth Summit to victory in 1998 and Bindaree in 2002. Although burdened by top weight, he is actiually well handicapped on a mark of 158 when you consider he was 27lbs higher at his peak. However, only one 12-year-old has won the race since 1995, while six of his eight victories have come at Cheltenham.

WHAT A FRIEND 10yo, 11st9lb, 50/1

One of two horses in this year’s National part-owned by Manchester United manager and racing devotee Sir Alex Ferguson. Fourth in the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup, 11 lengths behind the winner, Long Run, he is just short of top class and is now far from straightforward. He is based at the stable of champion trainer Paul Nicholls, who saddled last year’s winner, Neptune Collonges, but when the gelding had a previous try at the National two years ago, he was pulled up after tiring on the second circuit.

WEIRD AL 10yo, 11st8lb, 40/1

One of three probable contenders from the famous yard of Donald McCain, whose father famously trained the legendary Red Rum. At one stage, he was considered a Cheltenham Gold Cup horse in the making, particularly when he won the Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in October 2011. But although he remains lightly-raced, lots of injuries have hampered his progress -- to the extent that he’s become unreliable. He fell late on in last year’s National when weakening.

QUEL ESPRIT 9yo, 11st 7lb, 40/1

High-class grey who has never fulfilled his potential because of a series of injuries that have restricted him to only nine runs over fences. Trained by champion Irish handler Willie Mullins, who sent out Hedgehunter to win the 2005 National, he’s a strong galloper and well handicapped on his best form, which includes a Grade One triumph in last year’s Irish Hennessy Gold Cup. But he would prefer softer ground and there are stamina doubts.

BIG FELLA THANKS 11yo 11st6lb, 40/1

A fourth crack at the race by a sound jumper formerly with champion trainer Paul Nicholls but now in the care of Tom George. On each of the previous three occasions, he has handled the track well, finishing sixth in 2009, fourth in 2010 and seventh two years ago, but equally he has palpably failed to stay the marathon trip. It’s likely to be a similar story this time round, but he’s a consistent sort and in fine form.

ROBERTO GOLDBACK 11yo, 11st6lb, 33/1

Victory in a race he’s never won would cap a superb season for Nicky Henderson, who is set to be crowned champion trainer. And this seasoned campaigner is no forlorn hope after being deliberately laid out for the race since being shipped over from Ireland where he was a consistent horse with a touch of class, regularly placed in Grade Ones. Five runs in the UK this term have all been solid efforts, while the good ground and help from the plate of Barry Geraghty, who steered home Monty’s Pass in 2003, can only be positives.

SEABASS 10yo, 11st6lb, 10/1

The headline-writers will have a field day if Katie Walsh becomes the first female jockey to ride the National winner aboard her trainer father Ted’s stayer. The sister of ace pilot Ruby, she almost made it on the same horse last year when he took to the course well and finished a game third. He didn’t quite stay, but the fact that this year’s race is being run over a slightly shorter trip can only help. What’s more, Walsh snr, who saddled Papillon to victory in 2000, has specifically targeted the race this time round, whereas he went into the 2012 renewal on the back of an amazing run of six straight wins that propelled his handicap mark from 95 to 149. He must contend with another 5lb here.

BALLABRIGGS 12yo, 11st4lb, 20/1

Only two horses have landed the Aintree National more than once, but the fact that one of them (Red Rum in the 1970s) was trained by Ginger McCain must offer hope to son Donald that he can repeat the feat. His lightly-raced 12-year-old, who is also a former Cheltenham Festival hero, was a brilliant winner two years ago and followed up with a creditable sixth last season. Now he is down to a handicap mark only 2lbs higher than 2011 and stable jockey Jason Maguire again takes the mount after a perfectly acceptable prep run at Kelso last month.

SUNNYHILLBOY 10yo, 11st4lb, 14/1

I still have nightmares about Jonjo O’Neill’s charge, and my main fancy, getting pipped on the line by Neptune Collonges in last year’s race. Although he’s not really built for Aintree, he jumped and travelled like a dream under a peach of a ride by Richie McLernon, despite badly striking into his off-fore tendon at some stage, and looked sure to win approaching the elbow. Owned by JP McManus, the son of Old Vic is back again but must carry 10lbs more, while a preparation comprising two insignificant runs over hurdles hardly instils confidence.

TEAFORTHREE 9yo, 11st3lb, 16/1

Few challengers possess as many credentials for Saturday’s race than Rebecca Curtis’s son of Oscar. And few winners would be as poignant, given that he was ridden to victory in the four-miler at last year’s Cheltenham Festival by amateur jockey JT McNamara, who was paralysed by a horrific fall at this year’s event. This season, the nine-year-old was targeted at the Welsh National at Chepstow and ran a blinder when a heavily backed favourite, touched off only by a rival receiving 16lbs. He was still feeling the effects of that run when turning in a rare below-par display last time out, but Curtis reports him back to his best and working well. A fine jumper who gallops all day and goes on any ground, his only negative is that he might now be a shade too high in the handicap.

ACROSS THE BAY 9yo, 11st2lb, 33/1

Tough and dependable sort who alternates between fences and hurdles and has his syndicate owners bullish about his chances. One of three probable runners for Donald McCain, he was tailed off in the Welsh National but thrashed one of Saturday’s rivals, Cappa Bleu, earlier in the season and warmed up for Aintree with a fine Grade Two win over hurdles at Haydock on his first outing since a wind operation. Likely to be among those cutting out the running, but might be too high in the handicap to get competitive.

JOIN TOGETHER 8yo, 11st2lb, 16/1

Emerged on the scene as a promising novice chaser early last season when his scalps in two wins at Cheltenham included one of Saturday’s rivals, Teaforthree. However, he has been largely disappointing since and while he represents last season’s winning trainer/jockey partnership of Paul Nicholls and Daryl Jacob, only one eight year-old has triumphed in the race in the last 20 years. On the plus side, Nicholls has made no secret of the fact that he’s aimed him at the National and the gelding stayed on strongly when tackling the Aintree fences in the Becher Chase in December.

COLBERT STATION 9yo, 11st1lb, 12/1

The likely mount of multiple champion jockey Tony McCoy, for his boss, JP McManus, and one of two red-hot fancies for outspoken trainer-cum-TV-analyst Ted Walsh, father of Ruby. A hugely progressive handicapper, he was an impressive winner of the prestigious Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas and acts on any ground. But he’s been whacked up 17lbs for that triumph and is very inexperienced for a race of this nature (only five outings over fences). He’s not guaranteed to stay the marathon trip either and although he tuned up nicely with a win over hurdles last time, that was off a mark of 119. He runs off 149 at Aintree.

FORPADYDEPLASTERER 11yo, 11st, 50/1

Likeable veteran chaser, who won the 2009 Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and was runner-up the following season in two more Grade One showpiece races, the Tingle Creek and the Queen Mother Champion Chase. If such statistics suggest all his best form is over the minimum trip of 2m, that is correct, so connections are clutching at straws in the hope that the National trip can restore him to winning ways after a run of just one victory since his Arkle success. Mind you, that win was over 3m in heavy ground, while his consistency (second no fewer than 13 times in 30 runs) is to be admired.

ON HIS OWN 9yo, 11st, 7/1

Although he eventually missed the race because of injury, it had to be significant that Ruby Walsh, winning jockey in 2000 and 2005, picked Willie Mullins’s son of Presenting to ride in last year’s National, ahead of the horse that went on to win, Neptune Collonges, plus the third, Seabass, and the previous year’s favourite, The Midnight Club. We found out why because, under Paul Townend, the Graham Wylie-owned gelding belied his inexperience to travel supremely well before coming down at Becher’s Brook second time. Mullins is now thirsting for compensation and to retain last year’s handicap mark, he’s given his charge only one run since -- a winning one over hurdles at Navan in February. There’s little doubt he possesses a touch of class, but he’s still not particularly streetwise and I am reluctant to forget how badly he struggled over 4m at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago when trained in England by Howard Johnson.

JONCOL 10yo, 10st13lb, 50/1

A feature of this year’s National is the number of Irish-trained chasers on comeback missions after failing to fulfil their potential. Paul Nolan’s big, strapping sort is one such contender because not long ago, he was hailed a rising star capable of progressing into a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, especially when pocketing a couple of crack Grade One races in the 2009/10 season. He’s won just once more since and has looked a one-paced disappointment for most of this season. But as a result, his handicap mark has plummetted from a peak of 163 to 147, so connections are hoping this unique race can rekindle his talent, especially as the 2007-winning jockey, Robbie Power, gets the leg-up. A surprisingly fine effort over hurdles in December suggested the spark is still there, although he might just prefer softer ground than he’ll get at Aintree.

BALTHAZAR KING 9yo, 10st12lb, 25/1

Seasoned, genuine chaser who has developed into something of a specialist in Cheltenham’s cross-country races but remains perfectly capable of good form on orthodox tracks, particularly when the ground is good or quicker. A fluent jumper, likely to be among the pacesetters, the son of King’s Theatre is trained by Philip Hobbs, who is confident of his chances at Aintree, even though he is on a career-high handicap mark. He hasn’t been out since December, but always runs well fresh.

CAPPA BLEU 11yo, 10st11lb, 12/1

Trainer Evan Williams has sent out placed horses in the Aintree National for the last four seasons, including this former prolific hunter chaser, who was fourth in the 2012 renewal, staying on late after earlier being hampered by a faller. The 11-year-old, who won the Foxhunters’ Chase at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, now gets the chance to run off 2lbs lower this time round and has been specifically prepared for the contest by Williams, who has given him just a couple of prep runs, including an eyecatching one at Ascot last time. Although he’s getting on in years, he’s raced only 11 times under Rules.

OSCAR TIME 12yo, 10st11lb, 50/1

Owned by the Waley-Cohens, of Long Run fame, this horse produced a terrific performance to finish runner-up to Ballabriggs in the 2010 National off the same handicap mark of 145 that he boasts now. Unfortunately, he has deteriorated since, running only five times, and finished stone last in his prep race last month, suggesting age has caught up with him.

ALWAYS WAINING 12yo, 10st10lb, 40/1

Extraordinary veteran who comes alive when tackling the Aintree fences, having won the Topham Chase over a shorter 2m6f trip on the second day of the National meeting for the last three years -- off handicap marks of 128, 133 and 138. Now Peter Bowen’s charge goes for the big one off 144 and aims to become the first National winner to be trained in Wales since Kirkland in 1905. He’s easily the most experienced horse in the field, this being his 62nd National Hunt start after a career on the Flat too. But his previous attempts at this sort of marathon distance have ended in failure.

QUINZ 9yo, 10st10lb, 50/1

Trained by Philip Hobbs, this French-bred was a progressive novice two seasons ago, culminating in victory in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton. But connections made the big mistake of pitching him into the Grand National that same season, at the age of just seven, and it was too much for him. He was pulled up after bursting a blood vessel and has not looked the same horse since. Nevertheless he is back for another crack after a respectable performance in the same Kempton race six weeks ago.

TATENEN 9yo, 10st10lb, 100/1

So highly rated was Richard Rowe’s gelding when trained by Paul Nicholls that he was sent off 4/1 favourite for the Arkle Chase at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival. His decline has been marked, but he remains capable at his best, albeit at shorter trips than Saturday’s. He is not always a fluent jumper, though, and unseated his rider at the Canal Turn in last year’s National.

TREACLE 12yo, 10st9lb, 33/1

One of two potential runners for Irish handler Tom Taaffe (son of Arkle’s jockey Pat Taaffe), the winner of the 2009 Munster National at Limerick was quietly fancied in some quarters for last year’s Aintree version, only to come to grief early on. A consistent stayer, he’s getting on a bit now but hasn’t been over-raced and proved his wellbeing with victory at Down Royal last month.

LOST GLORY 8yo, 10st8lb, 50/1

Bred in New Zealand, a son of leading Flat sire Montjeu and one of the youngest horses in the field. Hardly a profile that screams Grand National winner. However, Jonjo O’Neill’s chaser, owned by JP McManus, has been quietly progressive this season, winning four of his last five starts. All surfaces come alike to him and he stays well. The downside is that his successes have been confined to relatively minor races, so this will be a whole new ball-game.

SAINT ARE 7yo, 10st8lb, 50/1

Not since Bogskar in 1940 has a horse as young as seven won the demanding Aintree National. Tim Vaughan’s dogged stayer has run well on three previous visits to the track -- but all have been on the Mildmay course, including a surprise 33/1 triumph in a Grade One novices’ hurdle two years ago. Adding to the negatives is his tendency to hit a few fences, as at the Cheltenham Festival last month when he ran poorly.

SWING BILL 12yo, 10st8lb, 66/1

The renowned colours of leading owner David Johnson will be carried by the David Pipe-trained grey, who got round in last year’s race, albeit finishing a distant tenth. He jumped the fences adequately again in the Becher Chase last December and remains capable of decent form, having picked up one or two nice prizes, most notably at Cheltenham. But he’s currently on the highest handicap rating of his career and performed badly at the Festival last month.

CHICAGO GREY 10yo, 10st7lb, 14/1

Few trainers are in better form at the moment than tubby Irishman Gordon Elliott, who saddled Silver Birch to win the 2007 National. He has another live candidate in this grey who has stamina coming out of his ears, as he proved when winning with ease the four-miler at the Cheltenham Festival of 2011. It could be argued that he has not progressed as Elliott would have liked. Indeed he has won just one more race -- as recently as last month. But that was a Grade Two affair over an inadequate 2m4f trip and when not fully wound up. It was also significant for two more reasons -- proving the success of an operation on his wind and coming AFTER the publication of the National weights, meaning the handicapper could not alter his mark of 141, which looks attractive, considering he was rated 151 at his previous peak and 150 when unluckily brought down early on in last year’s race. His jumping can be slovenly at times but he has the magical assistance in the saddle this time of Paul Carberry, who steered Bobbyjo home in 1999.

QUISCOVER FONTAINE 9yo, 10st7lb, 50/1

The third string of champion Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who sent out Hedgehunter to win the race in 2005. A lightly-raced French-bred, who has run over fences only ten times, he was fourth in the 2011 Irish National, but has never set the world alight and fell at about halfway in the Aintree spectacular last year when well back in the field. Curiously, for a horse considered a stayer, he rarely runs beyond 2m2f.

BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE 10yo, 10st6lb, 50/1

Irish trainer Noel Glynn’s strong-travelling chaser has his third attempt at the great race after falling when fancied each/way in 2011 and then coming down at the Canal Turn last season after being hampered. He has twice run well at the Cheltenham Festival, finishing runner-up in the four-miler in 2010 and then fifth in this season’s Kim Muir. But although he generally jumps well, he rarely finds enough at the business end of races and has not won now for more than three years.

HARRY THE VIKING 8yo, 10st6lb, 40/1

One of three probable runners for champion trainer Paul Nicholls and one of two part-owned by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. But both will have to weave their magic to conjure a return to his best. He looked a stayer of genuine promise last term when reeling off a four-timer as a novice and chasing home one of Saturday’s leading fancies, Teaforthree, in the four-miler at the Cheltenham Festival. But since being pulled up in the Scottish National last April, he’s shown little, including at this year’s Festival, and although he will enjoy the drying ground, his lack of experience is a major worry.

RARE BOB 11yo, 10st6lb, 25/1

There are few better combinations in racing at the moment than wily big-race trainer Dessie Hughes (father of champion Flat jockey Richard) and new riding sensation Bryan Cooper. And they team up here with an experienced campaigner who rarely wins but seldom runs a bad race, often in warm company. It is probably telling that Cooper partners this horse, rather than Forpadydeplasterer, trained by his dad. He was brought down early on in last year’s National, but generally jumps and travels well and handled these unique fences perfectly well enough in the 2011 Becher Chase. Three solid performances this season included a close fourth in a hot Grade Two affair last time (just behind one of Saturday’s rivals, Seabass) and although his stamina is not copper-bottomed for a marathon like this, the better ground should offset that.

THE RAINBOW HUNTER 9yo, 10st6lb, 66/1

It’s 23 years since Kim Bailey saddled Mr Frisk to win the National. But the trainer, who also has a Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle on his CV, will be hoping to crown his recent renaissance with victory for this nine-year-old, who is owned by a syndicate that includes Racing UK presenter Oli Bell. The gelding can be let down by shoddy jumping, but he should stay, will appreciate the ground and is over-priced, particularly on the evidence of a couple of nice performances in decent handicaps at Ascot this term.

MR MOONSHINE 9yo, 10st5lb, 66/1

Dyed-in-the-wool former winning pointer, now trained by the no-nonsense Yorkshire team of Sue Smith and ex-showjumping husband, Harvey. A gritty handicapper who is always there or thereabouts, he has yet to convince he is capable of tackling a race of this magnitude. But he has never fallen and produced a career best run at Wetherby over Christmas when runner-up to Cheltenham Gold Cup fifth, Cape Tribulation, in a Grade Three event.

MUMBLES HEAD 12yo, 10st4lb, 100/1

Peter Bowen’s ageing chaser has won £77,000 in prize money during his career, but is one of the wild outsiders in this company and is best known as a summer chaser. He rattled off a hat-trick of wins between last April and June, which shot him up the handicap to a mark he’s struggled to cope with ever since. Not seen since Christmas, he fell at the first when trying the Aintree fences in the Becher Chase in December.

PEARLYSTEPS 10yo, 10st4lb, 100/1

Lighlty-raced, thorough stayer from the Henry Daly stable who has often shaped with promise, most notably a couple of years ago when a close third behind The Giant Bolster, who has been placed in the last two Cheltenham Gold Cups. But he was a distant seventh in the Festival four-miler won by one of Saturday’s rivals, Chicago Grey, later that same year, while a disappointing prep run this February suggests he won’t have the ability to make an impact here.

AURORAS ENCORE 11yo, 10st3lb, 66/1

A one-time shart chaser who unleashed a career-best display to finish a head second in last year’s Scottish National at Ayr. That proved his aptitude for long distances, and he gets the chance to run off a handicap mark 6lbs lower on Saturday. However, Sue Smith’s gelding has been in no sort of form this season and was tailed off on his latest start.

NINETIETH MINUTE 10yo, 10st3lb, 66/1

Tom Taaffe’s son of crack jumps sire Old Vic was so good over hurdles that he landed the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival in 2009, off a handicap rating three pounds higher than his current one. However, he has never really translated that ability to fences, winning just once and falling in last season’s Irish National. He ran well enough last time when second to one of Saturday’s rivals, Treacle, but has earned the dreaded Timeform squiggle for unreliability.

TARQUINIUS 10yo, 10st2lb, 66/1

Grey longshot, formerly trained in Lambourn by Charlie Mann and now under the care of Gordon Elliott in Ireland. He’s likely to stay the trip but finds himself on a career-high handicap mark, almost a stone higher than when runner-up in the valuable Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park in January. He’s also been on the go all season and prefers to get his toe in, meaning the drying ground is against him.

ANY CURRENCY 10yo, 10st, 66/1

Dour stayer who was fourth in the 4m chase at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival and eighth in last season’s Scottish National. But he wears headgear and is not the most trustworthy of conveyances. Indeed he unshipped his pilot over these fences in the Becher Chase in December and was well below-par in the cross-country race at Cheltenham last month on his latest appearance.

POKER DE SIVOLA 10yo, 10st, 50/1

Few trainers are better at preparing a staying horse for a big handicap than Ferdy Murphy, who will be hoping that this talented, but lazy, challenger can return to his best form. If he can, he has a squeak because he is currently 3lbs lower than when staying on from nowhere to win the Bet365 Gold Cup (formerly the Whitbread) at Sandown two years ago. He also landed the four-miler at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010 and will relish the drying ground on Saturday. The gelding has been seen only twice since Sandown -- but significantly, one of those outings was an educational spin over the Aintree fences in the Becher Chase in December.

MAJOR MALARKEY 10yo, 10st, 100/1

There aren’t many horses in this year’s National with no chance, but Nigel Twiston-Davies’s modest stayer, who has not won a race of any description since December 2010, is one of them. Although he was runner-up in last year’s Midlands National at Uttoxeter, he was pulled up in this season’s renewal after losing his action, and he unseated his rider in the 4m marathon won by one of Saturday’s rivals, Chicago Grey, at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival.

BACKSTAGE 11yo, 10st, 66/1

Back Number might be a more appropriate name now for Gordon Elliott’s outsider because he shows little sign of recapturing form that made him one of the leading fancies for the 2010 National when he was going well until hampered by a loose horse and unseating his rider. Twelve months later, he got round to finish tenth, but was beaten 68 lengths and in only two runs under Rules since that day, he has been pulled up in both the 2011 Irish National and last month’s Foxhunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

SOLL 8yo, 10st, 40/1

Giant, long-striding former point-to-point winner who was well regarded when with crack trainer Willie Mullins last season. Now with Jo Hughes, who pitched him into a couple of hefty assignments, the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Welsh Grand National, on his first two starts for her. He found both too demanding but did make all to win at Sandown last time and it would be no surprise to see him take to the Aintree fences, even though he would prefer softer ground and is short on staying-chase nous.

RICHARD SILVERWOOD’S TOP SIX

1 CHICAGO GREY

2 TEAFORTHREE

3 RARE BOB

4 ROBERTO GOLDBACK

5 BALTHAZAR KING

6 JONCOL

A well loved duck race which was postponed at New Year due to low water levels took place last weekend.

On Easter Saturday groups of spectators congregated along Driffield Beck to watch fleets of rubber ducks make their way down stream in the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust duck race.

The race had initially been cancelled from its regular New Year’s Day slot due to the beck being too dry to float the ducks on, a situation which has become a common problem for the trust’s duck races.

Lasting around an hour the race on Saturday saw many ducks, which had previously been sponsored by Driffield residents, float past the Cattle Market car park.

The three ducks in the final were promised the prize of £30, £20 and £10 respectively.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust are a charity which works to preserve the nature of the region. It also aims to involve local communities in looking after the wildlife in their environments.

For more information visit ywt.org.uk

Police are investigating the burglary of an outbuilding in Bewholme between midnight on Tuesday March 26 and noon the following day, when an insecure outbuilding on a farm site was entered and various items were stolen, including power tools, two electric motors, a red air compressor, several sheets of stainless steel and a Blue Quad Bike.

It is believed that a vehicle would have been used to transport the items. If anyone saw an unknown vehicle in the area or anyone acting suspiciously please contact the police and quote crime reference 1965056.

Officers are also probing an arson to straw bails at Kilnwick, Driffield between 3.30pm and 1.15mp on Thursday March 28 when someone set fire to a large stack of bails in a field near Kilnwick. A neighbour alerted the owner. He managed to get it the blaze under control but still lost 12 large round bails of straw at a value of £400.

Police are investigating a burglary at the Model Boat Club, Carnaby Industrial Estate,

between 2pm on Thursday March 28 and 8am the following day when someone climbed over the gates to the compound and used a rock to smash a grill to a side window and entered the clubhouse. They went round the clubhouse throwing items around before leaving. Empty Alcohol bottles were found nearby.

Humberside Police are investigating two incidents which took place on The Maltings in Nafferton.

Between 11pm on Thursday 28 March and 2.40am on Friday 29 March a silver Ford Fiesta parked outside of the owners address was broken into and searched.

Also during the early hours of Friday 29 March whilst the occupants of the house were away on holiday, unknown offenders attempted to open a garage door.

No entry was gained to the garage and nothing was taken.

A police spokeswoman said: “The owner of the Fiesta was woken by his neighbours house alarm going off. He saw three figures run from his neighbours house. He got in the Fiesta and gave chase, without any result. It was then that he realised that his vehicle had been subject to being entered and searched.”

If you have any information about these incident please call the police quoting crime reference 1965312 regarding the Fiesta and/or 1965604 regarding the garage.

The people behind the award-winning Driffield Show are hosting their first ever motor show over the weekend of May 25 and 26.

Ashley Godber, of Adrenaline Advertising Ltd, said: “This is the perfect opportunity for you and your family to enjoy a brilliant day out and become true “petrol heads” in a beautiful, easily reached East Riding setting, with value for money ticket prices and free car parking.”

Dealerships from across the region will be showing their latest models, from Alfa Romeo to Ford, and there will be a number of car trade stands exhibiting over the weekend, as well as owners’ clubs and cars of all makes and models on display.

To keep the family entertained there will be bouncy castles and fair ground games.

The main ring entertainment for the weekend will be “The Moto-Stunts International Stunt Team” which is one of the UK’s largest car stunt display teams, and one of the few display teams to include Cars, Quads, Motorcycle stunts and specialist vehicles.

Throughout the weekend there will be a licensed bar and plenty of catering for all tastes and budgets.

On Saturday night, local covers band Reloaded will be performing in the Member’s Pavilion. Camping is available on Friday and Saturday at £5 per pitch per night.

Mr Godber said: “Test your driving skills in our Time trials, or enter your car into one of our competitions with £1000 prize money to be won. Categories are Best of Show, Best Exterior, Best Interior, Best Club Stand and Spirit of the Show.

Advanced tickets are on sale now priced at £6 with under 12’s just £2 and under 5’s free from www.driffieldshowgroundevents.co.uk. If you would like to exhibit or display your car at the Motor Show please contact Nicola 01377 257494 or email nicola@driffieldshowgroundevents.co.uk

Other events at Kelleythorpe in May include the Driffield Vintage Fair and Fun Day, with

proceeds to Driffield 873 Squadron ATC and other local charities.

The event will feature vintage clothing, memorabilia, classic cars and motorcycles, a vintage tea room, a dog show, fitness and dance displays, a choir, a craft market, DJ, music, food, a bar, rides, climbing tower, stalls and trade stands, cakes, owls, raffle, tombola, tug O war, childrens races, car boot, vintage exhibits, hog toast, Land Army girls, and lots more. Entry, Adults £2.50 Children £1.50.

The Edge Foundation, which champions technical, practical and vocational education, is making funding available for schools, colleges and learning providers in the North East to help raise awareness of the benefits of skills-based learning.

Colleges, schools and learning providers interested visit the VQ Day website, http://www.vqday.org.uk/get-involved and download a guidance form.

Councillor Mally Boatman is calling on East Riding of Yorkshire Council to adopt a zero-tolerance approach when dealing with people who don’t clean up after their dogs.

At a Full Council meeting yesterday, Wednesday April 3, he moved that Parking Enforcement Officers should be given powers to issue penalty notices for dog fouling. In the last year alone the Authority has received 500 complaints.