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

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

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

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

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

Christmas is coming and Santa has more than a few surprises up his very wide sleeves this year... including a sackful of sparkling books.

From those early years of discovery to the more discerning teenage readers, there is a winter wonderland of reading out there just waiting to be wrapped and delivered. Here is a selection of some of the best Christmas crackers.

2 plus:

When It Snows by Richard Collingridge

Get in the festive mood with this beautiful story of one small boy’s magical snowy adventure. When everything grinds to a halt because of the snow, a little boy and his teddy bear refuse to allow the weather to spoil their fun. They embark on an amazing journey in which they ride a polar bear and meet huge snowmen, an ice queen, elves, a giant reindeer and Father Christmas. And at the very end of the story, there’s a clever twist... he has simply become immersed in the magical scenes of his favourite book! A winter wonderland of atmospheric pictures, blazing fires and the spirit of Christmas, and an inspiring story about the imaginative power of books.

(David Fickling Books, hardback, £10.99)

Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish by Rebecca Harry

Endearing illustrations, a warm, cosy story and silver foiled illustrations make this a truly sparkling gift. One snowy Christmas Eve, a small bunny goes in search of Santa to ask him to make her Christmas wish come true. She packs everything she might need for the journey, leaves her warm burrow and sets out through the snow. On the way she meets other animals, all in need of a little help, which she gladly offers – and by offering makes her own wish come true! All’s well that ends well in this heart-melting story. Baby animals and Christmas cheer abound, and all depicted through Rebecca Harry’s appealing, broad stroke pictures, including foil on every page for that extra special something.

(Nosy Crow, hardback, £12.99)

Big Book of Nursery Rhymes by Kali Stileman

Old and well-loved nursery rhymes are brought to life with stunning illustrations in this light and bright nursery book which will capture the hearts of toddlers. Kali Stileman brings the action rhymes, songs and lullabies to life with her characteristically quirky illustrations. These traditional staples of early childhood are an essential part of developing a love of words and books, and this is a fun, fresh way of introducing them. The stunning anthology is a wonderful way to share nursery rhymes with babies and toddlers, and the luxury, padded cover makes it an extra special gift.

(Doubleday, hardback, £9.99)

Tamara Small and the Monsters’ Ball by Giles Paley-Phillips and Gabriele Antonini

Monsters don’t have to be scary, particularly if you are a toddler who is easily spooked! This clever and colourful picture book, full of reason and rhyme, will help little ones get their fears into perspective as well as delivering a monster feast of fun. On a windy night Tamara lies awake in bed when she hears a noise outside her room. Suddenly she is whisked away by a hairy arm and taken to the village hall. Luckily it’s just the neighbourhood monsters inviting her to their ball and after a night of dancing, she is sent back home with a lovely slice of slime cake! With big, bold pictures, a truly delightful rhyming text and a message that is the perfect remedy for night time fears, this book has all the makings of a bedtime classic.

(Maverick Arts Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

3 plus:

Playbook Farm by Corina Fletcher and Britta Teckentrup

Keep the children entertained this Christmas with an ingenious pop-up book and play mat that combines a fun game with an entertaining story. This is the perfect novelty package for all pre-school children. Bright, vibrant and sturdy, the fold-out mat and figures provide hours of play before being stored safely away in their own carry case. Created by a paper engineer, the robust package comprises a pop-up story book which unfolds and transforms into a 3D farmyard landscape, with cardboard animals and vehicles to use on the farm. The simple story is full of animal noises and actions, perfect for sharing as a book as well as awakening imaginations. Easily portable, this is just the job for journeys and play dates.

(Nosy Crow, boardbook, £14.99)

Grandma Bendy by Izy Penguin

Children are never too young to learn the difference between right and wrong. A case in point in Grandma Bendy; she might once have been ‘bent’ but she’s going straight now. Grandma Bendy is incredibly bendy and used her skills to burgle houses until the long arm of the law locked her up in a bendy-proof prison. Now she uses her bendiness to help other people and has found that making other people happy makes her happy too! Morality tales don’t come better than in this funny and creative picture book which features brilliant illustrations and an engaging story.

(Maverick Arts Publishing, paperback, £6.99)

Albert the Pug and the Haunted Castle by Garry Cook

Albert, the pugnacious pug who can’t seem to keep out of trouble, is back for another madcap adventure! When our doggedly brave hero is disturbed by a strange sound while on holiday in Scotland, he decides to make a search and find out what’s going on. But he will have to overcome his fears and imagination first if he is going to solve the mystery. Lancashire journalist Garry Cook’s quirky, rhyming stories with their large, colourful hand-painted illustrations and positive themes are aimed at children who are developing their reading skills. An ideal book for bedtime.

(Createspace, paperback, £8.75)

Friends in the Snow by Daniel Postgate and Sam Childs

The mind is a canvas on which to paint your dreams and that’s just what one little girl does is this colourful and clever picture book that lets young imaginations take flight. When Lucy’s dad paints her bedroom wall white, Lucy knows that it isn’t JUST white – it’s a white monster, standing in the white snow and the monster wants an adventure! An endearing tale about the magic of invention and the importance of friendship is brought to life with superbly evocative illustrations. As the cold winter nights approach, what better book could there be to cuddle up with on the sofa, and share with mum and dad?

(Scholastic, paperback, £6.99)

Age 4 plus:

Lost in the Woods by Claire Harrison and Elinor Geller

Who can resist these two adorable dogs and their exciting adventures? Peggylicious, a beautiful black cocker spaniel, and Archie, a Tibetan terrier, are the creation of author Claire Harrison and illustrator Elinor Geller and the story of their mission to help a group of children who are lost in the woods certainly has the ‘aaah’ factor! In their excitement at the end of term, the children run off on an adventure without telling their parent s where they are going. Fortunately, Peggylicious and Archie bring the three children back home safe and sound. With its rhyming text, charismatic canines, heart-warming message and big, bold illustrations, this endearing story has real child-appeal.

(Vision Marketing, paperback, £5.99)

Age 6 plus:

The Great Race by Nathan Kumar Scott and Jagdish Chitara

A fabulously exotic mix of cultures makes this an extra special Christmas gift. The Great Race is an exciting retelling of an Indonesian folktale, featuring the popular trickster Kanchil, a mouse deer. Illustrated using the exquisite Mata Ni Pachedi style of ritual textile painting from Gujarat, this is the first time that this rare form of traditional art has been used to illustrate a children’s book. ‘I’m the fastest animal in the forest!’ boasts Kanchil, ‘and I challenge any animal to race me!’ Who will step forward to accept this challenge? Vivid illustrations give a wonderful eastern flavour to a fascinating folk story.

(Tara Books, hardback, £10.99)

Genie in Trouble by Ciaran Murtagh

There’s fun and laughter all the way with Ciaran Murtagh’s adventure-loving schoolboy and his ingenious genie. When Jamie’s genie friend Balthazar pops up in the middle of a really tricky spelling test at school, Jamie knows there’s an adventure in store. Bad genies have taken over Lampville and Balthazar wants Jamie to leave his classroom immediately and help. Evil wishes, undercover missions and death-defying magic carpet races face Jamie in his most dangerous challenge yet. Still, it’s got to beat a spelling test! Jamie’s hilarious escapades are ideal for young boys who are reluctant readers and need plenty of laughs to keep the pages turning.

(Piccadilly, paperback, £5.99)

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

For children who love sticker books, here’s one that’s a real cut above! As well as the fun of matching the stickers with the pictures, youngsters can explore the wonderful world of art with fantastic paintings from the National Gallery in London. Featuring 11 of the most popular carols and their musical accompaniment, this amazingly different book is illustrated with Christmas and Nativity scenes from famous paintings from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to Victorian Christmas cards and posters. Children can have fun matching stickers of the paintings to their labelled frames, as well as learning interesting facts about painting. There’s an art to buying the perfect Christmas present and this is it!

(Usborne, paperback, £6.99)

Age 7 plus:

Where’s The Meerkat? Journey Through Time by Paul Moran and Jen Wainwright

The meerkats are making it a real family get-together this Christmas with a book that offers pages of fun for every age group. Find the adorable meerkat family as they go on a voyage through the ages, from the Ancient Greeks to King Henry’s court through the Battle of Waterloo to a 1920s New York ballroom. Spot them as they feast at a Tudor banquet, swash and buckle aboard Blackbeard’s ship, spend a day in the Forbidden City and much, much more. And make sure to watch out for their arch-nemesis, the crafty hawk, and their annoying next door neighbour, the greedy squirrel! Combining meerkat madness with the challenge of a search book and the added thrill of time travel, this entertaining book is an ideal gift.

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

Excuses Excuses by Anushka Ravishankar and Gabrielle Manglou

Poetry in motion... from India! Every child breaks the rules sometimes so it’s always useful to have a few good excuses up your sleeve, and here we have some of the most outrageous. Late again! What is it now? Chased by a lion? Kicked by a cow? Meet Neel, who has noble intentions but finds that they all have a funny habit of going wrong! Excuses, Excuses captures the gleeful childhood dilemma of knowing the importance of rules but delighting in breaking them. A deliciously wild and absurd feast of fun from Anushka Ravishankar, India’s best-loved children’s poet, and Gabrielle Manglou, a zany artist from Réunion Island.

(Tara Books, hardback, £10.99)

Age 8 plus:

Horrible Histories Annual 2013 by Terry Deary and Martin Brown

To mark the 20th awesome and awful anniversary of Horrible Histories, here’s a book full of madcap moments and foul facts from days gone by. A new year is on the horizon and there’s plenty of new nasty bits to be enjoyed! Packed with foul facts, gory games, dreadful jokes and putrid puzzles, plus content from Horrible Histories TV, this is every child’s chance to pep up 2013 with jokes, grot and grime from history’s yuckiest moments. A must-have for all Horrible Histories fans, it’s the annual with rat-itude and guaranteed to make you go wow, aargh and yuk!

(Scholastic, hardback, £7.99)

Age 9 plus:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time by Frank Cottrell Boyce

It’s almost 50 years since James Bond author Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a bedtime story for his son Caspar and now the little car is flying again thanks to the storytelling talents of scriptwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce. This is his second official sequel and it’s as fast, funny and exciting as you would expect from adventures featuring this fantastic flying car. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is stuck in reverse. Baby Harry’s pressed a button that means she’s reversing through time – with the Tooting family aboard. When they finally come to a stop, it’s at the feet of a very hungry-looking T-rex. How will the Tootings get out of there before they become T-rex takeaway? Fast-paced, entertaining and laced with wry humour, Chitty’s 21st century adventures are just brilliant for a new generation of readers.

(Macmillan, hardback, £10.99)

Age 10 plus:

Guest review: Forget Me Never by Gina Blaxill reviewed by Lancashire reader Hui-Ling Phillips aged 16

An intriguing book set over one summer, drawing together a crime close to home and heart with sympathy for the everyday troubles of the modern teenager. This story draws you into the minds of two teenagers caught up in a dangerous situation with only each other for reassurance.

Sophie, whose cousin Dani has just died, refuses to believe what the authorities have deduced. Suicide in her opinion was not the reason. She and her best friend Reece fight to find out the truth, while fighting to simply stay friends.

This book takes you on a journey from arranging their own undercover work to trying to stay friends throughout all of their hardships which tests their loyalty to instinct or logic. Can Sophie learn to trust before she loses her best friend for good?

Forget Me Never will open your eyes to a world you may have dared not think about. Blaxill has created amazingly complex and believable situations and characters in Forget Me Never that you will never forget.

(Macmillan, paperback, £6.99)

North Child by Edith Pattou

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

(Usborne, hardback, £12.99)

The Truth about Christmas by Philip Ardagh

So why DO we have sprouts with our Christmas dinner, whose idea was it to kiss under the mistletoe and what on earth has a Yule log to do with the festive season? The truth about Christmas and its often weird traditions are unravelled in this brilliant little book from Philip Ardagh, a man who just can’t stop finding fascinating facts! Here he sets his sights on the cryptic side of Christmas as he reveals who decided to celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25, the real Saint Nicholas, the purpose of all that holly and ivy, when the first Christmas card was sent, why we have a fairy at the top of the tree and plenty of other candle-burning questions. A must-have gift for inquisitive children.

(Macmillan, hardback, £7.99)

Silenced by Simon Packham

A 15-year-old grief-stricken schoolboy’s mental conversation with his dead best friend seems a harrowing subject for a young adult novel but Silenced, the story of Chris who is struck dumb when his comedy ‘partner’ Declan dies in a car crash, is one of this year’s best teen reads. Darkly funny, compellingly real, remarkably wise and beautifully written, this is the kind of book that leaves adults convinced that youth fiction is wasted when it’s read only by the young. Using an eclectic and instantly recognisable cast of characters, and a powerful and original narrative voice, Packham deals with highly sensitive and emotive themes with extraordinary warmth, understanding and humour.

(Piccadilly, paperback, £6.99)

Meet Mystery Man... owner of a Belfast crime bookshop, partner of long-suffering Alison, father of Page (well, his dad is a bookseller), son of a homicidal/suicidal woman, and a truly amazing detective.

His soul is black, his humour is dark and cynical, he hates his customers, he’s pathetically neurotic and he’s the classic antihero creation of the very clever Bateman (better known as Colin Bateman, screenplay writer for the films Divorcing Jack and Wild About Harry and the popular TV series Murphy’s Law starring James Nesbitt).

The Prisoner of Brenda is Bateman’s fourth Mystery Man novel featuring the Small Bookseller with No Name whose little grey cells are rivalled only by Hercule Poirot and who hasn’t yet heard of political correctness (much to the relief of his followers!).

The Mystery Man series has become cult reading and it’s easy to see why; the books harness cracking mystery stories in a mad, mad world of crazy Belfast characters and throwaway lines which deliver a hilarious and often hard-hitting punch at all those things Mystery Man hates, like politicians, big business, the publishing industry and faceless mega-bookstores.

Entertaining plotlines play out within the parameters of classic crime writing but still manage to puncture pretentiousness, raise belly laughs and celebrate sick jokes and scintillating sarcasm.

Business is slow for Mystery Man, owner of No Alibis, Belfast’s finest mystery bookshop which boasts a ‘Buy One Get One for Exactly the Same Price’ table at its heart, so when Nurse Brenda, a vital cog in the wheel of his last case, turns up with ‘a puzzle’ for him, he simply can’t refuse her offer to investigate.

Notorious gangster ‘Fat Sam’ Mahood, a man who did ‘big and scary’ very well and made a successful living from it, has been stabbed to death at a city gym with the chief suspect arrested nearby.

But the suspect seems to have suffered a breakdown. Incarcerated in Purdyburn, a huge Victorian mental institution and a place all too familiar to former patient Mystery Man, he is known only as the Man in the White Suit.

It’s an enigma which caring Nurse Brenda is eager to solve so she calls on Mystery Man to bring his powers of investigation to bear despite some reservations on the part of Alison who is not convinced that the ‘puzzle’ couldn’t develop into a full-blown danger mission.

Aided by Jeff, part-time shop assistant, aspiring poet and now unwilling babysitter, intrepid Mystery Man enters the asylum as an undercover patient but before our hero can even begin his investigations, the Man in the White Suit is arrested for the murder of a fellow patient.

But is he a double murderer or a helpless scapegoat? Intrigue, conspiracy, and ancient Latin curses all combine to give the Small Bookseller with No Name his most perplexing, frustrating and dangerous case to date.

The Prisoner of Brenda delivers on all the levels we have come to expect from Bateman – brutal action, suspense, a compelling crime maze and brilliantly unique humour.

Don’t miss the fun...

(Headline, paperback, £14.99)

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a Miranda Dickinson book...

To be honest, the festive season doesn’t much feature in When I Fall In Love despite its snow-covered jacket, but as a glass of mulled wine infuses warmth and good cheer and a classic Christmas movie evokes laughter and tears, so her sparkling stories bear tidings of comfort and joy.

Yes, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in a feelgood story that endows the same glow as cuddling up in front of a log fire as we are whisked away to sunny Brighton or, more specifically, a beachfront retro ice cream parlour with the wonderful name of Sundae and Cher.

It’s here that we find Elsie Maynard, the young assistant manager, whose past woes are about to come in for some fairytale treatment... but first she has to overcome the rather vexing problem of being caught leaving the local chemist shop without paying for her goods.

Just as well then that Prince Charming, alias well-cut businessman Torin Stewart, happens to be walking by to rescue her but a pity that the stolen items are some rather unromantic pile ointment and ear wax remover (for her dad, she would hasten to add!)

But Torin isn’t the only new man in her life... there’s also Woody Jensen, former member of 80s rock group Hellfinger who talent spots the musical Elsie when she gives an impromptu performance at the ice cream parlour and persuades her to help him form a local choir.

And then there’s the irresistible attractions of designer Olly Hogarth, a handsome hunk who seems intent on winning her heart.

It’s all a big sea change for Elsie whose ‘happy ever after’ was suddenly and painfully taken away from her eighteen months ago. She is slowly daring to live – and date – again and making her way through a bitter-sweet ‘List’ of things she must do.

Meanwhile, we get to know Elsie’s wonderful dad Jim, a Brighton businessman more at home in combat shirt and bright orange Doc Marten boots than a smart suit, her headstrong older sisters Guin and Daisy, and her larger-than-life boss Cher Pettinger.

And the choir, a very contemporary outfit and now sporting the rather fruity moniker The Sundaes, is going from strength to strength.

At long last, Elsie believes she is making the most of her life, but then a heartfelt request takes her to Paris – and the final item on her very important List. Can Elsie take that big step and lay her past to rest?

Once again Dickinson spreads her special stardust over a tale of everyday folk whose trials and tribulations get a magical makeover, providing chicklit fans with a spellbinding feast of fun and a welcome escape from the winter cold.

She weaves the threads of her characters’ lives and stories into one big beautiful patchwork quilt, reflecting colour and real emotional depth but also stuffed to the corners with music, comedy and romance.

Written with warmth, subtlety and imagination, and all neatly packaged with her trademark care and affection, When I Fall In Love is the perfect way to ring in the Christmas season.

(Avon, paperback, £6.99)

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Monday, December 3 for Mrs Margery Woodcock of Mill Falls, Driffield who died suddenly in hospital on November 24. She was 84.

The service was conducted by the Rev Robert Amos and the organist was Mr Peter Maw.

Margery was born in Driffield, the fourth of six children born to Charlie & Muriel Holmes of Victoria Road. She attended school in Driffield. After leaving school she started work at Spencer’s before she met and married Tom in 1949. After living in Bridlington for a short while they moved back to Driffield and lived there for the rest of their lives. They went on to have two children Lynne and Christopher and later one grandson Ian.

Throughout this time Margery had little jobs doing alterations and being a Spirella corsetiere.

She enjoyed sewing, baking and painting. She was a regular churchgoer to the Methodist Church and a member of the Ladies Fellowship there.

She will be greatly missed.

Chief mourners: Lynne & Dean Rushworth (daughter & son in law), Christopher Woodcock (son), Ian Woodcock (grandson).

Others present: Olga Ewbank rep Anita & Michael Oxtoby & Diane Newlove, Mildred Galtry rep June Bennett, Maureen Wright, Beryl Moore, Audrey Ringrose rep Malcolm & Grace Craggs, Mrs J Ewbank, Dorothy Redhead, Joan Stabler rep Pat Stabler, David & Janet Richardson rep James & Jessica, Mrs M Mckinley, Nancy Buck, Molly Fitini, Mr & Mrs P Honor, Stan Bradley, Norman Woodall, Norman & Patricia Wiltshire, Audrey Ireland, Hilary & Ivan Pick, Chris & Sheila Clubley, James & Rebecca Ducker, Edna Clark, Cyril & Gwen Young Jim & Peggy Holmes, Dulcie Wright, Jane Cardwell, Janet Clark, Peter & Margaret Grant, David Cawthorn, Barbara Vincent rep Sally Martin, Mavis Hunsley, June Wilson rep Sheila Simpkin, Mary Owen rep Roger Owen, Mary & Brian Dean, Dorothy Hyde rep Mr & Mrs P Woodcock, Rob Woodcock, Julie Brice & Steve Jackson,Marjorie Clubley rep Malcolm Clubley, Derek & Selina Jackson, Michael Foster, Angela & Charles Wiles, Margaret Leason, Mrs M Maddox, Mrs D Copeland, Mr & Mrs M Copeland, Mrs T Holmes (sister in law) rep Julia Holmes, Sally & Frederick Robson, Karen Banks ( niece), Heather Young rep Maurice Young, Mr & Mrs Steve Woodcock..

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Friday, December 7 for Mrs Mollie Potter, of Northfield Road, Driffield who died peacefully in hospital on 28th November. She was 79.

The service was conducted by the Rev Ian Hill & the organist was Mr Peter Maw.

Mollie was born in Bridlington in 1933. She grew up in Burton Fleming with her brothers Alan and Eric and sister Dorothy. She met Eric and they married in 1952 and came to live in Driffield. They went on to have seven daughters and one son. After her family had grown up she worked for Vertex and Dewhirst’s until she retired.

She loved going on holiday to the Cotswold to stay with her daughter Kathleen. She also loved attending lots of family parties including weddings, engagements and anniverseries. She enjoyed doing the lottery and spent many hours doing crosswords.

Her and Eric spent 60 happy years together and she will be sadly missed by all her family and friends.

Chief mourners: Eric Potter (husband), Carol & Mally Hyde (daughter & son in law), June & Don Boyer (daughter & son in law), Pauline Fisher & Andy Morley (daughter & partner), Yvonne Laird & David Thorley (daughter & partner), Jenifer & Stuart Hicks (daughter & son in law), Kathleen & Steven Bennett (daughter & son in law), Mandy & Martin Gladstone (daughter & son in law), Steven & Jill Potter (son & daughter in law), Gary Hyde & Allyson Rhodes (grandson & partner), Mark & Sarah Fisher (grandson & wife),Paul Hyde (grandson), Lisa & Andy Bland, Samantha & Rick Heslop, Kelly & Liam McManus, Gemma & Shaun Rajiah (granddaughters & husbands), Hannah & Katie Fawcett (step granddaughters).

Others present: Liz Easterby (niece) rep Eric & Margaret Johnson (brother & sister in law), Rebecca Johnson rep Jackie Wilson (nieces), Diana & Darren Edmond rep Polly (niece & husband), Joan & Geoff Appleby (niece & husband), Audrey Ringrose, Chris & Linda Jackson, Susan & Keith Hought rep Kay Chambers, Mr & Mrs A Brigham rep Mr & Mrs R Tate, Jane & Ellie Westbrook rep Brian & Ivy Race, Anita Edgar, Norman & Sue Harris rep David & Lilian Harris, Mrs Mary Hudson, Paul Hudson, Mr & Mrs B Cowton, Mr & Mrs D Foreman, Sue & Eric Blades, Liz Spooner rep Stuart, Elaine Jarvis, Helen Yates rep Alan, Kathleen Hubbard rep the family. Pauline Agar rep John Agar, Julie Duggleby rep Maureen & Pete Duggleby, Steven Duggleby rep Gary Seward, Mr & Mrs A Johnson, Tessa Turton, Brian Fairfield rep Barbara Fairfield, Robert Flake, Mrs D Leppington, Emma Jefferson.

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Wednesday, December 5 for Mr Frank Harrison, of Mill Falls, Driffield, who died peacefully in hospital on November 24. He was 84.

The service was conducted by the Rev Robert Amos and the organist was Steven Westaway.

Frank was born in Beswick. He attended school in Driffield. He started his career as a messenger boy for the Post Office and this led to him becoming post master. He married his late wife Betty in 1953. He enjoyed dancing, gardening and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Chief mourners: George & Heather Harrison (brother & sister in law), Dorothy & Reg Norfor (sister & brother in law), Vera & Ramon Valea (sister & brother in law), Gilbert Nordass (brother in law) & Mrs B Jibson, Ann & Les Lowde rep Andy Hyde, Christine & Ian Walker, David Valea, Dawn Norfor, Julie Smith, Stephen Large, Georgina Smith & Alexander Broughton, Janet & Andrew Cage rep Sue Harrison, Neil & Sally Harrison & Alfie & Tilly, Christine & Edward Trowsdale, Helen & Richard Cashetto, Susan Thomas,Michael Wood, Wendy Dennison, Michael Coultas (nephews, nieces, husbands, partners, great nephew & nieces), Mr & Mrs G Ashley (cousin).

Others present: Mr & Mrs M Bilsden rep Mr & Mrs S Grainger & Mr & Mrs J Clark, Mr & Mrs S Palmer rep Mrs Nancy Garner, Mr & Mrs J Thornton, Derek Foster rep Marjorie Foster & Mrs E Dixon, Basil Thompson rep Mrs E Bell, Allan Clark, Des & Josie Teal, Wendy Cockerill, Brenda Appleton rep Tony Appleton & Tony & Val Naylor, Jim Holmes rep Stan Prince, Peter Sowersby rep David Sowersby, Stan Bradley, Alan Cousins, Gwen & Cyril Young, Mrs Moira Spence, Jane Turner, Maurice Hardy, Ann Walton, Karen Mason, Mr F Oxtoby, Chris Naylor, Barrie Kitchen, Gordon & Doreen Evans, Brian Mellonby rep Tony Straker, Joe Knight & Derek Pickering,

Winter woollies are flying off the shelves at Driffield’s Barnardo’s shop - leading to an urgent appeal for more donations of stock.

The children’s charity has experienced a surge in demand for winter clothing since temperatures dropped this week, with men’s, women’s and children’s winter clothing being snapped up by bargain-hungry shoppers.

Lindsey Harris, Area Business Manager for Yorkshire, said: “Our shops are especially grateful for winter woollies as the mercury drops - so please help us to re-stock.”

In the male-written history books, Alice Perrers was little more than a whore ... an unscrupulous, greedy and manipulative woman of humble origins who became one of the most powerful figures at the court of Edward III.

Alice was lady-in-waiting turned royal mistress and mother of a brood of children to the mighty Plantagenet monarch, but was she really the scheming harlot famously described by John Wycliffe as the ‘devil’s tool’?

Anne O’Brien, historical novelist and magician of medieval history, brings us a new Alice in this extraordinary retelling of the life of a notorious and much vilified 14th century courtier who rose from penniless orphan to one of the most influential women of her age.

In O’Brien’s brilliantly told, unashamedly romantic and compelling novel, Alice becomes flesh-and-blood; a tenacious, loyal, astute and passionate young woman whose path from poverty to extravagant wealth was one determined chiefly by the ambitions and desires of others.

Using a fascinating blend of fiction and the very little that is actually known of Alice Perrers’ life, The King’s Concubine is a plausible and engrossing account of how her bizarre and fantastic destiny might just have unfolded.

Alice was conceived out of wedlock and abandoned to the nuns at the Abbey church of St Mary in Barking near London in 1348. A headstrong girl, born without beauty but with plenty of spirit, she is determined to make something of her life beyond the governance of others and to be ‘neither nun nor wife nor whore.’

Alice’s chance of advancement comes when the rapidly ageing and ailing Philippa of Hainault, King Edward’s wife and queen, visits the abbey and is so taken with the 15-year-old girl’s kindness and care that she whisks her to the royal palace at Havering-atte-Bower.

Soon Alice is promoted to lady-in-waiting but the queen has another, more important role waiting for her at court.

Still deeply in love with her vigorous and charismatic 50-year-old husband but too sickly now to be a proper wife, Philippa has chosen Alice, who has become a young woman of ‘strange charm,’ to be Edward’s lover.

‘This is my gift to him, and yours to me. I have lifted you from nothing, Alice. Now you can repay me,’ she informs Alice.

Alice is soon swept up in Edward’s lavish court, amassing wealth and influence for herself, but she has also become an enemy of the king’s power-hungry son John of Gaunt and the cruel and arrogant Princess Joan, wife of heir to the throne Prince Edward.

Wily Alice must balance her future with caution as her star begins to rise because the despised concubine is not untouchable. Politics and pillow talk are dangerous bedfellows. The fading king wants her in his bed but her foes want her banished.

Power has a price, and Alice Perrers will pay it...

O’Brien’s book is a masterful portrayal of a woman known only as an infamous mistress. Using her persuasive imagination and her ability to recreate the court of Edward III in all its dangerous magnificence, a femme fatale becomes not just a pawn of the 14th century powerbrokers but also a woman with more character, charm and charisma than those medieval historians would have us believe.

(Mira Books, paperback, £7.99)

ONCE again, Barry and Lesley Greenlaw have decorated their Skerne Road, Driffield, house with thousands of lights to raise money for charity.

This year’s donations will go to Cancer Research UK.

The lights will be aglow from 3.45pm to 10.00pm daily until the 12th Night. Donations can be given at the house, or at the following collection points: The Driffield Cobbler, Martins Newsagents (Cross Hill), Mariners Arms, Spread Eagle, Trout Inn at Wansford & Robin Hood Inn at Middleton.

If the winter weather traps you indoors this Christmas, why not take a virtual trip to the amazing countryside surrounding Preston?

Around Preston is a Lancashire extravaganza published to commemorate the city’s historic 2012 Guild year and written by seasoned historian and naturalist David Hindle.

Here he celebrates Lancashire’s wealth of history and beauty as he takes his readers on a gentle series of walks into specially selected parts of the county, all easily reached from Preston.

Illustrated throughout with stunning photographs of both the landscape and wildlife, this is a book to treasure with its overview of local history and a fascinating kaleidoscope of local landmarks, including picturesque villages, woodlands and buildings alongside birds, mammals and the local flora and fauna.

The wide variety of walks take readers from Preston to Red Scar Wood, Hoghton Tower, Clitheroe, the Bleasdale Circle, the outstanding Forest of Bowland, on a special Guild themed walk around the city and many other locations with a rich history.

Hindle, president of Preston Historical Society, is a rare combination of broadcaster, naturalist and local historian and his book features interesting facts and figures about Lancashire’s heritage including Preston’s journey from leading 19th century manufacturing town to 21st century city.

The satanic mills might have almost completely disappeared now, allowing nature to precariously return to sites once blighted by industry but threats to our landscape still remain from science, modern agriculture and even well-intentioned heritage schemes.

Included in these walks is a visit to the conservation area around Grimsargh wetlands which comprises three redundant reservoirs and is vitally important for its breeding birds and other wildlife.

Another walk takes us in the footsteps of Cromwell, past Red Scar Wood on the banks of the River Ribble and to the site of the Battle of Preston which took place on August 17, 1648.

Red Scar Wood was recognised as a scene of unrivalled beauty by historian Charles Hardwick who published his History of the Borough of Preston and its Environs in 1857. Hardwick was also a skilful amateur artist and described how the trees there ‘cling tenaciously to the crumbling earth.’

These carefully selected walks are ideal for those who wish to escape either alone or with their friends and families to areas off the beaten track.

The use of public transport provides a greater freedom to complete linear walks and most are served by local bus services that penetrate the Bowland countryside via Whitewell and the Hodder Valley to Slaidburn and beyond.

All walks are easy unless stated otherwise and directions, approximate distances and duration are also shown, although walkers are advised to use Ordnance Survey maps as well.

It’s all here... a tour of the county’s heritage and natural history, whether that’s by Shanks’s pony or without leaving the comfort of home!

(Palatine Books, paperback, £14.99)

It takes a wicked and powerful imagination to conjure up stories like Chocolat, the best-selling book which was turned into an equally seductive film, so expect something deliciously different in Joanna Harris’s new collection of short stories.

The title for these beguiling, occasionally bizarre and loosely interconnected tales was founded on Harris’s choice of three essential items for her ‘desert island’ – a cat for company, a hat to keep off the sun and the string for a multitude of purposes.

Each, she felt, could also inspire scores of stories so on that basis, she set to work on these 16 magical flights of fancy, all designed to either move, amuse or surprise, and every one a work of art in its own special way.

This is her first short story collection since Jigs & Reels and some of the characters featured here – like Faith and Hope, the feisty and unforgettable pensioners from Meadowbank old folks’ home – are allowed a welcome reappearance.

Desperately trying to keep their sense of humour and innate dignity in a sea of jobsworth, bullying carers, the two elderly ladies enjoy an unexpected treat when they are left out of a coach outing to Blackpool for briefly escaping from the home.

Stories featuring the everyday jostle with tales of the unexpected so that at one point we are visiting a house where it is Christmas all year round and the next we are worrying about a young girl in the Congo who rides the rapids to entertain foreign visitors and earn a crust of bread.

We meet the ghost who lives on a Twitter timeline, find ourselves spooked by a newborn baby created with sugar, spice and lashings of cake and spy on Norse gods battling each other for survival in modern Manhattan.

‘Dee Eye Why’ relates a man’s relationship with resident ghosts as he obsessively restores a dilapidated old house after his marriage breaks up, and ‘Ghosts in the Machine’ features a lonely woman’s fantasies about a DJ she hears on the internet.

Each short story is preceded by a brief introduction from Harris, allowing readers a fascinating insight into the sources of her inspiration and the psychology behind the characters’ thinking and actions.

Harris is an audacious writer and there are stories here that are guaranteed to unsettle but her message is overwhelmingly one of reassurance that much of the world around us is dependable if not always rational and predictable.

‘Stories are like Russian dolls,’ she tells us,’ open them up, and in each one you’ll find another story.’

Warm, wise, witty and wonderful!

(Doubleday, hardback, £15)

Clouds of cigarette smoke, battered old typewriters hammering away, piles of old newspapers and phones constantly ringing for attention...

Semi-retired national and regional newspaper journalist Terry Hamilton conjures up the world of a 1960s local newspaper office in this funny, nostalgic novel based on his own experiences as a junior reporter half a century ago.

This humorous and at times poignant book evokes the vibrant atmosphere of a busy newsroom where reporters would dash around to `jobs’ ranging from covering church fairs and village fetes to court sessions, council meetings, weather stories and the inevitable fatal accidents.

The title, If Wet In Church Hall, is a phrase that young reporters often saw on notices advertising fetes and other outdoor events in towns and villages up and down the country.

Our young hero sets off innocently and enthusiastically on a series of adventures and misadventures as he begins his journalistic career on an imaginary evening newspaper somewhere in northern England, and tries in vain to savour for himself the delights – imaginary or otherwise – of the Swinging Sixties.

Much of its appeal lies in the rich array of characters who populate the novel, and anyone who has ever worked in a newspaper office will recognise people like Puffing Billy, who is never without his disgusting smelly pipe, and Jimmy the boozy photographer, who has an ‘arrangement’ with the buxom landlady of the pub opposite the newspaper’s office.

This delightfully entertaining story is pure nostalgia for those who remember newspaper offices and many other workplaces in the not-always-Swinging Sixties – and an eye-opener for those who don’t!

(York Place Media ebook, £2.02 Amazon download)

Councillor Margaret Pinder, Mayor of Beverley, will be lighting up Tesco Beverley’s Light Up a Life Christmas tree on Saturday December 22.

Throughout December, Tesco customers have been making a £1 donation to Cancer Research UK (Tesco’s Charity of the Year) and hanging a bauble on the tree to make a wish in memory to a loved one.

At midday this Saturday, the Mayor will be lighting up their wishes and Tesco would like to welcome all families to the Morton Lane store to remember their loved ones.

Dave Ryley, the store’s community champion, said: “We would like to thank everyone for your support and kind donations. Merry Christmas from everyone at your Beverley store.”

Cancer Research UK is Tesco’s Charity of the Year 2012 and together we hope to raise £10million to fund 32 early diagnosis and detection research projects across the UK. This will help more people survive cancer and keep more families together.

Drama and romance prove a compelling combination in Lizzie Lane’s novel set in Bristol in the lean years after the Second World War.

Warm and wise, funny and heartbreaking, Lane’s stirring stories never fail to capture the spirit of times gone by, and Wartime Brides takes us to the hardships and dilemmas faced by many families in the aftermath of a long conflict.

Post-war Bristol comes to vivid life as three women from very different backgrounds meet on Bristol’s Temple Meads station where peeling paint and shabby waiting rooms bear testament to years of neglect.

But despite the privations and queues, there is an air of bright expectancy on the faces of the young women who are waiting for the return of their loved ones.

Shy and troubled, Edna Burbage is watching out for her fiancé Colin Smith who has come home crippled and in a wheelchair. Life will never again be the same for either of them.

Vivacious Charlotte Hennessey-White can’t wait to be reunited with her doctor husband David but the once loving and gentle father returns a violent, disturbed man with no love for her, and even less for their two children.

And as for tough nut Polly, her Canadian airman boyfriend Gavin doesn’t come back at all, leaving her pregnant, alone and facing a scandal.

Adjusting to men who have changed beyond recognition and, in Polly’s case, to no man at all is at the heart of this nostalgic and gritty story.

For six years these women had to cope with what life threw at them and, in that turbulent time, they also changed. And all is not as it seems because they harbour secrets that would be best kept hidden...

Lane weaves an enthralling story with sensitivity, authenticity and a big helping of her trademark compassion.

A warm and engrossing read for those cold winter nights.

(Ebury, paperback, £5.99)

A service of celebration for the life of Hilda Storey of Beeford took place at St Leonard’s Church, on 29th November. She died peacefully on November 21, aged 99.

The service was conducted by the Rev James Grainger-Smith, with Nick Tanton on the organ. Great granddaughter Ella sang an anthem and granddaughter Hannah gave a reading.

Hilda was born in the village of Norton near Malton, the daughter of a tailor and a teacher. She attended the local primary school and then the grammar school in Malton where she passed her matriculation exams towards the end of the 1920s. Hilda enjoyed her schooling so much that she chose to be a teacher.

She began her teaching career in her own primary school of Norton where at the end of her first year she had become a non-certified teacher. In 1932 she moved to Londesborough School in the East Riding where the school had seven pupils. She then moved to Beeford School in the mid 1930’s to take up a temporary position, which lasted for five and half years. It was through the village drama group and tennis club that Hilda met Jack Storey and in 1938 they were married in the chapel at Norton, and set up home in Eastfield Farm at North Frodingham.

The couple had three daughters, Gill, Judy and Angela. Hilda had an active life in those days, she enjoyed tennis, dancing, sewing, knitting and cooking and baking. Her chocolate cakes and teacakes were always popular at local fetes. She was a member of North Frodingham Women’s Institute, and a high spot in her life was attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace through the WI.

Eventually the three girls grew up and left home and Hilda and Jack were blessed with firstly grandchildren and then great grandchildren. She enjoyed the company of the children cooking, talking, reading and playing games with them. She was never too old to learn and in her 60s passed her driving test and at 90 mastered emailing.

In the 1980’s Hilda and Jack moved to Dringhoe Lea for retirement and they started going on coach holidays travelling all over Europe with old friends from Beeford. In 1997 they lost their daughter Judy and in 2002 Jack passed away. Hilda decided to move into Beeford for her final years. She enjoyed reading, crosswords, TV quiz programmes and attending the Afternoon Tea and Social Group in the village.

Hilda was a strong, industrious and determined person she was also generous, considerate, and very caring. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Donations in Hilda’s memory were for Cancer Research UK and St Leonard’s Church.

The passing bell was rung by Mrs. Anne Smith.

Chief Mourners: Angela & Geoff Sims (daughter and son-in-law), Dave Light (son-in-law) Nicola & Martin Wilson (granddaughter and husband) Tess and Sasha Wilson (great granddaughters), Carolyn & Stephen Christian (granddaughter and husband) Ella & Jack Christian (great grandchildren), Robert & Naomi Light (grandson and wife), Hannah & Andrew Murphy (granddaughter and husband), Anne and Les Smith, Claire Adkins, Philip Laird, Mrs Bette Storey, Mrs Linda Taylor, Also rep Mr P G Taylor, Mrs Margaret Storey also rep Martin Storey, Canon Michael Storey, Ken Tate also rep Gill Storey,

Others Present: Mr & Mrs I Crabtree, Mr C Robson Also rep Sandra Robson, Mr & Mrs T Sowersby also rep family, Margaret Duggleby also rep Joan Marwood, Gill Butler also rep Ullyott’s of Driffield, Don & Ros Watson, Mrs A Mckie also rep North Frodingham YCA, Sandra Coates, Mr & Mrs P Blanchard, Pippa Robinson also rep Nigel and family, Sylvia Berry, Sheila Norris, Mr A Dixon also rep Mr K Watson and Mr & Mrs A Hillyard, Mr & Mrs David Kell, Jean & Trevor Pickering also rep Helen & Gill Woodall, Wilf Norman, B Jordan, Mr & Mrs J Gillies, Shirley Hebden, Flora Twiddle, Cliff Warkup, Nev Hobson, Neil Clixby also rep Diane Clixby, Mrs G Shepherdson, Mrs K Fitzpatrick, Christine Jackson, Mrs E Barraclough, Roger & Joyce Parkin, also rep Mr & Mrs Robson, Jennifer Chaudry, Karen Jordan also rep Girls from Proactive, Mrs Heather Beard, Mr & Mrs M Warkup also rep Mrs Louise Muirhead, Mr & Mrs A Duggleby also rep Mrs I Benson and Mrs B Kirkwood, Mrs Helen Foreman, Mrs M Kirkwood also rep Mr G Kirkwood, Mrs Ann Aconley, Mr Phil Warkup, Mr & Mrs S Oxtoby, Sheila Robinson also rep family, Verna Shouler, Robert Kirbitson, Ernie Perry, Mrs M Warkup, Faye and Sherree (carers).

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Friday, December 14 for Mr William Towse, of church Rest Houses, Westgate, Driffield, who died peacefully in The Limes on December 6. He was 86.

The service was conducted by the Rev Malcolm Exley .

Billy was born in Driffield and attended school there. He was a mobile grocer delivering to farms before going to work at New Road Garage as a filling station attendant where he worked for over 25 years.

He married Joyce and they were married for 35 years before she died, they lived in Downe Street and Orchard Close during their married life.

He enjoyed going dancing with Joyce to the Spa in Bridlington and the Floral Hall at Hornsea. He followed local football teams, especially Little Driffield and he played pool for the Bay Horse in Driffield.

Chief mourners: Andrew & Michelle Towse, Brenton Towse, Jacky Robson, Georgina Towse, Elizabeth Towse, Abbiegail Towse, Charlotte Towse, Ben Withers.

Others present: Linda Towse, Jeff Cleminson, Mr & Mrs H Arnell, Barry & Lesley Greenlaw, Peter Hammond, Richard & Dorothy Pinder, Evelyn Pinder, Paul & Mandy Blakeston rep Marlene Atkinson, Ray Herbert, Peter & Margaret Sowersby, Maureen & Terry Stapley.

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Wednesday, December 12 for Mr Derek John Pryor of Angus Drive, Driffield, who died peacefully at home on December 5. He was 77.

The service was conducted by the Rev Robert Amos & the organist was Mr Peter Maw.

Derek was born in Hull, the eldest son of Jack & Elsie Pryor. He was brother to Geoff & Chris & the late David. He was evacuated to Kilham during the war and started school in Kilham. He performed in the local concert party with his friends. He loved cricket and football and he had a trial for Hull City. After leaving school he went on to become a joiner for Maurice Harrison in Kilham. He later moved to Twydale Turkeys to build turkey sheds, he stayed there for 29 years and went on to become Agricultural Director. He took early retirement after having a heart bypass operation.

Derek married Wendy in 1965. They went on to have one son Simon, later two grandsons James and Jack who he adored.

He enjoyed playing golf and was a member of the Driffield Golf Club, he loved being with his friends and enjoyed the camaraderie that went on at the club. He loved wildlife and bird watching.

He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Chief mourners: Wendy Pryor (wife), Simon & Maria Pryor (son & daughter in law), James & Jack (grandsons), Barbara & Rob Ellis (sister in law & husband), Mark & Lee Burley (nephews), David & Muriel Ake (brother in law & wife), Tina Ellis (niece),Darren Ake & Wendy (nephew & partner), Geoff Pryor (brother), Gill Pryor (sister in law), Helen Clark, Joanne Richardson (nieces), Chris Pryor (brother), Katie Pryor (niece), Maureen Emmanuelle (sister in law), Sarah Watson (niece), Stewart Pryor (nephew).

Others present: Mr & Mrs H Towse, John & Irene Mallory, Mr & Mrs C R Lupton, Mrs Gwen Bradley, Rose Crawford rep Mrs S Hepworth & Mr & Mrs M Phillips, Jill Ellis rep Mr & Mrs D Peacock Mrs K Warkup, Mrs L Watson, Mr & Mrs B Chubb, Mrs J Welburn, Mr J Dossor, Mr & Mrs McCewan, Paul, Vigo & Edwina Jensen, Tony & Margaret Mullineaux rep Mark Binnington & Stuart Morley, Brian Swann. Isobel & Geoff Drewery, Brian & Lesley Muir rep Charlie & Angela Wiles, Peter Boyes rep Frank Wilson, David Nicholson, Ross Nielson rep Keith & Marie Robinson, The Trout Inn, Gill & David Johnson, Trevor & Carol Thomas, Raymond Twiddle OBE, Mr & Mrs C Pickard rep Mrs F Brown, Mrs P Butler rep Mr Butler, Mr & Mrs Tony Potter, Mr & Mrs A Brigham, Mr & Mrs A Carlton,Mr & Mrs M Richardson, Blanche Cooper, Mrs C Fothergill, Mr C Sharp rep David Searby, Gordon Roebuck rep Richard Tennant & Richard Hornby, Susan Garwood rep Christopher Garwood, Dave Parker, Mark & Christine Beasley, Mike Clark rep Mrs Yates & John Robson, Dave Hornshaw, Brian Seville rep Gwen Seville & Driffield Golf Club, Barry Dixon rep Audrey Dixon, Mrs Christine Jackson, Janet Robinson, Robert Megginson, John Warcup, Eileen Naylor rep Gordon, Geoff Hall, Bob Bratten, John Smith, Derrick Blundell, Bob Ireland, John Newland rep Margaret Newland, David Gilliat rep Barbara Gilliat,Mr & Mrs C Sansome, John Hakner, Geoff Hakner rep Chris Hakner, Keith Abel, Lynne Rushworth rep Dean Rushworth & Liz Curtis, Janet Woodcock rep Phil Woodcock & Angela & Eugene Maher, Gwen Byass rep Mrs Kirkwood, Mr & Mrs D Brown, Tim & Christine Beachell, Mike Peacock rep Jenny, Nick Bristow rep Lynn, Peter Bradbury rep Irene & Simon Bradbury, Cliff & Lynn Duggleby, Denise Shepherdson, Mr & Mrs M Goulding, Gary Johnson, John Emmett, Michael & Carol Gray, Moira Waites, Barry Ellis rep Irene Ellis, Pauline Everatt rep Angela Belt, Jenny Watson rep Henry Watson, Jim Sampson rep Mary Sampson, Mr & Mrs J Poynton, John Clancy, John Addison, Mandy & Steve Watson,Albert & Brenda Hallett, David Cawthorn, Barbara Vincent,Miss B Baird rep Alan Jefferson, Mrs Y Beachell rep David, Ann, Richard & Jill, Mr J Beachell rep Mrs Pam Beachell , Mr & Mrs B Jordas, Mrs H Morley, Mr R Charter, Mr Mal Wynn rep Maureen, Mr C License rep Betty, Brian & Sheila Young, Mr & Mrs D Hepworth rep Christine Harrison, Mr G Middlewood rep Mr & Mrs R Dukes, Mr & Mrs R Windrass, Mr C Stephenson rep Mrs V Stephenson, Mr & Mrs P Burdis rep Mrs P Burdis, Keith & Angela Lidster, Robert & Joyce Ward, Mr & Mrs H L Middlewood, Mr & Mrs J Middlewood, Mr L Thackery, Mr R Weightman, Mr J Finch rep Mrs L Finch, Mr & Mrs J White, Mr S Anderson, Tim Brown, Mr Nigel Horrox, Mr Brian Taylor, Mr David Roberts, Mr Robin Langhamer rep Mrs E Langhamer, Mrs Barbara Stephenson rep Mr A Stephenson, Mrs M Skinner, Mrs Cynthia Milne, Mr Peter Milne, David Jewitt, Jimmy Mills rep John Mills.

A funeral service was held at the East Riding Crematorium on Friday December 14 for Mrs Margaret Elizabeth Boyes, of Southfield Road, Driffield, who died peacefully on the December 4 in the Beverley Community Hospital. She was 85.

The service was conducted by the Rev Robert Amos & the organist was Mr Peter Maw.

Margaret (Peggy) was born in Driffield in 1927. She grew up in Providence Place with her brother Albert and sister Mabel. She worked initially at Ford Dairies in Driffield, before she became a bus conductress on East Riding buses where she met her husband John Boyes, and married in 1953. She went on to work as an auxiliary nurse at East Riding hospitals, Northfield and Alfred Bean.

They went on to have four daughters together, after which when they had grown up, she went to work at William Hills Bookmakers in Driffield until she retired.,

She enjoyed her family, especially family holidays, lots of family parties, reading and home baking – Her ‘speciality’ was her meat and potato pies.

In her later years she amazed everyone with her active mind and very good memory, especially at crosswords and countdown, and also looking after all her family. If her family were happy, then she was at her best.

She and John spent 59 years together and she will be sadly missed by all her family and friends.

Donations in Margaret’s memory were for Macmillan nurses.

Chief mourners: John Boyes (husband), Marie Brandham, Gary Brandham & Jane Clarke (daughter, grandson & partner), Judith & Steve Orman (daughter & son in law), Gillian Boyes & Ben steel (daughter & partner), Ann & Simon Malster (daughter & son in law), Michelle & Luke (granddaughter & partner) rep Faith (great granddaughter), Kelly & Jason (granddaughter & partner), Cara & David (granddaughter & husband), Kyle (grandson) rep Leo (great grandson), Chloe & Libby (granddaughters), Sara & Andy (great granddaughter & partner) rep Daniel & Ben (great grandsons), Jessica (great granddaughter), Louie (great great grandson) and Sally.

thers present: Captain & Dorothy Calam, Albert Eddington rep Mary, Don Braithwaite rep Barbara Braithwaite & Alan Benstead, Ruth Naylor, Nina Naylor, Sue Duffill, Hazel Arnold, Ruth Wharram, Julie Gatenby rep Ken & Cynthia Young, Abigail Neale rep Vanessa Mabbett, Eric & Pat Littlefair, Sandra Calam, Mike & Sue Birks, Mr & Mrs J Flintoft, Graham Duke,Mrs M Turner, Mrs L Taylor, Vera Kember, Richard Flintoft rep Jackie Flintoft, Eileen Flintoft (cousin), Jackie Horner rep Tracey Stainforth & Sally Horner, John Forrester, Eric Smith, Mrs Ada Sylvester, Sheila Malster rep Mrs Joyce Towse, Robin Malster rep Rachel Young & Jason Gill, Keith Gray, Maureen & Brian Evans, Maurice & Myra Wilkinson, June Burks, Joan Watson rep Eric Watson, Bernard Gray.

Last month, following a Freedom of Information request to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service that showed only 48% of emergency calls in Mid Holderness being met under the eight-minute guideline, Graham Stuart MP visited all of the ambulance stations in the constituency.

Mr Stuart said, “I wanted to see the ambulance service in action and hear from front-line staff about how they feel the service could improve its response times in the constituency.

“I was very impressed with the skills, experience and dedication of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff I met during my visit.

“I came away with a strong message that ambulances could be better used and managed by both the service and service users to produce faster response times. It is worrying to hear that 60% of ambulance call outs are not life threatening emergencies and could be dealt with by a call to the GP or NHS Direct.

“If an ambulance is called to a non-emergency situation then it is unavailable for real emergencies. This means that ambulances could be held up and off-area while they deliver the non-emergency patient and hand them over to the hospital.

“It is good to hear that calls are prioritised and that the service does have the ability to divert an ambulance to a higher priority call en route if needed, but this is not possible once the ambulance is engaged with a patient.”