The York Stories 2012 project – part of York 800 – is offering a great deal to keep children occupied over the next few days.

The project needs a mascot – the ‘storysaurus’ – and there are two sessions for children with Richard Kay and Mary Passeri, storytellers from ‘Telling Arts’, to develop the mascot, develop the storysaurus character, go on a trail, create a York Story and collect York Stories to share.

The sessions are in the Garden Room, York Explore Library Learning Centre, on Thursday and Friday 2 and 3 August, from 2-4 pm. Children wanting to take part should attend both free sessions if possible.

(more…)

York Stories 2012 – part of York 800 – is looking for participants for a project which enables members of the Armed Forces community in York to tell their untold stories.

Working with City of York Council’s Arts and Culture Service and the Armed Forces community (Military Civil integration Project & Army Welfare Service), Armed Forces Community Presents… will capture and share stories of the military community in and around York, from serving members of the armed forces to veterans, families, cadets, TA members and linked organisations.

(more…)

Cybercriminals might call you on the telephone and claim to be from companies such as Microsoft.

They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license.

However, once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:
•Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
•Take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.
•Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.
•Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.

Neither Microsoft nor their partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.

The following advice is taken from Microsoft’s Cybercriminal Tech Support Scam website, which also has links to further reading:
(more…)

A report on the Priory Medical Centre/Cornlands Road Surgery Income Maximisation project is being published now that all the evaluation has been completed.

We understand that the final additional income total for this project is £197,023.23.

This is not an annual one off sum but an income figure that will be brought in every year to our local economy to residents who are the most vulnerable.

Based on the full cost of the project at just under £15k that is an organisational best of £13 return for every £1 invested. This exceeds the project target of £10.

The project, which sought to explain to residents what their options were to increase their income, was started with the support of the Foxwood Residents Association as part of the Westfield Project.

Railway Housing were also a funder as were the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The full report is due to be discussed at the August meeting of the Foxwood RA along with the feedback from the residents who benefited from this project.

Young drivers are to be offered free assessments to improve their confidence and awareness on York’s roads.

Up to 300 drivers aged 17 to 26, who live or work in York, could benefit from the York Momentum scheme over the next two-years.

The Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) course will officially be launched this week (1 August) by representatives from the road safety charity and council staff in the road safety team.

For more details about the course please visit www.york.gov.uk/transport/Road_safety/ or email momentum@york.gov.uk

(more…)

North Yorkshire Police will be carrying out mobile safety camera enforcement on the following roads between Wednesday 1 August and Tuesday 7 August 2012.

•The Village, Stockton On Forest, York
•A1036 Malton Road, York
•York Road, Haxby, York
•A1237 Monks Cross, York
•A64 east-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•A64 west-bound Bowbridge Farm Tadcaster
•Broadway, Fulford, York
•Murton Way, Murton, York
•Fordlands Road, Fulford York
•B1228 Main Street, Elvington, York
•B1228 Dunnington Lodge, Elvington, York
•A64 Malton by-pass Malton west-bound
•A64 Seamer by-pass Scarborough
•A64 Seamer Road Scarborough
(more…)

Police investigating a collision in which a York cyclist sustained serious injuries have issued a further appeal for information.

The collision occurred at around 11pm on Friday 27 July 2012 when a red Seat car first collided with a 39-year-old cyclist before hitting a parked van and coming to rest upside down on Bishopthorpe Road. The cyclist suffered serious head, neck and wrist injuries as a result of the collision.

Earlier in the evening at around 9.30 to 10pm, there was a commotion in Anne Street just off Bishopthorpe Road involving a youth and a red car which was being revved very loudly.

(more…)

Several events have been arranged to celebrate Yorkshire Day.

Yorkshire Ridings Society will be processing around the Bar Walls proudly boasting a Yorkshire flag before performing the Declarations of Integrity in modern and olden dialect, ending on the cobbles at Newgate Market.

The city centre will be decked out in bunting and Yorkshire flags. A Yorkshire Day banner will also be hung for visitors and residents to see at Newgate Market, where there will be a Yorkshire Day market full of local traders with Yorkshire goods and produce, including additional stalls from the Farmers’ Market.

The Civic party will be attending the annual Civic gathering, which will this year be held in Scarborough and will include a procession with sword and mace bearers.

The Mansion House will be flying the Yorkshire Day flag on this special day.

Other events celebrating Yorkshire Day across the city include:

• York’s Chocolate Story selling special Yorkshire chocolates for the day in flavours of Yorkshire blue; white chocolate and rhubarb; tea and fruitcake; and Wensleydale cheese and apple.
• Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop is celebrating Yorkshire Day with a giant, York Minster shaped pork pie which will be unveiled at 2.30pm on the steps of York Minster.
• The York Brewery is doing a Real Ale Trail based around Yorkshire beers in their pubs.
• The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is running a special lunchtime Pullman service runs in celebration of Yorkshire Day on 1st August, which departs from Grosmont at 1.30pm.

click to enlarge

Council taxpayers had to fork out over £200,000 for taxis used by Councillors, staff and customers of the York Council last year.

The costs were 92% higher than were incurred in the previous year.

The figures do not include the costs of transporting pupils with special needs (disabilities) to school.

The revelation comes only a few days after the Council revealed that Social Care costs for the last financial year increased by 29%. See http://tinyurl.com/Adult-social-care-cost-up

The Council was unable – in a response to a freedom of information request – to separate the cost of using taxis for staff from the costs for customers of its services.

click to enlarge

There was a 39% slump in the number of residents returning Ward Committee ballot papers in the autumn of 2011 compared to the previous year. The annual ballot is held to determine how residents want to spend a budget which has been delegated to local Ward Councillors.

The process was heavily criticised last year when ballot papers were circulated with other pieces of junk mail.

The Council also decided not to include some – resident suggested – schemes on the ballot paper and later several Labour Ward Councillors chose to ignore the results of the ballot altogether.

In Westfield they decided to pay for the purchase of pantomime costumes while funding provision for security patrols was axed.

The worst turnout was in the Heworth Ward where only 34 ballot papers (0.6% of households) were completed. The next lowest was Westfield where only 0.7% of households completed the ballot papers.

See also http://tinyurl.com/York-Ward-Committee