Tue 12 to Sun 17 June, 10am to 12pm at Explore Acomb Library Learning Centre, Front Street, Acomb

Whether you want to write imaginatively or from real situations, the key to the best writing is knowing how to create text that captures the reader’s interest.

Almost everything has been written about before in some way, so our job as writers is to approach it in what Robert Frost called, ‘A Fresh Look and a Fresh Listen’.

The course will encourage learners to: Write with more confidence and have greater knowledge of the editing process. You’ll understand more about the structure of prose and poetry and be a more informed reader. You’ll learn about local literary events and national publishing opportunities.

Cost: £50

For further information or to book a place visit www.yortime.org.uk – For age 18 and over

Pensioners and other pass holders have complained about the lack of publicity for the roll out of bus pass card readers on many York buses.

The readers require the user to hold the card or pass to the ticket machine, to enable it to be scanned. No ticket is issued and the acceptance of the card is signalled by a green light.

The York Council obviously hasn’t been involved in the roll out of the change as they still advise pensioners to “show” their pass to the driver.

The change hasn’t even been reported to any Council or “cabinet” member meeting. Consequently, there has been no indication from the Council on how pass use will be audited. The Council pays huge sums to local bus operators to cover the cost of pensioner “free” travel, so taxpayers have an interest in the introduction of any new system like this.

The local media has not picked up on the issue. The First York web site makes no mention of the change.

At present, the system seems a bit hit and miss with passengers being reliant on the instructions of the driver.

Cashless travel is the way of the future. It should increase convenience and reduce delays at bus stops. It opens up the way for “cross ticketing” – allowing passengers to use different bus companies for different parts of their journey but at a lower cost.

But its introduction will depend on good communications together with the use of robust systems and technology.

Residents currently will feel more than a little uneasy about the effectiveness of the readers now in use on First York buses.

With the much-anticipated Diamond Jubilee weekend now upon us, North Yorkshire Police is advising people to keep safe and be mindful of the consequences of drinking to excess.

People across the county are expected to take full advantage of the four-day weekend with a variety of events, street parties and barbecues to mark the Queen’s 60th year on the throne.

While the celebrations are likely to be friendly and family-orientated, there is a danger that some people may use the occasion to over-indulge with alcohol, which can lead to anti-social behaviour, disorder and violent crime. (more…)

The city centre will be lined with bunting and flags and there will be celebratory atmosphere in a year that also marks 800 years since the city was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1212.

The Lord Mayor will light a Diamond Jubilee Beacon www.diamondjubileebeacons.co.uk at Bachelor Hill at 10.15pm on Monday 4 June.

Local residents have been invited to watch this simple ceremony and can if they wish bring a picnic and toast our Queen on her Jubilee.

Events and activities include:
Britain’s biggest ever Railfest
Our first ever busking festival, Buskival
The new Science and Innovation Grand Tour
More details can be found on the Visit York website. http://tinyurl.com/York-Jubilee-events-2012

Road closures for street parties
There are over 40 temporary road closures for street parties and parades for the Diamond Jubilee weekend. See a list here (more…)

A planning application for a wind turbine to sited in the field to the rear of Springfield Farm, Appleton Road, will be considered on 14th June. A similar application was refused about 2 years ago because of fears that it would adversely impact on the green belt.

The proposed Kingspan KW6 Turbine would be 15 metres in height to the hub with a horizontal axis rotor with a diameter of 5.6 metres. The overall height would be 17.8 metres in height. The tower would be galvanised steel finish and the hub and blades would be plastic, the plans state in either a black of white finish. The proposed turbine would be 210 metres from the closest dwelling on Temple Lane (134 Temple Lane) and 220 metres from the closest dwelling (excluding the applicants) on Foss Field Lane (Fossfield Farm).

A similar turbine exists in relatively close proximity at Park Farm.

Council planning officials are recommending that the turbine plan is approved.

York libraries say, “We are hosting lots of exciting activities around late May and early June, so why not bring all the family and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with us. Everyone is welcome to all our celebratory events. To find our what’s happening at your local library see below”.

Acomb Explore

Saturday 2 June 9am – 2pm at Acomb Explore

•Come along and show off your cake decorating skills and enter our competition. There will be prizes for the most creative! We will be judging at 12 noon for the best adult and junior entries. Or if you’re just a beginner, drop by and ice some of our cookies

• Not a baker? Then get creative with the kids and dress up as your favourite or most fearsome King or Queen…there will be a prize for the best dressed at 11.30am

• If you’re more of a cook, pick up one or more of our recipe bookmarks and mark the occasion with a tasty meal

• Are you more of a historian? Come along and find out what Acomb was like in the 1950s and what was happening

• The kids will be entertained all morning with activities and games, and for the brave visitors, a climbing wall

• Whilst the kids are getting messy why not pamper yourself and have your nails done and then relax and enjoy lunch with the family with 10% off all cafe prices

‘A Poem for the Queen’ competition

Ever fancied yourself as a poet? Write a poem for the queen and submit it to any York Library before the end of June for the chance to win a prize and have your work displayed at Explore York.

Jubilee Storytimes

Around the Jubilee, all of our libraries will be hosting special jubilee-themed storytimes for under 5s.

Explore Acomb, 7 June, 10.30am – 11.30am
Bishopthorpe Library, 7 June, 10.30am – 11am
Clifton Library, 29 May, 10.30am – 11am
Copmanthorpe Library, 7 June, 10.30am – 11am
Dunnington Library, 31 May, 2.15pm – 2.45pm
Dringhouses Library, 26 May, 11am – 11.30am
Haxby Library, 6 June, 2.15pm – 2.45pm
Huntington Library, 29 May, 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Fulford Library, 29 May, 2.30pm – 3pm
Explore New Earswick, 1 June, 2.30pm – 3pm
Poppleton Library, 8 June, 2.30 – 3pm
Strensall Library, 1 June, 3.30pm – 4pm
Tang Hall Library, 2 June, 10.30am – 11am
Explore York, 8 June, 10.30am – 11.30am

(more…)

Explore York Library Learning Centre are inviting ‘bumps, babies, children under five and their teddies’ to attend a special event on Wednesday 13 June between 10am and 3.30pm.

The city centre Explore Centre has a day planned full of events to celebrate being a child in York, with adults being invited along to share the adventure.

Workshops and taster sessions are happening throughout the day including:

• Baby signing
• Pamper yourself
• How to tell Stories and Share Books Together
• Maternity Reflexology and Indian Head Massage

Story and rhyme sessions will be taking place at 10.30am, 11.15am and 1.30pm with all participants being given a free book to take home and enjoy together. An unborn baby of 2- weeks can hear and enjoys the sound of books being read to them.

Children can also enjoy a teddy bears picnic, use the soft play equipment and take part in the teddy trail.

Come and find out more about Children’s Centres, Family Information, NCT, The Toy Bus, Family Learning and much more.

Free tickets and information about the sessions are available at Explore York Library at www.york.gov.uk/libraries

With the long bank holiday weekend approaching, North Yorkshire Police is urging bikers using the county’s roads to ride safely and responsibly.

Hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to visit North Yorkshire over the extended bank holiday, to take advantage of the scenic routes on offer and while they are welcome it is important that the laws of the road are respected.

In the past six years, 79 bikers have been killed in North Yorkshire and the City of York with a further 622 seriously injured, and officers are keen to avoid any further tragedies. (more…)

The National Railway Museum would like to hear your stories about travelling by train and working in railway stations.

If you have a story to tell, come along to Acomb Explore on Friday 15 June between 10am and 12pm. You can talk to a member of staff from the National Railway Museum about your memories.

For more information about this project, including more about why the stories are being collected, see nrm.org.uk/stationstories.

For the first time people in North Yorkshire and the City of York will be able to track online what happened after a crime was committed in their neighbourhood, with the introduction of new data published on the government’s crime mapping website today. Click http://www.police.uk/

In the next stage of development of the groundbreaking website Police.uk, residents will not only be able to access street level crime data but also see what action the local police have taken as a result.

The site will also start to show whether offenders went to court, increasing transparency in the criminal justice system.

The additions to the site come after the public showed a huge appetite for more information on every aspect of crime in their area, with more than 47 million visits on Police.uk since it launched in January 2011.

Police.uk has already undergone a series of innovative updates, providing the public with more criminal justice information than ever before. This includes mapping crimes at points of interest including supermarkets and nightclubs, introducing new crime categories such as shoplifting and increasing accuracy by placing crimes to within eight postcodes instead of 12. (more…)