100 Years Ago: A WOULD-BE thief ransacked Skipton Parish Church in the search for cash, reported the Herald. The culprit attempted to gain entry via an external wall but eventually succeeded by forcing the wire netting protecting the Birtwhistle Memorial Window and removing a pane of glass. Once inside, the offender turned his attentions to the collecting box and prised off the lid. Fortunately the box had been emptied a few days before so his efforts proved fruitless. Undeterred, the would-be thief ransacked the vestry but again left empty handed.

The Herald's occasional column of home hints this week featured a handy tip for the housewife. She was advised to collect several newspapers, lay them on top of one another, cover them with brown paper, stitch the sides and hey presto - she had an "excellent" mat to lay in front of the range or the sink, saving the cook a great deal of work.

Among the recipes was a "dainty sandwich for supper", the filling of which comprised oysters, butter, dry biscuits, cream, egg yolks and seasoning. Perhaps it tasted better than it sounds.

50 Years Ago: THE Broughton Road Methodist Church hosted its 21st annual performance of Handel's Messiah - no mean feat considering the size of the venue. The augmented choir and string orchestra took up one third of the stage, the top notes had to travel only a few inches to reach the rafters and the musicians were on close terms with the audience, said the Herald. But while visitors to the church were intrigued with the unusual set-up, there was no doubt they thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

The conversion of Malham Tarn House into a residential field study and research centre would be completed by the summer, the Herald reported. The house had been presented to the National Trust in 1946 but was leased by the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies. Prof Eric Spawl, chairman of the committee supervising the development, said the Malham area had exceptional geographical and biological interest plus historical associations. The flora and fauna in the area around the tarn area were unique and the centre would be a valuable aid to agriculture. Bookings had already been received from universities, colleges and engineering groups.

Locals were being urged to play their part in the nation's trade effort by saving waste paper. Once again waste paper had become a precious commodity and far too much being lost each week, forcing the nation to import raw material. Just a pound's worth of paper from each household each week would produce thousands of tons of valuable raw material, said the Herald.

25 Years Ago:THE revelation of plans to introduce parking charges in Skipton's town hall car park continued to arouse considerable criticism - "indeed hostility" - in Skipton and district. A number of letters and verbal protests had reached the Herald offices. One letter, from the chairman of Skipton Chamber of Trade, Arnold Waterfall, stated: "Who are these people who want to start a retrogression in Skipton trade - for that is what will start?" The day after this was announced, a lady in Silsden rang us up and said quite candidly she would take her car to Ilkley and shop there where car parking is free and she was not badgered by uniforms. "I hope you will let it be known to 'these people' that Skipton traders cannot survive on the Skipton population," she warned.

A recommendation to stop Saturday morning burials and cremations at Waltonwrays Crematorium was due to be discussed by Skipton Urban Council. The Registrar had told the council's open spaces committee that the move had been requested by the staff. The Registrar added that other cemeteries in the area already closed on Saturday mornings, with Skipton and Burnley the only ones that remained open.

10 Years Ago: MOVES to install a sauna at Skipton's Aireville Pool were welcomed at a meeting of Craven Council's Estates and Leisure Services committee.

The news came at a time when (much as today) there were arguments about the poor state of facilities at the sports centre and at Aireville Park. Councillors swapped stories of extremes of temperature in the pool.

A Craven couple were preparing to receive 18 young foreign visitors as part of an academic exercise.

Professor Nigel Young and his wife Antonia threw open their doors to students from America, Switzerland, Israel and India as part of a project set up by the Colgate University in New York state.

Airedale Hospital was under fire from a Community Health Council member for its apparent lack of concern over falling cleaning standards.

Geoffrey Vere criticised the "complacent attitude" of the health authority, which had received a stream of complaints after hiring a contract cleaning firm from Surrey.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.