Mystery storyteller and ghost walker, Malcolm Hanson, is on the look out for more spooky material for his evening time jaunts around historic Skipton. Malcolm, who has led umpteen ghost walks and carried out spooky investigations, is planning new adventures for this coming Halloween and the rest of autumn. “I’ve got lots of tales, but if there are people with more recent mysteries to tell me, please let me know,” said Malcolm, whose recent book, Bingley’s Secret History, delves into the town’s connection with the Knights Templar. He is available on malcolm.b.hanson@gmail.com Beer enthusiasts will be able to enjoy real ales from across the UK, and indeed the globe, during a 17-day festival at Skipton’s Devonshire Hotel. The beers on offer come from as far away as New Zealand, the USA, Holland, Australia, Belgium and Italy - and seven of them have been brewed by women. Pub manager Paul Dickinson said: “The festival will give people the opportunity to enjoy a superb selection of UK and international beers, many of which have not been served in the pub before. It promises to be great fun.” The festival starts next Friday, October 17, and runs until Sunday, November 2, inclusive, with all beers priced at £1.99 a pint. Tasting notes will be available.

Can you donate an hour of your time to help support Guide Dogs? The charity is asking people to donate just one hour of their time during Guide Dogs Week, which starts on Saturday. It is asking people to get behind the initiative not just by donating money, but by donating an hour to volunteer and fundraise. This year’s theme is Let’s Glow for Guide Dogs - and the charity wants people to stand out by wearing something neon yellow, the colour of the iconic guide dog harness. Debbie Linford, community engagement officer for Guide Dogs in Leeds, tells me: “There are an estimated 180,000 blind and partially sighted people in the UK who never leave home alone, and we aim to change this with the public’s help. By donating your time to volunteer you will help raise awareness and funds that will make a huge difference to the lives of people with sight loss.” For more information, visit guidedogs.org.uk/donateanhour Skipton-based Lempen Puppet Theatre has come up with a novel way to say thank you to Bradley residents for the loan of their village hall. The company is putting on a free production of Little Frankenstein for villagers only. The performance will take place in Bradley School hall tonight at 6pm.

There was a largely happy ending to the story we told last week about the acquaintance who found he had trouble giving items backs to the NHS which it had loaned to his elderly parents. He managed to keep a rendezvous with a man in a van who collected the said property and took it back to its rightful owners, so that’s all right then. Except when our acquaintance mentioned that he’d been turned away when he tried to take some of the items to a local hospital, the driver was less than amused. He said he had a storeroom at the hospital and leaving the equipment there would have saved the diesel his van used in going to pick up the property - not to mention the petrol the other man used taking the stuff to the hospital, and everyone’s time. But presumably there was a good reason behind it all.

Youngsters at Skipton’s Water Street Primary School treated parents and friends to coffee and cake as part of the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Organisation of the event - now a regular feature in the school’s calendar - was taken on by Year Six pupils, including the designing of posters, the running of a raffle and the serving of tea and coffee. Deputy headteacher and Year Six teacher Jenny Macnab said the school had raised an impressive £250 for the charity. “I’m very proud of the children and the responsible way in which they organised and ran the event,” she said.

Anyone who visited Silsden during the Tour de France will know how the community pulled together to make it a roaring success. Now, the town leaders are hoping to build on that success. They are holding a Silsden Showcase, highlighting the work of local groups and organisations and how people can get involved. It will take place in St James’ Church on Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. And, during the morning, the 750 knitted yellow jerseys that adorned the streets during the summer will be presented to Mission Direct, which works in various countries in Africa.

Organisers from Settle’s Storytelling Festival are used to unusual questions - but this time they have been stumped. One of their performers, Jerry Harmon, a Grammy-nominated, seventh generation Appalachian mountain storyteller and musician, has been in touch to find out if there’s any place in town to get his beloved Tennessee whiskey. “We always do our best to make international artists feel at home and with a character like Jerry, we’ve just got to help,” said festival director Sita Brand. So she is turning to the public to come up with the answer and send a message via Facebook or Twitter. Meanwhile, Jerry will run a songwriting workshop in the Friends Meeting House on Saturday between 2pm and 3pm before his main show, Jack Tales, at the Victoria Hall at 7.30pm. He is also one of the performers at the Tea and Tales event at St John’s Hall on Sunday at 3.30pm. I am told it is the perfect chance to sit back and have a cuppa - or even a whiskey!

Three members of staff from Skipton McDonalds are the latest to help blind tot Connor Wrighton. Katherine Mangham, Sam Finch and Martin Walworth completed a 14-mile walk up Ingleborough as part of the Yorkshire Dales Society’s annual Big Walk, pictured above. “As we were already completing the walk, we decided we would raise money for Connor,” said Katherine. “We all had a fantastic day with great weather and managed to raise around £250.” This week, Connor was due to fly to India with his parents Nathan and Lisa to undergo cell stem treatment in a bid to give him some sight.

Congratulations go to Graeme Pullan who completed last month’s Great North Run - and raised £1,252 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Graeme, who is 52 and lives in Addingham, said he was “thrilled” with the donations.

It’s good to see one of the old Pennine buses looking so smart in its new home down in Essex, pictured below. Harlow-based EOS bought three of the Pennine buses after the company closed earlier this year, and after apparently giving them a bit of a makeover, they are out and about - and being photographed by ex-pats, now living down South. Wonder if they now have seatbelts?