PUPILS at Kirkby-in-Malhamdale Primary School will soon be off to the theatre - and its all down to onion rings. The Lister Arms in the village donated 25p to the school for every portion of onion rings sold - and with a massive 2,708 orders placed throughout last year, that worked out at an impressive total of £677. It has meant the whole school, both pupils and teachers, will be off to see the Fantastic Mr Fox at The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford. It’s the second year the inn has organised the donation – last year the whole school went to the Plaza Cinema to enjoy a Christmas film. Darren Dunn, the inn's general manager- pictured here with, from left: Rhiannon, Hallam, Jessie, Carys and Fraiser from the school, said: “Malham is very much a community village and it’s important to us to support the area wherever we can. Making an annual donation to the local school is an easy way we can do this and it allows them to do something a bit special for their pupils – who after all will be our customers of the future."

Hed added: “We’ve had mums and dads coming in over the course of the last year saying thank you which has been really nice as it’s good to know we can make a difference like this.” It’s not the only thing The Lister Arms does for the community – the inn also recently sponsored the entertainment at the recent five-day Malham Safari, which included a jazz band, brass band, and ukulele band, and will be supporting the Malham Show in August. Assistant headteacher, Amanda Allen, said: “On behalf of the staff and children from school, we would like to say a massive thank you to Darren at The Lister Arms for his continued support of our lovely little school. We are extremely grateful for this fantastic donation for which the children will thoroughly enjoy.”

THE congregation was up by ten per cent for the evening service in Appletreewick following the arrival of this canine parishioner (pictured). Not long after the first hymn, owner Jane Ellison-Bates heard a familiar whining outside the door. "My efforts to ignore Snow were soon overruled by barking. Once she was allowed in she was very attentive to the service, sitting quietly in the pew even when I got up to read the Gospel and for Holy Communion. She was rewarded with a blessing from the vicar after the service," says Jane.

ON the subject of dogs, tomorrow (Friday) is Take Your Dog to Work Day. Pet Sitters International created the day in 1999 to celebrate the great companions dogs make, and also to promote their adoptions.

IT is often assumed - in the Craven Herald offices anyway - that the onset of failing eyesight can be blamed on the number of hours we all spend staring at our computer screens - but this advertisement from 1917 begs to differ. Once Past Forty, people could expect waning eyesight, said Mr Birdsall of Skipton, who advised glasses for close work.

WITH both Father's Day and Mother's Day now behind us for another year, a new study has revealed grown-up children in Yorkshire spend around £970 every year on their parents.

According to the shopping site, TopCashback.co.uk, mums receive £581 in gifts throughout the year, including £176 unprompted, £39 on Mother's Day, £69 at Christmas, and £59 for birthdays. A further £67 was spent on taking mum out for dinner, and £94 on errands and odd jobs. Meanwhile, dads receive just £389. This includes £105 on impulsive gifts, £42 on Father’s Day presents, £44 for Christmas and £34 on his birthday. Children in Yorkshire and the Humber then spend £36 treating their dad to dinner and £105 taking him on holiday. Finally, £23 is spent on errands and jobs that need doing at home.

ANOTHER survey to promote Diabetes UK's Food You Love campaign, has found that sweetcorn is the vegetable of choice in Yorkshire, while, interestingly, pineapple is the favourite fruit. Tropical fruits faired particularly well in the survey with Yorkshire and the North East being the nation’s biggest pineapple fans and banana and mango following the spiky fruit at the top of the table.

Sweetcorn was joined by broccoli at the top of the veg table receiving 13 per cent of the vote, while green bean was a surprise claimant for the county's least favourite vegetable receiving only one per cent. Meanwhile, a quick straw poll of the Craven Herald offices came up with some interesting favourites, including dates, swede and satsumas - or 'easy peelers' as they now appear to be called.

AS part of last week's National Clean Air Day, North Yorkshire County Council offered a few simple steps for people to help make the air cleaner and healthier. The council, which is working with local authorities with five of the county's busiest road junctions (none in Craven) suggest people walk, cycle or use public transport instead of driving. People should hunt out side streets, which are quieter and lower exposure to air pollution, and when walking on pavements, stay as far away from the road as possible, to avoid car exhaust fumes. Switch off you car engine, when its safe to do so - you'll be helping yourself and pedestrians, and lastly, if you're thinking about a new car, consider an electric, or LPG model, which will save on road tax too. Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, says“While only a small number of people live in the pollution hotspots, it is a big issue for them. We need to do everything we reasonably can to reduce traffic-related pollution. For the county council this can mean better traffic management, but drivers also have their part to play by driving less, using different routes or travelling at less congested times of day.”