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Celebrating 30 years of twin town friendship between Skipton and Simbach

12:00pm Saturday 18th May 2013

It may have seemed a little odd to the good people of Simbach, but a gaily painted model sheep from Skipton was the ideal way to mark 30 years of twinning between the two towns. A party of town councillors, officers and representatives of the twinning association recently returned from the Bavarian town where they marked the anniversary of the signing of the charter in June,1983. Lesley Tate looks back on the relationship between the two towns.

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Artist who captured rural Dales life in the 1930s

1:00pm Saturday 11th May 2013

Anyone who studies rural life in the Craven Dales as it was in the 1930s – a period of stability, affability and “dog and stick” farming – should seek out drawings by Godfrey Wilson, writes Dr Bill Mitchell

Farewell to an adventurer, war hero and economist

2:23pm Thursday 2nd May 2013

For heroic daring-do, it would be hard to find another character outside the pages of fiction like the late Bob Leakey. Robert Dove Leakey, to give him his formal moniker, died last week at the age of 98 – having led the life of ten men. He was war hero, caving daredevil, pioneering environmentalist, inventor, economic philosopher and would-be MP. Here, as a tribute to the remarkable man, reporter Clive White looks back on his caving exploits.

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Smokeless zone debate stoked up strong feeling

12:00pm Saturday 27th April 2013

It was 50 years ago – when Craven was in the grip of the worst winter it had experienced since the late 1940s – that councillors announced plans to make Skipton a smokeless zone. Lesley Tate looks back at the debate.

An unassuming hero who lived through D-Day

12:00pm Saturday 20th April 2013

West Marton military historian David Mabbutt looks back on D-Day through the eyes of veteran Douglas Graham, who lived in Earby.

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There was trouble at t’mill over water rights

2:40pm Saturday 13th April 2013

In 2009, the Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group set itself the task of researching the history of Whitfield Syke Mill at Embsay, linking the written records to what can still be seen on the surface. The results, after three years of hard work researching, surveying and writing, have just been published. Here, group member Jane Lunnon gives us an insight into mill.

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A musical journey on the Settle to Carlisle line

12:00pm Saturday 6th April 2013

There’s a musical aspect to the Settle-Carlisle railway. Two men – Mike Donald and Dave Goulder – provided us with first-rate songs. Mike, who lived in Skipton, died at an early age, but his song about the celebrated railway lives on. He can be seen and heard singing it on You Tube. Dave, who lives in Sutherland, on the far north of the Scottish mainland, has just published his Railway Songbook, including the Settle-Carlisle. Dr Bill Mitchell, of Giggleswick, recalls some musical moments in the history of the famous railway

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The day Skipton turned out to greet a prince

11:00am Saturday 30th March 2013

On a bright day in March 1988, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales captured the hearts of thousands of Craven people when he visited Skipton, Broughton and Gargrave. Deputy editor Lindsey Moore looks back on the visit

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Craven's reaction to Dr Beeching's railway cuts

2:51pm Saturday 23rd March 2013

The late Skipton MP Burnaby Drayson faced some tough questioning when he attended the annual meeting of the town’s Women Conservatives 50 years ago. Craven, in common with the whole country, was reeling from the publication days before of Dr Richard Beeching’s plans for the “reshaping” of British railways. Numerous local routes and stations were earmarked for closure and Lesley Tate reflects on how the proposals were received. 

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Delving deep into the legacy of Northern Cave Club's 50th birthday

11:35am Monday 18th March 2013

For five decades, members of the Northern Cave Club (NCC) have explored the world beneath our feet. Now, they are preparing to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary with an above-surface celebration at Clapham Village Hall on Saturday, May 18. Here, we look back at the club’s history with the help of members Bob Cockerham and Ruth Smith.

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