THE Craven Herald of a hundred years ago had a pop at all those who gained ‘morbid curiosity’ by watching the German prisoners of war arriving at Skipton Railway Station to be taken to the Raikeswood Camp. It was ‘altogether out of place’ said the paper, and the hope was it should stop, continuing that such gawping only served to give the prisoners an opportunity to exhibit ‘swank’ and ‘supercilious airs’. Instead, the paper recommended townsfolk adopted an entire absence of interest and total indifference, and should there be any complaint about their behaviour, it should be addressed to the camp commandant.

MEANWHILE, in the same edition of the paper, an ‘abject apology’ was issued to readers after it inadvertently told them to switch to Greenwich Mean Time a whole day earlier than it should have done. “By a slip of the pen, we advised our readers that summer time ended on Saturday night, and that normal time would be resumed on Sunday. It should have been Monday.” The paper said it recognised the inconvenience this would have caused, and blamed ‘depleted staffs, over-strain and worry’, adding that it was a wonder that not more errors crept in, claiming ‘temporary mental aberration’.

A VERY popular trip indeed must be that taken of Craven school pupils to Westminster to meet up with Skipton MP Julian Smith. It was recently the turn of Upper Wharfedale School in Threshfield to meet with Mr Smith, who is the government chief whip, and to discuss his role as Skipton MP. “It was a pleasure to meet with a very engaged group of students from the local area,” said Mr Smith.” I was impressed by the calibre of their questions and I was pleased to be able to discuss their policy concerns, my work on behalf of constituents, and my current Government position.”

THERE were plenty of delicious cakes sold as part of Macmillan Cancer Support’s The World’s Biggest Coffee morning. Residents and carers at Limestone View, in Settle, did splendidly when they raised £560 by the selling of cakes and jams and drinks at the extra care home in the town. I am told that residents put a lot of work in to let people know it was taking place, and were rewarded with a good turnout.

THERE was plenty of merriment in the office when a colleague was asked by the makers of survival programme, The Island with Bear Grylls, if he would like to take part in the new series. In previous series, the volunteers were stripped of all the comforts of civilisation, and cast away on a remote deserted island. They filmed themselves, and shared their raw and exhilarating story of survival. And, if all that was not enough, this year, there will be a prize for the winner - which, despite much encouragement, will not be my colleague. Channel 4 is looking for people at least 18 years olds, who are fit and able and with a ‘unique skillset’. They can come from any background or profession. They should be confident in their ability to thrive, but don’t need any experience in adventure, or survival. Reasonable, pre arranged loss of earnings will be covered. Deadline for applications is tomorrow. To apply, go to: theislandwithbeargrylls.com

AUSTWICK Tennis Club member, Pam Whitehead (pictured) was revealed as the mysterious ‘Madame X’ who had volunteered to take centre stage in Macmillan’s Brave the Shave. The shaving took place at the club coffee morning, held at Austwick playing fields clubhouse, and ‘shavee’ was Anthony Klej, whose only other experience of clippers, was using a pair on his dog. A quite magnificent more than £250 was raised for Macmillan, with at least the equal amount due to come in.

WETHERSPOON’S The Devonshire Inn, Newmarket Street, Skipton, is currently staging a 12 day beer festival, when customers will be able to enjoy a selection of 20 beers from independent British craft brewers. Each of the brewers is a member of SIBA – the organisation that promotes small independent brewers and their beers, and among the beers on offer are those brewed exclusively for the festival as well as award-winners. Also on offer, will be five UK produced ciders, including Toffee Apple, Legbender, and Premium Perry. Pub manager Christopher Donoghue said: “The festival will give people the opportunity to enjoy a superb selection of the beers that they brew, many of which have not been served in the pub before. The festival promises to be great fun and I am certain that my customers will enjoy themselves.” The festival started yesterday, and is due to run until Sunday, October 21. All beers and ciders are priced at £2.15 a pint.

TRAFFIC Cops is back for another series on Channel 5, and Tc Andy Ingram of Skipton Police (pictured) makes regular appearances, as he pursues drugs and drink drivers across Craven, and occasionally across the border into West Yorkshire. It makes for fascinating viewing, and a very interesting insight into the work of the traffic police.

SPORTS broadcaster Jim Rosenthal, celebrity chef Brian Turner CBE and Olympian Carl Hester MBE are encouraging men across Craven to grow a beard this December and raise money for Bowel Cancer UK.Taking part in Decembeard is really simple - as long as you’re a man, that is. All you need to do is clean shave on November 30 and let your facial fuzz grow throughout the month. Those who already have beards can also take part, by shaving their’s off, and starting again, or perhaps dyeing it an interesting colour, or plaiting it - rather like a Viking. A colleague in the office tells me he once managed to get 20 plastic pens in his beard, not sure how long that lasted though. To sign up, go to: bowelcanceruk.org.uk/decembeard

DISADVANTAGED children and young people will receive a financial boost through a charity craft fair to be held at The Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton on Sunday (October 14). A share of stall fees from the event will be handed to the educational charity One In A Million. A raffle and donations from people attending the event will boost the charity event further.

The free-admission event will feature more than 30 stalls with a wide range of gifts and handmade crafts for all the family.

Organiser Andrew Vaux, director of ARVA PR and Events, said: “This will be a great family day out and I hope as many people as possible will attend and support this extremely worthwhile charity which helps brighten the lives of those people less fortunate than ourselves.

One in A Million delivers formal and informal education to disadvantaged children and young people aged between five and 19-years-old through sports, arts and enterprise-themed programmes.

The charity aims to break cycles of deprivation over their students’ young lives – valuing and celebrating their uniqueness and letting them know that they’re ‘One In A Million.” The fair will run from 11am to 4pm.

EX Salford City footballer Gareth Seddon, is due to join a special ‘sporting memories talk’ at the Dyneley House Surgery barn on Thursday, October 18. The social group, which is dementia friendly, meets every month on the third Thursday between 2pm and 3.30pm at Dyneley Barn, behind the surgery in Newmarket Street. You don’t need to be registered with the surgery to join the talk on Thursday, but you do need to let the surgery you are coming, by telephoning Gaynor on 01756 799311. Carers and Family Members are also welcome.