100 years ago

Carleton Primitive Methodist Chapel was opened by the congregation's longest serving member, Miss NA Edmondson. The first foundation stone had been laid on the previous Good Friday. Designed by Mr James Hartley, the chapel was built at a cost of £1,200 and could house a congregation of 180 people.

Much to the disgust of Herald columnist Phil Up, a young mother walking down the High Street in Skipton with her baby was hit by a passing milk float. The woman had time to throw her baby clear but her head was run over in the accident, causing a severe fracture at the base of her skull. The irate diarist complained "Buses, butchers carts and milk floats race along the High Street. The presence of a mere pedestrian is apparently ignored by the superior individual who drives a vehicle."

A scissors grinder from Skipton was obviously not in the festive spirit when being fined 5 shillings for using obscene language. A farmer from Grassington was fined a grand total of 20 shillings plus costs for being drunk and disorderly.

50 years ago

WHILE the fate of Skipton Hospital lies in the balance at the end of 2002, 50 years ago there was actually talk of expanding Skipton Hospital. During a meeting in St John's Hospital in Keighley, it was revealed that the proposed three-storey extension at Skipton would house an extra 60 beds, and cost £161,800.

The Skipton Group of County Primary School Managers was delighted at the progress being made on the new Greatwood School on the Horse Close Estate. Due to open in September, drainage and playing fields had already been completed, and brickwork was 90 per cent finished.

Leeds Grammar School announced that it would be closing the doors of Hartlington Hall to its boarders at the end of the academic year. Having first housed pupils evacuated during World War II in 1939, all its inhabitants were forced to become day boys.

A Father Christmas received more than he bargained for when a leisurely sleigh ride around Skipton town centre took a turn for the worse. Just after the hapless Santa had climbed aboard, the horse pulling the sleigh bolted along Sackville Street. Santa didn't have any reins to halt the horse, and the unfortunate man leading it was forced to cling to the horse's head for dear life. Several hundred yards later, the horse finally pulled up, but Father Christmas refused to climb back in the sleigh, and walked down the High Street a wary few paces behind.

25 years ago

TWO Glusburn teenagers petitioned the parish council to provide a skateboard area in the park. Young Alan Jennings and Kevin Hitch said they were concerned about their own safety and that of pedestrians if they continued to play in the streets. Twenty-five years later they got their area but maybe they are now a little too old to enjoy it? Or perhaps not, as the Herald of Christmas 1977 also carried a story about a 66-year-old granddad who was showing his grandson how to skateboard on Christmas Day - and ended up in Airedale Hospital with a broken leg.

Newly weds David Varley and Beverley Lunt stopped traffic through Gisburn travelling to their reception in a 20 ton stream traction engine. Every year the Varleys ran a popular steam fair at their farm in Gisburn and the family's interest in steam engines was legendary.

An Earby man retired from his company after 32 years to continue his international daredevil escapades. Ronald Moss had twice narrowly escaped plane crashes, been around the world 11 times and been caught up in two revolutions. He retired from Armonde Ltd which manufactured plastic and leather cloth in Earby.

10 years ago

PLANS to build a 13,000 square feet supermarket in Settle were briskly dismissed by local councillors. The proposed site was at the Sowarth Field Industrial Estate. Little discussion was needed, as councillors were agreed that the venture would be damaging to local businesses. Councillor Peter Walbank explained: "If we allow a supermarket outside Settle we are going to put lots of people out of business in the centre of town."

Part of Skipton High Street was cordoned off following a bomb scare. A suspect wrapped package with a Northern Ireland postmark was found in the public toilets in the town hall car park. Fortunately, the package was found to contain nothing more sinister than a box of chocolates.