OTTERBURN villagers from 50 years ago felt the years slip away as they held a reunion in Malham recently.

The event was organised by Joan Barker (nee Scarborough), of Airton, and Joan Houghton (nee Robinson), of Sutton-in-Craven, who decided it would be nice to reunite former neighbours and friends in the queen's golden jubilee year.

They put their heads together and made a list of everyone they could remember and wrote to them inviting them to a reunion lunch at the Buck Inn.

Mrs Barker said: "We asked people to commemorate 50 years since we all lived in Otterburn, to reunite all the children, teenagers and adults who lived there in the Forties and Fifties. We asked them to see how we had all matured over the last half century and invited their families too. It was a super event, a really lovely occasion, and we are planning to do it again in five years' time."