Beverley Echo

08/09/2023

FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL COMES TO DRIFFIELD…

Food and drink ‘Feastival’ to revive Michaelmas tradition in Driffield

A three-day extravaganza is set to revive the traditional Michaelmas celebration in Driffield town centre.

The ‘Feastival’ will take over Cross Hill car park, along Mill Street and into the Market Plaza, from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October, transforming the area into a culinary and entertainment hub.

The Michaelmas celebration traditionally marks the end of harvest and the arrival of autumn, and visitors to the Feastival can expect a feast for the senses, with a variety of street foods, grocery stalls, bars and al fresco dining options, as well as live music, comedy performances, children's entertainment and crafts.

Councillor Anne Handley, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “This is a great opportunity to showcase this part of Driffield town centre as a venue for events like this.

“I urge local businesses to get involved, and I’m sure plenty of people from Driffield and beyond will come along for a weekend of fun as the nights begin to draw in."

The Feastival is organised by the events company Market Square Group Ltd in partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The project is partially funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Local businesses can take part by securing a stall at a concessionary rate, running promotions in conjunction with the event, or extending their opening hours to take advantage of the increased footfall in the town centre.

Businesses interested in taking part should email [email protected], call 01832 281274 or visit www.marketsquaregroup.co.uk/core/events.

For more information on the Feastival, visit www.zoomevents.co.uk/driffield-michaelmas-feastival.

06/09/2023

Council issues further update on the Treasure House transformation in Beverley

As work is about to get under way on the transformation of the Treasure House in Beverley, which will become the Champney Treasure House, more details have now been released by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The £3.3 million scheme includes a new customer service centre and enhanced library, and a new location within the building for the reference library, while the council’s registration services will relocate there from Walkergate House. There will be a new Changing Places facility, and Champney Gardens will also be landscaped.

The contractors for the scheme will be Hobson & Porter.

To enable the exciting transformation to happen, the whole of the Treasure House will be closed for approximately a year. All facilities will close at 4pm on Saturday, 23 September.

Temporary arrangements will be put in place to allow services to continue as much as possible:

Beverley Library : will temporarily relocate into County Hall, on the other side of Champney Road (directly opposite the existing library). The temporary library will open on Wednesday, 4 October and will keep the normal Beverley library opening times. All library services will transfer across to the temporary facility, and regular activities and sessions will resume in October. Visit eastridinglibraries.co.uk/whatson for full details.

During the intervening period, the nearest alternative library facilities will be at Cottingham, Willerby and Hornsea. However, East Riding Libraries will continue to be available online at www.eastridinglibraries.co.uk

Tourist Information Centre (TIC): will temporarily relocate from Wednesday, 27 September into the Customer Service Centre at 7, Cross Street. Opening times will be: Monday to Thursday, 9am-5pm; Friday, 9am-4.30pm; Saturday, 9am-4pm.

During the short period when the TIC will be completely closed, the TIC bike will be used around the town to serve tourists and visitors.

East Riding Archives will be available online for a variety of enquiries and requests for document copies. The staff will continue their conservation work, and will also continue to develop the What Was Here app and the Archives 360 interactive virtual tour. They will continue regular blogs and cataloguing work, and will still communicate regularly through email and social media. The service can be contacted via [email protected]

Beverley Art Gallery: the team will be working on redisplaying the permanent collection in the Red Gallery space, bringing new stories and artworks to light. They will also be preparing a brand-new programme of exhibitions for 2025. The team will share their work behind-the-scenes through social media, regular newsletters, and on local media. More details of their exciting plans to be issued during the closure period.

Beverley Art Gallery Curator Hannah Willetts said : “Although the gallery will be closed, we’ll be very busy behind the scenes and I look forward to revealing the projects we have lined up. We’ll be sharing our work throughout the closure, both online and in person, providing a unique insight into the work we do as a gallery team while we prepare new displays and exhibitions.”

Museum: The Treasure House Museum will be closed for the duration of the transformation project. New objects will be installed in the museum ready for opening, with research and new discoveries shared in the East Riding Museums newsletter, through social media and online. An exciting programme of temporary exhibitions will be devised for launch in 2025.

Treasure House Curator Sally Hayes said: "The temporary closure of the museum will be an excellent opportunity to get objects out of storage, some of which have not been seen for many years, and include archaeological treasures and social history from across the East Riding. We will also be adding new film and audio content on listening posts and screens and working with local independent museums and societies on display cases".

During the closure period, the Treasure House will be using different venues to continue some of its programmes and events such as ‘Tiny Treasures On Tour’ for under 5s and their grown ups.

Café : will be closed throughout the period.

Register Office : services provided at the current register office at Walkergate House will remain unchanged until the work is completed. Anyone planning a register office wedding in Beverley in the autumn or winter of 2024 and beyond should talk to Registrar staff who can advise about the excellent facilities that will be available in the new Champney Treasure House.

Gardens : Work is also expected to start shortly on an attractive landscaping scheme in the Treasure House gardens to complement the new-look building, designed to make the gardens a more attractive and welcoming place to visit for everyone.

As the new building will house the town’s register office, the gardens will become an ideal location for wedding groups and for photographs to be taken.

The upgrade will include new seating areas, a sundial, and new pergolas – one for residents to walk through with climbing foliage overhead - and the others providing ideal seating areas.

The garden is also aimed at improving the environment with plenty of new planting and bedding, a biodiverse lawn, areas designed to encourage insects and wildlife, new sights and scents on offer, and also an information board to explain the history of the gardens.

All services and facilities in the Treasure House will continue as normal until 23 September, including events in Beverley Library.

Councillor Nick Coultish, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “The Champney Treasure House scheme is aimed at improving the library in Beverley and creating a new cultural hub for the town, whilst also rationalising our assets and getting better value for money for our residents. It will be largely funded by the sale of our buildings in Cross Street and Walkergate House.

“We apologise to our regular customers for the inconvenience caused by this closure period, but we have worked hard to ensure the best possible arrangements for our library customers and TIC users whilst the Treasure House is shut. I can assure all those who use the Treasure House that the wait will be worth it, with superb new facilities.”

Full details of the Treasure House Transformation can be found at: eryc.link/treasurehouse

06/09/2023

New outdoor gym and fitness facility coming to East Riding Leisure Beverley

A superb new outdoor gym and fitness facility – the first of its kind in the north of England – is coming soon to East Riding Leisure Beverley.

The Mill will be a multi-functional space for East Riding Leisure members and the wider community, including clubs and organisations, suitable for all ages and abilities.

Work will start this month and will be completed by this winter.

East Riding Leisure is working with BeaverFit and Indigo Fitness to provide the new facility, which will offer a mix of weights and cardio and training facilities, and will also host outdoor classes.

Equipment will include squat racks, pull up bars, and rigging for accessories, which will include boxing bags, battle ropes, bars/weights, slam balls, dog sleds, kettlebells, and plyo boxes.

The new site will be for use all-year-round and part of the outdoor gym will be under a canopy.

Councillor Nick Coultish, the council’s portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “This is exciting news for East Riding Leisure members, and for Beverley.

“These fantastic facility will add a whole new dimension to what we can offer, and will be unique in the north of England.

“I can’t wait to see The Mill, and I know it will prove hugely popular.”

More details of The Mill will be available soon on social media and at eryc.link/TheMill or www.eastridingleisure.co.uk/gym/outdoor-gym

With additional accessories including boxing bags, battle ropes, bars/weights, slam balls, dog sleds, kettlebells and plyo boxes to name just a few.

06/09/2023

Dracula comes to Beverley…

Beverley Theatre Company (BTC) are pleased to announce that their next production will be a brand new adaptation of Bram Stoker's famous tale of the Vampire Count, Dracula, and, in a departure from their usual venue, BTC will become the first true amateur dramatic company to perform on stage at the East Riding Theatre in Beverley.

Written by BTC members Tony Musgrave and Nev Slater, who also adapted the very well-received version of Blackadder goes Forth that the company produced to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, this version of the story brings you all the horror of the original Victorian setting.

However , it also has a new twist.
Imagine a world where the novel Dracula was never published. Why? Because this is the world where the story actually happened. Although the book does not exist, all the journals, diaries, letters and other items that Stoker used to write his book do, and now, in the modern age, someone has found them......

As the details of the story are sporadically published online, we see the events of the late 1890s appear before us, taking us from Jonathan Harker’s trip to Transylvania to their bloody conclusion.....and beyond, as the consequences of making the story known are revealed.

The play will be performed at the East Riding Theatre, Beverley, from Wednesday 8th November to Saturday 11th November at 7.30pm, with a licensed bar. Tickets are priced at £12.50 and can be purchased:

● online at www.eastridingtheatre.co.uk
● by telephoning the East Riding Theatre box office on 01482 874050
● in person at the East Riding Theatre, 10 Lord Roberts Road, Beverley, HU17 9BE
● on the door on the night.

Beverley Theatre Company is keen to keep amateur theatre alive in Beverley and would be delighted if you would like to tread the boards with us or help backstage.

Please contact us at [email protected] or via our page.

25/07/2023

Mystery and Gothic fantasy at Beverley Library this Saturday

Beverley Library is hosting an event this Saturday (29 July) as part of the Children’s Festival of Words featuring Hachette Children’s Novel Award winner Andy Ruffell.

Andy will be talking about his dark mystery and gripping Gothic fantasy adventure ‘Lily Grim and the City of Undone’.

There will be a chance to meet the author, buy a copy of the book and get it signed (cash sales only).

The event is suitable for children aged nine and over, and tickets cost £3 for each child – accompanying adults are free.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.festivalofwords.co.uk/whats-on/events/?entry=432803

Or they can be purchased over the phone on 01482 392699 during office hours.

16/06/2023

Lovers of Northern Soul and similar music are in for a great few days…

A huge weekend of Northern Soul is heading for the Bridlington Spa…

The Northern Soul Weekender returns to Bridlington Spa from Friday 23 to Sunday, 25 June for the biggest and most talked about soul event of 2023. Dubbed as one of the largest dedicated Northern Soul Weekender events in the UK, it will feature six rooms of the best soul sounds from the early 1960s t...

16/06/2023

Call for poems inspired by Mysterious Tales and Unusual Stories

The 5th High Wolds Poetry Festival is now open for entries around the theme of Mysterious Tales and Unusual Stories.

The free festival in North Dalton, East Yorkshire, on Saturday, 23 September, is an open mic, one-day festival for absolutely anyone of any age to share their own or other people’s poetry. A selection of work submitted will be published in a unique, free, custom-designed book and there will be home made locally sourced food and drink available throughout the day.

Julian F. Woodford, festival director, said: "Now in its fifth year, the festival is open to any kind of poetry, not just around this year's theme of Mysterious Tales and Unusual Stories, so you can send us your work about absolutely anything, any content, form, tone, style. It might be inspired by the Yorkshire Wolds or by your own experiences in general, it's really up to you.

"We want poets of any ability, experience, age and background to read or listen on the day - and anyone is welcome to come and read - and this year everyone has a chance to take part in a new series of poetry workshops which Caroline Coath and I will be leading."

The festival is supported by Arts Council England through East Riding Museums, whose Assistant Curator - Community, Caroline Coath, said: "We are really looking forward to seeing how the fascinating stories of the Wolds and wider East Riding can inspire our local poets. We are producing some resources to support these creative individuals which will be available by email and on social media and also at our new poetry workshops.

"Final details are to be confirmed around the workshops which will be in Beverley Treasure House, Skidby Mill and a North Wolds village during July and August."

Nial Adams, Museums and Archives Manager, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "There's no doubt that the festival continues to thrive because of the way in which it has been able to fuse local people's creativity with Caroline's inclusive North Wolds community outreach work and themed interaction with our museums' archives.

"The continued Arts Council England and East Riding of Yorkshire Council support and the mixture of wonderful homemade catering by Joanne Young and friends and the beautiful North Dalton village location seem to just come together each year with the support of local farms, hamlets, villages and towns here in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds."

The festival will publish a collection of work from poems submitted and will run an open mic at North Dalton Village Hall on Saturday, 23 September from 11am to 6pm.

Entries for the custom-designed festival book are free and close at midnight on 31 August and can be sent by email to [email protected] or by post to The Festival Director, The High Wolds Poetry Festival, East Riding Museums, Treasure House, Champney Road, Beverley HU17 8HE.

Entries for the Open Mic are open until Friday, 22 September, the day prior to the festival.

Keep up-to-date on High Wolds Poetry Festival 2023 news here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHighWoldsPoetryFestival

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highwoldspoetry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighWoldsPoetry

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf1K_s21RjVWJcv_FUAS1Lw

Contact Information: Email: [email protected]

Julian F. Woodford, Festival Director, 07538 710110 Julian Woodford

The 4th High Wolds Poetry Festival open mic & poetry collection in North Dalton, East Yorkshire, Sat Oct 22nd 2022, 2-7pm. Come along to read and send us you...

13/06/2023

This should be great and it’s just a few miles away…

A free and fun three-day Carnival coming to Hornsea this July…

Click the link for dates, times and full details⬇️⬇️⬇️

The largest free-of-charge, three day event in the East Riding is set to take place this July. Hornsea Carnival has been in operation since 1967 and as well as locals, the event is also a big draw for a great day out to the wider community.So what is Hornsea Carnival…? Carnival Chairman Iain Poole...

06/06/2023

Rolling back the years…Bridlington Vintage Festival set to bring the Old Town back to the 40’s and 50’s this weekend.

A group of traders are holding a Vintage Festival in Bridlington Old Town this Sunday after the sad cancellation of the 1940/50’s event. Due to timescale of events it has not been possible to close the road but lots of the original stall holders and some new ones will be hosted inside the various ...

06/06/2023

Tophill Low nature reserve near Driffield in East Yorkshire is celebrating 30 years of being open to the public on Sunday 11 of June.

The popular wildlife oasis, home to otters, barn owls, kingfishers and grass snakes has seen huge success over three decades. Thousands of hours of volunteer input supported by the water company have delivered numerous conservation successes including breeding otters, at the time the UK’s most northerly nesting cetti’s warblers, a thriving heronry, booming bitterns and perhaps the strongest population of greater water parsnip in the UK.

On occasion very rare visitors have also been found with the UK’s first amur falcon found in 2008 from Siberia, north American spotted sandpiper, lesser yellow legs, and long billed dowitcher wading birds, and the lesser scaup duck on the two reservoirs supplying drinking water to East Yorkshire – now both designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England.

However, Reserve Warden Richard Hampshire says “This weekend it’s the native British wildlife we’re celebrating. In my opinion the reserve is at its very best at this time of year with our meadows full of yellow rattle, orchids and butterflies. The nesting bird colonies of the marshes have common terns from Africa, marsh harriers bringing food back to their chicks and tawny owl and heron fledglings on the go.”

To celebrate this between 10am and 4pm on Sunday the 11th of June the reserve will be hosting around 20 partner organisations covering everything form the history of the Hull Valley, a chance to meet bats, hedgehogs and goats, try and buy binoculars and telescopes, learn about and purchase rare wetland plants, pond dipping and craft activities for children, demonstrations of bird ringing, and Humberside police’s rural crime unit and East Riding Council’s countryside services amongst many more.

Admission is free all day at the reserve signposted 4 miles from the A164 at Watton, East Yorkshire. Assistance dogs only permitted.

02/05/2023

VIDEO…Whale stranded in shallow water just off Bridlington South Beach.

A whale has been spotted very close to the beach on the Southside of Bridlington this afternoon (2 May, 2023).

Full story in the link below⬇️

https://bridlingtonecho.co.uk/whale-stranded-near-to-bridlington-south-beach-as-coastguards-cordon-off-the-area/

22/04/2023

🏁🏁Get set for Race The Waves🏁🏁

‘Full Throttle Action today and tomorrow 10.00 - 15.00 on Bridlington South Beach

Here is a taster of things to come this weekend from a video taken last year.

⬇️⬇️⬇️Full details in the link below⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://bridlingtonecho.co.uk/bridlington-gets-set-for-race-the-waves-from-20-23-april/

Video: Echo Media Group.

21/04/2023

Tour of Britain heads to Beverley as world-class cycling returns to the East Riding

World-class cyclists are set to return to the roads of the East Riding later this year as Beverley was today announced as a finish location for this year’s Tour of Britain race.

On Tuesday, 5 September, over 100 of the world’s leading cyclists, which will include Olympic, world and Tour de France champions, will race to the finish line in Beverley on stage three of the race.

This will be the first time since 2008 that the Tour of Britain has come through Beverley although the East Riding is no stranger to international cycle races, having hosted a number of stage starts for the recent Tour de Yorkshire events as well as a UCI Para-cycling event in 2019.

The Tour of Britain has become a cornerstone of the UK sporting calendar and this year’s event will start in Greater Manchester on Sunday 3 September and finish in South Wales on Sunday 10 September having taken in all four corners of the UK.

The race will be broadcast live on ITV4, while a nightly highlights show will also be available.

Caroline Lacey, chief executive of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Today’s announcement that Beverley will host the stage three finish of the Tour of Britain is fantastic news, not just for Beverley but for the whole of the East Riding.

“We know from our previous experience of hosting the Tour de Yorkshire just how much people in the East Riding love their cycling and I expect, that after a four-year absence of cycling, the crowds will be out to cheer on the cyclists to the finish line.

“With the race being broadcast live on ITV4, it also gives us the chance to showcase Beverley and the East Riding to audiences both at home and abroad and to put us on the map as a must-visit destination.”

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director, said: “We’re thrilled that this year’s Tour of Britain will see Beverley make its debut as a host venue for the first time!

“Fifteen years may have gone by since the race passed through the iconic North Bar, but ever since we’ve wanted to bring the Tour back to town.

“We know there’s a real sense of community pride in Beverley, and this will definitely be on display for the world to see on Tuesday 5 September.

“I’d like to thank East Riding of Yorkshire Council and our stakeholders for their support of the Tour, as well as the hard work going on behind the scenes to make this a truly unforgettable day.”

* More information about stage three of the race, including route and timetable, will be announced in the coming months.

01/04/2023

This could be a game changer for the area with tourists expected to visit Beverley…

Village renamed Port of Sewerby as Bridlington area set to welcome thousands of foreign visitors this year.

After a long consultation period, the owners of the Ship Inn at Sewerby, near Bridlington have been given the green light to change the pub into a welcome centre which will cater for cruise and pleasure craft docking in the Bay of Bridlington.

Charlie Kilburn from the Ship Inn, explained :”This has been a long-held ambition for us and will bring thousands of visitors into the village and beyond…it will be a game changer for the whole area.”

To meet further government requirements, the village will now be named Port of Sewerby.

Charlie was delighted that the application to become a Freeport Gateway has been looked upon ‘favourably’ after several positive conversations with government mandarins - some who have been spotted in and around Sewerby with tape measures and clipboards.

A villager from Sewerby, said: “It will be great for the village, I love Americans as I went to Florida and Disney once – and they were all so nice.

“I’m glad that there is elevator as I get out of breath going up the 147 steps from the beach, but they may have to limit the number of passengers in the lift as some of our friends from the USA do look like they enjoy a cake or two.”

Alterations for the arrivals hall inside the Ship Inn are almost complete with Charlie and his wife Lou highly delighted with how the project is going.

Changes will include a small duty free area selling perfumes to vistors.

Click the link below for full story and photos. ⬇️⬇️

Ambitious plans have been passed that have been described as a ‘tourism game changer’ for a small East Yorkshire Coastal village near Bridlington. After a long consultation period, the owners of the Ship Inn at Sewerby, near Bridlington have been given the green light to change the pub into a we...

31/03/2023

Pocklington town centre will be the home of a bustling Food & Drink Festival this April.

Taking place on 22-23 April and based in the heart of the town centre, stalls will line Market Place, leading to a stage and seating areas in St Peter’s Square.

The Pocklington Food & Drink Festival is set to be an exciting and fun-filled weekend. Visitors can experience the best of the local food and drink scene, with street foods, bars of distinction, alfresco dining, select grocery food and craft, alongside live music, comedy and children’s entertainment.

This event is once again being delivered by the Market Square Group Ltd, a specialist events company with significant experience of running events, in partnership with East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Helena Moss, interim regeneration and funding manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We’re so excited to work with Market Square Group Ltd and bring the Food and Drink Festival to Pocklington.

“This event follows a successful Feastival event in the town in 2022 and will act to generate exciting opportunities for businesses in Pocklington to reach new audiences.”

Details for the Pocklington Food & Drink Food & Drink Festival are as follows:

Dates: 22/23 April 2023

Opening Times:
Saturday 9am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Location: Market Place, Pocklington

More information on music and comedy line ups, traders, food demonstrations, hot food, beverages, children’s entertainment and grocery/foods will be added to our event page and social media channels. https://www.zoomevents.co.uk/pocklington-food-and-drink-festival/.

If you would like to express an interest in taking part in this event and receive more information, please contact [email protected], Tel: 01832 281274 or visit: https://www.marketsquaregroup.co.uk/core/events.

31/03/2023

Residents will have the opportunity to visit the ruins of a 17th Century listed East Yorkshire manor house when Elmswell Old Hall opens to the public for one day.

Between 10.30am and 3.30pm on Saturday, 1 April, people will be able to visit the ruins which date back to around 1635 and is part of the historically significant Elmswell country estate situated off the A166 near Driffield, parts of which can be directly traced back to William the Conqueror.

Built by owner Henry Best, the old hall was thought to be one of the first brick buildings in East Yorkshire and in 1998, English Heritage changed its status from Grade II to Grade II* meaning it is officially “of more than special interest”. Only around 5% of the country’s listed buildings fall into this category.

Road signs will be displayed with directions to the site and parking will be available although access to the site from the car park is via a narrow, rutted track and could be unsuitable for people with mobility issues. Dogs will not be allowed on the site.

16/03/2023

Make sure your four-legged friends are well cared for…

East Riding calls on residents to ensure they use licensed pet care while on holiday

The council is calling on pet owners to make sure that they are employing licensed carers for their pets when on holiday. The time of year is quickly approaching when many families start to think about heading off for holidays, there’s often the need for your family dog to be well looked after whi...

09/03/2023

This looks fantastic… and tickets are on sale now.

Tickets for the brand new This Feeling By The Sea Festival at Bridlington Spa are now on sale.

Headliners are top groups The Lathums and Red Rum Club, plus many more brilliants bands.

Fri 18 August tickets https://www.bridspa.com/events/?entry=spx_411803

Sat 19 August tickets https://www.bridspa.com/events/?entry=spx_412203

Video: Charlie Spalding

download link https://we.tl/t-YMBuoKG3Ud