Friday 18 March 2022

Beverley Town Council is hoping to see the return of Beverley Food Festival and the Beverley Christmas Festival of Food and Drink this year after both events had to be cancelled in 2020 and again last year, because of the pandemic.

Next Monday’s full meeting of the council will consider proposals for the events to go-ahead but run by an external company instead of being managed by council staff, as previously was the case. If the report is adopted, tenders will be invited to organise and run the Beverley Food Festival, which normally attracts huge crowds to Saturday Market, on Sunday October 2. The council will also invite tenders to organise and run the Christmas festival in the Minster on Saturday November 19.

Hundreds of Abba fans due to set sail from Hull today on a two-night mini cruise to Rotterdam, organised by Cherry Burton-based Dalton Spire Ltd., are among those who’ve had their plans thrown into chaos as a result of P&O Ferries suspending all services. The company’s shock move came yesterday after it announced it was sacking all of its 800 British crew with plans to use agency staff instead.

An Abba tribute band was due to play on board the special themed cruise with Beverley FM Breakfast Show presenter Alex Dunn hosting an on-board disco. Nic Gough, of Dalton Spire, told Beverley FM: “We were totally unaware until news broke around 10 in the morning and we were kept in the dark all day until finally being told the sailing would not be going ahead. Obviously we’re disappointed for all those looking forward to the cruise but even more so, our feelings go out to the crew, many of whom have become our friends over the years.”

And finally, Sally Hill from Lockington, riding her horse Paddy, won Britain’s oldest horse race, the Kiplingcotes Derby, yesterday, over a four-mile course near Middleton-on-the-Wolds. It was the first time for two years that the race, sponsored by Beverley jewellers Guest and Philips, had been run as a competitive event because of the pandemic. Sally was a previous winner in 2011.