Ruby Kitchen

The Brotherton Poetry Prize for 2024, from the University of Leeds Poetry Centre, was awarded to Dillon Jaxx. They had mostly written only in secret, they said, until they first took a poetry course in 2011 after undergoing cancer treatment. The competition is aimed at nurturing newcomers to industry, and was open to adults who have not yet published a full collection. Jaxx, who is based in Sussex, paid tribute to a late friend and poet Kathryn Bevis as they accepted the recognition. “Winning th…

David Halliwell, born in Brighouse but dying in exile in Oxfordshire at the age of 69, wrote several TV dramas and a large number of scripts for the stage. Since his death in 2006 his acclaimed works have been largely forgotten, until a tranche of manuscripts were found in the archives of the University of Leeds library. It was the treasurer of Grassington Players, Robert Fort, delving into history, who uncovered the original script for a “darkly comic masterpiece” which the group is now bringin…

There’s constellation trails, electric dance poetry and underground caves; stargazing safaris and then yoga, hiking and special revelations in science. The Dark Skies Festival, celebrating the International Dark Sky Reserves above the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, runs from February 9 to 25. Phoebe Smith, from the North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA), said the region is “beyond lucky” to have such access. “I have seen the Northern Lights in our skies, I have s…

Nearly one in seven adults in the UK suffer from tinnitus, which can cause ringing in the ears and diminish many people’s quality of life. Now, as groundbreaking research today reveals the debilitating impact, a former Yorkshire councillor has backed calls for greater support. Mark Vesey, from Scarborough, said he has suffered since last summer when he attended a music concert in the Yorkshire spa town. Too many people are left without support, he warns today, as findings suggest the number wai…

Now this winter season, full of Christmas cheer, can prove the busiest time of year for independent makers. As The Hepworth Wakefield’s festive market returns to at Tileyard North over two weekends from today, the Harrogate artist is to be among those to attend. Such special events, with chances to meet the maker, support a whole new generation of incoming talent, said Miss Holmes. “They are really lovely,” she added. “We all enjoy doing them.” Miss Holmes, at the studio she shares with fellow s…

Now a new £1m research centre has been launched in York to ease this suffering and find a kinder way to care for young people. Charity Candlelighters has teamed up with the University of York for the Supportive Care Research Centre, launched with incredible backing. Among supporters was the family of 13-year-old George Gallimore, from York, who was just a toddler when he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2013. George spent at least nine months in hospital over the three-and-a-half years of his tr…

Such advances in technology mean archaeological research has taken huge strides over recent years, with the University of Bradford among those to shine. The institute’s Boston Dynamics dog Spot is just one tool in its powerful armour, with the pet pooch capable of digging up more than just bones. Nicknamed BD25, in a nod to the university’s partnership with Bradford of Culture, it can explore and map hazardous sites without the need for a human companion. It is the first in the UK to have colour…

Nidderdale Show, known to be among the ‘friendliest’ on the circuit, usually brings Yorkshire’s agricultural show season to a close every year. Now, with a change to a Sunday date rather than a Monday for September, there are hopes it could make for a greater uptake of entries. Organisers were forced to make the change last minute in 2022 so as not to clash with the Queen’s funeral, but found it opened up options for more people wanting to attend. Alex Smith, of organisers the Nidderdale Agricul…

Eight projects across the region have been granted a share of £1.5m in Government funding, improving habitats to help wildlife to thrive. There is to be help for threatened black grouse, dragonflies in the Yorkshire Dales, crayfish and rare orchids. Then helping salmon leap in the North York Moors - and by association the freshwater pearl mussel - as well as with building an ‘ark’ habitat for the threatened tansy beetle. The Species Recovery Programme is designed to fund targeted action, with 63…

Under retro rules she’s packed a Walkman - and a Tina Turner mix tape - for her eight months at sea. The 26-year-old, from Otley, is leading a team in the Ocean Globe Race (OGR) which set off last Sunday. The catch is crews have to “sail like it’s 1973”, reading the skies using celestial navigation. “We are hoping to become the first all-female team to win an around-the-world race,” said Ms Thomas. “Growing up, I don’t think it was ever something I thought about, that it might be possible to do…

Today marks the start of Staithes Festival, with 106 artists to throw open their doors at some 60 cottages and galleries. Back in the late 1890s it was a colony of impressionist painters that centred themselves in the North Yorkshire village, while today it draws a much wider sphere. There are to be ceramicists and jewellery makers, textiles artists and sculptors taking part in the three-day festival, then music shows with jazz and fisherman’s choirs. Workshops, with Outlaw printmaker Sean Starw…