JENSON the tortoise - named of course after the British racing driver, Jenson Button, was a welcome visitor to Threshfield Primary School. Jenson came along with one of the school volunteers, Mrs Brame, who is pictured here with pupils, Izzy, Oscar, Grace and Max. The visit was part of the school's project looking at animal habitats.

ON the subject of animals and their habitats, my walking colleague was out and about recently when she decided to make a quick diversion over a gate to avoid a herd of cattle which were spread over the public footpath. As she stepped into the long grass on the other side of the gate, she set a hare off running. She was delighted to see amongst the grass the hare's 'form' (pictured). Hare, unlike rabbits, don't live in burrows underground, but make their nests in flattened pieces of grass. Interestingly, their young are born ready for the lack of protection, with fur and with their eyes open.

AND, once again on the subject of wildlife, my colleague spotted what she believed was a sunburnt tup during a walk from Bolton-by-Bowland. His head was a very angry red, she tells me, and he looked particularly grumpy, even for a tup, lying underneath the branches of a tree. However, during conversation with a farming colleague in the office, it appeared the sheep was not sunburnt at all, but was in fact a British Rouge - and here is the breed champion (pictured) at this year's Great Yorkshire Show at Harrogate.

A FAMILY fun day held in Skipton's Aireville Park for the first time in aid of Living Lights food banks and animal charity, Fureverloved small animal rescue, proved to be a great success. Families enjoyed a funfair, a variety of stalls, donkey rides, and of course, face painting (pictured). The organisers say they plan to make it an annual event - hopefully they can book the glorious weather again.

SKIPTON newsagents Luke Anson and Gillian Woodhouse themselves made headline news when celebrating the first anniversary at their Gargrave Road shop.

The couple, who hail from Skipton, took over Cooke’s News in July last year from Lewis and Anita Cooke, who had run the shop for 11 years. After 12 months of successful trading they are now looking to put in place a brand-new name for their family-run shop, in which their two children, Lucy, 19, and 16-year-old Tom, also help out on a regular basis.

“This was a brand-new venture for us and we have thoroughly enjoyed our first year in business. We have also made some major improvements both internally and externally, so thought it was high time we had a new identity,” explained the couple.

And they are hoping to enlist the help of Herald readers to do just that, with suggestion forms available to complete in the shop – and a prize of a £25 High Street shopping voucher awaiting the lucky winner.

For the celebration last weekend, the shop was bedecked with balloons, which were also handed out to children, with chocolate treats from Whitakers of Skipton also freely available to all until they ran out!

“It was our way of thanking our customers for their support and loyalty both up to now at the end of our milestone first year in business and in the future,” said Luke and Gillian. To suggest a new name for the shop, either drop in, or email: lukeanson@sky.com

MORRISON'S supermarket in Skipton is to introduce a 'quieter hour' for those who would benefit from a calmer shopping trip. Aimed at helping customers who might struggle with music and the other noise associated with supermarket shopping, it will take place every Saturday in the Broughton Road store from 9am to 10am. The Quieter Hour initiative has been created with the support of the National Autistic Society, which says people who are autistic or those with autistic children can find shopping in a supermarket an anxious experience. The initiative has been brought in following a trial carried out earlier in the year in three of the supermarket's stores. During 'quieter hours', the store will dim the lights, turn music and radio off, and avoid making tannoy announcements. The movement of trolleys and baskets will be kept to a minimum, while checkout beeps and other electrical noises will be turned down. A poster will also be put up outside the store to announce the quieter hour.

James Gibson at Morrisons Skipton said: “Our initial trials showed there is a need for a quieter shopping experience. We hope that these changes make a real difference for some of our customers at our store.”

A SURVEY has revealed that the most annoying cliche used in offices is "There's no I in team", followed by "Let's touch base" and "Thinking outside the box".

THOMAS the Baker in Skipton is asking people to come with a new Yorkshire

inspired product to hit the shelves in honour of Yorkshire Day on August 1.

To mark the launch of a new ‘deli range’ the bakery is looking for inspiration for a Yorkshire flavour bread stick, to join the three new Mediterranean-inspired varieties on its shelves. It says rather than the traditional, hard bread stick, it has come up with a recipe for a soft variety which uses sourdough, traditional Italian flour and extra virgin olive oil. The winner will see their product sold across the 30 stores in the Thomas’ group, and will also receive a hamper of goodies to enjoy. To submit their idea, budding chefs can either pick up an entry form in store or enter via Twitter @thomasthebaker. The winning entry will be chosen on Yorkshire Day by a panel of bakery experts. Entries must be received by July 29. For more information go to: thomasthebaker.co.uk or twitter.com/thomasthebaker