James Herriot Statue

The World of James Herriot will be unveiling the James Herriot Statue in the James Herriot Hall, followed by a black tie dinner in the Thomas Lord Suite at Thirsk Racecourse on Saturday, 4th October 2014 from 7pm. Christopher Timothy who played James Herriot in the TV series, members of Alf Wight’s family, and Jim Herriot, former Birmingham City goalkeeper, whose name, in 1969, Alf Wight chose as his pseudonym is attending together with Sean Hedges-Finn, the sculptor of the Statue and Gary Verity, CEO of Welcome to Yorkshire.

The James Herriot Statue and Legacy Fund has been developed as a tribute to Alf Wight, author of the books about the life of a country vet, which inspired two films and the long running and immensely popular TV series All Creatures Great and Small.

Ian Ashton Managing Director of the World of James Herriot said:

“The aim is to provide bursaries for people wishing to embark on a career concerning the welfare of animals, and for whom the James Herriot stories may well have been an inspiration. The launch dinner is an opportunity to support this vision. The fund has already reached £30,000. The initial aim is to double this figure to £60,000, which would finance the completion of the statue and allow the first bursaries to be allocated.”

The Legacy Fund* began with a very generous bequest made to the Friends of the World of James Herriot by the late Mr Thomas Frank Blinks who lived in Robertsbridge, East Sussex, and was a life member of the Friends of the World James Herriot.

Jim Wight and Rosie Page, son and daughter of Alf Wight, speaking about the Legacy said: “This is a unique opportunity to develop a legacy to support young people who wish to become veterinary surgeons, or to pursue a career dedicated to animal welfare. Our father would be proud to be associated with this initiative and we consider the statue to be a very fitting tribute.”

A fine dining meal will be provided by chefs from Yorebridge House, Bainbridge in the Yorkshire Dales and a fund-raising auction will be held after the meal by John Tennant of Tennant Auctioneers, Leyburn. A limited number of places are still available and can be booked online at www.worldofjamesherriot.com

Body Clock Sleep Service for ‘Larks and Owls’

The Old Lodge Malton in North Yorkshire is to ask guests when making an accommodation booking or at check-in whether they are ‘Larks or Owls’

The new question, as part of the reservation and check-in procedures is to allow the reception team to allocate the most appropriate room in the hotel dependent on guest’s sleep pattern preferences – i.e. whether they are either ‘morning’ or ‘evening’ people.

Sleep researchers have known for some time that there is some biological truth to the adage that people come in ‘morning’ or ‘evening’ types, also called ‘larks’ or ‘owls’. Now the hotel is putting this fact into a practical service that caters for the ‘type’ that guests consider themselves to be.

“Hotels are in the business of providing somewhere to sleep so it seems to me that it is our duty to find better ways for guests to get the best sleep possible. By taking a serious approach to their ‘type’ preference, we intend to improve the delivery of a good night’s (or good day’s) sleep at this hotel.” comments hotel director Tracey Holroyd.

The hotel is preparing for the differing needs of ‘larks’ and ‘owls’ by planning staff levels to match the ‘type’ levels on any one night, for example, ensuring more breakfast staff if the majority of guests are ‘larks’.

“Accommodation is our core service and whilst many hotel companies boast about how good their beds* may be, we are taking a more scientific approach.

It is our guests circadian rhythms that we want to know about so that we can be better prepared for them when they are at their best.” added Tracey. *Allegedly, our mattresses, made by WL Jackson of Wakefield are similar to the type used by Her Majesty the Queen.