THree blood donor sessions are being held in Whitby next month.

They are on Thursday 1 March, Thursday 15 March and Wednesday 29 March at the leisure centre, 2pm-4.15pm and 5pm-7pm.

For more information contact 0300 123 23 23

Runswick Bay is popular with tourists who are drawn to the area’s peace and quiet, but a local twitcher says he has spotted a visitor never before seen on our coastline.

Sleights resident David Watkins has been birdwatching his entire life and said that on Saturday 4 February he saw a cirl bunting, a small bird normally only found on the coast of south Devon.

He spotted the bird at the Runswick Bay car park, with his wife Doreen, and said: “It was so surprising to me, they’re not supposed to be around this area.

“I’ve never seen one before but it was definitely this bird, with all its colourings and markings - very much like a yellowhammer but with a black cap.

“It was so colourful, I got a right good look at it.”

After spotting the bird he double-checked in an ornithology book and said that the cirl bunting entry was “as if I had taken the picture”.

In the UK the cirl bunting is at the limit of its European range and is primarily confined to the Devonshire coast.

There are just 862 breeding pairs recorded in Britain, but Chris Collett from the RSPB said that one appearing on the Yorkshire coast was not “beyond the realms of possibility”.

He added: “Occasionally birds do creep up in unlikely places, but there’s no way it would have come from the south west.

“If he’s seen one it’s probably a migrant bird.

“Because they’re very poor fliers, if it’s a migrant from Europe it’s probably come across ‘ship-assisted’, meaning it hitched a lift on a boat.

“It’s very unusual but not completely unheard of.”

Mr Watkins said that unfortunately he was not able to catch a picture, but that he has been spotting birds for many years and is therefore very confident he has correctly identified the cirl bunting.

“I’ve always been interested in birds,” he said.

“I used to travel around in my job in the Highlands and Shetlands on gas and oil installations, and I saw a lot of species.

“We’ve had everything you can imagine and I know them all.

“You name it, we’ve had it, but that was so colourful, it was really surprising.”

Mr Watkins added that the bird would have been attracted to Runswick Bay for the same reasons that he was there with his wife, which are also the same reasons he enjoys birdwatching so much.

He said: “We regularly go down Harwood Dale and Runswick Bay is a good spot too because the birds only come where it’s peaceful and quiet.

“It’s just nice to sit there quietly and watch.”

The cirl bunting is around 15cm in length with a thick seed-eater’s bill.

The male has a bright yellow head, with a black crown, eye stripe and throat, a greenish breast band across its otherwise yellow underparts, and a heavily streaked brown back.

The female is much more like the Yellowhammer, but has a streaked grey-brown rump and chestnut shoulders.

If you think you’ve seen one of these birds, or any other rare species, try to snap a picture and let us know by calling the office on (01947) 829910, email karl.hansell@yrnltd.co.uk or mention me on Twitter using @karlhansell.

A HEALTH advisor will be visiting Danby Health Shop on Thursday 8 March.

Eileen Durward, from A.Vogel (Bioforce), will be in store from 10am to 2pm when she will offer expert health advice plus free samples and tastings.

For more information or to book an appointment, call Danby Health Shop on (01287) 669200.

MAYFIELD ward councillors will be holding a drop-in surgery on Tuesday.

Couns Jane Kenyon and David Chance will be on hand to deal with questions and concerns from the public.

It is at the Conservative Club, 10am to 12 noon.

WHITBY’S fire crews have been busy recently, taking part in a series of exercises that showed the wide variety of challenges they face each winter.

In addition to extinguishing a fire and explosion at a Whitby fuel depot, the crews also took part in a rescue at a frozen Castle Howard lake.

Last Tuesday three engines from Whitby, Scarborough and Malton, headed up by Whitby station manager Mark Naylor, undertook an exercise at Eves Fuel Depot on Chomley Way.

The incident involved a fire and explosion in a large kerosine fuel bullet and after the blaze was extinguished it also involved a search of the site conducted by firefighters and Eves staff.

Whitby watch manager Chris Watson said: “The aim of the exercise was to test arrangements for dealing with a serious fire at Eves Fuel Depot, located at Chomley Way, and to ensure arrangements for securing water supplies are robust and sufficient.

“North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service routinely carry out exercises at key risk sites to prepare staff for worst case scenarios.

“This exercise was organised in conjunction with a number of key agencies including GB Oils, the Casualties Union and the Environment Agency.

“North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service would like to thank the staff at Eves Fuel Depot for their assistance and cooperation with the planning of this useful and worthwhile exercise.”

The following day, members of Whitby’s fire crew were involved in an exercise at Castle Howard, where they were able to practise rescue techniques on a frozen lake.

Mark Naylor, Whitby station manager, said: “Members of the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service - Water Rescue crews, who are located in Whitby and Malton, took the opportunity to develop their rescue skills during this period of harsh winter conditions.

“Crews practised techniques to rescue a person who may be stranded on ice or fallen through thin ice into the water.

“North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service respond to many water-related incidents throughout the year and would like to remind people, at this time of year, to never walk out on to frozen water, for any reason - it may appear thick and safe but it is a totally unpredictable and dangerous environment.

“The temperature of the water is so low that person would have only seconds before becoming incapacitated.”

VOLUNTEERS are being asked to sign up to a scheme to help revellers in Whitby at the weekends.

The Street Angels programme is being launched in the town later this year after proving successful in other areas such as Scarborough, Harrogate and Skipton.

In groups of three the Street Angel volunteers patrol the town centre streets on Fridays and Saturdays offering support, help and advice to vulnerable people.

It has been proven in the other areas, and with a similar night marshalls scheme which has run in Whitby before, that the presence of the Street Angels contributes to more ambient atmosphere in town and a reduction in alcohol related violent crime.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by Scarborough’s safer communities partnership in conjunction with Churches Together, North Yorkshire Police and Scarborough Borough Council.

The groups of volunteers have radio and telephone contact with their base and also Scarborough Borough Council’s community safety team, licensing officers, CCTV control room and North Yorkshire Police.

Lesley Philps of Scarborough’s Safer Community Partnership said: “The aim of the Street Angels scheme is to improve the safety of those who use the town centre bars, restaurants and public transport during busy periods.

“Street Angel volunteers will be asked to provide support to people who have become vulnerable or need assistance while in the town centre but will not be required to get involved in any incidents, just report them to the police.”

Full training will be given to volunteers, who have to be over 18, before they take to the streets in June.

For anyone interested in becoming a Street Angel a meeting is being held on Thursday 22 March at 7.30pm at the Flowergate United Reform Church.

If you can’t make the meeting but would like more information contact Deacon Helen Webster on helenweb2@gmail.com or 01947 602248.

THE saga surrounding the future of the public toilets in Ruswarp is driving Whitby Town Council round the u-bend.

The authority has been trying to take over the convenience for at least four years but are being chained back by a lack of response from the owners, Scarborough Borough Council (SBC).

At the end of last month the town clerk, Pam Dobson, wrote to legal chiefs at SBC saying they were still awaiting a response to a letter WTC had sent them in November.

Coun Niall Carson said: “SBC, six years ago, was closing as many public toilets around Whitby as it could. The next time they tried to close public toilets in the town we said we will adopt them and keep them open.

“That was five or six years ago, by sheer chance the first ones that came up happened to be Ruswarp. WTC said ‘Ruswarp is part of Whitby town, give them to us’. The members of the town council are still awaiting a response – that has taken four and a half years.”

A JOINT fund-raising event between Harry’s Bar and Harper Brown Health and Beauty raised over £1,000 for Whitby’s RNLI lifeboat.

The grand draw took place at Harry’s Bar on Wednesday 21 December.

The staff at both establishments had been selling the tickets for the raffle with prizes of hampers, fruit basket and a cake which had been donated.

The lucky winners were Ben Pottas, Mike, from MKM Builders merchants, Jackie Farmer and Sue Latin.

Thanks were expressed to all Angela Goodbury, chair of the Friends of Whitby Lifeboat, expressed thanks to everyone who had donated the prizes and also all who had supported the event.

RNLI Whitby crew also attended the event and Whitby lifeboat mechanic Glen Goodberry explained that the RNLI are currently raising money to provide all RNLI lifeboat crews with a new and more advanced type of lifejacket.

This donation will go a long way towards funding lifejackets for the Whitby crew.