Strictly, storms and lollipops: Yorkshire stories to make you smile

Split image showing two scenes: on the left, a person in a high-visibility jacket and cap sits at a table holding a yellow '50 YEARS' sign with an illustration of two children walking; on the right, a couple dressed in wedding attire stand outdoors in front of a green vehicle, with the bride holding a bouquet.Image source, Sheffield City Council/Joe Hall Photography
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This week's happy news stories include a lollipop lady and a stormy wedding

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Across Yorkshire there are people doing amazing things every day of the week, and we want to highlight them.

This week saw a Strictly Come Dancing fan from York share her Down's Syndrome story, a couple overcome Storm Amy on their wedding day and a lollipop lady celebrate her 50th year in the role.

Take a look below and enjoy some positive news stories from across BBC Yorkshire.

Strictly fan praises Ellie Goldstein

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'It's an honour to see Down's Syndrome on Strictly'

Strictly Come Dancing fan Alicia Harrison, who has Down's Syndrome, said it was an "honour" to see the condition represented on the show.

She added the way Ellie Goldstein danced the Waltz "was so graceful, and she should be so proud".

Nice day for a white wedding

A newly-married couple pose in front of a dark green Land Rover Defender that is parked on a grassy hill. The bride wears a floor-length white gown with lace details and a short veil. She holds a bouquet of white and purple flowers. The groom wears a dark-coloured tweed suit and purple tie.Image source, Joe Hall Photography
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William and Isabel King decided to get married in North Yorkshire after Isabel fell in love with the Dales on her first visit from Switzerland

When Storm Amy hit the Yorkshire Dales earlier this month, one couple had no idea how it would affect their wedding weekend.

High winds and heavy rain threatened their plans when the rivers surrounding the venue flooded, blocking roads and stranding guests.

But the conditions did not dull their spirits as locals pulled together to organise a convoy of 4x4s to rescue the attendees.

Read more here

Half-century for lollipop lady

A lady with a short brown bob, navy cap, neon white and orange coat, chunky beaded necklace and round tinted glasses. She is smiling at the camera and holding a card that says "50 years", shaped like a lollipop sign. She looks younger than her age of 81 and sits behind a teacher's desk.Image source, Sheffield City Council
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Jackie Higginbottom, 81, said she was "not even thinking" about retiring

Jackie Higginbottom, an 81-year-old lollipop lady, has celebrated 50 years in the role.

Jackie, whose first shift as the crossing patrol warden at Royd Nursery Infant School in Sheffield in 1975, said she loved "everything" about her job.

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Poppy perfect

Three older women stand outside a Specsavers shop, wearing matching navy sweatshirts with a red poppy logo. Behind them, a mannequin in the store window displays a red dress made entirely of knitted poppies.Image source, Olivia Richwald/BBC
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Pictured from the left, Hazel Barker, Carol Dunkley and Edna Plunkett spent hours putting the dress together

A group of knitters from Ripon made a dress entirely of woollen poppies to mark Remembrance Week.

The dress took Ripon Community Poppy Project volunteers at least 1,000 hours to knit.

The women have knitted several creations over the years, including a life-sized tank for D-Day commemorations.

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Record-breaking birds

A mother little tern, with a light grey body and a mainly black head, sits next to her offspring on a beach strewn with pebbles. The chick has a very fluffy white body and a yellow and black dappled head. Both birds have an orange beak with a black tip. Image source, Kevin Simmonds (via RSPB)
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Beacon Lagoons, on the banks of the Humber, is the only remaining little tern colony in Yorkshire, says the RSPB

An East Yorkshire RSPB reserve celebrated a record-breaking breeding season for little terns, one of the UK's rarest seabirds.

The birds migrate each spring from their wintering grounds in West Africa to nest on Yorkshire's shores.

According to the RSPB, 105 pairs were recorded at Beacon Lagoons, up from 59 in 2024.

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