Hundreds of people are expected to sleep under the stars in Halifax tonight in support of a local homeless charity.

The Big Calderdale Sleepout will see 320 volunteers experience a night of sleeping rough to help raise funds and awareness for Calderdale SmartMove.

Those taking part will sleep in the courtyard of the landmark Piece Hall in Halifax town centre.

A Paralympic hopeful from Doncaster is trying to raise £25,000 for two new prosthetic legs.

Mick Bates (above left) is hoping to compete in the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020 in the long jump and 100m and 200m sprinting disciplines.

His current blade leg, which attaches just above his knee, is affecting his time in qualifying for major events.

He's crowdfunding for two blades which will be specialised for the separate disciplines.

He hopes the equipment will mean he can run quicker qualifying times and jump further to qualify for the 2020 Paralympics.

Police say they're concerned for the welfare of a missing 84-year-old woman from West Yorkshire.

Image source, WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE

Joan Walker was last seen in the Ingram Crescent area of Knottingley at about 12:45 today, police say.

She is described as about 5ft, with shoulder length, grey, unkempt hair, and was last seen wearing a long grey jacket with a fur hood, a blue jumper with a white collar underneath, black trousers and black shoes.

Officers say they are "growing increasingly concerned" for her welfare.

Anyone who has seen Ms Walker is being asked to get in touch with police.

A Sheffield theatre production has transferred to the West End after a host of five-star reviews in the Steel City.

Image source, Johan Persson

The stage version of Life of Pi has been hailed as "unmissable" and "pure theatrical magic".

Based on the novel written by Yann Martel, puppets help bring the adaptation to life alongside projectors and a revolving stage.

Sheffield Theatres has announced it's transferring to the Wyndham's Theatre next year.

The government should step in to take over the running of railways in the north of England if the Northern rail franchise becomes unsustainable, a transport body says.

Image source, Richard Woodward/PA Media

Transport for the North, which was set up to co-ordinate transport in the region and advise government on transport strategy, says passengers need better services and should be put first.

In September, a report found that Northern and TransPennine Express services were worse than they were a year ago when they were disrupted by changes to timetables.

The Department for Transport says where any franchise is found to be breaching its obligations it will not hesitate to take appropriate action.

Train operator Northern has been contacted for comment.

Samantha Fisher
BBC News Online

An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a man who was killed in a crash on the M1.

Michael Timmons, 70, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, died when his Volvo and a lorry crashed between junctions 28 and 29 on the northbound carriageway in Derbyshire on 4 October.

A female passenger from the car was also taken to hospital with injuries.

The inquest at Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard a post-mortem examination took place on Tuesday.

However, further tests need to be carried out to determine the cause of death of Mr Timmons, who was a retired reconstructive plastic surgeon.

Coroner Peter Nieto adjourned the inquest until 10 January.

Image source, Highways England

Hundreds of news homes are set to be approved as part of £30m plans to regenerate Rotherham town centre.

Image source, Rotherham Council

The 171 homes will be a mix of council-owned, private and shared ownership.

Three sites have been identified by the authority for the properties, including a car park on Sheffield Road, Millfold House and the former Henley's Garage on Wellgate.

It's expect that the planning applications will be formally approved later this month.

Yasir Qadoos has been jailed for three and a half years after causing the death of Mohammed Zaman.

Four of the seven remaining cooling towers at a disused power station in West Yorkshire are scheduled to be demolished on Sunday.

Ferrybridge C Power Station, alongside the A1(M) in Knottingley, was closed down by power firm SSE in March 2016.

It had been producing electricity for more than 50 years.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the first stage of demolition at the site earlier this year when the 114m Tower Six was brought to the ground with explosives:

Plans to save an artwork on a derelict bridge in Hull by world famous street artist Banksy are said to be moving forward.

The artwork appeared on the disused Scott Street Bridge over the River Hull in January 2018.

The bridge has been permanently raised since 2007 when the road was closed and it's scheduled to be demolished.

The stencilled design depicts a child wielding a wooden sword with a pencil attached to the end. Next to it is a caption that reads: "Draw the raised bridge!"

The council says it's now looking for a contractor to move the mural and dismantle the bridge.

The Banksy will be put into storage until a new permanent home is found.

Leeds boxer Josh Warrington is getting ready for the third defence of his IBF world featherweight title.

The 28-year-old will fight France's Sofiane Takoucht, 33, at Leeds Arena on Saturday.

He and his dad, who is also his trainer, have taken on BBC Sport's 12-second punching challenge:

A York student has died while on a field trip to Africa.

Image source, Google

Caitlin Cole, 20, was studying Tropical Ecology and Conservation and was on a study trip to Tanzania with university staff at the time

Professor Jennifer Potts, head of the Department of Biology at the University of York, said: "Caitlin was bright and engaged with a passion for conservation and ecology that grew and developed during her studies.

"Everyone in the department is deeply saddened".

It's not yet known how Caitlin died.

Her parents are now planning a tree-planting project in her memory.

Nick Hodgkinson can "live with dying" but could not "live with himself" if he did not protest.

A newspaper's online campaign has raised more than £15,000 for John Thompson in just a few days.

The Asbis follow an incident where a police van was set alight after being called to Ullswater Cresent.

A 23-year-old man's been arrested on suspicion of unwanted sexual touching at a West Yorkshire railway station this morning.

Image source, Google

The incident, which caused train delays between Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster and Sheffield, is reported to have happened at Wakefield Westgate.

British Transport Police say they were called to the station at about 06:30.

The arrested man remains in custody, police say.

Adam Robakowski attacked a stranger on the street after leaving his girlfriend in their hotel room.

A former colliery site in Doncaster could be turned into a heritage site after a trust said it wanted to be part of its regeneration.

Hatfield Main Heritage Trust is wanting to transform the Hatfield Colliery site, which includes two large headstocks, into an arts, cultural and business centre.

The colliery closed after almost a century of production in June 2015 with the loss of 430 jobs.

Despite not being the landowner, Doncaster Council pays £150,000 a year in security costs to keep the site secure and safe.

But Keith Allsop, Hatfield Main Heritage Trust chairman, is asking for some of that money up-front to make the space usable.

Mr Allsop said: "We'd like to create artisan workshops to turn it into a commodity for the village."

Doncaster Council said it was working with the group as it was "in our financial interests to help find a way forward".

The Yorkshire Showmen's Guild says it's determined to keep a school for travelling families of Hull Fair running.

For years more than a 100 pupils have been taught in temporary classrooms while the attraction is in town.

But council funding has run out leaving the school's future uncertain.

The Guild says its going to find alternative funding.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

An organisation which promotes York’s heritage has donated £5,000 towards a campaign to save a bog in the city which dates back many thousands of years.

Image source, Jono Leadley

Askham Bog, which was formed by a retreating glacier 15,000 years ago, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Planning permission to build more than 500 homes next to it was refused in July, but developers, Barwood Land, say the scheme would help solve York's housing shortage and have appealed against the decision.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust says it needs to raise more than £15,000 to pay for legal representation at a planning inquiry.

York Civic Trust has now backed the campaign with a £5,000 donation.

A spokesman for the trust said: “It's a great shame the developer has chosen to contest the council’s planning decision of refusal.

“That decision was made unanimously, and, given the vociferous level of objection from York residents, is very much representative of the will of the city."

Earlier this week naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough said the building plans put the bog's future at risk and described it as "irreplaceable".

A three-week planning inquiry is set to start on 12 November.