A South Yorkshire dementia charity has paid tribute to patron Dame Vera Lynn, who died this morning at the age of 103.

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Dame Vera was a patron of Rotherham-based Lost Chord, a charity which uses music to help those living with dementia in care homes and day centres.

Helena Muller, from the charity, said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Dame Vera, who was our patron for more than 10 years.

"She was an enthusiastic supporter of all our work and a keen advocate of the use of music as a means of reaching out to people with dementia.

“Her famous songs from the war years were always a popular part of many of our musicians’ performances, melodies that never failed to stimulate a positive response from our audiences."

Non-league side York City has launched a petition calling for new rules to be implemented to protect teams who might stand a chance to be promoted.

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Yesterday, The Minstermen welcomed a decision from the National League that teams will play in reinstated play-offs after the coronavirus lockdown curtailed the season early.

But following a vote from clubs, the season will now be concluded based on unweighted points-per-game.

This means York City will take part in the play-offs, giving them a chance of promotion.

The petition, which was launched by the club, is designed to protect the promotion places and give teams the chance to advance out of their leagues.

The club says if the season is cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances, like a pandemic, promotion places are guaranteed.

A bid for about £290,000 of National Lottery funding to help restore Hull's bombed out National Picture Theatre has been given the go-ahead.

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The building, on Beverley Road, has stood derelict ever since it was hit by a German raid during World War Two.

The grant would go towards turning the former cinema into a memorial and museum covering the impact of the war on civilian life in Hull.

Work to stabilise the Grade II-listed building was announced in March.

At the time, Councillor Daren Hale said: "The building is incredibly important to Hull, so it is imperative this work goes ahead to protect the remains.

"It is listed nationally and is the last surviving civilian bomb-damaged building from the Second World War.

"We are working hard to ensure the bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund is as comprehensive as possible - and already have overwhelming support from residents."

Heather Paul wants the curriculum to reflect "positive contributions people of colour actually made".

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Human remains have been found by construction workers at a York city centre building site.

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The bones, thought to be from six bodies, were uncovered at the Guildhall site next to the River Ouse.

Councillor Nigel Ayre said the remains could be a burial plot linked to a friary which was on the site in the 14th or 15th Century.

The discovery was made in the last few weeks and the remains have now been sent for further analysis.

Roman remains including pottery, a hairpin and tiles used to create mosaics, as well as medieval coins, have also been found.

Tom Coates, project supervisor for the York Archaeological Trust, said: "York has been subject to extensive levelling over time and it's one of the few cities in the country where you get evidence of material that spans over the past 2,000 years."

The £20m project which started in September is due to provide office space, community use and a new riverside restaurant.

People planning on attending an illegal rave in South Yorkshire this weekend are being warned by police about the risk of catching the coronavirus - and of being prosecuted.

South Yorkshire Police says it's issued the warning ahead of the weekend as officers are aware of possible large social gatherings being planned.

Supt Paul McCurry has urged people not to show up to such events and said those who do "risk spreading coronavirus and facing the legal consequences of their actions".

Organisers of the events are also being asked to consider what the impact of the gatherings might have on emergency services.

Supt McCurry said: "Under the current Covid-19 restrictions, which remain in place, gatherings of seven or more people are against the law. These types of events should therefore not be happening.

"They hold very real, significant public health risks and our officers will be taking action against those found to be organising or attending them."

Munia Elkali was arrested on Saturday after police were called to a disturbance in a street in Hull.

Seagulls are returning to Bridlington harbour after a three-month absence during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The gulls quickly abandoned the harbour after chip shops closed and lockdown started - limiting their food sources, according to harbour master Laurence Porter.

But they've started to drift back over the past week now people have started flocking back to the coast themselves.

It's thought the birds won't have been at sea during their absence, but will have been foraging on farmland and council tips instead.

Mr Porter said: "It didn't really click until a couple of weeks into [lockdown]. Me and a work colleague noticed there wasn't as much mess on our pontoons where the seagulls roost on a nighttime.

"We didn't have to wash our pontoons down quite as often and the mess over the north side of the harbour - everything was a lot cleaner."

The mother of a 25-year old woman who's been missing from her home in North Yorkshire since last weekend has appealed for her daughter to get in touch.

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Zoe Zaremba (pictured), from Aiskew, who has autism, was last seen at her home at 23:00 on Saturday 13 June.

A major search, involving a police helicopter, dog units and mountain rescue teams, has so far failed to locate her.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Appealing directly to Miss Zaremba, her mother, Jean, said friends, family and the local community were all "worried sick".

"Everyone cares about you. We just want you back home safe. We love you so much. Please come home or let us know where you are," she said.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Miss Zaremba is described as about 5ft 6ins tall, of slim build, with brown eyes and brown hair which she usually wears in a ponytail.

She is believed to be wearing a blue "Keep Calm" t-shirt (pictured), purple jogging bottoms, white and purple Lonsdale trainers and a silver heart-shaped necklace with an orange crystal.

Anyone who has seen Miss Zaremba, or who has information about her whereabouts, is being asked to contact the North Yorkshire force.

A 90-year-old man has been left seriously injured after the car he was driving collided with a traffic island in Leeds.

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The man was driving a blue Peugeot 108 when it hit the island at the roundabout junction to the park and ride site next to Allerton King High school in Alwoodley at about 15:15 yesterday.

He was taken to hospital for treatment.

Officers say they would like to speak to anyone who saw what happened, or who was in the area at around the time of the crash.

Over 150 people gathered in York last night to take part in a Black Lives Matter protest.

Over 150 activists gathered and took a knee at Hob Moor, in Holgate, in tribute to African American man George Floyd.

Mr Floyd died in police custody as a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis last month.

Hob Moor was the scene of an alleged racist attack earlier this month which saw one woman arrested.

A man was reportedly spat at, racially abused and his pet was kicked as he was out walking.

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The General Medical Council (GMC) has lost a High Court fight over a GP caught in an internet chatroom sting after exchanging messages with a police officer who said she was a 13-year-old girl.

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Former Leeds and Wakefield medic Dr Hafeez-Ur Rehman Awan had been suspended for nine months by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal which, in November 2019, had made a misconduct finding.

Lawyers representing the GMC, which sets standards for doctors, said the nine-month suspension was "insufficient to protect the public".

But a High Court judge has dismissed the GMC's appeal.

Mr Justice Mostyn, who analysed the case at a recent virtual High Court hearing, said in a ruling published on Wednesday, the penalty imposed by the tribunal could be characterised as wrong.

In 2016 the GP, who now works in Canada, had exchanged messages with a police officer conducting an undercover sting operation.

The GMC had charged Dr Awan, and alleged that his conduct had been sexually motivated and that he had failed to alert authorities to a potentially vulnerable child.

Dr Awan had denied those allegations. He told the tribunal that he "realised immediately" the person he was chatting to was an impostor and believed she was an "older female" who was "messing" with him.

Persistent heavy rain overnight has led to flooding in some parts of South Yorkshire today, including at the Crystal Peaks Market in Sheffield.

The shopping centre isn't affected, but the indoor market is closed, the centre said:

Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash on the M62 near Leeds which left a man in a serious condition in hospital.

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Police say a driver of a silver Mitsubishi Lancer was travelling westbound on the motorway between junction 28 and 29 when it crashed into the central reservation.

The driver, a man in his 50s, was helped by members of the public and an off-duty police officer before an ambulance arrived.

It happened at about 17:20 yesterday, with the motorway being closed for several hours.

Anybody who saw the crash, or the car before, are asked to get in touch with police.

A body believed to be that of missing Sheffield man John Eyley has been found, say police.

Mr Eyley, 74, was last seen in the early hours of Monday:

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Dog owners are being reminded they could now be fined for walking their pets on some beaches in North Yorkshire.

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The annual dog ban had been relaxed as part of social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, that relaxation ended on Monday and the ban is now in force, says Scarborough Borough Council.

The dog ban covers the main sections of beach at Scarborough South Bay and North Bay, Whitby West Cliff and Tate Hill, Filey and Sandsend and lasts until the end of September.

Councillor Tony Randerson said: "We’d always said the restrictions would come back into force on 15 June.

"It made sense not to enforce the ban while lockdown continued, but since the rules were changed, our beaches are becoming increasingly busy."

Breaches of dog bans can be dealt with by a fixed penalty notice of £75, but if prosecuted through the courts, the offences carry a maximum £1,000 fine.

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The possibility of taking South Yorkshire buses back into public control or in the way of a franchise should be seriously considered, a comprehensive review has suggested.

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The findings of the South Yorkshire Bus Review chaired and compiled by Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, has found a raft of shocking failings throughout the county’s public transport network.

Recommendations show Sheffield City Region bosses should procure the necessary expertise to "financially and legally investigate" the process of franchising right away.

But the possibility of creating a municipal bus company – owned and run by the Sheffield City Region – should come no more than five years after the creation of a new South Yorkshire-wide Enhanced Partnership.

Franchising should be considered after about three years by June 2023.

Sheffield Council was the most in favour of taking services back into public ownership or in the way of a franchise model.

Barnsley Council was said to be the most against it with Rotherham and Doncaster sitting somewhere in between.

The panel said in a 100-plus page report there was a "lack of leadership" from the bus operators, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), councils and from the Sheffield City Region.

Mr Betts concluded there is ‘too many layers of leadership’ without the ‘leverage and power’ to bring about real change.

The body would also be scrapped and merged with the SCR executive team as part of the plans.

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Removal of an old bridge in a flood-hit Calderdale village this week will complete a major phase of a £35m flood alleviation scheme.

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It's expected the final stages of demolishing Mytholmroyd's old Caldene Bridge will be completed today following the opening last month of a new, wider, bridge just yards away.

Mytholmroyd has been hit by severe flooding three times in the last eight years – most recently this February.

The original Caldene Bridge opened in 1909 and was the first in the country to be constructed of reinforced concrete.

It was replaced in the early 1990s by the present structure but was a major constriction to the flow of the river and contributed to the Boxing Day 2015 flooding of Mytholmroyd.

The new bridge scheme is aimed at better protecting about 400 properties in the area from the risk of flooding in the future.

Paul Swales, from the Environment Agency, said: "There is still work to do, but opening the new bridge and demolishing the old one is a major milestone for the project."

A man is due in court today after being charged with two counts of encouraging terrorism after a street disturbance in Hull.

Humberside Police were called to Cheadle Close on Saturday to reports of man armed with a knife shouting in the street.

The 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray and later re-arrested on suspicion of offences under section 41 of the Terrorism Act.

He will appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court today.

The investigation is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

Many homeless people are still in hotels or B&Bs but some have already returned to the streets.