The hills and valleys of the Yorkshire Dales may be about to sprout more trees if landowners respond to a new initiative by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

The charity has announced it has funding available to support tree-planting projects.

Image source, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust

Any projects would have to "significantly conserve and enhance the natural heritage, be visible from a public right of way, and be supported by the local community," the trust says.

Carol Douglas, woodland officer at the charity says: "Planting trees brings significant benefits to the landscape, environment and native wildlife species, as well as offering long-term income potential for landowners."

Image source, Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust

The charity say the woodland grants are made possible because of support from The Fuelcard Company, based in Knaresborough, who since 2011 have donated more than £750,000 

BBC Sport

York City manager Gary Mills says whoever he selects for tonight's relegation six-pointer at home to Guiseley should give their all in a bid to end their run of 16 winless games.

Mills is still trying to add to his squad in time for the game, but doesn't want to damage morale by saying where on the park he's trying to strengthen his squad:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

Police want to talk to the women pictured below after mobile phones were stolen from shoppers in York, external earlier this month.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Police say say two women entered New Look on Parliament Street, York, at about 13:55 on Friday 11 November, and removed mobile phones from the pockets of two other women.

Officers investigating the thefts want to speak to the women pictured on CCTV in the shop, as they believe may have important information that could assist the investigation. 

Plans by Vale of York health bosses to ask obese people to lose weight and smokers to quit or face delays to surgery have been criticised by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS).

The plans have just been approved by NHS England and are due to be introduced by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in January next year.

Under the proposals, patients with a body mass index of at least 30 will be asked to lose weight or face a 12-month delay for elective surgery. Meanwhile, smokers will be asked to quit for two months or face a six-month postponement.

The CCG says it is not a ban and patients who don't wish to take part in the scheme won't be denied their operation. Decisions will be taken on a "case-by-case" basis, it adds.

But Clare Marx, president of the RCS, says: "Patients should be treated equally according to their symptoms".

"Everybody needs to eat healthy and if possible give up smoking, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor on whether or not you eventually you get your operation in a timely manner," she adds.

Visitors to North Yorkshire's rural beauty spots are being warned to take extra care when leaving their vehicles after three cars were broken into and property stolen last week, external.

The cars were targeted at Blakey Ridge near Kirkbymoorside between 11:00 and 11:45 on Friday 25 November.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious - particularly a vehicle in the area acting suspiciously - to get in touch.

However, in a statement North Yorkshire Police emphasises: "North Yorkshire is one of the safest places in the country, and such crimes are rare."

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

Here's our second sunset pic of the day from around North Yorkshire.

Sarah Howell captured the sun dipping down behind the Grand Hotel in Scarborough and captured its reflected rays on the water.

I particularly like the rippled reflections of the harbour lights too:

BBC Travel

Many train services to and from York Railway Station are delayed at the moment.

It's due to an earlier points failure which Steve Parks, Information Controller at the station, says has now been resolved.

There are also delays to services on the East Coast Main Line as a result of a derailment at a depot in Edinburgh.

Here's the departure board at York railway station, external to keep a check on things.  

Abbie Dewhurst
Weather Presenter, BBC Look North

A cold morning with any fog gradually clearing to leave a dry but cold day. 

Cloud will build a little in the north through the afternoon.

Watch my full forecast here:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

There's been a dramatic drop in the number of people swimming in North Yorkshire.

Sport England statistics show that over the past 10 years, every region in England has seen the number of people hitting the pool taking a dive - especially in North Yorkshire.

The county is in the top 10 of areas which have seen the worst decline, with numbers falling by almost a third in the last decade.

Professor Jim McKenna, from Leeds Beckett University, says the trend is down due to a change in our lifestyles:

BBC Radio York

Plans to ask obese people and smokers in the Vale of York to lose weight and quit cigarettes, or face delays to routine operations do not amount to a ban, health bosses have emphasised.

Image source, Thinkstock/Ingram Publishing

The plans have now been approved by NHS England and are due to be introduced in January.

Under the proposals, Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will ask patients with a body mass index of at least 30 to lose weight or face a 12-month delay for elective surgery. 

Meanwhile, smokers will be asked to quit for two months or face a six-month postponement.

The CCG says smokers and obese patients who need routine surgery and do not wish to access the support services, or fail to meet the criteria, won't be denied their operation, external, but they "could wait longer than they otherwise would have done". 

Doctor Shaun O'Connell, from Vale of York CCG, says: "There's no ban and no blanket policy. Decisions about what's in the best interests of their health will be made case-by-case."

BBC Travel

A couple of delays on North Yorkshire's roads are currently being reported:

• Queuing traffic on the A59 Roman Road in both directions in Upper Poppleton between the Newlands Lane junction and the Marston Lane junction in the roadworks area
• Slow traffic and heavier than usual traffic on the A19 northbound between the Glade Road junction in Riccall and the Wheldrake Lane junction in Crockey Hill

Nathan Turvey
BBC Radio York News

The top stories from the York newsroom so far this morning include:     

• Plans to ask obese people in the Vale of York to lose weight and smokers to quit or face delays to routine operations are approved by NHS England.
• The number of people swimming regularly in North Yorkshire has fallen significantly in the the last 10 years, new figures show
• Information on how organisations work to regulate fracking is being made available in York today

BBC Weather

As you may well have noticed, it's a cold start in North Yorkshire with a widespread frost and a few freezing fog patches.

The fog should gradually clear through the morning, to leave a dry but cold day.

Plans to ask obese people in the Vale of York to lose weight and smokers to quit or face delays to routine operations have been approved by NHS England and will be introduced in January. 

Image source, Thinkstock

The plans, by York's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), mean patients with a body mass index of at least 30 will be asked to lose weight or face a 12-month delay for elective surgery.   

Meanwhile, smokers will be asked to quit for two months or face a six-month postponement. 

However, in a statement, the CCG emphasises: "There is no ban in place."

BBC Travel

It seems to be generally trouble-free in most places on North Yorkshire's roads this morning.  

However, on the rails there are cancellations on some trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Kings Cross, due to a derailment at the depot in Edinburgh. 

If you're using the East Coast line today you'd be well advised to keep an eye on the departure board at York Railway Station. You can click here to keep a check on things, external.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

I'll be with you until 14:30 with all the latest news, travel, sport and weather from across North Yorkshire. 

As predicted, the temperature has dropped and, as hoped for, it's meant an influx of some beautiful BBC Weather Watcher pictures.

I'll sprinkle them in throughout the day, starting with this stunning sunset across York last night, sent in by Jayne the Unicorn.

How apt, given her chosen name, that her picture has such a mystical quality.

You can send your pictures in via Twitter, external, Facebook, external or email.

The mother of a missing 30-year-old man says she believes her son "is still alive". 

Rory Johnson-Hatfield, from Lytham St Annes, in Lancashire, went missing after a night out in York almost a year ago. 

North Yorkshire Police say the case remains open but believe Mr Johnson-Hatfield fell into the river somewhere around the City Mills area of York.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

That's it for me today, but updates will continue throughout the afternoon and evening.

Meanwhile, here are five things we've learned about our county so far today:

1. People living in Scarborough have been celebrating the arrival of a new £2m lifeboat
2. More than £2m has been allocated by the government to fill 44,500 potholes across the county
3. An environmental group says a North Yorkshire flood protection scheme should be adopted by the rest of the UK
4. A voluntary bus service in the Yorkshire Dales has been expanded in an effort to boost the economy and bring isolated communities together
5. And more than 80 sporting students from the University of York have bared all for a charity calendar

Scarborough's been in the news today with the very recent arrival of its new lifeboat, so it's nicely apt to finish with this pic sent in from Bob in Leeds.

He says: "Taken yesterday by me at lunchtime in Scarborough, looking south with a sea fret on the cliff top, which ran right down the coast."

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, York

York Minster's flower arrangers have been busy of late building what's believed to be the UK's largest suspended advent wreath.

Image source, York Minster

The wreath is 4m in diameter and decorated with candles and over 12m of foliage.

As this neck-craning pic shows, it's been suspended in the central tower of the cathedral.

The candles, which were put in place by schoolchildren from the Minster School, were lit yesterday and will burn until the end of the Advent period.

The second part of a documentary following workers at Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, the last deep coal mine in Britain, as it prepared to close last year is due to be broadcast later.

Kellingley stopped production in December 2015 with the loss of 450 jobs.

Known locally as the Big K, it was the largest deep pit in Europe and was hailed as the new generation of coal mining when production started there in 1965.

Part of tonight's programme, broadcast on BBC1 at 21:00, shows the challenging commute to the coalface which sees miners travel 800m down and 4.5 miles into the earth: