Yorkshire: Plane skids and Sinfield heroics among 2023 photos

The year opened with plucky swimmers taking a bracing dip in the sea in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on New Year's Day

Kevin Sinfield's heroics, a jet skidding off a runway, the loss of a Barnsley interviewing icon - just a few of the memorable moments 2023 provided in Yorkshire.

The year started with swimmers taking a chilly dip on 1 January in Scarborough and ended with wild weather battering the region in late December.

Parts of Yorkshire saw royal visits from King Charles III and The Princess of Wales during the last twelve months, and in August we lost TV royalty Sir Michael Parkinson aged 88.

BBC Yorkshire looks back at a few of the most striking images and news stories which wowed us during the year.

The Princess of Wales met members of the public and stallholders on a tour of Leeds' Kirkgate Market

The Princess of Wales came to Kirkgate Market in Leeds in January, meeting shoppers and stallholders.

Shirley Wainwright, 75, from Harrogate, said she made Kate laugh when she told her: "I didn't know love, you were coming. It was a complete surprise.

"I'm just on the bus from Harrogate when I came across you."

After the market visit, the princess travelled to the University of Leeds and met students from the Childhood Studies programme, which focuses on a broad approach to early childhood development.

Presenter Dan Walker described his face as "a mess" after he was knocked from his bike in Sheffield

In February, former BBC Breakfast host and current Channel 5 presenter Dan Walker had a fortunate escape while cycling in his home city.

Mr Walker was struck by a car on Moore Street in Sheffield city centre, telling people he was "glad to be alive" after the crash.

Posting on social media, he said: "Face is a mess but I don't think anything is broken."

A giant "get well soon" message was carved by a mystery artist into snow on a Sheffield hospital's roof

Staying in Sheffield, a heart-warming "get well soon" message was left on the Royal Hallamshire Hospital's car park after heavy snowfall in the city.

Snow fell across much of Yorkshire during March, causing travel delays and stranded vehicles.

Volunteers helped to raise the giant wooden cross on Otley Chevin in late March

After the snow had melted away, it took teamwork in West Yorkshire to raise a giant wooden cross.

The 30ft (9.1m) Chevin Cross was carried to the top of Otley Chevin, a tradition which has taken place every year since 1969.

The cross is put up by volunteers two weeks before Easter Sunday and taken down again two weeks afterwards.

In early May, a 30-tonne fin whale got into difficulties in Bridlington and later died

Team work was also required to remove the carcass of a 55ft (17m) fin whale from Bridlington's South Beach in East Yorkshire.

The stricken 30-tonne animal got into difficulties in early May before later dying.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council described its removal as "incredibly challenging and difficult".

An emotional Kevin Sinfield carried former team mate Rob Burrow over the finish line at the first ever Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May

The first ever Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May ended with an emotional moment between the former Leeds Rhinos star and ex-teammate Kevin Sinfield, who were among the 12,000 taking part.

Rugby league legend Sinfield stopped short of the finish to carry Burrow, who has motor neurone disease, over the finish line.

Later in the year, Sinfield completed seven ultra-marathons over seven days in seven cities, raising more than £1m for people affected by the disease.

King Charles III arriving in Pickering in June on the Royal train, which was pulled by the famous Flying Scotsman locomotive

King Charles III visited Yorkshire multiple times in 2023, including a stop at Pickering's station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The volunteer-run heritage railway celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, with the King calling in on 12 June.

He greeted crowds in North Yorkshire after arriving on the Royal train, which was pulled by the famous Flying Scotsman locomotive.

June saw pleasant weather for a walk at Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales, with regular hot temperatures recorded in the region throughout the month

Crowds flocked to the Showground in Harrogate in July for the Great Yorkshire Show

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner introduced Keir Mather (centre) to party supporters in North Yorkshire after Mr Mather won the Selby and Ainsty by-election

July saw Parliament's youngest MP elected, with Labour's Keir Mather winning the Selby and Ainsty by-election.

The 25 year old overturned a 20,137 majority in the North Yorkshire constituency and has been nicknamed the "baby of the House".

Selby and Ainsty had been under Conservative control since the seat was created in 2010.

Theatre production Nest, part of the Leeds 2023 year of culture, used the unusual backdrop of RSPB St Aidan's Nature Reserve in West Yorkshire in September

An Amur leopard cub was accompanied by mother Kristen during its first steps outside of the den at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in South Yorkshire

A critically endangered Amur leopard cub took its first outdoor steps at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster in September.

The leopard is said to be one of the rarest cats in the world, with only about 120 left in the wild.

Dr Charlotte McDonald, the park's animal director, said it was "the only surviving cub born in Europe this year".

Protesters scaled Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's unoccupied constituency home in Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, on 3 August in a stance against against Government plans to grant more than 100 new licences for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea

Pumpkin season arrived in North Yorkshire in late September, with farmer Dorota Spilman taking a well-earned rest among the 125,000 pumpkins at a farm in Sessay, near Thirsk

Barnsley broadcasting great Sir Michael Parkinson, pictured alongside friend Dickie Bird in 2008, died aged 88 on 16 August

Yorkshire icon Sir Michael Parkinson died aged 88 on 16 August, with stars of stage, screen and sport sharing tributes from all over the globe.

The Cudworth-born star, who started his career in journalism on the Barnsley Chronicle, went on to have a TV career spanning seven decades and interviewed some of the world's biggest names.

Thousands flocked to the annual Hull Fair in October, with attendance for 2023 estimated at around 600,000 people - 200,000 more than in 2022

A TUI flight from Corfu skidded from the runway during Storm Babet at Leeds Bradford Airport

Storm Babet caused travel problems and flooding in October, with a TUI flight from Corfu coming off the Leeds Bradford Airport runway while landing amid heavy rain and wind.

"Suddenly there was just loads of mud that hit the windows, which was a bit of a shock," passenger Nicola Lewellen told the BBC.

Ms Lewellen, 45, from Bradford, said there had been a "collective gasp of shock" from passengers, who were all evacuated safely.

Yorkshire's top 3 most read BBC stories of the year

• Dan Walker: TV presenter injured in bicycle crash

• Kevin Sinfield carries Rob Burrow over Leeds marathon finish

• Leeds Bradford Airport closed after plane skids off runway in storm

Identical twin sisters Florence Boycott and Anne Brown celebrated their 100th birthdays in November at The Firs residential care home in Barnsley

Also in November, Rishi Sunak was mocked for his hammer technique while on a visit to Farsley, West Yorkshire, although it later emerged he was instructed to use the side of the tool by those with him

December started with the Whitby Krampus Run in North Yorkshire, which celebrates a mythical horned creature which accompanies Saint Nicholas on his rounds

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