WHAT'S THAT IN THE SKY?: I received an e-mail from a young man following the recent sightings of strange flying objects reported to me. Sam Womersley, aged 16, of Upton sent me this account of what he and his friends saw: 'I was with my friend Elana and other friends
on Friday August 21. We were sitting at the opposite side of the road to the memorial plaque in Upton at around 9.45pm-10pm. We saw a strange flickering light coming from Wakefield way and it blew or moved through
Upton until we could no longer see it. The flickering object looked like a candle in a balloon and many of my friends kept saying, 'that's very clever who ever had made it'. As we sat watching it move over us, we caught a close glimpse of it. The object was in the shape of a balloon and was a glowing orange light like a candle flickering. As the object moved out of Upton and out of sight, some of my friends thought the object's light had gone out and had seen the object fall out of the sky.' Thanks to Sam for this email. If anyone else has seen anything strange in the sky –, that night or at any time – please contact me.

ACKWORTH CONCERT: On Saturday, September 19, the Northern Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Meredith with Marc Corbett-Weaver at the piano, will perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 and Beethoven's SymphonyNo.5, at 7.30pm in the Meeting House, Ackworth School. Details on www.ackworthconcertsociety.com or 0794 6594099.

PACT MEETING: The next meeting is on Wednesday, September 16,at 7.30pm, at the parish rooms, Bell Lane, Ackworth. Police and councillors will attend.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST: In August 1957, four Upton boys, who were reported missing on August 18, were found by the police, sitting at a bus station in Cleethorpes. They said that they had walked the 64 miles to get there and had slept the night in a cornfield, arriving at the coast on the afternoon of the 19th. They then spent the night in a tent at a holiday camp and the next day bathing and walking along the prom. Their parents hired a taxi to take them home. This snippet was taken
from the Upton and North Elmsall Yesteryears Snippets and Snaps book, with kind permission from members of the Upton and North Elmsall History Group.

SECURITY TIP: The dark nights are closing in again. Simple but effective advice for protecting your household is to fit external dusk
to dawn lighting and keep plants and hedges trimmed back so that they can't be used as a natural barrier for burglars to work and hide
behind. A place where the criminal feels exposed and uncomfortable is less likely to be targeted.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Write your sad times in sand and your good times in stone!

ADD TO THIS COLUMN: If you have anything for this column, contact me on 01977 644251 or e-mail me at mrsdwest@aol.com before 9am on Monday.