Missing Claudia to feature on BBC’s Crimewatch as prayers are said in church

THE search for missing York chef Claudia Lawrence is set to feature on BBC’s Crimewatch tonight.

Millions of viewers across the UK will hear the very latest in the search for Claudia from detectives from North Yorkshire Police leading the investigation.

Meanwhile, prayers were said at church services across York yesterday for the missing 35-year-old.

As police officers searched the River Foss and Melrosegate for clues to her disappearance, Canon Glyn Webster conducted prayers before a 350-strong congregation at York Minster.

He made special mention ofthe University of York catering worker’s father, Peter Lawrence, who is a voluntary steward at the Minster, and her mother, Joan, and older sister, Alexandria.

He said: “We pray for the safety and well-being of Claudia Lawrence. As we pray for her, so we pray for her family. For Peter, for Joan, for Ali, for her family and many friends during this time of waiting and great anxiety.”

The hour-long service, presented by several senior members of the York Diocese, was made up of hymns, prayers and a moment’s silence before a procession of the Minster’s choir.

Mr Lawrence, a solicitor from Slingsby, did not attend the service but visited the Minster on Saturday evening instead to help prepare for the following morning’s service. Speaking after the service, Canon Webster said there was still hope.

He said: “It seems the whole city is behind Peter, Joan and their family, in terms of concern, compassion and praying for them.

“While there is no news, there is still hope.”

Claudia was also in the thoughts of parishioners at Holy Trinity Church in Heworth, close to her home, and in churches across the area.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police and neighbouring forces have continued to search Heworth and Tang Hall, looking in outbuildings and speaking to residents. Divers were also at the River Foss in Huntington Road yesterday.

Yesterday, police were also seen searching drains in Heworth Road, close to where Claudia lives, and in Tang Hall Lane.

On Saturday football fans also joined in the search. At York City’s home game against Kidderminster, spectators were handed posters printed by The Press which featured a photograph of Claudia and police officers were on hand to speak to fans.

An online campaign has also gathered pace.

As of yesterday, more than 13,000 people had joined a Facebook group publicising Claudia’s disappearance and trying to find her.

Claudia was last seen on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, after finishing her shift as a chef at the University of York.

She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and trainers.

Police investigate Claudia Lawrence website

POLICE are investigating a new website - launched without the knowledge of the family of missing Claudia Lawrence - which is seeking donations to an appeal.

The website, www.claudialawrence.com, is asking for payments by credit card to the “Claudia Lawrence Appeal.”

But North Yorkshire Police said today that neither the force nor Claudia’s family had had any involvement with the website.

“We strongly advise members of the public NOT to make donations,” said a spokesman.

Martin Dales, a close friend of Claudia’s father Peter, told The Press that the family had had no prior knowledge of the site and had not authorised it.

He said the family had decided not to set up an appeal in relation to the hunt for Claudia at this stage.

Although it was possible that the people setting up the site genuinely wanted to help trace Claudia, the family had reported the matter to the police.

The website carries photographs of Claudia and her father, and details of her disappearance, but then asks anyone with information to contact their local police or call the Metropolitan Police in London.

It features links to various news stories about Claudia’s disappearance, and am aerial Google image of the area around her home in Heworth. A guestbook has also been created, which features several messages of support from around the country.

Frogmen join search for Claudia Lawrence

FROGMEN have been called in as part of the hunt for York chef Claudia Lawrence – who vanished without trace nine days ago.

Members of West Yorkshire Police’s underwater diving team are this morning searching the beck in Hull Road Park, off Melrosegate, looking for any clues to help police investigating her disappearance.

The 35-year-old has not been seen since around 3.10pm onWednesday, March 18.

Police believe that somebody Claudia knows is likely to be involved in her disappearance and they fear she may have come to harm.

Detectives are considering the possibility that, after speaking on the phone to her mother, Joan, at 8.10pm on the Wednesday she vanished, Claudia went to meet somebody she knew.

But they are also not ruling out the theory that she went missing as she walked to work at the University of York at around 5.30am the following morning.

Her usual route to work took her from her home in Heworth Road, along Melrosegate, Green Dyke’s Lane and University Road to Goodricke College, where her shift was due to start at 6am.

Hundreds call about missing chef

Hundreds of calls have been received by police investigating the disappearance of a missing university chef.

Claudia Lawrence, 35, was last seen after leaving the University of York's Goodricke College last Wednesday.

Det Supt Ray Galloway, who is leading the inquiry, has voiced concerns she may have come to some harm after meeting up with someone she knew.

More than 100 officers have joined the search and police said searches would begin on land at the university.

Extra officers have been brought in from other forces and six civilian and rescue teams have also been drafted in to help.

'Tight community'

Det Supt Galloway said: "We've had hundreds and hundreds of calls, it's been an overwhelming response.

"Claudia was a very popular person in the locality, it's a very tight community and people have wanted to help us.

"I really, really would ask people to tell us more."

Miss Lawrence left the college where she worked as a chef at about 1400 GMT.

She was last seen walking back to her house in Heworth Road just after 1500 GMT.

Within a few minutes at about 2010 GMT that night she had separate telephone conversations with her divorced parents, Peter, 62, a solicitor, and Joan, 65.


Miss Lawrence last spoke to her father and mother on Wednesday evening

Police said she was a prolific sender of text messages and the last one she sent was to a friend at about 2023 GMT.

One was sent to her by another friend just before 2115 GMT, but it is not known if she read the message.

The next day her phone was switched off or powered down and has not been located.

The officer said she did not appear on any CCTV footage from her normal route to work on Thursday.

Church invite

It was believed Miss Lawrence had left home to walk to work at about 0530 GMT on Thursday but the officer said it was not known if she had gone missing on Wednesday evening.

Police have released CCTV footage of her arriving and leaving Goodricke College, where she worked as a chef.

Mr Galloway said police had no "tangible" evidence of a crime but there was no reason to believe that she had harmed herself and she had no financial problems.

He said: "I would appeal to anybody who knows of a historic relationship or association she might have had with somebody and that's where it will lie."

People are being invited into a church near Miss Lawrence's home to light candles and pray for her safe return.

Rev Michael Woodmansey, the vicar of Holy Trinity in Heworth, said: "The people of Heworth, and indeed all of York, are shocked and worried about the disappearance of Claudia."

Miss Lawrence is described as 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall and slim, with brown hair.

She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and trainers.

Police need help to find a small blue or green rucksack which she used to carry her chef's whites to work.

Search and rescue teams involved in hunt for missing Claudia Lawrence

SIX civilian search and rescue teams from across the region have been drafted in by North Yorkshire Police, as the hunt for missing Claudia Lawrence steps up a gear.

Specialist search and rescue dogs will also be used in today’s searches, which are due to begin on land at the University of York.

The last sighting of the 35-year-old chef was in Melrosegate, at around 3pm last Wednesday as she walked from the University of York, where she works, to her home in Heworth Road.

She spoke to her parents later that evening, as well as texting two friends.

It was initially feared that Claudia had been abducted as she walked back to work the following morning.

But Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway said yesterday that she did not appear on any CCTV footage from Thursday morning along her normal route to work and it was possible she had met up with someone the night before she disappeared.

“My focus is on the people that she knew,” he said. “She would not have got into a vehicle that she didn't know and she wouldn't have gone to meet somebody that she didn't know.

“I believe that Claudia is with or has gone with somebody that she knows. Seven days on I am extremely concerned. My professional judgment is that Claudia has probably come to harm.”

The vicar at Holy Trinity Church, in Heworth, is opening up his church between 4pm and 7pm every day for people to light candles and pray for the safety of Claudia.

Rev Michael Woodmansey said: “The people of Heworth, and all of York, are shocked and worried about the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence.

“In the midst of such anxiety, we want to make Holy Trinity Church available as a space for people to come and pray for Claudia and her family.”

Minstermen look for 20,000 fans to cheer them onwards to Wembley victory

SOPHIE Hicks wants 20,000 York City fans to help cheer the Minstermen to victory at Wembley.

That’s the magic number the KitKat Crescent board hope will travel to London to watch manager Martin Foyle’s men take on Stevenage in the FA Trophy final on May 9.

Hicks, the club’s community and communications director, wants to emulate the atmosphere created by the Ebbsfleet and Torquay fans in last year’s non-league showpiece, when more than 40,000 turned up at the home of English football.

And she believes enough City fans are passionate about the club and a cup final to make their fan target come true.

“We have had an amazing amount of interest already,” she said. “We know that people are incredibly excited about this. We took just short of 10,000 to the division three play-off final in 1993 and I totally believe there is more interest in football generally now than there was then.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for families and children in our community to go down. There will be no issue in getting tickets. What a fantastic occasion for all those who follow York City.

“Ebbsfleet and Torquay both took 20,000 to Wembley and I don’t see any reason why a city as large as York, and a county as large as North Yorkshire, can’t reach that target.

“The more people we take to Wembley the more the club will benefit. It is about maximising a fantastic day for the people of York and North Yorkshire.”

Hicks was only 16 when the Minstermen beat Crewe in a penalty shoot-out in that play-off final 16 years ago, and she remembers what a wonderful occasion it was to visit the then Twin Towers.

“I travelled down with Jason (McGill, City managing director) and my parents. I remember being incredibly nervous but it was a fantastic day out,” she added.

“It was fantastic going down Wembley Way on the approach to the stadium and seeing, for the first time, just how green the grass was. The game was hugely nerve-racking.

“I’ve since told Wayne Hall (who scored City’s winning penalty) that I thought he wasn’t going to score. It was just a fantastic day and it will be again in May.”

Club officials have a meeting at Wembley on April 3 to finalise ticket prices and the cost of hospitality packages.

Hicks also announced the club have taken on the York Pullman bus company as their official coach travel partners for the Wembley trip. The bus firm will be able to provide exclusive coach travel for parties of more than 35 people and have some 70 coaches standing by to ferry fans to the capital.

Anyone interested in booking should contact the company on 01904 622992.

And supporters who are travelling individually, with their families, or in small groups, can get to Wembley with the club by booking with the Minstermen’s official travel club.

Return coach travel for adults will cost £35 (under-16s £27.50).

Fans will be able to book through the club as soon as tickets go on sale and will be able to secure their coach travel at the same time they purchase Wembley seats

Police fear missing Claudia Lawrence has come to harm

POLICE admitted today that they fear Claudia Lawrence has come to harm - as more than 100 officers joined the search for the missing York chef.

Detective Superintendent Ray Galloway, the senior investigating officer, said it was “highly unlikely” she had been abducted by a stranger, and appealed for more information about any relationships she may have been involved in recently.

“There is no tangible evidence she has been harmed but my professional judgement is that she has come to harm,” he said.

He said there had already been an “overwhelming” response from the public to appeals for help in tracing the 35-year-old Heworth woman, who disappeared after finishing work at the University of York a week ago today. “We have had hundreds and hundreds of calls,” he said.

He also revealed that Claudia was a prolific texter, but there had been no phone calls or text messages since she spoke to her mother on a mobile phone at about 8.10pm last Wednesday evening, and he had no information as to her whereabouts after that time.

He said this meant that police were as concerned about her movements that evening as they were about the following morning, when she failed to turn up to work.

He said that CCTV cameras had picked up Claudia walking home from work on the Wednesday afternoon, but no images had been found of her walking back to work the following morning.

The detective was hosting a press conference attended by dozens of newspaper, radio and TV reporters covering a story which is now hitting the headlines nationwide.

York pubs going under

FRESH fears have been raised over the future of pubs in our region, as landlords struggle to cope with the impact of the recession, competition and changes to the law.

A new Parliamentary report shows there are 40 fewer pubs in York and North Yorkshire than four years ago, and a leading commercial estate agent today said he had noticed a marked increase in the number being put up for sale.

The smoking ban, rising beer prices and bargain basement supermarkets have all been cited as reasons behind the rise.

York’s longest-serving landlady, Dee Ralph, of the Bay Horse, in Blossom Street, is among those feeling the strain. She said the cancellation of last year’s Ebor Festival at York Races had cost her thousands in lost revenue, sending her into arrears on her rent.

Her pub’s owners, Enterprise Inns, was likely to repossess the pub within weeks, ending her 26-year tenure. “The community pub is going to go,” she said. “By the end of April, I think we will find six others here gone.”

The Cock And Bottle in Skeldergate, York, became the latest city pub to shut, when it closed its doors earlier this month.

The leaseholds at a raft of others around the city are also up for sale, including Mrs Ralph’s Bay Horse.

Others include the Rose And Crown, in Lawrence Street; the Golden Ball, in Cromwell Road; the Snickleway, in Goodramgate; the Volunteer Arms, in Watson Street; the Cygnet, in Price Street; the Fossway, in Huntington Road; and the Bay Horse, in Fulford.

Estate agent Barry Crux, who is selling all those, said: “There have probably been more on the market in the past six months than we normally would have and, of course, our stock has increased because they have not been selling – but then, nothing has been.”

He blamed the lack of credit available to potential publicans and the rising wholesale cost of beer.




‘They will take it back off me’

VETERAN York landlady Dee Ralph turns 60 today – but the celebrations are likely to be short-lived.

She had a party yesterday with friends and customers, at the pub she has run for nearly half her life. But behind the fun there was disappointment and anxiety.

Dee is likely to soon be facing last orders at the Bay Horse in Blossom Street, after being hit by unaffordable rent, the smoking ban, and a fall in custom.

Dee fell behind on her rent last summer after the four-day Ebor Festival at York Races was cancelled.

The pub was put on the market in the autumn, at about £100,000 and Dee is now awaiting the end.

“Enterprise [the owners] will take it all back off me, for no cost. Everything I have worked for 26 years for will go back to Enterprise.”

She said the loss of trade from local employers in the rail industry, Shepherd’s, Prudential and the Odeon, had hit her in recent years, but she said the “heartless” big pub companies were largely responsible for the closure of pubs. Dee said that, five years ago, the pub had been turning a profit of about £33,000 a year. Last year, she said, there was no profit. The Press contacted Enterprise for comment, but the firm did not respond before we went to print.




Dozens of pubs have shut

DOZENS of pubs in our region and thousands nationwide have closed in the past four years, a new survey has shown.

In February 2009, there were 4,271 fewer pubs in the UK than in June 2005, according to the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

Although there have been some new openings, they have been outweighed by widespread closures according to the report, which is broken down by Parliamentary constituency. York has lost two pubs; Selby nine; Vale of York 12; and Ryedale eight. Harrogate and Knaresborough has also lost three, as has Skipton and Ripon, while Scarborough and Whitby has lost five. Only East Yorkshire has shown an upturn, with two more pubs than four years earlier.

The group is chaired by Selby MP John Grogan, right, and it carried out a special examination of his constituency.

It found five new pubs had opened in the district, but 15 had closed and one had changed use, giving a net loss of nine.

Rural areas were particularly badly hit – the number of town pubs rose by five, but rural areas suffered

Big wheel back to york

YORK could be set to get a big wheel again, after the attraction’s operators came up with a new possible site.

World Tourist Attractions (WTA) wants to put a wheel in St George’s Field car park for a three-month trial.

Leading councillors say they will not block the move, as they did with an earlier application in North Street, paving the way for the firm to table a formal planning application.

WTA has held a series of meetings with City of York Council leader Andrew Waller, and its planning leader, Steve Galloway, and have now come up with a mutually acceptable plan.

Coun Galloway said: “Clearly this is a contentious issue in the city, with conservationists worried about environmental issues, while the tourist industry is looking for a boost to see it through the economic downturn.

“While Andrew (Waller) and I could not give any assurances about how the planning committee might view any application to site the wheel at St George’s, we did note that the proposal was markedly different from the previous plan, insofar as it is only for a limited period of time, during the peak tourist season, and it utilises a site which has a history of use for temporary fairground style attractions.”

He said that may mean the council’s ruling executive would not veto the idea in principle, thus leaving the planning committee to consider it.

WTA was unavailable for comment yesterday, but Coun Galloway said the firm apparently saw the St George’s proposal as a chance to test public opinion on the idea of having a wheel elsewhere in the city.

The previous one, at the National Railway Museum, was dismantled in November, but WTA’s attempts to put a replacement next to the Park Inn Hotel in North Street were vetoed due to environmental concerns. Though there are flooding issues at St George’s Field, WTA has told the council it can lift all sensitive mechanisms above any potential flood level, with less than an hour’s notice.

The reduction in car-parking spaces would be offset by the reopening of Kent Street coach park while the wheel was in operation.

York City supporters snap up FA Trophy tickets

YORK City supporters have snapped up more than 450 tickets for Saturday’s FA Trophy semi-final first leg trip to Telford.

The Minstermen have already exceeded their initial allocation and tickets will be on sale until 1pm on Friday. Prices are £10 for adults, £7 for concessions and £1 for under-16s.

The second leg will be played at KitKat Crescent on Saturday, March 21. Tickets for the Main Stand, Enclosure and Family Stand are also on sale to season ticket holders now.

After Wednesday, March 18, tickets will go on general sale at normal Blue Square Premier prices.

York's World Heritage dream still alive

YORK could be an official World Heritage site within seven years, after city leaders vowed to press ahead with their plans.

Officials at City of York Council say it will be “difficult, but not impossible” for York to get on to a new UK tentative list of possible sites but say that, if accepted, the city would be almost guaranteed recognition by the United Nations by 2016.

The city’s hopes had looked bleak last December, when the UN said Britain already had its fair share of World Heritage sites, but the Government has now announced that all existing sites must re-apply for status, giving York a fighting chance.

Public consultation has shown strong support in York for the idea, and the council believes status could be pursued and achieved for about £250,000 over the next few years, rather than the £470,000 suggested by consultants.

Former Lord Mayor of York Janet Hopton, who instigated the bid in 2006/7, said: “We feel we have a very strong case for York. It’s an area of universal outstanding importance.” She said a bid would need to be drawn up by July for inclusion on the new UK list, to give York a chance of gaining full status by 2016.

Council leader Andrew Waller warned: “It’s an international organisation that sets the list in the end, so we are competing against other continents. I think we should go into this with our eyes wide open that it is a very competitive environment.

“I am hopeful, but not blindly optimistic.”

York officials have been buoyed by a study in Edinburgh, which showed the Scottish capital had benefited significantly from its World Heritage status, achieved in 1995. John Oxley, archaeologist for planning and sustainable development at the council, said there was “significant public support” for the idea of making York a World Heritage site.

He said: “If York wishes to pursue World Heritage status, now is the time to do it. Once a new tentative list is created, it will be in place until at least 2022.”

He said the steering group set up to look at the idea strongly supported York bidding for the accolade.“It believes that the benefits that would accrue to York through enhancing the level and quality of tourism, attracting and retaining businesses and students, protecting York’s heritage, and raising of civic pride outweigh the costs that might be incurred,” he said.

Mrs Hopton said: “This is not exactly our last chance, but it’s our last chance for a very long time.”

She said World Heritage status would boost York’s economy and its civic pride.