Fibbers music venue in Stonebow bought by Tokyo Industries

LIVE music venue Fibbers has been sold, for the second time this year.




The site in Stonebow, which has hosted big names including Nirvana and Oasis and holds student club nights, has been bought by Tokyo Industries, which is investing in a major refurbishment.



Fibbers was part of the Barfly network of venues, owned by music and media business the MAMA Group, which was bought by HMV in March.



Tokyo Industries, which also owns Tokyo-branded clubs in Huddersfield, Newcastle and Bradford, among others, has now bought Fibbers from HMV.



Tokyo Industries is investing in the 18-year-old club, increasing its capacity and installing a Funktion-One sound system.



It will be closed throughout August while it is refurbished and will relaunch in September.



The firm said it would increase the club-night agenda, while driving the live programme.



Oliver Webb, promotions assistant at Fibbers, said the sale was “fantastic” news for the club. He said: “Tokyo Industries have a lot of big plans ahead and there will be quite a lot of big things happening for the relaunch, including some big artists and big club nights.”



But he said Fibbers would retain its ethos of an intimate venue for good music.



He said: “The feedback we have got so far is half and half. Some people say it is great that people are going to put money into Fibbers and others are worried it’s going to turn into a club.



“It is going to look very different, but it will still have that same feel and will still have gigs. It will still be Fibbers but we’ll have bigger club nights and more club nights,” he said.



Nigel Holiday, operations manager at Tokyo Industries, comes from Pickering and went to university in York.



He said: “I’m well aware of Fibbers; it’s a local institution and has been well established over the past 18 years.



“We’re in this to preserve what clubbers and live music fans like me love about Fibbers.



“Our aim is to give the venue some much needed TLC.”



Aaron Mellor, managing director of Tokyo Industries, said Fibbers would be able to take advantage of the bookings for its other clubs of touring bands and DJs.

Search to find Roman amphitheatre in York

AN amphitheatre the size of a football pitch could be lying undiscovered beneath the streets of York.

The claim came after the discovery of about 80 skeletons of men thought to have been gladiators.

As reported yesterday in The Press, the skeletons were discovered during a dig at Driffield Terrace, in Holgate.

Kurt Hunter-Mann, a field officer at York Archaeological Trust, said if the men were gladiators then it is likely there was an amphitheatre nearby.

He said: “We would be talking about something approaching the size of a football stadium and they are usually oval-shaped. There are probably remains of it surviving, it’s just a question of one day somebody digging in the right place and putting two and two together.

“The amphitheatre in London was only discovered in the last ten to 15 years when someone dug a trench and hit the foundations.”

The discovery of the skeletons has led to various theories about why the men were found where they were.

The suggestion they were gladiators is only one theory supported by their physical size and the fact that one of them had a bite mark consistent with that of a large carnivore like a lion. The discovery of decapitated remains is also a clue. Mr Hunter-Mann said the coup-de-grace normally meted out in arenas was a sword through the throat, but decapitation could have been a regional – or even specifically York – variation.

However, none of the skeletons had injuries obviously caused in gladiatorial fights, for example, wounds caused by the three-pointed trident.

But there are other theories. The men could have belonged to a cult persecuted by the state or were possibly soldiers.

People in York and the wider country will soon be able to examine the evidence and offer their own opinions when a new website goes live.

York Archaeological Trust will launch a website next week – headlessromans.co.uk – presenting all the evidence and inviting members of the public to make up their own mind and vote for the theory they believe is the strongest. A documentary examining the finds entitled Gladiators: Back From The Dead, will be shown on Channel 4 next Monday at 9pm.

York dog owner fined for letting pet foul in public

A DOG owner who failed to clear up after his pet has been hit with a hefty fine as York council cracks down on fouling.

In the first three months of this year, eight fixed-penalty notices were issued to dog owners who failed to pick up, and one other owner appeared in court and had to pay the £50 standard fine and £315 in costs.

City of York Council’s street environment and dog warden services have joined forces to help fight dog fouling around the city. Liz Levett, the council’s head of environmental enforcement, said: “Most dog owners are responsible and pick up after their dogs.

“However, there is still a persistent minority who behave irresponsibly and think it is okay to let their dogs foul wherever they like, even though leaving dog mess is a criminal offence.

“We are taking action in known problem areas and will look to identify other areas in York.

“Two particular areas are next-door to schools, and dog fouling does present a real risk to children’s health. Dog dirt can carry worm eggs that cause illness and even blindness if ingested, so it is important that people understand why they should pick it up.”

One of the schools, Hob Moor Primary, has already helped tackle the problem by designing posters to put up around the perimeter of the school grounds, which is a popular dog-walking area.

More than 500 leaflets have also been delivered to local residents, vets and pet shops, raising awareness of the problem and asking for help to identify and combat those responsible.

This message is being backed up with additional patrols in the area, and anyone seen leaving their dogs mess will be issued with a fixed penalty for £50.

Failure to pay can result in a magistrates’ court appearance and a possible fine of up to £1,000.

Anyone with information about dog owners failing to pick up after their pets can report them to the dog warden service on 01904 551530.




Raising awareness of dog-fouling dangers
A GROUP of youngsters helped spread the message about the risks posed by dog mess as part of an environmental education programme.

They were at Clifton Backies Nature Reserve, in York, on Saturday as part of a dog-fouling awareness day run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Running Wild group, an education campaign for youngsters.

Dog mess can lead to health risks for children who like to play in the reserve, because the faeces can spread diseases which cause blindness in humans.

Charlotte Berry, project assistant, said the children helped set up a stall at the site to hand out free dog mess bags, leaflets and to give information about the health risks associated with dog litter. “The children were excellent and all received extremely positive feedback from members of the public,” she said.

“Dog poo is a huge problem in this area, and we hope this awareness day will have a real influence on those perpetrators who do not pick up after their animals.”

Martin Foyle ponders a three-pronged York City strike force

YORK City manager Martin Foyle is considering fielding Richard Brodie, Michael Rankine and Michael Gash together in attack next season.

The three players have never been named in the same starting line-up for the Minstermen and, in fact, only featured on the pitch together in seven of City’s 54 league and cup fixtures last season, totalling just 98 minutes in game time.

But, with Blue Square Premier play-off final winners Oxford United demonstrating the effectiveness of a three-pronged strikeforce in their 3-1 victory over the Minstermen at Wembley last month, Foyle could consider a tactical rethink during 2010/11.

Foyle did experiment with 4-3-3 briefly during the penultimate month of the last campaign, but elected to play on-loan winger Courtney Pitt in one of the roles rather than pitching three recognised centre forwards alongside one another.

The City manager, who has favoured 4-4-2 for long periods of his Bootham Crescent reign, said: “People can get carried away with formations and get all scientific.

“I like a back four, but the rest is quite flexible and it’s good to look at different things.

“You have to be versatile and adaptable and I would like to have a look at Michael Gash, Richard Brodie and Michael Rankine as a front three.”

Foyle paid £55,000 for Gash and a smaller fee for Rankine last summer, but added that he does not expect to be buying any players as he looks to continue his squad-strengthening plans for next season.

The City chief also expects Gash and Rankine to start the new season in peak physical condition after question marks over their fitness levels when they first arrived at the club.

Speaking about the remote prospect of cash signings this time around, Foyle said: “I thought it was important to get Michael Gash here, and paying £10,000 and offering Craig Farrell was the only way I could prise Michael Rankine away from Rushden.

“I am sure Gashy will be like a new signing next season.

“Both him and Ranks have weight targets for when they come back after the summer and I will be disappointed if they don’t meet them.”

Meanwhile, former Histon captain Matt Langston has joined Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Eastbourne Borough.

Released Mansfield defender Paul Heckingbottom has moved to Gateshead and Fleetwood Town have signed ex-Accrington Stanley right-back Peter Cavanaugh

Remains of Roman gladiators discovered at York burial site

MORE than 80 Roman warriors could bring York economic success after archaeologists working in the city revealed they may have found the world’s best-preserved gladiator cemetery.

Researchers discovered scores of skeletons, some of which feature marks that could reflect the violent manner in which the individuals died, during a continuing archaeological and forensic investigation at a site in Driffield Terrace, Holgate.

Dr Michael Wysocki, senior lecturer in forensic anthropology and archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “These are internationally important discoveries. We don’t have any other potential gladiator cemeteries with this level of preservation anywhere else in the world.”

York’s tourism chiefs hope the find will help to attract even more visitors to the city.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said: “This is yet another great York story to add to the city’s exciting and colourful heritage.

“For us, whose job is to market the city, it is fantastic news, as it brings York’s past to life and gives us something else to talk about to encourage new visitors to the city.

“We look forward to hearing more news, and if there is an opportunity for people to come and physically see something, then so much the better.”

Kurt Hunter-Mann, a field officer at York Archaeological Trust, who is leading the investigation, said bite marks on one of the skeletons helped steer the team to their preliminary theory. He said: “One of the most significant items of evidence is a large carnivore bite mark – probably inflicted by a lion, tiger or bear – an injury which must have been sustained in an arena context.”

Other indicators that these skeletons were Roman gladiators include some healed and unhealed weapon injuries, possible hammer blows to the head and a high incidence of substantial arm asymmetry – a feature mentioned in ancient Roman literature in connection with gladiators.

Mr Hunter-Mann said the skeletons, which date from the late first century AD to the fourth century AD, were mostly male, very robust and above average height.

He said all the individuals were buried with some respect and 14 of them were interred together with grave goods to accompany them to the next world. The most impressive grave was that of a tall man aged between 18 and 23, buried in a large oval grave sometime in the third century.

Interred with him were what appear to have been the remains of substantial joints of meat from at least four horses possibly consumed at the funeral – plus some cow and pig remains.

He had been decapitated by several sword blows to the neck.

In 2005, The Press exclusively revealed the mystery of bodies found at Driffield Terrace from the Roman era, some of which had been decapitated.

York bus drivers face 20mph limit

COUNCIL officers are to ask bus drivers to drive at no more than 20mph in York after hearing claims of aggressive bus handling.

The move, if successful, could encourage more people to leave the car at home, according to one passenger.

But First York, which provides most of the city’s bus services, says it is “surprised” the speed-cutting issue has been raised and says it has already taken measures to improve its drivers’ performance.

The controversy comes as the executive member for city strategy Coun Steve Galloway considers proposals to impose 20mph speed limits on all traffic in some residential streets in the city.

Dee Bush, a Beckfield Lane resident, claimed she had been on buses where passengers had been knocked about during their journey.

“They (the drivers) have been aggressively accelerating and braking, resulting in the passengers being left flying about,” said Ms Bush.

“If we are serious about reducing traffic congestion, a 20mph regime could be the way to encourage people to use the buses.”

Coun Galloway pledged that council officers would suggest the speed limit proposal to the bus company at their regular meetings with First York.

But he said: “I suspect the bus drivers will be only too delighted to get up to 20mph on certain parts of the network.”

Bill Woolley, director of city strategy, said the council would tell the bus company about the claims of aggressive bus driving Ms Bush registered to speak “on behalf of the elderly” on proposals for a set of criteria to decide whether roads in York should have a 20mph limit at a city strategy executive member decision meeting at the Guildhall.




Check is kept on standards
BUS drivers in York are already being kept in check by state-of-the-art equipment, the city’s main operator said.

A spokesman for First said he was “surprised” the council was discussing a speed restriction. He said: “Our fleet of more than 100 buses in York have been installed with DriveGreen, a revolutionary new piece of equipment, much like a miniature traffic light, which immediately shows drivers if they have made an unnecessary driving manoeuvre. More importantly, this data is then sent back to base to allow the driver and their managers to ‘score’ a journey and therefore make improvements to driving.

“Early indications are that our drivers have been improving in York.”

He said fuel was also being saved and said First would hold more talks with the council about driving standards.

Richard Brodie goal against Rushden and Diamonds fires York City to seventh successive win

YORK City’s defensive effort won praise from manager Martin Foyle after a fourth clean sheet in five games helped them to a 1-0 victory at Rushden and Diamonds.

The victory at Nene Park last night kept the Minstermen in third place in the Blue Square Premier, and Foyle said: “We were sound defensively and looked accomplished as a group of players back there.”

A key figure in City’s recent run of form is on-loan Mansfield centre-back Luke Graham, and Foyle is keen to extend his stay at Bootham Crescent.

He said: “Luke Graham is due to go back to Mansfield after the Wrexham game (on Saturday), but I want to see if there’s any chance of keeping him.

“I am going to try because the initial understanding was it was for a month’s cover.

“We thought Djoumin Sangare would be back, but it’s taken longer than we thought and Luke has done absolutely fantastic for me.”

A 72nd-minute Richard Brodie header won the game for City and Foyle said: “It wasn’t a classic, but we came here hoping to get three points, so we’ll go home happy.

“I thought it was a tired display from both sides and the weekend games probably took a lot out of the players, with three or four of our lads looking tired.

“Our front two were not on fire, but you can’t expect them to do it week in, week out.”

Meanwhile, on-loan City winger Craig Nelthorpe scored an 85th minute winner for Barrow at Altrincham last night.