January 2006

A LITTLE girl was left for dead by a hit-and-run driver in Lupset. Darianne Auty, five, was left with two fractures to her skull, a fractured eye socket, 25 stitches, bruised lungs and a form of meningitis caused by the head blows she suffered.

The Lupset youngster was hit by a car and thrown into the air after she stepped out onto Broadway while out walking to a party with her family. Mum Amber Musgrave said: “It seemed so long before the ambulance arrived and I was trying to keep her conscious. I was terrified, more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life. I cradled her in my arms and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, her favourite song, to try and keep her awake. ‘Don’t leave me, Darianne,’ I kept saying to her, ‘don’t leave me’"

The driver, a 22-year-old Darnley man, was later jailed for 12 months for dangerous driving and failing to stop.

But Darianne’s bravery was recognised later in the year by national magazine, Closer. She was the winner of their ‘Overcoming the Odds’ prize in the glossy magazine’s Young Heroes awards. She was congratulated by Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman.

A WELL dating back to the 1700s was discovered under Wakefield Theatre Royal during an engineering survey. The 18th century water source was unearthed in the basement as engineers took samples in preparation for the upcoming multi-million pound development and restoration of the theatre. The well is thought to pre-date the original theatre that stood on the same site from 1775 to 1893. Chris Constable, from the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, said: “The well provides primary evidence of how the people of Wakefield obtained water prior to the installation of a piped supply throughout the city. “It is a valuable find from within the city centre as there has been little opportunity to investigate the archaeology of the properties fronting onto Westgate. “It is a valuable find from within the city centre as there has been little opportunity to investigate the archaeology of the properties fronting onto Westgate. “The West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service looks forward to working with Wakefield Theatres to insure the preservation and display of this find.” Theatre boss Murray Edwards said: “It is the trust’s intention to retain the well within the restoration scheme and include it on theatre tours as a key point of interest.”

BUREAUCRATS decided the Normanton constituency should be wiped off the political map after Wakefield’s parliamentary boundaries were redrawn. The Boundary Commission decided Normanton and Altofts should be swallowed up by Pontefract and Castleford, leaving sitting MP Ed Balls without a seat at the next general election. Under the changes, the district’s representatives would be cut from four MPs to just three. Outwood, Stanley and Wrenthrope and Kirkhamgate, which are currently in the Normanton constituency, will find themselves in a new Morley and Outwood County constituency at the next election. The four were part of the ancient Wakefield manor, listed in the Domesday Book. Mr Balls said: “The decision will mean great disruption and the breaking of communities. If the plans go ahead unchanged there will be fewer people in Westminster standing up for our area. “All four of the district’s MPs will not give up the fight to make sure the area is properly represented in parliament.” But Tory councillor Antony Calvert, who represents Wrenthorpe and Outwood West, welcomed the changes. He said: “The Boundary Commission has produced sensible proposals which are totally independent of politics. The future of Ed Balls’ career is an internal Labour issue.”