Editor’s Pick of the Week: Near-catastrophe in Knaresborough and Cock O' the North confusion

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Two days after we revealed the historic gantry at Knaresborough railway station was due to be demolished, a van driver almost spared Network Rail the job.

His unoccupied vehicle rolled down Kirkgate early on Thursday morning and smashed through the level crossing barrier, narrowly avoiding the gantry, and getting stuck on the line. What could have been catastrophic turned out only to be inconvenient as trains were cancelled for several hours.

About a mile away, the Calcutt Oval off Thistle Hill hosted the Addison Cup cricket final on Monday evening.

An enjoyable match between winners Whixley and Knaresborough was punctuated by jokes about going elsewhere for a post-match pint due to the warm beer in The Cricketers, the roofless and derelict pub that overshadows the ground and is currently for sale. The likely permanent loss of a pub that has stood at the end of Forest Moor Road for years would be keenly felt.

The same evening, I hotfooted it to St Wilfrid’s Church in Harrogate to hear Anthony Gray’s organ recital, which is one of six concerts being staged beneath a giant art installation as part of the ongoing Harrogate Music Festival. Combining art and music doesn't always work but this was fabulous.

We are lucky to have such musical talent such as Anthony Gray at local churches. Last weekend we published an interview with Ronny Krippner after hearing that he was achieving remarkable things at Ripon Cathedral.

The week was, however, dominated by the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

The weather could hardly have been kinder to the 140,000 visitors and the vibe has rarely been better.

Things did go a little leftfield on the opening morning when I was briefly mistaken for the farming minister by an ITV camera crew and then there was the surrealness of attending a wedding in the forestry section at which the number of media present seemed to exceed the number of guests.

On Thursday, a junior colleague unfamiliar with the show seemed utterly befuddled when I tried to explain what the Cock O' the North was all about. The show has its quirks but summer wouldn't be the same without it.