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Stories from across Yorkshire to make you smile August 16

BBC Published Aug 16, 2026 Reviewed Aug 18, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Stories from across Yorkshire to make you smile August 16
The solar eclipse observed by Yorkshire residents on 16 August 2023 covered up to 92% of the sun.
92 % · solar eclipse Brian Jones, member of York Astronomical Society
The next total solar eclipse after the 2023 event will not occur until September 2090.
2090 · total solar eclipse
About 200 people attended the solar eclipse viewing at Beetle Bank Farm in York.
about 200 · people Brian Jones, member of York Astronomical Society
Polo, a 13‑year‑old stallion, was stolen from a farm in Morayshire in 2018 and was recovered by West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife and Rural Crime Team after eight years.
8 years · Polo West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife and Rural Crime Team

This week we feature a brave toddler, a missing horse found after eight years and a ten-year-old seeking a dance partner

Every week in Yorkshire we cover uplifting and feel-good stories about people, places and animals across our region - and we like to shout about them.

This week we feature a brave toddler calling 999 to help his mum, a missing horse found after eight years, and 10-year-old dancer looking for her ballroom partner.

James had been taught about how to dial 999 during a visit to the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield

A three-year-old boy from Doncaster has been praised for his quick thinking, after he called emergency services when his mum collapsed at home.

What began as a normal day at home for Georgia, James and baby Elodie turned into a terrifying experience when Georgia lost consciousness, after feeling unwell.

The toddler made the 999 call to get his mum help, having learned how to do so during a visit to the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield.

South Yorkshire Police officers who attended the family home in Hatfield later returned to give James a toy helicopter in recognition of his decision-making.

His mum described him as "an incredible little boy", adding: "we still can't believe he managed to do it."

A rare cremello horse that was stolen in Scotland eight years ago has been reunited with his owner after he was found by police in Shipley.

Polo, a 13-year-old stallion, was taken when he was just a foal during a break-in at a farm in Morayshire in 2018.

He was discovered by West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife and Rural Crime Team after "community intelligence" located him and he was returned to Zoe Urquart.

"I'd given up on the idea that he would ever be located a number of years ago. So, it was a massive shock," she said, adding it was "absolutely fantastic" to have him home.

Armed with specialist glasses, telescopes and even colanders, on Wednesday Yorkshire residents looked to the skies to catch a glimpse of a solar eclipse.

People have shared their images of the event, which saw up to 92% of the sun covered by the moon, the most significant eclipse since the 1999 total eclipse.

Brian Jones from the York Astronomical Society said it was "lovely" to be among about 200 people sharing in the spectacle at Beetle Bank Farm, in York.

"The universe is there to be shared. You're made of star stuff - everything in your body comes from a star, so you're looking back at family history."

Although there will be smaller solar eclipses with less coverage over the years, including next August, the next total eclipse won't be until September 2090.

Martha, 10, is searching for a ballroom dance partner to allow her to compete in multiple categories at the national finals

A 10‑year‑old ballroom dancer from North Yorkshire is looking for a dance partner to help her grace the floors of the national finals after years of training.

Martha, from Danby, has been dancing since she was two and said she hoped to enter all the categories for her age group - but without a partner she can only take part in half of them.

She has dreamed of competing at the finals in Blackpool later this year, she explained, a milestone she sometimes even thought about "during maths lessons".

She's looking for a boy aged between 10 and 11 who already had ballroom experience - "not someone turning up in rugby boots and a scrum cap," she joked.

Steve Manners, a former technology and art teacher from Hull, has used retirement to combine his creativity and newfound skills in 3D printing on a small but mighty scale.

Manners has painstakingly recreated miniature models of many of the city's historic buildings and recognisable landmarks, to "give it a bit of life for younger people".

Making the miniatures reminded him of events from his childhood, he said, including "riding your bike behind a trolley bus to get pulled along without a headwind".

"You go back through your memories, and it reminds you of things that just sort of get washed away," he said of the creative process.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

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