Medics from Catterick Garrison will be raising money in memory of a young Royal Military Police officer killed in Iraq. The team will push a bed from Northallerton's Friarage Hospital to the psychiatric unit at the former Duchess of Kent Hospital, in Catterick Garrison, on Saturday. Money they raise will go to the Ben Hyde Trust. L Cpl Hyde was one of six military police killed during a riot in Al Ahmarah in June.

Planned merger: The twin towns of Malton and Norton, in North Yorkshire, are likely to be boosted as a result of a planned merger between their chamber of trade and the town centre management company.Vice-chairman of the company, Paul Beanland, said: "Our towns need a new dynamic approach otherwise they will go backwards." Mr Beanland said that both organisations concentrated their efforts on the town centres but there was an opportunity to involve many other businesses on the industrial estates and business parks in the area.

CHURCH CELEBRATION: A concert under the umbrella of the Ripon International Festival will mark the successful completion of a £1m restoration project at the city's Holy Trinity Church tomorrow. The programme, which includes work by Ravel, Franck and Sarasate, begins at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12.50, with concessions for students. Anyone who wants more information is asked to telephone (01765) 690563.

4X4 STOLEN: Police are urging drivers to be on the lookout for a distinctive 4x4, stolen from Middleton Tyas on Monday night. The white Mitsubishi Pajero VRM, registered M237 XHW, was fitted with Japanese alloy wheels and all-terrain tyres with white lettering on the sidewalls. It also had a steel bumper. Anyone who may have seen the vehicle since 8pm on Monday is asked to contact police on (01609) 789321.

PATH CLOSED: Councillors have agreed to block a footpath along the banks of the River Cover, south of Middleham. Erosion has made parts of the route dangerous and members of North Yorkshire County Council's Richmondshire Area Committee agreed on Monday night that the authority should not take any risks. An alternative path will be established to the north of the river at Cover Banks.

fruity theft: Thieves have stolen stone pineapples from the entrance gates of a house in Middleham. The two ornaments are worth an estimated £3,000. Anyone offered something similar in suspicious circumstances is urged to contact police on (01609) 789321.

DRIVER DATE: The Northallerton branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists' meeting next month will include a talk on first aid. Bob Daly will give the address at The Lodge, Leeming Bar, at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 8. All are welcome.

UNDER COVER: The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate hosts the Great Northern Quilt Fair from tomorrow. Gates open at 10am daily until Sunday. Admission costs £7 for adults and there is a £1 discount for pensioners