Stolen Plaque Found!

Residents in a quiet York street are celebrating the return of a much-loved piece of local history. 

One year ago a plaque was stolen from the plinth on which a unique bear statue sits, in Chalfonts, off Tadcaster Road. The statue was installed when the homes were built in the 1960s. The plaque marks the ‘Award for Good Design’ granted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 1969. 

The plaque was stolen on the evening of Tuesday 5 November 2024. Local residents reported the theft to the Police, and Cllr Stephen Fenton put out a call for information to help track down the missing plaque. The trail went cold but then earlier this week the plaque reappeared at the ‘scene of the crime’ and has been reinstalled by a local resident. 

Cllr Fenton has welcomed the return of the plaque to its rightful place. 

“It was desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away. It’s fantastic that someone seems to have done the decent thing and returned it so that it can be put back where it belongs.”