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Opera to ultramarathons: Yorkshire stories to make you smile

Grace WoodYorkshire
BBC/PA The image is split into two sections. On the left, a large group of schoolchildren wearing yellow and black uniforms stand indoors in front of a bright red curtain, raising their hands enthusiastically. On the right, a close-up of Kevin Sinfield wearing a blue and green patterned athletic shirt and a green headband.BBC/PA
This week's positive stories include school children from Rotherham writing opera

Across Yorkshire there are people doing amazing things every day of the week and we want to highlight them.

This week Kevin Sinfield announced his return to ultramarathon running, a York rowing coach received an award for saving a life and a new 80-seat theatre is set to open in Hull.

Take a look below and enjoy some positive news stories from across BBC Yorkshire.

Kev's back for another seven

PA Media Kevin Sinfield (left), and Rob Burrow, smiling together at the start line of a race, wearing racing clothing.PA Media
Kevin Sinfield (left) and Rob Burrow became friends while playing at Leeds Rhinos together

Former rugby league star Kevin Sinfield announced he would once again take on seven ultramarathons in seven days to raise money and awareness for motor neurone disease (MND) research and treatment.

The 45-year-old, who will tackle the challenge in honour of his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow, will begin in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk on 1 December before running across the UK and Ireland and ending in Leeds.

He hopes to raise £777,777 to add to more than £10m raised since he began running marathons in 2020, following Burrow's diagnosis in 2019.

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Life-saving rowing coach

York City Rowing Club A man in a navy coat receiving a certificate from a man in a black suit with a red and blue tie.York City Rowing Club
David McNeill was presented with the award by Stephen Worley, Honorary Safety Adviser from British Rowing

York rowing coach David McNeill has been given a national award for saving the life of a woman who entered the River Ouse earlier this year.

Mr McNeill, 43, from York City Rowing Club, was recognised by the Royal Humane Society (RHS) after he swam out to rescue the woman near the club's boathouse on 12 March.

The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance following the rescue.

Mr McNeill said: "I'm quite fortunate, I'm a former British Army officer and so I have been trained on mental health and first aid and as a rowing coach you get trained on how to rescue people from the water and do it safely."

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Walking the boards

A head and shoulders shot of Paul Smith looking at the camera. He is wearing glasses, an orange cap and a green sweater with "Copenhagen" in white bold capital letters printed on the front. He is stood in front of red theatre chairs. The walls are black.
Middle Child is a new writing theatre company and registered charity in Hull

A new theatre will open in the heart of Hull's cultural quarter next year.

After hearing about the vacant space on Humber Street, Middle Child Theatre Company partnered with Wykeland to create an 80-seat theatre for its new home.

It is expected to open in the Spring with the performance of its new show Isabelle, by Marc Graham, who is one of Middle Child's founding members.

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Children create Rotherham opera

BBC/Simon Thake A large group of schoolchildren in black uniforms with yellow polo shirts all have one hand in the air and are looking towards the camera. Their faces show they are singing. They are indoors in a hall with red curtains in the background and a noticeboard that says British Values on it.BBC/Simon Thake
Children taking part in the event have been practising their opera singing

More than 2,000 children have helped create a new opera to celebrate Rotherham, inspired by Mozart's The Magic Flute.

The show, titled Tales Untapped: A Rotherham Opera, was performed at the Magna Science Adventure Centre this week as part of the town's Children's Capital of Culture festival.

Since the start of the year, more than 45 schools from across the borough have taken part in storytelling, composition and design workshops to help create the show's music and narrative.

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

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