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A short report in Thursday’s Guardian appears to be the first appearance in the national press of an issue that been showing up in local papers up and down the country. YHA’s application for 24-hour drink and entertainment licences for many of its hostels has made the news in…

• Alfriston
• Cambridge
• Cockermouth
• St Briavels
• Newcastle
• Saffron Walden

All have made some effort to obtain and express the YHA’s side of the story, but I suspect many readers will still be getting the wrong impression of the Association. Unfortunately, the YHA appears to operate a “good news only” policy on it’s news and press web pages - stories which aren’t 100% positive are left to third parties to explain, with whatever inaccuracies and distortions they introduce. So, in the absence of anything from Matlock, I’m going add to the ranks of those third parties (remember this is NOT an official YHA site) and give the story as I understand it, largely based on a briefing given to Central Regional Council last weekend.

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Rodings Rally is an all night orienteering cum map reading competition that takes place in Epping Forest.

The Rally follows a route through Epping Forest along a variety of paths, tracks and trackless scrub, including holly. There is a choice of two events where you will be asked to find either five or ten checkpoints located within the forest.

Further details and entry forms are available from Epping Forest Outdoor Group.

A disused granary could become the YHA’s most northerly outpost if the Berwick Preservation Trust have their way. The Grade II listed building on Dewars Lane will be converted into exhibition space and a 42-bed hostel (to be operated by YHA under a 50 year lease according to the Berwick Advertiser) if a £4.5 million pound scheme gets the go ahead.

As always, the problem is getting the funding. £2.8 million has already been secured, and appeals have been made to Berwick Borough Council, the Big Lottery Fund and to the Northern Rock Foundation (good luck with that one, folks!). You can even sponsor part of the work yourself, at prices varying from £10 for a pantile to £500 for a window. If successful, the place could be up and running by summer 2009.

Berwick is an interesting and attractive old town, and a hostel here would also be well placed for visits to Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands. In addition, it would fill the gap opened by SYHA’s closure of Coldingham YH, which was announced in September. The only question to ask is whether it’s too close to Wooler YH for both to be successful?

The 2007 AGM of the YHA Southern Regional Council will take place at Bristol YH, 14, Narrow Quay, BRISTOL, BS1 4QA (see map below). All members of YHA are entitled to attend, be sure to bring your membership card along if you want to vote.

The meeting will start at 1pm.

The 2007 AGM of the YHA Wales Council will take place at Conwy YH, Larkhill, Sychnant Pass Road, CONWY, LL32 8AJ (see map below). All members of YHA are entitled to attend, be sure to bring your membership card along if you want to vote.

The meeting will start at 1pm.

The YHA has been awarded fifth place in the Best UK Hotel category of the 2007 Observer Travel Awards (an improvement on seventh place last year). This is a tremendous achievement, especially when you consider that the other four nominees in the top five are luxury hotel chains charging three figure sums for a night’s accommodation.

The awards are made as a result of 13,500 questionnaires completed by Observer and Guardian readers who were asked to rate their holiday experiences. Clearly many of them loved their experience of the YHA, let’s hope the appearance of youth hostelling in a list dominated by five star luxury inspires other readers to give it a try.