DO you remember what you were doing in June 1966? If you were preparing to win the World Cup, you are probably an ex-England football international.

If you were engaged in the altogether more glamorous pursuit of filming the York Industries And Hobbies Fair, then we need to hear from you.

Or rather Keith Cass does. Readers with good memories will recall that name. It was Keith who received an unsolicited letter from South African woman Sheilagh Richardson. She was trying to track down her old friend Thomas Cass. Thanks to readers, we were able to put them in touch.

Now Keith has set us another poser. He is a long time member of the York Amateur Radio Society, which sponsored the hobbies fair, at the Railway Gymnasium, Queen Street, between June 20 and 26, 1966.

Another exhibitor was the York Model Railway Society - "not just playing trains - but building locos, carriages and waggons", the official programme noted. Elsewhere Mr RG Young was pleased to describe how he made a model of St Peter's Basilica, Rome, out of thousands of matchsticks.

Founded in 1961 to provide "facilities for boys to learn the marvels of the universe", the Nunthorpe Grammar School Astronomical Society put on a display "of the constellations and the 1970 era space exploration".

Also present were the Cameric Cigarette Club, the York Winemakers Circle and York City Police Force: "out to fight crime without any hesitation".

But the exhibitor we are most interested in is the Apollo Cine Club. Not only did its members offer advice to amateur filmmakers, they took their own footage of the event.

Keith saw that at the time - and would love to see it again. But where are Apollo's finest?

"I have tried to trace them. I can't find anybody," he said. "Somebody somewhere must have a copy."

He has called on the Yorkshire Film Archive based at York St John College, to no avail.

If you can help, please ring Keith on (01904) 422084, or write to him at 4 Heworth Village, York.

POSH put-me-up Middlethorpe Hall, winner of the best hotel category of the York Tourism Awards, has received praise from high places.

The Assistant Bishop of London sent a letter thanking the hotel team for "the wonderful hospitality" which "exceeded wildly even the most prestigious expectations I had of it", as we reported in our round up of award winners earlier this month. This, writes Alan Rowntree of Wigginton, is a bit rich. "I've nothing against awards as such, but isn't this man a servant of one who was born in a stable because there was no room at the inn?

"Isn't he also a member of the Church of England who found it necessary to charge an entrance fee to the house of God?

"What was wrong with his mates' place next door? Does he charge more than Middlethorpe Hall?".

EVENING Press woman of letters Margaret Lawson was intrigued by a profile of Rumpole writer Sir John Mortimer she read in some inferior rag (The Times).

In it, Sir John, 81, describes how a woman called Binny now assists him every morning and "washes my hair with Jo Malone".

"I thought this Jo Malone must be a carer, but have since gathered it may be the name of an upmarket shampoo - I'm not sure," Margaret writes."Please can you clarify this?"

Brands of posh shampoo are not the Diary's area of expertise (an area which remains undiscovered). Can anyone else help?

Updated: 11:21 Friday, November 26, 2004