A VETERAN pair of shopkeepers have placed an advert in the Evening Press to scotch a strange rumour - that one of them was DEAD.

Ron and Coral Bond ran a haberdashery stall in York Market for more than 30 years, retiring in the late 1980s.

They didn't completely pack it in though, as they still work four days a week in their "Aladdin's cave" of a shop at Farsley, West Yorkshire.

Coachloads of bargain hunters from York - and even further afield - still visit them on a regular basis.

They say they still have "a great many" friends in York.

But, last week, Ron received a sympathy card in the post sent by a York woman.

It offered condolences to Ron, his daughter and two granddaughters over the news that Coral had died.

In fact, she is a lively 68-year-old, who is still working hard in the shop.

"It was a real shock, at first," said Ron, 70.

"It was a lovely card and the thought was nice, but the lady who had sent it had her wires crossed somewhere along the line.

"We might be getting on a bit, but neither of us are dead yet."

Ron said he decided to ring the Evening Press and place the advert before the rumour made it any further.

"Neither of us have any idea at all where these rumours have come from, but I thought I'd better do something to stop them," he said.

Coral said reading a card about her death was "not very nice at all, really".

But she said: "In the end, though, once we had got over the shock, we could laugh about it.

"It was such a nice message she had written and it is nice to think that after all these years since we left York people are still thinking about us.

"I want to say now, though - I am alive and kicking. If you need any proof you can come and see us at the shop."

Updated: 11:25 Monday, August 27, 2001