York Millennium baby Chloe Stead really took her mum by surprise.

MUM'S THE WORD: Pictured, from left, are: baby Paul Rodwell and mum Jenny, Chloe Stead with mum Christine Lucas, Daniel Sorby with mum Kerry and Melissa Paylor and mum Marie

Chloe was delivered at York District Hospital just 28 minutes into the new Millennium.

But she was far from being a part of the nation's supposed scramble last spring to conceive a Millennium baby.

She was not planned and her mother, Christine Lucas, did not even know she was pregnant until mid-October.

"It was seven months before I found out. We went to Florida in August and I went on all the rides because I had no idea," said Christine, 24, of St Paul's Terrace, off Holgate Road.

She said it came as a big shock initially when she went to the doctors in October and discovered she was having a baby. "But I was over the moon," she said.

Chloe's dad, Simon, who works at Thrall Europa, was equally delighted by their new arrival, who weighed in at 6lbs 14ozs. "It's absolutely unbelievable," he said, adding that Chloe's arrival at such a unique moment in time, accompanied by the thunderous sound of fireworks as York saw in the new Millennium, made it even more special.

Five other babies arrived at York District Hospital between midnight and midday on January 1 - and none of the parents who spoke to the Evening Press said they were particularly planned as Millennium babies.

Daniel Sorby, whose parents Kerry and Chris live in the Boroughbridge Road area, was York's first Millennium boy baby, being delivered at 5.47am.

The others included Melissa Paylor, whose parents Alan and Marie live at Hopgrove, York, Paul Rodwell, born to Jenny and Steven Rodwell, and Charlotte Elizabeth, daughter of Sharon Copland-Jones and Phillip Jones, of Malton.

The hospital said that, despite predictions last spring of a Millennium baby boom, it had dealt with an average number of deliveries. "It certainly doesn't seem to have happened in York," said midwife Lynda Fairclough.

There was no sign of the much-hyped Millennium baby boom at Malton or Whitby hospitals, where the maternity departments reported no new arrivals on New Year's Day.

But proud parents Sarah and Ted Emms welcomed their 7lb daughter into the world at Scarborough Hospital at 6.20pm on January 1.

Hospital spokesman Richard Vincent said it was not yet known what the Scarborough couple had named their Millennium marvel.

Hannah sees in her third century

For one grand old North Yorkshire woman, the new Millennium saw the start of a third century of life.

Hannah Elizabeth Malton, who lives in Grimston Court, Dunnington, celebrated her 101st birthday on Saturday, only a day after welcoming the year 2000. She was born in 1899.

Her niece, Sylvia Massey, said: "Living in three centuries is a very impressive achievement and she says she can't believe she has lived to see the year 2000.

"She was very ill when she was younger and it is incredible that she came through it, never mind that she has reached this age."

Mrs Malton was born near Bishopthorpe Road, York, and lived in the Hull Road area with her husband, Albert, before moving into Grimston Court. She celebrated her birthday with a family party.

Mrs Massey said: "She really has enjoyed her party, and I think that she is very proud that she is now living in her third century."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.