Review of the year: February

l Dewsbury’s main shopping area, the Princess of Wales Precinct, was put on the market.

Irish investors Ravenhill Estates, who bought it in January 2006, decided to sell the precinct along with a number of other sites after reviewing its UK investments.

London-based firm Jones Lang LaSalle was handling the sale, which it hoped to complete by Easter.

Retail director Kevin Donohue said: “It’s difficult to say what its estimated value is because we’re selling it as part of a portfolio. It’s probably about £14m.”

The precinct was eventually bought by Edinburgh House Estates Limited in September.

Managing director Tony Quayle said: “We are keen to get working on these properties and with our extensive connections in the retail industry will look to improve the tenancy profile and the centres as a whole.”

Edinburgh House already owned seven other retail developments in the UK, including Carlton Lanes Shopping Centre in Castleford.

l A new recruit to Mirfield Mothers’ Union made history when he became the first man to join the branch.

Former teacher Brian Hardwick formally became a member after helping his wife with her Mothers’ Union duties for many years.

“For ages my wife Barbara has held various offices in Mothers’ Union and I got dragged in to help every time there was a meeting,” he said.

“I had to move furniture and set up the sound system so I though, if I’m being dragged along anyway, I might as well become a member!”

The Mothers’ Union is a Christian charity which supports families.

Despite the name, it is open to men, women and young adults. Mr Hardwick said: “In this day and age of gender equality, you can’t always judge an organisation by what it says on the tin.

“The Mothers’ Union was very happy for me to join - they know I’m harmless.”

l A report into what happened to kidnapped schoolgirl Shannon Matthews will not be published in full, it was announced.

Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board said it was worried about the impact the full report would have on Shannon and her siblings.

A summary of the serious case review was published in June 2010, with the full report on the Matthews family expected to follow.

But board chairwoman Bron Sanders said that publishing the full report would allow individual children to be identified, no matter how it was edited.

She said: “We have studied a great deal of evidence to establish the potential impact on their lives if the overview report were to be published.

“There is no doubt that releasing the report into the public domain could have a severe, negative impact on these children.”

In December, a national newspaper reported that the team behind a Bafta award-winning drama about Fred West was set to start filming another about Shannon’s kidnap early next year.