For Planet Notes, an essay on the dying apostrophe. Yes, you can join the Apostrophe Protection Society. It exists. And it is free!

Bob McCalden, president of the Apostrophe Protection Society, told me that the council's caper amounted to 'cultural vandalism.'

"Many road names in the UK have a good deal of history attached to them. Dropping the apostrophe from St Mary's Walk ignores the history behind the name. We should acknowledge and celebrate our social history, and not try to erase it."

Locals in Harrogate told the BBC what for. Anne Keywood said: "I think we should be using apostrophes. If you start losing things like that, then everything else goes downhill, doesn't it?"