Archive

  • Has anyone lost a bird of prey?

    A kestrel that lost its way back home has been found by a local ornithologist who is keen to trace its owner. Bird of prey expert Howard Toll was contacted by a fellow enthusiast in Ingrow who found the kestrel, and he is now anxious to trace the bird's

  • Prescott gets T&A message about buses

    Transport Secretary John Prescott will be asked to step into the row over bus service cuts, following last night's editorial in the Telegraph & Argus. Bus company First Bradford Traveller came under heavy fire at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Passenger

  • Battle is on for council seats

    VOTERS in three North Craven parishes will be asked to choose their parish councillors as well as district representatives on May 7. Bentham Town Council has two wards - High and Low Bentham - and there is to be an election for High Bentham as 10 people

  • Traffic worries over plans

    A CHRISTIAN brethren group's plans to set up a meeting room in Horsforth could lead to traffic problems, it has been claimed. Residents close to Brownberrie Lane fear there will be parking problems and more traffic on a nearby road already busy with cars

  • Driver's lucky escape

    A PROFESSIONAL driver had an incredibly lucky escape when the car he was driving overturned a short distance outside of Otley. Martin Routledge, who has recently completed a defensive driving course, emerged unhurt from the vehicle, which crashed around

  • Pensioners forced out of their homes

    Pensioners living in fear are being forced to quit their homes at a Keighley sheltered housing complex. In the latest of a long series of incidents a shot was fired at the double-glazed bedroom window of a 71-year-old man. The man has also had to replace

  • Public urged to stay away from circus

    Animal-rights campaigners are urging people not to attend a circus in Silsden. They are protesting against the Bobby Roberts circus which is due to perform from Tuesday until Sunday. The circus, performing at Jackson's Riverside Field off Keighley Road

  • Joiner celebrates

    Ian Ackroyd celebrated his second year in business by being awarded his company's Franchise joiner of the year title by Freedom Maintenance Ltd. Mr Ackroyd, from Exley Head, received the award for his outstanding efforts in dev-eloping business and providing

  • Town mourns popular man

    TRIBUTE has been paid to former Craven District Council chairman Peter Willey, who has died aged 73. Born in Bradford, Mr Willey was a councillor for 28 years, representing Skipton's east ward first on the urban district council, and then Craven District

  • Amateur rugby league round-up

    Keighley Albion 19 Queensbury 20 A large crowd witnessed a thrilling encounter at Crossflatts as Keighley Albion came agonisingly close to a major cup final appearence. The home side will look back on this game and wonder how they squandered a 10-0 lead

  • Otley complete double

    OTLEY............11 HARROGATE...8 THIS match at Cross Green, on Saturday, was reduced to a muddy romp due to heavy overnight rain but nevertheless Otley completed the double over old rivals Harrogate in this re-arranged Jewson League Division One match

  • Remaining title battles reaching climax

    Drier pitches on Saturday meant more matches were played and the remaining Craven Football League title battles are reaching their climax. In the Skipton Building Society Premier Division both the leading teams, Skipton Bulldogs and Embsay, won. Bulldogs

  • Stab victim's widow's grief at 'yardie' rumours

    The grieving family of stabbing victim Godfrey Swaby have spoken for the first time to dismiss allegations he was a member of the notorious drug-running Yardie gang in Jamaica. His widow and aunt told the Telegraph & Argus they had been "torn to pieces

  • Katherine's simple request

    A teenager waiting for a lung transplant is pleading with Keighley News readers to carry an organ donor card and give her the chance of life. Katherine Ireland, who has battled against cystic fibrosis since she was a five-month-old baby, was told a year

  • Lee Crooks on the inside

    LET me make one thing quite clear - I won't tolerate performances like we gave at Featherstone on Monday. There will be disciplinary action by the club, but I cannot go into details about what will happen at the moment. However fans can rest assured that

  • Skipton safe

    Yorkshire Division Three Hornsea 5 Skipton 42 Skipton made the long journey to the Holderness club knowing that victory would secure their Division Three status and form a platform for next season's effort, writes Andy Rhodes. Playing into a strong offshore

  • Minister to rule on tiny school

    Keighley MP Ann Cryer is writing to Education Secretary David Blunkett to plead the case for keeping tiny Oldfield First School open. The 36-pupil school is recommended for closure under Bradford council's controversial schools review. Staff, parents

  • Club's bid to rock around the clock

    A nightclub is bidding to become Bradford's first all-night dance venue - a year after licensing rules were relaxed. Bradford's drive to become a 24-hour city, announced last April, looked in danger of being a flop after none of the city's clubs expressed

  • Excellent Ribb

    North East Division Two North Ribbelsdale 21 Ashington 0 Ashington came into this game in deep trouble and unfortunately for them relegation now seems to be the likely outcome of the season with the Dalesmen registering a convincing victory, writes Trevor

  • Stephen touches base

    Keighley soldier Stephen Claydon has just returned from manoeuvres in Poland. Stephen, a Lance Corporal with the 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment, has been at a former Cold War base. The Drawsko-Pomorskie Training Area was used to train Polish

  • NHS chiefs target long waiting times

    Hospital chiefs in Bradford promise cutting trolley waits in the city's casualty department will be their number one priority. Top-level talks were held yesterday to discuss how to tackle the problem, highlighted in the cases of two seriously ill pensioners

  • Warning over spending

    Schools in Keighley which try to block their closure by running up debts in the coming year will have their spending powers removed. The warning has been issued by Bradford's director of education Diana Cavanagh, who says deficits must be removed before

  • Readers' Letters cont

    SIR - As the local election comes nearer, is it not the time for the people in this region to ask themselves how much longer are they prepared to be hoodwinked by local politicians? We now have the Tories in the Craven Ward who want to know the answer

  • Readers' letters

    SIR - I would like to clarify the financial situation and related issues. The capital costs and equipment (which will be firmed up and amended in the current consultation which lasts until May 29) range from £145 million using traditional contracting

  • Dear Reader

    I hope many of you may take action in the wake of our story this week about the life or death situation teenager Katherine Ireland is in. I appreciate it is a sad story. But I make no apologies for running stories of this type when necessary, as I recently

  • Opinion

    Last July this newspaper was criticised for its comment and coverage of a nightmare situation faced by the elderly residents of a sheltered housing complex. They had turned to the Keighley News is a desperate plea for action after being frustrated by

  • Crooks hits treble top

    SUPER LEAGUE stars Lee Hansen and Grant Anderson joined the Cougars as coach Lee Crooks finally clinched deals he has been working on for weeks. Former St Helens, Leeds and Warrington player George Mann was also due to sign last night to add one of the

  • College costs go down

    Full-time students at Keighley College could save more than £600 each in tuition fees in the next year. The college has cut its 1998-99 tuition fees for full-time courses (450 hours or more per year) to a maximum of £50. And students qualifying for vocational

  • Watchdog to step in over homes row

    Angry residents from Sandy Lane have briefed a local government watchdog on their bitter planning battle with Bradford Council. Members of RAGE (Residents' Action Group for the Environment) have lodged an official complaint with the Ombudsman against

  • Tornado twists across the moors

    The sight of a tornado over moorland blew away a family. The Happs family, who live in Beech Grove, Silsden, could not believe their eyes when they saw the twister making its way across Keighley moor towards Ilkley. Les Happs says :"None of us could believe

  • Hospital prepares to celebrate

    A group of 50 past and present Airedale hospital patients has been invited to a children's party on Sunday to mark the local launch of the National Health Service's golden jubilee celebrations. Three days later workers will enjoy a 1970s day in the hospital's

  • Freedom fighters call for review

    A government consultation document on local democracy and community leadership is too narrow in its scope, it is claimed. Anthony Wright, secretary of the home-rule campaign group Aire-Worth Reform Associ-ation, says the basic fundamental changes needed

  • Magistrates court bigger profile

    Some of Keighley's key representatives will take part in two mock trials in June - to learn more about how the magistrates' court works. The Keighley bench has organised the event as part of a programme of activities to raise the profile of the lay magistracy

  • Rifle 'could have saved Custer'

    A Wild West fanatic has been charged with illegally possessing a rifle believed to have been used by British officers fighting the Zulus during the 1870s. Allen Ambridge, 48, a member of the British Westerners Association and the Arizona Outlaws display

  • Court bosses approve weekend closure

    Proposals to close Bingley Courthouse - which handles Keighley cases - on Saturdays have been approved. The move comes despite opposition from police, councillors and lawyers who believe it will throw the justice system into chaos across Bradford. The

  • Firm celebrates successful decade

    A BUSINESS which has gone from a "one-man-band" to an internationally recognised leader in its field in just 10 years celebrated its anniversary with the opening of a new award winning factory unit. Euravia Engineering and Supply was founded in April

  • Clean air bid for South Craven

    MOVES to clean up the air in parts of South Craven could soon be brought into force. Environmental health experts are hoping to get permission to buy portable monitoring equipment, which will be used to reveal the quality of air in places such as Silsden

  • Workers take to the streets

    YOUTH workers are taking to the streets of Skipton in a bid to help reluctant youngsters to come forward with their problems. The Detached Youth Worker scheme involves experienced volunteers approaching groups of young people who gather around the town

  • War memorial gets ready for improvements

    A NEGLECTED war memorial in Skipton is to receive a long-awaited facelift. War veterans and local residents were upset last Remembrance Day as they felt the Aireville Park memorial gates were unsuitable as a place to reflect on their lost comrades. Graffiti

  • Keighley shows off its regeneration

    Regeneration work in Keighley has impressed another high-powered government official. John Tench, a director of the Audit Commission, visited the town to see Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) schemes at first hand. His tour focussed on some of the £191,126

  • Bid to boost the rural economy

    LAND and property owners in Craven are being encouraged by the Rural Development Commission to apply for grants to convert redundant buildings into workspace to help create new jobs. The Rural Development Commission has relaunched its Redundant Building

  • Student gets ready for sea challenge

    STUDENT Sarah Aynesworth is counting the hours until she starts a frantic trip of a lifetime - and hopefully enters the record books. Sarah, 22, of Hartlington, near Burnsall, battled her way through a series of selection tests to join an all-British

  • Stalwart councillors stand down

    TWO long serving town councillors with an incredible 85 years service between them are standing down on May 7. But William Joel and Bateman Marshall, who have been on Bentham Town Council for 52 and 33 years, hope to be succeeded by their respective children

  • Mum speaks of horror accident

    THE mother of a 17-year-old Otley student who escaped from a car seconds before it plunged into a river spoke this week of the support shown to her family in the wake of the accident. Sam Glaister managed to scramble out of an open window of his mother's

  • Pupils USA appeal

    PUPILS at Rawdon's Benton Park School have launched a £6,000 appeal so they can take part in an international competition in America. The young designers qualified for the trip by winning the UK final of the Odyssey of the Mind competition and dedicated

  • Otley's loyalty card scrapped

    A GROUND-breaking loyalty card introduced to encourage trade in Otley has been axed. The town's Chamber of Trade and Commerce has decided to concentrate on promoting businesses through a shopping guide rather than offering discounts. Otley's loyalty card

  • Bat roost threatened by new homes

    A peaceful haven at the rear of semi-detached homes would be lost if a development of 24 new houses was given the go ahead, residents claim. And it would wreck the habitat for bats, which roost in the trees, and for other wildlife, objectors believe.

  • Anger over rubbish refusal

    FED-UP residents complained this week after household items were dumped on the street. Neighbours in Skipton's Burnside Avenue area were upset when Craven District Council refuse collectors refused to take away the rubbish following the introduction of

  • Firm lands deals

    Leading office systems designer and manufacturer Fitted Furniture Centre (FFC) is undertaking two major contracts for Woodstone Business Interiors, a Bristol-based independent office fitting company. FFC, based at Chesham Street, Keighley, has been asked

  • Mark makes his mark

    Haworth man Mark Elders has started a six-month research project designed to help local engineering companies find their way through the jungle of initiatives and bureaucracy surrounding their future training needs. Mark, 35, who spent nine years in the

  • Double blow to Easter dreams

    Cougars 12 Hull KR 20 Cougars crashed to their seventh league defeat and only had themselves to blame. Poor handling and worse discipline let Rovers off the hook - and in Mike Dixon and Mike Fletcher they had the experience to take full advantage. The

  • Goldfinder plays it by the book

    'Goldfinder' - the story of the world's most successful treasure hunter - is in print. The 420-page autobiography of Keith Jessop will be in bookshops throughout the country by the end of May or beginning of June. The £15.99 hardback reveals the no-holds-barred

  • An extra £3m per week

    Bradford businessman Ken Morrison's wealth has soared by £150 million since last year. The supermarket boss is now Britain's 22nd richest man - up six places on last year's figures. Mr Morrison has been so successful in the last 12 months that he has

  • Emily toys with an old collection

    Emily Mettam is not the only little girl who avidly collects Noddy toys and merchandise. But there cannot be many other seven-year-olds whose collection includes items six times older than they are. The latest additions to Haworth girl Emily's hoard of

  • Soccer: Craven Football League

    A BRIEF improvement in the weather allowed clubs to take one step closer to resolving promotionand relegation issues. Oxenhope's title hopes were finally dashed when they were beaten by Skipton Bulldogs. It was a match they needed to win tokeep any slim

  • Winter blast hits cricket launch

    CRICKET starts throughout the Keighley district this weekend, but the Bradford Central League has put their start date back a week. After days of freak weather, which started the week with snow, clubs have been struggling to get their grounds in tip top

  • Pride shines through

    Keighley 13 Dalington MP 25 With both sides having already secured promotion, only pride was at stake in this clash between top of the table Mowden Park and second placed Keighley. In the event the visitors' extra power in the forwards carried the day

  • Cricket season gets under way

    As the opening weekend of the Airedale and Wharfedale Senior Cricket League moves closer we examine the changes which have taken place at each of the Division 'A' and Division 'B' clubs during the winter break. Division 'A' Adel - The club has lost the

  • Guiseley go down at home

    GUISELEY ..................0 WINSFORD UNITED ...2 ON a pitch resembling a paddy field even King Canute would have had difficulty holding back the Winsford side. They were obviously more up for a game of watersports than Guiseley were. Conditions were

  • Girls bring home medals

    AT the recent Leeds Schools' Cross-Country Championships which were held at Garforth Comprehensive School, Guiseley girls were once again amongst the medal winners. The Under-13 girl's team were without the school's outstanding runner, Stephanie Haughton

  • Young stars netball success

    YOUNG netball stars from Bronte House School are celebrating their success in a regional netball competition. The Bronte House team took the championship honours in the HMC North East Regional Competition, scoring 31 goals over a total of six matches.

  • Put your view forward

    PEOPLE in Otley are to be given the chance to make a real difference to bus services both around the town and between outlying villages. An enormous number of people rely on the bus service and as towns become steadily gridlocked by the sheer volume of

  • 'Trust us' message

    THE message from Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Jeanette Sunderland at this week's education committee meeting seemed to sum up the reaction to the whole of Bradford's schools review. She told education chairman Jim Flood: "The Labour group keeps coming

  • Thought for the Week

    What would make you get up early? I was quite amazed when the 'Endeavour' came into Whitby harbour last October how many people from this community got up in time to journey over and see it enter the harbour in the early morning. Even on holiday only

  • What's the 2000 story?

    NOTHING on earth can drain the confidence of a subject people in its political masters than the so-called 'Committee for Cool' or 'Panel 2000,' as the Foreign Secretary prefers to call it. Does anybody - and that includes the blockheads who created it

  • Lampkin suffers shock defeat

    DOUGIE LAMPKIN suffered his first British trials defeat in over 12 months when he was beaten by Graham Jarvis in South Wales. Jarvis was on top form, beating Lampkin on the first lap of the 12-section course. Although they matched each other point for

  • A credit to the community

    The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), which praised Oldfield's effective education following a 1995 inspection, declines to comment about Bradford council's proposals to scrap middle schools. A spokesman says: "OFSTED inspectors look at both

  • New car park will be shops lifeline

    A row of dilapidated buildings could be pulled down as part of a scheme to create a much-needed car park in Bingley town centre. And it is hoped the car park will boost shops trying to attract more customers to the area and relieve pressure on other congested

  • Special baby gets ready for TV performance

    BABY Nicole Farrier is very special - and soon the whole country will be aware of the fact. Eight-month-old Nicole was born just weeks after her mum, Elaine, underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from her bladder. Their story will be told by

  • Talks go on in postal dispute

    Royal Mail admits it is concerned about allegations of bullying and intimidation at Keighley sorting office. The Communication Workers Union has written to Royal Mail North East on behalf of more than 100 workers at the Oakworth Road sorting office expressing

  • Letters to the editor

    Nothing to fear SIR - Regarding 'Mercury fears over public clock' (Craven Herald, April 9) I had to check the date of your issue of April 9 to reassure myself that this item could not be an April Fool story. Councillors Paul Whitaker and John Binns need

  • Family flees deadly gas cocktail

    A healing centre worker has told of his horror when he realised he had mixed a cocktail of killer gas. Within seconds of Christian Rowbotham's mistake, deadly chlorine gas poured in through air vents in the healing centre's pool where patients and the

  • Grieving parents' warning to others

    The distraught parents of two children who choked to death in their smoke-filled bedroom today warned of the dangers of playing with matches. Six-year-old Waqas Ali and his sister Humaira, five, were found unconscious by an uncle at their home in St Mary's

  • Teenager makes desperate plea after double death blow

    A CRAVEN teenager on the waiting list for a life saving double lung transplant has made a passionate appeal to people to carry a donor card. Brave Katherine Ireland, 18, has seen two of her friends die in the last few weeks while they were on the waiting

  • Cool gift for Mrs Tony

    A new ice cream van may seem an unusual present for a 60th birthday - but for a local Italian woman it was the sweetest gift. Antionetta Crowley - better known to her customers as Mrs Tony - has been serving the sweet-toothed of Keighley for more than

  • Soccer: Wharfedale Sunday League

    Division Two leaders and Sunday Cup holders Royal FC reached the final again, beating Ravencliffe Celtic in the semi-final. Their Division Three opponents gave a good account of themselves before bowing out of the competition. Spencer Harrison scored

  • Phoenix on brink of Premier spot

    PHOENIX are just two points away from clinching promotion to the Premier Division of the West Riding County Amateur League. They carved out a 2-1 victory over Otley Town on Wednesday night to go seven points clear at the top of the First Division - and

  • Jo gets England call-up

    Mother-of-four Jo Prowse has reached the top in fell-running - less than two years after taking up the sport. Jo, 44, has been picked for England and will run alongside the best in the country. The Keighley and Craven Athletic Club runner is one of the

  • Christian Viewpoint

    by John Finnerty, who has returned from an Easter pilgrimmage to Ireland There are no snakes in Ireland. Legend has it that this is because St Patrick threw all the snakes from the top of the sacred mountain known ever since as Croagh Patrick. On Holy

  • Kiwi Paul off home

    Robbie Paul jets off to New Zealand for Test duty today heartened by the Bulls back- to-basics win over Wembley-bound Sheffield Eagles. The champions got back on track with a hard earned 11-4 success at the Don Valley with the Kiwi star playing a key

  • Wharfedale forwards take command

    National Division One Wharfedale 20 Harrogate 3 A controlled display by Wharfedale's pack was enough to win this unofficial championship of North Yorkshire as Harrogate crashed to their 20th defeat of the season and their first ever loss to the Greens

  • Wedding

    Caroline Hislop and Andrew Spivey were married at Haworth Parish Church on Saturday by the groom's father, former Rector of Haworth Rev Colin Spivey. Primary school teacher Caroline is the eldest daughter of Jens and Andrea Hislop, of Haworth. Andrew,

  • Stitching up the stars

    Period costume designer Ruth Caswell was dressed for success today as she embarked on her latest mission as fashion adviser to the stars. The 50-year-old mother-of-two, from Oakworth, was on her way to London to fit actor Will Kemp with an outfit for

  • Taking pride in your driving

    Founded in 1956, the Institute of Advanced Motorists is a non-profit organisation registered as a charity. Its aim is to promote road safety by encouraging motorists to take a pride in their driving. I met Frank Parkin at the Parsonage car park in Haworth

  • Going out with a bang

    A young artist is planning an explosive finale to his end of year college exhibition. And while most people keep their garden tools in a shed, art student Leo Warner plans to blow one up and film it happening. The 17-year-old from Stanbury is in his final

  • UFO spotted over moors

    UFO researchers believe they had a close encounter when they saw bright lights hovering over moorland. The pair were stopped in their tracks by two bright lights hovering above the hills between Cowling and Utley. Amazingly, the researchers were on their

  • Firebomber awaits sentence

    Keighley firebomber Mohammed Khalid made a brief appearance at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday. The 37-year-old father-of-five has been on remand at Doncaster prison since he was convicted four months ago of starting the £2.5 million Netto supermarket

  • Church bells silenced

    Silsden Parish Church must raise £50,000 if it is to save its tower and bells. An architect inspected the church five years ago and came up with a list of jobs which needed doing to keep the building in good order. But the church is faced with the decision

  • Home help service under threat

    IN the wake of last week's revelations that Lancashire County Council could be looking to sell off or close down its old people's homes, comes news that its "domiciliary services", including home helps, are also under threat. According to local Liberal

  • Villagers fund bell restoration

    A TREMENDOUS village effort means that Burton-in-Lonsdale will be able to join in a bell ringing event to bring in the new millennium. The six Victorian bells in the belfry of All Saints' Parish Church have been removed and taken to Derbyshire for renovation

  • Royal hope for 100th gala event

    BUCKINGHAM Palace is interested in sending a member of the royal family to help Skipton celebrate its 100th gala next year. Organisers of the special 1999 event are preparing to put together an impressive package of entertainment and to have royalty attend