Archive

  • Cadets show way at national finals

    The cadets took the honours when Bradford competed in the national martial artschampionships at Lincoln University. Damien Wise, 13, a 2kyu brown belt, came first in his age group for kumite (fighting), while 14-year-old Andrew Illingworth, a 6kyu orange

  • Blackstone fires Celtic to cup win

    Farsley Celtic 3, Ossett Town 1(AET Full Time 1-1) - Farsley Celtic lifted the West Riding County Cup last night in an incident packed evening at the County Ground at Fleet Lane Woodlesford. Celtic were reduced to ten men after just 15 minutes but were

  • No time to rest players for Noble

    Bradford Bulls coach Brian Noble seems likely to resist any temptation to rest key players for Saturday night's visit to much improved Hull. The Bulls are just nine days away from their Silk Cut Challenge Cup showdown with St Helens and injuries will

  • Rangers aiming to head to Mexico for jamboree

    RANGERS from Menston are hoping to head for an international jamboree in Switzerland this summer - but have their fingers crossed that continental foot and mouth disease restrictions do not spoil the trip. Menston Rangers Jane Finlay and Emma Thurlow

  • Hotel is favoured option for 'supermarket site'

    CALLS for the redevelopment of a site in Otley earmarked for Sainsbury's ill-fated attempts to build a supermarket have grown this week. As revealed by the Wharfedale Observer last week, supermarket giant Sainsburys' has pulled out of its bid to build

  • Families told to be patient in body-parts scandal

    ANXIOUS families waiting for news about body parts being held at Bradford hospitals are being urged to be patient. The plea comes more than two months after a hotline was set up to field calls from people who had lost loved ones. Nearly 400 distressed

  • Campaigners take a swing at new golf club proposals

    RESIDENTS fighting to preserve the Green Belt in Guiseley are furious at plans for a new golf clubhouse which they claim would be a 'blot on the landscape' which would be seen for miles around. The Guiseley and Menston Green Belt Action Group (GAMGBAG

  • Town could get £2m flood defence project

    MORE than £2 million worth of flood defences could be heading their way to Otley by the year 2005. The Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee recently approved the Environment Agency's 10-year plan for flood defence work, with £2.1 million earmarked

  • MP enters school row

    HAROLD Best MP is to hold a meeting with parents concerned about the reorganisation of primary schools in Otley. He said he had been contacted by several parents following proposals to close schools in the town and would be holding a meeting in the near

  • Man in court

    A MAN was due to appear in court yesterday facing a charge of attempted murder at High Royds Hospital. Christopher Holland, 40, of Prestwick Close, Otley, was expected to appear before Leeds Magistrates Court, over the alleged attack at the Menston hospital

  • Great undertaking

    The trials and tribulations of creating an on-line funeral service will be discussed at a meeting of the Institute of Directors this week. Funeral director Robert Morphet, who runs Joseph A Hey & Son in Bradford, will discuss how he created funeralassist.com

  • Profits fall but Jack's still happy

    Car chain JCT600 is claiming a successful year's trading despite troubles in the motor industry. The dealerships have increased its turnover by one per cent, to £242 million, in the last 12 months. Like-for-like profits, however, at £4.3 mil-lion, were

  • Mast 'nasty' sparks row

    ELDERLY residents are warning people to be on their guard against mobile phone masts - after a bid to place one on their sheltered housing complex. The residents, of Leconfield House, say although the application, by telecommunications company Orange,

  • Information for tourists to be placed in store

    AN INFORMATION point directing incoming visitors to Ilkley's tourist hotspots could become a regular fixture at Booths supermarket. Leaflets, information and a daily schedule of events could soon be posted, at the entrance to the supermarket. Mike Lynes

  • 'We'll deal with druggies'

    POLICE have promised to deal with drug takers congregating on Addingham's disused railway bridge. Sergeant Peter Corkindale told villagers that dealing with drug problems was one of the priorities of the new Problem Orientated Police strategy which has

  • Harriet has world at her feet

    A YOUNG Ilkley girl is taking the world of dance by storm - despite having attended her first ballet class only three years ago. Eleven-year-old Harriet Fairhurst, of Regency Court, was selected to perform in the highly acclaimed European Ballet's production

  • Hotel ordered to reduce noise levels in wake of protests

    AN Ilkley hotel owner has been ordered to carry out noise reduction work on the building or face court action for annoying his neighbours. Bradford Council's licensing panel has renewed the entertainment licence of the Craiglands Hotel, in Cowpasture

  • Town may lose second fire engine

    FIRE chiefs want to get rid of Ilkley's second fire engine - because there are not enough firefighters to man it. But the loss of the second pump, which has not been used for 15 months, will not make Ilkley any less safe to live in, said West Yorkshire's

  • Restrictions 'ignored by census officials'

    A MAJOR investigation has been launched by Government officials after people delivering census forms were accused of increasing the risk of spreading foot and mouth disease. An Ilkley farmer confronted census form deliverers who ignored 'keep out' signs

  • Lion's sweet dreams

    A Cleckheaton sweets company is moving into television with the launch of a £3 million advertisement. Lion Confectionery, famous for Midget Gems, is going from strength to strength, despite having to sell alongside giants such as Mars. From September,

  • Otley's agony continues as they fail to pick up points

    Otley.....................3 Wakefield..........20 Otley's failure to pick up any points on Saturday extends the agony as the battle at the bottom of National League One hots up between the contenders for who joins Waterloo in making the drop. Waterloo's

  • Trojans Reserves lift the title

    TROJANS RESERVES.....4 MARTON-C-GRAFTON....1 The champagne corks were popping in Burley on Saturday night as Trojans Reserves clinched the Harrogate League Third Division title. The trophy is the first league title won by the club since they joined the

  • Hi-tech success is the vision of future

    Shipley and Saltaire are set to become world-class centres for hi-tech industries in an exciting initiative. A series of regeneration blueprints for Shipley, Bingley, Keighley and Ilkley has been unveiled by Bradford Council, which could boost jobs and

  • Eddie goes straight - on Internet

    A former car thief is hoping to launch his own dot.com business after discovering computers and quitting his life of crime. Twenty-year-old Eddie Dalladay says he is a reformed character after moving to the Foyer Project, a youth training initiative in

  • Restaurant's banking on a top-class chef

    Bradford's historic Yorkshire Penny Bank building in North Parade will bustle with life again in the summer after being turned into a cordon bleu restaurant. Now the search is on for a top-notch chef to cook high-quality English food. The building, which

  • Rampage victim in fight to save sight

    A nurse was today facing a six-hour operation to try to save her sight after suffering horrific injuries in the Lidget Green disturbances. Julie Cook was left with horrendous facial wounds after getting caught in the crossfire during the explosion of

  • Letters to the Editor

    SIR - Re "Mucky, manly pursuits? You can go and whistle" (No Frills, March 22). What a strange item written by Emma Clayton on the subject of encouraging girls into careers in engineering and construction. Little girls play with dolls, do they? So did

  • Taxing our patience

    IT really is time that someone explained the meaning of the word 'charity' to the penny-pinching Scrooges running the Government's Customs and Excise department. Many generous individuals and organisations have contributed to the Ilkley Bandstand project

  • Busy Lawrence on comeback trail in defeat

    Manchester City Reserves 3, Bradford City Reserves 0 - Jamie Lawrence shone on his return from a two-month injury lay-off but couldn't prevent Bradford City Reserves slipping to a 3-0 defeat at Hyde last night. Lawrence, playing his first game since breaking

  • Wetherall ruled out

    David Wetherall will not kick another ball for Bradford City this season. The Bantams centre-half has been ordered to sit out the remaining six matches of the Premiership campaign to rest his troublesome groin injury. Wetherall was sidelined for three

  • New trust could take over rebuilt hospital

    A NEW primary care trust could end up running the Wharfedale Hospital in Otley. The trust could also buy services at the new hospital and transfer services there from other hospitals. In addition, the trust, which could be formed out of the current Leeds

  • Unique film footage surfaces in village

    UNIQUE footage of a stone laying ceremony at a Methodist Chapel hall in 1929 is circulating amongst the modern-day residents of a Wharfedale village. A householder who had lived in Manor Gardens in Pool-in-Wharfedale for 65 years found nine minutes of

  • Phone mast bid is 'slap in the face'

    ANOTHER controversial plan to site a mobile phone mast in Horsforth has been met with anger and exasperation by townsfolk. BT Cellnet has applied to Leeds City Council for the determination of six antennae and four dishes on top of the telephone exchange

  • Parents protest over school entry rules

    MORE than 20 angry parents packed into a classroom to protest about their children being unable to attend the school of their choice. A group of parents in the Newlaithes area of Horsforth are angry that six children have been told that they cannot attend

  • Town gears up to launch its very own radio soap opera

    LOVERS of telly favourites Eastenders, Corrie and Emmerdale are in for a treat - Guiseley is about to launch its very own radio soap. Billed as a cross between soap send-up Brass and love-in-the Dales, Emmerdale, the show is due to start in June - on

  • Couple dedicate their retirement to charity

    A HUSBAND and wife team are keeping it in the family when it comes to raising cash for charity. Glenys and Richard Lowe, of Burley-in-Wharfedale, are both committed to employing their talents to benefit others. Glenys, 52, hand-crafts hundreds of greeting

  • Parking scheme causes controversy

    COACH parking in Otley town centre has been given a mixed response. The drop off points in Boroughgate have been introduced to make it easier for coaches to off load visitors to the town. Otley Town Partnership said people could be dropped in the town

  • Groups delighted to receive lottery cash

    A COMMUNITY radio station, a charity which helps older people, and a new sub-aqua club are among a number of organisations to be singled out for thousands of pounds of lottery cash. The Yorkshire regional Awards for All team has announced that six projects

  • Wharfedale radio could soon hit the airwaves

    OTLEY could be about to get its very own radio station. Radio hams fresh from the success of community station Guiseley FM - which is due to go ahead for its second year in June - have turned their attentions to Otley. And if their application to the

  • New supermarket bid could be made

    ANOTHER supermarket chain could step in to Otley - now Sainsbury's has pulled out. Last week, Sainsbury's announced it was no longer interested in building a community store in the town centre. But developer Litton Properties - which was handling the

  • Farmers fearful at Chevin reopening

    FARMERS fear wildlife could spread foot and mouth after Otley Chevin was reopened at the weekend to walkers. Despite signs warning people to keep their dogs on leads and to be wary of livestock, some walkers have let their pets get dangerously close to

  • Great idea must be supported

    The tourism industry, despite the fact that mention of it in the same phrase as the name of Bradford still raises eyebrows in many places south of Doncaster, has been a tremendous boon for the district. There is no doubt that it continues to thrive, as

  • On This Day

    In 1825, the old Dispensary was opened in Bradford "for the use of the indigent poor". In 1909, the Rev. A. H. Tollitt was inducted to the parish of Thornton. In 1916, the recreation grounds adjoining Legrams Lane and St. Michael's Road were opened. From

  • A healthy choice at Morrisons

    Bradford supermarket giant Morrisons is launching a new health range. The Better For You selection of foods with lower fat, sugar and salt levels, has been designed with The Diary of Bridget Jones in mind. A spokesman said: "Single, 30-something women

  • Bid to teach in Nepal will depend on town's help

    A YOUNG student is appealing to Ilkley people to help him put his best foot forward on an expedition to Nepal. Jamal Abbasi, of Middleton Avenue, Ilkley, is hoping to spend six months teaching in the country, near the Mount Everest Base Camp. Jamal, who

  • Children's needs are most important

    SIR - I am writing to you to express my view upon the local debate regarding the closure of All Saints C of E Junior School. Having passed through this school, and All Saints C of E Infant and Nursery School, I feel I have a valid and objective opinion

  • More questions to be answered

    SIR, - It's an excellent question to ask: should we now have a Parish Council that's responsible for some services? That's not the only question that needs to be answered. Since 1974, the minorities in Bradford District who have a parish council have

  • Major effort made to recruit nurses

    Bosses have pledged to hold a recruitment drive to address low nursing levels in Bradford hospitals. The decision has been taken following a national survey which revealed there were 116 nurses per 100 beds in Bradford compared to 127 at Leeds Teaching

  • Taylor runs away with the Guiseley Gallop

    Finishers in the sixth Skyrac AC organised Guiseley Gallop received a bottle of beer from Paul Briscoe's Otley brewery rather than the traditional medal but the one person who deserved a medal on Easter Sunday was race organiser Peter Rawnsley. Whilst

  • Classy Trojans too strong for Pool

    BURLEY TROJANS......2 POOL............................1 BURLEY Trojans saw off the challenge of local rivals Pool to open up a three points lead at the top of the Premier Division. A stunning solo goal from Jonny Lofthouse and a Peter Sumner rocket gave

  • Lee hat-trick as Town win

    LITTLETOWN.......2 OTLEY TOWN.......4 Jekyll and Hyde Town produced a good solid performance at Littletown on Easter Monday. Richard Langhorn and Damien Lee returned to the Otley side and soon imposed themselves on the game. Littletown went ahead with

  • Otliensians' Aire-Wharfe Cup win over West Park

    OTLIENSIANS.........18 WEST PARK...........8 OTLIENSIANS deservedly won this derby in the Aire-Wharfe Cup against opposition three leagues higher. Park opened pressurising Otliensians' defence but when Dave Smith relieved this with some fine touch kicking

  • Around the local golf courses

    Oldroyd wins Gardner Trophy at Horsforth ONE hundred and sixty-two members competed for three titles on Saturday. These were the W R Gardner Trophy, The W M Walker Trophy and the Lombard qualifier. W R Gardner Trophy (0 to 15 handicap) - 1, D Oldroyd

  • Guiseley - Five to go and all to play for

    GUISELEY have five games left in which to seal their fate. A win at Matlock on Easter Monday to follow their win over Workington on Saturday would have taken them up to seventh from bottom. As it was they had 80 per cent of the game but never looked like

  • Beddard the hero as Saints net a hat-trick of cup wins

    BAILDON TRINITY ATHLETIC.....0 HORSFORTH ST. MARGARET'S....7 STRIKER Elliott Beddard was well and truly at home as he notched a hat-trick for Horsforth St. Margaret's as they retained the Wharfedale FA Challenge Cup. Former Guiseley AFC striker Beddard

  • Have faith in fitness drive

    A keen runner is calling on Bradford's religious leaders to help people in the district get fit. Solicitor Aurangzeb Iqbal, who lives in Pudsey and works in Bradford, hopes to introduce a ten-mile run in the city in October. He wants local Muslims to

  • Village fights on to halt landfill

    Villagers have voted to continue their fight against a Government decision to allow a quarry to be turned into a landfill site. Integrated Waste Manage-ment (IWM) emerged the victor after a planning inquiry into the scheme for Buck Park Quarry, Denholme

  • Village is fighting for its surgery

    Elderly patients fear having to travel miles to their nearest doctor's surgery - if their local practice is axed. Opposition is mounting to the threatened closure of Addingham's only surgery, in the wake of new Government rules on single-practitioner

  • 'Bongo' drums up success for June!

    Bradford teacher June Norris-Green could have Bongo the Armadillo to thank for her introduction into the world of book illustration. June, a teacher at Farnham Primary School in Great Horton, approached her friend Steve Way, a children's author, to see

  • New bid for treasures

    A fresh bid has been made to bring Asian treasures from the Victoria & Albert museum to historic Lister's Mill in Bradford. It comes nine years after the museum's bombshell announcement that it could not raise the £21 million needed to begin relocating

  • 'We're so sorry we landed you with £300 fine'

    Crown prosecutors have been forced to apologise to a Queensbury man who was falsely convicted of a driving offence. Michael Cummings, 21, has never had a driving lesson, but on February 8 he found out he had been fined £300, in his absence, and given

  • 'That's my road' says proud sponsor Albert

    A campaign to replace Saltaire's modern street signs with distinctive Victorian ones is proving popular with residents. The Saltaire Village Society wants all the standard black and white signs replaced with Prussian blue and white ones favoured by Sir

  • 'It was fine until they shut police station'

    Just yards from the police tape and newly boarded-up windows, a group of youths gathered around four figures with notebooks. In the aftermath of the Easter Sunday disturbances, members of the Bradford Race Review Panel arrived in Lidget Green to hear

  • Hang on ...I can do that!

    David Atkinson was fond of boasting how he could take on any of the dare-devil stunts on ITV's popular Don't Try This At Home show. Little did he realise that as he scoffed, his ever-patient wife, mother-of-five Rosie, was scheming. The result was David

  • Ilkley revival continues

    Roundhegians 0 Ilkley ............ 17 A typically grey Easter Saturday afternoon greeted the large contingent of Ilkley supporters to their league match with Roundhegians. Following their recent revival with four out of six league victories Ilkley were

  • Attracting tourists

    ATTRACTING tourists into Otley has always been a tricky subject. There are traders who say every angle should be exploited in an effort to bring more visitors - and more business - into the town. But then there are others who have always adopted a more