THE decision to end Arriva Trains' franchise to run the rail service between Skipton and the metropolitan areas is bizarre, even perverse. Had this come three years ago, then it would have been understandable, indeed welcome. But since Arriva's "annus
At last the traffic has started to flow around Bingley rather than crawl through it. It has been a long, long wait for the relief road to become a reality, with the Telegraph & Argus among those who campaigned for it all the way to secure the transport
IT's 3pm on "Builder's Friday" and the pubs of Skipton are bouncing. Inside Skipton Police Station Sgt Debbie Perkin is briefing a team of eight officers, a dog handler, two community support officers and two plain clothes "spotters" about Operation Warn
A BENTHAM woman who survived the sinking of a ship loaded with children bound for Canada during World War Two has written the foreword to a book about the incident published this week. Beth Williams, now 77, set sail from Liverpool on Friday September
TWO Skipton policemen have raised over £6,500 for the Children's Society following a fundraising trek across New Zealand. Sergeant Andy Gill and community safety officer PC Neil Hargreaves joined a group of 50 other trekkers, including Settle postman
CROWDS of more than 500 are forecast to watch the Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt's Boxing Day meet at Gargrave. Countryside Alliance spokesman James Bates told the Herald: "Last year there were around 500 people there to see the hunt gather on the Green
THERE will be a few extra mouths to feed in Craven this Christmas. Nine sheep, belonging to Carleton farmers David and Iain Bell, gave birth to lambs earlier this month. Dorset sheep usually produce twice a year, but the second lambing does not normally
EMOTIONS were flying high in Barnoldswick's Victoria Square on Sunday when balloons were released in memory of loved ones. The event was organised by Barnoldswick and Earby Bosom Friends and raised £138.50. Speaking at the launch, David Hartley, of Windle's
An IT tutor from Craven College in Skipton is rejoicing after his son was released from a three-month hostage ordeal in Colombia's Sierra Nevada. Christopher Henderson and his wife, Sherelle, received the call they had been waiting for on Monday from
FOR those of you who think Father Christmas is in Lapland, well he's not, he's in Hellifield and has been for the past 25 years. For two-and-a-half decades Tom Constantine has brought endless pleasure to young and old through dressing in his Father Christmas
A CRISIS meeting to salvage the Skipton Renaissance project was taking place yesterday (Tuesday) after Yorkshire Forward said funding had almost run out. Council officials were meeting Yorkshire Forward, the Government regeneration body, to try to persuade
JOHN Sheard heads Down Under to visit Skipton's Australian counterpart and finds things just a little less hectic As a fisherman, you get used to blank days. But it was sad that we didn't catch a sight of the duck-billed platypus in Skipton. As it is
NOT for the first time, I'm in trouble. There is a reprimand in my Christmas stocking. I am accused of a pretty heinous crime: deliberately encouraging children to put themselves in harm's way. Because, last week, I wrote to Santa asking him to send us
The red cones were thrown aside, traffic signs uncovered and it was full steam ahead for the new £47.9 million A650 Relief Road. The first motorists drove on to the brand new tarmac just before noon yesterday. And jubilant crowds gathered on the Britannia
A little girl's Christmas is in ruins after burglars broke into a house and stole her presents. The burglary has led police to warn all householders to take extra security precautions while expensive presents are waiting to be opened. The offender broke
A man who stole £24,000 from a Conservative club where he was secretary failed to appear in court yesterday because he was working as a courier. Steven Durn, 43, who used his position at Wibsey Conservative Club to filter off money to pay his creditors
Bradford Bulls - Britain's top rugby league club - face a new battle in their bid to create a world class stadium at Odsal. Plans by the reigning Super League Champions and Challenge Cup winners for a £13 million redevelopment of the famous ground were
SKIPTON hopes of causing an upset at second-placed Bradford Salem were squashed in the opening stages of their game at Shay Lane, where the home side took an early grip on proceedings and never allowed the Sandylands men to get within striking distance
HEBDEN cyclo-cross international Victoria Wilkinson is preparing for a hectic Christmas racing schedule in Belgium with confidence boosted by her new title of the National Women's Cyclo-Cross Series champion. She completed a five-race programme at Abergavenny
THE new man to take charge of organising soccer development in Craven has been appointed and will start work in January, (writes Tony Simpson). Simon Armstrong, a 25-year-old from Skegness, via Boston United, Port Vale, Leeds Metro University, Guiseley
Bradford radio listeners will soon be hearing a lot more of Bulls skipper Robbie Paul. The all-conquering Bulls ace is never short of a word to say, which will come in handy when he joins his local radio station, The Pulse of West Yorkshire, as a regular
Bryan Robson today challenged Alun Armstrong to earn a long stay at City. Armstrong has agreed a month's loan which starts on Saturday. He will train over Christmas with Ipswich before joining up with his new club after the Boxing Day game at Sunderland
In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his right ear in remorse for having threatened fellow artist Paul Gauguin. In 1948, Japanese war criminal General Tojo attempted suicide to avoid being hanged. In 1966, The Who guested on the final screening of BBC's
Bradford-based window retailer and supplier Safestyle UK has reported a £15 million rise in profits after securing record sales in the first nine months of the year. Safestyle UK has seen its turnover increase to £70.1 million compared with £55.1 million
RAIL users of the Airedale line between Skipton and Leeds and Bradford will have a new operator next year. The current franchise holder, Arriva Trains, has been ruled out of the race for the new franchise - but the decision has dismayed some rail commuters
GOLF, gardening and grandson are the three things Val Broughton will be turning her attention to now she has left South Craven School after 22 years. Val started off in the school making sure the staff were getting cups of tea and coffee on their breaks
SKIPTON'S Copper Dragon brewery has proved an overwhelming success. Within six months of opening, the company has met its targets for the first 18 months and has won a number of awards from the Campaign for Real Ale at local beer festivals. It has also
SKIPTON'S emergency services were out in force on Saturday - in a bid to make Craven's roads safer. Police, fire and ambulance officers were in Skipton's town hall car park, giving advice to motorists. They also gave demonstrations showing the potentially
TWO major developments have been unveiled that could change the face of South Craven. Countryside Properties wants to build a new business park in Silsden, creating over 1,500 jobs, while Bellway Homes have submitted plans for 81 new homes in Addingham
A CRAVEN district councillor who knocked a 72-year-old woman off her bike panicked and drove away from the accident scene, Skipton magistrates heard on Friday. Richard Charles Welch, 50, of Raines Road, Giggleswick, clipped the pensioner's pedal cycle
CRAVEN College's longest serving lecturer has retired after 32 years. Derek Sheppard, joined the Skipton-based college in 1971 as an agriculture lecturer. He had special responsibility for running the agricultural engineering workshop on the college's
IT is hoped that a new, more modern branch of Royal National Lifeboat Institution could be set up following the disbandment of the old Skipton ladies' group. The 70-year-old guild was dismantled after its annual general meeting earlier this year because
Parents in Shipley who fought to save their children's play area from being sold for housing now plan to register it as a village green. To get village green status, they first need to collect proof that the field between Pratt Lane and Kitson Street
Gulf War widow Samantha Roberts today warned Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon ahead of their showdown meeting: "This time I won't believe every word you say." Mr Hoon has said he will meet Mrs Roberts for a second time but has so far declined to make a public
More than 1,500 people turned to Bradford Council for help this year because they were homeless but only two thirds of these were eligible for help, it was revealed today. People given priority for help included families with children, pregnant women
A man who had almost 300 indecent images of children as young as three on his computer has been jailed. Malcolm Peter Barwick, 51, admitted ten charges of attempting to distribute indecent images of children and 20 of possession of indecent photographs
It's not just because of the time of year that a Bradford couple's home is all lit up like a Christmas tree - it's because of love, too. Their brilliant display of lights and decorations, which has attracted visitors from miles away, is a public display
NORTH Ribblesdale travelled to Crag Lane in Leeds for the first league encounter with Leodiensians for more than a decade and emerged with a comfortable 32-17 success. The two sides played differing games, Leodiensians getting the ball wide at every opportunity
THERE is a dangerous myth around that the Claro Road December derby comes gift-wrapped as an early Christmas present for the Dale. Turn up and play with that extra commitment and hard-headed fervour Harrogate are rarely able to match and tear open not
RIMINGTON reached the semi-finals of the Slater Marchant Craven FA Challenge Cup on Saturday when they claimed the only goal of the game at Bridged End to beat Settle United 1-0 on their own midden. The visitors had the better of the first-half and should
SIR - It is my understanding that the major West Yorkshire cities and towns are committed to co-operation with each other for mutual benefit. Let us now see it in operation. Bradford and Leeds both need a decent, modern, conference and concert venue but
100 Years Ago GRASSINGTON Reading Room members who lost a vote to allow cards to be played in the building wanted the parish council to overturn the decision. They pointed out that the Reading Room had been given to the village by the Duke of Devonshire
