Sharmila Gandhi is saying goodbye to Bradford after three years in one of the district's most highprofile positions. OLWEN VASEY met her and looks back on her time in the city Sharmila Gandhi put Bradford's need to show the world it was still a great
The Bag Barn in Keighley's Brunswick Arcade has gone on the web. "Trendibag" features a range of lines including spring and summer bags. Susan Maddocks, of the Bag Barn, said: "Working closely with design and web company CMD Group, we have developed a
Skipton Building Society's Cross Hills branch has won a coveted award. Staff received the New Customer Award at the society's annual conference. The honour is in recognition of the branch achieving top levels of success in customer service and business
Frustrated Steve Claridge is hoping for a Christmas bonus from City boss Colin Todd - the chance to show what he is good at. Claridge has not featured in the league since November 12 and has made just two substitute appearances since his last start against
People who drive unregistered, untaxed, uninsured cars are quite likely also to be driving cars which don't have an MoT certificate and therefore could be dangerous. The potentially-disastrous effects of such cars being on the road are spelled out today
Bradford-based home credit company Provident Financial has been accused of trying to force staff out of its final salary pension scheme by doubling the contributions they have to pay. The specialist lender said it was raising employee contributions to
Walkers are being invited to get rid of their festive excesses with the Ramblers Assoc-iation. The organisation launches its annual Festival of Winter Walks on Boxing Day and two treks are planned in this region. Hundreds of free walks -- led by association
Three teenage girls found guilty of the manslaughter of schoolgirl Aimee Wellock -- who collapsed and died after being attacked at a beauty spot -- will have to wait until the New Year to challenge their convictions. The trio, sent to a young offenders
Detectives investigating the murder of Keighley police officer Sharon Beshenivsky have renewed a plea for information about the whereabouts of a man they want to question in connection with the incident. PC Beshenivsky, pictured, who lived at Back Shaw
A former head of maths at South Craven School, in Cross Hills, appeared before a Crown Court judge on Tuesday accused of sex offences dating back more than 20 years. David Knight, 61, is also former chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He
Many shops in Keighley are reporting a busier Christmas this year than last. Airedale Centre manager Susan Mendoza said it had been a successful season, but added that people did seem to be buying their gifts later. She attributed this to the fact that
A TEACHER retiring from a South Craven school will be missed for his great sense of humour. This was the tribute paid to John Smith by headteacher of Glusburn Primary School Val Ashdown. Mr Smith retired this week after working at the school for seven
THE end is nigh for the district of Craven and the council is entering its death throes warned its longest serving councillor, Robert Heseltine. His doom-laden message about Craven's future - and the future of other local services - was echoed across
A SECURITY guard has been injured following a struggle with gun-wielding robbers in High Bentham. Two young men attacked the guard from behind as he loaded a cash box into his van containing money he had just collected from the Spar shop. One of the robbers
A BARNOLDSWICK woman single-handedly delivered her own grandson during a surprise birth. And Michele Howker, of Darnbrook Road, says the whole episode was so surreal it felt like her very own "Christmas pantomime". Mrs Howker got a call asking her to
Tracy Beaker -- The Best of Me Jacqueline Wilson's argumentative and imaginative young heroine returns to DVD with six episodes from the TV series' first season. It's one of the BBC's most entertaining children's comedy-dramas of recent years thanks to
Out-of-town: Alhambra, Bradford: pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (until February 5). Phone 01274 432000. St George's Hall, Bradford: Ken Dodd tonight); Halle Orchestra Viennese New Year celebration concert (January 6). Phone 01274 432000. Square
SIR - In your editorial "Motorists free from higher charges" (Craven Herald December 16) you express dismay at Craven District Council's policy on car parking charges; a sentiment I fully concur with. I must however stress that the recommendation from
The first Sunday in July, 1970, saw the transfer of the last 60 patients from Keighley Victoria Hospital and St John's Maternity Unit to the new 650-bed Airedale General Hospital. Twelve ambulances were involved in what was described as a military operation
A parliamentary inquiry into the pressures faced by community pubs has received widespread support across the district's countryside. Landlords, brewers and politicians hope the newly launched inquiry will help to safeguard small independent pubs in the
People in Bradford are being advised to prepare for changes to opening hours and public transport services during the Yuletide period. Apart from some community-based voluntary services, there are no buses on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day
The taxman looks set to have a say in whether Ilkley Moor is transferred into a charitable trust. If a trust is formed to take over the maintenance of the moorland, Council chiefs must find a way to persuade the Government to give it exemption from VAT
A community united in shock buried the victims of a triple death tragedy yesterday. Hundreds of mourners lined the streets to say goodbye to Islam Akram, his wife Shamim Akhtar and his sister, Tasleem Akhtar, who were killed in a horrific motorway smash
A schoolboy who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis left his hospital bed to raise hundreds of pounds for a charity which funds research into the life-threatening disease. Harrison Smith, a pupil Dixons City Academy, was devastated when he realised he would
Up to 30 potentially dangerous untaxed, uninsured and unlicensed cars are discovered every day on Bradford's streets. The district has also been dubbed one of highest insurance-evasion areas in the country, according to the Motor Insurers' Information
A taxi driver who spat into the face and mouth of a female Police Community Support Officer after his friend had dragged her into his cab has been jailed for three months. Raja Sadiq had parked his cab on double yellow lines in Great Horton Road, Bradford
Local orienteering specialists feature in the latest British rankings that have just been published. The positions are based on results gained in National and Regional events throughout 2005 in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The following
RECORDS tumbled in the Stoop fell race at the weekend as a host of champions challenged each other in one of the most competitive fields the race has ever seen. Twenty seven-year-old Andy Jones, a member of the Salford Harriers club, beat joint English
Wintery conditions decimated the district's soccer programme last weekend. Heavy frosts throughout the week left many pitches frozen and unplayable. All council-run pitches were closed, but a few games did manage to go ahead despite the conditions. West
READERS have come up trumps with most of the information about the mystery cricket medal, featured in last week's Keighley News. The medal was presented to Mr G Lambert who played in the West Bradford League in 1914. Readers were quick to confirm that
CARLY ROBERTSON has won an incredible international karate treble - despite suffering a knee injury. The 12-year-old Oakbank School pupil, won the Venice Open Karate Championship last weekend to add to victories in Vienna and the Czech Republic earlier
WHARFEDALE junior Tom Cokell has fought back from injury caused by a dangerous tackle to gain a place in the North of England under-16 squad. The Long Preston teenager was thrown head first towards the ground in a 'spear' tackle in a game against Sedbergh
Comparisons can be meaningless SIR - Gary Lorriman favours the restoration of hanging (T&A, December 16) quoting statistics which suggest a significant increase in the murder rate since abolition in 1965. He is correct to say there were just under
100 Years Ago AN interesting item in view of today's wrangling over who foots the bill to repair broken setts on Skipton High Street appeared. In 1905, under the Skipton Water and Improvement Act, work could be carried out and charged to the frontage
A keen weather eye needs to be kept on just what is the end game plan behind the proposed changes in how the blue light services are run. West Yorkshire Police have until today to tell the Home Office how they see being part of a super police force will
EVEN the Government Minister admits that a complete smoking ban in pubs and clubs is inevitable. So why then is the Government pussy footing about with a partial ban that will be hard to administer? The explanation is that Cabinet member and former Health
Caring staff at thermal-wear giant Damart -- which has a warehouse at Steeton -- collected 150 Christmas selection boxes for under-privileged youngsters. Collection organiser Rhonda Myers said: "We wanted to ensure that children in care in the Yorkshire
An Eastburn firm which has announced dozens of job losses over the last three years has been taken over by a Paris-based industrial engineering company. Landis Grinding Systems, on Skipton Road, will become part of Groupe Fives-Lille's Cinetic group.
Poultry keepers have been urged to register all their birds as part of the strategy to fend off any outbreak of bird flu. All flocks of more than 50 birds need to be registered by February 2006. People keeping less than 50 and as pets or for their own
Bradford Park Avenue manager Gary Brook has ordered his players to toughen up as he bids to get the team's play-off campaign back on track at Ossett Town on Boxing Day (1pm). Brook expects a gruelling midfield battle. Ossett are fighting to get clear
Femi Fehintola wants three things for Christmas: to play with his daughter, eat what he wants and still train as often as possible. The unbeaten super-featherweight, from Bradford Moor, recently extended his unbeaten start to a 12th win by easing past
Paul Deacon is today full of festive cheer after being told he can resume training in the New Year. The Bulls star has spent six weeks recovering from awful facial injuries suffered while playing for Great Britain against New Zealand. Deacon was left
A Bradford greeting card company is cashing in on the growing trend for a more personal touch at Christmas. Tigerprint, a subsidiary of Heaton-based Hallmark Cards, produces hand-made cards exclusively for Marks & Spencer. The firm said there was
Bradford is enjoying a mini residential property boom with rising rents, increased construction and more investors interested in buy-to-let properties, according to new research. Property advisors Colliers CRE Residential said there had been a huge 36
A Keighley school's long struggle to develop a new sports hall is nearly at an end. The £1.6 million building at the Holy Family Catholic School will be opened in the New Year. It will include a physiotherapy suite, designed to accommodate pupils who
Car thieves are receiving a Christmas greeting with a difference. Officers from the police Target initiative have sent out specially designed cards, warning of the consequences of committing crime, to more than 200 persistent offenders in the region.
Memories of the Second World War came flooding back in a sea of tea. People were invited to recall their lives between 1939 and 1945 as they sat down to a war-time feast of tea and Spam sandwiches in the Airedale Barn, at East Riddlesden Hall. Among those
Tributes have been paid to a former managing director of Magnet, who died last week. Charles Illingworth work-ed at the furniture giant for 38 years, starting as an accountant and rising to become managing director. He died in Steeton Court nursing home
Patients at Airedale Hospital have been hit by highly infectious norovirus. The virus, which causes projectile vomiting, acute diarrhoea and abdominal pain, has affected several wards in the Steeton hospital. It is believed that at least one of the affected
MEMBERS of a family are appealing for the return of a 2ft 6in-high Santa stolen from outside their home. Mean thieves cut a power cable to take the plastic decoration, which was placed by the front door of the house in Spring Gardens, Keighley. The Santa
The king of rock and roll has got neighbours "all shook up" and ready to enter his "lovin' arms" as he sings "jingle bell rock" this Christmas. Susan Thorpe, 40, of North Dean Road, Braithwaite, has been an Elvis fan for 27 years and when she found a
A Parish Council has apologised to residents for the "dismal" Christmas decorations in the village after suffering a catalogue of catastophes. Far from being the centrepiece of peace and harmony, the display in Cullingworth has been beset by a series
Merry Christmas to all our readers - all around the world. The marvels of the internet mean that the Keighley News now reaches parts we would never have imagined possible only a few weeks ago. There are readers logging in to the 'KN' from the arctic circle
KETTLEWELL Primary School has been awarded top marks from Ofsted inspectors. The school, which has 23 pupils on its roll, has received a growing report from the inspectors, who were particularly impressed with the personal development and well-being of
AIRTON'S Alastair Humphreys has been looking forward to Christmas dinner at home for more than four years. In fact, the round-the-world cyclist who only got back home on November 23 after his marathon 46,000-mile cycle trip across five continents and
LOCAL builders Carling Construction have won their appeal against a council decision barring them from building homes behind the Spar shop on Sackville Street, Skipton. Craven District Council previously rejected the plans to demolish a warehouse and
THE credits have rolled for cinema worker Christine Linton, who retired from Skipton's Plaza cinema this week. Mrs Linton has been turning out three nights a week for 14 years to be kiosk cashier for the last screening. It will be her second retirement
THE Devonshire Arms in Cracoe has become the third pub in more remote parts of the district to sell the Craven Herald as a treat for readers who wish to while away the hours. Craven Herald editor Ian Lockwood said the demise of outlets in rural areas
TOWN councillor Carole Manley is throwing weight behind a campaign to raise money for Skipton's Christmas lights. Coun Manley, who represents the town's south ward, is setting herself a sponsored challenge to lose 10 stone - half her body weight - before
CRAVEN'S wildlife officer is appealing to the field sports fraternity for help after a tawny owl was found dead in a spring trap. The bird was found in Green Field Woods between Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Oughtershaw Moss. Now PC Richard Gape, wildlife
A PENSIONER sleeping rough on the streets of Skipton is doing so out of choice and has turned down offers of help, say the authorities. Residents have contacted the Herald this week worried that 66-year-old Catherine Hull and her dog Ben would be spending
King Kong In this action adventure title for the Playstation 2 and Xbox you can play as Jack, taking a first person shooter perspective. You can also play as the massive Kong in a third-person perspective, climbing from tree to tree, fighting with dinosaurs
Corpse Bride -- Danny Elfman These songs are just a little odd -- not your regular Disney singalong songs with catchy choruses and twee lyrics but that's the whole point, right? Elfman's songs on the soundtrack from Tim Burton's recent film are more like
Peter Pan -- Victoria Theatre, Halifax Peter Pan as a pantomime, with no dame and no flying to speak of. It didn't sound promising. But the Victoria's annual family show, pictured above, was as entertaining as ever with its mix of song, dance, spectacle
Keighley music promoter Roger Nowell is seeking a new venue for his latest set of concerts. He may move out of town to find the ideal venue for the rock and comedy performances. Roger, alias Trotwood, has staged gigs by Paul Weller, The Mission and Ocean
SIR - I am writing as chairman of the Keighley and District Local History Society, in response to recent publicity relating to the rare railway canopies at East Parade, Keighley. The most recent letter stated that the canopies are to be demolished. I
Outline planning permission for a secondary school and a special school has been granted by Bradford Area Planning Panel. The application to build both schools in the grounds of Grange Technology College in Haycliffe Road, near Haycliffe Special School
A batch of 64 stolen motorbikes could be on the market in Bradford over Christmas. An articulated lorry packed full of mini-motorbikes and quad bikes, stolen in York on December 12, was later found empty and abandoned in the car park of the former Five
Thousands of Bradfordians are jetting off to sunnier climes this Christmas. More than 19,000 people are expected to pass through Leeds-Bradford airport between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. Half will be arriving to spend Christmas with their families
Work colleagues of a man who has not been seen for 13 years have been asked to help to solve the mystery. Graham Whitton had started a temporary Christmas job at a Bradford farm produce company 17 days before he vanished. Detectives, who are still trying
People living in streets which they say are plagued by crime on the edge of Bradford city centre are to be protected by private security guards at Christmas. But the free pilot scheme being operated from tomorrow until Boxing Day in the Otley Road area
Goole 5 Keighley 9 - With the league campaign now over halfway completed Jeff Inman's men sit nearer the bottom of the table than the top. Injuries and unavailabilities dictated that the side might struggle before the New Year and so it has proved. With
Parkside School's year 10 and 11 boys took on Salts Grammar School in their first Rugby Union fixture of the season. After a very nervous start, some of the work put in at training after school, paid big dividends. There was some good work from the forwards
SCOTT NIXON is bracing himself for an England winter - and is topping up his tan in the surf of Manly Beach, in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Nixon, who is happy playing fullback, hooker or scrum half, is set to give a boost to Peter Roe's
GOOD but can do better - that was the half-term assessment of Wharfedale coach John Lawn as his side go into the Christmas break in seventh spot in national two. After a worrying six-game spell without a win, the Greens have picked up 15 points in their
A LOTHERSDALE teenager has ended the year ranked the number one girl in the country at under-18 level compound bow archery. Danielle Brown retained her compound bow under-18 title at the Junior National Indoor Championships at the National Sports Centre
CRAVEN-based Penny Crisfield received an award from the Princess Royal at the prestigious sports coach UK awards ceremony in London last week. Crisfield, from Hawkswick in Littondale, won a Dyson award in recognition of her work as a coach educator. She
