Letters to the editor

The association has in previous years depended on legacy income to form part of the total charity income.

Since 2001 this has fallen by 82 per cent. We have just completed a major refurbishment of five flats in Scott Street, at a budget cost of £70,000, which has been funded principally from reserves.

In the past any surplus income from legacies has been put into reserves. This has not been possible in recent years.

We are working hard to attract other funds but the change in the way we receive some of our funds has meant the board has undergone a review of all services and in some services we have asked visually impaired people to make a nominal contribution.

The majority of the following services we provide are still offered free or at a low cost, such as: information, resource centre shop, social centres, talking book library, computer training, benefit information, hiring of the Social Centre for the Blind, arts and craft class and rented accommodation.

In 2007, the association will have been serving the community of Keighley for 100 years.

It is the board's and my commitment that we have the finances to sustain services that meet the needs of the local blind and partially sighted people in Keighley to take us into our centenary year and beyond.

The charity concert hosted by The Holme Singers, at Keighley Shared Church, raised £432 and our grateful thanks go to the choir, soloists and the public for their support.

KEVIN BALDWIN

Chief Executive

Keighley & District

Association for the Blind

SIR - In the light of recent articles I feel obliged to reassure the residents of Steeton and Eastburn Parish Council that Eldon Technology is not the multi-national ogre of a company that might be inferred.

Yes, our parent company is based in the US, but Eldon Technology Limited is a self contained UK company, born and bred in West Yorkshire, and has been in the Aire valley since the year it was formed in 1988.

From 12 people in 1988 we now have around 130 employees split on two sites in Bingley and Keighley (not 400 as stated) and when we move the whole workforce to our new building in Steeton in late June this will pave the way for further recruitment to around 250.

Where possible we recruit locally, and the majority of people who originate from outside the area relocate to within, and many of these are 'coming home' after a period of work in other parts. We have a high quality, professional workforce which positively impacts on the area. In addition, the general company policy is to use local suppliers and any necessary external professionals where we can.

We have a long history of supporting the future and development of the electronics industry, regularly providing work experience for local school children and one-year undergraduate placements for students studying electronics or software engineering, many of whom secure full time employment with Eldon in later years. Indeed many of our current employees, including some senior staff, spent their formative years as students at Eldon Technology.

We consider ourselves to be good neighbours and a people-friendly company, a view that I hope would be backed up by anyone who has connections or involvement with us in our current locations.

Stephen A Davy

Resources and Marketing

Director

Eldon Technology Limited

Sir - To the Community of Keighley.

Earlier this year, I resigned from my post at the college and from my developmental work at the Russell Street Project.

This letter is to express my thanks and appreciation to all in Keighley who have worked with me for over seven years and who have made me welcome in their community (I live in Huddersfield and have travelled daily to Keighley).

For those who wish to keep in touch, my e-mail address is douglasmorganuk@yahoo.co.uk. Farewell and best wishes

DOUGLAS S MORGAN

Tutor and Programme Co-

ordinator

SIR - Even though I long ago realised that my level of intelligence is far lower than that of the average cinemagoer, or office cleaner, I am offended by suggestions that my words on subjects such as the Passion of Christ are those put into my mounth by reporters from the Keighley News.

All views, opinions and those many embarrassing gaffes that I can make are entirely of my own creation. While I do not question the right of others of a differing intellect to have an opinion, it seems that those who dislike me have an impertinence to question my own right of expression.

I have made it perfectly clear that I had not/will not attend a violence that has a religious background. By the same token, neither will I put my hands into a fire to understand the heat.

Finally. What I have learnt from not having religion, but paradoxically a god, is that while I may be embarrassed for those that have distaste for my observations, I have no hatred, anger, envy, malice etc for such persons.

David Samuels

Oxenhope

SIR - I would like to express the thanks of Keighley Rotary Club for the help of the people of Keighley in making our second Blood Pressure Checking Day such an outstanding success.

We increased the number of people tested from 314 -- in 2003 -- to 444. We were helped by the Management of the Airdale Centre, Boots the Chemist, Dixon Target Printers and many local health professionals.

I know from the comments of the public that what we did is much appreciated and it is good that we can work together for the benefit of the community.

The silent threat of high blood pressure and its link to many diseases including strokes and heart attacks needs more publicity, and anything we can do to raise public awareness must be valuable.

SIDELLA MORTEN

Green Head Drive, Keighley

SIR - I refer to the article in your paper dated March 26 regarding Bingley Voluntary Action Group extending their activities to Denholme.

The article states that Denholme was identified as a pocket of "depravation!" They may have their problems, but depravity? Perhaps your reporter meant to say "deprivation" which I could accept. I think this shows the perils of not teaching our children to use the English language correctly.

JOHN L BRIGG

Fairfax Road, Cullingworth

SIR - I am writing to let you and your readers know that the committee of The Great Pram Race will be having a meeting soon to discuss which charity to raise funds for this year. Last year the event donated £6,970 to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and £1,600 to the Spencer Daymon Meningitis Research Laboratories.

If any of your readers would like to nominate a local charity to benefit from our fund raising efforts they can write to the committee at the address shown.

The Great Pram Race will take place on Sunday, August 29, 2004 and will follow the traditional route starting from the Black Bull, Cowling, and finishing at the Bay Horse, Sutton.

C M LONSDALE

(Treasurer) Bay Horse

Keighley Road, Cowling

SIR - I read with absolute horror in last week's edition of the KN about the Silsden mum who has to spend her life savings on treatment for colon cancer.

I am absolutely disgusted that a lady so frail and poorly has to take her own hard-earned savings to carry out treatment that the NHS should be providing. Cancer specialists have even advised this lady that the treatment she is paying for is the best.

Like many people of pension age in this country, the majority have all paid National Insurance premiums to provide the best health care available. Will Mrs Gayle get a NI rebate?

Obviously the premiums are being spent propping up the recent increase in management recruitment, rather than the real reason we pay the contributions, and that is for providing the top treatments.

It would also have been nice to see a few Silsden councillors etc backing Mrs Gayle here, but looking at the previous page they were too busy making qualms with Silsden's newest employers GHD, telling them to paint their doors a different colour. Well in comparison I would call this a sad state of affairs. Good luck in your treatment Mrs Gayle, and I hope everything goes well.

DAVID KIRBY

Slack Lane, Oakworth

SIR - Last week the war memorial in Haworth was daubed with a swastika and play equipment was smashed in the Central Park.

Whilst deploring these acts of hatred and vandalism that attacked both heroes of the past and the children of today, it is as they say, an ill wind that blows no good. Within hours of these acts being reported, staff from Bradford Council had come to the village, cleansed the war memorial and repaired the play equipment in the park.

A far cry from times past when such acts of vandalism would have been met with indifference, if one could have managed to get in touch with the right department.

This fast response was not simply a fluke, but the result of a new Direct Access service from Bradford Council. Readers with web access can log on to www.bdirect.org.uk to report problems.

Alternatively, readers without the internet can contact Keighley Information Centre in person or by phone on 618014 and for highways, cleansing, environmental and other services you can also call the Council Hotline on 01274 431000. Whilst we wish these acts of vandalism had never occurred, it was heartening to see such a fast reaction.

Peter H Hill

Chair, Haworth, Cross

Roads & Stanbury Parish

Council

SIR - So traffic is to be banned from turning right from Lawkholme Lane into Cavendish Street, according to your 'In Brief', 8.4.04.

We are told this has been approved by the Keighley Area Committee in a bid to cut traffic queues. Are they serious?

Does anyone in the Keighley Area Committee actually drive a car? Or have they not even bothered to stand at the top of Lawkholme Lane around 5pm on a weekday? If they had, they could not fail to see that traffic turning left onto Cavendish Street is prevented from doing so by cars travelling down Cavendish Street blocking their path even when the pelican crossing is at red.

However, these same drivers do leave a gap for cars to turn right into Cavendish Street, thereby reducing the number of cars waiting on Lawkholme Lane.

Is grasping this fact beyond the mental capacity of the Keighley Area Committee or do they live on a different planet from the rest of us? Cars are already banned from travelling up North Queen Street, and trying to get out of Alice Street into North Street is a nightmare! So in future the only way to travel up Cavendish Street is to join the half mile queue along Bradford Road, or wait to get out of Alice Street!

The main queues through Keighley will now be twice as long. Now that's really solved the problem of traffic queues in Keighley, hasn't it?

If this is the best proposal the Keighley Area Committee can come up with they should be ashamed of themselves, and resign immediately, handing over the job to people with some vision, imagination, and above all, common sense!

BARRY INMAN

North Street, Keighley