'Please support us' pleads teacher

Westgate School was originally built as a primary school and remained so until reorganisation in the early 1970s --the infant department being situated in what is now the nursery building and the junior department occupying what is now the main school.

Both buildings have large playgrounds. In the new proposals, 120 juniors would play in the playground currently used by the 120 children on roll in Key Stage 1 at Westgate.

The building presently housing the nursery has a recently resurfaced and totally enclosed playground which is currently unused and which would be more than adequate for 60 Year 1 and 2 children. There is also sufficient playground space for children in the foundation stage.

In response to the comment on traffic congestion, this is a problem common to all schools. As a community school, Westgate would serve its local area and therefore it would be hoped that most children would be able to walk to school - car parking should not be allowed to conflict with what is best educationally for children.

The staff at Westgate know that transfer at seven is not the best option for children and are excited by the prospect of re-organisation. We are confident of the support of our parents and the community.

This confidence is reflected in our increasing roll of 42 children for our reception class in September 2001 - the highest in Otley.

As a staff, we know that we have the commitment, experience, enthusiasm and expertise to meet the challenges of the re-organisation.

We do, however, ask for the support of the community when we have to apply for our own jobs, which we will lose if the school is allowed to close and reopen under its new name of Westgate Primary School. We would ask people to please vote to extend Westgate to ensure that when their children return to the school, it is staffed by a core of existing staff that has made the school so successful in the past and in whom parents and children have faith and trust.

Ruth Ennis

Deputy head teacher

Westgate Infant School

Scarborough Road

Otley.

Schools concern

Sir - As a long established resident of Cambridge Grove, I am worried about the proposal to close Otley All Saints Junior School and to create a primary school at Lisker Drive.

I know that very few of our neighbours have children who would attend this school and suspect that many of the children attending there would come from other parts of the town. We already have bad problems of traffic congestion and any restrictions on car movement and parking would only affect residents of our area - few of which have little contact with the school.

There has been no consultation of local residents on these proposals and we think this is essential before any one option is described as preferable to the others.

We urge that Leeds City Council will undertake such consultation before any further consideration of these proposals.

E S Pullan

Cambridge Grove

Otley

Arts criticism

SIR, As we're now in the 21st century, why do your staff still feel the need to use the archaic phraseology of two centuries ago when writing about the theatre?

In particular, how many of your readers know what 'Budding thespians' means? Used again in an article last week about a forthcoming production by the Burley Millennium Theatre Group.

Theatre groups have learned to live with the newspaper tradition that every article must contain at least one mistake (e.g. 'Under the Milkwood' for 'Under Milk Wood') but why should they be singled out in this way?

Are you going to be consistent and start referring to dancers as 'Devotees of Terpsichore', batsmen as 'Wielders of the Willow' and organists 'Presiding over the console'? I think not.

Bill Tordoff

9 Mayfield Gardens,

Ilkley.

Car boot anger

SIR, speaking as an Otley trader and former market trader, why, why, why is a car boot sale still being held in the middle of a farming community like Otley?

All it would take is for one of these vehicles to have come from an infected area and we will have foot and mouth disease here.

No disinfectant is being used and it seems no safeguards are being taken and yet the sale is next to fields where there is sheep.

Surely the stall holders should have more regard for our community. Otley is surrounded by eight miles of fields, it is just irresponsible and stupid to allow the sale to carry on.

We have got to think what would happen if foot and mouth came here. We all know people who are farmers or who are connected with the farming industry.

I was in Cheshire when the last foot and mouth outbreak happened and there are farms there that never recovered. All it leaves is a very big empty feeling, its like having your house burnt down and losing everything you held dear.

If there weren't any traders there wouldn't be a car boot sale, local people are very, very concerned and I think the traders are being very short sighted.

John Moss

Mirror Image

Kirkgate Arcade

Otley.

Boot defence

SIR, Re Mr Hutchinsons comments "Car boot storm" - surely he commits more danger dealing in animals coming to Otley from surrounding areas, no disinfectant to be seen near his surgery.

Thousands a week people go into Safeways from outer lying areas, no stopping them he doesn't want that business to cease!

As for M Consoli's comments, it's time this woman got a life and let people enjoy quite often what is their only day off work. Either that or take a leaf out of Prince Charles' book and go and talk to her plants.

Continue to support a well organised event and respect the countryside all the time not just when in a crisis.

D Kerr

Mercury Row

Otley

Quarry appeal

SIR, I was hoping your readers could help me with any information regarding the Old Pool Bank Quarries and small railway which served them.

I am trying to piece together a history of both of them as stone from these quarries was used in the building of Bramhope Railway Tunnel and the Houses of Parliament in London.

I am a local lad who grew up in Old Pool Bank and attended Prince Henry's in Otley, before moving to live and work in Ipswich. As a child I can remember playing on the rocks and quarries of East Chevin and Old Pool bank, then later as a paperboy walking around the area, when the Bar House was open as a post office and local shop.

I know a little about the railway from a book entitled 'Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway' but I am looking for information regarding all aspects of the quarry and its railway.

One area of interest is any surviving photographs of the quarries and the railway but as they closed down in 1915 during World War One I think this very unlikely.

The bridge across Bar House Corner, which was the last remaining part of the railway was removed during World War Two. There was also a loading siding at Pool Station, but this closed in 1965 and the station site is now Willow Court.

So as your readers can imagine, getting information is proving very hard. I was wondering if there was anyone who had family memories who may be able to help.

Ian Bareham

10 Cullingham Road,

Ipswich, Suffolk

IP1 2EG

Tel (01473) 404078

Well done Brian

SIR, I have recently read that Brian Long, the Bramhope lengthman, is to take his well earned retirement.

Tributes to him were not evident in the articles which I read, and therefore I would certainly like to pay my own.

The lengthman has been responsible over several years for the tidiness and cleanliness of the Bramhope area which extends well towards Adel and Cookridge in different directions and also includes Carlton village over the Harrogate Road.

Well done Brian for looking after these areas so well and contributing greatly to Bramhope's many successes in the twice yearly Britain in Bloom competition.

Let us hope that this standard will be maintained in the future under the method shortly to be introduced by the parish council.

Fred McHale

Three Sycamores

Bramhope

Excellent show

SIR, We attended Yeadon Amateurs Operatic Dramatic Society's production of Oliver recently and once again we were enthralled at the quality of talented stars on stage.

Everyone who took part was excellent. Behind the scenes too all members deserve recognition for all hard work involved. Well done everyone, so Yeadon Amateurs 'consider yourself' one of the best and 'be back soon'.

M Gilks (secretary)

St Peter,

Paul Ladies Group.

Yeadon.

Mast attack

SIR,- I was amazed to see Paul Truswell, Labour MP for the area, defending local residents with regard to mobile phone masts in Horsforth.

Is this the same Paul Truswell whose Labour colleagues on Leeds City Council have consistently failed to support calls from the Conservative opposition on the council to ban mobile phone masts on council land? Is this the same Paul Truswell whose government has consistently failed to implement proposals put forward by the Conservative Party to tighten up the planning laws in relation to these masts?

Mr Truswell's hypocrisy is breathtaking. Does he really expect local people to think that he is completely divorced from the views and actions of his own colleagues on Leeds City Council and from the views and actions of his own Labour government?

I think Mr Truswell's real motivation for this late intervention in the mobile phone mast controversy has more to do with the concern he has for his own parliamentary future than the concerns and views of local residents.

John Procter

Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Pudsey constituency,

Room 318,

Leeds Civic Hall, Leeds LS1 1UR