SIR - I am writing to thank you and your staff for your coverage of the death, and celebration of the life, of my wife Jo Hatton. As most of the readership must know by now, Jo was one of the longest surviving heart and lung transplants in the world. Her death, though unexpected, was both peaceful and dignified. Your staff have shown great concern for my loss, and for that I am truly grateful.

I would also like to thank, through your pages, all those people, some I don't even know, who have sent me cards and letters of condolence. Sadly despite your efforts, I have not as yet had the personal video returned, that was stolen in my recent burglary.

Thank you once again. The Transplant Support Network dedicated to the support of transplant patients and their families, which was founded by Jo, will hopefully continue to flourish and will be a fitting tribute to her life.

PHIL HATTON,

Oakworth Road, Keighley.

SIR - In support of Mrs W Pearson in Friday 22nd edition. I started at St Bede's, Heaton, Bradford in the early 60s. As there were far too many pupils taken on that year we were found an annexe at Thornton, Bradford. Anyone who knows Bradford will realise the considerable distance between Heaton and Thornton.

The point being the annexe system alienates you completely and the first year seems to be a waste. To make it worse when joining the main stream school the second year it takes a considerable time to catch up with all the pupils that have had a year to get used to the building, system, staff etc. It also sets up an us and them situation which can disrupt second year work. As suggested by Mrs Pearon the idea should be put on hold until extra room is made.

M G STEAD,

East Royd, Station Road, Oakworth.

SIR - I have read with interest your reports and readers letters in regards to the change to two-tier education with the Bradford Metro area and in particular how it will effect the lives of children within the Keighley area.

I wasn't brought up or educated in this area so I don't fully understand the 'local politics' but I do see a fairly obvious alternative to what at present is being considered.

Bront' School would at face value appear to have everything a school needs, but Bradford seems hell bent on closing it as a middle school.

It seems to be that Bront' would make an ideal sixth form college where both the pupils from Oakbank and Greenhead could combine for further education studies.

This solution I feel would free up space at both schools for 11-16 year olds and provide a centre of excellence for sixth form studies.

Bront' would appear to have superb facilities and would give the older children a sense of independence.

NAME AND ADDRESS

SUPPLIED.

SIR - In reply to Mrs W Pearson's letter dated May 22, I fear Mrs Pearson has misunderstood the situation. Basically the situation is this.

Oakbank cannot accommodate the number of children even after further building work has taken place. Because the LEA are working to their proposed figures, being a maximum of 300 pupils, not 350 which has been the traditional intake pyramid.

The devious way the LEA plan to reduce the numbers is to completely change the feeder system and catchment areas which in turn will be a nasty surprise for many parents.

The only way to avoid this situation is by Oakbank taking over Bront' and having a split-site school. I am quite sure that the head and his governors have done their research, indeed, a visit was made by a head of a split-site school to Oakbank just recently.

By adding on further classrooms here and there, be it portable buildings or fixed, it can only mean a drop in standards compared to the facilities offered at Bront'.

As for the council sorting out this mess as Mrs Pearson suggests, may we suggest that it is for the parents and governors to prevent this potential educational disaster by joining well organised and knowledgeable action groups such as Oakbank Action Group and fighting the injustice, mis-information and downright deviousness that is coming out from the LEA Review Team.

S J SCOTT,

Harewood Crescent, Oakworth.

SIR - Bradford Education Review Team's proposal to bulldoze the Bront' Middle School site is financial and educational madness.

It will cost £5 million to build accommodation at Oakbank for extra pupils when it becomes a secondary school. John Roberts, the school's head, said publicly these would be inferior to Bront''s present facilities.

£600,000 will bring Bront' up to the standard the LEA should have maintained. The most Bradford Council can expect when it sells the land for housing is £2 million. This leaves taxpayers £2.4 million out of pocket.

The review team wants to start bussing pupils from one side of Keighley to the other, a social-engineering policy which has failed wherever it has been tried. It can only increase the number of parents who choose to have their children taught in North Yorkshire.

Just look at the facilities Bradford LEA wants to demolish: two gyms, two assembly halls, three science labs, two technology labs, a food-technology lab, an information-technology suite, an art room, a music room, a well-stocked library, two tennis/netball courts, two football pitches, a rugby pitch and a cricket pitch. How on earth can it replace these?

It makes sense to use the accommodation for Oakbank's new young students. No-one is pretending that a split-site school is ideal, but it is far better than the review team's half-baked recipe for mayhem.

BOB SMITH,

Holme House Lane,

Oakworth.

Editor's Note. Mr Smith is an employee at the Keighley News. He has written as a parent.

SIR - Was the success of the Yes vote in Ireland due to Tony Blair and Mr Clinton and again by Tony Blair, William Hague and Richard Branson's personal appearance?

If so, I suggest the same people should join forces and persuade the British electorate to vote No in the promised referendum on the single currency the Euro, which must be the most important criteria to affect the people of Britain.

The only people who will benefit will be the unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. The Euro MPs and our own MPs have the controversy between the Euro sceptics and those who think we should abolish the pound sterling and join a rubbish currency where how many Euros would compare to the solid British pound?

I could visualise Mr Clinton and Richard Branson saying, "no thank you".

The European Central Bank will make sure that the UK financial resources will be sucked dry to boost Europe's economy ensuring the British Isles becomes an offshore European banana state.

The local elections only show a poll of 45 to 60 per cent so this shows a majority of the electorate are disenchanted with the ruling bodies. Let us make sure we do have a referendum and a 100 per cent poll in favour of keeping the pound, our sovereignty and our own democratic parliament, not taking orders from Brussels.

DONALD ROBERTSHAW,

Oats Street, Keighley.

SIR - Through your newspaper, we would like to thank the organisers of the recent model railway exhibition hosted by Keighley Model Railway Club.

Since we lost our son last year we have found it difficult to go out to such ventures as this and, as our grandson loves trains of any sort, we asked K M R C if we could possibly take Ashley to the exhibition on the Friday evening.

This request was granted willingly on the understand ing that the exhibition would be in the 'setting up' stage and the layouts may not be running.

We did visit the show and our grandson thoroughly enjoyed it. Our thanks once again, and may you continue to provide exhibitions of this quality.

K HOLLINGS,

Dale View Road, Long Lee.

SIR - The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is supported entirely by voluntary contributions, receiving no financial assistance whatsoever from Government. This year it will cost £72 million to run the lifeboat service, which is a staggering £197,000 per day.

Our volunteer lifeboat crews are always ready to exchange the comforts of home for cold, wet, fatigue and danger. All they ask for are the best boats and equipment so that they can carry out their vital task of saving lives at sea.

Will you help us raise much needed funds by supporting our Jewellery Appeal?

We should be delighted to receive any of your unwanted or damaged items, such as good quality rings of all kinds, brooches, bracelets, chains and watches. Gold and silver items would be very much appreciated, as would war medals and memorabilia, decorations and badges.

Please send your unwanted items to RNLI Headquarters, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HZ, marked for my attention.

R E NORGROVE, MBE, JP,

Jewellery Appeal

Organiser, RNLI.

SIR - Jan Smithies, chair of Worth Valley Labour Party, has, by implication, suggested that I, as a candidate in the past local government election, 'badly misrepresented' the Labour Party's candidate, Linda Woodward's personal position. Such an inference suggests that I had told lies to the general public. I deny such an outrageous suggestion. When dealing with any politician, local or national, of differing shade and hue, never would I use the strategem of fabrication or deceit. I have found that true facts, honesty and ridicule, are the only weapons to defeat the hysterical pomposity and distortion which today is passed off as political debate, or consultation.

I will send to Jan Smithies leaflets which I used in campaigning for a truly democratic Aire-Worth. If the lady can find just one 'misrepresentation' in these documents then I would apologise, publicly, to Linda Woodward.

Would the chair of Worth Valley Labour Party offer me an apology if she finds that she has slighted my integrity? We will see!

DAVID SAMUELS,

Station Road, Oxenhope.

SIR - In response to Bernard Whittaker's suggestion of secrecy within the Aire-Worth Reform Association may I state that as we are not a political organisation we have no secrets to hide. Everything we say or do is world wide public knowledge via our web site, www.aire-worth.u-nett.com.

This Association has never had any hidden agenda, indeed it vigorously campaigns against the secrecy behind the policies and politicians of the City of Bradford Metropolitan Council.

For instance, we made the general public aware, via this newspaper, that in August 1996 the then chair of Bradford Education, Councillor Ryan, had discussed a 'two-tier education system to be brought into Keighley schools'. Councillor Irene Ellison-Wood then called a meeting with Keighley-based Bradford councillors for October 10, 1996. That meeting was held at Keighley Town Hall. Now that's a secret!

70 per cent of all rates and rate support grants from this region go to Bradford. Now that's a secret!

£300 million has been spent on social and economic regneration schemes in Bradford, while the Aire-Worth region, one quarter of the size of Bradford, has been lavished £19 million. Now that's a secret!

Over 25,000 people are employed by BMDC in Bradford, Again, it was this organisation who made public that the last of the once legendary employees at Cliffe Castle garden nursery had been dismissed and that all such work was to be placed in Bradford's Peel Park. Now that's a secret!

DAVID McKAY,

Secretary, Aire-Worth

Reform Association.

SIR - Today I had my car MOT'd. I don't know why I bothered. Road safety fascists have once again come up with a plan that will further gridlock Keighley with traffic lights again.

It is not the way. Get rid of traffic lights at both ends of Cavendish Street and we will have made a sensible contribution to the freeflow of traffic in Keighley. Road safety depends on road sense, not slavish adherence to trendy traffic calming schemes, and that applies to pedestrians as well as motorists.

There are far too many dead ends which tend to funnel both through and local traffic onto a few main routes. This congestion leads to a desperate search for alternatives which soon make rat-runs out of what should be quiet residential streets.

The bus station does need re-organising. I favour a left-turn exit-only system for the buses in conjunction with a North Street/Cavendish Street roundabout. In the long-term all new buildings must have adequate off street parking for occupiers, and why did the architects of supermarkets get away with not installing multi storey car parks instead of putting prime slots under asphalt?

C R JOY,

Thwaites, Keighley

SIR - I am trying to find an old recipe for Haworth Feast Pudding, a photograph of Acton Street, Haworth (demolished around 1970) and a copy of a 3d magazine published in Keighley circa 1890s - 1900 entitled 'The Astrologer"

If anyone can supply any information at all regarding these items please contact me at 4, Plum Street, Ingrow, Keighley, BD21 5EY

M CAMPBELL

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.