The first time I came across nerines was when my wife was choosing her wedding bouquet. The florist spoke of 'elegant, exotic, starry, silvery pink' flowers and I imagined them being flown in from a faraway desert island. Admittedly nerines do hail from
ONE year on and time is finally ticking again for the people of Skipton. Last year the Herald reported that several of the town's clocks had ground to a halt or were malfunctioning. But the situation is looking brighter in time for the millennium. The
Leaflets urging people to oppose plans for hundreds of homes on green field sites in Oakworth are being dropped through letter boxes this weekend. Worth Valley Tory Councillor Kris Hopkins and helpers will be taking out 1,500 leaflets which residents
Grateful trippers are so pleased with their outings they are determined to hang on to their 'travel agent' - 78-year-old great-grandmother Renee Morris. And despite approaching her 80s, Renee says she will not walk away from the trips she has been organising
A thief who stole a charity collection box from a blind fundraiser has been branded "despicable" by police. The callous youngster - believed to be only 12 years old - struck at a busy supermarket yesterday. His victim had been left alone only moments,
A DECISION on a plan to create a home in Yeadon for young women needing 24-hour support has been deferred for a site visit. The application, by the charity Caring For Life, is for a change of use and first floor side extension of a detached house to a
HE'S at it again, that illustrious town crier winning competitions and putting Barnoldswick on the national map. It's not quite two years since Kevin Griffiths was appointed Town Crier of Barnoldswick by the town council, as one of its millennium projects
Keighley has shot up a table of the most profitable towns and cities in Britain. In a survey carried out this week, Keighley is ranked as the 153rd most profitable town out of 284 towns and cities across the United Kingdom. The new ranking marks a dramatic
HORSFORTH and Aireborough residents are battling to save Horsforth Museum from financial turmoil. Museum curator Ron Hartley is this week handing the council a petition signed by 1,000 people as financial problems loom for the popular attraction. Horsforth
OFFICIALS at Ilkley Rugby Union Club flew into a panic when a letter arrived which threatened to throw their centenary celebrations into chaos. The club is 100 years old this season but when is a centenary not a centenary? Skipton Rugby Club is celebrating
A FURTHER boost has been given to the Settle to Carlisle railway line just over a decade since it faced closure. Railtrack has shown its confidence in the line this week by announcing that increased track work will mean 40 new jobs. The company, which
SHE might have a little more grey these days, but to generations of Earby girls Dorothy Bullock will forever be Brown Owl. Dorothy, of Green Walk, has just completed 20 years as leader of Earby's thriving All Saints' Brownie Pack, and she has no plans
Mine hosts Paul and Sherran Mitchell have been given 21 days' notice to leave The Grouse Inn at Silsden. The couple have been told by the owners of the tenancy it is 'not financially viable' for the couple to remain. Mr Mitchell says: "The pub was picking
THOUSANDS of pounds were raised at a soccer match staged at Guiseley AFC's ground on Sunday when the skills of past legends such as Leeds United's Eddie Gray were on view. The stars turned out at the invitation of former Barnsley manager John Hendrie,
B Rhydding Ladies 3 Winnington Park 3 JACKIE Goodwin, skipper of Ben Rhydding, had every right to feel her team had been robbed in this Northern Counties Premier League match having held the lead for a good part of the game only to suffer a series of
October Medal at Rawdon THE October Medal at Rawdon Golf Club was held on Sunday with 73 members taking part. Results were: Division One - C N Shackleton 65 (5); R A Adams 70 (10); P Baker 70 (15). Division Two - B Gibbons 66 (16); S Nelson 68 (19); I
Bulls chairman Chris Caisley has launched a stunning attack on the Great Britain management in the wake of their 42-6 Tri-Series hammering by Australia. Caisley, who is also the chairman of Super League Europe, watched on in disbelief as the world champions
Bradford City have released striker Bruno Rodriguez following his unsuccessful six-week stay - and written off the £500,000 loan fee they paid for the Frenchman. The French B international joined the Bantams last month amid a blaze of publicity in a loan
with Tom Smith THE erection of the largest Ferris Wheel in the world has been long in becoming a reality. It will dominate London's skyline for five years, dwarfing other structures like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Looking like a huge bicycle
SIR - It is common knowledge that local planners are working with developers on a scheme to build 400 houses at Swine Lane --a large development reliant on an 18th century canal bridge for access. Unbelievably, those planners have not seen an up-to-date
If Miles Mizon and his team at Greenhead Grammar were seen to be 'punching' the air with wide beams of delight on their faces - then their joy should be shared. In recent times the expressions were reversed, putting on a brave face, in the wake of the
ON Sunday five members of Otley Athletic Club took part in the tenth running of the Bronte Way. This nine mile cross-country course starts at Wycoller and finishes at Howarth taking in the scenic Wuthering Heights. The day was cold with a head wind for
Education Chiefs in Leeds have received the news that the first stage of their bid for more government money has resulted in the city's secondary schools being given a £6m boost. The money means that 70 full-time Learning Mentors and 15 Learning Resource
TWO new qualifications are being offered for study at Prince Henry's Grammar School at Otley. Students can now opt for a Media Studies A-Level and it is already proving very popular popular, with 16 choosing the course. The GCSE Media Studies results
CRAVEN has become the second region in the country to receive a quarter of a million pounds to improve its rural transport facilities. The Craven District Transport Partnership has been awarded the grant from the Government which set aside £4 million
Writer and former Keighley resident Willis Hall has won an award for his continued contribution to Yorkshire culture. Mr Hall picked up the Yorkshire Arts and Entertainment Person-ality Award along with Keith Waterhouse, another of the county's most popular
MEMBERS of Otley and District Chamber of Trade invite the Press to report on their meetings. That is right and proper as they are an important and influential group of business people who have the interests of the town at heart. However, because a member
AS long as Bradford's Countryside Service lives up to its promises - and we have no reason to suspect that it won't - the future of Ilkley Moor seems secure for at least the next ten years. The intention to control predators, cut back on bracken and maintain
ALTHOUGH Guiseley fans may have been a little disappointed with the draw cup fever is building up for the trip to take on Conference side Forest Green Rovers in the first round proper of the FA Cup. The trip on Saturday, October 30, follows the magnificent
HORSFORTH residents are to oppose plans for a new housing estate 'at all costs'. Plans by Redrow Homes for 57 houses in a green field site off Outwood Lane, Horsforth, were submitted only last Wednesday, but residents are already mounting a campaign against
A WHARFEDALE marathon runner has pounded the streets in two gruelling runs to raise more than £5,800 for a cancer charity -- just two years after contracting the condition himself. Andrew Shippey, of Otley, has boosted Imperial Cancer Research by recently
PEOPLE living near an Ilkley mobile phone mast are becoming increasingly worried about the danger of long-term health risks and want the mast removing. Although the jury is still out on the health risks caused by the microwave radiation emissions, the
PARENTS wanting to send their youngsters to the new Burley Primary School need to swing into action. Bradford Council has said those with three and four-year-olds should now be thinking about the application process. Burley Primary, based in Langford
THE job evaluation scheme, which left employees of the county council £5,000 out of pocket has been scrapped after public pressure. This week angry protesters armed themselves with banners and campaigned against their treatment by North Yorkshire County
THE Wharfedale FA Airedale International Challenge Cup gets underway on Saturday with trophy holders Horsforth St Margaret's visiting the side they defeated in last year's final Rawdon Old Boys. Other second round games to be played on Saturday are: Ilkley
A GIGGLESWICK teenager is following in her family's footsteps by making her mark on the cricket field. Jo Ward, of Riversdale, has seen her cricketing career take-off after being picked for the under 17 Yorkshire Women's Team and being named Young Player
BYRON RAYMOND THOM-PSON, of 1 Back Colenso Road, Stockbridge, Keighley, was put on probation for 12 months and ordered to pay £246 for possessing Metha-done and heroin. Danella Addyman, of 22 Wheat Street, Ingrow, was ordered to pay £100 for driving without
If you can bear having Christmas merchandise thrust in your face aplenty, particularly at this time of year when it shouldn't even be a glimmer in your conscience, then you might enjoy a lite bite or so at Stephen H Smith's garden centre in Harden. Where
It was the ideal location for former punk idol Toyah Wilcox to learn about the eerie tale of Gytrash, the mythological harbinger of doom. The wind whistled around the ancient tombstones and the crows cawed in the creaking trees. Buried in Haworth graveyard
SUTTON residents were shocked this week to discover there was nothing they could do to stop a housing development from being built. Villagers turned out in force for a public meeting organised by the parish council to discuss the building of 67 homes
Residents in Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury are being urged to take an active role in the formation of the village's new parish council. Keighley Area Panel coordinator Patrick Lawton says now the parish council has been given the go-ahead by the government
NUNEATON B.........2 GUISELEY...............3 WITH five first team players missing from the line-up and skipper Des Hazel leaving the fray after just eight minutes Guiseley produced one of their best ever performances to dispose of Conference side Nuneaton
Ilkley AFC 1 Burley Trojans 0 ILKLEY won a closely fought encounter when they entertained neighbours Burley Trojans at Denton Road last Saturday. It was sweet revenge for Ilkley who were dumped out of the same competition by their neighbours last season
HOUSING developers have been in talks with Sainsbury's over the future of Otley's old tannery in Gay Lane, it was revealed this week. And the conversion of the rundown former tannery to homes is likely to depend on whether the supermarket giant gets planning
ILKLEY Moor witnessed a strange encounter this week when a Ben Rhydding ufologist met up with a former pop star. Music fans from the early 1980s will remember how Toyah Willcox burst onto the scene with hits such as It's A Mystery. The 1990s somewhat
A protest group opposed to the development of a waste tip in Denholme has voiced concern about traffic statistics collected in the village. Denholme Residents Action Group (DRAG) is worried that a traffic survey carried out by engineering consultancy
Local people raised cash by tackling the Great North Run on Sunday. Kim Ward, 24, of Bradley, and 41-year-old Janet Smith, of Lothersdale, both work at the Keighley branch of Lloyds Bank. They entered the 13-mile Tyneside race to raise money for the Simon
A Cullingworth farmer has demanded that local supermarkets stop selling French products in retaliation for the country's ban on British beef. Anne Thompson, of Manor Farm, has called on housewives to support British farmers by not buying anything French
SIR - I had known Smith Midgley for nearly thirty six years. When the news came that Smith had passed away I felt grieved at the news. Right up to the end the man gave his all to his beliefs. He was the guiding spirit of many policies that formed the
Haworth's historic parish church was packed for the funeral of Bradford's last Tory Lord Mayor. The present Labour Lord Mayor Harry Mason and his wife Christine, MPs, councillors, local activists, family and friends joined to say their last farewell to
A man found hanging from a tree had been depressed about the death of his father, a Bradford inquest heard on Tuesday. The body of Michael Hitch, 37, of Whitley Head, Steeton, was found by his brother Graham near Whitfield Reservoir last month. In a statement
Concerns have been raised about the overgrown state of a footpath from which a pensioner fell into a river and drowned. Harry Martin, 74, died last month less than half a mile from his home in Grange Road, Riddlesden. A Bradford inquest heard on Tuesday
Sutton residents were shocked this week to discover there was nothing they could do to stop a housing development from being built. Villagers came out in force to a public meeting organised by the parish council to discuss the building of 67 homes on
The only sound you'll hear in The Royal pub in Fagley is the quiet clack of dominoes or the burble of friendly conversation. There's no blaring jukebox or rowdy yobs hanging around a pool table trying to destroy the peace and tranquillity of this friendly
Gangs of youths are putting lives at risks by ambushing firefighters and bombarding them with bricks and stones. Police warned today their sickening antics could land them an appearance in court and lead to their parents being evicted. In two separate
A community breakfast club has been asked to consider different ways of cooking its bacon after complaints about the smell. Bradford Council has written to the breakfast club at the West Bowling Community Centre in Parkside Road, West Bowling, after complaints
Two brothers appeared in court in connection with an alleged hatchet attack on a man inside a Bradford chippie last week. Mohammed Arif, 30, and Mohammed Kershid, 27, both of Parsonage Road, West Bowling, Bradford, are charged with violent disorder. Arif
Just after dawn on July 1, 1916, a shrill whistle pierced an uneasy silence, the sign that it was time "to go over the top". Thousands of men, many from Bradford, scrambled from muddy trenches over sandbags into no man's land, charging over duckboards
A leaflet is being produced for expectant mothers in Bradford to explain the benefits of pregnancy trials in which they may be asked to take part. Some ten clinical trials are under way at the maternity unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary. They include studies
Police are investigating after a dead dog was found hanging from a tree. The young rottweiler cross was discovered on land behind the Fagley Youth Centre suspended by a piece of wire flex and a tyre inner tube. Police have removed the dog and officers
Bradford's Pakistani community has launched a campaign to get flights to and from their homeland at Leeds Bradford International Airport. Each year thousands of people from West Yorkshire, and Bradford in particular, drive to Manchester to board the plane
You don't need to be a paying punter to enjoy some of the natural delights of the Harewood estate. Rights of way run through the park, and from them there are glorious views across Wharfedale. The only problem as far as this short walk is concerned is
Yorkshire singer Jane McDonald belongs to the Val Doonican school of overnight success. Like the Irishman, she spent years in the wilderness learning her craft before BBC TV's seafaring documentary The Cruise launched her into the limelight. In a breathtakingly
OTLEY is at last to get a new vicar - all the way from Uganda. Graham Buttershaw, 40, has been in Africa for the last four years with the Church Mission Society, where he has been training church leaders displaced by the civil war for the Episcopal Church
A ROW over children playing football in Addingham has prompted the parish council to throw down a challenge to housing officials. Bradford Council put up a sign banning ball games near house garages on Aynholme Drive after a claim that a door had been
Something very strange is happening in the skies above Keighley. During the last two weeks there have been several reported sightings of UFOs over Keighley which would get the collective pulses of X Files FBI agents Mulder and Scully racing like a train
Airedale Hospital has opened the doors to its unique new Muslim prayer room. The prayer room, built alongside the hospital's chapel, is thought to be one of the few dedicated prayer rooms of its type on Britain's wards. And it has drawn widespread praise
The local government watchdog has been called in to investigate a "missing" petition which campaigners claim could have changed the outcome of Bradford's schools review. The Save Woodend Action Group collected 1,100 signatures backing its campaign to
A former teacher was so moved by the plight of the people she met in the aftermath of the Bosnian war, she is joining a relief convoy to help refugees in Kosovo. But Maggie Tookey, who has retired after 23 years teaching at Aireville School, Skipton,
Plans for Otley Market and a walking festival are being stepped up by Otley Town Partnership. A group of councillors and business people, which was set up two years ago, is looking for new people to help put into action its aims and ideas. It is looking
Horse owners in Ilkley, Addingham, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston are being urged to help in the battle against equestrian crime by joining a horse watch scheme. WPC Sheila Kirkham, of Ilkley Police Station, is hoping to make horse owners more security
A plan for doctors to prescribe benefits advice as well as medicines has been attacked by GPs. The Director for Public Health in Calderdale and Kirklees, Professor Chris Worth, has come under fire from a doctors' body after suggesting GPs, community nurses
Jeremy Spake, star of the top TV docu-soap Airport, flew to Bradford yesterday to officially open a new travel centre. Mr Spake, a former Aerflot air steward, performed the opening ceremony at Sunwin Travel's new Travel Superstore in Sunwin House. The
A GAZETTE appeal for an Ilkley Stroke Club saviour has brought both good news and bad news. In last week's issue we reported on the threat to the county's very first stroke club, established in 1979. Current club organiser Barbara Walker-Sharp is planning
A DANCE teacher who has dedicated her life to educating youngsters all over the world has been rewarded at a ceremony in London. Margaret Jaffe, who runs the Northern Dance School in Skipton, received the Imperial Award for Dance for her lifetime's contribution
One of the 'great old gentlemen' of Britain's railway preservation movement retired this week. Ralph Povey retired after 37 years' service on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR). Mr Povey was co-founder with the late Bob Cryer MP in March
A record-breaking hot shot is the latest monthly entrant in our Search for a Sporting Star, run in conjunction with Taywood Homes. Paul Harrison, from Culling-worth, has been showing dead-eyed accuracy in both field and target archery since he took up
YARNBURY 44 ILKLEY 20 YARNBURY were worthy winners of this entertaining game at Brownberrie Park. A week away from league rugby gave both sides the opportunity to play some expansive open rugby and it was Yarnbury who profitted the most by scoring six
ROUNDHEGIANS 3 OTLIENSIANS 33 OTLIENSIANS visited Chelwood Drive on Saturday well aware that it was not a happy hunting ground for the club and that their opponents were two leagues above them. Their cause was not helped by a forced change at both half-back
Bingley's young swimmers gained valuable experience in a nine-team international event at Shipley Pool. They were up against Lisse from Holland, Ilkley, Halifax, Barnsley, Chapeltown Sheffield, Bradford Dolphins and Rhyl. Bingley had two teams in the
Bradford Grammar School, 20-0 ahead with half an hour left, lost 21-20 to Ermysted's Grammar School, Skipton to continue their poor start to the season. However, BGS could have done without the withdrawal of captain Alan Bateson with gastroenteritis the
with Michele Gray COMPANIES spend millions each year defining their corporate vision and values - yet many of us have worked in companies where the management behaviour is clearly conflicting with what they say they value. Lack of conviction and active
Ilkley U-15s 6 Otley T U-15s 3 ILKLEY'S first ever League match is one both teams will be left reflecting on. On a day when there proved to be little to choose between either sides, it was disappointing the referee should prove to be the talking point
PLANNING bosses have welcomed the ten-year management plan for Ilkley Moor produced by Bradford Council's countryside service. The plan outlines the objectives of the management of the moor over the next decade and proposes that officers undertake 130
FARNHILL and Kildwick villagers are being asked to commit themselves if they are serious about wanting to run the village store and post office as a community shop. At a public meeting this week held by the newly formed Community Shop Association (CSA
Police in Germany have been quizzing a man about the murder of Yvonne O'Brien. Yvonne's brother Philip Graham, who lives in Keighley, has welcomed news of the arrest in Stuttgart. Yvonne, who was brought up and educated in Keighley, was murdered on Majorca
RAIL users were livid this week when more than a hundred people were left standing on platforms at Guiseley and Baildon stations because a morning rush-hour train was too full to take them. Angry commuters were stunned when the 7.36am train into Leeds
THE River Wharfe and its tributaries will burst their banks today flooding Ilkley, Addingham and Burley-in-Wharfedale. But there's no need to dig out the waders and canoe paddles just yet because the effects of the flood will be confined to a single room
A GROUP created especially for retired and semi-retired men across Craven celebrated a quarter of a century of existence this week. Fourteen past chairmen of Sutton Retired Men's Forum attended Tuesday's weekly meeting to reminisce about their time with
A charity was forced to cancel a special fundraising day when a council blunder left it locked out. Members of Keighley and District Association for the Blind were furious when raised bollards on Low Street prevented them from setting up a stand in front
ELEVEN students from Ilkley Karate Club took part in the second Club Championship of Great Britain at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, and won seven trophies and two of them also gained selection for England. Simon Wood, 11, now a senior grade brown belt, took
THOUGHTS are turning to the festive season at Ilkley's Ardenlea Marie Curie Centre. The Queen's Drive-based centre is holding its Lights to Remember scheme once again and fundraisers would like Olicanians to build on the success of last year's event.
SETTLE'S last remaining butcher is shutting up shop after nearly three decades in business. George Howarth, a butcher all his life, has run his Market Place shop for 27 years. He said his decision to close was a "sign of the times". "I'll be giving up
Oldfield School's future is safe. Instead of being closing down as originally proposed by Bradford council in its schools reorganisation plans, Oldfield will join the new two-tier system as a primary school. Education Secretary David Blunkett stepped
COWLING villagers came to the rescue of their annual gala by putting their names forward to help organise the year 2000 event. Crunch time came last Thursday when several members of the existing gala committee had to resign due to various other commitments
Greenhead Grammar School has been chosen as one of the first schools in the country to pioneer a new hi-tech approach to teaching. The Keighley school has been chosen by the government as the location for one of only two new £1 million City Learning Centres
A pioneering youth group has won a coveted national award for its work. The Lawkholme Lane Youth Action Group came tops in the Nationwide Awards for Voluntary Endeavour. It received a crystal vase and £2,500 for a cause of its choice, which it has donated
Otley Town 5 Menston R 1 THIS was a game about which you could use all the well accepted football cliches. Otley Town on a hiding to nothing; Menston Rangers nothing to lose, everything to gain, etc, etc. Fortunately, none of it materialised and Town
WHITCHURCH 0 OTLEY 76 OTLEY enjoyed their first visit to Jewson Two side Whitchurch where they romped to an easy win in the Tetley Bitter Cup. None enjoyed it more than Wayne Hartley who was recalled to the side and scored two tries in each half with
Ilkley Juniors Youth 1 Addingham 2 (after extra-time) A SCRAPPY and tense game was settled by a scrambled goal in the first period of extra game. Division one side Addingham just about merited victory for greater territorial dominance but both sides failed
A FORMER top policeman from Otley who lost all the fingers of one hand in a climbing accident has been photographed by top photographer Terry O'Neill for a unique calender. Dave Musgrove, 50, is just one of several disabled people - including a one legged
PARISH and District Councillor Anne Hawkesworth has withdrawn her application to be selected to fight her home constituency for the Conservatives at the next General Election. Her decision comes only three weeks after she submitted her application to
Nellie Carr introduced me to Kilgram Bridge. I'd known about it for many years but none of my Dales journeys had taken me over it until, recently, Nellie celebrated her 95th birthday and I decided to give her my greetings personally at her new home, a
THE head teacher of Burley Primary School has warned that a cash crisis looms for some schools unless more money is forthcoming from council and Government coffers. Roy Pallas said some primary schools could be in the red to the tune of £175,000 a year
The Craven Herald's famous front page has been selected as one of the 50 classic newspaper images of the millennium. It has made it on to the final list of top newspaper pages dating as far back as 1776. Other classic front pages include stories featuring
100 years ago AN experiment in which constables in the West Riding were provided with bicycles proved a success. The Chief Constable had been authorised to purchase 12 additional bikes, at a cost of £14 each, for use in various parts of the county. It
Tetley's Bitter Cup Round Two Birmingham Solihull 14 Wharfedale 13 (Half time 6-0) Wharfedale's hopes of a cup run came to an end in the Midlands where Birmingham Solihull rode their luck and held on to win by the narrowest of margins, writes Keith Lewis
THE headmaster of Skipton's Aireville School has warned that it cannot keep on growing and is facing problems of over-crowding. David Croll, speaking at the school's annual speech day, warned that some school activities could be restricted if numbers
Villagers have launched a petition calling for a zebra crossing following a fatal road accident. Pedestrian Ada Fennell, 79, died after she was in collision with a car in Main Road, Eastburn, on Wednesday morning. Residents have been campaigning for years
A teenager accused of carrying out a series of cruel acts against two boys and two girls has been cleared of all charges by a jury a Bradford Crown Court. The jury took more than four hours to find 19-year-old Kraig Mellor not guilty on nine charges of
A woman who fought cancer 25 years ago as a three-year-old is today working in the hospital where she underwent her life-saving treatment. And Seacroft Hospital at Leeds, where Sue Brookes is a staff nurse is also where she met her doctor husband Christopher
A detective who led a team in the hunt for a factory which illegally manufactured millions of pounds-worth of drugs has won a Chief Constable's commendation. Det Insp Neil Thewsey, of Skipton Police, spearheaded the Operation Boswell inquiry which led
There are now just ten weeks to go until what is being billed as the world's biggest party. And people and businesses in Keighley are getting ready for the big 2000. It's impossible to escape the hype surrounding the start of the new millennium and Keighley
SIR - It was with great regret that the Haworth Road Safety Action Group received the sad news of the death of one of our leading members. Smith Midgley had for many years campaigned for improved road safety in Haworth to ensure a safer village for this
