Archive

  • Local heroes come up trumps

    ONLY one talking point this week - the floods which have devastated Craven. It's probably the first time that the village of Carleton-in-Craven has been the first image on the BBC's main evening news, ahead of the US presidential elections. Carleton has

  • Friends offer hope

    FOR the first time in years the future looks bright for Ilkley's Edwardian twin entertainment complex with the setting up of a charitable trust to raise badly needed money. Although there have been some positive moves lately, such as the refurbishment

  • Brave Hill go down at the death

    Ideal Isberg 26, Dudley Hill 18: Dudley Hill produced a great performance before finally losing 26-18 in the National Conference Premier Division. They could console themselves with having the best player on the pitch in Neil Shoesmith who was well supported

  • Early misses prove costly in away loss

    Hull II 2, Bradford I 1: Bradford's away league fixture against Hull was transferred to Selby because Hull's ground was unplayable due to waterlogging. It was a game played in miserable conditions in which neither side could claim dominance, though in

  • Villagers drafted in to save lives

    VILLAGERS are being encouraged to switch onto the importance of installing life saving equipment in Burley-in-Wharfedale. Philip Chinque, of Heart Start, the organisation behind the drive, said: "The main objective is to teach volunteers from the community

  • Volunteers dry last cup after 37 years

    TWO stalwart volunteers are to step down after providing tea and fundraising fun in Burley-in-Wharfedale for 37 years between them. Margaret Wall and Lesley Atkinson are regular faces at Burley Community Council's coffee morning. Mrs Wall of Prospect

  • Householders may be asked to give their council cash

    HOUSEHOLDS in Bramhope and Carlton may be expected to pay a total of £50 per year to cover spending by their parish council. Bramhope Parish Council, already one of the three highest chargers in the Leeds area, is considering raising its total precept

  • Can anyone fill in historical gaps?

    SOME of Menston's more knowledgeable residents are asking for help in their efforts to preserve local history for youngsters in the village. Members of Menston Millennium Local History Project are hard at work putting together pieces of the village's

  • Bonfire Night warning is sounded

    WITH Bonfire night approaching, West Yorkshire Fire Service has pleaded with people to take care and avoid a tragedy. Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase said while all fireworks should be handled extremely carefully, home-made ones are potential killers. He

  • No sign of anger fading

    A BIG thumbs down has been given to add-ons to the controversial Welcome to Leeds signs. After 18 months, Leeds City Council has finally added new signs - stating the name of the town or village being entered. Vandalised signs have been cleaned up and

  • Hotel 'steals' ancient chapel

    HOTEL bosses have been left red-faced after mistakenly laying claim to a historic piece of village heritage. Bramhope villagers were amazed when promotional leaflets from the village's Posthouse Hotel invited guests to a carol service in what it claimed

  • Residents furious at business park bid

    A COMMUNITY is united in anger against revised plans for a giant business park which residents fear will create gridlock in the area. Residents, councillors and local groups are furious that revised plans for four office blocks and 164 parking spaces

  • Shop sign causes furore

    A SHOPOWNING couple are up in arms over an advertising board put up without planning permission. Jessica and Richard Simpson of Parkgate Stores, Otley, were horrified when the illuminated sign went up outside their shop. They had believed advertising

  • Anger over surgery hours

    VILLAGE doctors have been asked to speak at a council meeting after saying no to pleas for Saturday morning surgeries. The Chevin Medical Practice, on Tredgold Crescent, has said it will not consider holding GP appointments on Saturday mornings or Wednesday

  • Pool that plays a vital role

    It is hardly surprising that Thornton residents are up in arms at the thought of their local swimming pool being closed as part of the package of cuts planned by the Council. They have fought hard over the last 14 years to hang on to an amenity which

  • Firms can network using the Internet

    Bradford businesses are being urged to tap into the world of e-commerce and conduct local business electronically. The scheme, headed by Bradford Chamber of Commerce and Industry, aims to build business-to-business relationships through the website www.e-bradford.net

  • Magic of the silent era proves a theatrical hit

    WHEN David Kirk chose to take the rarely performed tale of the love between Hollywood silent film director Mack Sennett and his leading lady Mabel Normand he picked a winner. This Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart show is packed with show stopping tunes

  • Building works could solve school overcrowding

    SETTLE High School is about to start a £490,000 building programme to solve its overcrowding problems. The school educates 13 to 18-year-olds from throughout North Craven and is also a community college offering Craven College evening classes. However

  • Local woman oversees Kosovo elections

    THE situation in Kosovo is still volatile according to a Craven women who has been helping to co-ordinate elections there. Antonia Young, from Hetton, has just returned from the war-torn province of the former Yugoslavia where she ran a polling station

  • Groups celebrate millennium grants

    SIX Craven groups are in the money thanks Millennium Festival Awards for All grants, presented to clubs and charities working to improve their local communities. Skipton and Craven Action for Disability was awarded £3,750 to help the group make a photographic

  • Radio presenter sets new world record

    WHEN you start hallucinating rabbits, think you're in a bowling alley or just forget how to do your job then you know there's something wrong with you. But these were some of the stresses experienced by Fresh AM presenter Mark Reason as he attempted to

  • Second homes discount could be scrapped

    A PERK which allows some of the richest people in the land to avoid paying full council tax on their weekend properties in the Dales may be abolished. Prime Minister Tony Blair has given a strong hint that councils would be given the power to charge the

  • Tidal wave threatens Skipton

    WOLLEN Eller Beck undermined the towpath separating it from the canal and threatening around 700 homes in Skipton. As heavy rain continued to fall, workmen started building a dam outside the Royal Shepherd Canal to try to deflect the tidal wave from the

  • Ilkley to stage largest display of paintings

    THE largest exhibition yet of original paintings will be shown at the Kings Hall/Winter Gardens complex, Ilkley, for nine days. Artists from all over Britain will arrive in town to hang their works on Saturday, November 25. The exhibition will be opened

  • Author looks to East to win the classroom war

    AN EDUCATION expert from Ilkley has produced an invaluable but quirky guide for teachers facing difficult pupils. 'The Art of War for Teachers' is published at a time when the education system is in crisis with a worrying increase in the breakdown of

  • Cow makes escape dash - and vanishes

    A REBEL cow made a break for freedom from slaughterhouse workers on Monday, startling passers-by as it hurtled towards them on Ilkley's main shopping street. The runaway beast began its great escape at Ilkley Abattoir, on Little Lane, where it bolted

  • Apply for money, groups urged

    ONCE again local groups in need of funding have been invited to apply for cash grants from Ilkley's Community Fund. The fund was set up by the Ilkley Council for Voluntary Service (ICVS) charity, which has been helping local groups for many years. Geoffrey

  • 'Double rent' bid shocks pensioner

    AN Ilkley pensioner was astonished to find that the rent on her small terraced home could be increased by almost 100 per cent in one go. Dorothy Stewart, 71, of Dean Street, said that she received a letter from her private landlady's letting agent to

  • The Curmudgeon

    IT must be the social scientists' silly season, the time of the year when not much is happening and therefore an opportune moment to release to the media the findings of your latest bit of research. Yes, the experts have been at it again, spending thousands

  • Denying walkers a short stroll

    SIR, - Not only does Kathleen Taylor appear to hold strong negative views about hopes for a modest bridge across the Wharfe at Burley-in-Wharfedale, but she wants to deny the right of any serious walkers to enjoy the beauty of 'God's own country' across

  • Play it safe on plot night!

    Fire chiefs have appealed for people to make safety their top priority this Bonfire Night. West Yorkshire Fire Service has released an information pack for people holding bonfire and firework parties in an attempt to avoid serious injuries. The move comes

  • Blistering start for Yarnbury carries on

    Yarnbury...36 Hull...5 YARNBURY got off to another blistering start which set the platform for a comfortable 36-5 victory at home to Hull on Saturday. Three penalties in the opening ten minutes from Steve Riley settled the home side who ran in five tries

  • Motor Sport

    BEN Hemingway and 74 other trials riders, and all the Falcon Motor Cycle Club officials, came in for a soaking at bleak Cartworth Moor on Sunday while contesting the West Yorkshire Group championship trial. "It started dry but at midday the heavens opened

  • Guiseley in need of a good run in Trophy

    A FORTNIGHT in management must seem a long time to new Guiseley boss Neil Parsley with three successive defeats, not a goal scored and no new players signed. Yet despite the latest setback - a 1-0 defeat at Witton Albion - he remaned upbeat yesterday

  • Otley lose tough battle at home

    Otley...5 B'mingham/Solihull...8 THE elation shown by the Birmingham/Solihull players who raised their arms aloft at the final whistle was evidence enough that they were delighted and relieved to come away from Cross Green with a victory. Both newly promoted

  • Quaife's late double for Burley seals win

    BURLEY TROJANS...5 BECKWITHSHAW SAINTS...4 (after extra time) BURLEY Trojans secured their place in the second round of the League Cup - but not before surviving a real scare from Saints. The home side surrendered a three goal advantage before skipper

  • Bus leaves pupils in rain

    Children were left waiting in the street again yesterday after bus problems that have plagued one of the district's new secondary schools returned. About 20 pupils from Immanuel Community College were stranded at a stop in Harrogate Road, Bradford, when

  • 'Cash cuts will sink our battle for baths'

    Residents fear the closure of a swimming pool is a foregone conclusion after councillors announced wide-ranging proposals to cut costs. Thornton pool has been shut down temporarily after a crack developed in the roof of the 65-year-old swimming baths.

  • Family forced out of home by vandal attacks

    A mother and her young children have been forced to flee their new home after being repeatedly targeted by vandals. Liz Evans, her 10-month-old son Ryan and seven-year-old daughter Shawni, only moved into the council property in Baxandall Street, West

  • Oil make them better!

    An East Morton man - whose aromatic oils have delighted the noses of the stars - says his fragrant career began with a bottle of patchouli in the 1960s. Ray Sherwin, who grew up in Lidget Green, Bradford, sold sandalwood oil to Johnny Moore, the lead

  • Odsal: it's on again!

    The multi-million pound development of Odsal stadium is back ON after the developer and Bradford Bulls finally agreed to sign a deal. Developer Sterling Capitol and Bulls chairman Chris Caisley agreed the terms of a contract to press head with the £25

  • City boss Richmond kept in hospital

    Bradford City chairman Geoffrey Richmond was today in a Newcastle hospital after being taken ill at the end of the Worthington Cup match at St James's Park last night. Mr Richmond, 58, complained of feeling unwell after the game which City lost 4-3 and

  • Beck threat: Homes are abandoned

    Skipton was on a knife-edge last night as hundreds of people's homes faced being flooded as Eller Beck threatened to burst its banks. Emergency workers feared the Springs section of the Leeds-Liverpool canal would overflow if a retaining wall holding

  • Craven through the years

    100 years ago A WELL attended public meeting was held at the Elm Tree Inn, Embsay, when it was decided to form a cricket club for the coming season. There was every prospect of raising a good local team and a committee was formed to make the preliminary

  • City edged out in goal deluge

    Newcastle United 4, Bradford City 3: That's football logic for you. When one team that can't score at home meets another who hardly score anywhere, what's the result? A shedful of goals, obviously. And that includes two for a centre-forward who has spent

  • World Cup over for Leon?

    Leon Pryce's World Cup dreams appeared to lay in tatters today after he dislocated his shoulder in England's 76-4 rout of Russia last night. The triumph was marred when the Bradford Bulls favourite, who had just scored a try, fell awkwardly on the greasy

  • Ward off the mark

    Ashley Ward has thrown down a two-goal gauntlet to Bradford City boss Chris Hutchings. The £1.5 million striker broke his scoring duck last night when he netted twice as a substitute in City's nerve-jangling Worthington Cup third-round exit at Newcastle

  • Brave boy loses fight for life

    A PLUCKY eight-year-old boy has lost his fight against leukaemia. Jack Gales, whose five-year battle against acute myeloid leukaemia sparked a massive campaign to recruit more bone marrow donors, died peacefully at home last Wednesday. Jack's parents

  • MP in fight against masts

    LIBERAL Democrats on Leeds City Council have chosen Horsforth Councillor Chris Townsley, pictured below, as their nominee for Lord Mayor of Leeds in 2001/2002. Under existing arrangements nominations are currently made on the basis of two nominations

  • Pop concert causes residents' headache

    A GROUP formed to improve facilities at a local park for residents has apologised for the disruption a recent concert caused. A number of residents around Hall Park in Horsforth were angry at the noise and disruption caused by the recent Horsforth Youth

  • 'Worst' floods in living memory leave Wharfedale swamped

    ROADS and houses in Wharfedale were under water for the second time this year as heavy rain caused what many claim were among the worst floods in living memory. Hardest hit was the village of Castley, near Pool-in-Wharfedale, and the north side of Ilkley

  • Concern raised at rising crime

    RISING crime over the past six months is causing concern for residents of Horsforth, Otley and Aireborough. People are concerned about Weetwood Police crime figures for April to September, which were released this week. The figures show many major crimes

  • Owners promise bright future for Silver Cross

    THE new owners of world-famous pram manufacturers Silver Cross aim to make the Guiseley company a market leader again, they claimed this week. Speaking to the Wharfedale Observer at her base in Bolton, director at The Design Company, Joan Spours, outlined

  • Stop stripping play areas plea

    A CAMPAIGN to install soft play surfacing underneath all play equipment in every playground in the country could be adopted by the Liberal Democrats at their regional party conference on Saturday. Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North

  • African Archbishop visits

    A TASTE of life in the Sudan was given to parishioners in Otley on Sunday. The Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, the Rev Joseph Marona, (above left) and Abraham Matoc, the provincial treasurer, (above right) stayed in the town while on a three

  • Crucial talks on hospital

    ANOTHER crucial meeting to discuss plans for a new Wharfedale Hospital is due to take place tomorrow. Leeds Health Authority has called a special meeting to consider the outline business case for a new hospital. After more than two decades of debate,

  • Historic hall is sold to a mystery buyer

    A MYSTERY buyer has bought historic Hawksworth Hall at a cost rumoured to be more than £1 million and saved it from redevelopment, we can reveal. As previously reported, the last owners, the charity Scope, had put the hall at Hawksworth village near Guiseley

  • Flood emergency plan a 'shambles'

    EMERGENCY services have been branded shambolic in their handling of floods at Otley and Pool-in-Wharfedale. The Environment Agency and the police were left floundering during the worst floods to hit the area for 30 years, it has been claimed. The recently

  • Makeover for image makers

    A Heckmondwike firm, which has seen turnover more than double, is re-branding itself as a communication and strategy specialist. The Blue Door Design Company Ltd has become BLUEDOOR Associates plc - and counts ntl, Princes Foods and Audi UK among its

  • On This Day

    In 1868, the Bradford Provident Industrial Society and Queensgate Society amalgamated. In 1922, the first snow of winter fell in Bradford. In 1936, the BBC transmitted the world's first high definition television service. From the Telegraph & Argus

  • On the rails

    A firm of Bradford security specialists has won a contract to safeguard the Hatfield rail crash site. Sixteen workers from Cerebus Security and Monitoring Ltd will remain at the site of last month's disaster for six weeks, protecting it from intruders

  • The horror stories

    IN an average year in America, 47 people are killed by lightening strikes, compared to 0.4 by sharks. However, the following examples are an indication of how the species has got such a bad press. Some of the reports are not for the squeamish. The book

  • Wharfedale Diary

    ONE can only feel pity for the unfortunate woman driver who came up against Prehistoric man at an exhaust centre. Believing her problem to be slight, she was first off a little stunned to discover the whole system would need replacing. "Just couldn't

  • "We're going to need a bigger boat"

    I have nothing against sharks. They have been swimming the oceans for 400 million years. They predate the dinosaurs. When we are long gone they will still probably be patrolling the deep. I have a certain empathy with them. I can see the joke. Every time

  • Supermarket and doctors battle floods

    SKIPTON'S Morrisons supermarket was one inch away from disaster as the floodwaters rose on Broughton Road. The car park became a huge lake, while the loading bay yard was under five foot of water. Deputy manager Andrew Capstick said the water was very

  • Double celebrations at village primary school

    IT has been a time for double celebration for staff and pupils at Threshfield Primary School. Despite the flooding this week, staff and pupils found time for jubilation as headteacher Helen Jarvis was awarded £3,000 in the teaching "Oscars", and the school

  • Firm waits for 'right offer' for empty building

    THE owners of an empty building in the centre of Earby have said they are in no rush to sell the site. The large building, erected on the former Victoria Mill site in the early 1990s, has never been occupied and is currently up for sale. Originally it

  • Park gets £111,000 in lottery cash

    YEARS of hard work have paid off for a small band of dedicated volunteers with news that Sutton Park has been awarded a £111,000 lottery grant. The Edwardian park, managed by the village's parish council, is in a bad state of repair and needs thousands

  • Group set up to look at trust idea

    A DEVELOPMENT trust could be set up in South Craven to bring new jobs, leisure facilities and other services to the area. The idea is the brainchild of officials at Glusburn-based South Craven Community Action who want to see the area get its fair share

  • Native crayfish saved from extinction

    RARE native white-clawed crayfish facing a devastating plague have been rescued from the River Ribble. Environment Agency staff rescued more than 450 of the small creatures - which look like mini lobsters - from the upper reaches of the river after it

  • Signs mark further gardens upgrade

    THE temporary signboards which 'Darwin's Garden Army' have been using to keep visitors informed of progress on the site are about to get their marching orders. Construction of three permanent information boards is nearing completion, and these will eventually

  • Charity loses out as Ardenlea is 'listed'

    A CANCER charity has lost out on the chance to cash in big time on the sale of a famous Victorian Ilkley building. The Ardenlea Marie Curie Centre on Queen's Drive is due for closure next year and the building has been put on the market by the charity

  • Dramatic scheme will bring Wells House back to life

    WELLS House, one of the most important historic buildings in Ilkley, is to be dramatically brought back to life in an intriguing restoration programme. Magellan, a Bradford based company, which specialises in high profile residential and commercial development

  • New group plans a better future for Kings Hall

    A NEW era in the life of Ilkley's Edwardian entertainment complex will be announced tomorrow at the first meeting of a new group. The Friends of the Kings Hall/Winter Gardens has been formed to revitalise the venue and restore the buildings to their original

  • Why weren't we warned?

    ANGRY Ilkley residents whose homes and gardens were hit by the worst floods in recent memory claimed this week they weren't warned about the dangers. Three homes and a block of flats on Denton Road and Gilstead Way had to be evacuated as water levels

  • Plenty of emotion, but light on facts

    SIR,- I have just read K J Grogan's letter of October 19 regarding the refusal of planning permission for Guiseley AFC's further 'development' of Nethermoor Park. Whilst his letter is high in emotion, opinion and supposition, it is extremely light in

  • Youngsters don't know how lucky they are!

    SIR - Hanging around on street corners? Going into the school grounds with cans of beer? Outrageous! When I was a teenager such things would never have crossed my mind. Of course, in my day, babies were born perfect. Those were the days when you just

  • Help for victims of claw wars

    The endangered white-clawed crayfish is to be released into a secret location within Kirklees to help prevent its possible extinction in the district. The native freshwater species is threatened because of the introduction into Britain of the signal crayfish

  • West Park register season's first points

    West Park Bramhope... 9 Beverley...6 WITH many past players present on their annual reunion, West Park showed the grit and determination that they have been noted for over the years to grind out their first victory of the season against their East Yorkshire

  • Ilkley's game falls to weather

    ILKLEY AFC's cup match against Bramhope was a victim of the severe weather on Saturday, with the West Holmes field being waterlogged. This Saturday provides Ilkley with another home fixture against Hampsthwaite (kick-off 2.15pm) weather permitting, and

  • Otley Town draw at Stump Cross

    Otley Town....1 Marsden.....2 ON this season's form, Otley Town went into this League Cup game as underdogs. Mid-table Marsden must have made the long trip to Otley with confidence but were to find that the Otley boys had gained in confidence from last

  • Race-jibe officer is given eviction order

    A former police officer forced to resign for referring to an Asian colleague in a racist way is being evicted from his police home. Rick Pentith, a former Shipley-based community constable, has been given less than a month to quit the Police Authority-owned

  • Men jailed for tobacco sale fraud

    A 50-year-old man started selling bootleg cigarettes and tobacco in an bid to raise enough money to carry out essential adaptations to his home, a court was told. Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how George Kelly decided that the illegal trade was

  • Party balloons pose 'danger' to children

    Safety campaigners have urged Bradford parents planning parties to be aware of the risks balloons pose to young children. Jane Eason, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said the case of a Bradford girl who suffered brain damage after

  • Multi-racial society 'is a great strength'

    Bradford's mixed communities and acclaimed photography museum have been given a ringing endorsement by MP Chris Smith at the start of a major culture conference. The minister said the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television should form the

  • Mumtaz hearings put back

    Bankruptcy petition hearings against the owners of a Bradford curry house have been put on hold until the outcome of another court battle. The petitions against two of the six partners of Mumtaz Paan House, Great Horton, Road, have been filed by HM Customs

  • 'We will fight plans for arts complex'

    Protesters today urged people to take advantage of "breathing space" and join a battle to stop the demolition of Provincial House and its replacement with a modern building containing bars, restaurants and an arts centre. Bradford Arts Forum members attended

  • Woman's life saved by quick thinking

    Emergency workers commandeered a passing JCB to save a woman 'hanging on for dear life' in freezing flood water, it emerged today. The woman was caught in fast-flowing torrents close to the River Aire at Baildon had burst its banks. Firefighters involved

  • Floods: worst yet to come

    The worst of the flooding is yet to come in areas of Bradford, according to the Environment Agency. Hundreds of evacuees forced to flee their water-logged homes in the Stockbridge area of Keighley could face days in an evacuation centre as river levels

  • Letters to the Editor

    SIR - I read, with some incredulity (T&A, October 30), that the Council is going to spend in excess of a quarter of a million pounds, albeit some 50 per cent being donated by the Millennium Commission grant, on a 2001 party! Are there not more deserving

  • Otliensians enjoy comfortable win

    Old Otliensians...16 Bramley Phoenix...0 OTLIENSIANS enjoyed a fairly comfortable victory against Bramley on Saturday by two tries and two penalties to nil. The game was preceded by a minute's silence as a show of sympathy for Otliensians club member

  • Farming and transport pledge

    THE National Farmer's Union has formed an alliance with transport industry leaders to call for sweeping changes to the fuel taxation system that is blighting Britain's ability to compete on the world market. The NFU and the Freight Transport Association

  • Government warned over threat to abattoirs

    THE Government risks stifling rural enterprise unless it acts now to save rural abattoirs from closure. This was the message sent to Tony Blair by a group of major rural organisations and representatives from the meat and livestock industry. Handing in