A Bradford karate club owner has clinched his 50th gold medal in the World Martial Arts Open Championships in Birmingham. Nisar Smiler, 38, has been involved in karate since he was just three-years-old and in that time has twice been World Champion, four
Bradford's problems with travellers seem to go on and on. Time and again they move on to public land - a school playing field perhaps, or a park or car park - and the Council has to spend much-needed money on legal action to authorise their removal. And
The woman who has run a family coal merchants in Riddlesden on her own for the past 11 years has died. Mrs Joan Oldfield, 65, was the wife of the late Keith Oldfield, who died in October 1991. She pledged to continue the 160-year-old business and has
An 84-year-old woman won a garden competition she did not even know she had entered. Constance Richmond, of Heath Grove, was announced as winner of Morton Village Society's best kept garden competition. She said: "I was very surprised. I have never won
Bank holiday visitors to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway are on track for a fun-filled day. The five-mile line will boast a packed programme of activities on Monday. Steam trains will operate every 45 minutes and any child accompanied by a teddy
People involved in the making of the classic Railway Children movie three decades ago are being hunted by a TV crew. The timeless 1970 version of the Edith Nesbit tale was filmed on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, and many locals had roles on or
A motorcyclist was killed when he was involved in a head-on collision with a van near the Herder's public house on the Oldfield to Laneshaw Bridge road near Keighley. Firefighters from Keighley, Haworth and Colne used jacking equipment to free the stricken
Top-notch GCSE results are being celebrated by Keighley schools. At South Craven School in Cross Hills, the overall A* to G pass rate was a record 99 per cent. Passes at A* to C rose to over 50 per cent, with 134 students obtaining five or more at those
A BARNOLDSWICK police officer and his paramedic wife have received an official police commendation for saving the life of a local man in the town centre. PC Mark Hyde was quick to act when he realised an elderly and disabled man was choking on food during
ALL the right ingredients made for another excellent Salterforth Fun Day on Sunday. The tried and tested recipe of stalls, games, rides, entertainment and sport once again brought the crowds flocking to the West Craven village, encouraged by that vital
Boy George - U Can Never B2 Straight Oh dear, if there's one thing that really annoys me it's the incorrect use of grammar. U and B2 ... please stop this. Is it any wonder half the kids are illiterate? Terrible title aside, Boy George has produced quite
Keighley band Blondel is taking a trip to London for its first major recording session. The news comes as the band announces a series of local appearances over the next few weeks. The trio plays an evening gig at the Bay Horse, Cowling, this Sunday as
Ken Dodd, Billy Bragg, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and a pair of bananas are among stars visiting Halifax this autumn. The Victoria Theatre hosts a selection of shows by comedians, singers and children's characters. Mirth-makers include Lee Evans (Oct
City finance and the state of the UK economy may not sound the most promising subjects for a comedy. But director David Hardman declares that Keighley Playhouse audiences will chuckle just as much as usual. He says Shut Your Eyes and Think of England
A magistrate who resisted calls for his resignation when he controversially stood on a picket line has retired after serving 30 years on the bench. John Durkin, pictured, said he was proud that he stuck by his convictions and joined a protest against
Bradford's highly successful beach in Centenary Square will stay open for an extra two days over the Bank Holiday weekend due to the huge public demand. Holiday makers have been flocking to the Bradford Beach where tropical scenes have been created with
A property company wants to invest £5 million to transform a dilapidated former wool warehouse in the heart of Bradford into a set of luxury private apartments. Asquith Properties has put in a £1 million offer to buy fire-damaged Broadgate House in Manor
A little boy battling leukaemia hopes to get his best birthday present ever - a bone marrow donor. Billy Broxup celebrates his fifth birthday on Sunday. His family, who have helped to organise a bone marrow donor clinic on the following day are praying
The owner of a new shop has condemned vandals who torched his van and smashed signs the day it opened. The attack on Chatha's Off Licence on Saturday is one of several acts of vandalism on the shop run by Jas Chatha, pictured, in High Street, Queensbury
When four-year-old Danielle Skilbeck walks down the aisle as a bridesmaid at her mum's wedding, it will be a major achievement. For she will be walking on two artificial legs, after losing them to meningitis. Her mum, Lindsay Pollard has even postponed
A drugs baron has lost his luxury Harden farmhouse after being ordered to hand over £1.2 million amassed through his criminal empire. Raymond Spencer, already serving 12 years in jail, faces the sentence being almost doubled if he does not cough up the
With nine starred-A GCSEs and four top candidates' awards under his belt, 16-year-old Matthew Clifford must surely claim the title Brain of Bradford, if not Britain. But the Thornton Grammar School pupil, pictured, doesn't want people getting the wrong
TEAMS representing the Bangladeshi Community Association swept the board at the recent Alliance League 8-a-side competition. The club has formed a Sunday League team which is to play in the Keighley & District Alliance League this season. They gave
SILSDEN and Steeton swept to opening day victories in the West Riding County Amateur League. Both clubs started with tough derby fixtures on Wednesday evening with Silsden facing Keighley Phoenix. After several seasons as the top local club Phoenix are
Silsden slipped to an agonising derby defeat as struggling Skipton turned giant-killers in the B Division. The Keighley Road side struggled to reach 119 as Andrew Fergie set up Skipton's victory by taking five wickets for 19 runs. Andy Waggett top scored
The fifth Danny McGowan charity golf day, hosted by Bingley St Ives Golf Club - raised more than £3,600 for Manorlands. A hundred golfers in teams of four took part, and an evening event including an auction boosted the total. Over the last five years
A top local athletics coach has been thrown out of Bingley Harriers after being found guilty of gross misconduct by UK Athletics. Dennis Quinlan, 59, was expelled from the club after admitting the non-sexual harassment of two female club members. He was
Paul Burrow has become the first winner of the renewed Keighley Pool Ranking Tournament. In the five events played, Paul managed to reach four finals - winning two of them. With one event to go only a handful of players could still challenge Paul for
EVEN before the present marathon rugby league season has ended, Cougars are busy preparing for 2003 - and predict that good times are just around the corner. "This time last year the Cougars did not exist, there were no players, no coach - no club. We
SKIPTON'S bid to stay in Division B of the Airedale & Wharfedale League is still alive and kicking. Their 81-run derby win over neighbours Silsden at Sandylands last weekend kept them within three points of third-from-bottom Ilkley, with four games
Glorious weather was the order of the day for the J P Mewies Craven & District League last Saturday and some of the cricket matched the conditions. Embsay entertained their Wynn Cup opponents of the following day, Barrowford, and extinguished the
WHARFEDALE newcomer Chris Malherbe endured ecstasy and agony within minutes during his debut at The Avenue on Sunday in the Dalesmen's practice session against Darlington Mowden Park. The former Kendal and Otley centre could hardly have wished for a better
SIR - I love shopping in Bradford. It has a lot to offer and some great features despite what people may think. Buildings like the Wool Exchange and the steep shopping streets give the city centre a lot of character. The Kirkgate Centre is one of the
Crown Prosecutors have to ask themselves two questions when deciding whether or not a case should go ahead. The first test is: 'Is there enough evidence against the defendant?' This objective test means that a jury or magistrates, properly directed, are
With just four weekends of cricket left this summer, it is set to be another intriguing weekend in the Bradford League. East Bierley, currently in fourth place, welcome Pudsey St Lawrence in what could be their last chance to battle for the title. Already
Claus Jorgensen expects to be on the bench tomorrow - at best. But as speculation grows regarding the out-of-favour midfielder, he is refusing to jack it in. Although the Dane does not seem to fit into Nicky Law's plans, Jorgensen is determined to get
Brandon Costin has been passed fit for Sunday's match at Castleford, but doubts whether he will be fit to play! The 30-year-old stand-off or centre, who has missed the last seven matches with a broken left hand, admitted today: "I have been given the
Robert Taylor, the striker bombed out by City in the summer, could come back to haunt them at Valley Parade. The well-travelled frontman failed to impress in a week's trial with the Bantams last month. He was released after being taken off at half-time
Businesses in Bradford are being urged to enter the Queen's Awards for Enterprise to show they can compete with the best in the country. Only 21 in Bradford have entered the awards, less than this time last year, but they have until October 31 to apply
In 1912, schoolboys throughout the UK went on "strike". In 1940, German bombers began making night raids on London. In 1987, French racing driver Didier Peroni died in a power boat accident. From the Telegraph & Argus of August 23rd, 1977... A national
The Johnson Radley Foundry has been saved in a management buyout which will secure 30 jobs. The Pudsey firm, formerly part of the BRK Group, had been in administration. The deal was led by Andrew Knight, who has 28 years of experience in the foundry industry
A new business has been set up by a mother and her two daughters. The website www.rooftoppost.co.uk was born from an idea Linda Betts, 55, had when her two daughters were little. Natalie Betts, 25, who is an IT manager in Leeds, explained: "She would
A meeting is being held next week to see how effective the region's business start up strategy has been so far. On September 2 the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly will hold the first of its scrutiny meetings with regeneration agency Yorkshire Forward. The
Married at St Anne's Church in Keighley were Jason Nigel Kemp and Roxana Clarkson. Jason - a plasterer - is the elder son of Nigel Kemp, of Basingstoke, and the only son of Jennifer Kemp, of Crossview, Oakworth. Roxana - who works in retail management
Married at St Anne's Church, Keighley, were Ryan Malcolm Hanson and Louisa Jayne Spencer. Ryan - who works for Yorkshire Electricity - is the eldest son of Malcolm Hanson, of Benidorm, and Patsy Hanson, of Nares Street, Keighley. Louisa - a dental nurse
Traders in Haworth are being urged to commit to fair deals and make the village a fair trade zone. Interested business people have met and set up a steering group to gauge support for a bid for fair trade zone status. Main Street business Sonia's Smile
The new property manager of a National Trust site has had a wealth of challenges since she started. In her two months or so at East Riddlesden Hall, Janet Ritchie has had to deal with everything from invasions of frogs and wasps to a gorilla at a wedding
Oxenhope Straw Race is set to create another bumper harvest for local charities. Organisers of the annual event - launched 27 years ago - have hailed Sunday's extravaganza a huge success. They hope that despite a slight drop in entrants, the amount raised
The term day rover took on a new meaning when guide dogs and their handlers let the train take the strain. Twenty pups who are being trained as guide dogs boarded the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway at Keighley station for a day out in Haworth. And
A leading member of a worldwide Muslim sect, aged 102, visited followers in Keighley. Mirza Abdul Haq addressed the 30-plus local members of the Ahmadiyya community as part of his two-month-long visit to England. The fit and healthy centenarian was spending
A clamping company is expanding its operations in a move to halt unauthorised parking in the Keighley area. Carstoppers, who control parking on both the Changegate and Rawdon Road car parks in Haworth, are offering their services to anyone in the region
TV's real-life Lovejoy is coming to Keighley. Bronzed antiques icon David Dickinson is making a guest appearance at the Airedale Shopping Centre on September 27. He will be in the centre from 11.30am-2.30pm, meeting shoppers and staff and signing autographs
A man who asked a 13-year-old Keighley girl to pose for pictures to send over the Internet has gone scot-free. Prosecutors refuse to take the man to court despite his admission - claiming he was "just having a bit of fun". The Crown Prosecution Service
SIR - I endorse the call by Margaret Pethers (KN 16/8/02) for the provision of refuse bins at the Tarn. Recently a lot of money was spent on improving the Tarn, but then Bradford Council naively expected visitors to take their litter home. Some will heed
A councillor is to press for a review of waste and other storage arrangements in communal areas of council flats following a fire which trapped three pensioners in their flats. Firefighters from Mirfield and Dewsbury were called to the block of sheltered
Stone flags outside Denholme's Mechanics Institute could be replaced by concrete if they are stolen once again. The warning has come from Bradford council after the latest theft of the Yorkshire stone paving slabs from the front of the building on Main
A great-great-grandfather who fought in two world wars has been celebrating his 100th birthday, 33 years after suffering a stroke. Jesse Cornford, who lives in the almshouses built by Saltaire's creator Sir Titus Salt, celebrated the landmark with a party
This view of the Haworth Public Prize Band around the turn of the 20th century is especially notable for the dapper gentleman on the right - Handel Parker, composer of the hymn-tune "Deep Harmony". Handel Parker had been a child prodigy, playing the flute
Bradford Youth Offending Team has received extra funding to bolster a scheme aimed at tackling street crime and cutting the number of youths re-offending across the district. The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, started across Bradford
A plan for a new building near Bradford's Alhambra Theatre has been thrown out by shocked councillors who described it as cheap, shabby and ugly. Planning officers said the architect's drawing was the best that could be achieved after "difficult" meetings
The people who will decide the future of Bradford's Capital of Culture bid flew across the district in spectacular style yesterday to be greeted by a stunning display of the slogan One Landscape, Many Views. Huge letters making up Bradford's bid slogan
Travellers who simply moved across the road to another city-centre car park after being evicted from the first one were today accused of "cocking a snook at the law" by a councillor. Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, executive member for the environment, spoke
A worker was crushed to death when he fell into a paper compactor at a Bradford waste disposal site. Firefighters battled in vain to try to free the 38-year-old man from the jaws of the powerful hydraulic machine at the waste transfer depot in Bowling
Keighley Town fell victim to some confusing refereeing decisions as they just missed out on a place in the final of the Illingworth Sevens. The young team was showing the kind of form which promises much over the next couple of seasons as they took on
Cross Roads won their second successive Yorkshire Parks event when their B team won the Wood Cup in the Aire-Wharfe area - emulating their A team which recently won the Brotherton Cup. They beat Bradford Moor, Pudsey Brit B and Bradford Division Four
Keighley face Bradford Moor tonight (Friday) in the last fixture of the Scratch League. The Bradford side need a 5-3 win to clinch the First Division title while an 8-0 victory for Keighley would take them up to third place in the table. Ghyll went down
The weather spoilt what looked like being aclassic cup final. The toss, which Embsay won, turned out to be crucial as play was curtailed after only eight balls of the Barrowford innings. When the game re-started on Monday evening, conditions had changed
Second placed Oakworth kept the pressure on the leaders in ag ame which matched Saturday's bright sunshine. They beat visitors Thornton with just nine balls to spare after the Booth Bridge Lane side rattled up 191-6. The innings was built around a splendid
TEENAGE spin bowler Richard Falkingham made a spectacular start to his senior career - taking two wickets with his first two balls. Richard helped Keighley to victory over Hartshead Moor on Sunday, having a confident lbw claim turned down off his third
CRAIG HORNE has left the Cougars for Doncaster Dragons - and is expected to line up against his old club on Sunday. The classy player (above), who has been out of action with injuries for a large part of the season, told the club he wanted to leave, and
Furious Cougar fans have demanded a fair deal from Bradford Council after the local authority agreed to pay £4.6 million to the Bulls. Independent Supporters Club spokesman Andy Johnson demanded help for the Keighley Club after council officials agreed
EMBSAY duly collected the first leg of what they hope will evolve into a J P Mewies Craven League quartet of cup and league successes when they overpowered Barrowford to win the Wynn Cup at Ingrow. Although Embsay's supremacy was never in doubt once they
SETTLE'S hopes of glory in the Jennings Ribblesdale League's Ramsbottom Cup against Cherry Tree at Read on Sunday were eventually washed away by a downpour that made the game a two-part affair. In the final analysis, Settle went down by 49 runs, reaching
UNCERTAINTY and optimism are usually bedfellows when a new sporting season dawns and the resumption of Craven & District Football League action next week faithfully observes that tradition. While some clubs look ahead with keen anticipation, others
