PEOPLE who are proud of Ilkley must be breathing a sigh of relief now that planning bosses have embraced the town's Design Statement with open arms. And the decision to take further steps toward giving Ben Rhydding and Middleton their own conservation
He wouldn't necessarily describe it as a dream come true but teenage striking sensation Anthony Bing-ham is certainly happy to have made his Park Avenue debut. The lightning-quick 17-year-old is proving a useful member of Trevor Storton's squad and deservedly
Ashley Ward today reassured worried fans: Give it a few weeks and you'll see the true Bradford City. The Bantams are suffering a crisis of form and confidence on the back of seven straight losses - their most miserable stretch since 1978. They are locked
Thousands of people have been clamouring to book flights with new airline Jet2, based at Leeds Bradford International Airport. Tickets were only on sale for a matter of hours before phone lines and the website were jammed. The low cost airline started
Otley celebrated Christmas early this year as residents and businesses rallied round to make the Spirit of Christmas Day a success. Despite the cancelled Victorian Fayre, the magical daytime events continued with school children carol singing and shop-keepers
A SHORTAGE of firefighters in Ot-ley could put public safety at risk, it was claimed this week. Two prominent local councillors and a fire chief spoke out after it was revealed that the retained Bondgate station has only seven men. Station commander of
Bradford Council's very first end-of-year report should leave it with a rightful sense of achievement - but there's certainly no room to rest on its laurels. While all those who contributed to the Audit Commission's assessment of Bradford Council as a
Bradford-based supermarket giant Morrisons was voted "fresh pasta retailer of the year" in the Pizza Pasta and Italian food industry awards which were announced at a food industry gala dinner in London. Judges took into account improvements made to Morrisons
The first specialist eye hospital in Yorkshire has attracted £1 million of funding from the Co-operative Bank. Work is almost complete converting the building at Harrogate Road, Apperley Bridge, which will become the Yorkshire Eye Hospital and equipment
100 Years Ago A letter in the Wharfedale and Airedale Observer 100 years ago: Sir, I rather expected to see in the paper a string of protests from Menston and Burley readers against the proposed Mid Yorkshire Tramways scheme, but as there is not a single
With its dark rooms, cobwebbed walls and creaking floors, the former magistrates court in Otley is not really much to look at. But the old Victorian building is about to undergo a transformation costing more than £500,000 to turn it into a state-of-the-art
BUSINESSES in Addingham could be left behind in the technological revolution because the community may be too small to support a new advance in communications. Firms and home users wanting to make use of the more efficient Broadband Internet access have
A HIGH tech communication system designed to prevent Ilkley from becoming a soft touch for criminals has recorded a significant success. Shopkeepers sprung into action when a team of suspicious characters were spotted mingling with Christmas shoppers
125 Years Ago SHORTLY before Christmas in 1877 a public meeting to consider the Sunday closing question was held in the Working Men's Hall. The Rev E J Brailsford moved the following resolution which was seconded by the Rev R M Begg and carried: That
Services provided to Kirklees' 28,000 council tenants were today given a two-star rating by the Housing Inspectorate. The highest accolade is three stars and the Council's Cabinet member for Housing, Councillor Graham Simpson said it would mean £62.5million
"For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, he marks, not that you won or lost, but how you played the game" was the exhortation of Fell Captain Graham Breeze as he despatched the first pair of the Skyrac Veterans team on leg one
Bramley Phoenix 41 Old Otliensians 7 Otliensians travelled to Bramley with a much-changed side. With experienced forwards Richard Smith and Peter Tempest unavailable and centre Rob Wilks recovering from a facial injury, they knew they would be up against
Farsley Celtic 3 Guiseley 0 GUISELEY followed up their fine 2-1 win at high riding Matlock Town on Saturday with yet another West Riding County Cup debacle. On Tuesday they lost 3-0 at Throstle Nest to neighbours Farsley Celtic on a bitterley cold night
Otley 21 Plymouth Albion 40 IT would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall in the home dressing room at half-time on Saturday just to hear what Otley coach Peter Clegg had to say to his team after watching them perfecting the style of play they
A VIP lunch and a trip to see Bradford City are up for grabs in a festive auction in aid of the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Can... Cancer Research Appeal. The winner of this prize will get two tickets for the Boxing Day match between Bradford and Stoke
Keep fit and leisure activities are set to cost more in the New Year as City Hall prepares to raise prices. The review of fees and charges for sport and leisure facilities will be scrutinised by the council's executive committee next week. Prices are
Last time he used a mop handle; this time it's a vacuum cleaner, but inventor Eddie Holden, pictured, is determined his latest light bulb exchanger will be a success. So innovative is his latest device that BBC Tomorrow's World spin-off show, Best Inventions
Bradford was today rated as one of Britain's better performing councils in the first national league tables of local authorities. The authority's strong leadership was singled out for high praise and full marks were given for its housing and benefit services
BEN RHYDDING LADIES: Despite a somewhat damp and foggy day the new Lady Captain's Drive-in on November 13 was a very successful and enjoyable event. Competitors were invited to estimate where her drive would land. The winner of this was Jill Guthrie.
ILKLEY and District Motor Club claimed eight in a row when they won the Larkspeed League. Since its inception in 1972 when Shell sponsored the league and since 1990 when Larkspeed took over the Ilkley club has won the championship an unprecedented 15
Ben Rhydding 5 Wigan 2 Ben Rhydding were back at home last Saturday for arguably their most important match of the season. Coming off the back of a loss and a draw, Rhydding desperately needed to win to put their season back on track. Rhydding began nervously
Tessa Jowell Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has re-appointed David Geldart, Director of PE and Sport at St Mary's RC School, Menston, for a second three-year term as Council Member of Sport England. Sport England's primary role is to
The final piece of the Bradford Bulls coaching jigsaw is now in place and Brian Noble is a happy man. The Bulls coach admits the decision to add former St Helens star Phil Veivers to the Odsal staff was "staring me in the face". "I am delighted that we
Whatever the fate of Bradford Bulls in this season's TXU Energi Challenge Cup, Lee Radford is confident he can make an impact in the event. But the 23-year-old second-row forward isn't worried yet what the draw has in store for the Bulls in the fourth
The district's primary schools are again proving successful, the latest national league tables have shown this week. The tables list the performances achieved by Wharfedale, Aireborough and Horsforth's 11-year-olds in the national curriculum tests in
A Yeadon bandstand has been dubbed a laughing stock in the brass band world. The eight-sided bandstand in Yeadon Tarn has been described, by musician Ron Downs, as being 'as useful as a chocolate teapot'. The problem with the bandstand is that it is too
After decades of uncertainty, Otley's new £13 million hospital is finally underway. And on Friday last week, Harold Best , MP and the hospital's longest serving worker, auxiliary nurse Christine Davey, performed the turf cutting ceremony. Mr Best, MP
A 21-YEAR-OLD man was stabbed to death by a roadside chef as he tried to diffuse an incident outside an Addingham pub, a court was told this week. Plumber Mark Webster, who worked as a barman the Sun Inn in Norwood, died minutes after being stabbed outside
The debate surrounding Otley's Christmas lights has hotted up this week as people continue to voice their opinions. David Brotherton, a former street light superintendent, who put the town's Christmas decorations up for more than ten years, is unhappy
Employers and training providers have started a new scheme to address a skills mismatch in the Bradford job market. The district's changing pattern of employment, with the decline in manufacturing and textile jobs, has led to a need for re-training among
In 1913, the stolen Mona Lisa was recovered after being missing for two years. In 1955, British engineer Christopher Cockerell patented his hovercraft. In 1986, the super-light aircraft Voyager completed a round the world flight of nine days without refuelling
THE annual publication of national curriculum test results for 11-year-olds has revealed Ilkley's primary schools are again proving successful. High percentages of pupils in all of the area's state run primary schools achieved the required 'level four
WIZARDRY and magic made an appearance at a Burley-in-Wharfedale school's Christmas fair. Children were invited to take part in a fancy dress competition on the themes of Harry Potter or magic, for the Burley Woodhead Primary School event. The winners
An Ilkley based engineering company is celebrating a dramatic turnaround in fortunes - with an £8 million leap in orders. Just four years ago Spooner Industries Ltd had to shed around a third of its then 100-strong workforce, blaming the redundancies
A ROADSIDE chef fatally stabbed a 21-year-old man with a five-inch blade as he tried to diffuse an incident outside an Addingham pub, a court was told this week. Barbados-born Leroy Mckenzie Griffith, 37, of Ridley's Fold, Addingham, is on trial for murder
Lights make Otley 'a laughing stock' SIR, - May I through your paper answer some of the questions posed by your readers regarding this year's Otley Christmas lights. The history of the Otley Christmas lights originally started about four years ago when
A TRIBUTE to the life and work of one of Ilkley's most talented artists opens this weekend at the Manor House Art Gallery and Museum. It is a fitting venue for the work of Arthur Kitching who was the curator of the Manor House from 1963 to 1974. But the
Blame at highways officials' door SIR, - The remarks attributed to the Highways Officer in the December 5 edition of the Ilkley Gazette can only be described as bizarre. Bolling Road/Springs Lane - one road in all but name - is the most accident prone
Vandals have smashed windows, broken crockery and daubed graffiti in two attacks on Bailey Hills Tennis Club in Bingley. Police suspect that after a minor attack last week, the vandals returned to the Cemetery Road clubhouse at the weekend to wreak more
ILKLEY and District Motor Club claimed eight in a row when they won the Larkspeed League. Since its inception in 1972 when Shell sponsored the league and since 1990 when Larkspeed took over the Ilkley club has won the championship an unprecedented 15
SIX of the Baildon-based Seishin-Ryu karate students successfully sailed through their Black Belt at Warrington. They were graded by three of the most distinguished Shuko-kai Karate Union chief instructors (ranked 7th and 8th dans) in England. Sensei
Tessa Jowell Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has re-appointed David Geldart, Director of PE and Sport at St Mary's RC School, Menston, for a second three-year term as Council Member of Sport England. Sport England's primary role is to
Choir members at St Paul's Parish Church, Shipley have recorded their first CD to help fund an organ restoration. Titled Benedicte, its 20 tracks include familiar television tunes such as Howard Goodall's version of The Lord is my Shepherd and Geoffrey
The family of a man who vanished ten years ago today pleaded "We need to know what has happened to him". Their plea came as detectives reopened the file on Graham Whitton who was last seen walking out of a city pub on December 11, 1992. The 38-year-old
Youngsters took centre stage at St George's Hall to bask in applause as Bradford celebrated a year of educational achievement. Pupils and the adults supporting them were honoured in the huge awards ceremony thrown by Education Bradford. Around 300 people
A spectacular roof top viewing terrace, museum and new city gardens are just a few of the projects which could make the city's biggest architectural gem a real "people's" building. The seat of politics could soon be alive with music and leisure as architects
A chef was 'full of rage' as he brandished a knife in a pub car park moments before a man was stabbed to death, a jury was told. Mark Webster was struck by a stab wound seconds after Leroy Griffith had made thrusting actions towards others with a 5in
Families fighting for shorter sentences for the jailed Bradford rioters are featured in a new BBC documentary next week. 'Trouble Up North' follows the campaigners who say five-year sentences were too long for their loved ones. They say they should not
Tears flowed as Bradford television reporter Zaiba Naz Malik ran into her mother's arms today after being freed from a Bangladeshi prison. Zaiba, 33, arrived back in Britain shortly after 6am ending an ordeal lasting nearly three weeks. She and Italian
"For when the One Great Scorer comes to write against your name, he marks, not that you won or lost, but how you played the game" was the exhortation of Fell Captain Graham Breeze as he despatched the first pair of the Skyrac Veterans team on leg one
Colne Valley 1 Ben Rhydding Ladies 8 This week Ben Rhydding Ladies travelled to Huddersfield for the last league game before the Christmas break. Ben Rhydding could have blamed their slow and congested journey on their rather mediocre first-half performance
Ilkley 2 Bramhope 2 What might seem points dropped was a point gained by Ilkley who once again gave themselves a mountain to climb. This week, the sending-off of James Wilson for a handling offence after only two minutes was compounded by Bramhope converting
Ilkley 16 Leodensians 32 The setting was right. The atmosphere was right. The big crowd was eager to see Ilkley build on their spirited win at Skipton the previous week. Ilkley were unchanged other than at scrum-half. Tim Barley was ski-ing so young Ollie
SIR - It should come as no surprise that Yorkshire Forward has lost its nerve in supporting Bradford's much-needed Broadway redevelopment scheme, for lately a number of major initiatives have been knocked back by the bureaucrats. Is there a whispering
The people who helped make Friday's Spirit of Christmas day the success it was should all receive a huge pat on the back for their efforts. But for those who thought all was lost when the Victorian Fayre was cancelled, and decided to give up on the day
