Letters to the Editor

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 the town council stored the Christmas lights in Manor House stables.

One year the lights were totally wrecked and the vehicle used to erect the lights was also smashed beyond repair.

The town council was unable to make a decision as to whether or not to have any Christmas lights. I stepped in and said I was prepared to look at what was possible on a limited budget of approximately £10,000. (£5,000 from Leeds City Council and £5,000 from Otley Town Council).

After various meetings involving the Clerk of the Council, the electrical contractor and Leeds Lighting Department, it was decided that instead of buying a few new items, we would hire new items from Leeds Lights. The first year every lamp had to be standardised and brought up to safety standards.

Our contractor did this work and at least we were able to provide a small number of perfect lights along with a number of festoons.

One of the beauties of using these lights was that at the end of the Christmas season, the lights are taken away, refurbished up to new standard and stored until required by ourselves. It was a very successful plan and one which all parties agreed was working admirably.

Since then, we have over the years built up the Christmas lights to include lamp motifs on Bondgate, Kirkgate, Bridge Street, Market place, Boroughgate, Cross Green etc. We also arranged for the lighting of the trees in Tittybottle Park, Midland Bank Triangle, Parish Church yard, etc.

Our plans this year were to try to light up trees in Cross Green. We had mentioned the possibility of lighting up Safeways exterior and even illuminating the bridge. One other noticeable addition to the Otley lighting is the garlands around the Civic Centre and Jubilee Clock.

We had looked at the possibility of placing Christmas trees outside the shops on Kirkgate, but had met huge opposition from the Socialist members of the town council, who pointed out that the brackets in a conservation area may not be acceptable.

One Labour councillor at that time even suggested scrapping the lights in the town, or cutting them back severely and instead put a Christmas tree outside all the aged peoples complexes in Otley. The cost of this project would have been approximately £600 per complex and we estimated there would be fourteen complexes to be covered.

I soldiered on bravely with the lights but unfortunately, due to the political nature of the council, I was 'sacked' from the position of being in charge of the Christmas lights to be replaced by Councillors Coyne, Eveleigh etc. who gave an undertaking to give Otley Christmas lights it would remember!

My own opinion is that having spent years building up the lights into something to be proud of, the Socialist-led town council has reduced the town to a laughing stock.

Christmas is a happy and joyous time especially for children and this should surely reflect on the decorations in our town! I just hope in May when the town council elections are being held, people will remember this fact.

Coun Nigel Francis

Former Chairman,

Otley Christmas Lights,

Otley Town Council.

Pathetic efforts

SIR, - It's hardly surprising to hear the reaction of local people to the pathetic efforts of Otley Town Council's town centre Christmas lighting strategy.

They've certainly made their mark, insomuch the town is a laughing stock. How on earth any right minded person can claim this year's lights are a step forward beggars belief.

Any councillor who voted for this should come out on Kirkgate and hang their heads in shame. Who cares if it did cost a lot of money, that just makes it even more wasteful.

When local traders are shaking their heads in disbelief and when local people don't know whether to laugh or cry, you somehow know Otley Town Council has made a monumental error of judgment. Christmas in Otley, that's a joke. Still your local councillors must think Santa Claus will be coming down their chimneys sometime soon.

Now what's happening up in Guiseley?

Dan Cooney

14 Riverdale Court,

Otley.

'Dodgy' trees

SIR, - I hope that Otley Council has negotiated a good fee with the producers of 'Heartbeat' for the use of Otley town centre this Christmas.

It's obvious that the town is being used for the Heartbeat Christmas special, where Claude Greengrass (or Vernon Scripps) con Aidensfield council into buying a few hundred 'dodgy' trees and faulty fairy lights only for Oscar Blaketon to save the day when he unearths last year's brilliant lights which had been stashed under the floorboards of the Civic Centre. I'm looking forward to the final scene!.

May I congratulate the Rev Graham Buttenshaw and crew for a great beer festival. Hopefully enough money can be raised to repair the window - after all, it's the brightest thing in the town centre at the moment!

Finally, well done to the residents of Falcon Close for their Christmas lights - well worth a visit. But please don't go via the town centre!!!

Mr Richard Parker

25 Whiteley Croft Road,

Otley.

A real shame

SIR, - The Christmas lights in Otley, or lack of them, I think is a real shame because I used to work for both of the companies which installed them.

When I was doing the lights in Otley you always came under fire from people who always thought that the lights were a disgrace, but finally we won them over with bigger and bet-ter lights.

I like to see lights up at Christmas as my home is deco-rated with various lights as both my children like to see them. I get the feeling from talking to people that Otley has no Christmas spirit or, should I say, the councillors have no spirit.

The only way I can see to solve this is to rethink the councillors of Otley who think we do not deserve any Christmas

A FOYLE

a.foyle@talk21.com

Great support

SIR, - On Saturday evening I, along with many others on the platform, thoroughly enjoyed the lights of Yeadon, being switched on. It was wonderful to see and hear the children from our Yeadon South View and Queensway Primary Schools, singing their Christmas Carols with great joy.

The support from the community at our annual get-together really lifted our spirits and a big THANK YOU to all of the people, young and old, who turned out on such a wet evening to participate in the 'switch-on'.

Having read about all the plans our three councillors have in store for distributing funding released from the city coffers, can we now have even more imagination and spend some money on our beautiful Town Hall Square?

Let's renew our setts, by finding a better substance than tar to hold them in place; take off all that horrible green cladding around the library and reveal the stonework, and illuminate our beautiful old Town Hall at night, a plan Mike and I looked at when I was in office but had to abandon because of insufficient funding.

Guiseley Project has shown us how to enhance Guiseley. Now let's enhance Yeadon Town Hall and the Square as a Project Yeadon, by the releasing of funds to light up our inheritance.

Moira Dunn

Hon Alderman,

Rufford Avenue,

Yeadon.

Family's thanks

SIR, - On behalf of all the family of Lindsay Pollard and Danielle Skillbeck, we would like to express our grateful thanks for all your good wishes, support and prayers during what has been a trying time for all our family.

In such a short time all our lives have been changed and although Danielle has still a long period of rehabilitation in front of her, in many ways it is a miracle that Danielle has made such progress.

Thank you all for your kindness shown to Danielle, special thanks to all of Lindsay's friends who have supported her so well. We are aware of the selfless giving that has occurred including the many sponsorships, walks, runs, gifts, offers of help with Danielle's new home and so, so much more. You all know who you are. We thank you.

For the many thoughtful and caring people throughout the country. In Otley for the ones who stopped to chat with encouraging words of God's promises and also from their own life experiences. We thank you very much.

Our heartfelt thanks to the nurses and the medical team at the LGI and St James's Hospital for the wonderful, excellent and professional care they gave to our precious Danielle, resulting in that she is now at home enjoying being with her family.

Although we will probably never know why this has occurred or why Danielle has had to suffer such debilitating injuries from her contracting meningitis, your good wishes and prayerful support have been a tremendous source of strength to us all. Thank you.

FAMILY OF DANIELLE

Name and address supplied).

80th anniversary

SIR, - The Guiseley branch of the Royal British Legion celebrated its 80th anniversary on November 9. On Remembrance Sunday, members laid up our old standard and dedicated a new one which members had donated over £400 towards the cost. The poppy appeal to date has raised £13,013. Our thanks to everyone who helped and who took part in the parade, old and young.

Elsie Turner

Honorary poppy appeal organiser

Silverdale Drive

Guiseley.

Inflation point

SIR, - There appears to be a considerable amount of industrial unrest, with people demanding wage increases well above the rate of inflation.

Surely they must realise that, in this day and age, the only things that are allowed to increase well above the rate of inflation are MP's salaries and Gordon Brown's taxes.

C M Harper

Banksfield Avenue,

Yeadon.