IT is not difficult to appreciate the rage felt by some Otley families as they come to terms with the reorganisation of the town's primary schools. Now that the closure of two, much loved, schools is in sight, many parents are beginning to realise the full implications.

And despite promises that every parent would be able to send their children to the school of their choice, it now looks as though that is not the case.

Parents of children at All Saints Junior School, one of the schools due to close at the end of the summer term, are taking their fight to the High Court. Having had their application to appeal rejected, they have now won the right to appeal against that decision.

They say they accept that something needed to be done to address the problem of too many spare places in primary schools - but that the way the whole process was handled was wrong. They would ideally like to see all the schools in the town remain open, but failing that, they would like to see everything slowed down - and in the future the same treatment not dished out to other parents.

Leeds City Council will argue that it has acted within the law and given people the required amount of time to protest - but when the parents' arguments apparently fell on deaf ears, what was the point of consultation?

WHILE the farming community is trying its hardest to pull through after the foot and mouth crisis, the time has finally arrived for others to lend a hand. Otley Show has had to make the decision it feared several months ago - that continuing restrictions would make it too difficult to allow cattle and sheep to return to the show.

Wharfedale Agricultural Society has already declared that the show will go on come May 18, and now it needs as many people in the area as possible, to support the event on show day. There will still be classes for horses, and the usual showjumping classes, poultry and produce.

Despite a lack of cattle and sheep, organisers are aiming to keep the farming world at the centre of the event, and allow all visitors, young and old, to get as much of a taste of agriculture as the appearance of livestock would give. Extra displays and demonstrations are being arranged.

Otley Show is not only a major day for all the traders in the town, it is also a major part of the town's heritage - one of the many attractive features of Wharfedale, and also something which residents need to support.