Thanks for making fayre a success

Although the weather conditions curtailed some of the fayre's entertainment the organisers were very pleased with the level of attendance.

Once again, a significant donation will be made to the West Yorkshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre and St Gemma's Hospice charities which the event supported this year.

The committee was particularly pleased with the quality of the performances from the schools this year and delighted with the record number of businesses and charity shops which entered the window dressing and costume competitions.

The number of organisations who supported the event are far too numerous to mention individually, however, without the hard work and enthusiasm of my colleagues on the committee, the event would not be possible.

We will shortly be announcing the date for the annual general meeting at which next year's committee will be formed.

If anyone would like to help organise the 2001 Victorian Fayre, please contact me on (0113) 2585547.

Adrian Robertshaw

Chairman, Otley Victorian Fayre

Protecting Pool

SIR, - Your comment article describing the planning adversities of Pool-in-Wharfedale and the consequences for Wharfedale was most appropriate.

We now know that contemporary house builders have great difficulty in providing buildings which are appropriately designed for a historic and rural village.

Nevertheless, we are fortunate that we have a thriving community which is looking forward and endeavouring to improve its existing facilities for everyone. With the support of our ward councillors and the CIT, we can try to retain the character of this village, our open spaces and the surrounding countryside for the benefit of visitors and residents.

However,don't be surprised if at the next election we publish a manifesto banning mediocrity, promoting excellence and UDI.

Bernard Mitchinson

Pool-in-Wharfedale

(sent by e-mail)

Council support

SIR,- Further to your article in last Thursday's paper about Weston Lane Sports and Social Club, I am writing concerning Jenny Bennett's comment that "The Council was less than forthcoming in its support".

The council was fully behind giving support to the club both in the short term and the longer term.

Colin Campbell said that we could give help in the short term by a loan or grant until insurance monies were received and would also build items into the budget for 2001/2002 to help with the rebuilding of the premises themselves.

I gather that John Eveleigh and Jenny Bennett had drawn up a resolution to put to Monday's meeting but because Jenny "forgot" to call at the Civic Centre early last week, this was handed in on Friday which was too late by constitutional rules for it to have been put on the agenda which is sent out to Councillors on a Thursday. Had it been on the agenda, we would have been only too happy to approve an immediate payment to the club.

At the end of the day, I am sure that a proposal to assist the club will be passed unanimously at the meeting on the 18th.

John Burland

Otley Town Councillor (Lib Dem)

Play row

SIR,- I can add more to Mr Moyns' comments in his letter to you dated November 23, 2000. The first plan to redevelop the children's play area at Old Pool Bank Village Hall was 'leaked' to me and was costed in the region of £46,000.

It was to be financed by lottery money and was 'nailed on' to quote my source, who was rightly concerned about the cost and scale of the redevelopment. Correspondence with the Charity Commissioner on this matter produced an indignant reply. I wonder why?

Mike Wild will recall a subsequent events leading to a special meeting with members of the community to discuss their anxieties about the planned redevelopment.

Relative to the number of children and size of the community, the redevelopment was of 'Disneyesque' proportions. The meeting ended acrimoniously with a dramatic exit worthy of an ex Old Pool Bank player.

The development was subsequently scaled down to a mere £17,000 and it says much about the decision making process that it happened this way.

The cry 'Play it Safe' seems to be a 'form' and 'reality' situation, ie say one thing and do another. For example 'the safety of children is a high priority' and the need is 'to provide a safe play area away from cars'... so sayeth a communication from the hall's management committee dated June 4 1999.

The 'reality' is that the larger part of the play area at the rear of the hall doubles as a car park and has done so for some time now. A road (of sorts) was laid at considerable cost to facilitate this, without consultation of course.

The front car park is also used as a play area with a tacit acceptance of the Village Hall Committee, at least until I complained to the Department of the Environment on safety grounds.

The practice is now forbidden but it took my complaint to the department, a letter to the hall's insurers, several near accidents and four letters to the chair person from June 1999 to September 2000 before any action was taken.

My letters were not replied to except once which made no reference to the safety issue.

Mr Moyns, you will know that instances of this nature go back in antiquity on the Bank, but two recent events will be fresh in your memory. Remember the arbitrary removal of the Sunday 'no play' rule?

The open invitation to park in our streets despite their previous status and access only situation? A minor uprising in the community corrected this one. Need I go on?

So what can be concluded from the above? Avoiding the inclination to be explicit, it is a bit like X and Y theory (Douglas McGregor 1950s) to do with authoritarian and democratic styles of management. As Bob Dylan sang... 'the times they are a changing'... and we need to move on to Theory Y.

George Catherall,

2 Park Mount,

Old Pool Bank,

Pool-in-Wharfedale

Security scandal

SIR, - I am sure many readers are concerned about recent reports that the Government is planning to allow security services to intercept all our telephone calls and email.

This is an abuse of their power which could undermine our fundamental right to privacy at home and in the workplace.

What with Norwood Tower on our doorstep and the Menwith Hill base lurking nearby, many people are already nervous about who has access to their sensitive information.

Suspected spies and criminals, fair enough, but the Government should leave the rest of us law-abiding citizens to go about our daily lives without worrying about being overheard!

David Hall-Matthews

Liberal Democrat Prospective

Parliamentary Candidate,

Leeds North West.

Superb choir

SIR,- I write to thank reporter John Baron for his wonderful article on the front page of last week's Observer re The African Children's Choir.

May I just add that it wasn't just Pool Methodist Church which was involved but people throughout the community who hosted the children, staff at Pool School, friends from St Wilfrid's Parish Church and St Peter's Arthington, as well as people connected with the Pool 2020 Group as well as many of the village children and their parents.

In this day and age when young people sometimes come in for much criticism, it was lovely to see the building overflowing with young people enjoying themselves and mixing and sharing and getting to know each other.

We in Pool are fortunate to have such a suite of premises that allows events like this to take place. We will follow this event with an Easter activity day and hopefully a joint churches summer play scheme will be run some time in August.

I was glad to see people of all ages sharing and working together. It bodes well for the community spirit of Pool.

Roger and Hilda Bareham,

15 Park Mount,

Old Pool Bank,

Pool-in-Wharfedale

Protection plea

SIR, - A FEW years ago you could walk on the Chevin Top and look down on one of the loveliest valleys in the Yorkshire Dales.

It won't be for so much longer if the big building firms have their way. They want to turn Wharfedale into another suburb of Leeds.

The people with money who can afford £100,000 for a house are the only ones to benefit.

The only thing they bring is more traffic and roads instead of country lanes.

Why can't they build their estates on brownfield sites and try to improve these areas. It is time people opposed the planners but money talks.

M F Harrison

61 Haw Avenue

Yeadon.

Carnival changes

SIR, At a special meeting of the Otley Carnival Committee on November 28, the decision was made that for the year 2001 at least, Otley Carnival will be held on a Saturday.

The reason for this is, increased, prohibitive costs. To have held the carnival on the original intended date of, Sunday, June 17, would have meant clashing with the one day international cricket match between England and Pakistan at Headingley.

The West Yorkshire Police at Weetwood are of course committed to this occasion. This would have meant bringing in police from other areas and would mean a cost to the carnival of £2,500 approximately.

Also, use of the hard core area around the Bridge End auction buildings on Sunday would incur a cost of £500 due to the loss of revenue from the usually held car boot sale to the present owner.

These increases would mean that we could not support our chosen beneficiaries financially. By moving the carnival to Saturday, these costs would not be incurred.

Otley Carnival Committee is indebted to many supporters for providing services, materials and use of land free of charge, including West Yorkshire Police, F M Lister and Son, Mr B C Kunz, Leeds Road Auction Market, Jefferies Transport, Colin Pitt and many others.

Otley Carnival will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2001. We hope that the organisations and charities which enter floats in the parade and have stalls on the field will continue to support us.

Bryan Dexter

Publicity officer

Otley Carnival Committee

312 Bradford Road

Otley.