SIR - I really must protest that I have never referred to Denholme as 'godless' as the headline in your paper inferred last week. The article in my parish magazine from which you took my remarks was a great deal more positive than you made it seem.

I said that fewer people were coming to services and that I was ashamed that I and the congregation had obviously failed to convey to the rest of the village how much God loved them or they would be coming in greater numbers... and asked those who read the magazine to invite others to join us or Denholme Edge for our Christmas celebrations to thank God for His Love for us at Christmas in Jesus.

Denholme is a good place to live and work, and I am sorry to have my name put alongside anything that says otherwise.

There is good news in Denholme... We have lately formed Churches Together in Denholme and have produced a joint Christmas card and delivered it to every house in the village.

The card also contains details of all our Christmas services, some of which are joint services, some not, but which dovetail nicely. There is a colouring competition for the children included.

ELIZABETH THOMAS,

Priest-in-charge,

The Vicarage, Denholme.

SIR - I write on behalf of Denholme Town Council to express Councillors' concern and disgust at the sensationalised headline "Godless Denholme" used in last week's copy of the Keighley News.

The news item concerned was based on an innocuous and factual article written by the Vicar in the parish magazine. You contrived to convert this item, via journalistic licence, into a sensationalised, generalised and inaccurate headline that has proved to be very offensive to the villagers of Denholme.

To add insult to injury this so-called news headline followed hard on the heels of the equally unfortunate, sensationalist and inaccurate national newspaper coverage of a very minor drugs issue in the Denholme area, an issue that has since been speedily resolved by the Authorities. It should be noted that this coverage, in turn, had been picked up from inaccurate reports run in the local press.

Whilst not wishing to prolong the 'shelf life' of this item the Town Council and villagers of Denholme would perceive that some justice has been seen to be done if the Keighley News were to offer an unconditional apology for the inaccurate, sensationalised and offensive headline used last week. Clearly, in the view of the Town Council and the villagers, Denholme is far from 'Godless' with all the local churches united in working as hard as those in any other area to bring a spiritual dimension to the life of the village, the more so in the run up to Christmas.

The Town Council and the villagers of Denholme look forward to receiving your unconditional apology.

Russell Driver

Town Mayor -

Denholme Town Council

Editor's note:- see Dear Reader opposite

SIR - On behalf of the Friends of Airedale Hospital, thank you to the many people who supported our Christmas fair held on Tuesday December 8.

The event was most successful, raising £3,000 for our funds which will be spent for the benefit of patients and vital equipment for Airedale General Hospital.

I thank everyone who donated prizes for the raffle and tombola, also gifts of cakes and preserves and many items for the various stalls. Special thanks to Mr Paul Waddington and Mr Henry Brown for their tireless selling of raffle tickets, and all who helped on the day, their efforts were greatly appreciated.

MARGARET MOORHOUSE,

Chairman,

Friends of Airedale

General Hospital.

SIR - In reply to the letter by Cllr Young reporting he had heard some people alleging the proposal to create a parish council in the Haworth district was merely a device to embarrass Bradford council in the run up to the local election.

Thanks are to be given to him for bringing it to our notice, and I would assure him and any others who have heard the rumour that it is without any foundation whatsoever.

The Haworth Residents Association decided at the beginning of the year to spread their wings and try to become an official body instead of a voluntary organisation, and had no other thought but that in mind.

All three councillors were advised of our decision as a matter of courtesy and for their personal information.

Their offer to come to our meetings was appreciated, but it was felt that we ought to go it alone so that no one could accuse us of being politically involved in any way and that the proposal came solely from the grass roots.

It appears there are some people about who prefer to imagine ulterior motives in the proposal in spite of all our efforts.

There are already parish councils at Oxenhope and Cullingworth, formed within the life of Bradford Council. Did they embarrass the council politically when their members were elected?

The answer is 'No'. Why then should election to a parish council for Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury be different and thought able to adversely affect, in some mysterious way, Bradford Council and its councillors?

SMITH MIDGLEY,

Hebden Road, Haworth.

SIR - I have attended a number of the meetings held recently to debate the issue of a parish council in Haworth and listened to the concerns and fears for the future of not only Haworth, but Stanbury and Cross Roads also.

Fears for the future of the community centre, concerns over an excess of new housing development, the threats to existing retailers from new supermarkets and shopping developments and an overall loss of the character of Haworth brought about by the factors above.

The new convenience store being built on Station Road, Haworth provides a prime example of these issues.

A thoroughly modern supermarket sited opposite to the historic railway sheds and station in Haworth will again affect the character of the village from the tourists' perspectives, possibly leading to a loss in visitor numbers.

In fact, the decision allowing this development to take place could lead to the loss of six village stores, a drop in visitors to the area, additional traffic problems through inadequate parking, and lead to the bottom of Mill Hey being turned into a parade of vacant properties.

Only at the local level are such thoughts and considerations made, and without a platform that can bring together residents, businesses and those responsible for the visitor attractions the folly of planning as described above will continue.

This argument applies also to the retail centre that has been approved on Rawdon Road, and such planning is negative to the future of the village.

A policy of seeking to enhance the heritage of the area is needed. A degree of vision is required, and this must be one that focuses on the essence of Haworth.

It takes little imagination to consider a cultural link between Main Street at the crest of the valley and the railway at the bottom. An obvious link is Butt Lane. The council is due to dispense with the services of Haworth First School on the lane and an alternative use of the site as a museum should be found, providing such a link. Surely a more acceptable approach for the development of Haworth?

DAVID McKAY,

Back River Street, Haworth. SIR - RS Beale, when reminding people about the Bradford based councillors, who seem to treat everybody out of the Bradford area as stupid, insolent or even uppity, has once again scored his usual dead centre bee-sting with his last letter.

Many of us who have fought Bradford would have to agree that there is gross contempt in Bradford City Hall for people in the Aire-Worth region.

RS Beale is right when he states the point that Silsden, Steeton and all the surrounding countryside, the lung and heart of this region, faces an environmental disaster because of the actions of the perceived arrogant madness that is the planning dogma.

The sadness is that Bradford, so short sighted in its aims of making a short term financial advantage from the countryside it once honoured, fails to see the desecration of its foolish actions.

Like the short haired bumble bee, because of a lack of care and understanding those who stand up for true democracy are only mourned when extinct.

DAVID SAMUELS,

Aire-Worth

Reform Association.

SIR - I would like to thank your readers for their support of the NSPCC during 1998. Christmas is about new life and we would like to celebrate Christmas by bringing new life, new hope and new happiness to all our children.

KEN RIDLEY,

NSPCC, Appeals Office.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.