Bowlers in despair at football tactics

Craven Bowling Club is situated in the Town Hall car park next to the toilets. Almost every night for the past 15 months a gang of youths of varying ages appear with footballs and between 7.30 and 10pm continually slam the ball at the toilets, ticket machine, cars and anything else that gets in the way.

When we play a home bowls match the football comes onto the green on numerous occasions and any attempt to remonstrate with these youths leads to verbal and, on occasions, physical abuse.

It is an embarrassment for us as the home team when people come from out of town.

The situation is rapidly getting out of hand. We have already lost a couple of members because they feel intimidated by these youths and, although we have been in contact with the police on numerous occasions, nothing ever happens.

Your paper regularly prints columns on the police clamping down on anti-social behaviour, well all I can say is it is not working and if the people in the upper echelons of the force think it is then they are divorced from reality.

This is reality! On Tuesday May 13 I went to the green at 9.30pm to find five youths playing football on the green itself. They had taken two decorative urns from the patio and put them on the green in front of clubhouse windows to use as goalposts.

With some trepidation I asked these lads to get off the green, and got the usual withering looks and verbal abuse. Luckily some other club members arrived and the youths decided that five on to five was not such good odds as five on to one and duly moved off the green and back out to the car park to slam the ball against the toilets yet again.

There was quite a lot of damage to the playing surface of the green so in my naivety I rang 793377.

Ten minutes later a North Yorkshire police person answered the phone; whether they were in York, Yeovil or Yokohama I know not, but the person had no idea where Craven Bowling Club was.

I did point out that it was 300 yards from Skipton police station to give them a clue. I explained what had gone on and told them about these youths, who had caused damage to the green and were still playing football in the car park. I was told that someone would be in touch.

Twenty minutes later the youths departed and after a further ten minutes I left, with not a police person in sight. Whilst I realise that this may seem like a petty affair in the great scheme of criminal activity, it is not to us.

Not only is our green being damaged and members being intimidated, but also the damage has occurred to other properties in the immediate area.

Why is it that nobody cares what is going on? Sooner or later law-abiding masses will have to find their own methods of 'pest control'.

Michael Demain

Secretary,

Craven Bowling Club, Skipton.

Line resurrected

SIR- Recently I have been interested to read in the Craven Herald suggestions that the railway line which now terminates at the quarry between Cracoe and Threshfield should be extended to carry passengers to Grassington.

There are several consequent features in this proposal, not the least of which is that the line would not reach Grassington. If it utilised existing embankments it would once again terminate behind what used to be the Wilson Arms, now the Threshfield Care Centre.

Passengers from Grassington almost certainly would prefer not to walk over the bridge across the Wharfe, and would happily expect to leave their cars in an ample new car park at the terminal station, now open ground and which the railway would need to purchase.

Taking a broad engineering view of Great Britain's historic rail structure, there would seem to be no insuperable problem in terminating the line at Grassington instead of Threshfield, a routine matter of checking the stability of existing embankments, laying lines, installing signalling communications.

Taking advantage of the high ground bordering both banks of the river, it would be a simple matter to construct a graceful metal suspension bridge downstream from the existing stone road bridge.

Creating the terminus itself would not be difficult; given sufficient financial inducement we have two apparently defunct garages and parking spaces of adequate dimensions stretching from the Medical Centre right round to the school entrance. Building in local stone, an attractive two storey station would create a desirable focal visual centre at the foot of the main street.

The present potentially dangerous corner would be set back safely, only leaving the school as a problem. This could be solved by demolition, and rebuilding on the vacant ground in the centre of Hardy Meadows. One advantage of this site is that none of the children would then have to cross the main road to reach the school.

Any decrease in bus traffic resulting from the railway might be offset by increased bus passengers from surrounding districts wishing to use a swift journey to Skipton or London.

Certainly one may assume the shopkeepers in Grassington would not be averse to an increase in their profits from more visitors, and one can imagine the traffic and purchasing power of the thousands who already visit the village for its Dickensian Festivals.

Local passengers in Grassington could walk to the station with ease, though distant travellers would surely require a car park. The housing market would be boosted due to easy access and Grassington could then become not the village we now know, but a small new country town full of valuable property.

It is only fair to point out one restriction which must be imposed, that of banning the railway from blowing its train whistles when approaching Threshfield as this would seriously disturb residents in Threshfield Care Centre.

I see no financial difficulty in the proposal, after all there will always be those who wish to make a profit. Let us freely express our views.

Donald Wilcox,

Garrs End Lane,

Grassington.

Build on asset

SIR - we have recently relocated to Giggleswick and, as grandparents of young children, have identified a great need in the area, which is somewhere to provide an enjoyable day out for whole family groups, from toddlers to pensioners, and which would draw in not only local people but tourists who would bring money into the area.

The very helpful tourist information office could only suggest such activities as The Horses Health Farm, the Falconry Centre and of course we are fortunate in Giggleswick to have the excellent Harrison Playing Field, but that is about all.

We feel that something which caters for all age groups is badly needed, both for locals and to bring revenue into the area.

As a tourist town we are strongly identified with the Settle-Carlisle Railway, which is a huge asset, but dare I venture to say an under-used one. We have land and beautiful scenery, a pool of community-minded, early-retired people with diverse skills and time on their hands, and local businesses anxious to increase trade.

So why not an enterprise which is railway-based and town-based (avoiding the honey pot villages) and using the railway as the main access?

A recent visit to an open-air model village in Beaconsfield gave us, our grandchildren and their parents the best day out we'd had for years. It was based on a model railway layout, with 500 metres of track, several stations, signal boxes and a variety of engines which wound their way under tunnels and through a miniature rocky landscape of mainly bonsai plants (garden interest for the grandpas) through towns and villages, past cricket pitches and farms.

But no way was it a miniature Disney; it was tasteful, educational and fascinating and sent £68,000 to charity last year after all the running costs were paid.

I feel such a project could thrive here, ideally sited adjacent to one of the several working stations on the Settle/Carlisle, with immediate access from the station and bringing in visitors from Leeds, Bradford etc and from the west coast by rail from Lancaster, and off the A65 for coaches and cars.

I believe grants are now available to Settle to partly fund such an enterprise, to buy land and install services, but local businesses could advertise by sponsoring a miniature of their premises and local organisations such as Rotary, the cricket team, Young Farmers and the schoolchildren could be involved in designing and constructing models and layouts, which would make it a real community project.

Voluntary labour for stewarding might be provided by our large population of early retirees. We have all the resources to set up such a project, but do we have the initiative? Remember, change or decay.

Monica Jenkins,

Meadow Rise, Giggleswick.

Enthusiasm

SIR - A remarkable 20 per cent of the electorate attended the Farnhill Parish meeting on May 8, which, compared with the reported attendance of only two people at the parish meeting in Skipton, demonstrates enthusiasm for participation in local democracy in Farnhill.

A quarter of the audience strongly endorsed the continuation of custom and practice. The meeting clearly represented the social divide which exists in Farnhill, where traditional values question the expectation by 'offcumdens' seeking reasonable representation or acceptance in village life.

I believe that the electorate had a right to know how I would serve to respond to their concerns and provide for community needs.

None of the other candidates published their views but during the election campaign received a small number of indignant complaints from friends and supporters of custom and practice.

Four letters of complaint were included in the chairman's annual report at the meeting. I feel humbled that my engagement in parish council matters as recently as mid-April has been considered as such a significant constituent of the council's affairs during the past year to warrant such disproportionate attention in order to mask what I consider the lacklustre performance of the previous council.

There was an overwhelming expression at the meeting that the parish council should work constructively and, as a matter of public record, I expressed my personal commitment in support.

It is therefore most heartening to be able to report that minutes of parish council meetings held on May 1 and 15 record adoption of points raised in my manifesto, despite objection from a minority of residents and having been refuted by the other six councillors.

The new chairman has already identified other manifesto items for debate in the coming months. It is encouraging to observe the early beginnings of the development of an agenda for social diversity through modernisation and community development.

Starting in June, there will be a website - Farnhill Village Tap - promoting issues connected with transparency, accessibility and participation in parish council governance. The facility will provide a resource for parish clerks, councillors and prospective candidates in the 2006 elections.

Parish council modernisation on the political agenda across England, including Farnhill, and the benefits are explained in my manifesto.

Readers may want to visit the Farnhill and related websites (just enter 'farnhill' for menu) to take a virtual walk along the canal or over the moors. Better still come over one summer's evening for a stroll and a meal at the White Lion in Kildwick. Farnhill is moving towards becoming a modern village steeped in tradition and respectful of the diverse needs of residents and guests who we will look forward to welcoming in our delightful rural hillside place in the sun.

Ian Fulton,

Bucklar Hill, Farnhill.

Misguided protest

SIR - The residents and traders group which got together to block the application of extended opening hours for the Lock Stock public house are misguided.

Firstly a midnight closing time staggers the flow of drinkers into the street; this would have an effect at 11.20pm (and doubtless at 2am as well, as the town's only nightclub would be less busy as a result of youngsters being able to spend an extra hour at Lock Stock).

In addition to this it is a well known fact that people only drink faster when there is less time, an additional hour would spread out the consumption of alcohol and result in less vomiting and urination.

I sympathise about the noise aspect but I feel that an extra hour two nights a week wouldn't turn boating into "a nightmare" (besides, isn't the beauty of boating the fact you can sail off when you want to, where you want? Why doesn't Mr Clarke take his barge to Bradley at the weekend?)

I would be fascinated to know if the discos and dances these people attended in their youth were somehow conducted silently, or is it the thought of young people having fun that they can't stand?

Mr MT Marmot,

Crosshills Road, Cononley.

Broken down

SIR - Yesterday morning, Bradley swing bridge was, for several hours, again stuck partially open at 45 degrees, allowing neither cars nor boats to pass. This new swing bridge is rumoured to have cost in excess of £500,000 presumably of ratepayers money. It took four months to install, meaning closure during this time of the main connecting road to the village.

This bridge has regularly malfunctioned; it started as it means to go on by comically breaking down only 30 minutes after the grand inaugural opening.

In addition to everyday inconvenience, what happens when emergency services are needed in the village and it's stuck? What about when the road outside the school is closed for three weeks in summer for the proposed calming modifications? Are we going to have to reach Skipton via Farnhill?

The bridge appears to have been built to appease a micro minority of day-tripping bargees who found the previous bridge too stiff to open. As I understand it, the majority of Bradley residents would have preferred a stone bridge, plans for which have been in place since 1913 according to minutes from a 1933 Bradley Parish Council meeting.

Other notable features are the huge black Tardis control housing which is supposed to have been landscaped; far more serious though is the absence of guards at the point where the jagged topped gates move in and out. A coat sleeve and arm could easily be dragged into the gate housing.

My remedy would be that the present non-working bridge be transported to the Tate Modern as a piece of installation art, and replaced by a stone bridge thus allowing all to access this junction unhindered. A public apology coupled with a hearty reduction in rates for our continued time and trouble should also be mandatory .

JE Andrews,

Sunny Royd, Bradley.

Disability

SIR - Thank you for including the story about Mencap in the Craven Herald and Pioneer. It helps people understand what Mencap do when they see stories in the newspaper.

In the story 'Battle of the sexes rugby challenge', you say Mencap is a mental health charity but we are not a mental health charity, we are a learning disability charity.

A learning disability is a lifelong condition. It is acquired before, during, or soon after birth and effects an individual ability to learn. The causes of many learning disabilities are not known, but the most common example is Down's syndrome.

I have a learning disability. This means I sometimes need more support and more time to do things at work. I live independently in supported housing and I enjoy going out meeting people and also going to the pub and playing darts with my friends.

Some people like me find it harder to have a conversation. Other people need more support than me and have a physical disability as well. People with a learning disability don't want to be treated as different, but want to be treated fairly and to have the same rights as everybody else.

Lorainne Bellamy,

Communications assistant,

Mencap,

Golden Lane, London.