Letters to the Editor

SIR, - On behalf of our president, David Carpenter, and members of Ilkley Moor Lions Club, may I take this opportunity, through your paper, to thank everyone who has supported us through the year 2002. Our two main fund-raising events have been the Annual Duck Race and the 26th Annual Bonfire and Fireworks Display which have helped us to contribute to many of our projects, charity and service work during the year.

The support we have received from businesses and the public and the Red Lion in Burley-in-Wharfedale where we meet, has been much appreciated and has contributed considerably towards our service work and our help to people less fortunate than ourselves.

We are grateful to the Wharfedale Squadron Air Training Corps for their continued help at the bonfire and joint efforts have been made between the Lions and the ATC, Addingham Cubs, Ben Rhydding Scouts and Menston St John's Scouts and all these youth organisations have benefited from the money they raised.

Lions Clubs are proud of the fact that all the money they raise goes towards its service work and charity. Nothing is taken for administration. All administration costs are paid for by the Lions members themselves.

Through all this support, we have been able to make donations to Cancer Research, Martin House Hospice for Children, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Eye Camps where nearly 300 people were treated for sight-related problems, Waterwells, Riding for the Disabled, Special Olympics for Disabled People, Gudjarat Earthquake Appeal and many other smaller donations for personal help and local causes.

We have entertained more than 400 elderly and disabled people to a brass band concert and taken 50 elderly and disabled people to Todmorden to a concert there. We also held a Christmas Party for 80 're-cycled teenagers' (over 70-year-olds) and we have supported schools in the Lions Project 'Skills for Life'. We have also enjoyed our many and varied social events.

Our motto is 'We Serve' and we would welcome any new members who would like to join us and help in these service and welfare activities. It may seem like a lot of hard work, but it is not. It is most enjoyable with a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Meetings are held at the Red Lion, Burley-in-Wharfedale, on the second and fourth Monday of each month, at 8pm.

Wishing all your readers and our supporters a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

JIM SHELTON

Secretary,

Ilkley Moor Lions Club,

30 Lawn Avenue,

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Helping a kitten

SIR, - Abbey is a pretty little kitten with a big problem. She was part of an unwanted litter and came to us at just five weeks' old.

Our initial examination of the kitten revealed a huge umbilical hernia - a lump on her tummy as big as a chestnut. While this is not stopping her playing with her little brother, she is quite small for her age and we have to watch what she eats, as she is prone to digestive troubles.

Our vet has examined little Abbey and is happy to repair the hernia, but wants to wait until she is a little older, perhaps in the springtime, when she will be more able to withstand the ordeal of major surgery.

You can help to make Abbey's first Christmas a good one by helping towards the cost of this major operation. Please make cheques payable to Farplace Animal Rescue and send to me, Jan Edwards, Head of Animal Care, Farplace Animal Rescue, Sidehead, Westgate, Co Durham, DL13 1LE.

All donations over and above the cost of Abbey's operation will help the other needy animals in our care.

To find out more about our work and other ways you can help, please call Jan on 01388 517397 or check out our website (www.farplace.co.uk). On behalf of Abbey and other animals we care for, thank you!

JAN EDWARDS

Head of Animal Care,

Farplace Sanctuaries.

Hornets' nest

SIR, -If we look on the early Christians spreading their new religion to the Romans as Mary's suicide bombers, we can understand their motivation.

Just as suffering has driven the Palestinians to give their lives to hit back at those who caused it, so Mary must have known how to hit the Romans where it would avenge her son's death.

Evolution has selected us to protect our genes at all costs. Killing children is a fatal tactical error.

In our world there are so many distractions that we may not react with such violence to the killing of children. Intelligence can confuse our instincts, but for the Palestinians and Mary's group, instincts are/were overwhelming.

The US has not only disturbed a hornets' nest; it keeps on poking it. Even so the fatal weakness of any super power is that it needs vast resources to maintain its power. This can be done by brute force and/or by using its ability to print or borrow money.

Chaos is always waiting round the next corner for a system with growing internal tensions. Strangely, the teaching of Jesus appears to have addressed this problem. Simply, if you hurt people, you start a spiral of violence that will eventually make your life Hell and is likely to get you killed.

The descendants of those who would not listen are just as unable to accept goodness as were their ancestors.

The real Mary, or Miriam, deserves our respect and honour just as much as the pretend one.

l On another subject - affordable housing for our young people: Here we go again - 'School sale may bring cheap homes'

So far the council has sold us down the river each time because it is strapped for cash. But crucially it has by law to let the developer pay it cash to build the affordable houses somewhere else.

If we, the people of Bradford, want affordable houses, we must insist that our council does what we pay it for and give our local builders the work they desperately need.

Tell them what we want and see what they can offer.

W BOOCOCK

17 Wheatley Lane,

Ben Rhydding.

Christian hijack

SIR, - It was nice to read that the Rev Brockenshaw ('Christian roots' letter, December 19, 2002) thought that the Christmas decorations were worth some applause.

He was, however, somewhat disingenuous in his criticism of the Roman soldier, who would have been a pagan by Christian standards.

He is there, if for no other reason, than that of right, by being a pagan, as the Christmas festival is an ancient pagan festival which has been hijacked by the Christian religion.

I have been led to believe that in ancient times, the keeping of accurate time was somewhat poor, and it was not until December 25 (ie, four days after the shortest day) that it was obvious that the days were getting longer, and therefore it was originally a pagan festival.

If, however, some readers are still in doubt about Christian religion adopting pagan festivals, consider Easter.

When does this take place? It is decided by the phase of the moon. How much more pagan can you get?

A G GOLDSBROUGH

Flat 10,

Dale Court,

Fieldway,

Ilkley.