Letters to the Editor

The town has a long history of community and distinctive identity, and a grand gesture by the people as a whole, declaring their allegiance, not only to the country, but also to the town of which they are a part, would help to knit together what has been in danger of coming apart at the seams.

The event could be marked by the presentation of badges to all those willing to make the declaration, and would be an opportunity for the people at large to say publicly that the town belongs to those who live there, whatever their origin may be.

Here is an opportunity for the new Town Council to make its mark at the very outset of its existence. Why not?

FRANK PEDLEY

Wood Close, Gisburn Rd,

Hellified.

SIR - I was very pleased to see Mr Layton's photographs of the old buildings on Brewery Street in the Down Memory Lane section of your newspaper last week.

My father, Edgar Greenwood, worked for Prince-Smith and Stells for a number of years until his death in 1946, and seeing the photograph brought back many happy memories.

My father worked at Park Works under a Mr Longbottom in the fitting department, and I also remember a Mr Irving Driver in the sheetmetal department.

I would be interested to hear from anyone who worked at Park Works or who remembers my father from their time there.

ALLAN GREENWOOD

Nashville Terrace

Keighley

SIR - On behalf of everyone at The Stroke Association, I would like to thank all the readers who nominated people for our 'Life After Stroke Awards 2002'.

The awards are held each year and recognise the extraordinary courage that has been shown by people of all ages who have had a stroke, and also those who care for them.

Nominations for the awards, sponsored by Pfizer, have now closed and this year, like last year, the charity received a wonderful response.

Judging is taking place at the moment and the winners will be notified shortly. A bronze sculpted butterfly will be presented to each winner at the ceremony on July 16 in London. Celebrities including Honor Blackman, Nickolas Grace, Bill Maynard, David Shilling, Christopher Biggins and Katie Boyle will all be attending the event.

Thank you once again for helping us to honour all those affected by stroke.

NICOLA RYAN

The Stroke Association

SIR - This is a copy of a letter I have sent to Chief Superintendant Graham Sunderland.

On Wednesday, February 27, 2002, a 55-year-old man was attacked in Lund Park at 19.00hrs by a gang of about four youths who appeared to be of Asian appearance.

This person was left with severe bruising to his head and body.

On Thursday, April 4, 2002, a 48-year-old man was walking through Lund Park at around 20.30hrs and was attacked by a gang of youths, who again appeared to be of Asian appearance.

This man was left with a severe beating, which left him sustaining injuries to his whole body with severe bruising to his eyes, torso and legs. Both these attacks were reported to the police and I am led to believe were recorded as Racist Attacks. Both attacks were unprovoked and were initiated with the words 'what are you doing in our ***** park white geezer ?'

Going forward, I would be interested in hearing your comments on what you intend to do to ensure everybody's health and safety is protected while walking alone through Lund Park after dark (early evening), which at the moment would seem to be deemed as a "No Go Area".

While I appreciate the police have a very difficult task on their hands, it appears to me that some resources need to be deployed to the above mentioned, being Lund Park area of Keighley, so that people can feel confident that they are not going to result in one of the above attacks.

I will be forwarding a copy of my letter to you to the local newspaper, so that hopefully when they print it the people that are responsible will know that as a community we are not just going to stand by and let this sort of thing happen to anybody, irrespective of the colour of their skin, although all the evidence would indicate that this seems to be of a racist nature as both victims are of the white community.

I am a 41-year-old father of a five-year-old boy who uses the Lund Park facilities on a regular basis, albeit generally in the early evening. However, as there has been no motive for these attacks I am quite concerned that these type of incidents could happen at any time of the day.

NAME AND ADDRESS

SUPPLIED

SIR - I am surprised that your front page article on the problems of alcohol in Keighley does not mention Alcoholics Anonymous.

During my 40 years since 1962 running a 24-hour Helpline in Keighley, I have found Alcoholics Anonymous to be the most powerful and effective organisation helping alcoholics in Keighley. Their work is all carried out without cost to the NHS.

The magnitude and excellence of their efforts never seems to be recognised. Your readers might like to know that the Keighley Branch of this international organisation holds five sessions a week:

Airedale General Hospital - 7.30pm Wed, Sat & Sun in the Annex Ward 24; Keighley Voluntary Services, 135 Skipton Rd, back door on Spring Gardens Lane, Thurs 7.30pm; Friends Meeting House, Skipton Rd, Fri 7.30pm. Sessions are also held at Skipton, Ilkley and Bingley.

If you need help, ring Mary on 662930 or just turn up at the various venues, or ring Bradford Samaritans.

From this list, I hope you will recognise the scope of their efforts and publish it for the benefit of the desperate people who need the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.

MOLLY JONES

Keighley

SIR - During my formative years in the rugged warm arms of the Yorkshire working class, one thing was always certain - if you saw a rat you killed it. These days they run for public office!

FRANK BRAMMAH

address supplied

SIR - The next meeting of Keighley Powerful Whispers will be a 'listening meeting.'

We hope that some of you will be willing to come and talk about what you are doing or things which concern you. Barbara Brown of Oakworth has kindly agreed to come and tell us about a course she has attended on regenerating communities.

We envisage people talking for about ten minutes each about their activities.

The meeting will be on May 1 at the Sangat Centre, Marlborough Street, at 7pm. I look forward to seeing you there.

We are hoping to organise a 'Fair of Organisations' later in the year and a Men and Boys Against Racism conference. If you can help, please let us know.

MARY CLARKE

Secretary

SIR - On April 16 Bradford Council resolved to ask the Head of Transportation and Planning Services to investigate the excessive nuisance that AMEC, the contractors building the misnamed Bingley 'Relief' Road, has been causing to local residents.

And, one might add, to the many Keighley and other Airedale residents who pass through Bingley!

AMEC has failed repeatedly to apply for prior planning permission to tip spoil outside the designated road boundary, failed to apply for prior permission to discharge construction water to local rivers and becks, was cautioned by the Environment Agency to comply with their Waste Disposal Licence, and failed to recognise the notoriously dangerous and invasive Japanese knotweed.

Recently, AMEC distributed with their annual report a document that says that they participated in the Business in the Environment's Index of Corporate Environmental Engagement.

AMEC report they ranked 124 out of 192 companies.

Two-thirds down the rankings is a pretty abysmal standard for a company engaged in many environmentally sensitive activities.

With the 2002 World Cup imminent, would it be churlish to note that AMEC has scored a wonderful own goal? No wonder that locally AMEC has earned the accolade 'A Mighty Environmental Catastrophe?'

AJ PLUMBE

Bingley

Frank Stokes, for AMEC, said: "From the feedback we have received from residents, there is no evidence of extensive nuisance.

"We held an open day at Bingley Arts Centre on March 5, when over 600 people came along, and they were overwhelmingly supportive of what is going on. Residents said the project was long overdue, and were happy with how it was being carried out.

"Also, council officers have told us that they have received very few complaints for a project of this magnitude.

"We have been in regular consultation with all the relevant authorities, and sought planning consents where required.

"We have not been cautioned, and we are in regular discussions with the Environment Agency to ensure we fulfil all our obligations and requirements.

"Far from scoring any own goals, we are working hard on behalf of Bingley for a major win."

SIR - Your paper was kind enough to print my letter asking for help with research into autism, and I would like to thank everyone who filled in my questionnaire.

I would be grateful now if parents of children without autism would now fill in the questionnaire in order to create a set of control samples for my research.

The page will still say autism survey as I need the same questions answered, but please fill it in with details of any children. There is complete anonymity guaranteed in the survey unless you personally wish to add your name or e-mail address. Again I am very grateful for your help.

The website address is now http://www.nazreel.co.uk/sequinn/index.htm My e-mail address is nazreel@hotmail.com

Susan Quinn,

c/o Christine Taylor,

Heriot Watt University,

Scottish Borders Campus,

Netherdale,

Galashiels

SIR - At this time of the year throughout the country about 100,000 families are going through the trauma of not knowing where their children will be educated.

I have been involved with arranging and clerking school admission appeals for three years now, and I have seen first hand the emotions that parents go through when their appeals are unsuccessful.

It is this knowledge that I have used to prepare a step by step guide to help parents through the process. The guide is available from my web site www.schoolappeals.org.uk .

John Chard

2 Seaton Close

Wick Littlehampton

SIR - I am neither a "kindred spirit, close relative nor fellow Conservative" of Mr McKay, as Katherine D Roberts insinuates in her letter published last week.

Indeed, if it may help Ms Roberts, I have been a lifelong Labour voter who is sick and tired of the name calling that is common in Keighley politics.

All I did was support the view of Conservative politician having a degree of personal sympathy with a Labour politician on the matter of personal dignity (or the lack of) in modern politics.

We have a Labour led Government, a Conservative led council and a new Keighley Town Council about to emerge.

For many in the electorate, three layers of Government will be upon us, each led by different political ideas. I simply thought it refreshing that a call to stick with the politics was made early in the election campaign, assuming that I and many other ordinary voters might get the opportunity to learn how this combination would be able to work together. How wrong can you be? Instead, for raising an issue of decency, I have been accused of holding nauseating views.

I have read the messages of Keighley Voice and the need to keep the Town Council independent from Party Politics.

It was a view I have shared - until now, for if this is to be the calibre of candidates the Independent Party can attract, then please let candidates come forward from the main parties.

The Independents in Oakworth have lost my vote for the Town Council.

KAREN WORDEN

Chapel Lane, Oakworth