Letters to the Editor

Some years ago I penned (in a T&A letter) my condemnation of a project that would, on completion, have destroyed this area of Bradford's earlier history.

At that time I said Goitside held as much social importance as Little Germany. The project was the much-vaunted West End scheme.

It is always said, or thought, that Goitside is an area. It may well be now, but the original Goitside was a public right of way that ran from Lee Street by the Central Co-op, to Lower Grattan Road.

During the late '60s or early '70s, walls or solid fences were illegally erected across Goitside at Fulton Street and Tetley Street. This action, by private companies, obstructed a long-proven right of way.

The ancient narrow way of Goitside followed faithfully the line of The Goit, or stream.

"Goit" derives from Middle English "Gotere" and Old French "Gotiere". Thus we have the modern "Gutter" - a channel that carries water away.

I wish all success in this ambitious and necessary project.

Frank Dickinson (Eccleshill Local History Group), Nab Wood Crescent, Shipley.

SIR - Most cities preparing their bids for the European Capital of Culture competition are engaged in a positive campaign to prove both their local and European cultural credentials. Not so, it seems, Bradford.

The loss of the Festival contract to outside bidders and with it the loss of 15 years' worth of contacts, credibility and know-how, and the threat of closure hanging over the Priestley Centre, are set to further compound one of the major challenges facing Bradford: how to reverse the exodus of creative talent.

If we are going to deliver a world-class programme in 2008 that is distinctly Bradford, one that will leave a lasting mark, we need to engage with the vitality, passion and creativity of Bradford people. Buying-in culture from elsewhere is not, and cannot be, the answer.

As we saw in last year's festival theme World in a City, with over 60 languages spoken, Bradford is not the capital of one monolithic globalised culture, rather it is a "Capital of many Cultures".

In an attempt to win the bid, we must not dismantle the very thing that makes us such an ideal beacon for the 21st century - our cultural diversity.

Tim Wheeler, chairman, fabric (Forum for the Arts in Bradford, Regeneration, Inclusion and Creativity), Queen's House, Queen's Road, Bradford.

SIR - Bradford is a low-wage city, it always has been. To follow our rugby team doesn't come cheap, great sacrifices must be made by many, to pay for that support.

As I stood outside Twickenham last April you could tell that, for some, maybe many, the day's outing could mean cuts in the family budget. After the match every smile had gone. They'd "let us down again."

Yet, on Saturday last they were laughing and giggling enthusiastically, faith totally restored.

We don't get much in Bradford. Second-rate is the order of the day, but after an hour and a half all our dreams had come true. If you weren't there, you couldn't imagine the drama, the effort, the determination and yes, the damned pride. Seventeen men proved conclusively that there is something good for Bradford to look forward too.

We owe much to Mr Caisley and his business acumen, and must congratulate the backroom staff, from Mary and Paula in the ticket-office up to Nobby at the top.

Naturally we are proud of the team; I told my son last Friday "the first man on the field to take a backward step will be on the losing side". Nobody from the Bulls took a backward step for 85 minutes.

For the lady, well into her seventies, sitting next to me, the emotion was little but too much, but they were happy tears. We'd won at last!

Les Brotherton, Caroline Street, Saltaire.

SIR - On March 13, 1941, a Whitley aircraft from 102 (Ceylon) Squadron, piloted by Flt/Lt F H Long, DFC, was shot down and crashed in the north-east of Holland. Four of the crew were killed and buried in Denekamp, Holland, while the fifth member died a few weeks later in Berlin.

Among the crew were Sgt Ernest Hugh Goodall, a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner believed to be from Bradford, and Sgt Vincent Hallas, also a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner from Huddersfield.

The people of Denekamp are erecting a memorial on the site of the crash and wish to invite any surviving relatives of the crew to attend the ceremony. May I, therefore, appeal to any of your readers who may know the whereabouts of any relatives of the above, in particular, Ernest Goodall, to contact me at the address below or telephone (01284) 754906.

Tom Wingham, 21 Tannery Drive, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 2SD.

SIR - I really cannot believe that you are actually wasting column space on the pop punk poseurs The Negatives. Make no mistake, they are not and never will be the new Terrorvision!

I was at the "Visions" final gig at Penningtons and it was brilliant! I saw The Negatives two days later and thought they were far too loud.

Craig Sands, Belle Vue Terrace, Guiseley.

SIR - Terrorvision are not the best thing since rock was invented and there will always come along bigger and better bands. I agree with G Bancroft in (Letters, October 13) that such a band could well be The Negatives.

I have seen and heard this band and I say that if we are looking for the new Terrorvision, then we could do no worse than look to The Negatives to do the job.

Why? Well, they look good (the singer is so sexy!), and they have some cool songs with great Bradford anthems.

What more could you ask for?

Jane Charmley, Sherwell Rise, Allerton.

SIR - Did the police and fire brigade really have to cause so much havoc to rush-hour drivers by parking on the road outside Shipley sorting office during the anthrax scare on Wednesday morning?

It would have only taken some thought and a little planning to move all the emergency services into the adjacent "Charlie Brown's" car park.

Ian Brown, Somerset Avenue, Baildon.