Letters to the Editor

Our day was facilitated by the Peace Studies Department of Bradford University, and the theme was to explore how we could make Keighley a more peaceful town.

The day began and concluded at Keighley Playhouse. Members of the Playhouse gave us a warm welcome and were very accommodating throughout the day.

We are very grateful for their hospitality and we will send a donation to Manorlands in their name as a token of our thanks.

We had to find many venues for group discussions and workshops and we had a positive response from The Library Theatre, KADTAL, the Cellar Project, Salvation Army Citadel, Airedale Church, Spencer Street Mosque, St Anne's Social Centre.

Also, at the last minute, because so many pupils were taking part from both schools, St Anne's Primary School offered to accommodate a group of students. Many thanks to all.

Thank you also to Ann Cryer, MP who listened and responded to the findings of the groups in the final plenary and responded to individual questions and viewpoints in a final debate.

The day was successful in many ways, proving that young people want to listen, to understand issues and to respond to them peacefully.

The day was seen as a starting point in a process of reconciliation. The final prayer at the end of the day was an Interfaith Prayer for Peace:

Lead me from death to life,

From falsehood to truth.

Lead me from despair to hope,

from fear to trust,

Lead me from hate to love,

From war to peace.

Let peace fill our hearts,

Our town, Our world.

Peace, peace, peace.

Once again, thank you to all who supported our young people in this venture.

Caroline O'Neill and

Helen Ogalbe

(Heads of Religious Education at

Holy Family Catholic School and

Greenhead High School)

Sir - I wish you to convey to all past customers my sincere thanks for the continued support they have given myself and Cliffe Castle Nursery Shop during the last three and a half years.

Progress and outcomes year by year have been possible only by the enthusiasm of our customers to tell their friends about the nursery and the service we have provided.

I have had the pleasure of meeting many people who have given me support and encouragement and made it possible to turn the nursery into a business that also enhances a visit to the park.

The nursery has had many trainees on placement, all of who have worked unreservedly to improve the quality of the nursery, and I would like to acknowledge my appreciation to them.

It has been difficult to leave Bradford Council as I have enjoyed the project but now need to spend time with my family. I also wish to thank all my co-workers and wish them success in the continuation with the nursery.

MADELINE MASON

Cliffe Castle Nursery Shop

Sir - Keighley Library is one of my favourite places to be and I found the comments in E Marshall's letter (library shame 12.10.01) unfair to say the least.

I spend on average five hours a week in the library, and have done so for about twelve months.

In all that time I haven't seen a member of staff reading a newspaper at the counter once - other than in the reference library when the staff member has been assisting with a query from a customer.

From what I see I wouldn't have thought they have the time to do so. I have yet to see any of them with their feet up, relaxed and having a chat while irate members of the public stand by ignored.

I have found the attitude of library staff towards me consistently pleasant and helpful.

I have had the pleasure, or displeasure, to come across many so called professionals in this town and, believe me, I have been treated with far less respect and courtesy from many of them, who are, I might add, on much higher wages than the library staff.

The same could be said of the efficiency of the work of the librarians - there is plenty of it. I say that as someone who has used just about every resource the library has to offer, and I have not once come away disgruntled.

And I'm not a one who's against being disgruntled - I could complain to high heaven about some services in Keighley.

But not the library. It is the grandest place in town.

The staff - there's not enough of them. One person to run a reference library, which is generally the case, is bonkers.

Too much stress, not enough money, and some difficult customers. I don't know about hostile staff but I've witnessed some degree of this in members of the public towards library staff on occasion.

ZENA DAVIS

Guardhouse

Sir - Will you please assist me in motivating the council to provide replacement rubbish bins on Ingrow Lane on the exits from Oakbank School?

Two rubbish bins have recently been removed due to corrosion and have not been replaced, the area needs more rubbish bins due to the large influx of pupils at Oakbank. But the powers that be only seem to be concerned with the town centre.

The council should be striving to educate the youth of today to use the rubbish bins, but if there are none available it goes on the floor.

EDDIE MORTIMER

Bracken Bank Stores,

Ingrow

Sir - I would like to thank a Mr Bickly for his kindness when my wife had a fall in Station Road, Keighley on Friday morning.

Also I would thank two telephone engineers who were working close by and the very kind lady who took her to hospital in her car. If this lady would phone me (01535 642657) I would like to thank her personally.

K STORTON

Prince Street, Haworth

Sir - What a cheek! I'm referring to the the advert by Bradford Council is last week's issue.

Instead of asking the rate payers what we would spend the council tax increase on, what about finding ways of reducing our tax burden?

There are ways of doing this but Bradford Met is obviously not capable of reducing their spending. It could be done with the use of some common sense. Let's see a 10 per cent cut in rates.

So councillors, get your act together or make way for those who can do better.

Extra money for police. We never see any. If they patrolled the streets we would not have people terrified to walk around. Where were they on Thursday when women were screaming and elderly folks in fear in Lawkholme Lane near the chip shop as a fight broke out?

Why are cars parked on double yellow lines etc around Spencer Street, Albert Street and Broomfield Street all day?

Who in their right minds would put a letter box on Hanover Street? We want it in the Post Office area.

Who has passed the plans for the new bus station without provision for passengers to be under cover boarding and getting off buses, and with no cover to the shopping centre?

Who is responsible for creating a great deal of discomfort to elderly people by making them walk on studded pavements around Cavendish Street, North Street and the bus station? Does the medical officer for this town know?

There are many more examples of incompetence which could be written about and much money that could be spent more wisely. Don't ask for more, sort yourselves out.

C SOWRY

Malvern Crescent,

Riddlesden.

Sir - Councillor Martin Leathley was correct to criticise Bradford Council's failure to publish reports on the state of Bradford's race relations and that pandering to the whims of the Asian community had proved counter productive.

It is an incontrovertible fact that the failure of the host nation to insist on basic standards of language competence has caused isolationist tendencies to develop within the Asiatic community.

As a result, particularly the Muslim community has maintained itself separately from that of the host nation.

This has contributed to a development of mutual suspicion and the Asian and host communities living separately. Incidents of educational under achievement and unemployment are high in the Muslim community.

And there is little doubt that isolation and the failure of both parents of the children to speak English effectively are contributory causes to this.

The consequences of the above have been clear for some time, with Asian youths congregating in large gangs and being responsible for cowardly attacks throughout the Bradford district.

Feigning support for bin Laden and the Taliban is laughable, as the Asian youth would receive uncompromising punishment by these organisations.

And I wonder how many have had the courage of their convictions to abandon western liberalism in favour of fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan?

ALEC SUCHI

Allerton Road, Bradford.

Sir - Cllr Leathley is to be congratulated for giving voice to the concerns of the majority out here.

He is quite right in stating that money will not cure the problems of the Asian community.

As Cllr Leathley said, "the ball is in their court." The actions of the Labour group, especially the Keighley members, fill me with contempt and I for one will not vote for any sitting member from Keighley West.

DENIS BRIGGS

The Chase, Keighley

SIR - How kind of ASDA - or Walmart of the USA as I prefer to call them - to send out to all your readers, courtesy of the Keighley News, clear instructions on exactly who to contact about their proposals for a friendly low key community shopping centre.

Walmart's disingenuous little leaflet waxes lyrical about the benefits to the community of a £25 million investment in the future of Keighley.

I have a cynical feeling that the investment is for their benefit, not ours.

But I'm sure this US based global corporation won't be in the least bit predatory when it come to little old Keighley.

We should welcome the prospect of Peter Black's moving out, or consolidating as Walmart put it.

We should shout Hurrah! when the traffic backs up from the fire station entrance to the 20mph zone in Lawkholme lane.

We'll certainly love the creation of 400 zero hour contract jobs, although of course we'll shed a tear for those boring old fashioned employers elsewhere in Keighley who won't be able to compete.

And when all the other shops and supermarkets in the town have finally closed down we're quite certain we'll still be able to enjoy the aggressively low prices controlled lock stock and barrel by Walmart. Aren't we?

Why didn't ASDA leave a space to say no in their leaflet? Well, no-one could possibly object, could they? Could they?

George Speller

Delph Barn

Hill Top Road

Keighley

Sir - I am writing to express my grave concern for the people of Afghanistan. Right now, 5.5 million people in Afghanistan desperately need food.

Oxfam have been working in Afghanistan for over 12 years, where families have already endured three years of severe drought and 20 years of war. Due to the fear of military strikes, food supplies have recently been discontinued into Afghanistan.

If vital aid does not arrive by mid-November, many families could die this winter. Oxfam is already working hard to set up refugee camps on the border of Pakistan with Afghanistan, particularly by the provision of clean water and sanitation. Oxfam has launched an appeal, as money is urgently needed to fund the emergency aid effort.

Yesterday, a cargo plane packed with 40 tonnes of Oxfam water and sanitation equipment left the UK for Pakistan.

The shipment of buckets, pumps and other vital equipment needed to supply clean water for up to 45,000 people is destined for refugee camps on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

However, food supplies are about to run out.

We need the help of the people of Yorkshire & North East, urgently.

To donate to Oxfam's Afghanistan appeal please call 0845 303 0023 or donate via your local Oxfam shop or online at www.oxfam.org.uk/afghanistan.

Rebecca Palmer,

Campaigns Officer,

Oxfam Afghanistan

Crisis Appeal