Letters to the Editor

My husband John Louis Thornton is the 16-year-old sculptor holding the plaque (right). He designed, modelled and supervised the bronze casting of the plaque.

He was so proud to receive this commission from the City Fathers who had approached Harold Rhodes, head of the Regional College of Arts, Great Horton Road, to ask if there was anyone who could undertake this work. I think they were quite surprised when this youngster came along capable of doing so.

He met Mrs Anderson and remembers how sad he felt. He saw the VC and needed to work from it and the citation to be designed around it.

Now aged 73 and badly disabled with arthritis, he still produces creative works.

He was in the army for three years at the end of the war and then continued his studies in London at the Kennington City Guilds and the Central School of Art.

Thank you for bringing back this special memory.

Betty Thornton, Daylesford House, Morton-in-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

SIR - Having read about the boy who was knocked off his bike and then had the bike stolen at knife-point, it seems to me that we have a significant number of out-of-control yobs in Bradford. We appear to have an equal number of rotten parents.

If a lad comes home with a bike worth £200, surely his parents would want to know how he got it? If he sold it, then the receiver is equally guilty.

Too many attacks are happening with baseball bats, iron bars and knives.

I think now that before we spend another penny on "regeneration", we need some reassurance that it won't all be destroyed again. We have had enough arson of schools, homes and cars.

All the youth "initiatives" are used by the young people who don't commit crime. For the criminal element, we should spend the money on a lot more police. Prevention is better than cure.

Jennie Howerski, Brendan Court, Bradford.

SIR - A union of three grammar school football clubs in Germany is looking for a partnership with youth clubs in Yorkshire.

The clubs, in Hern, near Dortmund, already have had exchanges with clubs from Yorkshire. Unfortunately the last partnership came to an end, so we Germans are looking for a new one.

In the past, English clubs have come over at the end of May (Spring Bank) with the Germans returning in October of the same year. The groups consist of up to 50 members (players plus adults in charge of them). Everyone is accommodated within families.

The age group we are looking for is 13 to 16 years. If you or your club is interested, please write to me at the address below.

Bernard Goette, Ridderstr, 7, 44867 Bochum, Germany.

SIR - Thornton village is quite rightly credited as being the Bronte birthplace and moves have been made at various times to encourage visitors to the area with this in mind.

However, any visitor to our village would only notice the poor condition of the area surrounding their 'birthplace', even allowing for the age of the buildings. The main street is very badly maintained with poor excuses for yellow lines and the ridiculous 'speed' humps, as any motorist attempting more than 20 mph could be classed as idiotic even without the hazards.

The main problem, however, is the amount of dirt littering the streets, not household waste or general litter, as this is looked after by the resident street cleaner, but the dirt which needs sweeping up using the lorry specially constructed to sweep the culverts.

If this is not possible due to parked vehicles, then how about hand sweeping?

Come on, let's get Thornton village looking spruced up and worthy of visitors.

B G Jowett, Thornton Road, Thornton.

SIR - The saddest thing about the First Bradford changes to bus services has been the ease with which the concept of co-ordinated public transport has been virtually abandoned.

From Five Lane Ends you used to be able to catch a bus direct to, or near, seven railway stations. Now you can reach only four and most services are very infrequent indeed.

The much-vaunted Red Line service goes to Bradford Interchange only from 7pm on Mondays to Saturdays. Only on Sundays does the Red Line service go from Five Lane Ends to the Interchange all day.

Furthermore, if you are unfortunate enough to catch a 641 from the Interchange to Five Lane Ends, it takes an extra ten minutes and you have to pay an extra fare for the longer journey.

The 642 service now goes to the Interchange five times a day, but not after 2pm and never on Saturdays and Sundays. A few of the 610, 611 and 612 services call at the Interchange in an evening and on Sundays.

There is now reasonable bus access from Five Lane Ends only to Bradford Forster Square and Shipley stations. A few buses go near Saltaire Station, but there is now no service at all to, or near, Leeds, Guiseley and Menston stations.

It is disappointing that the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority seems to be so complacent about the serious consequences of the service changes for so many people.

Derek R Crabtree, Norman Lane, Bradford .

SIR - Mr Hussain's idea of an "excellent service" differs from that of the residents of Allerton who used to have an "excellent service" every ten minutes up and down via Thornton Road, Bell Dean and Saffron Drive to Duckworth Lane and into the city.

True, I can now walk up to Bracewell Avenue and get a bus to BRI and town, but there is a small snag. It's 200 yards very much up hill and I am in my 90th year. Coming back also involves a long walk as there is now no stop at the bottom of the hill before turning to Bracewell.

Also the 615 runs past here half-hourly (instead of every ten minutes erstwhile)

To get back up from Morrisons entails often a long wait. I can't run with heavy bags!

No, Mr Hussain, a good service has been replaced by a hotch-potch of services that should be scrapped.

My wife and I attended BRI today. It took from 12.55 until 13.45 to do a journey that used to take half-an-hour, plus double the fare!

R W Jeffery, Greenway Drive, Allerton.

SIR - Congratulations to Mike Priestley for his article in the Queen Mum's souvenir issue in the Telegraph & Argus.

It was so refreshing to read a "no-nonsense" opinion about why the whole country should celebrate the Queen Mum's century birthday.

It also reinforces the reasons for why we should always celebrate the Best of British.

Mrs M Young, Norwood Terrace, Shipley.