A lifelong art lover has had her most cherished view of Bradford caught for posterity by television artist Alan Hydes.

Nora Pollard, who describes herself as a "senior citizen who doesn't feel it", has climbed Wrose Hill at Shipley since she was a teenager.

A mature Art student at Bradford College, Nora considers the outlook from the summit, which offers a panoramic view across the city, second to none. So when she read in the Telegraph & Argus in March that Mr Hydes, of Apperley Bridge, Bradford, was looking for location suggestions for a new TV series, she did not hesitate to write in.

Yesterday Nora climbed the hill with Mr Hydes and a camera crew to film the fourth instalment of Yorkshire Television's Past and Present series.

She said: "It's the nicest thing that's ever happened to me, it really is. It was very exciting and it was a real honour to meet Alan."

Nora, of Eccleshill, Bradford, was in her late teens when she first climbed the hill and it was only after she had stopped to catch her breath that she noticed how stunning the view was. The memory has never left her.

"It has always been in my mind because whenever you see it on a clear day it's just beautiful, there's nothing to compare with it," she said.

"At night the sky fills with millions of stars and it's like being suspended between heaven and earth."

Past and Present, which begins on ITV on June 21, will show Mr Hydes painting famous scenes of towns and cities in the region anew.

Harrogate, Wakefield, Bridlington, Grimsby and Sheffield will all feature, but the artist wanted to find an extra special subject for his home city of Bradford and he was not disappointed by Nora's winning suggestion.

"It's a stunning view, it really is quite spectacular, probably one of the best views in Yorkshire on a good day," he said.

"Nora is a wonderful woman, it was great to meet her and she was delighted to be involved." Mr Hydes is an internationally established talent with a selection of work archived in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

He has his own TV series, In The Frame, in which he paints celebrity guests, and is also a lecturer at Leeds College of Art and Design.

Now, Nora is now looking forward to seeing herself with the artist, and the completed watercolour of Wrose Hill, on the small screen in July.

e-mail: jim.jack@

bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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