Well, aloha there.

Keighley may appear to have little in common with the paradise islands of Hawaii.

But the town has a special place in the life of one teenager on the idyllic isles - she's named after it. And 15-year-old Keighley Randels is proud of her unique association. "It's the neatest thing," she says.

Mum Elise chose her daughter's name - which she pronounces 'Kayley' - at random from an old world atlas she had and was immediately taken with it.

This week the amazing story behind her name was revealed when Elise contacted the Keighley News via our e-mail address to find out more about the town.

Elise, 46, speaking from her Hilo home, told us: "I have always wanted to visit the UK. I believe my obsession began when I was about ten years old. My mother had toured Europe in the 1950s and loved England especially. When I found out in 1983 I was going to have another child, I told my husband that since I was never going to visit England - a lack of cash being the reason - I would name my baby after an English town or county. I picked Devon if it was to be a boy and Keighley if it was a girl.

"I always receive comments on her name and so does she. It's different - we have never met anyone else who named their child Keighley!"

Arizona-born Keighley is the youngest of three daughters to Elise and her husband James, 54. James also has two sons.

The family moved to the Hawaiian islands from Calif-ornia two years ago.

Elise adds: "We have managed to learn a bit about the town of Keighley - that Emily Bront was from the area, and about the little railroad. It sounds wonderful."

The Keighley News is sending copies of the newspaper and literature about the town to the family.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.