Rev Margaret Christopher, will be officially welcomed to the Keighley and Worth Valley Methodist Circuit at a special service on September 6. She takes over as minister at Lees, Oxenhope, Haworth, Oak-worth and Marsh from the Rev Marc Pattern, who has retired.

Mrs Christopher, who comes from Workington, was a primary school teacher and deputy head in her native county before entering the ministry. Married to Brian, a technical officer at Leeds University, and the mother of sons aged 22 and 16, she began preaching at the age of 21. Now 45 she has spent the first seven years of her ministry in the Upper Calder circuit. She is looking forward to starting work and meeting everyone in the five churches for which she will be responsible. "It's an exciting place to live with a wealth of history in Methodism," she comments.

Name-drop

A new book focussing on the history of Haworth will be launched in the village next Thursday. Thornton librarian Jennie Crawford, writer of Street Names of Haworth, will sign copies in the Information Centre from 6-8pm.

The book has already done well in pre-publication sales and publishers Wharncliffe expect it to arouse considerable interest. It came about because of Jennie's love of local moorland and an interest in ancient paths.

Copies will then be on sale at the information centre and Reids bookshop in Cavendish Street, Keighley.

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