Unhealthy and filthy eyesore

As a local inhabitant, tax and ratepayer, I feel the time has come to ask whoever the relevant authority is about their concerns regarding the ongoing eyesore at Flappit Springs.

How much is it going to cost me and the other tax and rate paying fools in the surrounding districts to clean up the man-made, possibly rat infested, obscene piles of rubbish accumulating daily approaching, at, and beyond, on both sides of the main road, at this bikers venue (an activity I fully support by the way) with daily visits to the burger van by wagons, cars, bikers and walkers, the whole site has now become an unwelcome, unhealthy, filthy eyesore and when the wind blows, a hazardous place to drive past.

Okay, the bikers need a playground, no problem, and it's great for wagon, van and car drivers to stop for a bite to eat and a rest, no problem, but do me a favour, don't lay the cost of the inevitable clean up, which by the look of it, could run into thousands, on me and others who have no interest, other than for its amenity value, in this site.

As anyone locally will know, this is one of the main roads into and out of Keighley and the "jewel" in Bradford's crown, Haworth, many tourists and others travel this route, many will see what I see and many may well wish to turn around and use it as the main road out, many others may not care, but either way the fact remains, it's a mess.

Somebody needs to get their act together here, however, there is a way to address this problem, but sadly, it may eat into the quality time of the people responsible for creating this eyesore, but don't even think about laying the burden and the costs of a clean up on me.

Peter Clarke Oxenhope

Thanks for kind letter

Re Letter of the Week, February 28, 2008. Please could you thank Keith Whitaker for his kind letter regarding Signalman Harry Marsden of the Royal Corps of Signals and his time in occupied Singapore.

Harry had played for Keighley RLFC in the 1930s and was 32 when Singapore fell to the invading Japanese, suffering along with 100,000 other British Troops.

For the next three and a half years, he was a PoW working at first at building roads then on to the railway up to Burma, the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. During his years has a PoW, he, like so many thousands of others, suffered many terrible illnesses, malaria, beri-beri and cholera. He also lost part of his foot with ulcer's.

Alas, in 1967, he became ill and the doctor thought it was something tropical and wanted Harry to go to the tropical disease hospital in Liverpool but it was too late, Harry died on April 9, 1968, aged 61.

The toil's of his time as a PoW, had finally caught up to him. He left behind his wife, Cissie, daughter Irene, granddaughter Margaret and grandsons Stephen and three week old Shaun. Like all of the soldier's and PoWs who was held by the Japanese and was forced to work building roads, railways, bridges and airfields for the Japanese war machine, they did not receive any compensation for their sufferings.

His story can be read at http://www.keighley.plus.com/harrymarsden.htm On behalf of all his family, we would like it known that he (and all the other PoWs of the Japanese), still make us all proud.

Christopher M Kelly, Grandson of Signalman Harry Marsden.

Lawcliffe Crescent, Haworth

Goodbye Mr Sid

We attended the service of thanksgiving for the life of Sidney Olsson. The service at St John's, Ingrow, was a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much and made a difference to so many Scouts and Guides living in Ingrow and further a field.

In the days when boys were Scouts and girls were Guides, Sid, or as we call him at Ingrow "Mr Sid", and his wife, Olga, broke down those barriers, we were all both Scouts and Guides together as a family and had the best of both worlds. We travelled far and wide under their guidance and were encouraged to reach our full potential. Even after their retirement they were still very much part of the Ingrow Scout and Guide group.

So it was with sad hearts that we attended the service for Mr Sid, the fact that it was held on the Guide Associations Thinking Day was a fitting tribute. The service remembered a man who willingly volunteered his time to teach the values of both Scouting and Guiding to children and young people in Keighley.

Mr Sid will be sadly missed at Ingrow but thanks to his kindness, enthusiasm and values we still have a group which is continuing the ethos of Scouting and Guiding. We would like to thank his family for their kind donation in lieu of flowers, it will be spent wisely and to the benefit of all, and thank you also goes to all those who donated. Our thoughts and prayers are with Olga and his family.

Ingrow Scout and Guide Group

At best bad management

I was horrified and amazed to read the "Plea for Patience" from Ann Cryer in last week's Keighley News.

I know this Labour Government shows little concern for the people who elected it but I did expect better from our local MP.

The state of staffing in her office which has been allowed to deteriorate, for whatever reason we are being given, illustrates at best bad management and at worst complete disregard for her constituents.

People petition their local MP for help often because they have been unable to find a solution elsewhere with other organisations. To them their problem is often a cause of great concern and even distress. It cannot be right, therefore, to expect people to put their concerns and worries on one side for several weeks until she gets her office in order. I suggest that in future our MP employs a bit more forward thinking and has a plan to cover whatever staffing problems may occur, as this present situation is not good enough for the people of this constituency.

Dorothy Clamp Conservative Candidate Keighley East

Casey's Corner does exist

Re your news item of February 21, I write to assure your readers that Casey's Corner does in fact exist.

At the time of her tragic death in 2004 Casey Mason was a pupil at the school where she is still remembered by many as a lively and responsive pupil.

Her tragic death moved our school community to re-name the Enchanted Garden, then being planned as a resource to encourage the imaginative education of our pupils.

We now call it Casey's Corner as the commemorative plaque states.

It was opened by the then Mayor of Keighley in the summer of 2006 at a ceremony attended by many pupils, parents and friends of our school. Casey's parents were present as honoured guests.

Casey's Corner and our school may be visited by all who still cherish Casey's memory.

All we ask is that they call in at our school office first.

John H Learmonth Chairman of Governors, Riddlesden St Mary's C E Primary School

Making the lame walk

Now that the Keighley Area Committee have agreed, in their wisdom, to remove car parking spaces in Town Hall Square, at present for people with mobility problems, could we please be told who were the people who made this decision. I would like to meet them as they are obviously able to make the lame walk and cure disabilities.

I would ask them what experience they have had of either being wheelchair-bound or of being a wheelchair pusher. It seems unlikely that they have either, for if they had it would have been apparent to them that roadside parking in the new spaces so graciously allowed will cause a disabled passenger to get out of the car into traffic coming from behind them in a road already narrowed by taxi parking on the left-hand side, leaving space only for one line of oncoming cars.

If that person needs to access a Shopmobility buggy, the transfer has to be done in this same restricted and dangerous space, causing a build-up in traffic and putting the safety of both the buggy user and Mr Wright, who supplies the buggies, in peril. Should the disabled person not require a buggy it is probable they will have their own wheelchair in the boot of their car. This means there needs to be sufficient space to unload the wheelchair from the boot, probably erect it before use - all in the middle of the road with traffic coming fast from behind - before the disabled person can be transferred from the car. This, of course, is presuming that the parking spaces are available, not already occupied by able-bodied bank customers.

I have already taken my husband's wheelchair to Victoria Hall to make clear to the management there what the deficiencies are in access to their disabled toilets - we await results, but in the meantime disabled users of the hall had better have cast-iron bladders before entering the main hall. I would be delighted to give the "planners" the same opportunity to experience for themselves the dangers of their latest unsafe decision.

Would it be impertinent to suggest that councillors actually ask for advice from people most affected by the results of their decisions before they make disastrous mistakes like this one?

Brenda Robb Kirkstall Gardens, Woodhouse, Keighley