Impression of market was very positive

There has been discussion about whether the Keighley Farmers’ Market and Oktoberfest benefit the town or not and so I talked to customers of various age groups and backgrounds who were at the events. I asked their opinions of the special markets, whether they also go to the covered market and whether they had come to Keighley specifically to go to the outdoor markets. The answers were interesting. Nearly three quarters of the people questioned lived in the Keighley area but a quarter came from outside Keighley. Over half said they were encouraged to come into Keighley by the Oktoberfest or the Farmers’ Market. Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) said they would also be going to other outlets in Keighley. People mentioned several venues, including the covered market, supermarket, café, pub and swimming pool.

Most people (79 per cent) thought the events were good or excellent, although some said they were disappointed that the pot fair and the continental stalls were not at Keighley this year.

Altogether people seemed to have a very positive impression and particularly enjoyed the entertainments at the Farmers’ Market. We do hope customers will enjoy our Christmas Market and Local Crafts Fair on Sunday, December 13, and stay for the Civic Carol Service on Church Green.

Cllr Judith Brooksbank

Vice-chairman, Keighley Town Council Events Committee

Noble gentleman to filling station rescue

Noble gentleman to filling station rescue Through your pages I would like to sincerely thank the noble gentleman who came to my rescue at a filling station in Keighley on Tuesday evening.

After serving myself with fuel, I queued to pay at the counter, only to find my debit card was rejected. After the initial horror subsided, I checked my card in the “hole in the wall” at the side of the building and discovered my card had expired. Despite being relieved that my account hadn’t been cleaned out by someone intent in stealing my humble identity, reality hit home in that I had absolutely no other way of paying for my diesel. No one accepts cheques these days and I don’t have a credit card. I had enough cash on me earlier in the day but I had used that up on other things. I was well and truly up the proverbial creek without a paddle — and a queue was forming behind my car.

Suddenly, swirling around in the mist of blind panic, a saviour appeared asking if he could loan me some money. I hasten to add that that is the first time a complete stranger has approached me with the offer of monetary gain.

Gratefully, I accepted. He gave me his address for me to post the money to him the next day and drove off without asking my name.

So thank you, Dr B Kennedy, of Kilmeny Surgery, Keighley. Your kindness was hugely appreciated.

Vivien Mason

Leafield Avenue, Eccleshill, Bradford

Old socialist dreads return of Thatcherism

I must say there are six million reasons to worry about the BNP. To say Mr Samuels is more worried about New Labour is dangerous and it is also the same for all mainstream political parties as their opposition to the BNP is one thing that unites them.

The whole tone of his letter is a rant and raving mad. I can remember what it was like in the Thatcher years, a Prime Minister who wrecked the manufacturing industry in this town and the whole country. As a parent of a disabled son his disability benefits, along with other disabled people, were frozen for two or three years. Some people were on £1 an hour with no rights to redress.

Now at least we have the minimum wage, basic workers rights not to have to work more than 48 hours. As for pensioners, will the Tories be paying people over 60 the £250 heating allowance, free bus travel etc.

If there’s a main culprit, what about the banks and the stock markets which, without Gordon Brown’s leadership, we would be up the creek without a paddle.

I am an old socialist and proud of it and have had my differences with New Labour, but the thought of going back to the Thatcher years fills me with horror.

Barry Thorne

Green Street, Haworth

Preference for a broad outlook

With reference to last week’s letter which suggested that Jane Thomas, Labour’s parliamentary prospective candidate, is somehow unfit to represent Keighley as she hails from all of 50 miles (or around an hour’s travelling time) away.

Leaving aside Jane’s undoubted abilities, experience and sheer energy, I have to say I find the above notion to be something of an insult to our community.

It implies that we are a parochial, inward-looking bunch whose horizons and aspirations could not possibly extend beyond the boundaries of our constituency.

In an age when many of us think nothing of travelling such distances and further on a regular basis, the idea that a person can only have a real understanding of the issues pertaining to an area if they’ve lived within it is, frankly, ridiculous.

Personally, I would prefer to have a representative with a broad outlook, both in terms of their life experiences and the places they’ve worked and, yes, lived.

John Ashton

Charles Court, Oxenhope

Street existed long before new Asda

I am of the generation which takes pride in Keighley and it’s history I was brought up in the Lawkholme area in the 1940s/50s and I knew that Bingley Street existed well before Asda was a glint in the eye of the local council. My father worked for Prince Smiths and Stells and walked past this street daily for a number of years.

As an attender of Eastwood School from 1941-1950, it was a short distance from the school and the houses of school friends in the Marlborough Street/Bradford Street area.

Seeking further confirmation I placed the question on the Keighley and District Local History Society website.

The answers and map from 1895 showing the street were returned inside 20 minutes. Have a look on http://keighleyhistory.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=881

Derek A Newiss

Obey rules or suffer consequences

It is getting tiresome to read letters about motorists who complain about being clamped for being two minutes late back and are aware of the rules.

Would they complain if they used public transport and arrived two minutes late at the bus stop to find the bus had gone? Until rules are changed to curb illegal clamping it is up to the motorist to obey the rules or suffer the consequences.

F Slack

Station Road, Haworth

We'll be crushing uninsured cars

Bradford Council is working with West Yorkshire Police to stamp down on motorists driving without insurance.

An Automated Number Plate Recognition group (ANPR) has been formed with £300,000 of council, police and Bradford District Partnership funding to tackle the problem across the district.

We now have 98 ANPR cameras in the the district for the police and council to monitor illegal cars and only last week uninsured vehicles were crushed by police to demonstrate what can happen to uninsured vehicles.

We now have a clear plan in place to tackle these criminals. The Association of Chief Police Officers estimates that uninsured and untraceable drivers accounted for 160 road deaths and 23,000 injuries in 2008 and added an extra £30 to all vehicle insurance policies. It’s a national problem with 1.7 million cars across the UK not being insured.

The main proactive way of combating uninsured vehicles is through the use of ANPR. This system can read the number plate of passing vehicles and check against the national insurance database. If the system is triggered the vehicle is stopped and if no valid insurance is produced the vehicle can be seized.The owner of the vehicle then has seven working days to produce valid insurance, if they don’t the vehicle will either be crushed or sold at auction.

Cllr Kris Hopkins,

leader of Bradford Council

Chief Superintendent Alison Rose