Tour weekend "was Skipton's finest hour"

It is a beautiful place and there is always something going on; Clogfest, Sheep Day, the Waterways Festival, etc. Each one is superbly organised, fun, and also free.

However, Le Tour de France weekend has to be Skipton’s finest hour and “piece de resistance”.

To organise a world-class event like that must have been such hard work and taken outstanding organisational skills.

The weather was kind, the people supportive and well-behaved. The shops and streets were so attractive. The big screens were clear, and we watched both days in a comfortable space with ample facilities. Everyone enjoyed themselves and there was a carnival atmosphere.

Overnight every bit of litter, barriers and signs were cleared away. I can only think council workers were up working all night. I know they were about at dawn on Saturday putting up barriers.

It was my birthday on Saturday, and I would like to thank cyclists, shopkeepers, the people of Skipton, council workers and entertainers for giving me my best birthday party ever.

I am sure Skipton and the surrounding countryside helped to give world viewers the brilliant impression of North Yorkshire it deserves. I am sure they will “flock” here to sheep town.

By the way, can we have more of the New York Brass Band. They were one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen.

Mrs Lesley Widdop Ermysted Street Skipton Allez Craven!

Sir - As a politician, I am not often lost for words. But the mass celebration of the Tour de France in Craven almost left me speechless. Such was the passion, pride and enthusiasm of the people, not to mention the spectacular pictures of our district that were broadcast live into living rooms around the world.

We will for always remember that special first weekend in July 2014 and I am confident that the profound experience will help carry us forward. Over the last 18 months we have been on an amazing journey to prepare for this event.

I cannot thank our residents, businesses, farmers, council staff and partner organisations enough for their work and support. And I do have to reserve a special thanks to the small council delivery team that worked so hard to make this happen.

Existing relations among various parties were rekindled and new ones were forged, enabling us to pull off an event in Craven of unprecedented magnitude. Those relationships will help us during Stage Two of our journey: capitalising on the exposure to attract more visitors and businesses to this area, which will strengthen our economy. We have proved that together we can make things happen. So let’s do it. Allez Craven!

Councillor Simon Myers Lead member for the Tour de France Craven District Council No stopping us now!

Sir -Thank you very much to Allan Friswell for his comments in his letter in last week’s Craven Herald & Pioneer. Yes, we did have a ball!

I would like to say as a member of the Tour de France committee here in Silsden what an immense pleasure it was to be part of the working team that came together to show our residents, our visitors and indeed the world the delights of our small town.

We started out as a small group, but within a few weeks more and more residents, businesses and organisations came forward with offers of help and new ideas were formulated.

Many thanks go to our three wonderful churches, St James, Silsden Methodists and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, who came together and initiated the start of things. Thank you very much for their hospitality over the weekend and during the 100 days of culture.

Also grateful thanks must go to Neil Whitaker, who organised and chaired the meetings, to the charismatic Rev David Griffiths who ignited the community with his enthusiasm and to Anne Knight and silsden.net for getting on board at the very beginning and keeping the town updated as to what was happening.

Thank you to all the Silsden businesses that happily supported the Make Silsden Yellow Campaign ( thank you to the all the knitters of the yellow jumpers); to those that contributed their outstanding art work at Le Bike Festival; to all the people who took part in the Decorated Bike Trail and to Bodyfix for keeping the town fit with their Physio Tour de Silsden.

Many thanks to those volunteers who readily came forward for the big Silsden Tidy Up last Friday and a huge thank you to the local “volunteers” who cleaned our public toilets.

Silsden Youth Council’s very early start to the day paid off when their display on the rugby pitch was broadcast to millions. “Silsden Welcomes Le Tour” made an amazing aerial shot and certainly put us on the map.

Thanks to the Silsden Town Council for organising, paying and putting up the town’s bunting. Thank you to all the councillors who contributed their time and effort to this event.

Many thanks to Gill and Jeff The Barber for organising the entertaining Boule competion. Well done to the ladies of the gala committee on their win. Be prepared to defend your title next year.

Also a big thank-you to all those people who supported the film evening showing “ A Boy, a Girl and a Bike”, proving so popular there was standing room only.

I would also like to thank Bradford Council for painting our “balls” in the Tour de France jersey colours. All the comments that I have heard have been favourable and have brought a smile to many faces.

It would be difficult to name each individual, but to everyone who contributed in any way thank you very much. I’m sure the residents of Silsden and all our visitors appreciated the hours of hard work and effort that went into making this such a special weekend.

Merci beaucoup Gary Verity for bringing this event to Yorkshire. Last Sunday was an absolutely brilliant day. The build-up, the caravan and the fantastic race itself. And the sun continued to shine...

The Tour de France has been a superb opportunity to bring together all the various Silsden groups. There will be no stopping us now. There is a community event being planned in October to “showcase” all the Silsden clubs and organisations. The public and all residents will have the chance to come along and see what goes on in Silsden.

There will be lots of opportunities to be involved in future projects which will benefit the town. Don’t hide your talent. Be part of the future of Silsden.

Cllr Rebecca Whitaker Silsden Town Council Buckden Court Silsden So fortunate Sir - Having watched the extensive coverage of Stage One of The Tour de France here in our area, beamed worldwide, one can only marvel at the glorious landscape in which we are privileged to live and work.

The Tour de France organisers, the TV commentators and even the international riders all commented on the beautiful scenery here in the Yorkshire Dales.

How fortunate then that the planning inspector, Mrs Zoe Hill, made a decision very recently to dismiss the second appeal by EnergieKontor to build a wind farm at Brightenber Hill, Bank Newton.

One of the strong points for her refusal of the application was the impact wind turbines would have on the landscape. The threat of a wind farm development has blighted this area for more than seven years, so hopefully this is now at an end.

Thanks are also due to Craven District Council Planning Committee, who have twice wisely refused the applications.

Jenny Bryan West Marton Skipton Cricket club’s concerns Sir - I read with great interest the article on page eight of the Craven Herald published on July 3. The headline was ‘More homes for village at mercy of developers’.

What a fantastic gesture by the developers, included in their application was the fact that, and I quote ‘ the cricket field would be gifted to the village’. Anyone reading this article, would marvel and would consider the cricket club committee and its members are extremely fortunate to be in receipt of such a generous gift.

As I see the situation there is only one small problem, Embsay Cricket Club actually own their own ground and have done for a number of years, since they bought the ground from The Chatsworth Estates in 1982.

Your readers would also wonder since ‘the cricket field will be gifted to the village’, why the cricket club isn’t looking forward to having neighbours next door to it. There are numerous reasons and below are just a few: 1. Are the developers aware how many nights per week cricket is played at Shires Lane? The cricket club has two senior teams and three junior teams, with two practice nights. The only free night is a Friday, which is the groundsman’s night 2. Also the Embsay Ladies Rounders team use the facilities and their balls have been known to go over into the proposed development field 3. From May 3, 2014, until June 21, 2014, there were a total of 47 balls hit into the field where the housing development is proposed. This figure is just during matches, it does not include other occasions when balls have been struck over the wall during either practice sessions or prior to games commencing 4. From the outline plan provided 24 of the 47 balls travelled far enough into the field to make contact with a proposed dwelling 5. The developers have suggested a netting system, but as a club we couldn’t afford to maintain it. We also wouldn’t have room for storage of the netting. We don’t know if the proposal would mean the netting has to be up permanently, are we expected to put it up and pull it down before and after each match 6. How would the residents feel looking out on the netting? They wouldn’t have much of a view and would soon object to cricket club 7. This facility is the only sporting facility the village has. We play cricket, rounders, the football club use our facilities, Embsay primary school use the ground for their sports days and Ermysted’s School hire our ground for their interschool matches 8. If the club wasn’t able to use the facilities to play cricket, which is a great probability and not unrealistic, this would have a further detrimental knock on effect to the village. The cricket club organises a bingo session in the village hall every other Saturday night to raise funds. If the cricket stops then so I should imagine will the bingo.

When we play cricket, at the moment we are fortunate to be able to park our cars on Shires Lane. As a cricket club we can’t object if the parking facilities are removed, the nature of the beast is our players and visitors will park somewhere.

You have to feel sorry for the residents of Embsay and as secretary of the club, I would like to apologise in advance for the extreme inconvenience this will cause in the future seasons to come.

Ann Coe Embsay Cricket Club Secretary Thanks to voters Sir - Please may I convey to your readers, and particularly all those residents and electors of the west ward of Skipton who voted for myself in the recent by-election for a member of Skipton Town Council, sincere and heartfelt thanks for their faith in me to be their duly elected Independent councillor.

A surprising, concerning and disturbing element of these recent by-elections was the way in which some candidates for the two national governing coalition parties at Westminster so blatantly distance themselves from their national political masters.

Whether they are ashamed of or have no confidence in and disagree with their own party policies and actions I will leave to the considered judgement of your readers.

I recognise that I have a hard act to follow in the footsteps of the late councillor Mrs Polly English. I intend to use my youthful energy to help all who need assistance and to make Skipton an even better place to live and work.

Cllr Miss Laura Broadbent Town councillor Skipton west Sackville Street Skipton Representing all Sir - I would like to thanks the voters of Skipton west division for electing me as their Independent county councillor last week.

This is despite some of my party political opponents using their “party machines” and bringing in people from outside the district to conduct and help in their campaigns, at the same time distancing themselves from those political parties in their leaflets.

I am also very much aware, though, that this was a closely fought election on a low turnout, and as such many people didn’t vote for me either. So I will do my very best over the next few years to represent all residents of Skipton West Division on North Yorkshire County Council, this half of Skipton has many different issues and needs that want addressing. As an Independent, I am free to work with whoever I feel will deliver the best for Skipton west in particular and Craven in general. I am pretty sure I have visited every doorstep and every street in west division this past month, and I intend to keep doing so, however please feel free to contact me over any issue you feel I can help with.

Cllr Andy Solloway Sunmoor Drive Skipton Backing our police Sir- Re last week’s letter in the Craven Herald from A Munnerley. I was horrified with the comment suggesting Skipton Police are lazy.

Living in the centre of town, I have had occasions when I couldn’t have done without them. In past years, I have worked with the irreplaceable Councillor Polly English. The close work she did alongside the police - just one of her many working issues - was paramount.

The police need the help from the public to do many jobs successfully. Maybe A Munnerley would care to look at the crime statistics before he starts passing judgement in this horrendous way. A sincere thanks to all those who were volunteers in the huge success of the Tour de France. Let’s keep our lovely town alive and safe for all who live her and visit.

Hazel Bulcock Devonshire Mews Newmarket Street, Skipton Links with Fred Sir - I write to you on the anniversary of Fred Trueman’s untimely death, to acquaint you with series of coincidences.

I was born in Skipton, and brought up in Gladstone Street. The backstreet was my cricket pitch, with a pig midden as the stumps. Hit the ball into neighbour’s backyard and it was a six; but you were out. The other cricket pitch was the boys’ yard at Water Street School, where the headmaster was such an enthusiast for cricket that he used a wicket or a bat to administer punishments.

From there I went to Nelson Grammar School, where my cricket was acceptable; but my Yorkshire origins were less so, and I represented the house but not the school. After a short career as a journalist on the Nelson Leader, I was commissioned into the Royal Air Force and qualified as a pilot.

Team games were actively encouraged and I returned to bat, pad and ball (but not necessarily in that order). By the time that I reached my first operational station I had established myself as a fast bowler and mid-order batsman. At Wyton, in the mid-1960s, my first-eleven captain was an ex- public school/university graduate who said that I only held my place in the team because of my fast bowling: as a batsman I had no technique. My response was to the effect that I didn’t need a technique if I carried on scoring more runs than he did.

His response was to the effect that I was typical Yorkshireman, and just like that Trueman bloke. What a marvellous compliment, to be so favourably compared with my cricketing hero; even if I was dropped from the first eleven during the following weeks, months and years.

When I eventually retired from the Royal Air Force, after 35 years service, I was again described as a typical Yorkshireman, because I was retiring to Lincolnshire where the houses were cheaper. This time I retorted that living in Yorkshire was a Godsend; but living in the next county gave you something to look forward to. And so I do.

I come to Skipton every year, and I always visit Bolton Abbey, and I always visit Freddie’s grave. And here’s the source of the coincidence.

During my last stay in Skipton, in May, I bought a copy of Trueman’s Tales from the Oxfam Book Shop. I read it from cover to cover and then went ‘online’ to find and purchase ‘The Authorised Biography’ by Chris Waters, who was ‘raised and educated in Lincoln’. I live in Welton: mid-way between Lincoln (where Freddie Played for the ‘Imps), and Hemswell, where he carried out his National Service.

Having learned so much more about my cricketing hero, where I was born and where he ‘ended up’, and finding myself where he did his military service and where I have ‘ended up’; but there is another twist to the tale. I sent for another book: his memoir ‘As it Was’, which arrived last week: it was described as being ‘inscribed with a dedication’; but when it arrived, it stunned me because the dedication reads “To Phil, My Very Best Wishes, F S Trueman”.

Who ‘Phil’ is or was I do not know; but it is a genuine inscription, because the indentation carries through to the next page and the bookseller could not have known my familiar name.

So I am thinking of Fred today, and thanking him for the inspiration that took so many of us from the backs streets to the front seats with integrity and dignity and many an honest word.

Group Captain P J Rodgers MBE RAF (Ret) Eastfield Lane Welton-by-Lincoln Appeal for support Sir - I’m writing to appeal to your readers to get involved and show their support for The Oneday campaign on 11 July.

The aim of the day is to provide a fun day to encourage children across the globe to explore their future careers, but at the same time raise money for Duchenne researchers that are working on finding a cure for children that will not have a career due to their prognosis.

One in 3,500 boys is born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the United Kingdom each year. Their average lifespan is just 20 years and it is 100 per cent fatal.

As a dad of a young boy with the fatal disease Duchenne, I am passionate about highlighting this cause and drawing attention to this lesser known disease through education.

We’re also asking teachers to: • download our school pack which includes fundraising ideas and lesson plans from our website • speak to students about their career choices • highlight Duchenne and talk to the students about what they can do to support fundraising for a cure Diseases touch every single person so we’re asking everyone to take a moment to read about Oneday and get involved.

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and share the #Oneday and other fun content during on July 11 to help spread the word. You can also text Make24 to 70070 to donate £3. Visit http://www.onedayiwanttobe.org/ to find out more.

Alex Smith Dad of two, Founder of Harrison’s Fund and Co-founder of Duchenne Alliance Cobham Surrey