Letters to the editor

JACK’S Journey (BTRS) fundraising and awareness team would like to say a big thank you following the success of our fourth annual Christmas Market in Settle on Saturday.
The event was held at St John’s Church Hall and featured 14 stalls by local businesses and crafters, tombola, raffle, cake stall and refreshments.
It was very well supported by the community and the atmosphere was amazing.
On the day, including a cheque kindly received for £1,300 by Helen Howard School of Dance, we raised an incredible £4,000.
We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, from our amazing array of stall holders, our dedicated market helpers, all the local businesses and individuals who kindly donated to our raffle and to everyone who attended, supported and enjoyed Jack’s special day.
Also we would like to say a big thank you and acknowledge the kind donation made by Neil and the team at Booths, Settle, for providing all the refreshments including tea, coffee, milk, sugar and juice and J&R Gases of Wigglesworth for providing helium for our balloon race.
Jack’s Journey fundraising and awareness campaign began in 2012 on behalf of Jack Lambert (now seven) of Wigglesworth, who was diagnosed with a metastatic medulloblastoma (cancer of the brain and spine) in 2010.
Jack’s mum, Jen, and three of her close friends, Kathryn Booth, Lorraine Oliver and Sarah Kynaston, decided to raise funds and awareness for Yorkshire based charity Brain Tumour Research and Support (BTRS) following Jack’s relapse in 2012.
Brain cancer is massively underfunded with less than one per cent raised nationally for research yet it has the highest mortality rate of all cancers in those aged under 40.
Since 2012 we have raised over £50,000 which is pumped directly into vital research and supporting families going through the same nightmare as the Lambert family.
The support from the community over the last three years has been outstanding and we would like to thank each and every person who have helped reach this enormous figure.
Jack’s own personal journey continues and so does the fundraising.!
You can read Jack’s full story or donate through our justgiving page at justgiving.com/lorraine-oliver.
JEN LAMBERT, KATHRYN BOOTH, LORRAINE OLIVER and SARAH KYNASTON,
Jack’s Journey team.

CONTINUING the theme of Bruce McLeod’s letter (‘Tory version of nanny state can be seen’, Letters, November 5) listing the Tory government’s interventions to skew the free market, here’s more.
Having left the highly successful solar industry floundering after slashing feed-in-tariffs by 87 per cent, the C chancellor has slipped into the third reading of the finance bill a measure to exclude all renewable energy generation by community energy organisations from benefitting from EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) shares which give tax relief to investors in new innovative business start-ups.
In the C chancellor’s own words this is “to ensure that the schemes are not subject to misuse and that they provide value for money to the taxpayer”. The nanny state is prepared to sacrifice a popular growing movement that could bring about a real transition to a low carbon economy, under the guise of protecting taxpayers.
To hammer home the nail in the coffin of community renewables, “pre-accreditation” which provided a guaranteed price for electricity so that finance-ready schemes could attract investors has also been stopped.
This threatens hundreds of small volunteer groups that engage communities in combating the causes of climate change by creating their own sustainable energy social enterprise, run by unpaid volunteers, funded by private investment, and benefitting communities directly.
The total hypocrisy of Osborne’s “value for money” claim is demonstrated by the deal to get the world’s most expensive power plant, the 3.2GW Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station in Somerset, financed by the Chinese communist government and built by French state-owned EDF.
EDF gets a guaranteed wholesale electricity price over twice the going rate while Chinese investors get guaranteed profits at a cost to UK electricity consumers of anything between £4bn and £20bn at today’s prices. While Mr Osborne may have saved a few pounds of taxpayers’ money now, he is leaving a legacy of huge increases in electricity bills over the next 45 years. And that’s only for the first nuclear plant.
Mr Osborne has good reason to be worried. Soaring electricity bills will add urgency to already advanced developments in battery technology. Energy storage is the one thing that can make the variable output of renewable energy systems viable as an alternative to expensive nuclear power. As storage-based renewable technologies become more competitive we will see communities developing their own micro-grid solutions and going off grid, rather than paying the high cost of nuclear power.
Mr Osborne could find himself with a big white elephant.
SANDY TOD,
Malham.

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone at Skipton Musical Theatre Company on their latest show Carousel at the Mart Theatre. What a spectacular and fabulous way to bring up their 90th anniversary.
I felt so privileged to be in the audience enjoying the singing, acting and wonderful choreography. It was great to see so many talented individuals performing and the cast were truly outstanding.
It was a fitting celebration and a delight to see both adult and junior performers enjoying themselves on stage with such vigour.!
The Mart Theatre is a fine venue and with shows like this who needs the West End.!
JOYCE SMITH,
Colne Road, Earby.

I HOPE the customers who objected to the closure of the post office in Westmoreland Street in Skipton are paying close attention to the developments at Sutton (‘Residents confused by post office closure, Craven Herald, October 29).
I am sure that the proprietor of the Spar shop in Sackville Street will be carefully re-reading the contract he has signed with Post Office Counters.
It was obvious to me from the structure of the form on the website when I submitted my objection to the closure, that I was wasting my time. The dismissive wording of the response and the lack of any reference to the points I raised confirmed that the decision had already been made.
I was very disappointed but not a bit surprised at the outcome, if the local bookie had been taking bets on it I would be quids in. I will be very sad when the post office I have used regularly for many years finally closes its doors, I just hope the transition to Spar goes better than it did for Costcutter.
CHRIS WHITFIELD,
Moorview Way, Skipton.

THE reason why so many people are wanting to live here is because they think our standard of living is so high. The reason why we have such a high standard is because at one time we had an E empire.
Now, our empire has been lost and we must earn our bread and butter, just the same as any other nation. That is why the G government is cutting down on the service it provides.
The G government, like any other government, irrespective of its political, idealogical and religious point of view, is composed of people who are concerned with their own “job prospects”. Without a job, they have no income (unless they are prepared to live on state handouts).
That is why the G government is desirous of finding people work to do - as long as, they pay taxes to support the G government).
That is why we have so many political and religious parties fighting for control of “the people”.
JEFF BILBROUGH,
Hebden Hall Park, Hebden.

I APPLAUD the authorities for commencing work on the towpath at Bradley – ‘£450k to make towpath easier for pedestrians’ (Craven Herald, November 5).
About five years ago, I set off cycling from Leeds to Skipton. It was a cold, drizzly day and I pedalled hard to avoid hypothermia.
After Keighley, I was sliding all over the place, and it was potentially dangerous.
At Skipton, my bike was caked in mud.
I haven’t done it since, but if the path from Keighley to Skipton is good, I’ll be doing it very soon.!
Almost everyone should be encouraged to cycle, as it’s a great form of exercise. You go places too.!
RICHARD MORLEY,
Leeds.

I WAS concerned to receive through the post last week an invitation to sign up for a repeat prescription service, personally addressed to myself (even though I have no repeat prescriptions).
This Pharmacy 2U purports be linked to the NHS on its email address. The form to join up even knew at which practice I was likely to be registered. How have they got these details? What’s in it for them? I fear that from it’s official-looking format, unsuspecting individuals will return the forms and presume it is from the NHS.
Bearing in mind that we already have an excellent service from our local pharmacies, is this an attempt to wipe them out?
We have already lost our local Post Office, let’s support, in our case, Sutton Pharmacy, an extremely valued asset to the village.
ROSEMARY PEACOCK,
Park Drive, Sutton-in-Craven.

WE know that a number of parents and carers are concerned about parking when dropping off pupils at Water Street School, Skipton (Letters, Craven Herald, November 5).
The official grace period for parking in all CDC car parks is 15 minutes. However, for those who are not able to walk their children to school, or drop off and pick up within the 15-minute grace period in Coach Street car park, there is an alternative to on-street parking.
Resident parking permits cost £47.50 a year and give holders two hours of free parking per day on Coach Street car park.
Therefore for a 40-week school year it would only cost £1.20 a week to park up to two hours – this can include separate visits totalling two hours and holders can use the permit all year round.
More information about parking permits can be found at cravendc.gov.uk/skiptonparking
PAUL ELLIS,
Director of Services, Craven District Council.

PAVEMENT parking continues to blight streets up and down the country. Cars parked on pavements act as an obstruction to people walking, especially for those who are blind or partially sighted, parents with buggies and people in wheelchairs.
At its worst pavement parking puts people’s safety at risk by forcing them into the road. I am urging people to write to their local MP, asking them to vote for a bill to be passed at Parliament on 4 December 4 to put a stop to pavement parking.
Let’s save our pavements for people and make our streets better places to walk in for the whole community.
JENNIFER WILES,
Regional Director (North East), Living Streets, Newcastle upon Tyne.

I WOULD like to thank Mr Alex Bentley for another superb Remembrance Day parade. It is a credit to our town and it is all down to his efforts.
Is it not time we recognised the effort Mr Bentley puts into its organisation as well as supplying Craven with its poppies? When I spoke to him on Sunday about the parade, his comment was: “It has to be done.”
I am told it was Mr Bentley who was responsible for the names of the recent fallen being put on the cenotaph and for the two memorials in the Soroptimists Gardens.
As a veteran, I and all veterans in Skipton appreciate your work.
M PARKINSON,
Skipton.

READERS, did you know you can still sign a petition to the BBC to keep its weather contract with the Met Office?
We have to keep the weather supplied from within the United Kingdom.
Go to website petition.co.uk, enter section environment and sign petition weather contract. If you do not have internet access please try your local library.
FE SHARPE,
Plymouth.

“PEOPLE breaking the laws of the road, any of them, should automatically lose their licence.” “Bans should be rest-of-life.” “Anyone disagreeing (with me) is very likely a criminal of the same ilk themselves and just wanting a sense of justification.” (‘The rules apply to all and must be obeyed’, Craven Herald letters, October 29).
It’s when I read comments like these from Mr Moore, of Todmorden, that I thank God for my own dull normality.
ALLAN FRISWELL,
Keighley Road, Cowling.