Sun Street fire debate

There seems to be a bit of a flame war in the comments section HERE
This was a very serious incident and Nick has a valid point about the local fire crew.
It is little wonder someone wasn't killed or injured, so this is not a topic for scoring cheap points in a newspaper comment section.
We would have thouht that sympathy for the victim/s was more in order than ill thought criticism.

Getting my facts straight

I was challenged today about my comments over charging for entry to Haworth Main Street for this year's 40s weekend. No, actually I was shouted at by the Village Association vice-chairman over his back gate.
"What are you up to?" he enquired at some volume. I invited him to turn the volume down. He invited me to get my facts straight over comments I was invited to make to the Keighley News. That's before he stormed off in a huff because apparently as a freelance journalist with his own blog I am supposed to check with him before speaking and giving a personal opinion. I'll pass on that thanks, I believe in a free press and the freedom of speech.
I have "got my facts straight" on the Village Association's Facebook site with this comment after inferences about Chinese whispers.
Not Chinese whispers at all. Let me quote again from the association's own minutes. "Some members voiced their concerns that charging (not donating) did not sit comfortably with the ethos of the event. ..It was agreed that residents will receive free tickets for themselves and a set number of visitors....The change to charging for entry was discussed and in particular how it will affect Main Street residents." So every other street resident in Haworth pays? "All booked coaches have been informed it will apply to adults only." Donations don't "apply" they are voluntary. So what you say is that the few Main Street residents which there are, shopkeepers apart, will not be "charged", the rest of Haworth and all visitors will be. "the consideration of charging had been discussed with Yorkshire Tourism. It was agreed that a charge could be made."...Not Chinese whispers, but your own minutes. You can't have it all ways I'm afraid. Your vice-chairman invited me, quite vociferously, today to "get my facts straight". Thanks to your widely distributed Village Association minutes I have done so.

Statistics

It's good to see from the statistics that the blog has a steady and growing readership. It is my intention to publicise it much more soon and I'd be pleased to hear from anywone who would like to contribute or comment.
There will also be major developments at our web site http://www.brontemediaservices.co.uk/

Forties Weekend

Has Haworth Village Association taken leave of its senses? They plan to charge all visitors to the Forties Weekend this year £1 for the privilege of walking up Main Street!
Last year there were over 10,000 people there over two days and marshalling was non-existent. I understand that Bradford Council is clamping down on this year's events and demanding proper precautions...quite right too.
Charging people £1 to walk up a street which is half closed for half the week during the rest of the year is a brilliant idea. It will probably halve the numbers who go up the street this year and halve the attendance again next year.
When will they learn that spreading several events through the spring and summer would be much more beneficial than trying to grab £10,000 from visitors in just one weekend?
Only a very small percentage of actual villagers ever use the Main Street and I'm beginning to see why. Many shops up there don't cater for them or care about them and a closed shop of event organisers, and other factors, have led to a gradual downturn of visitors over a long period..
Make Haworth LOCAL for the locals and the locals would welcome the chance to lift the village's flagging reputation.
Oh, by the way, what is the Association going to do if locals refuse to pay £1 to walk up their own Main Street during the Forties Weekend? Clamp them?

Van explosion rocks Sun Street

Residents had a lucky escape when a camper van exploded causing devastation on Sun Street, Haworth.
The Keighley News report is HERE
These exclusive pictures are from Bronte Media:-

Dick Turpin rides again!

Love him or loathe him you have to take notice of Ted Evans, our local traffic management entrepreneur.
From this week's Keighley News, and note the comments. HERE
His comments about traders are spot on although I suspect his maths is a little out on car clamping numbers.
Perhaps we could invite Ted to serve on a "Save Our Tourism" action group. He could give free car stickers to all his customers.

Haworth and Worth Valley Community Media Project

After waiting for two months for a decision on just £1500 worth of funding for The Haworth and Worth Valley Media Project we have been turned down.
The funders say there is no "social need" for the project and were dismissive in a particularly uninformed way of what we are trying to achieve.
OK. The project goes on without funding. The only thing that the Haworth area will not get for the moment is a newspaper of quality with real informative editorial content. No problem there, it hasn't got one now, in fact it never has had.
What it will get is under wraps until we launch it, and launch it we will.
Watch this space, as they say, and in the meantime shed loads of money will be thrown at projects which, in our humble opinion, are not worth it.

World of Difference

In March and April I am undertaking a project with Sue Ryder's Manorlands Hospice for the Vodafone Foundation's World of Difference programme.
It's difficult to make a "world" of difference in two months but we have things moving already. One thing I want to do is establish a support group for the hospice, which provides palliative care for those with life threatening conditions. The group will be from Haworth and the surrounding area but there are no boundaries to this cause which serves communities over a vast area extending up into North Yorkshire.
What could you do? I'm open to all enquiries and suggestions. Contact me on brontemediaservices@gmail.com or 07866626090.
See the project blog HERE