A wake up call for the village?

It's been quite depressing to hear the BBC's accounts of how tourism is dying in Haworth due to a mixture of decay in the fabric of the village and a proliferation of signs on the Main Street.
The emotive line used is "The Brontes wouldn't recognise the Haworth of today".
I hope not. In their day the Main Street was running with untreated sewage, now you're lucky if you find a trickle of tourists before lunchtime because half the traders are not open.
Some traders were interviewed by BBC Radio Leeds and gave a very negative account of the village today. Do they know they may be part of the reason?
Admittedly it would have been nice if the BBC had given similar coverage to the hugely successful Forties weekend, but they didn't give it a shot or a sentence, but then that's good news.
Yes, the place does need livening up and tidying up but much of the answer lies in the hands of those who seem to want everything their own way or not at all.

Here is a selection of comments from today's Telegraph and Argus, not encouraging reading I'm afraid.


I think the place is a complete dump -as far as the main street goes. Grotty shops, cafes where the meaning of customer service is non-existant. Were it not for the excellent railway and the museum plus the church and the walk out to Top Withins, I cannot understand why anyone would want to visit the place - it has all the hallmarks of Keighley which is worse but only because it is larger. Why is it that Hebden Bridge is so good and this place so bad?

Newswatcher, shipley says...

5:03pm Wed 7 Jul 10

Haworth relies on it's famous past with little thought to the future.
Then there is the damage done by "that car park".
I can't see while people still want to visit.
It is a great pity as there is so much that could be done.
A good start would be making visitors welcome.
Maybe free parking?


NOTSOCOMMENSENSE, BINGLEY says...

5:41pm Wed 7 Jul 10

Who cares any more overpriced shops Dick Turpin was at it again today clamped a minibus of old folk with the excuse that it was a coach and should have paid as a coach not as a normal minibus

Apollo, Queensbury says...

7:39am Thu 8 Jul 10
The car parking situation and in particular the clamping by the crooks who run it have done enormous damage to the reputaton of the place.
The completely unregulated and unrestricted signage evident in the high street gives the place the look of a Third World bazaar rather than a Heritage site.
It would be good to think that the Council could tackle both of the problems - the car park a the state of the high street. Unfortunately this is Bradford Council we are talking about so we know what will happen.

Lord Mayor attends Cystic Fibrosis Fun Day

Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Peter Hill and Lady Mayoress, Mrs Gillian Hill, attended the successful Fun Day for Cystic Fibrosis held in Central Park, Haworth. A full report and picture appears HERE on the village web site

The swinging Sixties

A selection of pictures from the Haworth 1960's weekend!

Anyone want a hot dog?

Flowers for your hair...

...if you have any! A friend of mine from way back then.

Yes we had passion.

What happened to Nancy Sinatra?

Yeah, yeah, yeah!!!

Is it Christine Keeler?

Mandy?

Get back to Brighton!

World Cup Willy. We need him now.

He's behind you!

I was there! Still am.

There's a guy comes in our cake shop says he's Elvis.

Peace

Tea, cakes and joss sticks.

Is that a hair guitar?

Well done to all these brave people, and animals, who took us back in time! 

 

The Haworth 60's Weekend

The Haworth 1960's weekend begins today. We'll be out photographing the sights and the pictures will be on line as we have them.

Fair in Tents

Watch out for Bronte Media Services at the Eco Fair on the Bronte Meadow on September 11th and 12th. We will be talking about our new creative writing courses which are available online or one to one for local residents.
More details at http://www.brontemediaservices.co.uk/

The Coffee House

Paid my first visit to No 10 The Coffee House today and I cannot praise it enough. What a joy to taste real coffee, delicious cake and be made genuinely welcome.
I'm a coffee lover and this is the first time I have tasted the continental flavour of coffee, which I love, in my own country.
Well done Claire. I'll be back.....often.

Jenny Agutter's visit to the village

Jenny Agutter, star of The Railway Children, will be in the village lending her support to the Cystic Fibrosis Fun Day and sponsored walk on Sunday June 27th.
It will be particularly poignant for everyone, and Jenny, to see her back in Haworth during the fortieth anniversary year of the making of the classic film.
Here's a happy memory from last year!