Nice to see that work has begun on the new media bandstand in Haworth's Central Park, but what a waste for all the shrubs in the centre of the area to be torn up along with recently added plants. And why has an enormous section of wall near Butt Lane been demolished to make way for bulldozers when all they had to do was unlock and remove the metal post in the middle of the entrance?
I'll give it 24 hours before some clown is joy riding around the park in a car.
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Friday, 18 February 2011
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Harsh words
Juliet Barker, perhaps the Bronte's most respected biographer, doesn't seem to like modern Haworth. In her book The Brontes she doesn't mince her words:
"Haworth itself has become a monument to the grosser excesses of the tourism industry: the village, surrounded by a sea of car parks, is choked with coaches and cars; the shops, with a few honourable exceptions serving the people who live there, are full of tat, prostituting the Bronte name. It is the power of the legend, not the reality that continues to lure visitors to Haworth".
Usage of the Bronte name hasn't done her so bad though!
"Haworth itself has become a monument to the grosser excesses of the tourism industry: the village, surrounded by a sea of car parks, is choked with coaches and cars; the shops, with a few honourable exceptions serving the people who live there, are full of tat, prostituting the Bronte name. It is the power of the legend, not the reality that continues to lure visitors to Haworth".
Usage of the Bronte name hasn't done her so bad though!
Thursday, 3 February 2011
When will they ever learn?
Despite a lifetime in the media this was one story I was never going to tell-I thought. Now it seems appropriate.
Today young Martin Bell, a West Yorkshire soldier has been repatriated to the UK after being killed in Afghanistan. He disobeyed a direct order not to help a comrade who had been fatally injured by an explosive device and in doing so lost his own life.
He was two years older than a young soldier who on September 25th 1944, as a proud Yorkshire sergeant, carefully led his men through a minefield in Venlo, Holland. Part of the Allies thrust forward to defeat Hitler during The Second World War.
In those days there were not the sophisticated devices of today to help detect these lethal weapons of war, still used today, 77 years later.
You prodded carefully with your foot or your bayonet and prayed. Or you prayed first and then carefully prodded with your foot or your bayonet.
A Welsh sergeant sensed danger and ordered the men to stop. The Yorkshire sergeant went a few steps further, hoping to get the troops through this potential field of death. The Welsh sergeant went in front of him and trod on a land mine. He died instantly. The Yorkshire sergeant was partially shielded from the blast and lost his lower left leg and was peppered with shrapnel. He had married in the March of the same year and the next time his wife saw him he was critically wounded and lying in a Worcester hospital.
The parallels between that incident and the one which claimed the life of Martin Bell have haunted me since Martin died. Martin once walked the hills and streets of Haworth as a police community support officer. In his life as a soldier he made a selfless gesture which cost his life. The same could so easily have happened to the Yorkshire soldier of 77 years ago, who lived on until he was just 77.
His son now walks the streets and hills of Haworth with memories of how he could so easily have never been here but for a soldier's bravery.
Thanks Dad, and rest in peace Martin.
Today young Martin Bell, a West Yorkshire soldier has been repatriated to the UK after being killed in Afghanistan. He disobeyed a direct order not to help a comrade who had been fatally injured by an explosive device and in doing so lost his own life.
He was two years older than a young soldier who on September 25th 1944, as a proud Yorkshire sergeant, carefully led his men through a minefield in Venlo, Holland. Part of the Allies thrust forward to defeat Hitler during The Second World War.
In those days there were not the sophisticated devices of today to help detect these lethal weapons of war, still used today, 77 years later.
You prodded carefully with your foot or your bayonet and prayed. Or you prayed first and then carefully prodded with your foot or your bayonet.
A Welsh sergeant sensed danger and ordered the men to stop. The Yorkshire sergeant went a few steps further, hoping to get the troops through this potential field of death. The Welsh sergeant went in front of him and trod on a land mine. He died instantly. The Yorkshire sergeant was partially shielded from the blast and lost his lower left leg and was peppered with shrapnel. He had married in the March of the same year and the next time his wife saw him he was critically wounded and lying in a Worcester hospital.
The parallels between that incident and the one which claimed the life of Martin Bell have haunted me since Martin died. Martin once walked the hills and streets of Haworth as a police community support officer. In his life as a soldier he made a selfless gesture which cost his life. The same could so easily have happened to the Yorkshire soldier of 77 years ago, who lived on until he was just 77.
His son now walks the streets and hills of Haworth with memories of how he could so easily have never been here but for a soldier's bravery.
Thanks Dad, and rest in peace Martin.
Martin Bell comes home today
Bradford soldier Martin Bell comes home today...for the last time.
BBC coverage of the event is HERE
BBC coverage of the event is HERE
Thursday, 27 January 2011
From Haworth to Helmand
This young man was a Community Police Officer in Haworth.
Colleagues of the 350th British soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2001 have paid tribute to his "exceptional valour".
Private Martin Bell died in an explosion after disobeying a direct order and going to the aid of another wounded soldier.
The Ministry of Defence said the 24-year-old from Bradford was killed on Tuesday in Helmand province.
He was serving with 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
'He knew the risks'
His commanding officer, Lt Col Andrew Harrison, said he "disobeyed a direct order in order to render life-saving first aid".
Pte Bell had ignored his own safety to help a friend "in the most dangerous combat circumstances imaginable".
"He knew the risks all too well, twice in the minutes before his death he had witnessed at first-hand the devastating human impact of IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," he said.
"The term 'hero' is overused in contemporary commentary; take a moment to reflect on Pte Martin Bell.
"For his exceptional valour he paid the ultimate price."
In a statement, his relatives said he was proud to be serving his country with the Parachute Regiment, having joined up after three years as a Police Community Support Officer with West Yorkshire Police.
"He had a wicked and infectious sense of humour that would have served him well in difficult times," they said.
"He made us all very proud and he will leave behind a hole in all of our hearts that will never be replaced.
"He was our best friend too. We are a very close-knit family and although we are grieving for his loss, we hope that all the other soldiers keep safe."
Pte Bell leaves behind his parents, Simon and Elaine, and brothers Oliver and Philip.
The MoD said Pte Bell had been deployed to Afghanistan on 14 October and had been due to come home for rest on 14 February.
It said that at the time of his death he and his unit had been engaged in action against insurgents who intimidated the local population and attacked the Afghan National Army.
In tributes on the MoD website, colleagues said he was a key member of the platoon who would often put himself in harm's way to help others.
They described him as a "legend", an "awesome bloke" and a "soldier of the highest calibre".
Defence Secretary Liam Fox also paid tribute to Pte Bell and offered his condolences to his family.
"It is clear by his actions and from the high praise of his colleagues in 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment that he was an immensely brave, selfless and highly professional soldier," he said.
Of the 350 UK military fatalities since 2001, 309 were due to hostile action.
The remaining 41 died as a result of accidents, illness, or non-combat injuries, or have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death.
Private Martin Bell died in an explosion after disobeying a direct order and going to the aid of another wounded soldier.
The Ministry of Defence said the 24-year-old from Bradford was killed on Tuesday in Helmand province.
He was serving with 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
'He knew the risks'
His commanding officer, Lt Col Andrew Harrison, said he "disobeyed a direct order in order to render life-saving first aid".
Pte Bell had ignored his own safety to help a friend "in the most dangerous combat circumstances imaginable".
"He knew the risks all too well, twice in the minutes before his death he had witnessed at first-hand the devastating human impact of IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," he said.
"The term 'hero' is overused in contemporary commentary; take a moment to reflect on Pte Martin Bell.
"For his exceptional valour he paid the ultimate price."
In a statement, his relatives said he was proud to be serving his country with the Parachute Regiment, having joined up after three years as a Police Community Support Officer with West Yorkshire Police.
"He had a wicked and infectious sense of humour that would have served him well in difficult times," they said.
"He made us all very proud and he will leave behind a hole in all of our hearts that will never be replaced.
"He was our best friend too. We are a very close-knit family and although we are grieving for his loss, we hope that all the other soldiers keep safe."
Pte Bell leaves behind his parents, Simon and Elaine, and brothers Oliver and Philip.
The MoD said Pte Bell had been deployed to Afghanistan on 14 October and had been due to come home for rest on 14 February.
It said that at the time of his death he and his unit had been engaged in action against insurgents who intimidated the local population and attacked the Afghan National Army.
In tributes on the MoD website, colleagues said he was a key member of the platoon who would often put himself in harm's way to help others.
They described him as a "legend", an "awesome bloke" and a "soldier of the highest calibre".
Defence Secretary Liam Fox also paid tribute to Pte Bell and offered his condolences to his family.
"It is clear by his actions and from the high praise of his colleagues in 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment that he was an immensely brave, selfless and highly professional soldier," he said.
Of the 350 UK military fatalities since 2001, 309 were due to hostile action.
The remaining 41 died as a result of accidents, illness, or non-combat injuries, or have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Happy New Year
A very Happy New Year to all. Let's hope that 2011 gives us lots of positive things to involve ourselves with in Haworth and the Worth Valley.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
The real big freeze
OK we've had about six inches of snow but I am sick of hearing the radio listing schools closed. In 1962, the real "Big Freeze", we had three feet and I never had a day off school. The only concession was that we could wear long trousers for the cold. We took sledges, with only bread and dripping for our dinner and were allowed to skate down the playground hill without hordes of Health and Safety twits descending on us.
If you went to the outside toilets you came back with icicles down your trousers which the teacher would gently bathe with a Brillo pad.
If you went to the outside toilets you came back with icicles down your trousers which the teacher would gently bathe with a Brillo pad.
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