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Northowram cricketer’s ECB role

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Northowram Fields cricketer Kamlesh Patel has been appointed to the ECB Management Board.

The useful second team all-rounder, who lives at Thornton, has become the first British Asian in the role. He will join a 14-strong Board of Directors as an independent member.

Patel, whose son Dru plays for the Central Yorkshire League club’s first team, is a Labour Peer in the House of Lord’s and has an OBE.

Currently a professor at the University of East London and Chair of the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust, Lord Patel is a former Chair of the Mental Health Act Commission.

Born to Indian parents in Nairobi, Lord Patel moved to West Yorkshire at the age of one, and first played the game in the back-streets of Bradford.

He has worked for the Yorkshire Cricket Academy as a part-time coach and his previous clubs include Wibsey Park Chapel, now Great Horton Park Chapel in the Halifax League.

A former ambulance-man, special constable and social worker, Lord Patel has become one of the country’s most influential and authoritative spokesmen on issues relating to health, social care and equality and human rights.

He succeeds Lord Morris of Handsworth, who is stepping down from the Board after 11 years as an ECB Director.

ECB Chairman Colin Graves said: “Lord Patel’s instinctive grasp of the role cricket plays in uniting communities and crossing social barriers will be all important as we continue to change how we work as an organisation.

“He is a hugely respected figure and his sound judgment and expertise will be an enormous asset to the Board and the wider game.”

Lord Patel said: “Cricket has been a life-long passion of mine and this is a great honour for me.

“I am a huge advocate of what the sport can bring to the wider community – from instilling life-skills like self-discipline and leadership to improving fitness and tackling wider issues like obesity.”

Lord Patel expects his new role to include attending monthly board meetings and getting involved in projects which widen participation in the sport.

“Of course I will have to force myself to go and watch lots of cricket as well,” he said.

His passion for playing the game remains as strong as ever and he intends to keep turning out for the Westercroft Lane club, where he is a popular, down-to-earth and generous member.

“I love the game and have done so all my life. It keeps me relatively healthy, stops me working and most of all has allowed me to spend time with my son.”


Up, up and away for Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plan?

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Senior councillors are set to discuss proposals designed to help Leeds Bradford Airport realise its sky-high economic and employment potential.

The plans would see Leeds City Council releasing 36.2 hectares of land in and around the airport’s Yeadon site.

It would be used for improvements such as an expanded passenger terminal and the development of an ‘airport village’ boasting a hotel, restaurant and retail outlets.

Improved transport connections including a new link road are also under consideration.

The proposals will be debated at a meeting of the council’s executive board next Wednesday, July 15.

Coun Richard Lewis, executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said: “Releasing this land in and around the airport is vital to meet the local employment needs of the area in terms of helping established businesses grow and to encourage new jobs and skills opportunities.

“Together with the planned improvements to the airport infrastructure and the transport links, these plans show the ambition of the city to work with the airport and the local communities to bring about the maximum benefits in an ambitious but sustainable way.”

Private equity group Bridgepoint bought Leeds Bradford Airport in 2007 from Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees and Calderdale councils.

Leeds raked in nearly £60m from the £145m deal, thanks to the 40 per cent share it had in the airport.

Victim of iPhone scam helped to catch Halifax conman

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A “sleight of hand” conman who tricked his victim into handing over cash for a fake iPhone has been jailed for a total of eight months.

Ashley Fleming, 27, who had already avoided an immediate prison sentence for an identical scam in Lancashire, used a “dummy” iPhone bought off the internet to trick Kasim Khan into parting with £130.

Prosecutor Nigel Jamieson told Bradford Crown Court today (Wednesday) how Mr Khan had been in the Forster Square retail park in Bradford with a friend a year ago when Fleming offered to sell him his real iPhone.

Fleming, of Keighley Road, Halifax, claimed that he needed cash after losing money at the bookmakers and after Mr Khan was allowed to examine the real phone a figure of £130 was agreed.

While Mr Khan and his friend sorted out the money the phone was given back to Fleming who then used some sleight of hand to swap it for the fake phone he had in his possession.

After Fleming left the scene his victim to realised the phone he had been given was worthless.

A week after the offence Mr Khan spotted Fleming in the retail park talking to security guard about an iPhone and he chased the defendant into one of the shops where he was detained with the help of another security officer.

Mr Jamieson said at the time Fleming had another “dummy” phone on him.

The court heard that in August 2013 Fleming was given a suspended 10-month prison sentence by a judge at Burnley Crown Court for an identical iPhone scam.

Fleming denied the offence of fraud in relation to Mr Khan, but he was found guilty by magistrates in Bradford and his case was transferred to the crown court for sentence.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of cannabis.

Barrister Peter Hampton, for Fleming, highlighted the fact that the latest fraud had been committed 12 months ago and his client had stayed out of trouble since then.

Mr Hampton conceded that Fleming had committed serious offences in the past following a head injury he suffered in a road accident in 2006, but he now had a settled partner and accommodation and was looking for honest work.

But Judge Colin Burn said Fleming had failed to take the opportunity given to him by the judge in Burnley and he had to activate the suspended sentence as well as impose a further prison term for the latest fraud.

Fleming was jailed for four months for the fraud on Mr Khan with a further four months activated in respect of the suspended sentence.

BUDGET: Osborne confirms talks underway over devolved powers for Yorkshire

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CHANCELLOR George Osborne has vowed to “put the power into the Northern Powerhouse” as he confirmed that negotiations were ongoing over devolution deals for both Leeds and Sheffield city regions.

He said these talks could deliver “far-reaching devolution of power in return for the creation of directly-elected mayors”.

Announcing his budget today he also confirmed that an agreement had been reached with 10 councils in Greater Manchester to devolve further powers to the city - including decision making over transport and children’s services.

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/budget-osborne-s-key-quotes-from-the-summer-budget-1-7348526|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget}

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/budget-yorkshire-put-under-pressure-over-mayors-1-7348801|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors}

The Yorkshire Post reported today that the authorities in the Leeds City Region have proposed being given new powers to raise money from business to pay for major infrastructure schemes and to be able to offer developers incentives to get projects started.

In the first budget of the newly elected Conservative Government Osborne pledged to create a “higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare” Britain.

The Chancellor pointed to the Greek crisis as evidence that a “bold new settlement” is needed, saying Britain was still “borrowing too much and spending too much”.

“This is the new settlement from a one nation government,” he said. “This is a big budget for a country with big ambitions.”

Mr Osborne said the UK economy today is “fundamentally stronger than it was five years ago”, with living standards rising strongly.

He said higher tax receipts meant he could implement a “smoother” path to recording a surplus in the government finances, but stressed that he would not back away from tackling the deficit.

“You only have to look at the crisis unfolding in Greece as I speak to realise that if a country’s not in control of its borrowing, the borrowing takes control of the country,” Mr Osborne said.

“Britain still spends too much, borrows too much, and our weak productivity shows we don’t train enough or build enough or invest enough.”

Mr Osborne said: “This will be a Budget for working people.

“A Budget that sets out a plan for Britain for the next five years to keep moving us from a low-wage, high-tax, high-welfare economy; to the higher-wage, lower-tax, lower-welfare country we intend to create.

“This is the new settlement. From a one-nation government, this is a one-nation Budget that takes the necessary steps and follows a sensible path for the benefit of the whole of the United Kingdom.”

Mr Osborne said the Government would record an absolute surplus of 0.5 per cent of national income in 2019-20 - a year later than previously predicted.

He stressed that no year would see departmental cuts as deep as those imposed in the last parliament.

“Many difficult but necessary decisions are required to save money and this will be done with moderation but determination,” Mr Osborne said.

“This is a one nation Government that does the best thing for the economy and the right thing for the country.”

The Chancellor said £37 billion of fiscal consolidation was needed during this parliament, including £12 billion of welfare cuts. He confirmed that he was looking to raise another £5 billion from cracking down on tax avoidance.

Acknowledging a well-received Labour policy from the election campaign, Mr Osborne announced that permanent non-dom tax status was being abolished.

“British people should pay British taxes in Britain, and now they will,” he said.

Read more:

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/budget-osborne-s-key-quotes-from-the-summer-budget-1-7348526|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget}

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/budget-yorkshire-put-under-pressure-over-mayors-1-7348801|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors}

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/local-stories/budget-the-key-parts-you-need-to-know-1-7348793|The key parts you need to know...|The key parts you need to know...}

PM’s pledge on TransPennine line

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David Cameron has promised that the “paused” electrification of the railway route between Leeds and Manchester will go ahead as Labour accused him of undermining his so-called “Northern Powerhouse” project.

The Government was forced to halt a £38 billion five year plan to overhaul Britain’s railways last month due to cost and time overruns, a move which saw electrification on the TransPennine route paused.

Labour MPs accused ministers of undermining their own plans to boost the North, with one saying “the only place where a northern powerhouse can be found is in the Prime Minister’s imagination”.

But Mr Cameron said the Government remained “absolutely committed” to pushing ahead with the electrification of the TransPennine line.

During Prime Minister’s questions, the PM said: “I can certainly commit to that.

“This is a pause not a stop and we are absolutely committed to making sure this goes ahead.”

In another answer he added: “You say there is in an indefinite pause, that is not the case, we will be pressing ahead with this investment and I think it’s right that the Labour Party should be supporting it.”

But Labour’s Justin Madders (Ellesmere Port and Neston) questioned the Government’s commitment to the North.

Mr Madders said: “I was surprised to learn in response to questions from myself and others that the Government doesn’t actually know where the northern powerhouse is.

“So given the recent cancellation or pausing of transport projects in the North, is it not in fact the case that the only place where a northern powerhouse can be found is in the Prime Minister’s imagination?”

Mr Cameron replied: “The truth is the Labour Party ignored the North for years and they cannot bear the fact that it’s a Conservative Prime Minister and a Conservative Chancellor, sitting for a seat in the north-west, that is putting these issues firmly on the agenda and funding them.”

Asda cuts 2p off diesel following the budget

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Asda has cut 2p off the price of a litre of diesel.

Drivers will now pay 114.7ppl, the same price as unleaded from tomorrow (Thursday).

It is the first time both fuels have been the same price since 2010.

The price drop follows a continued freeze on fuel duty in today’s budget.

Asda has a national price cap on fuel at all of its 272 filling stations.

Andy Peake, Asda’s senior director for petrol said: “A further freeze on fuel duty is good news for the nation and even better news for our customers. It will allow us to keep offering lower priced fuel with a further 2ppl off diesel in all our petrol stations as of tomorrow.”

BUDGET: The key parts you need to know...

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Chancellor George Osborne’s emergency budget, the first by a Conservative-only government for nearly 20 years, was announced today.

Mr Osborne used it to introduce a much-needed boost to the country’s work-force, dramatically declaring that ‘Britain deserves a pay rise’.

Hailing a new ‘higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare’ Britain, the chancellor said from next April everyone over 25 would be entitled to £7.20 an hour - and the figure would rise to £9 by 2020.

Some six million people will see their pay increase as a result - and those currently earning the minimum wage of £6.50 an hour will be £5,000 better off by 2020, he claimed.

Mr Osborne said he was following the Conservative tradition as the party that brought in protections for mill workers during the industrial revolution.

‘Taken together with all the welfare savings and the tax cuts in this Budget, it means that a typical family where someone is working full-time on the minimum wage will be better off,’ Mr Osborne told MPs.

But acting Labour leader Harriet Harman responded by claiming the Budget was ‘making working people worse off’ by cutting tax credits for the low paid and grants for students from poorer backgrounds.

How will this budget affect you?

Here are the main points:

* New National Living Wage for over-25s, starting at £7.20 from April 2016, rising to £9 by 2020.

* Public sector pay will increase by 1% each year for the next four years.

* Household benefits cap will be reduced to £20,000 outside of London where it will be £23,000.

* Working age benefits to be frozen for four years, including tax credits and housing benefit, but not maternity allowances.

* Child tax credit limited to two children for those born after April 2017.

* Tax-free personal allowance raised to £11,000 in 2016, and the higher rate threshold boosted to £43,000.

* The point at which people start paying income tax at 40p to rise from £42,385 to £43,000 in 2016.

* Vehicle Excise Duty will be re-introduced for all new cars, with varied costs based on environmental friendliness.

* The ‘artificial cap’ on the number of university students will be scrapped. Maintenance grants to be replaced by maintenance loans, which must be repaid when graduates earn more than £21,000 a year.

* Fuel duty freeze will continue.

* Inheritance tax threshold will be increased to £1m from 2017.

* Real increase for defence budget every year to 2020-21. The Chancellor has also committed to the Nato target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence for the next decade.

* Around £5bn will be saved over the next five years by tackling tax avoidance, planning, evasion, compliance, and imbalances in the tax system.

* Social housing tenants on more than £30,000 (or more than £40,000 in London) will have to pay market-rate rents.

* Corporation tax will be cut to 19 per cent in 2017 and 18 per cent in 2020.

* The Employment Allowance will rise from £2,000 to £3,000 next year, meaning that employer National Insurance bills will be cut by another £1,000.

* £30m of funding will be invested in transport for the North.

* End to inherited and permanent non-dom status. Anyone living in the UK for 15 years or more would lose non-dom status.

Read more...

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/local-stories/budget-osborne-confirms-talks-underway-over-devolved-powers-for-yorkshire-1-7348243|Osborne confirms talks underway over devolved powers for Yorkshire|Osborne confirms talks underway over devolved powers for Yorkshire}

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/general-news/budget-osborne-s-key-quotes-from-the-summer-budget-1-7348526|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget|Osborne’s key quotes from the summer budget}

{http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/budget-yorkshire-put-under-pressure-over-mayors-1-7348801|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors|Yorkshire put under pressure over mayors}

Judge commends brave actions of Calderdale PCs and rewards member of public

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A judge has commended two policewomen and rewarded a member of the public after they detained a man during a disturbance in Halifax town centre last year.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC today (Thursday) made 50-year-old Mark Holdsworth subject to a hospital order under the Mental Health Act after hearing how he hit a teenage girl with a “men at work” sign and a metal pole during the incident in the Rawson Street area last September.

Prosecutor Simon Haring told Bradford Crown Court that the girl and her boyfriend had seen Holdsworth’s acting “very strangely” that evening and she thought he was on drugs.

Holdsworth, of Brownroyd Avenue, was putting cones in the middle of the road for no reason and when the girl put some of them back on the pavement he didn’t like it and hit her on the leg with the sign.

The defendant, who had earlier been seen “sniffing something”, used another sign to hit the girl’s boyfriend and he then threw a pole towards her hitting her head.

PC Julie Parkinson and her colleague PC Lauren Hill responded to calls about the incident and when they arrived Holdsworth was running at passers-by and almost growling at them.

PC Hill ran towards Holdsworth who was brandishing a metal pole and he hit her in the area of her stab vest.

Mr Haring said the defendant then swung the bar at PC Parkinson hitting her in the chest and thigh areas.

“Both officers were shouting at the defendant and telling him to put the bar down,” said Mr Haring.

“PC Hill used her CS spray on the defendant but it seemed to have no effect. Instead the defendant ran off brandishing the bar at members of the public who were witnessing this scene.”

In George’s Square, Holdsworth struck PC Hill on the leg, backside and hand and he also hit PC Parkinson on the right hand as he continued to swing the bar.

Mr Haring said Holdsworth was eventually rugby tackled to the ground by a member of the public, Karl Scorgie, and Judge Durham Hall said he should receive a reward of £250 for his actions.

After being detained Holdsworth was found to be in possessions of a small amount of amphetamine.

Judge Durham Hall said the two officers should be commended for what he described as their selfless bravery during the incident.

Holdsworth, who had been given a conditional discharge by Kirklees magistrates for threatening behaviour a few days before the incident, admitted offences of affray and assaulting the girl and the two police officers.

The court heard that PC Hill had been left with marks across her legs and a cut to her hand after the attack and PC Parkinson suffered pain to her right thumb.


Overturned caravan causing delays on M62

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An overturned caravan is causing serious delays on the M62.

The accident happened just before lunchtime today (Thursday) between Junction 24 at Ainley Top and junction 25 at Brighouse on the eastbound carriageway.

Traffic officers had to close two lane as recovery work was carried out.

All lanes have now reopened but there is congestion as far back as Junction 23.

Police video warning for ‘sexting’ teens

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YOUNG PEOPLE must think twice before sharing flirtatious images of themselves in the virtual world, with as many as 75,000 paedophiles online at any one time, a new hard-hitting police campaign warns.

Some 40 per cent of young people are estimated to have shared intimate images of themselves online, North Yorkshire Police said, with the force eager to use its latest campaign to target the 11-18 age group and explain how easily such images can be circulated beyond their control.

The warning comes after the National Crime Agency said that law enforcement officers are investigating one case involving so-called “sexting” every day. The practice has become “normal” among teenagers with the huge growth in popularity of smart phones and tablets but can leave them vulnerable to exploitation or blackmail, the Agency said.

Three cautionary videos have been produced to support the new police campaign and one video will be released each week for the next three weeks on North Yorkshire Police’s social media channels.

The first portrays a scenario of a girl sending a flirtatious image of herself to her boyfriend via a mobile phone app. When the boy receives the image he shares it with a friend, who then does likewise and so the pattern repeats, leaving the original sender exposed to the picture being seen my many unintended recipients.

Explaining why North Yorkshire Police had launched the ‘Keep it to your selfie’ campaign which urges teenagers to ‘#pausebeforeyoupost’, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Walker, the force’s head of cybercrime, said: “If we are to tackle child sexual exploitation effectively, we have to educate young people and do whatever we can to highlight the dangers to them and promote online safety.

“The internet, and social media in particular, is a place where paedophiles can groom children by posing as someone else and we have to make young people aware of that.

“I hope the videos we have produced can help young people stop and think about what they are doing before posting anything online.

“People share images and information in the virtual world that they wouldn’t dream of sharing in the real world and we need to make young people think about that.

“It is also important to bear in mind that once you have shared an image online you lose control of it, you don’t know where it will end up or whose hands it will fall into. You might think you are only sharing it with one person but do you know who they are going to share it with?”

The campaign was launched at Selby Globe Community Cinema yesterday.

Detective Inspector Shaun Page, North Yorkshire Police’s lead for child sexual exploitation, said the campaign footage was something he did want young people to share.

“I am urging people to share the videos as much as possible,” he said. “It is really important that we educate young people about child sexual exploitation and we think that the best way to reach them is online.

“The videos all carry a strong message in a style which young people can identify with and if they can prompt people to think carefully when using the internet and social media then we are making progress.

“It is very difficult to investigate child sexual exploitation which is committed online, therefore prevention and education is extremely important if we are to protect young people from internet predators.”

Calderdale Mayor’s diary for the week ahead

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Here is the diary for the week ahead for the Mayor of calderdale

Sunday, July 12, 3pm - Halifax Rugby League Football Club – Halifax v Batley, The Shay Stadium, Halifax – Mayor and Consort.

Monday, July 13, 12.30pm - The University of Huddersfield – Awards Ceremony, Luncheon in St Paul’s Hall, Queensgate, Huddersfield followed by procession and awards ceremony – Mayor and Consort.

7.30pm - Boys’ Brigade Halifax Battalion – AGM – Salem Methodist Church, Halifax – Mayor and Consort.

Thursday, July 16, 5.00pm - Dean Field Community Primary School – Awards Evening – Centre at 3Ways, Ovenden – Mayor and Consort.

Friday, July 17, 2.30pm - Mayor and Consort to host Afternoon Tea in Halifax Town Hall.

5 best things to do at the Great Yorkshire Show

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We have pulled together our favourite picks from the 2015 Great Yorkshire Show itinerary so you know the 5 must-see events this year.

1. The Fashion Show

Followers of fashion should look no further than the Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion for an exciting glimpse into future catwalk trends at this years Yorkshire Show.

Fashion students from colleges around the region will join upcoming and already successful designers as well as high street shops in presenting their designs to visitors.

The shows are running every day from 11am until 4pm in the lifestyle arena.

2. The animal displays

During the three days of the show, the main ring will host a number of animal displays, with beasts of all shapes and sizes, showing off to both judges and visitors.

The display of hounds will welcome all dog-lovers to the centre stage every day of the show. Each day there will be two opportunities to watch the dogs, between 11.30-12pm and 2.30-3pm

Those with a stronger passion for the traditional country element can enjoy the cattle parades which take place between 2-3pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

3. The gardening show

If you have a horticultural hobby you can’t miss the events in the agricultural arena this year. Over the three day show, you can get ‘green finger’-tips on how to improve your own garden from seasoned experts in the field.

You can go to appreciate the talent from across the region at the garden show awards or attend seminars on how to grow fruit and other produce.

BBC Radio York will also be doing live coverage of the gardening section of the show and getting visitors involved with the events.

4. Cooking demonstration at cheese show

The ever popular cheese show will host its first ever programme of cookery demonstrations this year with a line up of Michelin-starred chefs taking to the stage.

Alongside live cooking displays, there will also be the annual competition where entrants have the chance to with the title of Supreme Champion Dairy Product competition and opportunities to test your taste buds in the popular Consumer Choice classes.

On the final day of the Yorkshire show cheese-loving crowds will get the chance to take the cheese home when the Big Auction puts the show’s award-winning cheeses under the hammer.

5. Show jumping

The equestrian entertainment begins as early as 7.30am every day in the main ring of the show, with a number of different classes showing their skills.

Spectators can enjoy performances by the Band of the Kings Division before watching the William Hanson Stakes show jumping (Tuesday) the Port Royal Equestrian and Show Centre Badsworth Stakes (Wednesday) or the prestigious Ripon Select Food Cock o’ The North show (Thursday) which attracts world class jumpers such as the Whitaker and the Smiths.

School’s dream of an outdoor haven for kids

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A primary school is launching a fundraising drive to help to realise its dream of creating an outdoor haven in its grounds.

Shade School wants to take the classroom to the great outdoors by building an outdoor learning space and woodland walk.

The school, on Knowlwood Road, Todmorden, has launched a ‘Shade for Shade’ campaign to generate funds to build an outdoor classroom for pupils and teachers.

A Grand Summer Fayre will kick off the fundraising to help find the £7,000 needed for the ambitious project.

The school will open its doors to the public for the event on Saturday from 11am to 1pm.

Visitors can expect tombolas, a bouncy castle, stalls, plus the chane to win prizes in a raffle.

And for those feeling peckish, the school is offering a traditional ploughman’s lunch, homemade produce and ice creams.

Shade School head teacher, Helen Clarkson, said: “Giving our children a new setting in which to learn is a priority at Shade School.

“It’s hoped that it will have a big impact on their motivation and allow the children to connect with nature.

“At the moment they are surrounded by tarmac and it is envisaged that the new classroom will be set in a wider natural wildlife garden that the Friends of Shade Parents and Teachers Association is also developing.

“Working among natural surroundings will enhance the imagination and creativity we pride ourselves on applying to teaching and learning.

“Talking to the pupils about the eco-friendly features of the build will also be a great way to teach them about sustainability and the environment.

“We know that pupils at the school for years to come will be able to enjoy this development.”

The fayre will also include a competition where pupils can share their vision of how they would like the new classroom to look.

Mrs Clarkson added: “The children are going to come up with some designs so they can have a real sense of involvement,

“They will really see their thoughts and ideas in the building.”

Entrance to the fayre is £1 for adults, free for children and all proceeds will go to the Shade for Shade project.

Share your news at todnews@todmordennews.co.uk

Kind-hearted youngsters raise cash for life saving equipment

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A life-saving defibrillator is now housed in Todmorden Market thanks to the dedicated efforts of kind-hearted youngsters.

Members of Shade School’s Monday night swimming club held a sponsored swim to raise the £1,200 needed to install the equipment.

And after successfully completing the challenge last month, the kit is now in the market hall and available for use across the town.

The idea was masterminded by Tony Thomas, swimming teacher and owner of Todmorden Market’s Ham Corner, who saw the need for a defibrillator in a central location.

Cardiac arrest can affect people of any age and without warning and if this happens, swift CPR and defibrillation can help save a person’s life.

It is estimated that around 60,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the UK.

Mr Thomas, 55, said: “We’ve had to ring for an ambulance twice when people have collapsed. The council said money wasn’t available there are already defibrillators in various locations.

“There is one in the library, but the market is very central and I thought it would be the best place to put one.

“I put it to the kids I teach and they jumped at the idea of raising moneu. Having a heart condition myself, you just never know.

“It’s no use saying there’s one across the road when someone collapses on the floor. We have got it and I hope to never use it, but now it’s there, it’s there.

“It’s not just for the market, it’s for the local area.”

The sponsored swim involved 22 children, plus two parents swimming as many lengths as they could in 20 minutes.

Thanks to the efforts of all involved, plus donations from Todmorden Lions, J and C Warburton Funeral Directors and the Todmorden Masons, the cost was met.

Some of the money raised has also been used to train staff in operating the defibrillators, should they ever need to be used.

And the proud swimming teacher couldn’t be happier.

Mr Thomas, who has taught swimming for 15 years, added: “I was so chuffed and really proud of everyone there at the swim. They were all chuffed to bits too and I can’t praise them enough.

“There’s been a positive reaction from everybody.”

Another defibrillator has also been installed at Walsden St Peter’s Primary School.

The kind donation was made by Eileen and Terry Davis, grandparents of St Peter’s pupils Scarlett and Beatrice Davis, following the death of Eileen’s mother, Violet Humby.

As Violet had suffered from heart problems herself, the couple were keen to give a useful gift in her memory.

And although the family hope it is never needed, they are happy to think that the defibrillator could make a life-saving difference to a child or adult’s life.

Head teacher Peter Stevenson said, “This is a very generous gesture by the family. Not only have they supplied the defibrillator, but they also paid for staff to train in its use.

“These machines save lives and I’m very pleased that we now have one in school.”

Andrew Gale: The lads just keep stepping up to the plate

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THE County Championship league table certainly looks promising for us at Yorkshire at the minute – 24 points clear with a game in hand.

Everything is looking good, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves and there’s a long way to go.

We did have a fantastic win at Warwickshire this week at Edgbaston – especially after the first day when we didn’t bat as well as we could have done.

I said to the lads after the game that when we have needed someone to stand up to get us back in the game or get us ahead, someone has done, and that’s what happened again.

At Durham, Jonny Bairstow and Bres did it and in the Notts game, myself and Jack Leaning did it and this week, Sidey (Ryan Sidebottom) stood up along with Jonny to get us back in the game. It was a fantastic effort.

I thought Jonny was again outstanding to keep us in the game at Warwickshire and then a spell from Ryan just turned the game on its head and to get them 35-8 was an unbelievable effort on a pretty tame pitch really.

You thought when they were five or six down that somewhere they would find a partnership, but it didn’t quite go like that.

You usually expect a partnership but Brooksy and Sidey just kept putting the ball in good areas and their batsmen kept nicking them or missing them.

You are thinking then that we can turn this game on its head. We then backed it up with the second innings with the bat and didn’t give them a sniff really.

The weather had been an issue at points. It was a difficult one; the forecast was set pretty fair on the last day on Wednesday.

When it started raining in the morning, I did think: ‘Should I have declared earlier.’ But you can’t control that and we set a declaration that we thought gave us enough time ultimately to bowl them out.

Overall, I have to say the pitch was an outstanding cricket wicket.

If you pitched it up, it seamed quite quickly and was when a lot of guys got bowled or got nicks.

It was hard work with the new ball in the first 20 or 25 overs. But if you got through that and were willing to knuckle down, you could get runs on it as well.

I was really pleased for Aaron Finch and Will Rhodes, who also made contributions with the bat to help us win the game. Particularly, Rhodesy who is finding his way and feet and to contribute like he did do will give him a lot of confidence going forward because we are going to miss Adam Lyth for the majority of the rest of the season now.

It would have been nice to have backed it up with another game in the County Championship this week. But having said that, I think the break in four-day action over the coming week will come at a good time for the lads.

Hopefully, we can give two or three of the seam bowlers a decent rest leading up to the Scarborough game against Worcestershire and they will be fresh and ready to go then.

On the agenda this week is Twenty20 action and we are at Chesterfield against Derbyshire on Sunday and I enjoy playing there and have a decent record as well and there’s also a good crowd.

Hopefully the sun will shine and we can put a real show on.

The Ashes are underway and I watched a bit of the first day on Wednesday and I thought Joe Root was different gravy in that first innings for England and scored a brilliant century.

He was an absolute class above and he is just going from strength to strength and I am really pleased for him.

Ultimately though, I’d probably say the one performance that pleased me most was Gary Ballance.

He has had a lot of criticism that he hasn’t really got any runs this season and to guts it out like he did shows how mentally strong he is and that will kick-start his season I feel.

It was an important knock.

****Andrew Gale’s column is in association with Blacks Solicitors****


A stylish new garden space on menu for pizza palace

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Site Pizzeria is celebrating its new al fresco garden, where customers can eat, drink and relax outside.

The restaurant, at Rochdale Road, Todmorden, has transformed outside space into a little oasis, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

High stone walls hug the space, while trees and wooden stakes have been used to provide shade ans shelter.

Owner Ollie Bamford said: “This is the final touch to a three-and-a-half year project to bring one of Todmorden’s abandoned old buildings back to life.”

Ollie and business partner Natalie Barrass bought the premises, which had most recently been five bedsit flats and in a state of poor repair, at auction for £75,000.

The pair renovated the former tailor’s premises from scratch, recycling original materials to create a warm, contemporary space, a style they’ve taken through to the garden.

Natalie added: “There’s a lovely atmosphere out here now and customers are telling us they love having somewhere outside to enjoy a drink or a meal.

“That’s great and we really appreciate the support we’ve had from local people. It makes all the hard work worthwhile - so bring on the heatwave.”

You can find out more about the restaurant at www.sitepizzeria.co.uk or you can book a table by calling 01706 81566.

Trust commended for supporting new mums

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Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust (CHFT) has been re-accredited by UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative.

The UK Baby Friendly Initiative is based on a global accreditation programme of UNICEF and the World Health Organisation.

Designed to support breastfeeding and parent infant relationships by working with public services to improve standards of care, CHFT became the first accredited Baby Friendly trust in the region in 2002.

The re-accreditation report said “The staff at Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust are commended for their hard work over the last two years

in continuing to support mothers. It was very clear to the assessors that supporting the implementation of the Baby Friendly standards is a high priority

within the unit and support for the project from all levels of management was evident.”

CHFT provide two free of charge drop-in Baby Cafés each week run by skilled with the help of volunteers and peer supporters.

They are designed to provide both social support and expert help to mothers with breastfeeding questions or concerns.

Always attended by a qualified midwife or lactation consultant from the trust, the cafés are held in an informal environment, with refreshments, comfortable

seating and play areas for accompanying children.

New mum Rachel Howarth from Stainland Dean attends the Baby Café on Thursdays at Baby Ballet in Halifax.

Rachel said: “I have had so much support since Verity was born and I struggled to feed her. The team have given me loads of advice and encouragement when I have been close to tears and wanted to give up.”

Jenny Oldroyd, Volunteer Peer Supporter, juggles two part-time jobs as well as giving her spare time to support new mums.

She added: “For me it’s about making a difference one mum at a time. I have been there myself, breastfeeding my own child, so wanted to share my own experience using the training I’ve had for the role of Breastfeeding Peer Supporter.

“I can’t help everyone, but I really hope I make a big difference to the new mums that I support at the Baby Café. And if that helps them breastfeed their

babies for longer, which is important to them, then I feel like I am helping them feel better about themselves.”

More information about Baby Cafés can be found at www.thebabycafe.org.uk/your-nearest-baby-cafe.html

All rise for a fabulous loaf

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Baking bread from scratch is daunting, but have patience and the results will be worth it, says Eric Kayser.

Want to have a try at home? Here is one of top French chef Kayser’s recipes.

PUMPERNICKEL

(Makes two loaves, each about 615g)

Timings

Mixing & kneading: 8min

First rising: 1hr

Proofing: 16-20hrs

Baking: 6hrs

Ingredients

300g (2 cups) dark rye flour

150g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose (plain) flour

50g (generous 1/4 cup) pre-cooked bulgur wheat

500g (generous 2 cups) water at 80F (25C)

120g liquid sourdough starter (or 25g/2tbsp dry sourdough starter)

10g (2tsp) salt

60g (1/4 cup) clear honey

40g (1/4 cup) mixed seeds (anise, coriander, fennel, and caraway)

Butter for greasing

Method

lYou will need two loaf pans with sliding lids, each 6 1/2 x 3 x 3 inches (17 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm). Alternatively, use ordinary loaf pans, although you won’t get the same oblong shape.

lIf kneading in a stand mixer: Put the two flours, bulgur wheat, water, starter, salt and honey in the bowl. Knead with the dough hook for four minutes at low speed, then for four minutes at high speed. Add the mixed seeds towards the end of the kneading time, and knead until the mixture is creamy.

lIf kneading by hand: Put the two flours and the bulgur wheat in a mixing bowl and make a large well in the centre. Pour in half the water, starter, salt and honey. Mix well, then add the remaining water and knead until all the flour is incorporated. Add the mixed seeds and knead until the mixture is creamy.

lCover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave the dough to rest for one hour. It will have increased in volume by the end of the rising time.

lButter the loaf pans and their lids. Fill them two-thirds full with the dough and smooth the surface. Close the lids and leave to proof for 16-20 hours, by which time the dough will have expanded to almost fill the pans.

lPreheat the oven to 230F (110C). Make sure the lids are on securely and bake for six hours.

lRemove from the oven, turn out the loaves, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

The Larousse Book Of Bread: Recipes To Make At Home, by Eric Kayser, is published by Phaidon, priced £24.95. Available now

Fax’s foes are in good heart

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Halifax can expect no easy ride at home to Batley today (3.0) as they bid to extend their six-match winning sequence.

Richard Marshall’s side are now favourites to clinch fourth spot in the Kingstone Press Championship, which would see them compete against the bottom four teams in Super League for the chance to clinch promotion.

However, the ninth-placed Bulldogs are looking to build momentum before the competition splits and will be in good heart after last weekend’s 34-6 win over bottom side Doncaster.

Bulldogs coach John Kear was pleased with that success.

He said: “The win moves us up the table, but we need to keep picking up points to get into the play-off positions, which shows how tight it is in this mini-league at the bottom.

“We’ve been playing well and getting nothing for it in certain games, but (last Sunday) we played well and got rewarded.

“They played well, there were some really good signs.

“I think we would have posted a more comprehensive score had the rain not come.

“I was very pleased with the first half performance and the defence.”

Yorkshire screenwriter Sally Wainwright reveals all about her new Bronte drama

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She’s best known for Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax, but screenwriter Sally Wainwright, tells Sarah Freeman why she is turning back the clock for a drama on the life of the Brontës.

The life of the Brontës is perfect fodder for Sunday evening television.

There’s the windswept moors, there’s the broken hearts and there’s the winding cobbled streets of Haworth. Except when Sally Wainwright’s retelling of the lives of three literary sisters and their wayward brother comes to the small screen don’t expect bustles and bonnets. This will be period drama with added grit.

“I’m not interested in chocolate box representations,” says the Halifax-born screenwriter behind Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax. “I want it to be authentic. It’s very easy for these kind of historic dramas to slip into easy cliche, but right from the start I was determined to get past the Brontë myth which has inevitably romanticised and overshadowed the lives and careers of Emily, Charlotte and Ann. I wanted to immerse myself in what life was really like for these three women living in the north of England.”

Wainwright, who describes herself as a lifelong fan of the Brontës, did what she always does when it comes to research and buried her head in books. Lots of books. With just two hours to tell her story, she knew that it would be impossible to tell the full Brontë biopic. Nor did she want to, preferring instead to focus on one particular story arc. In the end she settled on the three years from 1845 to 1848, which for the Brontës were packed with more drama and tragedy than most families see in a lifetime.

“I think there is a perception that the Brontës spent all their lives at the parsonage, living in quiet isolation, but that’s simply not true. Charlotte and Emily went off to Brussels for a while, Ann was a tutor and Branwell had a number of disastrous attempts to forge his own way in life. However, in 1845 they were together again when for various reasons they were all either drawn or forced back to the family home.”

Central to To Walk Invisible, which will hit TV screens next year, is the sisters’ relationship with Branwell whose life spectacularly unravelled when he returned to the parsonage. A failed portrait painter and writer, the second eldest of the surviving Bront children was a serial under-achiever. Dismissed from a job on the railways for accounting irregularities, he ended up becoming a tutor, but again it was a career which did not last long.

“He had an affair with the mistress of the house, a woman called Lydia Robinson,” says Wainwright, who admits to devouring every new book written about Yorkshire’s famous literary family. “When he was found it out, it was disastrous. The Robinsons were very wealthy people and there was a huge divide between them and Branwell in terms of social status. The affair transgressed so many boundaries and he had no choice but to return to Haworth.”

Once back in the West Yorkshire town, he began to drink in earnest and when Lydia Robinson broke off the affair for good, he was consumed by grief, numbing his pain with alcohol, opiates and an expensive gambling habit. By 1847, as Branwell’s life was nearing its unfortunate, but inevitable conclusion, all three of his sisters had their first novels published.

“As a story it really is a bit of a gift for a screenwriter, all I had to do was fashion it into a script,” says Wainwright modestly. “Being women living where they did at that time there was never any pressure on any of the Brontë sisters to succeed. However, as the only man in the house Branwell was expected to do well, but he just wasn’t up to it. The Brontës weren’t a wealthy family. They had to go out to work and they had to prove themselves, but whatever he tried to turn his hand to it just never worked out.

“Life at home must have been incredibly fraught, but against that backdrop Charlotte, Emily and Ann produced some incredible prose and poetry. These were incredibly clever, strong-minded and complex women. Part of that is down to their father Patrick Brontë. While he was a vicar, he was also an Irishman who believed in the power of education. He encouraged his daughters to read writers like Byron. At the time he was widely considered to be quite vulgar, but it helped spark the sisters’ own imaginations.

“I think Emily’s writing speaks to me the most and I think Ann’s novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an incredible achievement. In the past it’s probably fair to say that out of the three, Ann has been the most overlooked, but I think more recently she seems to be finally getting the recognition she deserves.”

Routinely praised for the quality of her dialogue - Happy Valley won the Best Drama Bafta earlier this year - Wainwright honed her scriptwriting skills with early spells on The Archers and Coronation Street. While she now lives with her husband and two children in rural Oxfordshire much of her work is inspired by her native Yorkshire and it is likely To Walk Invisible, which Wainwright will also direct, will be filmed on location in the county.

“I know what I want the drama to look like and how I want it to feel, so I was keen to direct,” she says. “Sadly we can’t film in the parsonage itself as it is far too delicate, but we are hopeful of being able to film with Brontë county as a backdrop.

“The next step is casting and we have been tossing a few names around. The key is getting four actors who are believable as siblings and that’s not easy. I have watched so many dramas and thought, ‘Who are they trying to kid? They don’t come across as a family’. It comes down to that indescribable chemistry which you only know you have when you actually get the actors in a room together.”

Wainwright has been openly critical in the past of British television, saying it relies too much on aping what’s happening in America when it should be ploughing its own furrow. However, with Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax both recommissioned for a second and fourth series Wainwright is at least doing her part to bring a distinctive northern voice to the schedules.

“Writing the Brontë drama was fascinating, but I am definitely more of a contemporary writer,” she says. “I think television spends far too much time looking back and I much prefer to look forward.”

However, as soon as the words are out of her mouth, she admits that there is another iconic Yorkshire woman on her radar.

“I’ve been talking about doing a drama about Anne Lister for the last 15 years, but at last I think we are getting there. There was a series a couple of years ago based on her diaries, but I don’t think it really did her justice. She was another extraordinary character. Eccentric but extraordinary. In the 1800s she ran the Shibden Hall estate with 15 tenant farmers, was a leading explorer and lived an openly lesbian life, which was incredible for the age.

“The truth is I write the things that I want to watch and the story of Ann Lister definitely falls into that category.”

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