Your front-page headline, “Walkers’ rights call…” (Ilkley Gazette, October 8) was most misleading, since the story was not about walkers’ rights at all, but about pandering to the dogs of some of them.

In my experience of nuisance and litter in the countryside, dog-owners and smokers assume they have divine rights. Not all of them, I hasten to add, but some of them just do not see the need to care for the natural environment nor for its enjoyment by others. In the same issue of the Gazette Councillor Stuart Goddard complains about dog-fouling within Darwin Gardens.

The other issue is an enormous problem in terms of the public’s understanding of local geography and land ownership.

People blithely assume that “Ilkley Moor” is the whole of the watershed between the Wharfe and the Aire valleys, from Menston in the east to Silsden in the west. In fact, the moorland on this watershed is properly called Rombald’s Moor and comprises some 6,000 acres. Only the part adjacent to and above the town of Ilkley is “Ilkley Moor”, the urban common owned by The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. This covers just 1,700 acres.

That is the only part of the watershed moor with completely free public access. As Edward Bromet mentioned in your front page article, different rules apply to the other parts of Rombald’s Moor, particularly as regards keeping to public rights of way and especially about controlling dogs.

I propose there is a strong case for better delineation of the boundaries of Ilkley Moor proper, so that walkers – and their precious dogs – recognise where the different rules apply.

Ilkley Moor is a nationally recognised Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) where ground-nesting birds are an important component. I would favour even stricter control of dogs on the Moor than exists at present. I certainly condemn those dog-owners who drive up the Keighley Gate in their vehicles only to release their dogs on the open moor. How crass is that?

Ken Cooke

Former Trustee of Darwin Gardens

Dog-owners must take full responsibility

Whilst I am sure that Dr Adams’ dog (Ilkley Gazette, October 8) is a paragon of canine virtue, in my five-and-a-half decades of walking and running over Ilkey Moor I have been bitten by dogs so many times that you could now, in Terry Pratchett’s phrase, strike matches on the scar tissue on my shins. I obviously have little time for dogs, but is the owners, standing in the distance shouting “No, Tyson/Diesel, come here”, often accompanied by obscenities, to no effect whatever, that I find particularly trying. And have I ever had an apology? No. “He/she doesn't like rucksacks, people wearing shorts, people running” as if it were my fault that their uncontrolled mutt had attacked me. After surgery, when I used a walking stick, it was “he doesn’t like people with sticks”, as though attacking disabled people was perfectly acceptable.

If dogs must be allowed in our open spaces, of course they should be on leads. Their owners must also accept that they, personally, bear full responsibility for their animals’ behaviour.

Rod Bulcock

Grange Road, Eldwick

Still seeking a transparent reply on ‘free delivery’

So my letter(Gazette, October 1) made Kris Hopkins smile; an unlooked for consequence. However, my curiosity is not satisfied by his statement that the “Action for Keighley and Ilkley” publication was delivered “at no cost to the public purse”; because that means the use of the phrase “Delivered Free” was an example of Kris being “economical with the truth”; a strategy admitted by another, more well known, member of his party, if I remember correctly.

So who did pay for the delivery of this paper?

Am I entitled to know if one of the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates of my constituency is receiving donations from an individual or a business?

Was it an individual or business donation that funded this mailshot?

Or, as the publication was so obviously promoting Kris as Conservative PPC in the next General Election, is the cost being logged against his campaign fund for that election?

Your turn to reply Kris – and, by the way, this time, why not buck the trend and be totally transparent about the way you conduct your affairs especially when it comes to finance?

Val Smith

Eaton Road, Ilkley

Beekeepers of the future

On behalf of Wharfedale Beekeepers Association, I wish to respond to several of the comments and advice given by Ken Pickles, a beekeeper from Addingham, in his recent article in the Ilkley Gazette (September 10).

Ken is a long-standing member of WBKA and has helped many beginners in the past, but the report is his ‘opinion’ and not that of the association. The historical facts are by and large correct. That 89,000 colonies of bees are lost is cause for concern and as responsible beekeepers it is up to us to do something about it, and to reduce the number of beekeepers is something we would not consider.

On the contrary, we are putting a lot of time and resources into encouraging the general public to learn more about our craft and hopefully become the future generation of beekeepers – many of us are now in our twilight years!

It is discourteous to liken a colony of bees to an unexploded ‘bomb’. By far the majority are gentle and docile. Occasionally a rogue hive may be vicious (not unlike mankind) but is easily dealt with.

The soothing hum of a contended hive on a fine summers’ day is a rewarding experience.

Like our neighbouring associates we run beginners courses in early spring and any of your readers would be welcome to our meetings. The 2010 programme is complete and April 20 will be an excellent evening for anyone interested in becoming a beekeeper. For further details, contact me on the number below.

Allan Thompson

Honorary Secretary, Wharfedale Beekeepers Association, Tel 01756 753062

Is investigation in public interest?

From what I hear and read from a number of sources, it is being considered that action be taken by the Serious Fraud Office against BAE Systems on a charge of bribery.

I was under the impression, wrongly it would appear, that Government and the legal profession were there for the benefit of the British people singularly or countrywide. I am therefore at a loss to see where the benefits would ensue.

Whilst I am in general against bribery, I realise that not everything can be labeled as black or white, and that shades of grey have to be accepted. If this can be applied to our industries where it provides jobs and profits for our companies, then it would seem politic to be involved, for although we may abhor this action, it does go on throughout the world.

In fact, a great deal of normal politics is based on such action, ie, If you support me on this, I will support you on that. The main points to keep in mind, are the advantages, so I have to ask, Is it in the public interest to make such an investigation?

A G Goldsbrough

Dale Court, Fieldway, Ilkley

Keeping people warm and well

Making sure that older people receive the information and advice they need to stay warm and well in the colder winter months is a vital part of the work of Age Concern and Help the Aged. With many older people forced to cut back on food shopping, or live in just one heated room of their house to save on fuel bills, it is vital older people take steps now to ensure they don’t get caught out by the cold this winter.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with British Gas to produce an Information Pack called ‘Staying Warm in Winter’, available free of charge to older people from October onwards. The pack will offer essential advice on staying warm this winter, keeping up with heating bills and tips on insulation – as well as a thermometer to help monitor how warm your home is.

Simple measures such as switching to low energy lightbulbs and ensuring your hot water tank is properly insulated can have a big impact on energy and fuel bills.

It’s also crucial that older people find out if they apply for benefits this winter – council tax benefit, pensions credit and the winter fuel payment are just a few of the entitlements available.

I strongly urge anyone who is concerned about weathering the winter to call 0800 1692 081 and order one of our free packs to find out what support is on offer.

Mervyn Kohler

Special Adviser, Age Concern and Help the Aged

The animal victims of war

As Remembrance Day approaches, it is important not only to remember the human victims of wartime, but also the animals who have been used for detection, scouting and rescue, as messengers, as beasts of burden and on the frontline.

Vast numbers of animals – in farms and zoos, for instance – continue to be innocent bystander victims when conflicts start. Meanwhile, in secret UK Ministry of Defence Research laboratories, thousands suffer and die each year when they are infected with biological or chemical agents, or deliberately shot or otherwise damaged.

To commemorate all the animal victims, Animal Aid has issued a purple poppy, which can be worn alongside the traditional red one, as a reminder that both humans and animals have been – and continue to be – victims of war. The purple poppies cost £1 each (including postage and packing) and are available from animalaid.org.uk or by calling 01732 364546.

A free copy of Animal Aid’s colour booklet, Animals: the hidden victims of war, accompanies each order.

Kelly Slade

Campaigns Officer, Animal Aid

Rotary thanks contributors

Through your pages, may we, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Ilkley Wharfedale, thank, most sincerely, the residents of Ilkley and its environs together with many visitors, for their most generous contributions in support of our recent collection for the Pacific and Far Eastern disaster appeal.

Their support was magnificent and very much appreciated. We shall publish the result as soon as possible.

Christopher Austin, President

Keith Budd, Secretary