Ilkley news, sport, entertainment and local information from Ilkley Gazette

Otley manager cheated store of £19,000 with refunds ploy

8:37am Thursday 17th January 2013

A retail manager from Otley who stole more than £19,000 from a fashion shop chain by pocketing the money from false refunds.

Second bid to help protect Horsforth's Hunger Hill Woods

9:00am Saturday 27th October 2012

A second public meeting is to be held to help ensure land around Hunger Hills Woods in Horsforth will not be built on.

• Have your say

Funding blow for fell rescue group as Broughton Game Show is to end

9:00am Saturday 27th October 2012

An annual show that boosted the funds of the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association is to end.

• Have your say

Protest goes on despite Menston village green rejection

11:27am Friday 26th October 2012

Campaigners trying to stop 170 homes being built in their village have vowed to fight on despite being dealt another huge blow.

• Comments(1)
• Have your say »

Work aims to reduce power cuts in Otley homes

11:12am Friday 26th October 2012

Extra electricity upgrading work has begun in Otley to ensure the town’s Christmas lights don’t cause a blackout.

• Have your say

John Julius Norwich, King's Hall

3:48pm Thursday 18th October 2012

For the closing event at a literature festival, John Julius Norwich might seem an odd choice. Indeed, on Sunday, King’s Hall was only about two-thirds full. But, if you didn’t go, you missed a treat. Lord Norwich’s culture and erudition shone as he read a series of extracts from his latest work, The History of England in 100 Places. From Stonehenge (why did they build it so near the road, wonder the American tourists) to the Gherkin (aka Crystal Phallus), he pins on to English landmarks, reflections on history, politics, social change, architecture, military and agricultural developments and, yes, literature.

Sandi Toksvig, King's Hall

3:46pm Thursday 18th October 2012

King’s Hall was full to capacity for Sandi Toksvig. Her delivery is remarkable for its speed, concision, clarity and flashes of humour. She and interviewer James Nash covered a huge range of topics, from her Danish/English parentage, via her arrival in England at 16 to the careers of her three children and her latest novel, Valentine Grey. This is the story of a young woman chafing against the restrictions of Victorian society, who impersonates her unsoldierly cousin and goes to fight the Boer. As a woman, Toksvig is far more interested in the personal side of war than in its hardware, and this is a deeply personal story. And one to which we are promised a sequel; Valentine is so young at the end that her creator feels she has far more to say. Toksvig’s play, Bully Boys, currently running in London, also deals with war, from the mental health angle. Pointing out that physically uninjured veterans are far from undamaged (witness the 264 suicides among Falklands survivors – more than the 255 casualties), she pleads a powerful case for greater understanding. Asked which aspect of her work she would choose if she had to, Toksvig had to say broadcasting (Radio 4 alone is worth the BBC licence fee). Let’s hope she never has to choose!

Clare Balding, King's Hall

3:44pm Thursday 18th October 2012

Clare Balding received an enthusiastic welcome from a capacity crowd at King’s Hall on Friday evening. Already a well-known sports presenter for radio and television, it was undoubtedly her widely acclaimed coverage of this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics that drew the majority of people to this event. Beamed into sitting-rooms across the nation, it had made her a much-loved friend.

Richard Ford, Ilkley Playhouse

3:43pm Thursday 18th October 2012

Richard Ford, Ilkley Playhouse

Andrew Motion, Clarke Foley Centre

3:41pm Thursday 18th October 2012

Andrew Motion, Clarke Foley Centre

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, King's Hall

3:41pm Thursday 18th October 2012

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, King’s Hall

More News»