Hospital bosses in search for new site - 27/12/2004 £10000 for new-road disruption - 23/12/2004 It really is quite a relief - 22/12/2004
T & A 17/12/2004 Old days in new ways
Cottingley:People interested in Cottingley's history can visit a web site set up to chronicle
the village's past.
The site, which can be found at history.cottingleyconnect.org.uk, has been established by Cottingley
Village History Society.
Meanwhile, the society's next meeting is taking place at Cottingley Town Hall on January 12 at 7.30pm.
Terry Marshall will speak about the history of Cottingley Bridge Gardens. New members are welcome and
admission is £1, which includes refreshments.
Public & Legal Notices - T & A 3/12/2004
Applications under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
Major Development
18) Littlelands Cottingley Bingley. Demolition of exisiting buildings and construction of new mixed
use development comprising church hall and doctors surgery with other community facilities and local
authority offices and housing with associated roads and landscaping. Cottingley Cornerstone Centre. 04/05106/OUT
The church mouse begins to prosper - 29/11/2004
'St.Michael's Church, Cottingley - As the parish is currently without a church building they
use PowerPoint presentations to carry traditional symbols used at Easter and in Advent.'
**************
Cottingley's Neighbourhood Renewal Project -
Appointment of a Neighbourhood Renewal Support Officer
We have invited Ian Shakleton of Cross Roads, Keighley, to help us with
Neighbourhood Renewal in Cottingley. Ian, in the past, has worked with the
residents of Cross Roads to raise the cash, work with the Council and build
for the younger residents of Cross Roads a skateboard park. He has also
worked with the Single Parent group, Gingerbread, and provided them with a
nationally used guide for single parent Dads.
Ian has accepted our invitation and will start work with us at the beginning
of January, 2005. We have asked Ian to give us 12 hrs a week of his time for
the next twelve months. We'll be sharing him with Denholme.
We are wanting him to work with us to strengthen our community spirit in
Cottingley. We need to discover new people who will bring their time, energy
and skills to our groups such as Senior Citizens, Scouts, Guides,
Pre-schools - and Churches (after all, this is work of the Kingdom!).
We need help in discovering, enthusing and training leaders; in learning how
to obtain funding for our work; and in generating those village events,
like Gala days, Pantomimes, Cabaret Nights, that will bring the young, the
old and those in-between together for fun and for fellowship. We also need
help to prepare to make good use of the tremendous facilities and
opportunities that the Cornerstone and Village Centre Development Projects
will bring to us very soon. St. Michael's Church magazine December 2004 [wh]
We're listening to you! - 25/11/2004 New play area will beat vandals - 24/11/2004 Green belt land is saved...in the main - 23/11/2004 (includes land at Cottingley Moor Road) Resurfacing work will delay drivers - 19/11/2004 Pledge to end traffic misery for villagers - 12/11/2004 Taking a NAP for the future - 1/11/2004Proposals in each action plan include.. Cottingley
o encourage people to take more pride in their gardens
o create a gateway feature as a welcome to the village
o develop recreation ground
o business watch scheme
o recruit special constables
o road safety measures
o identify poor street lighting
o consider extending Cottingley Care Club for under 11s
o funding for inter-generational projects Denholme
o central location recycling
o funding to tackle dog fouling
o establish a walking club and develop local walks
o community garden at the school
o a police contact point
o business watch scheme
o school travel plan
o internet service
o re-establish Brownies
o involve the Prince's Trust in undertaking youth work Windhill
o keep Windhill tidy campaign
o investigate apprenticeships in child care
o skill-based courses for local employment opportunities
o alcohol-awareness work for young in the area
o review traffic-calming
o more exercise and health education
o introduce a low-cost travel permit scheme
Projects to improve village come of age - T & A 8/10/2004 by lan Briggs
Projects which help develop closer relationships between younger and older people are being
developed in a Bradford village.
Bradford Vision has granted £9,000 to develop intergenerational projects in Cottingley.
Three separate projects are planned to be run between:
o Beckfoot School and a sheltered housing scheme
o Cottingley Village Primary School and residents
o Local Scouts and Guides groups and senior citizens and horticultural groups.
Although the full details are still to be finalised, each is likely to have an environmentally-based
theme to help improve the appearance of the village.
The proposals form part of the Cottingley Neighbourhood Action Plan which aims to improve life
for people in the community in the future by
running projects they want to see carried out.
Bev Ford, success co-ordinator at Beckfoot School, said the Bingley school had been involved in
a similar project which proved highly successful last year.
'Last time a group of students from the school who live in Cottingley went to a sheltered housing
complex once a week after school and talked one on one to elderly people,' she said.
'Both sides found it very interesting and enjoyable.'
Pam Alien, acting head teacher at Cottingley Village Primary School, said: 'It's nice for the
children and they develop skills.
'Also we have to look to involve the community and get them working together.'
She added that an intergenerational project had run at the school last year when pupils worked with
older Cottingley residents to improve the school's gardens.
Sessions will take place once a week for seven weeks, although a start date has yet to be finalised.
Ideas for the projects include producing banners, designing new planters and creating a new
Welcome to
Cottingley sign and village notice board.
Bill Holliday, of the Cottingley Community Association, said: 'We felt that, if people know
each other, have shared meaningful, pleasant experiences together, can put names to faces and
can smile and greet each other when they meet, then anxiety and anger levels in young and old can
be managed more effectively for the good of all.
'Both projects made major and positive impacts on the people who took part in them.'
Charles acclaims 'beacon of hope' - T & A 7/10/2004
Prince boosts village project scheme with letter
'The plans for the village and Cottingley Cornerstone Centre are a shining example of what can be
achieved when the community comes together to work collectively to improve the quality of life of
its members' Prince Charles
Prince Charles has written a heartfelt letter to a Bradford village hailing ambitious plans to
regenerate it as 'a beacon of hope for the community'.
In his letter, the Prince of Wales said the £3 million plans to develop Cottingley were 'a
wonderful testament to the spirit and determination of local people'.
The Prince has been keeping close tabs on the progress of the Cottingley Cornerstone Centre project
since he visited the village to re-dedicate a war memorial in 2002.
He was left sickened and spoke of his "deep upset" after vandals had desecrated the memorial, built
to commemorate villagers who fought in the First World War, at St Michael and All Angels Church just
months later.
St Michael's, at Littlelands, was demolished last year after being condemned as a dangerous building.
But now ambitious plans aim to breathe new life into the village and include a new church and
housing.
After his visit Prince Charles asked three of his charities, the Prince's Foundation, The Prince's
Trust and Business in the Community, to help develop the proposals on the site of the church and
Littlelands Resource Centre.
The Prince's Foundation organised two workshops to brainstorm ideas.
The Cottingley Cornerstone Centre will provide a large multi-use hall, meeting rooms, a computer
suite, an advice centre, a doctor's surgery and facilities and day care for residents.
There will also be facilities for Bradford Council's Social Service department.
The church's vicar, the Reverend Canon Sue Pinnington, who is described in the Prince's letter as
'remarkable', said it would help boost the project's fundraising campaign which will aim to raise
£1 million from the public. In his letter Prince Charles says: 'This special community was profoundly
shocked by what happened (in the vandal attack) and, in addition to an evident determination to come
together in the face of this painful incident, I found that much thought was being given to the very
structure of the village centre and whether it could be changed in some way to prevent such
anti-social behaviour in the future.
'My feeling was that the centre of the village was physically formed like a void rather than a
heart to the community'
He said the scheme would help people feel they belonged to Cottingley and compared the plan to
his famous Poundbury development in Dorchester where he built a development of houses and shops
so people could live and work close together.
He said: 'I think that the resulting plans for the village and Cottingley Cornerstone Centre are
a shining example of what can be achieved when the community comes together to work collectively
to improve the quality of life of its members.
'Born out of a desire to contribute to the social regeneration of Cottingley and to improve
significantly the built environment, this is a wonderful testament to the spirit and determination
of local people coupled with the goodwill of the local authority.
'I hope and I believe that it will become a beacon of hope for the community in years ahead and a
much-treasured part of its heritage as a physical manifestation of the spirit of the place.'
Canon Pinnington said: 'I'm thrilled with his continuing support and it's going to help massively
with the fundraising campaign.
'With him supporting the campaign it's a significant endorsement and it's far more than we expected.
'The letter shows his understanding of the situation and also highlights how much support really
over the last two years we've had from him and it proves he's not a fairweather friend. He's
sticking with the project.'
Canon Pinnington said Prince Charles had been consulted about the designs of the project and had
given regular feedback to the project's architects.
'Clarence House keeps quite good contact with me personally about the project and at every stage the
Prince has been involved, been consulted and has made his feelings known,' she said.
The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James, expressed his delight that Prince Charles
supported the project.
He said: 'The support of the Prince of Wales is a great endorsement of this major regeneration
scheme.'
The further £2 million needed to fund the project will be raised by selling up to 50 houses, which
would be sold on the site and through grants.
Work is expected to start next year.
e-mail: ian.briggs @bradford.newsquest.co.uk
A lesson by Royal appointment!
Pupils at Cotttingley Village Primary School could soon be speaking the Queen's English if an
application to take part in a pilot scheme is
successful.
Only two schools in Britain will be chosen to take part in the curriculum-based project which
will be funded by the Queen's English Society.
The government recently launched a
campaign to improve the language skills of pupils in secondary schools. But lan Bruten-Simmonds,
a spokesman tor the society said: it is common sense to flocus on children from primary, not
secondary level.'
Pupils in the successful school will listen to one minute of classical music and then to five
minutes of a classic story to improve their listening skills.
The sessions will always happen in the last period of the school day and will be included as part
of the curriculum.
Mr Bruton-Simmonds said: 'A classic story for an 11'year-old is different from that for a
five-year-old, but both the music and the story will be giving the child an experience of something
truly English.' ,
The story will not be read to the class by a teacher, but will be a recording of a person who
speaks he Queen's English. -The children need not write anything down, or even speak about what
they have heard. They just have to take that time to listen,' sald Mr Bruton-Simmonds.
Cottingley Village Primary School will find out if their bid to be part of the scheme has been
successful in the coming weeks
T & A 6/10/2004
Nutrition, blood pressure testing, fire prevention stands at Neighbourhood Forum 28th September 2004
Skate work - T & A 28/9/2004 - COTTINGLEY: Work has begun on the long-awaited £90.000
skateboard park on the site of the former Cottingley Manor School playing fields. David Wilson Homes
which is building new houses in Cottingley Moor road gave £30,000 to the scheme as part of a planning agreement.
The rest of the cash came from Bradford Council.
Crazy about Paving T & A 7/9/2004
Villagers will have an easier task getting to the shops thanks to a pathway which is being built on a
recreation ground
Work has started to construct the path at Cottingley recreation ground after a 143 name petition
was presented to Bradford Council. Chief campaigner and Cottingley resident Margaret Krupa said wheelchair users,
mums with pushchairs and older people struggled to get across the recreation ground to shops on The
Parade. Bradford Council has secured £11,250 funding from Waste Recycling Environmental (WREN)
which distributes landfill tax credit to worthy projects, and the remaining £1,250 for the scheme has been provided by the
Council. Bradford Council leader, Councillor and Cottingley resident Margaret Eaton said: 'The new footpaths will be
a great help. I am pleased that WREN has provided funding towards this project and I look forward
to seeing further improvements at the recreation ground. Residents will be consulted about further
improvements at the recreation ground in the future. It is expected the work on the path will be completed
by the end of next month. Police get closer to public in shake-up - 7/9/2004 World's high-flyers touch down in city - 6/9/2004 Is the boom year over for Bingley? - 24/8/2004 The fairies return - T & A 14/8/2004 Transport is key to creating `Digidale' - 3/8/2004 Colourful farewell to life-long fan - T & A 26/7/2004
A lifelong Bradford City fanatic has had his dying wish fulfilled as mourners gave him a claret
and amber send-off at his funeral.
Colln Davey, of Manor Court, Cottingley, died ten days ago after losing a seven-month battle against
cancer.
The brave 56-year-old remained a devoted City fan and had even bought a season ticket the day before
he died.
He was given his dying wish as mourners attendad his funeral in Bradford City colours and the
procession drove past the Valley Parade on the way to Nab Wood
Crematorium. Colin was wearing hie favourite claret and amber top and his family had a giant Bantams
shirt made for the occasion which was draped over his coffin.
The crematorium was also decoratcd in claret and amber flowers.
His widow Judy said: 'His birthday was Boxing Day but we never went anywhere because he was always
watching City.
'He told me he wanted as many people to come to the funeral in their City shirts and then go for
a pie and a pint afterwards.'
Mr Davey had battled against ill health for 20 years but he never let it stop lhim following his
belovcd club.
In 1983 he made a cash donation to help the Club out of administration and as a reward players
visited him in hospital, where while he was having an aortic bypass.
He had also given cash to the Telegraph & Argus Save Our City Appeal and Mrs Davey said he was
confident the Bantams would survive.
He leaves behind a widow, two children. Scott and Sonia. and three grandchildren.
Chance to save our Green Belt - 7/7/04 -
Plan from T & A showing areas Trash cash will pay for new path - 24/6/2004 T & A
Cash generated from trash will help build a footpath at Cottingley recreation ground.
16 projects across Yorkshire have been granted money by environmental body Wren, which
distributes Landfill Tax credits for community regeneration.
A total of £13,000 has been allocated for the footpath.
More than £400,000 has been made available for all the projects, which include playgrounds,
skate parks and church renovations.
The grants made under the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme aim to improve community life by enhancing
existing facilities and providing new ones.
In addition, historic buildings can also receive funding for restoration.
A panel that looked at its suitability, sustainability and benefit to the community accepted
the Cottingley grant
Thursday, April 29,2004 - Aire Valley Target
£85m village plan sparks royal interest
Invitation to visit Prince
by Ian Briggs
A multi-million pound project which aims to give a village a new heart looks set to be given the
royal seal of approval.
Architects are drawing up final plans for the Cottingley Cornerstone Centre which will help
regenerate the village by providing state-of-the-art community facilities.
Bradford Council has agreed to transfer its land at the Littlelands site to the Cottingley
Cornerstone Centre Company, established in January.
And members of the company, including its chairman, the Reverend Sue Pinnington, vicar of St Michael
and All Angels church, have been invited to meet and discuss the plans with Prince Charles, who
is a keen supporter of the £8.5 million project.
The Prince of Wales praised the project in a special message to the community in February last year.
The Prince had been greeted by a huge crowd when he visited Cottingley in 2002 to mark the
rededication of the war memorial which was restored after being vandalised.
Miss Pinnington said: 'The Prince of Wales has said he would like myself and other people closely
involved to go down to London to view the plans and discuss the designs and various other things
with us.'
The centre is thought to be the first community-led project of its type in England and has been
designed using ideas and plans from residents. It will provide a large multi-use hall, meeting
rooms, a computer suite, nursery and pre-school centre, a police contact point, youth and elderly
ay care facilities and a respite unit for disabled children and young people.
Around 50 homes will also be built and a new £375,000 church building will be constructed on the
site after the original church, built in 1968, was razed to the ground after being condemned as a
dangerous building last July.
o Two events are being held to raise money for the project. Residents are being urged to open
their gardens for the public to enjoy on July 18 and anyone who wants to register should contact
Sue Butler on (01274) 599050.
A car treasure hunt is also taking place in the village on May 16 Unwanted highs and lows blighted my life - T & A 27/4/2004 Speed cameras are switched on at last - 24/4/2004 Charles to see plans for centre - T & A 23/4/2004
Barman injured in gang attack - T & A 13/4/2004 A barman was recovering today after being assaulted
in a gang attack at a working men's club. The victim was left with a two inch cut above his right eye
after being set upon by four men at Cottingley Working Men's Club in Hope Hill View Bingley. Police
arrested four men in connection with the incident which happened at 11.30 pm on Sunday night.
Detective inspector Shaun Berry of Keighley CID said "A member of staff was attacked by four youths which resulted in him being punched and kicked."
The victim received medical treatment but was not detained in hospital. Three men, aged 18, 19 and 20
have been released on police bail. A fourth youth, aged 15, was released without charge. Thousands more clog roads - 7/4/2004 Bid to bridge generation gap - 5/4/2004 Contact: Volunteers connecting up to service - T & A 2/4/2004 Airedale Primary Care Trust website
Airedale Primary Care trust is launching the second stage of a public consultation re health
services in Bingley. Closing date for views is Friday 28th May.
Public meetings at Bingley Methodist Church at 7 pm on 1st and 15th April and 6 pm on 27th April.
Town Hall fund is boosted. 24/3/2004 T & A 250 years of Yorkshire Post - 17/3/2004
COTTINGLEY: Residents and staff at a nursing home have raised £700 for the Cottingley Town Hall
Restoration Fund.
This cash was collected at BUPA's Cottingley Hall Nursing Home in Bradford Road. A cheque will be
presented by the home's manager, Dianne Parker, to the trustees of the hall on Saturday.
An afternoon of live music will celebrate the occasion. Hilary Tillie, a spokesman for the town
hall trustees, said 'We wanted to acknowledge our thanks in a more positive way and so we are
putting on a musical entertainment.
APPROVAL: YOUNGSTERS' LONG WAIT IS OVER
Roll 'em! It's a 'yes' at last for skate park
by SARAH BAYLISS
T&A Reporter T & A 19/3/2004
Cottingley youngsters have finally got the go-ahead for their skate park.
Planners have approved the skate park and multi-use games area at the former Cottingley Manor School
playing fields on Cottingley New Road.
Objections to the placing of the two areas had been submitted by both Cannons Health Club and the
Yorkshire Clinic, which are next to the site.
The health club was concerned it would experience further vandalism by children using the site and
the hospital feared noise from the two play areas would disturb patients.
Area planning officer Peter Bridgman said any increase in anti-social behaviour associated with
the skate park and games area would be a matter for the Council and police to deal with and was not
a planning consideration.
And he said background noise from both the health club and the hospital along with the busy road
meant it was unlikely the youngsters would create a disturbance.
Mr Bridgman said: 'The young people of Cottingley have been waiting a long time for this.
'It is fair to say there is support locally for the facility in principle. It has been difficult
finding somewhere to accommodate this without creating noise nuisances.'
An earlier application to build the skatepark and games area in the recreation ground on Manor Road
had failed due to the noise impact on neighbouring homes.
Shipley Area Planning Panel approved the plans at its meeting yesterday
Councillor John Cole (Baildon, Lib-Dem) said; 'I am pleased to see this coming to fruition.
It has much to commend it.'
The scheme will see two hard surfaced court areas, one surrounded by a mesh rebound fence to be used
for different types of sports, and another containing five pieces of skateboarding equipment with
rails, built in the fields.
e-mail: sarah.bayliss
T & A 13th March 2004 Skate plan goes before planners
A proposal to build a games area and skateboard park in Cottingley will be considered by planners
next week.
The application is to build the two areas - the size of tennis courts - on the former playing fields
of Cottingley Manor Middle School, next to Cannons Health Club, in Cottingley New Road.
It will be determined by Shipley Area Planning Committee on Thursday
The scheme has sparked opposition from villagers who would prefer to use the recreation ground
on Manor Road.
But this idea was shelved after Bradford Council said the noise would disturb local people.
Cannon's Health Club has raised fears about antisocial behaviour.
But a report to councillors from planning officials says:
'The local planning authority could not refuse an application on the basis that the site may generate
an increase in experienced levels of anti-social behaviour. This would be a matter for the club to
take up direct with the police.
A report on the likely noise impact on nearby Yorkshire Clinic will also be delivered at the meeting
at 10am in the council chamber of the Town Hall, Shipley Call this teenage kicks? - 9/3/2004 Grinding to a halt - 8/3/2004 Relief - but at what price? - 8/3/2004 Sue recalls the pain of church ban T & A 6/3/2004
The Rev Sue Pinnington, right, remembers when women could not follow their calling for the church
and were not allowed to be priests because it burns inside of you. When you are ordained, it's an
incredibly powerful service.'
Ten years on from the ordination of the UK's first women vicars, a female Bradford priest has
been remembering the pain of not being able to follow her calling.
As Bradford Cathedral announced a special service to mark the anniversary, the Reverend Sue
Pinnington spoke of the frustrations of countless would-be female clergy before the change in rules.
Miss Pinnington was ordained eight years ago and moved to St Michael and All Angels church, in
Cottingley four years later. She has also been installed as an honorary canon at Bradford Cathedral.
'I was 17 years old when I first approached my home diocese and at that point women could not
even be ordained as deacons,' she said.
'The thing about being a priest is that you are called by God. It is a vocation. Women have
felt calls to be priests for hundreds of years and now we are celebrating ten years of finally achieving this.
'It has been very difficult for many women who worked desperately hard
Miss Pinnington, who is also chairman of the Women's Clergy Group in Bradford, had a visit from
Prince Charles in 2002 to rededicate the repaired church's war memorial which had been vandalised.
Her church was demolished last year after the roof beams were found to be rotting and plans are being drawn up for a new building.
Alison Froggatt, a former curate at Holy Trinity Church, Bingley, campaigned for the ordination of women into the clergy
'I was keen to see the event marked with a special event as it really is an achievement,' she said.
'The number of women entering the clergy is growing.'
The Thanksgiving Eucharist service will be led by the Bishop of Bradford, the Right Reverend David James, on Saturday, May 8 at 6.30pm.
The first women priests, of which there are now about 30 active in the ministry, were ordained in the Bradford diocese in March 1994.
by CAROLYNE COYLE PATHS WILL DETER SKATERS - T & A 27/2/2004
Cottingley residents will find crossing their recreation ground much easier in future,
A petition with 143 signatures was presented to Bradford Council calling for footpaths at Cottingley
Recreation Ground, particularly to help people in wheelchairs and pushing prams.
Shipley area Committee has agreed that the footpaths - which will have a surface which deters skateboarders and BMX bikers - can be built.
Bradford Council Principal technical and development manager Ian Day said 'The paths can be used by cycles, but won't lend themselves to
BMX activities and couldn't be used by skateboarders. They will be fine for wheelchairs and prams.
The paths will be funded by developers of the former Cottingley first school, as part of a legal agreement
with the Council to improve recreation facilities in the village. Silicon valley plan for Aire towns - 23/2/2004 Main Street to be repaired at last! - 16/2/2004 Developer disturbed residents - 12/2/2004 She meant the world to us all - 9/2/2004 Letters to the Editor - 2/2/2004 Apathy threatens hospital campaign - 31/1/2004 The views that must be heard - 31/1/2004 I owe my life to friend who hosed me down - 19/1/2004 Skate Park plan fight - 13/1/2004 Press for more road relief - 7/1/2004 More relief needed for road bottleneck - 6/1/2004 Rush hour chaos on relief road - 5/1/2004
T&A 11/7/2003
COTTINGLEY: A mini housing development in Cottingley - which will result in £35,000 being
poured into village recreational facilities - is set to be approved.
The proposal for 36 homes on the site of the former Cottingley First School, in School Street, has been
recommended for approval by the Shipley Area Planning Panel.
An original scheme for 42 houses by developer Henry Boot, which is now owned by David Wilson
Homes, was deferred because panel members said the buildings overlooked existing houses and the
project was too dense.
The developer has also been asked to use natural stone, create parking bays, upgrade street lighting on
School Street, and include ten affordable homes.
The panel will meet at Shipley town hall on Thursday July 17, 10am, in the Council Chamber.
Walk buys new play equipment
T&A 11/7/2003
COTTINGLEY: Children with special needs are set to benefit from new play equipment.
Yorkshire Building Society staff at the branch in Westgate, took part in a sponsored walk and
the society's charitable foundation has donated £285 to the pre-school group,
The school of 48 children, aged two and a half to five, which meets at St. Michael and All Angels
Church hall, will be buying toys and games to loan to families of youngsters with autism, sensory
impairment and speech or language difficulties.
The following cuttings are available for perusal at the Town Hall Heritage Day
Keighley News & Bingley Chronicle - Expanding Cottingley 27/10/1962
Daily Mail December 13th 1997 - Holmes, do you believe in fairies?
Telegraph & Argus - Brazil nuts over fairy hoax
Telegraph & Argus - It's a fairy sale ending!
Aire Valley Target - End of a great fairy story...
British Journal of Photography 1985 - There were fairies at the bottom of the garden.
British Journal of Photography 1985 - Cottingley revisited.
British Journal of Photography 5/1/2000 - 100 years of Photography -Geoffrey Crawley tells his personal story.
Telegraph & Argus - 1983 - World Exclusive - End of a fairy tale.
Telegraph & Argus January 15th 1998 - How we confessed to the fairies.
Telegraph & Argus - Fairy cameras go back to where it all started.
Telegraph & Argus - A fairy tale comes true.
Telegraph & Argus - 'Fairy land' may face bulldozers.
Aire Valley Target 12/8/1999 - A hallmark of enjoyable village life
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, visited Cottingley on 30th September 2002 for the
rededication of the Calvary 1st World War Memorial sited at St. Michael's Church, Littlelands.
Account of Prince Charles' visit published T & A on Tuesday 01 October 2002:
";Charles attacks shallow vandals";
by Carolyne Coyle
The Prince of Wales has condemned ";shallow rooted"; young vandals who desecrated a village war memorial.
He told the people of Cottingley, near Bingley, that he understood their ";anger, resentment and bewilderment"; after children ripped a figure of Christ from the cross and broke off the head.
But he said: ";The crucial issue, it seems to me, is how you deal with the whole question of alienation.
";How do we tackle the issue of young people left shallow rooted and bereft of a spiritual and moral dimension in their lives?
";These, of course, are questions which I am sure as a community you are facing.";
The Prince was speaking at a rededication ceremony for a new memorial to the 29 men from the parish of St Michael and All Angels who died between 1914 and 1918.
Villagers said the Christ figure, made from oak, was pulled from its cross and ";kicked about like a football";.
The Prince said the hardest part of being a Christian was to ";love your neighbour and do good to those who hate you";. He added: ";I do hope that it will remind all of us of the importance of reconnecting to our roots and remembering that it is so important to have that thread of continuity that links one generation with another.";
Prince Charles became involved in the project to rebuild the memorial after reading about the vandalism in May.
";I only hope that when I come back to Cottingley I will see a transformation and I do believe that every cloud has a silver lining,"; he said.
The ceremony conducted by the Archdeacon of Bradford, the Venerable Guy Wilkinson, followed a 30-minute church service of thanksgiving at which Prince Charles stood with hundreds of people for a two-minute silence followed by the Last Post.
The Prince then spent more than half- an-hour on a walkabout chatting to the many schoolchildren, pensioners and other people who had gathered outside the church waving Union flags.
Pensioner Lucy Robertshaw was moved to tears by her chat with the Prince.
";It has to be the biggest day in my life. I was 90 this year and the Lord Mayor came to see me and I thought `you can't get better than that', but this has beaten it by far - it's been wonderful,"; she said.";
For more information contact
This electronic mail address must be treated as confidential and may not be transferred to any other person or organisation in accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act.
T & A 5/10/2004
T & A 1/10/2004 
