Friday June 28, 2013 Issue 7

CAMPAIGNERS are calling onlocal residents to act quickly andsave green-belt land from a giantwind turbine.Action group SOFFIT formed to

oppose the plans, submitted by JohnOgden, to build a 74-metre turbine onthe land north of HawksworthQuarry.And Wharfedale and Airedale Re-

view Development (WARD) claim itwill “destroy the heart of the commu-nity”.SOFFIT representative Anton Els-

borg, 62, from Guiseley said: “We’reobjecting to one inappropriate windturbine. If there was a 74m highblock of flats or radio mast we’d beobjecting to that. It will tower abovethe landscape and be visible for milesaround.“I have done extensive research

into the amount of noise it will pro-duce and found they can still be heardby people living as far away as 2km.“

The site is recognised as a speciallandscape area (SLA) and is close toa designated site of special scientificinterest (SSSI).SOFFIT representative Jill Bateson,

60, from Rawdon said: “We havebeen offered support by our localcouncillors and MPs, and receivedmuch support from WARD. The localSSSI is designated because of thebird life it supports but all animalsare terrified of wind turbines.”WARD held a meeting on Monday

in which they discussed the environ-mental impact of the turbine.WARD Chairman Dr David Ingham

said: “As far as we are concerned weare saving the environment, and pre-venting the desecration and vandal-ism of it. This includes the destroyingof the heart of communities in ruralareas by filling in their green spaces.“We only have to say yes to build-

ing of this turbine and that sets aprecedent to the building of more.Wind turbines are not efficient, with

figures collated suggesting only 27%efficiency.Since the turbine will near the foot-

paths that criss-cross the area, onsnowy days it will become hazardousto walkers.”WARD Secretary Alan Elsegood

said: “They have chosen almost thehighest point in lower Wharfedale forthe plans. It is our job to oppose anysignificant visual disruption in anyway.”

Turn to page 2....

SOFFIT, left to right: Jill Bateson, Anton Elsborg,Belinda King, DanKing, Helen Dyer, Rachel King

by Shaun Moloney

Rodley wildlifegears up for abird watching

Page 3

Summer’s mustsees and culturalhighlights

Page 4-5

Guiseley AFCtransfers getsball in motion

Page 8

MEET WESLEY – a lit-tle boy who with helpfrom his local commu-nity could achieve hiswish to live a normallife.20-month-old Wesley

Knight , from Guiseley, hascerebral palsy which hascaused diplegia, a condi-tion that means he is un-likely to walk withoutspecific surgery.Wesley’s family are trying

to raise £50,000 to pay fora Selective Dorsal Rhizo-tomy (SDR) operation,

which involves neuro-surgery to reduce the mus-cle stiffness that preventscerebral palsy sufferersfrom walkingThey then need to raise

a further £45,000 to sup-port with two to three yearsof specialist intensivephysiotherapy. His cause has been

taken up by Guiseley Lionsand they are holding a six-a-side football tournamentin conjunction with theGuiseley AFC CommunityFoundation in July.

Turn to page 7...

Wind turbine plans putbeauty spot in danger

HOPEFUL: Wesley Knight, 20-months-old and his sister Amelie Knight, 4

Make a wish forWesley Knight

Guiseley bid forTown CouncilTHE PROSPECT of a TownCouncil for Guiseley could“bring life back to local politics”says Labour representative – butthe plan needs the backing of thecommunity.An open meeting held on Mon-

day, called by the Guiseley andRawdon Labour Party, allowedresidents to express their viewsabout whether the town shouldhave its own council.For it to be considered though -

around 1,000 signatures are re-quired from the residents ofGuiseley.Having a town council would

allow Guiseley to provide addi-tional funding towards services,put resources into environmentalimprovements and monitor plan-ning applications.David Bowe, Guiseley & Raw-

don Labour Party Branch Secre-tary, said: “The importance ofhaving a local councillor youknow well and can contactquickly is the core necessity for alocal democracy. “Councillors who are responsi-

ble for too big an area can’t be areal personality to the individualvoter. “Town councils are needed as a

first stop, ground floor level ofdemocracy. We’ve been missing itfor too long now in Guiseley andwe’re starting to see the effectswith all these new planning appli-cations coming in.“There have been situations

where councillors are defendingplanning applications in public

meetings and defending the deci-sions of the authority instead ofstanding up and speaking for theelectorate.”Terence Baines,70 from Guise-

ley said: “It is something that isof great interest to me. I think anumber of us are keen to seelocal powers brought back to thearea.”The review by Leeds City

Council would involve a consul-tation of everyone in the area be-fore a decision is made.Councillor Paul Truswell, chair-

man of Guiseley Labour Partyand former MP for Pudsey, whochaired the event, said: “A towncouncil is a democraticallyelected and accountable body thatcan look at things like neighbour-hood planning can really give acommunity much more of avoice, but in a way that they arenot self-appointed spokespeople

on behalf of the local commu-nity.”A councillor in the area believes

the idea has already been at-tempted unsuccessfully.Coun Graham Latty (Con,Raw-

don and Guiseley) said: “I havetried numerous times to get peo-ple interested in a council forAireborough, including twiceputting out a petition but havenever been able to get the 10%required.“The Aireborough Neighbour-

hood Forum has been extremelyactive in trying to produce a de-velopment plan for the area andby the time the process of form-ing a council would be completeit will be too late to deal with thecurrent issues anyway.“It also borders on the offensive

that the meeting was chaired bythe councillor for Middleton. Hehas nothing to do with Guiseley.”

A HORSFORTH couple are in uproarover the possibility of paying £50 to parkoutside their own home.John Waters, 74 and his wife Elizabeth, 70,

from Lee Lane West in Horsforth , are upsetabout the proposals by Leeds City councilwho are considering charging £50 for a park-ing permit in a residential area, per car.Mrs Waters said: “We pay a great deal in

council tax, we pay car tax, fuel tax and I thinkit is an imposition, it’s just a step too far -and alot of money if you are paying for two cars.“It is a £100 per year extra rates really.”Lee Lane West has had parking problems for

the last 10 years which ended in residentsbeing given parking permits two years ago. Mrs Waters said: “The lane has been In-

creasing in congestion for ten years, peoplewere parking on both sides of the road andyou could not get your car in or out of yourdrive. “

Mr Waters agreed and said: “Double parkinghad been a problem before the parking permitscame and which could have stopped the emer-gency services coming through.”Coun Richard Lewis, executive member for

development and the economy said: “As acouncil we are currently facing unprecedentedfinancial constraints on our budget, and assuch are having to explore all options in whichto meet this challenge.”Families like the Waters are worried that if

this plan does go ahead what does the futurehold, as Mr Waters said: “We appreciate thatthe council has to make savings, but a £50 feewould seem very wrong.“It does seem unfair if this fee is the second

highest throughout the country, it would be in-teresting to see how what other councils arecharging”.And Mrs Waters added: “£10 would be more

reasonable but I still object to it – and even

then with a parking permit it does not guaran-tee you a place outside your house.”

Outrage at council parking proposal

OUTRAGED: John and Elizabeth Waters

by Shaun Moloney

Produced by Leeds Trinity traineereportersWebsite:

www.leedsnorthern.wordpress.com

Twitter:@LeedsNorthern

Reporters:Samantha Hepworth –

@samjheppyShaun Moloney –@Shaun_MoloneyAndreas Mullings –@Andy_Mullings

If you enjoy dressing up in vintageoutfits then you could win prizesat a tea party in Horsforth.The vintage Tea party and Fayre willtake place on July 7 between 11 amand 4 pm. At the tea party you can also haveyour hair and make-up made up in for-ties styles, as well as hearing songsfrom the 1940’s.All this takes place on 60 Feath-erbank Lane, next to Rebecca JadesVintage Shop in Horsforth.

Coun Paul Truswell and Labour Branch Secretary David Bowe

Continues from front page...The views of WARD have been con-

tested by the Leeds branch of Friends ofthe Earth.Simon Bowens, spokesperson for

Friends of the Earth said: “For the UK toplay its part in tackling climate change, weneed to develop a clean, renewable energysystem. Wind power is an essential andmajor component of this future mix.”“Suitably located turbines, like the one at

Hawksworth Quarry, play a vital role inensuring we wean ourselves of fossil fuelssuch as oil, coal and gas and ensure thatwe leave a good environment and qualityof life for future generations.”Mr Elsborg said: “There have been re-

cent changes in the government guidelinesfor developers. Previously it has been bi-ased towards the developers , but the plan-ners now have instructions to take intoaccount community responses, and we’reencouraging as many people as we can toput in objections.”Deadline for objections is Friday July 5Mr Ogden was not available for com-

ment.

Dress up for charity

NEWS Friday June 28 , 20132

A MENSTON teacher who was allowed tocontinue teaching after being cautionedfor downloading 189 pornographic pic-tures of children was this week told hecould never return to the profession.Geoffrey Bettley, 36, a Religious Educationteacher at St Mary’s Comprehensive, was orig-inally dismissed from work for the caution, butwas later told he was allowed to teach againafter a review by National College for Teachingand Leadership panel.After questions from Shipley MP PhillipDavies, Michael Gove reversed his support forthe decision in the House of Commons.

Mr Gove said: “It’s a very serious issue whichmy hon. friend was absolutely right to haveraised. It is the case that Mr Bettley is notteaching and will not be teaching in the future,it is also the case that the process that we ar-rived at for ensuring that the National Collegefor Teaching and Learning reviewed caseswas not as good as it should have been – toput it mildly.“I don’t put the blame on anyone else’s doorother than my own but one thing that I havebeen anxious to do following on from the Bett-ley case it to make sure that we have a newguidance in order to ensure that the decisions

that are taken in future are appropriate to keepour children safe.”Former student David Russell, 21, said: “Ithink the rational choice has been made, and ifhe was allowed back to teach the credibility ofthe school would have been at risk.”A Department for Education Spokespersonsaid: "We want to ensure that in future anyonecautioned or prosecuted for offences related tochild pornography is prohibited from teaching."We are taking steps to revise the guidancethe independent panel uses to make a deci-sion on whether a teacher should be barred."

U-turn on child porn teacher ban

TWITCHERS in Leeds can be in their ele-ment spotting rare bird sightings like theKingfisher and migrating birds from WestAfrica at Rodley Nature Reserve. The beauty spot is open to families on Wednes-

day, Saturday and Sundays all summer - and thereserve has had 160 species of birds to spot. Peter Murphy 70, Secretary of the Rodley Na-

ture Reserve Trust said: “The habitat is improv-ing every year.“The kingfishers are a common bird on our

rivers but a lot of people have never seen one.This year kingfisher sightings have been infre-quent up to the middle of June but there havebeen a number of sightings over the last fewdays.

“This year we have had seven Kingfishersightings. We also have the Common Tern, theyare visitors from West Africa and are breeding onthe wooden raft here and also on the island be-hind. “We have five of these birds breeding this year,

the largest we have ever had.”The common terns arrive in April each year on

to the reserve and leave around July time- whenthey will slowly drift back to spend the winter inWest Africa.The ponds at the reserves also attract dragon-

flies, with 17 species different species spotted sofar.Throughout the summer they host activities for

all the family - on July 20 there is an evening batwalk. Mr Murphy said: “We have bat detectors tand as you move closer to the bats they make likea machine gun noise.”They are also planning a small mammal survey

on August 3, at 9 am, particularly aimed at chil-dren. He said: “The traps are set the previousevening and we get them out the following morn-ing – wood mice, bank voles and commonshrews are usually found.”And one of attractions in the visitor centre is a

programme for breeding harvest mice - and whenthey are ready they will be released into the re-serve.The land was originally owned by Yorkshire

Water and used the site as a treatment site until1992.

by Samantha Hepworth

.BIRDY: The Fisherking Photos by Barbara Murphy

LEEDS City Councilsparked anger this weekwhen it was revealed thatover the past five years theyspent an estimated £200kon bottled water.The figures were releasedthrough a Freedom of Informa-tion request, and reveal that thecouncil spent £28k in 2012/13,but in 2008/9 the figure was amassive £76k.A spokesperson from the

council defended the spending,saying that bottled water is nota luxury:“Providing good quality drink-

ing water for staff, pupils andvisitors to our buildings andschools is not a perk – it is avery basic requirement of anydecent and responsible organi-sation, and we do not intend tochange this. However, we arealso keen to provide value forcouncil taxpayers’ money.”These comments have an-

gered officials at YorkshireWater, who see the council'sspending as wasteful and theirattitude to tap water as insult-ing.Matt Thompson, a represen-tative of the water company,said: “Nobody should be wast-ing money on bottled waterwhen they can consume ourwater at a fraction of the cost.We would say to Leeds CityCouncil, don't do it – don'twaste your money.” And Matthew Sinclair, ChiefExecutive of the TaxPayers' Al-liance said: "The Council can’tafford to pour money down thedrain buying costly bottledwater. If the council stopssplashing out n it could savetaxpayers’ a fortune without af-fecting front line services."

Bottledwaterfiasco

Beauty havenfor twitchers

SPARKLY: Female banded demoiselle

NEWS Friday June 28 , 20133

Leeds highlights for The summer has finally arrived and Leeds will be hosting plentyof events to entertain the family and gigs to wow the crowds. We take a look at who is the first to play in the new arena

BRUCE Springsteen will be bossing it as he headlines the first evershow at the Leeds Arena on July 24. Along with the E Street Band he will be playing all his hits from Born to Runto Dancing in the Dark.The band has been together since around 1972 and has a reputation for beingone of the hardest working bands on the planet. And it is believed that Brucedoes not have a playlist on stage, but as the group have been together so longthey can just feel which song he wants to play next.On July 22 there is also a worldwide cinema release of the documentary filmabout the singer, Springsteen and I.

This will be the first gig to be played at the new First Direct Arena, which hasa capacity of 13,500. Leeds City Council says it is United Kingdom’s first purpose built ‘fan-shape’ arena and has an iconic external design which can change appearancethrough a changing kaleidoscope of coloured lights.The venue officially opens in September – and a host of stars will be playingat the arena this year including Leonard Cohen on September 4 and Leedsfavourites The Kaiser Chiefs on September 13.Back in February it was announced that the Born in The USA star would beplaying a special concert which would ‘accommodate’ the star during hisWrecking Ball world tour.

Bruce Springsteen toplay Leeds Arena’s

first gig

by Samantha Hepworth

THIS weekend sees the Leeds Wa-terfront Festival stretching along the waterfront in the city.Events will be taking place at Thwaites

Mills, Clarence Dock, Brewery Wharf,Dock Street and Granary Wharf. There will be loads of activities to suit all

the family, including live music, street entertainers, arts & crafts, food stalls and

guided walks.There’s plenty happening at each venue.

Thwaites Mill will be offering free boatrides, while there will be a Dragon boatrace near the New Dock. And around Vic-toria Wharf there will be a vintage 2CV cardisplay.Last year’s festival won the Waterways

Renaissance Award Winner 2012.

Waterfront festival set to make a splash

NEWSFriday June 28 , 2013 4

FRIENDS of Hall Park in Horforth have summerband concerts. Come along to one of:Sunday July 14, and Sunday September 1, JamesFarrell Concert Band are playing from 2.30 – 4.30 pm Also playing are Bradford Metropolitan Concert

Band from 2.30 to 4.30 pmFor more information about these events you cancontatct jules.wadsworth@ntlworld.com

Concerts at Hall Park

Summer in the cityFriday June 28 Rory Hall and the Men, The NewRoscoe, 8pm, free.

Saturday June 29Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion, Bru-denell Social Club, 8pm, £17.

Sunday June 30The Wildhearts, O2 Academy Leeds,7pm, £20.Led Zep/DC, The New Roscoe, 8pm, £5.Chantel McGregor, Brudenell SocialClub, 7.30pm, £11.

Tuesday July 2H20, Brudenell Social Club, 7pm, £12.

Friday July 5Acid Drop, The Library, 8pm, £5/6.The Ukrainians, Brudenell Social Club,7.30pm, £10.

Saturday July 6Fusion, Courthouse, Otley, 8pm, £8/10.

Tuesday, July 9Midnight Special, The Junction Inn,9pm, free.

Saturday July 13China Shop Bull, Alaska, Utoxator andmore, all day, £4/5.

Tuesday July 16Jurassic 5, O2 Academy Leeds, 7pm,£25.

Friday July 19 The Despoilers, Horsforth Old Ball, 8pm.

Wedneday July 24Bruce Springsteen & The E StreetBand, First Direct Arena, 6pm, £65.

Gig GuideLEEDS city centre will play host toSky Ride next month– a free eventencouraging people of all ages to geton their bikes in a traffic-free zone.Ambassador for Sky Ride Leeds, Girls

Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh, originallyfrom Bradford, will be attending theevent next Sunday.Kimberley commented: “It’s a fantastic

initiative and cycling is a great way tostay in shape and keep healthy. “The best part of this event is that it

doesn’t matter if you haven’t been on abike for a while, if you're a novice or amore experienced rider - there is some-thing for everyone.”Tricia Thompson, Sky’s director of cy-

cling, said: “This event marks the start ofa huge 12 months for cycling in York-shire, both from a grassroots perspectiveall the way through to the Tour de Francestarting in Leeds in 2014.”Leader of Leeds City Council Keith

Wakefield said: “Sky Ride Leeds isgoing to be a fantastic day in the citycentre for everyone to get involved with,so we are counting down to July 7 withgreat excitement.”The event is organised by Leeds City

Council, British Cycling, Sky and WestYorkshire Metro - and is coming toLeeds for the first time.To find out more information about

Sky Ride events in Yorkshire this sum-mer visit goskyride.com.

NEXT Friday you could join the queues atWaterstones in Leeds and meet one of thestars of last year’s Olympic Games, gymnastLouis Smith.The 24 yr old will be at the book shop on Albion

Street to sign copies of his new autobiography MyStory So Far. The star won a silver medal at the London

Olympic Games last year on the pommel horse anda bronze medal at the same event back at the Bei-jing Olympics in 2008.And in December 2012 he won yet more admira-

tion from the nation by winning the BBC showStrictly Come Dancing.

Chance to meet BBC’sStrictly star Louis Smith

Futuresound competition heats underway to promote untapped local music talent

THIS year’s annual Futuresound competitionkicked off this week, showcasing local musictalent at the Cockpit in the first of 15 hotly con-tested live heats.The first four heats saw bands including Campfires,

Good Moves, Boy On A Pedestal and Allusondrugsbattle it out for one of six coveted live spots at theLeeds and Reading Festivals this August.This year, 60 local acts will be whittled down to the

final six. Votes from the audience, along with a panelof expert judges from around the Leeds music scene,

will decide which acts go through.The five runners-up will play on the BBC Introduc-

ing Stage. The overall winner will get the chance to play on

the Festival Republic Stage, alongside acts like Spec-tor, British Sea Power, and Crystal Fighters.Previous winners include Post-War Glamour Girls,

Circles, Sketches, and Middleman.The remaining heats will take place on July 2-4, 8-

11, and 15-18 at the Cockpit. Tickets are £4 from thebands or on the door.

Get on ‘yer bike’ in the city without any cars

NEWS Friday June 28 , 20135

NEWSFriday June 28 , 2013 6

Teen fundraiseron national level

TWO BUSINESSES havesaved the historic HorsforthGala from financial crisis oneyear after a pull of fundingfrom Leeds City Council.Bartlett Group LTD, an interna-tional insurance company basedin Horsforth has given its help forfunding the insurance, and Bur-row & Crowe chartered account-ants have given its support to payfor the road closure bill which waspreviously paid by the council.

Burrow and Crowe DirectorDavid Pollitt said: “It is great tohelp the local community and tomake sure everyone has a niceday.”Rachel Blamire, Bartlett GroupsAccountant Executive said:“Bartlett’s a company that enjoyshelping local charities - we try todo what we can.”Horsforth Town councillor DawnCollins has praised the two busi-nesses for helping to support a

local tradition which started in the1800s, she said: “I feel hugelygrateful that we have companieslike, Bartletts and Burrow &Crowe in our town. It takes a lotof effort to put on the gala eachyear and being able to rely onthese companies, year after year,gives us hope that we will be ableto keep the gala going in the fu-ture. “I would also like to thank TrinityUniversity who are providing us

with eight ambassadors this year.Without this support we wouldstruggle on the day.”The event is run by a group offour volunteers from the TownCouncil, which organise the at-tractions for the day.This year will feature a Falconrydisplay by Ben Potter, two localdance troupes, parades by thelocal air cadets as well as a minifire engine and stalls by the localcommunity.

AFTER one year of business theCourtyard Café is expanding toinclude an activity centre nextdoor, which will focus on commu-nity groups and events.The centre on Town Street will host

a variety of groups, including yoga,and general fitness for all members forthe community.Support assistant at the café Kaldip

Chaggar-Brown, 50 said: “We want topromote the local community. That’swhy we source everything locallytoo.”Originally set up in July, 2012 when

a nearby day centre closed, the café onHorsforth’s Town Street has brokenbarriers in the local community byhelping those with learning disabilitiesrehabilitate into society.It currently accepts up to six volun-

teers to work at the café at any onetime, with the intent of giving dailyactivities and an introduction intoworking life.Mrs Chaggar-Brown, 50 said: “They

can stay as long as they want, untilthey want to move on.” As well as the activity centre next

door, the café is currently buildinghousing above the Café to help pro-mote independence for the staff.The Café boasts a barista style café

with free Wi-Fi and a relaxed atmos-phere.Focused on community, the coffee

shop has also promoted local artists bydisplaying their work which customerscan purchase.Staff are expecting the centre to

open in September, two months afterits one year anniversary. The coffee shop is supported by the

charity Creative Support in partnershipwith Leeds City Council.

A REMARKABLE schoolgirlhas been shortlisted into agroup of three for a nationalcharity award.Bethany Hare, 14, from Hors-forth High has made her way intothe finals for the Institution ofFundraising’s child fundraiser ofthe year award.The young teen has so far raised£43,000 for Martin House Hos-pice which looks after children withprogressive life limiting illnesses.The charity set up by Bethanyand her mother Yvonne, firststarted with their “Bethany’sSmile” video, and has rocketedsince then.The charity is now just £7,000 offof its target.And she has just been sent acheque for £3,000 from RawdonFun Day, contributing towards thegoal of creating a holiday cottagefor Martin House Hospice childrento visit.Mrs Hare said: “I am extremely

proud of Bethany as she worksvery hard with her fundraising andreally does want to make a differ-ence. And on top of this her schoolreports are all always exceptional.”Bethany has previously beennamed Just Giving’s Young

by Andreas Mullings

Fundraiser of the Year award 2011and given the Princess Dianafundraising award 2012.The award ceremony is set to bein the London Hilton MetropoleHotel, presented by Helen Skelton

on July, 1.For more information or to get in-volved with Bethany’s work youcan visit her website onwww.bethanyssmile.org/ or followher twitter on @WalkOfSmiles

Business duosaves historicHorsforth Galafor second year

Cafe Celebratesone year anniversary

INSPIRATIONAL: Bethany Hare, 14

PARTNERSHIP:Funders Jon Crossley, David Pollitt and Rachel Blamire

NEWS Friday June 28 , 20137

Brief respitefor biker cafe

COUNCILLORS in Otley haveapplauded the decision togrant much-loved café Dun-nies a “stay of execution”.Plans made by Gladman Care

Homes to build a 48-flat home onland beside the café were rejectedby Leeds City Council on June 3.The café had already been ap-

proved for demolition, but will re-main intact until an acceptableplanning application is presented.Coun Ryk Downes fought

strongly to keep Dunnies – even

calling for the destination so popu-lar with motorcyclists to be listed.Coun Downes said: “As council-

lors we have no qualms in princi-ple to the building of a care homeon that land. However the designspresented were completely unac-ceptable, and amounted to some-thing which would have looked likea prison. “The local community would

never have accepted something ofthat scale and appearance. Itwould have completely blockednatural light.In correspondence I have re-

ceived, primarily from cyclist andmotorcyclists, a lot of people wouldbe horrified to see Dunnies go.The building is unable to be listedbecause it is not deemed as of ar-chitectural value, but it is seen asa part of Otley’s history. I am aware the owner is trying to

sell it, and I hope that it can justsimply be sold to new owners andremain open.”Dunnies, which served its first

cup of tea in 1925, gained its pop-ularity with the motorcycling com-munity due to its positioning alongthe River Wharfe.

FOUR friends fromNorth Leeds are cycling450km on the otherside of the world toraise money for cancer.The four fundraisers,

Sharon Shaw, Susan Pre-ston, Jane Stockdale andJackie Fowler are riding inChina next year for threecharities. Breast CancerCare, Jo’s Cervical CancerTrust and Ovarian CancerAction.Susan said: “We all have

family and friends whohave had cancer and wewant to raise as muchmoney as we can for thethree cancer charities theChina cycle ride is sup-

porting, while at the sametime giving ourselves areal challenge we can takeon and enjoy together.” The team, from

Bramhope and Rawdonoriginally thought of theidea when Sharon, askedSusan to go on one oftheir bike rides, only tofind out it wasn’t theirusual sort.Dame Sarah Storey, 11

times gold medal Para-lympian has given hersupport to the team: "TheChina Challenge beingtackled by Sharon and herfriends is very impressive.Apart from the long dis-tances of the rides each

day the women will haveto contend with the heat,staying well and not eatingor drinking contaminatedfood and also being care-ful not to get bitten by in-sects. “The preparation for this

event will have been hugeand the ladies certainlydeserve everyone's sup-port in achieving theirfundraising targets.” Their target is to raise

£6,000 for the challengewhich will take them

across the Beijingprovince in China. The event will take place

next year between Sep-tember 5, and 13, part ofthe Women Vs Cancercycle challenge.

Bicycle ride across china for cancer

Continued from page 1...

Wesley’s mum CatherineKnight,41,said: “When we ap-proached the Guiseley Lions withour plight they were more thaneager to help us. The moneyraised from the tournament couldmake a big difference as westrive to reach our total for Wes.“Because of SDR, it is now pos-

sible for children with Wesley’scondition to achieve full mobilityand independence.”The Guiseley Lions are looking

for local people to enter teams orcome along as spectators.Guiseley Lions Treasurer Bob

Banks said: “It is a lovely causeand we are delighted to supportit.“We took up a similar cause

when Eve Williams from Menstonwas able to be sent to Missouri toget SDR, so we know that the op-eration can be very successful.Eve has made major improve-ments and is now able to walkwith the assistance of walkingstick.”The tournament registration will

be on Sunday July 21 from9.30am, with the first matchesstarting at 10am. All money raised will be divided

equally between Wesley’s Wishcharity and Guiseley AFC Com-munity foundation.The event is open to non-pro-

fessionals over 16-years and thecost to enter is £5 per player, witha £10 deposit payable with eachentry.An application form can be

found for the tournament on theGuiseley AFC website.More information about Wes-

ley’s cause can be found atwww.wesleyswish.org.

by Shaun Moloney

Football eventto help childwalk for thefirst time

RELIEVED: Peter Sayer outside Dunnies Cafe

Excited: Sharon Shaw, Susan preston, Jane Stockdale and Jackie Fowler

SPORT Friday June 28 , 20138

LEEDS Carnegie Basketballhosted a 3v3 event on Satur-day hoping to boost their bidto join the British BasketballLeague professional ranks. The team, currently locked in ne-

gotiations with the BBL, demon-strated the versatility of “TheArena” in Headingley whichboasts a multiple-court facility.Head coach Matt Newby said,

“The Arena is quickly becoming apopular venue for basketball andwe believe we have proved ourability to host such high profileevents thanks to the versatility ofthe venue. We hope this can pro-vide the platform to host otherevents on the England Basketballcalendar throughout the year.”Leeds Carnegie’s commercial

director, Mark Mills, added, “Wehave big plans for next season aswe strive for the BBL, so to getthis kind of experience hostingsuch big events for England Bas-ketball is a fantastic opportunity toget the product ready to go whenthe 2013-2014 season kicks off.”Carnegie staff will once again

look to impress when they host theU13 Girls Regional DevelopmentTournament on July 6 and 7.

GUISELEY AFC staff is working diligentlyto retain the squad that came so close toachieving promotion last season – de-spite losing a significant amount of fire-power.20-goal Josh Wilson has left the club infavour of FC Halifax Town - the side thatended Guiseley’s promotion hopes in May.The Lions also parted ways with strikerJames Walshaw, who made the decision tojoin Altrincham when he claimed the club failedto contact him about a new deal.Guiseley AFC General Manager Adrian Tow-ers said: “Both strikers leave with our blessing.Josh made it perfectly clear he was only goingto ever sign a one year contract, as he be-lieves he has the potential to be a full-timefootballer, and we agreed with him. “We told him that we wouldn’t stand in hisway if he wanted to make the move. It wasn’tabout money and I believe that had we goneup he would have stayed with us.”The Lions have managed to retain 17 of thesquad that finished with 91 points in the BlueSquare Bet North.The club were extremely pleased to retainthe services of last season’s player of the yearDanny Ellis, who signed a two-year deal.Mr Towers said: “Danny is a stalwart playerfor us and an extremely accomplished centre-half. At such a young age he has played an in-

credible amount of games for us“He is looking to become more heavily in-volved in the coaching of the club’s Academyside and will will be persuing coaching qualifi-cations from UEFA in the next couple ofyears.”Moves have been made to bring in freshfaces, which include striker Craig Hobson fromStockport County, Michael Burns from Vaux-hall Motors and Jameel Ible from York City.

Mr Towers said: “Hobson is an extremelyprolific striker who we have been watchingsince his time at Stalybridge Celtic. At 6ft 4inhe puts himself about and we believe he willscore a hell of a lot of goals at this level.“Burns is a player who had a spell with uspreviously and we are pleased to welcomeback from Vauxhall Motors and Ible is an ex-tremely promising young full-back and we arelooking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Carnegie host tournamentto showcase facilities

Guiseley AFC to begin rebuilding for next seasonBy Shaun Moloney

SIGNED: Danny Ellis has just signed a new two-year deal

ON COURT: Micah Savery-Richards representing Carnegie U14s

Leeds playersback to workThe Leeds United team wereback in training on ThursdayJune 27, after the summerbreak with their only new sign-ing Matt Smith.Leeds United have also re-

ported how some of the playerscame back early to Thorpe Arch inorder to be fit for the start of theseason which commences on Au-gust 3, against Brighton at EllandRoad.Their first pre-season friendlywill be against local team AFCFarsley on Saturday July 6, at3pm in Farsley.The senior players then go toSlovenia for a 10 day trainingcamp including playing threematches.Throughout the summer the clubhas been making changes to theThorp Arch training ground atWeatherby, which includes re-siz-ing the pitches to replicate the oneat Elland Road.Yesterday at Thorp Arch theUnited manager, Brian McDermottsaid the only way they can makenew signings is by selling some oftheir players.