I HAVE lived now in our beautiful town for more than 30 years and witnessed both the careful conservation of magnificent buildings and a more recent deterioration of standards.

The litter is appalling. The anti-social behaviour is beyond belief. The pubs are open from early in the morning and by teatime when I venture into town after work, the drinkers are so much in evidence.

Huddersfield, our proud town, has so much to offer and I will remain loyal to all it offers – but something has to be done.

I regularly visit Seahouses in Northumberland and enjoy its beauty alongside so many visitors. But every morning there is no evidence of any litter at all. Teams work from very early morning to ensure that the village is immaculate for the visitors and residents alike.

So, the option of a team looking out for problems in our town is an excellent one and should be endorsed and encouraged.

Richard Booth

Marsh

Civic Society’s purpose

MARKHAM Weavill (Mailbag, July 11) asked in whose interest Huddersfield Civic Society works.

I can assure him that the society is here to meet its objects as a charity.

– To encourage high standards of architecture and town planning in Huddersfield.

– To stimulate public interest in and care for the beauty, history and character of the town and its surroundings.

– To encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity or historical interest.

– To pursue these ends by means of meetings, exhibitions, lectures, publicity and promotion of schemes of a charitable nature.

Society membership is open to all.

I hope Mr Weavill will come to Monday’s 7.45pm meeting at Kirklees College where Manuel Gines, winner of the society’s 2011 Peter Stead Sustainable Architecture Prize, will present his innovative and exciting study and there will be discussion about current Lindley planning applications.

Chris Marsden

Chair, Huddersfield Civic Society

Use for old YMCA

DEVELOPERS Stirling-Scotfield could use the old YMCA building for their data centre, instead of Lindley Moor.

It would provide a secure place to house computer services in the town centre, without using green belt land up.

There are plenty of industrial properties around Huddersfield for sale or let without building any more.

Kirklees won’t be happy until there are no fields, trees or wildlife left!

J C Ward

Scissett

Longroyd dereliction

FURTHER to the Examiner article about the derelict buildings around Huddersfield I can confirm that Kirklees Council have owned 1-3 Longroyd Lane since August 1992 and let the building fall into this derelict state.

The property was owned and maintained by my father, Peter Cartwright, and run as a successful butcher’s business for more than 30 years.

In 1991 my father decided to retire and put the business and property up for sale. An offer was made by a potential buyer but when the solicitor conducted the searches it was discovered that Kirklees had plans for a road widening scheme that would necessitate the demolition of this block of properties.

The property and business could not then be sold and it took my father’s solicitor almost a year to receive a settlement from Kirklees in lieu of selling the property.

Why has the road widening scheme not been carried out? And if the plans have been scrapped the properties should either be renovated and rented out or demolished to remove this now sad eyesore.

Elizabeth Senior

Brockholes

False statistics

THE July 7 Examiner story on ASBO man Dean Grundell and his abusive behaviour in the Examiner Shop on John William Street indicates two things.

First, our police force needs the support of a government that invests in the prison service. Cells must be available into which villains can be locked for sensible (that is, long) periods of time.

Second, if the police are persistently moving wrongdoers along rather then arresting then we should not be surprised that crime statistics in the media are looking better and better every month.

T Clouston

Huddersfield

Don’t close Music Centre

ANOTHER fantastic packed concert performed by young musicians from Huddersfield Music Centre, held at All Saints School where the music ranged from AC/DC to Leonard Bernstein.

What was obvious was the talent of the young people performing. In these austere times music has never been so important as I witnessed tonight putting joy on people’s faces.

I know Huddersfield has a strong reputation for talented musicians. This is down to the hard work of the staff, music teachers in Kirklees and the musicians themselves.

So to close Huddersfield Music Centre would deny these young people the chance to develop in a very talented environment. This is a very shortsighted action, and will also deny enjoyment for audiences in the future.

Mick Moore (former member of the Killermeters band)

Mount

A poem for life

FOR every illness fought with courage

Many battles will be won, but some will not,

So we had to help to raise the money to get something done,

We donned our pink and tutus with pride

For those who survived and those who died.

I am so proud that I took part,

For a cause that’s so close to my own heart,

Of course I’m talking about the Race for Life,

It helps those who are fighting their biggest fight.

Our race was to remember Clare Clegg, a friend,

Who fought with a smile right up to the end.

So Barnaby’s Girls would like to say,

A million thanks to those who paid,

To help a cause and to give people hope,

And help all those touched by cancer to be able to cope.

We raised over £800! So from us all thank you for your support in our Race for Life.

Anne Browne and girls of Barnaby's Nursery

End of the League

IT was with sadness and regret that the Huddersfield and District Sunday Football League has had to fold after being in existence since 1968.

The president Ian Armitage and vice presidents Howard Moxon, Neil Franklin and myself have all been with the league for many years. Our aim has always been to encourage Sunday for anyone and everyone who wanted to play organised football.

This policy remained right up to end with the current management in charge. Our secretary Warren Green has done his utmost to attract new clubs to our league with limited success and the failure of any dialogue with Kirklees Sunday League it was a very sad way to end.

At this point we would like to thank ALL clubs who stayed loyal to us over the years and wish all the latest clubs the very best of luck for the future.

Colin Evans

Vice president, HDSFL

What May Day means

REFERRING to the two letters, May Day and St George’s Day (July 7) I’d like to express my own life observation.

May Day was an old Christian tradition symbolising love. In many countries on May 1 boyfriends fixed in their girlfriend’s garden a silver birch branch with coloured ribbons during the night.

Villages had May Trees fixed in prominent places. In this country I took many photographs of May celebrations in the villages either around the May Pole or similar celebrations to the Continentals.

Soviet communism and the Nazis hijacked May Day for their propaganda.

As to the eight-hour working day, it was originally introduced in Poland, brutally squashed by the then three European powers. Those later fighting for American independence introduced it there. May Day has a full right to be in our culture.

St George’s Day has equally rights in our culture as it symbolised bravery for good cause. Can anybody imagine what we would have today if it wasn’t for an old generation’s bravery to defend our freedom?

Some people live in a cuckoo land thinking that it all drops from the sky. Multiculturalism in the form as advocated by the politically correct lobby has yet to prove itself.

Yugoslavia was formed after the World War One on similar agenda. What has happened to it now? A warning for us.

Tony Sosna

Huddersfield