The Ilkley Journal

29/11/2025

Reminder on the special offer ...

28/11/2025

Yes, there are lots of cool and useful things you can buy this , some satisfying tat even, but how about investing some of November's hard-earned cash that has lit up your bank account paycheque in something that will leave your mind a little richer, the world a little better?

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Not only will it be good for you, but it’ll also be good for democracy and good for us as a small and independent local news organisation.

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Grab your special offer today, lock in an annual subscription for half the price and head into the weekend feeling like you've made a wee bit of difference.

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Thank you.

Nindy
(founder and editor)

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https://www.theilkleyjournal.co.uk/50percentoff

26/11/2025

"On Sunday 16 November, a leaflet made its way through the letterboxes of Ilkley. It was a good day for it – dry with very little wind and a modest chill that had replaced the unseasonably mild weather we’d had as of late. It wasn’t your usual junk mail. This was different. It was attention grabbing. It was clear that a lot of thought and budget had gone into it. Someone had something to say ..."

26/11/2025

Should your MP support the Climate and Nature Bill? Have your say here: https://www.suffrago.org/guest/conversation/cmi7oo5a60033l204t3n89sqp

25/11/2025

👩🏼‍⚕️ Airedale Hospital seeks knitters for dementia comfort doll appeal 👩🏼‍⚕️

Crafters across the region are being urged to pick up their needles once again as Airedale Hospital NHSFT launches a fresh appeal to create and donate comfort dolls.

Following the overwhelming success of last year’s campaign, the hospital is seeking specific donations of knitted or crocheted soft toys to support patients living with dementia.

The initiative aims to provide therapeutic comfort. By giving patients a soft, tactile object to hold, staff have found them to have a calming effect.

Pauline Swales, the trust’s Dementia and Dignity Champion, highlighted the profound impact these simple, handmade gifts can have on patient wellbeing.

“We have seen very distressed patients calm down as soon as they have been given a doll,” she explained.

“They also help to give patients something to focus on in an often loud, confusing and busy environment.”

Organisers are requesting a diverse range of creations, from mal and female dolls to animals.

Swales added: “Most of the patients are extremely appreciative of them and like to keep them close or cuddle and stroke them.”

For more details, head here: https://www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk/an-appeal-for-knitted-dolls-to-support-patients-living-with-dementia/

25/11/2025

A grumpy-looking toad in a style hat and a cheery-looking duck dressed in a sailor’s outfit feature in a local campaign that has been making its presence felt in Ilkley. And at the heart of it lies one of the town’s most iconic beauty spots: Ilkley Tarn.

Discover one of the strangest squabbles of 2025 below.

Friends of Ilkley Moor

24/11/2025

⛪️ Riddlesden community fights to save historic church from redevelopment ⛪️

Community figures in Riddlesden have launched an urgent campaign to prevent the historic United Reformed Church (URC) on Scott Lane from being lost to potential redevelopment.

With the church confirmed to close for worship on 18 January, fears are mounting that a potential sale and subsequent redevelopment will displace thriving local groups that use it.

Together with local scouting and guiding leaders – who use the church – Keighley Town Council councillor Peter Kates has formally applied to register the building as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

If successful, it will trigger a "right to bid", which, in turn, will pause any sale for up to six months to allow residents time to fundraise for community ownership.

Highlighting the building’s significance, Kates said: “Riddlesden United Reformed Church is not just bricks and mortar – it's a vital part of our community. To lose this facility to private development would be a blow to the social fabric of our area.”

The hall has served as a headquarters for youth activities since at least 1945.

Guide leader Emma Groves-Jones warned: “This isn't just about losing a meeting room – this building houses every single section of our Guide family. If we lose the church, we lose the place that keeps all our sections together.”

24/11/2025

🎄

Ilkley Comes Together for a Magical Christmas Lights Switch On
Ilkley Town Council is delighted to announce the tremendous success of this weekend’s Christmas Lights Switch On, which saw large numbers of residents and visitors come together to celebrate the start of the festive season.
The event was filled with joy, community spirit, and a spectacular lantern parade that lit up the town centre. This year’s gathering was one of the most vibrant yet, and we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to making the occasion so special.
In no particular order, our sincere thanks go to:
• Everyone who came along to celebrate with us and helped create such a wonderful atmosphere.
• All the children, families, and schools who poured hours of creativity into making lanterns for the parade.
• Cecil Green Arts and Banda Na Rua for bringing rhythm, colour, and energy to the procession.
• The talented local performers who took to the stage with enthusiasm and spirit.
• Ilkley Bandstand Committee for their invaluable support.
• Everyone at Christchurch for their assistance and warm hospitality.
• Isabel Ashman, Ilkley’s excellent Town Crier, for lending her voice to the celebrations.
• Bradford Markets and the stallholders for helping create a festive marketplace.
• Your Ilkley Radio for their continued support and coverage.
• All the volunteers who helped to make the event a success, including David Shaw MBE and all involved with Ilkley Community Network, including volunteers from Ilkley Carnival, Rotary Club of Ilkley Wharfedale, Rotary Ilkley Forward, and Ilkley Pride and Diversity Group.
• Particular thanks to Tom and George for everything they did on the day
• And of course, Father Christmas and his elves, who switched on the lights and brought magic, smiles, and excitement to the entire event.

Councillor Jane Gibson, Ilkley Town Mayor said “We were delighted to see so many people, old and young, at Saturday's Christmas Lights turn on. The lanterns shone brilliantly in the night. Santa was thrilled to see so many families getting excited for Christmas. A big thank you to all who worked to make the event so successful! I wish you all a happy festive season.”

21/11/2025

🎲 Keighley landmarks immortalised in charity Monopoly launch 🎲

Keighley has officially joined an exclusive club as the town launches its own limited-edition Monopoly board.

The game, a collaborative effort between Keighley Town Council and Bradford Council, will be available to snap up in person for the first time at the town’s Christmas lights switch-on tomorrow (Saturday 22 November).

Developed following extensive public consultation, the Keighley version of Monopoly replaces "traditional" London streets with local landmarks.

Iconic sites such as the Timothy Taylor brewery, Cliffe Castle and the town’s Cenotaph now feature.

A steering group, guided by resident suggestions, also customised the Chance and Community Chest cards to reflect local life, referencing community groups and municipal fines.

Keighley & Ilkley Labour councillor Caroline Firth, chair of the Keighley and Ilkley area committee and a member of the steering group, described the release as a "feel-good project" that highlights the town’s "cultural gems".

"We hope people enjoy playing it and that everyone is reminded how much there is to be proud of in our town," she said.

Proceeds from every board sold will aid Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.

Retailing at £35.99, the game is also available through local firm PoundFun.

Dan Bates, the executive director of Bradford 2025, said: “A Keighley version of Monopoly is such a fun way to celebrate this amazing town and our year as UK City of Culture. Well done to everyone involved in making this a reality and celebrating all the amazing places in Keighley.”

21/11/2025

🎨 Ilkley Manor House to host The Colour of Dreams exhibition 🎨

A new group exhibition, The Colour of Dreams, will open at Ilkley Manor House this month, bringing together a vibrant collection of painters, makers, and textile artists.

Curated by Andreea Chitan, the exhibition explores the emotional and sensory impact of colour, looking at how artists use hue and texture to capture memory, mood, and meaning.

Running from 29 November to 14 December 2025, the show features a diverse selection of artists, including landscape painter Katharine Holmes, who shares her deep-rooted relationship with the Yorkshire Dales, and Kate Lycett, known for her gold-leafed townscapes.

In the Solar Gallery, textile artist Hannah Lamb expands the theme with the sculptural series [De]Constructed Cloth.

Chitan said: “The Colour of Dreams brings together artists who each, in their own way, use colour as a way of feeling — to trace memory, to build atmosphere, to invite a kind of quiet joy.”

A private viewing will be held on 28 November, 5.30pm–8pm.

20/11/2025

Labour councillor Caroline Firth reflects on the positive changes underway and on the horizon

20/11/2025

🎄 Locally grown Yorkshire fir trees arrive to spread Cheer 🎄

A huge consignment of locally grown Christmas trees has arrived at The Arium in Leeds, ready to bring festive cheer to homes across the region.

The council-owned garden centre has been selling trees grown at Stockeld Park in Wetherby, which cares for an impressive half a million trees annually, since 2018.

The most popular option available is the Nordmann Fir, famous for its symmetry.

The traditional Norway Spruce, popular in Victorian times, is also available.

You will be able to pick up a Christmas tree from Saturday 22 November.

George Grant, owner of Stockeld Park, said: “A massive amount of care goes into growing these trees."

Leeds City Council News
20 Nov 2025

It’s fir real: time to get your Yorkshire-grown Christmas tree

It’s fir real: time to get your Yorkshire-grown Christmas tree
Download
Thousands of Christmas trees locally grown in Yorkshire are waiting at The Arium ready to spread festive cheer to homes in Leeds.

All Christmas trees sold at the council-owned garden centre are grown at Stockeld Park in Wetherby, which cares for 500,000 trees each year.

The Arium have been selling Stockeld trees since 2018, making sure that people in Leeds have easy access to high-quality Christmas trees that are grown locally.

Most of the Christmas trees at Stockeld are Nordmann firs, the most popular option in the UK. Favoured for its straight central trunk and symmetry, the Nordmann’s needles stay on the branches for up to 20 years, longer than any other fir tree.

Stockeld also grow Norway spruce in smaller numbers, which was the traditional Victorian Christmas tree after it was introduced to England in 1841 by Prince Albert. Although it has reduced in popularity in recent years it is still loved by those wanting that signature festive Christmas scent.

After establishing themselves in the soil, a Christmas tree grows about a foot per year, with an average six-to-seven-foot tree being around 10 years old.

The Arium will be selling both Nordmann firs and Norway spruces from 22 November, alongside other Christmas plants like poinsettias and amaryllis, as well as Christmas decorations.

The Leeds City Council-run garden centre and plant nursery is the largest local authority nursery in the country. Most of the plants they sell are grown in the massive 19,000 square metre glasshouses on the premises, and the site provides flowers and plants to be displayed across Leeds.

Once the festive celebrations are over both St Gemma's and Sue Ryder hospices in Leeds offer their services to collect Christmas trees in early January, from selected postcodes.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space at Leeds City Council, added: “We want to make sure that the people of Leeds have easy access to high-quality trees grown right here in Yorkshire. The Arium sells all kinds of festive decorations, and at the same time lets people invest back into their city.”