A Bradford based business, Helen’s Heritage Walks, run by local historian and Bronte expert
Helen Broadhead, is looking forward hopefully to a bright New Year.
Since launching her website, www.helensheritagewalks.co.uk just before Christmas,
Helen has already received enquiries from Bronte enthusiasts in the USA and Australia about her guided Bronte Walks around Haworthand other venues, such as Oakwell Hall, Red House Museum
(now, sadly, threatened with closure by Kirklees Council)and Shibden Hallin Calderdale.
All these venues have Bronte connections:

Oakwell Hall and Red House Museumwere used by Charlotte Bronte as models for her houses inShibden Hall,
and it is widely accepted by Bronte scholars that, in her writing of Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte was influenced by the stories and houses she came across during her time at Law Hill School in Southowram, near Shibden Hall.

It seems that international tourists are not put off by the winter weather for this week Helen took two Korean ladies, a mother and daughter from New York,
on her “Taste of the Moors” walk. The weather had taken a turn for the worse but they felt that the wind and rain only added to the atmosphere!
The older lady said that her heart started to beat with excitement as she came onto the moors on Penistone Hill.
Her favourite of the Brontes’ novels was Wuthering Heights, a favourite with many Korean females.Her daughter said she preferred Jane Eyre – she felt it had a better story.

Helen feels that Haworthand the other Bronte venues do have great international appeal and welcomes English Heritage’s pledge to work with Bradford Council to make Haworth into a more attractive – and, hopefully, more accessible – destination for international tourists.
Helen has just had to advise a family in New York, who wish to bring their daughter to breathe in the atmosphere of the Brontes, how to get to
Haworth by public transport. “I had to warn them that it would be a challenge!” Helen said. A regular bus link between Keighleyrailway station and the bus station would help, she added.

For more information, please contactHelen’s Heritage Walks and Talks.

[N.B. Please mention the Eagle Intermedia Bronte Country websitewhen making your enquiries.]

[News item and photos supplied by
Helen's Heritage Walks and Talks
- January 2012.]

Every Sunday: Otley Cattle Market

Google map to Otley car boot sale

Gates open to the public 12 midday £1 admission for adults (there is a charge for kids but we can’t remember how much it is). You need to start queing for this one at 9.30am if your a seller without a pre arranged spot, queue in the car park up the hill on the right hand side. As far as we know fees are £12 per car and £14 for a trailer/van but PLEASE don’t rely on us for getting the prices right or indeed the prices changing, its nothing to do with us.
You can get access before midday if you are a dealer but there is an extra charge for this which we believe is £5, but again check on the day.This is a well organised car boot sale on hard standing surface (doesn’t stop it being flip cold mind you!) with friendly and helpful staff always on hand. Goods range from home made cakes to electronic goods, with some geniune collectables and antiques in between at very reasonable prices.

Every Sunday: Bingley Cattle Market

Google map to Bingley Auction Market

Gates open at 7.30am and people start queing to get in from 5.00am (this is a hard core car boot sale, very much NOT for the feint hearted or even possibly people new to car boot sale selling). Depends on the size of your vehicle but the average car is £10 from our experience, but we have known others pay more. There are 2 areas to this car boot, outside and inside and to be honest with it being an old cattle market – the inside isn’t much warmer but the wind is a little less cutting.
There is no extra charge for inside but you may find less people coming inside and looking, that said – if its raining outside being inside is a bonus. We know you can get in earlier than 7.30 to setup but there is an additional charge for this and we would advise discussing this with the organisers before assuming anything.
This is a lively car boot, and we would advise that you don’t even think about selling here on your own as there is some theft going on and you will be targetted if you look like easy pickings. If you find the people cramming into your car boot when you first arrive intimidating, we recommend one of two things – wait in your car with your doors closed until they move on to someone else, or get out and setup your table only until they move on to someone else.
Don’t worry, they will come back.

The spa town brewery, along with Leeds-based Liquid Voice and Huddersfield’s Proper Maid, wins a substantial amount of free advertising in the Yorkshire Post and mentoring from top business figures in the region.

Speaking about the brewery’s win, Chris Ives, co-founder of Ilkley Brewery, said: “This is such a tremendous accolade and we are all thrilled to be one of the region’s top young businesses. The Yorkshire Post received 52 entries from businesses across Yorkshire so the competition has been tough but it is great that our hard work and dedication has been recognised by such an esteemed panel of judges.”

The Yorkshire judging panel consisted of Paul Ayre, managing partner of Leeds and Bradford-based law firm Gordons LLP, Kevin Hollinrake, managing director of Hunters Property Group, John Tordoff, managing director of JCT600 motor group and Bernard Ginns, the Yorkshire Post’s business editor.

JCT600’s John Tordoff will provide three months of mentoring to Ilkley Brewery. Mr Tordoff commented: “In just three years The Ilkley Brewery has really established itself by displaying true Yorkshire grit and an entrepreneurial spirit second to none.”

Stewart Ross, Ilkley Brewery’s co-founder, added: “In 2009, we never imagined we would be brewing 30,000 pints a week three years down the line. Throughout this time, we have developed our craft, listened to our customers and grown the business accordingly. Recognition like this really bolsters our successes and opens up fantastic opportunities.”

In addition to the free advertising and mentoring, the Business Growth Fund, a £2.5 billion equity investment capital fund backed by five of the largest banks in the UK, is offering winners a free half-day workshop. All three companies will now go on to the national final, the winner of which will receive a year’s mentoring from Deborah Meaden, the Dragon’s Den investor.

Message from the PM

The Local Business Accelerators campaign is backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, the Confederation of British Industry and the Bank of England. Mr Cameron offered his congratulations to the winning businesses: “It’s brilliant that so many promising young companies, from such a wide range of sectors, are benefitting from this excellent initiative.

“Entrepreneurship, creativity and ambition are essential for our economic recovery and through Local Business Accelerators, newspapers such as the Yorkshire Post are supporting some great new British businesses to grow, and helping to boost their local economy.

“I wish the newspapers, businesses and their mentors every success over the coming months.”

To find out more about Ilkley Brewery, visit: www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk or to read the brewery’s blog, go to: www.ilkleybreweryblog.blogspot.com

Sausage fans can now buy their county’s very own banger from the following Morrisons stores:

Ilkley
Keighley
Bradford, Victoria
Enterprise 5 Bradford
Guiseley
Yeadon
Heckmondwike
Huddersfield, Waterloo
Kirkstall, Leeds
Morley, Leeds

The Yorkshire Sausage story

The Yorkshire Sausage was unveiled by celebrity TV chef, Rosemary Shrager, on Yorkshire Day last year following tastes tests at eight destinations across the region which saw over 3,300 sausage fans vote for sausage A: a simple pork sausage made with salt, pepper, mace, ground coriander, nutmeg and parsley.

Run in partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Sausage campaign travelled to Leyburn, Scarborough, Dalby Forest, York, Bramham International Horse Trials, Ilkley, Leeds and the Great Yorkshire Show where over 4,000 sausages were sizzled in a bid to find a banger that best represented the county.

Lishman, a Q Guild Butcher and twice Champion of Champions winner for his famous sausages, said: “As a region which has an exceptional farming heritage and the pick of some of the best tasting produce in the country, it is only right that Yorkshire should have a namesake sausage.

“Having the sausage available to buy in Morrisons, one of Yorkshire’s best-loved supermarkets, is testament to its taste merits but also demonstrates how keen shoppers are to buy local and celebrate everything that is great about our region.”

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We’re delighted to see the official Yorkshire sausage hit the shelves of Morrisons, which means this fantastic new taste of Yorkshire will be on plates in homes and businesses across the county, and hopefully beyond.

“The search to find the right recipe was a tremendous success and now, along with Cumberland and Lincolnshire, we finally have a Yorkshire Sausage!”

To find out more about David Lishman, go to www.lishmansofilkley.co.uk or for further information on Welcome to Yorkshire, visit www.yorkshire.com

The RNLI Welly Walk is designed to appeal to a wide audience of supporters, and will take place on Saturday 21 April 2012. This challenging 21 mile walk from Scarborough to Whitby takes in Yorks’ stunning coastline. It will cost £20.00 to enter and all walkers will receive an RNLI Tshirt.

All participants will also be asked to raise a minimum of £42 per individual or family group, which equates to the cost of a price of yellow wellies for one of our crew members.

Register online at www.rnli.org.uk/wellywalk , email Chloe_Mould@rnli.org.uk, or call 0161 787 8779 for more details.

As its momentous year comes to a close, Ilkley Brewery revealed last week that it has made Yorkshire’s final shortlist in the Local Business Accelerators campaign which champions dynamic fledging enterprises less than three years old. The overall winner of the national campaign, whose ambassador is Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, will be announced in January and will receive a year’s mentoring from Deborah and an advertising campaign by a top London agency.

BREWING SUCCESS

Having only brewed its first firkin in 2009, the Yorkshire-based brewery moved into a new 2,600 square foot brew house in March this year enabling it to instantly increase capacity by 100 per cent. With the addition of a new 1,100 gallon fermentor in October, the brewery now produces over 33,000 pints a week, 10,000 more than it did in March.

“The rate at which the brewery has continued to grow this year has been astonishing,” said Chris Ives, one of the brewery’s three directors. “Levels of demand have been higher than we envisaged meaning the fifth fermentor was a must if we were to deliver on every order. It’s been a fast-paced but exciting year which will put us on a front foot for 2012.”

As well as increasing its production levels and sales, Ilkley Brewery has also added four full time members of staff to the team, including Luke Raven who has been appointed to develop the brewery’s newest beer range, MJ Artisan Ales, which was launched in November.

A WIN WIN SITUATION

Adding to its already burgeoning awards collection, Ilkley Brewery also scooped seven awards for its flavour-filled beers this year. In October, the brewery’s full bodied oatmeal stout, Stout Mary, won silver at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Northern Region Beer Competition; its fifth SIBA award since January 2009.

There were also wins at the Clifford Champion Beer Festival in Leeds, Guiseley Factory Workers Beer Festival, Horsforth Beer Festival and Clitheroe Beer Festival. The brewery’s flagship beer, Mary Jane, also won Beer of the Year at the Muse pub in Wetherby.

2011 was also a year of firsts for Ilkley Brewery. In May, the brewery made its music festival debut by supplying beer at the Switched On festival in Leeds and in July, it pulled pints at the Deer Shed Festival in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire.

June saw the brewery launch its first monthly Beer Society. Throughout the summer, hundreds of local beers fans gathered at the brewery to take a look behind the scenes and be the first to sample its new creations including favourites like Ilkley Summer, Ilkley IXB and Tap 3.

“When we started the brewery, we wanted to make good beers that our customers enjoyed. We hope we have achieved that and in 2012, we plan to build upon the knowledge we have gained over the last three years and brew really creative, innovative new beers to tempt the palates of all beer fans,” said Richard Shelton, one of the brewery’s directors.

“We are planning to unveil at least six new beers in 2012 and also hope to continue developing our craft beers, including MJ Artisan Ales, to target bars, restaurants and hotels which will help bring our products to new and more diverse audiences.”

Ilkley Brewery will also continue its involvement with Goldman Sachs’ pilot 10,000 Small Businesses Programme which has already enabled the business to team up with other leading producers and suppliers in the region.

To find out more about Ilkley Brewery, visit: www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk or to read the brewery’s blog, go to: www.ilkleybreweryblog.blogspot.com

We are celebrating turning 3 years old on the 1st October. We are having a little party 10% off everything in store for the day, Cupcakes & Pink Fizz.

Check out the website http://www.roobarbgifts.co.uk and Blog http://roobarbgifts.blogspot.com

Esholt Car Boot Sale –
Saturdays – 7am – Midday
Sundays – 1pm – 4pm ish
More Info – Click Here

Ilkley Cricket Club Car Boot Sale –
Monday 29th August – 7am – Midday
More Info – Click Here

The only place in the North where you can view a diverse selection of contemporary furniture design handmade by world class craftsmen using traditional techniques combined with the latest technology out of the finest quality hardwoods.

This FREE exhibition is a must see for individuals, interior designers or collectors that appreciate the finest quality in 21st century furniture design and other crafts for their own homes or clients. If you are looking for something that will grow more beautiful with age and last more than a lifetime then this is for you.

You can expect to see a wide range of pieces from jewellery boxes and wall hangings to desks and dining room sets. Most are available to buy, and the designer/makers will be on hand for an informal discussion about any personal commissions that will reflect your unique style and fit perfectly into your space

This exhibition is truly a celebration of the design talent operating right across the North of England today. If you believe in preserving these skills and locally sourcing your products, come and support us.

The location is the world-renowned Tennants Auction Centre. It is easy to find, set in a stunning, rural location, wheelchair accessible and refreshments are available.

Local Exhibitors:
Philip Dobbins – Leeds
Christine Meyer Eagleton – Leeds
John Fishwick – Leeds
Designer Makers Furniture – Blubberhouses
Mawdsley Williams – Skipton
Design In Wood – Thirsk
Gabler Furniture – North Yorkshire
Anna Childs & John Thatcher – Sheffield

Mawdsley Williams:
Recently completed a commission for the refurbished Mercer Gallery, Harrogate (see picture).
Designer Makers Furniture:
They have recently been commissioned to produce a ‘story’ chair for the late Dot Mainwaring, a popular teacher at Sandal Primary School, Baildon. Many furniture makers were offered the work but few are skilled enough to design and craft a chair that incorporates hockey sticks, Tibetan mountains and cats. This chair will be used at the school to commemorate this greatly missed character. Chris Tribe and David Wilson from Designer Makers will involve the children in the more exciting aspects of the production process, introducing them to techniques used by the highest level of furniture craftsmen.

www.northernfurniture.org.uk

NCFM Exhibition
Tennants, The Auction Centre,
Harmby Road, Leyburn,
North Yorkshire DL8 5SG

12th – 23rd September 2011

Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm
Sat 9am – 2pm

ENTRY FREE