The Gazette & Observer, in full the Ilkley, Wharfedale and Aireborough Gazette & Observer, was a weekly newspaper published by Wharfedale Newspapers of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, and part of the Newsquest group. It began publication on 10 February 2011 as a merger of the two previous local papers, the Ilkley Gazette and the Wharfedale & Airedale Observer . However, three months later, the paper was spun off into the two previous titles after customer dissatisfaction. [1]
The paper covered the towns of Wharfedale and the upper Aire valley including Otley, Pool in Wharfedale, Leathley, Yeadon, Guiseley, Rawdon and Horsforth.[ citation needed ] The bulk of the newspaper was now produced in Ilkley and Bradford. Publication day was Thursday, and circulation was approximately 10,300, with a readership of almost 26,000 and cover price of 75p. [2]
Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 census. It is in two parts: south of the river is the historic town of Otley and to the north is Newall, which was formerly a separate township. The town is in lower Wharfedale on the A660 road which connects it to Leeds.
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the City of Bradford. Approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of Bradford and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Leeds, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, one of the Yorkshire Dales.
The Wharfedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England. The service connects Ilkley with Leeds and Bradford, and is operated by Northern Trains. West Yorkshire Metrocards are available for use on the line, covering Zones 3–5. The line is served predominantly by four-coach Class 333 electric multiple units as well as some three-coach Class 331 EMUs.
Bradford Forster Square railway station serves Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The majority of services to and from the station use Class 333 and Class 331 electric multiple units operated by Northern Trains; they run on the Airedale line to Skipton, the Wharfedale line to Ilkley and the Leeds-Bradford line to Leeds.
Menston is a village and civil parish in the City of Bradford in the county of West Yorkshire, England. Along with Burley in Wharfedale, most of Menston is within Wharfedale Ward in the metropolitan borough of Bradford. The remainder of Menston is in the Leeds City Council area. At the 2011 census it has a population of 4,498.
The Yorkshire Evening Post is a daily evening publication published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The paper provides a regional slant on the day's news, and traditionally provides close reporting on Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos as well as the Yorkshire County Cricket Club team.
Ben Rhydding railway station serves the Ben Rhydding area of Ilkley, West Yorkshire; it is situated about a mile east of the town centre. It is on the Wharfedale Line, between Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford Forster Square, it is served by Class 331 and Class 333 electric multiple units (EMUs) run by Northern Trains, who also manage the station. It is 15.5 miles (24.9 km) north-west of Leeds, and 1-mile (1.6 km) east of Ilkley railway station.
Ilkley railway station serves Ilkley in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. On the Wharfedale Line, it is served by Class 333 electric trains run by Northern Trains, which also manages the station.
Frizinghall railway station is situated in the Frizinghall district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It is an unstaffed halt on the Airedale Line, 2 miles (3 km) north of Bradford Forster Square. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Trains.
Burley in Wharfedale is a village and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England, in the Wharfedale valley. In 2011, it had a population of 7,041.
Prince Henry's Grammar School, also known as Prince Henry's or PHGS, is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school and sixth form established in 1607 in the market town of Otley, West Yorkshire, England. The school teaches pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 and has around 1,400 students and 84 teachers. It retains a high position within regional league tables. In 2016, Prince Henry's had the third-highest results for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations in Leeds. Also in 2016, PHGS was the best state school in Leeds for A Level results. The school has repeatedly received a “good” rating from Ofsted with outstanding features; however, in the past it has been criticised for the state of the old school building. Despite its name, Prince Henry's is now a state-funded academy school.
The Keighley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield.
Upstagers' Theatre Group, or simply Upstagers, is an amateur youth theatre group based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. Upstagers typically put on two main shows a year – a pantomime in late January and a musical theatre summer show in mid July.
St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy is an 11–18 mixed, Roman Catholic, secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Menston, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1964 and adopted its present name after becoming an academy on 1 March 2013. It is part of The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds.
Burley Woodhead is a hamlet in the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south-west of Burley in Wharfedale and is approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the spa town of Ilkley. Burley Woodhead comprises chiefly of a small cluster of farms and homes along the road from Ilkley to Guiseley at the foot of Burley Moor, though the village is at 560 feet (170 m) above sea level, with the moor being some 1,300 feet (400 m) above sea level. The local public house is The Hermit.
Ilkley Playhouse is a live theatre in Ilkley, Bradford, England. It is owned and run by Ilkley Players Ltd a not-for-profit charitable organisation. Ilkley Playhouse is run by an Executive Committee and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers drawn from its membership.
The Otley and Ilkley Joint Railway was a railway line running between the towns of Otley and Ilkley in West Yorkshire. The line was managed and run jointly by the Midland Railway (MR) and the North Eastern Railway (NER) and was 6+1⁄2 miles (10 km) long. Opened to passenger traffic on 1 August 1865 and freight traffic some months later, the line ran for almost 100 years before partial closure in July 1965 when the line to Otley closed. Today passenger services run over the rest of the line as part of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE) Wharfedale Line.
The Wharfedale Observer in full Wharfedale & Airedale Observer is a weekly newspaper published every Thursday of the week by Wharfedale Newspapers of Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, and part of the Newsquest group. It was briefly known as the Gazette & Observer, in full the Ilkley, Wharfedale and Aireborough Gazette & Observer when it was a combination with the Ilkley Gazette; In that format It began publication on 10 February 2011 but three months later, the paper was split off back into the separate newspapers after customer dissatisfaction.
The Bambisanani Partnership is a collaboration developed by St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy in Menston in West Yorkshire, England and Mnyakanya School in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. "Bambisanani" is the Zulu word for "working hand in hand". The Bambisanani Partnership has used sport as a catalyst to develop international understanding, education, health and leadership. The initiative, which began in 2006, has gained both national and international acclaim. The University of Leeds, Leeds Trinity University and Newcastle College are now members of the partnership and like St. Mary's School regularly have students visit South Africa to extend its work. As of December 2024, the charity has engaged and connected 27,000 young people from both South Africa and the UK in its various programmes.
John Peele Clapham, from Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, was a justice of the peace for the West Riding of Yorkshire, and treasurer for the county courts of Yorkshire.