Slainte! Former world karate champion opens Irish bar in home town of Silsden

Former world karate champion Paul Newby, pictured above with partner Enya Stewart, has opened an Irish bar at the landmark Bradley Road premises that for years were the  Bradley family's butchers business and Jeff Walbank's barber's shop.

The Tapping Foot bar was previously the Butcher's Arms pub owned by former town mayor Chris Atkinson, who bought and converted the old butcher's and barber's premises. The properties go back at least 200 years and are part of an area steeped in local history (see my Blog of October 24th, 2012).

Previously at the Red Lion, Enya is manager of the Tapping Foot. She is a jiu jitsu blue belt and like Paul has strong Irish roots. With an illustrious career under his belt and an international reputation as a karate competitor and coach, Paul, who runs Newbys Combat Arts Academy in Silsden, has long had an ambition to open a bar.

The Tapping Foot is in memory of his father, Les Newby, who died five years ago. Born in Silsden, Les, who worked for the gas board for many years, married Josie Meegan, from another well-known Silsden family of Irish origin. Paul is photographed above with a picture that dominates the upstairs room of the Tapping Foot. It shows the famous Ha'Penny Bridge over the River Liffey in Dublin, where Les's mother's ashes were scattered. She took a special interest in Paul's karate career. He won the 60 kilo world title in 2004 and is a Great Britain karate team coach. His academy offers classes in karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA), kick-boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The academy includes the Shamrock Amateur Boxing Club. Paul was undefeated during his brief time as a professional featherweight boxer. 

Pet shop's new owner takes the lead for doggy treats

Lizzie Collins, the new owner of Silsden's pet shop in Kirkgate, has chosen a stand-out name to differentiate the business from other outlets in the area. The word barkery is also a nod to bakery -- Lizzie offers a range of treats, including doggy birthday cakes and cup cakes, which she makes herself. Previously working at a pet day-care service, Lizzie has been an animal-lover since childhood ("Our house was like a zoo," she says) and gained key qualifications before opening Best Boy Barkery in June last year. 

Lizzie is pictured above, on the right, with the shop's dog-groomer Hollie Beckett. As part of her aim to run a fully-fledged pet shop, Lizzie is spreading her wings by supplying poultry feeds to order. The shop previously was  Dogsbody & Friends, owned by Steph Calvert-Smith for five years. The premises became a pet shop in 1957 and have been in retail use since the late 1800s.

Artificial flowers make a colourful presence in Kirkgate

No. 44 Kirkgate has undergone a major change of use with the arrival of Artificial Flowers (pictured above) at what had been the Hair Design Centre since 1986.

The new business, which opened in July, is owned by Syed Umer, pictured above, and his wife, Isra, who is responsible for the striking shop-window designs. Mr Umer is well-known to motorists as manager for the last 11 years of the petrol station in Keighley Road, a job he will continue to do.

Artificial Flowers Keighley UK provides a physical presence for the family's online business, which started more than three years ago and supplies customers throughout Europe. The shop title includes the names of Mr and Mrs Umer's two daughters, Mishel and Meltem Umer, and son Muhammad Erdoan. The Hair Design Centre had been run at 44 Kirkgate by Annette Russell since 1986 and from 1992 until May 2022 by her daughter, Judith Russell (see my post of December 15th, 2013). Judith has moved to 86 Kirkgate, sharing premises with beauty and skin business Equilibrium (see my post of August 3rd, 2018), which with the hair salon reopened as Enhance in June. 

After extensive discussions, highways officials tell Persimmon to go back to the drawing board

A "more efficient" layout of the Wesley Place car park (pictured above) to replace lost parking spaces in congested Kirkgate (pictured below) was suggested in preliminary talks on the traffic impact of Persimmon's controversial plans to build 140 houses on the fields between Brown Bank Lane and Hawber Cote Lane. However, Britain's biggest house-builder subsequently dropped the proposal, which was designed to offset increased congestion arising from its new housing estate. In addition, Bradford council's highways development controllers have drawn attention to more than 20 examples where the proposed layout of the estate does not meet current standards or requirements. 

After extensive discussions with Persimmon (pre-tax profit £966.8 million last year), the council's engineers comment: "We would not be able to support this proposal as submitted in its current form and revised plans and/or additional information is required." Among disputed issues is Persimmon's calculations of the likely number of extra cars coming through Silsden. Another is a one-way route (preferred by the council) for cars and pedestrians from Hawber Cote Lane into the housing estate. Persimmon has downgraded it to a link just for pedestrians/cyclists.   

The present plan is for 140 homes at Brown Bank but Town Council says Persimmon 'intends to build 290' by 2030

Strongly objecting to plans by Persimmon, the UK's biggest house-builder, to put 140 homes on the fields between Brown Bank Lane (pictured above) and Hawber Cote Lane, Silsden Town Council points out that a transport assessment shows the company (pre-tax profit £966.8 million last year) "intends to build 290 by 2030."

Persimmon is asking Bradford council for permission to build 140 houses on the land edged in red on the map below. The company also controls the much larger area of adjoining farmland edged in blue. Silsden council refers to a "scoping study," one of seven transport assessments by Persimmon's experts, which indicates that those 140 homes would be completed by 2026 with a further 150 homes being built in the following four years on the larger, blue-edged area, some of which is pictured above (looking towards Brown Bank Lane).

The current scheme for 140 homes has caused immense controversy. At the last count, 621 people had had their say on Bradford council's online planning portal, where Persimmon's plans and supporting documents, plus other studies and criticisms, can be viewed. Opposition to the destruction of the tranquil area's hedges, trees, flora and fauna and footpaths, has been spearheaded by Silsden's Campaign for the Countryside, whose co-founder Caroline Whitaker, won an historic victory in the Bradford council elections on May 5th (see my following post).  

Green Party's countryside campaigner Caroline Whitaker captures Craven Ward seat from the Tories

The Green Party's Caroline Whitaker, pictured above, toppled the Tories to win a local seat at City Hall in the Bradford district council elections on May 5th. With 2,713 votes, Caroline had a majority of 213 over Tory Councillor Rebecca Whitaker, who was seeking re-election. Caroline, who lives in Silsden, is well-known as a community activist for Green causes. She also co-founded four years ago the Silsden Campaign for the Countryside, which opposes plans to build houses on the fields between Brown Bank Lane and Hawber Cote. The threats to Silsden from over-development were a major issue raised with Caroline by voters. Caroline is pictured, after her victory, in the fields she has pledged to defend. 

Houses or wildlife haven? Young campaigners' plea to protect our beautiful fieldsYoung campaigners for nature are highlighting the wildlife that finds a home in the Hawber Cote/Brown Bank fields which are currently under threat of development. Displaying five iconic birds, among many which are seen regularly here -- curlew, owl, song thrush, lapwing and blackbird -- the children all take an active role in the fight to save this stretch of popular countryside for future generations.

"It is vital that we protect our planet and that means keeping our beautiful fields," says 11-year-old Isla Barton, who has written to Bradford council, registering her objection to a plan by Persimmon Homes to  build a large housing estate on farmland between Brown Bank Lane and Hawber Cote Lane. Isla has also written to international campaigner Greta Thunberg.