Lost Community
Where Has The Community Spirit Gone?
These two ancient/veteran trees thought to be over two hundred years old, but was definitely well established over a hundred years ago and both these trees are classed as irreplaceable (you cannot pop out to your local Garden Center and buy a replacement)?
- As well established trees they do outstanding work non-stop 24/7 although these trees are seen by most people as just 2 large nice old trees they are infarct creating a safe home for thousands of micro insects mainly underground and also inside their bark.
- They contribute to the seed bank along with the genetic diversity helping to provide a sustainable future for us our wildlife and plants and help reduce our carbon footprint.
- They add immeasurable health and wellbeing to us all.
- Underground they hold Soils together while at the same time creating a breathable vent to allow the soil to breath and help reduce flooding.
- Above ground they are easy on the eye and help many people feel the good factor, they help to reduce strong and dangerous winds; they help reduce subsidence, on top of this they are a natural haven for many of our wild birds, animals and even vital creepy crawlers?
- Unfortunately trees are unable to speak and tell everybody how much good they contribute to the environment SO WE MUST speak SHOUT for these poor trees and ensure they stay here for at least another 200 years.
THESE TREES HAVE HELPED US SURVIVE FOR OVER 200 YEARS PLEASE HELP THEM NOW?
15/02/2024
Re:- Preservation of Essential Trees:- APPLICATION NUMBER: 24/20019/TPO
Hello Friend’s. Please help us save these vital important trees.
I am hoping you are able to help us save these vital trees as well as the strip of land which is adjoined to this area, that has recently been sold and the new owners who have already chopped down all the bushes & trees including a beautiful established Silver Birch Tree.
This whole area including these trees play a vital part in the wildlife and Bird population including the diminishing areas like this, as I understand when Redrow built the Victoria Chase development it was agreed that this land would be saved along with the scrubland and trees to help the local wildlife and this land has played a very vital part in Redrow been given the original planning agreement with the understanding that this land and the trees would remain forever to help the diminishing village wildlife.
This land and trees have played a vital part in the conservation of the village wildlife and is home to many rare plants along with vital micro insects which are essential in this very volatile wild life food chain which is now needed now more than ever to help these creatures’ birds and plants.
This land and these Vital Trees are a main flight path for the local Bats, (which can be seen most evenings especially in Autumn), Spring brings the now rare Crested Newts in the scrubland, along with an ever increasing numbers of Fox’s, Sparrow Hawks, Hedgehogs, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Great Woodpecker, Willow Tit, Bull Finch along with Squirrel’s, Crested Newts, Swallow’s along with a long list of other vital creatures, birds and insects.
These trees are vital in maintaining the village wildlife and all they need is a sympathetic prune for them to continue in this vital work of maintaining and encouraging the villages struggling wildlife.
Finally how can this land and trees that was essential in gaining Victoria Close original planning approval! Then now some 20 years later when the village has diminishing wildlife friendly areas, how could anybody ever consider giving any kind of approval to REMOVE this vital essential land and tree area. It was given to the village wildlife let it remain for the village wildlife FOREVER
Attention All Bailiff Bridge Residents:- Please help put a stop to the proposed plans to take away our villages last remaining Green open land for the residents to enjoy, play, walk our dogs and other outdoor activities.
Your Local Calderdale Councillors and your elected party representatives do not seem to take in the residents view and needs for us to have these open unspoilt spaces to help relieve the pressures of most of us, especially in these unprecedented times, we need these spaces more than ever? YOU! Need to remind these so called representatives of our village area ‘who votes for them and why we vote for them’? It’s not for them to give our right of green spaces to a village on the other side of town. Increase the Yob, Litter and antisocial activities that this will no doubt bring to our village.
The Whole Country is struggling to cope with the effects of needing somewhere to go just to breathe open fresh air without been overpowered with toxic fumes with enough space to keep a safe distance, along with been able to watch the wildlife in this area that is only now returning to some sort of acceptable level so we can enjoy and help educate our children to this unspoilt area of OUR village without the need of another village trying to build a monstrosity of a development on our last remaining village space.
Why don’t they build it in their own village? NIMBY ‘NOT IN MY BACK YARD’ springs to mind they have already done a deal with the council to use our only remaining open two fields in the name of children’s football, while most people would agree that the children’s needs, need to be addressed, are you sure that we need every spare piece of land in every Brighouse Village to be taken over by these football fields that restrict if not prohibit the villages from the activities they not only would like to do but need to do along with all the other forms of sport excluding football that many villagers would love to be involved with especially some people with special needs or other restrictive conditions, where these fields would go a long way to solving many of these people’s needs without the need for boozy unsociable people spoiling our village.
NOT ONLY IS IT TIME TO STOP THIS PROPOSED BUILDING BUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE VILLAGE TO RECLAIM THEIR FIELDS THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER LOST?
There is also a another very special reason why we and the council can never ever let this land to be developed on is our ‘wildlife’ which was almost totally lost following the demolition of the mills along with the massive building program that followed and if it hadn’t been for this area of green land the village would now be void of many of endangered species that live in this area including Rare and vital Micro Organs, Crustaceans which are vital in building a sustainable wildlife which includes Crested Newts (these have been verified) it is also a vital flight path for our Bat population this again has been verified several times, along with dozens of other rare creatures.
Unfortunately due to my failing heath I am unable to take an active role in this campaign this time, but if you value YOUR VILLAGE and YOUR HOME you MUST STOP this now, Please Please form a small group of people to act as the village representatives without falling out and without one person taking over? Please Please get on to the Council our MPs and other bodies that can help, but WE must win this for the good of the village and the good of the Community, then we may also get our land back off Clifton Rangers and the Community Centre that was taken out of our control after the villagers tirelessly raised funds for this centre?
Please form a group. I don’t know how to do it but I guess you need someone who is good on social media to help you? Then spread the word by door knocking, flyers, etc. GOOD LUCK Brian Stewart.
It’s easy to look back 100 years and say it’s because of the changes to the work place! in our case the loss of T. F. Firths the largest employer in Bailiff Bridge? Yes this was a probable big factor but it goes much deeper than this.
Let’s take a closer look and try to understand why Bailiff Bridge along with many other towns and villages around Britain and especially in the north of England has such a problem maintain their Community Spirit.
Going back over a hundred years the Community Spirit was possibly at its highest ever? Why is this and can it ever return?
Well in those days family values were very strong a thing that has been lost for most UK people, although it’s still very strong in other parts of the world where most people lived, worked and even married partners from the place where they were born, they even bought ALL their produce and goods locally, the villages and towns had many social events, gatherings and Community Spirits were very high with local factories and works contributing some of their money to upholding this community spirit among their workers with some events and activities sponsored by these works.
While Loosing T. F. Firths and other key employers, possibly did make a difference? But this was not the end of the Community Spirit, even when we lost most of our green space, even now with the people of Bailiff Bridge now travelling further in their posh shiny cars and flying off to some foreign holiday spot. Other villages have survived, (take a look at Norwood Green it does not even have a village shop) but has a great Community Spirit.
Possibly one thing that Bailiff Bridge lacks and many of its residents believe this to be the main cause, is has lost the old local community committee that worked for the people and the good of the village along with its community spirit most of all Bailiff Bridge Lost its ‘Own Community Centre’ and all the help and community wellbeing that comes with this real ‘Community Centre’ so ok the village has a Community Centre it even says ‘Bailiff Bridge Community Centre’ on the end of this very nice building. But But But it has absolutely nothing to do with the Community apart from it was built with the money that the true people of Bailiff Bridge worked tirelessly to build up all this money through holding events, gifts, raffles and by many more means, that the so called modern community squandered on a building that has not and will never ever do anything for the people of Bailiff Bridge along with the spirit of a village.
Well I am with the majority of the genuine Bailiff Bridge Residents (and this is not just the old codgers it is the real villagers) who believe all the money that the older people scrimped and saved to have a village centre should have bought St Aiden’s or Ebenezer and not the unhanded deal that was allegedly struck with the developer to demolition Firths on Victoria road, it should have been developed in to industrial units with work for the residents and surrounding areas, also the old Firths Canteen would have made an ideal Community Centre that would have served the village and its residents well, without a profit making all singing and dancing posh club house that locals seemed to be banned from using.
If we had a Community Centre like Norwood Green it could be for the good of the community with daily get together for the residents, low rents for residents, open locals to pop in for a coffee or use the toilet and much more.
