Colin Speakman becomes President of the Burley Bridge Association
The Burley Bridge Association, which has been campaigning for a footbridge over the River Wharfe in the village since 1996, has announced that it has appointed a new President. Following the recent resignation of long serving Janet Street-Porter due to moving home from Nidderdale, Colin Speakman, previously Vice-President, has agreed to assume the mantle.
Colin is a respected academic, author and broadcaster and Burley in Wharfedale resident. A co-creator of the Dales Way, now 50 years old and one of the most popular long distance paths in the country, Colin has written nearly 60 books, covering walking and history, transport guides, biographies, poems and fiction. He has recently been described in a new book by outdoor writer Roly Smith as one of 20 of Britain’s all-time “Walking Heroes”. His latest book is a biography of John Phillips, the influential C19th Yorkshire scientist who completed the first detailed geological surveys of the Yorkshire Coast and the Yorkshire Dales and who helped establish the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
David Asher, Secretary of the BBA, said ‘We were very sorry to lose Janet Street-Porter as our President, who as a keen local walker, gave many years of unstinting support to our campaign for a year round safe crossing of the river in Burley. However, we are delighted to announce Colin Speakman as our new President. Colin has spent a life time advocating for the safeguarding and improvement of the country’s rights of way network, particularly in Yorkshire. It is fitting that he becomes our President at a time when more people are using our local footpaths than ever before. Predictable and direct access to the many footpaths on the other side of the river, the southern edge of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, would mean walkers and runners being able to safely extend their range from the heavily used Burley and Ilkley Moors’.
Details of the campaign for a safe crossing of the River Wharfe in Burley in Wharfedale can be found at www.burleybridge.com, or contact the group via burleybridge@gmail.com, Facebook @burleybridgeassoc or Twitter @burleybridge.
The Burley Bridge Association, which has been campaigning for a footbridge over the River Wharfe in the village since 1996, has announced that it has appointed a new President. Following the recent resignation of long serving Janet Street-Porter due to moving home from Nidderdale, Colin Speakman, previously Vice-President, has agreed to assume the mantle.
Colin is a respected academic, author and broadcaster and Burley in Wharfedale resident. A co-creator of the Dales Way, now 50 years old and one of the most popular long distance paths in the country, Colin has written nearly 60 books, covering walking and history, transport guides, biographies, poems and fiction. He has recently been described in a new book by outdoor writer Roly Smith as one of 20 of Britain’s all-time “Walking Heroes”. His latest book is a biography of John Phillips, the influential C19th Yorkshire scientist who completed the first detailed geological surveys of the Yorkshire Coast and the Yorkshire Dales and who helped establish the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
David Asher, Secretary of the BBA, said ‘We were very sorry to lose Janet Street-Porter as our President, who as a keen local walker, gave many years of unstinting support to our campaign for a year round safe crossing of the river in Burley. However, we are delighted to announce Colin Speakman as our new President. Colin has spent a life time advocating for the safeguarding and improvement of the country’s rights of way network, particularly in Yorkshire. It is fitting that he becomes our President at a time when more people are using our local footpaths than ever before. Predictable and direct access to the many footpaths on the other side of the river, the southern edge of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, would mean walkers and runners being able to safely extend their range from the heavily used Burley and Ilkley Moors’.
Details of the campaign for a safe crossing of the River Wharfe in Burley in Wharfedale can be found at www.burleybridge.com, or contact the group via burleybridge@gmail.com, Facebook @burleybridgeassoc or Twitter @burleybridge.
© The Burley Bridge Association 2015. The Burley Bridge Association is a charity registered in England and Wales (1163568)
