A TRIO of new councillors have joined Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council.

The group were co-opted onto vacant seats on the parish council at its latest full meeting last month. (Nov) They are Sarah Cotton, Sarah Garner and David Senior.

Cllr Cotton has a professional background in senior leadership in secondary education, and has lived in the parish for 24 years.

She was brought up and educated in Keighley and has previously been a member of St James Church parochial church council, in Cross Roads.

She is chair of governors at Lees Primary School and is also a trustee of the newly formed Bronte Academy Trust.

"I used to do a lot more in the local community and as I've recently taken early retirement I've now got more time to give back to the parish," she said.

"I'd particularly like to engage with the youth of our community, because they are our future."

Cllr Garner has lived in Cross Roads for a year after moving from her previous home in Queensbury.

She works as a campaign manager in marketing and became interested in joining the parish council after getting involved with the process to draw up a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for the parish.

She said: "I think we should protect our area's historic features, not do anything to damage tourism, while remembering that our local communities are just as important as the tourists.

"Although some things are out of our control, we're working closely together on the NDP to make sure features of historic importance in the parish are protected, and that whatever is built here is in keeping with our landscape."

Cllr Senior has lived in Cross Roads since 1983 and retired four years ago after spending 45 years working in the packaging industry.

This included 30 years working at the now defunct business Field Packaging, in Bradford.

He used to serve as a school governor, and is also heavily involved with the parish's Neighbourhood Development Plan. He is vice chairman of the NDP steering committee.

"The NDP made me realise how important the village is to me, and I'd like to be able to do what I can to support it," he said.

"People come from all over the world to see the Worth Valley, so we should do what we can to safeguard it."