The Haworth visitor information centre faces closure

Bad news from the Haworth visitor information centre reported by The Telegraph and Argus.

Negotiations to keep Haworth’s Visitor Information Centre open by transferring it from Bradford Council to the Brontë Society have ended without success.
The news, confirmed by Bradford Council, was greeted with dismay by councillors who have been told there is no prospect of saving the facility.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford’s portfolio holder for environment, sport and culture, said: [...]
“But despite everybody’s best efforts, sadly it wasn’t to be in Haworth’s case. It’s not always straightforward or viable to transfer services, as the Government pulls its funding. We want to thank the Brontë Society for their interest and for trying to make it happen.”
Worth Valley councillor Rebecca Poulsen responded: “Haworth Visitor Information Centre (VIC) is likely to now face closure. As ward councillors, we’re shocked and very concerned about how this will impact on tourism.
“The VIC provides a central source of information for visitors and is manned by knowledgeable, helpful staff. Tourism is a key Worth Valley revenue earner, but Bradford Council are again targeting services to support tourism.
“Businesses and jobs rely on tourists. We’ve been told for the last year that talks over the future of the VIC were positive and progressing well. It was a shock to be told these talks have ended without agreement.
“We understand budgets are under pressure but supporting tourism generates jobs and revenue so it’s short sighted to cut support to tourism.
“Haworth is the busiest VIC, yet Bradford VIC is staying open. Surely support to visitors should be where visitors actually go, not just in the city centre?”
“We’ll be asking urgent questions about the future of Haworth VIC. The area is Bradford district’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and the council needs to recognise this.”
Cllr David Mahon, chairman of Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council, said: “As a council we were surprised and really disappointed to learn the talks over Haworth VIC had ended unsuccessfully.
“The centre is an important part of the village, and I understand it’s the busiest visitor information centre in Bradford district. It will be very sad to lose it.” (Miran Rahman)

We are saddened to hear that as it does seem a very shortsighted decision. We can only hope it will be saved from closure at the eleventh hour.

And more from Haworth and its public toilets, also in The Telegraph and Argus.

The public toilet block in Haworth Central Park will be closed for repair work for about five weeks from October 1.
Councillor David Mahon, chairman of Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council, informed colleagues of the closure at the parish council’s latest full meeting yesterday evening. (Sept 24)
“Both the men’s and ladies’ toilets will be stripped out and put back together,” he said.
He added that two toilets in the block at the Bronte Parsonage Museum Car Park were currently out of action due to damage.
And he said that when he went to lock up the men’s toilets in the car park on Sunday afternoon (Sept 23) he found them flooded.
However, Cllr Mahon said members of the public were continuing to contribute to the honesty boxes to help pay for the toilets’ ongoing upkeep.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer reviews Book-It Repertory Theatre's take on Jane Eyre.

As in all of Book-It’s shows, Beckman has the actors speak both the book’s narrative sections and dialogue. It’s an unusual technique that often – but not always – gives us a good sense of the original written version, and that is the case with this “Jane Eyre.” More so than the films and the other theatrical productions this “Jane Eyre” takes us into the heart of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece.
In some Book-It shows the blend of narration and dialogue can be awkward but not so with “Jane Eyre.” Beckman melds the two so skillfully that everything feels like dialogue, enabling the words and the action to move along so seamlessly that we remain totally involved in the story and the characterizations from start to finish.
Brontë wrote “Jane Eyre” as Jane’s first-person narrative and in order for a production to be totally successful the actor playing Jane must compel us from the very first scenes. While Mi Kang as Jane managed the words sufficiently (although her diction was often muddy) she didn’t bring passion and commitment to the role; although the script had Kang frequently using “I,” it felt more like she was recounting the story in the third person. What’s more Kang offered a one-note performance; despite a lifetime of challenging adventures her Jane seemed essentially the same person at play’s end as she was at the beginning.
The same could be said of Ross Destiche as Mr. Rochester. The dashing Destiche made it easy to believe that Jane could fall in love with him but was less convincing in Rochester’s declarations of love for Jane. Destiche also has an annoying habit of dropping the last syllables of his words, taking some of the emotional steam out of his performance. He and Kang had virtually no physical chemistry so that ultimately it was hard to believe the depth of the feeling between Jane and Rochester.
Despite these weaknesses, this “Jane Eyre” is engaging and moving. That’s due partly to Beckman but also to the supporting actors, each of whom plays a range of roles. In particular, Marty Mukhalian is as believable as Jane’s nasty Aunt Reed as she is Rochester’s kindly housekeeper; Ian Bond offers a tour de force performance as Rochester’s dog (his barks are totally convincing) and Jane’s awful cousin Reed (along with various other characters); and Ayo Tushinde breaks our heart as Jane’s best childhood friend, then makes us detest her arrogant, judgmental country gentlewoman.
As usual Book-It’s production team works magic with the Center House Theater’s tiny stage area making this company one of Seattle’s most appealing, original and excellent troupes. (Alice Kaderlan)

Vulture has actress Rose Byrne select her 10 favourite books and one of them is

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Rhys had the daring idea to give life to the the lady in the attic of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. An erotic, evocative, sumptuous, and beautiful voice liberating Antoinette.

USA Today's Happy Ever After has writers Anna Todd and Colleen Hoover talk about books.

Colleen: If you had to choose one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Anna: The Bronze Horseman. Wait … Wuthering Heights. Ugh … this is hard. (Joyce Lamb)

Cosmopolitan recommends 'The 12 Novels Every Woman Should Read Before Turning 30', and one of them is

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
The Victorian era novels you read for school are great—Dickens and Brontë are fundamental. But when you’re ready to encounter a new take on that buttoned-up era, turn to the historical fiction of Sarah Waters. (Maris Kreizman)

On Gay Star News Paul Thorn writes about his book Diary of a Modern Consumptive.

The inspiration behind the book is the work of ‘consumptive’ writers now long gone: John Keats, the Brontë sisters, D.H. Lawrence, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Orwell and Katherine Mansfield.

Folha de São Paulo (Brazil) shares the impressions of London in 1987 of Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante, including W.M. Thackeray's house, which Charlotte Brontë famously visited. Jane Eyre's Library shows a Brazilian edition of Jane Eyre. AnneBrontë.org has a post on 'Hathersage, Jane Eyre and the Brontës'.