Tired lorry drivers putting lives at risk
IT WAS in 1978 that Kate Bush appeared in that video, wearing that white dress as she sang hit single
which topped the UK charts. Now, 40 years on, the singer is once again channelling the spirit of Top Withens to create a new work of art in honour of Emily Brontë.
The brainchild of Yorkshire author Michael Stewart, the Brontë Stones project is part of the Bradford Literature Festival. It will also see poets Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay and writer Jeanette Winterson commemorate Yorkshire’s famous literary sisters.
Each has written an original piece of work to be engraved onto stones, which will then be installed in different locations connected to the Brontës, from their birthplace in Thornton to the parsonage at Haworth and the windswept moors which inspired Emily’s
Kate Bush said: “I am delighted to be involved in this project. Each sister being remembered by a stone in the enigmatic landscape where they lived and worked is a striking idea. Emily only wrote the one novel – an extraordinary work of art that has truly left its mark.
“To be asked to write a piece for Emily’s stone is an honour and, in a way, a chance to say thank you to her.”
Accompanied by hand-drawn maps created by Yorkshire cartographer Christopher Goddard the stones will take visitors on an eight-mile journey in the footsteps of the sisters, whose novels are recognised worldwide as some of the greatest works of literature to emerge from the 19th century.
Mr Stewart, whose latest novel is in part inspired by
said: “I first conceived of the Brontë Stones project in October 2013. I live in Thornton and have long wanted my village to receive recognition for its place in the Brontë story. All three literary sisters and their wayward brother were born here.
“They were a happy family, but very shortly after their move to Haworth in 1820, tragedy struck. First the death of their mother, then the two oldest siblings. I was also aware that Anne Brontë was buried in Scarborough many miles from the rest of her family and I wanted a stone to mark her return. It’s fantastic to see the project come to fruition.”
The Brontë Stones project, which has won funding from Arts Council England and sponsorship from Provident Financial Group, will be officially unveiled in July.
Almost a third of lorry drivers have admitted falling asleep at the wheel – mainly because of long working days or disturbed sleep, a new study reveals.
A survey of 3,200 HGV drivers found they were most likely to feel tired or drowsy if they had slept in their vehicles at the side of the road or in a service station car park. The Unite union said its research showed the need for an increase in decent truckstop facilities. National officer Adrian Jones said: “The findings of this survey are profoundly shocking.”