Airedale, Castleford

The ward of the City of Wakefield called Airedale and Ferry Fryston had a population of 14,811 at the 2011 Census.

[1] The River Aire runs in close proximity to Airedale and is thought to get its name from there.

The area attracted much media attention in November 1984, when a local strikebreaker named Michael Fletcher was savagely beaten by a group of pickets during the UK miners' strike (1984-1985).

[2] A masked gang waving baseball bats invaded his house and beat him for five minutes, whilst his pregnant wife and two children hid upstairs.

[2] Two miners from Wakefield were later convicted of causing grievous bodily harm in the incident, whereas four others were acquitted of riot and assault.