Glorious Gala sets seal on a month of events showcasing Silsden's community verve and vitality

For the first time since the event started more than 100 years ago Silsden Gala chose a queen and a king. Queen Megan Reece (centre) is pictured above with King Adam Smith and attendant Aliyah Smith. They took pride of place in the gala procession on Sunday July 31st.

Fine weather brought out the crowds to watch a much extended procession with many families and their fancy-dressed children adding to the gaiety. The route took the cavalcade from Howden Road into Kirkgate, Briggate, Bell Square, Bolton Road and then to the park where a host of events had been organised by the gala committee.

The gala brought to a close a month of events under the banner of Silsden's Grand de Party, coinciding with the start of the Tour de France and designed to build on the community uplift and joy that the town experienced as part of the famous Tour's Grand Depart from Yorkshire in 2014.

 Sutton was among the visiting gala queens.

Silsden's retiring gala queen, Hayley Jordan (centre), is pictured with her attendants, her sister Faith (right) and Maisie McGlinchey.

Local author and lecturer David Driver led the parade with loud exhortations and exultations.

 Rosebuds from Skipton.

Silsden Majorettes, the All Stars.

 Cheers as the Red Lion float passes the King's Arms.

Another soaraway success for Proms on the Farm

The 13th annual Proms on the Farm on July 23 was an amazing success, setting records for attendance and income. As the picture above indicates, hundreds took advantage of the heatwave to enjoy themselves and raise money for the Manorlands hospice and for Silsden Methodist Church's community work.  More than 1,000 people attended and £18,000 was raised, before expenses. Over the years the event, which is held at Sycamore Farm, Brunthwaite, has grossed £144,000 for the two causes.

Above: more tea, vicar? A pop-up Silsden WI was among the fun ideas for gazebos. For Women's Institute, read "We're Inventive." 

Above: the Blues brothers and sisters introduced the new Bluesmobile.

Above: the Best Dressed Gazebo accolade went to this ever ambitious group of friends from Bingley, who have taken part in all but a few of the Proms. Their seaside theme proved popular with youngsters from neighbouring gazebos.  

Above: the hot weather also prompted these friends to make a splash with a beach theme. Left to right are Philip and Ann Roberts, Dave Scargill and Amy Pascall  and Deb and Simon Wilson.

Above: from Brunthwaite to Bali with Silsden barber Jeff Walbank (kneeling left), his wife Gill (holding their grandson) and family and friends.

Above: cheers to a good time. Left to right are Katy Van Suilichem, Charlotte Hyde, Kate Parker, Jo Gill, Melissa Dobson and Jo Munt.

Above: Keighley Rotary Club members came dressed for the charleston. From left are Janet Pickles, who is a past president, president Marie Hickman, vice-president Nancy Holdsworth and Liz Joyce.

The event was opened by Silsden Town Mayor Peter Robinson, who is pictured above with his wife, Alison (fifth from left), and  members of the Proms team (left to right) Sylvia Atkinson, Rosalie Holroyd, Fiona Hanson, Dale Gatenby, John Lohan and Stewart Hanson.

The evening's musical entertainment was provided by the Sultans of Swing (pictured above), the Ripon City Band with Sarah Halstead as soloist and 1960 Four, the covers rock band previously known as the Big Bang.

Above: a reet royal Yorkshire tea party was in full swing with Bib and Tony Bailey and friends.

Above: you can't have proms without patriotism whether at the Royal Albert Hall or at Sycamore Farm. 

Above: red, white and blue was much in evidence.

Above: left to right are Jo and Alex Gill, Heather and Lee Langthorne and Jon and Sharon Grimshaw. Their gazebo had an Olympics theme.

Above: young Olympians, left to right, are Lucie Gill, Alden Grimshaw, Lewis Langthorne, Finley Thompson, Marissa Langthorne and George Grimshaw.

Above: sunshine smiles from the ladies (left to right) Zoe Hooper and sisters Julie Summersgill and Lynne Chapman, and the lads Neil Summersgill (left) and Alan Chapman.

Above: Silsden AFC line-up. President Barry Thomas (centre) is pictured with Lee Taylor (left), who is vice-chairman of the junior section, and the club's general secretary, Peter Hanson.

Above: Rosalie Holroyd is pictured with Martin Hall, musical director of the Ripon City Band, which is a finalist in this year's national brass band championships.

Above: left to right are Kath Davy and Ian and Elizabeth Hemsworth.

Above: family flower power. Left to right are Melissa Dobson and Kate, Jason and Joyce Kilvington.

Above: it's the gospel truth -- only one of these cheerful clerics is genuine. The Rev David Griffiths (centre), Vicar of St James' Church, is pictured with irreverent reverends left to right Neil Wilson, Andrew Buckler, Phil Binns and Jonathan Smithies.

Above: this Dutch flag was flown by John and Corrie Sunderland (left), to signify family ties with Holland. Their friends Mary and Michael Binns displayed the Yorkshire White Rose flag and the New Zealand flag, which they flew with reference to their son, Adam, who lives with his family in Dunedin in the south island.

Above and below: the joy of good company, good weather and good music. And support for good causes.

Hothfield School's budding bug-hunters

Above and below: Hothfield Junior School pupils were thrilled to go bug-hunting in the large field beyond Alder Carr Wood. Strewn with boulders and with fine views across the Aire Valley, this undisturbed hillside location is an ideal classroom for budding naturalists. The public footpath from the wood leads to the outer greens of the former Riddlesden Golf Club and then down to the canal.

Town Hall tea treat revives a community tradition

Above: Nearly 50 Silsden senior citizens enjoyed afternoon tea at the Town Hall in a revival of a community tradition that lapsed more than 20 years ago. They were entertained to music of the 1940s and 1950s by the Swing Cat Trio and tucked into sandwiches and home-made cakes served by volunteers from the Friends of Silsden Town Hall.

Above: Town Mayor Councillor Peter Robinson, who was accompanied by his wife, Alison, opened the July 2nd event, which was funded by the Harry Beverley Tillotson Trust. The Friends are organising a Christmas tea for December 10. Chairman Ray Colling said: "We hope the outstanding success of the afternoon will be the first of many and that we can reach out to as many over-75s as we can."

Hawthorn's hues highlight nature's nuances

Above: hawthorn blossom has been exceptionally abundant this spring.

Above: the bounty has burst forth unabated with the bonus, it seems on a grander scale than in previous years, that the white petals have become infused with a rosy hue. In the foreground is cow parsley, also known as Queen Anne's lace. Gardening broadcaster Monty Don describes hawthorn blossom and cow parsley as an incomparable combination.  

Above: in some spectacular incidences hawthorn's delicate pink floral tentacles have matured into crimson.  

The spectacle adorning our field hedgerows is far from over with the showy froth of rowan (above) still adding to the visual and sensory delights. And about to unfold in another riotous radiance is the heady creaminess of elder flowers 

Above: conifers are also having a field day, as can be seen from this pine loaded with emerging cones. Silsden is truly blessed with its treescapes, many of them within swift and easy walking distance of the built environment. We should all be charged with the duty of ensuring that local youngsters grow up to understand, to love and to protect the countryside.

Spring sprinkles the landscape with familiar colours

Above: the bluebell bonanza at Snowden Ghyll is nothing short of sensational, extensively carpeting the woodland floor upstream of Throup's Bridge.

Above: primroses are another highlight of Snowden Ghyll, where abundant wild flowers tell of ancient woodland.

Above: flowering cherry trees are a striking feature of the park. 

Above: Swartha Wood's annual bluebell extravaganza was about to be joined by the customary arresting array of ramsons. By May 10th the wild garlic was coming into flower and filling the becksides by the bridge with its pungent aroma. 

Above: shade for the sheep and their lambs as trees burst into leaf.