With just under two months to go until Yorkshire Day, Calderdale Council is putting the finishing touches to plans to celebrate the county in true Yorkshire style.
This year it’s the turn of Halifax to host the civic celebrations, which take place annually on 1 August 2016. It’s a chance for people across the region to celebrate the best of Yorkshire, still the UK’s largest county.
Local businesses are being encouraged to get involved with Yorkshire themed window displays, activities and offers to create a real atmosphere of celebration in the run up to the day.
Mayor of Calderdale, Cllr Howard Blagbrough said:
“I’m really looking forward to hosting Yorkshire Day in Halifax, it’s a great honour. We’re lucky enough to live in this fantastic county and I think that’s definitely cause for celebration. We’re hoping everyone joins in to mark this very special day.”
The formal celebrations will begin with the raising of the Yorkshire flag at Halifax Town Hall.
Around 200 civic dignitaries from across the county have been invited to attend an official Yorkshire Day celebration in Halifax.
After a reception at the Town Hall the dignitaries will take part in a Skype conversation with Yorkshire folk who are marking the county’s special day from their home in New Zealand.
The group will then be presented with buttonholes by Victoria Sugden, now aged 20, who performed the same role as a seven year old when Halifax last hosted Yorkshire Day in 2003.
Members of the public can join in the celebrations by watching the dignitaries parade through the streets of Halifax from 10am, led by a local brass band.
A Yorkshire themed public service will mark the occasion at Halifax Minster, followed by a special Yorkshire Day lunch for the dignitaries at the Shay, with Angela Knowles, the original ‘Calendar Girl’, as the guest speaker.