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Celebrating
50 years as a National Park
Brian
Blessed and Sir Jimmy Saville boarded a train from Leeds to Ilkley
to take part in a special day to mark the Park's half century.
The
famous Yorkshiremen were joined by Yorkshire Dales National Park
members and guests.
Current
President of the Council for National Parks and larger than life
actor Brian Blessed said, "I shrink if I don't come back to
Yorkshire regularly.
"My
heart is here, I adore the county. In my mind, Malham Cove and Tarn
are the centre of the earth."
Launch
underway
Guests
were welcomed as they arrived at Ilkley railway station by town
crier Chris Richards and Ilkley parish council chairman Kate Brown.
A group
of music students from Ilkley Grammar School performed their own
arrangement of 'On Ilkley Moor Baht 'At'.
After tea and cake, around 60 of the guests braved the elements
for a walk along a stretch of the Dales Way to Bolton Priory.
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| Just
walking in the rain .... |
Here
celebrations continued, and concluded when a giant fire sculpture
was lit.
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| Peaceful
river view, Near Bolton Priory. |
Park
aim for younger audience
Cathy
Bennett, 50th Anniversary Coordinator at the Yorkshire Dales National
Park Authority said, "This year we're aiming to 'reach out'
and attract a broader and younger audience.
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| The
grand finale to the launch |
"To
avoid congestion we also want to encourage everyone to use public
transport.
"Thanks
to train operator Arriva, everyone attending the launch arrived
by rail. All were pleasantly surprised just how quickly they were
able to travel to the heart of the Park using public transport,"
added Cathy
More
celebration events.
.If
you've got a Dales event planned for this year, drop us a line and
tell us all about it. Send e-mail to northyorkshire@bbc.co.uk.
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The Yorkshire Dales was designated as a National Park in 1954.
