THE white rose of Yorkshire will be flying from the district's city and town hall buildings come August 1 as the county celebrates Yorkshire Day.

The Yorkshire Day declaration will be part of the formal opening of the Ilkley Summer Festival at Ilkley Bandstand, The Grove, Oakworth, from 11am.

The event will be preceded by a guided walk arranged by the Friends of Ilkley Moor from the Cow and Calf over to White Wells to join up with the jazz band procession, then moving down to the bandstand for the declaration.

In addition a fundraising Yorkshire Day Dinner Dance with drinks reception will take place at the Dubrovnik Hotel on Friday, August 1 from 7pm. Money raised from the event will go to the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal. To book a place at the dinner dance, call (01274) 543511.

The same evening a 1940s Yorkshire Day Dinner with entertainment by wartime vintage singer Cherie Lawrence will take place at Napoleons Casino and Restaurant in Bradford. Tickets are £25 and are available by calling (01274) 391820.

Elsewhere in the district, a Mad Hatter's Yorkshire Tea Party takes place on Friday, August 1, from 10am to 4.30pm, at Red House Museum in Gomersal. There will be family fun for all ages including an Alice in Wonderland quiz, food and refreshments, various stalls and outdoor games. The quiz costs £3 and entry to the house and gardens is free. Proceeds go to Forget Me Not Children's Hospice in Huddersfield.

Also Oakwell Hall in Birstall will be celebrating Yorkshire Day, but on Sunday, August 3, from 11am to 4pm. There will be a celebration of all things great about the county, with food, music, Yorkshire produce, stalls, demonstrations and crafts in and around the visitor centre barn. Entry is £2 for adults and £1 for children, while annual ticket holders go free.

Civic celebrations will take place in South Kirkby this year, following on from the success of last year's event in Skipton. Mayors and Lord Mayors from across the county are invited to take part in the parade and lunch which is hosted by a different authority each year. This year, The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mike Gibbons is unable to attend.

Keith Madeley, chairman of the Yorkshire Society encouraged people in the county to get organised and celebrate the best of Yorkshire.

He said: "I think It's just so important that we all recognise and celebrate Yorkshire Day. I often call Yorkshire a country and a county and I think it's important that people celebrate it."