THE white rose of Yorkshire will be flying at venues across the district tomorrow as Bradfordians celebrate all that is good about God's Own County on Yorkshire Day in style.

Proud Yorkshiremen and women across the county will be taking part in events and singing along to the Yorkshire anthem On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At, born at Ilkley's Cow and Calf rocks. The tune will also be rung pn the bells at Bradford City Hall.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, herself a proud Yorkshirewoman, Councillor Joanne Dodds, will be helping to lead the celebrations in the district. And she is encouraging people to celebrate their Yorkshire connections.

She said: "I think it's important to keep these traditions alive and I'm really looking forward to playing my part in helping to celebrate Yorkshire's big day on August the 1st. I'd like to encourage everyone to come to these events and celebrate their Yorkshire connections."

Yorkshire Day celebrations in Bradford city centre will be kicked off at noon as the bells at City Hall first strike the hour, then ring out to the tune of On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At. The former Lady Mayoress, Elizabeth Sharp, will then take the lead in singing Yorkshire's anthem.

Following the singing, the Lord Mayor will perform the official reading of the Yorkshire Day declaration on the historic steps of the listed City Hall building and the Yorkshire flag will fly in Centenary Square.

Then there will be a traditional Yorkshire Day lunch to raise funds for the Lord Mayor's Appeal at City Hall's banqueting suite. The menu consists of roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding with a dessert of Yorkshire Curd Tart and a cup of Yorkshire tea. There will be live music and Yorkshire themed songs and poems.

The Lord Mayor’s mascot Brad Ford Bear will also be collecting money for the appeal as well as selling white Yorkshire roses, raffle tickets and quiz sheets.

The Council’s visitor information centres throughout the district will be selling a large selection of Yorkshire merchandise including flags, badges, and baseball caps to help people get into the spirit of the day.

And the centre in Saltaire will be handing out free samples of Yorkshire food, donated by local Saltaire shops, as well as running a range of free activities and competitions over the weekend.

Businesses on Bradford's North Parade are hosting a street party with entertainment throughout the day. And The Bradford Brewery off Westgate is hosting a beer and food festival on Saturday and Sunday, with more than 50 beers, a Yorkshire cider bar, street food and live music.

Bradford Brewery boss Matt Halliday said: “We’re proud Bradfordians and Yorkshire folk, and this is our first-ever Yorkshire Day since opening in February. So we wanted to celebrate in big style with Yorkshire beers, ‘sort of’ Yorkshire multicultural street food and home-grown Yorkshire talent. How good does it get?”

In Ilkley the Yorkshire Day Declaration will be read out by the Town Crier at 11am at Ilkley Railway Station following the arrival of a special train at 10.57am, to celebrate 150 years of the first passenger train in the town. The station and train will be decorated and children are being invited to dress up in Victorian style clothing.

The Ilkley Summer Festival will then be formally opened by the chairman of Ilkley Parish Council, followed by Yorkshire-themed music from the Clifton Silver Band.

A parade of more than 100 classic and vintage cars will line The Grove as members of the Yorkshire Dales Classic Car Club assemble at the start of their summer tour. There will also be live music and food and drink stalls.

A social hike over Ilkley Moor to Dick Hudson’s Inn, will start at the Cow and Calf Rocks at 10am.

In the afternoon a "We’ll Meet Again” tea dance will take place at the Clarke Foley Centre from 2pm to 5.30pm hosted by entertainer Shirley Britten.

Elsewhere in the district Oakwell Hall Country Park in Birstall is holding a Yorkshire Day event on Sunday from 11am to 4pm, with craft stalls, displays, music and refreshments. As well as a falconry demonstration and a Panthers bike display, there will be dancing from the Longsword Dancers and music from the Doncaster Waites and Yorkshire Traction Honley Brass Band. A town crier will be making sure everyone knows what is happening and there will be donkey rides to complete the Yorkshire-style entertainment.

In addition, a Yorkshire Market will showcase the county’s finest produce and a food court will be complemented by a tea stall run by the museum’s Friends group.

Former Bradford businessman Keith Madeley, chairman of the Yorkshire Society and self-styled Mr Yorkshire, encouraged people to celebrate their Yorkshire roots.

He said: "We have been working very hard over the last few years as a society to raise the profile of Yorkshire Day, so we would encourage everyone to go out and celebrate all that is great about the county."

And Emmerdale actor Duncan Preston, who plays Doug Potts in the Yorkshire-set soap, said he would definitely be having a drink or two to mark Yorkshire Day.

"I'm not what you would call a professional Yorkshireman, but I love it here. I must do, I moved back to Yorkshire after living in London for years," he said.