This weekend will see a spectacle never before seen on the streets of Keighley -- a celebration of England's national day.

Three days of fun and internationalism are planned with the overall aim and objective of raising money to support Keighley's new twin town of Manzini in Swaziland.

There have been a variety of bouquets and brickbats flying around as Keighley's Town Councillors planned the event, with some of the antics looking as though they were straight from the script of a Whitehall farce -- remember the French Market saga.

No doubt there will be cynics waiting in the wings should the St George's Day celebrations turn in favour of the dragon.

What is for certain is that the bunting and flags adorning parts of the town centre and civic buildings have set the scene for a party atmosphere not seen for generations.

In many respects it is irrelevant that it is a celebration of a Saint's Day -- as tremendously important as that is. The level of success -- it is on course to be magnifique -- can be discounted as well.

What is significant is that the weekend will act as another demonstration of commitment and belief in the town. Someone is doing something to boost the feel-good factor around the town centre.

In spite of Bradford council officials being as helpful as they normally are -- it is a wonder they didn't find a rule preventing the bunting and flags going up -- Keighley town council has set another precedent.

We wish them all the very best for a fun-filled and peaceful weekend.

Any critics should ask themselves one question. We know work is going on behind the scenes and dynamic strategies are being put in place. But just what are Bradford Council and other district-wide visionary bodies doing to promote this area? A couple of token gestures and a showering of crumbs from the civic table every now and then.

There're no prizes for guessing what the response would have been to an imaginative idea to stage a weekend of fun a few miles down the road -- involving the diverse community to help others living in one of the poorest places on earth.