A councillor has donated a hand bell to a new town council in memory of his wife.

Janet's Bell - named after the late wife of town Councillor Laurence Brocklesby - will be rung when Keighley town council celebrates its first birthday.

It will commemorate Keighley Day - Saturday March 19 - which has been chosen by the town council to mark the authority's foundation.

And Councillor Brocklesby, 76, of Beechcliffe, Keighley, is due to officially present the bell at the start of celebrations in the town next month.

"I wanted something in memory of my wife but also to symbolise the new town council," he said.

"Janet's maiden name was Bell and I thought it was very appropriate."

Mrs Brocklesby, a mother of four, died of cancer in July 1995 aged 60, after suffering for three years.

The couple married at St Thomas's Church, Sutton in Craven, near Skipton, in December 1952, three days before Janet's 18th birthday. Mr Brocklesby was 25. "She was a very brave woman and wonderful mother who suffered in silence. She never complained even though she was in a lot of pain," said Mr Brocklesby.

"She was first diagnosed with a frozen shoulder but when they eventually diagnosed cancer, she was given just three weeks to live," he said.

The couple decided on a last holiday together with their extended family of 11, but two days into their stay in Bridlington, Mrs Brocklesby, who was by now in a wheelchair, died.

The Keighley Day celebrations are being spearheaded by Councillor Joyce Newton and will involve a series of community events throughout the week.

"We hope they will capture the spirit of Keighley and reflect the whole community," said Coun Newton.

The events will include a procession of light, a heritage bus tour, a special event on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, and a number of other activities within the community.