JOHN Alderson is quitting Cowling Gala committee.

Although never taking the chair, Mr Alderson has been involved in one way or another with the committee for the past 21 years.

But, he says, it's time to let someone else have a go and he would like to enjoy the event with his 16-month-old granddaughter, Ellie, instead of being busy organising it.

"I have been going to the gala for the last 30 years and been in the background for all that time doing various bits and pieces. My granddaughter has got to the age when she can enjoy it, and I want to be with her," he said.

Organising a gala is no easy task and there is plenty of work behind the scenes.

"As soon as the gala is finished, we start organising the next one," he said, adding that it was getting harder to get people to join the committee.

"It's hard work but I'll miss the buzz I get from seeing that I have done something that people do appreciate.

"The committees that I have worked with have all been fantastic in their own right, but the time has come to stand back and let somebody else have an idea or two."

He said that it had been a difficult decision to make, but his other commitments had strengthened his resolve.

He is not only chairman of the parish council, he is also vice chair man of Cowling Primary School, chairman of the recreation ground committee, a district councillor, a committee member of the Keighley Association for the Blind as well as numerous other committees.

He has fond memories of the gala - including a time when the wind was so bad, he stood in the gala field desperately holding on to bags of rubbish as they swirled around, emptying the contents he had just picked up.

Another fond memory was when his daughter, Louise, was crowned gala queen and a rather less pleasant recollection was of a stall that sold stink bombs to the local children on the day - with the inevitable consequences!

Over the years fancy dress entries have reflected the trends of the day - he remembers one year Worzel Gummidge winning all three age groups in the contest.

But the traditions of the day - including the clay pigeon shoot and fell race which round off the event - remain.

Chairman of the gala committee Anne Mellor said: "We regret very much John leaving us. He has been a very big help to the village and the committee.

"We will miss him tremendously - without people like that, committees can't carry on."

On Tuesday night a public meeting was called in the village to ask people to join the gala committee. Mrs Mellor said she was angered that only herself and the treasurer Diana Wilkinson attended.

She said that plenty of people had offered their assistance on the day but had not turned up to the meeting. She added that if no one joined the committee, the gala was unlikely to go ahead next year.

The committee is particularly in need of a secretary, and anyone who can fulfil that role, or would like to be a committee member should ring Mrs Mellor on 01535 633049.