Organisers of a 136-year-old gala have revealed it will not include a traditional parade this year – and are urging people to help secure its future.

This summer’s Keighley Gala will go ahead but without the floats seen in previous years, said Brian Hudson, chairman of the Keighley Gala Committee.

It had been under threat last year because of an increase in red tape and a lack of volunteers but helpers acting as stewards stepped in at the eleventh hour.

Instead of a parade, this year’s event will focus on ‘a big fun day’ in Victoria Park with activities such as live music, a talent competition and five-a-side football.

Mr Hudson confirmed: “There’s no parade this year. We haven’t got time to get the road closures organised.”

He said people who wanted to support the gala should get involved with organising the event rather than “simply talking about it” – following tributes to its “glorious past” posted on a group page on the social networking site, Facebook.

However, the group – called You Know You’ve Lived in Keighley When, which has more than 2,000 members – also led to about a dozen volunteers contacting the committee to offer their help.

It was launched earlier this year, after gala organisers called for more volunteers to help it survive.

Mr Hudson said many more had put forward “weird and wonderful” ideas but some were not very practical due to high cost or lack of manpower.

He said: “It’s all right people saying they support the gala, that’s good, but what we want are groups and individuals willing to come along and help.

“Tradition is great and I love to keep the past alive, but things have moved on. We’re looking for people who want to put their money where their mouth is.”

Last year’s colourful event saw the crowning of the gala queen, the junior queen, princess, pageboy and rosebud in Town Hall Square.

The procession set off from Goulbourne Street and followed a shorter route than in previous years, into South Street and then along Worth Way, East Parade and Bradford Road to Victoria Park.

A jazz band, war veterans, amateur theatre groups, moped riders and representatives from Keighley Cougars joined in the parade.

Anyone willing to get involved in organising this year’s gala can attend a planning meeting this Monday at the Brown Cow, West Lane, Keighley, from 7.30pm.