KEEPING pace with the demands of daily life makes holiday time all the more precious.

Mobile gadgetry means we are always on the move in one way or another so the rare opportunity to switch off, if we ever do, makes us appreciate that time all the more.

The first few months of the year bring a glut of Bank Holidays, shortening the working week, and giving us the chance to spend it wisely - with family and friends.

For a short while we can escape the busyness of our lives and spend time doing things different to the usual routine.

Monday's late May bank holiday (May 28) has a particular place in history as it falls around the time known on the Christian calendar as Whitsuntide.

Whit Monday - the day after Whitsun - remained a holiday in Britain until 1971 and from 1972 the moveable holiday was replaced with the fixed Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May.

The week following Whit Sunday was one of three holiday weeks and, in past times, affording mill workers an escape to the seaside or participating in other leisurely pursuits away from the workplace.

In past times the Whitsuntide celebrations involved church and chapel parades, known as Whit Walks. Brass band entertainment and morris dancing were among the past time programme of activities, although some are still performed around this time of year.

Whit fairs were another feature of the Whitsuntide entertainment.

Typically, Whitsun is a popular time in the traditional calendar as it said to commemorate the start of the summer.

The next few months will be dominated by fairs and galas; of holidays to far flung destinations and, perhaps even more popular, staycations with bucket and spade trips to seaside resorts in abundance.

It is the time of year when the weather is warmer and gives us the opportunity to kick back and relax a little.

Here we take a look back at some of the summer pastimes in Bradford - a city once dominated by mill chimneys in the boom times when it was renowned as the wool capital of the world.

For workers spending their days amidst the deafening sounds of machinery, on which the then vibrant textile trade depended so heavily, trips to the coast must have been a refreshing escape.

Blue skies, sandy beaches and rippling waves stretching as far as the eye could see would have been eagerly embraced by those leaving the grit and grime in a smog cloaked city behind - even if it was only for a week or so.

Morecambe, fondly referred to as 'Bradford-on-Sea' was one of the popular destinations as was Blackpool - the place where, even now, we're all keen to be the first to spot the tower during the drive, or train ride, into the Lancashire seaside resort!

Of course, before the arrival of under-one-roof entertainment venues offering out of town shopping, restaurants and big screen multiplexes, parks were a popular recreational location.

Families could pack up a picnic on a sunny day, stroll around the lake - or glide across it on a peddle boat perhaps - and savour an iced treat.

Parks are still plentiful and retain the entertainment factor when seeking somewhere to go - particularly for families wanting an alternative to visiting farms and thrill-seeking theme parks.

Although they are now few and far between, Lidos are the perfect place to cool off and we're fortunate enough to have one close at hand in Ilkley.

So for those who aren't boarding planes to some far flung destinations there is plenty to do closer to home - if only we could depend on the weather!!