WHATEVER your opinion of art there can be no doubt that the British Society of Watercolour exhibitions in Ilkley have proved a major success over past quarter of a century.

Residents and visitors get the ideal opportunity to discover the amazing amount of local talent on display, while local artists get the chance to let the public judge their work in the most meaningful way possible - with their cheque books.

Of course it is a commercial venture, which means it misses out on certain types of sponsorship but no-one can deny that it creates an interest in the town.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 visitors in a week cannot be sniffed at by a town which relies heavily on tourist income for its economic vibrancy. Quite simply, the more that visitors come to Ilkley, the better it is the local economy.

However, an event which used to be considered as part and parcel of the town now seems to have an uncertain future because its main sponsor, the Mail on Sunday, has pulled out.

After many years supporting the event a new managing director at the weekly paper has decided to look at other deserving causes.

We can have no serious complaints against the decision. The Mail has been very generous over the years and a new broom can sweep whichever way it likes.

We can only wish good luck upon whichever organisation or event receives the Mail's largesse in the future.

But as for events on our doorstep, Ilkley needs to decide how highly it rates the exhibitions as a tourist attraction for the town and how much its success rubs off on the rest of us.

If we regard the exhibitions as a fillip to the town it may by time to start putting our hands in our own pockets to ensure it has a happy and prosperous future.