WORTH Valley residents geared up to welcome this year’s Tour de Yorkshire by creating artwork to celebrate the race coming to Keighley and Bradford districts.

They gathered for a well attended drop-in session at Oxenhope Primary School to paint Yorkshire white roses and bike-themed art.

The artwork will be used to decorate the route of Stage 4 of the race when it comes through the area on Sunday May 5.

Among those invited to take part in the activities at Oxenhope and see for himself the effort being put in to prepare for the race was Bradford Lord Mayor Councillor Zafar Ali.

The artwork session was co-funded by Oxenhope Parish Council and Oxenhope Primary School.

Overseeing the event was Russell Brown, who has previously led workshops to make roadside signs and art to welcome the Tour to the Worth Valley.

Commenting on the April 17 gathering in Oxenhope he said: “It was great. We had a steady stream of people coming along all day, with a good variety of ages ranging from a five-week-old baby to a 92-year-old gentleman.

“There were school staff, pupils, children’s families and other people from all over the district, not just folk from Oxenhope. We’d prepared plenty for them to do. It was a very social event.

“The signs, Yorkshire roses and other artwork are made of plywood, all of which have been painted.

“These will be lining the entire length of the Tour de Yorkshire’s passage through our district.”

He explained the drop-in at the school, together with other similar gatherings elsewhere, were partly designed to stimulate children’s interest in Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects.

“The idea is to get kids involved with making things,” he said. “It includes skills such as numeracy, measuring, using a compass and some artwork.

“Thousands of people will see these creations, so it’s also about instilling pride in our communities.”

The fourth and final stage of the cycle race – Halifax to Leeds – will begin passing through the Worth Valley during the afternoon of May 5, with riders expected to reach Leeming shortly after 1pm and Laycock a little after 1.15pm.

They will then take on the “Cote de Goose Eye” climb, before heading on to Sutton and Skipton.

Organisers say the times have been calculated by anticipating the competitors’ average speed, but are subject to change depending on factors such as wind speed and direction. Full details of timings can be viewed at letouryorkshire.com/timings.