VISITOR Information Centres across the district – including Ilkley's – have been working with a retail and hospitality academy.

Staff have undergone customer service training with SkillsHouse in Bradford.

The academy offers so-called WorldHost training courses, which encourage frontline staff to be ambassadors for their cities, towns or districts.

The initiative was set up as part of the legacy of the London Olympics in 2012.

Now, Bradford Visitor Information Centre is a finalist in the White Rose Awards, which celebrate tourism excellence in Yorkshire, in recognition of its customer service and investment in staff training and development.

SkillsHouse manager, Kerry Robinson, said: "We are delighted to have worked with the staff at our Visitor Information Centres.

"They are amongst the first businesses in Bradford district to achieve WorldHost recognition and we are very pleased for them."

Bradford Council's tourism manager, Patricia Tillotson, said: "Once an organisation becomes a WorldHost-recognised business, customers know the staff will endeavour to go that 'extra mile' for them."