Torchbearer was celebration guest (From Ilkley Gazette)

Torchbearer was celebration guest

10:13am Thursday 23rd August 2012 in Local news

One of Ilkley’s Olympic torchbearers was a special guest at an open-air cabaret night in the centre of town, attended by about 1,000 revellers.

People packed onto The Grove on Saturday night for the Diamond Dolce Vita – a special celebratory reworking of the annual Ilkley Summer Festival event, marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and London Olympic festivities.

In a tribute to the summer Games, 74-year-old Ilkley resident Margaret Cooke was took centre stage once again, carrying her Olympic torch.

The former nurse was one of three people selected to carry the flame through Ilkley this summer as part of its journey around the country.

Festival director, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, said: “The big surprise of the evening was the Olympic torch, with the support of children waving Union flags to the accompaniment of Chariots of Fire.”

The evening also saw hundreds of guests jiving to music from six decades.

The night got into full swing with Dominic Halpin and the Honey Bs, jazz vocalist Beverley Beirne and local band Five Dollar Shoes. A collection was held for breast cancer charity The Haven.

There will be more events in The Grove this Bank Holiday weekend, including Penny Plain Theatre Company performing their own take on Macbeth in a free performance at the Ilkley Bandstand, starting at 2pm.