Ilkley Carnival is one of the highlights of the calendar, a great family event which always heralds the start of us looking forward to summer, taking place as it does on the May Day bank holiday.

But it isn’t just about the fun – Ilkley Carnival also provides a much-needed cash boost to local organisations by choosing a group or charity to be the main beneficiary of the event.

Ahead of this year’s carnival, the organising committee is now looking for someone to be their main beneficiary. And the rewards are certainly not to be sniffed at – half of the profits raised by this extremely well-attended event will go to the nominated charity, school or group.

Last year’s carnival raised a whopping £6,000 for the Ilkley and District Good Neighbours group, which gave the organisation the ability to provide their best year of service ever.

This year’s chosen benificiary could be in for a similar pay-out, if the event is as successful as last year – and there is no reason why it shouldn’t be.

So if you are a school, playgroup, charity, sports club, youth group or anyone who does good work in the community, apply now to the carnival committee to be in with a shout.

The carnival is only such a great success because of the numbers of people who annually turn out to support it, so make sure you put the date of this year’s event in your diary and go along to join in the fun – knowing that you’ll be helping one lucky charity or group do great work next year.

A cuts warning

A further withdrawal of Bradford Council services from Ilkley Town Hall does not entirely come as a surprise – particularly given the pressure the authority is under to make massive spending cuts.

It does, however, serve as a further warning that important landmarks and public buildings once seen as being guaranteed a secure future in the hands of the local authority may somehow need to be taken back under the wing of the community itself at some point.

As with the Manor House Museum, it’s exceptionally unlikely that such a historical landmark could be bulldozed if Bradford Council no longer wants to use or maintain it.

But should one of these buildings be shuttered up while a lengthy debate about what to do with it takes place, the rot could – quite literally – start to set in. And with some public buildings, an obvious alternative commercial or community use, particularly one which will support the fabric of the building and its management, does not automatically present itself.

This leaves the local population wondering what exactly can be done with these major features in the centre of town. It appears the onus has been placed on the local community itself, in the case of the Manor House, to come up with a good plan at short notice. The Town Hall is not about to be left deserted, of course, Bradford Council is presently only proposing to close its reception, leaving services such as the Visitor Information Centre in situ, and letting Ilkley Parish Council use it as its base. But it does serve as a warning that this may not be the case forever, and local people will have to step in at some point. In such a case, it is sensible to get thoughts and ideas going now.