A Spanish teacher has been telling people in Otley that the rain in Spain...is pretty much the same.

Isabel Ruiz fell in love with Yorkshire and moved here permanently from Bilbao in 2001 to teach Spanish and encourage cultural links between the two regions.

And one of the points she has had to stress is that her part of Spain is not so different from Yorkshire in many respects.

She said: “A lot of British people think Spain is only about paella, flamenco dancing and bull fighting. These are typical of other regions of Spain. In the north, where I am from, there are more similarities with Yorkshire.

“For example, Morris dancing and Basque dancing are very similar, with the routines and the costumes, and Ilkley’s famous swastika stone is the same as the Lauburu symbol. And it may not be as mountainous here, but we do have the Chevin.”

The 45-year-old has used the four-headed Lauburu symbol as the basis of the logo for her teaching business, which has been designed by Otley artist Sandra Flitcroft.

Isabel runs evening classes at Prince Henry’s Grammar School and teaches children from the age of three at Otley Courthouse and local primary schools, using the fun-focused La Jolie Ronde programme.

She is now also launching Spanish daytime classes for adults at the Courthouse.