SOME of Otley and Yeadon’s most famous landmarks feature on a newly made political banner.

The ceremonial flag has been hand-made by a small group of Otley and Yeadon Labour Party members.

Ivola Dombay, Denise Nathan, Sandra Flitcroft and Lesley Taylor - with support from Helen Toft - worked on the standard for six months.

They were inspired by a wall painting in the Otley Labour Rooms, and the finished banner’s images include:

*The Wharfedale Press and Otley weir, ‘representing the contribution of local people who have worked over the centuries in Otley’s paper-making, printing and print engineering works’

*A Lancaster bomber and modern plane and the sheep-covered old Avro factory roof, in a nod to Yeadon’s historic connections to aviation

*Otley’s Jubilee Clock

*Yeadon bandstand with the Tarn in the background.

The wall painting at the Labour Rooms had arisen from an idea by Otley Ambassador and local Labour member Dudley Parker.

He said: “The painting was created in 2012 by barge artist Craig Ainge, who also painted the pub sign for The Black Bull in Otley Market Place.

“The new, embroidered banner brings up to date the history of achievements in Yeadon and Otley and embodies the Labour values of co-operation down the generations in our area.”

Embroiderer Denise Nathan said: “We wanted the new banner to include Yeadon in the title ribbon and to have pictures of key places or events in the history of both Yeadon and Otley.

“After consulting with members, we made six central segments to represent iconic local landmarks.

“Sometimes we planned and sewed together, at other times we took bits away and worked independently.”

Another segment on the banner depicts Dog Mill, the oldest steam-powered mill in Yeadon - whose workers in the early 1900s were involved in strikes, a lockout, and hunger marches in a bid to secure better pay and conditions.

The central motif, meanwhile, shows two hands joined together to represent the local tradition of welcoming strangers: such as the Irish families who settled in the area after fleeing the Great Famine of the mid-19th Century.

Labour’s candidate for Otley and Yeadon in this year’s Leeds City Council elections, Elliot Nathan, recently displayed the new banner at Leeds and Menston railway stations to demonstrate support for the Keep the Guard on the Train strike action by the RMT union.

He said: “We’d love to hear from anyone whose relatives were involved in historic trade union or Labour Party action in Otley or Yeadon.

“We want to celebrate the local men and women who fought for better pay and working conditions, and other improvements in our area, they’re as much a part of our local history as famous individuals like Thomas Chippendale.”

Mr Nathan can be contacted by sending an e-mail to: otleyandyeadonlabour@gmail.com .