THIS was the scene in Elliott Street, on a June morning in 1954, before the start of the third annual summer trip organised by the Silsden Old-Age Pensioners' Association.

The photograph has been supplied by Mrs Cathy Liddle, of Elm Grove, Silsden, who recalls how "long before Thompson's coaches from Sutton and Anderton's from Keighley began arriving, crowds gathered at the departure point". In this case, six coaches took 200 "old people" (as they were then unselfconsciously called) to Southport for the day.

At the front of the queue stands Arthur Watson, chairman of Silsden Urban District Council, with his wife and deputy, Coun Nellie Fortune, who accompanied the trippers.

A halt was made en route at Whalley, for coffee and biscuits paid for by patrons of Silsden's Robin Hood Inn. The fact that "sweets and various prizes were provided by friends and local tradesmen" also says much for the community's support for the treat. There was even a competition for an iced cake.

Day trips by coach were extremely popular in the post-war years. In 1954 the Silsden Bethesda Methodist Church choir toured parts of the Yorkshire Dales, taking in Buckden, Aysgarth, Leyburn and Brimham Rocks, while members of the Bethesda Women's Hour went to St Anne's-on-Sea.