SMALL BUT perfectly formed – that’s Keighley Festival!

Organisers of the long-running jamboree have packed a host of events for all ages into six days next week.

The fortnight-long festival of yesteryear is no more following several years of council funding cuts.

But the festival committee drew on the goodwill of local people to put together around 30 events including several flagship attractions.

The Festival will begin on Monday (July 6) with an afternoon of entertainment in the Airedale shopping centre, and finish on July 11, with a 1940s day on Church Green.

In between, there will be free children’s activities, live music, curry demonstrations, open days, tea dances, stage performances, exhibitions, and excerpts from Jesus Christ Superstar.

Festival chairman Malcolm Hanson said: “Every member of the committee has gone right out to make this the best event in the festival’s history.

“Having little money to offer event organisers saw some of them walk away rather than support that which had once supported them, but as quickly as they went, new people stepped in to take their place.”

Mr Hanson believes Keighley Festival is the last of its kind in the country, run by the people of the town for fellow inhabitants.

He said: “Apart from one or two professional actors, everyone else performing is from Keighley.

“Last year we totted up just how many people actually took part, either performing, promoting, or just working behind the scenes and it totalled a staggering one thousand!”

Mr Hanson said they were several flagship events to enjoy, including a paranormal conference, Children’s Film Festival, Big Schools Day Out, the One Amazing Night children’s concert and the unique Gameplan Keighley performance.

He said: “All the flagship events are going to see bumper attendees – particularly the 1940s day, which has had the internet buzzing with enquiries.

“The schools events are always well supported, as are the pub events, and I’m sure plenty of people will call in to see the various exhibitions.

“I thank them all in advance because by showing their support for the festival it will continue to secure its future financial or otherwise.”

Mr Hanson is particularly looking forward to the Children’s Film Festival, which has been organised following the success of last year’s red-carpet premiere for Built On Faith, a film made by local Catholic primary schools.

He said: “What makes this event so special is that everything is filmed wide-screen cinemascope so viewers of the films get the real thing. Children realise this so they work even harder to create their films.

Mr Hanson said the keynote film for this year, based on the between-the-wars visit to Keighley of the German airship Hindenburg, will have to be screen unfinished.

Producer Mark Waddington had to cut a third of the planned scenes after a recent fire at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School damaged the pupils’ costumes.

Mr Waddington said: ““We will show the film, though it won’t be in its original storyline.

“It hasn’t put the children off, if anything they are more interested to see what we can create from their existing performances.”