Silsden Town Hall’s official opening on February 8 will act as a showcase for its new theatre facilities.

Groups are being invited to perform during the afternoon, with support from professional sound and lighting technicians.

A rock band will provide entertainment in the evening on a temporary stage in the upstairs function room of the recently-refurbished building.

During the day, there will also be a Valentine’s Fair hosted by members of Silsden Gala committee.

Members are teaming up with Brad-ford Council, which owns the building, to attract as many Silsden residents as possible to the festivities.

The two organisations want to show off the building’s improvements to help generate bookings for both one-off events and regular group meetings.

District councillor Andrew Mallinson, who spearheaded the refurbishment project, said he would be “absolutely delighted” to see crowds of people attending the opening day.

He added: “The refurbishment has been talked about positively and negatively for some period of time.

“But people will be impressed when they see the fantastic transformation of what has become a new facility for the residents of Silsden.”

The building first reopened last month for just one day so the gala committee could use it for Silsden’s popular annual Christmas market.

The event followed several months of refurbishment work by council contractors. Amongst the £300,000 of improvements are a lift to the upper floor, new disabled toilets and a refurbished function room.

Silsden Library has moved into the town hall’s former ground-floor council chamber from its long-time premises in nearby Wesley Place.

The upstairs function room has been equipped with a new mixing desk, sound and lighting equipment.

Organisers hope groups, including majorettes, dancers and young actors, will perform on February 8.

They will be supported by a professional technician from King’s Hall in Ilkley, one of the district’s top performance venues.

E-mail Margaret Croft at magsgreen64@hotmail.co.uk to get involved.