THE mayor of Keighley got behind the wheel of a bus to take a party of youngsters on an outing to Alton Towers.

Councillor Shabir Ahmed, a former bus driver who is now a duty manager at Keighley Bus Station, reprised his former job role to transport 39 children and teenagers and five youth workers to the attraction last week. (August 16)

The trip had been arranged by Bradford Youth Services and Cllr Ahmed gave his own time free of charge.

His employer, the Keighley Bus Company, provided its vehicle at a discounted rate and also donated £110 to the mayor's charity appeal – Bradford Disability Sports & Leisure, to help support competitors at the next Special Olympics.

Cllr Ahmed said the trip had been a great success, benefited from excellent weather on the day, and was well worth the long drive. He said he even had a chance to go on the rides himself.

He added: "It was nice to see all the Keighley youngsters enjoying themselves, and they were very well behaved. I was impressed."

Cllr Ahmed was part of a similar initiative last year, when he drove a bus to take a large group of young people to Flamingo Land.