A DOUBLE bill of First World War plays due to be performed in Riddlesden this month have been cancelled.

Coronavirus has caused the cancellation of the planned March 28 presentation at the United Reformed Church on Scott Lane.

Proceeds of the evening, organised by Keighley playwright and actor Richard Walsh, were due to go to the Royal British Legion.

Richard originally wrote the one-act plays, Journey From Fiji and Nursed To Death, in 2018 for performance at Bingley Little Theatre’s Studio.

The dramas were based upon real local people and events between 1914 and 1918, one of them set in the War Hospital at Morton Banks, on the outskirts of Riddlesden.

Richard, a trustee and chairman Riddlesden War Memorial Institute, next to the United Reformed Church, revived his plays to commemorate the Institute's 100th anniversary.

Richard said: "It was built as a memorial to the 17 Riddlesden young men who died in action during World War I.

"In all that time, even through the Second World War, the Institute has remained open for the public to use the facilities.

"However this week, and with regret, the Institute has closed its doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It is hoped the Institute can open again as soon as the restrictions on social gatherings have been lifted."