ORGANISERS of a major transport festival planned in Keighley are hoping it will be ‘third time lucky’ for the event in 2022.

Preparations for a heritage transport celebration in the town were instigated two years ago by the then MP, John Grogan.

The aim was to hold a two-day event showcasing Keighley’s long history of canal, road and rail transport.

Activities were proposed for locations including the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Keighley College, the Airedale Shopping Centre, Rail Story Ingrow, Keighley Civic Centre and Cliffe Castle Park.

But the pandemic scuppered the plans.

Now the two-dozen-plus partner organisations involved in the project have announced their intention to stage the In Motion Keighley Transport Festival next June.

It will take place on Thursday and Friday, June 2 and 3, to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee holiday.

Festival co-ordinator, Graham Mitchell, said: “A very great deal of detailed work and planning was done in 2019 and 2020 but the first lockdown prevented the festival from going ahead last year.

“All the arrangements were ‘put on ice’, with the intention that the ‘oven-ready’ event could take place in May this year.

“But it became clear that large public gatherings were unlikely to be permitted in May and the policing of social-distancing and the wearing of masks would make the festival a very different event from the joyous fun affair which was originally planned, so it was once again postponed.

“Now that a substantial percentage of the population has been vaccinated and public events are beginning to emerge, we feel confident in announcing that the long-delayed transport festival can go ahead in 2022.”

He added: “We very much hope that the festival will be a major contributor to the Jubilee Weekend in Keighley, especially as the town council is the principal funder of the festival and 2022 is the 90th anniversary of the demise of Keighley Corporation tracklesses – or trolleybuses – and the creation of much-loved bus company Keighley-West Yorkshire Services Ltd. We will have appropriate vehicles on display from each of those transport operators.”

Celebrations will be taking place across the nation to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign. The Jubilee bank holiday weekend will run from June 2 to 5.

And a special medal will be awarded to people who work in public service including representatives of the armed forces, emergency services and the prison service.