SPECIAL Olympics athletes from Keighley have been honoured by the town mayor at a civic reception.

Councillor Mohammed Nazam welcomed the athletes to Keighley Civic Centre to celebrate their success in the recent National Games in Sheffield.

Around two dozen athletes from the Keighley area were part of a Bradford district contingent making up a large part of the Yorkshire and Humberside team.

The district’s athletes took part in a range of sports and brought back 51 medals including 12 golds and 17 silvers.

Cllr Nazam said: “I was delighted to host the reception for our Special Olympic athletes from the area of Keighley.

“They have made the town proud by their achievements. This shows that with hard work and training can make all the difference.

“It is my pleasure to honour our own athletes and thank all the people who helped to raise the funds needed to assist people to be able to take part and those who volunteered for the event.”

Cllr Nazam’s predecessor as town mayor, Cllr Shabir Ahmed, adopted the Special Olympics as his charity for the year 2016/17 and raised £2,315 towards the local squad’s costs.