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Rehearsals underway for Calendar Girls The Musical, opening on 22 April Plan your next visit to Ilkley Playhouse, we take a look at the latest what's on guide with Caroline Mutton from the playhouse. This coming Friday 17th April The After Hours Quintet will be making their Ilkley Playhouse debut, treating audiences to a scintillating, exhilarating jaunt through the vaults of British Trad Jazz, New Orleans Swing, Gypsy Jazz and Jump Blues. Led by front man Oly Clarkson (on

Bradford Liberal Democrats have announced their candidate. Mark Stidworthy, for the Ilkley and Addingham Ward in the Bradford Council elections on 7 May. Mark, a former town councillor who chaired Ilkley Town Council as Mayor between 2019 and 2023, said: “Labour’s leadership of Bradford Council has become complacent, improvements are slow, inefficient and costly, services are fragile and unresponsive to local need. Nationally, the Conservatives are largely responsible for

Litter Free Ilkley are one of nine groups involved in the new Thomas Black Local Litter Awards The new Thomas Black Local Litter Awards aim to recognise volunteers, groups and businesses improving our local environment and celebrate efforts in litter clearing, conservation and community engagement. Nine Litter-Free groups covering Ilkley, Silsden, Addingham, Keighley, Denton, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston, Guiseley and Baildon have joined forces to highlight the invaluable wo

📋| ILKLEY CHAT JOBS BOARD |📋 14.04.26 every Tuesday with Right at Home Ilkley, Keighley & Skipton - recruiting CareGivers to provide quality care in a client’s home: www.rightathome.co.uk/ilkley-jobs 🖱 To add a vacancy next week or view the Jobs Board on our website visit ilkleychat.co.uk/jobs-board There are three sections - main jobs, apprenticeships and volunteers. ■■■ MAIN JOBS ■■■ TRANSPORT OFFICE COORDINATOR/FINANCIAL ADMIN – ILKLEY COMMUNITY TRANSPORT, ILKLEY Runni

Jason Robinson OBE is coming to Ilkley [Image: Bradford Theatres] Nicknamed Billy Whizz after ‘the fastest boy in the world’-as depicted in the Beano Comic, Leeds born Jason Robinson OBE is coming to Ilkley on Tuesday 12 May 2026. Jason is a sporting legend who reached the summits of both Rugby League and Rugby Union. He scored a try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final which saw England lift the Webb Ellis Cup. Despite his medium height of 1.73m, Jason’s presence was that of a

Artist impression of the new wetland Work has begun on a nature-based wetland in Ilkley, marking the next step of a £60 million investment to improve water treatment and the water quality of the river Wharfe. The project forms part of Yorkshire Water’s largest ever environmental investment programme, running from 2025 to 2030, which will see £8.3 billion invested across the region to upgrade infrastructure and improve services for customers. Once complete in 2027, the integra

Ilkley Musical Theatre Society’s production of Annie opens this week at the Kings Hall, Ilkley, and the IMTS can’t wait to welcome you! After months of rehearsals, set building, costume making and plenty of hard work from the incredible cast and crew, the stage is set for a truly feel-good show packed with energy, heart and unforgettable songs. With a cast of 42 performers aged 7 to 80+, over 100 costumes and props, and a unique comic-book inspired design, this is Annie like

Ilkley Carnival funds raised are presented to the town's many beneficiaries Ilkley Carnival committee has announced that this year’s profits will be donated to groups who volunteer to support the running of the event. In a break from the usual primary beneficiary format where 50% of profits are donated to one local charity or organisation, the committee has pledged to offer more financial support to those groups which support on carnival weekend. Ilkley Carnival’s volunte

Following the success of last year's Yorkshire Day celebrations in Ilkley, plans are underway for another two day music extravaganza with an appeal going out for performers. On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August there will be two stages, a main stage at the end of The Grove near St James's Road and an acoustic stage on The Bandstand. Ilkley Live are curating the music programme again and would love to hear from singers and bands who would like to perform. A full PA system will be

Maisie Dixon opened Maesa Aesthetics on Saturday Maesa Aesthetics opened at the weekend located on the corner of Chantry Drive and Cowpasture Road in Ilkley. The clinic ' specialises in advanced, non-surgical aesthetic treatments designed to enhance your natural features.' Owner Maisie Dixon, a NMC Registered Nurse and qualified Aesthetics Practitioner, posted on the clinic social media at the weekend : "After months of planning and building, the clinic is now ready to welco

Voters in Ilkley and Wharfedale will head to the polls in May for a major shake-up of local democracy, with every council seat being contested in an 'all-out' election. On Thursday 7 May 2026, residents across the Bradford District will vote to elect 90 councillors, following a boundary review which has reset the electoral cycle. Due to this boundary review, Addingham has merged with Ilkley to create a newly enlarged ward. Residents will be asked to vote for three candidates

Tickets are now on sale for Ilkley Pride 2026, as the event celebrates its 5-year anniversary with its biggest and most exciting programme yet. Taking place on Saturday 27 June , Ilkley Pride will once again transform the town into a vibrant hub of inclusivity, community, and celebration, with all funds raised supporting the ongoing work of Ilkley Pride & Diversity Group and future community initiatives. The day begins with the Pride flag raising ceremony at 11:30am at the Br

Conservative candidates Jane Sellers, Richard Downey and Andrew Loy Conservative candidates Richard Downey, Andrew Loy, and Jane Sellers have been selected to stand in the Ilkley & Addingham ward in the Bradford Council elections on Thursday 7th May. The election will see all 90 seats on Bradford Council contested following boundary changes, giving residents a rare opportunity to reshape the council. All three candidates live in Ilkley and bring a variety of experience an

Feargal Sharkey visited Ilkley in 2025 Feargal Sharkey joins Ilkley Clean River group in calling for a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership. When Ilkley Clean River Group [ICRG] started out 6 years ago, they thought no one could have known how polluted our river was, or they would have done something about it. They soon found out how naïve this was. At the outset they were told nothing could be done for 15 years! This year they finally secured the infr

Suspected Boots shoplifter Police have issued images of a suspected shoplifter they would like to identify following a spate of thefts from shops including Boots in Ilkley. Officers investigating the thefts have released a number of images of a male who they believe is the same suspect who is wanted in collecting with stolen goods totally £23,000 from Boot stores. This included Boots in Brook Street, Ilkley, on 22 February where skincare products totalling more than £2,750

Louis on the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week Ilkley boxer Louis Brow, who has competed at top levels including in front of 10,000 spectators in Dublin, has announced a planned international comeback after a life-changing reunion in Thailand reignited his passion for the sport. The boxer and now model credits a faith-led encounter and a return to disciplined training for renewing his ambitions in boxing and the global fashion world. Louis Brow’s journey from a promising young f

Tickets available for author events at The Grove Bookshop The Grove Bookshop has announced three author events in the coming weeks. On Thursday 23rd April they welcome poet and novelist Rachel Bower, who will be discussing her fiction debut, It Comes from the River . The book tells the story of three women, Alex, Lauren and Nancy, who are trapped in their own lives, swept along by forces beyond their control. But there's another character in the book, beckoning, menacing,

A deeply moving performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater will take place at St Margaret’s Church in Ilkley on Friday [10 April] at 12.30pm, as part of the church’s monthly lunchtime recital series. Composed in 1736 during the final months of Pergolesi’s life, Stabat Mater is one of the most enduring sacred works of the eighteenth century. Written when the composer was just 26 and living in a Franciscan monastery in Pozzuoli, the work quickly gained widespread

The Northern Swing Orchestra, a renowned 16-piece big band, returns to the Kings Hall on Saturday 9 May, for a special tribute to the legendary bandleader Glenn Miller. Miller, one of the most successful bandleaders of the 1930s and 1940s, is celebrated for iconic hits such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, “A String of Pearls”, “Moonlight Serenade”, and “Tuxedo Junction”. Audiences can look forward to an evening of classic big band favourites, including “Little Brown Jug”, “Ca

Mr & Mrs Charles Darwin outside the Manor House This Saturday, 11 April, Ilkley Manor House is hosting two events, a talk and free family fun. The first in the morning is a talk, Keeping the Manor House Warm , by local historian Alex Cockshott. A spokesperson said: "Have you ever wondered how such a building was heated during different phases of its use? Alex will present how the Manor House was heated throughout the centuries. "The talk will discuss how the Old Castle (now M