Ilkley Summer Festival organiser Councillor Anne Hawkesworth has stood by her decision to hold an 'end of festival' firework display - a week after the event.

Large crowds turned out on The Grove on Saturday to enjoy the delayed, free event (pictured right) which was originally due to take place on August 23.

The display was meant to round off Music on The Grove, the penultimate Summer Festival attraction, in flamboyant style but had to be cancelled because of a mix-up over dates. The festival organisers then decided to reschedule it for a week later, to the concern of some local residents who had hoped they could forget about fireworks until November.

In the event, however, around 500 people came to see and enjoy the 9.30pm display last weekend.

Ilkley parish and Bradford district councillor Anne Hawkesworth, who spearheaded the festival, said she felt the decision to reorganise the fireworks was fully justified.

She said: "The reason we couldn't hold the display as intended was due to an absolute mix-up between us and the company who had been booked to put it on. If we'd have cancelled altogether we would have probably been in the position of still having to pay.

"But the real reason for holding it the following week was for all the kids who had come down after Music on The Grove to see them and were disappointed.

"That's why we wanted to do it. There were around 500 people there on Saturday to enjoy the jazz and the fireworks, which was pretty good, and the display was absolutely stunning although it was a bit louder than I'd expected.

"I feel we owed it to the people from the week before to re-schedule it, and I think that the right decision was made."

Former Ilkley Parish Council chairman Councillor Mike Gibbons was in charge of organising the original Music On The Grove event.

However, he stressed that he had no involvement in re-scheduling the fireworks, as was implied in last week's Comment piece in the Ilkley Gazette.

Coun Gibbons said: "I would like to point out that this event was purely arranged by the Festival organisers, and not by myself."