Hundreds of children from schools around Keighley ran out in the rain last Friday to mark the arrival of the Queen's Jubilee baton in the town.

Between 400 and 500 pupils from around ten local schools spent a soggy morning in Victoria Park, taking part in various sporting activities ranging from quick cricket to mini athletics.

The sports day was staged by sportKeighley as its contribution to this summer's Commonwealth Games celebrations, but organisers were so pleased with its success that they are now hoping to make it an annual event.

The day, which was arranged with help from Keighley Leisure Centre, Eastwood Primary School, Oakbank School, Bradford Council and the Airedale Primary Care Trust, began at 9.30am with a sportKommonwealth games competition.

Then, at 10.30am, everyone linked up in an enormous conga and set off around the park on a special Jubilee jog.

Unfortunately the baton, which was due to arrive in Keighley at 10.45am as part of its nationwide tour around Britain before the Commonwealth games begin later this month, was late after the entourage took a wrong turn leaving Bradford.

The planned run around Victoria Park with the baton had therefore to be cancelled, and instead the children all formed a giant circle. Pupils from Oxenhope School, winners of the sportKarnival commonwealth games competition at Oakbank last month, and Eastwood School carried the baton around the circle so that all the children could be as close to it as possible.

The baton was not originally destined to stop at Keighley, but organisers arranged for the entourage to make a special detour to visit the town.

John Dennis of sportKeighley said: "It was great. If you think about it the baton was originally going to go straight past Keighley. I think that we are the only place in the Commonwealth that has managed to get the itinerary changed."