THE final touches are being prepared for Ilkley Carnival on Monday with the hope that all the hard work put in over the past year will pay off for the organisers.

Carnival president Andrew Munro, in his second year in overall charge of the event, is keeping his fingers crossed that the weather will help to ensure this year's carnival will be the best ever.

Mr Munro said: "Everything is in place for a bumper carnival and we hope the weather will support us. We are looking forward to a lot of new activities with a slightly different format. We want a lot of people to watch the parade and come down to the field to join in the fun."

Mr Munro agreed that a successful carnival could help generate more success for the town's tourist industry as a whole as business strives to shrug off the effects of last year's foot and mouth epidemic.

Last year's Ilkley Carnival was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy year for Wharfedale when the agricultural show calendar was wiped out by the disease.

The shortage of alternative events ensured the carnival was a roaring success, helped by clear blue skies and warm temperatures.

Organisers this year hope that the extra crowds generated by the particular circumstances last year will be repeated on Monday as visitors who enjoyed their first Ilkley Carnival experience last year will make a return visit.

Now most of the organising has been completed, the carnival committee is hoping that a record-breaking crowd will concentrate on the hard work of enjoying the day to the fullest.

The BBC long-range weather forecast for Monday is predicting - although rather vaguely - a bright day with good spells of sunshine and feeling quite warm.

However there is the possibility of wind, rain and cooler weather sweeping in from the north early in the week. As long as it holds off until Monday evening, Mr Munro and the rest of Ilkley will not be complaining.