A Shipley councillor has coined a great way for people in the town to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

While other towns across the country are holding street parties to mark the special anniversary on July 9, Shipley will have its own unusual memento.

The Shipley Town Centre Development Partnership has commissioned the Royal Mint in London to produce a 22 carat gold plated Shipley Golden Jubilee coin.

The coin, which is slightly larger than a £2 piece, features a distinctive design with the Queen's head on one side and the Shipley Urban District Council badge on the reverse.

Partnership member Councillor John Carroll (Cons, Shipley West), pictured with the memento, is planning to send one of the coins down to Buckingham Palace as a gift to the Queen on her special day.

"We don't know of any other towns in the country that are doing this, so as far as I know this is a unique idea," he said. "Perhaps we are pioneering something for other places to follow.

"It is something that is truly unique because it has the traditional Shipley design on the back. We would certainly like to send one down to London - even if Her Majesty has to ask Philip exactly where Shipley is!"

Coun Carroll said he believed Shipley people would be keen to celebrate Elizabeth's 50 years on the throne - and hoped the coin would prove popular.

"I think the jubilee is something that we should mark because anybody doing a job for 50 years is an achievement," he said. "I must admit that I am also a bit of a Royalist myself in the sense that I would hate to see the monarchy disappear."

The production of the coins is being funded with money raised during a collection by the town centre partnership on Yorkshire Day last year.

There is an initial mint of 500 coins, although a second run could take place if demand is great enough.

Coun Carroll said he hoped the project would also be a way for local community groups to raise much-needed funds.

They will be able to buy the coins at a 10 per cent discount on the usual £3 price, enabling them to sell-on the coins at a small profit.

He said: "We have mentioned it to a few people already and they seem very enthusiastic about the idea. We have already got quite a few orders."

Coun Carroll added that any money raised by the town centre partnership will be used to pay for other schemes to promote the town.

"This money will hopefully fund some new postcards of Shipley, which have been in great demand for many years," he said. "I think the last few designs which were taken in the 1960s sold out last year, so it's about time we got some new ones. We just need the money to start the production off so that we can then spend more on promoting Shipley."

The coins are currently in production at the Royal Mint, and are expected to go on sale within four to six weeks.

They will be available from the Bradford Council Information Centre at Shipley Library and from the Town Hall in Shipley. The £3 price includes a special presentation case.