Organisers of the annual Oxenhope Straw Race - cancelled this year due to the foot and mouth crisis - are ploughing ahead with an alternative event to rake in cash for local charities.

The committee is teaming up with the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway to stage a "Straw Race Special" on the evening of Saturday August 25.

Supper will be served aboard the steam train, and there will be musical entertainment. Tickets are an all-inclusive £10.

Straw Race chairman Jeff Moore said: "The knock-on effect of foot and mouth disease is that local charities have lost out by not having a race this year.

"We hope that by staging this special train we can raise some much needed funds for local charities and also have a great night out. It is fantastic that the railway has come forward and helped so much."

Matt Stroh, for the K&WVR, says "As soon as we heard that the race was going to have to be cancelled, we offered the evening train to the organising committee.

"The railway is run by volunteers, but everyone has been rallying round to make sure the event is one to remember and one that can raise the funds that local charities need so much."

Since its launch a quarter of a century ago, the Straw Race has raised over £250,000 for charitable organisations. Beneficiaries include Manorlands and Keighley Resource Centre.

The event - which attracts hundreds of competitors and spectators - involves teams carrying bales of straw around a three-mile course, stopping for a drink at five pubs.

The "Straw Race Special" will depart from Oxenhope Station at 7.30pm and Haworth at 7.40pm. Tickets can be obtained from Oxenhope shops or by phoning 01535 646236.