Ilkley to be first UFO research centre?

location for Britain's very first UFO research centre and museum.

A Bradford-based group which studies unexplained phenomena is serious about establishing such a centre and has already started looking at suitable properties in Ilkley.

Russ Kellett, of the UFO Research Network, said: "This is something I have been looking into for more than a year. It is only recently however, that I produced a sort of business plan for the project."

Mr Kellett believes Ilkley's rich history of UFO sightings, particularly those associated with Ilkley moor, would make it the ideal place for enthusiasts worldwide to pool their resources, share ideas and experiences.

He said: "If this centre was to be developed, it would be a fantastic opportunity for further study of those incidents we just cannot explain and the museum element would enable us to show people the vast amount of information and pictures that have been collected on the subject."

"They would then be able to make up their own minds," he said.

Funding for such a centre would have to be obtained and Mr Kellett is under no illusions that it could be difficult.

"We are talking an awful lot of money here (although he was unable to specify) as this would be a major project," he said.

However, Mr Kellett said it may be something of a struggle to obtain money due to the scepticism of those holding the purse strings. He said: "We hear that no money is available for this scheme or that scheme. That is a blatant lie. I think there is a reluctance to provide funds for something that will be popular with a lot of people."

He accepted there may be a reluctance to hand out funds to those interested in a subject which, Mr Kellett admits, does have fringe elements.

However, he said the subject of UFOs involved numerous different elements, from photography to physics.

Mr Kellett believes Ilkley would reap huge economic benefits if the research centre and museum became reality. "Think of the tourist potential and the employment opportunities," he said. "This is a project which would benefit the whole town."

Mr Kellett is hoping to drum up support at a special UFO exhibition being held at Bradford's Design Exchange later this year.

Ilkley is home to UFO Magazine, edited by Graham Birdsall. Mr Birdsall has just returned from Australia where he played a major part in organising a huge UFO exhibition titled Phenomena.

He said: "If Russ and his colleagues want to see a centre established in Ilkley we are talking mega investment. Reflecting on the Australian project, he said a seven-figure sum was not out of the question."

Mr Birdsall said although questions had to be asked whether Ilkley was the ideal location for such a centre, there was no doubting the enormous interest in the subject.He said two American centres devoted to the subject of UFOs were very popular. However, he said that was not surprising as they were located in Roswell, scene of an alleged alien landing in the 1940s.

He said unexplained phenomena was now only second to sex as the most popular subject on the internet.

"An example of that is since we (UFO Magazine) established our own website six months ago, we have had more than 880,000 hits on the site. An incredible response," he said.

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