A MAJOR aspect of the carnival is the enormous amount of fundraising which takes place every year.

About £11,000 rolled into the coffers of the respective beneficiaries last year. The carnival committee is hoping for another bumper year.

Carnival president Miggy Bailey said: "We have been inundated with requests for funds from many local groups who wished to benefit from this year's carnival. The committee decided to benefit those organisations who applied immediately after the first article in the press.

"They will receive a grant from the carnival funds to be agreed by the committee," she said.

Groups who were not successful this year will be considered for a grant from the carnival in May 2000.

The committee does its best to benefit as many local organisations and charities as possible in the Ilkley parish. In return it expects some help from the groups' members on the carnival day or before the event.

This year's beneficiaries are:

Air Training Corps; Ilkley Talking Newspapers; Ilkley Choral Society; MacMillan Cancer Relief; 3rd Ben Rhydding Scouts; Middleton Road House Project; Arthritis Research Fund; Cats Protection League; Ilkley Parish Council (millennium projects fund); Ilkley Video 2000.

If any local charity or organisation wishes to be considered as a beneficiary for next year's Ilkley Carnival, they are requested to submit their application to the secretary, Mandy Trussell, 8 Fern Street, Keighley, West Yorkshire BD21 3AZ. Tel (01535) 680832.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.