A councillor has pledged to launch a fund-raising drive in a bid to make the Silsden Treasure a star attraction for the new Millennium at Keighley's Cliffe Castle.

Keighley Councillor Barry Thorne has pledged to launch the bid to make sure the 27 Celtic coins, unearthed by Silsden metal detector enthusiast Jeff Walbank, get pride of place in the new-look museum.

Experts put their value between £10,000 and £15,000, but the true figure will not be known until an independent panel of valuers scrutinises them in March or April.

About £300,000 is to be pumped into turning Cliffe Castle into a showpiece for the natural and historical heritage of the Aire Valley.

Money has been promised from the Wolfson Foundation, the national lottery, Keighley's Single Regeneration Budget and Cliffe Castle Friends and trustees.

Coun Thorne, chairman of the leisure services committee, wants to see the coins, which date back to the 1st century AD, as a major attraction helping to draw in the crowds.

"I will do all I can to help attract funding so we can acquire the coins," he said. "And I believe the right place for them is Cliffe Castle."

He said cash help would have to be found from sources like the Heritage Lottery fund and National Heritage Museums Fund because there were no funds available from Bradford Council.

"The small amount we have set aside is to help local artists. There just isn't any money for projects like this. But that doesn't mean we can't apply for funds from other sources and even seek help from the public and businesses," he added.

The coins, declared treasure trove by the Bradford coroner in December, will be priced by an independent panel to be set up by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Once valued they could be taken by the British Museum but they are expected to be offered to Bradford Council.

Mr Walbank said: "I am delighted Coun Thorne is pushing for them to come to Keighley - that's just what I want. They will be a great asset to the new-look museum and I'm sure they will attract a lot of attention.''

He said it was extremely difficult to value the coins, especially the Epaticcus and the Volisios Dvmno-vellavnus, which were extremely rare.

The other coins were from the era of Cunoblin, king of a tribe based in Colchester and the northern tribe of Es Vprasv.

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