Organisers of this year's Shipley Festival are appealing to the community to help transform Shipley into China Town.

They are hoping to bring the music, sights, sounds and a taste of the Orient to Market Square for the festival in May.

And they have even enlisted the help of the Chinese Embassy in London who want to take part.

Ideas include putting Chinese gates on Market Square, decking the trees with Chinese lanterns and selling Oriental delicacies in the shops.

Town Centre Manager Bob Parker said: "We thought a festival with a Chinese theme would be something really different for the people of Shipley.

"It will be a very cultural, colourful and vibrant event. We're hoping to get Chinese dragons, musicians and dancers and we've even been in touch with a Chinese opera company.

"We want to get local schools and community groups involved and paint banners which we will use to decorate the street lights.

"And we're hoping to get Chinese restaurants in the area to set up stalls so people can sample the food."

Organisers have written to the Chinese Embassy and are hoping to get the Chinese communities in Leeds and Bradford involved in the festival, which will run from May 9 to May 23.

They are also looking for sponsors for the event as well as a number of volunteers.

"We want to know more about the language and the culture to make the festival authentic and educational for people," said Mr Parker.

"This Chinese year will be the year of the tiger and we'd like to do something on that theme.''

He added: "I think this is something that will go beyond the two weeks of the festival and we're looking at exhibitions and talks on things like Chinese medicine and martial arts.

"We've had an amazing response to the idea so far and it will be a real chance for the whole community, including schools and businesses, to work together."

Shipley Councillor Tony Miller said it would be one of the best festivals the town had had.

"It's an excellent idea to have a Chinese theme and the response so far from people has been brilliant. It will be a very colourful event but it will also be very cultural.''

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