Settle knitters to greet Tour cyclists

Debbie Hall (right), shop manager for Age UK, with assistant manager nLucy Kay and some of the colourful bunting

Stage one of the prestigious race finishes in Settle on April 29 and residents have been seized by cycling and knitting fever.

Around 1,300 triangles have been knitted, forming around 400 metres of bunting to be draped around the town.

The project has been coordinated by Settle’s Age UK shop, which has been inundated with knitted triangles of all colours.

Debbie Hall, Settle’s Age UK shop manager, said: “We have lots of ladies who stitch and sew and knit for lots of different projects.

“Whenever they get behind anything, they get behind it in a big way.

“When we got to hear about the Tour de Yorkshire I asked if they would be interested in doing something to support the event, and it’s just gone mad.

“Our office has been floor to ceiling with knitting and they’re still coming in now.

“Some ladies have knitted 10 triangles and some have done 50.

“One little girl knitted a triangle while she was on holiday visiting her granny.

“We’ve had contributions from the Women’s Institute and different knitting circles.

“It’s a massive community effort, so people can get involved in the Tour de Yorkshire and get Settle behind it.

“We would like to thank everyone for all their hard work.”

A volunteer with an industrial sewing machine is stitching all the bunting together, and it will then be displayed around Town Hall Square and down Cheapside and the High Street towards the Greenfoot car park, which will be transformed into a festival site and spectator hub on the day of the race.

The Tour de Yorkshire will take place over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend from Friday, April 29, to Sunday, May 1.

The race is a flagship cycling event and marks the international cycling calendar, with the participation of top international teams.

The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire was held in May this year and attracted one and a half million spectators and over six million global television viewers.

Age UK is the country’s largest charity supporting the older generation to enjoy later life.

They have ran many campaigns including the Big Knit which saw Innocent Smoothies decorated with a knitted hat.