Get ready to play your part in something wheely wonderful

Turn your bike, trike, scooter or wheelchair into something eye-catchingly special at the free Fantastical Cycle Parade workshops in Todmorden

The parade, on Saturday, April 26, is one of the first events of the Yorkshire Festival - a hundred days of arts and cultural events leading up to Le Grand Depart coming to Yorkshire on July 5 and 6.

Staring at 1pm from the bandstand in Centre Vale Park, Todmorden, the parade, full to bursting with community made bike creatures and professionally made giant contraptions, will make its way from the park into the town centre, ending up at Pollination Street, said co-ordinator of Handmade Parade, which will be running the workshops and organising the event, Hannah Merriman.

From 2pm to 4pm there will be a street festival there where people can interact with the giant bike creatures, display their own creations and enjoy live music and local food at the market.

“Handmade Parade are delighted to be asked by Tour de Tod to create something exciting for Todmorden in the lead up to the Tour de France. It’s fantastic too that the event will feature so prominently in the Yorkshire Festival 2014 calendar. We know that this town is a real gem and this is a brilliant chance for it to shine in front of a massive audience. We can’t wait to see what you folk are going to create!” said Hannah.

The free workshops, which are open to the whole community, will take place at Todmorden High School in the gym throughout the Easter holidays on the following dates: Saturday, April 12, 1pm to 4pm; Sunday, April 13, 1pm to 4pm; Thursday, April 17, 5pm to 7pm; Saturday, April 19, 1pm to 4pm; Sunday, April 20, 1pm to 4pm; Tuesday, April 22, 5pm to 7pm; and Friday, April 25, from 11am to 7pm.

Hannah said: “Bring along your bike, trike, scooter or wheelchair and our team of professional artists will help you transform it into an amazing creature. Bugs, birds and underwater animals will rise from your everyday bike - ready to be ridden on parade day.”

Posters and flyers will be popping up throughout town, in schools and community centres, TICs throughout Calderdale and at train stations throughout the North West from the end of this week.