Grand Depart hits the right note

The Grand Depart cycle challenge is part of Yorkshire Festival 2014 - celebrating 100 days of the arts ahead of the Tour de France in Yorkshire.

Today, a group of cyclists are pulling a grand piano along the road as 15 pianists play pieces of music.

Onlooker and Mytholmroyd resident, Brenda Greenwood, said: “It’s been brilliant so far - it’s really getting us in the spirit for the Tour de France. It’s a great way to promote our village as a lot of people don’t know were here or even how to pronounce it - this will certainly put us on the map.”

The Old Fire Station Studio opened its community arts doors on Cragg Vale Road for the first time. Nina Wardcock said: “This is a great opportunity for us to show the world what we do and to show people what beautiful landscape we have. It’s great to see the village so full of people.”

The Grand Depart left Mytholmroyd’s St Michael’s Church at 12pm, where they are holding a handmade arts market, and passed The Ark, Cragg Road at 12.30pm; the Robin Hood at 1.15pm; Cragg School at 2.10pm; Mount Pleasant at 3.15pm and the cyclists, pianists and piano are expected to cross the finish line at 4.30pm at the top of Cragg Vale.