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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
12:01 AM 1st August 2015
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Yorkshire Day 2015

 
A Yorkshire rose - photo Yoko Nekonomania
A Yorkshire rose - photo Yoko Nekonomania
So Yorkshire Day is here again.

Every year on the 1st August Yorkshire Day is celebrated and it is a celebration of everything that is Yorkshire.

Yorkshire is known as 'God's Own County' and Yorkshire is the largest county in the UK, with a population of over 5 million which is almost twice the size of Wales.

Thousands of visitors are attracted to Yorkshire every year and possibly even more now since the Tour de France was held in Yorkshire for the first time in 2014. This year Yorkshire held the first Tour de Yorkshire. This was so successful that it is now going to be an annual event.

Yorkshire Day was started in 1975 by the Yorkshire Riding Society. On Yorkshire Day members of the Yorkshire Ridings Society carry the Yorkshire flag and lead the annual walk around the walls of York. The Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity is read at the 4 Bars (Gates) in York annually on Yorkshire Day, one for each Riding and once for the City of York.

Flags will be flying around Yorkshire on Yorkshire Day
Flags will be flying around Yorkshire on Yorkshire Day
The official Yorkshire flag was first unfurled in Hull in 2008 and since then flags will be flying all around Yorkshire on Yorkshire Day.

Food associated with Yorkshire

Yorkshire Pudding - a savoury batter served with Sunday roast and gravy
Yorkshire Curd Tart - been around since the 1750s made using rosewater
Parkin - a sweet cake made with ginger, oatmeal and treacle
Wensleydale cheese - local pastures give the cheese its unique flavour
Ginger beer - a drink made with ginger and came from Yorkshire in the mid 1700s
Pikelets - similar to crumpets but much thinner
Chocolate - produced by several companies in York
Liquorice - sweet created by George Dunhill from Pontefract
Rhubarb - forced rhubarb is grown in the rhubarb triangle which is a 9 sq mile triangle between Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield
Yorkshire is home to the most breweries in the UK

A couple of events happening on Yorkshire Day:

Little Valley beers
Little Valley beers
Little Valley Brewery, based in Hebden Bridge, is celebrating Yorkshire Day on Saturday 1st August by hosting a tasting session at Booths' in Ilkley from 11am until 1:30pm, as three new Little Valley beers hit the shelves of the popular independent supermarket.

Sue Cooper, Co-Owner of Little Valley Brewery, commented:
"Yorkshire Day is always a great opportunity for us to show our regional pride and join the rest of the county in celebrating everything that is great about Yorkshire. The fact that we have three new products listed in Booths just gives us more reason for celebration and we're really glad to have Brian on board again. We have teamed up with Steve for the beer matching in order to show people that a decent beer can match your favourite Yorkshire meal meal just as well, if not better, than a glass of wine!"

Manager of Booths' Ilkley, Atholl Robertson, commented:
"Holding events like this tasting are a great way to have fun with our customers and introduce them to fantastic local products like Little Valley beer. We are proud to work with so many local suppliers and hope to see lots of people there."

In training for the Straw Bale race
In training for the Straw Bale race
York Maze is celebrating Yorkshire Day on Saturday 1 August with its annual Yorkshire Pudding tossing competition and Straw Bale race.

Tom Pearcy from York Maze said:
"The Straw Bale Race has become a Yorkshire Day tradition at York Maze. The aim of the contest is to roll a giant round bale of straw along a 50m course. We are also staging a Yorkshire pudding tossing competition at 1pm where someone will be crowned Yorkshire Pudding throwing champion. Yorkshire Puddings will be on the menu too, filled with delicious locally produced Yorkshire sausages and onion gravy."

Yorkshire Day on Social Media
Don't forget to spread your news about what you're doing on Yorkshire Day by using the hashtag #YorkshireDay to your tweet.

So don't forget to wear your Yorkshire rose with pride for today is Yorkshire Day.